Assembly winter session opens with obituaries
HOMAGE PAID TO VICTIMS OF AMRITSAR TRAIN TRAGEDY AND NIRANKARI BHAWAN GRENADE ATTACK, BESIDES BRIG KULDIP SINGH CHANDPURI
CHANDIGARH :The winter session of Punjab Vidhan Sabha opened with the homage to people who got killed in the Amritsar train tragedy on Dussehra day in October, on Thursday.
The Vidhan Sabha quoted 58 deaths in the mishap which was corrected by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) legislator Bikram Singh Majithia who said the toll was 63.
An obituary was also read out for three people killed in the grenade blast at the Nirankari Bhawan at Adliwal village in Amritsar on November 18.
Chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh, former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal didn’t attend the session on the opening day.
The House also paid homage to the victims of the terror attack on the Parliament House the same day 17 years ago.
The House also paid homage to former MLAs Bishamber Das and Ram Ratttan Chaudhari, besides three freedom fighters — Mela Singh, Sohan Singh and Surjit Singh.
On the demand from Majithia, the speaker Rana KP Singh agreed to include the name of chief secretary Karan Avtar Singh’s farther Avtar Singh in the obituary list who had died recently.
Tributes were also paid to Brig Kuldip Singh Chandpuri, who was conferred with Maha Vir Chakra for his heroic show at Longewala post in Rajasthan in the 1971 Indo-Pak war.
Leader of opposition Harpal Singh Cheema and Akali Dal demanded including the names of 44 farmers and 5 farm labourers, who had committed suicide since the last session, in the obituary list, but the House refused to take note of the demand.