Samrala, June 6
A poor, debt-ridden person consumed poison and also poisoned his two minor children at Sarbarpur village, near here. While the person died, his children were admitted to a hospital in a critical state.

According to information, Avtar Singh (38) was a juice vendor and was running his shop at Barwali bus stand. He had taken a debt of Rs 7,000 from Kulwant Singh of his village and was now unable to return the money.

Kulwant threatened him with dire consequences if he failed to return his money with interest. According to Rupinder Kaur, wife of the deceased, Kulwant visited their house with some other persons of the village and made a list of their valuables. He threatened them that he would take their valuables if they failed to repay his money.

After this incident, Avtar Singh came under depression and last night, when his wife was away, he consumed some poisonous substance with juice and also gave it to his two children Tarlok Singh (8) and Tarikjot Singh (7).

When Rupinder returned home she saw all three were in unconscious condition and lying on a bed. She called for help and took them to a private hospital at Doraha with the help of some villagers. While Avtar Singh died at the hospital, the children were in a serious condition till the filing of this report.

The Samrala police, on the complaint of Rupinder, registered a case against Kulwant, Harnek Singh, watchman of the village, and two other persons under Section 306 of the IPC.

Ludhiana, June 6
The ongoing controversy at BJS Dental College here took a turn as the college authorities today suspended three interns, Manraj Kaur Dhaliwal, Chadan Cheema and Dilpreet Kaur following the allegations of arrogance, indiscipline and disregard to the teaching faculty and for sabotaging the college convocation held last month on the college premises.

The three interns, along with others, were up in arms against the college authorities for the past six months over the non-payment of stipend to interns, overcharging outgoing students in lieu of degrees, taking extra money in the name of dental kits and the alleged exploitation of girl students.

They had got support from Prof Sudesh Alhawat, former principal of DAV College, Amritsar, Ex-servicemen Association from Himachal and some city-based NGOs.

The college principal, Dr DS Kalsi, in a statement issued today stated that the three students had distributed pamphlets levelling unfounded allegations against the college. It was not a students’ movement, but only these three girls were protesting against the college.

“They sabotaged the college convocation on April 10 and forcibly took over the stage and disrupted the convocation,” the principal alleged.

The case was referred to the disciplinary committee of the college that decided against the students, pronouncing them guilty.

However, Manraj Kaur, Chadan and Dilpreet Kaur denied the allegations, saying that they would take legal action against the college management.

They said they had not received any document pertaining to their suspension from the college. “The allegations are baseless as the authorities are trying to suppress the student’s movement as the college would have more than 50 interns after July, who would pursue the cause with the authorities,” Manraj stated.

The management wanted to carry on with its malpractices without opposition from students, which was a violation of the right of students to hold peaceful demonstration, they added.

The suspended students have decided to take up the matter with the Vice-Chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, the ministries concerned and the Student Federation of India.

Mullanpur Dakha, June 6
A drunk driver of Scorpio mowed down four persons, killing one of them on the spot. The deceased has been identified as Raj Kumar (25) from UP.

The Scorpio driver, identified as Kamaljit Singh of Jangpur village, managed to escape, but an eyewitness had taken note of the registration number that enabled the police to nab him before he could go too far.

The car belonged to Khushwant Kaur, sarpanch of Jangpur village. Kamaljit Singh was driving the car in a heavily drunk state while Amritpal Singh of the same village was sitting beside him. While coming from Jagraon, he hit two cyclists, killing one of them and injuring the other.

After the accident, Kamaljit Singh tried to flee and rammed his vehicle into a scooter, injuring Sat Pal and one other. All three have been admitted to hospital at Ludhiana in a critical condition.

The Dakha police has registered a case under Sections 304-A, 427, 279, 338 and 337 of the IPC on the statement of Sat Pal. The accused was arrested and later bailed out. The vehicle has been impounded.

Ludhiana, June 6
The hard-earned money of residents is lying unsafe in several banks of the city as there is no security guard to man the banks in the evening.

These banks have ignored the repeated instructions of the police and have not deployed security guards for night duty.

It has been more than two years that a robbery took place in broad daylight at a bank near the DMCH.

Several such attempts have been made since, but the banks have failed to take notice of it.

In one such bank, the responsibility of locking the bank is with a tea stall owner. In the evening, a bank employee comes and gets the keys of the bank.

