The migrant effect on Punjabi society

[Guest mehtab]

The migrant effect on Punjabi society

Dalits lose jobs; social tension brewing

by K.S. Chawla

THE demographic complexion of Punjab has changed sharply in the recent years with the influx of migrants from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, besides Nepal.

No doubt the influx of a large number of migrants has stablised the agricultural economy and boosted industrial and commercial activities in the border state, this has also resulted in social tension among the various segments of the Punjabi society.

The influx started in the 1970s following the Green Revolution. There was a shortage of labour for agricultural operations then. The migrant labour was cheaper to hire than the local labour. The migrants used to come in thousands initially and their influx was seasonal. They would return to their native states after earning good wages during the kharif and rabi seasons.

Of late they have started settling down in the rural areas as well as in towns where they are engaged in factories and commercial units. The migrants picked up different jobs in the urban areas. They particularly dominate construction-related works. As a matter of fact, they have monopolised some jobs statewise. For example, Orissa labourers are known for their skill in the sanitation and allied works. Rajasthani migrants are engaged in the brick-kiln industry, besides road making and repairing. They are engaged by contractors of the PWD (B and R).

There are different estimates about the presence of migrants in Punjab. A

ccording to Dr Joginder Singh, Professor and Head, Department of Economics of Punjab Agricultural University, there are about 22 lakh migrants in Punjab. About 80 per cent of them have now settled in the state.

Some experts estimate that the number of migrants in Punjab is more than 30 lakh. However, the Punjab Government has not got any survey done as officials argue that this is a transitory labour and it is difficult to keep the records.

These migrants have brought with them many problems and perhaps the foremost is the health hazard. Some of the studies have revealed that they largely suffer from TB, cancer and abdominal ailments.

The urban scenario in Punjab has changed which has brought the Department of Local Bodies and the urban development authorities under pressure to tackle the problem of housing for them. Jhuggi-jhompri settlers have become a permanent feature of Punjab.

The Dalits strongly feel that with the coming of the migrants, their relationship with the Jats has suffered. The Dalits had been providing all sorts of help to the Jats in agriculture and also meeting their household needs.

The Jat-”seeri” (share cropper) relationship has had some sanctity in the Punjabi society and the Jat usually operated through his “seeri” even in criminal acts.

It cannot be denied that Dalits have improved their economic lot with the help of Jats, who while going abroad, took along Dalits also. This has brought prosperity to Doaba Dalits.

Now the social tension between Jats and Dalits has started surfacing. Doaba witnessed it recently in the shape of violence at Talhan in Jalandhar district. Some other districts of Punjab have also faced similar problems.

The Dalit, who now treats the “bhaiyya” — the migrant — as his rival, is fighting for his traditional privileged position. This explains why the Punjab labour — whether Jat or Da

lit —is engaged at higher rates than migrants.

Dr Joginder Singh explains that the arrival of migrants in the rural as well as urban areas has depressed the wages. They have also brought with them social evils like drug-addiction. Local youths have also started taking “gutka” and “jarda”.

During a study of social unrest among labourers in the rural areas, Dr Joginder Singh says, they found resentment among Dalits in particular over the fact that the migrants have snatched their rights of sharing crops with Jats.

With their permanent settlement in the rural areas, the migrants prefer to work on contract. On an average, a migrant earns between Rs 80 and 90 per day. Some of the migrant leaders have become contractors and are making good profits from such deals.

The migrants are also allegedly indulging in various crimes, including robbery and murder, according to district police officials.

However, Mr A.A. Siddiqui, Director-General of Punjab Police, does not agree. He maintains that those who come for “roti-rozee” do not indulge in criminal activities. They keep themselves busy in their daily wage earning, he says.

At the same time, Mr Siddiqui admits that gangs of criminals come from states like Bihar and UP. After committing crime, they go back to their homes.

Another important development with regard to the migrants in Punjab is that a sizeable number of Muslims have settled in the state. They have come from UP and Bihar. A majority of them are artisans and skilled workers. They have brought with them the dominant Muslim social order.

The Muslim community has started setting up “madrasas” in Punjab. Teaching in Arabic, Persian and Urdu is imparted to students in these schools, says Maulana Ateeq-ur-Rehman, President, Indian Muslim Council, Punjab.

