29052025-JTR-01.qxd 5/28/2025 11:01 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune AFTER ARORA’S EXIT, AAP SET TO INDUCT NITIN KOHLI EARLY WAKE-UPS, SIMPLE MEALS: A CAMP LIKE NO OTHER HOUSEFULL 5 TRAILER LAUNCH EVENT WAS FULL OF BONHOMIE Industrialist is likely to be projected as its halqa in-charge from Jalandhar Central Assembly seat. P2 Guru Virjanand Gurukul Mahavidyalaya set to host a residential summer camp from June 1-7. P3 As the fifth part of Housefull is all set to be released in June, the makers kickstarted the promotions in Mumbai. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 37°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 36°C | MIN 27°C SUNSET THURSDAY 7.25 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 5:24 AM THURSDAY | 29 MAY 2025 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF EX-CLERK NABBED FOR FUND MISUSE Phagwara: The Nakodar police have arrested a former clerk of the block primary education office for embezzling fund while constructing a school. Nakodar DSP Sukhpal Singh said the accused had been identified as Iyzah Masih, a resident of Golden Colony, Nakodar. District Education Officer (elementary), Jalandhar, had complained to the police that the accused and his accomplices embezzled Rs 56,23,157 during the construction of the village Aallowal elementry school. A case was registered against the accused and others in February 2021. OC GANGSTER NAMED FOR EXTORTION Phagwara: The Lohian Khas police have nominated a gangster on the charges of extortion and criminal conspiracy. The accused has been identified as Satta of Naushera Pannua village in Tarn Taran district. Anmolpreet Singh, alias Mela, of Yusafpur Allewal village, who has been arrested, had named the accused, had demanded Rs 50 lakh ransom. A case under Sections 308 (5) (extortion by putting a person in fear of death or grievous hurt), 351(3) (criminal conspiracy) of the BNS and Sections 25/54/59 of the Arms Act was registered against the accused. OC Woman admits to shooting AISSF prez Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 28 A day after Al4l-India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) president and city-based lawyer Parminder Singh Dhingra was shot dead in his neighbour’s house in Grover Colony, the police have registered an FIR for murder against the woman and her son. The woman has confessed to firing the shot that killed Dhingra. Police officials confirmed that she had taken the responsibility for opening the fire. Her son, a trained sports shooter, remains in custody as investigations continue. The family of Dhingra, in a statement to the police, alleged that he had been deliberately lured to their house. “He was called there and killed under a conspiracy — either related to a case or due to some personal matter,” they said in their statement, demanding a probe. Parminder Singh Dhingra SHO Parminder Singh of Basti Bawa Khel police station said a post-mortem was conducted today before a medical board to ensure transparency. “All necessary protocols were followed and videography of the entire process was done. We are probing every minute detail of the case. Nothing is being taken lightly,” he said. Late on Tuesday evening, the police had taken all three family members — the woman, her husband and their son — into custody for questioning. However, the woman’s husband was released later in the night. “He was found to be at his office at the time of the incident,” police officials said. They said they are focusing on establishing the motive, examining the history of relations between the two families among other details. The son’s role — whether as an accomplice or witness — is also under scrutiny. Meanwhile, Dhingra’s killing has shaken the city’s legal and Sikh activist community. His supporters continue to demand justice, alleging the murder was planned. Meanwhile, the police have increased security in the area to prevent any flare-up. Phagwara: The Mehatpur police have arrested two villagers on the charge of brewing illicit country-made liquor. Investigating Officer (IO) Puran Singh Sukhdev Singh said 240 litre of lahan and utensils for brewing were seized from the possession of the accused Kulwant Singh of Mehatpur and Tarsem Singh, a resident of Hajatewal village in Ludhiana. Cases under Sections 61/1/14 of the Punjab Excise Act have been registered against the accused. oc Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, May 28 Continuing its relentless drive against corruption, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) today caught Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Kuldeep Singh, posted in Hoshiarpur district, red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000. Disclosing this here today, an official spokesperson said the arrest was made following a complaint filed by Robin Kumar, village Ghugyal, Hoshiarpur. The complainant had approached the VB, alleging that a police case was registered against him in the police station and investigation of the case was assigned to ASI Kuldeep Singh. However, before registering the FIR, Kuldeep Singh, allegedly acting in connivance with the opposing party, had registered a counter-case against the complainant, his mother and other family members. Kuldeep Singh threatened the complainant to pay Rs The ASI in the custody of the Vigilance Bureau team, Hoshiarpur. 