Recently, the police took stringent steps and closed down some banks that did not have a security guard. It was after the bank authorities recruited security guards that the police allowed them to reopen.

But this was eyewash as these guards were recruited for a 10 am to 5 pm duty and no guard was recruited for night.

NS Sandhu, manager of the State Bank of Bikaner, said: “Our bank has employed security guards who work from 10 am to 5 pm. There is no provision to recruit a security guard for night duty.”

Ludhiana, June 6
When it comes to computerisation, the police here presents a better picture as its officials like munshis, constables and head constables are being trained in computer over the past six months.

A visit to the Police Lines, where these officers are taking training, reveals that though they are not tech-savvy as most of them don’t even know how to SMS, but they are hoping to be experts one day.

A constable on training said on the condition of anonymity: “I am in my 40s and at my age, it is tough to learn something new.” But he joked that the training would at least help him play computer games with his grandchildren. He said new officials coming on higher posts in the department were giving the fillip to technology.

The police department is using special softwares for various works like receiving application and verification, along with some high-tech computer system and Internet connections. The main hub of the police headquarters is the SSP’s office to which the sub-units are attached.

SP Harsh Bansal said: “Various services are available online. We have online submission of FIR and other application forms too.

The latest addition is online submission of information of tenants, servants and industrial workers at ismic.org which is a hassle free process and people can use it easily.”

However, the backup system of the police is not according to the potential, experts working with the police said. “Though a remarkable change has come in the functioning, but cyber crime is increasing and if you compare the swiftness of the department, it has still a long way to go,” he added.

(Concluded)

Ludhiana, June 6
Encroachments in the city have come back to haunt Municipal Commissioner GS Ghuman yet again with another contempt petition being filed against him in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The petition has been filed by a city resident, Rakesh Kumar, against encroachments on streets in Malerkotla House.

Talking to The Tribune, lawyer Raman Sharma who has filed the petition on behalf of Rakesh, said: “The High Court had given directions to the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation to remove encroachments following a PIL. When we went to file another PIL related to encroachments in Malerkotla House, we were directed to file contempt petition rather than a PIL.”

He added that the next hearing allotted for their case was scheduled for September 24. Interestingly, information gathered through the Right to Information Act revealed that the area had at least 40 encroachments, out of which three were commercial buildings and another by a famous school, Bhartiya Vidya Mandir. The school is stated to have encroachment of over three feet.

According to sources, even ATP D-zone Ramesh Chabbra had been held responsible for this. They said the Malerkotla House came under town planning scheme and most of the buildings had encroached upon streets that were 20 feet wide.

“It’s mainly a residential area and all houses have been given notices twice by the corporation. However, no action has been forthcoming to date,” said sources, adding that around a year ago, action was taken only against one individual whose wall was under construction.

They said after the demolition no action was ever taken due to political intervention, especially by a Congress councillor.

The sources said even the time period of six months given to the corporation to act upon encroachments by the Punjab and Haryana High Court was nearing its end and the problem remained unsolved.

Ludhiana, June 6
Vaibhav Satija, son of Dr Varun Satija, a radiologist and Dr Alka Satija, a gynaecologist, has achieved 12th rank and has stood first in Ludhiana district in the All India Pre-medical Test (AIPMT) conducted by the CBSE, the result of which was declared yesterday.

Vaibhav passed his matriculation examination from Sacred Heart Convent School, Sarabha Nagar, and then moved to Delhi Public School for senior secondary exam.

Vaibhav told The Tribune that he took coaching in Delhi and it was due to the guidance of his teachers, parents and his hard work that he was able to achieve this distinction. He has got 9th rank in Delhi PMT also. He wants to join Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi, for MBBS.

Medical profession seemed to be the bastion of the offspring of the medicos. Akash Batta, son of Dr Subhash Batta (surgeon) and Dr Santosh Batta has secured 219th rank. He has been studying for four to five hours daily. He is ambitious to become a cardio thoracic surgeon. More than coaching, it was self-study and guidance of his parents and teachers that helped him.

Rinni Brar, student of Radha Vatika School, Khanna, has secured 68th rank.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, June 6
Karamjit Singh, executive magistrate, flagged off 12 trucks carrying ration for langar to be organised at Baba Amarnath Dham and Baltal in Jammu and Kashmir.

