05012026-LT-01.qxd 1/4/2026 11:24 PM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune GRASSROOTS PROJECT TO HELP RECOGNISE BUDDING INNOVATORS The Grassroots Innovators of Punjab project's fourth edition was launched at Punjab Agricultural University. P2 » SKM PROTESTS OVER CENTRE’S ‘ANTI-FARMER’ POLICIES JAN NETA TRAILER SEES MASSIVE RESPONSE Samyukta Kisan Morcha held a motorcycle and tractor rally to spread awareness on Centre’s ‘anti-farmers policies’. P2 As Thalapathy Vijay’s Jan Neta moves closer to its theatrical release, the film’s trailer has already made history. P4 » » FORECAST CLEAR SKY MAX 14°C | MIN 9°C YESTERDAY MAX 15°C | MIN 9°C SUNSET MONDAY 5.38 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 7.25 AM MONDAY | 5 JANUARY 2026 | LUDHIANA Youth dies by suicide, kin blame wife Tribune News Service ex-cop, 4 Orison Hospital directors Plaint filed againstwithoutreader for closing inquiry action bookedmedical&admnnegligencebehindincident in body swap case Police report cites Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 4 A 26-year-old youth ended life by hanging himself from a ceiling fan at his home in Ramnagar, Jamalpur, today morning. The deceased was identified as Tejram. Two days earlier, he had called his brother Ram Swaroop and told him that some people thrashed him every day at the behest of his wife. The victim’s brother said Tejram had been upset with his wife for a long time. He said Tejram’s wife would pick fights over trivial matters. This might have been the reason his brother took the extreme step, he said. Levelling serious allegations against his sister-in-law, Ram Swaroop said his brother was crying profusely and asking for help when he called two days ago. He told him that his wife would often quarrel with him, and if he said anything, people would come and beat him. Denying allegations, Tejram’s wife, Anita, said her husband was an alcoholic and often quarrelled with her. Tired of quarrels, she moved to another house. When she returned home today morning, she saw Tejram’s body hanging from a ceiling fan through a hole in the gate, Anita said. Anita said her in-laws were deliberately framing her. Jamalpur police post incharge ASI Harmeet Singh said they received information that there was a physical altercation between man and wife before his death. The matter was being investigated, he said. One injured in group clash Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 4 An old rivalry between two groups escalated into a fight last night. Following an Instagram challenge, the two groups clashed, leading to gunfire. A 22-year-old youth, Balraj Chauhan, was injured in the incident. He was shot in the back. Residents heard the gunfire and alerted the police. Witnesses told the police that members of both groups were armed with sharp weapons. The injured youth was immediately admitted to the Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH), where his condition was reported to be stable. The three accused in the case were identified as Kaka, Vishnu and China. According to the police, the confrontation was not a spontaneous incident. Investigations revealed that both groups had openly challenged each other on Instagram and promised to meet in Shakti Nagar to settle the score. Sub-Inspector Amarjeet Singh, SHO, Tibba police station, said there was a longstanding rivalry between the two groups. They repeatedly challenged each other to faceoffs. Probe was on in this connection, he said. The police said one of the accused, Kaka, was already facing a case of firing. Criminal backgrounds of other accused was being investigated, the police said, while adding raids were on to arrest other members of both the groups. Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 4 In a major development, the Sarabha Nagar police have named four directors of Orison Hospital in an FIR registered on December 22 regarding the disappearance of an elderly woman’s body from the hospital mortuary. Aditya Sharma, SHO, Sarabha Nagar police station, said the accused were identified as Dr Nirmaljit Singh Malli, Dr Sunil Mittal, Dr Rajiv Grover and Dr Manisha Mittal. According to Jaswant Singh Sandhu, a resident of Moga, his wife, Jasbir Kaur, had been suffering from liver disease. When her condition worsened recently, she was referred from a local hospital to Orison Hospital, Ludhiana, on December 10. HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION TAKES SUO MOTU NOTICE The Punjab State Human Rights Commission took suo motu notice of the incident regarding the woman’s body gone missing from the Orison Super Speciality Hospital. The commission asked the Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner, Commissioner of Police and Principal Secretary, Health, Punjab, to submit their reports in this connection before the next date of hearing on February 24. On December 19, Jasbir Kaur passed away after nine days of treatment at the hospital. Since Sandhu’s two sons, Balbir and Jarnail, had to come from Canada to attend their mother’s last rites, the family decided to keep body in the hospital mortuary. They cleared all hospital bills and paid the required mortuary fee. Sandhu said on December 22, when the family arrived at the hospital to collect his wife’s body for the final rites, they were shocked to find that it was missing. In its place was the body of 72-yearold Manju Devi. The hospital administration initially claimed the body might have been handed over to another family by mistake. It later surfaced that Manju Devi’s family had mistakenly