Maulan

a Ateeq-ur-Rehman is a resident of Ludhiana and his grandfather, Maulana Habib-ul-Rehman, was a great freedom fighter. He says there are 20 lakh Muslims in Punjab. Five lakh of them have settled in Ludhiana alone. The Muslims are mainly tailors, artisans and barbers. They have migrated to Punjab because of poverty in states like Bihar and UP, he maintains.

The Muslims have set up new mosques and some old ones have been renovated. They are also laying claims to some of the mosques with the Wakf Board which have functioned as Hindu-Sikh shrines since Independence.

[moorakh]

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw!

vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!!

More than 60% of jullandhar, hoshiarpur, navan shehar has migrated to the west and similar is the case with ludhiana and other districts... so there was scarcity of labour for zamindars due to which labours from poor states were hired. But now they are getting stronger in Punjab... all thanks to drugs... punjabis getting weaker by more youths getting into drugs...

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw!

vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!!

[Guest SikhForLife]

wat should be done?

kick em out?

make em pay more taxes?

educate them about social morals?

systemattically demolish their infrastructure?

they have a right to live wherever they chose.. so in my opinion the only solution is educate them about moral values

[Gill]

i agree, educate them

but if that doesn't work, make them pay taxes and drive them out like that

[>Bikramjit Singh<]

from http://www.telegraphindia.com/1031218/asp/...ory_2691644.asp

Akalis declare war on migrants

OUR CORRESPONDENT

Chandigarh, Dec. 17: After the Northeast and Maharashtra, it is now the turn of political outfits in Punjab to demand that the state is for Punjabis only.

While the Shiromani Akali Dal wants to disenfranchise migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, the Panthic Akali Dal and the Dal Khalsa, an Akali outfit whose aim is to create Khalistan and whose leader Gajinder Singh figures on the country’s 20 most-wanted list, want them to leave.

“Non-Punjabis should not be allowed to buy land in Punjab. Migrants from Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh form nearly one-tenth of the population as of now and are getting jobs easily. That has to come to a stop sooner than later,” said Dal Khalsa secretary-general Kanwarpal Singh Bittu. “The situation is explosive. It is worse than Maharashtra or Assam,” he warned.

The Dal Khalsa recently held a seminar in Amritsar, demanding an ordinance to fix a ceiling on jobs for migrants, barring outsiders from purchasing land and introduction of quarantine measures for migrants who have settled in the state.

However, most parties have refrained from going public with the demand to stop migrants from entering Punjab. Akali Dal president and former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal refused comment, but said the situation needed to be studied carefully before arriving at a conclusion. “You cannot stop people from moving from one part of the country to another,” he said.

A senior Akali Dal leader s

aid that while the party had discussed the issue a number of times, no directive has been given to party workers to start an agitation against migrants.

A government spokesman said only chief minister Amarinder Singh could comment on the Dal Khalsa demand. Amarinder was unavailable as he was in New Delhi trying to iron out differences with his No. 2 in the cabinet, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal.

A study conducted by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development in the mid eighties had found that 95.71 per cent of migrants in Punjab were from Bihar. They were seen as “honest, docile, submissive, obedient and unconscious of their rights”.

But the study concluded that there was hostility between migrant labourers and local workers. Almost all local workers said the migrants should be stopped from entering the state and even threatened to take matters into their own hands. Thankfully, nothing has happened. The migrants paid with their blood during the terrorism era with 45 losing their lives, although no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Studies say migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar first came to Punjab in the fifties and worked only in the paddy transplantation season.

[Ghulam Singh]

In my opinion, if I was the average farmer, I would want as many bhaiyas as possible.

I am not sure how many of you goto Punjab, but bhaiyas rock. They're cheap labour, you can satisfy them by providing them hindi films [My taiaji does this, and they go crazy], you can hire more of them for the same price of a so called 'Dalit' Sikh.

It's just economics, if you are a businessman, you want to have the cheapest labour at the best price.

The other flip of the coin is that the average youth DOESN'T WANT TO WORK. Seriously, like most youth dont' study or care about anything, a good majority of them [Kesdhari, mona, whatever] are addicted to drugs.

So if the native population doesnt' want to work, and if there are people who want to, so be it.

Another thing I want to add is that you can't blame the bhaiyas for the drug problem. If you want to get addicted to drugs, so be it. It's your fault, why dont' people take some heat for their problems.

All I can say is the Bhaiyas are good people, and hardworking. And another thing, Sikhs aren't anti-MUSLIM or anti-Hindu.