Volunteers of the local unit of the Hanuman Langar Committee, the CB Welfare Association and the Aarhtia Association, under the supervision of Ravinder Puri, a social activist, collected foodgrain and other eatables from the town.

Tarsem Garg, coordinator of the project, claimed that the association had been organising langar for pilgrims during the Amarnath Yatra for the past 10 years.

“Besides arranging eatables, blankets and medicines, we have arranged equipment for providing oxygen to pilgrims suffering from altitude sickness,” said Garg, adding that warm water would also be supplied during morning hours.

Balwinder Verma Happy, Sushil Singla, Naresh Bhutta, Happy Jindal and Pyare Lal Jain, office-bearers of the Ahmedgarh Welfare Association, the Aarhtia Association, the Jain Sabha and the Lakshami Sewa Dal were presented.

Jagraon, June 6
An agriculture cooperative society here has charge-sheeted two of its employees and issued them show-cause notices for charging higher rates of interest from farmers.

A week ago, some members of the Agricultural Co-operative Society of Dalla and Dherka villages had accused managers of the society of cheating them by charging higher interest rates on loans taken by them.

The anomaly was not detected for a long time. However, some farmers got suspicious and got it recalculated only to find discrepancy in the charging of rate of interest.

Society president Nirma Singh said after consulting with other committee members, including Jarnail Singh, Atma Singh, Gurmail Singh, Mukhtiar Singh, Tersem Singh, they had charge-sheeted two employees — secretary Kuljeet Singh and Rajveer Singh — and issued them show-cause notices.

The president had assured farmers of holding an inquiry into the matter by June 7 and take action accordingly.

He said though the allegation leveled against them were true, there was an apparent clerical mistake, as farmers were duly issued receipts for the interest charged.

No amount was embezzled by the employees, as the amount collected was deposited in the bank the same day. He added that the mistake had been committed by the employees and would have to face the heat now.

He added that the excess amount charged from the farmers would be refunded to them after following procedures.

Ludhiana, June 6
Parking — whether paid or unpaid — at owner’s risk seems to be the order of the day at Feroze Gandhi Market, the city’s banking hub, as cases of vehicle thefts from paid parking areas are on the rise.

Rajiv Kumar, an insurance adviser, whose car was stolen from a paid parking area in the market, alleged that parking lot employees were behind the theft, as the vehicle could not have been driven out of the parking lot without showing the parking ticket.

According to him, the incident took place on May 28, when he came to his office and parked his Indica car in the parking lot. “When I returned, I found my car missing. The employees at a parking lot said they had no clue about the car. Instead of helping me out in locating the vehicle, they said they would compensate me with one- fourth of the market cost of my car,” claimed Rajiv, ruing lack of adequate security at parking lots.

Showing the ticket issued by parking lot authorities, he said: “It has been over a week since my car was stolen from the paid parking lot but nothing has been done against the erring parking lot owner.”

He alleged that the contractor of the parking lot enjoyed political clout.

Another bank employee alleged that it was not a stray incident, as vehicle thefts from paid parking lots was commonplace. Cases have come to light wherein parking lot employees have been found involved in the racket.

“It is not safe to park a vehicle in the Feroze Gandhi Market, whether it is paid or not,” said Charanjit Saini.

In spite of repeated attempts, Tarlochan Singh Safri, who had the contract of the parking lot in the market, was not available for comments.

Stud farm owners reveal that saddles have lost their sheen in India and most of the traditional saddles are made in Pakistan. Pakistan saddles are softer and more horse-friendly, while Indian are harder and of inferior quality The difference is stark between an Indian (left) and a Pakistan saddle (right)

Ludhiana, June 6
They have been part of human lifestyle from time immemorial. Once integral to kings’ army, they now escort President’s cavalcade.

Commercialisation of horses goes back to the time of barter system. Once the most popular mode of transportation, horses have now been limited to either sports or hobbies.

As a result, commercialisation of stud farms has not taken off the way dairy farming or poultry has.

The Tribune met with some small stud farm owners to learn more about their business at a time when the use of the animal has been so limited.

Deepa of Gill village started his stud farm around 15 years ago. It was a hobby that became a profession for him and today he has four horses and is happy with the dividends he is getting from the profession.

Describing his journey, Deepa said: “Horses are generally associated with bravery and when it comes to Punjabis, one can fairly guess that they will surely keep one as an insignia. I started with just one horse of Marwari breed. It’s a Rajasthan breed and is in great demand. Most of these horses are exported.”

