27052026-ATR-01.qxd 5/27/2026 12:07 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY FIRE SAFETY TRAINING SESSION AT TARN TARAN COURT COMPLEX ADVISORY ISSUED TO PROTECT SUGARCANE FROM HEATWAVE HEMA FEELS DHARMENDRA’S PRESENCE AT PADMA HONOUR A fire safety training session and mock drill for staff was held at the Judicial Court Complex, Tarn Taran. P2 The Agriculture Department has advised sugarcane farmers to take steps to protect their crop from heatwave. P2 BJP MP Hema Malini received the Padma Vibhushan on behalf of her late husband, Dharmendra. P4 » » » MAX 42°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 40°C | MIN 22°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 7.27 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 5.27 AM WEDNESDAY | 27 MAY 2026 | AMRITSAR Clashes, allegations mar polling in Majitha municipal elections Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 26 Polling for the four civic bodies in the district concluded on Tuesday amid incidents of violence reported from several wards of the Majitha municipal council. Two youths associated with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), including one who sustained a serious head injury, were injured in separate incidents and admitted to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital. Senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia alleged that unprecedented violence was witnessed in Majitha during polling. Accusing the police administration of failing to ensure fair elections, Majithia demanded strict action against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporters allegedly involved in the violence. Majithia further alleged that one of the accused persons was seen carrying a weapon inside a polling booth, but the police failed to take notice. In Majitha, the municipal council elections turned into a direct political contest between Varsity puts off May 28 exams, issues revised schedule Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 26 Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) has announced the postponement of examinations scheduled for May 28. According to a notification issued by the university, the decision was taken after the Punjab Government declared May 28 a government holiday in place of the gazetted holiday on May 27. As per the notification, all examinations scheduled for May 28 for private colleges, professional colleges, associated institutions and constituent colleges affiliated with the university will now be conducted on June 12 at the same time and examination centres. The university further stated that revised dates for the theory examinations scheduled for May 28 at the university’s main campus and regional campuses will be announced later in consultation with the concerned departments. Meanwhile, the university administration has advised students to regularly check the official website for further notifications. However, students appeared upset over the repeated postponement of examinations, as GNDU had earlier deferred exams scheduled for May 26 due to elections to municipal corporations, municipal councils and nagar panchayats across Punjab. According to another notification issued by Examination In-charge Dr Kamlesh Guleriya, all theory examinations scheduled for May 26 for affiliated colleges, private candidates, university constituent colleges and associated institutes will now be held on June 11 at the same time and venues. Women show their inked hands after casting their vote during the municipal elections at a polling booth; and (left) senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia and his wife Ganieve Kaur Majithia come out of a booth in Majitha on Tuesday. PHOTOS: VISHAL KUMAR Majithia and his former aide Talbir Singh Gill, who is now the halqa in-charge of the AAP . The AAP had earlier managed to win two of the 15 wards unopposed, while opposition parties accused the administration of mis- using official machinery to reject nomination papers. In Ramdas, BJP workers led by senior leader and former MLA Amarpal Singh Bony Ajnala staged a protest against the police and accused ruling party MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal of intimidating voters. Polling for the civic bodies of Majitha, Rayya, Jandiala Guru and Ramdas was held during the day. However, voters faced considerable inconvenience due to the lack of shade arrangements amid the sweltering heat. In Majitha, several elderly and differently-abled voters were either carried to polling booths or seen crawling on the road to cast their votes. The administration later arranged a few wheelchairs to assist such voters. At many polling stations, people were forced to stand in the open even during the afternoon heat. According to the district election office, Ramdas recorded the highest voter turnout at 72 per cent, followed by Majitha at 62 per cent, Jandiala Guru at 57.08 per cent and Rayya at 53.06 per cent. People stand in a queue to cast their vote at a polling booth in Patti on Tuesday. PHOTO BY WRITER Ballot papers snatched, CCTVs damaged during Patti voting Gurbaxpuri Tarn Taran, May 26 A voter turnout of 59.96 per cent was recorded at 38 polling booths across 19 wards of the Patti municipal council till 5 pm on Tuesday. According to official information, 17,679 voters exercised their franchise out of a total electorate of 29,682. Of these, 9,195 were male voters and 8,484 were female voters. Ward No. 17 recorded the highest polling percentage at 66.55 per cent, while Ward No. 18 registered the lowest turnout at 47.45 per cent. Soon after polling began in the morning, reports came of some persons allegedly snatching ballot papers from polling booths Nos. 35 and 36 at Government Senior Secondary School, Patti, in Ward No. 18. Following the incident, polling was temporarily suspended and later resumed in the afternoon. PRO Sikander Singh said some individuals had attempted to cast fake votes at the booths. When polling staff stopped them, the accused allegedly snatched ballot papers and damaged CCTV cameras installed at the polling station. In another incident during the afternoon, Raj Kumar, husband of a Congress candidate, was allegedly assaulted outside polling booths at DAV School in Ward No. 15 by an AAP candidate and his supporters. Despite the incidents, the police administration allegedly remained a silent spectator outside the polling stations. Later, a scuffle broke out between Congress and AAP workers over allegations of fake voting at polling booths Nos. 31 and 32 of ITI in Ward No. 16. Police personnel rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. Polling activity slowed considerably after noon, with only a few voters seen at several booths across the city. A large number of supporters from outside Patti city were continued on page 2 GNDU ranked among India’s top Cyclist Amarjeet Singh pushes for better multidisciplinary universities infrastructure after top sports recognition Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 26 Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) has recorded a significant rise in the annual THE WEEK-Hansa Research Best Universities Survey 2026. According to the latest THE WEEK-Hansa Research Survey 2026, GNDU