PUNJAB POLICE ‘KEEPING TABS’ ON GOVT RIVALS

Vspb2010@gmail.com is the email ID that the Punjab Police is using to gather intelligence inputs on the political opponents of the ruling alliance, just as Punjab gears up for the SGPC and Assembly elections.

The techno-savvy Punjab Police has relegated to the trash can the system of compiling hard copies of reports gathered from its “agents” in different towns and areas and has logged on to the new programme. However, this move can land the government in trouble with the Election Commission. Under the rules, the police cannot work in tandem with its political bosses for furthering its interests in the elections by providing them with intelligence inputs.

At the most, the intelligence wing of the police can maintain a vigil to pre-empt violence or booth-capturing during the elections. Available information suggests that the Punjab Police has established an “election cell” on the fifth floor of the police headquarters in Sector 9. It is believed that another cell, manned by three senior Punjab Police officers, has been functioning from the same floor for keeping telephones of political opponents and their supporters under surveillance.

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Agitating Mansa farmers jailed

Even as more than 400 farmers, who were rounded up by the police yesterday from various villages while they were protesting against the alleged occupation of landholdings of the farmers by civil and police administration, were sent to the Bathinda jail, a section of the farmers organisations have announced that they would start a battle against the Punjab Government from tomorrow.

While the farmers alleged that the civil and police authorities forcibly occupied their landholdings for giving the same to a private company for setting up the thermal plant in Gobindpura and its surrounding villages in the Bareta area of the district, Deputy Commissioner Ravinder Singh said about 93 per cent of the farmers, whose lands were acquired for the project, had taken the money in lieu of the same so far. Congress MLA from Budhlada Mangat Rai Bansal, who was also taken into custody, was released after two hours.

DC Ravinder Singh and DIG PS Grewal, who addressed a joint press conference here, said 38 residents of Gobindpura village were released today. He claimed that no resident of Mansa district was harassed by the police.

src.http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110725/punjab.htm#9

Unemployed teachers take to the streets, 250 held (Bathinda )

Seek scrapping of teacher eligibility test

More than 250 unemployed teachers were arrested by the police in Bathinda district today. A majority of them were arrested in the city while the rest were held at different places when they were on their way to Bathinda to take part in today's state-level "Chakka Jam" (blockade of road) in protest against the holding of Teacher Eligibility Test (TET). The protesting teachers were demanding that the TET be scrapped.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Bathinda, Sukhchain Singh Gill said the police had arrested around 250 protesters as a preventive measure to maintain law and order as the agitators had been blocking the roads.

He said these protesters had been arrested under Sections 107 and 151 of the CrPC.

In view of the “Chakka Jam” agitation today by five unemployed teacher (B.Ed, ETT, PTI, D.P. Ed., Art and Craft) organisations, the district police converted the city into a virtual fortress by deploying a large number of personnel, including women constables, in various parts of the city.

Police personnel were deployed in strength at the Teachers’ Home here to prevent the unemployed teachers from gathering there. However, around 40 teachers reached the Teachers' Home. They were arrested by the police and taken to the police station in vehicles.

Later, at about 2.15 pm, about 150 unemployed teachers converged at Teenkoni chowk and blocked the road there. However, the police, led by DSP Baljit Singh, reached there after some minutes and cleared the road by taking the protesters in custody.

They were taken to the police station in two tempos and a Scorpio. They raised slogans against the government and demanded scrapping of the TET.

After a few minutes, another group of 50 protesters blocked the Bathinda-Goniana road near the Sirhind canal for some time.

The police, led by DSP Jaswinder Singh, also took the protesters in custody there and got the road cleared. They were taken to an undisclosed site in the police vehicle.

State spokesman of the Berojgar B. Ed. Adhyapak Front, Punjab, Harjit Jeeda claimed that the police had arrested more than 500 unemployed teachers in Bathinda district today.

He said besides arresting teachers, the police had also raided their houses last night and taken several of their leaders and activists in custody.

Jeeda said their activists had also blocked the road near the railway level crossing at Rampura Phul.

He said their agitation was successful as they had succeeded in conveying their message to the people and the government.

src.http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110629/bathinda.htm#1

Rally held against police in Barnala

Infuriated over the Barnala police's dubious role in bringing the accused in the murder of a social worker, Pal Singh Pali of village Sanghera, here, infuriated Panchayat members of a large number of villages in Barnala, religious organisations, NGOs, and youth organisations held a massive rally to put pressure on the police for meteing out strict punishment to the accused.

