05042026-LT-01.qxd 05-04-2026 00:34 Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune MAN ALLEGES THIRD-DEGREE TORTURE BY POLICE ADVANI, MAGIMAIRAJ CLINCH HISTORIC DOUBLES MEZZE PLATTER UNDER A MESMERISING SKYLINE Shop owner alleges cops thrashed him, gave electric shocks, took off turban and pulled his hair. P2 After winning 9-ball pool titles, Pankaj Advani and Chitra Magimairaj bag 10-ball trophies. P2 one8 commune, one of India’s most recognised all-day dining concepts, expands to Ludhiana. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 28°C | MIN 16°C YESTERDAY MAX 26°C | MIN 19°C SUNSET SUNDAY 6.43 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 6:06 AM » SUNDAY | 5 APRIL 2026 | LUDHIANA LPG crisis: Dist admn comes torescue of migrant labourers Provides 2 kg, 5 kg FTL cylinders to workers with valid ID proof under drive Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 4 For migrants returning to their native villages due to shortage of domestic LPG, there’s no need to panic as the district administration has come to their rescue. In a bid to tackle the ongoing LPG supply constraints affecting households, migrant workers and industrial units, the district administration has launched a comprehensive relief drive, providing 2 kg and 5 kg FTL cylinders to migrant workers with valid ID proof. Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain said to ensure timely grievance redressal and streamline distribution, a dedicated control room had been established at the GLADA office committee room, operational daily from 9 am to 5:30 pm. He said residents could directly reach out for assistance through helpline number 9915155072. The centralised control room is receiving and resolving LPG-related complaints and requests from residents, labourers and business enti- Migrants can also obtain new LPG connections by presenting a valid ID proof. FILE ties. It is functioning as a critical coordination hub, working closely with gas agencies and oil marketing companies to maintain adequate supply for domestic consumers. At the same time, Food supply inspectors are being regularly deployed to monitor agency operations on the ground and ensure that households are not facing any shortages or disruptions. He said the administration had put in place a structured mechanism to oversee LPG allocation for commercial and industrial units, with partial restoration currently being implemented based on availability. A special emphasis was also being laid on supporting the workforce through the rollout of the 2 kg and 5 kg free trade LPG (FTL) scheme, under which migrant workers can also obtain new LPG connections by presenting a valid identity document such as Aadhaar card. Further to reinforce accountability and transparency, administrative officials are conducting routine inspections of gas agencies, while sales managers have been directed to maintain sufficient stock levels for domestic users at all times. Non-domestic consumers have been instructed to submit end-use certificates to prevent any misuse or diversion of LPG supplies. The DC also underscored the seriousness of the situation and warned that any instance of non-compliance would invite strict action under the Essential Commodities Act. The entire operation was being closely supervised by a district-level committee led by GLADA Additional Chief Administrator Ojasvi, ensuring that relief measures were implemented effectively and equitably across all sectors. He said the administration was committed to safeguarding the essential needs of its citizens and urges the public to make use of the control room facility for prompt assistance and support. The much awaited respite came after a report was carried in The Tribune regarding migrants returning to their native villages due to shortage of domestic LPG. Cong leader’s murder: Cops deny political rivalry, contract killing angle Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 4 The Ludhiana police cleared that Congress leader and Machhiwara Sahib block president Parminder Tiwari was not murdered due to any political rivalry and also denied any contract killing angle in the case. A dispute over illegal possession of panchayat land turned out to be the reason. The police had solved the blind murder case by arresting two main suspects — Vijay Kumar, alias Ajay (22), and Lucky (27), both residents of Machhiwara Sahib. They were arrested after raids in Bihar on April 2. The suspects allegedly hacked Tiwari to death with an axe on March 29 near Takhran village while he was sitting outside his rented house. The police said the murder occurred due to a long-standing dispute over panchayat land and the demolition of a small structure being built on it. However, the deceased’s family had alleged it was a contract killing and they even delayed the victim’s cremation till the main sus- Say dispute over illegal possession of panchayat land led to crime pects were nabbed. Addressing a press conference on Saturday, DCP (Rural) Jaskiranjit Singh Teja categorically said it was not a political murder but a case of personal rivalry. Besides the two key suspects, four others were already arrested earlier for harbouring and giving shelter to the main suspects. They were identified as Jai Singh (55), father of Vijay, Ravi Kumar and Amrish, both brothers of Vijay, and Sunil Kumar (his uncle). The arrests of the key suspects came four days after the brutal killing of the Congress leader in broad daylight, following which the family performed the last rites. The suspects were hiding at their relative’s place in Munger, Bihar. The DCP said Vijay Kumar, along with his family, who are residents of Bhagwanpur village, Saharanpur district, Uttar Pradesh, had been staying for the past about 25 years in a house built on a 5-marla plot on the panchayat (common) land at Khokhran village in Machhiwara. The deceased, Parminder Tiwari, who was a respectable person of the village, had been repeatedly asking them to vacate the panchayat land. Vijay, after consulting with his family members (co-suspects), on March 29 evening went to meet Parminder, who was sitting at the bus stand of Harian village, Koom Kalan, on a motorcycle along with his associate Lucky. He then attacked Parminder with an axe and murdered him. Teja said after the incident, both suspects fled the scene. They escaped from the place and went by a bus to Delhi and from Delhi, they took a train and reached Kasba Jamalpur, Munger district, in Bihar. From there, the police arrested them with the help of the Bihar Special Task Force (STF). ACP Inderjit Singh, ACP Sumit Sood, SHO, Koom Kalan, inspector Paramdeep Singh, were among other officials present during the press conference. UP woman dies by suicide, Policewoman, cop case filed against husband friend ramSUV into Tribune News Service Ludhiana, April 4 A woman allegedly died by suicide by hanging at her residence in the Partap Chowk area here, following which her husband has been booked on the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder on the complaint of her family members. The deceased has been identified as Soni, wife of Vijay Kumar. Her father, Ram Nath, a resident of Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, lodged a complaint with the police. In his statement, Ram Nath alleged that his daughter’s marriage with Vijay was held in 2021. Soon after the wedding, the family came to know that he was a drunkard. Whenever Soni tried to stop him from consuming alcohol in ini- Soni, the deceased. tial days, he would beat her up, the complainant claimed. He stated that his daughter had repeatedly informed the family about the physical abuse and even expressed her desire to seek divorce. However, considering the future of her two minor children, they did not pursue divorce. On the intervening night of April 3 and 4, Ram Nath received a call from an unknown number, informing him that his daughter’s condi- tion was critical and he should reach Ludhiana immediately. Upon reaching the city, he learnt that Soni had hanged herself. However, he noticed injury marks on her body. The complainant alleged that he suspected his daughter was physically assaulted before her death and the continuous beatings, along with mental harassment, drove her to take the extreme step. On the basis of the complaint, the Police Division 6 registered a case under relevant sections of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against Vijay. Investigating officer subinspector Harbhajan Singh said the suspect had been taken into custody. Further action would be taken after the arrival of the post-mortem examination report. husband, probe on Tribune News Service The key suspects in police custody in Ludhiana. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Ludhiana, April 4 The Ludhiana rural police have launched a probe after a woman constable and her alleged policeman friend were accused of running over her husband with a Mahindra Scorpio in the Dakha area on Friday. The incident occurred outside the bus stand in Mullanpur when the victim spotted his wife with the male colleague. According to local sources, the woman and her friend allegedly drove the vehicle into the man, injuring him on the face, shoulder and other parts of the body. The victim, who works with a government company, told the police that he got married to the woman constable in 2018. He alleged that she was having an affair with the policeman and the two had been having disputes for a long time. He claimed that despite several compromise attempts, his wife had been staying at her paternal home for the past many months. DSP Dakha, Varinder , Singh Khosa, said the police were recording the statement of the injured man and further action would be taken on the basis of his complaint. ASI caught taking ~10,000 bribe Ludhiana, April 4 The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has apprehended assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Tarlochan Singh, posted as