Tarn Taran Diary

Rising incidents of crime causing worry among residents

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The last few days may be considered alarming for people in the district. Many serious incidents of crime have occurred in those last few days. The worsening condition of law and order is an indication that the situation was turning critical. Though all incidents were sensitive and dangerous, some pointed to the failure of the administration. The attack on Gurpreet Singh, sarpanch of Naushehra Pannuan, deserves attention. Early in the morning, Gurpreet Singh was standing outside his residence in a farmhouse when two masked assailants came to the spot on a motorcycle. The assailants fired five to six shots at him and then escaped. The incident has been captured by CCTV cameras but the police have failed to identify the shooters despite many days having passed. It is a serious matter that Kanwalpreet Singh, DSP, Patti, has revealed that a few suspects who did the recce (passed information) for the assailants have been arrested. But even then, the shooters were at large. The residents, particularly shopkeepers of the area like in Fatehbad village, a big business centre, have come on to the roads to seek protection from the extortionists. The residents and shopkeepers staged a dharna on the road a few days back in which former MLA Ramanjit Singh Sikki also participated to express his solidarity with the protesters. Baldev Singh, president of the shopkeepers’ association, village sarpanch Jagwinder Singh and others alleged that firing by anti-social elements has become routine which is creating terror like in the days of militancy among the people. They alleged that the assailants seek extortion money from them claiming it is their right. There is no secure corner in the district where the extortionists are not active. The working of such elements has increased. An incident in which the decomposed body of 26-year-old Kuldeep Singh Ghuddar of Chohla Sahib was recovered by the police after more than a month has created horror among the public in the area. Nishan Singh and Gursewak Singh, brothers of the deceased, besides Kewal Krishan Nayyar, sarpanch of Chohla Sahib village, said that Kuldeep was missing since February 23 and the family had been pleading before the administration to locate Kuldeep but because of the negligence of the police, only the decomposed body could be found by the family. In another incident, 48-year-old Jagir Kaur was shot dead in Bakipur village by her son-in-law (daughter’s husband) who fled after the incident.

Rajpal Singh (47) of Burj Deva Singh village was beaten to death in his village. Rajbir Singh (28), a resident of Fatehpjur Badesa village, was shot and injured and then robbed by motorcycle-borne armed persons on the Jandiala Guru-Nagoke road. He was robbed by the looters. Rajbir was on his way back home from Dubai with his father when the father-son duo were stopped and fired at. In Tarn Taran town, the shops have been on the radar of thieves for long. The shopkeepers said that in certain cases, the police refuse to register even a case. Incidents of theft were reported from all parts of the district. The residents were at the mercy of gangsters as incidents of extortion have gone up. There are reports that businessmen were under great pressure from the administration not to report ‘minor’ incidents.

Inner Wheel Club in service of humanity

The Inner Wheel Club, Tarn Taran, has been playing an active role in the welfare of people with its readiness to serve the needy sections of society. The club, under the chairmanship of Dr Monika Gupta and Dr Sukhbir Kaur as secretary, has been working with great zeal. Manmohan Suri, national chairman of the club, was the chief guest at a function held recently. The club donated two wheelchairs to the needy and also helped a family in the form of a school bag, school books and uniform for their children. The project of continuous payment of tuition fee of two students was carried out in the presence of chairman Manmohan Suri who reviewed all the activities of the club and appreciated its style of working. The club with its preference for traditional handmade items organised an exhibition of these items like phulkari sari, handmade potli, parandi etc. Suri was presented with a traditional phulkari sari, handmade potli and parandi, made by the club members themselves, along with a handmade vase. The event included celebrations with a cake-cutting ceremony. The cake was specially designed with the Inner Wheel logo of ‘Heartbeat of Humanity’ made by a cake artist member of the club. The members of the club also presented a play on the topic, “The Unstoppable Woman”. The chief guest along with members visited Darbar Sahib and sought blessings.

Stone laid in 1936 bears witness to history

On the Tarn Taran-Muradpur road, there is a stone which was laid on May 7, 1936 by the then Deputy Commissioner, Amritsar, IE Jones. It deserves to be preserved. The opening ceremony was organised by the Municipal Committee, Tarn Taran. The land is in the possession of the Army at present. It is one of the few oldest stones laid by the VIPs in the area.