taken Jasbir Kaur’s body and performed the cremation. The grieving family staged a protest at the hospital, expressing suspicion that the body’s organs might have been harvested. The Sikh Welfare Council also joined the family in their demand for justice and sought action against hospital directors and doctors. The FIR clearly states: “The incident arises from institutional failure, gross medical and administrative negligence. Such acts cannot be committed independently by lower-level staff and requires necessarily approvals and instructions besides showing wilful negligence of the hospital management and directors, Further, the hospital authorities are deliberately refusing to provide CCTV footage to the victim’s family, clearly indicating an intention to conceal evidence. Therefore, the following persons, being directors of the hospital are legally liable and must be treated as principal accused in the case.” Ludhiana, January 4 A city-based businessman lodged a complaint with the Lokpal, Punjab, against a retired Additional DCP of the Ludhiana police and his reader for presenting a criminal-nature case involving property fraud worth crores as civil nature and closing its inquiry report without registering an FIR. Later, when the complainant approached senior cops, a property fraud case was registered in this connection. “The ADCP now retired, , knowingly and intentionally abused his position as such, to give a favour to other person to cause undue harm to complainants. Following this, a complaint was moved to the Commissioner of Police and a case was registered against five accused identified as Manjit Singh, Mahinder Kaur, Gobind Prasad Grewal, Dalwinder Singh and Jaski- Matter relates to property fraud worth crores ranjit Singh on the charges of fraud, forgery and criminal conspiracy,” said Parminder Singh Bajwa an attorney and complainant on behalf of aggrieved Mohd Nasir and Mohd Yasin, both residents of Malerkotla. Initially complaint was lodged with then Deputy Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana, who marked the application to an ADCP rank official for an investigation into the matter. The ADCP without going into contents of the complaint or giving complainants a proper opportunity of being heard, allegedly connived with the accused. The ADCP purposely did not take action against culprits, despite the fact that all averments and documents made registration of an FIR mandatory. “The officer had given a finding that as a matter of fact civil proceeding are pending and that is why no FIR or criminal action is required to be taken against culprits. Time and again, it is made clear by the apex court and the high court that if from averments given in a complaint, it can be concluded that cognizable offences have been committed, the registration of an FIR is mandatory and the matter is to be investigated. Despite this, the officer did not take prompt action and rather harassed complainants,” alleged Bajwa. Complainants said in a complaint lodged with the Lokpal, Punjab, they prayed for action against the two policemen and also sought investigation of their acts and conduct, their assets and sources of income. Damaged flagpole at Gole Market raises No end to garbage woes despite Municipal safety concerns as R-Day approaches Corporation’s push for better Swachh city ranking Ludhiana, January 4 With Republic Day (R-Day) only a few weeks away, shopkeepers at Gole Market in Model Town are alarmed over the condition of a towering flagpole inside an adjoining park. Cracks at its base and rat infestation have turned the 70–80 feet high structure into what traders describe as a “hazard” for the busy commercial hub. Once visited by children for playing, the park now is full with garbage piled up across walkways and green patches overrun by mosquitoes by rats. Installed a few years ago by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT), the pole now shows deep fissures in its supporting pipe. Traders fear that during a dust storm or heavy rain, the weakened foundation could give way, endangering customers and shopkeepers who throng the market daily. Local activist, Arvind Sharma has raised the issue with authorities alleging that “more than half of the pole’s base pipe looks damaged and weakened”. He claimed that substandard material might have been used during installation of the pole, despite LIT spending nearly Rs 1.10 crore on redevelopment of the park in 2017. “The structure has deteriorated far too quickly. It is not just about safety, it is about respect for the Tricolour,” said Sharma. Manav Mander Tribune News Service The flagpole; and (inset) a crack on the flagpole at Gole Market, Model Town, Ludhiana. Echoing similar concerns, other traders said, “If this pole collapses, it will cause serious loss of life and property. The park itself has become unsafe, with rats burrowing around the pole’s foundation.” “The condition of pole is scary,” said Ramesh Gupta, who runs a garment shop nearby. Another shopkeeper said, “Republic Day is a matter of pride, but how can we celebrate when the flag itself is at risk? The park looks neglected. This reflects poorly on the authorities concerned. Once a space for children to play and residents to gather in the evenings for walks and talks, the park has become a source of discomfort and concern for the local community.” Traders demanded that the damaged pole be replaced entirely rather than patched up, while urging the LIT chairman, Municipal Corporation officials, and the Deputy Commissioner to intervene into matter