26122024-JTR-01.qxd 12/25/2024 10:27 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune CITY ROLLS OUT ‘RED CARPET’ FOR MISS GRAND INTERNATIONAL PANJAB VARSITY WINS INTERUNIVERSITY FOOTBALL TOURNEY AMIA SAYS HER BOOK IS A PEEP INTO A SURREAL WORLD Rachel Gupta, who made history as the first Indian to be crowned Miss Grand International, returned home. P2 GNA University hosted the AIU North Zone Inter-University Football Tournament in which 30 teams participated. P2 Amia Kunwar was in Chandigarh to promote her book Imroznama, which is tribute to Imroz on his death anniv. P4 » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR MAX 19°C | MIN 6°C YESTERDAY MAX 20°C | MIN 5°C SUNSET THURSDAY 5.31 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 7:25 AM » THURSDAY | 26 DECEMBER 2024 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF ONE KILLED IN ROAD ACCIDENT Hoshiarpur: One person was killed while another was injured in a road accidents here. Rakesh Kumar of Nasran village told the Chabbewal police that he was going to work on a bike with his friend Parshottam Lal. When they reached near Sarangwal, suddenly a dog came in front of their bike. While trying to save the dog, he lost control over bike and they fell on the road and were injured. He told the police that dog’s owner Sartaj Singh of Maili took away keys of his bike and left from the spot. Because of this, he could not take his friend Parshottam for treatment and he died, said Rakesh. The Chabbewal police have registered a case against Sartaj Singh in this connection. OC ONE DIES AS TWO CARS COLLIDE Hoshiarpur: In his complaint, one Daljit Singh, a resident of Jhinghad Khurd village, told the police that he was taking a walk when a car passing by was hit by another car. The car, which was hit by another vehicle, spun out of control and hit a roadside tree. Car driver Gagandeep Singh, a resident of Jhinghad Khurd, died on the spot while Lovepreet Singh, a resident of Qutubpur, who was driving another car was injured in the accident. The Dasuya police have registered a case in this connection. OC MAN DUPED OF ~5.70 LAKH Hoshiarpur: The Tanda police have registered a case against two suspects on the charge of allegedly duping one person of ~5.70 lakh on the pretext of sending him abroad. According to information, Karan Gill, a resident of Pandori Jhawan, told the police that Jagveer Singh and Rajveer Singh, residents of Gobindgarh in Ludhiana district, allegedly cheated him of ~5.70 lakh on the pretext of sending him abroad. After registering a case, the police have started further probe into the matter. OC THREE ARRESTED FOR BETTING Hoshiarpur: The Model Town police have booked four suspects involved in betting and arrested three of them after recovering ~16,290 in cash from them. The arrested suspects have been identified as Hemraj and Vinod Kumar, both residents of Rishi Nagar, and Dalip Kumar, a resident of Pahadi Gate, Hariana. The suspect on the run has been identified as Sanjay Kumar, a resident of Rishi Nagar. OC DCC chief detained during protest against councillor, released later Tribune News Service Jalandhar, December 25 As the Congress leaders were continuing their protest for the second day on Wednesday against councillors of the party, who had defected to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the city police detained the District Congress Committee (DCC) chief Rajinder Beri from the dharna site. Beri and party leaders, including former Senior Deputy Mayor Surinder Kaur, councillors Balraj Thakur, besides Manu Warring and others, were staging a dharna at Avtar Nagar outside the residence of Manmeet Kaur. Manmeet had on Saturday won the Municipal Corporation elections from the area falling in Ward No. 47 on the Congress ticket. But on Monday, she defected to the AAP which needed councillors to complete its majority figure in the MC . Congress leaders had been holding protest dharna against Manmeet for ditching the party while carrying placards with words “traitor” and “betrayer” written on them. Phagwara: A trading store — Sarasvati Enterprises — was reportedly burgled in Fateh Singh Nagar on Tuesday night. Burglars entered the store after breaking shutters and took away goods worth ~8 lakh. Store owner Neeraj Bakshi told the police that large boxes of cigarettes worth ~7.70 lakh, coins worth ~12,000 lying in the office and other goods were stolen from the store. The Burglars ransacked store before leaving. The police have registered a case and initiated probe into the matter. OC The Congress protest was also being telecast live on the Facebook. Congress workers had also been appealing to the councillor to rethink on her decision, return to the party fold and not to succumb to the pressure exerted on her by AAP leaders. As the dharna was being held around noon, police teams arrived on the spot. Harshpreet Singh, ACP Jalandhar (West), , also reached the site and asked Congress leaders if they had taken permission to hold the protest. Beri was still talking to the police when one of the workers and senior citizen Prem Saini was pushed and he fell down. He was injured badly and had to be immediately hospitalised. In the