Punjab news digest: SC rejects 10-yr-old rape victim’s abortion plea; SGPC chief secy resigns, and more
Been away? Need the news in one go? Here’s a wrap-up from Punjab, the neighbourhood and the diaspora for July 28.
SC dismisses abortion plea for 10-yr-old rape survivor who is 32 weeks pregnant
The Supreme Court today dismissed a plea seeking its nod for terminating the 32-week-old pregnancy of a 10-year-old rape survivor after taking note of a medical report that abortion was neither good for the girl nor for the foetus. Read more
Punjab becomes first state to sign MoU with a global diagnostic firm to fight hepatitis C
Punjab has become the first state in the country to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a global diagnostic firm, FIND, to help it diagnose and then properly treat hepatitis C. Health minister Brahm Mohindra was present when the agreement was signed at a function to mark the World Hepatitis Day on Friday. Read more
‘Weak on religio-politics’, SGPC chief secy resigns as Badungar prevails
Former banker Harcharan Singh, 72, resigned as chief secretary of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Friday amid talk that he had been asked to go since he could not handle religious issues well. He announced his resignation in the SGPC executive meeting at Fatehgarh Sahib and it was accepted immediately. Read more
Chandigarh experiences highest 24-hour rain in more than decade
Breaking a record set in 2006, the city saw a 121 mm deluge on Thursday in a maniac 6 hours from 8am to 2pm throwing life out of gear completely in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula, with a boy losing his life. Even the Panchkula-Yamuna Nagar national highway that is under construction got washed away at four places. Read more
Parents upset as SC rejects 10-yr-old rape survivor’s abortion plea
The Supreme Court decision of dismissing a plea for termination of 32-week pregnancy of a 10-year-old rape survivor on Friday hasn’t been taken very well by the parents of the girl. The victim’s mother appeared dazed at their residence in Chandigarh, in contrast to the girl who continued to watch TV all afternoon until the heavy downpour caught her attention Read more
Akal Takht rejects harmless kirpans made by Italian firm
The Akal Takht on Thursday rejected samples of blunt and harmless kirpans (daggers) made by an Italian company, which offered to manufacture these in view of Italy’s ban on carrying kirpans. Representatives of the company ‘Kirpal Legal worldwide’ had approached the highest temporal seat of Sikhs on June 26, seeking approval for manufacturing kirpans with flexible material that bends when it comes in contact with anything. Read more
Short film ‘Pashi’ from Shimla makes the cut for Oscar qualifying festival
An independent filmmaker based in Shimla Siddharth Chauhan’s short film ‘Pashi’ has been selected for the Rhode Island International Film Festival-- an Oscar qualifying film festival. Chauhan, 27, had previously won the Satyajit Ray Short Film Award at the London Indian Film Festival recently for his short film ‘Papa’. Read more
Dinanagar terror attack: 2 years on, Punjab Police fail to make headway
Despite the previous SAD-BJP government’s claim that the Punjab Police is a “capable force” to handle the probe into the Dinanagar terror attack, cops have failed to get any headway in the case even two years later. Three Pakistan-based terrorists had killed seven people, including three policemen, in Dinanagar on July 27, 2015. Read more
Overcharging rampant at Ludhiana railway ticket counters
Overcharging has been continuing unabated at the ticket counters of Ludhiana railway station. When the Hindustan Times team visited the spot at around 1.20 pm on Wednesday, a railway employee at the unreserved booking counter was found fleecing a migrant labourer by charging Rs 15 extra for his ticket. Read more
For more stories, visit www.punjab.ht