21122025-JTR-01.qxd 12/20/2025 10:37 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune CHILD BEGGING PREVENTION TASK FORCE RESCUES 10 CHILDREN DELAY IN DE-SILTING COULD TRIGGER FLOODS: SEECHEWAL MALLIKA ATTENDS WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION According to District Programme Officer, the rescued children, aged 6–14 years, include six girls and four boys. P2 Seechewal urges the Central Govt to release a special package for flood management in Punjab. P3 Mallika Sherawat recently posted videos of Christmas celebration at the White House on instagram. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 21°C | MIN 12°C YESTERDAY MAX 20°C | MIN9°C SUNSET SUNDAY 5.27 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 7.15 AM » SUNDAY | 21 DECEMBER 2025 | JALANDHAR HEALTH & WELLNESS The Tribune is starting a Q and A column to address your health-related queries. Please mail your questions (not exceeding 40 words) at healthandwellness@tribunemail.com. The Tribune’s panel of doctors will answer all your healthrelated concerns. INBRIEF ~45 LAKH FRAUD REPORTED Phagwara: Police have registered a case under Sections 406 and 420 of the IPC following a complaint filed by a woman who claims she was deceived of over Rs 45 lakh on the pretext of an investment scheme promising high returns. Superintendent of Police Madhvi Sharma said the complainant, Sukhjeevan Kaur, a resident of village Sproad, near Phagwara, approached the police alleging that she was fraudulently induced into investing a substantial sum of money. The accused have been identified as Nisha Rani and Ranjit Singh, residents of Abohar. The complainant stated that the accused convinced her to invest money through a purported financial scheme, assuring her that the amount would be doubled within a short period. Trusting their representations, she allegedly transferred a total amount of Rs 45,24,600 to them. However, despite repeated requests, neither the promised returns nor the principal amount was returned. OC VANDE BHARAT RAKE INSPECTED Kapurthala: Prashant Kumar Mishra, General Manager of Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala, on Friday inspected the production of the first rake of the Vande Bharat trainset being built here. During the inspection, he reviewed the various stages of coach manufacturing and assessed the progress of the work. He interacted with officials and staff and emphasised giving special attention to good quality, safety and precision in work. This advanced Vande Bharat trainset is being built with improved passenger amenities, modern safety systems, comfortable travel arrangements, a robust (crashworthy) design, and a modern appearance. It is in line with Indian Railways’ objective of “Make in India” initiative, said the GM. Mishra appreciated the dedicated efforts of the employees of the RCF. OC Govt lists Sikhya Kranti initiatives at mega PTM Parents say more of publicity event of ruling AAP; Sisodia’s video screened, undertaking sought from parents Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, December 20 The mega Parents-Teachers Meet (PTM) organised in all government schools on Saturday seemed to be more like a publicity event of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. All the parents were taken to an audio-visual room where the parents were made to watch a 12-minute video message of Punjab in-charge of AAP and former Education Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia. They then went to their respective classrooms where they were given a fourpage coloured, printed handout titled, 'Punjab Sikhya Kranti', with pictures of Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and that of Punjab Education Minister Harjot Bains. It mentioned Punjab as being the No. 1 state in National Achievement Survey and listed other achievements including construction of 10,900 classrooms, appoint- Deputy District Education Officer (DEO) interacts with parents during the mega parents-teachers meet at Government School, Nehru Garden, in Jalandhar on Saturday. (right) students with the pamphlet listing the achievements of the Punjab government. TRIBUNE PHOTOS: SARABJIT SINGH ment of 10,487 teachers, 76,263 students of private schools switching over to government schools, Wi-Fi campuses and starting of nursery classes. To make the handout look interactive, the last page of it carried an undertaking from the parents that they would ensure that their children attend school regularly, get a conducive atmosphere to study at home and keep away from excessive use of smartphones. At the end of it, the parents were made to promise that they had joined make to the school for the better- Students fire gunshots over college election issue Tribune News Service Jalandhar, December 20 Two factions of college students on Friday afternoon indulged in violence and even fired shots at one another over the issue of student elections. The incident occurred at Karari Fuel Station falling near Alawalpur police post. The incident occurred at 1:18 pm and got recorded on CCTV. During this, some youths came in four vehicles and opened fire at the gathered youths. Kartarpur police team took immediate action in the Karari Fuel Station firing incident and arrested one accused during a police encounter, while the main accused in the case is still absconding. At the spot, about 20 to 30 youths had gathered for the student elections of St Soldier College. SSP Jalandhar Rural, , Harvinder Singh Virk said that due to firing, Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi, Sarpanch of village Shivdaspur, under Kartarpur police station, was shot in the leg, while Saurav was shot in the back. Both the injured were immediately admitted to Fortis Hospital, Jalandhar. According to the medical report, both are out of danger. Jalandhar Rural Police immediately cordoned off the area. Various teams were alerted and cordoned off several areas of the district, during which the three vehicles used in the incident were recovered by the SHO, Kartarpur police station, from the area of village Kahlwan, district Kapurthala. SSP Virk informed that during the cordon, when the police teams tried to stop the accused, the accused opened fire at the police. During the retaliatory firing by the police, one accused Lakhwinder Singh alias Lakha of Nawan Pind, police station Kartarpur, was injured and was immediately arrested while the rest of the accused fled from the spot. Police said the main accused