Latest news with #Jalandhar-based
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
PM Modi leads nation in paying tribute to legendary marathon runner Fauja Singh
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid tributes to centenarian marathon runner Fauja Singh, who died in a hit-and-run accident in Jalandhar district on Monday, saying he was extraordinary because of his unique persona and the manner in which he inspired the youngsters of India in fitness. Fauja Singh, who was 114 years old, died after being hit by an unidentified vehicle while crossing a road at his native Beas village in Jalandhar district on Monday afternoon. (HT file photo) Fauja Singh, who was 114 years old, died after being hit by an unidentified vehicle while crossing a road at his native Beas village in Jalandhar district on Monday afternoon. Modi posted on X that Fauja Singh was an exceptional athlete with incredible determination. 'Fauja Singh ji was extraordinary because of his unique persona and the manner in which he inspired the youth of India on the very important topic of fitness. Pained by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and countless admirers around the world.' In a condolence message on X, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann said: 'The world's oldest runner, Fauja Singh, who brought glory to the Sikh community all over the world through his long runs, will always live in our hearts and memories. Heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones.' Former Delhi CM and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal also paid tributes, saying: 'The world has lost a great hero of the sports arena, but he will live forever in history and in our hearts. His passion at an advanced age will remain an inspiration for generations to come.' In his tribute, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge posted on X: 'I am deeply saddened by the passing of centenarian marathon legend, the globally celebrated Turbaned Tornado, Fauja Singh ji. His life, a testament to unwavering determination and unbridled resilience, serves as a profound inspiration for fitness enthusiasts, aspiring athletes and the young and old alike. My deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, and admirers.' Legislators paying tribute to veteran marathon runner Fauja Singh, who died on Monday, during a session of the Punjab assembly in Chandigarh on Tuesday. (PTI Photo) The Punjab assembly paid tributes to veteran marathon runner Fauja Singh on the concluding day of the special session of the Punjab assembly. Parliamentary affairs minister Ravjot Singh moved the proposal to pay tributes to him. Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan expressed grief and recalled the veteran runner's achievements, saying he inspired people with his indomitable spirit. Last rites after children arrive from UK, Canada His Jalandhar-based son, Harvinder Singh, said the family was awaiting the arrival of Fauja Singh's children from the UK and Canada for the last rites. He said he had never imagined that his father would meet his end in an unfortunate road accident. 'He was fit at 114 and used to go for a walk daily. We did try to stop him from going near the busy highway for the walk but he convinced us that it was safe. He never missed his routine of going on the evening walk,' Harvinder said. Fauja Singh suffered head injuries and fractured his ribs in the hit-and-run accident around 3.30pm on Monday. 'Even though he was rushed to a nearby private hospital, his pulse rate fell drastically by Monday evening and the medical team failed to resuscitate him,' he said. Meanwhile, police are scanning CCTV footage to track the unidentified vehicle that hit Fauja Singh. Popularly known as 'Turbaned Tornado' and 'Sikh Superman', the record holder marathon runner, who was the youngest among four siblings, was born on April 1, 1911, at Beas village. At the age of 81, Fauja Singh, a vegetarian throughout his life, moved to East London in 1992 after the death of his wife, Gian Kaur. He took to running after the death of his fifth son, Kuldeep Singh, in August 1994 to overcome the grief. He often said that running is the best exercise to deal with emotional pain resulting from personal losses. Fauja Singh stunned the world by shattering several records as a marathon runner in multiple age brackets. Since making his debut at the London Marathon in 2000 at the age of 89, Singh completed it six more times and also finished marathons in Toronto and New York besides other cities.