The stud farms are generally used for breeding purposes. “One can fetch a horse between Rs 10,000 and Rs 1.5 lakh or even higher depending upon the breed.”

He takes pride in his two horses - five-year-old Raja (white) and four-year-old Sultan (black). He charges Rs 2,500 per mating and the season lasts from March to October.

Similarly, Balraj Singh of Bhaini village has two horses and eight mares. “We indulge both in selling of horses and mating and charge Rs 3,000 per mating. A good horse may fetch around Rs 6 lakh.”

He adds that he has only indigenous breeds and is happy with the earnings.

Ludhiana, June 6
The row over fancy streetlights seems to have deepened for the Mayor and municipal officials as streetlight committee member Rakesh Parashar has questioned the their functioning.

Parashar has questioned the need for investing Rs 6 crore on replacing old streetlights with new ones when essential works like tube-wells and basic amenities needed immediate attention.

The corporation had spent Rs 7,000 each on streetlight poles, which were now being removed. Fresh fancy light poles were being purchased for Rs 20,000 a piece to replace the old ones.

Similarly, the value of bulb had increased from Rs 400 to Rs 1,000 and the extravagant expenditure had elicited criticism.

Backing Senior Deputy Mayor Praveen Bansal, Congress councillor Rakesh Parashar said: “The Rs 6-crore fancy streetlights will prove to be a white elephant, as the maintenance cost is going to be quite high and even municipal house has not been taken into confidence on the matter.” He added that it was a waste of public money.

He said if the corporation was so keen on lending a new look to the city roads, it could have replaced the old brakcets on the streetlights with new ones, which cost Rs 4,000 each and were manufactured in the city.

He added that a copy of estimates should be sent to all councillors so that they aware of the goings-on in the corporation and the circumstances under which such an expenditure was incurred at a time of financial crisis.

Ludhiana, June 6
With the installation of the UPA Government at the Centre, steel prices have started rising, notwithstanding the fact that the industry continues to face recession and production has not picked up. The industry is sore over the sudden jump in the prices of steel and predicts doom.

Steel prices touched the record level of high during the five years tenure of the UPA and it was only after the global meltdown that the prices of steel witnessed a fall following no demand. The prices of HR coil touched as high as Rs 52,000 per metric tonne and MS rounds Rs 42,000 per metric tonne.

Avtar Singh, general secretary, Chamber of Commercial and Industrial Undertakings (CICU), said here today that the prices had started rising for the past three days as the new steel minister, Virbhadra Singh, had proposed a levy of 15 per cent custom duty on steel import from 5 per cent ‘in order to save steel industry’.

It looked as if the new steel minister was following the footsteps of his predecessor Ram Vilas Paswan, which would prove suicidal for the industry. The steel producers have made fortunes for three years when they setup their “cartels” and looted the industry, he said.

Avtar Singh alleged that the SAIL had fixed Rs 31,500 as sale price of HR coil, which is the basic raw material for making CR coil and there was already 8 per cent central excise duty on the same. With the imposition of customs duty, it would rise to Rs 33,000 per metric tonne.

Avtar Singh revealed that within three days the black market price of CR coil had seen increase of Rs 2,000 per metric tonne. Besides, the local manufacturers of steel strips had stopped fresh bookings in view of the possibility of imposition of custom duty. The manufacturers had raised the sale price of CR coil to Rs 38,000 per metric tonne from Rs 36,000 per metric tonne.

Artificial shortage of CR coil was being created. Avtar Singh alleged that the basic price of HR coil was the highest in India in the world and despite that the government was contemplating to impose customs duty, not bothering about the plight of the small scale industry.

He called upon Virbhadra Singh not to follow the footsteps of his predecessor and save the small scale industries.

The chamber leader said the industry was yet to come out of the crisis created by the global meltdown and take pity on the same.

Avtar Singh further lamented that the PSEB was also going to give a further setback to the industry by imposing six hours power cut to the industry. Even the state government was concerned about the fate of the farmers only, he said.

Ludhiana, June 6
Ludhiana pools more than 95 per cent share to the total woollen industry in the country. The customers from all over India gathered under one roof today to have a look at the latest in woollen industry, during ‘Knits and Wears-2009’, organised by the Knitwear and Apparel Manufacturers Association of Ludhiana (KAMAL) at the grounds of Punjab Agricultural University. The event has been supported by the Knitwear Club.