Alot of these posts by a certain individual are always portraying muslims in the worst light, what's happend has happend. Are we always going to blame Muslims/Hindus for past wrongs, no! So why always bring it up.

[Gill]

i don't know, but i wouldn't go as far as saying bhaiyas are good people, it all depends on the individual, some of them would try cheating you the first chance they got.

i guess you could please them with some hindi movies, but you do need to take care of them and they're familys.

[Guest mehtab]

Ghulam Singh Posted on Dec 24 2003, 01:53 AM

Alot of these posts by a certain individual are always portraying muslims in the worst light

its a news article, with highlights on all non-Punjabi migrants, not just muslims.

[>Bikramjit Singh<]

Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!!

Ghulam Singh

I am not sure how many of you goto Punjab, but bhaiyas rock.

What part of Punjab do you go to ?. Farmers hire bhaiyas because there's no one else to do the work. But I wouldn't say Bhaiyas are hardworking or law abiding. In fact having seen Bhaiyas working I can say a Punjabi worker would be able to do double the work of a Bhaiya and in half the time.

Whenever I am in Punjab I always hear stories where the Bhaiyas have been involved in crimes. In some villages there are night patrols being done by the villagers to stop Bhaiyas robbing from peoples houses.

There was a discussion on Sikhnet a few years ago about this issue and I happen to have a copy of newreports on Bhaiya crimes in Punjab.

Migrant labourers main carriers of TB

From Vimal Sumbly

Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, June 30 ? Migrant labourers are believed to be the biggest carriers of tuberculosis in Ludhiana. There are said to be about 5 lakh migrant labourers in the city. They mostly come from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Nepal. The unhygienic conditions they are forced to live in make them more vulnerable to the chest diseases, mainly tuberculosis.

Although no exact figures are available about the number of such patients, doctors working in areas inhabited by these labourers reveal that a considerable number of

people suffer from tuberculosis. Most of the doctors TNS talked to reveal that, on an average, they treat about three or four tuberculosis cases daily.

Several reasons are attributed to the alarming number of such cases among the migrant labourers. Poor hygienic and living conditions and malnutrition make these people more vulnerable. Even if the disease is diagnosed at an early stage, irregular and incomplete medication makes the patients multi-drug resistant.

According to Dr Anil Kapoor, a leading ayurveda practitioner in Basti Jodhewal, there has been a consistency in the inflow of TB affected patients. The number of patients is more in the areas where there is extra concentration of industries, particularly the hosiery dyeing units and rolling mills.

The disease is also prevalent among the domestic help, mostly from Nepal. Dr Ravindra Vatsyayan, a senior ayurveda consultant, disclosed that the domestic servants are the main carriers of this disease among the economically well off sections of society. The disease gets easily transmitted to children or the persons sitting beside the infected patient.

The disease gets transmitted mainly due to respiratory infection. Dr Vatsyayan advised that there should be an awareness campaign among the people, particularly the labourers about the disease. Regular check ups are also essential.

According to World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates, about 30 lakh deaths occur of TB in the world every year and 20 lakh of them in Asia only. The WHO estimates also point out that 40 per cent population in the developing countries is directly or indirectly effected by the TB. There are about 30 lakh new cases every year. About 5 lakh people are said to die in India every year by TB only.

Medical experts suggest that the disease should be immediately brought to the notice of the doctor. The symptoms include prolonged cough, fatigue, blood spittle, prolonged low grade fewer, weight loss and anorexia.

Police warning against migrant l

abourers

Tribune News Service

BATHINDA, July 29 ? In the wake of spurt in crime, the district police has directed the residents to check and verify the antecedents of migrant labourers before hiring them as domestic help or as factory workers.

According to the police in the past few months, the migrant labourers in the district were found involved in cases of murder, thefts and kidnapping.

Mr Harnek Singh Sran, SSP, while talking to reporters here today said in a recent case of kidnapping of a school boy, the Raman Police had arrested two migrant labourers identified as Babu Lal and Chander Shekhar.

He added Gurjinder Singh, a school student, was kidnapped from the school on July 21 and the accused took him to various places and demanded Rs 11 lakh from his parents. The police finally traced the boy and arrested the accused. The boy had been handed over to his parents.

The SSP said the school managements had been asked to remain vigilant about strangers roaming near the schools and send the children only with their parents.

In another case some months back, a migrant labourer living in the Paras Ram Nagar locality fled from the town after murdering his land lady. The police has not been able to arrest him so far.

