04122025-JTR-01.qxd 12/3/2025 10:55 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune CORDON, SEARCH OPERATION IN NAKODAR 50 BIKERS CYCLE FOR 100-KM A major operation was carried out by the rural police against drug trafficking and criminal elements. P2 The Fit Biker Club organised a 100-kilometre cycling event under the theme “Ride for Unity”.P3 » PRIYANKA CHOPRA ON BACKING BORN HUNGRY PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 20°C | MIN 6°C YESTERDAY MAX 21°C | MIN 5°C SUNSET THURSDAY 5.24 PM Documentary, currently streaming on JioHotstar, traces the life of celebrity chef Sash Simpson. P4 » FORECAST SUNRISE FRIDAY 7.11 AM » THURSDAY | 4 DECEMBER 2025 | JALANDHAR Human rights panel for inquiry into teen rape-murder case by SIT led by woman officer Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, December 3 A panel of the Punjab Human Rights Commission, which has conducted an inquiry into the November 22 incident of rape and murder of a teenage girl in Jalandhar, has written to its Chairman Justice Ranjit Singh (retd), calling for an inquiry into the matter by a SIT headed by IPS-rank woman officer. The panel has reported that the Jalandhar Commissionerate Police had failed to conduct an independent inquiry into the incident and its officials had been negligent in preparing preliminary report too. The officials did not want to act against its negligent staff. Hence a woman IPS officer should lead a SIT, which should be tasked with conducting probe into the incident while also preparing a report about police staff that were negligent. The panel has reported several glaring lacunae left by the police in the case which could weaken the case. Dismissed ASI Mangat Ram had reportedly told the panel that when the matter of the missing girl was reported at the police post of Basti Bawa Khel area at 7-7:15 pm, he was the only official present. “So, he had to take along safai sewak Chetan with him. Chetan too has corroborated his statement. Later ASIs Lakhvir Singh and Hardeep Singh and chowki in-charge SI Ajmer Lal also reached the spot. While search was going on in the area, the SI left the spot saying that he had some work at his place. The other cops also left the place and it was at 10 pm that Mangat Ram received the call that the body had been found from accused Harminder Singh Rimpy’s place”, the panel has reported. The panel has informed its Chairman that while the crime occurred at 4 pm on November 22, the police were informed at 7 pm and the body was recovered at 10 pm, the FIR had been lodged 18 hours late on November 23, which could help the accused. “It was not just ASI Mangat Ram who was negligent in his role, but also other cops who got the information through police control room, including SHO Basti Bawa Khel Jai Inder, the two Govt intimidating Oppn candidates from filing papers, claims Pargat Tribune News Service Jalandhar, December 3 AICC secretary and Jalandhar Cantt MLA Pargat Singh has condemned the Aam Aadmi Party’s approach in the Zila Parishad and Block Samiti elections. He accused the government of misusing police and district administration officials to threaten and prevent Opposition candidates from filing their nomination papers. He urged the Election Commission to issue directions to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections, and to prevent the misuse of government machinery. Pargat stated, “AAP Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia had advocated the use of any means necessary to gain power and the state government was now implementing Returning Officer ADC Amaninder Kaur Brar receives nomination papers of a BSP candidate for Zila Parishad elections in Jalandhar on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO:MALKIAT SINGH that strategy in the ongoing local body elections”. The government, he said, is employing every possible tactic to secure victory and will- ing to go to any extent. Opposition candidates are being intimidated through police officials and threatened over the phone. Furthermore, he alleged that the government has secretly directed all Deputy Commissioners to reject Opposition candidates’ nomination papers on a large scale. He pointed out that Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Badal had also held a protest in Tarn Taran against the government’s high-handedness, while former Congress MLA Madan Lal Jalalpur staged a similar protest in Patiala. Singh further alleged that the government is even using gangsters to instill fear among candidates, calling it a grave assault on democracy. In several parts of Punjab, he added, Opposition candidates are being obstructed from filing nominations by various means. Pargat asked the Election Commission to ensure complete videography of the entire election process, including not only the filing of nomination papers, but also the polling phase to guarantee transparency. Action against Woman dies as bike slips on waterlogged owners of bike road patch near Phillaur, son injured with modified from by the next day before Residents block and a truck comingkilling Villagers alleged that the spot workwould allow the body to silencers behind ran over her, frequently gets flooded due to they Nakodar, December 3 In an intensified crackdown to address the ongoing traffic congestion in the city, DSP , Nakodar, Onkar Singh Brar on Wednesday spearheaded a comprehensive operation against traffic violations across Nakodar. SHO Harminder Singh Sandhu