Indian Express
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
HC junks plea challenging ex-CM Channi's election
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has dismissed an election petition challenging the victory of former Punjab CM and Congress member of Parliament Charanjit Singh Channi from the Jalandhar (SC) Lok Sabha seat. The petition, filed by Jalandhar-based social activist Gaurav Luthra, had accused Channi of indulging in corrupt practices, underreporting election expenses, and concealing material information in his affidavit submitted to the Election Commission. However, Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma on Thursday dismissed the case after Luthra's counsel repeatedly failed to appear in court. Channi, who won the Jalandhar seat in the June 4 results, was represented in court by advocate Nikhil Ghai. In his plea, Luthra alleged that Channi concealed key details in his Form 26 affidavit, including actual election expenditure. He claimed that a lavish round-the-clock langar at a local guest house, multiple roadshows, the hiring of singers, and a large number of public meetings were not properly accounted for in the expense register. The petitioner also alleged that local media, including news portals and TV channels, gave disproportionate coverage to Channi, amounting to paid news that was not reflected in his poll spending. Luthra had sought that Channi's election be declared void under Section 100 of the Representation of People Act, 1951.
Hindustan Times
26-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
Punjab: Jalandhar-based travel agent wanted for duping over 700 students nabbed
Over two years after duping hundreds of Indian students by giving them fake admission offer letters, the Jalandhar commissionerate police arrested wanted travel agent Brijesh Mishra from Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, New Delhi. In March 2023, nearly 700 students were issued deportation notices by the CBSA over fraudulent offer letters. (HT Photo) Jalandhar-based Mishra, against whom 20 FIRs were at multiple police stations across Punjab, fled from India before the scandal came to fore in March 2023. On June 23, 2023, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) apprehended Mishra while he was trying to sneak into the country illegally but he was set free after a few months. Jalandhar's additional deputy commissioner of police Harinder Singh Gill said the police had already issued a look out circular (LOC) against Mishra, who belongs to Thalwada in Darbhanga, Bihar, after he was found to be the kingpin of the scam. 'On June 24, the airport security detained Mishra on the basis of the LOC and immediately alerted Jalandhar police following which a special team was rushed to New Delhi for his formal custody. He boarded the flight from Toronto on June 22,' the ADCP said. Sent to 7-day police custody Mishra was produced in a local court, which remanded him into seven-day police custody, he added. 'A total of nine FIRs were registered against Mishra in Jalandhar's division number 6 police station on the complaints of families of students, who were cheated on the name of fake offer letters,' Gill said. In March 2023, Nearly 700 students were issued deportation notices by the CBSA over fraudulent offer letters that had been provided to them by Mishra while processing their study visas. Even as the Canadian immigration ministry announced to freeze the deportation notices to the students, terming them 'victims of fraud' the deportation issue led to widespread protests in Canada by Indian students. Mishra continued to dupe multiple Canada aspirants and their families until the students who had arrived in the country in 2016 applied for permanent residency and found out that their documents were fake. It was then that the Canadian Border Security Agency (CBSA) conducted a detailed investigation zeroed in on Brijesh Mishra's firm — Education and Migration — and slapped five charges including those for counselling misrepresentation, misrepresentation and unauthorised representation or advice for consideration, under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. 20 FIRs registered against Mishra Following the scam, Punjab Police registered 20-odd first information reports (FIRs) against Mishra and his accomplices from March to June, 2023. The cases were registered under Sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 465 (for making forged documents), 467 (forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. The Jalandhar district administration had also cancelled the licence of Mishra's immigration firm under Sections 4 and 6 of the Punjab Travel Professionals Regulation Act, 2014, which invokes cancellation of licence, if found involved in any criminal activity. Mishra launched Easy Way Immigration Consultancy in 2013 but months later in 2014, he was caught committing fraud with students. His clout can be gauged from the fact that he either managed to strike a compromise with the complainant or ensure no action was taken against him. He was booked at Jaito in Faridkot and Malerkotla in 2021 and 2022, respectively, but no action was taken against him. Deep-rooted immigration nexus The fact that 700 students, who studied and worked in Canada for six years, are now facing deportation because they procured Canadian study permits on the basis of fake offer letters provided by Mishra's firm, shows how deep-rooted the immigration nexus is. Mishra's Education and Migration Services sent the students to Canada on fake offer letters between 2016 and 2020. The students, who spent between ₹ 10 lakh and ₹ 30 lakh to go abroad, were not aware that they had paid for forged offer letters on which they got the study visa. The fraud came to light only when the students applied for permanent residency and the CBSA found discrepancies and zeroed in on Mishra. The students said the offer letters looked 'so genuine' that even Canadian high commission officials did not find anything amiss. It was only on arriving and visiting their respective colleges that they found that they were not registered in the institutions concerned. When they contacted Mishra, he made up excuses and got them enrolled in other colleges or asked them to wait a semester. According to the then Canadian education policy, international students could change their college or university and even course on reaching Canada, a clause Mishra exploited.
