11082026-LT-01.qxd 8/11/2026 1:02 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune LUDHIANA-JAKHAL TRAIN TO RUN TILL JIND; BITTU HAILS MOVE Former minister Ravneet Bittu calls move fulfilment of a long-pending demand of people of the region. P2 » TOXIC IS AN INDIAN FILM, SAYS SUPERSTAR YASH At the trailer launch of Toxic, Yash bows down to the stage before stepping onto it. P4 » ‘I FEEL PROUD TO HAVE MADE BATWARA 1947’ FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 32°C | MIN 28°C YESTERDAY MAX 34°C | MIN 28°C SUNSET TUESDAY 7:08 PM Sunny sat with Batwara 1947 story for 16 years before finally collaborating with director Rajkumar Santoshi. P4 SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5:48 AM » TUESDAY | 11 AUGUST 2026 | LUDHIANA ~1-crore order issued six months ago, civic works yet to start in Jeevan Nagar Residents continue to struggle with broken roads, overflowing sewage, garbage 2 held for murder, ASI faces musicfor failing to act on victim’s complaint Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 10 After several youths brutally shot dead a 25-year-old youth, Harjinder Singh, in Swatantar Nagar on Tibba Road on Friday, the Ludhiana police claimed to have nabbed two suspects in the case. They were identified as Manjit Singh, alias Bobby, and Mohit. However, the key suspects were still at large. Meanwhile, assistant subinspector (ASI) Amrik Singh, posted at the Tibba police station, faced the music for failing to take action on the complaint of the victim who had been issued threats by the suspects. The deceased’s father during a protest had demanded action against the ASI, alleging that had the policeman acted, his son would not have been killed. Sources said the ASI was sent to the Police Lines to appease the deceased’s family. The reason of the murder was the existing rivalry of Harjinder’s friend with the suspects. Even an attempt-tomurder case was also registered against members of the rival group in May this year and one of the suspects, Amandeep Kaku, was also arrested around a week ago. SUSPECTS, DECEASED HAVE CRIMINAL HISTORY: COP A police official said the suspects and the deceased had criminal background as cases were registered against them in the past. The assailants were into the drug business and they had some issue with the deceased, which led to his killing. The entire matter will be cleared after the arrest of the key suspects. Harjinder had mediated in the case but the arrest of Amandeep enraged the opposite party as they suspected that the victim ensured his arrest, hence, they decided to take revenge. Family members and residents of the area on Sunday had staged a massive protest near Basti Jodhewal Chowk on the LudhianaDelhi highway, demanding the immediate arrest of the suspects in the case. Harjinder was shot by the carborne assailants. He sustained five bullet injuries and died while being taken to a hospital. The incident occurred when the youth was returning home after having a meal with his friends in the Sarabha Nagar area. ADCP Jashandeep Singh said two suspects were arrested by the police and raids were being conducted at whereabouts of their accomplices. Soon, all suspects would be apprehended in the case. When asked if any of the suspects also fled to Dubai as alleged by the family members of the deceased, the ADCP said there was no such information. Meanwhile, the victim’s family has made serious allegations against a youth, a resident of Amritsar. Based on the allegations, the police contacted the Amritsar police for further investigation. The probe revealed that the youth against whom the allegations were levelled was at present staying in Dubai. Still, his role would be investigated, said a police official. A police official said the suspects and the deceased had criminal background as cases were registered against them in the past. The assailants were into the drug business and they had some issue with the deceased, which led to his killing. The entire matter will be cleared after the arrest of the key suspects. Illegal weapons were reportedly used in the crime. Finance Minister to hoist DGP reviews security ahead of Tricolour on I-Day in dist Independence Day celebrations 15-year-old boy crushed to death by truck A road in a pathetic condition in Jeevan Nagar; and (right) garbage lies scattered in a vacant plot in the area. Sukhpreet Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 10 A Rs 1-crore work order issued by the Municipal Corporation in February has failed to bring any visible change to Jeevan Nagar, where residents of streets 13, 14, 15 and 17 continue to struggle with broken roads, overflowing sewage and garbage. The work order was issued after the poor condition of the Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 10 Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema will preside over the district-level Independence Day celebrations at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) grounds here on August 15. He will hoist the national flag, inspect the parade and address residents of the district. Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain chaired a comprehensive review meeting with officials of various departments to assess arrangements for the event. He emphasised that all preparations must be completed in time to ensure the celebrations are held with discipline, respect and patriotic fervour. During the meeting, detailed discussions were held on flag hoisting, security arrangements, traffic control, parking, area was highlighted, with the civic body promising road and sewerage improvement. However, six months on, residents say works have not started on the ground. The delay has left the February assurance looking no different from earlier promises. Roads dug up for sewer work remain unrepaired while the sewer lines continue to overflow at regular intervals. cultural programmes, uninterrupted power supply, sanitation and medical facilities. The DC directed senior officials to coordinate closely with their departments and maintain continuous monitoring of the preparations. The Municipal Corporation has been tasked with ensuring special cleanliness measures at the venue and in areas surrounding it. Roads leading to the venue will be regularly sprinkled with water to control dust while temporary bathrooms and mobile toilets will be arranged for the convenience of attendees. The Police Commissionerate has been instructed to implement strict security measures, maintain smooth traffic flow and uphold law and order during the event. Medical teams, ambulances and other essential services will also be kept ready. Naresh Kumar, a resident of Street 14, said the sewer was cleaned whenever it overflows but the relief lasts only for a short period. According to him, sewer starts overflowing again in a fortnight. Residents said roads in Streets 16 and 17 were dug up for laying sewer lines around four to five months ago. The roads had not been properly restored, making movement difficult, particularly during rain. To finalise the preparations for the parade, cultural programmes and other activities, a full dress rehearsal will be conducted on August 13. Meanwhile, the sub-divisional Independence Day celebrations will be held at the Khanna Grain Market on August 15 with enthusiasm. Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Swati Tiwana chaired a review meeting with officials at the tehsil office on Monday to finalise the arrangements. She said individuals who had shown exemplary performance in various fields would be honoured during the ceremony. In addition, freedom fighters and their family members would receive special recognition. Students from different schools and colleges would present vibrant cultural items. A full dress rehearsal would take place on August 13 at the Grain Market. Garbage has added to the problem. Vacant plots along streets have become dumping spots, with residents alleging that waste was sometimes thrown there instead of being lifted. A resident, Anil Kumar, said the area had a large number of vehras and maintaining sanitation remains a challenge. Now, residents are questioning the purpose of issu- ing a work order if the project has not moved beyond paper. They have demanded that the corporation start the sanctioned work, restore the dug-up roads and find a permanent solution to the repeated sewer overflow. Neeraj Jain, Zonal Commissioner, said: “Works in the area will be started in a few weeks as there were some technical issues due to which these have been delayed.” Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 10 Gaurav Yadav, Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab, conducted a comprehensive security review meeting at the Police Lines, here, to assess operational readiness and security arrangements ahead of the upcoming Independence Day celebrations. The high-level meeting was attended by the Commissioner of Police (CP), Ludhiana, Swapan Sharma; DIG, LudhianaRange,SandeepGoel;and SSPs of Khanna and Jagraon along with all Gazetted Officers (GOs), and Station House Officers (SHOs) from across the region. During the session, the DGP was briefed on current intelligence inputs, multi-layered security protocols, and field deployments across the Ludhiana Commissionerate and the DGP Gaurav Yadav interacts with cops during a meeting in Ludhiana on Monday. surrounding Ludhiana Range. The DGP directed the officials to intensify round-the-clock patrolling, surprise check-posts (nakas) and strategic search operations across critical transit points, railway stations and other public places. He also asked for real-time information sharing between district intelligence units and state agencies to pre- empt and neutralise potential security threat. He told them to ensure active surveillance of digital space to curb rumour-mongering, fake news and attempts to disrupt communal harmony. The DGP said: “The Punjab Police are fully prepared to ensure safe and grand Independence Day celebrations across the state. We request residents to remain vigilant, report any suspicious activities or unattended objects to the nearest police station or emergency helpline and cooperate