25042026-LT-01.qxd 4/25/2026 12:37 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune DAY AFTER BOMB THREAT, FOUR SCHOOLS STAY SHUT ANUPAM KHER PAYS TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL JACKSON ACTOR DIVYA DUTTA SOARS HIGH WITH CHIRAIYA Day after six schools received bomb threat emails, four of them remained shut as ‘precautionary measure’. P2 Anupam Kher has paid an emotional tribute to Michael Jackson as pop icon’s biopic releases worldwide. P4 ‘Ludhiana di kudi’ has her hands full with prestigious projects like Last Man in Tower&Echoes of Valour. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 40°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 41°C | MIN 25°C SUNSET SATURDAY 6:56 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 5:45 AM SATURDAY | 25 APRIL 2026 | LUDHIANA Daughter’s mysterious death in Ward 8 without councillor since 2024 Civic amenities in bad shape; Mayor says bypoll likely to be held soon Canada shocks Manuke family Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Victim’s body found lying on bench at park near her residence in Ontario Mahesh Sharma Raikot, April 24 A family of Manuke village in Ludhiana is shocked after learning about the mysterious death of their daughter settled in Ontario. Her body was found lying on a bench at a park near her residence in Ontario, Canada, on Thursday. The deceased, Anmoldeep Kaur (24), had moved to Canada on a study visa in 2021 and was serving as a childcare worker on work permit. Chairman, Cooperative Society, and sarpanch of Manuke Harpreet Singh said the family, led by retired subedar Parminder Singh, faced a double whammy as they received information about the mysterious death of their daughter Anmoldeep Kaur and had to face an ordeal to bring the body to Punjab. The victim was yet to PROBE INITIATED Family of Anmoldeep Kaur has been informed that the Ontario police had initiated a probe into sequence of events leading to her death at a park, which she used to visit in routine. The police were collecting footage of CCTV cameras and recording statements of eyewitnesses. MLA MAKING EFFORTS TO REPATRIATE BODY Anmoldeep Kaur, the deceased receive Permanent Residency Status (PRS) in Canada. The family has been informed that the Ontario police had initiated a probe into sequence of events, leading to Anmoldeep Kaur’s death at a park, which she used to visit in routine. The police were collecting footage of CCTV cameras and recording statements of eyewitnesses. The exact cause of death will be ascertained after the arrival of the autopsy Aam Aadmi Party MLA Saravjit Kaur Manuke said she had already initiated the process for seeking intervention of the Ministry of External Affairs in expediting the repatriation of the 24-year-old girl’s body to Punjab. report, the family was told. Harpreet Singh said social activists, led by Randhir Singh and Sukhwinder Singh of Malwa Group, had initiated a process for bringing the deceased’s body to Akalgarh Basti, Sudhar, where the Manuke family is staying now. Aggrieved parents retired Subedar Parminder Singh and Amardeep Kaur are yet to come to terms with the reality as Anmoldeep had never talked about any Blackout mock drill health problem or stressful situation in the past. Rather, she had invited her mother to Ontario to spend some quality time with her. Anmoldeep’s brother Dilpreet, who is at present settled in the USA, had also reached Ontario. Aam Aadmi Party MLA Saravjit Kaur Manuke said she had already initiated the process for seeking intervention of the Ministry of External Affairs in expediting the repatriation of the girl’s body to Punjab. Delhi builder booked for duping city trader of ~3 cr Mahesh Sharma Punjab Home Guards, NDRF and Fire Brigade personnel take part in a civil defence air raid and blackout mock exercise at the PAU in Ludhiana on Friday evening. ASHWANI DHIMAN Trader dies as tipper hits motorcycle Ludhiana, April 24 Raj Kumar (48), a trader and resident of the Bhamian Road area, was killed when the motorcycle he was riding was hit by a tipper on the Chandigarh road on Friday afternoon. The Moti Nagar police have initiated a process for register- ing an FIR against the tipper driver for allegedly causing death of the victim due to negligent and reckless driving. Preliminary probe found that the tipper had been deployed by a contractor for shifting asphalt and it was returning to the depot for the refill. ACP Inderjit Boparai said officials at the Moti Nagar police station had been told to register an FIR after recording the statement of the complainant and nab the driver. The deceased is survived by four daughters, three of them unmarried. — OC Ludhiana, April 24 The Sarabha Nagar police have initiated a probe into an FIR registered against a builder of Delhi for allegedly duping a local trader of Rs 3 crore on the pretext of selling a land to the latter at Rs 21 crore. The complainant, Manjot Singh Mann, of Fineway Enclave Private Limited, Jawaddi Bridge, alleged that the suspect, Puneet Beriwala of Vipul Limited, Malvia Nagar, Delhi, had signed an agreement to sell 10.83-acre land for Rs 21 crore to the victim on June 30, 2021, and took Rs 3 crore from him as advance payment. The