Hindustan Times
24-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
After extortion call, firing outside NRI family's house in Jalandhar
Jun 24, 2025 04:22 PM IST Unidentified miscreants opened indiscriminate fire at the house of an NRI family at Aman Nagar in Jalandhar town minutes after an extortion call on Monday night. Investigators at the house in Jalandhar's Aman Nagar where the firing took place on Monday night. (HT Photo) Jalandhar commissioner of police Dhanpreet Kaur Randhawa said no one was injured in the attack. Police have initiated an investigation and are scanning CCTV footage to zero in on the attackers. Wanted Pakistan-based gangster Shahzad Bhatti claimed responsibility for the incident by sharing a video on social media. Bhatti is an operative of Pakistan's ISI. He was accused of hurling a hand-grenade at the house of Jalandhar-based YouTuber Rozer Sandhu in March and later at the house of senior BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia in April. 'Four sons of the elderly couple staying in the house have settled down in Portugal. The couple told us that the sons had been receiving extortion calls from Bhatti and members of his gang over the past few days. The callers were trying to extort money by threatening them with dire consequences,' Randhawa said. She said it appeared the firing in Jalandhar was the fallout of a dispute in Portugal as the family in India had nothing to do with Bhatti. The parents of the Portugal residents told the police that they received a phone call around 11pm on Monday in which the caller introduced himself as Shahzad Bhatti and threatened them if they did not pay up. Five minutes after the call, they heard gunshots and informed the police. Bullet marks were found on the gate and walls of the house. A case was registered under various sections, including attempt to murder and extortion.
Hindustan Times
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Lessons from sports to ace game of life
In any sport, there is always a swashbuckler, and there is a dark horse at the same time. If there was a dazzling, long-haired genius in the sport of tennis, John McEnroe, known for his spellbinding serve and volley play, there was a dour Bjorn Borg. A few years down the line, if there was the 'boy wonder', Boris Becker, known for his blinding aces and acrobatic volleys, there was the consistent baseliner, Andre Agassi. The annals of hockey, our national game, are replete with similar examples. Who can forget Ajit Pal Singh, the workman-like half-back of the 1975 World Cup-winning team, and the duo of Ashok Kumar and VJ Philips, the mercurial forwards and goal-scorers for India? Fast forward to the 1980s, and the dazzling dribbling of Mohammad Shahid was so well complemented by the solid play of MM Somaya that will always be etched in the minds of all hockey lovers. Talking of the most popular sport in our country, if there was the ever-so-dependable Sunil Gavaskar, there was the swashbuckling stroke player, Salim Durrani, who was known to hit sixes on demand. The batting maestro, Sachin Tendulkar, was complemented by 'The Wall', Rahul Dravid. The recent retirement of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from Test cricket has echoes of this interesting facet of sporting history. We all adore Rohit Sharma, who has the ability to rip apart the best of bowling attacks. The thundering straight drive that came from his bat in the recently concluded Champions Trophy, which virtually 'grounded' the umpire, exemplifies the batting of Rohit Sharma. Virat Kohli is almost a study in contrast, going by the standards of modern slam-bang cricket. He may not hit every ball out of the park, but he provided the bedrock on which Rohit Sharma could go berserk, often with spectacular results. Virat Kohli had the ability to change gears, dour and sedate one moment, and firing like a gun the next. These interesting pairings made me think of parallels in life. Very often, we are tempted to take the 'swashbuckling' and 'spectacular' way, only to realise that this approach doesn't always work. What works is the staid and steady approach of a Sunil Gavaskar! What works is the survival skill of Rahul Dravid. We need to develop the ability of Virat or Sachin to shift gears for navigating the rough waters in the course of life. Thank you, Virat and Rohit, for giving us moments to savour on the cricket field and for giving us lessons to walk the path of life with success. gulbaharsidhu@ The writer is a Jalandhar-based psychiatrist
