13082026-JTR-01.qxd 8/12/2026 11:27 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune HARBHAJAN SEEKS EXTENSION OF KEY TRAINS TO KARTOLI STATION RAJYA SABHA MP SEECHEWAL FLAGS OVERCHARGING BY PVT HOSPITALS ANAND KUMAR LAUNCHES FREE LEARNING PLATFORM Urges Union Minister to extend train services originating from Amb-Andaura & Daulatpur Chowk to Kartoli railway station. P2 Balbir Singh Seechewal raises concerns over arbitrary practices by private hospitals at ongoing session of Parliament.P3 Anand Kumar, whose life inspired Hrithik Roshan-starrer Super 30, reinvents maths once again. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 34°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 34°C | MIN 26°C SUNSET THURSDAY 7.12 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 5:52 AM » THURSDAY | 13 AUGUST 2026 | JALANDHAR HEALTH & WELLNESS The Tribune has started 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 TWO WOMEN AMONG 8 BOOKED FOR ASSAULT Phagwara: The Shahkot police have booked eight persons, including two women, on the charge of assaulting a covillager. The accused have been identified as Vijay, his wife Sonia, Rani, her sons Rohit and Robi and Ajay, Gori and Malkit, all residents of Pati Haveli Malsian village. Balwindar Singh of the same village complained to the police that the accused barged into his house and assaulted him and his sister-in-law. OC MANY BOOKED FOR BIKE THEFT Phagwara: The Lohian Khas police have booked unidentified persons for stealing a motorcycle. Jagtar Singh of Chak Chela village complained to the police that unidentified thieves struck at his haveli and decamped with a motorcycle. OC MAN NABBED WITH HEROIN Phagwara: The Lohian Khas police have arrested a person on the charge of selling/consuming heroin. SHO Sukhjindar Singh said 2.45 gram of heroin was recovered from the possession of the accused Baldev Singh of Dhaka Basti. OC Migrant kills father, wife with bat, absconding 4 kids first to spot crime Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 12 A middle-aged man killed his wife and father with a bat this morning and fled. The incident came to light when his four children came back after their school this afternoon and saw their mother and grandfather lying in a pool of blood and everything in the house in a complete disarray. Their father Heera Lal (45) reportedly killed his father Ayodhya Prakash and wife Savita with a bat and some heavy utensils and went absconding. A double murder took place in Street No 7 of Avtar Nagar here, where an atmosphere of gloom and fear was seen among the residents of the area. Meanwhile, on receiving information about the incident, ADCP Rakesh Yadav and ACP Atish Bhatia reached the spot along with their team. The police officers said prima facie it appeared that there had been a scuffle before the murders happened. The bodies of both the deceased had multiple blunt wounds on head, neck, limbs and other parts of the body. Phagwara: The Mehatpur police have arrested a youth on the charge of kidnapping a minor girl. The accused has been identified as Vishal of Jakwarra village in Hoshiarpur. oc Youth shot, brother hurt over old enmity Our Correspondent Kapurthala, August 12 A 24-year-old youth was killed while his younger brother sustained serious injuries after two motorcycle-borne assailants allegedly opened fire on them over an old enmity in Bishanpur Jattan village near Kapurthala last night. The deceased has been identified as Lovepreet Singh, alias Labba (24), resident of Bishanpur Jattan. His younger brother Harshdeep also suffered bullet injuries in the incident. Local residents rushed the injured youth to the Civil Hospital, Kapurthala, where he was admitted. The firing triggered panic in the village, with residents expressing concern over the violent incident. Soon after receiving information, DSP Dr Sheetal Singh, along with a police team, reached the spot and took stock of the situation. The police took possession of the deceased’s body and initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting. The ADCP said the family was that of migrants who had been living in Jalandhar for the past over two decades. The mother of the accused was on the first floor of the house but she reportedly had no clue what had happened on the ground floor because she suffers from mobility impairment. There have been reports that Heera Lal could be suffering from drug addiction and his wife had stopped his father from giving him money after which the dispute arose, leading to the two deaths. The police are yet to PSPCL employee electrocuted Our Correspondent YOUTH ARRESTED FOR KIDNAPPING Police officials during investigation after the double murder at Avatar Nagar in Jalandhar on Wednesday; and (below) the file photo of victim Savita. TRIBUNE PHOTOS:MALKIAT SINGH Kapurthala, August 12 A young PSPCL employee from the Arfawala locality of Kapurthala was electrocuted on duty. The deceased has been identified as Gurtek Singh, who was posted with the PSPCL in Kartarpur. The incident has plunged the family and residents of the locality into mourning. Powercom