Hafiz Saeed. File photo

Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 12

The US today imposed sanctions on terrorist organisations based in Pakistan, including an organisation run by Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed’s Jamaat-ud-Dawah.In another development, Daniel Coats, Director of the US National Intelligence, told lawmakers during a Congressional hearing that tension between India and Pakistan can only come down if Pakistan moves forward on the Pathankot probe.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)The developments came as a relief for India that has long been asking the world to take strict action to curtail the funding of various Pakistan-based terror groups that routinely carry out attacks. “These sanctions seek to disrupt the financial support networks of terrorists based in Pakistan who have supported the Taliban, Al-Qaida, Islamic State, and LeT for recruiting and funding of suicide bombers and other violent insurgent operations,” said John Smith, director of treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. He said the US would “aggressively target extremists in Pakistan” and their fronts, including “charities which are used as vehicles to facilitate terror activities”.The statement of Coats has given a significant backing to a demand that India has been making for a long time —- talks and terror cannot go together and Pakistan needs to act against those who are behind the Pathankot attack.“Easing of the heightened India-Pak tension will probably hinge in 2017 on a sharp and sustained reduction of cross-border attacks by terrorist groups based in Pakistan and progress in the Pathankot investigation,” Coats said.Both these developments also assume significance in light of the fact that the Trump administration will soon announce its Afghanistan policy. India and Pakistan have been vying for strategic influence in the region.

Security: not even a rupee sanctionedNew Delhi: The government is yet to sanction a single rupee for fortifying military bases across the country, notwithstanding the demand by the three services for Rs 2,000 crore to plug the gaps in their security in the wake of the Pathankot terror attack. A total of 3,000 sensitive bases, including 600 highly-sensitive installations of the Army, Navy and the Air Force, were identified by the forces to revamp the security infrastructure. The Army has spent Rs 325 crore from its “internal” funds, but the government is yet to give a rupee to the three services for it, official sources said. PTI

Marks left by mortar shells fired allegedly by Pakistan on the wall of a government school building at Lam village in the Jhangar sector, in Jammu on Thrusday. PTI

Islamabad, May 11

Pakistan on Thursday summoned India’s Deputy High Commissioner here to “condemn” the alleged ceasefire violation by India along the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir that killed a man and injured three others.The Foreign Office said in a statement that Indian security forces violated the ceasefire along the LoC in Tandar, Subzkot, Khuiratta, Baroh, Bagsar, Khanjar sectors in PoK early today.It said the alleged Indian firing killed a civilian while three others, including a woman, were injured.“The Director General (SA & SAARC), Mohammad Faisal, summoned the Indian Deputy High Commissioner, J P Singh and condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violation by the Indian occupation forces on the night of 10th and 11th May,” it said.The Foreign Office said the “deliberate targeting” of civilians is contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws.“The Director General urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire understanding; investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations; instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire, in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the LoC,” it said.An official at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad said Singh conveyed to Faisal that the “cross-border firing was initiated by Pakistani troops to give cover to terrorists” and “Indian troops responded only in self-defence.”     “We have noticed increased movement of terrorists along the LoC,” the official quoted Singh as saying.India and Pakistan often trade fire along the LoC, resulting in deaths and injuries on either side of the border.The intensity has increased in recent months as tensions have run high between the two sides on a number of issues, most recently over the death sentence given to an Indian national on spying charges by Pakistani military court.Kulbhushan Jadhav was sentenced by a Field General Court Martial to death. But the trial and the sentencing of Jadhav was carried out under utter secrecy and Pakistan has refused India consular access for at least 16 times. — PTI

Details of retaliation to come only after execution

NEW DELHI: Army chief General Bipin Rawat indicated on Thursday the force would retaliate to the beheading of two Indian soldiers by Pakistani troops, but refused to spell out details.

AP PHOTOArmy soldiers walk back towards their base camp after a search operation in Shopian, about 55km south of Srinagar, on Thursday. Security forces launched an anti­insurgency door­to­door search operation with around 4,000 troops, helicopters and drones in south Kashmir.

The killing and mutilation of the soldiers in a cross-LoC raid on Monday sparked widespread anger, with family members and political leaders demanding similar action against the neighbouring country.

“We don’t talk about future plans beforehand; we share details after execution,” the chief said in his first public reaction to the attack carried out by Pakistan’s Border Action Team (BAT) in the Krishna Ghati sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district.

