17052024-JTR-01.qxd 5/17/2024 1:13 AM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune PHULKARI WOMEN HOLD MIND-READING EVENT PRATEIK TO ATTEND PREMIERE SMITA PATIL’S FILM MANTHAN HANSAL MEHTA ANNOUNCES THIRD CHAPTER OF SCAM SERIES Phulkari Women hosted an event on intriguing art of mind reading, featuring mentalist Dr Kruti Parikh. P2 Actor Prateik Babbar’s mother Smita Patil’s film Manthanis to be screened at 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. P4 Filmmaker Hansal Mehta announced third edition of his smash hit scam series, titled Scam 2010 - The Subrata Roy Saga. P4 » » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR MAX 43°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 42°C | MIN 24°C SUNSET FRIDAY 7.18 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 5:29 AM FRIDAY | 17 MAY 2024 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF 2 HELD FOR DUPING MAN OF ~23.70 LAKH Phagwara: The Shahkot police have arrested two travel agents — a woman and her son — for duping a man of Rs 23.70 lakh on the pretext of sending him abroad. Shahkot Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Amandeep Singh said the suspects were identified as Alka Khurana and her son Ishan Khurana, residents of Employees Colony, Shahkot. Paramjit Singh, a resident of Narangpur Hansi village, had complained to the Jalandhar (Rural) Senior Superintendent of Police that he paid Rs 23.70 lakh to the suspects for facilitating his migration to Canada, but he was given a fake visa and cheated. The DSP said a case under Sections 406 (breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the IPC and Section 13 of the Punjab Travel Professions Regulation Act was registered against the two suspects. OC Despite ECI directive, no letup in farmers’ opposition to BJP’s campaigning in district What leaders of saffron party say Former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani addresses the media; and (right) farmers gather to oppose Sushil Rinku at Jandiala Manjki village. SARABJIT SINGH INDIA VOTES 2024 Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service ONE BOOKED FOR HURTING WOMAN Phagwara: The Shahkot police have booked a villager on the charge of outraging a woman's modesty. Investigating Officer (IO) Manjit Ranni said that the suspect was identified as Chhinder, a resident of Nawanqila village. The victim complained to the police that the suspect outraged her modesty, twisted her arm, slapped her, and threatened her with dire consequences on Tuesday evening. The IO said a case under Sections 354 (criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC had been registered against the suspect. “No arrest has been made and raids are on to nab the absconding suspect,” the IO said. OC LOOTING PETROL STATION: 2 BOOKED Phagwara: The Nakodar Sadar police have booked two unidentified persons on the charge of looting Rs 16,670 from a petrol station. Sujit Gupta, a resident of Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar, Jalandhar, complained to the police that two miscreants barged into the office of Inderjit Highway Indian Petrol Station situated at Kang Sahibu village on the JalandharNakodar road on Tuesday night and snatched Rs 16,670 from a salesman. Investigating Officer (IO) Kulwinder Singh said the police reached the spot and initiated probe after registering a case under Section 379B (snatching)) of the IPC against the unidentified suspects. The incident has created panic among residents. OC Jalandhar, May 16 Amidst a high pitched preelection campaign by the BJP in the state where the party is going alone in the Lok Sabha polls for the first time after two-and-a-half decade, the party’s recent complaint to the Election Commission of Indian (ECI) regarding protests is aimed to address the problem of campaign “disruptions” in the rural areas by protesting farmers. In Jalandhar constituency too, where the BJP’s Hindu vote is traditionally consolidated in its urban stronghold, the party’s is set to make inroads into the rural segment. Protests by farmers against the party candidate in the Sidhupur among others. Salwinder Singh Jania, a state leader of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, said, “Isn’t Delhi the capital of farmers too. Farmers were fired at on the borders. Tear gas shells were rained on us. Our youths have been martyred. They should at least tell the reason for such actions against farmers. Our protests won’t stop until we get the answer to these questions. Protests will continue, whenever a saffron party candidate visits villages. We have plans to raise black flags against the BJP in the coming days.” Kashmir Singh Ghugshore, press secretary, Pendu Mazdoor Union said, “Protests are being held as per the call given by the