08012025-JTR-01.qxd 1/7/2025 10:22 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune NCC CADETS TAKE OUT CYCLE RALLY FROM HUSSAINIWALA TO DELHI POLICE LAUNCH CASO IN KAPURTHALA DISTRICT BULLET-PROOF GLASS, CCTV INSTALLED AT SALMAN’S HOUSE The cycle rally of NCC Jalandhar unit will cover a distance of 710 km in 14 days with a two-day break. P2 The exercise was being conducted to assure the masses that the police were always there for their safety. P2 Salman Khan is not leaving any loose ends to ensure his safety from threats issued by Lawrence Bishnoi. P4 » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR MAX 13°C | MIN 8°C YESTERDAY MAX 14°C | MIN 9°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 5.41 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 7:27 AM » WEDNESDAY | 8 JANUARY 2025 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF MAN HELD FOR ATTACKING COPS Phagwara: The police have arrested Shahkot villager for attacking police officials. The accused had been identified as Kamal Preet Singh of Gehlarran village. ASI Sarabjit Singh said in his statement that he was manning a naka with his staff when a car came from Nakada's side. He signalled the driver to stop, but the accused tried to hit him. He saved himself and the vehicle collided with a barricade. Sarabjit said the accused was overpowered by his staff and his licence was attached, and a challan under the Motor Vehicle Act was issued. ASI said after this the accused took a sword from his vehicle and started threatening them. A case had been registered against the accused. OC NRI BOOKED FOR MURDER BID Phagwara: The Shahkot police have booked five persons, including an NRI, on the charges of attempt to murder and firing. The accused have been identified as Sukhvir Singh of Jamsher village and presently living in the US, Roth Masih of Chumo village, Vinay Tiwari of Basti Sheikh, Shivam of Mota Singh Nagar and Manish Kumar of Mithapur, Jalandhar. Raj Kumar of Kangana village complained to the police that the accused reached the front of his house on January 3 late at night and opened fire to kill him, using abusive language and threatening him with dire consequences. OC WAQF BOARD LAND FRAUD, 1 BOOKED Hoshiarpur: The police have registered a case by naming an accused on the charge of allegedly cheating Rs 1.32 lakh in the name of getting Waqf Board land. Pawandeep Singh, a resident of village Patti, had lodged a complaint with the district police chief. He said Vijay Kumar, a resident of Akash Colony located in Ravidas Nagar, allegedly cheated him of Rs 1,32,000 in the name of getting him the land of Waqf Board. On the orders of SSP, the complaint was investigated by SP (H) Manoj Kumar. After the investigation report came, the police started further action after registering a case.OC 3 BOOKED FOR ILLEGAL MINING Phagwara: The Shahkot police have booked three persons on the charge of illegal sand mining. The accused have been identified as Sukhraj, Jeeta and Soni. Block mining officer Moga complained to the police that the accused were indulging in illegal sand mining near Chak Bahmania village and three tractor trolleys loaded with sand were impounded. A case under Section 21 of the Punjab Mining Act and of the BNS has been registered against the accused. OC MAN HELD WITH ILLICIT LIQUOR Phagwara: The Lohian Khas police have arrested a person on the charge of selling illicit liquor. As many as 30 bottles of illicit liquor were recovered from the possession of the accused Gurpreet Singh, a resident of Ismailpur village. A case under Sections 61/1/14 of the Excise Act has been registered against the accused. OC Finally, city may get In violation of NGT orders, Model Town garbage dump is back Mayor by Jan 11 Avneet Kaur Tribune News Service AAP’s Vaneet Dhir ahead in race for top post Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, January 7 The Jalandhar Municipal Corporation is likely to get its new Mayor by Saturday and the name of Aam Aadmi Party’s Vaneet Dhir is almost ‘final’. Dhir had won from Ward no. 62 with a huge margin of 3,596 votes, perhaps the highest from any ward in the entire state in the recent civic body elections. His wife Shweta Dhir had been a councillor from the same ward (then Ward no. 77) in the previous MC House on the BJP ticket. She too had then won with 1,800 votes but Vaneet made the margin double this time. A businessman and staunch RSS worker, Dhir had twice made an entry into AAP in the past nearly two years. He had left the BJP to join