Superintending Engineer (SE) SP Sondhi expressed grief over the loss and said the department stood by the bereaved family in this difficult hour. He further stated that an ex gratia of ~25 lakh had been given to the family and that the insurance amount would also be released shortly. According to the family, Gurtek Singh was scheduled for night duty on August 9. However, in view of the Chief Minister’s visit to Kartarpur that day, his JE reportedly called him for duty in the morning instead. During the course of work, Gurtek suffered an electric shock and died on the spot. Gurtek was the only son of his parents. confirm the drug angle. The four children of the accused are aged between 8 and 15. ACP Bhatia added, "Forensic teams have collected evidence from the scene, and CCTV footage is being examined. The accused was captured on camera leaving the house with a bag on a bicycle. Preliminary investigations suggest that Heera Lal was unemployed and spent most of his time at home. The couple reportedly had frequent quarrels and had contacted the police helpline (112) on previous occasions. Their disputes had earlier been resolved following police intervention,” he said. He added that police teams were tracking the accused using various technical inputs and leads. Suicide by village friends sparks concern over gaming addiction Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Nawanshahr, August 12 Shock and grief have engulfed Garh Padhana village in Nawanshahr after three close friends allegedly consumed a poisonous substance on Tuesday. Two of them, Dilpreet Singh (21) and Paramjit Singh (15), died, while the third, Maninder Singh (15), is undergoing treatment at a hospital. The incident is reportedly linked to losses suffered by Dilpreet allegedly through online gaming, although police are investigating the exact circumstances. According to preliminary information, Dilpreet was the one who allegedly played online games and suffered heavy losses. The two teenagers were close friends of Dilpreet and reportedly followed him in consuming the poisonous substance. The police are also looking into whether Maninder and Paramjit were involved in online gaming. The incident has left residents of Garh Padhana deeply shaken. The village sarpanch and other residents expressed disbelief over the incident, saying they could not believe that such an incident had occurred in their village. “Nobody is able to eat properly. We are so shattered,” the sarpanch said while speaking to mediapersons. Satnam Singh, SHO, who is LOSSES BEHING TRAGEDY Dilpreet was the one who allegedly played online games and suffered heavy losses. The two teenagers were close friends of Dilpreet and reportedly followed him in consuming the poisonous substance. The police are also looking into whether Maninder and Paramjit were involved in online gaming. supervising the case, described the incident as rare. “I haven’t seen any such case,” he said, adding that the circumstances surrounding the incident were being investigated. Mental health experts have, meanwhile, raised concerns over the growing risks associated with excessive online gaming and screen use among youngsters. Dr Nirdosh Goel, retired associate professor of psychiatry and former in-charge of the De-Addiction Centre at the Civil Hospital, said online gaming addiction can have serious consequences. He said gaming platforms are often designed in ways that encourage engagement and results in addiction while peer pressure can further influence young people. “Gaming addiction can be very dangerous. The algorithms are designed in such a way that a person can get stuck,” Dr Goel said. He Gateway to sports city Tipper runs over woman, daughter in Tanda Our Correspondent A mural depicting a footballer, hockey player, athlete, cricketer and badminton player is being readied at PAP Chowk, celebrating Jalandhar’s rich sporting legacy and its status as a training hub for athletes. TRIBUNE PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH Computer teachers to protest on Panic after firing in I-Day over demand for regular job Hoshiarpur’s area Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 12 Computer teachers have announced statewide protests on August 15, alleging that the government has failed to fulfil their longpending demands despite repeated assurances. The protest under the banner of the Computer Teachers Union Punjab has warned of an “all-out struggle” if the issues are not addressed before Independence Day. The union said zonal rallies would be held in Ferozepur, Ludhiana, Nawanshahr and Amritsar on August 15. The protests will be aimed at registering opposition against the Chief Minister and Cabinet ministers on Indepen- Rallies to be held in Ludhiana, Amritsar and Nawanshahr dence Day, said state leader Harjit Singh Sandhu and Ferozepur district president Davinder Singh Sandhu. Harjinder Singh, president of the union’s, said computer teachers from Hoshiarpur, Rupnagar, Jalandhar and Kapurthala would participate in the zonal rally here. At the centre of the dispute is the status of 6,640 computer teachers who, the