Latest news with #Jalandhar-based
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Punjab: YouTuber quizzed by central agencies over 2024 Pak visit
The central intelligence agencies questioned a Jalandhar-based travel vlogger over his alleged visits to Pakistan a few months ago. The travel vlogger had uploaded multiple videos related to his Pakistan visit on his YouTube Channel. (HT File) Amrik Singh, a resident of Turna village in Jalandhar district, was summoned by Jalandhar rural police to visit Lohian police station on Monday evening, where he was questioned for more than 20 hours. He was released on Tuesday evening. Deputy inspector general of police (DIG) Naveen Singla confirmed the development and said, 'The social media influencer was questioned over his visit to Pakistan around eight months back.' Shahkot's deputy superintendent of police, Onkar Singh Brar, said 'central agencies' questioned the YouTuber, and the local police don't have any details about the questioning. 'He has been released. We have informed the village panchayat to take Amrik back from the police station,' he said. Amrik had uploaded multiple videos related to his Pakistan visit on his YouTube Channel. Amrik's wife, Manpreet Kaur, said her husband was summoned in connection with their December 2024 trip to Pakistan during which they filmed videos covering Sikh religious sites and other human interest stories, and uploaded the same on their YouTube channel. 'My husband's phone remained unreachable for nearly a day after he went to the Lohian police station to record his statement,' she said.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Punjab: 2 men open fire at Hoshiarpur YouTuber's house, none hurt
Two unidentified bike-borne miscreants fired gunshots at the house of a social media influencer (YouTuber), Simran Sikand, alias Sam, in Model Town locality on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. No one was injured in the incident. The assailants fled before a cop deployed in family's security could respond. Two used cartridges were recovered from the spot, sub-inspector (SI) Gursahib Singh from the Model Town police station said. Police at the spot where two unidentified bike-borne miscreants fired gunshots at the house of a social media influencer Simran Sikand's house in Hoshiarpur on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. (HT Photo) A CCTV footage showed the two bikers turning up outside Sam's house at 12.40 am and the pillion rider opening fire. Sam said he heard the gunshot but mistook it for firecrackers before he was informed by his security guard. SI Gursahib Singh stated that a few months ago, Sikand commented on a religious post on social media, which allegedly led to an online argument with Shahzad Bhatti, a Pakistani national, and Dalbir Singh of Hoshiarpur. Sikand claimed that Bhatti threatened him with a grenade attack at his house, following which the YouTuber was provided police security. He revealed that several attempts have been made on him and his family in the recent past and that he had received a threat from Pakistan-based don Shahzad Bhatti in March. 'In a video call, Bhatti had told me that I was his target,' claimed Sam. Bhatti had taken the responsibility for a grenade attack at the house of Jalandhar-based YouTuber Rozar Sandhu and senior BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia earlier this year. Sam alleged that he had conveyed his security concerns to senior police officers many times but he was not provided proper security. 'One of the two security personnel deployed at my house is physically challenged and incapable of defending my family,' he added. An FIR under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act has been registered at the Model Town police station, said police, and further investigation is underway. (With PTI inputs)
Hindustan Times
08-08-2025
- Climate
- Hindustan Times
Spice of life: Floating memories from voyage to childhood
Every monsoon, I'm reminded of my childhood when we lived in a rented accommodation in the late '80s. Our house had a garden where all the rainwater from the terrace and the courtyard used to collect. Being an only child of working parents, the bricks of our home, the garden, with a tall mulberry tree in the corner, and the sights and sounds of nature's spectacles, including the rain, were my only friends. I had learnt the skill of making paper boats of different colours and sizes as well as a paper ship from my classmates. (HT file) I remember the water cascading down the stairs because the terrace didn't have drainage. I would spend hours just watching the sight. This was my home's Kempty Falls! I used to find the sound of the waterfall absolutely mesmerising. I had learnt the skill of making paper boats of different colours and sizes as well as a paper ship from my classmates. I would love to watch my boats and ships float slowly across the courtyard in the 'river' formed by the relatively low-lying part of the floor and find their way to the garden that would transform into a lake. I would imagine riding in one of the ships on the 'hard sea' trying to make the successful 'voyage' to the far corner of the garden, which I called the Port Moresby. I had picked up the name from my other interest, that of looking up faraway places in the atlas. Most of the 'voyages' would fail because the paper that made the ship would get soggy or the ship would get trapped in a tall weed! I called it a 'shipwreck' akin to the ones described in EM Ballantyne's The Coral Island or Johann David Wyss' Swiss Family Robinson. A shipwreck called for a rescue mission. So, I'd put on my father's oversized raincoat with the headgear and gum boots and venture out to the 'sea'. The ship would be rescued and made to float towards a nearby 'island' made of bricks lining a flower bed. I would make my way back to the room, promptly hanging my father's raincoat under the fan, fervently hoping that it dried up before either of my parents returned. I was rebuked once because I forgot to get the gum boots to dry up. 