13032026-JTR-01.qxd 3/12/2026 10:57 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune LPG SHORTAGE TRIGGERS PANIC BUYING; GROCERIES’ PRICES RISE OLYMPIAN TOOR BREAKS 23-YEAR SHOT PUT RECORD FROM LEADING LADIES TO PRODUCERS Edible oils such as refined oil and mustard oil have recorded an increase of nearly 10 per cent. P2 Olympian Tajinderpal Singh Toor, DSP, breaks a 23-year-old record in the shot put event with a throw of 19.67 metres. P3 From Shehnaaz Gill to Deepika, woman actors are building production houses and backing stories that matter. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 26°C | MIN 17°C YESTERDAY MAX 28°C | MIN 19°C SUNSET FRIDAY 6.34 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 6:39 AM FRIDAY | 13 MARCH 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 Deceased JMIC Pankaj Garg MAGISTRATE DIES OF HEART ATTACK Hoshiarpur: Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMIC) Pankaj Garg (28), posted in Hoshiarpur, has passed away reportedly due to a cardiac arrest. News of his demise has sent a wave of shock through the judicial fraternity and the legal community. Magistrate Garg was originally a resident of Kalanwali town in Sirsa district of Haryana. He had been serving in the Punjab Judicial Services and stationed in Hoshiarpur for over a year. While the authorities have not yet released a formal statement regarding the specific circumstances, a senior police official confirmed that the cause of the death appears to be a heart attack. His passing was mourned by judicial officers and lawyers. OC TWO BOOKED FOR ASSAULT Phagwara: The police have registered a case against two youths for allegedly assaulting a young man after surrounding him in Shivpuri. According to the complaint lodged by Manveer Singh, a resident of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, the incident occurred on March 10 when he was travelling on his scooter. When he reached near Shivpuri, two persons arrived on a motorcycle, stopped him and allegedly attacked him. Based on the complaint, the police have registered a case against Ranveer Singh of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar and Rahul of Verka in Goraya. OC MAN HELD WITH HEROIN Phagwara: The Kotwali police have arrested a man and recovered heroin from his possession. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered. SHO Gurmel Singh said during checking, the police apprehended a suspect and recovered eight gram of heroin from him. The accused has been identified as Vishal, alias Shali, of Nawan Pind Bhathe. OC MAN RUN OVER BY GOODS TRAIN Phagwara: A man died after being run over by a goods train near Khojewal late last night. According to information provided by SHO Shakeel Mohammad, the incident occurred when a goods train travelling from Jalandhar to Ferozepur struck a man aged around 50 years on the railway tracks. The police reached the spot, took the body into custody and initiated further proceedings. The identity of the deceased was yet to be ascertained. oc Manual LPG booking allowed as panic buying triggers shortage fears in city Polybag price shoots up Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 12 As the US-Israel-Iran conflict continues, concerns over LPG availability have intensified, triggering panic among residents. Consumers, who were unable to complete online bookings, have been visiting gas agency offices for manual booking. Repeated attempts to book cylinders over the phone led to busy lines and frequent system failures. To ease the situation and prevent panic, IndianOil has allowed its agencies to accept manual bookings. “Panic booking had led to system crashing frequently and hence the users were unable to get the booking done. Finally, we started manual booking today and the customers got a bit relaxed”, said Lavtesh Bhasin, who owns a gas agency in Lajpat Nagar here. He added, “There is a 5-10 per cent shortage in supply of domestic LPG. We have few commercial cylinders left with us which we have stored for the two educational institutes in the city, which ■ Coming as a major relief to environmentalists, the price of the polythene has shot up. ■ Since polythene manufacturers use petrochemicals as their raw product, the polythene price has almost doubled. ■ Many vendors selling fruits and vegetables have stopped giving polythene bags and are now urging buyers to bring their own bags. ■ Likewise, home-delivery companies have also stopped using polythene bags. A worker arranges cylinders to deliver these in Jalandhar. TRIBUNE PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH are our priority customers in this scenario”. There also