18112024-LT-01.qxd 18-11-2024 00:51 Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune HEALTHCARE SHORTAGES LEAVE MALERKOTLA IN CRISIS SINGER MAKING HEADLINES AFTER FACING LEGAL NOTICE Diljit calls out double standards after Telangana govt's notice, tweaks lyrics during Hyderabad concert. P4 MODERATE FOG MAX 23°C | MIN 15°C YESTERDAY MAX 23°C | MIN 15°C MISS DENMARK VICTORIA NAMED 73RD MISS UNIVERSE Availing adequate healthcare facilities at govt centres in district remains a distant dream for residents. P3 FORECAST Victoria Theilvig has been crowned Miss Universe marking her country’s first win at the beauty pageant. P4 » » SUNSET MONDAY 5.25 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 6:51 AM » MONDAY | 18 NOVEMBER 2024 | LUDHIANA Cash stolen from gurdwara in Samrala Tribune News Service Ludhiana, November 17 A thief targeted a gurdwara in Samrala and decamped with cash from donation box. After the gurdwara management committee lodged a police complaint, the Samrala police On Saturday registered a case against unidentified miscreant. Complainant Kulwant Singh said on the night of November 15, he returned home after locking the main door of the gurdwara. On November 16, when he reached the gurdwara, he was shocked to see that the locks of the main gate of gurdwara were lying broken. As he entered the sanctum sanctorum, he found that the lock of the donation box was also broken and cash lying in it was missing. He said when he checked CCTV camera footage of the gurdwara, a thief was seen breaking the lock of the donation box and stealing the money. The thief took away cash over Rs 20,000. Investigating officer ASI Avtar Chand said after registering a case, further investigation was launched. The CCTV footage of the suspect was procured from the gurdwara and effort was on to identify him. Financier’s arms licenceto be cancelledinfluencemisuseon for of liquor, probe Suspect was allegedly under FIRING AT COUPLE Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, November 17 After the Ludhiana rural police on Saturday arrested a suspect who shot a couple running a grocery shop in Prem Nagar, Mullanpur Dakha, Jagraon, they also recovered a pistol, six cartridges and two bullet shells from the man. Now, the police are going to cancel the arms licence of the suspect, who is a financier, for misusing the licensed weapon. The suspect was identified as Surinder Singh, alias Chhinda, a resident of Hissowal village. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Ludhiana (rural), Navneet Singh Bains, Dakha DSP Varinder Singh Khosa and SHO, Dakha, sub-inspector Gurvinder Singh, addressed a press conference in this regard at Jagraon on Sunday. Bains said Surinder was having a monetary dispute with the couple. He had lent Rs 1 lakh to the couple. Late on Friday night, the Man duped of ~ 1L in online fraud Tribune News Service Ludhiana, November 17 In a case of online fraud, the Khanna police booked an unidentified person for duping Nirbhay Singh, a resident of Guru Harkrishan Nagar, here, of over Rs 1 lakh. The victim, who works as a marketing executive, received a suspicious WhatsApp link from an unknown number on August 11. Clicking on the link led to a significant financial loss to him. The cyber criminal withdrew Rs 1,00,299 through online transactions on August 13, making 20 UPI transactions of Rs 5,000 each, totalling Rs 1 lakh and an additional Rs 299 recharge. The scam highlights the increasing risk associated with online transactions. HOW VICTIM FELL PREY ■ Suspect sent a link via WhatsApp to victim ■ After clicking on link, money withdrawn from victim’s account ■ Suspect made multiple UPI transactions, totalling ~1 lakh The police are working to apprehend the suspect and prevent further instances of cybercrime. As such cases of online frauds are on the rise, it’s essential to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities promptly. Though the Ludhiana police have been spreading awareness about cyber frauds, innocent people are being targeted by fraudsters. Not an isolated case Notably, recently cyber fraudsters by impersonating as CBI officials duped a 66-year-old retired accountant, Bhupinder Singh, of Police personnel address mediapersons in Ludhiana on Sunday. suspect, who was under the influence of liquor, reached their shop and got into a fight with the victims. Afterwards, the man got angry and opened fire at the couple and fled the scene on his bike. The Dakha police had registered a case on the statement of Raj Kumar. Raj Kumar and his wife, who run a grocery shop at Prem Nagar in Mullanpur, were shot at. The injured couple were taken to the Civil Hospital, Jagraon, from where they were referred to a Ludhiana hospital. They were stated to be out of danger. Meanwhile, Raj Kumar told the police in his statement that the suspect, who was in an inebriated state, had