The police claimed that a gang of migrants from UP was allegedly involved in looting money from two wheelers and other vehicles. The gang was active around banks and other commercial institutions.

Migrant labour issue rocks House

Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 3 ? For the first time the issue of migrant labour was prominently discussed today in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha during question hour. Members from the Treasury Benches asked questions in this connection.

The Punjab Government made clear in the House that it has not taken any step to prevent the permanent settlement of migrant labour in Punjab. A question in this connection was asked by the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal MLA, Capt Balbir Singh.

Replyi

ng in the House, Mr Baldev Raj Chawla, a minister, said it was a fundamental right provided in the Constitution that any citizen could settle anywhere in the country.

Not satisfied with the reply, Mr Bath asked a supplementary question that if this was true then why the states like Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and certain other state governments have imposed a ban on the purchase of landed or other property in their states.

Another ruling party MLA, Mr Makhan Singh, asking the supplementary question on the same issue said if other state governments could ban the purchase of landed and other property what prevented the Punjab Government from doing the same. Mr Chawla said that there was no such law to ban the settlement.

Mr Gurdeep Singh Bhullar, another SAD MLA, asking another supplementary on this issue said that the migrants were not only settling in Punjab but they were also getting registered as voters in Punjab. It should be stopped. Mr Chawla again repeated the same that there was no law to do this. Mr Bhullar said that one person could be a voter at one place.

Mr Hardev Arshi, a CPI MLA, said that there was a lot of exploitation of migrant labour in Punjab. Labourers were being kept as bounded labour and so on. What steps had been taken by the government to stop labour exploitation, he asked.

Mr Chawla said that there was no bounded labour in Punjab. Mr Jagdish Sawhney, a BJP MLA from Batala, asked about the number of migrant labour at present and what was their annual inflow in the state. The minister said that no exact data was available in this connection.

SAD MLA Hira Singh Gabaria said that crime rate in the state had gone up due to migrant labour in big cities.

Police plan to check migrants

75 rounded up for questioning

Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 7 ? Legal action, including arrests, is in the offing for those migrants who do not get themselves registered with the city police within 30 days of arrival in Chandigarh.

Taking a serious view of the large-scale influx of migrants to the city, prohibitory orders under Section 144 Cr P C are issued by the District Magistrate at periodic intervals.

The persons engaged in services like plying of rickshaws, rehri, dhobi, cobblers or are offering their services on contract are legally bound to furnish their particulars to the nearest police station.

This order states, in view of feedback from the department that there should be some check on the people visiting the city so that anti-social elements in the guise of job seekers may not pose a threat to citizens.

Interrogation of criminals reveal that some of these or their accomplices are from among the migrant factions and those engaged in petty, non formal trades and services.

Since a majority does not get itself registered, crime detection becomes very difficult. If such a situation is allowed to continue, there is apprehension of breach of peace and disturbance of public tranquillity.

Any breach of the order invites action under Section 188 of the IPC, the recent order states.

While there has been little action or follow-up of the order previously, the deteriorating law and order situation in the past few months has spurred the Administration and the police in doing something to control the situation.

In this context and in an effort to keep a tab on the migrants who flock to the city for their livelihood, the Chandigarh Police has started a week-long special campaign during which labourers will be educated and urged to get themselves registered at their respective police stations.

Those who flout the orders are liable to be arrested and could be imprisoned or fined or both imprisoned and fined.

In a special drive today, a search operation in the labour colony number 4 and 5 was carried out. As many as 200 men of the local police besides the para-military forces jointly carried out the search during which more than 75 persons were rounded up for questionin

g.

While 55 persons were rounded up from colony number 4, 20 persons were taken into custody from colony number 5.

They were let off in the evening but the particulars of these migrants are being verified by the police from their counterparts from various states.

The operation which began at noon carried on till 4.30 p.m. According to senior police officers, such operations would be a routine feature from now on.

To further streamline the functioning of the police, the subdivisional magistrates (SDMs) will visit the police stations in their area accompanied by the SDPOs.

They will also conduct surprise visits and recommend strict action against the erring officials.

The administration has also asked the Deputy Magistrate to do the needful in this context. This has not been done to put any hurdles in the functioning of the police but to make the force more people-friendly and responsive to the problems of the common man.

