21032026-JTR-01.qxd 3/20/2026 11:00 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune CHEEMA TAKES STOCK OF GURU RAVIDAS RESEARCH PROJECT Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema visited Dera Sachkhand Ballan and took stock of the project’s progress. P2 » FROM KEROSENE LAMPS TO ACCLAIM: JINDER’S LITERARY JOURNEY Harjinder Pal (72), popularly known by his pen name Jinder, says he was not fond of Punjabi literature in his early years.P3 » CELEBS SHOW US THE WAY TO NAIL THE FESTIVE EID LOOK Men take cues from Bollywood actors to dive deep into aesthetics of kurtas, pathanis, fine embroidery and the perfect adaab. P4 » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 20°C | MIN 14°C YESTERDAY MAX 22°C | MIN 15°C SUNSET SATURDAY 6.39 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 6.29 AM SATURDAY | 21 MARCH 2026 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF ONE BOOKED FOR ~5L FRAUD Hoshiarpur: The Cyber Cell of the Hoshiarpur police has booked an individual for allegedly defrauding a woman from Garhdiwala of Rs 5 lakh. The complainant, Rajwant Kaur, told the police that an unidentified person had cheated her of money on November 18 last year. Following an investigation into bank records and technical evidence, the police identified the accused as Balveer Singh of Fateh Singh Colony, Amritsar. OC 9 BOOKED FOR MURDER BID Nakodar: The Mehatpur police have booked nine persons and their accomplices on charges of attempt to murder and firing. Investigating officer (IO) Puran Singh said the accused were identified as Dilbag Singh, Ashwani Kumar, Jagdish Singh and Baljit Singh, all of Vehran village; Kamal of Raipur Arayian village; Raju of Bute Dian Chhana village; Jagga, Manish and Jaswant Singh of Dharme Dian Chhana village. Gurpreet Singh of Vehran village complained to the police that the accused waylaid and fired at him. The IO said an empty and two live cartridges were recovered from the spot. OC EX-COP BOOKED FOR NEGLIGENCE Shahkot: A retired policeman has been booked on charges of causing death by negligence and rash driving. Investigating officer (IO) Manjit Singh said the accused was identified as Tirath Singh, a resident of Shahkot. Simran Deep Kaur, a resident of Salaichan village, complained to the police that the accused was driving his truck (bearing registration number PB-08-BU0781) at high speed and rashly which crushed Lal Chand (90) to death. The deceased was a resident of Sekhewal village. OC ONE HELD FOR STEALING BIKES Nakodar: The police have arrested an individual on charge of stealing bikes. Investigating officer (IO) Rajindar Pal Singh said the accused was identified as Ajay Kumar of Dhilwan village in Jalandhar district. The IO said the police received a tip-off that the accused was involved in stealing bikes. A case under Sections 303(2) (theft) and 317(2) (dishonesty receiving stolen property) of the BNS was registered against accused. OC Cops drag Dalit woman by Kapurthala Urban Estate residents hit by power cuts her hair, video goes viral BJP, Congress leaders hold protest, seek justice for victim Slam power utility for not resolving persistent issue Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 20 An incident of barbaric treatment meted out by the city police came to fore this morning when an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of the Bhargo police station thrashed a Dalit woman and dragged her out of her house onto the street while pulling by her hair. The issue took a political colour when local leaders lodged a protest and announced that they would file a complaint on the matter with the Punjab State Commission for Scheduled Castes and the Punjab State Women Commission. The incident occurred this morning at 7 am. A CCTV footage of the incident got viral. The video showed policemen assaulting some half-clad youth on the road. Victim woman Mamta Rani Bhagat pleaded with the police that she was only protecting her son from being beaten up when the ASI started attacking her too and treated her with cruelty. Mamta, a widow, alleged, “The ASI crossed all limits. When he came, there was no woman police personnel with Former BJP MLA Sheetal Angural, along with victim Mamta Rani Bhagat and other workers, protests in Jalandhar on Friday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH him. My sons were asleep at that time. I tried to talk to him, but instead he grabbed me by my hair and also entered into scuffle with my sons.” She said her elder son was having a dispute with his wife. “My son had brought back his daughter from my daughter-in-law’s custody. I had got her sent back. I went to the police station yesterday to report everything, but the inquiry officer was not there.” She further said even her Lakhotra and former councillor Vipan Kumar were among those who staged a dharna on Bhargo Camp Chowk and later went to the police station along with the woman seeking action against the erring ASI. Sheetal Angural said, “We will not relent till the victim gets justice. We have been told that action is being mulled against the ASI concerned. We will also take the matter to the state commission for women and for SCs tomorrow.” works like construction and electrical activities. He further pointed out that Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) had initiated the work of replacing old and unsafe poles and wires, raising hopes among residents for improved infrastructure. However, the work had stopped midway without any explanation, he said. Residents said situation during power cuts it becomes extremely frustrating as helpline numbers remain continuously engaged for hours, leaving them without any support. “With the summer season approaching, such prolonged outages will become unbearable. Stopping essential infrastructure work mid- Potholed service lanes, worn out NH edges near Amritsar bypass make driving unsafe Jalandhar, March 20 Commuting on the National Highway (NH) No. 1, along the Amritsar bypass, has become risky. Even after paying a hefty amount as toll for travelling on the highway, commuters are under a risk of falling off its worn out edges or fear using service lanes ridden with potholes. At several points between Jalandhar and Amritsar, the condition of service roads has deteriorated. Recent rain and the pressure of heavy vehicles have completely damaged these stretches. Amid delay on part of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) authorities to fill potholes, local residents and commuters have taken upon themselves to undertake the dangerous task. Residents have themselves dumped soil and debris from the highway divider into potholes on service roads. This has A damaged portion of the Jalandhar-Amritsar National Highway near Verka Milk Plant. TRIBUNE PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH reduced the height of the divider. Also residents have created illegal “cuts” to avoid driv- Police intensify crackdown on drug trafficking in Kapurthala Phagwara, March 20 In a sustained drive against narcotics trafficking, the police across Kapurthala district have registered multiple cases under the NDPS Act, leading to the arrest of several individuals and recovery of heroin, poppy husk and pharmaceutical drugs in separate operations. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gaurav Toora said one of the key arrests involved a woman identified as Manjit Kaur, alias Lali. Lali was apprehended near Subhanpur after she attempted to dispose of a suspicious packet upon noticing a police patrol, the SSP said. A search conducted in the presence of a woman constable led to the recovery of approxi- neighbours had interfered and appealed to the cops that they themselves would present her son at the police station, but the former still did not listen to their pleas too. The matter flared up when the BJP and the Congress leaders from Jalandhar West got together in favour of the woman, who had to get her forehead bandaged. Former MLA Sheetal Angural, Congress halqa in-charge Surinder Kaur, councillor Tarsem Jalandhar, March 20 Residents of the Urban Estate, Kapurthala, have expressed strong resentment over the continued power outages which have harried them for long. Residents said, considered one of the most posh localities of the city, Urban Estate, where property prices were soaring, but basic amenities remained highly unsatisfactory. Advocate Anuj Anand, president, Urban Estate Welfare Society, expressed strong resentment over continued neglect of their area by the administration. He said for years, residents had been approaching the authorities regarding resolution of basic civic issues such as frequent power outages, broken roads, delay in replacing streetlight poles, broken and missing boundary walls, non-construction of a community hall and sports complex, and concerns relating to law and order, but no concrete action had been taken in this regard. Highlighting the current crisis, he said the area was now facing frequent and prolonged power cuts lasting several hours, severely affecting daily life and ongoing way is completely unjustified,” Anand said. Another resident, criticising the step-motherly treatment towards the area, said such neglect reflects serious administrative apathy despite Urban Estate being a prime residential locality. He emphasised that failure to take immediate corrective measures may compel residents to seek appropriate legal recourse and adopt democratic methods to raise their grievances. Residents demanded immediate resumption and timebound completion of the pole and wire replacement work, along with ensuring uninterrupted power supply in the area. They further highlighted that several important demands of residents were still pending with the Jalandhar Development Authority (JDA), including repair of internal roads, installation and proper maintenance of streetlights, construction of boundary walls at vulnerable points, development of a community hall and sports complex, and overall improvement of basic civic infrastructure. They urged the JDA authorities to take immediate action on these long-pending issues to provide relief to residents. mately 12 grams of heroin, following which a case was registered against Lali, he said. In another major operation based on specific intelligence inputs, the police intercepted two trucks near a checkpoint and arrested three individuals — Manjit Singh, Sarbjit Singh, and Ranjit Singh. During search, the police recovered around 10 kg of poppy husk (5 kg from each vehicle). Both trucks were seized, and further investigations initiated to trace the source and intended distribution network of the contraband. Continuing the crackdown, the police arrested Jauna Singh from the Subhanpur area after recovering 6 gm of heroin from him during routine patrolling. In a separate case, Simranjit Singh, alias Manna, was arrested near a hospital road with 57 intoxicating tablets and 1,400 Pregabalin capsules. In another significant seizure, two individuals identified as Malkit Singh, alias Banga, and Jaspal Singh, alias Vicky, were intercepted while travelling on a motorcycle. Upon search, the police recovered around 220 gm heroin from their possession. Their bike was also seized. In another incident, a woman identified as Sandeep Kaur was arrested in Kapurthala after the police recovered 120 intoxicating tablets from her. The police said all accused were booked under the NDPS Act. — OC ing on broken service roads. These cuts take commuters directly onto the main highway. “Vehicles suddenly entering the highway can lead to major accidents. Average speed of vehicles running on the highway ranges from 80 to 100 km per hour. In such a situation, vehicles suddenly merging from service roads onto the main highway appear to be on a “suicide mission”,” said Pawan Luther, an activist. Seema Sharma, whose child studies in CJS Public School, said, “The potholes on service roads are so big that our scooters often get damaged. To save time and avoid these potholes, people cross the divider and move onto the highway. The administration must act fast or else there can be a major accident. The NHAI must get service roads repaired at the earliest.” Another problem is that drainage channels along the NH are not functioning. Though some repair was started by the NHAI around two months ago, it was withheld. This has made commuting along the highway edges risky as vehicle drivers are unable to notice a gap in broken channel portion when gets dark and can fall into service lanes whose level is lower by three to four feet. Surinder Saini, member, Road Safety Committee, Jalandhar, said, “The issue of potholed service lanes of the National Highway and broken grills has been highlighted in several meetings. Deputy Commissioner Dr Himanshu Aggarwal has warned officials of the NHAI that they will be taken to task if any accident occurs due to their negligence. The MC has drained out water from drainage channels along the highway. Tiling is yet to be done. The NHAI officials have been asked to install streetlights and signages at points where there are black spots.” He added that no meeting of the Road Safety Committee was held for the last two months despite the fact that it was mandatory to hold one every month and send its proceedings to the High Court. — TNS Ranked No. 2 in INDIA & Ranked No. 1 in PUNJAB and JALANDHAR Design Thinking and experiential Learning Leader (Source: Education World, Grand Jury Indian School Ranking 2025-26) ADMISSIONS OPEN Batch 2026-27 c m y b