17102026-JTR-01.qxd 10/16/2026 11:18 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune ANGANWADI WORKERS DEMAND HIGHER WAGES, GRATUITY ARTISTS BRING STATE’S SHADES TO LIFE AT ‘RANGLA PUNJAB’ A workshop brings together 10 artists from Punjab to translate their thoughts, emotions and perspectives into art. P3 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 30°C | MIN 17°C YESTERDAY MAX 29°C | MIN 18°C ACTOR KRITI SANON MOVES DELHI HIGH COURT Workers’ union has sought a substantial increase in the honorarium paid to Anganwadi workers and helpers. P2 FORECAST Kriti Sanon has approached the Delhi High Court seeking protection of her personality rights. P4 » » SUNSET SATURDAY 6.02 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 6.28 AM » SATURDAY | 17 OCTOBER 2026 | JALANDHAR HEALTH & WELLNESS The Tribune has started 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. 3 arrested for pro-Khalistan graffiti at Dosanjh’s village House wall defaced some distance from singer-actor’s residence Ashok Kaura INBRIEF MAN ROBBED OF GOLD, CASH Phagwara: Four unidentified youths allegedly attacked a two-wheeler rider with sharp weapons and robbed him of a bag containing gold and cash. The victim has been identified as Gurjit Singh. According to the complaint lodged with the police, the incident took place when Gurjit Singh reached a road turn opposite Cambridge School. The accused emerged from a car carrying sharp weapons and a pistol-like object, attacked him and snatched his bag. The police have registered a case. OC TWO ARRESTED WITH CAPSULES Phagwara: The police arrested two persons with 400 pregabalin capsules and 60 alprazolam tablets. A police team was patrolling near Mehli Gate Chowk when the accused spotted it and attempted to flee after throwing polythene envelopes along the road. They were arrested immediately. The accused have been identified as Mukesh Kumar, a resident of Shastri Nagar in Phagwara, and Inderjit Singh alias Inder, a resident of Phillaur. OC 15-YR-OLD GIRL GOES MISSING Phagwara: The police have registered a case following a complaint about the disappearance of a 15-yearold girl who had left home to purchase household items. According to a complaint lodged by Sandeep Rani, a resident of Ravidasspura Mohalla on Nurmahal Road in Phillaur, her daughter, Aradhya, left home around 2 pm on October 15 but did not return. Following the complaint, Assistant SubInspector (ASI) Jai Gopal of the Phillaur police station initiated an investigation to the incident. OC Phagwara, October 16 The Phillaur police have arrested three men for allegedly writing pro-Khalistan slogans on the wall of a house in Dosanjh Kalan, the native village of Punjabi singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh. The accused have been identified as Lovepreet Singh, Pritpal Singh and Shagandeep Singh, all residents of Moga district. The three were arrested on October 15 and produced before a judicial magistrate, who remanded them in police custody for two days for further investigation. Phillaur DSP Bharat Masih confirmed the arrests while speaking to The Tribune on Friday. The incident took place on October 7, when the accused allegedly spray-painted slogans, including “Khalistan Zindabad”, on the wall of a Diljit Dosanjh has previously faced opposition from pro-Khalistan elements over his concerts. house in Dosanjh Kalan. when the smell of paint woke The singer’s name him up. was also written on the He said that when he wall, prompting specustepped outside, he saw lation that the property some people with their belonged to him. It was faces covered. On subsequently clarified inspecting the wall, he that the house was not found slogans referring owned by Dosanjh but Pritpal Singh, to Khalistan. The singer’s belonged to his neigh- one of the name was written below accused them. bour. The house owner, He said the accused Mukhtiar, said he was sleeping might have mistaken his house for Dosanjh’s residence, which is located some distance away. The incident took place against the backdrop of previous opposition faced by Dosanjh from pro-Khalistan elements over his public appearances and international concerts. In October 2025, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, chief of the banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), issued a video message criticising Dosanjh after the singer appeared on the television show Kaun Banega Crorepati and touched actor Amitabh Bachchan’s feet. Pannun alleged that the gesture disrespected the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh violence and demanded that the singer be summoned by the Akal Takht. He also threatened to disrupt Dosanjh’s scheduled concert in Australia in November 2025. Reports of protests by groups of Khalistan supporters also surfaced during some of Dosanjh’s overseas shows. Pilot’s Doaba tour tomorrow To meet families affected by gangster violence Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 16 All-India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Punjab Sachin Pilot will meet at least three families affected by gangster violence in the Doaba region on Sunday. He will be accompanied by newly-appointed Punjab Congress president and Jalandhar Cantonment legislator Pargat Singh. Pilot will reach Jalandhar on Saturday evening. He will spend the night in the city before leaving for Shahkot the next morning. To visit slain kabaddi player’s village His first halt will be at