20032026-JTR-01.qxd 19-03-2026 23:12 Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune HARLEY, BULLET UP FOR GRABS IN HOCKEY EVENT BOXER TAMANNA’S RISE FROM FAMILY ROOTS TO GLOBAL GLORY Organised with Hockey Punjab and endorsed by Hockey India, the Bholath Hockey Cup promises top-tier action. P2 » TARSEM & NIMRAT COME TOGETHER FOR RABB DA RADIO 3 Inspired by family Olympians, Lovely Professional University boxer Tamanna has forged a stellar path in Indian boxing.P3 The film arrives as continuation of Punjabi franchise, bringing together Tarsem Jassar, Nimrat Khaira and Ronak Joshi. P4 » » FORECAST RAIN/THUNDERSHOWER MAX 17°C | MIN 13°C YESTERDAY MAX 19°C | MIN 14°C SUNSET FRIDAY 6.39 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 6.30 AM FRIDAY | 20 MARCH 2026 | JALANDHAR One dead, 12 injured in bus, goods vehicle collision near Garhshankar Police conduct massive search op at Naharpur, drug hotspots in district 522 gm heroin, 20 kg poppy husk recovered and 187 arrested in March Vehicles involved in collision on the Hoshiarpur-Chandigarh highway. Hoshiarpur, March 19 A man died and 12 others, including nine women, were seriously injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a small goods carrier near the Baddoan bridge on the HoshiarpurChandigarh highway on Thursday afternoon. The accident occurred around 3 pm and was so severe that the goods carrier was completely damaged. According to information, the victims, all belonging to the same family from Chakphallu village, were returning from a condolence gathering in a small goods carrier, commonly known as a “Chota Hathi”. The vehicle was being driven by Jassi. As the vehicle reached near INBRIEF ONE ARRESTED UNDER NDPS ACT Shahkot: The police have arrested an individual on the charge of selling intoxicating tablets. Investigating Officer (IO) Jagtar Singh said 20 intoxicating tablets (loose) were recovered from the accused, identified as Buta, a resident of Rishi Nagar, Shahkot. The IO said a case under the NDPS Act was registered against accused. OC PO WANTED IN SIX CASES HELD Shahkot: The police have arrested a travel agent, who was declared a proclaimed offender (PO), and had been absconding for the past one year. SHO Balwindar Singh said the accused was identified as Pardeep Kumar, alias Sahil, a resident of Hambran Road, South City, Ludhiana. He was wanted in six cases of cheating and breach of trust, the SHO said. OC WOMAN ENDS LIFE BY SUICIDE Shahkot: An unmarried woman of Mohalla Dherain, Shahkot, died by suicide on Wednesday. Investigating Officer (IO) Sarwan Singh said Priya, hanged herself with a ceiling fan when her parents had gone out of home. Acting on the statement of Kulwindar Kaur, mother of the deceased, the police handed over body to the family after an autopsy. OC ONE BOOKED FOR KIDNAPPING GIRL Nurmahal: The police have booked a migrant youth on the charge of kidnapping a minor girl. Investigating Officer (IO) Subash Chandar said the accused was identified as Subhindar Kumar of Uttar Pradesh, presently residing at Bhangala village. Tinku Kumar of Bhangala village complained to the police that the accused kidnapped his minor sister by luring her. OC Baddoan village, a bus coming from the Garhshankar side, driven by Gurmeet Singh, a resident of Khaira Kotli, collided head-on with it. Karam Chand, who was seated beside the driver, died on the spot. The injured have been identified as Sunita (wife of Khairu), Sunita (wife of Shiv Kumar), Bholi (wife of late Gurmeet), Ambu Devi (wife of Ratan Lal), Sheela Devi (wife of Sewa Ram), Balviro (wife of Amarjit), Samitri Devi (wife of Mehar Chand), Kashmir Kaur (wife of late Jeet Ram), Resham Kaur (wife of Jagan), Kala Ram (son of Jallu Ram) and Shindo (wife of Amrik Ram), all residents of Chakphallu village. The injured were rushed to the Civil Hospital, Mahilpur, where a medical team provid- ed them treatment. Around eight critically injured persons were later referred to the Civil Hospital, Hoshiarpur, for further medical care. The body of the deceased was kept in the mortuary of the Civil Hospital, Garhshankar. The bus involved in the accident belongs to the Hoshiarpur depot and was on its way from Chandigarh to Jammu. All passengers on the bus escaped unhurt. Member of Parliament Raj Kumar and MLA Ishank Kumar visited Civil Hospital, Mahilpur, to enquire about the condition of the injured and assured all possible assistance to them. Officials from the Mahilpur police station reached the spot and initiated further probe into the incident. — OC Jalandhar, March 19 The Jalandhar (rural) police conducted a massive cordon and search operation (CASO) at drug hot posts in Naharpur and other rural areas of the district today. The operation was carried out under the leadership of MF Farooqui, ADGP State Armed Police, , Jalandhar, and Harvinder Singh Virk, SSP Jalandhar , (rural), as part of the ongoing anti-drug campaign. Special checking was carried out at locations where the police had received information regarding the sale of narcotics or other drug-related activities. Around 125 police personnel were deployed in the identified areas to effectively monitor and execute the operation. Search and checking was conducted at Naharpur village and other various areas, identified as drug hotspots. While sharing