06052026-ATR-01.qxd 5/5/2026 11:14 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 33°C | MIN 20°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 19°C UNCERTAINTY OVER AAP CANDIDATE IN AMRITSAR NORTH VILLAGERS DEMAND SPORTS GROUND IN BARAR GOLD SAREE, DIAMOND BLOUSE & A MANGO PURSE Uncertainty looms over the candidature of sitting AAP MLA Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh P2 Sporting culture at Barar village has almost disappeared, leading to rise in drug addiction. P3 Created along with Gaurav Gupta, Isha Ambani’s ensemble was inspired by Ajanta frescoes and pichwai painting. P4 » » SUNSET WEDNESDAY 7.13 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 5.39 AM » WEDNESDAY | 6 MAY 2026 | AMRITSAR Tiny dancer, big impact: 7-yr-old city girl Sivkan inspires many NEWSMAKER OF THE WEEK Neha Saini Tribune News Service Youth dies of suspected drug overdose in Patti village Tarn Taran, May 5 A 28-year-old youth died after allegedly injecting drugs at Sabhra village in Patti subdivision here on Monday. The deceased has been identified as Sardool Singh. The victim’s father, Balbir Singh, along with his uncle Ranjit Singh and brother Randhir Singh, said that Sardool had left home on Monday evening. Later, they were informed that he had collapsed outside the village. When they reached the spot, they found that he had died after allegedly injecting drugs. Balbir Singh stated that he would not file a complaint with the police, as he believes his son’s death was due to drug use. He further claimed that more than 10 youths from Sabhra village have died due to drug abuse over the past year. He alleged that the police are aware that drugs are being sold openly in the village, but no major action has been taken against the suppliers so far. DSP (Patti) Ravisher Singh said that the police are taking strict action against drug dealers in the area and that cases are being registered against them on a daily basis. — OC 3 miscreants nabbed after police encounter at Verka Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 5 Three miscreants were nabbed following a police encounter in the Verka area, with one of the accused sustaining injuries during the exchange of fire. The Commissionerate Police Amritsar acted swiftly in response to a firing incident reported on May 5. A team from the Verka police station was patrolling near a railway crossing when they received information about a violent clash between two groups near the Verka bus stand, during which gunshots were fired. Upon reaching the spot, the complainants informed the police that while they were out for a walk, two vehicles — one black and one white — stopped near them. Around 89 persons got down; two were armed with pistols, while two others carried sharp-edged weapons. One of the accused, identified as Nav, allegedly fired a shot in the air and then fired two rounds at the complainant with intent to kill. retaliated. Krishna Sonar sustained bullet injuries in both legs and was apprehended on the spot. Meanwhile, his associate, Ranjit Singh, alias Bobby, picked up the weapon and fled while firing. The injured accused was immediately shifted to the Civil Hospital, Amritsar, where he is undergoing treatment under police custody. Subsequently, the police also arrested Ranjit Singh, alias Bobby, and Gautam Mehra. On the disclosure of Ranjit Singh, a .32 bore pistol used in the crime was recovered. A case has been registered at the Verka police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act. Police officials said further investigation is underway to identify and arrest other accused involved in the incident. The operation was carried out under the supervision of senior officers, including DCP (Detective) Ravinderpal Singh, ADCP Harpal Singh, ACP (East) Kawaljit Singh and SHO Inspector Baljinder Singh. Amritsar, May 5 Her feet strike the ground in perfect rhythm. With a colourful parandi in her hair and dressed in vibrant Punjabi traditional attire, Sivkan Kaur is a star in the making — though she already appears to be one on social media. At just seven, the Amritsarbased child has over 291K followers on Instagram and several million views on her dance performances. Her talent outshines her age. She is being celebrated not only for her near-perfect moves but also for promoting Punjabi identity through her art. The young star was recently honoured with the Bharat Vibhushan Award at the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. The award was conferred by Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, who recognised her as the “Little Star of Punjabi Traditional Dance”. This prestigious honour celebrates her dedication, academic excellence and commitment. Calling her an icon for the new generation of Pun- Sivkan receives the Bharat Vibhushan Award from Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan. BSF foils drone smuggling bid, seizes pistol Child reunited after being found near shrine MP Aujla urges Centre to restart Amritsar-Katra Vande Bharat Tarn Taran, May5 The Border Security Force (BSF), during a search operation in the fields of farmer Vijay Kumar, a resident of Dall village, recovered a pistol along with a magazine and two cartridges on Monday night. The recovered weapon, magazine and cartridges were handed over to the Khalra police. Sub-Inspector Pardeep Singh said that a case has been registered under Sections 25, 26 