Migrants' inflow unabated

by Prabhjot Singh

Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Jan 13 ? Saturation in the job market notwithstanding, the flow of migrants has been continuing unabated, leading to widening of the gap between the households settled in authorised and unauthorised colonies. This is in spite of the best of efforts of the Chandigarh Administration to rehabilitate slum dwellers.

At present there are 23,222 households in authorised colonies and 32,448 in unauthorised colonies. The hope of getting a subsidised plot is the motivating factor for the slum dwellers to continue to live in unauthorised colonies even when they are unable to find work in Chandigarh. Not only that, they also bring their kinsmen for standing in the queue for getting plots.

The existing policy of providing alternative sites suffers from some inherent weaknesses. The system is open to abuse as alternative sites or plots could be sold. This calls for a change in the present policy regarding settlement of slum dwellers by linking

allotment not only to the duration of stay but also to their workplace.

These are some of the findings of the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID) on the basis of a socio-economic survey of authorised and unauthorised colonies in Chandigarh.

The survey was conducted at the instance of the Chandigarh Administration as there was no data, indicating the socio-economic realities and detailed demographic profile of the slum dwellers of the union territory.

The survey was conducted by a CRRID team headed by Dr V.P. Dubey and consisting of Mr H.L. Kalia, Bindu Duggal, Ravinder Kaur and Ranjay Vardhan. The report of the CRRID survey was presented during the recently concluded international conference celebrating "Chandigarh 50 years of the idea".

The UT Administration agreed to provide services of its teaching staff for collection of data. The staff used was fully trained for conducting the survey on the basis of 100 per cent households. A well-designed operation was planned and implemented to ensure that not only all colonies were covered by the survey but also that no households in a colony was left-out of count.

The survey revealed that there are in all 45 colonies, out of which 19 are authorised and 26 unauthorised. The total population is 2,26,230, including 1,08,486(47.96 per cent) in the authorised colonies and 1,17,744 (52.05 per cent) in unauthorised colonies. The highest percentage of migrants came from Uttar Pradesh (55 %), and 12% each from Punjab and Haryana with only 6.5% from Bihar and 4% from Himachal Pradesh.

Of the total population,only 68,916 are workers and the rest, 157,314 are non workers. The work participation rate is 30.46 per cent. The occupational structure shows that 17.45 per cent are engaged in government sector, 32 per cent in private sector and 21 per cent as casual labourers.

The data also reveals that 33 per cent of the non-workers are in the age group of 15 to 34. This is a serious matter because jobless youn

g slum migrants tend to earn their livelihood through illegal means. This perception also indicates that work opportunities are increasingly getting saturated within the city. Regarding child labour, the UT has a workforce of 1,870 children, 98 per cent of whom are residing in these slums.

The growth in population has been tremendous. From 23,864 as enumerated in the 1971 census, the number is now 2,26,230. The causative factors for an increase in the quantum of migration, apart from the availability of better job opportunities, appear to be the possibility of getting a subsidised shelter and eventually making a fast puck through its sale. This has been corroborated by the survey as some of the authorised shelter owners had disposed of their dwelling units here.

The study suggests that the UT Administration should examine its existing policy framework and provide shelter only to those who have been serving somewhere within the union territory and living in Chandigarh for more than the specified period.

Misplaced optimism about leprosy eradication

From Vimal Sumbly

Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, July 30 ? Contrary to the claims of the government about wiping out leprosy from Punjab, on an average about 30 such cases are reported every year from various parts of the state. While most of the leprosy cases have been reported from among the migrant labourers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, some local patients have also been found suffering from this disease.

Doctors revealed that the number of cases may not be increasing but leprosy was not on the decline. In fact the number of patients per year is almost the same as it used to be 10 to 15 years ago.

Meeting to discuss rising crime graph

Tribune News Service

JALANDHAR, March 11 ? With a view to chalk out a strategy to curb criminal activities by tribes and migrant labourers, the Punjab police will hold a high-level meeting at Phillaur tomorrow.

The meeting will be chaired by Mr Sa

rabjit Singh, Director-General of Punjab police.

The DGP was talking to mediapersons at a carnival organised by the Maruti Udyog Limited at Guru Gobind Singh Stadium here today.

Mr Sarabjit Singh said proper planning was needed to check the menace of these gangs active in the state. ?We will thoroughly discuss the problem and will try to solve the problem at the earliest?, he added.

Talking about the implementation of the Punjab police rules, the DGP said the matter was under consideration of the Rebeiro committee, which had already submitted some of its suggestions to the government. He said the circumstances now in the state were different as compared to those during terrorism. ?Moreover, some of the police rules are obsolete?, he added.

