09-05-2025
May 9, 1985, Forty Years Ago: Gurdaspur Curfew
A 24-hour curfew was clamped on the Gurdaspur district headquarters town in Punjab. The curfew in Dhariwal was extended as tension continued following the shootout by extremists in Fajurpura village, which left two dead and one injured. Educational institutions throughout Gurdaspur district were closed, as patrolling by the security forces and the police intensified.
PM On Akali Meet
There was consensus at the opposition leaders' meeting with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi that the outcome of the Akalis' May 17 meeting should be awaited before moving towards defusing the Punjab situation. The PM felt that no public pronouncement should be made about the Akalis' internal matters and had conveyed this to his colleagues.
New Bonds Scheme
A new BONDS scheme by selected public sector undertakings in high-priority areas, particularly telecommunications and power, is proposed to be introduced by the government. Union Finance Minister V P Singh said this measure was proposed to be undertaken as the government 'recognises the crucial role played by the public sector in our economic development and the imperative need to provide additional resources for its growth'.
Phantom Coach
An air-conditioned coach attached to the Jayanti Janata Express, running between Nizamuddin and Mangalore five days a week, has been leaving Delhi empty ever since its introduction on May 4. The coach, introduced with great fanfare, has been running empty despite repeated requests for reservations. 'We have no information about the introduction of the air-conditioned coach,' is the stock reply given by personnel concerned in Delhi.
