29052025-CT-01.qxd 5/29/2025 1:13 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune HC ORDERS ATTACHMENT OF KHARAR OFFICIALS’ SALARIES ALL SET FOR FIRST IPL QUALIFIER AT MULLANPUR HOUSEFULL 5 TRAILER LAUNCH EVENT FULL OF BONHOMIE A week ago, new construction in Kharar was brought to halt after 14-yr delay in finalising Master Plan. P2 Fans are leaving no stone unturned to watch the match live from stands amid the loudest of the roars. P3 As the fifth part of Housefull is all set to be released in June, makers kick-start the promotions in Mumbai. P4 » THURSDAY | 29 MAY 2025 | CHANDIGARH WHAT’S ON APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 34 and 56, and Ram Darbar Panchkula: Sector 5 Mohali: Sector 88 and Phase 8 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com INBRIEF UT ADMN DEFERS ‘OP SHIELD’ DRILL Chandigarh: The UT Administration postponed a Civil Defence exercise, Operation Shield, which was planned for May 29, due to administrative reasons. As per directions received from the Centre, there will be no blackout or any mock drill on Friday, the Administration stated. Earlier, the Administration had announced that as part of a nationwide civil defence exercise, a blackout will be observed in the Kishangarh and IT Park areas on May 29, from 8 pm to 8.10 pm. The initiative aimed at simulating emergency blackout conditions and enhancing preparedness during potential hostile attacks TNS Mohali, May 28 As many as 23 inmates, mostly booked in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act cases, of the Sector 66 deaddiction centre fled the UP native breathes his last at Sector 32 hospital Sheetal Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 28 A 39-year-old labourer, hailing from Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh and presently residing in Samrala, Ludhiana, died after testing positive for Covid-19 at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Sector 32 here in the wee hours of Wednesday. Sources said the patient had been referred to the GMCH on Monday from the district hospital in Ludhiana, where he was first admitted on May 23 with symptoms like fever and shortness of breath. Diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia, his condition deteriorated significantly over the next few days. Known to have Hepatitis B, he tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday and was shifted to the isolation ICU where he was placed on ventilator support. Despite intensive care, the patient succumbed to severe respiratory distress around 4 am today. Health authorities confirmed that it was the first Covid-related fatality in Chandigarh since the latest nationwide uptick in cases. COVID-19 SYMPTOMS FOLLOW COVID-APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR: PGI ADVISORY ■ Wear a mask: Especially when visiting hospitals, using public transport, or in crowded places. ■ Shortness of breath ■ Report symptoms early: If you ■ Muscle or body aches have a fever, cough, breathing issues, runny nose or loose ■ Loss of taste or smell motions, don’t delay in ■ Congestion or runny nose seeing a doctor. ■ Headache, nausea or vomiting ■ Don’t take medicines on your ■ Fever or chills ■ Cough, sore throat However, the death will be attributed to Punjab as the person was not a resident of the UT. Officials stated that facility recently, sounding alarm bells for the Health Department and police officials. While most of the inmates were facing NDPS Act cases after being found possessing small quantities of narcotics and were housed in a specially made “ward” for reformation, there were also others undergoing voluntarily treatment. The inmates reportedly fled by breaking open a window, sources said. Senior administration and police Continued on page 3 Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 28 The Sessions Court here has dismissed a bail application of an accused in a fatal hitand-run case. Ishan Shankar Roy, the accused, had allegedly fled the scene in his BMW car after hitting Constable Anand Dev, who was riding a bicycle, on May 11 this year. Roy had filed the bail application before the Session Court after the trial court dismissed his plea on May 14. As per the police, the speeding BMW car had allegedly hit the cop at the Sector 9/10 traffic lights, near the Police Headquarters in Sector 9. The accused was arrested on May 12. A case was registered under Sections 282 and 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya San- BEETLE MISHAP LEFT THREE DEAD, TRIAL BEGINS Chandigarh: The trial in another high-profile accident case has begun in the district court. The case was registered against 19-yearold student Paramveer Singh Dhola, son of a businessman, after the Volkswagen Beetle he was driving allegedly rammed into people, including roadside vendors, near Botanical Garden at Sarangpur on May 17, 2023. Three persons had died and five others were injured in the accident. The accused is a national-level shooting player and student of BA first year at a college in Sector 32. TNS hita following a complaint of Ashish Choudhary, who