and 29 of the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam (BVA). Preliminary probe suggests that the arms were dropped by a drone. — OC jabis, Sandhwan encouraged her to continue promoting the culture and dance of Punjab. Sivkan is a Grade 2 student at Invictus International School. Her parents, Dr Gurpreet Singh and Dr Harpuneet Kaur, are both medical officers in the government sector. Her father describes her as a natural-born dancer. “She has natural talent and is a gifted child. She enjoys dancing. She began performing at school when she was five and later started formal training,” he said. Sivkan also won the Best Junior Content Creator of the Year 2025 at CLS 2025 (North India’s Biggest Creator Summit), an award presented by Kultar Singh Sandhwan in July 2025. Since then, she has been creating short dance videos on popular as well as traditional Punjabi folk songs. One of her videos on continued on page 2 Amritsar, May 5 Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) has officially commenced the online registration process for Punjab State Law Admissions 2026. This centralised admission process covers various law courses, including the 3-year LL.B. and 5-year Integrated LL.B. programmes, across all participating universities and affiliated colleges in Punjab. The coordinator of Punjab Law Admissions 2026, Preet Mohinder Singh Bedi, stated that the university is committed to ensuring a transparent, seamless and studentfriendly admission experience. “We have streamlined the digital portal to facilitate easy access for aspirants seeking to build a career in the legal profession,” he said. To assist candidates with the application process and The complainant escaped unhurt and raised an alarm, following which the accused fled the scene. During follow-up action, police teams led by Inspector Baljinder Singh conducted a raid at the residence of the accused. At that time, 5-6 suspects approached on foot and allegedly opened fire on the police party. The police retaliated and chased the accused towards the bus stand. During the chase, accused Krishna Sonar allegedly fired at the police. In self-defence, the police initially fired aerial shots, but as the accused continued firing, they Gurbaxpuri Tarn Taran, May 5 A three-and-a-half-year-old child, who was found abandoned near Darbar Sahib on Tuesday, has been reunited with his family by the Child Welfare Committee. District Child Welfare Officer Rajesh Kumar said the child was found alone near Darbar Sahib at around 12 noon. He stated that the child’s parents, father Resham Singh and mother Sandeep Kaur, are originally from Sirsa and were living in a rented accommodation near Darbar Sahib. Sandeep Kaur works as a domestic help, while the Tribune News Service District Child Protection Officer Rajesh Kumar hands over the child to his kin in Amritsar on Tuesday. father, Resham Singh, is employed as a driver. The child had reportedly wandered from home to Darbar Sahib and lost his way. The DCWO added that efforts were immediately initiated to trace the parents. After GNDU commences registration for Punjab Law Admissions 2026 Tribune News Service Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar along with other officers visits the encounter site at Verka in Amritsar on Tuesday. VISHAL KUMAR resolve any technical or procedural queries, a dedicated help desk has been established at the GNDU campus. Additionally, a specialised helpline number has been activated to provide real-time assistance to students and parents during office hours. The formal advertisement detailing eligibility criteria and the admission process has been published in several leading national and regional newspapers. While the tentative schedule for counselling and merit list publication has been uploaded on the portal, Dr Bedi advised students to remain vigilant. All participating law colleges and institutes have been directed to submit duly signed mandatory pro formas and required documentation to the coordinator’s office within the stipulated timeframe to ensure their seats are accurately reflected in the counselling pool. c m y b locating them, the child was handed over to the family by the Child Welfare Committee, Tarn Taran, on Tuesday. Amritsar, May 5 Member of Parliament Gurjeet Singh Aujla has written to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, seeking the early resumption of the Amritsar–Katra Vande Bharat Express. In his letter, Aujla said the train had remained suspended for over a month, causing inconvenience to passengers, particularly devotees travelling to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi. He noted that people from Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Pathankot were being MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla affected by the delay. The MP pointed out that despite revisions in the route and timetable following earlier disruptions, the service had not yet resumed, leading to growing public frustration. As per the revised schedule, the train was to depart from Amritsar in the evening and reach Katra at night, with the return journey scheduled early in the morning. However, the service remains suspended. Aujla said that while earlier heavy rains may have caused disruption, they could not justify such a prolonged delay. He added that the absence of the high-speed train was affecting travel, tourism continued on page 2