melee, the police detained Beri and Warring and took them to the Bhargo Camp police station. Congress workers raised slogans against councillor Manmeet Kaur, the AAP and the police while resisting the forcible eviction of Beri and Warring from the protest site. After this, all of them followed Congress leaders to the police station. The gates of the police station were shut. Congress workers then held protest outside the police station. Just as senior leaders, including MLA Pargat Singh and others were arriving on the spot in Beri’s support, the police decided to release him. Beri came out of the police station and said, “The police are working at the behest of the AAP and trying to silence everyone protesting against party’s wrongdoings.” Beri, who had held a similar protest outside the residence of another defected councillor Parveen Wason yesterday, said, “The protests against the AAP will continue. We will have another protest soon.” Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, December 25 Soon the city would get its new mayor. Several names for the post are already doing rounds, but whoever gets elected to the post would face numerous challenges after taking charge. A lot of work has to be done on the ground level. Piles of garbage everywhere, overflowing sewage, non-working streetlights, poor roads and what not! New mayor would have to come out with a strategy to deal with the civic mess in the industrial town. A team of The Tribune had recently visited four wards and found that residents were living amidst poor amenities. One of the areas which the correspondent visited was Basti Danishmanda that got its name because of the genius and intelligence of persons (referred to as Danishmands in Urdu) living here. Among them, a majority of residents are Muslims. “Peeli Kothi” is a landmark of Basti Danishmanda. Residents said Basti Danishmanda was known for this kothi and everyone who comes from outside surely visits the place. People said one of the families of the Danishmands used to live in the kothi and the bungalow was the last proof of their existence. The area grapples with water, sewage and solid waste management and poor road issues. Ashwini Kumar, a resident, said all they want was clean water and good roads. “We don’t ask for jobs, but for basic amenities,” he said. Apart from this, the major challenge that last mayor Jagdish Raja faced was opposition from officials of the Municipal Corporation (MC), who never listened to him and even walked out of the ongoing General House meeting once just because mayor questioned them regarding incomplete civic works. This happened for the first time in the history of the MC House. Mayor Jagdish Raja also shared his disappointment with officials for not listening to him. A lot of expectations, questions and challenges await for whoever sits on the mayor’s chair. Civic body, traffic police 22 injured as speeding bus veers off road, overturns in pond clearencroachmentsfrom markets,roadsinPhagwara Phagwara, December 25 Encroachments in bazaars, colonies, shopping complexes, on roads and under the flyover of the National Highways passing through the town are normal as the administration, the Municipal Corporation and the National Highways Authorities of India have looked the other way for the past several years. Immediately after the elections for the Phagwara Municipal Corporation (MC), a joint drive was launched today keeping in view worsening traffic congestion in the city. During the drive, the MC along with the traffic police removed encroachments in several busy market areas of the city today. Officials confiscated goods placed outside shops in viola- tion of the regulations and issued warnings to shopkeepers to keep their merchandise within legal limits. The drive covered key areas such as Cinema Road, Paper Chowk, Jhatkaian Chowk, Naiyan Chowk, Sarai Road and GT Road. Several challans were also issued to violators during the drive. Traffic police in-charge Aman Kumar and MC Inspector Hitesh appealed to shopkeepers to adhere to the rules, while emphasising on the importance of maintaining clear pathways for pedestrians and for ensuring smooth vehicular movement. “This campaign will continue to ensure that public spaces are not encroached and residents do not face difficulties while commuting,” said officials. — OC Hoshiarpur, December 25 On Wednesday morning, driver of a speeding bus lost control over the vehicle near Kurala on JalandharPathankot National Highway, which went off the road, overturned and fell into a roadside village pond. The bus of a private company was on its way from Talwara to Jalandhar. There were around 35 passengers in the bus, out of which 10 women, 10 men and two children were injured. The injured were admitted to civil hospitals in Dasuya and Tanda. Among the injured passengers in Tanda, five including bus conductor, were referred to a Hoshiarpur hospital. According to information, this the bus started from Talwara at 7.30 am and went towards Jalandhar via Mukerian. When the bus reached near Kurala village around 9 am, due to high speed, its driver The police use a crane to remove the overturned bus from a pond near Kurala village