with security personnel during routine checks. Together, we will ensure peaceful and secure celebrations for all.” Ludhiana, August 10 A 15-year-old boy was killed on the spot after being hit by a speeding truck. He was returning home with a friend on a scooter when the speeding truck hit them on Sua Road on Sunday. The deceased’s father, Munshi, said on August 9, his son, Sabar Ali, was going on a scooter with his friend Arjun. When they reached Sua Road, a speeding and recklessly driven truck (bearing registration number PB10GX 6724) hit them from the rear. His son was crushed under the truck’s wheels and died on the spot. The Sadar police have filed a case against the truck driver, Harmanpreet Singh, a resident of Tarn Taran. — TNS ~1.06 cr fine collected from ticketless travellers Killer carried body on shoulder in one month, highest in Ferozepur Division for 1 km after committing crime Nikhil Bhardwaj Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 10 The special checking drive carried out by the Ferozepur Division of the Northern Railway caught maximum ticketless travellers from the Ludhiana railway station jurisdiction with the collection of over Rs 1.06 crore penalty from them in one month. It is reportedly the highest penalty collected in the division. The Railways carried out intensive checks in trains throughout July to prevent unauthorised and ticketless travel. During the month, 34,410 passengers were found travelling without tickets or in an irregular manner under An official checks the ticket of a passenger in Ludhiana. the Ferozepur Division and a total sum of approximately Rs 2.71 crore was recovered from them as penalty. Of 34,410, maximum ticketless travellers were caught from the Ludhiana railway station jurisdiction with the collection of Rs 1.06 crore as fine. The Railways has collected over Rs 43 lakh as fine from ticketless passengers from the Amritsar railway station in July. Railway officials said regular inspections were also being conducted at major railway stations of the division to maintain cleanliness, prevent littering by the public and promote awareness about hygiene. As a result, 137 passengers were penalised under the Anti-Littering Act in July and over Rs 53,000 was collected as fine. Divisional Railway Manager Sanjeev Kumar said ticketchecking drives would continue in the Ferozepur Division. The primary objective of the checks was to provide safe and comfortable travel facilities to bona fide passengers and ensure that valid ticket-holders did not not face any inconvenience c m y b due to unauthorised or ticketless travellers. Ludhiana also had highest ticketless travellers in June With over Rs 1.26 crore collected as fine from ticketless travellers in June, the Ludhiana junction had also topped all railway stations under the Ferozepur Division in June this year. Amritsar had stood second with a collection of Rs 61 lakh. In June, division’s ticket checking staff and chief ticket inspectors found 40,244 passengers travelling without tickets. They recovered approximately Rs 3.16 crore in fine from them from all stations falling under the jurisdiction of the Ferozepur Division. Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 10 The police claimed to have solved the case involving the brutal murder of a man whose body was found wrapped in a bed sheet six days ago in Ludhiana with the arrest of a suspect. After committing the murder, the suspect wrapped the body in a bed sheet, placed it on his shoulder and carried it for about a km towards the Buddha Dariya. He intended to throw the body in the water body but was unable to carry it further. He then left the same in a street in New Shakti Nagar and fled the spot. The police arrested the suspect, Harsh Kumar (24), a resident of Masjid Wali Gali on Tibba Road. During interrogation, the suspect revealed that the deceased had mentioned his name as Hrithik. At present, the police have not received any further information about the deceased. The police are now working to identify him based on the CCTV camera footage and other clues. As per Inderjit Singh Boparai, ACP Industrial Area, A, the suspect had been staying alone in a house for a long time after the death of his parents. He was a drug addict. He met the deceased around three days ago before the murder. The victim was also stated to be a drug addict. During the police interrogation, the suspect revealed that on August 5, both were in an intoxicated state. They had an argument over some issue. In a fit of rage, he attacked the victim with a brick, resulting in his death. After the murder, the suspect wrapped the body in a bed sheet and carried it on his shoulders for about a km, intending to throw it into the Buddha Dariya. The suspect told the police that he had taken the body to the New Shakti Nagar area of Tibba. Unable to lift it again, he abandoned it in the street and fled. According to the police, the suspect stated that he had no information, except his name, about the deceased. Since the suspect stayed alone, he allowed the victim to stay at his home for a few days.