15042025-ATR-01.qxd 4/14/2025 11:04 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY POP STAR KATY PERRY TO SING IN SPACE PRAYERS AT THE GOLDEN TEMPLE BY STARS MEGHNA TO DIRECT KAREENA AND PRITHVIRAJ IN NEW FILM Six women set to blast off on a selfdriving rocket by company owned by Jeff Bezos, for joyride to space. P4 Akshay Kumar, R Madhavan and Ananya Panday are in Amritsar to promote their film Kesari 2. P4 Kareena and Prithviraj Sukumaran have boarded the new film by Talvar & Raazi director Meghna Gulzar. P4 » » » MAX 36°C | MIN 22°C YESTERDAY MAX 34°C | MIN 21°C SUNSET TUESDAY 6.47 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5.54 AM TUESDAY | 15 APRIL 2025 | AMRITSAR Fresh wheat stocks start arriving in Tarn Taran grain market Petrol pump worker shot dead, police claim robbery attempt Majithia alleges their target was SAD leader Samra, who is owner of pump PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service The harvested wheat crop spread out in the sun at the grain market in Tarn Taran on Monday. Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, April 14 The arrival of wheat in the local grain market started from Monday with the entry of stock harvested by the family of Makhan Singh, a farmer from Shekh village. Amanjit Singh, son of Makhan Singh and Makhan’s brother, Salwinder Singh, arrived in the mandi early in the morning today. As his produce had moisture content above the prescribed norms, it was spread out in the sun to dry. The family came with produce harvested from four and a half acres of land, though they cultivate the crop in about 50 acres. Gurnam Singh, a farmer from Bugha village, came to the mandi with four trolleys loaded with wheat but the produce could not be procured due to moisture content being above the permissible limits. His crop too was spread out in the sun. Mandi Supervisor Amrinder Singh claimed that the arrangements for procurement have been made in advance. He claimed that the mandi has been cleaned and drinking water facility provided at all four entry points, adding that the toilets too have been cleaned and provided with water supply. The Mandi Supervisor advised the farmers to come with wheat crop with prescribed moisture content to avoid any harassment. The mandi is situated on the outskirts of the busy town and the farmers reach there without any trouble. The MSP has been fixed at ~2,425 for the season 2025-26 compared to ~2,275 last year. Amritsar, April 14 An employee of a petrol pump was shot dead and another seriously injured with a gunshot injury on his face by three armed persons at Kaler Mangat village falling under the Majitha Assembly constituency here. While the police claimed that it was a robbery bid, Bikram Singh Majithia, former Punjab minister and senior SAD leader, termed it an attempt to target Jodh Singh Samra, a SAD leader and SGPC member, who owns the petrol station. The police have registered a case of murder and attempt to murder charges in this connection. They said they have some vital clues in the case and a hunt was launched to identity and arrest the perpetrators. A CCTV grab of the incident that took place at Kaler Mangat village in Majitha in Amritsar. The deceased was identified as Gautam Kumar, a UP migrant, and the injured, as Amit, who was admitted to Sri Guru Ram Dass Hospital at Vallah. Gautam suffered a bullet injury in the chest and doctors declared him dead on arrival. Amit suffered a gunshot injury on the face and is stated to be serious. Tejinder Singh, a resident of the Kathunangal road and co-owner of the petrol station, said he runs a petrol pump (Bharat filling station) at Kaler Mangat village. He said he had employed three persons — Gautam, Amit and Arpan. He said as per the daily routine, he was going to the petrol pump to give dinner to them at around 8.30pm. He said the petrol pump was closed and a car stopped near the station. Three persons with faces covered tried to forcibly open the office. They shouted that it was Samra’s petrol pump and they wanted to procure fuel for their bike. He said as his employees did not open the office, the miscreants got infuriated and shot at Gautam who suffered a bullet injury in the chest and fell on the ground. The second gunfire pierced through the door and hit Amit’s face. He said when they raised an alarm, the accused fled the scene. Maninder Singh, SSP Amrit, sar (Rural), said they have vital clues in the case and assured that the case would be cracked with the arrest of the suspects. Six police teams have been constituted to check the CCTV trail of the accused and arrest them. He said a preliminary probe indicated that the incident was a robbery bid. However, Majithia alleged that the accused parked their car on the road and had their faces covered. “The prime motive of the attack was to target Jodh Singh Samra as he was supposed to visit the pump,” he alleged while condemning the deteriorating law and order situation in Punjab. He alleged opposition leaders were being targeted by the current dispensation for exposing their failures. He also criticised the registration of an FIR against LoP Partap Singh Bajwa. He fought for the rights of marginalised: ETO Floral tribute paid to Babasaheb Ambedkar Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 14 Punjab Cabinet Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO addressed a district-level function dedicated to Dr BR Ambedkar’s 134th birth anniversary at Guru Nanak Dev University. The minister emphasised Dr Ambedkar’s views on education, quoting him as saying, “Education is the milk of a lioness, whoever drinks it will roar.” Paying tribute to Dr Ambedkar and acknowledging his tireless efforts in laying the foundation of an inclusive and progressive India, ETO said, “Dr Ambedkar emphasised on education as a means to improve the welfare of oppressed and backward classes, leading to the establishment of many educational institutions.” The minister praised Dr Ambedkar as the main archi- Amritsar, April 14 Leaders and workers of all the political parties paid tribute to Dr BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, on his 134th birth anniversary at the Heritage Street here on Monday. BJP Congress and AAP , leaders competed with each other to pay floral tributes at the same statue, where an abortive attempt to vandalise it was done some months ago. In a swift action, onlookers chased the offender and handed over to the police, who swiftly arrested him. Meanwhile, several events were held to pay floral tributes to B R Ambedkar at the same place. Amritsar Central Assembly Constituency MLA Dr Ajay Gupta today paid floral tributes at the Babasaheb’s statue. On the occasion, Ambed- Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO pays tribute to Dr BR Ambedkar at GNDU in Amritsar on Monday. tect of Indian Constitution, a revolutionary thinker, social reformer and champion of equality, who fought for the rights of the marginalised and worked towards creating a more inclusive society. “Ambedkar’s efforts to elim- inate caste-based discrimination, promote social equality and introduce reforms like the Hindu Code Bill and maternity benefits laid the foundation of an equal society,” he said. Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney addressed stu- dents and spoke about Dr Ambedkar’s life and history, urging them to follow in his footsteps. Mayor Jatinder Singh Moti Bhatia said that Dr Ambedkar’s life inspires working towards a future where every citizen stands equal. Amritsar Central constituency MLA Dr Ajay Gupta along with other party leaders and workers pay tribute to Dr BR Ambedkar on the occasion of his birth anniversary on Monday. kar Jayanti, organised by the Sant Samaj at the Heritage Street, made people aware of the importance of Babasaheb Dr BR Ambedkar. MLA Dr Gupta said today they feel proud to pay tribute to Bharat Ratna Dr B R Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. He said under the Constitu- tion, every section of the country got equal rights. The progress of any society depends on the progress of its weakest sections. He said the AAP-led Punjab Government took a historic decision in the Cabinet on April 11 and approved reservation in government AAP govt turning Dr Ambedkar’s State govt using state machinery to target vision into reality, says Bhullar Oppn leaders, says PPCC president Warring appointments for Scheduled Caste lawyers. He said now relaxation and special provisions would be applicable in the recruitment of law officers of Scheduled Caste category in the Advocate General’s office. He said this was being considered a big continued on page 2 Online fraud: Police file case after 18 months Tribune News Service BJP leaders and workers led by Amandeep Singh Rocky Burj remember Dr BR Ambedkar on his birth anniversary in Tarn Taran on Monday. PHOTO: GURBAXPURI Tarn Taran, April 14 A district-level function was organised at the local Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School today to commemorate the 134th birth anniversary of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar. Punjab Cabinet Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar attended the event as the chief guest. Speaking on the occasion, Bhullar stated that the Punjab Government has made significant strides in turning Dr Ambedkar’s vision into reality. This includes appointing six Scheduled Caste (SC) ministers in the state cabinet for the first time and implementing reservation policies in the Advocate General’s office, with plans to extend them across all departments in the state. The Punjab Government has released Rs 730 crore under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for the Scheduled Castes and is providing other facilities to the SC community. A booklet detailing various welfare schemes was released during the event. Besides, DC Rahul, Punjab Warehouse Corporation Chairman Gurdev Singh Lakhna, and other dignitaries attended the event. — OC Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 14 Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring extended greetings to the people on the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, during his visit to the city today. Paying floral tributes to Dr Ambedkar, Warring said that his legacy continues to inspire the fight for justice and equality in the country. Speaking to the media, Warring came out strongly in support of senior Congress leader Pratap Singh Bajwa, against whom a case was registered yesterday. He termed the action taken by the Punjab government as condemnable and accused the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of using state machinery to intimidate Opposition leaders. “The government cannot silence its critics through such pressure tactics. The entire Congress party will collectively deliberate on the next course of Amritsar, April 14 One and a half years after a Turkey-based girl was duped by unidentified online fraudsters by way of digital arrest, the Mattewal police here have booked a Madhya Pradesh resident on charges of extortion and other relevant sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). A complaint in this regard was lodged by Avtar Singh of Mattewal village in September 2023. Now the police have booked Aakash Mundirya of Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) though no arrest has been made till now. In his complaint to the police, Avtar Singh said his cousin Sandeep Kaur lives in Italy. He said some unidentified persons duped her of ~1 lakh. The unidentified person called to inform her that her brother Dharminder Singh, who lives in Portugal, had killed a resident there and he was currently in jail. continued on page 2 c m y b Congress leaders, including PPCC chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring (C), attend Samvidhan Bachao public rally in Amritsar on Monday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR action,” he stated. He revealed that a police notice had been pasted outside Bajwa’s residence, summoning him for appearance the next day. However, due to prescheduled engagements, Bajwa had responded to the notice, informing police of his inability to attend. Warring further asserted that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann should be aware about the information shared by Bajwa regarding security threats. He emphasised that Central agencies had already warned the state government about the possibility of a grenade attack on a prominent Hindu leader in Punjab. “Instead of focusing on the security of common citizens, the Mann government seems to be using the police force to suppress Opposition voices,” Warring alleged. He said only 23 months are left for AAP’s term in power, and with the Model Code of Conduct expected to kick in three months prior to elections, filing cases against Opposition leaders may ultimately backfire on the ruling party, adding that the Opposition leader is not even allowed to speak freely in the Assembly. “The entire world has seen the kind of behaviour on display inside the VS,” he remarked, criticising the AAP government’s handling of dissenting voices.