31072026-ATR-01.qxd 7/30/2026 10:54 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLOUDY ARMY OKAYS CLEANING OF SAKKI NULLAH IN AJNALA TRAILER OF NITESH TIWARI’S RAMAYANA: PART 1 OUT KIRTI KULHARI LOSES ~2.4 LAKH IN CYBER FRAUD The Army has granted the approval to the government to clean the last part of Sakki Nullah. P2 Official trailer of Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana: Part 1 was released globally on July 30. P4 MAX 35°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 37°C | MIN 27°C Bollywood actress and producer Kirti Kulhari has lost over ~2.4 lakh to unidentified scammers in Mumbai. P4 » » SUNSET FRIDAY 7.27 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 5.46 AM » FRIDAY | 31 JULY 2026 | AMRITSAR Members of the Valmiki community protest following a bandh call by sanitation workers; and (right) police personnel deployed to monitor the law and order situation in Amritsar on Thursday. The protesters were seeking action against those involved in Barnala lathicharge. VISHAL KUMAR Punjab bandh over Barnala lathicharge brings city to halt Garbage crisis deepens in dist Tribune News Service Vehicles stuck in a long traffic jam at Hussainpura Chowk. Most shops, including the ones in the Katra Jaimal Singh area, Amritsar, remained closed during the bandh. IRB constable killed in road accident Amritsar, July 30 An IRB constable died in a road accident along the Bhandari Bridge on Thursday. The deceased was identified as constable Ranbir Singh, a resident of Batala. Ranbir suffered serious head injury Harpal Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, said Ranbir Singh was deployed along the bridge to oversee the law and order situation. After learning about his child's accident, Ranbir left for home, unaware of the fact that he himself would fall prey to a road mishap. The police said Ranbir Singh had suffered a serious head injury and was rushed to hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. — TNS Amritsar, July 30 Normal life was thrown out of gear across the city following a statewide bandh call by the Valmiki community. Community members disrupted transport services, forced the closure of schools, banks, fuel stations and commercial establishments, putting thousands of commuters and residents to inconvenience. The protesters moved through different parts of the city, asking shopkeepers and businessmen to shut their establishments in support of the bandh. The disruption was extended to educational institutions. Several schools that had opened as usual in the morning announced an early closure. “Around 11 am, I received a call from my daughter’s school, asking me to pick her up after the school’s closure,” said parent Varinder Sharma. The absence of buses and auto-rickshaws left commuters with no transport options. Those on the way to the railway station were seen walking after being unable to find transport. “The protesters should realise the hardship they are causing to locals,” said resident Joginder Kumar. The bandh follows the Tribune News Service Members of the Safai Sewak Union take out a rally in Tarn Taran. PHOTO: GURBAXPURI Shops shut, workers rally in Tarn Taran Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, July 30 Shops and commercial establishments remained shut in Tarn Taran following a statewide bandh call by by the sanitation workers’ union against the July 22 lathicharge incident in Barnala. The striking workers alleged lathicharge on sanitation workers in Barnala on July 22. The workers have been demanding strict action against police personnel allegedly involved in the lathicharge incident. took out a rally on the 23rd day of their indefinite strike, reiterating their demands of wage enhancement and action against officials responsible for the use of force against protesters. Apart from union president Balwinder Singh, the other leaders also addressed the rally. To keep the situation in control, the city police made elaborate security arrangements in sensitive locations, particularly around the Bhandari Bridge, where the agitation led to traffic congestion. Amritsar, July 30 Cleanliness in the city went for a toss following the statewide bandh. The closure of commercial hubs elicited sharp reactions from senior political leaders from Amritsar, including former Cabinet Minister of Punjab Laxmi Kanta Chawla. Reacting to the shutdown, the BJP veteran questioned the timing of the bandh and protests that repeatedly blocked the Bhandari Bridge. She said: “If the 2027 elections weren’t looming, these protests and blockades would not have happened. Every third day, you read or see protests disrupting normal life. Do these leaders realise that in a small city like Amritsar, crossing a 4-km stretch requires an hour of traffic jams during such protests? “The shutdowns, protests and blockades are deeply troubling small shopkeepers, hawkers and street vendors.” Chawla added. Meanwhile, heaps of waste could be seen in residential colonies in Ranjit Avenue, Beauty Avenue, Mehra Lane and other areas. The most affected areas were the GT Road stretch from Putlighar Chowk to Chheharta. The protest disrupted transport services, forced the closure of schools, banks, fuel