29092026-JTR-01.qxd 9/28/2026 11:03 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune BIKE RALLY MARKS REVOLUTIONARY BHAGAT SINGH’S BIRTH ANNIV POWERLIFTER SNEHA REWRITES 3 COMMONWEALTH RECORDS SWIFT CREATES HISTORY AT MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS Rally heads for Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. P2 Daughter of a fruit vendor, West Bengal athlete bags four golds during Winnipeg, Canada, championship. P2 The singer becomes most-awarded artiste in MTV VMAs history, dedicates top prize to Dolly Parton. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 30°C | MIN 22°C YESTERDAY MAX 31°C | MIN 21°C SUNSET TUESDAY 6.15 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6:20 AM » TUESDAY | 29 SEPTEMBER 2026 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF TRAVEL AGENT BOOKED FOR FRAUD Phagwara: The police have booked a travel agent for allegedly duping a Bilga villager of Rs 13.51 lakh on the pretext of sending his son abroad. Phillaur DSP Bharat Masih said the accused has been identified as Amandeep Singh Sector 9-C, Chandigarh. Vishva Nath of Pati Mansoor Bilga village, complained to Jalandhar (Rural) SSP that he paid Rs 13.51 lakh to the accused for facilitating his son's migration abroad, but the accused did not send him abroad, nor did he return his money. OC RAJOURI CAR DRIVER ARRESTED Phagwara: The Lohian Khas police have arrested a J&K car driver on charges of causing death by negligence, rash driving and mischief. The accused has been identified as Sarabjot Singh of Rajouri district of Jammu and presently living in New Deol Nagar in Bhargo Camp, Jalandhar. Daljit Kumar of Mehmuwal Yusafpur village said the accused was driving his car fast and negligently and hit his cousin Gurpreet Singh's motorcycle and killed him on the spot near Nihaloowal village. OC TWO ‘DRUG PEDDLERS’ HELD Phagwara: The Nakodar City police have arrested two persons on the charge of selling intoxicating tablets. As many as 35 tablets were recovered from the possession of the accused Sandeep of Mallarri village and Mangat Ram of Mohalla Udham Singh Nagar. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused. OC TWO ‘DRUG ADDICTS’ HELD Phagwara: The Lohian Khas police have arrested two persons on the charge of consuming heroin. The accused have been identified as Navish Kumar of Ward No 5, Lohian Khas, and Sandip Singh of Kasupur village in Shahkot. Two lighters, silver papers and plastic pipes used for consuming contraband were recovered from their possession. oc WOMAN NABBED FOR THEFT Phagwara: The police have arrested a woman on charges of theft and mischief. The accused has been identified as Gurmit Kaur of Ismailpur village.Jogindar Singh of Chak Pipply village had complained to the police that the accused and her accomplices had ransacked his old house on May 12 and stole 22 saplings from his fields, a diesel engine and steel wires and ploughed the crop. oc CONG PROTESTS AGAINST CEC Hoshiarpur: The Congress here on Sunday staged a protest outside the DC office over alleged discrepancies in electoral rolls and demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar from office. Congress leaders appealed to President Droupadi Murmu to intervene and order an investigation into the matter. Protesters also burnt effigies of PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Kumar. oc Rumour or politics? LPU violence raises questions Arson leaves behind trail of damage at Phagwara varsity as police find no evidence backing rape claim Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 28 The sequence of events that led to a massive damage of property and a show of lawlessness at Lovely Professional University on Sunday has left the campus authorities, staff, students, politicians and even media, baffled. The key question remains: Was the unrest triggered merely by a rumour, fuelled by outsiders, or part of a larger attempt to target the university? The students, authorities and even the police do not rule out the presence of outsiders on the campus. Majority of them believe that it was a part of a design to target the LPU, whose Chancellor Ashok Mittal had left AAP to join the BJP a few months back. Even a day after an FIR was registered over the alleged rape of an “unknown girl” by “unknown persons”, investigators had found no evidence to substantiate the claim. Even though a Special Investigation Team had been announced to work on the issue, the DIG, Jalandhar Range, Naveen Singla, after inspecting the campus and girls’ hostels on Sunday, maintained, “It was just a rumour and that there seemed to be no basis for it”. Observers also feel that there is a clear pattern of how an unverified report had disturbed the peace on both cam- puses - Chitkara University and LPU - within a span of less than 24 hours. While the situation at Chitkara was quickly brought under control, the disturbance at the LPU persisted for nearly 22 hours. Cops from four police districts - Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar Rural and Jalandhar Commissionerate Police - remained present in large numbers as the students