17022026-JTR-01.qxd 2/16/2026 11:56 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune PRABH GILL WOWS AUDIENCE ON DAY 3 OF NATURE FEST STATE BOARD EXAMS SET TO BEGIN TODAY Practical examinations have already been conducted prior to the theory exams. P3 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 24°C | MIN 8°C YESTERDAY MAX 24°C | MIN 10°C FILM STARS CHEER INDIA’S BIG T-20 WIN OVER PAKISTAN Delivering one hit after another, singer performs popular tracks, including ‘Pyaar Tere Da Asar Hai’ . P2 FORECAST Film stars flooded social media with celebratory messages after India crushed Pakistan by 61 runs in the World Cup. P4 » » SUNSET TUESDAY 6.16 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 7:06 AM » TUESDAY | 17 FEBRUARY 2026 | JALANDHAR BJP’s ‘halqa in-charge’ list sparks infighting in Doaba NRI arrested for forcing mentally impaired Dalit youth into inhuman act in Phillaur Party withdraws it from its official Facebook page Phillaur, February 16 The Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission has taken the suo motu cognizance of a deeply disturbing incident reported from Phillaur, where a Dalit youth with an intellectual disability was allegedly subjected to sexual abuse involving an animal. The matter came to the commission’s attention following the circulation of a video on social media and reports published in newspapers. Commission Chairman Jasvir Singh Garhi has sought a report from the SSP Jalandhar , Rural Police, by February 19. The video was over twomonth-old, in which a dog Deepkamal Kaur Jalandhar, February 16 A list of halqa in-charges of the state, released on the BJP Punjab Facebook page on Sunday, has created a rift among rival candidates from several Assembly seats in Doaba. The party had to withdraw the list from its page on Monday after it got reports that its leaders, whose names figured in it, shared it on social media and started getting congratulatory messages. Also, those whose names did not appear on it stand disillusioned, leading to confusion within and outside the party circles. Senior party leaders have been trying to handle the matter, saying that the list was only for the purpose of making constituency-wise arrangements for the coming Moga rally of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and it has nothing to do with ticket for the 2027 Assembly polls. “The BJP never officially uses the term halqa in-charges as this terminology is not a FILE Tribune News Service part of its system. Also, it is not the state leaders who decide as to who shall contest the elections. It is the parliamentary board that does it at an appropriate time. This list has no meaning other than that for assigning duties for the rally”, said a party spokesperson. Ex-MLA Sheetal Angural had shared the post of the BJP Punjab after his name had figured on the list. Angural, who is facing a stiff internal competition from Sushil Rinku, also an exMLA from the seat, was reportedly quite happy to see Rinku’s name from Nakodar. “Indeed I am the halqa incharge of Jalandhar West. Rinku is the Lok Sabha incharge for he had contested the parliamentary elections”, says Angural. A similar controversy ensued even in Jalandhar Cantonment where the name of Jagbir Brar figured on the list, disappointing his internal rivals Amit Taneja and exMLA Sarabjit Makkar. Taneja and Makkar have been facing a hard time telling everyone that the list was only for the purpose of the rally and no other meaning should be drawn out of it. Makkar is also learnt to have sought a clarification from the party and is learnt to have been told that his duty is for arrangements at the venue. “But my people are clearly annoyed with the party going public with a list that has spread the confusion,” Makkar rues. Party leaders like Amit Taneja tried to further clear the air saying, “The names of general category leaders Anil Sachar and ex-Hoshiarpur Mayor Shiv Sood for reserved Assembly seats Phagwara and Chabbewal, respectively, indicate that the list had been readied with no such thought regarding keeping these candidates for the 2027 elections. Name of party president and Pathankot MLA Ashwani Sharma does not figure on the list and instead name of Rajinder Bitta has been mentioned. Does that mean that he will not contest the election from Pathankot? Obviously not.” The party leaders expressed satisfaction of withdrawing the list from the official page to end the confusion. Video goes viral, Punjab SC panel seeks report from Jalandhar rural SSP Tribune News Service owner employed his pet German Shepherd to violate a 23year-old mentally impaired youth from his own village. After the video went viral, the police on Sunday arrested the dog owner Harpreet Singh Happy. While the police suspect the involvement of more people in shooting of the video, the associates of the accused are yet to be identified. Harpreet undertook the act just to share the video with friends and increase his followers on social media. Hailing originally from Boparai village in Phillaur, Harpreet is an affluent NRI based in the Philippines, who is a property dealer and transporter. When the Phillaur police entered his house on Sunday to arrest him, they were greeted by sophisticated security and alarm systems which made the entry into Harpreet’s house time consuming. In Punjab with his wife, Harpreet owns 4-5 dogs, one of which, a German Shepherd named ‘Jack’ was used in the video. The police said the video was shot on November 25, 2025, and Harpreet first made the mentally impaired youth consume liquor and then gave him some money before shooting the video. It was then shared on social media by some of his friends. But eventually, the video went viral and complaints were made to the police regarding the objec- tionable content. A case had been registered in Phillaur. DSP Phillaur, Bharat Masih , said, “Harpreet shot the video only for fun and shared for kicks. He appears to be suffering from a paraphilic disorder. He owns several dogs, including two German Shepherds. He used the youth with mental impairment from his village, apparently because he wouldn’t have been able to tell anyone. The probe is on to trace his aides who shot the video.” Meanwhile, the Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission has also sought a status report regarding the incident and directed Masih to appear in person before the commission at its office, to present the findings. LPU student jumps off 9th flour, dead Phagwara, February 16 A 20-year-old student of Lovely Professional University (LPU) allegedly died by suicide on the campus on Monday, prompting a police inquiry and raising concerns among the academic community. The deceased has been identified as Nikhil Simak, a resi- dent of Sunner Khurd village near Phillaur. He was a student of B-Tech robotics and automation, second semester. According to preliminary information, the student reportedly jumped from the 9th floor of the Central Library building on the university premises. The university authorities and fellow students rushed him to the Civil Hospital, Phagwara, for emergency medical assistance. Emergency Medical Officer Dr Simar examined the student and declared him brought dead. SP Madhvi Sharma reached the spot. She stated that the police had initiated investigation to ascertain the circumstances leading to the tragic event. “All aspects are being examined and statements are being recorded,” she said. The university administration expressed grief over the untimely death of the student. — OC REAL ESTATE EXPO’26 EXHIBITION GROUND,SECTOR 34 OPP. FURNITURE MARKET CHANDIGARH Title-Sponsor Vera Developers Pvt. Ltd. The biggest Real Estate Expo of the region is back and it’s bigger and better. Visit the Expo and have a look at a host of real estate options on offer by the leading developers of the region. From residential to commercial, from high end luxury to affordable housing as well as attractive loan offers from leading banks, the Expo has it all. So get ready to choose the property you have been looking for. Powered By: SURPRISE GIFTS for the First 50 Visitors Radio Partner FOR DETAILS : 98728 80155, 98554 40805, 98148 14006 c m y b Gifting Partner