union said, were issued a regularisation notification by the government on December 2, 2010, followed by regular appointment letters in 2011. Despite added that parents frequently approach complaining that their children remain on their phones late into the night. He stressed the need for parents to closely monitor their children’s screen use and said teenagers are particularly vulnerable to peer influence. He also advocated age-based restrictions on access to certain forms of online gaming. Dr Ashmeen Kaur, Head of the Department of Psychology at HMV College, also described excessive gaming and screen use as a serious concern. She said screen time had increased substantially, particularly after the Covid-19 pandemic, when online classes became common. “Dopamine is released when they play games,” she said, explaining that the reward mechanism can encourage repeated gaming. She also highlighted the role of parenting and said excessive screen use by parents themselves, coupled with a lack of quality time with their kids can affect the bonding. According to Dr Ashmeen, some young people may also use gaming and other online activities as a means of fulfilling unmet desires. The incident has again brought the growing concerns surrounding online gaming addiction, peer influence and excessive screen use among teenagers into focus. this, the teachers continue to be treated as employees of the Punjab Information and Technology Education Society, the union alleged. The teachers are also resentful over the government’s decision to challenge a favourable High Court judgment in the Supreme Court instead of implementing it, saying the move had further delayed their regularisation demands. The teachers are demanding the release of the unrevised dearness allowance due under the Fifth Pay Commission as reportedly agreed during earlier meetings with the government subcommittee. They are also demanding the implementation of a death policy to ensure social c m y b security and benefits for the families of teachers who die while in service. According to it, 6,640 computer teachers have been serving in government schools for the past 21 years, but the benefits of regularisation continue to elude them. It claimed that 114 teachers had died and five had retired during this period without receiving any service benefits, leaving their families awaiting social security and other entitlements. The union asserted that its agitation would continue until the December 2, 2010 notification, the assurances made in the election manifesto, and the Education Minister’s announcement of September 15, 2022, were implemented in letter and spirit. Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, August 12 Panic gripped Basant Nagar here after a group of persons that had reportedly gone to settle a dispute allegedly came under fire this evening. No one was injured in the incident. Rakesh Kumar, a resident of Ravidas Nagar, told the police that a relative residing in Basant Nagar had a quarrel with some persons. On learning about the dispute, he, along with some others, went there to intervene. The situation escalated as the other party allegedly started threatening them. The matter was subsequently pacified with the intervention of some resi- dents. Rakesh said some persons later suggested that the issue should be resolved amicably and took them to Basant Nagar. However, on reaching the locality, the other party allegedly opened fire at them. Rakesh claimed that around three shots were fired, but they managed to escape unharmed. The police were informed about the incident and a team reached the spot to initiate an investigation. No official statement was available from the police till the filing of this report. Tanda, August 12 A woman and her 17-year-old daughter were killed and three others seriously injured after a speeding tipper hit people at two different places on the Tanda-Srihargobindpur road near Jeevan Palace here this afternoon. According to information, a family of three was returning on a motorcycle after paying obeisance at Gurdwara Pul Pukhta Sahib when the tipper rammed into their motorcycle near the Life Care Hospital bridge around 3.30 pm. Paramjit Kaur and her daughter Gurkirat Kaur, residents of Ward No. 12, Tanda, were crushed to death in the accident. Paramjit’s husband Davinder Singh and son of Gurjit Singh sustained serious injuries. The same tipper allegedly hit two more motorcyclists, who were standing by the roadside near Jeevan Palace. Gurwinder Singh of Sallopur (Kahnuwan) and Baljit Singh, a resident of Tibbar (Gurdaspur), were seriously injured in the incident. The injured were rushed to Government Hospital, Tanda, and Rekhi Harbans Hospital for treatment. A police team from Tanda reached the spot, took the tipper into custody and arrested the driver. The bodies were also taken into police custody and further investigation was initiated. Some witnesses alleged that the driver was under the influence of an intoxicant at the time of the accident. The police are investigating the allegation and the driver’s medical examination is being conducted.