24072025-JTR-01.qxd 7/23/2025 10:54 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune JAGATPUR JATTAN MURDER CASE: PROTEST OUTSIDE SP OFFICE Villagers, along with the victim’s family, staged a protest outside the Phagwara Superintendent of Police (SP) office. P2 » JAFAR PANAHI HONOURED AT BUSAN FILM FESTIVAL TANUSHREE DUTTA BREAKS DOWN IN VIDEO Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi is known for cinema classics like The White Balloon, Offside, The Circle and 3 Faces. P4 Tanushree Dutta surprised her fans after she dropped a video crying, alleging harassment at her own home. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 30°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 31°C | MIN 26°C SUNSET THURSDAY 7.28 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 5.39 AM THURSDAY | 24 JULY 2025 | JALANDHAR Four injured in violent clash in Lakhanpur village Our Correspondent Phagwara, July 23 Four villagers were injured in a violent clash that broke out in nearby village of Lakhanpur on Tuesday evening. The injured were identified as Kuldeep Singh, Dilawar Mohammad, Sakil Mohammad, and Hanish Mohammad, all residents of Lakhanpur village. They were admitted to the Civil Hospital for treatment. According to Dilawar Mohammad, who is currently under medical care, the clash began when his son Naveen, a painter by profession, was returning home from work and was allegedly stopped and assaulted by a group of youths from the neighbouring village of Malikpur. Later, when the victim’s family members approached the accused to discuss the matter, they were reportedly attacked with sharp weapons, resulting in serious injuries. Dr Gagandeep Bhatti, who is attending to the injured at the Civil Hospital, confirmed that the victims were undergoing treatment and their condition was being closely monitored. Police party attacked at village in Dasuya Had gone to nab smugglers | 2 hurt in retaliatory firing Our Correspondent Dasuya (Hoshiarpur), July 23 Last night, in Dasuya’s Budhobarkat village, some people attacked a police party, which had gone to catch drug smugglers. The police party opened fire in selfdefence, in which two people were injured. Giving more information in this regard, Dasuya DSP Balwinder Singh Joda said last night, a complaint was received on 112 helpline number that drug business was going on at Budhobarkat village. Sub-Inspectors (SIs) Sarabjit Singh and Sukhdev from the Dasuya police station reached Budhobarkat village. They went to the house of former sarpanch Bhupinder Singh and asked for cooperation. Bhupinder’s wife is the present sarpanch of the village. Bhupinder started arguing with the police party. Meanwhile, villagers also gathered on the Century-old building collapses in Kapurthala, power supply disrupted Our Correspondent Kapurthala, July 23 A 100-year-old abandoned building collapsed in the early hours of Wednesday at the old vegetable market in the city, causing damage to power lines and disrupting electricity supply across the area. Fortunately, no casualties were reported in the incident. According to local sources, the incident occurred around 2.30 am when the dilapidated structure suddenly crumbled, sending debris crashing down onto nearby electricity poles. Several poles were damaged in the incident, plunging the surrounding locality into darkness. Residents living nearby were startled by the loud sound of the building collapse and rushed out of their homes. “It was a deafening noise. We thought something massive had fallen,” said a local shopkeeper. Eyewitnesses revealed that the building had been unoccupied for the past eight to nine years. It once housed a popular eatery known locally The house that collapsed at the old vegetable market in Kapurthala on Wednesday. as “Bali Samosa Wala”, which was shut down after the owner passed away. Since then, the structure had remained unused and visibly deteriorated over the time. Heavy rainfall in Kapurthala over the past two days is believed to have weakened the already fragile building, leading to its eventual collapse. The authorities from Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) were alerted immediately. Restoration work is currently underway, with teams on-site working to remove the rubble and restore power to the affected areas. The incident occurred at night when the market was empty. It helped averting in what could have been a major tragedy. During the day, the vegetable market witnesses significant footfall. ‘Nikkar gang’ strikes again, Truck plunges into canal near Baghaana village Driver rescued by locals and passersby with help of ropes robs NRI family’s residence Couple booked for duping man of ~13.70 lakh An injured policeman at a government hospital in Dasuya. spot and reportedly attacked police personnel. In self-defence, the police opened fire in which two people were injured. The injured police personnel are undergo- ing treatment at the government hospital in Dasuya. A case has been registered against 24 people in this connection. Further action has been initiated into the incident. Our Correspondent Phagwara, July 23 After the notorious “Kala Kachha Gang” terrorised the region, a new criminal outfit dubbed as the “Nikkar Gang” has emerged, spreading panic across the Phillaur city. Within a span of month, a third major theft linked to this gang was reported. Gang