The Tribune – Youths thrash policemen after eve-teasing constable

Archit Watts, Tribune News Service

Muktsar, December 23. At a time when the whole country is witnessing protests over crime against women, a youth passed obscene comments against a woman constable in Mallan village in Gidderbaha assembly constituency.

When the constable and her colleagues objected to the misbehaviour, the youth and his friends allegedly thrashed the policemen, including an Assistant Sub-Inspector. The turban of the Assistant Sub-Inspector, Ram Singh, was also tossed in the air by the accused.

The incident reportedly occurred during the recording of a cultural programme, “Mela Melian Da”, to be shown on a television channel next week. Sources said a large number of people, including a few politicians, were present in the government school of Mallan village when the incident occurred.

Sources said the accused, identified as Gagandeep Singh of Mallan village, first allegedly passed lewd comments against the female constable and then returned with his accomplices and thrashed the policemen who had tried to stop him.

Muktsar Senior Superintendent of Police Surjeet Singh said, “The statements of the female constable and Assistant Sub-Inspector Ram Singh are being recorded and the process to register an FIR against Gagandeep Singh and his associates is on at Kotbhai police station. The youths are at large but will be arrested soon.”

Interestingly, it was only yesterday that the district police had launched a 24-hour women helpline so that women facing any kind of threat anywhere across the district could lodge an immediate complaint.

Nobody safe in state: Congress MLA

Flaying the incident, Congress MLA from Gidderbaha Amrinder Singh “Raja” Warring said, “This incident shows that even policemen are not safe in Punjab. If any youngster can misbehave with a woman constable and that too in full public view, how can we think that other girls are safe…. Nobody is safe under the Akalis.”

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121224/punjab.htm#4

The Tribune – Thousands attend former Namdhari sect head’s bhog

Our Correspondent

Bhaini Sahib (Khanna), December 23. Tributes were paid to late Satguru Jagjit Singh, former head of Namdhari Darbar, during his bhog ceremony here today.

Thousands of Namdharis and leaders from different political parties were present on the occasion. ‘Dastarbandi’ (turban-tying ceremony) of the newly appointed Satguru Uday Singh was conducted later by presenting him a turban from Bhaini Sahib Darbar.

Several political, social and religious organisations also presented turbans to the new sect head. While paying tributes to the late Satguru, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal recalled Jagjit Singh’s contribution in the field of music, agriculture and sports and the efforts put in by him to fight various social evils, including female feticide, child marriage and dowry.

Union Minister for Railways Pawan Kumar Bansal, All India Congress Committee member Jagmeet Brar, Congress MP Partap Bajwa and Indian National Lok Dal President Om Parkash Chautala, PPP president Manpreet Badal, CPI leader Joginder Dyal, DSGMC president Paramjit Singh Sarna, BJP Minister Bhagat Chuni Lal, MPs Avinash Rai Khanna, Ravneet Singh Bittu, Mohinder Singh Kaypee and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa also addressed the gathering.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121224/punjab.htm#3

The Asian Age – Cops: Politics, hooligans; RPN says 99% peaceful

Asian Age Correspondent

New Delhi, 24 December 2012. The peaceful protest in the national capital over the gangrape of a young woman turned violent on Sunday as hooligans and some political elements, while taking advantage of the facelessness of protesting people, entered the fray, the police said.

This resulted in destruction of public property and attacks on the police. In retaliation, the police said, it resorted to teargas and water cannon, leading to injuries to persons on both sides. Over 150 persons were injured, including 78 police officials of whom one was reported as being in critical condition. More than two dozen police and private vehicles were damaged, including a Doordarshan OB van.

Even a proactive initiative taken by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi, who met a group of protesting youth Sunday morning, failed to break the ice as political elements like Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia of Aam Admi Party (AAP) and yoga guru Baba Ramdev, along with former Army Chief General V K Singh, joined the protesters at different places in the national capital.

After the meeting between Mrs Gandhi and representatives of the protesting youth, minister of state for home affairs R P N Singh said, “The government has agreed to set up fast-track courts for speedy trial in the case and will ensure strictest punishment of the culprits.” He later apologised for the police crackdown, admitting that 99 per cent of the protesters were peaceful.

Expressing deep sorrow over the events leading to the protester-police clashes, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said late Sunday night, “Let us all pray for her (the victim) and her loved ones during this critical time. There is genuine and justified anger and anguish at this ghastly incident. We are constantly monitoring her medical condition. We are all joined in our concern for the young woman who was the victim of a heinous crime in Delhi.”

Meanwhile, hectic parleys continued to play out within the government with Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit first hold.

http://www.asianage.com/india/cops-politics-hooligans-rpn-says-99-peaceful-524

Luik / Liège Kirtan Darbar – 22 September 2012

Young Kirtanis

Afghan Sardars

Afghan Sardars
Many Afghan families in Belgium are in a difficult situation: They get no political asylum and get little support. They are not allowed to work. Anybody that knows anything about the present situation in Afghanistan will know that going back to Kabul, Jalalabad, Ghazni or Kandahar is not an option for members of religious minorities. The children go to school and speak perfect Dutch or French, but when they finish their studies they will not be able to get a job !

Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Derby sent a van load of Sikhs to Liège

Harjinder Singh & Gurmit Singh

The last of the Luik / Liège Kirtan Darbar pictures

Guru Nanak Prakash Gurdwara
625 Rue Saint Leonard
B-4000 Liège

To see more Belgium and Netherlands public transport pictures :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/sets/72157622685920411/

Pictures of Bristol UK to follow
Harjinder Singh
Man in Blue

The Tribune – The Greatest says goodbye to One Day Internationals

Rohit Mahajan, Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 23. Sachin Tendulkar has retired from One-day cricket, and the game is never going to be the same again. “I have decided to retire from the One Day format of the game,” thus spoke the master today. He added that India need to prepare a team to defend their World Cup crown in 2015, implying that it’s for this reason that he’s retiring from One-day cricket.

A more significant reason is that he wishes to prolong his Test career; and four months short of his 40th birthday, he can’t keep playing all the formats of the game at the highest level. Tendulkar had not been playing One-day International cricket regularly anyway — his last ODI was against Pakistan at the Asia Cup on March 18 this year. He had played only 27 ODIs in the last three years, and merely 10 since the World Cup final in the first week of April 2011.

Yet, the significance of Tendulkar’s is immense —he is indisputably the greatest One-day batsman ever. In Test cricket, there are many in the current era — let alone the past — who are his equals; but in One-day cricket, Tendulkar was peerless.

He, of course, has had the longest ODI career in international cricket, lasting 22 years and 91 days. The numbers he put up over that time are really staggering, his superiority over his peers quite evident. Tendulkar has scored 18,426 ODI runs, nearly 35% more than the next-best, Ricky Ponting (13,704 runs). Tendulkar has 49 ODI centuries to the 30 by the next best, Ponting (30).

Thirty-three of his centuries have come in Indian wins; 11 times he scored in the 90s in Indian wins. First man to hit an ODI 200, the man with the highest Man of the Match Awards… We are barely skimming the top of his record in ODI cricket the list is really endless.

Tendulkar can’t be reduced to mere numbers — his impact on India was much beyond the cricket boundary. His advent coincided with the book in Indian economy, the coming of cable TV, and the consequent ballast of ODI cricket. Before him, India had played 165 ODIs over 14 years, ie 12 matches a year. After he debuted, the number has risen to 644 over 23 years – 28 matches a year.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121224/main2.htm

Dawn – Awami National Party faces political vacuum after Bilour

Ashfaq Yusufzai

Peshawar, 23 December 2012. Bashir Ahmed Bilour’s assassination has virtually shattered the Awami National Party with which he remained affiliated for over 40 years.

His commitment to the party cause was unshakeable and besides being a good administrator and punctual he did what he said. Mr Bilour had a big role in ANP politics and his colleagues say he knew party matters and spoke seriously.

A tested politician, Mr Bilour was frontrunner for the chief minister’s slot in 2008 when his party was inching towards forming a coalition government with Pakistan People’s Party. There was not an iota of doubt that Mr Bilour would not get the chief minister office. He was the senior-most politician among the MPAs-elect.

When the MPAs sat for a meeting in Bacha Khan Markaz, apparently to formally nominate their candidate for the KP top slot, everyone seemed sure that Mr Bilour would be the next chief minister. He himself was also sure of his elevation to the post, but the newly-elected lawmakers nominated Ameer Haider Hoti for the top position.

When the news broke Mr Bilour’s supporters began chanting slogans against the decision.

The protest soon became louder, but Mr Bilour came out of the meeting and calmed down the enraged workers at a time when he himself was 100 per cent sure of his nomination.

Then he became senior minister with most junior Hoti as his boss who appeared to be his rival, but Mr Bilour behaved maturely and soon became the most active minister of the cabinet. His rejection for the priced slot by lawmakers didn’t cause him any difference. His leading role in the ANP-led coalition government is a tell-tale example how the 69-year-old took his time to be in contact with party workers as well as looking into development work.

Later, Mr Bilour said that he was not sure about having a chance of getting the province’s top post in future. Even then he behaved so sensibly that he gave cushion to Mr Hoti and would attend meetings and functions side by side him.

Mr Bilour’s record of winning a provincial assembly seat from urban Peshawar for five times in a row shows his public face.

Despite being on top of terrorists’ list, he went to the narrowest streets and addressed public meetings in densely populated areas in old city to meet people and listen to their problems.

“He didn’t tell me about his activities because I always advised him to take precautions in view of looming Taliban threats to his life because he knew that I would not allow him to go to certain places,” his elder brother Senator Ilyas Bilour said.

He passed hectic days and nights in his mission to serve public and end terrorism, he said.

The ANP on its part is to bear the price of Mr Bilour’s loss in days to come. As good administrator, he managed to keep an eye on his constituency despite being preoccupied with official work.

He would turn up at public meetings frequently.

Mr Bilour is no more, but his close relatives say he had longed for embracing martyrdom and Allah had answered his prayers.

“He has found a death of his choosing. God bless him,” said his brother Ilyas Bilour.

http://dawn.com/2012/12/24/anp-faces-political-vacuum-after-bilour/