27072026-JTR-01.qxd 7/26/2026 10:46 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune VAJRA CORPS PAYS TRIBUTE TO MARTYRS ON KARGIL VIJAY DIWAS DERA INFLUENCE SHOULDN'T OVERSHADOW ACTUAL ISSUES MASABA DEBUTS BRIDAL CREATIONS AT COUTURE WEEK The anniversary proceedings culminated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Vajra Shaurya Sthal in Jalandhar. P2 People must tread with caution when dera politics begins to take precedence over well-being of society as a whole.P3 Designers Masaba Gupta and JJ Valaya present their own, distinct visions of Indian couture. P4 » » FORECAST RAINY DAY MAX 32°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 27°C SUNSET MONDAY 7.27 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 5:41 AM » MONDAY | 27 JULY 2026 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF TWO ARRESTED FOR ASSAULT Phagwara: The police have arrested two Nakodar residents on the charge of attempt to commit culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The accused have been identified as Honey Kundi of Nakodar and his brother Bablu Kundi. Nitish Sharma, a resident of Malrri village, complained to the police that the accused and their accomplices waylaid him on the evening of July 24 and attacked him with weapons and injured him. OC TWO BOOKED IN DOWRY CASE Phagwara: The Shahkot police have booked Navi Kumar, a resident of Mehsampur village, and his brother Raman Kumar, alias Joti, in a dowry harassment case. Manjit Kaur, daughter of Balveer Singh, a resident of Tut Sher Singh village, had filed a complaint with the Jalandhar (rural) SSP that her husband and brotherin-law had been harassing her and demanding more dowry and compelling her for abortion. OC MAN BOOKED FOR TORTURING WIFE Phagwara: The police have booked a Bilga resident for torturing his wife for dowry. The accused has been identified as Harpreet Singh of Pati Bagga Bilga village. Kamaljit Kaur, wife of Harpreet Singh, had filed a complaint to the Jalandhar (rural) SSP that her husband had been torturing and harassing her and demanding more dowry since her marriage. OC WOMAN HELD FOR DRUG PEDDLING Phagwara: The Nurmahal police have arrested a woman for selling intoxicating tablets. Twenty intoxicating tablets were recovered from the possession of the accused, identified as Manav Deep, a resident of Ludhiana, presently living in Pasla village. oc Escape bid by NDPS case accused foiled PHAGWARA, JULY 26 A man arrested under the NDPS Act allegedly attempted to escape police custody near Jamalpur village (Phagwara) while being taken to Central Jail, Kapurthala, after being remanded to judicial custody by a court in Phillaur. According to the police, the accused sustained injuries after falling on the road during the alleged escape attempt. He was subsequently overpowered and taken back into custody. DSP Palwinder Singh said Constable Sanjeev Kumar of the Lasara police post, in his complaint, stated that on Saturday he, along with ASI Parmjit Singh, was escorting Ravi Kumar, a resident of Nangal village near Phillaur, to Central Jail, Kapurthala, in a government vehicle. The DSP said the complainant alleged that when the escort vehicle reached near Punjabi Dhaba at the Chachoki T-point in Phagwara, it slowed down due to traffic congestion. Taking advantage of the situation, the accused allegedly freed one of his hands from the escorting constable, loosened his handcuffs, opened the vehicle door and attempted to flee. The police immediately chased and overpowered him. — OC PSPCL staff strike leaves city residents without power, water Rishika Kriti IN TROUBLE FOR THREE DAYS Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 26 The ongoing protest by PSPCL regular and contractual technical employees has left residents in several parts of Jalandhar without electricity and water for more than 24 hours as the department struggled to attend to faults. Residents of Tower Enclave and New Green Park on Nakodar Road on Sunday said they had been without electricity for more than a day. The power outages also disrupted water supply in the areas. The problem was particularly severe in Streets 1 and 3 of New Green Park where, the residents said, the power supply had been disrupted since 2 pm on Saturday. Jasmeet Singh, a local resident, said, “My inverter ran out of power around midnight on Saturday. Since then, we have been left to fend for ourselves in this humid weather. I called PSPCL officials, but they said they did not have enough staff to send someone to attend to the fault and advised us to hire a private electrician. I have also made several complaints through the 1912 helpline, but no one has come to repair the fault.” Facing similar ordeal, residents of Tower Enclave and nearby areas also blocked Nakodar Road on Sunday, claiming that they had been without electricity and water for three days. The problem was particularly severe in