is still absconding. Govt school celebrates sesquicentenary ATM WITHDRAWAL, VISA FRAUD Phagwara: Kapurthala police have registered two criminal cases involving allegations of financial fraud, cheating and misappropriation of funds, with a combined amount of Rs 12.35 lakh, in separate incidents reported across the district. The cases pertain to unauthorised withdrawal of money from a deceased person’s bank account and alleged visa fraud by a travel agent. Both cases were registered after due inquiry and approval from competent authorities, and investigations are currently underway. In the first case, unauthorised ATM transactions were carried out from the bank account of death. The second relates to a travel agent cheating client of Rs 9.75 lakh on the pretext of arranging a Schengen visa. OC Alumni of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Ladowali Road, release a book during celebrations of 150 years of the school in Jalandhar on Saturday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH Tribune News Service Jalandhar, December 20 The alumni of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Ladowali Road, had a gala time on Saturday as they came together to celebrate the 150th year of the school. Among the bigwigs to have passed out from the school are film director Yash Chopra and British magnate Lord Swraj Paul, both of whom are no more. They were remembered with fondness by industrialist and AAP leader Nitin Kohli, former Rajya Sabha MP Barjinder S Hamdard, former Mayor Jagdish Raja, former MP MS Kaypee, former Chief Secretary of Himachal Vaneet Chaudhary, Justice Narinder Sood (retd), Chancellor of CT University Charanjit S Channi, activist Surinder Saini, city-based doctors Dr SPS Grover, Dr Vasudeva and Dr Surinder Sharda. The alumni also recalled that several other eminent personalities including cricketer Harbhajan Singh, hockey players Harmanpreet, Manpreet, Hardik, Dilpreet, Akash, Shamsher and Jarmandeep Singh have been the products of the prestigious school. The event was conducted by the CT group. Vaneet Dhir, Mayor of Jalandhar, came as the chief guest and lauded the institution for its contribution to shape generations of responsible citizens. Kohli encouraged students to uphold the values of discipline, dedication and service. Rajeev Joshi, Deputy District Education Officer, congratulated the alumni on the historic day. c m y b answer sheets. But after we got the PDF and instructions to give its printouts and show the video, we got to know that the intention of the government was something else." A parent at Government Girls' Senior Secondary School, Nehru Garden, also pointed out, "The event seemed more like a publicity programme of the government. More than 40 minutes got wasted as we were all made to sit and wait to watch the video of Sisodia. It was not required at all." School principal Gohrina, said, "We followed the government instructions. From our side, we made the session with parents very interactive by taking their feedback and motivating them too." When contacted, Deepak Bali, general secretary, AAP , said, “If our government has done some good work, it is always good to showcase it in a nice way. The parents must know what is being done about their wards." ment of their wards. After filling the form to this intent, the parents were made to carry the handout back home. The school authorities said that even though they had not received any grant yet, they were promised that they would be provided Rs 5 per child for printing of the handout on glazed paper (they got the PDF copy only) along with refreshments for the parents in the form of tea and biscuits. The teachers said that the amount was far too less and they shall have to either take out more money Youth murdered trying to resolve domestic dispute Rural dist police launch cordon & search operations against drugs from the school funds or spend it from their own side. A government school teacher said that the timing of the parents' meet was not appropriate, "Ideally, it should have been after the examination so that the parents could be shown the Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, December 20 A youth was brutally murdered in Mohalla Kamalpur here while trying to resolve a domestic dispute. This is the third murder in Hoshiarpur district in last three consecutive days. According to reports, the incident occurred when Ajay Sandhu, a resident of Kamalpur, along with Karamveer Bali’s son-in-law, Vinay Kumar, went to Bali’s house in Kamalpur to resolve a family dispute. It is alleged that an argument ensued. During the altercation, Sandhu was allegedly attacked. It is reported that when Sandhu tried to leave, the accused struck him on the head with a heavy object. He was taken to hospital but declared dead. Police have arrested Karamvir Bali in the case. 7 FIRs, 8 arrested, 313 pills, 2 gm heroin seized Tribune News Service Jalandhar, December 20 Intensifying the ongoing campaign against drug trafficking and anti-social elements, Jalandhar Rural Police today conducted a special checking and CASO operation in different areas of the district. This operation was carried out under the directions of Harvinder Singh Virk, Senior Superintendent of Police (Jalandhar Rural), and under the supervision of Sarabjit Rai, Superintendent of Police (Investigation). During today’s checking, special surveillance was done in the areas. Under the operation, seven cases were regis- tered and eight persons were arrested, from whom 313 tablets and two grams of heroin were recovered. During the campaign, many important sources and information were also obtained by the police, on the basis of which more strict action will be taken. A thorough checking was done in places with potential drug activities, bus stands, uninhabited buildings, open fields and sensitive areas. The police teams investigated the suspects, searched the vehicles and conducted onsite security assessments. SSP Virk said the rural police is continuously taking action against drug peddlers and their associates under the “Yudh Nashiyan Virudh” campaign. He said that the main objective of the police is not only to take legal action, but also to save the youth from drug addiction and connect them to the mainstream. SSP (Jalandhar Rural) clarified that if any youth is found involved in the use of drugs, he will be linked to drug-free centres to bring him on the path of reform, while those supplying drugs will be dealt with strictly.