Sanjay M Patel, a buyer from Gujarat, said what they could get from the woollen industry in Ludhiana was not available anywhere else. “I think Ludhiana industry caters to the needs of the customers pretty well for the past so long,” said Patel further adding that thousands of buyers were expected to participate in this five-day event from June 6-10.

Sudershan Jain, convener of KAMAL, said that although the knitwear industry in Ludhiana was more than 100-year-old, providing employment to over 4 lakh people, it never presented a homogeneous picture.

“Necessity of holding such a meet at Ludhiana emanated from the bitter experience we had in the past when we used to visit Delhi for promotion of sales of our products in small groups at different locations and at different times in an unorganised manner. There was no coordination whatsoever among the entrepreneurs,” said Jain.

Vinod Thapar, president of Knitwear Club, here said that a bold initiative was taken by the organisers of KAMAL to arrange buyer and seller meet themselves.

“About 50 reputed companies are there to exhibit their products. In the next five days, both the buyers as well as the sellers will see a good business ahead in the times of recession,” said Thapar.

Ludhiana, June 6
Taking up the cause of people infected with HIV/AIDS, the Punjab Networking of Positive People Society today strengthened its movement for the passing of HIV/AIDS Bill, 2007.

The society decided to personally approach the MP from Punjab to take up the matter in Parliament.

Jagjit Singh Mann, the society president, while addressing a press conference, said the problem of HIV/AIDS was not just related to medical science as it was a social stigma that marred the lives of millions.

“Patients suffering from HIV/AIDS die many times before their actual death as they are subjected to humiliation, discrimination in education/jobs and also in terms of social acceptability,” Jagjit Singh Mann observed.

A large number of NGOs had come together to frame the Bill to protect the fundamental rights of patients and their families who are also at the receiving end.

Despite several deliberations on the Bill, it is still in Parliament for the past two years waiting to get clearance. Once the Bill becomes an Act, it would come as a respite for HIV/AIDS patients as it would take care of their financial matters, treatment and would ensure their right to equality, members of the Punjab Networking of Positive People Society said.

The members urged the Punjab government to take measures to give jobs to such patients near their houses followed by a guarantee of rehabilitation of widows and children of people who succumbed to the disease.

Ludhiana, June 6
Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has started exercise of preparing the central Budget for 2009-10. As part of his meeting people from different sectors, Mukherjee met with agriculture experts, including representatives of farmers, in Delhi.

Dr Manjit Singh Kang, Vice-Chancellor, Punjab Agricultural University, was part of the discussion.

This is the first time that a Vice-Chancellor of the university has been made part of the exercise.

Talking with The Tribune, Dr Kang said he contended that India must have a growth rate of 4 per cent in agriculture to have sustained economy.

He pointed out that it was because of the agricultural economy that India could withstand the global meltdown compared with oil-based economies of the world.

“We have to look into our GDP and investment in research and development of agriculture. The US is investing 2.7 per cent of GDP in agriculture, Japan 3 per cent and Israel 3 per cent but India is investing less than 1 per cent,” he said. Dr Kang emphasised that new technologies could not be developed without research and development and India must increase its investment in agriculture.

He expressed concern over brain drain and stressed that if the government strengthened its universities, youth would stop going to foreign universities.

Pointing out the need to strengthen small farmers, Dr Kang said small farmers must be helped in order to have good food security.

The poverty of small farmers must be eliminated. “The policy should be availability and affordability. If poverty is removed and things are made available, the country will have better food security,” he stressed.

Dr Kang further stressed that co-operative farming should be encouraged and investment in preventing the post-harvest losses be made. Further food processing and value added crops were being sown and to encourage diversification, marketing of crops was must.

The Vice-Chancellor also emphasized the use of agricultural knowledge initiative (AKI) and distant education with accent on ICT (information and communication technology).

Doraha, June 6
Teachers of fine arts are educated the NSS volunteers of Guru Nanak National College to inculcate fine arts skills among them.

They brought home to the students the techniques involved in making multi-media painting, spray painting and texture painting. Students engaged themselves in the entire process of learning the skills in their own individualistic manner.