members — dressed in T-shirts and shorts — were captured in the CCTV camera footage while committing crimes. In the latest incident, the gang targeted residence of an NRI family in the upscale Gopal Enclave Colony in Phillaur situated near the national highway. According to reports, thieves looted 27 tolas of gold, high-end wristwatches worth ?3 lakh, and cash exceeding Rs 3 lakh before fleeing from the house. A complaint was filed by Neetu Thapar, wife of Michel Thapar, an NRI, currently in Third major theft in a month the United States. Neetu, who resides in the house with her only daughter, was on a vacation in Kashmir on July 13, along with her sister-in-law and family. Before leaving, she had entrusted the care of the house to a paying guest, Munish Kumar, who stays on the upper floor of the house. Munish reportedly called Neetu to inform her that a robbery had taken place at the house during the night and he was locked inside his room by intruders. Upon returning, Neetu discovered that the house was ransacked, with the main almirah broken and valuables missing. What raised eyebrows is the fact that despite the use of force to break in and loot the premises, Munish claimed he heard nothing. This aroused complainant’s suspicion that robbers might had prior knowledge of her household’s layout and valuables. This incident is the latest in a series of burglaries reported in a similar modus operandi. Previously, the gang had struck the residence of Laghu Udyog Bharati president Darshan Singh, followed by a robbery near Canara Bank, in which a woman was robbed of cash and jewellery worth Rs 4.5 lakh. In both the cases, robbers were seen on wearing shorts in the footage of the surveillance cameras — a trait which identified the gang. The Phillaur police confirmed that a case had been registered in this connection. SHO Bhushan Kumar said the police had got the CCTV footage of the incident and efforts were on to identify and apprehend the culprits. — OC Phagwara, July 23 A major accident was narrowly averted near Baghaana village when a 22-wheeler truck skidded off the road and fell into Bist Doab Canal. The truck driver managed to escape through the windshield. He was rescued by passersby with ropes, avoiding any loss of life. According to the driver, Vinod Kumar, he was ferrying stones from Garhshankar to Hoshiarpur when the incident occurred near Baghaana village. As he tried to give way to a truck coming from the opposite direction, the roadside embankment gave way due to soil erosion and the truck toppled into the canal. The Bist Doab Canal had a strong current at the time, making it extremely difficult for the driver to get out of the truck. However, timely assistance from nearby villagers and commuters helped him An overturned truck in Bist Doab Canal near Baghaana village on Wednesday. get out safely from the truck. The police rushed to the spot and collected information about the incident. The driver estimated a financial loss of nearly Rs 10 lakh due to the accident. The truck was later retrieved from the canal with the help of two cranes. Local residents and village representatives expressed concerns about the lack of safety infrastructure along the newly constructed road running parallel to the canal. Balwinder Kumar, the sarpanch of Baghaana village, said although the road witnessed heavy traffic movement between Garhshankar and Adampur, no safety railings had been installed on the canal side. He said safety railings exist from Adampur to Mehtiana, but the stretch leading towards Garhshankar remains unprotected. “Several accidents have already occurred here, but the government and the administration have taken no action in this regard,” Kumar said. He said a formal request was submitted to Member of Parliament Raj Kumar Chabbewal for the installation of railings, but no steps were taken to improve safety. Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, July 23 The Tanda police have registered a case against a couple for allegedly cheating a man of Rs 13.70 lakh on the pretext of sending him abroad. Sukhdev Singh, a resident of Khudda village, told the police that Amandeep Singh, a resident of Ladowali Road, Jalandhar, along with his wife Mandeep Kaur, allegedly cheated him of Rs 13.70 lakh on the promise of sending him to Italy. After registering case against the couple, the police have started investigation into the matter. Youth arrested for assaulting woman in Phagwara village Our Correspondent 3 killed in road accidents Several booked for encroaching Cattle thieves escape after new grain market land in Shahkot breaking toll plaza barrier Hoshiarpur, July 23 Three people died in separate road accidents in the district today. In the first incident, Mimasha Sharma, a resident of Harsor village in Himachal’s Hamirpur district, told the Model Town police that she was returning home in a car after medical examination of her maternal grandfather Ishwar Dutt by a doctor in Jalandhar. She said apart from her maternal grandmother, other relatives were also travelling in the car. She said their car driver identified as Varinder Kumar, a resident of Bharolian Kalan village in Una district, was driving the vehicle recklessly. When they reached near Hoshiarpur, due to driver’s negligence, the car rammed into a tree. She said after the accident, the driver fled from the spot. She said