AMRITSAR
Undertrial commits suicide in Amritsar Central Jail: Dara Singh, an undertrial and baptised (amritdhari) Sikh, committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan in a gurdwara situated in the high-security Amritsar Central Jail premises here on Tuesday. A resident of Manochahal, he had been in the jail for the past three months in murder and attempt to murder cases. As he was a baptised Sikh, he was appointed in the gurdwara for performing patth and ardas. Jail superintendent S. P. Singh said Dara was mentally upset as he had no issue and his family members did not come to meet him regularly. His body was sent for post mortem and his relatives had been informed in this regard. 

State NSUI president to be named in January: The president of the state unit of the National Students Union of India (NSUI) is likely to be declared by January-end. Stating this, Ragini Nayak, All-India General Secretary of the union and convener of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh, said the reports had been sent to high command in this regard and decision to be made soon. 

Unidentified man found murdered on roadside: An unidentified man was found murdered at the Mallah-Chheharta bypass road here on Tuesday. The police has registered a case under relevant sections of the IPC at Sadar Police station against the unidentified persons. The police authorities said the deceased seemed to be a junk dealer as a junk pull-cart was found near the body. He was passing through the bypass road on Monday night when the incident took place. They said he was suspected to be killed by some unidentified looters. 

Barnala
Tree plantation: The Eco Club of Saheed Bhagat Singh Public School implanted 50 samplings here on Tuesday. Addressing the students, district science supervisor Barjinder Singh, who too planted a sapling, said mere planting of samples would not serve the purpose, and people must emphasise on post-plantation care. He said it was the need of the hour to encourage tree plantation among students as it helped in checking the environmental pollution. A chart competition on environment pollution was also held in which around 60 students participated. 

Bathinda
Tax relief: State president of the Punjab Yuva Vyapar Mandal Ashok Garg today blamed the SAD (B)-BJP combine in the state for the burden of rising txes on the trading community. Garg said that the previous Congress government had also done the same and it had to pay the price for it in the elections and the present government seemed to be doing the same. In a letter written to chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, the traders have demanded that the trading community should be provided relief from the rising burden of taxes and the security paid to the electricity board should also be stopped. A similar letter has also been sent to the minister for local bodies Manoranjan Kalia. 

FCI stir: Following a joint call by the national and regional committees of the two unions, Bharatiya Khadiya Karamchari Sangh and FCI Executive Staff Union, the ‘work to rule’ part of agitation has started in FCI, Punjab. Now, no work wil be done on holidays and before 10.30 am and after 5.30 pm, which are the office hours. The protest is being launched against the injustice being meted out to the staff in the form of unjustified chargesheets and penalties on natural storage losses and transit losses in the absence of any realistic norms and criteria.

Health fair: Health and human rights activist Vitull K. Gupta has criticised the three-day health fair held recently in Bathinda. Regarding the record number of OPDs held at the fair, Gupta said such fairs are useful only when they are held to provide education, motivation, awareness and disease detection but care should be taken to ensure that it is the people who actually benefit from it and not the administrators. 

Appointed: President of the General Samaj Party (GSP) Suresh Kumar Goel during the rally that passed through 18 villages appointed Jagdish Rai as the president of the GSP, Bir Bahman village, Gurjant Singh for the Tiota village unit, Hakam Singh for the Chunge Khurd village unit, Ajmer Singh for the Balooaana village unit, Ramesh Kumar Garg for Budhladha and Niranjan Singh as the party's president for Mour Mandi's ward number 9,10,11 and12. 

Meeting held: Under the leadership of district president Gurmeet Singh, the office bearers of the Physically Handicapped Association, Punjab held a meeting with the officers of the ITI on Tuesday and criticised the attack of the police on the ITI students. They criticised the despicable act of the police as they did not even spare the handicapped students. 

Hoshiarpur
Poppy seized: Police intercepted a scooter at a naka and seized 15 kg poppy husk from its rider Raghubir Singh of Dhada Khurd village on Monday night. Raghubir Singh was booked under various sections of the NDPS Act. 