Members of the BAT, considered a rogue squad of Pakistani army regulars and militant mercenaries, ambushed an Indian border patro.

They killed naib subedar Paramjit Singh, a 42-year-old junior commissioned officer with 22 Sikh Regiment, and 45-year-old head constable Prem Sagar of the Border Security Force’s 200 Battalion.

Their decapitated bodies were found later.

“When this kind of action takes place, we also carry out retaliatory action,” the army chief said.

His remarks came on a day security forces launched an antiinsurgency door-to-door search operation with around 4,000 troops, helicopters and drones in south Kashmir.

This was the biggest combing mission against militants for more than a decade in the Kashmir Valley, which is besieged by a spate of militant attacks, bank robberies and cross-border shelling from Pakistan.

Insurgents attacked an army patrol in Shopian district, about 55km from Srinagar, on Thursday, killing a civilian and wounding three soldiers.

Gen Rawat, who has vast operational experience in J&K, said incidents of the past few days had necessitated the move.

“Banks have been looted, policemen have been killed. That is why today’s combing operation is taking place. These operations are carried out regularly,” he said.

There is no other option but to implement the ‘security with development’ strategy in letter and spirit

On April 24, Maoists killed 25 CRPF personnel in Sukma. The ambush took place only a kilometre away from a CRPF post at Burkapal, which was established in 2013 by the Chhattisgarh Police and later taken over by the force to bridge the 12-km gap between Chintagufa and Chintalnar.

AJAY AGGARWAL/HINDUSTAN TIMESA CRPF search operation underway in a forest at Bijapur, Chhattisgarh. Precise intelligence inputs are important for any successful operation

The availability of precise intelligence input is important for any successful operation. In a hostile environment, the forces face a herculean task of keeping themselves alert all the time. In the absence of roads for transport and mobile connectivity, the flow of information often gets delayed and so security forces are unable to take timely action.

Further, it is also difficult to verify such information and many a times the anti-Maoist operations are launched based on general inputs. The scenario, however, has been changing steadily. The tardy speed of road construction has improved. With more delegation of power, local contractors have undertaken construction works, though in patches. When all other agencies failed, the task of road construction, along the most challenging routes (including the under-construction Dornapal-Chintagufa-Jagargunda highway) was taken up by the Chhattisgarh Police Housing Corporation. Both central and state police provide security for this.

The mission of establishing 146 new mobile towers in the Maoist-hit areas has been accomplished. More are coming up. With more villages connected, intelligence will improve. Besides, three AIR stations are coming up in Bastar; regional programmes could help revive tribal culture and change the hostile atmosphere. We are also recruiting personnel for India Reserve battalions of Chhattisgarh from the Maoist-affected districts so that the problems related to local language and knowledge of terrain are minimised. The CRPF is also raising its Bastariya battalion . The next step is to use technology. For example, air surveillance of affected areas needs to be set-up at a battalion level. Plus we need more forces to reverse their mobile war. The central task of the Maoists still remaining the same i.e.; ‘to capture political power through protracted armed struggle with people’s support’, there is no other option than to implement the ‘security with development’ strategy in letter and spirit.

In an article in HT, former police officer Prakash Singh wrote ‘the state police forces lean heavily on the shoulders of the central armed police forces’ and ‘are in a shambles’. This is not true: The state police forces have increased their strength threefold since 2000 and have also occupied forward camps. The state’s ownership is total and complete.

Param Vir Chakra awardees Sanjay Singh and Yogendra Singh Yadav at the launch of the“Vidya Veerta Abhiyaan”, in New Delhi on Tuesday. PTI

New Delhi, May 2“Wall of heroes” with portraits of Param Veer Chakra awardees will come up at around 1,000 schools and colleges across the country to inspire the youth.Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday launched the Centre’s campaign “Vidya Veerta Abhiyan” as he condemned the killing of two soldiers by Pakistan.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