'Yeh ladka pata nahin kya karta rehta hai. Bimaar ho jaoge phir pata chalega (Wonder what this boy is up to. You'll get to know when you catch a fever).' This was the dialogue most often directed at me. I wondered why no one understood my brave efforts at rescuing a sinking 'ship' in the 'rough sea'. Four long decades and many monsoons have passed. Yet, the joy and thrill of those 'voyages' are still alive in an innocuous corner of my memories. Indeed, 'Kaagaz ki kashti' and 'Baarish ka paani' hold a special place in my childhood. (The writer is a Jalandhar-based psychiatrist)
Hindustan Times
05-08-2025
- Hindustan Times
‘Abducted' 11-year-old US citizen found from Kashmir
An 11-year-old US citizen, who was allegedly abducted by his Jalandhar-based caretakers, has been recovered from Kulgam in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, officials said. The abductors are said to be the boy's caretakers. Superintendent of police Prabhjot Singh Virk said a couple identified as Shaminder Kaur and her husband Ajitpal Singh, who were caretakers of the minor boy in the case, have been arrested. 'The US embassy and the family of the victims registered a missing complaint with Kapurthala police on May 12 this year, following which the police have initiated an investigation into the matter. During the investigation, it came to light that the victim's father got custody of the boy after he separated from his wife in the United States, a few years ago. The boy was 1.5 years old when he was brought to India by his father, who hired a Jalandhar-based couple as a caretaker since his Begowal-based mother was aged,' Virk said. He added that the victim's father left the child with the couple. 'The couple was being paid by the victim's father. However, the couple went incommunicado from May 12 onwards, following which the matter was reported to us,' he said. Virk said based on human intelligence and digital evidence, the cops tracked their movement in Kashmir. 'They were nabbed with the assistance of local police,' he said, adding that the intentions behind the alleged abduction are still unknown. The SP added that the father of the victim is presently residing in Poland after he was deported from the US post-divorce. 'We have informed the US embassy about the recovery of the child so that he could be handed over to his custodians,' he said. The police have registered a case under section 140 (kidnapping) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Time of India
29-07-2025
- Time of India
Printed, seized, forgotten: PSEB textbook scam stuck since 2016
1 2 Mohali: Nearly nine years after an FIR was registered in the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) textbook paper scam, the case continues to languish with little progress. The board is still awaiting a reply from the Rajasthan board, after discovering that a paper carrying the latter's watermark was used in textbooks meant for Punjab students — a violation of publishing norms. The scam came to light in 2016, when PSEB that found several textbooks meant for Punjab schools, were printed on paper carrying the Rajasthan board's watermark, instead of the mandated PSEB watermark. Suspecting foul play, the board registered an FIR against Jalandhar-based Choice Printers, accusing the publisher of printing extra copies using unauthorised paper for financial gain. The board seized the questionable textbooks and placed them in the custody of police. The books remain under official possession to this day. In a surprising twist, the police, in a letter to PSEB recently, stated that none of the seven schools listed as recipients of the faulty textbooks appeared to record their statements. However, the board clarified that four schools had indeed deposed, while three had failed to do so — a shortfall the police claim is hindering further proceedings. PSEB chairperson Amarpal Singh, commenting on the matter, said, "I am new to the board, and this case dates to nearly a decade. I will ensure the officials concerned follow it up appropriately." Sources within the board said police were considering closing the case due to lack of evidence and witness cooperation. However, the board remains firm in its stance and is prepared to challenge any such move. "We will not let the case be closed without a legal conclusion. This is not just a violation of protocol, but a clear attempt to exploit the system for profit," a PSEB official said on condition of anonymity. The core allegation revolves around the use of Rajasthan board-marked paper in printing PSEB textbooks, allegedly to produce excess copies beyond the approved quantity. The board collected samples from various parts of the state and confirmed the discrepancy before filing the FIR. Despite the gravity of the matter, no substantial progress has been made since 2016, leaving questions over accountability and enforcement of publishing standards in the education system. With the board is now pledging to revive the investigation, the case may finally inch towards a long-delayed legal resolution.
