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P4 SUNRISE SATURDAY 5.31 AM » FRIDAY | 15 MAY 2026 | JALANDHAR Bhajan event row: Raman Arora takes on police, posts against security cover Programme cleared after senior officers intervene |Oppn slams AAP over ‘religious freedom’ Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 14 Less than two weeks after getting his security cover restored, Aam Aadmi Party MLA Raman Arora on Thursday took to social media to say that he did not need police protection. The MLA’s statement came amid controversy over the alleged initial cancellation of a bhajan programme on the orders of the Jalandhar police. Expressing annoyance, Arora posted on Facebook, “Jai Shri Ram! Jai Shri Bala Ji! I do not need the security of that very police which is creating hurdles in the preachings of Bala Ji.” After a protest by all Opposition parties at Patel Chowk this noon, the police finally gave permission for the event. Arora’s outburst was linked with the cancellation of a programme of bhajan singer Kanhiya Mittal at Sai Dass School grounds near here scheduled for Thursday evening on the orders of the police. The event was being organised by Kasht Niwaran Bala Ji Mandir, Sheikhan Bazaar, of which Arora is also a member. Like Mittal, Arora Students flay NEET paper leak BJP leaders hold a protest and block traffic after an event by bhajan singer Kanhaiya Mittal was cancelled in Jalandhar. PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH too has been a bhajan singer. Last night, all organisers of the programme were told by the police that the event would not be allowed to be held and they were asked to remove all tents, lights and decoration. This morning, the event took a political colour with BJP leaders Sheetal Angural, Manoranjan Kalia and KD Bhandari and Congress leaders Rajinder Beri and some councillors sat at the roundabout near the venue and chanting ‘Jai Shree Ram’ and ‘Har Har Mahadev’ slogans. While Arora remained unavailable after his social media post and did not visit the venue, his supporters claimed that the MLA had already taken all permissions well in advance and was being victimised as his rivals (within the party) did not want the event to go well. They also alleged that Arora’s poster around the venue with Kanhiya Mittal had been torn down. Eventually, ACP Central Rajesh Thakur intervened and got all permissions cleared from the higher authorities. He announced, “The bhajan sandhya will be held as per the plan”. But by then, all leaders, including Bikram Majithia from SAD and Sukhjinder Randhawa from the Congress, had issued statements against the AAP painting it as being , “insensitive towards issues of religious freedom”. AAP leaders, including minister Mohinder Bhagat and general secretary Deepak Bali, had to organise a quick presser, saying that permissions had not been granted yet and hence the confusion. “We too shall be attending the bhajan sandhya”, they said. Meanwhile, the four security personnel of Arora are still intact even after his post. He had recently got his security back after almost a year as he remained behind bars in a case of corruption. Woman among two held with heroin in Kapurthala Kapurthala, May 14 The police arrested Mani of Bibi Bano Da Dera in Mehtabgarh near Kapurthala when the woman was intercepted near the old jail area close to Lala Wale Pir during routine patrolling. Upon suspicion and subsequent search, the police allegedly recovered 4 gram of heroin from her possession. A case has been registered. In another operation, the police arrested Jeevan Singh, resident of village Toti. The police stated that during 5,560 de-addiction tablets On day 4, sanitation staff hold march found stolen in K’thala centre Our Correspondent Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 14 Members of the Punjab Students Federation (PSF) on Wednesday condemned the NEET paper leak and irregularities associated with the examination. PSF members said the irregularities and incidents of paper leak have created a wave of anger among the student community across the country. Reacting strongly to the issue, the PSF issued a statement condemning the role of the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA) in streamlining the examination process. The organisation’s state president Ravi Lohgarh and state general secretary Gagandeep expressed resentment and said this is not just an administrative mistake, but the killing of the dreams of lakhs of students. They said the government had failed to maintain the sanctity of such an important exam. The leaders questioned the examination system and said the repeated paper leaks also point to corruption rampant in the education system. They demanded that an impartial and high-level investigation be conducted into this matter so that the real culprits behind it could be exposed. 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. patrol duty in the village, the accused attempted to flee toward a link road after throwing away a polythene packet. Upon checking the discarded packet, officials recovered 6 gram of heroin. A case under the NDPS Act was subsequently registered against the accused. Meanwhile, in a separate matter under the Prison Act, the authorities at the Central Jail, Kapurthala, reported the recovery of prohibited items from inside the prison. — OC Employee arrested; staff questioned; police begin probe Our Correspondent Kapurthala, May 1 4 A theft of 5,560 governmentissued de-addiction tablets has been reported from an Opioid Assisted Treatment (OAT) centre in Kapurthala. The incident came to light during a surprise inspection conducted by the Medical Officer of the Community Health Centre (CHC), Fattudhinga. Following the complaint, the police arrested an employee posted at the centre and initiated investigation into the matter. According to police officials, CHC-Fattudhinga Medical Officer Abhishek Gill