While the establishment of the “wall of heroes” is voluntary for the educational institutes, he clarified that Centre will not issue any grants for the purpose and students and teachers should be encouraged to pool in money for the same.”The condemnable and barbaric act by Pakistan has been carried out after ignoring all indicators of humanity. Even war has few principles but they do not any principle of humanity or either they don’t want to know it. The entire country is anguished,” Javadekar said at the event.The HRD Minister reiterated Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s comments that the sacrifice of the soldiers will not go waste.He said, “It is important that we have portraits of such soldiers in our universities to create passion and enthusiasm among the youngsters.”The initiative is part of the Centre’s Vidya Veerta Abhiyan (Wisdom and Warrior Campaign) and was conceived by BJP leader Tarun Vijay, who called it “a humble attempt to inculcate patriotism in the students”.Under the campaign conceptualised by the BJP MP, universities will set up walls measuring 15 X 20 ft and featuring portraits of the 21 soldiers decorated with the Param Veer Chakra, the highest war-time gallantry award.”On a day when the bodies of the two soldiers have come, this campaign is being launched,” Javadekar said as he handed over the portraits of the Param Veer Chakra awardees to the vice-chancellors and representatives of various universities, including the JNU, the DU, the Jamia Millia Islamia, the Central University of Jammu, the Arunachal Pradesh university, the Kerala University and the IIT Delhi, among others.Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre was also present at the event and condemned the beheading of the two Indian soldiers by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir.The idea of having a wall of martyrs in universities was first proposed by a group of ex-servicemen.They had last year approached JNU Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar, saying portraits of martyrs and tanks used in wars should be put on display in the campus to instil sense of “nationalism” and “patriotism” among the students.The demand came amid a raging debate on nationalism following a sedition row on campus over an event during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised. — PTI

• 
• Two soldiers were killed in Pakistan firing in LoC in Krishna Ghati sector in Poonch district. 
• 

Naib Subedar Paramjeet Singh (left) and BSF head constable Prem Sagar.

Jammu, May 1

Pakistan on Monday mutilated the bodies of the two Indian soldiers killed in firing along the Line of Control in Poonch district. An army JCO and a BSF head constable were killed and another soldier was injured as Pakistan fired rockets at a forward defence location (FDL) post of the paramilitary force along the LoC in Poonch.The army condemned the Pakistani action as despicable.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Condemning the act, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said: “Two of our soldiers in the Krishna Ghati sector in Poonch have been killed and their bodies mutilated by our neighbours. This is a reprehensible and an inhuman act. Such attacks don’t even take place during war, let alone peace. “Bodies of soldiers being mutilated is an extreme form of barbaric act. The Government of India strongly condemns this act and the whole country has full confidence and faith in our armed forces which will react appropriately to this inhuman act. The sacrifice of these soldiers will not go in vain,” Jaitley said.Meanwhile, Pakistan Foreign Office has denied Pakistan Army’s hand.“Pak Army did not commit any ceasefire violation on LoC or a BAT action in Buttal sector (Indian Krishna Ghatti Sector) as alleged by India. The Indian blame of mutilating Indian soldiers’ bodies is also false,” Pakistan Army’s Inter-Services Public Relations wing said in a statement.“Pakistan Army is a highly professional force and shall never disrespect a soldier even Indian,” it added.The ceasefire violation took place around 8.30 am. A junior commissioned officer of the army and a BSF head constable were killed in the attack, a senior officer of the paramilitary force said.

“At about 8.30 am, there was heavy firing from Pakistani (army) posts at the BSF posts along the LoC in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district with rockets and automatic weapons,” the officer said.

Another BSF jawan was injured in the firing.

Rs 26-cr mine: I-T returns belie cook’s hefty bid

AAP questions how he did it with annual income of Rs 90,000

Vishav Bharti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 27

The income tax returns (2015-16) filed by Power Minister Rana Gurjit Singh’s cook Amit Bahadur – who bagged a Rs 26-crore contract for a mine during the recent e-auction – show that he had an annual income of Rs 92,680.As per documents submitted by him to the Department of Commerce and Industry when he took part in the bidding, he had a bank balance of Rs 4,840 till last month.At a press conference here today, AAP MLA Sukhpal Khaira said Bahadur’s I-T returns for the past three years showed that his annual income had remained below Rs 1 lakh. He said Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh should explain how a low-paid employee was able to bag a mine worth Rs 26 crore.“The case demands a thorough investigation of the money trail. I’m sure it will be linked to Rana Gurjit,” he alleged. Khaira said he would send a complaint to the Income Tax Department.Four employees of Rana Sugars had bagged mining contracts — Amit Bahadur (Saidpur Khurd quarry in Nawanshahr, Rs 26.51 crore); Deputy General Manager Kulwinder Paul Singh (Mehadipur quarry, Rs 9.21 crore); Gurinder Singh (Rampur Kalan quarry in Mohali, Rs 4.11 crore); and Balraj Singh (Bairsal quarry, Rs 10.58 crore). Balraj had later opted out.

