13062024-ATR-01.qxd 6/13/2024 12:55 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune VOICE OF AMRITSAR ASKS AIT TO CHECK DUMPING OF WASTE A team of Voice of Amritsar today met AIT chairman & expressed concern over dumpingofwasteoppositeRoseGarden.P2 GIPPY’S DECISION TO CAST HIS SON WAS ROOTED IN SHARED EXPERIENCES Shinda Shinda No Papa has captured the hearts of audiences with its honest exploration of parenthood. P4 » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR KIRAN BEDI’S JOURNEY AS IPS OFFICER TO BE CAPTURED IN BIOPIC A biopic on Kiran Bedi, the first woman IPS officer titled Bedi: The Name You Know. The Story You Don’t has been announced. P4 » MAX 45°C | MIN 28°C YESTERDAY MAX 45°C | MIN 28°C SUNSET THURSDAY 7.36 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 5:24 AM THURSDAY | 13 JUNE 2024 | AMRITSAR Bishnoi group members fire at bizman’s house Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, June 12 Two motorcycle-borne miscreants fired at the house of one Sarhali businessman identified as Gurinder Singh on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday when he refused to pay ransom of Rs 30 lakh demanded by them. In his complaint to the police, Gurinder stated that he had been receiving WhatsApp calls regularly in which two persons introduced themselves as members of the Bishnoi gang and demanded a ransom of Rs 30 lakh from him. The callers threatened to kill Gurinder if he refused to pay the ransom amount to them. Gurinder said two bike-borne miscreants opened fire at his house when he refused to oblige the callers. He said the entry gate of his residence was badly damaged in the firing. A case under Sections 336, 386, 427, 506 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code was registered on Tuesday in this connection at the Sarhali police station. Five hurt in firing at Bhaini Massa Singh village Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, June 12 During a scuffle between two groups over repair work on a common path in border area Bhaini Massa Singh village on Tuesday, people of one faction opened fire on the other leave five injured. Thirty-five persons were booked by the Khalra police in this connection. Gurdaspur DC acts tough, orders probe bysubmitreportininto repeated inquiryintoincidents SDM 7days|AAPhalqain-chargeseeks fire recruitmentoffiremen T to old Ravi Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Gurdaspur, June 12 Vishesh Sarangal, Deputy Commissioner (DC), Gurdaspur, has come down heavily on repeated fire incidents in the city. He has also ordered SDM Karamjit Singh to probe the recruitment of firemen in the municipal committee. Firemen reportedly made a hash of things on Sunday night when half a dozen shops and showrooms were gutted near the busy Hanuman Chowk, right in the heart of the city. Goods worth crores were destroyed in the fire, the cause of which was stated to be an electrical short-circuit. The DC has given the SDM seven days to submit his report. Residents are irked at the manner in which the fire brigade operates. Its laxity in dousing flames is one of the reason why such heavy damage is inflicted on the life and property whenever a fire inci- Traders hand over a memorandum to DC Vishesh Sarangal in Gurdaspur on Wednesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO dent is reported. During the last six months, there have been several incidents wherein shops and commercial establishments have been gutted. The location of the fire brigade in one of the busiest parts of the city has also come under the scanner. Whenever a fire incident occurs, fire engines find it difficult to reach the site because of the narrow streets and alleys they have to pass through. A section of residents say it is high time that the DC reacts and shift the fire brigade office to the city outskirts, preferably near the new bus stand, from where fire tenders can drive without any hindrance to the spot where a fire is reported. SDM Karamjit Singh has already started a probe in this connection. The findings of the inquiry are being eagerly Two weapon smugglers Bodyfound:Murdercaseregisteredafter sent to police remand autopsyreportmentions17injurymarks Amritsar, June 12 A local court today sent two alleged inter-state weapon smugglers to two-day police remand for further interrogation. The police said that during preliminary interrogation of the two suspects revealed that Rajasthan-based Bhupinder Singh, a close aide of Lawrence Bishnoi, had served 10-year-sentence in an NDPS case. He came in contact with Harshdeep Singh in Ferozepur jail. SSP Satinder Singh said raids were on to nab Bhupinder Singh, who was evading arrest. Harshdeep Singh of Ratoke village and Shubham Kumar of Guru Nanakpura here, were arrested by the Amritsar (Rural) police with two 9mm Glock pistols, a .30 bore pistol along with 13 live cartridges and two mobile phones. The police also impounded their Toyota Fortuner SUV bearing registration number KA 42 M 5357. Bhupinder used to supply weapons to the duo for further delivery to criminals. — TNS Amritsar, June 12 Days after a decomposed body was found on a ground of Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), the police have registered a murder case in this connection. A case was registered after the police received an autopsy report of the unidentified body. As per report, there were at least 17 injury marks on the body. However, the police are still clueless about the identity of the deceased. Panic gripped the GNDU when a security guard found Beating the heat the body near a