09112023-ATR-01.qxd 11/9/2023 12:27 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST GENERALLY CLOUDY MINISTERIAL STAFF BEGIN FIVE-DAY PEN-DOWN STRIKE OVER DEMANDS SANYA STARRER MRS. SELECTED FOR CRITICS’ PICK COMPETITION PANKAJ ENDS UP HAVING MEMORY SLIP WHILE INTERACTING WITH FANS Demanding release of the DA arrears, govt employees started their five-day pen-down strike here on Wednesday. P2 Actress Sanya Malhotra’s upcoming film Mrs. selected for the POFF — the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. P3 MAX 28°C | MIN 16°C YESTERDAY MAX 28°C | MIN 16°C Actor Pankaj Tripathi ended up having a memory slip, forgetting why he went live on social media in the first place. P4 » » SUNSET THURSDAY 5.35 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 6:53 AM » THURSDAY | 9 NOVEMBER 2023 | AMRITSAR 3 of family strangled to death in Patti village Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, November 8 Three members of a family, including two women, were strangled to death by unknown persons at Tung village in Patti sub-division located on the Patti-Harike road here last night. The incident came to light today morning. The deceased were identified as Iqbal Singh (55), his wife Lakhwinder Kaur (53), and his widow sister-in-law (brother’s wife) Sita Kaur (60). Their bodies were found in different rooms. Their hands were tied behind with ropes before they were strangled to death. Family’s son-in-law Charanjit Singh, a resident of Sabhra village, found about murders when he came to the house as per daily routine. The sons of the deceased couple reside in Australia. Charanjit looked after his inlaws and maintained their property. He saw the bodies lying in different rooms. Senior police officials reached the spot and started investigation. Though the exact motive behind the murders was yet to be ascertained, the unknown suspects took along migrant farm labourer Ashok Kumar, who was sleeping in a separate room. He was brutally thrashed and thrown in a CI Inspector shot at during morning walk Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 8 Some unknown persons shot at a counter intelligence (CI) cop Inspector Prabhjit Singh at Bhullar Avenue located on the Fatehgarh Churian road when he was on a morning walk on Wednesday. However, he escaped with minor injuries due to his bulletproof jacket. He is currently posted at Zira in Ferozepur district. The Sadar police have registered a case and started an investigation in this connection. According to the police, Prabhjit Singh had been getting threats from notorious gangsters for the past several months. The department had provided him bulletproof jacket for safety. As per details, Prabhjit, a resident of the Akash Avenue area, was on a morning walk in Bhullar Avenue located 1 km from his residence as per Amritsar, November 8 The Ferozepur division imposed a fine of Rs 3.02 crore on 33,117 passengers, including Rs 30 lakh on travellers at the Amritsar railway station, for travelling without tickets on trains in the month of October. During ticket checking campaign in the division, fine is collected from passengers travelling without tickets as per rule. Divisional Railway Manager Sanjay Sahu said, “The Railways is focusing on increasing train ticket sales to increase its revenue and ban ticketless travel. Ticket checking drives are being conducted regularly in the CIA in-charge. He was among five other cops, who faced suspension following controversy over the arrest of an AAP MLA’s brother-in-law in an illegal sand mining case. Amandeep Singh, SHO, Sadar police station, said the footage of the CCTV cameras in the area was being scanned to identify the suspects. He said a case of attempt to murder and the Arms Act had been registered in this connection. The police investigate at the crime spot in Tung village. GURBAXPURI AAP panels to select candidates for MC elections Iqbal Singh Lakhwinder Kaur nearby canal by the suspects. However, he somehow survived and returned home. He is in semiconscious condition and was admitted to a hospital for treatment. Ashok had been working with the family for the past 20 years. The assailants after committing the crime took away a licensed rifle, besides cash, gold ornaments and other valuables from the house. SSP Ashwani Kapur said a preliminary probe revealed that two persons had come to meet the family three days ago. They and two of their accomplices had come to meet the family yesterday also. The SSP said investigation was in progress to identify Sita Kaur the suspects and motive behind the murders. He said initially robbery appeared to be the cause behind the incident, but it would be premature to say anything in concrete. Ashok too was under scanner, he added. The SSP said as it was a serious crime so all senior police officers, forensic and cybercrime teams were called on the spot for investigation. The bodies had been kept in the mortuary of the Civil Hospital, Patti. The sons of the deceased couple, who were in Australia, had been informed about the incident. The bodies would be cremated after their arrival, he said. Amritsar, November 8 Ahead of the municipal corporation elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced committees to select candidates from wards. A meeting of the AAP members led by Education Minister Harjot Bains was held at Bachat Bhawan here on Wednesday in this regard. On the occasion, AAP SC wing coordinator Ravinder Hans said the Education Minister would lead the district-level committee. Along with him, the responsibility had been given to Sherry Kalsi, the Batala MLA, and Gurdev Singh Lakhna, Chairman, Punjab State Warehousing Corporation. MLAs Dr Jasbir Singh Sandhu, Dr Ajay Gupta, Jeevanjot and Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar and Lok Sabha in-charge Iqbal Singh Bhulla attended meeting — TNS The passengers had arrived from Sharjah at Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport. FILE PHOTO 1,641-gm gold worth ~1 cr seized from two passengers at airport division to achieve this aim.” Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Shubham Kumar said, “The staff of Amritsar, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, JammuTawi, Pathankot, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Ferozepur stations did commendable work in making the ticket checking drive successful.” He appealed to passengers to travel with valid tickets and carry proper identity cards. Traveling with a photocopy of the ticket obtained from the reservation counter was not valid. Only travelling with original ticket was allowed on trains, he said. He said the ticket checking campaign would continue in main and branch lines. Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 8 The police have booked an unknown person for allegedly demanding extortion from a jeweller identified as Avtar Singh, a resident of Chamiari village. The unknown caller identified himself as Lalli Phagwaria and demanded Rs 10 lakh in extortion from jeweller while threatening him with dire consequences. Avtar Singh (42), who has a jewellery shop in Ajnala, told the police that on October 29 night, he got a call on his WhatsApp number. The caller said he was an accomplice of notorious gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria. The suspect said leave Bhagwanpuria, he was Lalli Phagwaria and demanded ransom. Avtar said initially, he did not bother. Later, he started receiving calls frequently. The victim said the suspect gave him three days to pay the money and in case of non-payment, his man Lahoirya would visit him. The suspect threatened that he would be shot dead. The police have registered a case under Sections 384, 387 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code against an unknown person in this connection. Sukhjinder Singh, Station House Officer, Ajnala police station, said an investigation was underway to identify the suspect. Amritsar, November 8 Officials of the Customs Department deployed at Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport have recovered 1,641 grams of gold from two passengers, who arrived from Sharjah. The Labourers work at the grain market at Bhagtanwala in Amritsar. FILE PHOTO ~507 cr paid to farmers for paddy Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 8 The procurement of paddy in the district has picked up pace. Till date, a total of 7,07,968 metric tonnes (MT) of crop had arrived in grain markets, said Deputy Com- missioner (DC) Ghanshyam Thori here today. He said the government had disbursed Rs 507.72 crore among farmers for the purchase of their paddy. The DC said all government procurement agencies were actively engaged in the procurement process. He said out of the total produce that arrived in grain markets included 2,54,859 MT of parmal and 4,53,109 MT of basmati crop. He said till now, six per cent of paddy had been lifted from markets. market value of the gold is estimated to be Rs 1 crore. Officials said two passengers arrived here at the airport from Sharjah on an Air India Express flight. During search, gold hidden in motor parts kept in their luggage was recovered. The total weight of gold recovered was 1641.60 grams, whose market value was estimated to be Rs 99.71 lakh, said officials. The gold was seized by the department under Section 110 of the Customs Act, 1962. Further investigation into the matter had been initiated, said officials. Punjabi Language Olympiad to be held in December Tribune News Service Rlys collected ~30 lakh penalty from ticketless passengers in October Tribune News Service daily routine. Two unknown persons arrived there on a bike and sprayed bullets at him. Due to his bulletproof jacket, he survived while the suspects fled from the spot. Varinder Singh Khosa, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), North, said Prabhjit was hit by seven bullets in his chest while one pierced through his turban. He had a narrow escape in the incident. Prabhjit was the Tarn Taran Ajnala jeweller gets ~10 lakh extortion call 45 bags of fake cement seized near Kale road Amritsar, November 8 With an aim of promoting Punjabi language, the state government would hold an online International Punjabi Language Olympiad on December 9 and 10. Education and Language Minister Harjot Singh Bains, in a letter issued to the Education Department today, stated that people from Punjab had settled in different countries in search of better employment opportunities, but the next generation was not fully aware of their own language. Students up to grade IX could participate in the Olympiad. The exam would be open for students residing in India, USA, Australia, Europe and other countries. According to the letter issued by the state government, registration for Olympiad could be done on the Punjab School Education Board website. — TNS Amritsar, November 8 The Chheharta police have booked Buta Singh, a resident of Gillwali village located on the Tarn Taran road, on charges of fraud and Copyright Act for allegedly selling fake cement of the ACC brand. The police and company official confiscated 45 bags of fake ACC cement loaded on a tractor-trailer, which Buta was driving. The suspect