01052025-ATR-01.qxd 4/30/2025 10:43 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 38°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 39°C | MIN 25°C MAKE WAY FOR DAKUAAN DA MUNDA YAMI GAUTAM HAS EVERY REASON TO BE PLEASED SEJAL SHAH TALKS ABOUT HER DIRECTORIAL DEBUT Action-packed sequences, emotional undertones and dramatic arcs - the teaser promises all of this.. P4 Only more than her professional accomplishments, she measures happiness on the personal meter. P4 The biographical drama Costao, which stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui, marks Sejal’s debut as director. P4 » » SUNSET THURSDAY 6.56 PM » SUNRISE FRIDAY 5.39 AM THURSDAY | 1 MAY 2025 | AMRITSAR 5 BKI operatives arrested with hand grenade, pistol Awareness rally against drug abuse Amritsar, April 30 The Health Department, in collaboration with the district administration, organised an awareness rally as part of the ‘ War Against Drugs’ campaign here on Wednesday. The purpose of the rally, which started from Maqboolpura Chowk, was to educate the public about the campaign and encourage those struggling with addiction to seek help. Civil Surgeon Dr Kirandeep Kaur emphasized that the campaign’s primary objective is to provide information and support to individuals interested in overcoming drug addiction. The government de-addiction centre offers free medical treatment, enabling addicts to become productive members of society, she said. The goal is to empower individuals to care for themselves and their families, ultimately becoming valuable citizens, he added. To facilitate drug addicts, the Health Department has launched a toll-free number (1800-1376-754), which provides comprehensive information about the campaign. Officials of the department, including paramedical staff, and nursing students from Amandeep Nursing College participated in the rally. — TNS One injured in police encounter during recovery of weapon Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service The contraband in custody of the police in Tarn Taran. Woman arrested for smuggling drugs, 4 kg heroin seized Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, April 30 The police have busted a drug trafficking gang and arrested a woman, seizing 4 kg of heroin from her possession on Wednesday. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Abhimanyu Rana said the woman smuggler had been identified as Rupinder Kaur (45), a resident of Dhanoa village, falling under Gharinda police station in Amritsar district. The SSP said that Gaganpreet Singh (23), the woman’s son, too is involved in the cartel as her husband is an addict and unable to make both ends meet for the family. The SSP said that the accused Rupinder Kaur was arrested by a team of the local CIA staff. He said that as Dhanoa village is situated on the border, the members of the gang used to collect the consignment from Pak-based smugglers who sent the drugs through drones. The consignment was then collected and supplied to differ- ent locations. The SSP said more arrests and recoveries are likely in the coming days as Gaganpreet Singh, son of Rupinder Kaur, is also involved. Efforts are being made to uncover the entire network of suppliers, dealers and buyers, as well as to ascertain the total quantity of drugs received by the arrested accused so far, he added. A case has been registered under sections 21(c) and 29 of the NDPS Act at Sarai Amanat Khan police station in Tarn Taran on Wednesday. Amritsar, April 30 The city police have busted a Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terror module linked to gangster-turned-terrorist Jeevan Fauji with the arrest of five of its operatives. The police also recovered a hand grenade and a pistol from their possession. One of the suspects, identified as Ajay Kumar, alias Ajju, was injured in a brief exchange of fire during the recovery operation in Fatahpur area on Wednesday. Besides, the others who were arrested included Naresh Kumar, alias Babbu, of Haripura, Abhinav Bhagat, alias Abhi, and Sunny Kumar, all residents of Hairpura locality here, and a 17year-old juvenile. “With their arrest, the police have thwarted a potential hand grenade attack on police establishments,” said Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav. The police also recovered a hand Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar along with other officials at the encounter spot at Fatahpur in Amritsar. grenade and a country-made pistol of .32 bore calibre and five live bullets from them. The DGP said Fauji, who is currently operating from foreign shores, was running a terror module in border dis- tricts with the help of the arrested persons. They were recruited and radicalised to execute criminal activities. