07112025-JTR-01.qxd 11/6/2025 10:59 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune AMBEDKAR SENA BURNS RAJA WARRING’S EFFIGY WITH 19 GOLDS, HMV LIFT INTER-COLLEGE OVERALL TROPHY THIS 17-YEAR-OLD AMBALA LAD GOT THE VOICE Led by Sena secretary Dharminder Bhularai, members hold protest in Hargobind Nagar, Phagwara. P2 Players make it a hat-trick of titles; over 300 students undergoing training in 32 sports disciplines on campus. P3 Abhijeet Sharma from Ambala Cantt has secured a place in the Top 16 in the Indian Idol Season-16. P4 » » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR MAX 27°C | MIN 11°C YESTERDAY MAX 27°C | MIN 11°C SUNSET FRIDAY 5.34 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 6:49 AM FRIDAY | 7 NOVEMBER 2025 | JALANDHAR HEALTH & WELLNESS The Tribune is starting a Q and A column to address your health-related queries. Please mail your questions (not exceeding 40 words) at healthandwellness@tribunemail.com. The Tribune’s panel of doctors will answer all your healthrelated concerns. Union protests after roadways driver’s death in road rage case Seeks ~1 cr relief for kin |Plans stir if demand not met |Last rites yet to be performed MP Seechewal thanks EAM for help Tribune News Service INBRIEF 3 BOOKED FOR FARMER MURDER Phagwara: The police have booked three villagers on charge of murdering a farmer. The accused have been identified as Akash Deep, alias Kalu, of Mureedwal village, Ashman of Nihaluwal village and Balraj of the same village. Bhupindar Singh of Amargarh village in Ferozepur complained to the police that the accused murdered his brother-in-law Amardeep Singh of Chak Chela village on November 3 in his fields where he went to plant potato crop. A forensic team reached the spot and collected samples of land where the body was lying. OC FOUR BOOKED FOR FARM FIRE Phagwara: The police have booked two farmers on the charge of burning paddy stubble. The accused have been identified as Balveer Singh of Gatti Raipur village and Nachhtar Singh of Janniya village. Nodal officers have sent their reports to the police which were verified and examined at the places of occurrence. The Shahkot police also booked two farmers Jogindar Singh of Pati Shahla Nagar Malsian village and Raghubir Singh of Raunta village for burning stubble. OC MANY BOOKED FOR SNATCHING Phagwara: The Nakodar police have booked miscreants on the charge of snatching cash and mobile from migrants. Mohamad Badrul of Bihar and presently living at Bhodipur village complained to the police that unidentified motorcycle-borne miscreants snatched Rs 9,800 and a mobile from him and Rs 600 and mobile from his colleague Suman Kumar on November 3. A case has been registered and investigation is on. oc ITC GIVES ~25L FOR FLOOD-HIT Phagwara: In the aftermath of the devastating floods that recently hit Punjab, ITC has come forward to contribute to the state government's rehabilitation efforts. Representatives of ITC's Kapurthala plant today handed over a cheque for Rs 25 lakh to Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar Panchal for the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. ITC's general manager Armesh Singh, senior manager Abhishek Saini, managers Ashish Sharma and Suraj Upadhyay handed over the cheque to the DC at the DAC. OC MAN ARRESTED FOR THEFT Phagwara: The police have arrested a person on the charge of stealing Rs 8,000 from a shop. The accused has been identified as Harri of Pati Neelowal Bilga village. Indarjit Singh of the Khehra village had complained to the police that the accused barged into his shop and stole Rs 8,000. OC In Malaysia jail for months, Jalandhar man returns home Jalandhar, November 6 Since the death of Punjab Roadways bus driver Jagjit Singh (41) in a road rage incident with a Pik-Up driver at Kurali bus stand on Tuesday, members of the Punjab Roadways Union have been on a warpath against the department, seeking the compensation of Rs 1 crore for his family and a job for a family member. Though Jagjit hails from Amritsar, he had driven the bus from Jalandhar depot on the fateful day. For the same reason, the members of the union from Jalandhar have been seeking claims for his family here. Last evening, 200 buses of the Jalandhar depot were parked in the compound as they all came together to show solidarity for the family. Since the family has not performed the last rites of the driver, they brought his body to the workshop depot and started a massive protest. The employees, led by president Vikramjit Singh, had announced that they would take his body to Rama Mandi Ashok Kaura WILL KEEP BODY IN FRONT OF MIN’S HOUSE decision ❝If nofavour of is made in Jagjit Singh's