Rights Front: Probe Fake Encounters

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Rights front: Probe fake encounters

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 26

The Majha ex-servicemen human rights front has urged the Punjab government to take action against those police officials who were involved in fake encounters and the killing of innocent persons by branding them as militants.

The probe should be on the Gujarat pattern which led to the arrest of three senior police officers.

Adressing a press conference here today Col G.S. Sandhu (retd), chairman of the front, said Gurnam Singh Bandala, a former militant who was declared killed in a police encounter, had exposed the encounter tales of the Punjab police. Bandala, who was alive, had been declared “dead” in a police encounter near Ropar in August ,1994.

Who was killed in place of Bandala? Who were the police officers who claimed Rs 25 lakh for “ killing” Bandala in 1994? These questions required to be probed, he said. “ Our front will call on Chief Minister Badal and also knock at the door of the Punjab and Haryana High court to seek justice for the families of those innocent persons who were killed by the police in fake encounters”, said Colonel Sandhu.

A DGP rank officer had admitted a few months ago that 300 terrorists-turned police “cats” were rehabilitated by the Punjab police in the state. “Who were the innocent persons killed in place of these 300 police cats. Who were the government officials who authorised the extra-judicial killings?” asked Colonel Sandhu.

He said all human rights activists should come together to expose the killing of innocent people in fake encounters in the state. He said it had come to light that certain senior police officials patronised “cats” and used them to smuggle drugs and arms.

Colonel Sandhu also raised questions regarding the suicide near here by a senior police officer some years ago. “ We are not ready to believe that the senior police officer is no more. Our people are trying to find out whether that police officer is living in the US now along with his family members”, he said. “ That police officer, along with a Nihang chief, was responsible for killing a large number of youth in the Tarn Taran and Patti areas in fake encounters”, said Colonel Sandhu. Hundreds of youths were cremated by declaring their bodies as unidentified ones by the police in Tarn Taran in the 80s and early 90s, he alleged.

He said that militancy in Punjab ended about a decade ago but the police was not ready do downsize its force and disarm its “cats”. False stories were being spread with regard to the existence of terrorism in the state.

The Punjab human rights commission has stated that 80 per cent of the complaints received by it were against the police, said Colonel Sandhu. He said in the Punjab public service commission scam, the highest amount of money was paid by two police officers to get their wards recruited as officers.

Govt allots 7,000 liquor vends; earns Rs 29 cr

Tribune News Service

Patiala, April 26

The government today allotted 7,000 liquor vends across the state through the open draw of lots. This was stated by excise commissioner, Punjab, A.Venu Prasad. He said there was tremendous response from traders for getting liquor vends’ license. The department received 47,241 applications. The fee for processing each application was fixed at Rs 6,000.

The department has collected Rs 29 crore as a fee for processing the applications. This is Rs 15 crore more than what was collected last year. He further said 99 per cent liquor vends were allotted today through the draw of lots. Last year, just 74 per cent vends could be allotted. The state would collect excise duty of Rs 1,650 crore from the liquor vends this year. This is Rs 130 crore more than what was collected last year.

The highest cost for the annual license of liquor vend in urban areas has been fixed at Rs 77 lakh. In rural area the lowest cost for annual license is Rs 15 lakh. The numbers of liquor vends for which license was issued is almost same. However, in some areas vends have been rationalized. The areas where sale was high have been allotted more vends.

The new excise policy has attracted more persons into this trade. As per the new policy the license holder can now pick 30 per cent quota from any distillery. Besides the conversion limit for changing the quota from the Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) to country liquor has also been increased to 15 per cent, the excise commissioner added.

At Patiala 476 liquor vends, that included 326 country liquor and 150 IMLF vends, were allotted today. Officials of the excise department claimed that allotted vends would fetch Rs 84.42 crore during the current financial year. Last year an excise duty of Rs 83.90 crore was collected from Patiala.

Punjab ‘not to allow’ release of water in Haryana canal

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Patiala, April 26

The government will not allow Haryana to release water in the Hansi-Bhutana canal, a newly constructed branch of the Bhakra mainline. Punjab cooperation minister Capt Kanwaljit Singh stated this at a press conference here today. He was here to preside over a ‘sangat darshan’ organised at PWD rest house.

He said the construction of the canal was detrimental to the interests of farmers in the Samana area of Patiala district. Due to the construction of the new canal by the Haryana government, the flood-prone areas of the Samana area would get inundated during monsoon.

Presently, the natural flow of flood water in the area is in the Gaggar river. However, the newly constructed canal of Haryana would stop the natural flow of water in the area.

Besides it would decrease the flow of water in the Bhakra main line. This would hamper irrigation in many areas of Punjab bordering Haryana, he alleged.

The Haryana government has already completed about 75 per cent construction of the canal. The canal is being constructed to provide irrigation in the native area of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

The Haryana government was maintaining that it would use its own quota of water in the new canal. The BBMB that controls the canal had earlier allowed Haryana to construct the canal.

The minister, while responding to queries from mediapersons, said the Congress was not even playing its role as a constructive opposition. Instead of taking up the issues related to public, the Congress leaders were involved in blaming each other. “I would request the speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha to give Congress leaders a lesson on the role of opposition,” he said.

While responding to a query on the atta-dal issue, the minister said as per the reports reaching him about 40 per cent people in rural areas would benefit from the government scheme. The financial implication of the scheme on the government would be Rs 950 crore.

He said the state had increased the credit limit of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) by Rs 3,000 crore to enable the board to buy power from other states during the paddy season.

Paramedics, pharmacists unite for a cause

Our Correspondent

Fazilka, April 26

Chairman of the paramedical and health employees co-ordination committee, Punjab, Ravinder Luthra, and president of the punjab state pharmacists association (Ferozepore) Shashi Kant in joint statement issued here today disclosed that Luthra and Lal Singh Dhanaula have forged an unity for the betterment of the committee.

Luthra disclosed that the both groups had decided to hold a convention on April 29 at Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall, Jalandhar. During that occasion a new joint co-ordination committee would be formed. The committee would take up longstanding issues of the thousands of paramedical employees including multipurpose health workers, staff nurses, pharmacists, radiographers, laboratory technicians, sanitary inspectors, drivers and Class IV employees. The main issues to be discussed during convention were privatisation of the rural health services by Capt Amarinder Singh’s regime. As a result of which about 800 out of total 2,500 pharmacists and more than 2,000 Class IV employees have been rendered surplus.