Thikri pehra to combat gangs

From Varinder Singh

Tribune News Service

JALANDHAR, March 10?Despite a number of preventive measures the police is apparently unable to curb rising crime by armed gangs of migrant labourers in the district causing fear in the region. Armed gangs suspected to be comprised of migrant labourers of criminal tribes like Pardis & Bawaries have been active in the villages and around the city for the past about one year. What has caused maximum anxiety is the ruthlessness of the assailants who use iron rods, hand pump handles, and other blunt weapons to batter and maim their victims in to submission.

So far, the gangs have killed three persons, including one in Phagwara town on March 7, and injured around two dozen persons in half-a-dozen robberies in Jalandhar and two in Kapurthala district. The meagre success of the police in nabbing these violent criminals in spite of formation of a special investigation team (SIT) and launching of night domination operations has put a question mark on its efficiency.

The robberies began early last year when a group of dacoits struck at house in Deep Nagar locality near the cantonment in which assailants fired at and injured one Major Singh, before fleein

g with cash. Mr Rakesh Kumar, Sarpanch of Kahnpur village was the next victim of the robber gangs, who besides looting his house beat him up, injuring, him seriously. In another sensational robbery in Hirapur village in July last year Dalbir Singh and Nirmal Singh were battered to death, while Mohinder Kaur, the wife of Dalbir Singh was injured.

Similar robberies have taken place at Talhan, Nangal Sapror (Kapurthala) and other villages. Following the attack on St Joseph?s School, Phillaur on November 2, in which six armed robbers looted Rs 2.5 lakh and some gold ornaments from the convent, the Jalandhar district police formed the SIT in November last year.

A night domination operation was initiated only last month under which police officers were instructed to remain in the field between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. so that movement of such gangs could be curbed. But their efforts appear to have little result with the gangs becoming more aggressive instead and extending their reach to nearby areas like Phagwara, where an armed gang attacked five houses on March 7, killed one Parvinder Sharma, an NRI.

Earlier on January 6, armed robbers attacked the St John Convent School, Phagwara.

In Jalandhar district barring the arrest of six-members of a Muzaffarnagar (UP) Bawaria tribal gang on March 9, which the police claim was responsible for a number of robberies in the district, there has been no real breakthrough.

?Though we have been making a lot of efforts and have been checking movement of suspected people and vehicles, nothing much could be achieved. For we feel they commit the crime with the active involvement of local people?, said a senior officer on condition of anonymity. Disturbed by increasing incidents of violent robberies sarpanches of different villages, after a meeting with the SSP on March 8 have decided to mount ?thikri pehra? in their villages.

According to police sources, members of the gangs, live in small rented accommodations in and around the city and identify p

otential targets by roaming the streets and selling balloons and toys etc during the day.

The six-member gang, nabbed by the police yesterday had been living in hired rooms in Kukkar Pind and Kot Kalan villages on the city?s outskirts. The gang members were identified as Kaloo, Ram Kumar and Omi, all residents of Jinjana village, Tilak Raj of Mastpur village in Muzzarfarpur district in UP and Vimal Kumar of Yamunanagar in Haryana, Mr Gaurav Yadav, SSP said today adding that another similar gang was still operating in different parts of the state. He parried a question on whether the gang was behind the Phagwara incident.

Another interesting aspect according to police sources is a noticeable spurt in crime, particularly dacoities, around Holi as the gangs reportedly try to collect as much money as they can before going back to Bihar and UP for the festival.

[Ghulam Singh]

Bikramjit, you should know not to always trust one newspaper. Every article that you posted was from the Tribune, big deal.

Bhaiyas, come to think of it, are just like any person who came to Canada, America looking for a job. Gorrai's probably think of your parents as bhaiyas.. Why do I say this, becuase the majority of Sikh adults who are in Canada, America are in blue collar type of positions, bhaiyas are in the same position.

I wonder why so many Sikhs are involved as farm hands in California, British Columbia, on and on..

And to Rochak, you made it seem as anti-muslim, so what if bhaiyas set up relgious acadedmys[madrasas] if they want.

Everybody has the right to their own religion. If you don't want to make it seem anti-muslim, then don't hightlight everything that has the world muslim, or islam in it.

Anyways, you guys should lay off Bhaiyas, pretty soon they'll start coming over here. And who's going to sponsor them, your parents..