15082026-JTR-01.qxd 8/14/2026 11:36 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune IN TRICOLOUR HUES, CAMPUSES IN CITY CELEBRATE FREEDOM DEVOTIONAL PROGRAMME LEAVES SCHOOL GROUND LITTERED ON I-DAY, CELEBS SHARE WHAT FREEDOM MEANS TO THEM I-Day celebrations have begun at schools and colleges in the city, with institutions organising patriotic activities. P2 After conclusion of ‘Ek Shaam Shiv Ke Naam’, disposable glasses lie scattered on the playground of School of Eminence.P2 As India celebrates its 80th I-Day, celebs share their thoughts on freedom and the responsibility that comes with it. P4 » » FORECAST CLOUDY/RAIN MAX 34°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 34°C | MIN 29°C SUNSET SATURDAY 7.11 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 5.53 AM » SATURDAY | 15 AUGUST 2026 | JALANDHAR 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 MAN HELD FOR CELLPHONE THEFT Phagwara: Begowal police have arrested a person in connection with the alleged theft of a mobile phone and cash from a shop in the town. A case was registered under Section 305 of the BNS. According to a complaint lodged by Gurpreet Singh, a Begowal resident, he had stepped out of his shop near a gurdwara to fill a water bottle when the accused allegedly entered the premises and searched the counter. On returning, the complainant found that his black Samsung S21 Ultra mobile phone, which had been kept on charge, was missing. He also noticed that Rs 1,000 kept in the shop’s cash drawer was missing. Police identified the accused as Gursagar Singh, alias Sagar of Chadhti Patti, Begowal. OC 2 HELD FOR THEFT OF IRON HOOKS Phagwara: Police have arrested two persons in connection with the alleged theft of five iron hooks from a store at SD Junior Model School in Urban Estate, Phagwara. According to police, an FIR was registered on the complaint of Keval Kishan, manager of the school. The complainant told police that while he was at the school around 2 pm, he noticed that five iron hooks used for securing doors were missing from the store. Police identified the accused as Deepak, a resident of Ukkar Nagar, Phagwara, and Arun, a resident of Bilga. The police recovered the five iron hooks and launched a probe. OC Five booked in four cheating cases involving ~54 lakh Hoshiarpur, August 14 The district police have registered four separate cases of cheating involving losses of more than Rs 54 lakh and booked six persons. In the first two cases, Baglipur residents Mahinga Singh and Satnam Singh approached the SSP with separate complaints, alleging that Sukhwinder Singh of Ladhar village in Jalandhar district and Lakhwinder Singh had taken Rs 6.50 lakh each from them on the pretext of securing police recruitment for their family members. On the SSP’s directions, the complaints were investigated by the DSP Dasuya. Following , the inquiry, cases were registered against the two accused. In another case, Pyara Singh of Giljian village complained to the Tanda police that travel agent Jatinder Singh of Dhadiyal had allegedly cheated him of Rs 34.50 lakh on the promise of sending him abroad. A case was registered and further investigation was initiated. In the fourth case, Jasvir Singh of Lambra village complained to the Bulhowal police that Davinder Singh of Ludhiana and Shikha of Amritsar had allegedly cheated him. The police registered a case and launched a probe. — TNS 100-yr-old recalls leaving Lahore in 1947, expecting to return within week Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 14 As the country celebrates its 80th Independence Day today, 100-year-old Kundan Singh Madaan still remembers the home and two grocery shops he left behind in Lahore at the age of 19, believing he would return within a week after the violence subsided. That week, however, stretched into eight decades, and Madaan, now living in Jalandhar, never returned to the home he left behind during Partition. Madaan was born on July 1, 1926, in Kasur tehsil of Lahore district, now in Pakistan, and was among the millions displaced during Partition in 1947. Recalling the horrors of Partition, Madaan said his family owned a house and two grocery shops in a Muslim locality in Kasur tehsil, where he grew up with his eight siblings. Although there were only a few Hindu households in the Muslimdominated area, he said the families shared cordial relations and lived in harmony. That changed about a week before Independence, when riots broke out and his family Partition Survivor Kundan Singh Madaan with his family in Jalandhar. decided to move to a relative’s house in India. A Muslim neighbour advised them to leave quickly as violence gripped the region. “Our family, along with cattle and a few belongings, decided to move to a relative’s house in a nearby village on August 14, 1947. We expected to return within a week. However, the next day, after the announcement of Independence, we realised that the area was now part of Pakistan,” Madaan recalled. Leaving everything behind, the family of around 15 members migrated barefoot to Rajiyan village in Barnala. They stayed at a relative’s house, where they were provided clothes, food and shelter. After eight days, however, they could not stay there any longer and moved to a nearby village abandoned by Muslims who had migrated to Pakistan. There, the family lived in an abandoned kutcha house. To support his family, Madaan rented a cart and began selling soaps and soda. For three months, the family took up odd jobs to survive. It was only in November that his maternal relatives contacted them, following which they decided to move to Ferozepur, where the relatives lived. “During those days, the government had arranged addi- The last train to Amritsar: A Partition survivor’s story of courage and service Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 14 Lt Col Manmohan Singh (retd) was 15 when he and his father boarded a refugee train from Lyallpur, Pakistan, bound