SKM to oppose the BJP We have held protests in . the past and will continue to do so. The Central Government prevented farmers from entering Delhi. So we won’t let the BJP enter villages. Also, we have yet to get justice in the Lakhimpur Kheri case and our demands have not been fulfilled. The BJP candidate is avoiding rural areas, but he will be opposed whenever he arrives in villages. When a Central BJP leader comes, a protest can be held in the urban areas too.” Kuwinder Singh Machiana, a leader of the BKU Ekta Sidhupur said, “Our group is clear that we will continue protests during village visits of BJP leaders. We will hold big rallies if need arises.” Speaking on the issue, BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia said, “We all want that farmers’ demands should be met. We stand by them, but they shouldn’t disrupt the BJP events. The means they adopt for protests aren’t fair. Most of their questions are directed at the Centre. A local candidate isn’t the right person to answer such questions. They should stop their disruptions and let the party campaign. We ourselves will take up their issues when the BJP government is formed.” Former CM Charanjit Singh Channi with Congress leader Raj Kumar Verka at an election rally in Jalandhar. TRIBUNE PHOTO Verka’spresenceatChanni's ralliesstrengthenscampaign Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 16 Having received some dent recently after certain deras of Jalandhar owing allegiance to the Valmiki/Mazhabi Sikh community started opposing the candidature of Congress candidate Charanjit S Channi, the presence of one of the most prominent Valmiki leader of the party Dr Raj Kumar Verka at his rallies on Thursday have partially undone his losses. Channi had faced a lot of opposition from the Valmiki/ Mazhabi Sikh leaders within the party over the issue that as he had failed to resolve the issue of reservation within reservation during his tenure as the Chief Minister of Punjab. Former Congress Jandiala MLA Sukhwinder Danny too had questioned Channi on why Jalandhar’s Valmiki/Mazhabi Sikh community should vote for him as he did not held them in withdrawal of litigation in the Supreme Court on the issue of 12.5 of 25 per cent of total SC reservation provided to them in 1975 during the tenure of Giani Zail Singh’s government. Danny had also pointed out that as the Punjab CM, Channi did not do anything to appease the Mazhabi Sikh community which was numerically the largest SC community of Punjab (31.6 pc of the total SC population). After Danny stopped raking up the issue, other Mazhabi Sikh leaders had started the same rhetoric even bringing the heads of Valmiki deras into picture. The video bytes of these dera heads against Channi were also circulated on the social media. However, after his daylong campaign for Channi today, Dr Verka said the issue of Valmiki/ Mazhabi Sikh samaj had been resolved. “We have held talks with the heads of Valmiki deras and opinion leaders from the samaj who have explained to them that the petition moved over the matter of reservation within reservation is actually being handled by Paramjit Singh Kainth, the BJP SC Morcha vice president, who also heads the Chamar Maha Sabha. Since he is a BJP leader, Continued on page 2 Four miscreants try to Social media dominates as candidates vie for digital supremacy rob brother-sister duo Avneet Kaur Tribune News Service Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, May 16 Four people, including an armed woman, stopped a man and his sister travelling in a car from Hoshiarpur to Garhshankar near Goliyan village and allegedly tried to rob them. It has been alleged that the suspects, claiming to be police personnel, had earlier tried to stop the duo near Dansiwal village. In a complaint to the police, RK Rana, a resident of Garhshankar, said that his son’s brotherin-law was coming towards Garhshankar from Hoshiarpur with his sister. During this time, an armed woman and three men, in a Bike mechanic ends life Hoshiarpur, May 16 A motorcycle mechanic, a resident of nearby Dada village, ended his life by hanging himself from a tree. Mental stress has been cited as the reason behind the extreme step. The police recorded proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC and handed over the body of the deceased to his family after a post-mortem examination. The police received information today morning that a body of a person was hanging from a tree in Bhangi Cho near Dhobighat Chowk. The body was taken down after the police reached the spot. The deceased was identified as Sukhjinder (32). His father Des Raj, a resident of rural areas and villages is an impediment to the BJP’s aim. Following the BJP’s complaint, the ECI instructed farmers not to disrupt poll