X’mas gaiety: Christmas was celebrated with great enthusiasm at local Mona Memorial Church here on Tuesday. Christians including men, women and children thronged the church and offered prayers to Lord Jesus Christ. The church was tastefully decorated and illuminated to mark the celebration. Langar was organised and sweets were also served. A congregation was held in which the bishop of the district read out the Christmas message. 

JALANDHAR
Agents’ body: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Punjab Travel Agents Association: president - Kuljit Singh Hayer; senior vice-president - R.K. Puri; vice-president - A.K. Gupta; general secretary - Meharban Singh Sangha; joint secretary - G.S. Gill; treasurer - M.S. Bhalla; and spokesman - Ramesh Bhatia. 

Mansa
Meeting: Communist Party of India leader Jagseer Singh Gehle said that the party workers held meetings in village Bhaini Bagha and Gurne Kalan here. Former MLA Buta Singh, Daljeet Singh Mansahia and Jagseer Singh Gehla addressed these meetings and apprised the workers about the political and economic situation of the state and the country. They also criticised the state government’s policies that aimed at privatisation. 

Elected: As many as 25 trade associations of Bareta have formed an all-trade association and elected Bhagirth Lal Julhar, Sanjay Mahajan, Narain Dass Garg and Pawan Kumar Gandhi as the president, the general  secretary, cashier and the convener of the association, respectively. 

Dead: Nahar Singh, leader of the Communist Party of India, died on Tuesday. He was admitted to the Dayanand Medical College, Ludhiana, for the treatment of jaundice. Nahar Singh was cremated at his native village Akkanwali in the presence of the party leaders. 

Moga
Medical camp: A medical camp was held at the Spring Field Convent School. Students underwent a complete check-up of eyes and teeth. Anti-tetanus vaccines were also provided to the students. Optometrist Navdeep Kaur Brar cheked the eyes of the children while dental surgeon Paramjeet checked their oral health. 

SANGRUR
PSHRC flays Bathinda police for violating recommendations: State president of the Punjab ITIs Diploma Engineers’ Association Gurcharan Singh Gill on Monday condemned the Bathinda police for allegedly violating the recommendations of the Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PSHRC) regarding lathicharge on protesters. Gill said the PSHRC had recommended that the police should resort to a lathicharge only in tough circumstances and that it should use tear-gas shells and water canons first to disperse the protesters. But in the case of ITI students some days ago in Bathinda, the police had ‘beaten up” them mercilessly with lathis. 

TARN TARAN
Farmer dies working in fields: Surain Singh (70), son of Sawan Singh of Joty Shah (Sabhra) village, 30 km from here, died on the spot when he was working in the fields here on Tuesday morning.The police said he fell down from the path and could not survive. The Patti police has registered a report under Section 174, CrPC. 

Kurukshetra
Bar association office-bearers: The following were elected office-bearers of the District Bar Association, Kurukshetra, on Monday. Mahender Singh - president; Ashwini Goel - vice-president; Jogender Mathana-secretary; Gur Lal- joint secretary; and Asim Jain- treasurer. 

SIRSA
Protest against school principal: Residents of a village in the district have staged a protest against the principal of a government high school there and demanded his immediate transfer to another school. Jalalana residents, including women and children, alleged yesterday that Principal Deep Singh often remained absent from the institute. They alleged that when parents complained, he misbehaved with them. After villagers had also locked the school on December 19 to register their protest, he inflicted corporal punishments on the students, protestors alleged. They later handed over a memorandum to the ADC demanding his immediate transfer to some other school. 

School teacher suspended: A teacher of primary school Ellenabad, Prithvi, was placed under suspension on Tuesday following a complaint of molestation bid lodged against him by a lady teacher. He was ordered to be suspended by the Elementary District Education Officer. The lady teacher had also lodged a complaint against the teacher in the police station on December 21.