R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Barnala
KILLED: One person was killed in a road accident here on Friday night. The incident took place when Kuldeep Singh, was on his way to home on scooter and a Truck No (Pb-04 2662) hit him near new cinema. He died on the spot. The deceased, a resident of Barnala, was employed at Civil Surgeon's office at Sangrur. The police has registered a case and arrested truck driver Randhir Singh.

THEFT: Thieves broke into LG company showroom here on Friday night and decamped with articles worth Rs 2.45 lakh. Showroom owner Krishan Lal said the theft took place after 11 pm. A case has been registered.

Hoshiarpur
DESTROYED: Forty-five jhuggis at Kanoongo Nangal village, near Hariana town, were destroyed in a fire here on Friday. No loss of life was reported. The cause of fire was stated to be use of fireworks.

ELECTED: District secretary of the CPM unit Gurmesh Singh said here on Saturday that Mr Gurbaksh Singh Soos was elected tehsil secretary for Hoshiarpur, Mr Beant Singh for Dasuya, Mr Bhagat Singh for Garhshankar and Mr Mehnga Singh for Mukerian. He said a district-level conference would be held on November 16 and 17 at Satur village.

EFFIGIES BURNT: Ex-servicemen led by Col Partap Inder Singh Phulka (retd), former President of Ex-Servicemen Cell, BJP, Punjab, burnt effigies of Mr Avinash Rai Khanna, MP and BJP chief, Punjab, Mr Hans Raj Nakra, local BJP leader and Mr Sat Pal Sareen, former President of local Municipal Council in front of the district BJP office at Shastri Market here on Saturday. Ex-servicemen alleged the BJP unit had embezzled funds collected for the welfare of the families of those killed in the Kargil war. Col Partap Inder Singh said though Hans Raj Nakra and Sat Pal Sareen had been arrested, but some of the senior BJP state leaders, including state unit President were trying to protect them. They demanded a CBI inquiry into episode.

PROTEST: Activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the RSS here led by Mr Om Parkash Shastri, president, VHP and Mr Krishan Kumar staged a demonstration in front of city police station here on Saturday in protest against the arrest of Jagadguru Shankracharya in a murder case. They were demanding immediate unconditional release of the Shankracharya and withdrawal of the case against him.

PROCESSION: A large procession of rural children organised by the Seva Bharti unit of Hoshiarpur was taken out in the main bazars of the city here on Saturday against the social evils prevailing in the society. They were carrying placards against ill effects of dowry, alcohol, foeticide, smoking and gambling.

Pathankot
RECOVERED: Deepak Kumar, a resident of Surajpur Mohtli, was arrested by the police and 100 gram of smack was recovered from his possession on Thursday. A case under the NDPC Act has been registered. This was stated by Mr Narinder Bhargav, Senior Superindent of Police.

Patiala
PRESENTED: Dr Saroj Rani, a Senior Reader in the Department of Fine Arts, Punjabi University, presented a paper at the two-day national seminar in Jaipur, on “The profile of a Punjabi village”. The seminar was organised by the North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala, at the Rajasthan Hindi Granth Academy, Jaipur, on cultural scene and possibilities in northern India. Scholars from various fields of art such as, music, fine arts, theatre and folk literature from all over the country presented their papers at the seminar.

FUNCTION: The Divali function of the Punjab Aggarwal Intellectual, Forum (PAIF) Patiala, was organised at Raj Kamal Palace. Mr Rahul Bhandari, Additional Excise and Taxation Commissioner, along with Ms Rakhee Gupta Bhandari, Secretary, Punjab Public Service Commission, Patiala, were the chief guests. A glittering programme was presented by artistes of the PAIF.

FETE: A Divali fete was organised at Lucky Modern High School, Shahi Samadhan. It was inaugurated by the founder of school, Ms Prem Lata Mogla. The centre of attraction was a jumping jhula. In he end Ms Prem Mogla distributed prizes among the students.

MEET: The Punjab School of Management Studies, Punjabi University, organised an industry interaction meet at Punjab School of Management Studies on the campus. The interface was organised with the aim of understanding the importance of learning and involving the school alumni in upgradation of the school.

YOUTH PARLIAMENT: The 17th Youth Parliament regional-level competition was organised in K.V. 3, Tarapore Enclave, in Patiala Cantonment. Mr Charanjeet Singh Walia, Chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Board, presided over the function. Mr Walia said such contests were necessary to encourage healthy debate and the quality of leadership among children. School Principal Samerjeet Kaur presented the vote of thanks. 

HARYANA

Ambala
ASI injured: An ASI was injured when a group of youths threw stones on the police post No. 4 in Ambala city late last evening. The police has registered a case and rounded up a few youths for investigation. According to information, a resident of Ramnagar area, Mr Ram Nath, was going towards his house after closing his shop. Three youths met him on his way and asked him to pay some money. When he refused to oblige them they snatched money on a knife point, Mr Ram Nath alleged. Ram Nath approached the police station and briefed the incident. In the meantime, a few youths appeared there and started pelting stones on the police post. ASI Jogi Ram sustained minor injuries. Later, the youths fled from there.

meeting: A meeting of the Senior Citizens Welfare Council was organised on Thursday in which a sub-committee was formed under the chairmanship of its president Sushil Malhotra to tie up its affiliation with other societies. Ashok Sehgal, Adishwar Jain, Shyam Sunder Mehra, R.P. Dhawan and Chaman Lal were included in the sub-committee as a member. Earlier, Dr Chander Trikha, Director, Haryana Sahitya Academy, inaugurated a library and a reading room at Sector 7 Urban Estate to be run by the council. He promised to contribute books on Indian civilisation and literature to the library. A number of elderly persons attended the meeting. 

Kurukshetra
LANGAR HELD: In continuation of Shri Hanuman Jayanti celebrations at Shri Dakshin Mukhi Praacheen Hanuman Mandir here a langar (free kitchen) was organised on Saturday. A large number of devotees including Haryana Transport Minister Ashok Arora were present. A free medical check up camp was also organised in memory of the late Pandit Ram Javaya Sharma, who was the mandir priest for the 25 years. A yajna and the sunderkand Path was also organised.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Kumarhatti
SEIZED: The police seized 2.5 kg of poppy husk from a truck driver, Tarsem Singh, near Baddi on Thursday. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered.

ARRESTED: A young married woman and a youth, Jaswinder Singh, were arrested from a hotel in Parwanoo on Wednesday. A case under Sections 41 and 209 of the CrPC has been registered.

Nahan
INJURED: Four persons received serious burn injuries and 26 cracker stalls were destroyed in a fire here on Friday. The injured were admitted to the District Hospital and one of them was later referred to the PGI, Chandigarh. The fire reportedly broke out in one stall and soon spread to other stalls.