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70-yr-old, 50-yr-old
raped in Phagwara, Kapurthala
21 incidents of fire on
Divali night
Kapurthala’s historical
Moorish Mosque awaits renovation
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Jalandhar
Plus
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A Paagal Indian
speaks for Aam Hindustani
3 killed in separate road accidents
One killed, 2 injured in road mishap
Zonal youth fest starts today
CPM faction to hold foundation congress in city
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70-yr-old, 50-yr-old
raped in Phagwara, Kapurthala
Phagwara/Kapurthala, November 2 Krishna, a resident of Chaheru village, who is a grandmother, was allegedly raped by Baljinder alias Billu when she was alone at her home, police sources said here. Sources said that Baljinder was reportedly under the influence of liquor when he sneaked into the house of Krishna and raped her. Naresh,
son of the victim, said he had gone to one of his relatives’ house to
greet them on the occasion of Divali. But when he came back, he found
his mother unconscious, he added. He was shocked when he came to know
that his mother was raped. The alleged rapist, Baljinder, has been arrested. The victim was sent to the local Civil Hospital, where the doctor attending on her, confirmed the rape after her medical examination. Meanwhile, in another incident near Bholath, Kapurthala, a 50-year-old woman was allegedly raped by her neighbour at Jaid village here on Divali night. The victim, Gurmit Kaur, who is mother of six married daughters, has alleged that her neighbour, Surjan Singh, raped her last night after entering her house forcibly when she was sleeping alone at her home, according to the police officials. The
police has registered a case under Section 376 of the CrPC after the
medical examination of the complainant.
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A Paagal Indian
speaks for Aam Hindustani
The method is simple. If it is a civic problem, why not make the message
funny, the fonts large and fit it in a banner. Like “Hayo Rabba! Itna Vikas”
in front of a garbage dump on the 120-Footi Road here. Just look up and read.
‘”Sharm Se Kaho Hum Sau Crore Hain” and “Muskurayiye, Aap Jalandhar Mein
Hain.” The men, or more precisely the NGO, simply wants everyone to stand up, speak up and do something about the glaring social problems; for sarcasm, they say, is the best way to prick dormant minds, of both common men and politicians. Courtesy the Sahara Youth India Welfare Society here, these mysterious posters are gradually gaining indelible popularity. Backed by the common man, the only aim, the Society adds, is the development of society. And the USP is pun: from banners, pamphlets, blood donation camps, rallies to even jagratas. After all, the medium is the message. Are
authorities taking sufficient notice? Well… yes. The more pinching the
banner, the faster it is taken down by the irritated officials. Most are
generally censored in 24 hours. Especially after the papers delightfully
splash the pictures. And the minds, behind this crazy
concoction of social welfare made large, are Kulbeer Singh, Sahara Youth
India Welfare Society’s Senior Vice-President. He says he has come up
with as many as 22 banners signed “Paagal Indian.” He is also a poet
and the flowing banners prove it. Ajay Kumar, the General Secretary,
says he too has signed as many as 40 banners with “Aam Hindustani.” The
issues are many— corruption, bribery, health mess, police failures,
rainwater harvesting, and Indo-Pak relations. You name it and the “Paagal
Indian” is working on it. The society, started by the duo and in existence for the last five years, has other minds like Ajay Palta and Surinder Chawdhary. And, all these banner-activists are actually local businessmen. “Our
utter inability to keep quite about the khadda on the road has made us
go on for the past five years,” says Ajay Palta, the Society’s
present President. “Money, victimisation and political pressure: we
have let nothing come in our way.” Palta says it takes Rs 100 only to get a banner custom-made and another Rs 100 to get it installed for everyone to see. Once just four members strong, the Society now has 10,000 members, adds Palta. “In
the last assembly elections in the state, competing with over-the-top
political slogans, these banners may actually have made the Gharigullan
Road flyover a reality,” Palta boasts. |
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21 incidents of fire on
Divali night
Jalandhar, November 2 In one of the major incidents, Mahindra Saw Mills, a Kartarpur-based wood workshop, was gutted after a cracker fell over the inflammable material. It took three hours for firemen to douse the flames. The workshop was open when the fire broke out. The craftsmen, however, managed to escape. The mill owner is said to have incurred a loss of around Rs 15 lakh due to the fire. In another incident, Gupta and Sons, a plastic store in Sant Nagar, Basti Sheikh, also caught fire on the Divali night. Plastic scrap and other combustible goods in the store were charred. A
score of other minor fire mishaps were reported in the city, according to
officers from the fire department.