refused to vacate the highway. Police vehicles were set on fire, glass bottles were hurled, the admission block entrance was damaged despite heavy police presence. The university authorities have reportedly questioned the police response. They pointed out that students who were removed from the highway blockade around 6 am were later allowed to regroup and continue the protest until midnight. There have been allegations against the police on prolonging the matter and taking over 22 hours to broker peace between the students and the LPU authorities. SSP Kapurthala Gaurav Toora said on Sunday that deep mistrust between stu- dents and the university administration had complicated efforts to restore normalcy. Some students suggested that concerns over earlier incidents on the campus, including alleged suicides and their handling, had contributed to simmering resentment. However, they insisted they had no intention of vandalising their own institution. “We never wanted our campus to be devastated like this,” some students said. “Laptops, mobile phones, clothes and food items were looted from Uni Mall and other kiosks. There were masked outsiders among the crowd. We could not have gone to such extremes. CCTV cameras were damaged and DVRs were even set on fire,” they said. The scale of violence and the extensive national media coverage have also heightened anxiety among students about the university’s reputation. “Our placement graph is likely to take a hit. Unless the authorities undertake a major image-rebuilding exercise, our future remains at stake,” a student said. The incident is also a cause for concern for the BJP ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s proposed rally, scheduled about 1.5 km from the LPU campus on the Phagwara-Jalandhar highway. The violence just three days ahead of Shah’s visit is also being reviewed as linked. Students proceed to their homes from LPU, Phagwara, after classes were suspended for 10 days on Monday. TRIBUNE PHOTO:MALKIAT SINGH FUTURE AT STAKE Our placement graph is likely to take a hit. Unless the authorities undertake a major image-rebuilding exercise, our future remains at stake. ❝ A STUDENT ❞ DGP Gaurav Yadav with police > officers on the LPU campus. > Paddy arrivals gather pace in grain markets Bhogpur doc gets AIR 15 in NEET-PG Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 28 Paddy arrivals are already in full swing at grain markets in Jalandhar even as official procurement is scheduled to begin on October 1. Farmers said this time the procurement should have started early. When The Tribune team visited the grain market on Sunday, the mandi was almost full with paddy. The harvested crop was being dried and subsequently filled into bardanas (gunny bags). However, heavy rain today added to the farmers’ concerns. Large quantities of paddy were seen covered with tarpaulins to protect the crop from the rain. Gurpal Singh, a farmer from Mirpur village, said it was his third visit to the man- Amid heavy rain on Monday, paddy stocks were covered with tarpaulins in Jalandhar. PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH di with his harvested paddy. “I really hope that procurement will start smoothly so that we can get the payment and start preparing for the next crop,” he said. The cost of agricultural inputs and other essential items had increased considerably, including diesel and fertilisers. Another farmer, Gurpreet Singh from Kala Sanghian, said he had also brought his harvested paddy to the mandi. His crop too was covered with a tarpaulin following the rain. Farmer unions had also earlier raised concerns over the early arrival of paddy and urged the authorities to begin procurement at the earliest to avoid congestion in the mandis and ensure timely payments to farmers. Waris Punjab De protests outside SGPC chief’s home, seeks resignation hours every day to prepare for the examination. Despite the intensive preparation schedule, Arsh said he made sure to take some time away from studies. He would hang out with his friends and play table tennis, which helped him take a break from the demanding preparation routine. Arsh is now aspiring to pursue his specialisation in general medicine from Delhi. His father, Rajinder Arora, is a businessman as well as a journalist, while his mother, Shivali Arora, is serving as the Principal of Cambridge Earth School, Tanda. — TNS MORE ON PAGE 2 Hoshiarpur, September 28 Jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh’s outfit, Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De), on Monday staged a protest outside the Hoshiarpur residence of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami, demanding his resignation over the Chawla rape case. The protest was led by Tarsem Singh, the MP’s father and working president of the party. Protesters questioned the complainant’s prolonged stay at an inn managed by the SGPC and demanded accountability from those responsible for its administration. Tarsem Singh called for an impartial and transparent investigation into the matter. — OC Jalandhar, September 28 Bhogpur resident Dr Arsh Arora has