13052026-JTR-01.qxd 5/12/2026 11:42 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune MC POLL PROCESS BEGINS FOR NAWANSHAHR, RAHON & BANGA WORLD RED CROSS DAY: PEOPLE URGED TO CARE & SHARE ANJALI SIVARAMAN TO PLAY AMRITA SHER-GIL IN AMRI The administration finalises election machinery as nomination filing starts on May 13. P2 To encourage creativity and awareness among students, a chart-making competition was also organised. P3 Anjali Sivaraman will play legendary Indo-Hungarian painter Amrita Sher-Gil in Mira Nair’s film Amri. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 36°C | MIN 23°C YESTERDAY MAX 34°C | MIN 24°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 7.15 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 5:32 AM » WEDNESDAY | 13 MAY 2026 | 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. INBRIEF LABOURER DIES BY SUICIDE Phagwara: A youth, identified as Palwinderpal Singh, reportedly died by suicide after hanging himself with a girder attached to the roof of his house in village Chachoki near Phagwara on Tuesday. Depression is said to be the reason behind the extreme step. The deceased, who worked as a labourer, was living alone in the house. The police reached the spot, took the body into custody and sent it to the local Civil Hospital for the post-mortem examination. A case has been registered by the police and further investigation is underway. OC TWO ARRESTED FOR DRUGS SALE Phagwara: The Shahkot police have arrested two persons for selling heroin. SHO Dilbag Singh said 11 gram of heroin was recovered from the possession of the accused Balvir Singh, a resident of Montreal Maulvian village, and Harjindar Singh, resident of Baupur village. Cases under the NDPS Act against have been registered the accused. OC MAN HELD FOR SELLING LIQUOR Phagwara: The Lohian Khas police arrested a villager on the charge of selling illicit liquor. Fifteen bottles of hooch were seized from the possession of the accused Rajwinder Singh, a resident of Ismailpur village.A case under sections 61/1/14 of the Punjab Excise Act has been registered against the accused. OC Scrapping of NEET-UG leaves aspirants shocked Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 12 The announcement of scrapping of the NEET-UG 2026 exam conducted on May 3 has come as a rude shock for the students, who had barely relaxed after a hard preparation spanning over the past two years. Since the difficulty level of the examination conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) had been moderate as compared to the previous year, most aspirants were satisfied and expecting a good score. But now with re-exam to be scheduled, they feel that they had been cheated. A question which all aspirants have been asking is as to why the Centre had failed to make the high-stake NEET exam leak-free in so many years. “After attempting the paper, I thought we would be luckier than our seniors. But that was not the case. Like them, we too have been caught in a mess through no fault of ours. I don’t think I’ll be able to get back to my books until a fresh examination date is announced,” said Bhavya, a Jalandhar NEET aspirant. There, however, are some students who are upbeat over getting a fresh chance. Shubham, a student from BJP leader shot at in police presence in veggies market Trader also injured in firing |Incident caught on CCTV camera Tribune News Service Aspirants leave after the NEET UG exam at Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya in New Delhi. FILE PHOTO Hoshiarpur, said, “Somehow, I was not satisfied at my May 3 performance. I had felt that I could do better in chemistry. I shall resume my coaching all over again and take a daily mock test to do better in the god-sent opportunity to me”. On the NEET fiasco, former Education Minister Pargat Singh questioned the Centre over the repeated cancellation of the NEET examination. He said, “Neither the Prime Min- ister, nor his leaders have ever appeared for this exam, so they cannot understand the pain of 22 lakh children of the country. Only the students know how hard they have to work for this exam. To prevent repeated cancellations of NEET, the government needs to take strict measures. Punishment for the accused should be so severe that it deters anyone from committing such acts in the future.” Jalandhar, May 12 A feud between two arhtiyas over the extension of a fivefoot counter at the wholesale vegetable market in Maqsudan turned violent on Monday evening, leaving BJP leader Mukesh Monu Puri with a gunshot injury in his leg. The incident occurred around 5.15 pm. CCTV footage that surfaced about two hours later showed the firing taking place in the presence of police personnel. Puri, president of the Arhtiya Association in the market, was later supported by BJP leaders, including former MLA Sheetal Angural, who alleged that the police failed to resolve the issue in time, allowing the accused to flee after firing two shots in the crowded market. Commissioner of Police Dhanpreet Kaur said there was a dispute between two groups of vegetable traders, which was being resolved through talks when someone opened fire. “Two persons sustained gunshot injuries — one from each group. Apart from Mukesh The police at Maqsudan Sabzi Mandi, Jalandhar, where Monu Puri was shot at on Tuesday. Monu Puri, Tarun Bathla, a member of the other group, also suffered a gunshot wound in his foot. The matter is under investigation,” she said. Both the victims are reportedly admitted to a private hospital near Kapurthala Chowk. After the incident, Sunny Batra, leading the other group, also came on record. He said, “I and Puri have always been good friends despite being competitors. There had been an issue between the two of us over the extension of counter. We had agreed to resolve the issue amicably in the mandi. However, I noticed some outsiders accompanying him and objected to their presence. It was one of those outsiders who fired the shots. We have not been able to identify the shooter even from CCTV footage. While one shot hit Puri in his leg, the other injured Bathla,” he said, adding that the dispute had been unnecessarily given a political colour. iPhone caught fire; city forum asks firm to refund ~1.15L to consumer Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 12 The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Jalandhar, has directed Apple India and its authorised service provider iDelta Electronics Services LLP to refund over Rs 1.15 lakh to a consumer whose iPhone 13 Pro Max caught fire after the device had already been replaced three times within a few months over recurring hardware issues. The order came on a com- plaint filed by Angadpreet Singh, who had purchased the premium smartphone from Canada in 2022 for 1966.20 Canadian dollars (around Rs 1.15 lakh). According to the complaint, the phone started developing issues shortly after purchase, including poor network connectivity, screen freezing and Bluetooth malfunction. As per case records, the complainant first approached Apple’s authorised service centre in Bathinda on August 6, 2022. During inspection, Twin sisters secure spots on PSEB Class X merit list Prabhnoor stands third while Navnoor eighth in district Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 12 In a remarkable display of sibling bonding and academic consistency, 16-year-old twin sisters Prabhnoor and Navnoor Bhelle from Talwan, Jalandhar, have collectively secured places in the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) Class X merit list. Interestingly, the duo had earlier figured in the PSEB Class VIII state merit list, continuing their impressive academic streak with yet another shared achievement. Students of Government Girls High School, Talwan, both sisters now aspire to pursue medical stream and become doctors. Prabhnoor scored 639 out of 650 marks (98.31%), securing the third position in the district while Navnoor scored 633 out of 650 marks (97.38%), earning eighth position in the district. The daughters of Lakhwinder Singh, who runs a CSC centre in Bhalle village, and Jaswinder Kaur, an English teacher at a private school, the family credited disciplined study routines and mutual support for their success. “They are more like best friends than just siblings and share everything with each other. After returning from the school every day, they would sit together for studies and discuss topics in detail. If one of them had a doubt in any subject, the other would help solve it. They also made the regular use of online resources and YouTube videos to understand concepts better and strengthen their preparation,” said their mother. Prabhnoor and Navnoor Bhelle from Talwan The sisters said they regularly tested each other, identified weak areas and worked on them collectively which helped improve their performance significantly The sisters’ academic journey has remained consistent over the years. In the PSEB Class VIII examinations too, Prabhnoor had secured the seventh rank in the state while Navnoor stood tenth, their mother added. Apart from academics, both sisters enjoy reading books and playing badminton. technicians reportedly detected a hardware issue linked to the phone’s network system, following which the handset was replaced on August 16, 2022. However, the replaced device also developed faults within weeks. The complainant then approached an Apple authorised service centre in Sector 35, Chandigarh, where issues related to the display and Bluetooth connectivity were detected. The phone was replaced again on October 13, 2022. According to the complaint, the third handset too developed hardware-related issues, following which another replacement was provided after around nine days. The complainant further noted that within a few weeks, the iPhone overheated and caught fire while it was being charged. He claimed flames emerged from the side corners of the phone, after which he disconnected the charger and doused the fire. The device was later submitted to Apple’s authorised service provider