June 06, 2008	Friday	Jamadi-us-Sani 01, 1429

GUJRANWALA, June 5: As many as four under-trial prisoners on Thursday passed out in the judicial lockup of the session court because of non-functioning of ceiling fans and the ongoing hot and humid weather.

Reports said the fans in the judicial lockup had gone out of order, but the jail personnel crammed the accused there. As a result, four of the accused fell unconscious.

After the incident, the other accused in the lockup protested apathy of staff concerned and chanted slogan against them.

Judicial lockup in charge Rana Muhammad Afzal claimed the accused fainted due to the small capacity of the lockup, saying the size of the cell should be increased.

STRIKE: The strike of the food department employees protesting manhandling of district controller by Qila Dedar Singh nazim entered the third day on Thursday.

The nazim and his guards had allegedly manhandled the DFC after barging into his office over flour permit issue.

The food employees took out a protest rally demanding immediate arrest of the accused.

They took a round of various roads, raising slogans against the nazim, before converging at the DFC office. Later, they dispersed.

On the other hand, Qila Dedar Singh town employees also observed a strike and took out a counter protest rally. They vowed to continue their strike till the quashment of the case registered against the nazim.

AWARDED DEATH: Additional district and session judge Nazir Ahmad awarded death sentence on two counts, besides life imprisonment, to a culprit who raped a three-year-old girl and then murdered her.

According to the prosecution, Nazir Ahmad on March 29 raped a minor girl and then killed her.