21052026-JTR-01.qxd 5/20/2026 11:22 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune HYPERTENSION NO LONGER AN OLD-AGE DISEASE: DOCTOR KANDI REGION TO GET THREE BRIDGES WORTH ~20 CR: MP ENJOY VAISHNAVI SHARMA’S ANHAD POETRY WITH RAAGS Doctors are witnessing a growing number of patients in their 20s and 30s being diagnosed with high blood pressure. P2 Dr Chabbewal said the state government has already approved the projects and released the required funds.P3 Cultural Kaarvan to feature Vaishnavi Sharma’s Anhad poetry at Shimla’s Gaiety Theatre on May 21 and 22. P4 » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR MAX 44°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 44°C | MIN 25°C SUNSET THURSDAY 7.20 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 5:27 AM » THURSDAY | 21 MAY 2026 | 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 MAN BOOKED FOR ASI'S DEATH IN ACCIDENT Phagwara: The Lohian Khas police have booked an unidentified vehicle driver on the charge of killing a police officer in an accident. Deceased police officer ASI Puran Singh was serving at Shahkot police station. Baldev Singh of Gatta Mundi Kasu Basti Bhanewal village complained to the police that his father was returning home after performing his duty on May 18 late evening when a vehicle hit his father’s motorcycle resulting in his death. The Shahkot police also booked an unidentified vehicle driver for killing Gurwindar Singh of Mohalla Dhorra Shahkot in an accident. OC Man killed in road accident Hoshiarpur, May 20 A driver of a Tata Ace died after a collision between his vehicle and a pickup vehicle. Both vehicles were damaged in the accident. A bull being transported in the Tata Ace also died in the mishap. The accident took place on the Garhshankar-Hoshiarpur Road. Lakhvir Singh (45), resident of Mand village in Hoshiarpur district, was driving his Tata Ace carrying two bulls from Garhshankar toward Hoshiarpur. As he just crossed the outskirts of Garhshankar town, his vehicle collided head-on with a pickup vehicle coming from the opposite direction. The impact was so severe that Lakhvir and one of the bulls died on the spot. The driver of the pickup vehicle fled the scene after the accident. The police conducted a post-mortem examination and handed over the body to family members. — OC Bhajji’s first post after switch sparks social media storm Comment on Kurali kidnapping draws sharp reactions Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 20 Rajya Sabha MP and former cricketer Harbhajan Singh has stirred a political debate with his first social media post since switching from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the BJP around three weeks ago. He shared a video on his ‘X’ account regarding the alleged kidnapping of a four-year-old girl at Kurali in the presence of her grandparents and said, “What’s going on in Punjab. I urge @DGPPunjabPolice to see this matter and help the family”. Though the kidnapping incident appears to have been linked with matrimonial dispute and a pending cus- tody case of the child, Bhajji’s post took an entirely different dimension. Net users questioned him over issues such as the NEET examination controversy, law and order concerns in Delhi, LPG shortages and rising inflation, on which the BJPled Centre has faced criticism. Soon, a US-based author and blogger responded to his post, urging him to address broader issues such as inflation, rising cooking gas prices, unemployment and concerns related to farmers. Responding to the author, Bhajji said the issue should not be seen through a political lens and stressed the need to stand up against wrongdoing, calling it a matter of humanity. This reply from Bhajji had several AAP sup- 5 of Karwal family in fray from Adampur Deepkamal Kaur 2 ARRESTED FOR PEDDLING Phagwara: The Nakodar police have arrested a person on the charge of selling heroin and intoxicating tablets. Six gram of heroin and 25 tablets were recovered from the possession of the accused Gurpreet Singh, alias Gori, of Dhaliwal village. The police also arrested woman Pardeep, alias Bhuchi, of Mudh village with 15 intoxicating tablets. OC 'DRUG ADDICT' ARRESTED Phagwara: The Nakodar police have arrested a person on the charge of consuming heroin. The accused has been identified as Jagtar Singh of Pati Dafarki Sarihn village. A lighter, silver paper and plastic pipes used for consuming contraband were recovered from his possession. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused. OC Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 20 Five members of an influential family in Adampur are set to contest from five of the 13 wards of the Municipal Council elections scheduled for May 26. Darshan Singh Karwal, who is the outgoing president of the Adampur MC, is himself contesting from Ward no. 5. His daughter-in-law Dr Simran Paul Karwal, who is a physician, is contesting from Ward no. 7, his brother Harjinder Singh Karwal is a candidate from Ward no. 13, Harjinder Karwal’s wife Sandeep Kaur Karwal is a candidate from Ward no. 9 and Darshan Karwal’s nephew Parminder Singh Karwal, who is an advocate, is contesting from Ward no. 11. All five candidates are members of the Karwal group which is supported by the Congress and other factions. The Congress has not fielded any candidate on party symbol ‘hand’ in Adampur. The Congress MLA Sukhwinder Kotli with 13 candidates of the Karwal group contesting MC polls group has fielded candidates on all 13 wards, with 12 of them contesting on the symbol ‘tractor’. “We could not get tractor symbol for one ward, where we have taken ‘LPG cylinder’ as our symbol”, said Darshan Karwal, who is leading them all. Karwal and his two brothers had earlier contested on three seats in 2015 and won. The family owns a marriage palace in the town besides an LPG agency. This is for the first time that they have also fielded two candidates from their next generation. Interestingly, the Karwal group is directly taking on the Aam Aadmi Party in Adampur, which is led by exMLA and Adampur halqa incharge Pawan Tinu. The BSP has fielded four candidates, all without party symbol. With Shiromani Akali Dal having no halqa in- charge or prominent face in Adampur, the party has not fielded any candidate. On the Congress not using its symbol for the MC polls, party MLA Sukhwinder Kotli said, “We did not use symbol even in the last elections. We know that the Karwals will have an easy win because of their influence in the town. We are mainly focusing on the remaining eight wards and are contesting it fiercely. porters trolling him with harsh comments. Another one said, “Paaji, if wrong is wrong and humanity is above party lines, then voice should also be raised against the NEET paper leak.” Earlier in the day, Bhajji had reposted his Rajya Sabha colleague Vikramjit Singh Sahney’s post which reads, “The Punjab Government again took a loan of ~2,500 crore today, even as Punjab’s total debt has already crossed ~5 lakh crore. Yet, shockingly, around 7 lakh government employees and pensioners are still awaiting pending DA arrears of nearly ~15,000 crore despite the Punjab and Haryana High Court directing release of these dues.” Jalandhar youth returns from Dubai after 5-month ordeal Phagwara boy drowns in HP Our Correspondent Phagwara, May 20 A wave of grief swept through Phagwara after 17-year-old boy Vishal from the Bhagatpura area reportedly died due to drowning during a trip to Himachal with his friends. According to family members, Vishal had travelled to Himachal along with his four friends. On Tuesday morning, he had shared a social media post, indicating that everything was normal during the trip. However, a few hours later, the family received a phone call from the HP Police informing them that Vishal had died. The family stated that Vishal and his friends had also visited the Mahadev Kaleshwar area during their trip. However, how the incident actually took place is still not clear. Relatives claimed that they have not been able to establish contact with the friends who had accompanied Vishal and they came to know about the entire matter only through the police. — OC Phagwara, May 20 Lovepreet Singh, a resident of Sofi village in Jalandhar district, has returned to India after allegedly being stranded in Dubai for nearly five months under distressing circumstances. He claimed that he was duped by a travel agent who sent him abroad on false promises of employment, after which his passport was confiscated and his salary withheld by the company where he was made to work. According to Lovepreet, he had travelled to Dubai on a two-month tourist visa after being promised an easy packing job by the agent. However, upon reaching Dubai, he was allegedly forced to work in a steel company instead. He stated that the company had fixed his monthly salary at 1,300 dirham, approximately Rs 33,000, but despite working for four months, he was not paid any wages. Lovepreet further revealed that the working conditions in Dubai were extremely stressful and frightening. During his stay, he also fell ill, but the company allegedly failed to provide him with any medical treatment. As his condition deteriorated, his family in India became increasingly worried and had to send him money for his daily expenses, despite the fact that he had gone abroad to repay debts. After returning from Dubai, Lovepreet visited Nirmal Kutia in Sultanpur Lodhi to thank Rajya Sabha MP Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal for helping secure his return. His mother had reportedly