family by tomorrow, we shall take his body to bypollbound Tarn Taran. We shall keep the body outside the residence of the Transport Minister and protest there. Vikramjit Singh, ❞ ROADWAYS UNION PRESIDENT Punjab Roadways employees stage a dharna at roadways depot in Jalandhar on Thursday. at 5 pm and block the highway to lodge the protest. The bus stand area, including the connecting flyovers, were sealed by the police to prevent any movement of the employees towards the highway. To handle the situation, a meeting of the police and administrative staff was held with the roadways depot manager. The union kept waiting for the outcome of the strike till 5 pm. On being told that there was no outcome of the meeting in the favour of the family of the deceased, the employees’ union raised slogans against the government and the police. They announced that they were heading to Rama Mandi Chowk to block the highway but the police managed to contain them outside the roadways depot. Man climbs onto train roof at Phillaur, gets severe burns Our Correspondent Phagwara, November 6 Panic gripped passengers and the railway staff at Phillaur on Thursday morning when an unidentified middle-aged man climbed on to the roof of a Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) train that had just arrived from Sultanpur Lodhi. The incident occurred around 9:30 am. According to witnesses, the man, believed to be around 40 to 45 years, was seen climbing the train without provocation. People present on the platform repeatedly urged him to get down, but he paid no attention to their warnings. The witnesses claimed that his behaviour appeared erratic, leading many to suspect that he might have been mentally unstable or possibly under the influence of intoxicants. Despite continuous appeals from onlookers, the man moved towards the edge of the train roof and, in a sudden and shocking act, reached out and touched an overhead electric traction wire. The wire carries an estimated 25,000 volts of hightension current used for powering electric trains. The moment his hand made contact with the live wire, he got a massive electrical jolt. Sparks flew, and the man’s clothes caught fire as he suffered severe burns. A few seconds later, he collapsed and fell off the train roof onto the platform, leaving the gathered crowd horrified. Railway officials and passengers immediately alerted emergency services. The injured man was rushed to the Phillaur Civil Hospital. Harmesh Lal, In-charge of the Phillaur Railway Police Post, confirmed the incident and stated that the man has not yet been identified. “Preliminary observations suggest he might be a migrant worker. He has sustained about 90 to 95 per cent burns,” Lal said, adding that efforts are underway to determine his identity and contact his family. Doctors at the hospital described his condition as extremely critical due to the extent of the burns and the nature of the electric shock. The incident highlights serious concerns regarding public safety at railway stations and the dangers posed by overhead electrical equipment, especially when individuals attempt to climb train roofs. The authorities are reviewing CCTV footage from the station to learn how the man gained access to the top of the train. Vikramjit Singh announced, “If no decision is made in favour of Jagjit Singh’s family by tomorrow, we shall take his body to bypoll-bound Tarn Taran. We shall keep the body outside the residence of the Transport Minister and protest there.” Brother of the deceased and mason Balwinder Singh also joined the protest. The employees said Jagjit had two children aged four and nine. “His kids and wife were dependent on him. He had been in service for 12 years. The government must step in to support them in this time of need”, Chanan Singh, senior vice-president of the union, adding, “If the government does not pay a heed to our demands, the buses in all 27 depots of the Punjab Roadways would be stranded. Phagwara, November 6 With the efforts of Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seechewal, a young man from Punjab who had been trapped in Malaysia, has safely returned home. Daljit Singh, a resident of Nasirpur village (Jalandhar), shared that many Punjabi youths have been languishing in Malaysian jails for years. Many of them have even forgotten their parents’ contact details and are unable to reach out to their families. Daljit recounted that he had gone to Malaysia on a tourist visa in 2018. Despite working there for years, he was neither paid his wages, nor given justice. After being cheated by his employers, he was arrested by the police and sent to jail. Recalling the painful memories of his