12082025-JTR-01.qxd 8/11/2025 10:49 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune POWER WORKERS DEMAND ROLLBACK OF PRIVATISATION GOVT SCHOOL TO GET ~16 CR FOR NEW BUILDING FITNESS IS A JOURNEY, NOT A RACE: SHARAD MALHOTRA The protest was organised jointly by the Technical Services Union and other allied unions. P2 The sanction brings an end to a twodecade-long wait, following consistent efforts by the PSHRC. P3 The actor says fitness is not just about body but also the mind. If the mind is healthy, body will naturally follow. P4 » » FORECAST CLOUDY MAX 34°C | MIN 29°C YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 28°C SUNSET TUESDAY 7.14 PM » SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5:51 AM TUESDAY | 12 AUGUST 2025 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF TWO ARRESTED FOR EXTORTION Phagwara: The Lohian Khas police have arrested two 'gangsters' on the charge of extortion. The accused had been identified as Lakhwindar Singh, alias Khana, resident of Donewal village and Ajay Kumar, alias Baba, a resident of Kandola Kalan village. The victim had complained to the police that the accused made two calls from different numbers on his phone number and demanded Rs 50 lakh as ransom money. A case was registered against the accused in November 2024. OC THREE TRAVEL AGENTS ARRESTED Phagwara: The Shahkot police have arrested two travel agents, including a woman, on the charge of cheating. The accused has been identified as Saloni Toor of Employees Colony, Shahkot, and Mandeep Singh, a resident of Eesewal village. Cases under various sections of the IPC and the Travel Agents Act were registered against the accused in April 2021 and May 2024. The Nakodar police arrested a travel agent, Rimpal Kumar of Kanganna village. OC 2 ARRESTED UNDER NDPS ACT Phagwara: The Nakodar police have arrested a person on the charge of selling heroin. Ten gram of heroin was recovered from the possession of the accused Harpal Singh, alias Bhala, a resident of Shankar. A case under Sections 21-B/ 61 / 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused. The city police also arrested a 'drug peddler' Daranga, alias Deepak, a resident of Mohalla Guru Nanak Pura with 41 intoxicating tablets. OC JAGRATA SINGER BOOKED Phagwara: The Nurmahal police have booked a Jagrata singer on the charge of outrage religious feelings. The accused has been identified as Madhu Sudhan Mittu, resident of Mohalla Tourrian, Nurmahal. Daswindar Singh, president of Shiv Sena and a resident of Sagarpur village, complained to the police that the accused and his family had thrown photos of the goddess,chunnis and other religious items into a dustbin cart in front of his house on July 12 and hurt religious feelings. The accused is leading a famous Jagrata group and goes to Punjab to participate in jagratas. oc Rural poll service providers await govt payment since Oct 15 Our Correspondent Phagwara, August 11 Several service providers and vendors have remained unpaid for goods and services supplied during panchayat elections held on October 15 last year, leading to mounting frustration and financial strain among those involved. According to sources, the local administration had hired sound systems, vehicles, videography services, tents, and other equipment for election preparations and rehearsals. While bills were forwarded to the administration, only partial payments have reportedly been made to a few individuals, leaving many without any reimbursement despite repeated visits to government offices. The local administration maintains that all bills were submitted to the district administration and vendors are advised to follow up there. In turn, district officials state that they have distributed the funds received from the state government, but with the closing of the previous financial year, there is little clarity on whether additional payments will be released. Among those affected is Harpreet Singh, who, along with fellow shopkeepers, supplied fans and vehicles for the polls. He claims he is yet to get around Rs 50,000. Singh has appealed to the Chief Minister to intervene and ensure pending payments are cleared. Farmers to continue protests until policy withdrawn formally Farmers give call for rally in Samrala on August 24 Take out bike rally in Jalandhar, Phagwara, Hoshiarpur |Mahapanchayat on Aug 20 Nawanshahr, August 11 The district committee of the Kirti Kisan Union, Nawanshahr, has given a call to farmers across the region to participate in large numbers in a massive rally scheduled to take place at Dana Mandi, Samrala, on August 24. A meeting of the union’s district committee was held today where key leaders, including district president Surinder Singh Bains and district secretary Tarsem Singh Bains, addressed the media. They shared that the rally was being organised under the banner of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha to press for longstanding demands of the farming community. The leaders strongly opposed the government’s land pooling policy, stating that it would not be accepted in any form. They emphasized that Punjab’s fertile land produces a wide range of pulses, vegetables, and other essential crops, contributing significantly not only to the country’s food security, but also to its economy. They alleged that the state government, backed by the Centre, is moving towards displacing rural communities through this policy. They further added that the struggle to revoke the land pooling policy and to achieve other key farmer demands will continue. Preparations for the rally have already begun across the Nawanshahr blocks. Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 11 Even as the state government on Monday evening announced the withdrawal of its land pooling policy, farmers of the Doaba region have not yet cancelled their coming protests and demonstrations on the issue. The farmers took out a huge bike rally this morning in Jalandhar Cantt villages, Phagwara and Hoshiarpur and maintained that their mahapanchayat programme, which was to be held on August 20 at Kukkad Pind on the issue, was still on the agenda. Even today, the farmers under the banner of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Doaba) held a bike rally which started from Kukkad Pind of Jalandhar Cantt and marched towards Kot Khurd, Kot Kalan, Nangal Karar Khan, Rehmanpur, Sodhi Pind, Alipur, Khusropur, Khera, Jamsher, Chachewal, Raipur and Hardophrala villages. The farmers were led by BKU (Doaba) district president Sukhvir Singh. They were later joined by BKU chief Manjit S Rai, all of whom carried the yellow-green flags of the party. They also donned yellow or green turbans as they rode through the villages raising slogans against the state gov- Farmers hold a protest against land pooling policy in Jalandhar on Monday. ernment and expressing their resolve of not letting the government take away their land for urbanisation. Later in the day as the government announced to take back the policy, the farmers were upbeat. In reaction to the announcement, BKU leaders wrote on their Facebook page, “This is our clear victory. Next time the government intends to bring in such a policy, it must think 100 times. The governments have seen our reactions during the introduction of farm laws and 15 arrested in 9 drug cases; heroin, intoxicants seized Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 11 The Commissionerate Police has arrested 15 accused and registered nine FIRs under the NDPS Act at different police stations across the city in the past four days. Among the arrested, one accused was caught with a commercial quantity of heroin. The operations led to the recovery of 305.80 gram of heroin and 15 intoxicating capsules. Along with cracking down on offenders, the police prioritise rehabili- tation for drug addicts. During the campaign, 16 drug addicts were identified and referred to rehab centres with six admitted to OOAT centres and 10 sent to drug de-addiction centres. In another action, a group of three individuals involved in a recent snatching incident has been arrested by the city police. The complainant was riding his bicycle when he was intercepted by three unknown individuals on a scooter who snatched his wallet containing Rs 2,000 in cash. Following the incident, the police initiated an investigation utilising CCTV footage and technical support. This led to the arrest of the three suspects along with the white scooter used in the crime. The accused include Shubham of Basti Danishmandan, Pradeep Kumar and Sauravjeet of Basti Gujan. Shubham already has three FIRs under various criminal sections and NDPS Act, while Sauravjeet has two criminal cases registered against him. now on land pooling. We thank the media, activists and every person of Punjab who supported us in the fight”. Rai, who held meetings with farmers at his native Pur Hiran village of Hoshiarpur, said, “No doubt, we are happy over the withdrawal of the orders, we shall await a complete and formal withdrawal of the policy through the Cabinet, Vidhan Sabha or the Governor’s office. All procedures adopted by the government at the time of the introduction of the policy Two nabbed with 5 kg poppy husk Phagwara, August 11 In a decisive blow to drug trafficking in the region, the Kathgarh police have arrested two persons and seized a substantial quantity of narcotics under the ongoing anti-drug drive. Acting on a specific input, a police team led by SHO Abhishek Sharma, under the supervision of SSP Mehtab Singh, intercepted the suspects and seized five kg of poppy husk from their possession. The arrested individuals have been identified as Satnam Kumar, a resident of Golumajra, and Ravinder Kumar, alias Ravi, a resident of Jattmajri Rattewal. Police sources said the operation was executed with precision to prevent any chance of escape or disposal of the contraband. Following the seizure, a case has been registered. Both accused are in police custody. Investigators are pursuing multiple leads to identify other individuals. — OC TRIBUNE PHOTO must be reversed, only then we shall believe in what has been announced today. Till then, we are not cancelling or postponing any of our plans. We shall hold the August 20 mahapanchayat at Kukkad Pind as announced. It may, however, then take a little different shape”. BKU (Doaba) general secretary Satnam Sahni led the bike rally in Phagwara’s Bhullarai village where too about 200 acres of land was considered under land pooling policy. Farmers of Mahalon vil- Bodies of man, woman found in car near village school Our Correspondent Garhshankar, August 11 The bodies of a man and a woman were found lying in a black car in a plot on the outskirts of village Satnore in Garhshankar. The reasons for their death are not yet known. The police got the post-mortem of both bodies done and handed these over