30012023-ATR-01.qxd 1/30/2023 12:16 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune PRISONER DIES IN JAIL, FAMILY ALLEGES TORTURE ALKA YAGNIK MOST STREAMED ARTISTE ON YOUTUBE Alka was the most streamed artiste globally with 15.3 bn streams in 2022 at an average of 42 mn per day. P3 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 17°C | MIN 9°C YESTERDAY MAX 18°C | MIN 5°C NIYATI LEARNS BENGALI FOR HER SHOW DEAR ISHQ The death of a prisoner lodged in Sri Goindwal Sahib jail has put the jail administration in a spot. P2 FORECAST Niyati has done various shows, like Nazar, Yeh Moh Moh Ke Dhage, and D4 — Get Up And Dance. P4 » » SUNSET MONDAY 5.57 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 7:14 AM » MONDAY | 30 JANUARY 2023 | AMRITSAR INBRIEF GRANTHI ATTACKED, ONE ARRESTED Amritsar: Jandiala police have booked two persons, identified as Bakka and Jatinder Singh of Amarkot in Jandiala, for allegedly thrashing a granthi, stealing his mobile phone and hurting religious sentiments. The complainant, Jagjit Singh, who is a granthi at Amarkot gurdwara, alleged that the duo stole his mobile phone and attacked him when he was going to complain in the police against the village sarpanch. He alleged the accused were drug addicts. The police have arrested Jatinder Singh while his accomplice Bakka is still absconding. A case under Sections 323, 341, 379, 506, 295 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code was registered against the two. TNS Weather takes a U-turn, mild rain brings chill back to city New Delhi-Asr Swarn Shatabdi & Shan-e-Punjab arrived late Tribune News Service Commuters brave light rain in Amritsar on Sunday evening. PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR Tribune News Service ONE HELD UNDER NDPS ACT Amritsar: Gharinda police have arrested Princepal Singh of Rangarh village on the charge of possessing 120-gm heroin. He was arrested at a naka when he tried to give a slip to the police party. He threw a polythene bag and during search the police confiscated 120-gm heroin from it. A case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act was registered against him. TNS Farmers’ protest leaves train passengers harried Amritsar, January 29 After several sunny days, the sky remained overcast here on Sunday morning. Overcast skies led to a fall in the day temperature and increased cold weather conditions. Towards the evening, it started drizzling. Owing to the weekend, the volume of traffic was moderate on city roads. A flurry of activity was reported on the outskirts where a large number of resorts are based. A good number of weddings were fixed to be solemnised during the weekend. Those who were out to attend wedding parties were a disgruntled lot with the inclement weather playing a spoilsport. Manjeet Singh, who travelled with his family to attend a wedding, said the day temperature recorded a sudden fall, which was not good for children who came to attend the function. He planned to bring them along as the day temperature had been moderate for the past few days. To escape the chill, people could be seen warming themselves around bonfires on roadsides. Homeless people were seen cooking meals and doing other daily chores on the pavement. Many of them were using wood both for cooking and keeping themselves warm. The sale of hot and spicy food picked up as people preferred to warm themselves with piping hot sugary delights like jalebi, rasgulla, khakoor and others. Similarly, people were seen buying jaggery-made gachak, peanuts and other gourmet delights associated with winter. Amritsar, January 29 Passengers were put to undue inconvenience as several trains remained suspended for hours together after members of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee blocked the busy Amritsar-Delhi railway line at Devidas Pura village near here on Sunday. Hundreds of passengers who were to travel in the Amritsar-Sealdah Express, which was to depart at 1.25 pm, kept waiting at platform number 3 for hours. Amanpreet Singh said he intended to travel to Kanpur for business purposes and his ticket was booked in advance. His business trip required visiting several small and big stations of that region. Now his trip would be stretched and money invested on advance hotel booking would go down the drain. Passengers wait for trains at the Amritsar railway station on Sunday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Popular trains like the New Delhi-Amritsar Swarn Shatabdi, which was to arrive at 1.25 pm, and Shane-Punjab, which was to arrive at 2.15 pm, arrived hours behind their original schedule. After alighting at the local railway station, Sunil Seth of Delhi said his already fixed entire schedule went haywire. He deliberately got the ticket booked for the morning train to reach here in the middle of the day to finish some important work before he called it a day. Now, he has to re-arrange the entire plan as his family was also accompanying him. Those who wanted to travel to and fro between Amritsar and Qadian were highly upset as both up and down trains were cancelled. They had to go for bus travel to reach their destination. Barring this pair of trains, all other trains on the Amritsar-Pathankot railway section plied smoothly. 