information, ADGP MF Farooqui, said a special checking was conducted today in the rural areas of Jalandhar district. TRIBUNE PHOTOS: MALKIAT SINGH Tribune News Service Officials brief ADGP MF Farooqui; and (right) the police personnel during search at a house in the rural area of Jalandhar. During the drive, coordinated action was taken by the police in all sensitive and hotspot areas of the district, he said. He further said efforts were being on to reduce the menace of drugs by connecting with the public and spreading awareness through meetings. The operation was conducted under the supervision of Mukesh Kumar, Superintendent of Police (HQ), Narinder Singh Aujla, DSP Kartarpur , sub-division, and Inspector Ramandeep Singh, SHO, Kartarpur police station. Officials informed that the Jalandhar (rural) police, under the ongoing campaign against drugs, had conducted 402 raids and arrested 187 persons from March 1 to March 18 in the district. Officials said 104 cases were registered under the NDPS Act and 122 accused were arrested in this connection. Officials said 522 gm heroin, 20 kg of poppy husk, 317 gm charas, 1922 tablets/cap- sules and Rs 17,800 drug money was recovered during the drive. Apart from this, two pistols, one revolver, four cartridges, four shells and one motorcycle were recovered and five persons were arrested and four cases registered against them under the Arms Act, officials said. Under anti-drug initiatives, 39 addicts were admitted under Section 64-A of the NDPS Act, while 140 persons were admitted to de-addiction centres and 374 persons were Two killed as car, bike MEMU rake derails during testing at K’thala RCF collide in Kapurthala Major damage to property, no casualties reported Our Correspondent Phagwara, March 19 Two persons were killed in a road accident in the Kapurthala area on Thursday morning. The incident occurred near Joginder Nagar village in Bholath sub-division, where a motorcycle collided head-on with a car. The victims, identified as Joginder Singh (55) of Bhatnura Kalan village and Nirmal Singh (50) of Bajaja village, were related as uncle and nephew. Both died on the spot due to the severity of the impact. According to preliminary information, the two men were on their way to Gurdwara Baba Bakala Sahib on a motorcycle (bearing registration number PB-09-M-5617). As they approached Joginder Nagar, their bike was hit by a car (bearing registration number PB-09-AR-7950). Eyewitness accounts and statements from the victims’ family members revealed that the car was being driven by a woman who was reportedly undergoing driving training at the time of the accident. It is further alleged that instead of immediately assisting the injured, the driver attempted to flee from the spot. Local residents, however, intervened and prevented her from escaping. The families of the deceased have expressed strong resentment, claiming that the victims were left unattended on the road and that the delay in medical assistance cost them their lives. They said their timely transportation to a hospital could have saved them. Officials from the Bholath police station reached the spot soon after receiving information about the incident and initiated an investigation. Station House Officer Ranjit Singh confirmed the fatalities, while Deputy Superintendent of Police Karnail Singh said that statements of the victims’ relatives were being recorded and further legal proceedings were under way. Phagwara, March 19 A major mishap was narrowly averted on Wednesday at the Rail Coach Factory (RCF) when a newly manufactured Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) rake went out of control during routine testing, causing extensive damage to Railway property. According to initial reports, the incident occurred during testing of a newly built MEMU rake inside factory premises. Owing to alleged technical negligence, the rake suddenly went out of control and sped out of the coach completion shop. It smashed through two heavy iron gates installed along its path and continued moving toward the main line near the West Colony area. The situation escalated when the driving motor coach (DMC) of the rake derailed following a strong impact, halting its further movement. The force of the collision resulted in significant damage, with losses estimated to run into crores of rupees. Despite severity of the accident, no casualties or injuries were reported, bringing con- A newly manufactured Mainline Electric Multiple Unit rake that derailed at the Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala. siderable relief to officials and workers present at the site. Eyewitnesses described the incident as extremely alarming, stating that a car passing nearby narrowly escaped being hit by the MEMU rake. They noted that had the rake continued further onto the main line, the consequences could have been far more severe, potentially leading to loss of life and disruption of the Railway operations. Confirming the incident, RCF’s Chief Public Relations Officer, Aman Kumar, stated that while no harm to human life or external property was reported, the matter was being treated with utmost seriousness. He added that a detailed inquiry had been initiated to ascertain the exact cause of the mishap and fix accountability. Meanwhile, the RCF Employees Union has