AAP during the tenure of previous Local Bodies Minister Inderbir S Nijjer. Later, as ex-MP Sushil Rinku had left AAP and joined the saffron party, he too had moved back. However, just ahead of the Vaneet Dhir MC poll held last month, Dhir was back in the AAP . Vaneet’s father Prof Vinod K Dhir has served as the VicePrincipal in Arya College at Ludhiana. He too had studied in the same college pursuing Diploma in Computer Applications and Business Management. For the past nearly 25 years, he is running businesses in Jalandhar. He is an importer and deals in wall papers and home decor products. He also runs a signage manufacturing business for the leading corporates. He At 10, Harseerat is Junior Miss India also runs C & F for the ACC adhesives division. Known to be in the policymaking teams and the planning for electioneering in the BJP the AAP leadership con, siders him to be the best choice to lead Jalandhar in civic matters. Since his wife was a councillor, he too is well-versed with the nuances of working in the Municipal Corporation. A meeting of all AAP MLAs and halqa incharges from Jalandhar was convened by AAP state president Aman Arora in Chandigarh today. The leaders have been asked to prepare for the mayoral elections on coming Saturday. Even though AAP insiders gave clear hints about his name, Dhir maintained that he was still pushing his case and hoping for the best. The names of Ashwani Aggarwal, Mukesh Sethi, Dinesh Dhall, Aruna Arora and Deepak Sharda had also been doing the rounds earlier. They still stand a chance for the posts of Deputy Mayor and Senior Deputy Mayor. Armed assailants murder village youth in Phillaur dump is back. Our tax money was dusted to the ground,” said a resident, Meenal Verma. The NGT’s December ruling had ordered the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation (MC) to immediately stop waste dumping at the site, remove the accumulated garbage and transport it to designated transfer stations as per the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. The tribunal had also tasked the Punjab Pollution Control Board with monitoring compliance, with the next hearing set for April 1, 2025. However, this verdict seems to have been ignored. Tejasvi Minhas, the social activist, who filed the petition at the NGT, termed the current situation the “contempt of court.” “We were optimistic that the issue was resolved, but this blatant violation undermines the tribunal’s authority and residents’ struggles. We will raise this matter at the next hearing,” he said. The reappearance of the garbage dump has reignited criticism against AAP leaders. “They demolished the boundary wall just before the elections, calling it an achievement. Now the dump is back and we are left to suffer. Our health, peace and environment everything is being sacrificed for their vote bank politics,” said another resident. Murder case solved within 24 hours, two arrested Our Correspondent Our Correspondent Tribune News Service Jalandhar, January 7 At the age of 10, city girl Harseerat Kaur has become the proud winner of the Junior Miss India 2025 title. The grand finale of the event was held at Hotel Marriott in Indore on Sunday for the 120 participants shortlisted from across the country. She was picked for the title in the 8-10 years age category. Harseerat is a student of Police DAV Public School and her parents said they got to know about the event from an Instagram post some months ago and hence started preparing for it. Online and offline sessions for the event were conducted in Indore by the Junior Miss India team under the guidance of Noyonita Lodh, Miss Diva University 2014. Her father Guriqbal Singh, who is Operation Deputy Manager with HDFC Ergo Insurance, said, “Our daughter showed much enthusiasm at all steps of the event right till the finale. The auditions were held in Ludhiana in August. In the grand finale, there were three Jalandhar, January 7 In a striking display of administrative failure, garbage has again been dumped near the Model Town Cremation Ground here today, in blatant defiance of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directives and the lofty promises of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders. The site, which had been a longstanding source of contention for residents, had supposedly been shut down following an NGT order last month. This development, however, has again sparked outrage as it highlights the authorities’ inability to enforce the tribunal’s verdict. Adding to the frustration