13062025-JTR-01.qxd 6/12/2025 10:38 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune ABVP CALLS FOR REGULATION OF COACHING INSTITUTES MITHAPUR : CRADLE OF INDIA’S BUDDING HOCKEY STARS PANCHAYAT 4: SACHIV JI AND MANJU DEVI ARE BACK! ABVP calls for the formulation of a policy framework to regulate coaching institutes. P2 This academy has become a beacon of hope for young athletes eager to follow in their heroes’ footsteps.P3 Prime Video has released the trailer for Panchayat Season 4, confirming its worldwide premiere on June 24. P4 » » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR MAX 43°C | MIN 31°C YESTERDAY MAX 43°C | MIN 30°C SUNSET FRIDAY 7.32 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 5:23 AM FRIDAY | 13 JUNE 2025 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF MAN BOOKED FOR FRAUD Phagwara: A man has been booked for allegedly collecting large sum of money through ‘committee schemes’ and subsequently absconding with the funds. According to a complaint by Ashwani Bhardwaj, a resident of Sarafa Bazaar, Phagwara, he had met the accused around one-and-ahalf years ago. Bhardwaj claims to have paid nearly Rs15 lakh, with no returns to date. On June 7, the accused reportedly issued a cheque of Rs 1.5 lakh, which bounced due to insufficient funds. Shortly afterward, the accused allegedly locked his house and fled with his family. The complainant also stated that several others have fallen victim to similar schemes run by the accused. oc WOMAN HELD FOR SELLING LIQUOR Phagwara: The Shahkot police have arrested a woman on the charge of selling illicit liquor. Nine bottles of hooch were seized from the possession of accused Rajwindar Kaur of Punian village. A case under Sections 61/1/14 of the Punjab Excise Act had been registered against the accused. The Mehatpur police booked Satta of Dharme Diana Chhana village for selling hooch and seized 500 bottles from him, who managed to flee. OC ‘Nihangs’ attack eatery owners for delay in order, vandalise outlet Traders threaten bandh if accused not arrested soon, get police assurance Tribune News Service Jalandhar, June 12 A group of about 15 youths, dressed like Nihangs, attacked owners of an eatery at Milap Chowk last evening with swords as their order was not delivered to them on time. The miscreants also vandalised the shop - Duggal Veg Chaap. The whole incident was captured on CCTV cameras installed in the shop. The police reached the spot late and by then the accused had left after leaving everyone, including customers, terrorised. Mohit, who runs the shop, said, “We are three brothers and the assailants attacked all three of us. They even snatched a gold chain that I was wearing. A few Nihangs had come to our shop on Tuesday evening. They had to wait longer to get their order as there was a lot of rush that time. They had got infuriated. Some customers had intervened and the matter was sorted out”. He said, “They came again last evening. They were in larger number and came with a motive to attack us. They smashed our counters, Traders Forum leaders meet the victim’s family in Jalandhar on Thursday. A TRIBUNE PHOTO chaap stall and glass frames with swords, leaving the shop vandalised. They also threatened us.” Interestingly, the incident took place just two hours after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal left Jalandhar. Since the police were on day-long drill for the VVIP visit, the response to frantic calls made by shopkeepers came very late. This further annoyed the victim brothers and other FAMILY BOOKED FOR DUPING Hoshiarpur: The police have registered a case against three members of a family on the charge of visa fraud of Rs 20.10 lakh. Sohan Singh, a resident of village Sahri, told the police that Gagandeep Kaur of village Solpur, Jalandhar, along with her father Kulwinder Singh and mother Jaswinder Kaur, allegedly cheated him in the name of sending him to Canada. oc DRUGS SEIZED FROM WOMAN Hoshiarpur: The police have arrested a woman and recovered a huge amount of drugs and drug money from her. The police raided a house in Mohalla Sunder Nagar and recovered 446 gram of hashish. Meanwhile, during the search, the police party also recovered Rs 38,500 from there. The police has identified the accused as Babita. oc Our Correspondent Phagwara, June 12 In a significant crackdown, police forces across Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have arrested suspects in two major cases — the Rs 38-lakh armed robbery at HDFC Bank branch in village Rihana Jattan near Phagwara and a recent firing incident in Haridwar. DIG Naveen Singla said here today that in the first case, two prime suspects were arrested in connection with the daring daylight robbery at HDFC Bank’s Rihana-Jattan branch near Phagwara, Kapurthala district. Earlier this year, three armed and masked individuals stormed into the bank, held the staff and security guard hostage at gunpoint, and escaped with Rs 38 lakh. The perpetrators also seized employees’ mobile phones, severely disrupting communication during the critical initial response period. Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of the Punjab Police and UP’s Mathura police, including personnel from the Special Operations Group (SOG) and Govind Nagar Police Station, arrested the two suspects — Navjot Singh and Zorawar Singh, both residents of Jalandhar — near the new bus stand area in Mathura. The arrests took place at Gokul Restaurant, where police also recovered Rs 2.02 lakh, an Innova, and five mobile phones believed to be linked to the crime. Both individuals were found to be involved in multiple previous cases registered at the Rawalpindi Police Station in Punjab, including those under the Arms Act. Efforts are ongoing to trace the third accomplice who remains at large. Police officials have expressed confidence that the arrests represent a key step toward solving the case fully and recovering the remaining stolen funds. SSP Gaurav Toora said in a separate but equally significant development, a joint operation led by the Uttarakhand Police, in coordination with the Kapurthala police and Counter Intelligence Unit, Bathinda, led to the arrest of two suspects involved in a recent firing incident in Haridwar. The accused — Gaurav Kumar of village Meliana in SBS Nagar, and Manav Hans of Phagwara — were apprehended during early morning raids on June 12. ADCP Naresh Dogra met the traders this morning and assured them that all attackers would be caught by tomorrow evening. Following this, the Traders Forum held another meeting this afternoon, attended by members of the affected Duggal family. It was decided that they would wait until tomorrow evening. Meanwhile, trader leaders Ravinder Dhir, Baljit Singh Ahluwalia, Amit Sehgal, Naresh Malhotra, Rakesh Burglars target house, flee with ~10 lakh Phagwara: The Shahkot police have booked unidentified persons on the charge of stealing cash and valuables from a house. Avtar Singh of Parjian Kalan village complained to the police that the thieves barged into his house on June 9 and stole cash and other valuables. A case has been registered against them. OC Phagwara: The Bilga police have booked five villagers on charges of endangering life and firing. The accused have been identified as Gurmukh Singh of Burj Hassan village and his four accomplices. Jasveer Singh of the same village complained to the police that the accused fired at his main gate during the night, intending to kill his family. A case has been registered against the accused, and three empty cartridges were recovered from the spot. OC 2 more nabbed for Haridwar firing shopkeepers in the area. “So far, we have been able to identify just one accused - Inderjit - from among the assailants. We are on a hunt to nab them”, said the police from Police Station Division No. 4. In response to the incident, members of the Traders Forum met the affected family this morning and held a meeting. They announced that if the police do not arrest the accused and give them justice, they would give a call for Jalandhar bandh. Oppn leaders question Kejriwal’s name on Sports Hub plaque MAN BOOKED FOR THEFT IN HOUSE FIVE BOOKED FOR FIRING Gupta, Arun Bajaj, Vipan Prinja, Ashwini Malhotra, Sandeep Gandhi, and Rajinder Chatrath expressed outrage over the incident. They stated, “The manner in which the attack occurred shows that the criminals have no fear of law. The fact that home and offices of senior police and administrative officials are barely 1 km away from the scene and yet no senior official visited the family or took action, is shameful.” The traders said the owners kept calling the SHO but to no response. The leaders said that the situation in Punjab is not conducive to business, and daily incidents are occurring. Due to the lax law and order situation, criminals are emboldened to commit crimes like daylight shootings, sword fights, and looting. They appealed to the Chief Minister to focus on law and order, or else traders and businessmen might start migrating out of Punjab again. Others who attended the meeting included Manoj Kapila, Sukhbir Singh Lovely, Gagan Chhabra, Nitin Gupta, Harpreet Lovely, Sarabjit Anand, and Balbir Singh. ~38L bank robbery case cracked, 2 held The arrested ASI in the Vigilance Bureau custody. ASI arrested for taking ~2,000 bribe Our Correspondent Phagwara, June 12 The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB), during its ongoing drive against corruption, has arrested ASI Baldev Singh, posted at police station Sultanpur Lodhi, Kapurthala, for accepting a bribe of Rs 2,000. Disclosing this here today, an official spokesperson of the VB said the arrest had been made following a complaint lodged by a resident of Kapurthala on the Chief Minister’s Anti-Corruption Action Line. He further added that as per the complaint, the accused ASI had demanded a bribe Rs 10,000 for allowing the complainant to join the investigation in a police case after getting anticipatory bail from the court. Later, the police personnel asked to pay Rs 5,000 for this motive but due to persistent appeals by the complainant, he accepted Rs 2,000 bribe. The spokesperson further informed that during verification, the allegations levelled in the complaint were found to be true. Subsequently, a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused at the VB Police Station, Jalandhar Range, and arrested the accused. Further investigation into this case was under progress, he said. Phagwara, June 12 In a major burglary incident, unidentified thieves broke into a house in Varinder Nagar, Phagwara, and made off with cash and valuables worth several lakhs of rupees. The incident reportedly occurred while the owner was away for a religious visit. Narinder Kaur, the homeowner, said she had left for Sri Darbar Sahib around 8 pm yesterday. Upon returning the next morning, she discovered that a wall of her house had been broken, indicating the point of entry for the burglars. Kaur, who runs a committee (chit fund) business, claimed that approximately Rs 10 lakh belonging to her clients was kept at home, all of which has been stolen. In addition to the cash, about three-and-a-half tola gold was also taken. The police have launched an investigation. While forensic teams have inspected the site, no arrests have been made so far. The incident has raised concerns over the increasing number of thefts in the area and the apparent ease with which the burglars executed the