and resolve the issue before January 26. An LIT official said conractor, who executed the project, was directed to inspect the pole and carry out necessary repairs at the earliest. — TNS Ludhiana, January 4 Though the New Year has begun, for city residents, the old problem of garbage continues to haunt them every day. Even as the Municipal Corporation (MC) sets its sights on improving Ludhiana’s Swachh Survekshan rankings, heaps of waste remain scattered across colonies and on main roads, raising serious questions over maintaining sanitation in the industrial town. Ludhiana managed to secure the 39th national rank in the Swachh Survekshan 2024–25 under the category of cities with a population of more than 10 lakh. While the ranking reflects some progress, the ground reality tells a different story. Piles of garbage are visible not only in the residential areas, but also on prominent stretches such as Jalandhar bypass road, near Society Cinema, Bhadaur House and Ferozepur Road. For shopkeepers and commuters, seeing piles of waste in every nook and corner of the city are a routine affair. A shopkeeper at Bhadaur House summed up his frustration bluntly, “Garbage and city go together. A city free of garbage seems like a dream. We just Garbage lying near Jalandhar bypass road; and (below) waste littered in the Bhadaur House area of Ludhiana. INDERJEET VERMA hope it will be clean one day.” Residents echoed similar sentiments. One commuter pointed out the shameful condition of Ferozepur Road, considered one of Ludhiana’s busiest routes. “I regularly see heaps of garbage near the traffic lights close to the Punjab Agricultural Uni- versity. It should be lifted, but nobody seems to be paying attention to this public issue,” he said. Another resident said, “The condition is not only unhygienic, but also embarrassing for a city aspiring to climb higher in the national cleanliness rankings.” “It is very disappointing to see garbage lying on important roads. This is not just about aesthetics, but also about health issues and civic responsibility,” she remarked. The MC has repeatedly assured residents to improve waste management, including door-to-door garbage collection and segregation, and stricter monitoring of dumping spots. Despite this, garbage lying on main roads highlights gaps in work execution. Civic activists argue that without stronger accountability and residents’ participation, Ludhiana’s dream of becoming a cleaner city will remain elusive. “The Swachh Survekshan rankings have become a matter of prestige for the urban local bodies across India, pushing them to adopt innovative practices. For Ludhiana, however, the challenge lies in transforming plans into visible change. Much more needs to be done in this connection,” said Manjit Kaur from BRS Nagar. Commuters suffering unabated as old city markets face traffic chaos Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 4 Though the police and the Municipal Corporation (MC) have been carrying out frequent drives, traffic chaos in old city markets continues, while causing inconvenience to commuters. Reason behind traffic chaos is encroachments by shopkeepers and roadside vendors, while wrongly parked vehicles further add to commuters’ woes. While this isn’t a new problem, it appears like the authorities concerned are just spinning their wheels. At major hubs — starting from chaos at Chaura Bazaar and on Railway Road to cramped corners of Sarafa Bazaar and Gur Mandi — it’s a total free-for-all. Shopkeepers use pavements like an extension of their establishments. Roadside vends have turned pavements from wide thoroughfares into tiny bottlenecks which are major impediments to the movement of vehicles and pedestrians. Interestingly, the Municipal Corporation and the traffic police frequently conduct “anti-encroachment drives” in markets across city, but their effect wears off almost instantly. As soon officials leave markets, gridlocks often return. Vendors encroach pavement of the railway road in Ludhiana on Sunday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Due to this mess, there is growing frustration among those residents who navigate c m y b through narrow market roads every day. Amit Kumar, a resident of Domoria Bridge, said the enforcement of rules was just for a show. However, he also blames the public for the traffic mess. “It’s not just the authorities concerned. If we as residents and shopkeepers actually follow traffic rules, mess will not exist and traffic bottlenecks will vanish,” he said. Rajat Gupta, a resident of the railway road, shared, “I am not against people making a living, but there has to be some discipline. Officials need to do routine patrolling to stop vendors and traders from encroaching pavements. Public space belongs to everyone.” Sarabjit Singh, a shopkeeper, who runs a general store at Clock Tower, argues that it’s unfair to blame every businessman. Sarabjit said he follows rules, but he’s frustrat- ed by colleagues who profit from the chaos. “Some traders charge vendors a daily fee to let them sit right in front of their shops. It’s illegal and unethical. It’s the main reason behind roads getting blocked.” “The authorities have to find a permanent solution to decongest markets. If anything untoward happens like a fire incident, there will be loss of life and property as fire tenders will not be able to enter markets on time. Besides, shopkeepers, along with the traffic police, have to amicably solve the issue of traffic congestion,” said Amit Sharma, who runs a cosmetic shop in Gur Mandi.