secured All-India Rank 15 in NEET PG 2026, scoring 616 out of 720. Arsh has achieved this feat in his first attempt after completing his MBBS from Government Medical College (GMC), Amritsar, earlier this year. Talking about his preparation, Arsh said consistency and sticking to one source of preparation helped him secure the rank. He said during his internship, hectic work hours made it difficult to devote fixed hours to studies. However, after completing his MBBS in May, he was able to dedicate around nine to 10 689 teachers asked to register for Census training No numberplate, no fuel till November 20 Dist schools fear Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 28 At a time when teachers are already being deployed for SIR and BLO-related duties, nearly 689 government school teachers in Jalandhar district have been asked to register for training for the second phase of the Census, raising concerns about the availability of staff for regular classes. According to a letter issued on September 25 by the office of the Joint Commissioner-cum-City Census Officer, Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar, the teachers deputed for Census-related work have been directed to visit the corporation office between September 28 and 30 for mandatory registration for Census training. The letter also noted that failure to report would invite action under the relevant provisions of the Census Act, 1948. The move has raised concerns among schools already grappling with staff shortages due to the engagement of teachers in SIR and BLO assignments. The impact is expected to be particularly significant in schools where teachers shortlisted for Census duties constitute a substantial proportion of the workforce. Principal Maninder Kaur, Freedom Fighter Ajit Saini Government Model Senior Secondary School on Ladowali Road, said, “Nearly 45 teachers from my school have been asked to register for Census training. We have 67 teachers for 1,565 stu- staff crunch dents, and some of them are already engaged in SIR and BLO work. The actual impact will become clearer after the training. We hope the administration will rationalise the duties; otherwise, managing regular classes will become difficult,” she said. Kaur further said regular classes remained unaffected on Monday as teachers had only been asked to mark their presence for the registration process, but the situation could become difficult once the actual Census duties are finalised. The scale of the proposed c m y b deployment is also evident from other schools. As many as 73 teachers from Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Nehru Garden; 32 from School of Eminence, Ladowali Road and 26 from Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Adarsh Nagar, have also been asked to register for the training. Karnail Singh Phillaur, district president of the Government Teachers Union, said, “During the first phase also, schools faced difficulties in managing classes because of the shortage of teachers. In some cases, classes had to be accommodated together. If a large number of teachers are assigned Census duties for the second phase as well, it will put further pressure on schools,” he said. Meanwhile, the administra- tion clarified that the latest list does not represent the final Census deployment. Dr Sumandeep Kaur, City Census Officer, said the teachers had only been asked to register so that the administration could assess the available manpower before finalising the duties. “These are not the final duties for the second phase. We have asked the teachers to register on the basis of data received from the department so that the availability of manpower can be assessed. The final duties will be assigned after the Census training on October 5,” she said. She added that the exercise is also being undertaken in view of concerns raised during the first phase of the Census. Jalandhar, September 28 The Jalandhar Police Commissionerate have directed petrol pump stations to refuse petrol, diesel and CNG to vehicles that do not have valid registration plates. The restriction applies to private and commercial vehicles that are operating without number plates or have missing, damaged, tampered, obscured or bent registration plates. Such vehicles will be denied fuel at the dispensing point until they comply with the requirements. The order has been issued by Satinder Singh, Commissioner of Police, Jalandhar. The order will remain in effect till November 20. Reportedly, emergency vehicles such as ambulances and fire tenders have been exempted. Newly purchased vehicles carrying valid official temporary or permanent registration plates will also be allowed to get fuel. As per the order, all petrol, diesel and CNG stations within the Police Commissionerate limits must prominently display warning notices in Punjabi and English at their entry points and fuel dispensing areas. Petrol station operators have also been directed to maintain round the clock CCTV surveillance covering entry and exit gates, fuel dispensing areas and adjoining roads. The CCTV footage must be preserved for at least two months. — TNS