17032025-JTR-01.qxd 3/16/2025 10:58 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune EX-OLYMPIANS’ KIN CHERISH 1975 HOCKEY WIN SALMAN WRAPS UP ACTION THRILLER SIKANDAR SHOOT I’M A HARVARD WIFE, SAYS PARINEETI CHOPRA Olympian Mohinder Munshi’s brother Satta Satpal attends 50th anniversary of the 1975 hockey World Cup win.P2 Soon after finishing the last scene, the Tiger Zinda Haiactor shaved off his beardsomething he had kept for Sikandar. P4 Parineeti couldn’t contain her excitement as she celebrated her husband Raghav Chadha's latest achievement. P4 » » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 22°C | MIN 11°C YESTERDAY MAX 29°C | MIN 13°C SUNSET MONDAY 6.37 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 6:34 AM MONDAY | 17 MARCH 2025 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF 1 BOOKED UNDER ANTI-DOWRY ACT Phagwara: On a complaint lodged by Anmol Duggal, a resident of Hadiabad, a subtown of Phagwara, the police have registered a case under Section 498-A and 406 of the BNS against her husband Kush Sudhir, a resident of Hadiabad, on the charges of torturing the complainant physically and mentally for more dowry. No arrest has been made in the case so far. OC 15 BOOKED FOR FRAUD Phagwara: On a complaint lodged by the residents of Harbanspur village near Phagwara the police have registered a case under Sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 471,120-B of the BNS against 15 persons on the charges of registering sale deeds of different lands by preparing fake documents. The accused have been identified as Harjinder Singh, his father Mewa Singh, Gurmit Singh, Lehmber Singh,Kuldip Singh, Tersem Singh, Mahinder Kaur, Manjit Kaur, Vijay Singh,Gurpreet Singh (all residents of Harbanspur village), Lakhbir Singh, Gurdev Kaur, Sandeep Singh, Dayal Chand and Mandip Singh, all residents of Baba Gadhia locality of Phagwara. No arrest has been made so far. TNS DRUG PEDDLER ARRESTED Phagwara: The police have arrested a drug peddler and seized 50 intoxicating tablets from his possession on Saturday night. The accused has been identified as Kashmir Singh, a resident of Ispur village. A case under the NDPS act has been registered against the accused. OC Saffron party leaders hold stir BJP leaders hold 10-min silence on AAP ‘misrule’ as AAP govt completes 3 years Our Correspondent Tribune News Service Jalandhar/phagwara, Mar 16 On the completion of three years of the Aam Aadmi Party government in the state, BJP leaders held demonstrations in the four legislative Assemblies of Jalandhar, including Jalandhar West, Central, Cantt and North. The demonstrations were held under the leadership of 17 mandal pradhans of the BJP . Leaders said there was increasing gangsterism, drug trafficking, ransom, kidnapping culture in the state and businessmen, shopkeepers, farmers and youth were suffering due to extreme corruption in offices. They said women were not getting the promised Rs 1,000 and businessmen weren’t getting free electricity, and poll promises like MSP on 23 crops, regularisation of contractual government employees, punishing sacrilege accused, ending of the sand mafia, cleaning of the sewers and dozens of other Aam Aadmi Party government’s election promises were yet to be fulfilled. They said this was the base of their protest. Several leaders of the BJP , including party’s national general secretary Tarun Chugh, former Union Minister Som Parkash, Vijay Sampla, former Rajya Sabha member Avinash Rai Khanna, former minister Manoranjan Kalia and national farmer leader Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal have strongly criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab, claiming that the state’s economy had collapsed under its rule. hoshiarpur, March 16 On the completion of three years of the Punjab government, the BJP here today tied black bands and observed 10minute silence at Shimla Pahari Chowk. Party workers participated in this silent protest under the leadership of BJP district president Nipun Sharma, state secretary Meenu Sethi and senior leader Avinash Rai Khanna. Speaking on this occasion, Khanna said that after three years of the Aam Aadmi Par- Leaders and workers of the BJP hold a protest in Jalandhar on Sunday. A TRIBUNE PHOTO As the Bhagwant Mann-led government completes three years, BJP leaders asserted that AAP had failed on all fronts, leaving Punjab in a state of turmoil. In separate press statements issued here today, BJP leaders accused the AAP government of misleading the people of Punjab with false promises, stating that the party came to power by manipulating public emotions, but had failed to deliver on its commitments. “The state’s law and order situation has deteriorated to an all-time low,” BJP leaders said and added that the recent attacks on religious places and police stations prove this government’s incompetence. They also expressed concern over the safety of Punjab’s residents, alleging that people were living in fear. Referring to the recent violent incidents, including an attack on a temple and an assault on a BJP leader and a jeweller in Amritsar, BJP leaders said, “The Chief Minister has merely issued press statements instead of taking concrete action.” They also pointed to a grenade attack in Jalandhar as further evidence of lawlessness in the state. On the economic front, the BJP leaders accused the AAP government of pushing Punjab towards