11032025-JTR-01.qxd 3/10/2025 11:18 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune ADMN JOINS HANDS WITH NGO TO CHECK POLLUTION 500 AWARDED DEGREES AT DAV CONVOCATION PERFECT 10 FOR LAAPATAA LADIES AT IIFA AWARDS Medical and environmental experts will be involved to address environmental concerns. P2 DAV College hosted convocation on its campus, awarding degrees to nearly 500 students of the 2024 batch. P2 Leading the pack of winners was Laapataa Ladies, which captivated audiences and critics alike. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 30°C | MIN 15°C YESTERDAY MAX 29°C | MIN 15°C SUNSET TUESDAY 6.32 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6:41 AM » TUESDAY | 11 MARCH 2025 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF MAN HELD WITH OPIUM PLANTS Jalandhar: The Subhanpur police have arrested a man with 150 opium plants at the Lakkhan Ke Padde village in Kapurthala after a tip-off. The police reached the spot and uprooted the plants from the field and seized them, while the accused was arrested. A case had been registered against the accused Balwinder Singh. The police seized 150 opium plants from Balwinder Singh's farm. TNS TALWARA YOUTH FOUND HANGING Talwara: The body of a young man was found hanging from a tree in a mango orchard in BBMB Colony of the town. The deceased has been identified as Jagan Bhandari (35). According to family members, Bhandari had left the house this afternoon. Around four in the evening, they came to know that Bhandari ended life by hanging himself in the mango orchard. The police have taken the body into custody and started further proceedings. OC BOOKED FOR SAND MINING Phagwara: The Lohian Khas police have booked unidentified persons for illegal sand mining. The police have received a complaint from mining officer Sahil against the persons who were indulging in illegal sand mining and impounded a JCB machine from the spot. A case has been registered under Section 21 of the Mines Act and Section 303(2) (theft) of the BNS against the accused and further investigation is on. OC YOUTH KILLED IN ROAD ACCIDENT Phagwara: A Shahkot youth was killed in an accident when his two-wheeler skidded and collided with a tipper on the Shahkot-Thammuwal road on Sunday. The deceased has been identified as Karan (19) of Thammanwal village. The police handed over the body to the family after post-mortem. oc 20 Sewa Kendras to provide 443 services to residents: DC Phagwara, March 10 To ensure seamless and transparent administrative services, 20 Sewa Kendras are operational across the district, providing 443 different services to citizens. Residents can visit their nearest Sewa Kendra to avail of these services conveniently. According to DC Amit Kumar Panchal, Kapurthala tehsil has 7 Sewa Kendras, Sultanpur Lodhi has 5, while Bhulath and Phagwara each have 4 centres catering to the public. For added convenience, citizens can book an online token by scanning the QR code or sending a WhatsApp message on the mobile number 98555-01076. Additionally, services can be accessed from home by dialling 1076. In case of any difficulties or grievances related to Sewa Kendras, citizens can contact the helpline number 1100 or lodge a complaint on the Punjab government’s public grievance redressal portal. The initiative aims to provide efficient and transparent governance while making administrative services more accessible to the people. — OC Produce video recording, observer’s report of Phagwara mayoral poll: HC Ashok Kaura Phagwara, March 10 Following an election petition filed by the Congress over the Phagwara mayoral elections, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed that the videography of the election proceedings and the court-appointed observer’s report be produced before it on the next hearing fixed for March 19. The case, filed by petitioners Congress councillor Sanjeev Kumar Bugga and Phagwara MLA Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal, was taken up by the court today. Advocates Karanjot Singh Jhikka and Maninder Saini represented the petitioners, while the respondents, including the Municipal Corporation, sought an adjournment as the observer’s report was not presented before the court. During the proceedings, the petitioners emphasised that videography is the fundamental piece of scientific evidence and a crucial component of the election petition. They argued that the footage would provide an objective and transparent account of the election process, aiding the court in reaching a just and rightful conclusion. Accepting these submissions, the court allowed the request and ordered the production of the videography along with the observer’s report during the next hearing. Meanwhile, the respondents have filed an affidavit, but the observer’s report remains pending. The court’s directive ensures that the key evidence will be examined, bringing clarity and transparency to the dispute. ASI arrested for taking ~3,500 bribe Our Correspondent Phagwara, March 10 The Vigilance Bureau (VB) has arrested Assistant SubInspector (ASI) Kulwinder Singh, posted at Kapurthala, for accepting a bribe of Rs 3,500 and demanding an additional Rs 10,000. Disclosing this here today, an official spokesperson of the VB stated that the police official had been arrested following