campaign of candidate. Despite this, there has been no letup in the opposition from farmers to the BJP candidate. Today, farmers gathered at Jandiala Manjki village to oppose Sushil Rinku during his expected visit, but the latter eventually did not turn up. Compared to Majha and Malwa, farmers’ opposition against the BJP in Jalandhar (Doaba) started with a slight delay. So far, Jalandhar BJP candidate Sushil Rinku has faced protests from farmers at Nurmahal, Kartarpur, Shahkot, Lohian, Mehatpur and Phillaur. In Jalandhar, Rinku has faced protests from farmers’ groups including Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Pendu Mazdoor Union, Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), Kirti Kisan Union, BKU (Doaba), BKU (Qadian), BKU (Rajewal) and BKU Ekta In its complaint to the ECI, the BJP had expressed apprehensions that farmers were targeting only its leaders and not allowing them to approach voters in villages. The BJP also raised concerns over alleged collusion of the AAP with other parties to hold protests. The state BJP chief had asked why there were no protests against the AAP . When questioned about farmers’ protest on the day he filed nominations, Jalandhar BJP candidate Sushil Rinku reiterated, “I believe farmers are not opposing us. Farmers are hard workers and they feed the world. They never resort to such measures. The people, who oppose us are not farmers, they are “sarkari farmers”.” Union Minister Anurag Thakur during his visit to Jalandhar few days ago, had said, “Farmers have been holding dharnas and protests. I question farmer brothers that the Congress was in power for 60 years, why didn’t it make law on the MSP? Where were you then? The Modi government’s crop procurement payment is three times of that given during the Congress regime. We implemented the Swaminathan Commission report. We have held talks with you. Why are you still angry?” Dada village, told the police that his son Sukhjinder was living with his wife and two children at Bassi Purani village. He used to work as a motorcycle mechanic at Bajwara village. Des Raj said when he called his son three days ago, he seemed upset. On Wednesday, Des Raj’s daughter-in-law Balbir Kaur had lodged a complaint at the Sadar police station that Sukhjinder had gone to Delhi three days ago to get a visa, but did not return. Des Raj told the police that his son was mentally disturbed due to which he took the extreme step. Investigation officer (IO) ASI Manveer Singh said the reasons behind suicide were being investigated. — OC Bolero vehicle, first tried to stop their car near Dansiwal village between Saila Khurd and Garhshankar. After this, they managed to stop them at Goliyan village, while claiming themselves to be police personnel. Rana alleged that the four suspects abused his son’s brother-in-law and his sister, physically assaulted them, tried to pull them out of the car, and snatch the car keys and mobile phones. After hearing the commotion, nearby people gathered on the spot and the suspects fled from there. Garhshankar Station House Officer Gurinderjit Singh said matter was being investigated. Unaccounted cash recovered Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 16 In a departure from traditional electioneering methods, the social media has taken a centre stage in the Lok Sabha elections. Candidates are now vying for digital dominance, crafting engaging reels, audience-centric posts, and building their follower base, steering away from the outdated use of loudspeakers and auto-mounted microphones for campaigning. Dedicated social media teams are working round the clock to produce, edit, and share content that strikes a chord with the public, aiming to make their candidates go viral. Not just this, these teams are also adept at turning rivals’ controversial videos and posts into fodder, while portraying their own candidates as more appealing and electable. When the Jalandhar Tribune reviewed the social media posts of various candidates, it uncovered a transition from simple photos and tweets to high-quality reels. These reels frequently feature candid moments of lead- ers engaging with the public, including vendors or beggars, enjoying roadside snacks, or delivering emotional speeches, often set to popular Punjabi music, including songs by Sidhu Moosewala and party-specific tracks like “Ghar ghar chali gal, Channi kerda masle hal” (There is talk in every household that Channi social media. Meanwhile, it was also discovered that some candidates have outsourced their entire social media campaigns to Delhi-based teams, while others have employed local youngsters on short-term contracts. These services come at a premium, with candidates paying between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 