50,000 otherwise he would falsely implicate his mother in a case involving the theft of a gold chain. The complainant said upon his persistent requests, the amount of bribe was negotiated to Rs 30,000 and the ASI had taken Rs 10,000 as a first instalment. As per the complaint, the accused ASI had demanded the balance amount of Rs 20,000 and received Rs 5,000 as second instalment. The com- plainant had recorded the conversation while demanding the remaining amount on his mobile phone. The spokesperson further said after a preliminary verification of the complaint, a VB team laid a trap during which the ASI was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000 in the presence of two official witnesses. A case has been registered against the accused. Organisation accuses her of engaging in projects sans nod Tribune News Service The incomplete surface water project in Jalandhar. PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH City surface water project set to miss deadline again Aakanksha N Bhardwaj 2 NABBED FOR BREWING LIQUOR Jalandhar, May 28 Following the murder of lawyer Parminder Dhindsa, the District Bar Association on Wednesday observed ‘No work day’ as a mark of respect for him. DBA president Aditya Jain said, “We all abstained from legal proceedings today in solidarity with our colleague. We had requested judicial officers to cooperate with us and not pass any adverse orders.” The Bar announced ‘No work day’ for another day tomorrow. A release issued by secretary, DBA, Rohit Gambhir read, “Following the demise of our two lawyers Charan Dass Pada and Parminder S Dhindsa, the DBA will observe ‘No Work Day’ in the district courts on Thursday too to enable the members to attend their funeral. We have urged all officers of the Commissioner, Jalandhar Division, DC, ADC, District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Revenue Officers, SDMs, tehsildars, Permanent Lok Adalat and Labour Court to cooperate with us.” — TNS ASI caught red-handed accepting ~15,000 bribe Rachel steps down as ‘Miss Grand Intl 2024’ over ‘mistreatment’ 2 ARRESTED FOR ILLEGAL MINING Phagwara: The Shahkot police have arrested two persons on the charge of illegal sand mining. The accused have been identified as Sukhraj Singh of Mehsampur village and Inderjit Singh of Bangiwal village under Mehatpur police station. Block mining officer Moga had complained to the police that the accused were indulging in illegal sand mining near Chak Bahmania village. A case has been registered against the accused. OC No work in courts over lawyer’s murder Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 28 One of the biggest projects under the smart city ‘Surface water project’ that started five years ago is set to miss another deadline. The project is worth Rs 400 crore. Commenced in 2020, the project is still far away from completion. Officials associated with the project claimed that during the warlike situation when there were tensions between India and Pakistan, several migrant workers had gone back which affected the work. “There are 300 plus workers who were doing the work and now many of them are back, the work will continue properly,” an official said. The new deadline for the completion was March 2025 and after that it was to be completed by August 15, but now it seems that it may take four months. The project aims to change the drinking water supply source from groundwater to surface water so as to conserve groundwater resources as much as possible and provide 24×7 canal-based clean and treated water supply. A water treatment plant with 275 MLD capacity is being set up at Jaganpur village in Adampur. The civil work on the plant has got completed while electrical work is yet to be done. Also, five water reservoirs will be set up in Surya Enclave, Dhilwan, Model Town, Burlton Park and Focal Point. The construction of reservoir in Surya Enclave has not even started yet. Mild steel underground pipes are also being laid. In the city, 97 km of pipes have to be laid, of which 53 km has been covered and from Adampur village to Dhogri road, the pipeline has been laid. Jalandhar, May 28 Rachel Gupta, first Indian to be crowned Miss Grand International, has stepped down from her title less than a year after her historic win. The 20-year-old model from Jalandhar announced her decision on Wednesday, alleging broken promises, mistreatment and a toxic environment within the organisation as the reasons behind her move. Rachel had won the Miss Grand International 2024 crown in a glittering ceremony held in Bangkok, Thailand, on October 25. Her victory followed her earlier triumph ‘Miss Grand India 2024’ organised by Glamanand in August last year, which had earned her a spot at the international pageant. In a message to her followers, Rachel expressed disappointment, saying the dream she had worked so hard to achieve had turned into a painful experience. “This wasn’t an easy decision, but it was the right one for me. I was filled with pride and hope to represent my country, but what followed were months of silence, disrespect and neglect,” she wrote, adding that a full video explaining her experience would be released soon. The Miss Grand International Organisation, however, painted a different picture. In a public statement posted on Instagram, the organisation claimed that Rachel had failed to meet her obligations as the reigning titleholder. It accused her of engaging in outside projects without permission and refusing to attend an official trip to