has secured the 14th position among multidisciplinary universities at the All-India level, emerging as the highest-ranked university in the region. Significantly, GNDU has surpassed Panjab University, which has been placed at the 15th position, while Chandigarh University has been ranked 23rd in the country. In the North Zone rankings, GNDU secured the 6th position, moving ahead of Panjab University, which has been ranked 7th. Only premier institutions such as Jawaharlal Nehru University, the University of Delhi, Banaras Hindu University, Banasthali Vidyapith and Amity University have been ranked above GNDU in the North Zone category. NEWSMAKER OF THE WEEK Neha Saini Tribune News Service A view of Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar. FILE PHOTO GNDU Vice-Chancellor Prof Karamjeet Singh said the achievement reflects the rapidly rising academic stature and institutional credibility of the university at the national level. He added that the accomplishment becomes even more significant in the context of previous rankings, where Panjab University had consistently remained ahead of GNDU. He attributed the success to sustained institutional reforms, quality enhancement initiatives, research orientation, digital governance and academic innovation introduced by the university in recent years. According to him, these initiatives have led to transformative progress in academics, research, innovation, international outreach, student support systems and institutional governance. GNDU had also recently earned prestigious global recognition in the World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI) 2026. On May 7, the university was ranked among the top 100 universities in the world in continued on page 2 Amritsar, May 26 Amarjeet Singh, an athlete of international repute from Amritsar, is among the sportspersons who received the prestigious Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award for 2026, regarded as the highest sports honour conferred by the Punjab Government on athletes. Amarjeet, who works as a Ticket Checking Inspector with the Ferozepur Railway Division, received a cash award of Rs 4 lakh and was among the players honoured for their achievements during the 2020 cycle. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday conferred the prestigious Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award on 87 players and also honoured 1,070 medal-winning sportspersons from various disciplines. Coming from a family of cyclists, Amarjeet inherited his passion for the sport from International cyclist Amarjeet Singh received the cash award and special honour from Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann recently. his father, Bawa Singh, and his uncle, both of whom are associated with cycling as coaches and former cyclists. Amarjeet has several achievements to his credit, including an individual national record on track cycling, and has represented India at the World Cycling Championships. In 2018, he won a silver medal in the Team Sprint event at the Asia Cup held in New Delhi. In 2019, he clinched a gold medal at the Track Asia Cup in Thai- Rising diesel, petrol prices trigger protest by farmers Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 26 Rising diesel and petrol prices, depreciation of the Indian rupee and growing inflation dominated discussions at a delegates’ convention organised by the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee in border village Kakkar near Lopoke, where farmers and labourers also burnt an effigy of the Central Government in protest against what they termed anti-farmer economic policies. Addressing the gathering, KMSC members during a protest at Kakkar village near Lopoke. c m y b state leader Sarwan Singh Pandher alleged that the burden of the Centre’s failed economic and foreign policies was being imposed on farmers, labourers and common people. He claimed that diesel and petrol prices had increased by nearly Rs 8 to Rs 9 per litre over the last 13 days, resulting in higher agricultural input costs, transportation expenses and inflation in essential commodities. Pandher further alleged that while fuel prices had risen sharply, the increase in paddy prices was limited to around 72 paise per kilogram, which he described as a betrayal of farm- ers. He also expressed concern over the weakening of the Indian rupee against the US dollar during the past year, claiming it had increased the cost of imported commodities, including fuel, fertilisers and pesticides. The convention was organised as part of the ongoing organisational elections of the committee in Amritsar district. The zonal delegates’ session of Zone Shaheed Bhai Mewa Singh Lopoke was held under the leadership of district president Ranjit Singh Kaler Bala after the completion of villagelevel election processes. District leaders land and secured a bronze medal in the Sprint event at the Asian Championships, also held in Thailand. In 2020, he created a national record in the 1-km Time Trial event. He further added to his achievements by winning a bronze medal at the National Games held in Gujarat in 2022. “I feel immensely proud to have represented and excelled in a sport that usually does not find mainstream recognition,” Amarjeet said. He has also created a remarkable record by winning gold medals continuously for 10 years in the Senior National Championship and currently holds the individual national record in the 1-km Time Trial event. Beyond his personal achievements, Amarjeet has consistently advocated for better infrastructure and support for the younger generation of cyclists. “Despite cycling being an Olympic sport, very little has been done to promote it in our country. It is a highendurance sport that tests athletes to their limits. The intense training, physiotherapy, and psychological preparation require strong institutional support,” he said. Amarjeet has largely supported his sporting career through self-financing, while his father ensured he had access to the best equipment and training facilities. He has also been strongly advocating for the construction of a velodrome for cycling athletes, noting that the only such facility in the region is at Guru Nanak Dev University. Akali leader Raj Mohinder Singh Majitha joins AAP Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 26 Eighty-six-year-old veteran Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) leader Raj Mohinder Singh Majitha, who served a second term as a Rajya Sabha member from 2004 to 2010, joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) along with his close supporters in Chandigarh on Monday. He had remained politically inactive for a long time. Though no specific reason was cited for leaving the Akali Dal, it is being widely perceived that his family had been feeling neglected within the party for several years. His move to the AAP is expected to create a ripple effect among voters in the Majitha constituency ahead of the Assembly elections. The development has also given the AAP a political boost, triggering discussions in political circles in the run-up to the polls. Apart from being a senior Akali leader, Raj Mohinder Singh Majitha is the patron of the century-old Sikh continued on page 2