04092026-CT-01.qxd 9/4/2026 1:00 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune HIPJYOTI SCORES TWO GOALS IN SEC 37 SCHOOL VICTORY PAYAS FELICITATED FOR GOLD MEDAL IN TT MEET SINGER CASSANDRA WILSON DIES AT THE AGE OF 70 Govt Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 37, beat St John’s School by three goals. P3 Payas Jain of Chitkara University won UTT National Ranking Table Tennis meet in Kanpur. P3 Two-time Grammy Award-winning jazz singer, songwriter and producer Cassandra died at 70. Lifestyle » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 37 PANCHKULA 48 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service WHAT’S ON APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 24 and 46 Mohali: Sector 68 and Phase 5 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com ASI Onkar Singh Former Punjab Special DGP’s gunman dies in accidental firing Tribune News Service Mohali, September 3 A 50-year-old Assistant SubInspector (ASI), deployed as the gunman of former Punjab Special DGP Arpit Shukla, died after his carbine accidentally discharged at the latter’s Sector 80 residence around 6:30 am today. The police said the incident occurred after the carbine, which was on the rapid mode, fell from the ASI’s lap and went off. Six rounds were fired in the burst, one of which hit the victim in the head, while the other five struck the tin roof of the picket outside the residence. The victim, identified as ASI Onkar Singh, was rushed to the Civil Hospital, Phase VI, where doctors declared him dead. DSP (City 2) Harsimran Singh Bal said the ASI had just reported for duty and cleaned the picket before sitting on a chair with the carbine in his lap. “As the carbine was on the rapid mode, a burst of bullets was discharged when it fell on the ground,” the DSP said. Onkar Singh, a native of Nawanshahr, had been deployed at Shukla’s residence in Wave Estate for the past three years. Shukla, who recently retired from the police force, condoled the ASI’s death and described the incident as unfortunate. Senior police officials reached the spot and launched an investigation. CCTV footage from the area was examined and the police ruled out any foul play. The police said the deceased’s family members were also shown the CCTV footage and were satisfied with the investigation. The police have initiated inquest proceedings under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE VP’s first Chandigarh visit as Panjab varsity Chancellor today Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Land dispute prompted Amreen to contact gangster Patial through intermediary Chandigarh, September 3 The UT police have detailed in a chargesheet the sequence of events leading to the alleged contract killing of 31year-old property dealer Charanpreet Singh, alias Chinni, a resident of Kubaheri Khurd village in Mullanpur. The police have alleged that Amreen Kaur Rai, a Chandigarh resident, was the mastermind behind the murder. The chargesheet also throws light on the alleged functioning of a gangsters’ network in Chandigarh and neighbouring areas, including the use of communication apps to establish contact with gang members operating from abroad. On March 18, two motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire at Chinni in the parking area outside a gym in Sector 9 around 12.30 pm. They fired around a dozen shots from both sides of the vehicle as he was leaving after his workout. Chinni sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the abdomen, chest and arm. Bystanders rushed him to the PGI, where he was declared brought dead due to excessive blood loss. After investigation, the police filed a chargesheet against eight persons, including Amreen Kaur Rai. The police have alleged that Rai orchestrated the killing over a disputed land deal in New Chandigarh following a finan- Police officials inspect the crime scene at Sector 9, Chandigarh, where property dealer Charanpreet Singh, alias Chinni (inset), was shot dead by two assailants on March 18. FILE PHOTO cial dispute with Chinni. Rai told the police during interrogation that she was a housewife and that there was a dispute in her in-laws’ family over control of land and property. Her father-in-law, she allegedly said, controlled the family’s land and contracts. The chargesheet states that in 2024, Rai’s father-in-law sold 1.5 acres of land near the Ramada hotel in Zirakpur for about Rs 35 crore and gave Rs 9 crore each to his two sons. She used to visit Body Zone Gym in Sector 9 with her son Akashdeep, where Chinni, a friend of her son, also worked