15 lakh for comprehensive social media management, and contractual or part-time social media managers earning between Rs 20,000 and Rs 35,000 per month. In a particularly similar move, some candidates have started live-streaming their rallies and public interactions, allowing supporters to engage in real-time. This has added a new dimension to Continued on page 2 Observers review poll arrangements, Manaccusedof ‘abduction’ ask teams to strictly implement code seriouslyinjuresgirl’sfather Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 16 The police during checking intercepted a car near Skylark Chowk here today. The police and Special Surveillance Teams (SST) stopped an MG Hector with licence plate bearing registration number PB08-EX-9231. Upon inspection, the police recovered Rs 5.58 lakh in cash from the vehicle. The driver, a local resident, failed to give a satisfactory explanation for carrying huge amount during the election period. The cash was handed over to the District Treasury Office, Jalandhar, for further investigation and proceedings. A social media team working for party of one of the candidates from Jalandhar on Thursday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH solves all issues) and “Aa rya Akali Dal, masle honge hun sare hal” (Now, Akali Dal would come and all issues would be resolved). A PR manager overseeing one candidate’s social media campaign, who requested anonymity, highlighted the strategic importance of these platforms. He said, “Everyone is on social media these days and enjoys watching videos and reels. Loudspeakers on autos don’t attract people anymore and are considered noise pollution. But a wellcrafted video or reel will definitely draw their attention.” He cited the example of Neetu Shatranwala, who became an overnight sensation after a video of him lamenting his poor performance in the 2019 elections, went viral on the Jalandhar, May 16 Police observer Satish Kumar Gajbhiye and expenditure observer Madhav Deshmukh, appointed by the the Election Commission for Jalandhar Lok Sabha polls, have asked officials to strictly implement the Model Code of Conduct to ensure free and fair elections. Chairing a meeting today with Deputy Commissioner Dr Himanshu Aggarwal, Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma and SSP Jalandhar (Rural) Dr Ankur Gupta, the observers reviewed the arrangements made by the c m y b district administration, especially for maintaining security. Addressing officials, they said that free and fair/peaceful voting was the basis of healthy democracy which must be ensured at all costs. They also said that teams must remain fully alert to check the illegal flow of cash and liquor. Expressing satisfaction over the arrangements made by the district administration, the observers said that confidence building measures must be enhanced so that people were able to cast their votes without any fear. The expenditure observer asked the FST (Flying Squad Teams) and SST (Static Surveillance Teams) to remain more vigilant, especially in pockets identified as expenditure sensitive, besides ensuring better coordination between various units as well as with headquarters. Briefing the observers about the arrangements made by the district administration, Deputy Commissioner Dr Aggarwal said, “The district administration has made elaborate arrangements to ensure free and fair polls in Jalandhar where more than 16 lakh people would be able to exercise their right to franchise at 1,951 polling booths.” Phagwara, May 16 A man along with 20 to 25 armed accomplices allegedly attacked and wounded father of a girl at her house before kidnapping her in Silkiana village near Phillaur on Tuesday afternoon. Seriously injured girl’s father Godawar Singh was admitted to the DMCH, Ludhiana. The girl reportedly jumped down from the top floor of her house, but the suspect, identified as Bunty, of the same village, allegedly fled with the injured victim in a car. Phillaur SHO Neeraj Kumar said on the complaint of Godawar Singh, a case was registered against Bunty, Heera and their accomplices. Godwar Singh, a retired Armyman, told the police that the suspects, who came in six different cars, opened fire at him, but he escaped. After this, they attacked him with sharp weapons. They also damaged his car parked outside his house. The scared family members went to the top floor of his house after which the girl jumped down. The SHO said according to Godawar Singh, his daughter had eloped with Bunty in November last year, but he (Godawar) brought her back as she did not want to live with him anymore. He alleged that Bunty and his companions attacked him and kidnapped his daughter as an act of revenge.— OC
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