time in jail, Daljit said the conditions were horrific there. “Around 70 to 80 people were kept in a small cell where even breathing became difficult.” He revealed that the food provided was of extremely poor quality and even after returning home, he continues to face health issues because of it. He added that in the jail, they longed just to breathe in the open air. Daljit’s family members said when he was first detained, they were told he would be back within five months. However, after seven to eight months passed without any information, they approached Seechewal for help. With his intervention, Daljit finally returned to India safely on October 31. The family expressed gratitude, saying that without Seechewal’s help, Daljit’s fate might have been the same as that of other youths still trapped there. Daljit urged the youth not to go abroad on tourist visas with the hope of finding work, calling it a huge risk. He said those working on tourist visas face exploitation overseas, as they have no legal protection or support. Seechewal thanked the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy for their assistance in the matter. He appealed to the youth to always choose legal and safe means when going abroad. Balancing act A Nihang Singh plays gatka (Sikh martial art ) during a procession on mahalla celebrations, a day after Guru Nanak Dev’s Gurpurb in Sultanpur Lodhi on Thursday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH Relief Jalandhar stubble burning cases dip by 34%, Kapurthala 56% Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, November 6 As the paddy harvest season is set to be over soon, 190 stubble fires have been reported in Doaba, which was 359 in the corresponding period last year. Both Jalandhar and Kapurthala have witnessed 164 farm fires, a significant decrease this year. Last year, the figure was 324 by November 6. With a 56 per cent decline in stubble fires, the Kapurthala district stubble fires have halved compared to last year. Meanwhile, Jalandhar has witnessed a 34 per cent decrease in stubble fires. Of the total 190 stubble fires in Doaba, 164 cases have been reported in Jalandhar and Kapurthala alone this harvest season so far, of AQI improves; 40 FIRs, 40 red entries, 33 warnings issued in Jalandhar Cases in Doaba Last year (till Nov 6) which 111 have been reported in Kapurthala and 53 in Jalandhar. Last year, Kapurthala had witnessed 249 cases while Jalandhar 75. In Jalandhar, 40 FIRs have been registered against farmers setting paddy stubble on c m y b 190 359 fire. Meanwhile, in 15 cases in Hoshiarpur and 11 in Nawanshahr have been reported his season. With six stubble fires reported in Jalandhar today and one in Kapurthala, there has also been a marginal improvement in the air quality of the region. Jalandhar witnessed decreased AQI levels, especially after the brief rainy spell on Tuesday evening. On Thursday, Jalandhar district registered the maximum AQI of 301, average of 172 and minimum AQI of 76. The maximum AQI though, continues to touch very poor levels. In Jalandhar, the maximum single-day stubble fires reported on any day hasn’t surpassed six. However, in Kapurthala, most stubble fires were witnessed between October 29 and November 2 (58 fires), with 22 stubble fires reporting on November 1 and 12 reporting, each on October 29, 31 and November 2. Meanwhile, another good news for the region is that the harvest season has almost ended with 95 per cent paddy harvesting completed in Jalandhar and 99 per cent in Kapurthala. Jaswinder Singh, District Agricultural Officer, Jalandhar, said, “We have had a 34 per cent decline in stubble fires this year. With hectic monitoring and awareness drives, there has been a significant awareness among farmers. Our teams continue to monitor the situation diligently.” Apart from 40 FIRs, environmental compensation has also been imposed on 40 farmers in Jalandhar worth Rs 2 lakh of which Rs 65,000 has been recovered. As many as 40 red entries have been made and 33 warning notices issued in Jalandhar. Chief Agricultural Officer, Kapurthala, HPS Bharaut said, “Farm fires in Kapurthala have been brought down by 56 per cent this year through relentless awareness campaigns and IEC activities. Teams of the department are carrying out drives to spread awareness on the issue among farmers through wall paintings, awareness vans and camps, nukkad nataks, etc. As many as 5,400 crop residue (management) machines have also been given to farmers under subsidies which include happy seeders, smart seeders, mulchers, rotavators, RMB pro, Baler & Raker units, zero-till drills, etc. The parali protection force is also on job to spread awareness.”