PUNJAB AND HARYANA ROUND-UP

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who remained indisposed for nearly a fortnight, today said that his health is better now and he is "more than 90 per cent fit." "I am feeling quite well now...Almost more than 90 per cent fit," Badal, who is canvassing for SAD candidate Joginderpal Jain for the February 23 Moga bypoll, told media here. -------------------------------------------------------------- BYPOLL ---------- Moga(Pb): With Moga bypoll inching closer, paramilitary forces today staged a flag march in several areas of the constituency to instill confidence among the electorates for the February 23 polls. Companies of CRPF and BSF along with Punjab police forces held flag march in the town area and other vulnerable areas of the Moga constituency, officials said here. -------------------------------------------------------------- RAPE --------- Chandigarh: Even after clamour over gang rape case in the national capital, an unending series of rape cases is still continuing in Punjab and Haryana. A 65-year-old retired Army Major, Harish Sharma was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting three minor girls aged between five to eight years on the pretext of giving them toffees and chocolates in Panchkula, DSP Vijay Kumar said. In another incident, Chandigarh police booked a Kishangarh resident for allegedly attempting to rape a three-year-old girl, he said, adding that the accused Bhupinder Singh has been arrested. A 15-year-old minor was also gang raped by two persons - Sikander Singh and Rakesh Kumar on Wednesday in Hisar district's Balsamand village, Kumar added. ------------------------------------------------------------- COURT ---------- Fatehgarh Sahib(Pb): A local court has sentenced the son of an Akali leader to ten years of rigorous imprisonment in a rape case. The court pronounced the verdict after helding Kirpal Singh, son of the Akali leader Satnam Singh, guilty of raping a class 12th student in July 9, 2009. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 13,000 on the convict.