UTplans~121-crore upgrade oftwo ITIs underPPPmodel Dushyant Singh Pundir Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 3 The UT Administration has initiated the process to upgrade two industrial training institutes (ITIs) in the city at an estimated cost of Rs 121 crore under the PMSETU scheme. The Directorate of Technical Education has issued a request for proposal (RFP) to select an anchor industry partner (AIP) to develop and manage the institutes under a public-private partnership (PPP) model. The two institutions will be developed as a specialised “hub-and-spoke” ITI cluster through a special purpose vehicle (SPV). Under the proposed arrangement, the Government Industrial Training Institute (GITI), Sector 28-C, will serve as the hub, while the Government Industrial Training Institute for Women (GITIW), Sector 11C, will function as the spoke. The Sector 28-C institute offers 25 trades under the Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS) and has an intake capacity of 932 students. The Sector 11-C women’s institute offers 11 trades and has a capacity of 507 students. The proposed revamp seeks to replace obsolete courses with programmes aligned with Industry 4.0 standards and introduce THE MURDER PLOT ■ Amreen Kaur Rai orchestrated the killing over a disputed land deal in New Chandigarh ■ She approached Harshpreet Singh, an acquaintance, to help her contact gangster Lucky Patial ■ Harsh facilitated contact between Rai and Patial through Zangi messaging application ■ Gangster Patial demanded ~15 lakh to carry out murder out. According to the police, Chinni gradually became close to her, started addressing her as his mother and frequently visited her home. Chinni subsequently arranged a deal for 8.5 acres in a village in New Chandigarh at Rs 1.75 crore per acre, promising to sell it further. Rai allegedly gave him Rs 8.5 crore, of which Rs 5 crore was deposited in the account of the landowner, Hardit Singh, while the remaining Rs 3.5 crore was taken by Chinni in cash from her house in November-December 2024. When the land was not sold within five-six months, Rai allegedly began pressuring Chinni either to complete the deal or return her money. Subsequently, 4.25-acre land was registered in her name, while the remaining chunk was registered in the name of another person, according to the chargesheet. Rai later allegedly found that the land was of poor quality and claimed that Chinni had sold it to her at a higher rate. She also alleged that Chinni had met her father-in-law and influenced him to ask her to sell the land to him. The police have alleged that Rai then decided to threaten Chinni and recover either the land or her money. She subsequently approached Harshpreet Singh, alias Harsh, an continued on page 2 Chandigarh, September 3 Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan will visit Chandigarh tomorrow, his first trip to the city and Panjab University since taking charge as VicePresident and ex officio Chancellor of the university. It will also be his first visit to the campus since the 27-day students’ agitation over the proposed changes to the university’s governance structure ended last November. According to official information, the Vice-President will inaugurate the Advanced Instrumentation Facility at the Sophisticated Analytical Instrument Facility/Central Instrumentation Laboratories (SAIF/CIL) and the Panjab University Tech Innovation Forum. The latter is aimed at strengthening the university’s research, innovation and startup ecosystem. Traffic curbs in place The traffic police have issued an advisory for September 4, with vehicular movement to be partially diverted or regulated along the VVIP route between 10.30 am and 11.30 am and again between 2.45 pm and 3.30 pm. The affected stretches include Dakshin Marg from the airport light point to New Labour Chowk; Sarovar Path from New Labour Chowk to the Sector 7/8-18/19 chowk; Madhya Marg from the Sector 7/8-18/19 chowk to the PGI Chowk; and Vidya Path from PGI Chowk to the Sector 24/25 light point towards the UIET, Sector 25. Janmashtami fervour Radhakrishnan to inaugurateadvancedfacility, Tech Innovation Forum CP Radhakrishnan Guests and staff have been advised to use designated parking areas. Vehicles parked on cycle tracks, pedestrian paths or in noparking zones will be towed. The police have appealed to commuters to follow realtime traffic updates on its social media handles and use alternative routes during the restricted periods. Visit comes at a politically charged juncture The Vice-President’s visit comes at a sensitive