Oust Rana Gurjit: Gandhi

Patiala: MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi has demanded Rana Gurjit’s ouster for his alleged involvement in capturing sand mines through financial impropriety and illegal means.

Advocate serves notice on CMHigh Court advocate HC Arora has served a notice on CM Capt Amarinder Singh and Additional Chief Secretary, Commerce and Industry, DP Reddy over the alleged ‘benami’ transactions and money laundering in the mine auction. He said it should be probed whether the money deposited by four successful bidders belonged to Rana Gurjit Singh or Capt JS Randhawa, the minister’s election manager in the Assembly poll.

Audit of MCs to start in a fortnight: Sidhu

Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu with Congress MLA Bharat Bhushan Ashu (second from left) in Ludhiana on Saturday. Tribune photo

Shivani Bhakoo

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 27

Minister for Local Bodies Navjot Singh Sidhu has said that the technical and social audit of the municipal corporations will begin in the next 15 days.In the city to witness sewer cleaning work here today, he said 166 municipal corporations and councils were in debt. The funds generated, spent, works executed – everything will be audited for which four companies had shown interest. The audit will be done in five MCs – Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala and Bathinda.No compromises will be made for maintaining the

cleanliness in the cities of the state and the best names in the business are being contacted. “They will have to perform to sustain since our aim is to make the state garbage free in the next few months,” he said.Watching the choked sewer pipes through specialised equipment, Sidhu said there was 95 per cent blockage since the sewers had not been cleaned for the past several years.“The masses are suffering as they are being provided with contaminated water due to choked sewers. It is a problem in Jalandhar, Amritsar and Patiala also. Erring officials won’t be spared,” Sidhu warned.After the MC elections, the focus will be on generating revenue, collection of taxes. “Almost all MCs are battling a financial crunch. The focus of staff/officials has never been on recovery of arrears for many years,” he said.

Capt orders intensification of drive against illegally plying vehicles

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh. Tribune file

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 27

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has directed the Transport Department to intensify its campaign against unauthorised vehicles plying across the state and take strict action against violators.The Chief Minister has instructed the department to ensure strict enforcement of the Motor Vehicle Act rules by intensifying checking of vehicles, especially buses, goods vehicles, tractor trolleys, etc, an official spokesperson said here on Saturday.Making it clear that no laxity would be allowed on this count, the Chief Minister has further asked the department to ensure stringent enforcement of the rules and regulations and not to spare anyone found guilty of violation.Acting on the Chief Minister’s orders, the Transport Department has sent out a communiqué to all Regional Transport Authorities and District Transport Officers to make sure that the time-table of each bus, along with its permit and tax-compliance proof, is checked meticulously by the enforcement teams on the ground. The officers have also been ordered to submit a comprehensive daily report to the office of the STC.Besides ordering strict action against tractor-trolleys plying illegally for commercial purposes in gross violation of existing rules, the Department has issued directions for efficacious checking to put a stop to the dangerous practice of overloading of vehicles.The Chief Minister’s directions have come in response to reports of continuing transport violations, resulting in lawlessness and fatal accidents on the roads. While a new Transport Policy is being worked on by the government, Capt Amarinder Singh has asked the Department to pull up its socks to ensure strict compliance with the existing rules and regulations to ensure safety on the roads.

Punjab DGP Suresh Arora, adviser Chahal, OSD Sekhon to attend KPS Gill’s cremation

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 27

Punjab Police will present a guard of honour as a mark of homage to former DGP KPS Gill during his last rites in Delhi on Sunday afternoon.The ex-DGP, who passed away on Friday, will be cremated at Delhi’s Lodhi Garden crematorium on Sunday, The last rites will be performed with full police honours jointly by the CRPF, Delhi Police and Punjab Police, an official spokesperson said here.DGP Suresh Arora will lead Punjab Police in paying their respects to Gill, who is credited with eliminating terrorism from the state and restoring peace.Bharat Inder Singh Chahal, Adviser to the Chief Minister, will represent the Punjab government at the cremation, the spokesperson said, adding that CM’s OSD Karanpal Sekhon would lay a wreath on behalf of Capt Amarinder Singh.Recalling his invaluable contribution to bringing peace back to the state from the grip of militancy, Capt Amarinder, in his condolence message on Friday, had said Gill’s role in restoring peace and stability to Punjab could not be undermined or forgotten, and he continued to be emulated by police and security personnel around the country, as an example of how the most complex of problems could be resolved with grit and determination.