land is situated at Vipul World, Bhanohar Punjab village in Ludhiana district. The suspect allegedly duped the complainant as he neither returned the advance amount nor transferred the land in his name. The police have initiated a probe into allegations levelled by the complainant. Crisis in AAP: Opposition takes a dig, says defection was bound to happen Party workers express resentment against leadership, bias towards loyalists Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 24 The decision of seven prominent Rajya Sabha MPs of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to join the BJP has dealt a severe blow to the party’s rank and file in the industrial city, which had given a sweeping mandate to the party in the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections. AAP had won all six Assembly constituencies in Ludhiana. At the same time, party workers expressed resentment against the leadership, alleging that while nominations to the Rajya Sabha and key positions were being decided, workers and volun- A CONSPIRACY, BETRAYAL, SAYS SPOKESPERSON AAP’s chief spokesperson Neel Garg termed the developments part of the ‘Operation Lotus’, calling it a conspiracy and a betrayal. “The BJP has always been known for its anti-Punjab stance, and this time too, it has betrayed Punjabis. No one else will respond—people of Punjab themselves will give a befitting reply in the 2027 elections,” he said. teers were overlooked. “The party is reaping the whirlwind,” remarked an agitated AAP worker, alleging that affluent businessmen were preferred over loyal and sincere grassroots workers. Taking a dig at the party, Punjab BJP spokesperson Anil Sarin said there was a limit to tolerance. “For how long would these founder members (AAP MPs) continue to compromise with their self-respect? It was bound to happen as all strings were controlled by AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal. Every transfer and every department had to toe the Delhi line. Look at the bureaucracy in Punjab — senior officials have been sidelined. The party was bound to collapse,” he said. Seasoned Congress leader Bharat Bhushan Ashu said every political party is guided by an ideology but AAP lacked one and functioned like a serv- ice provider. “How long can such a model sustain, where services are rendered merely on demand?” he asked. “It was expected from AAP ,” Ashu added, questioning how long politics could be run with “borrowed soldiers”. Senior SAD leader Maheshinder Singh Grewal said core principles on which AAP came to power in Punjab had been defeated. “They failed to curb corruption and are themselves deeply mired in it, with Rajya Sabha ticket allegedly being sold. Their slogan was ‘AAP—for the common man’ but look at the privileges they enjoy. The people are not blind, they have already made up their minds well before the 2027 elections,” he said. c m y b Ludhiana, April 24 Ward 8 has been without a councillor since 2024 following the demise of sitting Congress councillor Raj Kumar Raju, barely 20 days after the Municipal Corporation elections. Nearly a year-and-ahalf later, no bypoll has been conducted, leaving around 35,000 residents without elected representative. In the absence of a councillor, residents have been approaching MLA (North) Madan Lal Bagga or councillors from neighbouring wards, particularly Sunder Nagar, for routine civic works, which include getting documents such as Aadhaar forms attested and resolving verification-related issues. Despite the prolonged vacancy, the government has not held elections so far. However, Mayor Inderjit Kaur on Thursday said the bypoll for Ward 8 was likely to be held along with other municipal council elections in the state within the next 15–20 days. “There is no official notification so far but the issue has been taken up. The poll will be conducted along with other MC elections in the state,” the Mayor said. Criticising the delay, Pun- Many issues, including poor roads, remain unresolved due to absence of a representative in Ward 8. FAILURE OF AAP GOVT: CONG LEADER Criticising the delay in conducting the bypoll, Punjab Pradesh Congress secretary Dhruv Agarwal termed it a “failure of the AAP government” and called it an “assault on democracy.” He said under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, a byelection is required to be held within six months of a vacancy. jab Pradesh Congress secretary Dhruv Agarwal termed it a “failure of the AAP government” and called it an “assault on democracy.” He pointed out that under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, a byelection is required to be held within six months of a vacancy. He alleged that despite the legal mandate, the government had failed to conduct the election in the ward within the stipulated period. Meanwhile, residents voiced their concern over the lack of representation. “Who will take up issues of the ward? Funds are allocated to councillors for development works but many problems remain unresolved due to the absence of a representative,” said Daman Khosla, a resident of Basti Jodhewal. In the absence of a councillor, residents are being forced to visit the MLA’s office even for routine administrative matters.