26122025-ATR-01.qxd 25-12-2025 23:15 Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune LOOKING BACK: RAVI ROSE, RESILIENCE ROSE HIGHER SWIMMERS RUE LACK OF ALL-WEATHER POOL IN CITY Deprived of practice, they are bereft of level playing field in national and international competitions. P3 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 17°C | MIN 8°C YESTERDAY MAX 17°C | MIN 8°C ROSHANS STEAL WEDDING SPOTLIGHT Amid the September floods, compassion and community took centre stage in the region. P2 FORECAST Hrithik Roshan dances with sons as Sussanne Khan shares an emotional tribute. P4 » » SUNSET FRIDAY 5.30 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 7.17 AM » FRIDAY | 26 DECEMBER 2025 | AMRITSAR Police arrest foster father over murder of minor girl Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 25 A 15-year-old girl, identified as Preeti, was allegedly bludgeoned to death by her foster father in the Kot Khalsa area, sending shock waves through the locality on Wednesday. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) Vishaljit Singh said the accused, identified as Sonu Nishat, has been arrested and Man cheated of ~30 lakh on Canada promise Members of the Christian community offer prayers on the occasion of Christmas at St Paul’s Church in Amritsar on Thursday; (below) women light candles at the church to mark the day of piety and celebrations. PHOTOS: VISHAL KUMAR Prayers for peace, salvation and joy mark Christmas festivities Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 25 The Diocese of Amritsar (DoA), Church of North India (CNI), celebrated Christmas as carols, candles and Santa's ringing bells greeted devotees, who came to attend the special Christmas service at the St Paul's Church on Court Road. Midnight Christmas mass was attended by hundreds as they prayed for peace and well-being of humanity, dedicating this year's prayers to the families displaced or affected by the floods. As the day was all about spreading the message of salvation, peace, hope, love and joy to all humanity, devotees, a few of them dressed as Santa Claus, distributed gifts among children. Midnight Christmas worship services were held at Christ Church Cathedral, St Paul's Church and Epiphany Church, Chheharta, on December 24. Midnight and morning services were marked with prayers for peace, joy and salvation offered in English, Hindi and Punjabi, symbolising unity of belief, culture and thought. Reverend Manoj Charan, Bishop, DoA, CNI, emphasised the true spirit of Christmas, saying, "Christmas brings us a message of peace, hope, love and joy. It reminds KMM to hold protest over scrapping of MGNREGA Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 25 The Kisan Mazdoor Morcha has announced a statewide protest against the Central government over the alleged scrapping of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The organisation said it will burn effigies of the Union government outside the Deputy Commissioner (DC) offices across the state to oppose the move. Leaders of the Morcha said MGNREGA is a lifeline for poor farmers, landless labourers and rural workers. They said the scheme guarantees 100 days of employment and helps rural families meet basic needs such as food, education and healthcare, especially at a time of rising prices and unemployment. "If MGNREGA is scrapped, rural distress will increase sharply," said KMM leader Sarwan Singh Pandher. The Morcha strongly criticised the new law, VB G RAM G, which is being brought in its place. According to the leaders, the new law does not provide a legal guarantee of employment like MGNREGA. They alleged that under the new law, work will not be demand driven and workers will lose the right to claim employment as a matter of law. The protest will be held outside DC offices on a decided date and will be peaceful, the leaders said. us of the universal brotherhood of all people, and our responsibility to spread love, compassion and kindness. Let us strive to make the world a better place, filled with harmony and understanding." The Bishop reiterated the Diocese's commitment to sharing the love of Christ and promoting peace and understanding in the region through interfaith, cultural and social initiatives. With the church all decorated with Christmas goodies and Xmas tree, visitors and devotees gathered up for day-long festivities. Colourful processions, with ‘hallelujah’ roars and jingle bell sounds, made rounds of the city. A special festive décor at St Paul's that was illuminated with colourful lights, greeted visitors and the depiction of Jesus being born at midnight, reflected the Christmas spirit. Reports of incidents of violence and vandalism at places where Christmas celebrations were being marked from across the country notwithstanding, the celebrations in the city remained peaceful, reflecting its status as a 'holy' city with Christmas and the observance of martyrdom of the Sahibzadas went smoothly. Tarn Taran, December 25 Baldev Singh, a resident of nearby Rataul village, had to pay a heavy price for realising his dream to settle his son in Canada. He has been defrauded of Rs 30 lakh by the swindlers. The victim came in contact with the swindlers who took Rs 10 lakh in cash from him to send his son to Canada about six month back. The swindlers sent his son to Iran instead of Canada. Baldev Singh said here today that the fraudsters, identified as Charanjit Kaur of the local Baba Basta Singh Colony and Jaspreet Singh, a resident of Kabir Park, Amritsar, soon after threatened to kill his son in Iran and demanded Rs 50 lakh more. The victim had to gave them Rs 20 lakh more. The victim lodged a complaint with the SSP Tarn , Taran, and the accused have been booked under section 318 (4), 351 (2) , 351 (3), 308 (4) and 61 (2) of the BNS. — OC the blunt wooden stick used in the crime recovered. Sharing details, the ADCP said the incident came to light when the victim's mother, Anita, who works at a spinning