10082026-LT-01.qxd 8/10/2026 12:51 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune INTEGRATED PIG, FISH FARMING YIELDS FARMER RICH DIVIDENDS BOLLYWOOD ACTRESS SWARA BHASKER HOSPITALISED FROM THE FRONTLINE TO FRAME: INDIA’S WAR HEROES IN CINEMA Kapurthala farmer Parminderjit Singh’s scientific approach earned him Chief Minister’s Award. P2 Swara Bhasker has been diagnosed with dengue and hospitalised; she shared the news on Instagram. P4 Over the years, several actors have taken on challenge of portraying soldiers in films rooted in real-life conflicts. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 32°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 32°C | MIN 26°C SUNSET MONDAY 7:09 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 5:47 AM MONDAY | 10 AUGUST 2026 | LUDHIANA Youth’s murder: Kin, residents block Slogans, scuffles mar 10-day Cong campaign in district highway, seek action; commuters hit Manav Mander Tribune News Service Won’t cremate the body till assailants are arrested, say family members murder case, five suspects, Ravi, Bobby, Mohit, Sunny and Bheelu, were identified while their two other alleged accomplices were yet to be identified. BJP leader and former Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu had also visited the victim’s house on Saturday to console the family. He blamed the Punjab Police for their failure to control criminal elements. Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 9 Family members and local residents staged a massive dharna near Basti Jodhewal Chowk on the LudhianaDelhi highway on Sunday, demanding immediate arrest of the suspects in the brutal murder of 25-year-old Harjinder Singh. The youth was shot dead late on Friday night in the Swatantar Nagar locality here. Harjinder was into property business. The protest led to a complete disruption of traffic on both sides of the highway, resulting in long queues of vehicles. Around 200 persons participated in the demonstration and raised slogans against the police and the state government. The victim’s family members demanded that the killers should be arrested at the earliest and justice delivered to them. They warned that they would not cremate the body till the arrest of the assailants. According to information, Harjinder was shot by car-borne assailants in Swatantar Nagar over old enmity. He sustained five bullet injuries and died CCTV footage shows suspects firing at victim Kin of deceased Harjinder Singh protest on the Ludhiana-Delhi highway on Sunday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN while being taken to a hospital. The incident occurred when the youth was returning home after having a meal with friends in the Sarabha Nagar area. The sensational killing has triggered widespread anger and unrest in the family and a sense of fear in the entire locality. The protesters alleged that if the suspects were not arrested, they might also target other friends of the deceased, who were eye- witnesses in the case. After getting information about the protest, teams from the Tibba and Basti Jodhewal police stations reached the scene and initiated talks with the protesters to defuse the situation. SHO, Tibba police station, inspector Gagandeep Singh, said the reason of murder was the old rivalry of Harjinder’s friend with the suspects. An attempt-to-murder case was also registered against the members of the rival group in May this year and one of the suspects, Amandeep Kaku, was also arrested about a week ago. Harjinder had mediated in the case but the arrest of Amandeep enraged the opposite party as they suspected that Harjinder was behind the arrest of Amandeep and they decided to take a revenge. The police said in the A CCTV camera footage of the incident has surfaced on social media, which shows how brutally Harjinder Singh was murdered by the assailants. It shows the suspects fired around five shots at the youth and then attacked him with sharp weapons. When he fell on the ground, they continued to attack him with sharp weapons. “He has not died yet, hit him hard. Hit his head and legs with sharp weapons so that he will not survive,” the assailants were heard saying in the video. Meanwhile, the victim’s family demanded that the assailants should be killed in a police encounter. Ludhiana, August 9 The 10-day campaign led by Punjab Congress in-charge Bhupesh Baghel and state president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, which was intended to showcase organisational strength, instead turned into a spectacle of factional clashes. The district became the epicentre of discord, with slogan-raising, scuffles and open defiance against party leadership. The 10-day visit of Baghel ended on Saturday with a programme at Khanna. In Ludhiana, supporters of Bharat Bhushan Ashu raised slogans, prompting Warring to brand them as ‘RSS-backed’. The confrontation deepened existing divides, with workers openly displaying posters bearing ‘Go Back Bhupesh Baghel’ and even wearing T-shirts with the slogan. The unrest was not confined to Ludhiana. In Malerkotla, rival factions clashed on stage and the dispute escalated to scuffles and the police had to intervene to separate the groups by using batons. In Khanna, a section of party workers raised slogans in support of former Cong workers hold a protest during a meeting in Ludhiana. FILE chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi. Attempts were made to restrain the protesting workers after which the group walked out of the meeting. All these incidents highlighted how factionalism has seeped into smaller districts, undermining the party’s grassroots credibility. Political experts caution that the visible infighting, from Ludhiana to Malerkotla and Khanna, has weakened the Congress’s organisational framework. A senior leader while commenting upon the recent incidents said instead of strengthening booths, Baghel’s campaign had left them fractured and it could pose a serious threat ahead of the 2027 state Assembly elections. “Repeated clashes during meetings have sent a damaging message to voters that Congress leaders are more focused on internal power struggles than public issues,” he said. Senior Congress leader Surinder Dawar after the incident occurred during the campaign in Ludhiana said disrupting the party programme was not in good taste. “If there are some personal differences between any leaders, they should sit together with the party high command and solve it rather than creating a scene like that. Man found dead Civic body steps up work at Kitchlu Nagar cave-in site at railway station Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 9 The body of an unidentified man was found at Jagraon’s Chaukiman railway station on Sunday. The Government Railway Police (GRP) while responding to a call from the stationmaster took the body in their custody and began an investigation. Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Parkash Singh said he received a phone call from the stationmaster informing him that a man was lying dead on the platform. The deceased seemed to be around 50 years old. During a search, no identification documents or mobile phone were found on the deceased’s body. However, “Raju” was written on the deceased’s arm. The exact cause of death was not known so far. The police have kept the body in the government hospital mortuary for 72 hours for a post-mortem examination and identification. They were making efforts to identify the deceased. They said if the deceased was not identified within the stipulated 72 hours or no family members come forward, the police would cremate the body. Ludhiana, August 9 The Municipal Corporation has intensified restoration work at the Kitchlu Nagar road cave-in site, with the civic body now constructing a concrete retaining wall to secure the damaged stretch and prevent further soil erosion Retaining wall being built to secure damaged stretch, prevent soil erosion around the old sewer line. Officials said the immediate priority was to protect the adjoining residential house and the work on that side had been completed. A concrete wall is The work in progress at the road cave-in site in Kitchlu Nagar, Ludhiana. ASHWANI DHIMAN now being raised around the sewer line so that a manhole can be constructed after the slab is laid over the affected portion. The MC had planned to open one side of the road for traffic movement but officials said it would take another three to four days. They said traffic congestion was being caused as commuters stop near the barricaded area to look at the cave- in and take photographs. The retaining wall along the side facing the residential property has already been completed. The work on securing and covering the Despite launch events, road, sewer works yet to begin Residents Prem Lata Sharma and Sunil Kumar said people were forced to wade through sewage water during the rainy season. They said the stagnant water left behind foul-smelling sludge and created conditions favourable for mosquito breeding. The issue is also affecting shopkeepers, who said customers avoided the market during waterlogging and goods were at risk of being damaged when water entered shops. Sukhpreet Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 9 Despite two launch events for the construction of a road and laying of a new sewer line in the past one year, work has not started on the Sarpanch Colony road in the Bachittar Nagar market, leaving residents and shopkeepers to deal with sewage overflow and waterlogging for years. Shopkeepers forced to grapple with sewage, waterlogging in Bachittar Nagar market The situation worsens even after light rain when nearly three feet of dirty water accumulates on the market road. During heavy rain, water enters shops, damaging goods and affecting business. Residents said the problem had persisted for several years but no permanent solu- Silt and sewage accumulate on the Sarpanch Colony road in Bachittar Nagar market. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN tion had been found. Residents said the Bachittar Nagar market was a low-lying area than surrounding streets. As many of the streets had been raised over the years, rainwater flows towards the low-lying market. With the existing sewerage system unable to drain the water properly, rainwater mixes with sewage and remains stagnant on the road. Once the water recedes, a thick layer of foul-smelling sludge and sewage remains on the road. Residents said the roadside drainage grills were also frequently clogged with waste. Residents said launch events were held for the construction of the road and installation of a new sewer line near the flour mill and Ganpati Chowk by the local MLA and councillor. However, despite the two ribbon-cutting ceremonies, the works had not started on the ground. They said a promise was made during the elections to undertake road and sewerage works. Now, residents were questioning why the project has remained pending despite the launch events. c m y b Dairy waste adds to woes Residents also pointed towards the presence of dairies in the surrounding area. They alleged that cattle dung sometimes enters the sewerage system, worsening the already poor drainage conditions. They said the market receives water from higher areas while the poor sewerage system fails to drain it. As a result, the market becomes a collection point for rainwa- ter and sewage. Residents said they regularly send photographs and videos during rainy days to the MLA and councillor but alleged that the complaints had not resulted in any permanent solution. Some of the residents said some people in surrounding higher areas were opposing the proposed road work as they fear that raising the road level could lead to water accumulation in their areas. Despite repeated attempts Jaspal Singh Grewal, councillor of Ward 22, was not available for comments. Residents, however, said such technical issues should be resolved by the civic body through proper drainage planning instead of leaving the market residents to suffer for years. They have demanded that the road and sewerage work be started without further delay and a permanent drainage solution be put in place. remaining portion of the cavein is currently underway. The civic body has deployed men and machinery at the site to speed up the restoration and prevent any further damage. Experts from Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College have also assisted the MC in the construction of the concrete slab on the side adjoining the house. MC SDO Arjun Sikka said the restoration was being undertaken in stages, with the retaining structure being strengthened before work on the remaining section was taken up. “The work is being carried out in phases. Once the other side is secured, the road restoration will be taken up. However, it will still take some time before the entire stretch becomes motorable,” he said. The road first caved in on August 3. The MC carried out repairs on the same night and restored the stretch temporarily. However, the problem resurfaced on August 5 when tyres of a tractor-trailer got stuck on the road. After it was pulled out, a large portion of the road gave way, leaving a deep crater. Since then, MC officials have been stationed at the site round the clock while repair and safety work has continued. The repeated collapse has again raised concerns over the condition of Ludhiana’s old brick-built sewerage network. The incident has also underlined the need for a detailed assessment of the ageing underground system before roads are repeatedly repaired on a temporary basis. DC inspects jails, reviews initiatives for prisoners DC Himanshu Jain during his visit to the Central Jail in Ludhiana. Ludhiana, August 9 In a major effort to evaluate prison inmate welfare and promote correctional reforms, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Himanshu Jain conducted an extensive inspection of the Central Jail and the Borstal Jail on Sunday. The Deputy Commissioner thoroughly reviewed the infrastructure, health services and living conditions provided to the inmates across both facilities. As part of the inspection, he interacted directly with the prisoners and young offenders to listen to their concerns and assess their daily needs. A key focus of the visit was the evaluation of ongoing rehabilitation and skill development programmes run by the jail administration. The DC inspected the vocational training and other initiatives designed to empower inmates for life after their release. He assured administrative support to strengthen the programmes further . — TNS