22102025-LT-01.qxd 10/22/2025 12:46 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune UNDERTRIAL FLED FROM JAIL NABBED FROM BIHAR VET STUDENTS UNION OBSERVES ‘BLACK DIWALI AKSHAY, AJAY, KAJOL MOURN VETERAN ACTOR ASRANI’S DEATH An undertrial, who went missing from Central Jail, about a week ago, was caught from Bihar by city police. P2 Veterinary students observed ‘black Diwali’, citing continued government inaction on their demands. P2 Several Bollywood celebrities mourned demise of Asrani, calling his death an ‘absolute loss to film industry’. P4 » » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 31°C | MIN 19°C YESTERDAY MAX 32°C | MIN 18°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 5.45 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 6:29 AM WEDNESDAY | 22 OCTOBER 2025 | LUDHIANA 25 calls on Diwali keep firemen on toes; no loss of life, injury Only a few were major incidents; staff reached spots in minimum possible time Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, October 21 The Fire Brigade Department received about 25 fire calls on Diwali which kept firemen on toes. From these calls, only a few were major ones. Fortunately, no loss of life or injury to anyone reported in these incidents. Jaswinder Singh Bhangu, Assistant Divisional Fire Safety Officer (ADFO), said about 20 fire calls were received on Diwali night while five received in the wee hours. Firemen reacted immediately to all calls and reached the spots in minimum possible time. Maximum calls were related to minor fire incidents in which fire broke out in a garbage dump, fire in an empty plot, power transformer caught fire, etc. A hosiery waste warehouse in Star City Colony went up in flames due to a fire caused by a firecracker spark on the night of Diwali and it was one of the major fire incidents reported. The fire caused a panic throughout the entire area. Residents A fire breaks out at a hosiery waste warehouse in Star City Colony on Tibba road in Ludhiana on Monday night. were evacuated from their homes for safety. It took the fire brigade over an hour to reach the scene. The flames were so intense that cracks appeared in walls of nearby houses and the burning of electrical wires plunged the entire colony into darkness. Four fire tenders worked hard till late night to bring the blaze under control, the ADFO said. Local residents alleged that despite the administration’s ban, the warehouse owner was storing hosiery waste in an open plot. People have demanded that such warehouses be shut down and action be taken against those responsible. Another major call was recieved from Moti Nagar where a fire broke out at a garment factory. Karan who called the fire brigade said the blaze erupted after factory waste caught fire. Factory employees deployed fire extinguishers and doused the flames. Though the fire brigade had also reached later and sprayed water to douse the flames completely. Another major call was about a fire in a factory at Manna Singh Nagar where textile waste kept on its rooftop caught fire. Gurinder Singh, who called fire brigade, said fire brigade had reached within five minutes and controlled the fire from spreading to the factory. Other major fire was in a godown of diapers at Ajit Nagar, near Lal Kothi. Fire fighters’ leave cancelled till tomorrow With the fire brigade on its toes during the Diwali celebrations, over 120 firefighters will remain deployed at different fire stations across the city to keep residents safe during the celebrations till October 23 and their leave was also cancelled to tackle emergency situations. As many as 30 fire tenders, including one turntable ladder (56-m height), rescue vans/tenders, mini-tenders among other machinery/equipment, have been deployed in fire stations to tackle any fire incident. Generator sets had also been deployed at tube wells in different parts of the city for refilling the tenders during emergency and staff have been deputed as per requirements. Firecrackers worth ~25 cr go up in smoke in city Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, October 21 Firecrackers worth Rs 25 crore went up in smoke as cracker dealers maintained that till Monday night — on the occasion of Diwali — the sale of crackers touched near- Dealers expect more sales as many plan to celebrate Diwali on Tuesday night ly Rs 25 crore in the city. Though only “green crackers” were permitted by the authorities, on this Diwali too, Rs 25 crore literally went up in smoke in a single night. Since the festival of lights is being celebrated for over two days this year, dealers expect another day of brisk business as the cracker market continued to witness heavy rush of customers since early this morning. While many residents celebrated Diwali on Monday night, others plan to celebrate tonight. The two-day celebrations had certainly brought smiles to the faces of cracker dealers, who were anticipating a profitable season, and their expectations have been more than met. President of the Ludhiana Cracker Dealers Association Cracker sellers witnessed a huge rush of buyers in a wholesale market on Tuesday also. PHOTO: INDERJEET VERMA Pradeep Gupta told The Tribune that the business was as per expectations. “It has been a really good season for cracker dealers. We had anticipated strong sales and the response from buyers has been massive. Though we got only a few days to set up our stalls due to several issues, the business in these five to six days has been exceptional,” he said. Around 40 stalls have been set up at Dana Mandi near the Jalandhar Bypass, where crackers are being sold at wholesale prices with permission from the police. Another dealer, Manu Sharma, said as Diwali was being celebrated for over two days, residents bought crackers for both. “Bursting crackers is considered shagun (good omen) by many. Keeping this in mind, plenty of buyers purchased the same for both days, as they planned to celebrate twice. It could also be the reason behind the higher sales,” he said. Though the police had fixed the cracker-bursting window between 8 pm and 10 pm, the celebrations continued till midnight in many areas. When asked if any FIRs had been registered against violators, Commissioner of Police Swapan Sharma said the festival went smoothly and no case was registered. “If someone burst one or two crackers after the allowed time, we overlooked