in Jalandhar, where the job sheet reportedly mentioned a burning smell from the handset. During the proceedings, Apple contested the complaint and argued that the final damage was due to “externally induced accidental damage” and not because of any manufacturing defect. The company also maintained that repeated replacements reflected proper customer support and denied allegations of unfair trade practice or deficiency in service. However, the commission observed that repeated failures of a premium device within a short span could not be treated as normal. It held that the multiple replacements and service records produced by the complainant established recurring defects in the product. The commission further observed that Apple had not produced any independent expert report or technical evidence to substantiate its claim of external damage. It noted that a mobile phone catching fire was a serious safety concern and amounted to a grave product failure. Holding Apple India and the service provider jointly liable for deficiency in service and supply of defective goods, the commission in its order dated April 23 directed it to refund Rs 1,15,886 along with 6 per cent annual interest from the date of defect till realisation. It also awarded Rs 10,000 compensation for mental agony and harassment and Rs 10,000 towards litigation expenses. 3 arrested for A day of lights, cameras and ATM break-in dreams for village students Tribune News Service JALANDHAR, MAY 12 The district rural police have arrested three persons for their alleged involvement in breaking into an SBI ATM at Kishangarh on May 2. Inspector Ramandeep Singh, SHO, Kartarpur, along with ASI Hardeep Singh, incharge, police post, Kishangarh, had received a complaint from Abhishek Singh, a service provider for SBI ATMs in the area. He had said unknown persons had damaged the SBI ATM situated at Kishangarh. On the basis of CCTV footage and technical investigation, the police identified the accused. The arrested persons include Kanwaljit Singh of Sheikhupur in Kapurthala, Gurpreet Singh, alias Sonu, of Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala, and Harpreet Singh, alias Happy of Pawar village of Jalandhar. The SSP further stated that during preliminary interrogation, it was revealed that the same accused were also involved in the recent ATM break-in attempt incident at c m y b UCO Bank ATM in Bhogpur. The police have recovered a car (PB-02-S-6868), an iron rod and a sickle used in the incident. In a separate operation, the police apprehended two persons after intercepting a car and seized an illegal firearm and ammunition from their possession SSP Jalandhar Rural, stat, ed that ASI Manoj Kumar and ASI Lakhbir Singh, along with the police party, were conducting a naka checking near Lidhra St Soldier College. During checking, a car without registration number approached the naka. The driver attempted to flee after being signalled to stop, but the police intercepted the vehicle and apprehended both occupants. On questioning, they identified themselves as Gopal Singh, alias Gopa, of Mohalla Jatta, Adampur, Jalandhar, and Gurbaksh Singh, alias Sandy of Ashok Vihar near Verka Milk Plant, Jalandhar. During the search of the vehicle, one .30 bore 7.62 mm pistol was recovered from the dashboard. Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 12 For 12-year-old Tanu, Taran, Kartik and Arman, along with 31 other students of Government Middle SchoolDadyal, Garhshankar block, Hoshiarpur, it was a day they will not like to forget. Coming from financially struggling families of labourers and factory workers, the children got a rare opportunity to witness — and even take part in — the shooting of a Punjabi music video in their village. From cameras and make-up artistes to stuntmen, rehearsals and multiple retakes, the experience opened up an entirely new world before them. The memorable moment unfolded when Punjabi singer Lakhi Ghuman arrived in the village for the shooting of his upcoming song. Seeing the excitement among her students, teacher Manyasha decided to take them to the shooting location, a decision that soon turned into a heart-warming experience for everyone involved. “The children had never Children get rare chance to be part of Punjabi music video shoot in Hoshiarpur village seen such a world before. Yesterday, I could see a special twinkle in their eyes. For them, it was a pure joy and excitement,” In-charge of the school Monika Bunger shared. What began with hesitation soon transformed into confidence and laughter. The singer and his team warmly welcomed the students, patiently teaching them dance steps and making them feel comfortable on the set. Within minutes, the shy children were enthusiastically participating in the shoot. “The team was exceptionally humble and treated the students with warmth. The children were even asked if they wanted make-up artistes for themselves, prompting bursts of laughter. Moments like these made them feel genuinely special,” Monika added with a smile.