28032024-JTR-01.qxd 3/28/2024 12:55 AM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune OVER 300 ATTEND MOOT COURT CONTEST AT LPU TWO WOMEN ARRESTED FOR MAKING PETROL BOMBS ADITI RAO HYDARI, SIDDHARTH MARRIED? The event saw participation of 300 law students from 52 prominent law institutions across 15 states & UTs. P2 Two women were caught red-handed allegedly making petrol bombs in their house in Sikligar locality. P3 Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth have reportedly tied the knot secretly at a temple in Wanaparthy, Telangana. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 31°C | MIN 20°C YESTERDAY MAX 29°C | MIN 18.7°C SUNSET THURSDAY 6:39 PM » SUNRISE FRIDAY 6:15 AM THURSDAY | 28 MARCH 2024 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF MAN HELD ON THEFT CHARGE Arch-rivals Rinku, Angural turn buddies INDIA VOTES Plans afoot for both to contest Lok Sabha, Assembly byelections ‘PROTEST MAKES NO SENSE’ 2024 FOUR OF FAMILY BOOKED FOR THEFT Phagwara: The Nakodar Sadar police have booked four members of a family, including two women, on the charge of stealing materials from shops. Investigating officer and Uggi police post in-charge Balbir Singh said the suspects had been identified as Jaswinder Singh, a resident of Uggi village, his wife Surjit Kaur, son Kulwinder Singh and daughter Rajvir Kaur. Gurinder Singh, a resident of the same village, told the police that the suspect stole 3,200 bags of Vardana (packing material) and fitting material from the shop of Ranjit Singh on the night of March 21. A case under Sections 457, 380, 427, 506 and 34 of the IPC has been registered. OC PO LANDS IN POLICE NET Phagwara: The Nurmahal police have arrested a proclaimed offender (PO), who was absconding for the past four years. Investigating officer Jagjit Singh said the accused had been identified as Inderjit Singh, alias Mithu Mangal Singh, alias Sonu, a resident of Mohalla Mehat Pur, and presently living in Nurmahal. He was wanted in a case of violating an order promulgated by a government official. OC BURGLARS STRIKE AT PETROL PUMP Phagwara: Unidentified miscreants reportedly burgled a petrol pump near Darvesh Pind on the Phagwara-Jandiala road last night. Sunil Kumar Aggarwal, owner of the petrol pump, told the police that he runs Shyam Baba Service Station at Darvesh Pind. The suspects entered the petrol pump after breaking the grills and took away 10 large batteries, eight automation batteries, a stabiliser, two CBTs, 60 boxes of Mobil oil, 20 litres of liquid oil and parts of generator from the pump. They also took away the DVR of CCTVs. The police have registered a case in this connection. OC MAN NABBED ON FRAUD CHARGE Phagwara: The police have arrested a person on the charges of duping a woman of her gold rings and cash worth ~2,000. The suspect has been identified as Sonu, a resident of Lahori Gate, Amritsar. On a complaint lodged by Rajni Bala, a resident of Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar, a case under Sections 420, 508 and 511 of the IPC has been registered against the suspect. OC Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 27 Almost every city resident knows Jalandhar MP Sushil Rinku and Jalandhar West MLA Sheetal Angural to be arch-rivals. When they joined the BJP together quitting the AAP this evening, it was a moment of disbelief for everyone. The immediate perception was that the duo would continue to clash even in the BJP In reality, the two . decade-old rivalry has seen a sudden change of hearts. “Sushil Rinku is my elder brother and will get his due respect from me. This time, I am not saying this under any pressure. It is coming straight from my heart. There had been people who never wanted us to come ‘OPERATION LOTUS WAS A FAKE MISSION’ On the day Angural rejoined the BJP, he alleged that the AAP had orchestrated “Mission Operation Lotus”. “It was a fake mission for which AAP leaders had made us speak up against the BJP under much pressure. I will expose it all shortly,” he said. FILE PHOTO Phagwara: The city police have arrested a thief and recovered eight cooking gas cylinders stolen from the house of a woman, Jagdish Kaur, in Shyam Nagar, Phagwara. The suspect confessed to his crime. OC Congress leader Dr Navjot Dahiya said: “I really wonder why the AAP leadership is making hue and cry and protesting over the shifting of AAP sitting MP and MLA to the BJP. The AAP already is into rampant poaching. They just did it with Congress MLA Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal. Their MP Rinku was also poached from the Congress. The party, which itself is into pulling leaders from other parties, should not be protesting on the streets like this.” Sushil Rinku is my elder brother and will get his due respect from me. This time, I am not saying this under any pressure, says Angural. together and they kept us engaged in one tiff after the other. Now, it has been a month since we have been meeting one another, clarified to each other on all issues and have developed a thorough understanding,” said Angural with his close aide maintaining that they had both joined with a tacit understanding. Complaints against officials reach admn for ‘influencing’ electorate Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 27 Complaints against officials placed with various departments have been registered with the administration for ‘influencing’ voters towards a particular party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The complaints mention that the officials may ‘influence’ people as they had been posted at a particular position for long. As per the information, one of the officials is posted with the Municipal Corporation and one is with Education Department against whom the complaints were received. Replies were also sought from the officials who denied having links with the leaders and influencing anybody. The residents have been sending complaints offline, through C-Vigil and other systems. Officials of the district administration said the complaints were registered with the National Grievances Redressal System (NGRS) here and then transferred to the Assistant Returning Officers (AROs) concerned where these are acted upon and resolved. The introduction of the CVigil app and such complaining cells has been made for effective implementation of the Model Code of Conduct. Under the C-Vigil app, every election-related complaint will be resolved within 100 minutes. Any individual can upload video clips or pictures regarding any violation of the poll code. Some people have also been complaining about the new illegal constructions in their areas. The toll-free number 1950 is also there for information, feedback, suggestions and complaints by people. Every day, officials stay vigilant to ensure the disposal of complaints at the earliest. “The plan is that Angural will resign from the post of MLA tomorrow. Once he does that, the elections for the Jalandhar West bypoll too could be notified. If that happens, Rinku will contest for the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat from the BJP, while Angural will contest for Jalandhar West bypoll. Both will help and support each other in the elections and there will be no issue of clash of their interests,” said a Jalandhar-based BJP leader. BJP state president Sunil Jakhar too hinted that this plan had been worked out. If the bypoll gets notified, all parties, including AAP Con, gress, SAD and the BSP will , also have to immediately start hunting for their candidate from Jalandhar West. The Congress has not appointed even a halqa in charge from the constituency since Rinku had left the party. Meanwhile, former councillor and wife of MP Sushil Rinku Sunita Rinku - was made to join the BJP locally. BJP leader Amit Taneja confirmed this. See also P2 Rinku a turncoat, says Phillaur MLA Vikramjit Ashok Kaura Phillaur, March 27 Reacting to Sushil Rinku, MP from Jalandhar, joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Lok Sabha elections today, Phillaur MLA Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary said Rinku epitomised the old “Aaya Ram Gaya Ram” phenomenon as he switched from the Congress to AAP and then to the BJP in less than a year. He pointed out that Rinku had contested the 2022 Punjab Vidhan Sabha elections on the Congress ticket and then shifted to the AAP last April before the 2023 Jalandhar by-elections. “Now he has joined the BJP and will probably contest the Lok Sabha elections on its symbol. By next elections, who is to say that he won’t quit the BJP and join another party,” ques- tioned Chaudhary. Criticising Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for misgovernance and lack of development in the state, the Phillaur MLA said the departure of Rinku and Sheetal Angural from the AAP had exposed Mann’s hollow claims of development as Rinku himself cited his inability to fulfil promises made to the people of Jalandhar due to the lack of support from the Mann government. MLA Chaudhary further criticised CM Mann, pointing out the embarrassment of having their sole sitting Lok Sabha MP from Punjab, also a candidate for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, expressing no confidence in his government and leaving the party. He remarked that CM Mann had been searching for turncoats in other parties, but forgot that the biggest of them all was in his own party. AAP workers protest; saffron party seeks action Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 27 While the shifting of the AAP’s only Lok Sabha MP in the state and the sitting MLA of Jalandhar West constituency to the BJP has dealt a blow to the AAP and caused a turmoil in the politics of Jalandhar (and state) ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the aftermath of the two joining was no less dramatic today. Rinku and Angural’s joining triggered a war of sorts between the BJP and AAP with the AAP holding a protest in Jalandhar against the duo calling them traitors and uprooting their boards. The BJP in turn, wrote to the ECI , and the Commissioner of Police, Jalandhar, first asking them to prevent AAP leaders from protesting and then seeking action against AAP leaders for violation of Model Code of Conduct. Hours after Jalandhar MP Sushil Rinku and Jalandhar West MLA Sheetal Angural’s joining the BJP AAP , leaders of the district including cabinet minister Balkar Singh, MLAs Raman Arora and Inderjit Kaur, AAP AAP leaders and workers hold a protest in Jalandhar on Wednesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO Commissioner of Police, Jalandhar, BJP urban general secretaries Ashok Sareen Hicky, Rajesh Kapoor and Amarjit Singh Goldy sought action against the AAP leaders for alleged poll code violation by blocking roads, breaking boards and inconveniencing people. They appealed to the ECI, CP and DC to act against AAP minister Balkar Singh, MLA Raman Arora, leader Rajwinder Kaur Thiara and district urban president Amritpal Singh for allegedly holding up the road traffic from the Babu Jagjivan Ram Chowk to the 120 Feet Road drain side, burning their effigies and marching to the