it as the festival holds great importance for all. In most cases, it was children or adolescents bursting crackers,” he said. Youth critically injured in firing Post-Diwali, city’s Air Quality Index reaches 331 Tribune News Service Ludhiana, October 21 A shooting incident occurred on Tuesday morning in the Ram Nagar area in which a youth was shot in the back. Seeing his critical condition, his family took him to a private hospital from he was shifted to the Civil Hospital. Doctors at the Civil Hospital provided first aid and further referred him to the DMCH. The injured youth was identified as Asgar (22). He had gone to stop his friend from fighting when assailants attacked him. A relative of Asgar said the youth was a resident of Ram Nagar in Mundian Kalan. He works part-time at a factory. Asgar was informed by his friend Om that he had got into a fight somewhere and Had gone to stop his friend from fighting when assailants attacked him the former went there to save his friend. Asgar was trying to break up the fight when a youth opened fire. The shooting caused panic in the area. The miscreants fled the scene, leaving sticks and other weapons behind. Later, people informed Asgar’s family. Officials from the Jamalpur police station are investigating the incident. SHO inspector Balwinder Kaur said an investigation was underway and soon the assailants would be nabbed. “Asgar had suffered a bullet injury on the back of his shoulder and at present, declared unfit by doctors for giving any police statement. There were four to five persons in the opposite group and one of them opened fire. The fight took place in an open ground but no empty cartridge was recovered from the scene,” she said. The SHO said old enmity could be the reason behind the fight but the exact reason would be known after the arrest of the assailants. Initial investigation suggests that Asgar went to save his friend who was attacked by some youths and suffered a bullet injury but exact details of the incident could be confirmed once the victim records his statement. While Ludhiana’s AQI shows a marginal increase, Khanna’s air quality improves significantly Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, October 21 The city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) has reached 331 in the past 24 hours, following Diwali night. Though crackers were allowed to be burst for just two hours, the activity still contributed to a spike in pollution levels. However, this year’s post-Diwali AQI reading is comparatively lower than that recorded in 2023 and higher than 2024. According to the detailed data from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), the AQI in Ludhiana this year stands at 331 while Khanna recorded 133. In comparison, the AQI in 2023 was 365 in Ludhiana and 231 in Khanna and in 2024, it was 327 in Lud- A woman bursts firecrackers in Ludhiana on Tuesday evening. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN hiana and 323 in Khanna. This year, while Ludhiana’s AQI shows a marginal increase, Khanna’s air quality has improved significantly. PPCB Executive Engineer (XEN) Amritpal Singh said only three cases of farm fires had been reported so far in this part of the region. He said between September 15 and October 21, the district had witnessed 37 cases in 2023 and 27 in 2024, while in 2025, only three cases had been reported till date from the district. Experts from the PPCB explained that AQI figures are calculated as an average and readings can vary every 15 to 20 minutes. “Though crackers were burst for just about two to three hours on Monday night, it still added to the pollution levels. Since I am allergic to pollution caused by farm fires and crackers, it was difficult for me to breathe and even keep my eyes open on Monday night,” said Anjana, a college student. Police Commemoration Day: Tributes paid to bravehearts Faith beckons ing every possible assistance to honour their sacrifices,” he said. Nikhil Bhardwaj Ludhiana, October 21 The Police Commemoration Day was observed on Tuesday at the Police Lines, paying tributes to brave police and paramilitary personnel who sacrificed their lives for the nation’s unity and integrity. SSP pays homage to martyrs at Police Lines CP assures full support to martyrs’ families Commissioner of Police (CP) Swapan Sharma led the ceremony, paying tributes to the fallen heroes of the Punjab Police and paramilitary forces. Accompanied by former Director General of Police DR Bhatti, ADC Rakesh Kumar and other dignitaries, Sharma praised the Punjab Police as an exemplary force, steadfast in serving the nation during both peaceful and turbulent times. He highlighted their courage in combating CP Swapan Sharma honours kin of martyrs at the Police Lines in Ludhiana. ASHWANI DHIMAN militancy and maintaining internal security, noting that 117 Ludhiana police personnel made the ultimate sacrifice during the dark days of terrorism in the state. A poignant moment in the ceremony was the reading of the names of police and paramilitary personnel who laid down their lives in the past year, acknowledging their supreme sacrifice. Sharma emphasised that the freedom and security enjoyed today are a result of these martyrs’ bravery. He reaffirmed the Punjab Police’s unwavering commitment to serve the border state with dedication and valour. The CP also assured comprehensive support from the state government and Punjab Police to families of the martyrs. “We stand firmly with the families of our brave martyrs, ensur- c m y b Khanna SSP Jyoti Yadav Bains paid homage to the martyrs belonging to the police and paramilitary forces at Police Lines, Khanna, on Tuesday on Police Commemoration Day. Dr Bains motivated the people to bravely confront anti-national forces. She said: “It was due to the great sacrifices of our martyrs that we are all living in a peaceful environment and communal harmony,” adding that people could never forget the sacrifices of the martyrs. Mandi Ahmedgarh: Meanwhile, officials from various police stations of the region, falling under the jurisdiction of Malerkotla and Ludhiana (rural), paid tributes to all martyrs who died fighting terrorists for the integrity of the nation. Devotees light candles at a gurdwara to mark the Diwali and Bandi Chhor Diwas celebrations in Ludhiana on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN