24052026-JTR-01.qxd 5/23/2026 11:23 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune UNIONS SEEK WITHDRAWAL OF NOTICES TO TEACHERS RURKA KALAN FOOTBALLERS FINISH 2ND AT STREET CHILD WORLD CUP NEPALESE FILM ELEPHANTS IN THE FOG SHINES AT CANNES Unions submitted memorandum to Punjab Chief Minister demanding withdrawal of termination-related notices to teachers.P2 A hero’s welcome was accorded to the victorious 10-member squad of footballers who returned to Rurka Kalan village. P2 Nepalese film Elephants in the Fog creates history at Cannes, wins the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 38°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 39°C | MIN 26°C SUNSET SUNDAY 7.22 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 5.26 AM » SUNDAY | 24 MAY 2026 | JALANDHAR 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. Adampur MC polls: Candidates cry foul over ‘voter list manipulation’ WARD NO. 1 CANDIDATE WARD NO. 5 CANDIDATE WARD NO. 6 CANDIDATE WARD NO. 11 CANDIDATE INBRIEF VILLAGER HELD FOR MURDER Nakodar: The Mehatpur police have arrested a resident of Bilga village for the alleged murder of Mohindar Singh, the sarpanch of Bute Dian Chhana village. Investigating Officer (IO) Harkirat Singh the accused was identified as Gurpreet Singh, alias Gopi Walia. According to the IO, the accused and his accomplices attacked the sarpanch and his wife with the intent to kill them. A case was registered based on a statement provided by the victim’s wife, Amar Kaur. OC MAN BOOKED FOR RASH DRIVING Nurmahal: The police have booked a Nakodar resident on charges of rash driving and mischief. IO Subash Chandar said the accused was identified as Vijay, a resident of Sidhamwale village. The complainant, Harpreet Singh of Mohalla Kacha Pakka Veharra, Nurmahal, told the police that the accused was driving his car at high speed and hit his motorcycle near Gurdwara Sahib Teli, causing serious injuries. A case was registered against the accused under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. OC MAN CONSUMES MEDICINE, DIES Nakodar: A 37-year-old man died after reportedly consuming expired medication. IO Davindar Singh said the deceased was identified as Tajindar Singh of Lohgarh village. The victim’s wife, Rajna, informed the police that her husband was ill and passed away shortly after taking the medicine. Following an autopsy, the body was handed over to the family under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. OC ONE ARRESTED FOR CONSUMING DRUG Lohian Khas: The police have arrested a man on charges of heroin consumption. IO Balveer Chand said the accused was identified as Makku Das of Lohian Khas. The police recovered a lighter, silver foil and plastic pipes used for drug consumption from his possession. A case under Sections 27, 61, and 85 of the NDPS Act was registered against accused. OC FOUR ARRESTED UNDER NDPS ACT Nakodar: In a crackdown on drug peddling, the police arrested five individuals in separate incidents. IO Paramjit Singh said Giano, a resident of Thablake village, was arrested with 21 intoxicating tablets. IO Parjindar Kaur stated that Mandeep Singh, alias Deepa, of Saidpur Jhirri village, was arrested with 20 tablets. IO Kulwindar Singh confirmed the arrest of Narindar Singh and Manga, both residents of Sangowal village, with 45 tablets. All accused were booked under the NDPS Act. OC Sushma Kumari Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 23 With only days remaining before the Adampur Municipal Council (MC) elections, allegations of large-scale voter list manipulation have surfaced. Several candidates are accusing the ruling party of attempting to tilt the scales through “fake votes” and suspicious eleventh-hour additions to the electoral rolls. Contesting candidates from Ward No. 1, 5, 6 and 11 have submitted formal complaints alleging that new voters were registered using Aadhaar cards linked to outside villages. They further claim many entries feature incomplete addresses, lacking both house numbers and photographs. Despite raising these con- Veena Chodha Darshan Singh Karwal Parminder Singh Karwal cerns with the Adampur SDM, complainants argued that no concrete action was taken. The issue has now escalated to the State Election Commission (Punjab), with Opposition leaders demanding an immediate halt to what they describe as “illegal” additions. Sukhwinder Singh Kotli, Congress MLA from Adampur, highlighted a breach of Election Commission norms. “New votes were to be added by April 30, with the final list published by May 5. No new votes can be registered after nomination papers are filed. Yet, we have found subsequent inclusions of voters who remain untraceable,” Kotli claimed. Ward No. 1 candidate Sushma Kumari alleged that the total number of voters in her ward rose from 609 during nomination filing to 631 within a few days. Similarly, Ward No. 5 candidate Veena Chodha claimed the voter count increased from 1,054 in the final list issued on May 5 to 1,069 by May 16 to 18. Notably, Darshan Singh Karwal, who is also the outgoing president of Adampur MC, and is contesting from Ward No. 6 alleged that voters in his ward increased from 960 on May 16 to 962 by May 21. “We have no idea on what basis and from where these new voters are included in the list,” he added. Besides, Parminder Singh Karwal, candidate from Ward No. 11, asserted that 35 new voters had been added in his area, taking the total tally from 1,020 to 1,055. A separate complaint was also filed against Ward No. 11 AAP candidate Harvinder Singh, alleging that his name appeared in the voter list after the final electoral roll had already been notified. Adampur SDM-cumReturning Officer Lal Vish has dismissed the allegations, maintaining that all procedures were followed legally. He clarified that applications for new votes were valid if received by the final date of nomination filing. According to Vishwas, voters in question — including Harvinder Singh — had submitted their applications before the deadline, and their subsequent inclusion was merely the processing of those timely requests. Woman loses ~92L in ‘digital arrest’ scam (Jalandhar Rural) after scammers intimidated her into transferring the massive sum. According to the police, the fraudsters impersonated government officials, claiming Kaur was