have been reports that the commercial cylinders are being sold out in premium by some black marketeers. A cylinder, which was normally available for Rs 1,975, is now being sold out for Rs 2,400, shared some insiders in the trade. Surinder Saini, who had earlier served as the manager at PUNSUP gas service, said the agency serves as a backup system by the government whenever there is LPG shortage. “The PUNSUP has its storages across the city and the administration can source cylinders from here in the event of a crisis-like situation”, he said. Residents said they have ‘Blackmailed’ by woman, man dies by suicide in Kapurthala Our Correspondent Kapurthala, March 12 A man allegedly died by suicide in the Lahori Gate locality late last night. Sources said he was allegedly driven to take the extreme step due to harassment and blackmail by a woman. The deceased was identified as Suraj Nahar, who was living in Patwariyan Wali Gali. He was found hanging from a ceiling fan at his home. Before taking the extreme step, Suraj had recorded a video giving details of the circumstances leading to his distress while levelling serious allegations against the woman. A team of the city police station reached the site on receiving information and shifted the body to the Civil Hospital’s mortuary for a post-mortem examination. SHO, City, Amandeep con- firmed that based on the evidence provided by the victim’s self-recorded video, a case had been registered under Section 306 of the IPC. During the investigation, led by Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Harjeet Singh, detailed information was provided by the victim’s mother Poonam. In her official statement, she said her son had been in a relationship with a woman residing in Brahmkund Colony for over a year. Suraj had recently discovered that the woman was already married and had not divorced her husband, lead- ing to a strain in their relationship. Poonam further alleged that the woman started demanding Rs 2 lakh from Suraj, threatening to implicate him in a false rape case. Distraught by the persistent threats and the fear of social stigma, Suraj died by suicide using a bedsheet as a noose, she said. The police have booked the accused, identified as Ritu Bala, under relevant sections for abetment to suicide. ASI Harjeet Singh noted that the accused had previously filed complaints against the youth with the DSP which the family claims , were part of her coercive tactics. While the police are currently conducting raids at various locations to apprehend the absconding woman, the recorded video remains a pivotal piece of evidence in the ongoing legal proceedings. already started resorting to some alternative ways to save LPG. “We are using electric kettle to boil water for tea. We have also started using our induction plate for better management”, said Anju Sharma, a homemaker. Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Dr Himanshu Aggarwal also reviewed the stock with officials of Indi- anOil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum, along with representatives of gas agencies and petrol pump associations. He assured the residents of the district that there is no need to panic regarding the availability of LPG cylinders, diesel and petrol, as the district had sufficient stock to meet public demand. Tribune News Service Singer Mankirt Aulakh during a performance at Maa Boli Punjabi Jagriti Manch event in Jalandhar. FILE where young people start copying the language and attitude. This encourages aggression, with students believing that the behaviour is a symbol of power or respect in society. It appears that the local authorities and c m y b Phagwara, March 12 A major theft was reported from Ward No. 34 in the Shekhupur area of Kapurthala, where burglars allegedly decamped with gold and silver jewellery, cash and other valuables worth ?75 lakh late Tuesday night. The police have initiated an investigation. According to family member Sumit, the family had left their house around 9 pm to attend a wedding ceremony in Hoshiarpur. When they returned home around 2:30 am, they found the main door lock broken. Upon entering the house, they discovered that the locks of the cupboards had also been broken and the belongings inside were scattered. Sumit stated that the burglars stole around 45 tolas of gold, about half a kilogram of silver, nearly ?4 lakh in cash, $1,000 and a newly purchased tablet. The stolen jewellery reportedly included ornaments belonging to his mother Rita Nair, who lives in the Unit- police officials failed to enforce directions issued by the High Court. Therefore, the court may consider initiating suo