had alleged that the BMW car driver hit a bicycle while driving at a very high speed and fled the spot. The police later added Section 105 to the case. The counsel for the accused argued that Roy was falsely implicated in the case. He said the accused was a student and preparing for various examinations. The accident took place as the person riding the bicycle came in front of the car all of sudden from the wrong side. He also denied that the car was being driven at the speed of 180 km per hour. He said the accused had to appear for an interview on June 2 for a Staff Selection Board exam. However, Raman Sihag, the counsel for the complainant, along with public prosecutor, opposed the bail application and prayed for its dismissal. Sihag said the own: Avoid taking antibiotics or steroids without a doctor’s advice ■ Extra care for vulnerable people: Elderly people, those with other health problems and those with weak immunity should stay away from crowds and maintain proper hand hygiene. Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 28 The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order to the Chandigarh Administration to construct a verandah outside the courtroom of its Chief Justice, saying it’s “absolutely justified and would not violate the UNESCO guidelines”. The Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta also upheld the High Court’s February 7 and February 21 orders for placing green paver blocks in the open area being used for parking. However, in order to give breathing space to the Chandigarh Administration, the top court ordered that the contempt proceedings initiated by the High Court’s order dated December 13 last year shall be kept in abeyance for 12 weeks to enable the Administration comply with the November 29, 2024, order of the High Court. The order came on the UT Administration’s petition challenging the High Court orders on the grounds that such construction would affect the UNESCO heritage status of the Chandigarh Capitol Complex where the High Court building is located. The issue had led to a campaign in Chandigarh to save Rock Garden. “We are of the view that the decision of the High Court in directing construction of the verandah in front of Courtroom No. 1 in alignment with the design of the pre-existing verandahs in front of Courtroom No. 2 to 9 is absolutely justified and would not violate the UNESCO guidelines,” the Bench said. “At the same time, if so required, the Administration would not be precluded from seeking ex-post facto approval for this minimal protective measure which is considered necessary without admitting any exception,” the top court said. On behalf of the UT Administration, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had opposed new constructions in the existing HC building on the grounds that it would violate the UNESCO guidelines and might affect its heritage status. Senior counsel PS Patwalia, who assisted the top court as amicus curiae, supported the UT Administration against constructing a verandah. The very proposal was put up in the year 1956 when the then Chief Justice turned down the suggestion of the Superintending Engineer of the Capitol Project, Chandigarh, to construct an additional verandah in front of Courtroom No. 1. Pointing out that the Administration retracted the said proposal on the instructions of the Chief Justice, he said no deviation was permissible and the decision once Continued on page 2 the deceased had no reported contacts in Chandigarh, thereby reducing concerns of local transmission. The body was handed over to his family after being prepared in accordance with Covid-19 Continued on page 2 Domestic violence turns gory, husband booked for murder P’kula police mum, questions remain unanswered in family suicide case Chandigarh, May 28 The police booked a man for the murder of his wife at Maloya today. The deceased was identified as Priyanka and the accused as Ramesh (35). The victim was taken to the GMSH-16 by her family members where they told the doctors that she accidentally wounded herself while cutting vegetables at home. The doctors declared her brought dead. However, discrepancies in the narrative raised a suspicion prompting the hospital authorities to alert the police. Upon closer examination and preliminary findings, the police dismissed the claim of accidental injury. The woman’s father-in-law and the couple’s three children later admitted that the fatal wound was resultant of a fight between Ramesh and Priyanka. — TNS No bail for BMW car driver in fatal hit-&-run case Ramkrishan Upadhyay FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE order for Covid claims 39-yr-old’s life, SC upholds HCverandah construction of was referred from Ludhiana outside Chief Justice’s court The Government Drug De-addiction and Rehabilitation Centre in Sector 66, Mohali. PHOTO: VICKY Tribune News Service MAX 37°C | MIN 29°C YESTERDAY MAX 38.9°C | MIN 29°C SUNRISE FRIDAY 5.22 AM /THETRIBUNECHD Security tightened after 23 inmates flee from Sec 66 de-addiction centre Gaurav Kanthwal PARTLY CLOUDY SUNSET THURSDAY 7.18 