30102026-LT-01.qxd 10/30/2026 12:54 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune POLICE DEMOLISH DRUG PEDDLER’S HOUSE Action taken under the state government’s campaign against drugs, Yudh Nashian Virudh. P2 » STATE HONOUR SOUGHT FOR COACH BALDEV SINGH PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 27°C | MIN 16°C YESTERDAY MAX 29°C | MIN 13°C A LOOK AT PRIYANKA’S KARVA CHAUTH CELEBRATIONS IN US Sports fraternity urges Punjab Government to confer state honour on the Padma Shri awardee. P3 FORECAST Priyanka Chopra shared Instagram stories about Karva Chauth celebrations with her family in the US. P4 » SUNSET FRIDAY 5:37 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 6:35 AM » FRIDAY | 30 OCTOBER 2026 | LUDHIANA Realtor injured as miscreants fire at car, attack with sharp weapons Victim’s mother, 3-year-old child were in vehicle at the time of incident, both escape unhurt Tribune News Service Ludhiana, October 29 A property dealer was injured and his car came under fire during a late-night attack in the Dholewal area, when he was travelling with his mother and three-yearold son on Wednesday. The victim, Jagjot Singh (36) of Miller Ganj, suffered injuries to his head and leg after being allegedly assaulted with sharp weapons. He also sustained a splinter injury near his eye when the attackers allegedly fired at his car. The incident occurred around 11.30 pm when Jagjot had gone out for dinner with his mother and son. According to him, they were sitting in the car when he stepped out to get a bottle of water for the child. He alleged that a group of at least eight men, whom he knew, approached him and fired two shots. As the bullets missed, he ran towards his car, but the attackers ATTACK STEMS FROM OLD RIVALRY: VICTIM Property dealer Jagjot Singh told the police that the attack was linked to an old rivalry arising from political associations. The victim after the assault at Dholewal in Ludhiana. PHOTO: INDERJEET VERMA allegedly caught up with him and assaulted him with sharp weapons. Despite being injured, Jagjot managed to reach the vehicle. After which, the attackers allegedly opened fire at the car and damaged it. His mother and the child were inside the vehicle at the time. Both escaped unhurt. Jagjot, who was bleeding from his injuries, drove himself to the Ludhiana Civil Hospital, where he received medical treatment. The victim told the police that the attack was linked to an old rivalry arising from political associations. He said he had earlier been associated with the Con- gress and had participated in election campaigns while the alleged attackers supported a rival political group. He further alleged that the same group had targeted him at his residence around a year ago and had opened fire there as well. Assistant Commissioner of Police, Industrial Area-B, Top officials, dairy owners summoned as CM convenes meeting tomorrow BUDDHA NULLAH POLLUTION Sukhpreet Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, October 29 Days after Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seechewal questioned the state government over its failure to check pollution in the Buddha Nullah, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has stepped in to seek a fresh round of discussions with dairy owners and the officials concerned. The Chief Minister has called a meeting in Chandigarh on October 31 with dairy owners from Ludhiana and officials of various departments to discuss the continuing issue of dairy waste entering the sewerage system and the nullah. Notices have been issued to dairy owners operating along Tajpur Road and Hambran Road, besides the Municipal Corporation Commissioner, the PPCB chief and the Deputy Commissioner, directing them to attend the meeting. The development comes against the backdrop of Seechewal’s criticism of the government during his recent review of the Buddha Dariya rejuvenation project. The AAP Rajya Sabha MP had questioned why the pollution issue continued despite repeated meetings, directions and substantial expenditure on treatment and rejuvenation infrastructure. Seechewal had particularly raised concerns over dairy waste from Ludhiana’s major dairy clusters. During a recent inspection, the continued discharge of cattle dung and dairy waste into the nullah and problems at treatment facilities came under scrutiny. The issue gained further political attention when Seechewal, a member of the ruling AAP , publicly expressed frustration with the government’s handling of the pollution problem, saying there was little point in remaining an MP if he could not help clean the nullah. The Chief Minister met Seechewal in Jalandhar on Wednesday, following which directions were issued for the meeting with dairy