playground near the stretch heading towards the Attari road bypass here on April 26. The guard informed the cantonment police which took the body into custody for a postmortem examination. Gagandeep Singh, Station House Officer (SHO), cantonment police station said, following the autopsy report, an FIR had been registered under Section 302 of the IPC against unknown persons in this connection. He said, “We have preserved the body’s DNA so that it could be identified in the future.” He said doctors could not find the exact time of the death as the body was very old. It could have helped in finding clues about the identity of the deceased. “We have flashed message about the body in the entire state, but no response has been received in this regard. It would take time, but definitely the case would be cracked,” the SHO said. — TNS The Central Jail premises in Amritsar. FILE PHOTO 21cellphonesrecovered from jail in search op Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 12 The seizure of mobile phones from the Amritsar Central Jail continues unabated with the prison authorities confiscating prohibited material from inmates during a search operation yesterday. The matter came to light when jail officials lodged a complaint with the Islamabad police station in this connection. Twenty-one mobile phones were recovered during the search operation. This included six touch and 15 keypad cellphones. The mobile phones were handed over to the police which sent them for forensic examination. The number of mobile phones recovered during this year has reached over 450 this year. Naresh Pal, Assistant Jail Superintendent, said besides cellphones, the jail staff seized 17 SIM cards of different telecom companies and two chargers during the search operation. The inmates from whom cellphones were recovered included Palwinder Singh, aka Kaddu, Ranjit Singh, Rohit Gill, Amit, Rahul, Inderjit Singh, Harpreet Singh and Kuldip Singh. A case under Sections 42 and 52-A of the Prisons Act was registered against them in this connection. “Investigations are in progress to ascertain to whom inmates have been calling on mobile phones. The entire nexus would be busted during probe,” said Dr Darpan Ahluwalia, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police. Sources in the Police Department said forensic examination of the seized mobile phones was in progress. Earlier probe revealed that jail inmates were contacting their accomplices outside for smuggling of prohibited material, including drugs, intoxicants, tobacco, cigarettes and biddies, besides cellphones into the jail premises. No recovery of prohibited items was made from the high security zone of the jail where gangsters and smugglers were lodged, the sources said. The involvement of insiders, including security personnel, in smuggling prohibited material into jail for prisoners could not be ruled out, the sources said. The Amritsar Central Jail in the Fatahpur is located in a densely populated area. The sources said a project to install iron mesh on boundary walls of the jail was already in the pipeline. It would prevent throwing of prohibited items on the jail premises from outside, the sources added. Firing incident: Advocate sent to police remand An injured under treatment at a private hospital in Tarn Taran. Station House Officer (SHO) Inspector Manoj Kumar said the common path was repaired on Tuesday evening by Kulwinder Singh. Saraj Singh and his associates objected over carrying out repairs on the path by Kulwinder. In a fit of rage Saraj Singh, his son Harwinder Singh, Lovepreet Singh, Jagjit Singh Soni, Amritpal Singh, Yadwinder Singh, Gurmeet Singh, Ishwar Singh, Baba and 25 others entered dairy of Kulwinder Singh and opened fire at him and others present at the spot. Kulwinder Singh, Gurpartap Singh, Gurwinder Singh, Chamkaur Singh and Sukhwant Singh were injured in the firing. They were admitted to a private hospital in Bhikhiwind for treatment. As condition Kulwinder and Gurpartap Singh was serious, they were referred to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, Amritsar. Inspector Manoj Kumar said five of the suspects, including Saraj, his son Harwinder, Jagjit Sigh Soni and others, had been arrested. He said raids were on to arrest the remaining suspects. He said a case under Sections 307, 148 and 149 of the IPC along with Sections 25, 27, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act had been registered against the suspects in this connection. awaited by residents as they claim that they are fed up with the “utterly negligent attitude of officials leading to loss of property and at times even lives” in fire incidents. Meanwhile, senior AAP leader Raman Bahl, who is also halqa in-charge of Gurdaspur city, led a delegation of shopkeepers to the DC office to demand a probe in this connection. “The DC has agreed to hold a comprehensive inquiry. I have requested the DC to particularly inquire into the manner in which firemen have been recruited. I have learnt that a majority of firemen neither have any qualification in fire-fighting nor are they skilled enough to handle even a small fire leave alone a large one. This is a sensitive matter. The entire city is awaiting the report because of the fact that during the last six months whenever there has been a fire, heavy losses are reported,” said Bahl. He claimed that firemen had been outsourced from a contractor who had close links with the brother of a Congress politician. “The DC will hold an investigation into how these firemen have been recruited. The entire department needs a revamp. In fact, the office of the department also has to be shifted to a place from where it’s easy for fire tenders to reach the spot where fire is reported,” said Bahl. Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 12 Days after the arrest of Congress leader and lawyer Vaneet Mahajan for allegedly conspiring in a firing incident to get his security cover back, the police today got his one-day remand on production warrant for investigating the case. Besides Vaneet Mahajan, the police have arrested three persons including shooters in this connection. Though the police claimed to have made a significant breakthrough in the case, questions are being raised over its silence Boys take a bath in a canal on a hot summer day in Amritsar. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR on the issue. Allegations that the police is functioning under pressure have been flying thick and fast as the matter pertains to influential lawyers who also came under the scanner for helping Vaneet Mahajan. However, Prabhjot Singh Virk, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, denied the allegations. “Had it been the case, would we have procured his police remand,” he asked while adding that the police did not want to hamper the investigation by disclosing anything at this moment. He said the police had made significant progress and a man- hunt was launched against the two absconders, Dharminder and his son Danish in this connection. Nobody, whosoever he is, would be spared if his name crops up during probe, he said. Besides Mahajan, the police have arrested Gaurav, Saleem and Harish. Gaurav had three cases of drug peddling registered against him while Saleem had two FIRs under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act registered against him. Harish also has criminal cases of drug peddling and those related to Arms Act registered against him. Unidentified persons had shot at Vaneet Mahajan and his wife Sonia when they were returning home from their hotel on May 28. During a preliminary probe, the police found the matter to be suspicious. Later, the police nabbed Gaurav, Saleem and Harish. Their arrest brought some clarity in the case. The police booked and arrested Vaneet Mahajan in the case on June 8. Mahajan was also booked by the Civil Lines police on June 3 in a fraud and forgery case filed by his mother Usha Mahajan. She had lodged the complaint against Mahajan in May this year. Year on, Malawali farmers yet to get water for irrigation Villagers protest over poor Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 12 Farmers of Malawali village on the outskirts of the city have decided to approach court as they have failed to get canal water. The Irrigation Department has also failed to provide farmers a connection from the canal minor for the supply of water to irrigate their fields. A Malawali village resident, Kuljeet Singh said, “We fail to understand why the Irrigation Department is reluctant to provide connection from the canal minor despite knowing the fact that farmers need water for irrigating their fields. Farmers have been requesting the department to provide water connection since the last one year, but to no avail.” Kuljeet said in a complaint filed with the office of Superintending Engineering (SE) in May last year, he had stated: “The ‘mogha’ (a pipe) which is used to supply water to farmers’ fields has not be installed after concrete lining } I have visited the SE’s office and made over a hundred calls to officials to know about the status of our complaint, but they are reluctant to restore water supply to fields. ~ Kuljeet Singh, MALAWALI VILLAGE of the canal minor.” He said, “Since then, I have visited the SE’s office umpteen times and made over a hundred calls to differ- c m y b ent officials from time to time to know about the status of our complaint. They did admit that there is a ‘mogha’ at the point as per their records, but are still reluctant to restore water supply to fields.” He said recently on residents insistence, the department had installed an outlet pipe in the canal minor, but it did not help in restoring the irrigation channels. Another resident Gurjeet Singh said, “The entire area though within the MC limits used to be agricultural land. Over the years, private colonisers have purchased land. They have developed residential colonies on the land meant for irrigation channels.” He said, “Now, the Irrigation Department does not have the teeth to take action against powerful colonisers. We have decided to approach court as the water supply through the canal minor has not been restored.” He said in their village, 400 acres was still under agriculture which required water for irrigation. condition of 14 km road Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, June 12 The residents of Dhotian village under the banner of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) Punjab, held a protest against the administration over its alleged failure to carry out repair of the 14 kilometre stretch of Sheron-Jamarai road. Kulwant Singh, zonal president of the committee, while speaking on the occa- sion, said for more than 15 years, the condition of the road had gone from bad to worse. He said the panchayats of Sheron, Dugri, Rakh Sheron, Dhotian, Tur, Tanda, Jamarai and other villages had forwarded resolutions passed by them for the renovation of the road to the state government and the administration, but nothing has been done in this regard. He said that in case the Continued on page 2
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