Nangal Ambian village, the native place of slain kabaddi player Sandeep Nangal Ambian. He was shot dead on March 14, 2022, at the venue of a kabaddi tournament in Mallian Khurd village near Jalandhar. Having moved to the UK with his family, Sandeep had captained both India and the UK and was popularly known as the Gladiator. Sachin Pilot Nearly 20 bullets were fired at his head and chest. The Punjab Police reportedly took considerable time to identify the culprits and make arrests. The arrests eventually followed repeated visits to India by his wife, Rupinder Kaur Sandhu, who raised the issue in the media. Pilot’s second halt will be at Nakodar, where he will visit the family of Timmy Chawla, a cloth merchant who, along with his gunman, Mandeep Singh, was shot dead by extortionists on December 8, 2022. Gangsters had reportedly been demanding Rs 30 lakh in ransom from him. Three persons were arrested two years after the incident, and the case was linked to Pakistan-based Harvinder Rinda. Pilot’s third stop will be at Miani village in Tanda, Hoshiarpur, where three motorcycle-borne assailants shot dead Balvinder Singh, a hardware store owner, on January 15 this year. In July 2026, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) charged former Tanda Station House Officer (SHO) Gurinderjit Singh Nagra with conspiring to extort USD 40,000 from a California-based family by threatening to falsely implicate them in the case. ‘Unlikely to meet Cong workers, leaders’ “Pilot is unlikely to meet party leaders and workers, as the visit has been designed with a specific purpose,” said a local MLA. Reacting to the proposed tour, Punjab AAP president Aman Arora said, “We have no issues with his visit. He is free to meet whoever he wants to. But our suggestion to him is also to meet those who succumbed to gangster violence during the Congress rule.” Two more minors detained in threaten mass exit over LPU violence case; 19 held so far AAP faces revolt, leaders halqa in-charge change Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 16 Six AAP councillors and 10 block samiti presidents here threatened to resign from the party on Friday, expressing displeasure over the appointment of Deepak Bali as the halqa in-charge for the Jalandhar Cantonment Assembly seat. Some members of the party’s Mahila wing, 40 sarpanches and panches, and two zila parishad members also announced that they would resign from the party if the leadership did not reverse its decision within two days. Bali, also an adviser to the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board, was appointed the AAP halqa in-charge on Thursday, replacing Rajwinder Kaur Thiara. The councillors and block samiti presidents held a press conference in support of Thiara. Among the councillors who criticised the move were Kirpal Pali and Anoop Kaur. Support for Thiara The disgruntled party leaders alleged that Thiara had earlier been unceremoniously removed from the post of chairperson of the Jalandhar Improvement Trust as well. They said Thiara had worked relentlessly for the party and wanted her reinstated as the halqa in-charge. The seat is represented by Punjab Congress chief Pargat Singh. There had been speculation that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s wife, Gurpreet Kaur Mann, could contest from the seat. Ashok Kaura OVER 400 UNDER LENS Phagwara, October 16 The police have detained two more juveniles in connection with the violence and vandalism at Lovely Professional University (LPU), taking the total number of those arrested or detained in the case to 19. The two juveniles have been sent to a juvenile home as the investigation into the incident continues. One of the juveniles is from Himachal Pradesh, while the other is a resident of Haryana. According to police sources, they told investigators that they had joined the gathering after receiving messages on social media and being approached by senior students. They claimed that they became part of the crowd after unrest and vandalism began on the campus, while denying personal involve- ■ More than 400 students and outsiders are reportedly under scrutiny as investigators seek to establish how the gathering was organised, how the situation escalated and who was responsible for the alleged criminal acts. ment in the acts of violence. Their claims are being examined as part of the ongoing investigation. The police are working to identify the senior students who allegedly mobilised others through WhatsApp and other social media platforms. More than 400 students and outsiders are reportedly under scrutiny as investigators seek to establish how the gathering was organised, how the situation escalated and who was responsible for the alleged criminal acts. The incident occurred on the night of September 26 ASIAN CHAMPIONS TROPHY Hockey players’ kin gear up to cheer from stands for first time Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Hockey player Sukhjeet Singh (left) with his parents. Jalandhar, October 16 For the families of several Indian hockey players, the upcoming Asian Champions Trophy in Punjab will be an emotional occasion. For many, it will be the first time they get to watch their sons play live in the tournament, which begins in Jalandhar on October 27. “It is a blessing for us that the international event is being held in Punjab this time,” said Sarabjit Singh, father of Indian men’s hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh. He