of Tanda on Wednesday. lost control over the vehicle, it went off the road, overturned and fell into a roadside pond. After the accident, nearby villagers and passersby immediately pulled passengers out of the bus and informed the authorities concerned and the ambulance. The police and administration officials reached the spot and sent passengers to civil hospitals in Dasuya and Tanda. After giving first aid to passen- gers, some of them were referred to other hospitals and others were discharged. Giving more information, police station in-charge Gurinder Jeet Singh Nagra said the accident happened as the bus was speeding. The driv- er, who used to drive the bus every day was on leave. A new driver was driving the bus for the first time. The bus was impounded by the police. Action would be taken after registering a case against the driver, the police said. — OC City witnessed surge in unsettling crimes, high-stake encounters Avneet Kaur GOODS WORTH ~8 LAKH STOLEN Police detain District Congress Committee president Rajinder Beri during a protest by party workers in Jalandhar. PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH Residents wait for new mayor as city faces plethora of civic issues Tribune News Service Jalandhar, December 25 The year 2024 has been one of the most challenging for Jalandhar, marked by an unsettling surge in violent crimes which put law enforcement under relentless pressure. Despite police crackdowns on notorious gangs and arrests of criminals with connections to infamous figures like Lawrence Bishnoi, Kaushal Bambiha, Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and Canadabased Lakhbir Singh Landa, the city witnessed a troubling spike in snatchings, robberies and thefts, leaving residents increasingly insecure. The year began on a tragic note with the murder of DSP Dalbir Singh Deol on January 1. While the police swiftly arrested an auto-rickshaw driver, doubts about the official narrative persist, with some retired officers expressing scepticism over conclusion of the investi- gation in this connection. This case set the tone for what would become a relentless battle against crime in the city. In March, an audacious theft at a house in Guru Gobind Singh Avenue made headlines when a bur- Nearby shopkeepers gather at the Imperial Medical Hall following the robbery incident in Jalandhar. glar not only escaped in front of the police, but returned hours later to retrieve forgotten belongings. Such boldness reflected a worrying trend of lawlessness. The city also witnessed a rise in violent attacks. Sunny, a cable firm employee, had his wrist slashed by snatchers in Maqsudan, resulting in the amputation of his hand. Similarly, an auto-rickshaw THE LOWS THE HIGHS ■ Embarrassing lapses, like the Puneet Gandhi case and silence over Gurpreet Gopa case ■ Persistent robberies, murders, snatchings and shootings ■ Initiatives fostering police-public engagement ■ Crackdowns on organised crime and arrests of scores of gangsters ■ Rising protests over law-and-order concerns ■ Traffic management reforms introduced ■ Surge in two-wheeler thefts in city ■ Major drug seizures, including 65kg poppy husk driver Dinesh Kumar suffered severe hand injuries in a robbery near Ram Nagar Railway Crossing. In another horrify- c m y b ing incident, Laxmi, a Class XII student, was dragged along a road for 350 metres by snatchers, leaving her severe- ly injured and traumatised. The city was further shaken by a series of murders, each more gruesome than the last. Cases ranged from the killing of Ankit Jumba in the Basti area to the discovery of a body hidden in a bed box in Gadaipur. A Sikh youth was murdered in Deol Nagar and a young man named Rishabh, alias Badshah, was killed in a shooting near Khingra Gate. One of the most chilling cases involved Sonia, a resident of Kukar village, who was arrested for the coldblooded murder of her husband, whom she allegedly poisoned over two years. Gun violence continued unabated, with multiple shooting incidents shaking public confidence in the law enforcement agencies. Rival groups clashed in Mota Singh Nagar, leaving two individuals critically injured. In another case, bullets were fired at the residence of advocate Gurmohar Singh and near Maqsudan Sabzi Mandi. Brazen thefts also became alarmingly common. A thief in Basti Nau scaled a tree to reach the rooftop of a house, attacked a woman inside, and snatched her gold earrings before escaping the same way. Another robbery occurred in broad daylight at Imperial Medical Hall, where thieves made off with ~40,000. Even hired security guards were assaulted during attempted thefts, further underlining the city’s deteriorating safety. The business community voiced fears about carrying cash after Arhtiya Shantu was robbed at gunpoint on the Patel Nagar-Nagra road. Despite police arrests in the case, anxiety lingers among traders. Meanwhile, a house help Karan was robbed of Rs 300, demonstrating that no crime was too small to escape the city’s wave of lawlessness. Social activist Sanjay Sehgal’s frustrations echoed across the city when his daughter’s scooter was stolen and despite CCTV evidence being provided Continued on page 2