Barnala
2 cops booked: Two policemen from the local police station were booked for dereliction of duty. Pargat Singh, DSP Barnala, said Amanpreet Singh, who was in police custody and was hospitalised at the civil hospital in Barnala, managed to flee from the hospital on Friday. Head constable Harjinder Singh and constable Charnjeet Singh, who were deputed for his security, have been booked under sections 223 and 224 of the IPC for negligence of duty.

BASSI PATHANA
Freedom fighter dead: Dr Ved Parkash, renowned freedom fighter, social worker and practicing doctor passed away today morning at Bassi Pathana. He was 86 and a renowned doctor and a member of the Indian Medical Association. The bazaars of the town remained closed as mark of respect. Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, Bikramjit Singh Majithia, minister, D.S. Jaspal, secretary, and Tejveer Singh, director, public relations, condoled the death of the freedom fighter.

Bathinda
Train engine catches fire: The engine of the 4FKB Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) passenger train (Ferozepur to Bathinda) caught fire at the Bathinda railway station on Saturday evening. No casualty was reported as the train was stationed on the platform and all the passengers had got down from the train. According to railway sources, the engine of the stationed train caught fire at around 7.20 pm. The fire fighters took about 10 minutes to control it. The reason of the fire could not be ascertained, railway sources said, adding that a team of technicians from Jalandhar would investigate the incident. The engine has been shunted at yards.

Man killed: Four persons allegedly beat up one Gurcharan Singh (38), of Amar Pura basti, to death here today. The relatives of the deceased reported to the police alleging that four accused, all brothers, assaulted Gurcharan Singh in an inebriated condition at around 11 am. As the neighbours gathered over there, the accused fled away. After one and a half hours, the deceased complained about some internal pains. Within a few moments, he died. The relatives took him to the civil hospital Bathinda, where doctors declared him brought dead. Sources said there was a dispute over some meager amount of money behind the attack. The deceased was working with his brother at a tea stall in Sirki Bazaar, here. ASP Harsh Kumar Bansal, SP (D) Narender Kaushal, SHO of Kotwali police station, Davinder Singh reached the hospital. The officers replied that investigation team had been sent to the spot. The body had been sent for the post-mortem report. However, no arrest has been made till the filing of the report.

Suicide: One Manjit Kaur lodged a complaint against Gurtej Singh and Bhura Singh, two brothers of Gidder village, who allegedly beaten her son, Kuldip Singh, on October 28. In her statement, she said the accused beat her son and threatened to defame him. Getting tense over the issue, he consumed poison on the same day and was rushed to a private hospital, where he died on this Friday. The Nathana police registered a case under sections 306, 34 of IPC.

Assault: Sukhdev Singh of Gidder village complained to the police that Gurdev Singh, Pabu Singh and Shinder Singh, all from the same village, assaulted him with swords and lathis on Wednesday. The police today lodged a complaint against the accused under sections 34, 323, 324 of IPC. Sources said there was a house dispute behind the incident.

Fazilka
Diwali celebrated: The Social Welfare Society, Fazilka, celebrated Diwali in an old age home run by the Manv Kalyan Sabha here. The members lighted lamps and held a prayer in a temple located in the premises of the old age home.

Gurdaspur
3 killed in road accident: Three persons were killed in two road accidents on Diwali night while two persons were seriously injured. According to the police, three persons, identified as Gurpreet Singh, Mohinder Singh and Harpal Singh, were killed when two motorcycles on which they were travelling collided with each other on the Kahnuwan - Batala Road at around 8:30 pm. Bachittar Singh sustained serious injuries. They were coming from opposite direction.

Hoshiarpur
Man dies of stab injuries: Sohan Singh of Dhamian Kalan village succumbed to his injuries at DMC hospital in Ludhiana on Saturday. According to the police, Sohan and his brother Bakhsheesh Singh had a quarrel on some family dispute on Friday, which enraged latter's son Jaswinder Singh, who allegedly stabbed the former with a dagger. Sohan was rushed to Hoshiarpur civil hospital from where he was referred to DMC, Ludhiana.

Annkoot Utsav: Thousands of devotees celebrated “Annkoot utsav” with enthusiasm at Sri Harinam Sankirtan Bhavan here on Saturday. Sankirtan was performed and 36 different dishes including sweets and fruits were offered to Lord Krishna to mark the occasion.

