R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

PATHANKOT
Gang of thieves busted, four arrested: The Shahpur Kandi police busted a gang of thieves and arrested four persons, Bir Singh, Sat Pal, Hoshiarpur Singh and Ghosha, here on Saturday and recovered two engine Tipper and one Indo-Farm Tractor. A case under Sections 379 and 411, IPC, had been registered against them. Meanwhile, the city police arrested two persons, Ashwani Kumar and Paramjit, under the Excise Act and recovered 1125 ltrs illicit liquor from their possession.

TARN TARAN
Govt school teachers block traffic: Teachers of government schools, protesting against holding of seminars in winter vacations after boycotting the seminars, blocked traffic for more than one-and-a-half hour at the local Jandaila Guru Ke byepass on Saturday. Balkar Singh, Jaswinder Singh, Shangara Singh and other leaders of the teachers’ organisations addressing the protesters condemned the state government for its alleged anti-teacher policies.The leaders demanded the early reinstatement of the suspended teachers boycotting the seminars.

Christians condemn Orrisa violence incidents: Christian organisations have condemned the Orrisa violence incidents just before Christmas and have demanded the imposition of President’s rule in the state. Pradeep Kumar Sammanta Rai, Bishop of Diocese of Amritsar, and Daniel B. Das, co-ordinator of the Socio Economic Development Programme, in a press statement here on Friday said Christians in Orrisa were still hiding in jungles and their property worth Rs 4 crore had been ruined by persons responsible for the violence there.

CHANDIGARH

Gurmat Sangeet@@MOHALI: Bhai Jeevan Singh Gurmat Sangeet Academy is holding a gurmat sangeet samellan at Gurdwara Harcharan Kamal Sahib, Phase X on December 31. Sandeep Singh, a member of the executive committee of the academy, said the kirtan would be performed on specified ragas and with the help of ancient musical instruments. He said renowned novelist Bhai Jaswant Singh Kanwal would talk on the role played by the Sikhs during the freedom struggle. — OC@@@@Calendar released@@PATIALA: Punjab Youth Congress (PYC) leader Vijay Inder Singla released a calendar of the PYC for the year 2008 on Saturday. Wishing the people of Punjab on New Year, Singla said the central theme of the calendar was spreading values and ideals of great nation builders and freedom fighters of Punjab. Singla said the PYC had enrolled three lakh members during its recently concluded enrolment drive. — TNS@@@@Health camp@@PATIALA: As many as 2,412 patients were checked for various diseases free of cost during the three-day ‘Parivaar Kalyaan Awaam Swaastha Mela’ which concluded at Nial-Patran in Patiala on Saturday. The ‘mela’ was organised under the National Rural Health Mission by the health and family welfare department. Civil surgeon Dr Avtaar Singh Jarewal said specialists in paediatrics, ENT, orthopaedics, ayurveda and homeopathy checked the patients. “Certificates were issued to 150 old age pension beneficiaries while ‘handicap certificates’ were issued to 52 physically challenged persons during the mela,” said Jarewal. — TNS@@@@Elected@@PATIALA: Harminder Singh Rana was elected president of the Punjab Pensioners’ Welfare Association at a meeting held on Saturday. Jagjit Singh Dua and D.P. Kaushal were elected general secretary and finance secretary respectively. Earlier, working president B.S. Gautam dissolved the previous working committee. — TNS@@@@Thikri pheras ordered@@PANCHKULA: The Panchkula administration, on Saturday, ordered night patrolling, ‘thikri pehra’, in the villages. District magistrate Rajinder Kataia, invoking Village and Small Town Patrol Act, 1918 ordered that the respective panchayats would ensure that there was night patrolling in their villages and life and property of people was protected. Similarly, the landlords have been asked to furnish the police with all the details about their tenants. — TNS

HARYANA

BHIWANI
Fire in circus: A fire broke out during a show of Apolo Circus on Saturday. Fire engines arrived immediately and controlled the fire. The audience noticed the fire behind the curtains when the noon show was on and they informed the circus authorities, who called up the fire services.

Drivers submit memo: The local Three-wheeler Drivers Association on Saturday met the subdivisional magistrate and submitted a memorandum regarding their demands. They urged the administration to fix a day for drivers who wanted to procure licences.

Rewari
Motorcycles burnt: Two motorcycles were reportedly gutted in a fire which was allegedly sparked off by some miscreants in a shop near Dharuhera Chowk here late on Thursday night. The next morning when neighbours informed the dealer, Vijay Arora, he reached the shop where he found that some unknown miscreants had broken open the rear door and then set the shop on fire which destroyed the motorcycles as well as important papers. He lodged a complaint with the police which has registered a case of mischief by fire under section 436 of the IPC in this regard.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Kumarhatti
Canine carcass: Resentment prevails among the residents of Himmatpur Dawli on the oustskirts of this town following the failure of the authorities concerned to remove the carcass of a stray dog lying along the Kalka-Shimla national highway for the past 12 days. The decaying carcass has been emitting a foul smell. The dog was killed by a vehicle. Dagshai cantonment officials were approached to remove the corpse but they refused to so do, pointed out the residents. The local panchayat also declined to help out on the pretext that it was PWD’s responsibility. PWD officials were yet to take steps to remove it.

JAMMU & KASHMIR

JAMMU
2 killed, 5 hurt: Two persons were killed and five others sustained serious injuries in separate road mishaps in Jammu on Saturday. The deceased have been identified as Muthra Dass of Indira Nagar and Raj Kumar of Prem Nagar. The five injured had also been hospitalised in Government Medical College Hospital, Jammu.

Man goes missing: A middle-aged man was reported missing from his house in Bakshi Nagar on Saturday. The man was identified as Mohammed Masih (36), a resident of Christian Colony in Bakshi Nagar. Police sources said investigations were on.

Body recovered: The police on Saturday recovered the body of a man from a deserted place in Ram Nagar. The deceased was identified as Puran Chand (30), son of Munshi Ram of Incha. The police said Puran’s body was found from a deserted place at Kulwanata. The police has registered a case under Section 174 of the CrPC.

Suicide: An 18-year-old girl allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself in her house at Krishna Nagar on Saturday. The deceased had been identified as Neena Devi, daughter of Subhash Chander and a resident of Krishna Nagar. The police said Neena was found hanging in her room. The police has registered a case and started inquest proceedings.

3 held: The police on Saturday claimed to have arrested three youths, who had allegedly abducted a teenaged girl on December 10 from the New Plots area, under the jurisdiction of Bakshi Nagar police station. The accused had been identified as Pawan Kumar, alias Babu, Deepak Kumar, alias Vishu, both sons of Om Prakash of New Plots area and Ajay Khajuria of Shakti Nagar. The girl has been identified as Himani, 14, daughter of Som Nath and a native of Pathankot. She had been putting up in a rented accommodation at New Plots area. Earlier, on December 10, Himani’s mother Santosh Kumari had lodged a missing report at the Sarwal police post about Himani’s abduction. Later, a case under Section 363, 376, and 343 of the RPC was registered at the Bakshi Nagar police station against the trio. Today the girl appeared before the police and in her statement accused the trio of abducting her.