Amarinder speaks to Rajasthan CM over assault on four Sikhs in Ajmer

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 27

Taking a serious view of the reported assault on four Sikh men in Ajmer, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday spoke to his Rajasthan counterpart, Vasundhara Raje Scindia, to seek her intervention in ensuring a thorough probe into the incident of mob violence and stringent action against the constable alleged to have abetted the crowd.Amarinder also urged the Rajasthan Chief Minister to direct the police to take immediate steps to prevent recurrence of such incidents, which could escalate if not curbed through strong and prompt action by the police. Describing the reported incident as unfortunate, Amarinder said the Rajasthan government needed to fix culpability and ensure that the culprits were punished.The Chief Minister expressed concern over the fact that the incident, which reportedly took place in April, was being given a communal hue, as per media reports. He expressed shock that the incident did not come to the notice of the local police till a video surfaced on the social media showing the mob drag the four Sikhs out of a Bolera SUV and thrash them.Amarinder said he was shocked at reports of a constable, who reached the spot, not only failing to save the victims but in fact found instigating the crowd to “teach them a lesson”. He urged the Rajasthan Chief Minister to ensure an inquiry into the charges and action against the cop, if found guilty.The four victims were sevadars from an Alwar gurdwara and had stopped at Rajgarh village for langar and alms.

Two held for assault on R’sthan Sikhs

Tribune Reporters

New Delhi/Chandigarh, May 27The Ajmer police in Rajasthan have arrested four persons for the assault on four Sikh ‘sewadars’ at Chainpura village of the district last month.Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) general secretary Manjinder Singh Sirsa said an FIR had been registered at Naziraband police station against seven persons.Sirsa said the information was conveyed to him by Ajmer SSP Rajinder Singh, who had also assured him that the other accused would be arrested soon.A video showing Nirmal Singh, Kuldip Singh, Harpal Singh and Malkeet Singh being thrashed had gone viral recently.Meanwhile, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today spoke to his Rajasthan counterpart, Vasundhara Raje, seeking her intervention in the case. The CM sought a thorough probe into the incident and stringent action against the constable who allegedly instigated people to attack the Sikhs.He added that even though the Rajasthan State Minorities Commission had taken cognisance of the video clip and sought a police report, a “strong signal” needed to be sent by the state government to the perpetrators of the violence. The CM said the incident was highly condemnable as the victims were ‘sewadars’ who had stopped at Rajgarh village in Ajmer district to collect alms. Such intolerance has no place in a civilised society and any attempt to create communal strife should be nipped in the bud, he added.

Will never do charity again: Sikh man assaulted by mob

Says he will never try to help anyone the rest of his life

Two of my acquaintances are engaged in charitable work for an organisation called Annakshetra. We went to the village to collect rice to serve to the poor. We didn’t ask for money NIRMAL SINGH, a victim

JAIPUR: ‘Charity is a coat you wear twice a year’, says the lyrics of Praying for Time, a famous 1990 song written and performed by George Michael.

But for Nirmal Singh, once was enough. The 54-year-old’s only tryst with charity ended in such a nightmarish way that he feels that he will never try to help anyone in the rest of his life.

“We begged and pleaded but they continued to thrash us mercilessly. We simply couldn’t understand why the villagers were assaulting us, though we had gone there to collect alms for a charitable organization,” Singh Told HT.

Singh was one of the four Sikh men who were assaulted by a mob at Chainpura village in Ajmer district of Rajasthan on April 24. The matter came to light when a video of the act went viral on the social media, causing national outrage.

An electronic equipment repairman and a father of four children, Singh had gone to the village to collect donations.

“Two of my acquaintances, Harpal and Kuldip Singh, are engaged in charitable work for an organisation called Annakshetra. We went to the village to collect rice from households for being served to the poor.

As a general rule, we didn’t ask for money,” he said. Singh still can’t grasp how the behaviour of the villagers changed drastically.

“During the first few days, the villagers were very helpful and we collected a substantial amount of rice. But suddenly on day 3, we noticed that the general mood was different after going to Chainpura,” said Singh.

The men were waylaid by the mob that started abusing them before they were thrashed.

