19022026-CT-01.qxd 2/19/2026 12:49 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune GUNSHOTS FIRED NEAR SEC 89 BIZMAN’S HOUSE OVER 5,000 REGISTER FOR MC MONTHLY PARKING PASS SIDDHANT, MRUNAL PROMOTE DO DEEWANE SEHER MEIN More than a dozen rounds fired in the air outside the house of a businessman in Sector 89. P3 The MC achieves another milestone in digital governance initiatives. Over 5K register for ‘MC One Pass’. P4 In a world obsessed with polish and perfection, Siddhant and Mrunal choose to celebrate flaws. P5 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 89 PANCHKULA 99 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD CHANDIGARH ART EXHIBITION: “Voices of Resilience”, an art exhibition by Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi, to display works of specially-abled artists of Tricity as part of upcoming Rose Festival; CLKA Gallery, Sector16-17 underpass; 11 am to 8 pm daily till Feb 24 PUPPET FEST: “Doong Doong Alert” Group from Korea to perform on fourth day of Int’l Puppet Festival; Tagore Theatre; 6:30 pm APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 34, 56 and Ram Darbar Panchkula: Sector 5 Mohali: Sec 88 and Phase 8 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com MAX 28°C | MIN 13°C YESTERDAY MAX 25.4°C | MIN 15.1°C SUNRISE FRIDAY 6.58 AM /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Lawrence Bishnoi let off City drinks 5 times the nat’l average Records per capita liquor consumption of 1.39 cases against nation’s 0.28 in 7-yr-old murder case Tribune News Service 3 convicted of killing property dealer Sonu Shah Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service WHAT’S ON MAINLY CLEAR SKY SUNSET THURSDAY 6.14 PM » THURSDAY | 19 FEBRUARY 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST Chandigarh, February 18 A local court acquitted gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and four others while convicting three persons in the sevenyear-old murder case of a Burail-based property dealer. Those convicted are Rajan, alias Jaat, Manjit and Shubham Prajaptai. The quantum of sentence will be pronounced on February 20. According to the FIR, Sonu was shot dead in his office at Burail village in Sector 45 on September 28, 2019 . Two of his colleagues, Joginder Phelwan and Rommy, were injured in the firing. The police claimed that Sonu was murdered at the behest of gangster Bishnoi. The incident took place when three persons walked into Sonu’s office claiming that they were looking for a rented accommodation and opened fire. Four bullets hit Sonu, who died on the spot. Joginder received a bullet injury on his back and Rommy was hit in the right leg. Around 14 bullets were fired and cops recovered 12 empty shells from the spot. The assailants were caught on CCTV cameras installed in the Lawrence Bishnoi office and in its vicinity. Around half an hour after the incident, a Facebook post surfaced from a profile purportedly of gangster Bishnoi taking the responsibility for the murder. The post claimed that Bishnoi’s two associates — Kala Rana and Raju Basodi — had murdered Sonu. The police filed the chargesheet against the accused in November 2021 and the court framed the charges against Abhishek, alias Banty, Raju Basodi, Lawrence Bishnoi, Rajan, alias Jaat, Dharminder Singh, Manjit and Shubham Prajaptai in 2022. The charges were framed under Sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and Section 25 of the Arms Act, to which the accused pleaded not guilty. The police had initially arrested Dharminder for allegedly providing shelter to at least four assailants at the Sector 80 Mohali-based hotel. Terminder Singh, the counsel for Lawrence Bishnoi, said the accused was falsely implicated. Amit Kumar, the counsel for Manjit, offered the similar argument. During the trial, Parveen Shah, the complainant in the case, had identified the three convicts. Bishnoi (34) recorded his statement from Sabarmati Jail, Gujarat. He stated that he was confined in the Gujarat jail since 2023. He was imprisoned for the past over 12 years and never came out of