2 booked for duping Road mishap suspect booked for Tarn Taran resident forgery after six months of case Hurdle to traffic Tribune News Service An overloaded tractor-trailer overturned on the Verka-Vallah bypass leading to a long jam for hours inconveniencing commuters in Amritsar on Sunday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Amritsar, January 29 The Rajasansi police have booked two persons, including a woman, for allegedly duping a Tarn Taran resident of Rs 28 lakh on the pretext of sending him to Canada. The case was registered following a year-long probe. A complaint was lodged with police in December 2021. Heera Singh, a resident of Padri Kalan village of Jhabal in Tarn Taran stated to the police that Palwinder Singh, a resident of Bua Nangali, and Vipanpreet Kaur of Sant Kartar Nagar, Chheharta, took a total of Rs 28 lakh in installments for sending him to Canada. However, the suspects neither sent him to Canada nor returned the money. A probe was conducted and a case under sections 420 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code and Section 13 of the Punjab Travel Professionals Regulation Act was registered against them. The police said investigation was being carried out in the matter and efforts were on to arrest the suspects. Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 29 Six months after a youth, Robin Arora, a resident of Celebration Enclave had lost his life in a road mishap near Guru Nanak Dev University, the police have booked the accused in the case, Sukhwinder Singh, alias Sunny, of Chand Avenue in a fresh case after the police found his driving licence and insurance of the car fake. ASI Parveen Kumar, incharge, Kabir Park police post, said Robin Arora died after a rashly driven car hit his scooter on June 19, 2022. He along with sister Sania Arora had come to Kabir Park market on a scooter for shopping. He dropped her at the market and went to Putlighar for a work. Near GNDU entrance gate, a car bearing number HR-51-AM-1290 hit his scooter, leaving him critically injured in the incident. He was rushed to a private hospital where doctors declared him dead. The police registered a case under Sections 304-A, 279 and 427 of the IPC at the Islamabad police station at that time. “During investigations, the police arrested Sukhwinder Singh and he was released on bail. Two days later he submitted the RC of the car, along with driving licence and insurance documents. A report was sought from the Regional transport office,” he said. He said that RTA officer in his report said during investigations his the DL and insurance of car was found to be fake. A legal opinion was taken from district attorney which recommended registration of FIR. A case under Sections 465, 468 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against Sukhwinder Singh. He was yet to be arrested in the fresh case. Oppn corners SGPC over Panthic issue Manch sees red over notices by Waqf Board Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 29 The opposition members in the SGPC’s executive have raised objections over not having a permanent jathedar and head granthi of the Akal Takht and the Golden Temple, respectively. They have also objected to having two ‘head granthis’ of Akal Takht. While terming these discrepancies as against the Sikh principles, the executive members — Gurpreet Singh Randhawa, Malkit Singh, Malkit Singh Galhal and Bhupinder Singh Asandh — have submitted a letter to SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami. They said there were three Takhts in Punjab (Akal Takht, Takht Sri Damdama Sahib and Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib), yet only two jathedars were there to head them. Giani Harpreet Singh has also been officiating as jathedar of Akal Takht. He has been looking after the affairs of both the Takhts for long. On the other hand, there are two head granthis at the Akal Takht — Malkit Singh and Gurmukh Singh. They urged the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee to streamline the appointments at these coveted posts as per the Sikh traditions. 