“We heard one of the policemen telling the mob not to hit us on the face and asked them to hit us elsewhere in the body. By the time the cops came and took us to the police station, we were severely injured,” said Singh.

He says his faith in charity has faltered after the incident.

“I will never ever try to do charity again. We went to do good to people but what has come out of it? Scriptures tell us to help people; the reality is contrastingly different,” Singh said.

Singh’s family members say they feared the worst when they came to know about the incident.

“We won’t let my father go for charitable work anymore. Once he came back from Ajmer, we were shocked to see his injuries and still fail to understand why would someone try to assault an elderly person trying to help people,” said Goldy Singh, his son.

Men of liquor contractors put up ‘nakas’

Kurali SHO admits ‘lapse’, Mohali SSP says he has ordered a probe into the matter

An illegal naka reportedly put up by liquor contractors’ men on the Chandigarh-Kurali road

Varinder Singh

Tribune News Service

Baraudi (Kurali) May 27

Henchmen of Punjab’s powerful liquor lobby have begun harassing commuters, raising ‘nakas’ on Chandigarh’s periphery on the pretext of checking the smuggling of liquor. The Punjab Police have chosen to turn a blind eye to these ‘nakas’. Worse, police officials have been using vehicles of contractors for this unlawful activity.At one such ‘naka’ near the Baraudi Toll Plaza on the Chandigarh-Kurali road on Thursday, musclemen in blue jeans and T-shirts stopped vehicles coming from Chandigarh and searched these thoroughly even as a team of three or four policemen headed by ‘Havildar’ Hardarshan Singh looked on.This correspondent too was asked to open the boot of his car. Asked if they were employees of the Punjab Police or the Excise Department, they replied in the negative. Asked to show their identity cards or a letter from a competent authority for checking vehicles, one of the youths reluctantly admitted they were employees of local liquor contractors and that they had neither ID cards nor an authority letter.A youth claimed a case of beer found in one of the intercepted vehicles had been “confiscated.” Sukhwinder Singh, who was on his way to Jalandhar with his family, complained he was forced to open the bags in his car boot.Kurali SHO Bharat Bhushan said he was not aware of any such frisking, but a “preliminary probe has revealed that policemen and officials of liquor contractor Sunny Gill put up a naka on their own. I have pulled up my men. They have been told to act only on written orders and that protection may be given to excise and taxation officials, not to any private person such as an employee of a contractor.“In future, we will conduct raids. instead of holding nakas, and that too on specific information. I have also pulled up the liquor contractor.”Mohali SSP Kuldip Chahal said a probe had been initiated into “a private naka” on the Siswan road by employees of a liquor contractor. “I have deputed a DSP to look into the matter,” he added.

Shahira Naim

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, May 27

A local Sikh at Yogi Aditayanath’s “Janata Darbar”at Gorkahpur was today asked to remove his turban before meeting the Chief Minister. The incident occurred on the second day of the CM’s two-day visit to his constituency.Tejpal Singh, a resident of Dharamshala Market area, was waiting for the Chief Minister at his Gorakhnath Temple ashram. He was asked by security personnel to remove his kirpan. Tejpal reluctantly did so after putting up some resistance. Then as he was about to clear the security cordon, he was told to remove his turban too.Taken aback, Tejpal refused to oblige and there was a commotion. Others waiting to meet the CM came to Tejpal’s rescue and the security staff had to give in.Tejpal complained against the security staff to the CM, who reportedly instructed his personal secretary to reprimand the officials.“My family has been visiting the Gorakhnath Temple ashram for generations. Even when Yogi was MP, I had visited him on several occasions. This is the first time that I have been humiliated in this manner,” a dejected Tejpal said.SGPC writes to UP CMAmritsar: Taking a note of the incident, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has appealed to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to ensure liberty for Sikhs to wear their religious symbols in his state.In a communiqué to Yogi Adityanath, SGPC president Kirpal Singh Badungar has asked the CM to direct his administrative officials to acknowledge and respect Sikh religious symbols.The SGPC chief said the incident had hurt sentiments of the community and such treatment in their own country was not acceptable.

UP villagers given shampoos, soaps to ‘smell good’ before CM Yogi

A woman shows the shampoos and soaps given to her. —ANI

Kushinagar, May 27

In a bizarre move, the district administration in Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar asked the residents to have a bath before attending a meeting with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath so that they “don’t stink”.

To ensure the instructions were followed, soaps, shampoos and perfumes were distributed among the villagers.