Guatemala, which, the organisation said, amounted to a breach of contract. “The Miss Grand International Organisation announces the termination of Miss Rachel Gupta’s title, effective immediately,” the statement read, adding that she must return the crown within 30 days. Rachel first rose to international attention in 2022, when she won the Miss Super Talent of the World title in Paris at just 18. With her poised presence and strong stage performance, she quickly became favorite in the fashion and pageant scene. When approached for a response, members of Rachel Gupta’s family said she will soon hold a press conference to share her side of the story. They added that an official statement will also be posted on her social media platforms soon. Molestation charge against BJP councillor, scribe proves false Fruit samples collected FIR cancelled by court Our Correspondent PHAGWARA, MAY 28 In a significant development, the FIR against a scribe Amit Ohri and BJP Councillor Anurag Kumar Mankhand, filed on a complaint by a woman, has been cancelled following a detailed investigation which found the allegations to be false and baseless. The case was registered on February 6 and the two were accused of molestation and intimidation. However, after a thorough and impartial inquiry conducted by a woman police officer of Hoshiarpur under the supervision of the DIG, Jalandhar Range, Navin Singla, both Ohri and Mankhand were given a clean chit. The investigation concluded that no incident of harassment or threat ever occurred and the complaint was motivated by personal and political reasons. Following the investigation, the Phagwara police submitted an FIR cancellation report in the local court which was accepted. Consequently, the case stands closed and both individuals have been exonerated. In a strong statement, the court also directed the Phagwara SP and SHO to take appropriate legal action against the complainant for filing a false case, setting a precedent against the misuse of criminal law for personal vendettas. Background of the case On February 6, a woman had approached the police, alleging that BJP Councillor Anurag Mankhand called her to a gas agency office and misbehaved with her, while journalist Amit Ohri allegedly sent his vehicle to bring her from her residence. The FIR was registered under serious sections pertaining to molestation and criminal intimidation. During the course of the investigation, both Ohri and Mankhand secured legal relief — Ohri was granted bail by the Sessions Court and Mankhand obtained a stay on arrest from the Punjab and Haryana High Court. However, as the probe progressed, it became clear that the complaint lacked merit. According to police investigation, the woman’s complaint was influenced by ongoing domestic disputes with her husband Anudeep Singh and the accused were involved in mediating and resolving the matter in the presence of her parents. The woman’s husband had also given a written apology during the mediation. Additionally, the police obtained CCTV footage from the gas agency premises which did not support the woman’s version of events. Based on all evidence and c m y b witness’ statements, Hoshiarpur SP Navneet Kaur concluded that no offence had occurred and both accused were innocent. This conclusion was reviewed and approved by the SSP of Hoshiarpur and the DIG of Jalandhar Range after consulting the District Attorney (Legal). The file was then forwarded to the SSP , Kapurthala, and subsequently to the Phagwara police, who submitted the final cancellation report to the court. Speaking to the media after the court ruling, Ohri said,“The truth has prevailed and the malicious lies have been defeated. This is a victory not just for us, but for justice itself.” He thanked the Punjab Police for conducting a fair investigation and expressed deep gratitude to the public of Phagwara and his wellwishers for their unwavering support during the ordeal. Ohri further revealed that he has handed over the entire case file to a senior advocate in the Punjab & Haryana High Court for legal consultation and is exploring further legal action against those who conspired to tarnish his reputation. Mankhand echoed similar sentiments, emphasising that public service should not be hindered by baseless accusations and pledged to continue working for the welfare of his constituents. from Hoshiarpur mandi Hoshiarpur, May 28 The Food Safety Team conducted an inspection at PM Shri Government Senior Secondary School, Hajipur, where local shopkeepers from the Hajipur market were also called for a session. During the event, District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Jatinder Bhatia addressed both students and shopkeepers, highlighting the health risks associated with energy drinks. He said the sale of energy drinks like Sting and similar beverages has been banned within 50 meters of schools in urban areas and within 100 meters in rural areas. Dr Bhatia made it clear that legal action would be taken against any shopkeeper caught violating these orders. Later, the Food Safety Team, led by Dr Jatinder Bhatia, visited the vegetable markets in Tanda and Dasuya early in the morning. During the inspection, samples of seasonal fruits such as bananas, mangoes and papayas were collected. Additionally, rotten lemons were destroyed on the spot. Several shops in Hajipur were checked and samples of sauces, cakes and biscuits were collected for further analysis. — OC