jail. He added that he never communicated with Shubham, Dharminder, Manjit, Rajan and Raju Basodi. “I have been involved in many false cases by the government because I have highlighted the black buck case against actor Salman Khan. All cases have been instituted when I was behind bars. I do not know Sonu Shah and have never visited Burail,” he told the court. Chandigarh, February 18 India sold more than 40 crore cases of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) in 2024-25, making it one of the largest and fastest-growing spirits markets in the world. In that crowded national landscape, Chandigarh — a union territory of barely 12.5 lakh people — is placed at rank 22 in absolute sales. Yet adjust those numbers for population, and the picture changes dramatically. Chandigarh emerges as one of the most liquor-intensive territories in the entire country, drinking at a rate that dwarfs the national average and surpasses even the traditionally high-consumption states of the South. The finding emerges from perusal of data provided by the Chandigarh Administration and compiled by the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC) — the country’s apex body for the alcoholic beverages industry. The numbers tell a story of a compact, prosperous, urbanised territory with unusually high spending power, a liberalised retail environment and strong regulatory enforcement. 13 crore bottles sold over five years A liquor shop in Sector 7, Chandigarh. PHOTO: PARDEEP TEWARI PER CAPITA IMFL COMPARISON (FY 2024-25) STATE/UT Karnataka Telangana Tamil Nadu Kerala Andhra Pradesh Maharashtra Uttar Pradesh National average Chandigarh CASES 6.88 crore 3.71 crore 6.47 crore 2.30 crore 3.55 crore 2.72 crore 2.51 crore 40.17 crore 17.39 lakh POPULATION CASES/PERSON 6.8 crore 1.01 3.9 crore 0.95 7.8 crore 0.83 3.6 crore 0.64 4.9 crore 0.72 12.5 crore 0.22 24 crore 0.10 142 crore 0.28 12.5 lakh 1.39 SOURCE: CIABC, UT ADMINISTRATION UT excise policy built on three pillars, says DC Chandigarh’s excise policy is built on three pillars — transparency, accountability and strict enforcement. Digital monitoring of sales and movement has strengthened our ability to detect violations early. Enforcement action has been intensified to prevent illicit trade from eating into both legitimate revenue and public safety, said Nishant Kumar Yadav, DC-cumExcise & Taxation Commissioner, UT. India’s IMFL market According to CIABC data, the national IMFL sales rose from 39.62 crore cases in 2023-24 to 40.17 crore cases in 2024-25 — a growth of 1.38%. The South dominates this market decisively, accounting for roughly 58% of all IMFL sold in the country. Karnataka alone sold 6.88 crore cases, Tamil Nadu 6.47 crore, Telangana 3.71 crore, Andhra Pradesh 3.55 crore and Kerala 2.30 crore. Among northern states, UP sold 2.51 crore cases (rank 6), Rajasthan 1.37 crore (rank 9) and Haryana 1.18 crore (rank 11). Delhi, despite its size, sold 1.18 crore cases, a decline of about 6% from the previous year. Maharashtra, India’s most populous and economically influential state, sold 2.72 crore cases and is placed at rank 5. The national and state-level figures cited from CIABC reflect IMFL sales only, which includes whisky, rum, brandy, gin, vodka and other spirits manufactured domestically to international standards. They do not include Imported Foreign Liquor (IFL) or country liquor (CL). Chandigarh’s figures from the UT Administration, on the other hand, cover all Continued on page 4 REAL ESTATE EXPO’26 EXHIBITION GROUND,SECTOR 34 OPP. FURNITURE MARKET CHANDIGARH Title-Sponsor Powered By: Co-Powered By: Vera Developers Pvt. Ltd. The biggest Real Estate Expo of the region is back and it’s bigger and better. Visit the Expo and have a look at a host of real estate options on offer by the leading developers of the region. From residential to commercial, from high end luxury to affordable housing as well as attractive loan offers from leading banks, the Expo has it all. So get ready to choose the property you have been looking for. S. 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