strongly criticised the factory administration, alleging that indiscriminate out- sourcing and privatisation policies are compromising safety standards. Union president Amrik Singh and general secretary Sarvjeet Singh accused the administration of deploying inadequately trained contractual workers for highly sensitive technical operations. The union leaders demanded immediate departmental action against responsible officials and supervisors. They also called for the cancellation of the contract awarded to the private firm involved and urged the administration to halt outsourcing in the critical areas such as testing and shunting. Emphasising on safety, they insisted that only experienced and regular staff should be assigned for such operations. The incident has once again highlighted concerns over operational safety and the need for strict adherence to technical protocols within one of India’s premier coach manufacturing facilities. The authorities are expected to submit a detailed report following the completion of an investigation into the incident. — OC sent to OOAT centres, officials said. A total of 18 CASO operations were conducted in the district from March 1 to March 18, officials said. Along with this, six illegal properties (total value approximately Rs 1.50 crore) belonging to drug smugglers were razed, officials said. They added that seven more cases were sent for the approval of the authorities concerned for demolition of drug smugglers’ properties. MC recovers ~1.4L water, sewer dues Jalandhar, March 19 The Municipal Corporation (MC), Jalandhar, conducted a special recovery drive in the Model Town area under Zone No. 6 to collect pending water and sewerage bills. During the drive, officials successfully recovered a total amount of Rs 1.40 lakh from defaulters. As part of strict enforcement measures, the authorities took action against consumers who failed to clear their dues despite receiving multiple notices. Water and sewerage connections of three such defaulters were disconnected during the drive. The MC has urged residents to pay their pending bills on time to avoid similar action. The drive was carried out under directions Mayor Vineet Dhir and Commissioner Sandeep Rishi. Other officials involved in the drive included Dr Sumandeep Kaur, Estate Officer-cum-Chief Tax Collector Ashwani Gill, Superintendent Harpreet Walia and Inspectors Avneet and Sunil. — TNS Rain brings down mercury in city Ludhiana village couple wins ~3 crore lottery Jalandhar, March 19 A continuous spell of rainfall from noon onwards here on Thursday brought down mercury once again with the maximum day’s temperature hovering at 22°C and minimum at 15°C. The temperature saw a drop of at least five degrees in a single day. The temperature had started dipping from last week after days had become cloudy. There was drizzling with cold winds sweeping the city even on Monday when residents had to take out their woollens that were packed on the presumption that the winter season was all over again. Weather on Tuesday and Wednesday, however, was somewhat warm and more comfort- Students make their way while it rains in Jalandhar. able. Today, again residents took out thick jackets and pullovers. The bikers and cyclists wore raincoats to protect themselves from getting drenched. The last two weeks of February and the first week of March had remained quite warm with temperature touching 32°C and residents using fans throughout day. The fans were switched off today with residents enjoying a hot cup of tea or coffee to keep themselves warm. —TNS c m y b Phillaur, March 19 A couple from Jassian village, near Ludhiana, has won Rs 3 crore prize in the Punjab State Lottery, bringing an end to speculation surrounding the unclaimed ticket. The winning ticket, however, was purchased from Phillaur, which initially led to some confusion about the winner’s place of residence. According to available details, the lottery draw was conducted on March 14, with official announcement of results on same day. The first prize of Rs 3 crore corresponded to ticket number 791016. Despite widespread media coverage indicating that the winner had not yet come forward to claim the prize money, Winning couple Makhan Singh (2nd from left) with his wife Kamlesh Kaur present their claim to officials of the Lottery Department in Chandigarh. the couple did not immediately realise that they held the winning lottery ticket. In a statement, the winners — Makhan Singh and Kamlesh Kaur — explained that they had come across news reports and television broadcasts mentioning the unclaimed prize, but assumed it did not concern them. It was only two days later, while passing by the lottery vendor in Phillaur, that they were informed of winning lottery ticket. Upon verifying the ticket number, the couple confirmed that it matched the announced result, leading to what they described as an overwhelming moment of joy and disbelief. The ticket was purchased by husband, who reportedly presented it to his wife in a lighthearted manner, suggesting it could be worth Rs 3 crore. At the time, the remark was taken jokingly, with no expectation that it would turn into reality. The couple, who are parents of three married children currently residing abroad on study visas, stated that they would spend funds responsibly. —OC