Kapurthala, January 30
Close on the heels of the escape of an undertrial prisoner from police custody in Sangrur, another incident of the escape of an undertrial from the custody of three cops with the help of certain armed assailants took place here today.

The assailants fired at the three police personnel, put chilly powder in their eyes and attacked them with sharp-edged weapons, leaving a head constable critically injured.

The incident occurred at Jallowal village when three cops - head constables Balkar Singh and Sukhwinder Singh along with constable Naib Singh - were taking undertrial prisoner Dilbagh Singh from the district jail to the court. The four were travelling by a Punjab Roadways bus.

A resident of Jalandhar, Dilbagh Singh was lodged in Kapurthala jail convicted for cases of murder and drug peddling from June 2006.

Five members of a gang, who were following the police party, also boarded the same bus. One of the assailants, who was sitting behind the driver’s seat, asked the driver to stop somewhere behind Jallowal bus stand but the driver declined his request, eyewitnesses revealed.

As the bus stopped at the bus stand, the man brought out red chilly powder and threw it on the faces of the police personnel escorting Dilbagh Singh.

As Sukhwinder Singh and Naib Singh were slowed down by the chilly powder, the assailants managed to free Dilbagh Singh and took him away in a Tavera vehicle which had been chasing the bus from quite a distance, eyewitnesses claimed.

The Tavera-borne persons also fired at the cops but Dilbagh escaped unhurt. Balkar Singh, who tried to prevent Dilbagh Singh from getting away, was injured when the assailants attacked him with sharp-edged weapons.

Critically injured Balkar has been rushed to the CMC, Ludhiana, for medical assistance.

Receiving this information, SSP Rakesh Aggarwal rushed to the scene of crime and sounded an alert. He said all the entry and exit points to the town had been sealed and messages flashed to the police authorities of the neighbouring districts to help in nabbing the suspects and the vehicle. A hunt has been launched .

Sang Dhesian, January 30
Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala has said any development which is not engendered is endangered. In the process of engendering development, educating women is vital. To become a developed nation, we need more women to take to higher education.

The former Punjab Chief Minister was here today to preside over the convocation of Guru Nanak Khalsa Girls College. Barnala handed over degrees to 449 graduates and postgraduates. His wife and grandson accompanied him.

Describing the Indian higher education system as the second largest in the world, he said in the present era, knowledge economies would dominate the world scene and India should strive to be a leading value-based knowledge economy. Higher education should both be a process of rigorous learning as well as enlightenment through value-based learning, he stressed.

The Governor observed that a mere increase in the number of educational institutions and their capacity would not suffice. The need was to increase the quality of education being imparted in schools and colleges. A degree from India should command worldwide respect and recognition, he added.

He also announced a grant of Rs 20,000 for the college from his own pocket.

Earlier, Kuldeep Singh Wadala, president of the managing committee, staff members and students welcomed Barnala.

Jalandhar, January 30
Members of the Jalandhar Chamber of Industries and Commerce held a meeting with District Planning Committee chairman Gurcharan Singh Channi and demanded acceptance of their long-pending demands.

Chamber president Narinder Kumar Sehgal demanded that VAT on iron and steel should be withdrawn as it directly affected the industry.

He said the industrialists and business entrepreneurs were facing problems in getting refunds. “Since refunds are not released in time, it hampers the output of the industry,” he added.

Further talking about the menace of daily power cuts in the region, Sehgal said, “The increase in daily power cuts on general 
connection for five hours is a big menace for the industry.

The peak-hour cuts for large-scale connections have also been increased from three to five hours which should be reduced or withdrawn to save the industry in Punjab.”

Highlighting another peculiar problem, Sehgal said the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) had been witnessing shortage of transformers, which had further added to their woes.

“The state government should implement policies in the interest of the industry,” the Chamber president said. 

Kapurthala, January 30
The body of an unidentified youth, reportedly murdered, was found in the Kali Bein adjacent to the Police (Commando) Training Centre here this morning.

According to the police, the body was having injury marks on its neck, head, back, abdomen and other parts. The youth was wearing a blue jean pant and good quality shoes.

Receiving the information, SSP Rakesh Aggarwal and DSP Bahadur Singh reached the spot and a dog squad was pressed into service. The dog squad found a shirt and some other clothes of the deceased in nearby fields.

The police has launched an operation in the areas to know the identity of the deceased. A case of murder has been registered against unidentified persons in this pretext.

Batala: The body of Gurpreet Singh, son of Sardul Singh Udho Nangal under Mehta police station, was recovered from a heap of straw near Adda Panj Garayiyan falling under Rangar Nangal police station on Thursday.

Rangar Nangal SHO Daljit Singh Padda conducted the proceedings under section 174, CrPC, and sent the body for a post-mortem examination. A motor cycle has been recovered from near the dead body.

SSP Dr Naresh Arora said today that the cause of death had not been ascertained so far and as such no case had been registered. Neither any one had come forward to lodge a complaint regarding the death of Gurpreet Singh.