Women gamblers: Three women of Chotala village were arrested on Friday night for gambling. The accused identified as Moto, Rani and Usha Rani were caught red handed by the police while they were allegedly gambling during Diwali celebrations. The police also seized Rs 1,305 from them.

Jalandhar
Foundation day: People should follow the path shown by Gautam Budha to make this world a better place to live. This was stated by LR Bali, editor of a fortnightly magazine, while speaking during the annual foundation day function of Budh Vihar Trust at Sofi Pind on Monday. The chief guest Rattan Lal Sampla, who is also chairman of Dr Ambedkar Education Society in Birmingham, UK formally inaugurated a 
book exhibition on the occasion.

KHARAR
Injured: Two persons were injured in a minor brawl in Padaul village on Diwali night. The incident took place when  Jaspal Singh and Baljinder Singh from Padaul picked fight over a minor issue. They got engaged in fisty cuffs and received injuries. Both of them were admitted to  PGI Chandigarh. Sources in the police said medio-legal reports were awaited in  the case.

Moga
Killed: A labourer, Darshan Singh of Daya Kalan village, succumbed to his injuries on Saturday after he was severely beaten up by Ram Singh of the same village, police sources said. The incident occurred on Friday when the deceased was returning to his house when Ram Singh attacked on the belief that Darshan had illicit relation with his wife, the sources added. The Dharamkot police station has registered the case.

Phagwara
Diwali dhoom: Diwali was celebrated with great fervour and enthusiasm in Phagwara, Goraya and Phillaur on Friday. Though the administration, with the help of several educational institutions, organised rallies to inspire a cracker-free Diwali, most of the youngsters were seen enjoying the fireworks in the evening. Meanwhile, there was no let up in the encroachment menace as several sweet shops, cracker stalls were seen extended right up to the middle of the road and created great inconvenience for the commuters.

SANGRUR
Murder in village: Harjinder Singh, a resident of Khadial village, was allegedly murdered by some persons with sharp-edged weapons in the village on Friday. The Sunam police said on Saturday that old enmity was believed to be the cause of the murder. A case had been registered against seven persons on the statement of one Malkiat Singh.

BILASPUR
Traders’ demands: The Himachal Pradesh State Beopar Mandal has demanded that all political parties must include long-pending demands of traders in their manifestos. Beopar Mandal state president Hemchand Sood has demanded that at least five tickets should be given to leaders from trading community and election manifestos of parties must include end of inspector raj. Five per cent of VAT income should be spent on welfare of the trading community, he said. The mandal has warned that it will be constrained to give a call to traders against political parties that do not include their issues in their manifestos.

Registration cancelled: Registration of two ultrasound clinics here, Navjiven Hospital, Kandraur, and Kulbhushan Hospital, Ghumarwin, has been cancelled following detection of some irregularities during an inspection by a team of officials led by CMO Sharda Sharma. Presiding over a meeting of a district-level committee, the CMO said all ultrasound clinics were being inspected to prevent them from indulging in illegal activities.

Kumarhatti
Miraculous escape: Sanjeev Kumar of Chandigarh had a miraculous escape when his car rolled down into a gorge near Timber Trail on the Kalka-Shimla national highway, around 24 km from here on Friday night. He was returning from Dharampur in his Cielo car (CH-03 M-9521). He reportedly lost control on the car after a vehicle wrongly overtook him. Luckily, he received only minor injuries although the car was badly damaged. Sanjeev fell unconscious and remained inside the car the whole night. In the morning, he regained consciousness and somehow managed to pull himself out from badly damaged car.

MANDI
Fire incidents: Two cows were killed and 10 bags of maize destroyed when a fire broke out in a house at Bhekhli village in Balichowki tehsil. The house belonged to Bela Ram. In another incident a cowshed was gutted at Sardwar village in Mandi (Sadar). It belonged to Seju Ram.

NAHAN
Black Diwali: Around 200 striking workers of Jaish Shoe Factory situated in Bherewala village, near Dhaulan Kuan under Paonta subdivision, showed their anger against the management of the factory by celebrating ‘black Diwali’ in front of the factory. These workers have been on strike for three months in protest against the removal of 17 employees from the job by the management. They assembled in front of the factory with empty “thalis” and blackened earthen lamps in their hands and raised slogans against the management. They also burnt an effigy of the owner of the factory. They said they would go on fast if their demands were not met in three days.