financial bankruptcy. “The state’s economic condition is no secret. Due to poor governance, Punjab is on the brink of collapse. The government has failed to fulfil its election promises, including providing ?1,000 per month to women, setting up medical colleges, supporting farmers and boosting industry,” they said. Highlighting shortcomings in the education sector, they stated that 850 principal positions in Punjab’s schools remained vacant. He also questioned AAP’s claims of earning thousands of crores through mining, calling them “empty claims”. They urged the Mann government to focus on addressing Punjab’s issues rather than making false claims. They further asserted that the people of Punjab were eagerly waiting for the 2027 elections to oust AAP and elect BJP government. Leaders sat on streets with placards saying “Punjab de vich AAP de 3 saal, bure haal”, “Women asking AAP where is our Rs 1,000?”, etc. BJP leaders called the Aam Aadmi Party and the Bhagwant Maan government as the one which cheated people by making false promises and played with the sentiments of the people. They also attacked the Punjab government by saying that in the last three years the debt of Punjab had increased to about Rs 2 lakh crore without any development work. ty in Punjab the government was making big claims, “but if we talk at the ground level, there are neither doctors in hospitals, nor teachers in schools, nor any employee in offices”. He said that Bhagwant Mann government had not fulfilled any of the promises made before coming to power. On this occasion, district BJP unit president Nipun Sharma took a dig at AAP and said that it was busy in pleasing its master Arvind Kejriwal instead of focusing on development. He said that the people of Delhi had shown Kejriwal their true colours and in the coming days the people of Punjab would also follow suit. He further said Punjab Police was helpless in the face of atrocities like extortion, drug smuggling and hooliganism. Big drug dealers still consider themselves safe in the regime of the Mann government. In the name of action, the youth trapped in the quagmire of drugs were being implicated in false cases. The Mann government does not have any concrete plan for their rehabilitation, he added. Lies, dishonesty, failure character of AAP governance: Dhaliwal Our Correspondent Phagwara, March 16 Phagwara MLA Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal has criticised the Aam Aadmi Party on the completion of its three years in Punjab by stating that, “The three years of Aam Aadmi Party’s disastrous misrule stand as a testament to betrayal, incompetence and fake promises in the state.” Talking about farmers, he questioned the Mann government and said, “The Bhagwant Mann government had promised MSP guarantee on 22 crops before coming to power, but now he had failed to deliver its promise. Instead, the Mann government, like the Modi government at the Centre, has also started an unnecessary con- flict with farmers by arresting them.” He further said, “Under the rule of Mann, Punjab’s governance was not just outsourced, but sold out to Delhi. Our state’s resources have been misused and AAP shamelessly broke its promises.” Exposing the reality of the so-called ‘kattar imaandar sarkar,’ Dhaliwal said, “In the last three years, AAP has completely failed to control corruption, maintain law and order and revive the economy. The AAP has pushed Punjab into deeper chaos during this period.” Focusing on the health sector in Punjab, Dhaliwal said, that the people had not seen any development in the state’s health sector and the AAP government had prom- ised a world-class health model, but they failed to deliver. “Health department projects have been neglected by the AAP government over the past three years,” he said. Taking a dig at the AAP government, he said, “For three years, the women of Punjab had been waiting for AAP to fulfil its promise of providing ?1,000 per month. This promise, along with many others, remains unfulfilled. The Mann government had made several commitments to the people, but has fulfilled any of them.” He added that, “Instead of progress, Punjab has witnessed unparalleled chaos, unchecked misgovernance and a mockery of accountability under the Aam Aadmi Party’s rule.” Deportations no deterrent for Two Tanzanians youth cherishing foreign dreams held in cases of Avneet Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 16 The recent deportation of 131 Punjabis from the USA seems to have had little impact on the aspirations of rural youth in Punjab. This was evident during the Hola Mohalla celebrations in Anandpur Sahib, where trailers adorned with US flags, along with bikes and cars flaunting Canadian flags, made their way from Jalandhar and Amritsar. Despite tightened immigration laws in countries like the US, Canada and Australia, the fervour for settling abroad remains strong. Even as local colleges report witnessing steady admissions, the students say they are adopting a “wait and watch” approach, hoping for future relaxations in immigration policies. “I know people who were deported, but that doesn’t scare me as they had gone illegally. The lack of job opportunities here and the rampant corruption make me want to build a better life abroad,” said Gurpreet Singh of Shahkot, who recently completed his graduation. Similarly, Manpreet Kaur from Jalandhar, who is preparing for her IELTS