was intercepted following a tip-off near the Kale road. On seeing the police, Buta fled on the tractor leaving the trailer behind. Manoj Kumar Singh, a resident of Mayur Vihar, New Delhi, said he was the investigating officer of the SGS IPR Consultancy LLP a firm engaged by , the ACC cement for taking action against those involved in trading of fake cement of their brand in the region. Manoj said he and an ACC company expert Anand Prasad conducted a survey in Amritsar. During survey, they found that Buta was involved in the illegal trade of selling fake ACC cement. He said Buta filled fake cement in ACC bags. He was not only cheating innocent people, but also causing losses to the firm. Manoj said they got a tip-off that Buta was going from Gillwali village on the Tarn Taran road to the Kale Ghanupur bypass for selling cement. A naka was laid near the Kale road and the suspect was intercepted by the police. Buta escaped leaving behind the trailer loaded with 45 bags of fake ACC cement, which were seized by the police. A case was registered against Buta in this connection. — TNS ~10.31 crore tender released for Docu-series dwells on Afghani musical instrument tourism police project in city ❝ Neha Saini The concept of the series is to reflect on the significance of ‘Rubab’, an Afghani saz that became inseparable part of shabad and kirtan through Bhai Mardana. The fact that ‘Rubab’ cannot be separated from Guru’s words, this feeling of oneness and the significance of ‘Rubabi Kirtan’ is slowly being lost. Harjit Singh, A FILMMAKER Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 8 In a step closer towards realising the tourism police project, the municipal corporation (MC) has floated a tender of Rs 10.31 crore. The objective of the project is to improve traffic, especially public transport access to Attari with the help of e-autos and threewheelers, which are preferred by tourists. The administration also aims to set up two integrated service stations at Sultanwind and Ranjit Avenue to monitor the work of the tourism police project. Besides, traffic posts would be set up at six places, including bus stand, railway station, Golden Gate, India Gate, Mahal bypass and Kabir Park. Further, the administration plans to set up five integrated service posts at different places in the city. Officials of the MC said as envisaged, the police would be equipped with e-cars, golf carts, pickup vehicles, hoverboards and mobile control vans so that officials could help tourists. While advocating the implementation of the project, Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori asked MC officials to look for a viable alternative to the earlier proposed Skywalk project at Gurdwara Shaheedan Sahib. He said the project should be formulated keeping in mind the convenience of tourists and aesthetic sense of the historical city. During a discussion with administration officials regarding the project, Commissioner of Police (CP) Naunihal Singh suggested improvement of roads leading to the Golden Temple from Gurdwara Shaheedan Sahib, Geo Mandi, bus stand and railway station to streamline the flow of traffic. Amritsar, November 8 A believer in simple, organic form of storytelling, whether it’s through a camera lens or words, Harjit Singh, an eminent filmmaker, says that he finds simple things in life aesthetic and meaningful. “Normally, we look for aesthetics in extra ordinary things, but often overlook emotions and meaning in the simpler, mundane things of life. Like our folk arts, there are no gimmicks or complexities in them, but the aesthetics are so rich,” he shared. Dr Harjit, was recently in Amritsar to participate in an art event. He shared how he was working on the post production of his c m y b ❞ new five episode docu-series “Rabab-Strings of Oneness”, first episode of which had been received well. Like his previous films, “Eh Janam Tumhare Lekhe” based on the life of philanthropist Bhagat Puran Singh or “Imroz” based on the spiritual love between Imroz and Amrita Pritam, Dr Harjit has dwelled on a subject close to his heart. It tries to present the historical journey of “Rubab”, becoming an inseparable part of the Sikh spiritual traditions. “The concept of the series is to reflect on the significance of ‘Rubab’, an Afghani saz (musical instrument) that became inseparable part of shabad and kirtan through Bhai Mardana. The fact that ‘Rubab’ cannot be separated from Guru’s words, this feeling of oneness, and the significance of ‘Rubabi Kirtan’ is slowly being lost,” he said. Stressing that “Rubab” was the soul of shabad as it was the instrument of masses, Dr Harjit said that through his series is an attempt to preserve the history and significance of storytelling of Bhai Mardana through “Rubab”. “I feel we have failed to preserve the legacy of Bhai Mardana. I have tried to educate the young generation about the spiritual and historical context,” he said. Apart from this, Dr Harjit is also developing children animation and literature through a series of books. Dr Harjit further said, “We have already completed a six-part series of books. Now, we are in the process to come out with an eight-part series of Punjabi literature for kids. I feel that children literature is an ignored genre among the current generation. It is criminal as we have failed to create meaningful literature for them. If you look at world literature, majority of famous and successful writers were from this genre and are still being read. Earlier, prominent Punjabi literary magazines like Preetlari had a dedicated space for children like Bal Sandesh.”