been abusing his wife. When he asked him to stop abusing her, the man left the place. After sometime, he returned and again started abusing the woman. Following which, the suspect took out a pistol and fired shots at them. The bullet hit the man’s shoulder due to which he fell down. The woman also got a bullet injury. Meanwhile, the Dakha DSP said the suspect had obtained arms licence in 2013 and he had bought a .22 bore revolver. “The financier, during his preliminary interrogation, admitted that when he asked woman to return his money, she and her husband insulted him and also abused him due to which he lost his temper and opened fire from his licensed weapon,” he said. The DSP said as per the complainant, the suspect was drunk but investigation was on in the matter. Bar assn to observe no work day today Ludhiana, November 17 The District Bar Association (DBA), Ludhiana, has announced to observe ‘no work day’ on Monday in solidarity with the state-level call given by the District Bar Association, Amritsar. The decision was taken unanimously during an emergent meeting of the DBA executive committee, held under the leadership of its president ATTACK ON LAWYERS Chetan Verma and secretary Parminder Pal Singh Laddi. The protest comes in response to the brutal attack on two advocates, Himanshu Arora and Gaurav Arora, outside their residence in Amritsar. The DBA has condemned police inaction in apprehending culprits responsible for the attack. Sukhbir’s resignation: SAD working Supreme Court Judge raises concern committee to meet today over growing child vulnerability Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, November 17 An important meeting of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) working committee will be held at Chandigarh on Monday to take the decision whether to accept or reject the resignation submitted by the SAD president. Sukhbir Singh Badal resigned from the post of president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) on Saturday after a recent meeting with Akal Takht Jathedar in Amritsar. Though loyalists of Sukhbir look disappointed, they maintained that the party would bounce back with a positive frame of mind. Maheshinder Singh Grewal, party spokesperson, said the matter could be taken in two ways — if it was rejected, people would get a chance to term the resignation as an “eyewash”. And if it was accepted, who will lead the party? “The working committee of the Shiromani Akali Dalwith over 55 members will meet on Monday to take a decision on the development. Till then, it would be unfair to comment on the matter,” he said. Once the working committee, which is a competent authority, takes the decision, it will later brought to the General House, which has over 500 members. At present, party affairs are being taken care of by officiating president Balwinder Singh Bhunder. Harish Rai Dhanda, senior Shiromani Akali Dalleader, said though party president Sukhbir Singh Badal had resigned, it would hardly make any difference. Rs 8.08 lakh. They accused him of money laundering for a private airline and placed him under “digital arrest,” forcing him to transfer his funds. Earlier, a Rs 7-crore scam targeting Vardhman Group CMD SP Oswal had also highlighted the presence of cyber criminals. In another incident, a 73-year-old retired engineer, Harbans Singh, from Ludhiana had recently lost Rs 24.2 lakh to scammers posing as police officials, who alleged that the former was involved in child pornography and money laundering. “Those persons who left the party after creating a mess have gone. Most of them did their best to align with the Bharatiya Janata Party, what was the result? The rebel leaders did not have any stand and now, those who are still part of the party are much united, whether Sukhbir Badal is president or not. We continue to support the party even after his resignation. The process of elections will be started soon and till then, the officiating president will look after party affairs,” he said. At the same time, Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali preferred not to make any comment on the matter. On being asked about the party president’s resignation, Ayali said he would prefer to remain quiet on the issue. Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service Chandigarh, November 17 Issuing a stark warning about the growing vulnerability of marginalised communities in India, Supreme Court judges today highlighted alarming rates of child malnutrition, labour and the pandemic’s devastating aftermath. They underscored the plight of millions of undertrial prisoners languishing in jails without proper legal aid and the need for legal services authorities to bridge the gap between justice and the people it serves. At the onset, Justice Surya Kant referred to disturbing “self-styled” studies which claimed that 6.7 million children in India were at risk of severe malnutrition, which might lead to stunting and annually 24 million Indian children were impacted by climate-related disasters. “Some self-styled studies Justice Surya Kant calls for urgent action claim that India had the highest number of infants who are likely to receive zero nourishment over a 24-hour period,” Justice Kant said, referencing the study that surveyed nearly 100 countries. Speaking at the Regional Conference for ‘Empowering Marginalised Citizens and a Step towards Social Justice: Achievements made and Roadmap Ahead', Justice Kant pointed out that the crisis was exacerbated by the persistent prevalence of child labour, with millions of children forced to forgo education to support their families. Pointing at the catastrophic effects of Covid-19 pandemic on children in India, the Judge asserted: “As per a variety of studies conducted by leading UN organisations, children were the biggest victims of the pandemic – even though it may not be imminently obvious.” Justice Kant asserted children of migrant workers, who made up 38 per cent of India’s population, were left stranded during the lockdowns with no support. Highlighting the dire need for a more robust legal framework to protect the rights of prisoners, Justice BR Gavai said, “Seventy-six per cent of prisoners in India are undertrials, i.e. they have not been found guilty yet. Many of them may be languishing in prisons due to a lack of access to legal aid.” Citing Article 39-A of the Constitution, Justice Gavai emphasised the state’s obligation to ensure justice through equal opportunities and free legal aid. Quoting Apex Court rulings, Justice Gavai asserted: “The court has held that the right to live with dignity extends even to Chock-a-block Vehicles caught up in a traffic jam in the Old City area and an ambulance gets stuck in traffic near the Clock Tower due to the Sunday market in Ludhiana. PHOTOS: ASHWANI DHIMAN c m y b the incarcerated." Justice Gavai also stressed the critical role of Legal Services Authorities in bridging gaps between prisoners and the justice system. “From January to August 2024, legal services were provided to 1, 84,749 persons in custody… This includes 1,035 in Chandigarh, 7,059 in Haryana, 539 in Himachal Pradesh, 971 in Jammu & Kashmir and 21,093 in Punjab.” Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu urged the legal community to work tirelessly toward ensuring that justice became a reachable reality for all. The judge emphasised that the mission of the legal services authorities was to bridge the gap between the law and the people it served. “The essence of justice lies in righteousness and fairness, as shown by those who walk the path of truth,” Justice Nagu said while citing Manusmriti. “The DBA, Ludhiana, stands united with the legal fraternity and demands action against the culprits,” stated the executive committee in a resolution. It has requested all judicial and revenue officers to cooperate by refraining from passing adverse orders in cases of non-appearance on the protest day and adjourning matters appropriately. — OC Miscreant assaults woman, flees with bag Ludhiana, November 17 A snatcher targeted a woman and took away her bag on a flyover here. The incident occurred on the Ferozepur road flyover. A miscreant snatched the woman’s bag kept on her two-wheeler when she was passing through the flyover in broad daylight. When the victim chased him, he hit her and fled the scene. Giving information to the police, Damini Garg, a resident of Asha Puri, Baddowal, said on November 15, she was going to her house on her scooty. When she was getting down the flyover, an unidentified person on a two-wheeler, came near her. The miscreant pounced on her and snatched her bag kept on her vehicle. She said her bag contained a mobile, driving licence, two ATM cards and cash. When he was fleeing the scene, she tried to chase him due to which the man hit her. She fell off the vehicle and got injured. Another incident occurred near Suffian Chowk where three bike-borne persons targeted an employee of a private company and looted his mobile phone. The complainant, Davinder Singh, a resident of Bhamian Khurd, told the police that on November 15, he was going to take orders of packaged drinking water. When he stopped his motorcycle to attend a phone call near Suffian Chowk, three persons on a motorcycle came and attacked him. They snatched his mobile. The complainant said when the suspects were fleeing the place, he noted the registration number of the motorcycle and later gave it to the police. On the basis of his complaint, the police identified the three miscreants as Prince Kumar, Harmanjot Singh and Bolu and arrested them. ASI Ranjit Singh said the three suspects were arrested and 18 mobiles, which they looted from city residents, were also recovered. — TNS