homes of MP and MLAs in violation of the Model Code of Conduct. They also called for action against the breaking of the board of MP Sushil Rinku. Their complaint alleged that the breaking of boards and blocking of roads was done in the presence of the AAP minister, MLA, and aforesaid leaders. Hence, requisite action should be taken against them. leader Rajwinder Kaur Thiara, district urban president Amritpal Singh, among other activists, took to the streets to protest against the two leaders joining the BJP . Holding placards terming Rinku and Angural as ‘Gaddar’ (traitors), AAP workers protested at the Babu Jagjiwan Ram Chowk (in the Jalandhar West constituency) and burnt effigies of the two former AAP leaders. Speaking on the occasion, AAP cabinet minister Balkar Singh said the party honoured the duo by promoting them to prestigious positions. Those who couldn’t even become a councillor were honoured with the post of an MLA (the minister said in a dig at Angural). The Local Bodies Minister said their betrayal will not be forgotten by the people. AAP workers dabbed the Newly established N’shahr court complex becomes operational 6-month-old foetus found near nullah Man dies, wife hurt in road mishap Chandigarh, March 27 From technologically advanced courtrooms to comfortable waiting areas for litigants, the newly established judicial courts complex in Nawanshahr offers a comprehensive range of amenities. Inaugurated just over a week ago, the complex commenced operations today amidst a ceremonial rendition of the National Anthem. Kanwaljit Singh Bajwa, District and Sessions Judge in Nawanshahr, highlighted the significance of the complex, inaugurated last week by Acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia. He stated that the establishment marked a significant milestone in the collective pursuit of a ‘more just and equitable society. ’ Bajwa emphasised that the new complex is expected to foster a legal environ- Tribune News Service The newly established judicial courts complex in Nawanshahr offers a comprehensive range of amenities. TRIBUNE PHOTO ment with state-of-the-art facilities meticulously crafted to enhance the efficiency and accessibility of the judicial process. He further underscored the importance of judicial infra- structure in ensuring the smooth dispensation of justice, noting that every facet of the courts complex has been designed to cater to the evolving needs of the legal community. — TNS c m y b Jalandhar, March 27 A six-month-old female foetus was found near a nullah at the Leather Complex here late last night. Gaurav, a passerby who noticed the foetus surrounded by a pack of stray dogs, shooed away the canines and covered the foetus with a cloth. He informed the police about the incident. After getting information, police reached the spot and sent the foetus to the Civil Hospital, Jalandhar. The police said they were scrutinising the footage of CCTV cameras installed nearby to identify the perpetrators. He said preliminary investigations suggest that the foetus was lying abandoned for over 24 hours. They had initiated legal proceedings under Section 318 of the IPC. Our Correspondent Garhshankar, March 27 A man was killed while his wife suffered serious injuries after the scooter they were riding collided with a car near Moila Wahidpur village on the banks of a canal on the Garhshankar-Adampur road around 11 pm here yesterday. According to information, Pyara Singh (65) and his wife boards bearing the names of Rinku and Angural near their respective residences with red ink and then uprooted the boards. Videos of the same also went viral and were later shared by the BJP leaders seeking action against AAP leaders. In a complaint sent to the Chief Election Officer, Punjab, the Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner and the Rewal Kaur (62), a resident of Khabra falling under the Garhshankar police station, were going to Akalgarh village on their scooter. When they reached near canal, their two-wheeler collided with a car coming from the Kotfatuhi side. The duo suffered serious injuries in the accident. Passersby took them to the Civil Hospital, Garhshankar. Owing to their serious condition, doctors referred them to a specialty hospital. Pyara Singh succumbed to his injuries, while the condition of his wife is stated to critical. After the accident, the car fell into the canal. The car driver fled the spot. The Garhshankar police reached the spot and started investigations into the matter. Patwari held for taking ~5K bribe Hoshiarpur, March 27 The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) today arrested a patwari, Parmvir Singh, posted at the Dasuya tehsil office, Hoshiarpur district, for accepting a bribe of ~5,200. He was evading arrest for the past one month in this case. Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson for the state VB said Manprit Kaur, a resident of Panwan village in Hoshiarpur district, lodged a complaint in this regard on the Chief Minister Anti-Corruption Action Line. After an inquiry, the revenue official had been arrested. He said during investigation, it was established that the suspect had demanded and accepted a bribe of ~5,200 for demarcation of the complainant’s land and retained her application in this regard for three months. After the completion of enquiry, a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered at the VB police station, Jalandhar range, last month. However, the patwari was evading arrest since then. He would be produced in the competent court tomorrow. — OC