along with Traffic Inspector Hardeep Singh and police teams carried out extensive checking in all major markets of the town to curb the issue of wrong parking, which has emerged as one of the major causes of traffic disruption. Officials confirmed that immediate legal action was taken on the spot against violators strictly in accordance with the law. Special nakas were set up, leading to the issuance of multiple challans, especially against riders of Bullet motorcycles fitted with illegal modified silencers used to create firecracker-like sounds. The authorities stated that heavy fines were imposed to stop the growing practice of illegal silencers that pose a threat to public safety and peace. — OC HEALTH & WELLNESS The Tribune is starting a Q and A column to address your health-related queries. Please mail your questions (not exceeding 40 words) at healthandwellness@tribunemail.com. The Tribune’s panel of doctors will answer all your healthrelated concerns. road, BDPO suspended Our Correspondent Phillaur, December 3 A woman lost her life in a midnight accident near Phillaur after a motorcycle skidded on a waterlogged patch of a poorly maintained road. The victim was riding pillion with her son when the bike slipped near village Nagar on New Shahar Road. The woman fell onto the road her on the spot. Her son, who was driving the motorcycle, sustained minor injuries. The body was sent for postmortem by the Phillaur police later in the night, though the woman remains unidentified. The incident triggered anger among local residents, who took to the streets and blocked the New Shahar Road from Apra to Phillaur around 11 pm, leading to a long traffic jam that took police several hours to clear. lack of drainage and that they had repeatedly complained to the Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO) of Phillaur, but no action had been taken. They claimed the persistent negligence directly resulted in the fatal accident. As tensions escalated, police and administrative officials, including the Naib Tehsildar, reached the site to pacify the crowd. The protesters demanded immediate repair of the road and insisted that the authorities begin be moved. In response to the public outcry and accusations of inaction, the administration suspended the BDPO. Residents maintained that daily accidents occur because rainwater and waste water continue to accumulate on the road, posing constant danger to commuters. The authorities have assured villagers that appropriate steps will be taken to resolve the drainage issue and prevent such incidents in the future. ASIs, ACP Gagandeep Singh and others”, it has reported. The report further reads, “The delay on the part of the cops in being able to find the body of the victim helped the accused plan to dispose it of. He had dragged the body of the victim to a washroom on the front side of the house, the passage to which he had blocked by putting some mattresses and a washing machine in front of its door.” He had arranged for a bag and a car too. The panel has reported, “An unidentified man had been called in by the accused to help him with disposing of the body. The police have surprisingly not mentioned about this person, nor have collected any evidence about it. Had the CCTV evidence not come to the fore, had the residents of the area not forced the accused to open his house and spotted the girl’s body in the washroom of the accused, he could have Kapurthala teen ends life after harassment by youth Our Correspondent Phagwara, December 3 In a distressing incident reported from Kapurthala, a Class XII student allegedly died by suicide after continuous harassment, coercion and threats by a local youth. The police have registered a case under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code based on the complaint of the victim’s father, Raj Kumar, resident of village Mansurwal Dona, presently living in Kapurthala. According to the FIR, Raj Kumar stated that his daughter, was studying in Government Senior Secondary School, Kapurthala. He alleged that Pawan Deep, resident of Mansurwal Colony near Dharam Kanda, Kapurthala, had ‘lovetrapped’ her. When the father learned of the situation, he claimed that he repeatedly advised his daughter and the youth to stay away from each other. However, Pawan Deep continued to contact the girl and refused to stop communicating with her. The complaint further alleges that Pawan Deep repeatedly called her on her phone number, frequently troubling her and pressuring her to marry him. The father also stated that the youth threatened the girl, claiming he possessed certain videos and photographs of her and that if she refused to marry, he would upload these on social media to defame her. The victim is said to have been mentally disturbed due to this persistent coercion and the fear of public shame. Raj Kumar told the police that he had gone to pick up his younger daughter from the school, while his wife had stepped out for work related Tribune News Service Jalandhar, December 3 A group of environmentalists in Jalandhar has written to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Dharminder Sharma, the Municipal Corporation (MC), Deputy Commissioner (DC), and other senior officials, protesting the lopping of 10 trees in Urban Estate Phase 1 and other recent instances of indiscriminate deforestation in the city. The activists have demanded that MCs across Punjab issue challans and register FIRs against individuals indulging