Despite ban, stubble burning goes on unabated in Muktsar

Vans hired for awareness drive

• Fatehgarh Sahib: The administration has hired vans to educate farmers about the decision of the National Green Tribunal regarding burning of wheat and paddy stubble. DC Kamaldeep Singh Sangha said that SDMs have been directed to involve officers of pollution boards, agriculture department, local bodies and NGOs to create awareness about the impacts of burning of stubble burning. The NGT has banned stubble burning as it pollutes the environment and endangers the life of birds and animals. Hesaid those violating the orders would be fined.

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, May 5

Despite a ban on stubble burning, the illegal practice continues unabated in the district.

The police have so far booked only seven farmers for burning wheat stubble.

SSP Gurpreet Singh Gill said, “I have directed all the SHOs to book farmers burning wheat stubble in their fields. So far, seven cases have been registered.”

However, while travelling on any major or link road in the district, one comes across a large number of fields covered in ash due to stubble burn.

The rampant violation has claimed the life of Sohan Singh (45) and his son Gurpreet Singh (18), who worked as farm labourers when they were charred to death when a farmer of Bhangchari village set the stubble afire in his fields.

Activists of the Khet Mazdoor Union and the deceased’s kin are seeking a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each for the next of kin and a government job for the families.

They are also demanding the registration of a case under Section 304 of the IPC instead of Section 304-A of the IPC against the Iqbal Singh, who along with his sons Kulwinder and Gurdas has been arrested for stubble burning.

The police today added the relevant sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in the case.

Lachman Singh Sewewala, general secretary of the union, said said, “The administration reneged from its assurance. The ADC had promised Rs 1 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased, Rs 2 lakh compensation from the Agriculture Department and a government job for the family. Today he refused to give a permanent job, saying that it can be provided only for a year,” he added.

Courtesy: The Tribune

Wheat stacked in bags from Haryana

Farmers show a gunny bag of the Haryana government being used for wheat procurement at Wattoo village in Muktsar. Tribune photo

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, May 4

Apparently facing acute shortage of storage material to lift wheat from grain markets, wheat procurement agency Punjab State Warehousing Corporation is using gunny bags of neighbouring state Haryana.

Farmers from Wattoo village said the practice was going on for the past one week and nobody bothered. “The focal point is allotted to the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation for wheat procurement and 80 per cent of gunny bags here are of the Haryana government. The quality of bags is also poor, but the authorities concerned are not giving any satisfactory reply,” said Sukhwinder Singh, a farmer of Wattoo village.

Congress leader Jagjeet Singh said, “It shows that the state government has failed to make adequate arrangements of gunny bags, thus now using bags from Haryana.”

A senior officer, looking after the wheat procurement process in the district, said, “The issue was even brought to the notice of the Deputy Commissioner by officials of the FCI recently. The gunny bags of Haryana had come when the agencies were facing acute shortage of it.”

Paramjit Singh Dhamija, District Food and Civil Supplies Controller, Muktsar, said, “When the gunny bags came through goods trains, some bogie must have been changed. It will have no affect on the procurement process.”

Pushpinder Singh, District Manager, Punjab State Warehousing Corporation, was not available for comment.

Courtesy: The Tribune

Student outfits named after criminals

Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Fazilka, May 2

Student politics in the state are not without the influence of gangsters as some student outfits bear the name of criminals.

The Gandhi Group Student’s Union (GGSU), Shera Khubban Students Union (SKSU) and Students Organisation of Panjab University (Lawrence Bishnoi group) are named after gangsters.

The GGSU is named after Rupinder Singh Gandhi alias Gandhi, former Sarpanch of Rasulra village near Khanna who operated a gang in Ludhiana area and was murdered by a rival gang in 2003.

The SKSU is named after gangster Gurshahid Singh aka Shera Khubban, who was killed in his mid-20s in a police encounter in Bathinda in 2012. Shera was a native of Khubban village in Fazilka district.

The SOPU, that was not linked to any political outfit in the past, has gradually turned out to be a group of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is behind bars. Lawrence is also known as sharpshooter, belongs to Duttaranwali village in Fazilka district.

Courtesy: The Tribune

Tota Singh’s relative turns ‘rebel’

Tota Singh’s relative turns ‘rebel’

Muktsar: Kulbir Singh Matta, district mandi officer of Muktsar and Fazilka districts, has been posing as a SAD rebel on his Facebook account. Matta, a relative of Cabinet Minister Tota Singh, was recently transferred from his home district Faridkot and sulking since then. He is usually posting the news clippings of his father Rajinder Singh Matta’s statements on his Facebook account, praising AAP and terming it a threat to the SAD in Faridkot. His father has also announced that Kulbir might contest elections from Kotkapura after quitting his job and described the SAD a party of sycophants. Political observers say this is nothing but pressure tactics to negotiate with the party high command.