juncture for the university, with the longdelayed Senate elections scheduled to begin on September 7. It also comes barely four days after the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) retained the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) presidency for a second consecutive term on August 31. This was the first time the RSS-linked student organisation had won the continued on page 2 Applications invited for licences to sell green crackers Tribune News Service Sector 28-C institute to serve as ‘hub’, Sector 11-C women’s ITI as ‘spoke’ under PM-SETU scheme specialised training in emerging technologies. At the Sector 28-C hub, proposed new courses include mechanic electric vehicles (EV), industrial robotics manufacturing, CAM programmer, AI programming assistant and IoT smart agriculture. At the Sector 11-C ITI, the focus areas will include AI and machine learning, data science and analytics, cybersecurity and cloud computing, and financial modelling and analytics. The upgraded institutes are proposed to have modern laboratories, workshops, digital learning facilities and advanced machinery, providing students with greater exposure to industry-standard technologies and hands-on training. The industry partner will be involved in curriculum development, training quality, faculty development and facilitating apprenticeships, internships and placements. The initiative is aimed at bridging the gap between classroom training and industry requirements and improving employment opportunities for ITI students. MAX 34°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 34.7°C | MIN 24°C SUNRISE SATURDAY 6.01 AM /THETRIBUNECHD Chargesheet details plot to kill property dealer near Sec 9 gym PARTLY CLOUDY SUNSET FRIDAY 6.42 PM » FRIDAY | 4 SEPTEMBER 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST Children of Adarsh Public School, Sector 20, Chandigarh, dressed as Lord Krishna and Radha, celebrate Janmashtami. PARDEEP TEWARI Chandigarh, September 3 Ahead of Diwali, the UT Administration has invited online applications for temporary licences for the sale of eco-friendly green crackers certified by the CSIR-NEERI. Applicants can submit their applications through the Chandigarh Administration’s service portal from 9 am on September 7 to 5 pm on September 12. The draw of lots for allotment of temporary licences will be held at Bal Bhawan, Sector 23, at 4 pm on September 14. Applicants will have to pay a non-refundable fee of Rs 500. Officials said the terms and conditions, instructions and procedure for allotment of temporary licences were available on the administration’s service portal. Kataria launches Swachh Ward Ranking-2026 Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 3 Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria today launched the Municipal Corporation’s “Swachh Ward Ranking-2026” initiative, calling for collective efforts by citizens, elected representatives, officials, sanitation workers and various associations to make cleanliness a sustained public movement. Addressing the gathering, c m y b Kataria said the initiative was not merely a competition among wards but an effort to create a culture of accountability, public participation, healthy competition and scientific waste management in Chandigarh. He said the cleanliness assessment would be taken down to the ward, neighbourhood, market, park, street and household levels. The ranking should cover the entire waste-management Top three ‘Platinum Wards’ to get proposed development grants chain — from generation, collection and segregation to transportation, processing, recycling, reuse and final disposal — and should be based on actual outcomes rather than photographs or paperwork alone, he said. Kataria directed the Munici- pal Corporation to explore the possibility of conducting the ward rankings twice a year, if not monthly. He also called upon schools and colleges to turn students into “Swachhta Ambassadors” who could carry the message of responsible waste management to their homes and communities. The Administrator appreciated the proposed incentive mechanism for the top-performing “Platinum Wards”, under which the first, second and third-ranked wards would be eligible for proposed development grants of Rs 50 lakh, Rs 30 lakh and Rs 20 lakh, respectively. He said the initiative should encourage healthy competition and facilitate the replication of successful practices across wards. Mayor Saurabh Joshi said the launch marked an important step towards making cleanliness a wardlevel people’s movement. ccontinued on page 2