mill, returned home in the morning and found her daughter lying in a pool of blood. She immediately raised an alarm, following which a police team led by SHO Harsandeep Singh of Islamabad police station rushed to the spot. Preliminary investigations revealed that it was the second marriage of Sonu Nishat and Anita. While Sonu has three children from his first marriage, Anita had one daughter, Preeti. The family originally hails from Azamgarh district in Uttar Pradesh. According to the probe, the accused allegedly had an eye on the minor girl, which had led to an argument between him and the victim a few days ago. On Tuesday, Anita had gone for work, during which Sonu allegedly assaulted the girl with a wooden stick, killing her on the spot. Acting swiftly, the police arrested the accused within hours of the crime and recovered the weapon used in the murder. A case has been registered at Islamabad police station, and further investigations are underway. Woman alleges physical abuse over obscene video Canada-based gangster booked for extortion in case Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 25 Bhindi Saida police have booked Canada-based gangster-turned-terrorist Landa Harike among five persons on charges of extortion, criminal intimidation and sexual exploitation after a 36-yearold woman from village Kot Sidhu alleged that she was repeatedly threatened and forced into physical relations while threatening to upload her alleged obscene video on social media. The victim, in her statement to the police, alleged that Ranjit Singh alias Mani, deceitfully made an obscene video of her and later threatened to make it viral. She claimed that on the basis of this threat, he forcibly established physical relations with her. Later, the accused allegedly went abroad. The woman further stated that the accused later shared the said obscene video with Gurbaj Singh and another accused with the same name Gurbaj Singh, both residents of Kot Sidhu village. She alleged that in August 2025, both the accused showed her the video and by threatening to make it public, also forced her into physical relations. She further alleged that Jatinder Singh, also a resident of same village, threatened her by showing the same video and put pressure on her to establish physical relations. The complainant told the police that when she refused and expressed distress, she began receiving threatening calls. On September 11 this year, she allegedly received a phone call on her WhatsApp number from an international number, in which the caller identified himself as Canadabased Landa Harike. The caller allegedly demanded Rs 10 lakh, threatening that if the money was not paid, the obscene video would be made viral and she and her children would be killed. Police officials confirmed that a case has been registered and investigations are underway. Raids are being conducted to arrest the accused, who are absconding. Further probe is on to verify the role of the alleged gangster and the origin of the obscene video while no arrests had been made so far. 8-year-old boy found dead in Jagatpur Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, December 25 An eight-year-old boy was found dead in Jagatpur village falling under Chabal police station on Wednesday evening. The deceased has been identified as Manraj Singh Manna, son of Satnam Singh, a daily wager. Raj Singh, a close relative of the deceased, said that Man- Manraj Singh Manna raj came out of home in the evening. He failed to return home even after an hour had passed and the family members searched for him. He was found dead in a nearby old house. The Chabal police was informed immediately and the police reached the spot and took the body in its custody. Harpreet Singh, SHO Chabal, said that the police have lodged a report under sec- tion 194 of the BNSS and further action would be initiated after the post-mortem report is received. The SHO said that the body bore no sign of any injury. Satnam Singh, father of the deceased, expressed his suspicion that his son had been served some poisonous substance by mischievous elements. Play dwells on ninth Guru as symbol of humanity Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 25 The year 1675 holds great significance not just in Sikh history but that of human civilisation. The year was when Hind Ki Chadar, Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, sacrificed his life and shaped the identity of Sikhs as a community of fearless warriors and keepers of humanity. Thespian Kewal Dhaliwal in his latest play, 1675, staged at the Virsa Vihar on Wednesday, sought to exemplify this and explored the Guru’s relevance in a world smitten by technology like AI. Enacted by the actors of Manch-Rangmanch Amritsar, with special support from Virsa Vihar Society, the Punjabi play was dedicated to the martyrdom 1675, a play directed by eminent theatreperson Kewal Dhaliwal, was staged at Virsa Vihar in Amritsar. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR of Guru Tegh Bahadur. It has been written by Dr Amarjit c m y b Singh Grewal and directed by Kewal Dhaliwal. "The year 1675 was not just a date, it was a cosmic explosion in the development of human consciousness. It was the moment when Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji sacrificed his life to protect humanity and started the tradition of good for all. He did not ‘other’ people of different faiths and beliefs. He embraced them as one, protected them,” said Dhaliwal. The play was narrated as a time jump, as it starts with robots and AI, codes and algorithm, only to go back in past. In 2025, a character in the play as Mother Earth and another as the human soul, debate with each other on the relevance of human existence. The Guru’s sacrifice echoes as a call to mankind to rise and find its purpose. Director, Department of Languages, Jaswant Singh Jafar, author Dr Amarjit Grewal and Chairman, Punjab Arts Council, Swaranjit Swai, were present in the audience.