16102024-JTR-01.qxd 10/15/2024 10:47 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune GILLAN VILLAGERS BOYCOTT PANCHAYAT ELECTIONS ROADIES, NOW IN ITS 20TH SEASON, STEPPED INTO UT THE KASAULI HILLS AWAIT PEARLS OF WISDOM Villagers also raise slogans against the district administration over the alleged fraud in voter list. P2 There are no right or wrong answers, only thing that matters is how a contestant, expresses Rannvijay Singha. P4 The 13th edition of the three-day Khushwant Singh Literature Festival takes off in Kasauli on Oct 18. P4 » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR MAX 32°C | MIN 19°C YESTERDAY MAX 32°C | MIN 19°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 5.54 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 6:32 AM » WEDNESDAY | 16 OCTOBER 2024 | JALANDHAR (From left) Congress Jalandhar Cantt MLA Pargat Singh at village Jandiala Manjki; an elderly woman shows inked finger; MP Raj Kumar Chabbewal after casting his vote at village Manjhi; a policeman helps a woman at a polling station in Jalandhar village. PHOTOS: SANJIV BAKSHI & SARABJIT SINGH 4 injured in group clash over ‘bogus voting’ at Swal village Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 15 In the poll-related violence reported from Doaba during the panchayat poll, four persons were injured as two factions clashed near a booth at Swal village in Kapurthala today over the alleged bogus voting. Members of two groups allegedly attacked each other with sharp-edged weapons when one of the groups alleged that bogus votes were being cast by other group members. Four persons, identified as Gurpreet Singh, Ranjit Singh, Yuvraj Singh and Shingara Singh, have been injured in the incident. They have been admitted to the Civil Hospital, An injured person in the Civil Hospital, Kapurthala, on Tuesday. Sultanpur Lodhi. Gurpreet Singh, resident of Swal village in Kapurthala, a polling agent, alleged, “Bogus votes were being polled at booth number 116 of the village. When I opposed this, the other group called more men from outside. Ear- lier, we had heated exchange inside then they attacked me with a sword outside. At least 20-25 people attacked me and my associate Ranjit Singh. Attackers included both village residents and outsiders.” Meanwhile, Yuvraj Singh from village, charged with attacking the duo, denied it. In a video statement, Yuvraj Singh said, “At our booth, people of the other group attacked us. They were six there. We neither attacked anyone, nor called anyone from outside. They attacked us with datars, injuring two of us.” Shingara Singh, an elderly villager, who was injured along with Yuvraj, said, “I had only gone to save a boy. I don’t know anything else about this. But they attacked me.” SHO of the Sultanpur Lodhi police station, Hagurdev Singh said, “We have not received any complaint regarding any poll-related incident so far. The polls were conducted peacefully and no untoward incident took place.” Ruckus over wrong symbol Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Nawanshahr, October 15 Supporters of Asha Rani, one of the candidates for the post of sarpanch at Chakk Kalan village in Banga, Nawanshahr, protested against the administration and demanded the cancellation of the elections this morning when they found that the symbol allotted to Asha Rani allegedly was not the same. As per information, Asha Rani’s election symbol was ‘matka pot’, but when voters went inside to vote, they found ‘bucket’ instead in front of her name. They created ruckus at the booth, with more supporters of Asha Rani gathering and raising slogans, asking for cancelling the elections. Asha Rani said, “Our elderly don’t know how to read. They were told to vote for ‘matka pot’, this is not accept- able” she said. After the protest, the police present at the spot and others convinced Asha Rani to fight on the symbol of ‘bucket’ instead. After much discussion, she agreed. When asked what made her agree to continue, she replied, “ I didn’t want any fight with my fellow villagers. After all, we have to live in the same village so I was left with no option but to continue with this symbol.” Asha Rani’s supporters hold a protest against the administration in Banga. Liquor sold at vend in Chauhal Hoshiarpur, October 15 In view of the panchayat elections, District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal had issued various restrictive orders. These included dry day on October 15. Despite the declaration of dry day today, the sale of liquor was on at a liquor vend in Adda Chauhal located on the HoshiarpurChintpurni road. When the contractor was asked about opening the vend, he said he would close the vend immediately. The Excise Department remained ignorant despite the violation of the orders by the liquor contractor. Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal said action will be taken against the owner of liquor store under the Excise Act. She said the licence can also be cancelled. — OC UP’s Ram Bai elected sarpanch Mandis quiet as farmers busy in rural elections Our correspondent Hoshiarpur, October 15 Making a new beginning in rural politics, residents of village Dagana Khurd, instead of a local person, trusted a migrant woman from UP Ram Bai, a resident of Allahabad, and entrusted her with the reins of the village as sarpanch. According to information, in the panchayat elections held today at Dagana Khurd, Ram Bai won the election of sarpanch by securing 47 votes, while her opponent Seema could manage to secure just 17 votes. Sarpanch Ram Bai’s husband Raju has been working as a mason in Punjab for the last 25 years. The newly elected sarpanch said they are originally from Allahabad. Ram Bai said she will not allow any stagnation in the development of the village. She said she will take the villagers along and contribute to the development of the village. Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 15 As polling booths saw a huge rush during the panchayat elections today, with farmers from the village actively participating in the voting, no hustle bustle of farmers could be seen in mandis on the other hand. Even Monday saw comparatively less rush of farmers in the main grain market. In Jandiala Manjki, Jaskaran Singh, a 35-year-old farmer, said nobody would find farmers in the mandis. “Ajj saare busy ne elections vich. Kal nu milange (Everyone is busy in the elections today, you will meet them all tomorrow in the mandis,”) he said. Another farmer Rajinder Singh said the elections were important for the farmers as well. “Even we are going to sit Women power on display at Bolina village Avneet Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 15 Women’s empowerment was on full display at Bolina village during the panchayat elections today, where all four candidates for the sarpanch posts were women. The elections saw a huge turnout of female voters, who emphasised key issues such as job creation for young girls and enhancing women’s safety as central to their candidates’ platforms. Upon entering Bolina village on the Rama Mandi Road here, The Tribune team observed a lively atmosphere at polling booths, with women voters engaging in discussions about the merits of each candidate. Voter Baljit Kaur articulated the importance of the panchayat elections, saying, “These votes reflect the bond our village residents share, it’s a non-political affair.” She emphasised the unique nature of this election, noting that all candidates were well-acquainted and lacked political backing, as no leaders from major parties had visited the village. “Regardless of who wins, a woman will lead, making it easier for us to voice our concerns at the booth and support our candidate,” he said. The arrival of the paddy will increase manifold the next day of the elections, say farmers. “This is our profession,” Harpreet Singh, farmer from Lidhran village said. “And that is our ‘Ghar da kamm,’” Singh referred to ‘panchayat elections. For the farmers, both are integral part, he said. Harpreet Singh was accom- panied by his fellow village farmers Gurnam Singh and Lakhbir Singh at the grain market. All of them shared the same sentiments. In most villages, candidates for the posts of sarpanch were mostly farmers or belong to farmer families. Farmer Davinder Singh from Nawanshahr said he had not harvested paddy yet as he was waiting for the situation in mandis to get normalise and panchayat elections to get over. “We have to stand in support of our candidates. It is a mammoth task right now, but there is tension because we don’t know the fate of our produce,” he said. In Bundala village, an arhtiya was seen sitting alone. He said hardly one or two farmers came. “There will be a huge rush tomorrow,” he said. Man dies, wife critically injured as bus hits bike, driver, conductor flee Rly employee killed in mishap Our Correspondent Women voters in a queue to cast their vote at Bolina village in Jalandhar. TRIBUNE PHOTO SARABJIT SINGH and seek solutions,” she added. The sentiment among village residents was overwhelmingly positive, with many recognizing that progress is not confined to urban centres. Elderly voter Jaswinder Kaur expressed her hope for a female leader who can effectively drive development and address local needs. “We want someone who understands our struggles and can bring real change,” she said. One of sarpanch candidates Balwinder Kaur said of the 1,540 registered voters, approximately 1,200 were expected to participate, with many male voters residing abroad. She asserted that women in the village would ultimately determine her fate, stressing that her campaign is centred on addressing women’s issues, including safety, job opportunities and the establishment of a skills centre for local women. In the nearby Patara village, the lscene was different, with three male candidates contesting for the sarpanch position. However, the outcome still rested in the hands of female voters. Advocate Sukhveer Kaur, a resident of Patara, remarked on the shifting dynamics of local elections. “This time, we see more women actively participating and two of the candidates are c m y b young men. It’s a sign that the mindset in our villages is changing,” she said. She also stressed the importance of addressing pressing local issues, particularly the large garbage dump near the village gurdwara, which has been contributing to health hazards and environmental concerns. “Whichever candidate wins, they must prioritise this issue for the well-being of our community,” she urged. Phagwara, Octo3ber 15 A motorcyclist 4was killed and his wife, who was riding pillion, sustained critical injuries when a bus hit their motorcycle before Balbir Palace near village Rihana Jattan on the PhagwaraHoshiarpur road on Monday. The deceased, identified as Amarjit Singh (31), a resident of village Nasirabad, was going to Mehtiana along with his wife Anita Rani on a motorcycle, when a speeding bus coming from the opposite side collided with their bike. Amarjit fell and was crushed under the wheels of the bus leading to his death on the spot. Anita sustained serious injuries and was rushed to a hospital in Hoshiarpur, where her condition remains critical. Jasbir Singh, uncle of Amarjit, alleged that the locals repeatedly called the police but no officers arrived at the scene for several hours. Outraged by the delay, residents blocked the Hoshiarpur- Villagers block road, seek action against bus driver Phagwara road, demanding immediate action against the bus driver and accountability for the police negligence. The protesters raised slogans against the police, causing traffic to halt for nearly two hours. DSP Phagwara, Bharat , Bhushan and SHO Balwinder Singh Bhullar later arrived on the spot and assured the family of swift action. The protesters, thereafter, lifted the blockade and traffic was restored after two hours. The police have sent Amarjit’s body to the Civil Hospital for post-mortem. SHO Bhullar confirmed that a case has been registered against the bus driver based on eyewitness accounts. Amarjit, the only son of his parents, is survived by his wife, a nine-year-old daughter and his elderly parents. Our Correspondent Phagwara, October 15 One Railway Protection Force employee was killed and five others sustained injuries when a speeding PRTC bus collided with a truck near Club Cabanna on the national highway today. The deceased has been identified as Gurjeet Singh of Mukerian. The impact caused the truck to overturn, resulting in the death of a railway employee and injuries to five others. The injured have been admitted to the Civil Hospital in Phagwara. RPF officials reported that the vehicles travelling towards Jalandhar was hit from behind by a speeding bus. Following the accident, the bus driver and conductor fled the scene. According to the police, all victims were railway employees identified as Bhupinder, Ravinder, Surinder, Gautam and Ajit Singh, all residents of Jalandhar. A doctor from the Civil Hospital confirmed that due to the critical condition of Bhupinder and Ravinder, they have been referred to a hospital in Jalandhar for further treatment.