motu proceedings or any other appropriate action to ensure compliance as deemed appropriate in the interest of justice.” Meanwhile, a group of social activists from the city on Monday also lodged a protest outside the District Administrative Complex raising objection over the release of ‘Tateeree’, a Haryanvi hip-hop track by renowned singer Badshah. The activists led by Prof MP Singh of NGO Mission 6213 Punjab had presented a memorandum to the administration for being forwarded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure a review and verification of all words and lyrics of such songs before granting approval for their release. The activists alleged that the song ‘Tateeree’ contains offensive language and visuals of girls in school uniforms, claiming that it sends a negative message. A house ransacked by burglars in Kapurthala. ed States, his sister who resides in Canada, and his wife. After receiving the information, a team from the City Police Station reached the spot and began investigation. Police officials also started examining CCTV cameras installed in the surrounding area to trace the suspects. On Wednesday morning, the Kapurthala dog squad team visited the scene and conducted a search for possible clues. The police said the matter is under investigation and efforts are underway to identify and apprehend the culprits at the earliest. Inmate swallows iron nails in Hoshiarpur jail Brig Sukhjit Singh, grandson of Maharaja Jagatjit Singh, with the Muslim community during Iftari at Moorish Mosque in Kapurthala on Thursday. TRIBUNE PHOTO Aulakh performed on Feb 26 , sang songs that promoted gun culture in Jalandhar event When popular singers openly glorify weapons and violent behaviour in public events, many youngsters begin to view such conduct as acceptable or even admirable”. He has further written, “This often leads to imitation Our Correspondent Respect for all faiths Activist flags violation of HC ban on weapon glorifying songs Jalandhar, March 12 Calling for suo motu action over violation of the Punjab and Haryana High Court directions banning songs that glorify weapons, violence, liquor and drugs, a Jalandhar social activist has written to the Chief Justice. Prof Mandeep Singh has written that Punjabi singer Mankirt Aulakh performed in Jalandhar on February 26 before a large audience, mostly students, and sang songs that promoted gun culture. Attaching copies of newspapers, he has written, “Being a professor and closely associated with students and the youth, it is my view that such songs have a great influence on young minds. Cash, jewellery worth ~75 lakh stolen in K’thala Hoshiarpur, March 12 An inmate serving a sentence at the Central Jail, Hoshiarpur, reportedly attempted suicide by swallowing iron nails due to mental distress. The jail authorities rushed the prisoner to the Civil Hospital, Hoshiarpur. The patient Chandeep Singh of village Lalpur Bhana, Mahilpur, stated that he is serving a sentence under the NDPS Act and assault cases. He alleged that he had been ill for a long time and had repeatedly requested the jail administration for medical treatment, but his pleas were ignored. In a fit of distress yesterday evening, he swallowed iron nails pulled from the jail wall. Dr Rahul at the Civil Hospital stated that during the examination, 4 to 5 iron nails were found in the inmate’s stomach. He noted that the prisoner’s condition could deteriorate and he might be referred to PGI, Chandigarh. — OC Student shares girl’s objectionable photos on social media Phagwara, March 12 A case involving the alleged exploitation and online harassment of a minor girl has come to light following a complaint submitted by a resident of Malakpur. Rajdeep Kaur filed a complaint that her 15-year-old daughter, a student of Class 10 at a local school in Rawalpindi, was targeted by a student, blackmailing her by using objectionable photographs. The accused is a resident of Khaati village near Phagwara. The complaint states that the boy allegedly befriended the minor and gradually drew her into a deceptive relationship. It was alleged that during this period, he obtained objectionable photographs of the girl and later used them to intimidate and pressure her. The complainant further alleged that the accused created fake social media accounts and circulated the images online. The incident reportedly caused severe distress to the minor and her family, prompting them to approach the authorities for legal action. Following the inquiry, a case has been registered under Section 506, IPC, and Section 67, IT Act, related to the publication of obscene material in electronic form. — OC