is AAP’s pre-election theatrics, where party leaders demolished the boundary wall of the dump and declared, “The AAP delivers what it promises.” Residents now say these promises have proven hollow, with the garbage pile reappearing just weeks after the municipal polls. “We were hopeful when the NGT had intervened, but everything is back to square one. Leaders wasted public money and resources to demolish a structure, and now the rounds - culture round, Western round and gown round. Harseerat delivered a very good speech on her state Punjab in the culture round. The other two rounds had ramp walk.” Harseerat’s mother Neelu, who is Assistant Professor in CT Group of Institutions, said, “After her success, our daughter has started nurturing a dream to win the Miss Universe crown after attaining the age of 18.” Phagwara, January 7 Around half a dozen armed unidentified assailants reportedly murdered a village youth with sharp weapons in village Akalpur near Phillaur late on Sunday night. DSP Sarwan Singh Bal said as per information received, the deceased, identified as Jagtar Singh (38), received a phone call and went out to meet someone where the accused attacked him with sharp weapons. He was brought to the Civil Hospital, Phillaur, lying in a pool of blood where he succumbed to his injuries. DSP Bal said the police have registered a case against the unknown killers. Personal enmity was said to be the cause of murder, said DSP Bal. The deceased is survived by his wife and two children. The body of the deceased was handed over to his family members after post-mortem examination conducted at Phillaur Civil Hospital. The cremation was attended by hundreds of villagers on Monday evening. PHAGWARA, JANUARY 7 In a major breakthrough, the Jalandhar Rural Police solved a murder case within 24 hours, arresting two accused in connection with the killing of a man in Akalpur village, Phillaur. The accused have been identified as Lakhvir Singh and Arvinder Singh, both residents of Bakkapur village. Speaking to the media, SSP Harkamal Preet Singh Khakh said the swift action was carried out under the supervision of SP Investigation, Jasrup , Kaur Bath, and DSP Sarwan Singh Bal. The accused were apprehended by a special team led by Inspector Sanjeev Kapur. The arrests were made in connection with the murder of Jagtar Singh, a resident of Akalpur village, who was killed on January 5. SSP Khakh added that the incident was reported by the victim’s wife, Seema Rani, who filed a complaint, stating that her husband was attacked by a group of 7-8 individuals around 7 PM on January 5. The assailants, Two persons in police custody in Phillaur. armed with deadly weapons, had targeted the victim due to a longstanding dispute. The police acted swiftly, forming multiple teams to investigate the case. Within hours, critical leads were developed using witness accounts, technical surveillance and ground-level intelligence. The efforts culminated in the arrest of Lakhvir Singh and Arvinder Singh. Both have admitted to harbouring a grudge against Jagtar Singh, whom they blamed for opposing their frequent alcohol consumption near the village. This resentment led to the fatal attack. A case has been registered under Sections 103(2), 61(2), 191(3), 190 of the BNS at Phillaur Police Station. The accused have been remanded to police custody for further investigation. The postmortem examination of the deceased is being conducted at the Civil Hospital, Phillaur. SSP Khakh said the raids are being conducted to apprehend the remaining suspects involved in the crime. He emphasised that the police force remained committed to maintaining law and order and ensuring swift justice in criminal cases. The Joint Action Committee (JAC), led by Varinder Malik and Jaswinder Singh Sahni, which had fought relentlessly for the dump’s closure, called the latest developments a mockery of governance. “They made grand promises, but this is where we stand today,” JAC representatives said. Meanwhile, MC Health Officer Kishan Sharma denied the MC’s involvement, claiming the garbage was dumped by informal waste collectors. “We have issued orders to cease all activities at this site. We will ensure the waste is lifted promptly. Steps will also be taken to supervise the site to prevent further violations,” he said. Mother dies of shock after son’s death Jalandhar, January 7 In a heart-wrenching incident in Sheetal Nagar here, a woman died of shock after seeing her son’s body. The deceased have been identified as Parvesh