Streets 1 and 3 of New Green Park in Jalandhar. Congress councillor Shairi Chadha along with residents of Maqdumpura holds a protest in Jalandhar on Sunday. TRIBUNE PHOTO << He said his mother is a heart patient and the prolonged power outage had made things more difficult for the family. “Officials are saying that their workers are on strike. But the deadlock is between the department and its employees. Why should residents suffer?” he added. Facing similar ordeal, residents of Tower Enclave and nearby areas also blocked Nakodar Road on Sunday, claiming that they had been without electricity and water for three days. The outages come amid an ongoing mass leave protest by regular PSPCL employees, including junior engineers, linemen, assistant linemen and substation staff, since July 22. The manpower shortage worsened on Saturday afternoon when contractual linemen, commonly known as CHB workers, also joined the protest. Adding to the power department’s woes, a nearly six-hour meeting between the unions representing the protesting employees and the department also ended without a resolution on Saturday evening. With a large number of regular and technical employees away from work, the PSPCL is struggling to attend to faults and restore power supply. Officials said the avail- able staff were having to attend to different areas one by one, making it difficult to manage the entire area at the same time, leading to prolonged outages. The regular employees are demanding the release of the pending 18 per cent dearness allowance, enhancement of the promotion quota from Assistant Assistant Engineer to Assistant Engineer, revision of pay scales for employees recruited after July 17, 2020, full salary during the probation period, release of arrears pending since January 1, 2016, fast track filling of vacant posts and restoration of the old pension scheme. The CHB workers are demanding clarity on their status and designation after the department decided to bring them under direct contractual employment. Outsourced workers at Nodal Complaint Centres and Suvidha Centres are also demanding direct contractual employment with the PSPCL. PSPCL officials acknowledged that the department is facing a shortage of technical staff. “We do not have enough technical manpower to repair all faults. We are hopeful that the employees will return to work, improving the situation” the officials added. Power staff strike triggers protests in Phagwara, too Our Correspondent PHAGWARA, JULY 26 The ongoing strike by power department employees has begun to severely affect Phagwara Block, with prolonged electricity outages disrupting normal life across the town and several adjoining villages. The power crisis has also triggered an acute shortage of water, forcing residents to take to the streets in protest against the government and the department. With electricity remaining suspended for long hours in many localities, water supply has been affected, leaving households without adequate drinking water. The situation has become particularly difficult amid the prevailing hot and humid weather, with children, senior citizens and patients facing the maximum hardships. Angered by the continued disruption, residents of the Dharamkot locality staged a protest outside the Hoshiarpur road power substation on Sunday. Led by Councillor Veera Ram Valjot, the protesters raised slogans against the government and the department, demanding immediate restoration of electricity. Addressing the gathering, Valjot alleged that the area had been without electricity since Saturday. He said residents approaching the power station for assistance were merely being informed that the employees were on strike, Emotional moments at Kargil tribute with no definite assurance regarding the restoration of supply. He added that the prolonged outage had rendered household water pumps inoperative, while inverters had also been exhausted, leaving families without both electricity and water. Meanwhile, residents from several villages in Phagwara Block also expressed anger by blocking traffic at Bhullarai Chowk. They parked tractortrolleys on the road, disrupting vehicular movement and demanding immediate action from the authorities. They said electricity had remained unavailable for several hours, making it extremely difficult to stay indoors in the sweltering weather. They pointed out that fans, coolers and other essential electrical appliances had become non-functional, while small businesses and commercial establishments were also suffering heavy losses due to the prolonged outage. AIDS control staff plan protest during CM, Kejriwal’s visit Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 26 Employees working under the Punjab AIDS Control Programme have announced to hold a protest in Sunam on July 31 if the government fails to address their pending demands, including the implementation of a promised 20 