Also read: AC, sofa, carpet put up at martyr’s home removed after Yogi’s visit

The members of the Musahar community were called to attend a vaccination programme for the eradication of encephalitis, a campaign started by the Chief Minister in Kushinagar’s Kasiya division.

Five children from the community were to be vaccinated under the campaign from the area. Ahead of the event, local officials distributed the soaps and shampoos to those attending the event, in order to make them “look clean and smell good.”

Ahead of the event that the Chief Minister was going to attend, roads were paved, toilets were fixed overnight and streets were cleaned up in the village.

Yogi Adityanath launched encephalitis vaccination campaign in the state from Mainpur village in Kushinagar.

The drive is being held from May 25 to June 11 and will cover 88 lakh children in 38 districts, for which the Centre has provided one crore vaccine vials.

In another incident earlier this month, the family of slain BSF head constable Prem Sagar were befuddled when the Deoria district administration installed a window air-conditioner, put up a sofa and carpet at their home ahead of the Chief Minister’s visit.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) They were in for even a greater shock when these trappings of affluence vanished within minutes of the Chief Minister’s departure. With ANI

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 9

While armed forces personnel can look forward to getting salary arrears this month after the implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations, a bevy of messages doing the rounds on the social media giving diverse interpretations and speculating on the financial implications of the pay orders have prompted the service headquarters to step in and mollify troops.“Pay comparisons between defence services, All India Services and group-A services must be understood in totality and explained to the rank and file to dispel apprehensions about pay discrepancies,” states a signal floated by the Seventh Army Pay Commission Cell to all Amy and tri-service commands.Signals issued by air headquarters and naval headquarters to their respective establishment state that arrears arising out of the pay scales, applicable with effect from January 1, 2016, would be credited in May. The implementation of the pay commission report for the armed forces had been held up as the services had sought removal of several anomalies in the recommendations that they had projected before the government.The orders to implement the pay panel report were issued by the Ministry of Defence on May 3, eight months after similar orders were issued for the civilian employees. While a few anomalies have been addressed, several others remain.Among the few positive changes that have been made, the biggest take away so far is the change in pension rules, including the disability element. The pay panel had recommended a flat “slab system” for the armed forces, which has now been done away and the previous “percentage system” has been retained. For example, a lieutenant general and the head of a paramilitary organisation, if 100 per cent disabled, were entitled to Rs 52,560 per month under the Sixth Pay Commission. Going by the Seventh Pay Commission disparity, the Lieutenant General would have got Rs 27,000 compared to his civilian counterpart getting Rs 67,500. An improvement in the calculation of pension for pre-2016 retirees has also been accepted.While the contentious issue of non-functional upgrade (NFU) is pending before the Supreme Court for adjudication, key issues that remain to be resolved include disparity in status vis-à-vis civilians and lowering of salary of Group-X personnel.Redressal of several other issues raised by the services remain as reports of two panels, the anomalies committee and the allowances committee, set up for civilian as well as military employees are yet to be taken up by the government.

Kullu DC Yunus Khan (L)

Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Kullu, May 4

Taking initiative to support the family of the martyr, Kullu DC Yunus Khan and his wife Anjum Ara, IPS officer, have decided to bear all expenditure of the daughter of martyr Naib Subedar Paramjeet Singh, native of Veinpoin village in Tarn Taran, Punjab.JCO Paramjeet Singh (42) was martyred in the Krishna Ghati area of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir on May 1 during the ceasefire violation by Pakistan. He is survived by his father Udham Singh, mother Gurinder Kaur, wife Paramjit Kaur, son Sahildeep Singh and two daughters — Simrandeep and Khushdeep.Talking to The Tribune here today, Yunus Khan said, “I and my wife have decided to bear all expenditure of Khushdeep and the talks were underway with the family.”“We will bear her educational and other expenditure like our own child, however, she will stay with her family members,” he said.The couple was not in a mood to disclose it, but when this correspondent asked persistently, it confessed to the move.Anjum Ara is the second Muslim IPS officer in India, who is posted at Solan as a Superintendent of Police.When the entire country is in anger because of the barbaric act of Pakistan, this couple has set an example to motivate the people to help the families of the martyrs.The family of the martyr has only two acres and lives in a semi-kutcha house in their fields. The martyr’s eldest daughter is a student of Class 10 while twins Khushdeep and Sahildeep are studying in Class 7 in a local school.