A competition in mehndi designing, poster-making and embroidery was organised. The theme of pollution was provided to the participating volunteers. Pushpinder Kaur secured first position while Hardeep Kaur and Jaspreet Kaur got second and third positions, respectively, in the embroidery competition. Shimpy Rani, however, won the consolation prize.

Similarly, Gurpreet Kaur grabbed first prize in mehndi competition where as Deepak Verma and Anjali got second and third positions, respectively. Consolation prizes went to Satinder Kaur of BCA (I) and Jaspreet Kaur of BA (I).

Ludhiana, June 6
Pensioners of Punjab Agriculture University (PAU), Ludhiana, have resented the denial of the latest installment of dearness allowances (DA) to them.

According to a press note issued by the Kidwai Nagar Welfare Society yesterday, the PAU pensioners were not getting the DA announced by the Punjab government, while regular employees of the university were being paid the DA.

RR Katyal, general secretary of the society, said pension for May was delayed due to the apathetic attitude of the university authorities.

He further said pensioners did not get benefits of the revised pension and the government failed to provide adequate funds under the pension scheme.

Ludhiana, June 6
NIMA organised an interactive seminar on skin disorders and neonatal care today at hotel Friends Regency under its continued medical education (CME) programme.

Dr Vikas Bansal, associate consultant paediatric care, SPS Apollo Hospital, and Dr Vinod Jindal, Karnal-based consultant dermatologist, were guest speakers.

Dr Bansal said management of low birth babies is a challenge, but the recent advances in the field had improved survival rate and management of infections in under weight babies. He said foreign bodies in the lungs could be easily picked with bronchoscope without any damage to the lungs, and without any complications.

Previously, breathing obstruction due to foreign bodies proved fatal but intensive tertiary care in neonatology has improved the prognosis in toughest infections and other life threatening conditions.

Dr Jindal said family physician could perform a lot of procedures needed in dermatology. He said the role of steroids in autoimmune skin disorders is undisputable. Long-term use of steroids as pulse therapy was mainstay in management of vitiligo and several other conditions needing steroid therapy, observed the doctor.

Dr Surendra Gupta, secretary NIMA Ludhiana, Dr Rajesh Thapar, Dr Jagdev S. Kehal, Dr KK Kharbanda, Dr Jagjit Kaur and Dr Avtar Singh participated in the discussion.

The organisation also observed "Environment Day" by organising its 77th diabetes and general check-up camp for rural segment of society at Satguru Brahmsagar Ji Bhuriwale Ashram, Kailpur village, near Mullanpur, under the Community Service Project (CSP) of the association. A team of NIMA doctors led by Dr Jagdev Kehal, Dr Surendra Gupta, Dr Rajesh Thapar, Dr Sarbjit Singh, Dr Vinod Kakkar examined over 250 patients.

Doraha, June 6
A lecture on “Role of women in increasing production of dairy farming” was organised for NSS volunteers of GNN College here yesterday.

Dr Satwinder Singh, veterinary officer at Ghudani Kalan village, was the resourceperson on the occasion. He provided information regarding the upbringing of milch animals and other aspects of dairy farming.

He also said the present share of dairy farming in national income could be increased manifold if good care of livestock was taken. Highlighting the crucial role played by rural women in improving the economy, he guided the volunteers to be innovative and explore various avenues related to dairy farming.

Dr Satwinder mentioned that storage of fodder and pesticides was the major cause of food poisoning in cattle. The need of good quality fodder and vaccination was also emphasised by him.

Dr Satwinder said calcium dose should be given to the animals few hours before milking, as it takes time to get absorbed in the milk. He added that cattle should be taken for a walk twice a day. He also encouraged the volunteers to educate their families and people regarding the dairy business.

Ludhiana, June 6
To create awareness among the rural masses about their legal rights, concept of lok-adalat and entitlement for free legal services, a legal literacy seminar was organised at Kheri village by the District Legal Services Authority.

Presiding over the seminar, Assistant District Attorney, Legal Services Authority, Arvind Markan, said the authority had constituted a panel of 15 lawyers to provide legal assistance free of cost to the needy.

Jagraon, June 6
The Sidhwan Bet police booked 11 persons for inflicting injuries on two persons of the same family following a family dispute at Sherpur Khurd village, near here, yesterday.

The police booked Sarabjit Kaur of Sherpur Khurd village, Kallu, Guddi, Simarjit Kaur of Dharamkot, Johny and Boggy of Sangowal village and five unidentified persons in this regard.