36-yr-old commits suicide, 3 booked Amritsar, January 29 Perturbed over harassment by the shop owner, a youth identified as Johny (36), committed suicide by hanging in the shop in the fish market in Ram Bagh area here on Saturday. On the complaint of the victim’s father, the police have booked three persons, including the shop owner, on charges of abetment to suicide. Those booked were identified as Neeru of Lahori Gate, Ashu of Fish Market, Ram Bagh, and Mahajan of Fish Market. A case under Sections 306, 506 and 34 of the IPC was registered against them. The police said the victim had taken money on loan from Ashu and was unable to repay the same. The complainant, Des Raj, told the police that Johny was working in the iron shop of Ashu located in Ram Bagh area. He said he had borrowed some money from Ashu and was unable to pay back the same. The accused was harassing him as he was not repaying the borrowed money. The accused used to threaten to kill him on the phone. He said the victim was very upset and remained mental disturbed. He alleged that on Friday evening he went to the shop and ended his life by hanging himself in the room. Rajwinder Kaur, SHO, Ram Bagh police station, said the investigation into the case was on and raids were being conducted to arrest all the accused. — TNS Meanwhile, they also objected to giving sole rights of telecast of Gurbani kirtan from the Golden Temple to a private channel while defying the Akal Takht directions in this regard. They urged the SGPC to work on the modalities to start its own channel which was hanging in balance for long. On another issue of disappearance of 328 saroops, they sought the SGPC to clarify its stance. Beopar Mandal submits memorandum AMRITSAR, JANUARY 29 A delegation of the Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal (PPBM) met Finance Mininster Harpal Singh Cheema, while he was recently in the city on the occasion of Republic Day. They submitted a memorandum to him highlighting their demands The Minister assured to take cognisance of the demand. — TNS c m y b Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 29 Office-bearers of the Virsa Sambhal Manch, Punjab, today demanded that the government dissolve the Waqf Board. A number of religious leaders who gathered at Durgiana Temple in this regard claimed that the Waqf Board had randomly been sending notices to the residents in various areas of Amritsar asking them to vacate their land or pay rent for living on these properties. To fight for the rights of those affected, the Virsa Sambhal Manch has formed the Waqf Peedit Sangharsh Morcha, under the leadership of Sant Samaj and representatives of religious and social organisations. A public meeting was organised today on the premises of Shri Durgiana Temple in which several families participated. Ram Kumar Vyas, president, Virsa Sambhal Manch, said the Morcha had been formed to provide justice to the victims of Waqf Board in Amritsar. Dr Rakesh Sharma has been The Virsa Sambhal Manch holds a meet at the Durgiana temple. appointed its coordinator. In her address, Laxmikanta Chawla, president, Durgiana Temple, said illegal notices had been sent by the Waqf Board in localities such as Jhabbal Road, Shaheed Udham Singh Nagar, Indira Colony, Bengali Basti, Gurbakhsh Nagar, Damganj, Nawan Kot, Haripura, Islamabad, Machhi Mandi, Rattan Singh Chowk, Berry Gate, Lohgarh, Old Sabzi Mandi, Pawan Nagar (Batala Road), Tabela (Katra Safed), Jadau Gali, Sharifpura, Bala Chakk (Tarn Taran Road) and Jhand Pir village near Rajasansi. The notices have been sent to people who are settled on these lands for decades. The Waqf Board asked them to vacate these properties or pay rent every month. “The Waqf Board has fraudulently claimed many properties in Amritsar without showing ownership rights. Land and houses were given to settle here in lieu of the land left behind in Pakistan at the time of partition. Forcible efforts are being made by the Waqf Board to make thousands of families homeless. But this will not be tolerated,” said Chawla. Ashneel Maharaj of Balaji Dham, Chherrahta, said, “How is the Waqf Board claiming right on the land?” Mahant Manoj Maharaj of Panchayati Akhara said that Hindu-Sikh families, who left their land, home and property in Pakistan were made the custodian of properties left by Muslims so that they could protect themselves and their families. Still, the Waqf Board is forcibly and illegally claiming ownership which will not be tolerated.” Mahant Pratap Das of Udasin Akhara said in 1968, the government had declared that the existing land (property) of the people who went to Pakistan at the time of partition belonged to the Government of India. Why, how and with what authority is the Waqf Board now interfering, he asked. The gathering demanded that the Waqf Board be dissolved by the government immediately and ownership rights of land be transferred to the settlers immediately. The families present said they would not pay any rent to the Waqf Board nor would they tolerate interference.