owners and officials. The proposed meeting is expected to focus on preventing the discharge of cattle waste, improving its collection and disposal. The administration has also started stepping up enforcement against violators ahead of the meeting. Officials of the MC and PPCB have been taking action against dairy units found violating waste-disposal norms. The continuing problem is significant as the Tajpur Road and Hambran Road dairy clusters together house thousands of cattle and generate a large quantity of animal waste every day. Seechewal has repeatedly maintained that unless dairy waste was prevented from entering the sewerage network, efforts to improve the quality of the nullah would face difficulties. The October 31 meeting is expected to bring dairy owners and officials on one platform to work out a practical mechanism for collection and disposal of dairy waste, besides fixing responsibility for violations. Anubhav Jain, said the police had identified three key suspects Jaswinder Singh, Dilraj and Khushdeep Singh and they and their associates had been booked in connection with the incident. “The investigation has revealed that Jaswinder and Jagjot were earlier associated politically but a dispute later led to a rivalry between the two. They had also been involved in clashes in the past, following which two FIRs were registered against Jagjot,” the ACP said. Police teams have been constituted to trace the suspects. The motive, sequence of events and role of each suspects are being verified as part of the investigation. Sand trader, kin hurt in firing Tribune News Service Ludhiana, October 29 Two persons were injured when unidentified assailants opened fire at a car near the Eldeco police post on the National Highway 44, near the Jalandhar Bypass, in the wee hours of Thursday. The injured have been identified as Jaspal Singh (27), a sand and gravel trader, and his sister-inlaw Priya. A friend accompanying them escaped without injury. The incident occurred around 2.30 am when they were returning to Ludhiana after visiting a relative. Jaspal, a native of Ferozepur who is currently residing at Talwandi village, was driving the Hyundai i10 vehicle. According to the police, three motorcycle-borne men approached the vehicle and fired two rounds before escaping from the scene. One bullet struck the bonnet of the car while the second entered the vehicle and hit Jaspal near the abdomen. The bullet then grazed the woman’s arm and caused an injury near her neck. The injured were taken to a private hospital where The car targeted by the miscreants in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN they are undergoing treatment. Their condition was stated to be stable. The firing initially led the police to suspect that the assailants could have been attempting to rob Jaspal. However, preliminary investigation has indicated that the incident might have been the result of an old rivalry, police officials said. ADCP-I Sameer Verma said the circumstances surrounding the attack were being examined and the police were working to establish the identity of the assailants. “Jaspal was travelling with his sister-in-law Priya and his friend Akash when the firing took place. He suf- fered a bullet injury near his stomach while the woman sustained injuries after the bullet grazed her arm and hit her near the neck. Both are stable,” he said. The police have also found that Jaspal has a criminal history. According to the ADCP around 12 , FIRs have been registered against him in the past in cases related to alleged drug peddling, violations under the Arms Act and incidents involving fights, among other offences. An FIR has been registered in connection with the firing. Police teams are examining CCTV footage from the area and gathering other evidence to identify the assailants. Karva fervour Women celebrate Karva Chauth in Ludhiana on Thursday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN MORE PHOTOS ON P2 Ashu-Warring rivalry refuses to fade despite Cong unity pitch 8 booked for attacking Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, October 29 Despite the Congress leadership’s efforts to project unity in the state following the appointment of Pargat Singh as Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president, the rivalry between former PPCC chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu continues in the city. Latest signs of the factional divide surfaced on Thursday when Ashu’s camp expressed ignorance about Warring’s visit to the city and a press conference convened by him on the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. When asked about the programme, Ashu remarked that it was good Warring had resumed visiting the city, but said he