naib court in a Ludhiana court, red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000. Stating this here on Saturday, an official spokesperson for the state VB said the official had been arrested after a complaint was lodged by a resident of the Chandigarh road area, here. He said earlier, a case had been registered against the complainant and his licensed pistol was seized during his arrest. In this regard, the complainant alleged that the naib court demanded a bribe of Rs 10,000 and branded shoes in lieu of helping him in his court case. The complainant had recorded the entire conversation of demanding bribe and shoes. Unwilling to pay any illegal gratification, the complainant approached the Vigilance Bureau range, Ludhi- ana. After a preliminary inquiry on his complaint, the VB team laid a trap during which the suspect was arrested red-handed while accepting the bribe of Rs 10,000 and the branded shoes from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses. Later, a case under the Prevention of the Corruption Act was registered against the suspect at the VB police station, Ludhiana, and further investigation in the case was under progress. — TNS 15-yr-oldgirlfallsfrommoving Woman found dead, kin allege murder by in-laws pvt bus in Sahnewal, critical Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Lovleen Bains Sahnewal, April 4 A 15-year-old girl of Umaidpur village in Sahnewal was seriously injured when she fell from a moving bus near her village when she was returning after attending a computer course, which she joined in March after appearing for her senior secondary examination. A case has been registered at the Sahnewal police station against the owner of the bus on the statement of the father of the victim. The vehicle has been impounded by the police. Search is on for its owner and the driver. Victim Kamaljeet was going from Sahnewal to her Umaidpur village in a private bus belonging to Grewal Company (bearing registration no. PB 10 F V 7081). She was standing near the door of the bus when the driver, who was driving in a rash manner, applied brakes, due to which she fell on the road and suffered a head injury. Gurmit Singh, the father of the victim, who was waiting to receive her daughter at the Umaidpur bus stand, came to know about the incident, he rushed her to the Civil Hospital, Sahnewal, from where she was referred to a private hospital in Ludhiana. At present, her condition is stated to be serious. Gurmit said said he had no money to bear the medical expenses of her daughter. “It was with great difficulty that I supported my daughter’s education till the senior secondary level. Now, I am penniless and cannot afford my daughter’s medical expenses at a private hospital,” the helpless father said. Meanwhile a case under Sections 125(A) and 125(B) under the BNS has been registered against the owner of the bus, Pritpal Singh of Pohir. IO Dharampal said the bus had been impounded and the search for the bus owner and the driver was on. “The driver of the bus was driving in a rash manner and it was due to the abrupt applying of brakes that the victim fell off the bus and got seriously injured. Probe is on in the matter,” he said. Ludhiana, April 4 A 48-year-old woman found dead under mysterious circumstances in Street Number 10, Jawahar Nagar Camp, on Saturday morning. The deceased has been identified as Harjinder Kaur, alias Rani. The incident took a sensational turn when the woman’s paternal family reached the spot near a temple and halted the last rites, accusing her inlaws of murder. The police sent the body to the Civil Hospital for an autopsy. Rajiv Kumar, deceased’s brother-in-law, told the police that Rani had returned from her village three days ago and appeared distressed. The family alleged that her husband Vinod Kumar frequently assaulted her, leading to c m y b Kin show a photo of the deceased at Jawahar Camp in Ludhiana on Saturday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN regular domestic disputes. They further claimed that the victim’s husband was allegedly involved in an extramarital affair and had been threatening to divorce her. According to the family, when they called the man on Friday night, he told them that Rani had breathed her last, come home.” Upon reaching the house on Saturday morning, the relatives noticed multiple injury marks on her body. The victim’s relatives alleged that Rani was brutally assaulted before being hanged to make the murder look like a suicide. They also claimed that the in-laws were in a “hurry” to perform the last rites of the victim and tried to prevent them from participating in the rituals. Reports suggest that some members of the in-laws’ family fled the scene when the police were informed. SHO, Division Number 5, Sukhjinder Singh, said the body had been sent for autopsy. “The exact cause of death will be clear after the autopsy. So far, a murder case has been registered against Vinod and a manhunt was launched to nab him,” he said.