stated in his complaint that he conducted a surprise inspection of the OAT Centre operating within the hospital premises on May 12. During verification of the medicine stock, officials found a shortage of 5,560 tablets supplied by the government for patients undergoing deaddiction treatment. The Medical Officer questioned Simranjit Singh, a staff member posted at the OAT Centre and resident of Dugalanwala village in Tarn Taran district, regarding the missing stock. However, the accused failed to provide any satisfactory explanation or account for the missing tablets. It was, thereafter, suspected that the tablets had been stolen, following which the Medical Officer immediately informed the police. Investigating Officer ASI Parmjit Singh of Fattudhinga police station said acting on the complaint, the police arrested accused Simranjit Singh and initiated interrogation. The police are probing where the stolen tablets were supplied and whether they were sold illegally. So far, no involvement of any other person has surfaced in the investigation. Phagwara, May 14 Intensifying their agitation on the fourth consecutive day of the strike, leaders and members of the Safai Karamchari Union, Phagwara, under the leadership of union president Jograj Nahar, organised a protest march in the city on Wednesday against the government, demanding regularisation of contractual safai karamcharis and acceptance of their long-pending demands. The march began from the Municipal Committee office in Phagwara. The demonstrators marched through Gandhi Chowk, Kultham Chowk, Gaushala Road, Chatkaian Chowk and Sarafa Bazaar before converging at Gol Chowk. During the march, the protesters raised slogans against the government and accused it of ignoring the concerns of Safai Karamcharis hold a protest in Phagwara. sanitation workers. They burnt an effigy of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann at Gol Chowk to express their resentment. The union leaders reiterated their demand for immediate regularisation of contractual safai karamcharis and urged the government to resolve their issues without further delay. The protesters dispersed peacefully around 1:05 pm and the overall law and order situation remained peaceful throughout the protest. BJP backs strike Hoshiarpur: The BJP has extended support to the ongoing strike by contractual employees across Punjab, accusing the AAP government of failing to fulfil its Shahkot mother-son duo clears Class XII exams together Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 14 In an inspiring story of determination and life-long learning, 42-year-old Sandip Kaur from Kotla Surajmal village in Shahkot has passed the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) Class XII examinations along with her son Jashandeep Singh. Sandip Kaur secured 307 marks out of 500, while her son scored 65 per cent marks in the board exams. Their achievement has become a source of pride and motivation for many in the village. Sandip shared that the journey began when she visited an institute in Shahkot for her son’s admission. Impressed by the institute’s teaching methods and supportive environment, she expressed her desire to continue her own education. “I had completed my Class X before marriage and always wanted to study further, but family responsibilities took priority after I became a mother of three children,” she said. Encouraged by the institute and supported by her husband, who works as a driver, Sandip resumed her studies after many years. Despite managing household responsibilities, she dedicated more than two hours daily to studying. Her determination became even more remarkable after she suffered an accident just before her final examination. “I did not expect my result to be that good because of the accident before the last paper, but today I feel extremely happy,” she said. Sandip also recalled feeling nervous while appearing for exams among much younger students, but her confidence grew with time. Not stopping here, she now plans to pursue a Bachelor of Arts (BA). Her son Jashandeep, who will also enroll in BA, dreams of joining the police force in the future. Prabhjit Singh from the institute praised Sandip’s commitment and revealed that the institute reduced her fee by half due to the family’s financial condition. “I was deeply moved by Sandip Kaur’s dedication and passion for education,” he said. c m y b Mother-son duo in a jubilant mood at Shahkot, Jalandhar. A TRIBUNE PHOTOGRAPH promises of regularising their services. As part of the support campaign, BJP leaders visited the protest site of contractual employees staging an indefinite strike at the Municipal Corporation complex in Hoshiarpur. Those present included BJP district president Nipun Sharma, state secretary Meenu Sethi, district general secretary Jindu Saini, councillors Narinder Kaur, Geetika Arora and Gurpreet Kaur, along with Santosh Vashisht, Sanju Arora, Prem Bajaj and Chintu Hans. Addressing a gathering, Sethi said the employees had been serving for many years but were yet to be regularised. She said the protesting workforce includes sanitation workers, beldars, gardeners, tubewell operators and employees from various departments who have continued to work diligently despite not receiving their due rights. Illegal medical store raided Kapurthala, May 14 Ateam, led by District Drug Controller Anupama Kalia carried out a raid on an unlicensed medical store operating near village Dogarwal, close to Subhanpur in Kapurthala district. The operation was conducted in coordination with the police. During the inspection, the shop owner reportedly failed to produce a valid drug licence or relevant records before the checking team. Officials seized 26 varieties of allopathic medicines valued at ~70,252 from the premises. The authorities stated that the action was taken as part of ongoing efforts to curb the illegal sale and distribution of medicines. — OC