to their families. When someone informed Sarpanch Kuldeep Singh and villagers about a black car number PB-11-BR-6250 parked in a plot near the school of village Satnore on the Garhshankar-Hoshiarpur road, they reached the spot Labourer’s daughter strikes gold in 800m, bronze in 1500m Aakanksha N Bhardwaj tribune news service Jalandhar, August 11 In a moment of pride for athletics, 22-year-old Amandeep Kaur clinched a gold medal in the 800-metre race and a bronze medal in the 1500metre race in the ongoing World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze event held at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. “I was the only girl from Punjab, and winning two medals feels like a dream come true. My second race was just half an hour after my first 800m run — I can’t even begin to express how happy I am,” Amandeep shared joyfully over the phone. Kaur clocked an impressive 2:04.31 minutes in the 800m event, securing the top podium position. She also dis- ALSO GETS BRONZE IN 1500M ■ Amandeep Kaur clocked an impressive 2:04.31 minutes in the 800m event, securing the top podium position ■ She also displayed commendable endurance and speed in the 1500m, finishing the race in 4:27.14 minutes to secure a third-place finish BELONGS TO MOGA Coming from a humble background — her father works as a labourer and her mother is a domestic help — Amandeep has overcome significant financial hurdles to reach this stage. Her coach, Deepak Kumar from Dasuya, expressed immense pride in her journey and achievements. Amandeep belongs to Moga. played commendable endurance and speed in the 1500m, finishing the race in 4:27.14 minutes to secure a third-place finish. Behind these achievements lies a story of grit and determination. Coming from a humble background — her father works as a labourer and her mother is a domestic help — Amandeep has overcome significant financial hurdles to reach this stage. Her coach, Deepak Kumar from Dasuya, expressed immense pride in her journey and achievements. Amandeep belongs to Moga and came in contact with her coach Deepak Kumar two years ago. “I know her struggles. She comes from a financially challenged family, and every com- petition requires us to pool in resources to ensure she can participate,” Kumar said. “But over the past two years, I’ve seen her transform into a world-class athlete. Her dedication and hard work are beyond words. We all are incredibly proud of her.” Amandeep’s success not only highlights her personal perseverance but also brings attention to the potential of young athletes from underprivileged backgrounds. “With proper support and training, she can achieve a lot. She is a star player,” Deepak Kumar further mentioned. Amandeep Kaur of Moga wins gold and bronze medals in World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze, Bhubaneswar. c m y b lage of Nawanshahr, who are a part of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) Political, did not hold bike rally but are on the same page as BKU (which represents SKM Non-Political). Kuljinder Sahota of Mahalon too maintained, “A proper withdrawal following all legal formalities must be undertaken by the government. We cannot trust the plain statements of the government officials. We shall not relent till a cancellation move is passed through Vidhan Sabha or Cabinet.” Tribune News Service WORLD ATHLETICS CONTINENTAL TOUR ‘Looking at bodies, it seems that both must have die by suicide’ and saw that a man and a woman lying dead in it. Kuldeep Singh informed the police. A police party, led by SHO Gagandeep Singh Sekhon, reached the spot and started investigation. The deceased have been identified as Dalveer Singh (37) and Rajni (40), wife of Gyan Singh of village Padrana. The police took both bodies in custody and took them to the Civil Hospital, Garhshankar. In the evening, after conducting post-mortem, the bodies were handed over to their families for cremation. ABoth had been missing from their homes since yesterday evening, although the families of both refused to say anything. Action has been taken under BNS 194 B on the statements of their family members. Looking at the bodies, it seems that both must have committed suicide. Rajni and Dalveer Singh, residents of village Padrana, were married and their houses were at a short distance. Both had two children each. Dalbir was married about nine years ago and Rajni got married long back. Cash, jewellery worth lakhs stolen from advocate’s house Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, August 11 The house of Hoshiarpur’s famous forensic expert, Advocate Arvind Sood, was burgled on the midnight of August 8. Sood had gone out of the town for two days to attend a function with his family members. The thieves stole gold jewellery and cash from his house. The incident has been captured in CCTV cameras. According to the CCTV recording, the thieves kept committing theft in his house from 1:30 am to 3:30 am on the midnight of August 8 and 9. After this, they fled away in an Activa. Sood’s residence is on the Mall Road, which is considered to be busy and safe in the city. Sood is the president of Sood Sabha, Hoshiarpur, and a senior member of the Sanatan Dharm Sabha as well as the chairman of the girls wing of SD Senior Secondary School. Office-bearers and members of these organisations have appealed to the administration and the police department to arrest the thieves immediately.