18022025-JTR-01.qxd 2/17/2025 10:54 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune AAKASH SCORES PERFECT 6-6-6 IN LESS THAN 6 SECONDS SPEED UP WORK ON IMPROVING CIVIC AMENITIES: MINISTER CONCLAVE BEST FILM AT BAFTAS, THE BRUTALIST WINS BIG TOO 14 teams are participating, including the 61st Cavalry, AMU Riding Club, ASC Equestrian team, Assam Rifles. P2 Directs MC officials to coordinate with counsellors and complete the ward works within three months . P2 The 78th edition of BAFTA saw Jeff Goldblum giving a moving piano tribute to David Lynch and Maggie Smith. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 23°C | MIN 10°C YESTERDAY MAX 22°C | MIN 9°C SUNSET TUESDAY 6.17 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 7:05 AM TUESDAY | 18 FEBRUARY 2025 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF WOMAN SARPANCH, PANCH BOOKED Phagwara: The police have booked Manjit Kaur, sarpanch of Motipur village, Amarjit Kaur, panch of the same village, Manpreet Singh of Pithorao village and his wife Sukhwindar Kaur for extortion and criminal intimidation. Gurdeep Singh of Motipur village had filed a case in the court, seeking security to his life and property. He has submitted in the court that the accused had threatened him. The court ordered the police to book culprits. OC YOUTH BOOKED FOR KIDNAPPING Phagwara: The police have booked a youth on the charge of kidnapping a minor girl. The accused has been identified as Sahil of Mandala village. Indarjit Singh of Yusafpur Alewal village complained to the police that the accused kidnapped his minor daughter on February 16 on the pretext of marriage. OC 3 BOOKED FOR SNATCHING GOLD Phagwara: The police have booked three miscreants for snatching gold bangle and ring from a Bilga resident. Nirmal Singh Sanghera of Pati Dunia Mansoor Bilga village told the police that they attacked him with a sharp-edged weapon and snatched his bangle and ring. OC ‘... thankful that he is back safely,’ kin of US deportee Refuse to talk to media Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, February 17 Taranjit Singh (19), another US deportee arrived Pojewal in Nawanshahr today. His family refused to talk in detail with the media. His grandfather, visibly upset, said he was thankful to the almighty that his grandson had come back safely. “Don’t compel me to say anything further. I am not in a condition to do so. I won’t answer to any other question,” he said. The sarpanch of village Allowal said the family was in distress and weren’t in a position to talk. Other two families were also not sharing much. Manpreet Singh from Balachaur was another deportee from the USA. “Manpreet remained in con- The family of a US deportee from Nawanshahr. finement. He has gone weak,” Baljit Kaur, a close relative of Singh, told The Tribune. “‘Main ethe aake sooraj dekheya’ (I saw the Sun when I landed here), this is what he told me,” Baljit shared. She further said Manpreet’ s cousins were with him all the time. “Nobody is leaving him alone because he is upset,” she said. Kaur shared that the moment she met him, she found him physically frail. “Roti te time pass layi si. Khada na khada ek varga si othe (food was just a for- mality). This is what he suffered there,” Kaur added. She, however, is relieved that he came back without getting hurt. “I know that there is a huge financial loss. But, his coming back is everything for our family. Right now, he is depressed, but he will definitely make his career in his life,” Kaur expressed. Manpreet is not unwilling to talk and he remains unapproachable. The family of Saveen from Behram, Nawanshahr, another deportee, is also avoiding the media. c m y b Gave 5-acre land worth ~1 cr to travel agent to reach US: Daljit Got little rice, sometime water as food in detention cell Sanjiv Kumar Bakshi TandaUrmar (Hoshiarpur), Feb 17 Ten deportees, who reached the Amritsar airport last night, belong to Hoshiarpur district. Five of them were from Tanda. They were brought to the DSP office, Tanda, from where they were handed over to their families in the presence of MLA Jasvir Singh Raja and DSP Davinder Singh Bajwa. The atmosphere in the DSP office, Tanda, became pensive when the five deportees reached there and met their families, everyone’s eyes welled up with tears. They include Daljit Singh of village Kurala, Harmanpreet Singh of village Chauhana, Harpreet Singh of Mohalla Barandari Tanda, Davinder Singh of village Nangli (Jalalpur) and Manpreet Singh of village Miyani. MLA Jasvir Singh Raja said the government was with the youth and they would get justice. He said strict action would be taken on the instructions of the Chief Minister against the travel agents, who illegally sent them to America by taking lakhs of rupees from them. An agent even got five acres of land of Kurala resident Daljit registered in his name, A deportee cries while his mother consoles him. which is worth about Rs 1 crore. The youths said how if someone fell into a ditch or became sick and injured on the way, he was left there to die. At many places, these people saw bodies and human skeletons lying there. The MLA said the youths were being sent home but at the same time they had been directed to record their statement within five days so that it could be known who were the travel agents and strict action could be taken against them. The youths spoke about their pain and difficulties. Daljit, a resident of Kurala, said after taking away lakhs of rupees and five acres of land to send him to the US by plane, the agent arranged a donkey to cross the jungles of Panama. He was made to cross the border from Tijuana city of Mexico about two months ago. After crossing the border he was arrested and from there he was taken to a detention camp where he was somehow surviving in the severe cold. He said even after his arrival, about 500 more Indians were locked up in the camp who were to be sent back. He said as food he was given only a few chips, peas, sometimes a little rice and water. Daljit said he was sent from America in a military plane with handcuffs, shackles and chains tied around his waist. Daljit appealed to the government to get his land back. Talwara health inspector dies in accident Talwara, February 17 A health inspector riding a motorcycle died after being hit by a tipper near the bus stand at Hajipur last night. Nishant Sharma of Hajipur, said his father, who was a health inspector, Hajipur, was going from Budhabad Chowk to the bus stand on his motorcycle. When he reached near Dadwal Bakery, a tipper coming from the front hit him due to which he fell on the road and became unconscious. He was immediately taken to a government hospital of Hajipur where doctors declared him brought dead. OC HC to hear Ekta’s plea today PHAGWARA: The HC will hear on Tuesday a petition filed by serial producer Ekta Kapoor in connection with a case registered against her and others by the Nakodar police in 2013. It is listed before a bench headed by Sanjiv Berry. Kapoor, her mother Shobha Kapoor, four members of her team involved in production of serial 'Pavitra Rishta' and Zee TV owner had been booked for hurting religious sentiments of the Valmiki community. OC