was unaware of either the visit or the press conference. Party insiders said while senior leaders have appeared together on public platforms Former Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring with kin of a murder victim in Ludhiana on Thursday. since Pargat Singh took charge of the state unit, relations between the two camps remain strained. They pointed to a recent “informal” meeting at the residence of former MLA Kuldeep Singh Vaid, attended by leaders considered close to Warring, including Sanjay Talwar, Simarjit Singh Bains, Rakesh Pandey, Pawan Dewan, Capt Sandeep Sandhu and Surinder Dawar. Notably, no leader from Ashu’s camp was present. Congress leader Pawan Dewan said the gathering was not planned and acknowledged that no one from the Ashu’s camp had been invited. He claimed that even during the visit of Amrita Dhawan, the AICC in-charge for Ludhiana, who came to gather feedback on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), leaders belonging to the Ashu’s group had stayed away. A senior Congress leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said instead of taking on political rivals such as the BJP AAP and SAD, party , leaders appeared preoccupied with internal power struggles and one-upmanship. DCC (Urban) president Sanjay Talwar, when asked whether Ashu would join Warring’s press conference, said party leaders had been assigned responsibilities ahead of Rahul Gandhi’s November 4 visit to Sangrur. “Ashu may be occupied with one of those assignments. Otherwise, he would have joined us,” Talwar said. Warring meets kin of vendor’s murdered son Earlier in the day, Warring visited the family of Rahul Sharma, son of the owner of city’s well-known Pandit Chole Kulche Wala, who was shot dead during a birthday party in the city recently. At the family’s Prem Nagar residence, the Ludhiana MP met Rahul’s father, Kuldeep Sharma, and conveyed his condolences. Speaking to mediapersons, Warring said the family was c m y b uncertain whether the suspects had been arrested. The Congress leader said after speaking to CP Swapan Sharma, he was informed that the suspects had been arrested, though the motive behind the murder remained unclear. Warring questioned the circumstances that led to the killing of the 34-year-old, who was the only child of his parents. “What was the reason? Why was the young man killed? Such incidents raise serious questions about the functioning of the Punjab Police,” he said. He claimed that availability of illegal weapons today was more worrying than during the militancy era. Warring was accompanied by Pawan Dewan, Sanjay Talwar, former MLA Kuldeep Vaid, Simranjeet Singh Bains, Jagseer Sidhu, Nirmal Kaira, Maninder Pal Guliani, Rohit Pahwa, Kulbir Neeta, Brij Mohan Sharma, Deepak Hans, Harbhagat Grewal, Jaswinder Singh Oshan and Varun Sharma. family at EWS Colony Tribune News Service Ludhiana, October 29 A family in the EWS Colony had a narrow escape when a group of eight persons allegedly stormed into their house and opened fire during an attack late on October 27. The bullet missed a woman and hit a door, the police said. The Division Number 7 police have booked a couple and six of their alleged accomplices on charges, including attempt to murder. The police suspect that the attack was aimed at putting pressure on the family in connection with an earlier criminal case pending against the suspects. The complainant, Muskaan, told the police that she was at home with her family when a person knocked on the main gate. Their domestic help, Amit, opened the gate, following which the alleged attackers assaulted him and entered the house. She alleged that the group was carrying weapons and Shekhar allegedly fired a shot at her. She managed to escape injury as the bullet missed her and struck the door of the house. The suspects allegedly threatened the family members and then left the scene, she told the police. The police have named Ashu, her husband Shekhar and Maakhan, all residents of Janakpuri, along with Munish, Sameer, Khali, Aadi and Aditya as suspects in the case. According to the police, the two groups were previously neighbours and had an altercation, following which an FIR was registered against the suspects at the Moti Nagar police station. Inspector Gagandeep Singh, SHO, Division Number 7, said the investigation indicated that the latest attack could be linked to the pending court case. “The next hearing in the earlier case is fixed for November 18. The suspects were allegedly pressuring the complainant and her family not to appear before the court. The firing appears to have been intended to threaten them,” the SHO said. The police have booked the suspects under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).