for Amritsar. The former Deputy Director of Sainik Welfare, Jalandhar, still heaves a sigh of relief when he recalls how fortunate they were. “After reaching our paternal uncle’s home in Hoshiarpur, we were reunited with my mother and five younger siblings, who had arrived here earlier. We learnt that ours was the last train to reach Amritsar safely. The holocaust began just a day later,” he recalled. The 94-year-old Army veteran said his family had initially been reluctant to leave Pakistan because they owned milch cattle in Gojra tehsil. “We had sent the other members of the family across the border, but my father, who was a schoolteacher, decided to stay back for a few days because of the cattle. But as the situation worsened, we had no option but to leave,” he said. Recalling his childhood in Pakistan, Lt Col Manmohan Singh said his father, Santokh Singh, was a strict disciplinarian when it came to studies. “My father was a teacher and was very particular about our studies. Once, I scored 49 out of 50 in science PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH HEALTH & WELLNESS Lt Col Manmohan Singh (retd) recalls Partition days when he was 15. and proudly showed him my result. Instead of praising me, he scolded me for losing a mark,” he recalled. Singh learnt Persian during his early years at school in Pakistan and developed a lasting love for languages. His interest eventually led him to pursue an MA in Urdu from Jamia Millia Islamia. A major setback came in 1948 when his father passed away. As the eldest child, Singh took on the responsibility of ensuring that his younger siblings received a good education. “My mother was an early riser. She would wake us all at 4 am for self-study before we went to school,” he said. Singh studied at Khalsa High School in Garhdiwala and later pursued a BSc at DAV College, Jalandhar, under a freeship programme that selected only 11 students. He went on to complete an MSc in Physics from SCD Government College, Ludhiana. Noted poet Sahir Ludhianvi was about a year and a half senior to him, he recalled. Singh later cleared the IFS examination and served in the Forest Department for four years before joining the Army. A fighter by temperament and fiercely independent, Lt Col Manmohan Singh chose not to marry because of his responsibilities towards his family. “I had three younger sisters and two brothers to take care of, so I decided not to marry,” he said. His younger brother, Saroop Singh Dhatt, served as an IPS officer in Maharashtra. One of his sisters earned an MSc in Political Science and became an assistant professor in the US. Singh also found a sense of fatherhood in raising his nephew. “I brought my nephew from the village when he was young, adopted him and mentored him,” he said. His nephew, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh (retd), went on to serve as Director General of Military Operations and gained prominence for planning the Uri surgical strikes. Singh also looks back with pride on his long tenure as Deputy Director of Sainik Welfare. Even after completing his official tenure, he continued to serve, drawing a token salary of just Re 1 a month. For more than 20 years, he played a key role in organising cultural and patriotic programmes for district-level Independence Day and Republic Day celebrations. “I used to train children rigorously for three weeks. I was so particular about the parade of our NCC cadets that they began winning awards for the best parade, even outperforming the police and paramilitary contingents,” he said. During his tenure, more than 3,000 young people also underwent pre-recruitment training at the Sainik Welfare office. At 94, Lt Col Manmohan Singh’s story remains one of resilience, sacrifice and service — a life shaped by the trauma of the Partition, devotion to family, a passion for education and an enduring commitment to the nation. tional compartments in trains for refugees travelling to Ferozepur, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and other parts of eastern Punjab,” Madaan recalled. After reaching Ferozepur, Madaan said he secured a job with the Railways with the help of relatives. Two years later, he was transferred to Jalandhar, which eventually became his home. He served in the department for nearly 37 years before retiring on June 30, 1984. Looking back, he says the Railways helped improve his family’s financial condition and provided stability after the upheaval of Partition. “One cannot forget one’s birthplace. For years, I wanted to visit my house, but due to family and financial constraints, I could not go there,” he said. In 2011, Madaan managed to secure a Pakistani visa valid for 10 years. He hoped to finally return to the home he had left behind decades earlier. But his wife’s health deteriorated, and the journey never happened. Nearly eight decades later, the house in Lahore remains a place Madaan remembers vividly but has never been able to return to. Doctor seriously injured in car, bus collision Our Correspondent Garhshankar, August 14 A doctor was seriously injured after his Creta car collided head-on with a Punjab Roadways bus near Golian village on the ChandigarhHoshiarpur road. His son, who was travelling with him, also sustained minor injuries. The injured doctor, identified as Dr Kuldeep Singh, was admitted to a private hospital in Nawanshahr, where he is undergoing treatment. According to information, Dr Kuldeep Singh was returning to his home in Garhshankar from Chintpurni after completing his duty. He was travelling in his Creta (PB-07-CM-1538) along with his son. He had reportedly been deployed at Chintpurni by the Punjab Government in view of the ongoing fair. When he reached near Golian village, his car collided with a Punjab Roadways bus (PB-06-BB-6258), which was travelling from Chandigarh towards Pathankot. The impact was so severe that the car was badly damaged. Dr Kuldeep Singh sustained