crime. — OC Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, June 12 The Sports Hub being reinaugurated by the Aam Aadmi Party at the Burlton Park in Jalandhar on Thursday has come under criticism from across party lines. BJP leaders on Thursday questioned why the Smart City Mission and the Centre’s contribution to the project remain unacknowledged on the foundation stone laying event. BJP leader KD Bhandari shared the inaugural plaque from the Congress regime days. Bhandari also said he would be taking up the issue with ML Khattar, the Minister for Power and Housing Affairs. Meanwhile, the Congress has questioned AAP for incurring huge expenditure by holding a big event for a project which was already in the pipeline for years. Both parties have also questioned AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal’s name on the inaugural plaque. Bhandari said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has misled the people about the Burlton Park Sports Hub. Bhandari claimed the central Stone of the Sports Hub at Burlton Park laid by CM Bhagwant Mann and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal in Jalandhar. MALKIAT SINGH government had already allocated funds for the hub under smart city project. Bhandari said, “It is absolutely wrong to write Kejriwal’s name on the inauguration stone of the Sports Hub because there is no contribution from him to the project. Mann has given false credit to Kejriwal and fooled the gullible people of Jalandhar.” He said the project was envi- sioned by former Jalandhar Mayor Rakesh Rathore in the Akali-BJP government and its outline was ready then. Bhandari added, “Mann should have informed the people of Jalandhar about the schemes being run with the money of the central government. Also local leaders/MLAs and those responsible for fund allocation from the centre should have been called to the event.” BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia said, “Under the Smart City mission, half of the funds come from the Centre. The project was first envisioned by us under the Akali-BJP government over 15 years ago. There was no acknowledgement of the same. Also, since then, Jalandhar’s demography and the infrastructural potential of the Burlton park area has changed. It’s no more conducive to host international matches for which thousands of vehicles would be arriving. The area is also the site for the surface water project and witnesses repeated jams already.” Kalia added, “A space on the outskirts should have been chosen.” Congress MLA Bawa Henry said, “The huge amount of expenditure borne on an already inaugurated project again, makes no sense. We did the research for the Sports Hub and a plaque was laid in 2021 without any fanfare, event or expenditure. The money for the AAP event was paid by the state exchequer. Would the CM or MC Commissioner be willing to pay that money from their salaries?” Agri Dept pushes for maize cultivation, sets 1,500 hectare target this season Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, June 12 In a bid to promote crop diversification and improve farmer income, the Agriculture Department has intensified efforts to encourage local farmers to shift toward kharif maize cultivation this season. The department has set a target of 1,500 hectares, with 400 hectares already brought under cultivation so far. Although the target has not been achieved yet, the officials are, however, optimistic about the fact that the area under kharif maize will be increased. Officials say the push for maize comes as part of a broader initiative to balance water use, improve soil health, and offer better returns. “Maize is a water-efficient crop and totally mechanised. It is not a labour intensive crop. Also for the first time, the government is providing MSP for the same. It’s ideal for the current climatic conditions,” a senior agriculture officer stated. As part of its outreach strategy, the department has trained 25 progressive farmers, designating them as Kisan Mitras. These Kisan Mitras will play a key role in mobilising and motivating fellow farmers to adopt maize during the kharif season. “These trained farmers will act as field ambassadors, sharing their own experiences and technical knowledge to build confidence among others,” said a senior agriculture officer. c m y b To meet the target, the department is conducting awareness drives, providing high-yield variety seeds, and extending support through subsidies and technical guidance. Despite the ongoing campaign, challenges remain. Unpredictable rainfall patterns and hesitation among farmers to switch from conventional crops are some of the obstacles being faced. However, with over 1,100 hectares still to go, the department remains optimistic. “We are hopeful that more farmers will come on board in the coming weeks and we will be able to achieve the target,” Dr Randhir Singh Thakur, the Chief Agriculture Officer told The Tribune. Farmers interested in adopting maize cultivation can reach out to their local agriculture extension offices for assistance and inputs. Over 200 camps have already been organised by the department until now. There is a huge rise in the area under the water-guzzling spring maize and it has become a cause of worry for agriculture experts. In Jalandhar district, 9,000 hectares were under the crop in 2020-21, which increased to around 25,000 hectares in 2024. Because of high water consumption, the Agriculture Department and Punjab Agricultural University do not recommend sowing of this crop. Several farmers, who were earlier growing muskmelon in the Shahkot area of Jalandhar and the Dona area of Kapurthala, have now switched over to growing spring maize in their fields and have reduced the area under muskmelon.