approached Seechewal’s office on April 6, seeking assistance in bringing back her only son. She alleged that whenever Lovepreet demanded his salary, company employees would intimidate and threaten him. Seechewal stated that a letter regarding the matter was sent to the Ministry of External Affairs following which the process for Lovepreet’s return was initiated. Jalandhar sizzles at 44°C, health alert issued Doctor cautions against heatstroke | Emergency arrangements in place in hospitals Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 20 With temperatures touching 44°C and an intense heatwave expected to persist till May 24, the Health Department has issued a special advisory urging residents to take precautions against extreme weather conditions. While the mercury had hovered around 40°C in April, it surged to 44°C on Wednesday in Jalandhar. Temperatures are likely to remain high over the coming days, with the region recording readings 2-3 degrees above normal. Citizens were advised by the Health Department to keep themselves hydrated, drink a lot of cooling liquids, avoid stepping out in the peak afternoons to prevent heat-related illnesses and strokes amid the oppressive heat. Special arrangements have also been made for emergency medical services at all government hospitals and centres of the district, including cooling wards, ice packs and ORS disbursals, aimed at prompt and As mercury soared, children enjoy a splash in a tubewell near Lambra. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH effective healthcare. Civil Surgeon Dr Rajesh Garg said the risk of heatstroke had increased significantly due to hot winds and intense sunlight. He advised residents to avoid unnecessary outdoor activity during afternoon hours and complete essential tasks in the morning or evening. Dr Garg said under the guidelines issued by the Health Department, special arrangements have been made for the treatment of heat-related diseases in all government hospitals of the district . Emergency cooling measures and availability of medicines have been ensured in the hospitals. Along with this, all ambulances have been equipped with thermometers, ice packs and ORS packets, so that immediate relief can be provided to affected patients on the way to the hospital. Heat stroke symptoms & prevention Dr Garg said key symptoms of heatstroke include c m y b headache, dizziness, vomiting, restlessness, a sudden rise in body temperature, facial redness and fainting. On seeing such symptoms, a patient should be immediately taken to a shaded or cool place. Tight clothes should be loosened and cold water bandages must be applied and the patient should be immediately taken to the nearest hospital. He instructed that no liquid should be put in the mouth of the fainted patient until he regains consciousness. For those stepping out in the afternoon in emergencies, He said the head should always be covered with a cloth, turban or cap and preference should be given to wearing light-colored cotton clothes. To prevent dehydration in the body, maximum water, liquids like home-made lassi, lemonade and sugarcane juice should be consumed. Along with this, citizens have also been advised to ensure complete arrangement of drinking water and shade during any public gathering or field activity. Family members during the cremation of Manav (Inset) at village Sandhra. Youth, murdered in Karnal, cremated at native village Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, May 20 Manav, alias Mithu (25), son of Satish Kumar, a resident of Sandhra in Sham Churasi, was cremated at his native village on Tuesday. His body had been found in bushes near Karnal on the morning of May 16. According to the police, preliminary investigations revealed deep injury marks on the victim’s head and body. A bullet injury mark was also found behind his ear. Villagers said Manav had been living in Malaysia for several years. He had returned to India in January along with his wife and children. On the night of May 14, the couple had gone to Indira Gandhi International Airport for their journey back to Malaysia. His wife and child had a flight from Delhi on the morning of May 15, while Manav reportedly dropped them at the airport and told them he would travel separately on a flight scheduled for May 16. According to his wife Resh- mi, she last spoke to her husband over the phone around 11:50 pm on May 15. After that, his phone was switched off. Following his disappearance, she returned to India with the children on the night of May 18. During the cremation ceremony, the funeral pyre was lit by the deceased’s brother Shiva Kaushak. A large number of villagers, local dignitaries, former sarpanches, numberdars and relatives attended the final rites to pay their respects.