per cent salary hike and job regularisation. The association said the salary hike had been promised ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections but had not been implemented despite repeated assurances and several rounds of discussions with government officials. Association state president Jasmail Singh Deol said the employees had been serving on the frontlines of public health, providing critical HIV and AIDS-related services in government hospitals. He said despite repeated meetings with government officials, including the senior health authorities, no con- Youth dies after mishap, villagers block road over ambulance delay near Phillaur Truck driver nabbed, vehicle impounded Ashok Kaura Mother of martyr Deputy Commandant Mohinder Raj gets emotional while paying homage to Kargil War heroes in Jalandhar on Sunday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH P2 Youth found dead, kin allege murder PHAGWARA, July 26 A 20-year-old youth from Meowal village in Bilga died under suspicious circumstances at Rurki village near Goraya, with his family alleging that he was murdered. The deceased has been identified as Jashandeep Loi, a resident of Meowal village. According to his family members, Jashandeep had left his home around 3 pm on Satur- day after his maternal cousin took him to Rurki village. The family alleged that around 8:15 pm, they received a phone call informing them that Jashandeep had fallen from a tractor and died after the vehicle ran over him. However, they suspect foul play and claim that he was killed. The matter took a dramatic turn when some persons allegedly attempted to secret- ly transport and abandon Jashandeep’s body in Meowal village without informing his relatives. The attempt was foiled after a local youth noticed the suspicious movement of the vehicle. When villagers tried to intercept the occupants, three persons fled the spot, while two women were apprehended along with the vehicle. — OC c m y b crete action had been taken on the employees’ demands. The association had earlier planned a protest outside the residence of Health Minister Balbir Singh in Patiala on July 19. However, the protest was postponed following discussions with the local administration who have assured them of an official panel meeting with the minister and senior department officials on July 27. The employees’ body said the outcome of Monday’s meeting would determine its next course of action. Deol warned that if the government failed to find a concrete and meaningful solution to their demands, the association would intensify its agitation. The association has announced a protest with black flags against AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the Health Minister during their scheduled visit to Sunam on July 31 to inaugurate a new blood bank. PHAGWARA, JULY 26 A 19-year-old youth lost his life in a road accident near Phillaur after an alleged delay in the arrival of an ambulance, triggering widespread anger among residents of Nagarn village near Phillaur, who staged a protest by placing the victim’s body on the road and demanding accountability from the authorities. According to reports, the incident occurred on Saturday when the victim, identified as Lakhwinder, resident of village Saifabad, was riding a motorcycle. As he reached the road connecting Nagar village, he reportedly lost control of the motorcycle after encountering water accumulated on the road. The motorcycle skidded and collided with a truck, leaving the youth critically injured. Local residents immediately informed the emergency ambulance service and the Due to the alleged delay in the ambulance's arrival, villagers take accident victim to the Civil Hospital, Phillaur, on a rehri used for garbage collection. police. However, family members and villagers alleged that despite waiting for half an hour, no ambulance reached the accident spot. With the victim’s condition deteriorating, residents were compelled to transport him to the Civil Hospital, Phillaur, on a handcart (rehri) being used for collecting garbage. Doctors at the hospital declared him brought dead. The tragic death sparked outrage among villagers, who blamed the Health Department and emergency response system for negligence. They alleged that had an ambulance arrived on time, the youth’s life might have been saved. Following the incident, residents carried the body back from the hospital and staged a sit-in protest on the road with support from local villagers, demanding strict action against those responsible for the alleged delay. DSP Bharat Masih held discussions with village representatives and assured them that the matter would be investigated and action taken after examining the circumstances surrounding the ambulance response and the accident. DSP Bharat Masih said here today that the police had registered a case and impounded the truck and arrested the truck driver.