an online complaint lodged by a resident of Kapurthala on the Chief Minister’s Anti-Corruption Action Line. The spokesperson further added that the complainant had informed the VB that he had got registered a police case at the police station. ASI Kulwinder Singh, investigating officer, had demanded a bribe for submitting the chargesheet in the court. The accused had also contacted the complainant via mobile phone, instructing him to pay the amount to proceed with the chargesheet submission. During investigation, the allegations were substantiated, confirming that the ASI had already taken Rs 3,500 and was demanding an additional Rs 10,000. Following this, he had been arrested and a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered against him at the VB Police Station, Jalandhar Range. Further investigation into the case is underway, he added. 7 nabbed for drug peddling, snatching Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 10 The police, under the supervision of ACP-Cantonment Babandeep Singh, arrested seven persons, including two in snatching cases, during a special search operation. The arrests were made as part of the ongoing operation directed by Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur, aimed at curbing drug-related offenses and theft in the city. During the operation, five suspects were apprehended with a haul of illegal substances and weapons. Among them, Puran Singh of Buta village and Dharminder Singh of Dharmapura were caught with 109 and 245 intoxicated tablets, respectively. Mandeep Singh from Daduwal was found in possession of 18 gram of heroin, while Mohit Kumar from Dhina was caught with 92 tablets and an illegal pistol with two magazines and cartridges. Another suspect, Narinder Singh of Nakodar road, was arrested with 300 intoxicated tablets. Additionally, two persons involved in snatching incidents were arrested. Lakhwinder Singh and Satnam Singh, both residents of Channanpur village, were taken into custody. 2 arrested for snatching, gold locket recovered The Jalandhar Commissionerate Police has arrested two suspects involved in a snatching and recovered a stolen gold locket. The arrests have been made by polic under the leadership of Commissioner of Police Dhanpreet Kaur. The complaint was lodged by Vaijinder Kumar Chaurasiya of Surgical Complex, Kapurthala Road, Jalandhar. Chaurasiya said on March 3, after leaving his scooter for repairs on Kapurthala Road, he was walking home when two persons on a motorcycle intercepted him near Butti Colony. The suspects allegedly snatched his gold locket and fled. The police team tracked down and arrested the accused Mukesh Jha of Jaina Colony, Basti Shekh, and Brijesh of Kot Mohalla, Basti Shekh. During interrogation, the suspects confessed to the crime, leading to the recovery of the stolen gold locket. BACKGROUND OF THE CASE ■ On February 1, the Aam Aadmi Party had declared that councillor Ram Pal had been elected as a Mayor with a majority of 26 councillors voting in its favour ■ This was challenged by the Congress MLA and councillor, who claimed that they had the majority with 26 votes on their side ■ Since the Congress councillor had earlier moved a petition, seeking directions to ensure a fair election, a retired HC judge had been appointed as the observer and videography of the election had been ordered ■ The Congress is demanding that both evidences be brought on record Phagwara MLA Balwinder Dhaliwal protests after mayoral poll. FILE << Farmers gherao houses of AAP MLAs, ministers Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 10 Members of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha on Monday gheraoed Aam Aadmi Party MLAs by holding sits-in outside their residences. The protests were held for four hours starting from 11 am to 3 pm outside the houses of minister Mohinder Bhagat, MLA, Kartarpur, Balkar Singh and MLA, Nakodar, Inderjit Kaur Mann. The farmer unions were protesting against the AAP leaders as they had been stopped from entering Chandigarh on March 5 to lodge their protest against the state government. The members of BKU Rajewal led by activist Kashmir Singh held the protest outside Balkar Singh’s residence. Kashmir Singh said, “CM Bhagwant Mann had not heard our representatives during the meeting and walked out. So, we are paying him back by stopping his MLAs from going out of their houses”. Balwinder S Malli of BKU Lakhowal, who led the farmers outside the residence of Mohinder Bhagat said, “We are peeved with the way the state government dealt with our brethren on March 5 when they were to go to Chandigarh to lodge a protest. They were either put on house arrest or detained by the police. Even the state government is trying to defame the farmering instead of paying a heed to our problems. Now we shall plan our next line of action in a meeting to be held on March 15 in Chandigarh.” 