18062026-JTR-01.qxd 6/17/2026 10:59 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune MANSA DEVI NAGAR RESIDENTS FLAG STRAY DOG MENACE STIFFNESS IN FINGERS MAY BE SYMPTOM OF ARTHRITIS Residents met MC Mayor Rampal Uppal and demanded a solution to the stray dog menace. P2 Persistent stiffness that lasts 30- 60 minutes in both hands could be an early sign of rheumatoid arthritis. P3 » » BOLLYWOOD BEAUTIES INSPIRE BEACH VACATION WARDROBE Alia Bhatt keeps it refreshing yet subtle in black monokini with deep back and white border, adding edge to her look. P4 » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 38°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 37°C | MIN 26°C SUNSET THURSDAY 7.34 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 5:23 AM THURSDAY | 18 JUNE 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. On eve of CM’s Lok Milni,farmers warn of road blockade in Phagwara ~28 crore sugarcane dues issue heats up | Akali leaders flag district status Ashok Kaura INBRIEF 2 WOMEN HELD FOR DISRUPTING VILLAGE MEETING Phagwara: The Mehatpur police have arrested two women on the charge of disrupting the general house meeting of a village Gram Sabha. The accused have been identified as Rainu and Gurbakash Kaur of Mehsampur village. Sarpanch of the village had complained to the police that the accused disrupted the meeting of Gram Sabha, threatened members and used filthy language against them. OC THREE BOOKED FOR FORGERY Phagwara: The Nakodar police have booked three persons, including a woman, for allegedly submitting forged documents in a court. The accused have been identified as Jagdish Singh of Rasulpur village, Gurjit Kaur and Amarjit Singh of Kartarpur in Jalandhar. The case was registered after Dinesh Thapar, reader to the Judicial Magistrate at Nakodar, forwarded a court order directing the police to take action. The accused are alleged to have submitted fake surety bonds in the court while seeking bail in a case.OC TRUCK DRIVER HELD FOR MISHAP Hoshiarpur: The Bilga police arrested a truck driver in case of causing death by negligence. The accused has been identified as Dilpreet, alas Chirri, resident of Talwan village. The accused was driving his vehicle fast and negligently and hit Kamaljit Singh’s motorcycle on June 12 night, resulting in his death oc Phagwara, June 17 A day ahead of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s Lok Milni at Gandhi Chowk here on Thursday, farmers under the banner of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Doaba) threatened to block all roads leading to the venue if their demand for payment of pending sugarcane dues amounting to Rs 28 crore is not addressed. BKU (Doaba) president Manjit Singh Rai went live on his Facebook page on Wednesday, saying that minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian had promised them that their pending dues from Phagwara sugar mill would be paid by April 30, 2024, but there has been no headway. He said, “We will not only boycott his Lok Milni, but also block his passage from all routes, if he does not discuss the issue with us ahead of his event”. The threat has put the police and intelligence teams on alert for ensuring that the CM gets a clear passage to the venue tomorrow evening. Likewise, even Shiromani SSP Gaurav Toora and SP Madhvi Sharma with MP Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal in Phagwara. Akali Dal leaders urged CM Mann to fulfil his party’s long-pending promise of granting the district status to Phagwara, ahead of his proposed visit to the city. SAD Phagwara Urban constituency in-charge and core committee member of the party’s Industry and Trade Wing Ranjit Singh Khurana said the CM had repeatedly visited Phagwara and assured residents that the city would be upgraded to a district but no concrete step had been taken so far. Khurana claimed that during the Chief Minister’s recent visit to Phagwara, he had said the demand for district status had only recently come to his notice, despite it being raised repeatedly during elections. He added that the Chief Minister still had an opportunity to announce district status for the city and Tribune News Service Jalandhar, June 17 Activists of the Purani Pension Bahali Sangharsh Committee and CPF Union Punjab on Wednesday condemned the detention and house arrest of several leaders ahead of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s visit to Hoshiarpur. Many leaders were detained late Tuesday night and on Wednesday morning and were released later in the day. Following the detentions, activists shelved their plan to gherao the Chief Minister and instead staged protests outside various police stations where their colleagues had been held. The committee had announced a black-flag protest during the Chief Min- Paddy cheer TWO ‘DRUG PEDDLERS’ HELD Phagwara: The Nakodar police have arrested a man on the charge of selling intoxicating tablets. As many as 37 intoxicating tablets were recovered from accused Gurjindar Singh of Hussainpur village. The Nurmahal police arrested Davindar Singh of Mohalla Kotla, Nurmahal, with 52 intoxicating tablets. oc ister’s visit to Bhatla village to press for restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). Among those detained were committee president Rajat Mahajan, state convener Jasvir Talwara (confined to his house), district president Sanjeev NRI house burgled; gold, cash stolen Phagwara: The police have booked three members of a family for assaulting a villager. The accused have been identified as Jagdish Lal of Ismailpur village, his wife Seema Rani and son Gagan Deep. Resham Lal of the village complained to the police that the accused barged into his house and assaulted him. OC Phagwara: The Nakodar police have booked unidentified miscreants for stealing three motorcycles. Ajay Kumar of Mohalla Sundar Nagar, Pradeep Kumar of Malarri village and PNB manager Balwindar Kumar complained to the police that unidentified miscreants stole their motorcycles. oc The police at the crime spot in Jalandhar on Wednesday. Man injured in city firing incident Over 25 rounds fired; victim ‘stable’ Tribune News Service Jalandhar, June 17 A firing incident in the wee hours of Wednesday rocked Shaheed Babu Labh Singh Nagar here, with over 25 rounds allegedly fired. The police said the accused, identified as Amarjit, arrived in a car dressed in Nihang attire and opened fire around 5.40 am. Rahul, a resident of Arya Nagar, sustained bullet injuries in the abdomen and was admitted to a private hospital, where his condition is stated to be stable. As the news spread, the police reached the spot and started investigation. The police are examining CCTV footage from cameras installed around the spot. They have also met the victim in the hospital to take vital clues from him. SHO Jai Inder said the incident occurred at 5:40 am. The doctors in the hospital said the victim’s condition is stable. He said the cause of the incident would become clear after the investigation. The police have not officially confirmed any link, though there are reports of an alleged old rivalry between two groups. Rahul is said to have been targeted in connection with the 2023 killing of Satta at Maqsudan Sabzi Mandi, though this angle is yet to be verified. OPS activists detained ahead of CM Mann’s Hoshiarpur visit, released 3 BOOKED FOR ASSAULT THREE BIKES STOLEN warned that voters would respond in the next Assembly elections if the demand continued to be ignored. The Akali leader further alleged that neither the previous Congress government, nor the present AAP government had taken concrete steps towards making Phagwara a district. He assured the residents that if the SAD forms the next government in Punjab, party president and former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal would give priority to completing the process of granting the district status to Phagwara. Meanwhile, SAD Phagwara Rural constituency in-charge Rajinder Singh Chandi also criticised the state government, alleging that several development projects in the region remained incomplete. He said the construction of the sports stadium in Phagwara was still pending, while the Civil Hospital required urgent attention. He also highlighted recurring waterlogging in major city markets during the rainy season and expressed concern over the deteriorating condition of court complex buildings and the lack of proper public toilet facilities. Since this is the first visit of the CM since the recent appointment of Hoshiarpur MP Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal as the halqa in-charge of Phagwara, massive preparations are underway. SSP , Kapurthala, Gaurav Toora, Additional Deputy Commissioner Randeep Singh Heer and others reviewed the preparations at the venue. Labourers sow paddy in a waterlogged field at Suchi Pind, Jalandhar. PHOTO:MALKIAT SINGH Jalandhar, June 17 Thieves decamped with cash and valuables at a house in Kapurthala last night, wiping out the lifetime savings of an NRI family. The incident, which took place at Chak Kotli village in Kapurthala, has resulted in the loss of over 35-tola gold and silver jewellery and Rs 2.5 lakh cash. The incident is unusual as the family members were sleeping in the courtyard of the house at the time of the theft. The burglary came to light only this morning when they noticed something amiss inside the house. TNS 5 men stranded in Lebanon return home Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, June 17 Five men from Punjab, who had been stranded in Lebanon for several years, have safely returned home with the help of a humanitarian organisation. Unpaid for several months and with their passports allegedly confiscated by agents, they had lost hope of returning home amid the Israel-Iran conflict — until the organisation intervened. The return of Karam Singh (Patiala), Dalbir Singh and Harjinder Kumar (both Jalandhar), Jaspreet Singh (Patiala) and Vichitra Singh (Hoshiarpur) was facilitated following coordinated efforts involving the organisation and the Indian Embassy in Beirut. Having gone to Lebanon on work permits years ago, they said their salaries began to become irregular over time and the situation worsened during the ongoing conflict, when Lebanon came under heavy attack. They claimed they had been making rounds of the Indian Embassy at Beirut for years. Their return was facilitated after the organisation founder was intimated of their plight by Head Granthi Pritpal Singh of the Adonis Gurdwara at Beirut and the issue was further taken up with Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Taranjit Singh Sandhu. They said they faced severe hardships, including one member’s leg disability, while Karam Singh from Patiala lost his mother as he continued efforts to return home. The organisation and the youths also appealed to the media, stating that many other youths from Punjab and Haryana remain stranded in Lebanon and sought their repatriation through intervention by the Indian Embassy. Jalandhar’s Dolike village native Harjinder Singh said, c m y b “Most of us are factory workers and had gone to Lebanon on valid work permits. We were promised a monthly salary of $400 but received only $300–350. Initially, payments were regular, but later became irregular, and our agents retained our passports. Many of us have not been paid for 8 to 10 months — in my case, eight months’ salary is pending. We made repeated appeals at the embassy, but got no response. It was only after we met the organisation founder at a gurdwara that our return became possible. We are immensely grateful to the organisation.” Dhoot and leaders, including Prince Palial. Detentions were reported from several police stations, including Garhdiwala, Ghunga and Mukerian. CPF Employees Union president Sukhjit Singh, Purani Pension Pratipati Morcha leader Gurjant Singh Kokri and secretary Jarnail Singh Patti said it is the constitutional right of every citizen to protest. On the behest of the government, the police detained the leaders, which was condemnable. The leaders demanded implementation of the November 18, 2022, notification on the scheme and said they would raise the issue at the Chief Minister’s ‘Mukh Mantri Milni’ in Moga on July 4.