in illegal tree cutting with impunity. They have also sought disciplinary action against officers who have failed to address such complaints. In their letter to the CM, dat- ed November 30, members of the Jalandhar-based NGO AGAPP including activist , Navneet Bhullar, highlighted that complaints regarding tree cutting have gone unaddressed for the past 13 months. “Trees continue to be chopped or lopped despite repeated alerts,” the letter states. The activists cited multiple cases: one flagged in November 2024, the lopping of 30 trees in Urban Estate on January 8, another involving 12 trees in two parks on November 10 this year, and most recently, the lopping of 10 trees around November-end in Urban Estate Phase 1. Navneet Bhullar alleged, “At least 10 fully grown trees were lopped in Urban Estate Phase 1, leaving only trunks and branch stumps.” She further claimed that SDO (Horticulture) Inderjit Singh did Phagwara, December 3 In a wedding celebration in Kapurthala, jewellery belonging to the bride’s family was allegedly stolen from Milan Palace banquet hall in Kapurthala. According to the complainant, the wedding of his brother Sourav had been scheduled with Satvir Kaur of Mustafabad. The families from both sides had gathered at Milan Palace where the ceremonies were underway. After the Anand Karaj, the couple was seated on the stage for the shagun rituals, while close rel- Lopped trees at the Urban Estate, Phase I, Jalandhar. not respond to her calls or messages. While PCCF Dharminder Sharma dispatched the DFO, who then sent a Block Forest Officer, the offi- c m y b cial expressed shock at the mutilated trees but said the area was outside his jurisdiction. “He gave me the number of an MC official in charge to her boutique. She was alone at home. Around 3:20 pm, when he returned, his wife had also arrived moments earlier. As the couple entered the living room, they were shocked to find their daughter hanging with a dupatta tied to the ceiling fan. Panicked, the parents immediately brought her down and rushed her to the Civil Hospital, Kapurthala, where doctors declared her dead on arrival. Raj Kumar stated in his complaint that his daughter took the extreme step due to harassment, threats and humiliation inflicted by Pawan Deep, whose actions allegedly drove her into severe mental distress. Following the complaint, the police have registered a case under Section 306 of the IPC for abetment to suicide and have begun further investigation into the matter. Bride’s jewellery bag stolen from banquet hall in Kapurthala CCTV footage reveals involvement of two atives surrounded them for photographs and traditional proceedings. The complainant stated that his sister Pooja was carrying a handbag that contained the bride’s jewellery. The bag had a set of gold ornaments. Around 4:30 pm, when Pooja went on the stage with the couple for photographs, she placed the handbag on a sofa behind the stage before posing for the camera. Trees lopped, activists write to CM demanding action Aparna Banerji been successful in his plan”. The panel has also said that while the CP had ordered inquiry against ASI Mangat Ram on November 24 with ACP Ajay Singh and given him two months to handle this, he was dismissed in two days. It has also said that while the accused was taken into custody between 10:30 pm and 11 pm on the fateful night, his arrest was shown for November 24 which again was incorrect. of parks, but that number is not working,” Bhullar added. The letter urges the state to issue challans and register FIRs against citizens indulging in illegal deforestation, take disciplinary action against MC Jalandhar’s Horticulture Department for “negligence” over 13 months, nstall large billboards and make loudspeaker announcements declaring damage to trees a punishable offence under BNS Section 324 and enact a comprehensive Punjab Tree Protection Act with non-bailable prison sentences for tree “murderers” and “mutilators” in urban and rural areas. Speaking to The Tribune, Bhullar said, “Some diligent officers respond — the DC issued an order earlier not to cut trees without permission, and the PCCF dispatched an official immediately days ago. Yet, lopping continues even today, and there is no deterrent. We alone have flagged six to seven cases, and violations persist.” When she returned to carry the bag, it had vanished. Alarmed, the family immediately reviewed the venue’s CCTV footage. The recording showed a man dressed in a coat and trousers, accompanied by a boy also wearing similar attire. The man was signalling to the boy throughout the function. Moments later, the boy approached the sofa, removed his coat, covered the handbag with it, picked it up and discreetly exited the stage area. Shortly thereafter, the two were seen leaving the wedding hall. — OC Day 3: NHM staff hold massive demonstration Tribune News Service Kaputhala, December 3 National Health Mission (NHM) employees across Punjab continued their statewide strike for the third consecutive day, protesting against two months of pending salaries and demanding immediate intervention from the state government. Workers gathered outside the Civil Surgeon’s office in Kapurthala and held a massive demonstration, accusing the government of neglect and indifference toward their rightful demands. ANM union district leader Sharanjit Kaur said today’s vaccination programme was boycotted, stressing on the need for the relase of salaries by fifth of every month.