under investigation to induce panic. Investigating officer Harjindar Kaur confirmed that the Punjab Police Cyber Crime Cell had registered a case against unidentified suspects under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the IT Act. Sections invoked include impersonating a public servant, cheating and criminal conspiracy. An investigation is currently underway to trace the culprits. Air India fined for holding NRI’s refund for five years Former sarpanch’s house burgled Our Correspondent Phagwara, May 23 A resident of Umarpur Kalan village near Nurmahal was allegedly defrauded of Rs 92 lakh by cybercriminals using the “digital arrest” tactic. The victim, Jasbir Kaur, filed a formal complaint with the SSP Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 23 The Jalandhar Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has ordered Air India to refund Rs 2.16 lakh plus six per cent interest to Kultar Singh Johal, an Englandbased NRI, after the airline failed to return his ticket money for over five years. The case dates back to January 2021, when the 67-yearold booked an AmritsarHeathrow flight that was subsequently cancelled due to “operational reasons”. Despite Johal’s repeated emails and a 2022 legal notice, Air India repeatedly claimed the refund was “under process” without disbursing the funds. The commission rejected Air India’s claim that the case belonged in the UK, noting that the ticket was paid for ticket via a Jalandhar bank account. The Bench slammed the “inordinate delay” and unjustified withholding of funds as unfair trade practice. The commission ordered Air India to refund Rs 2,16,930 plus six per cent annual interest to the complainant. The commission also awarded Rs 20,000 as compensation for mental harassment and Rs 10,000 towards litigation costs. Kapurthala, May 23 A theft was reported in Ghazipur Colony after burglars allegedly broke into the residence of former sarpanch Harjinder Singh, decamping with gold jewellery and cash. The incident came to light in the morning when the family discovered their belongings scattered throughout the house. According to Singh, the thieves gained entry by breaking the iron grill of a rear window. Upon inspection, the family found that approximately 8–9 tolas of gold and Rs 10,000 in cash were missing. The police have initiated a probe and are currently scanning CCTV footage from the vicinity to identify the suspects. — OC Fireman hurt in targeted attack; alleges link to anti-encroachment crusade Our Correspondent Phagwara, May 23 A man from Rampur Khalian village in Phagwara block was allegedly attacked and seriously injured by unidentified assailants while he was on his way to work. The victim was admitted to the Civil Hospital for treatment following the incident. The victim, identified as Kripal Singh, told doctors and the police that he was employed with the Phagwara fire brigade and travelling from his village to office on Thursday morning. According to his statement, when he reached near the shrine of Baba Mangu Shah, three youths riding a motorcycle intercepted him. Kripal alleged that the assailants first rammed their motorcycle into his vehicle, forcing him to stop, following which they physically assaulted him. He sustained multiple injuries during the attack before the accused fled the scene. Hospital sources said the victim had suffered several injuries, but his condition was stable. Kripal alleged that the attack was linked to his yearlong crusade against illegal encroachments on government land in his village. Despite alerting the police about previous threats, Kripal claimed his rivals finally acted on their warnings. The police have initiated an investigation into the incident based on the victim’s statement. c m y b 1.08 lakh voters to decide fate of 342 aspirants in civic body polls on May 26 800 election personnel deployed at 133 polling booths Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 23 District Election Officer-cumDeputy Commissioner Varjeet Walia announced on Saturday that 1,08,067 voters are set to participate in the upcoming elections for five Municipal Councils and two Nagar Panchayats on May 26. The electorate includes 54,943 men, 53,116 women and eight third-gender voters. In Nakodar Municipal Council there are 27,964 voters; in Kartarpur 19,736; in Phillaur 19,179; in Adampur 12,610; in Nurmahal 11,105; in Mehatpur Nagar Pan- Representational image. (PTI) chayat 9,515 and in Lohian Nagar Panchayat 7,958. Across 99 wards, 342 candidates have entered the fray. Leading the count is Phillaur with 58 contenders, followed by Nakodar 55, Kar- tarpur 50, Adampur 44 and Nurmahal 41 candidates. The Nagar Panchayats of Mehatpur and Lohian Khas each fielded 47 candidates. To ensure a seamless process, the administration has set up 133 polling booths and deployed 800 trained election personnel. Voting will take place on May 26 from 8 am to 5 pm, with the counting of votes scheduled for May 29. Walia urged citizens to vote fearlessly and without inducement, noting that the district police had implemented elaborate security measures to maintain peace. Proposal for revised polling booths sent to EC Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, May 23 Additional Deputy Commissioner (Rural Development)cum-Additional District Election Officer Nikas Kumar informed that a proposal regarding the revision of polling booths for the Haryana Municipal Council elections has been sent to the State Election Commission (EC) for approval. He said according to the revised list, polling booths for Haryana Municipal Council (MC) had proposed at four locations, including two sensitive and two non-sensitive. The sensitive locations include DAV Model Senior Secondary School, Haryana, where polling booths number 1, 12, 9 and 11 had been proposed. Another sensitive location was GGSD College, Haryana, where booth number 3, 4, 6 and 7 had been included. Among the non-sensitive locations, booth number 2 and 8 had been proposed at the Haryana Municipal Council, while booths number 5 and 10 were proposed for Dayanand Public School, Haryana. Nikas Kumar further stated that the proposal for revised polling booths was forwarded for approval with the objective of ensuring a fair, transparent and smooth conduct of the Haryana Municipal Council election process.