said he would reach Jalandhar with his relatives two days before the tournament begins. Meanwhile, Sarabjit has started making arrangements to ensure that his agricultural fields and household responsibilities are taken care of in his absence. “I am a farmer and have WAITED LONG FOR IT cI am a farmer and have already assigned work to others to look after my fields and home so that I can finally see my son play live. I have waited a long time for this moment.d Sarabjit Singh, FATHER OF HARMANPREET SINGH already assigned work to others to look after my fields and home so that I can finally see my son play live,” he said. Visibly excited, he added, “I have waited a long time for this moment.” For Sukhjeet Singh’s father, Ajit Singh, who is posted with the Punjab Police, the tournament offers a long-awaited opportunity. His professional commitments had kept him from attending his son’s matches in person in the past. “I could never go to any of his matches as I was busy with my duty. So, I always watched c m y b him on TV But this time, I am . excited,” he said. For goalkeeper Krishan B Pathak, the occasion holds special significance. Having lost his parents at a young age, Pathak was raised by his paternal uncle and his family. He said he had always wanted his family to see him play live. “For us, who have never seen our sons play live, the matches will also be about witnessing years of hard work unfold right before our eyes,” said his family members. after claims circulated on social media alleging that a student residing in an LPU hostel had been raped by a plumber who had come from outside the university. The posts also alleged that the university administration had failed to take action. The claims triggered anger among students and were followed by large-scale unrest on the campus. During the incident, university property and parts of the campus infrastructure were allegedly damaged. Shops in the university’s Uni Mall were also vandalised. Protesters subsequently blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara stretch for more than 18 hours, disrupting traffic and causing considerable inconvenience to commuters. The police have registered four FIRs in connection with the violence and constituted an eight-member SIT to investigate the matter. Migrant labourer killed in clash Hoshiarpur, October 16 A clash among migrant labourers near the Tanda grain market last night left one person dead. The deceased has been identified as Anil Mahto, a native of Goriyar village in Bihar’s Purnia. He succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in the early hours of Friday. The accused has been identified as Naveen. He allegedly attacked Anil with a broken glass bottle, inflicting a deep wound on his neck. The police have registered a murder case on the statement of the victim’s cousin, Arvind Kumar Mahto. Arvind told the police that Naveen, allegedly under the influence of liquor, entered into a quarrel with him near the grain market. The argument escalated into a scuffle, during which Anil intervened to pacify the situation. Naveen allegedly attacked Anil, leaving him injured. — OC Amandeep Singh Mathon. Kapurthala native appointed officer in Australian air force Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 16 Amandeep Singh Mathon, 35, a native of Kapurthala in Punjab, has graduated from the Royal Australian Air Force Officer Training School and taken up his new responsibilities as a pilot officer. Schooled at the Army School in Kapurthala, Amandeep follows his family’s illustrious tradition of serving in the armed forces. While his relatives served in India, he and his brothers have continued the family’s military legacy in Australia. One of three brothers, Amandeep draws inspiration from his family’s military history, which has played a significant role in shaping the trio’s career choices. Amandeep and his younger brother serve in the Royal Australian Air Force, while their elder brother serves in the police force. Amandeep’s younger brother, Kamalpreet, was appointed a Flying Officer in the Royal Australian Air Force, where he has been serving since last year. His elder brother, Sarabjit Singh Mathon, also served in the Australian Army before becoming a police officer with the New South Wales Police Force. The family moved to Australia nearly two decades ago and currently lives in Melbourne. Amandeep’s mother Amarjeet Kaur told The Tribune from Australia, “My sons took inspiration from their father Sewa Singh, who served in the Indian Army. We moved to Australia years ago and my sons have worked very hard to achieve this feat. They started on study visas and worked hard, balancing jobs and studies, before undergoing rigorous training to join the forces. It was my husband’s defence background and my sons’ upbringing in that environment that strengthened their resolve.” She added, “Amandeep has now followed his brothers, father and elders in pursuing this dream. My father and brother also served in the Indian Army. Right after his passing-out parade, Amandeep was very happy and said: This isn’t a uniform for me but a way of life.’” Kaur said their house had been flooded with congratulatory calls following Amandeep’s achievement. Amandeep’s father Sewa Singh said, “A spirit of service has been deeply ingrained in the Mathon family for generations. Amandeep’s grandfather Nirmal Singh and I served in the Indian Army. This proud legacy now continues in Australia.”