serious injuries, while his son suffered minor injuries. With the help of local residents, the injured doctor was rushed to a private hospital in Nawanshahr. Following information about the accident, a police team reached the spot and took both vehicles into possession. The police have initiated an investigation to ascertain the cause of the accident. Railway station decked up with Tricolour lights on the eve of the Independence Day celebrations in Jalandhar. SARABJIT SINGH City gears up for I-Day celebrations amid tight security, festive fervour Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 14 Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place across the district by the city and rural police to ensure the smooth and peaceful conduct of Independence Day programmes. The main district-level function will be held at Guru Gobind Singh Stadium, where local minister Mohinder Bhagat will hoist the Tricolour. The city police have tightened security around the stadium, with personnel deployed at all sensitive locations, including the bus stand, railway station, religious places and market areas. Special police teams have been constituted to carry out regular checks and surveillance, while security has been further strengthened to prevent any anti-social or suspicious activity. A round-theclock vigil is being maintained, with multiple patrolling teams deployed to monitor the situation. Vehicles are also being checked randomly to keep a close watch on anti-social elements. Meanwhile, city residents are gearing up to celebrate Independence Day with patriotic fervour. Several events have been lined up across the city. A 5-km Freedom Run will be held on 66 Feet Road at 6 am tomorrow. The event is being organised by the Daud Runners Club. Bhangra, giddha and games will be organised at Burlton Park from 6 am to 8 am tomorrow. Adding to the excitement, Punj Aab Riders will organise a “Ride for Peace” for girls and women on bikes from Khatkar Kalan to Hussainiwala. Retailers are also gearing up for the occasion, with major brands offering heavy discounts to shoppers tomorrow. Eateries are joining in as well. For instance, Super Cremica Sweets is offering a buy-one-get-one-free deal on slush drinks. BSF jawan, two relatives booked for woman’s murder Our Correspondent Talwara, August 14 The Hajipur police have booked a BSF jawan and two of his relatives for the alleged murder of his wife, who died under suspicious circumstances. The case was registered on a complaint filed by the deceased woman’s father, who alleged that his daughter was beaten to death by her husband at the alleged instigation of his uncle and aunt. The police have launched an investigation. Hajipur SHO Harpreet Singh said the deceased, Rama, had married Amarjit Singh, a resident of Shekhanmatta (Sunehra), around 12 years ago. The couple had two children. Amarjit is serving in the BSF . According to the complaint, Amarjit had allegedly been harassing Rama for several years, pressuring her to bring her share of her parental property. The complainant also alleged that she had been assaulted on several occasions. About three to four months ago, Amarjit allegedly beat Rama, following which the two families reached a compromise. Ram Chand, Rama’s father, told the police that around 4 am on August 14, his brother Malkeet Singh received a phone call from Amarjit, who said that Rama had fallen from the roof and sustained serious injuries. She was taken to Government Hospital, Hajipur. When family members reached the hospital, doctors declared Rama dead. The complainant alleged that injury marks were visible on her head and body, raising suspicions about the circumstances of her death. Ram Chand alleged that his daughter had not died after falling from the roof but had been beaten by Amarjit, allegedly at the instigation of his uncle Kuki and aunt Sonia. Based on the complaint, the Hajipur police registered a murder case against Amarjit Singh, Kuki and Sonia. The police are investigating the allegations and examining other evidence and circumstances to ascertain the exact cause of Rama’s death. Two arrested for killing youth in Kapurthala village, weapons recovered Our Correspondent Phagwara, August 14 The Kapurthala police have arrested two men in connection with the killing of a youth at Bishanpur Jattan village on August 11 and recovered two illegal pistols and ammuni- tion from their possession. The accused have been identified as Gurpreet Singh, alias Tanna, and Mandeep Singh, alias Saga, both residents of Bishanpur Jattan. Addressing a press conference, Superintendent of Police (Investigation) Harinder Singh Gill said that on August 11, the accused allegedly opened fire at Lovepreet Singh, alias Lakha, who was travelling on a motorcycle with his friends Suraj and Harshdeep. According to the police, the accused were riding a black Splendor motorcycle. Lovepreet Singh sustained c m y b fatal gunshot injuries and died on the spot, while Harshdeep was injured in the incident. The accused also allegedly snatched the victims’ mobile phones before fleeing the scene. A case was registered at the Kapurthala Kotwali police station under relevant sec- tions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Arms Act. Gill said special police teams were constituted under the supervision of senior officers. The teams, comprising DSPs Shital Singh and Sukhpal Singh, CIA staff in-charge Raman Kumar and Kotwali SHO Lakhbir Singh, worked on human and technical intelligence inputs and succeeded in identifying and apprehending both accused. The police recovered a China-made Norinco pistol, a PX5 Storm pistol, three magazines, three live rounds and three misfired rounds from their possession. The SP (Investigation) further said that Gurpreet Singh was already facing two criminal cases registered in Jalandhar Rural and was currently out on bail in both cases. Mandeep Singh had no previous criminal record, he added.