21062025-LT-01.qxd 6/20/2025 11:17 PM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune ~6 CRORE SCHOLARSHIPS TO ASSIST MEDICAL ASPIRANTS AGRI VARSITY MUSEUM BRINGS AGRARIAN HERITAGE TO LIFE SUKHWINDER SINGH DRAWS OXYGEN FROM MUSIC & YOGA With soaring costs of medical edu placing pressure on students, DMCH has stepped forward to offer relief. P2 Museum of Social History and Rural Life of Punjab continues to serve as a vital cultural and educational hub. P3 Ever since Sukhwinder Singh entered the music scene with Chaiyya Chaiyya, he has been a relentless hit-maker. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 34°C | MIN 28°C YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 28°C SUNSET SATURDAY 7.27 PM » SUNRISE SUNDAY 5:22 AM SATURDAY | 21 JUNE 2025 | LUDHIANA Day after polling, candidates unwind with family, friends AAP candidate Sanjeev Arora with his grandchildren, Bharat Bhushan Ashu of the Congress and his friend share a light moment, BJP’s Jiwan Gupta with his friends and SAD’s Paropkar Singh Ghuman and his son get back to work. TRIBUNE PHOTOS: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN day-to-day strategy to reach out to maximum voters in the segment, leaders were seen spending time with their family members and friends. AAP candidate Sanjeev Arora said, “I allowed myself a rare indulgence. I slept longer than usual and started the day slow. Upon waking up, I requested my team and the Municipal Corporation staff to begin the process of removing all campaign-related material, including posters, and stickers from the segment.” He said he spent quality time with his family, which he deeply missed during the campaigning. “Today, I gave maximum time to my grandchildren — Aria, Anhad and Ivaan. It was a heartfelt reminder of how much time I had been away. We shared lunch together as a family and I’m looking forward to taking them all out for dinner to their favourite restaurant. I plan to continue spending the next two days in the company of my loved ones, something that had taken a backseat due to the election schedule,” said Arora. He added that this pause was important not just to rest but to reflect, recharge and reconnect before moving forward with renewed energy. Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu said, “Everybody needs a day to rest. It is indeed refreshing and rejuvenating for everyone — my family, supporters and workers. They all had put in so much efforts for this bypoll.” He added, “No politics for the day. Practically an apolitical day amid the sound and fury of politics.” He said he was thankful to the Election Commission that scheduled the counting in a way that we get a reasonable break of a few days. Jiwan Gupta of the BJP took upon himself to prepare morning tea for his family members who stood by him like a rock during intense campaigning. “I prepared the morning tea and made sure that all family members sit together. The little ones sat in my lap and we shared lighter moments,” said Gupta. He said party workers and supporters kept reaching out to him throughout the day. He added that he also analysed the performance of party with workers. “After hectic campaigning, it was the day to relax for a few hours. The meals were taken in a peaceful manner in the company of my loved ones,” said Gupta. SAD candidate Paropkar Singh Ghuman started the day with morning prayers and shared light moments with his family. Later, he held meetings with party workers, gathering reports from all wards to assess voter turnout and feedback. “As votes will be counted on June 23, we are calm and focused. I am thankful to party president Sukhbir Singh Badal for showing his trust in me,” he said. “All family members shared EVMs kept under three-tier security cover Samrala MLA’s kin assaulted Sukhmeet Bhasin Mahesh Sharma Properties of six peddlers razed at Malaudh, Bagrian LUDHIANA (W) BYPOLL Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 20 After weeks of hectic campaigning and voting on June 19 for the Ludhiana (West) Assembly bypoll, today was relatively a “relaxed” day for candidates of all parties. Unlike early morning meetings with workers to devise Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 20 The sealed EVMs and VVPAT machines, used across 194 polling stations in Ludhiana (West) Assembly bypoll, were transported under multi-tier security cover to the designated strongroom at Khalsa College for Women, Ghumar Mandi. They are now being guarded round-the-clock by the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). After voting concluded on June 19, all EVMs were sealed in the presence of polling officials and transported under tight security protocols. Upon arrival at the strongroom, the machines were again inspected, tagged and logged into the Election Commission’s (EC) tracking system. The strongroom is under 24x7 CCTV surveillance and an inner and outer security cordon has been established. The CAPF personnel had been deployed at all access points, while the police maintain the outer perimeter. The movement in and around the strongroom was being strictly regulated. A post-poll scrutiny of Form17 A and other documents for Ludhiana (West) bypoll was Security personnel deployed outside the strongroom at Khalsa College for Women, Ghumar Mandi, in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN conducted by General Observer Rajeev Kumar, Returning Officer Rupinder Pal Singh and the representatives of the candidates at Khalsa College For Women. The scrutiny was carried out to check the polling station where any significant event related to the EVM or otherwise was reported, whether voting took place in the absence of any polling agent, polling stations where the number of electors who cast their vote using documents other than EPIC and exceeding 25 per cent of the total votes cast in the polling station, where more than 10 per cent of electors have been identified as ASD turned up to vote, polling stations where polling percentage is plus 15 per cent or minus 15 per cent than the average polling percentage of the AC and others. No discrepancy was found during scrutiny and the representatives of political parties including AAP the BJP the , , Congress and the SAD expressed complete satisfaction over the polling procedure. Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain said, “After the polling got over, representatives of all candidates were taken to the strongroom. They were satisfied with arrangements. The EVMs have been kept at the strongroom under the threetier security system.” The counting centre had been set up at Khalsa College for Women, Ghumar Mandi, said Jain, adding that barricading, surveillance cameras and access control were already underway. Only persons with valid ECI-issued passes would be allowed entry on the day of counting, said the DC. Khanna, June 20 The police have launched an investigation into an incident in which four unidentified miscreants, armed with sharpedged weapons, assaulted a youth from Boolepur village during his routine morning visit to the fields located near Golden Club here. The victim is reportedly a close relative of Samrala MLA Jagtar Singh Dyalpura. The seriously injured victim has been shifted to a private multispecialty hospital in Chandigarh, where his condition is stated to be stable. He sustained multiple injuries to his limbs during the attack. DSP Khanna, Amritpal Singh Bhatti, stated that Amandeep Singh was attacked by four individuals who had been waiting for him at the location in an Alto car. The assault took place at around 9.30 am. Although the police have yet to establish the exact sequence of events that led to the assault, preliminary investigations suggest that the suspects had conducted a detailed recce of the area beforehand. Mandi Ahmedgarh, June 20 The police have demolished several buildings situated at Malaudh in Ludhiana district and Bagrian village in Malerkotla district. Khanna SSP Jyoti Yadav and Malerkotla SSP Gagan Ajit Singh led the cops undertaking security arrangements during the demolition drive conducted by panchayat officials. SSP Yadav said officials of civic body at Malaudh had sought security to demolish the house of a drug trafficker Amrik Singh of Ward No. 2. Executive Officer Harnarinder Singh Shergill said the razed house was constructed in violation of guidelines of civic body. SP (H) Tejvir Singh Hundal and DSPs Hemant Malhotra and Karmvir Toor were also present at the spot. Similar action was undertaken at Bagrian village in Amargarh subdivision where properties belonging to drug peddlers Jagir Kaur, Darshan Singh, Buta Singh, light moments. It was a time to unwind and gear up for more responsibilities. I spent much of the time with my family members and then a few hours were dedicated to party workers and supporters,” said Ghuman. However, all leaders were anxiously waiting for June 23, when the counting would take place and one among them would get the voters’ nod to usher in development of the Ludhiana (West) segment. Jaswinder Kaur Cooker and Gurpreet Singh of Bagrian were razed as these were constructed illegally. SSP Gagan Ajit Singh said the accused had been involved in drug peddling for a long and had built houses at land belonging to panchayat. He said BDPO Babaljit Kaur had sought security for the demolition drive. DSP Amargarh Davinder Singh Sandhu, SHO Randeep Sharma and CIA Incharge Simranjit Singh supervised cops who had a tough time in handling the residents resisting the action. — OC 10-year-old feared drowned in drain Probe marked into smuggling of prohibited material inside jail Our Correspondent Ludhiana, June 20 A 10-year-old child is feared to have drowned in gandha nala (drain) passing through Kundanpuri area of the city on Friday. The victim, Ashiq Ansari, slipped while trying to cross a girder kept on the drain for repair work that has been going on for the past four months. Sukhjinder Singh, Incharge Kailash Nagar Chow- Ashiq Ansari ki, said the rescue operation had been started immediately after receiving information about the incident and divers had been engaged to find the child. Mohammad Raffiq Ansari, father of the victim, said his son had gone to purchase food wrapping paper from the market and was searching for Rs 500 currency note, which he had lost, at the time of the incident. He urged the administration to expedite rescue operation and save his son. Mahesh Sharma Ludhiana, June 20 The Ludhiana Police have initiated a probe into recurring incidents of violation of the Prisons Act by suspects, including two cops. Smuggling of 250 gm tobacco, 900 habit forming tablets and 22 mobile phones has prompted the police to undertake intensive investigation into the modus operandi of the suspects, who were c m y b booked a fortnight. Investigating Officer (IO) Dinesh Kumar Sharma said the police had taken a serious notice of seizure of 10 cellphones during a surprise search conducted on Wednesday. An FIR under Section 52 A of the Prisons Act was registered against Lakhvir Singh Lakha and nine other inmates on the statement of Assistant Superintendent Sukhdev Singh on Wednesday. BIG HAUL ■ 22 phones, 900 habit-forming tablets and 250 gm of tobacco seized within fortnight ■ Two police personnel among 22 inmates booked so far A fortnight ago the Division Number 7 police led by Dinesh Kumar Sharma had nabbed Gurpreet Singh of Singhewala Wero Ke village in Fazilka district, a cop posted as warder for allegedly smuggling 250 gm of tobacco by concealing in socks. The police had also nabbed another cop Tirlok Singh and seized 900 habit-forming tablets from his possession. Twelve phones were seized from 10 inmates booked under Section 52 A (1) of the Prisons Act during the past fortnight, said the IO. Though violation of the Police Act by inmates or the jail personnel is taken seriously in routine, access of digital equipment to inmates is considered unacceptable at any cost as these can be used for coordination with antisocial elements. “We are focusing on identifying black sheep and their accomplices who had felicitated smuggling of 22 mobile phones and intoxicants seized recently,” said Dinesh Kumar Sharma.