Contributed by Archit Watts
Courtesy: The Tribune

Payback time

Muktsar: Guru Gobind Singh College of Education (for women), Gidderbaha, has made a bust of late Surinder Kaur Badal, wife of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who passed away on May 24, 2011. The bust would be installed on the college premises on May 24 on her fifth death anniversary. The college management had invited the Chief Minister to inspect the bust on April 26 (picture). The college, being run by Guru Gobind Singh Society, was established in 2006 with the special efforts of the CM’s wife. Badal is chairman of this college. It would be the first bust of the CM’s wife installed in the state, say sources.

Contributed by Archit Watts
Courtesy: The Tribune

Credit war over Rocky’s killing

Groups take to social media, post brazen messages on Facebook

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Jakhar questions security to gangsters

• Reacting over reports that Punjab Police guards were escorting Rocky during his visit to Shimla, Congress leader Sunil Jakhar said allegations against the SAD-led government stood proven that the party had been “shielding gangsters” to meet political ends. He said the slain Fazilka gangster reportedly faced 40 criminal cases.

SSP link?

• Senior police officers don’t think that there is any need to inquire the “closeness” between Rocky and Bathinda SSP Swapan Sharma. But the police have initiated a probe into the use of internet from jails by members of different gangs. “We are ascertaining the location of the Facebook updates,” said a senior officer.

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SSP Swapan Sharma

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Fazilka, May 1

A day after the killing of 39-year-old gangster-turned-politician Jaswinder Singh Bhullar “Rocky” of Fazilka, near Parwanoo in Himachal Pradesh, different groups have claimed the responsibility of killing the gangsters.

The tussle is between Shera Khubban group and Dimpy Chandbhan’s son Sunny Chandbhan’s group. The activists of both groups today stormed the social media, especially Facebook, with their posts regarding claim over Rocky’s murder.

Jai Pal Singh, a notorious gangster from the adjoining Ferozepur district, who is presently absconding, uploaded a collage of Rocky’s pictures this morning on his Facebook account with a post saying, “Jaswinder Singh @ Rocky of Fazilka was murdered yesterday in Himachal Pradesh. I killed him. Those who are saying Dimpy Chandbhan’s son has killed Rocky, I clarify that he could not even give a statement in the case of his father’s killing, how can he kill him.......”

At the end of his post, he wrote, “The game has just started. Just wait and watch”.

Jai Pal, who belongs to Shera Khubban group, is facing some 40 cases of murder, extortion, kidnapping and robbery in different parts of country. He also mocked at the police as he posted his present location at Kasauli. 

Similarly, other activists of the same group Vicky Gounder Sarawan Bodla, who is lodged in Nabha jail, had yesterday uploaded a photo of Rocky with the caption: “Ajj apne veer Shere Khuban da badla pura ho gya.....aah bnata MLA......nale ik gal hor SSP Bathinda Swapan Sharma CIA Bathinda ch mnu kehnda c mitti vich late par mein Rocky de yaar Swapan Sharma nu keha c k mein dsu jdo Rocky nu mitti ch lataya ....Aah hunda asli latena SSP Swapan Sharma.”

The Sunny Chandbhan’s group too claimed the responsibility of killing Rocky. One Sandeep Yadav from another group uploaded a post on his Facebook account: “Rocky Fazilka’s murder is done by Dimpy Chandbhan’s son. But some people are claiming that they have taken the revenge of their brother. He never let you enter Punjab. And after his death you write that you have taken revenge....Rocky had killed Dimpy and Dimpy’s son has taken his revenge...”

Further, some other gangsters called Rocky a traitor, accusing him of having engineered the murder of Dimpy Chandbhan. Rocky was booked for the murder in 2006, but he was acquitted in 2014.

Courtesy: The Tribune

Who was Rocky

Who was Rocky 

Jaswinder Singh Bhullar, alias Rocky, unsuccessfully contested the elections as an Independent from Fazilka in 2012

• He gave a close fight to BJP candidate Surjit Kumar Jyani, now Health Minister, polling 39,209 votes against Jyani's 40,901
• During the 2014 Lok Sabha poll, he backed SAD candidate Sher Singh Ghubaya from Ferozepur
• Rocky was released from jail in 2009 and was brought to his hometown in a huge cavalcade
• Earlier with the Prabhjinder Singh ‘Dimpy’ gang, he was booked for the gangster's murder in a shootout near the Chandigarh Lake Club in 2006; he was acquitted in 2014
• In March last year, the Faridkot police had arrested him in connection with an arms smuggling case and was out on bail
•  Rocky had a huge fan following in Fazilka, Muktsar; he was reportedly close to UP gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari
• He was facing about 30 cases of murder, extortion, kidnapping, conspiracy, illegal confinement and illegal weapons registered in several parts of the country

— Archit Watts

Courtesy: The Tribune