Amritsar, November 11
Hundreds of Sikh devotees returned to India through Atari railway station after paying obeisance and participating in the celebrations to mark the 538th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev at Nankana Sahib.

Mr Mahinder Singh Romana, member Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), talking to mediapersons, alleged that Sikh separatist and Khalistani supporter’s were being invited to raise the Khalistan slogans under the policy of Pakistani government secret agencies. He said these separatists had no base among the people in Pakistan.

Mr Romana said that during a meeting with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Mr Shaukat Aziz, they had urged him to open medical and engineering universities on the name of Sri Guru Nanak Dev. He had urged him to reserve seats for Sikh students of that country in these institutions.

Shiromani committee member Mr Sawinder Singh Dobalia said that the arrangements by the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) were not as per Sikh Rehat Maryada. He said that most of the gurdwaras, including Gurdwara Patti Sahib and Gurdwara Bal ji Sahib at Nankana Sahib were in deplorable conditions. He alleged that Sindhi Hindus were performing ‘ardas’ in most of the gurdwaras which was against the Sikh maryada. 

Pak jatha arrives
Varinder Walia
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 11
An 80-member jatha from Pakistan, including three former ministers and three members of the National Assembly, crossed over to India today to participate in a three-day festival in memory of Hazrat Sain Mian Mir who had laid the foundation of Sri Harmandar Sahib.

Soon after the jatha arrived, it raised a controversy by questioning the credentials of Makhdoom Syed Chan Pir Qadri as the 19th descendant of Sai Mian Mir Sahib.

Justice Mohammad Akram Bittu, a retired judge of the Lahore High Court, and Chairman of the Aukaf Board that controls Sain Mian Mir Darbar in Lahore, said Syed Qadri should not claim to be a direct descendant of Sain Mian Mir since he was not married. He said Qadri had been removed from the primary membership of the Mian Mir darbar.

Expressing dismay over the holding of the festival in India, Qadri alleged that these persons did not follow Mian Mir’s philosophy. He said he was the 19th descendant of Mian Mir and could give historical facts to substantiate his claims.

He stated that Sain Mian Mir International Foundation, Pakistan, was an independent organisation.

COURTS

Remand for BKU leader
Tribune News Service

Sangrur, November 11
Jhandha Singh Jethuke, senior vice-president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan), was today remanded in judicial custody till November 25 by a Barnala court in connection with an attempt-to-murder case. The case was registered on February 18 by the Dhanaula police under Sections 307, 353 and 186 of the IPC. Jethuke was arrested on November 9 and was remanded in police custody for one day by the Barnala court yesterday.

The case was registered against some persons for injuring ASI Harbhajan Singh.

Fatehgarh Sahib, November 11
Mr Justice M.M. Aggarwal of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today visited the District Judicial Complex and saw the working there.

He was here to hear the grievances of judges, lawyers and litigants. He was accorded a warm welcome by the District Bar Association.

Justice Aggarwal expressed satisfaction over the working of the courts. He appreciated the work being done under District and Sessions Judge Sabina.

He said efforts were being made to dispose of pending litigation with the co-operation of lawyers.

He clarified that he was here to watch the working of the courts and not for inspection.

He assured lawyers, judges and the people of sorting out their problems.

Earlier, District Bar Association president R.S. Kang highlighted the problems being faced by lawyers, which included shortage of chambers. He urged the construction of new chambers for lawyers.

He also sought holidays in subordinate courts on the pattern of High Court.

District and Sessions Judge Sabina, Additional District and Sessions Judge J.S. Kular, Civil Judge Senior Division Paramjit Singh and CJM D.S. Johal were also present.

District Bar Association secretary Gagandeep Singh and lawyer Amarjit Singh Cheema also addressed the gathering.

Chandigarh, November 11
When Punjab police Inspector Amanpreet Singh, alias Jugnu, got married at Patiala last week, he could not have expected a better gift than the presence of Mr Sukhdial Singh Bhullar, a retired Inspector-General, and one time supervisory officer of his “martyr” dad, Deputy Superintendent Surjit Singh.

Mr Sukhdial Singh Bhullar, now living a retired life in his native village in Makhu in Ferozepore district, not only made it a point to attend Jugnu’s wedding, but also fulfilled a wish which he made 13 years ago.

In 1993 when he was Senior Superintendent of Police in Sangrur, Mr Bhullar led police teams in encounters against the militants. Though many of the militants killed by Sangrur police during his stewardship carried high rewards on their heads, Mr Bhullar never claimed any prize money.