Sarabjit Kaur is a relative of the victims, while the rest are from her parental house.

Sukhdev Singh, father of complainant Kamaljit Kaur, is serving in the CRPF, while his brother Karnail Singh is a retired Army man.

Their parents were being taken care of by Sarabjit Kaur, wife of Sukhdev Singh.

Their father, Bakhtawar Singh, used to visit the house of Karnail Singh and this irked Sarabjit Kaur.

The two families had a minor altercation over the issue and Sarabjit brought it to the notice of her parents.

A group, including her relatives equipped with blunt weapons, then entered the house of Karnail Singh and assaulted him and his daughter-in-law Kamaljit Kaur.

Both were admitted to the Sidhwan Bet Civil Hospital.

The has booked 11 persons under Sections 452, 323, 506, 148 and 149, IPC, on the complaint of Kamaljit Kaur. No arrest has been made so far.

Samrala, June 6
A migrant widow woman was raped by a drunkard youth last night at Raian village.

According to information, Geeta (name changed) who was residing with his son at Raian village was at her house near a government school in the village and her son Ujjal (18) who is working as a watchman in the school was on duty.

Around 10 pm, a village youth Sonu (22) came into her room and threatened to kill her if she raised the alarm. He repeatedly raped her till 2 am and fled after the crime.

She suffered several injuries on her mouth, cheeks and lips.

Geeta reported the matter to his son when he came back from the duty. They then informed the village sarpanch and other people of the village. Village sarpanch Jasvir Kaur reported the matter to the police.

The police has registered a case against Sonu under Section 376 of the IPC and is on a look out for him.

Ludhiana, June 6
The court of Additional Sessions Judge GS Saran has dismissed the anticipatory bail application filed by Darshan Singh of Guru Nanak Pura, Shahi Mohalla, who was allegedly involved in the attack on the mother of a DSP.

Earlier, he was granted interim bail during the pendency of his bail application. But after hearing the submissions of the additional public prosecutor, the court did not find any reason to grant him bail.

The prosecution had stressed that the police was to recover the crowbar, which the accused had snatched from the complainant and took it away when he had left the place of the incident on April 15. However, the court granted anticipatory bail to Darshan Singh’s wife, Jaspal Kaur, and sons.

A case under Sections 382, 452, 511, 506, 148 and 149 of the IPC had been registered against the accused and some others at the Division No. 8 Police Station on May 8 following the complaint of Dr Darshana Singal, former senior medical officer.

The complainant had told the police that construction was taking place on their property when the accused along with his family members and eight to 10 unknown persons forcibly entered their property. They abused the woman and threatened the labourers.

The police had registered a case after 23 days when the complainant moved several applications to higher police officials, women’s commission, etc.

Ludhiana, June 6
Accurate bowling by Bharat Loomba (3 for 50) and Lakshya Seth (3 for 49) helped Amritsar to restrict Ludhiana to 242 runs in the first innings of the inaugural two-day match of the Punjab State Inter-District Cricket Tournament for the Katoch Shield being organised by the Punjab Cricket Association at Gandhi Ground, Amritsar, today.

Ludhiana skipper Ankur Kakkar won the toss and chose to bat. They had a fine start as Karan Goel, Bharat Malhotra and Tarun Passi played sensibly and executed superb shots. The visitors were well placed with 160 runs on the board with just two wickets down.

Goel made 54 runs while Malhotra and Passi chipped in with 48 runs each. After the departure of Goel, Ludhiana failed to hold on its forte, losing wickets at regular intervals. They were tottering at 200 for 7 and eventually, their innings folded at 242 runs after 78.4 overs.

Other notable scorers were Geetansh Khera (31 n.o.), Chinton Sehgal (19), Gaurav Marwaha (17) and Varun Verma (13).

For Amritsar, Lakshya Seth grabbed three wickets for 49 runs and Bharat Loomba captured three wickets for 50 runs while Tarun Sharma scalped two victims for 42 runs. Sumit Sharma and Charanjit chipped in with one wicket each after conceding 22 and 34 runs, respectively.

Amritsar began their reply on a sound note and were 58 for 1 after 15 overs. At draw of stumps, Munish Bhatia (42) and Sumit Sharma (7) were at the crease. The lone wicket that fell was consumed by Deepak Bansal (1 for 15).