people took them to a hospital. She said her maternal grandfather died while other car occupants were injured. In the second incident, ASI Ravinder Singh from the Mukerian police station stated in his complaint that he was on duty at a check post when a car driver hit barricade. The ASI said he was injured when the car hit barricade. He said after this, the car rammed into a tree and overturned. He said car occupant Mandeep Kumar, a resident of Jalandhar, died, while two other travellers identified as Deepak and Hari Ram were injured in the accident. He said after the accident, car driver, identified as Sahil Ghai, a resident of Jalandhar, fled from the spot. In the third incident, Chandrakanta, a resident of Dasuhi, told the Dasuhi police that her husband Tarsem Lal was eating food on a bench near a hospital. During this time, a car hit him. She said her husband died on the spot. The police registered three separate cases in this connection. — OC Our Correspondent Our Correspondent Phagwara, July 23 The police have booked several persons on the charge of encroaching new grain market land in Shahkot. Tejindar Kumar, secretary, market committee, Shahkot, told the police that the market committee had got possession of the land measuring 30 acres, four kanals, and 12 marla situated in Kotli Gajran village. He said the land was acquired for the construction of new grain market. He said former landowners, in cooperation with the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, on July 20, forcibly ploughed the land. He said they sowed seeds of some crops and planted paddy on the land after destroying demarcation pillars and flex boards. He said the landowners stole barbed wire and illegally encroached land of the market committee while interfering officials in the performance of the government duty. The Punjab Government had acquired land in 2011 for a new grain market owned by 30 farmers. Some farmers, including Gurnam Singh and others, had filed a civil writ petition against the government order in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which was dismissed. Later, farmers filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court of India. The Supreme Court, in its order on July 31, 2024, dismissed the appeal while stating that the government had taken a conscious decision for the acquisition of land culmi- c m y b nating in a declaration under Section 6 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894. The Shahkot market committee began possession proceedings of the land, which were completed on July 15 in the presence of heavy police force deployment. Investigating officer Buta Ram said a case under Sections 218 (to take property by the lawful authority of a public servant), 221 (obstructing a public servant in the discharge of public functions), 329 (criminal trespass), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy ) 324 and 326 (mischief by destroying or moving land mark fixed by public authority), 303 (theft), 191(2) and 191(3) (rioting being armed with deadly weapons) on the BNS and Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act was registered against the accused. Phillaur, July 23 In a shocking display of lawlessness, a group of armed cattle thieves escaped after stealing livestock from a farmer in Jajja Kalan village under the Goraya police station. The broke through a toll plaza barrier while fleeing the spot. The entire act was caught in the CCTV camera footage. According to the victim farmer, Jaswinder Singh, the incident occurred late at night when five masked men, armed with sharp weapons, arrived in a white vehicle and stormed his farm. The attackers held him hostage at knifepoint, threatened to kill him, and loaded three buffaloes and one ox onto their vehicle before fleeing from the farm. Alerted by barking dogs, Jaswinder attempted to intervene, but was quickly overpowered. “They surrounded me from all sides and said they would kill me if I raised an alarm,” he said. He further said this was the second theft at his property within days. Jaswinder said he had already submitted a written complaint to the Goraya police in this regard. Meanwhile, after spotting the suspicious vehicle, villagers pursued thieves, but the gang managed to escape after forcefully breaking through a nearby toll plaza barrier, an act captured in the surveillance cameras. The stolen livestock is estimated to be worth Rs 4 to 5 lakh. Despite repeated complaints, no FIR was registered in this connection. The police only confirmed that an investigation into the matter was underway. Phagwara, July 23 A young man has been arrested by the Rawalpindi police for allegedly assaulting a woman at Rehana Jattan, a village near Phagwara, after a video of the incident went viral on social media. Superintendent of Police (SP) Rupinder Bhatti said the incident occurred following a verbal altercation between the accused and the woman, Baljit Kaur, reportedly over a dispute concerning construction on land in the village. The situation escalated, resulting in the woman being physically attacked. Following a medical examination of the victim and initial investigation, a case was registered against the accused in this connection, the Superintendent of Police said. “The youth has been taken into custody. Further investigation is underway,” the Superintendent of Police confirmed.