PM » » FORECAST accused was driving the car at a very high speed. After hearing of the arguments, the Sessions court stated that a UT police constable had died in the accident. It was not at all disputed that the applicant was a student appearing for the competitive exams, but the same had nothing to do with the adjudication of the present application for regular bail. The investigation was still being conducted. The complainant brought to the notice of the court that certain persons were making videos and two cars were racing on the road when the accident took place. The complainant had taken the victim to the hospital. Hence, the court did not find it a fit case to grant regular bail to the applicant. c m y b Sheetal Tribune News Service Panchkula, May 28 A day after the harrowing discovery of seven members of a family dead in an apparent suicide pact, the Panchkula police remain largely incommunicado, deepening public unease and leaving many questions unanswered. While the initial findings point toward a collective suicide driven by massive debt, the silence from authorities and the absence of a clear narrative have only added to the confusion and speculation surrounding the case. The victims — Parveen Mittal, his wife Reena, their three minor children, and Parveen’s elderly parents — were found inside a parked car in a vacant plot in Sector 27 late Monday night. Parveen, the only one found alive, died shortly after being taken to the hospital. Before his death, he claimed responsibility for the act, citing unmanageable financial burdens as the motive. Yet, beyond this basic explanation, the investigation has yielded little clarity. The police have not been able to establish how the family arrived at the Sector 27 location, or what their movements were in the hours leading up to the deaths. CCTV footage and call records are being examined, but no clear trail has emerged. DCP (Crime) Amit Dahiya had confirmed on Tuesday that the claims that the family went to Bageshwar Dham’s Hanumant Katha had not matched with the CCTV footage yet as the car was seen roaming in Sector 27 approximately from 6:45 pm onwards till the time it was discovered by residents Puneet Rana and Harshit Rana. The unexplained choice of Forensic experts inspect the vehicle in which seven members of a family allegedly took poison. FILE AWAITING ANSWERS ■ Why was a car chosen as the site of the act? ■ The choice of location — a public area far from their Saketri residence ■ If this was a well-planned suicide, why wasn’t it carried out in private? ■ If the financial crisis was longstanding, what prompted the family to take the extreme step now? location — a public area far from their Saketri residence — raises more questions. Why was a car chosen as the site of the act, especially when it involved elderly parents and young children? If this was a well-planned suicide, why not carry it out in private? Was the act meant to be discovered? Was it intended as a message, or was it a cry for help? Equally perplexing is the timing. According to relatives, Parveen had been grappling with debt for more than 10 years. If the financial crisis was long-standing, why act now? Did something specific trigger the decision — a ■ The family’s social isolation further complicates the case. ■ Two handwritten notes absolve others of blame and declare the act as voluntary, adding to the mystery. ■ Why would Parveen use someone else’s car in such a calculated act? Was it to avoid recognition or implicate no one from his own family? threat, a failed deal, or a legal notice? Or had years of pressure and isolation finally broken the family’s spirit? While Parveen Mittal himself had claimed that debt was the reason, but no solid lead has been presented so far on the mounting pressure of lenders if there was any. Be it Parveen’s in-laws, his paternal or maternal relatives, all have maintained that the heavy financial loss was incurred almost 10 years ago when he failed to return the loan of about Rs 1 crore taken from Union Bank of India in Baddi for his scraps business operated in a factory. The bank in return sealed his properties and cars in Panchkula and since then he absconded to various cities and ultimately started afresh in Dehradun. During that period, the family remain estranged from all relatives of the couple, and reappeared almost seven years ago. Each relative has maintained that they were making a living in Dehradun comfortably as Praveen started running a tours and travels business. They started meeting relatives and also attended family functions and a wedding on April 30. Sandeep Aggarwal, one of Parveen’s cousins whose name was mentioned in the alleged suicide note, shared, “I had lent Rs 50,000 to Parveen as he was not having a stable income in the past three months, but there was no immediate pressure of debt that could have led to his massive step of taking life of his whole family. We would really like to see the suicide note ourselves to believe what has transpired on Monday night. I got a call from the police around 10 pm. Earlier, Continued on page 2