exam, said, “The dream of living in Canada or the US is still alive. I am willing to wait for as long as it takes for immigration policies to ease and the situation to get better.” An immigration agent who wished not to be named said, “The desperation to escape unemployment and econom- ic stagnation in Punjab has driven many youngsters to seek better opportunities abroad, often taking risks with unauthorised immigration routes. However, the growing number of deportations has done little to discourage others from following the same path.” He said that the government’s failure to address corruption and create jobs was pushing them out. “If they had better options here, they wouldn’t be looking for ways to leave,” he added. “As long as the allure of better wages and a higher standard of living continues to outshine the hardships faced at home, the craze for foreign shores is unlikely to wane among Punjab’s youth,” said Harpreet Singh, a farmer from Kapurthala. A US flag on a tractor-trailer going for Hola Mohalla celebrations, in Jalandhar. SARABJIT SINGH drug trafficking Our Correspondent Phagwara, March 16 A special team of the Kunnamangalam (Kerala) police on Friday raided and arrested two Tanzanian nationals who were allegedly involved in a series of inter-state synthetic drug trafficking cases. The suspects — Kilekamajenga David Nteme (22) and Myonga Atka Haruna (21) — were apprehended from Phagwara following a tip-off from three youths who were earlier arrested in connection with a major drug trafficking case. Police sources said the two were pursuing various professional graduation courses at a private university in Phagwara. The reports received on Saturday night said the special squad, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police A Umesh, identified the two based on bank transaction details collected from various locations. “Ibrahim Muzamil (27), Abhinav (24) and Mohammed Shameel (26) were initially arrested by the Kerala police in connection with a major drug trafficking case. The special squad came across details of the two Tanzan- c m y b ian nationals while collecting evidence from Bengaluru,” the reports said. It was learnt that Shameel was suspected of transferring a large sum of money to Tanzanian citizens’ accounts for drug deals. The special squad camped in Phagwara for a couple of days to track the suspects’ location. The two were reportedly staying as paying guests at a house near the university. A six-member team of Kerala police, including Kunnamangalam Station House Officer S Kiran and Sub-Inspector Nidhin, and three other civil police officers were part of the special squad formed under Deputy Commissioner of Police Arun K Pavithran for the investigation. Senior Superintendent of Police, Kapurthala, Gaurav Toora said the special team of Kerala police coordinated with the local police to conduct raid at a rented accommodation, following which two foreign nationals were arrested. The accused were wanted in a drug-related case registered in January this year. “The accused have transactions of more than Rs 1.30 crore in their bank accounts,” he said. Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan greets leaders at a congregation held at Seechewal village in Jalandhar on Sunday. Buddah Nullah: Sandhwan seeks support for cleaning initiative Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 16 Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan has appealed to the people of Punjab to come forward to preserve the natural water sources. He said this during the 47th death anniversary of Sant Lal Singh observed at the ‘Nirmal Kuteya’ at Seechewal village in Lohian, Jalandhar. On the occasion, he urged the congregation to support the cleaning initiative of Buddah Nullah, and was supported by Rajya Sabha member and environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal. Speaker Sandhwan acknowledged that there had been previous attempts to clean Buddah Nullah, but none of them had been successful. However, he expressed hope that Seechewal’s efforts for cleaning up Buddah Nullah in Ludhiana would soon transform it into Buddah ‘dariya’. He also expressed concern over the polluted waters from Ludhiana factories and dairy industries flowing into the Malwa region and 12 districts of Rajasthan. He highlighted that the contamination of Buddah Nullah with hazardous chemicals had been proving destructive for the aquatic life and were now beginning to affect human life as well. He expressed hope that the cleaning campaign led by Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal would revive this natural water source and bring it back to its clean state. Sandhwan also gave reference of the earlier achieve- ment of Seechewal in cleaning the 165-km-long Holy Bein, setting an inspiring example for the nation. During the event, Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seechewal paid tributes to Sant Lal Singh. Seechewal also mentioned the recent report presented in Parliament about water sources, highlighting that dangerous metals were found in the groundwater of 20 of the 23 districts of Punjab. He appealed to the people of Punjab to conserve water as the state’s existence were directly dependent on it. Religious men from various places spoke to connect the congregation with Gurbani and paid tributes to Sant Lal Singh. Sant Avtar Singh from Yadgari Nursery distributed plants among the audience.