The protesters, alleging that the police was trying to shield the accused, raised anti-police and anti-government slogans while marching through various areas of the town.

Addressing a huge gathering at the grain market, social workers Narayan Datt and Maghar Singh Kulriyan, state president of Kacha Arhtiya Association Vijay Kalra, alleged that the police succumbed to political pressure and tried to hush up the murder case. They took strong exception to the ‘fact’ that after public pressure, the main accused was included in column number 2 of the challan which was despite the fact that the murder had been committed 100 yards away from te SSP office that too in broad daylight over three months ago.

The speakers sought a free and fair probe by a senior official so that the real culprit behind the murder of Pali gets punished. They also warned the police and the government that Arhtiyas of the state would launch a fight for justice if free and fair investigation is not ordered into the case.

SSP, Barnala, Gurpreet Singh Toor told TNS that police has arrested two of the accused within 20 minutes of the crime. "We also arrested the third accused named in the FIR and he is in jail. The matter is sub-judice since he has filed an application in court,” the SSP said. "Since some protesters have given a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, so we will look into that also,” he said.

src.http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110628/bathinda.htm#6

POLICE TO BE MADE MORE RESPONSIVE

With the aim to make the Punjab police accountable and responsive, the Punjab Government, in a major decision today, decided to bring police services under the purview of the Punjab Right to Services Act, 2011.

This legislation will make Station House Officers (SHOs) directly responsible for public services and will be liable to financial penalty on failure of time-bound delivery of services. The move acquires a special meaning for Punjab, where the SHOs work directly under political bosses. According to the PRS Act, the SHO is proposed to be the designated officer to deliver the services to the people.

Once implemented, Punjab will become the first state in the country to bring the police under the PRS Act. The SHOs will have to reply to issues, supply documents, deal with cases, etc in a specific time frame. This will include issuance of no-objection certificates with regard to public nuisance and safety concerns, character verification, verification of tenants, servants, granting permission for fairs, exhibitions, permission for loudspeakers, etc.

The services that will fall under the purview of the SHO under this legislation will include issuance of copies of documents, countersigning, issuing of SMS and email services. Besides passport services that include registration of foreigners, extension or residential permits to foreigners etc will also have to be done in a time frame.

At the moment, this is normally done for a price. The SHOs will either have to accept or reject the cases and accord reasons for the same. The Punjab Government has already made provisions for making online complaints that can be accessed by the complainant and monitor the progress in the matter. The time frame for various services is being tabulated and is expected to be put up before the Punjab Cabinet when it meets this month after which the government will pass an ordinance.

The time period could vary from one day to one month, depending on the nature of the work. Apart from the service under the PRS Act, the SHOs will also have to perform other regular policing work like maintenance of law and order and crime prevention and detection. “The move will restore the diluted hierarchy within the police setup by making the SHO directly answerable to the people. If a SHO is unable to deliver services like passport or arms verification, issuance of NOC of stolen vehicles etc, the Deputy Superintendent of Police at the sub-division level will decide the complaints/ appeal against the erring SHOs.

“If the complainant’s grievance is not resolved, he or she can approach the Senior Superintendent of Police with a second appeal and if the SSP finds the delay on part of the SHO as unjustified, he will fine the SHO Rs 500 for each day’s delay. This amount will be recovered from the SHO’s salary,” a senior government official disclosed.

After the jurisdiction of the police stations were marked on the basis of political constituencies, the SHOs in Punjab had started acting at the behest of the MLA rather than their superior officer. By bringing the SHOs under the PRS Act, these SHOs will again become directly answerable to the DSP and SSP at the sub-division and district level.

450 ''Saanjh'' centres in Punjab for people-friendly policing

To encourage the people of Punjab to freely approach police for redressal of their grievances, 450 'Saanjh' centres would be made operational in different parts of the state in the next 15 days, deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said.


The 'Saanjh' centres are being set up all over the state with the motive to make police more friendly with the masses, he said, addressing the Global Conference on Citizen-Centric Police Station Reforms here. "The Punjab government is giving thrust to upgrade and update the police with ultra-modern infrastructure with the motive to make the state's police force one of the best forces in the 
nation," Badal said.


 He said the Punjab government has taken the menace of crime as a challenge and hence the Commissionrate system was introduced in major districts of the state which proved successful and yielded goods results. "Punjab government is keen to bring good coordination between the public and police. 'Saanjh' centres would yield positive results for good relationship between public and police. At such centres, police officers would approach the complainant to offer services to extend justice," he said.