Kumar, alias Gaggi, and his mother Sharda. They resided in Sheetal Nagar. According to reports, Parvesh Kumar, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, suffered a fatal accident on Monday evening. Witnesses stated that while returning home, he fell and sustained a severe head injury. Blood loss from the wound appeared to have worsened his condition. Hearing her son’s death news, his mother Sharda screamed and immediately collapsed. Neighbours rushed to their aid, taking both Parvesh and Sharda to a nearby hospital. However, both succumbed— Parvesh to his injuries and Sharda to what is suspected to be shock. Parvesh was said to be struggling with substance abuse and had a history of drug addiction, neighbours revealed. Police said preliminary information suggested that the excessive drug use may have played a role in the tragedy. — TNS Roots in Nawanshahr, Oz girl’s second book also a hit Youth electrocuted Avneet Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, January 7 Ashleen Khela, 12, a writer with roots in Sajawalpur village, Nawanshahr, has been recognised as Australia’s youngest female author. She first captured the heart of people with her debut book, ‘17 Stories’ just a few months back and is now making waves again with her latest work, ‘Journey Through Her Jersey’. This book aims to raise funds for UNICEF Australia to support their vital life-saving efforts worldwide. Speaking to this correspondent during her visit to the city for an event, Ashleen shared how her writing journey is deeply rooted in her commitment to social justice. “I believe in women’s and underprivileged children’s rights and want to highlight social justice issues through my writings,” she said. Her latest book draws inspiration from her real-life experiences and observations of social disparities during her childhood. She said when she was eight-year old, she travelled to her village where she witnessed the harsh realities faced by children of labourers living in roadside hovels. Recalling an emotional encounter, she said, “Running towards me like a flock of sheep to get a single banana, these underprivileged kids showed me the stark social disparities in the world. A single banana was a big treat for them.” That moment planted the seeds of her determina- c m y b tion to help underprivileged children, she said. To turn her passion into action, Ashleen published her debut book, ‘17 Stories’, at the age of 11, using the proceeds to support Australian charities and children in developing nations. Remarkably, she funded the publication entirely on her own by recycling bottles and cans through Australia’s Return and Earn programme and selling plants. “I wanted to raise funds for the cause without financial assistance from my parents,” she said. Her second book, ‘Journey Through Her Jersey’ (published last month), delves into the barriers faced by girls in sports, drawing inspiration from her younger sister Avleen. “My sister was heartbroken when she couldn’t join her school’s cricket club because it was a ‘boys-only’ thing. That incident motivated me to advocate for equal opportunities for girls,” Ashleen said. She credits her father, Amarjit Khela, a Punjabi writer, for sparking her interest in writing. She said through her books, she aims to amplify awareness and create change, with her current efforts directed at supporting UNICEF’s initiatives to provide children with clean water, education, healthcare. Jalandhar, January 7 A 21-year-old youth died this afternoon near Lamba Pind Chowk here after coming into contact with an exposed electric wire lying on the road. The victim Lucky of Hardayal Nagar, Santokhpura, was reportedly talking on his phone when his foot touched a live wire, resulting in an electric shock. Lucky collapsed after being electrocuted. Bystanders rushed to his aid but within moments, he breathing stopped. The incident has, meanwhile, sparked anger among residents, who blamed the PSPCL for negligence. A video from the site shows locals expressing outrage at the electricity department, accusing it of endangering lives due to poor maintenance of infrastructure. The wire, reportedly fallen from an electric pole, had been lying unattended on the road, despite the risk it posed to the public. Residents criticised the electricity department for failing to act promptly, with many questioning the department’s accountability. “Who is responsible for this young man’s death? They collect bills but ignore basic safety measures,” said a local resident. — TNS