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Kapurthala’s historical Moorish Mosque awaits renovation
Kapurthala, November 2 In its effort get the funds from the Agha Khan Foundation, a UK-based NGO established by Prince Karim Agha Khan, spiritual leader of the Ismaili community, the administration had written to him explaining him about the significance of the mosque and stating its present condition. Even as more than eight months have passed, the administration is yet to get any response from the prince who is said to have visited the mosque and even addressed the gathering during his visit to India several years back. The
previous Deputy Commissioner, Mr Rakesh Kumar Verma, had said that a proposal
in this regard had been sent to the Agha Khan Foundation. He had even sent an
estimate of Rs 34 lakh prepared by the PWD officials for the renovation work.
The then administration had mentioned that the Muslim population in the city
had been pressing for the upkeep of the mosque for the last many years. As many
as 300 Muslims visit the mosque for offering “namaz” every Friday
afternoon, though a few of them keep coming in between, they had stated. It is learnt that the experts from the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), after an assessment of the monument, have come up with another estimate about the renovation work. The monument was designed by a famous French architect, Manteaux, who recreated the design of the great Qutbiya Mosque of Marrakesh in Morocco, and decorated the inner dome of the mosque with works of the artists of the Mayo School of Arts, Lahore. Of late, the magnificent structure of the mosque that came up in four years at a cost of Rs 4 lakh about 75 years back has been an attraction for the tourists from various European countries. Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, President of India, had also offered prayers in the mosque during his visit to the city nearly three years ago. That was perhaps the only time that the mosque had been given some renovation touches, including whitewash of the building. The large compound paved with pure white marble that had been the noteworthy feature of the monument is now in a bad condition. Though labour was deployed for replacing old, broken pieces of marble with new ones, the floor is still too uneven. The
fine work of art inside the dome has been untouched ever since and this is the
area which will be the most expensive part of the renovation process. The 158
steps that lead to the single minar of the mosque and the tiles of the dome
above also need repair work badly. The three one-piece huge saucer-shaped
fountains made of marble that no longer sprinkle water for “wazu”, a Muslim
ritual, also need to be restored to their former glory. Mr Sameer Kumar,
Deputy Commissioner, could not be contacted for his comments, as he did not
answer his cell phone despite repeated attempts.
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3 killed in separate road accidents
Kapurthala, November 2 Three labourers from Bihar, working on a brick kiln, were hit by a car near Muradpur Bet village when they were returning to their home after Divali shopping, police sources said.
While two of them, Raj Bahadur and Arvind Kumar, died on the spot, the third labourer Sant Kumar, who sustained serious injuries, was referred to a hospital at Jalandhar. The police has impounded the car and registered a case against Sharanjit Singh, the owner of the car. According to the police, the deceased was returning to Jalandhar after visiting his relatives at Jhandu Khera village.
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One killed, 2 injured in road mishap
Jalandhar, November 2 The deceased has been identified as Anil Kumar, a resident of Raja Garden here. The two injured persons, Rohit and Pramod, were taken to a private hospital for treatment, police sources said.
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Zonal youth fest starts today
Jalandhar, November 2 The festival will be inaugurated by Rana Gurjit Singh, MP. The cultural activities like bhangra, fancy dress, mimicry, histrionics and one-act play would be organised during the event, said Mr Baljit Singh Sekhon, Guru Nanak Dev Varsity Director, Youth Services.
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CPM faction to hold foundation congress in city
Jalandhar, November 2 Stating this in a press note, which was released here today. Mr Baldev Singh Noorpuri, Press Secretary, said the members of the faction were busy arranging funds worth Rs 10 lakh for the planned congress. The members of the city unit were urged to collect funds to the tune of Rs 2 lakh and arrange a function to assemble 10,000 supporters. The members from suburbs were urged to collect the remaining fund amount, he added in the note.
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4 held for betting
Jalandhar, November 2
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Jalandhar,
November 2