stations and commercial establishments. A fuel station wears a deserted look in Amritsar. Gangster Billa forged Indian passport, finds police probe Six arrested with over WAS DEPORTED FROM JAKARTA ORGANISED RACKET INVOLVED 2 kg heroin, mobiles Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 30 A probe into the deportation of gangster Jobanjit Singh, alias Billa Arjanmanga, has revealed that he had procured a fake Indian passport using forged identity documents prepared in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur district. According to police sources, the notorious gangster obtained a forged Aadhaar card in the name of Deep Singh, alias Deepu, reportedly a resident of the Lachhipur area of Gorakhpur, for preparing the fake passport in order to flee the country after the registration of a number of criminal cases. A key operative of the Bambiha-Doni Bal gang, he was deported from Jakarta, Indonesia, on Saturday following a six-month manhunt under “Operation Nomad Hunt” launched by the Pun- ■ A key operative of the Bambiha- E Doni Bal gang, Jobanjit Singh, FAK alias Billa Arjanmanga, was deported from Jakarta, Indonesia, on Saturday following a six-month manhunt under “Operation Nomad Hunt” launched by the Punjab Police. ■ He is wanted in over 12 criminal cases, including four murders, attempts to murder, extortion and NDPS, across Punjab. jab Police. He is wanted in over 12 criminal cases, including four murders, attempts to murder, extortion and NDPS, across Punjab. He had been evading arrest by operating from multiple countries while allegedly running an extortion network through his local associates in Punjab. Investigations indicate that the forged passport was prepared with the assistance of an organised racket specialising in creating fake identity ■ Investigations indicate that the forged passport was prepared with the assistance of an organised racket specialising in creating fake identity documents allegedly being operating in UP. ■ Jobanjit Singh is in the custody of Amritsar Rural Police. Officials have written to the senior police authorities in Gorakhpur, seeking the registration of a fresh FIR against him in connection with the forged passport case. documents allegedly being operating in UP . Meanwhile, Jobanjit Singh is in the custody of Amritsar Rural Police. Officials have written to the senior police authorities in Gorakhpur, seeking the registration of a fresh FIR against him in connection with the forged passport case. The police have not received any response in this regard, it is learnt. The officials said their immediate priority remained interrogating the gangster and tracking down members c m y b of his criminal network. Consequently, the investigation into the forged passport has been referred to the Gorakhpur Police for further legal action. His deportation was secured by the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), Punjab, in coordination with the Overseas Fugitive Tracking & Extradition Cell (OFTEC), Punjab, and Central agencies under “Operation Nomad Hunt”, an intelligence-led operation involving sustained surveil- lance, strategic intelligence gathering and coordination with national and international agencies. The accused was produced before a Mumbai court, which sent him to a four-day transit remand to Beas, where he was further remanded in police custody for eight days. He had fled India several years ago and was traced to Jakarta. Before that, investigators had tracked his movements in Dubai. Despite being abroad, he allegedly continued to orchestrate extortion and targeted firing incidents in the Amritsar rural belt through his network of local operatives. His name prominently figures in the sensational murder of gangster Jarnail Singh, who was shot by armed assailants outside a flour mill in Sathiala village under the Beas police station on May 25, 2023. Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 30 The Gharinda police arrested four persons with over 2.2 kg of heroin from them, while the BSF took two persons in custody for alleged drug peddling. Those arrested were identified as Kuldeep Singh, alias Keepa, and Harjit Singh, alias Bhitti, of Roranwala Kalan village, Harpreet Singh of Ferozepur and Shamsher Singh of Paris Avenue in Chheharta. The police said they were patrolling in the Atalgarh area when following a tip-off that Kuldip and Harjit were going to deliver the consignment from Roranwala Kalan village towards the GT Road, Attari, they laid a naka near Attari T-point and intercepted the accused. During search, the police seized over 1kg heroin. A motorcycle was also impounded. In another incident, the police arrested Harpreet Singh and Shamsher Singh from Hardorattan border village. During search, 1.1 kg heroin was recovered from them. The police also recovered two mobile phones and a motorcycle. Cases under the NDPS Act have been registered against them. Meanwhile, the Border Security Force seized 580 gm of opium and two mobile phones from Uttar Dhariwal village and arrested two persons. The BSF also confiscated two mobile phones. Officials said a case under relevant sections of the NDPS Act was registered against Bunty Singh and Sukhraj Singh.