A couple of years, he received a cheque of Rs 8,300 from his successor in Sangrur saying that it was his share of prize money of killing a known militant in an encounter. Since scars of a tragedy that shook the family of his one time deputy, Deputy Superintendent Surjit Singh, were still fresh in his mind, Mr Bhullar put the entire money in his bank account, with an intent to keep this money for Jugnu.

Both Mr Bhullar and DSP Surjit Singh had spent a year together in jail in the infamous Payal murder case. They were later acquitted.

In 1990, DSP Surjit Singh and his wife besides their two gunmen were killed in an ambush by militants at Chuhar Chak village under Mehna (Moga) police station. Luckily for Jugnu, who had celebrated his 11th birthday a day before his parents were killed, was left at home that day. Intriguingly, Mr Bhullar had participated in his birthday party.

Last week, when Jugnu got married, Mr Bhullar took out his prize money, which, with interest on it, was a little more than Rs 27,000. A cheque of Rs 25,000 and a pashmina shawl were personally presented by him to Jugnu and his wife.

“This was my own way of contributing to welfare of the next of kin of a victim of terrorism,” wrote Mr Bhullar in a letter addressed to the Director-General of Police, Mr S.S. Virk, after Jugnu’s wedding.

Phillaur, November 11
The body of a temple priest, Pt Shiv Kumar Avasthi, was found hanging with a ceiling fan in his room at Moron village last night. Some devotees, who had gone to the temple to pay obeisance, saw the body hanging in the temple room. The police has registered a case and started investigating the matter. The body has been sent for post-mortem.

In another incident, locks of village post office at Rurrka Kalan village were found broken today. Post Master Vikas Sharma said burglars entered the post office and took away Rs 19,000.

Ferozepore, November 11
A man allegedly in a fit of rage killed his mother and sister over a property dispute in the family.

The SSP told mediapersons that the accused, Parvesh Kumar, in order to take hold of the ancestral property, eliminated his mother Kartar Kaur and sister Sumitra Devi by hitting them with a sharp-edged weapon while they were sleeping. The two died on the spot.

Chandigarh, November 11
Punjab Wildlife Department officials caught three poachers, while two of their accomplices gave them the slip, during a patrol on the Chandigarh-Siswan-Kurali road, near Parol village, in the wee hours today.

The poachers — Jagir Singh, Raju Thakur, Jagtar Singh, Sikander and Gurinder Singh — all residents of Parol village, were travelling in a Gypsy splattered with blood when they were intercepted by the wildlife officials, led by DFO Parveen Kumar.

Though no carcass of any wild animal was found from their possession, officials said the blood splattered-vehicle indicated that the kill was either a wild boar or a sambar.

They had apparently killed the animal(s) just few hours before they were intercepted by the officials.

Two rifles, flashlights and other equipment used in poaching were seized from the vehicle. The vehicle had been modified for hunting.

Blood samples have been sent to Wild Life Laboratory, Dehra Dun, for a forensic examination.

A case under various Sections of the Wild Life Protection Act have been registered against the accused.

Mr Kumar told Chandigarh Tribune that three of the poachers — Jagir Singh, Raju Thakur and Jagtar Singh — were remanded in two-day police custody today.

Raids were being conducted to arrest the two other accused.

EDUCATION

BBMB to organise painting contest
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 11
A painting competition on the theme "save electricity, save money" and "use but don't mis-use electricity" will be organised in Chandigarh on November 14.

The competition will be open for students from Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh. Fifty students from each of three states will be participating. They have been selected from a total of 22,652 students of various schools which had participated in competitions held in September, 2006.

The first prize is of Rs 10,000, and the second and third prizes carry cash awards of Rs 8,000 and Rs 5,000, respectively. There are five consolation prizes of Rs 1,000 each. The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) is organising the competition under the aegis of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power, Government of India.

The first , second and third prize winners of each state will be invited to participate in the National Level Painting Competition to be held on December 12 in New Delhi. The winners of this competition will be awarded prizes on the National Energy Conservation Day function to be held on December 14, 2006 in New Delhi.

Mr R.K. Sehgal, Secretary, Consultancy Services, BBMB, said this was part of the "energy conservation awareness" programme. He said sole aim of the programme was to sensitise and educate school children, parents as well as teachers regarding importance of energy conservation.