4 die, 11 hurt in Jalandharbus-tractor collision Jalandhar, March 10 Four persons have died and 11 injured in a bus-tractortrolley collision on the Jalandhar-Jammu highway in the wee hours on Monday. The accident took place near Jallowal. The four deceased in the incident included the bus driver and three passengers of the bus. The deceased have been identified as bus driver Satinder Singh of J and K; passengers - father-son duo Kuldeep Singh and Gurbachan Singh, residents of Delhi, and Varinder Pal Singh of Phallewal village in Machhiwara, Ludhiana. The bus was coming from Jalandhar and on reaching Kala Bakra, it collided with a tractor-trolley laden with bricks. The impact of the crash was so huge that the trolley was toppled. Teams of the SSF and Bhogpur police rushed to the spot. SSF in-charge Randhir Singh and Bhogpur SHO Yadvinder Singh reached the spot. While traffic remained blocked on the highway for some time, officials got the site cleared and got traffic resumed. SSF officials rescued the passengers, some of whom had to be retrieved through JCBs. The bodies of the deceased had to be taken out with the help of JCBs. The 11 people injured in the accident, included three migrant labourers who were riding the tractor-trolley. The injured rushed to various hospitals, including the Civil Hospital in Jalandhar where they are under treatment. Driver of the trolley Parvinder Singh also suffered leg injuries. CP’s strict warning to drug peddlers US deportee accuses police of inaction against travel agents ED questions US deportees against agents Jalandhar, March 10 Commissioner of Police Dhanpreet Kaur has issued a directive to officers, urging them to intensify efforts in the fight against drugs and transform the anti-drug drive into a mass movement with public participation. Reiterating the zero-tolerance stance, she emphasised that no person involved in drug-related activities would be spared. She called on officers to focus on dismantling drug supply chains and ensuring that smugglers face strict legal action. “The police are committed to taking stringent measures against those fuelling the drug trade. Any negligence in this mission will not be tolerated,” she asserted, adding that she would monitor the progress of the crackdown. Holding SHOs accountable for any drug-related activities in their jurisdictions, CP Kaur urged them to leave no stone unturned in eliminating the menace. She declared her commitment to the cause, saying that the campaign would continue relentlessly until Jalandhar is completely free of drugs.— TNS Avneet Kaur Jalandhar, March 10 After the Enforcement Directorate had last week started summoning 11 US deportees, about four of them appeared in zonal office here this morning. ED officials had lodged an ECIR into the matter recently on the basis of the FIRs lodged by the Punjab Police against the unauthorised travel agents across the state. The agency is investigating the case for suspected violations of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED has started probing these agents collecting inputs from the deportees first. The deportees were asked to bring in documentary evidences against the agents, including account details reflecting monetary transactions. They were also asked to provide details like contacts of the agents and their foreign conduits and links so as to be able to track more details. An Amritsarbased deportee said there were three other deportees who had been summoned today by the ED. He said their investigation was also underway by the officials simultaneously. — TNS Tribune News Service c m y b The mangled remains of the bus after the accident with a tractor in Jalandhar. Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 10 Kapurthala’s 20-year-old Nishan Singh, who was deported from the US last month, has accused the police of failing to act against two immigration agents, who defrauded him of Rs 35 lakh. Nishan, a resident of Chakoki village, was among the second batch of deportees who arrived in India on February 16. Despite lodging an FIR against the agents on February 18, Nishan claims that no arrests have been made and that the accused - Sukhjinder Singh Soni of Lakhan Ka Padde village and Lakhi of Kishan Singh Wala village in Kapurthala - continue to move freely. “I have provided all evidence to the police, but they are not taking the matter seriously. Instead of being arrested, these agents are threatening. I have visited the police station multiple times, hoping for justice and the return of my money, but nothing has been done,” he said. The case was registered on February 19. US returnee Nishan Singh with his parents in Kapurthala. Nishan, who moved to France in 2022 at the age of 17 due to family issues, said he was promised a direct flight to the US from France and the entire cost was fixed for Rs 35 lakh. However, after reaching France, the agents cited unforeseen complications and delayed his travel and arranged his stay in France. His family later paid an additional Rs 4.5 lakh before the agents arranged his journey to the US in August 2024. “Instead of a direct flight, I was taken through a dangerous route, eventually finding myself stranded in the Pana- ma jungle, where I along with some other youngsters was at the mercy of human traffickers. We were beaten up, starved and subjected to electric shocks. Our phones were snatched and they kept demanding more money. We had to find our way to the police on our own,” he recalled. He said, on January 23, he finally entered the US, only to be detained two days later and subsequently deported. Meanwhile, Kapurthala SSP Gaurav Toora said the investigation in the case is still ongoing and assured that both accused would be arrested soon.