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the BKI operatives had retrieved the hand grenade and the consignment of weapons from Ajnala sector. They were tasked to target police establishments with grenades. He said during a follow-up recovery operation after their disclosure, accused Ajay Kumar was taken to Ratahpur area for the recovery of the weapon. During the recovery operation, he attempted to escape by snatching a service weapon of police constable Manpreet Singh and opening fire on the police team. He said Assistant Sub-Inspector Shamsher Singh retaliated in selfdefence during which Ajay sustained injuries in his leg. He is undergoing treatment at the Civil Hospital here. The Commissioner of Police said the probe also revealed that the arrested accused persons had also provided logistic support and an Activa scooter to the assailants, who recently fired at the owner of a karyana continued on page 2 ETO inspects under-construction CISCE results: Sacred Heart girls bag top spots in Class X, XII overbridge in Tarn Taran village Vrindika, Damini, Navleen joint toppers in Class X; Agam Arpita, Bisman top in Class XII exams Neha Saini Tribune News Service PHOTO: GURBAXPURI Tarn Taran, April 30 Cabinet Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO inspected the under-construction overbridge near Kakka Kandiala village at the A-25 railway line crossing here on Tuesday. The foundation stone of the project, being built at an estimated cost of Rs 82.88 crore, was laid in September 2024 and it was projected to be completed in June 2026. Cabinet Minister Harbhajan Singh said 31 per cent of the construction work has been completed. Instructions have been issued to the authorities concerned to complete the work till December 2025, six months ahead of the projected completion time, and that too at a cost of Rs 70 crore against the estimated cost of Rs 82.88 crore. The minister said the overbridge, if completed six months ahead of the projected time, would give much-needed relief Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO visits the overbridge in Tarn Taran. to the public as they would be spared the harassment being faced daily these days due to chaos on roads and traffic snarls in the area. Moreover, if it is completed at a cost of Rs 70 crore, it would save Rs 12.88 crore of the state exchequer. The minister said the fourlaned overbridge (770-metre long and 22m wide) would provide a relief to the residents of the area as it would alleviate traffic woes. Tarn Taran MLA Dr Kashmir Singh Sohal expressed his satisfaction over the pace of construction work and that the project would likely to be completed six months in advance and would save a whopping Rs 12.88 crore of the state exchequer. The MLA said the overbridge would make devotees’ travel to the holy city of Tarn Taran much more comfortable. — OC Amritsar, April 30 CISCE students in the city broke into celebrations as results for Class X and Class XII were declared today. Vrindika Mehra, a student of Sacred Heart Convent School, who scored 490 marks (98 per cent) in Class 10, was joint topper in the district along with her school mates Damini Mahajan and Navleen Kaur, all three scoring 98 per cent. Vrindika dreams of pursuing chartered accountancy like her father Pankaj Mehra. “I am happy with the result as it was a tough examination compared to previous years,” she shared. Her mother Renuka Mehra is a housewife and Vrindika celebrated her academic achievement with her family. Damini Mahajan, who scored 490 marks (98 per cent) marks in Class 10, Class X topper Vrindika Mehra likes science. She will pursue further studies in the medical stream. Her dream is to become a doctor and support her parents. Her father Varinder Mahajan works in Powercom and mother Shaifali Gupta is a housewife. Navleen Kaur, who scored 490 marks (98 per cent) in Class 10 too dreams of becoming a doctor. She said that she would like to take admission in AIIMS and is inspired by her parents, Dr Barinderjit Singh and mother Dr Ramandeep Kaur. Class XII topper Agam Class XII results: Agam dist topper with 97.75% Agam, a student of Sacred Heart Convent School, emerged as topper in Class 12 results with 97.75 per cent. A Commerce student, she dreams of becoming a chartered accountant, and will now take CUET to seek admission in SRCC. “It was a satisfactory result for me as I feel that these marks would not matter much, as my future admission is dependent on CUET. But it does give me confidence,” she shared. While she is quite focused on her future course of action, she also shared that this time the exam was competencybased. “It was to check our knowledge of concepts rather than cramming. So, I feel that is going to help me compete in CUET as well.” Her father Sandeep Singh works as a travel agent and mother Mandeep Kaur is a housewife. Arpita Verma, who scored 390 marks (97.55 per cent) in Class 12, also wants to pursue chartered accountancy. Her father Mukesh Verma and mother Meera Kandhari were very happy about their daughter’s success. She is also a student of Sacred Heart Convent. Fellow school mate, Bisman Kaur, who scored 389 marks (97.25 per cent) in Class 12, wants to build a career as an entrepreneur and corporate consultant. Bisman’s father Jagdeep Singh is in a private job and mother Anup Kaur is into tailoring. NGO claims illegal Police suspect revenge factor in FCI Chairman assesses tree felling going on, gangster Sonu Mota murder case wheat purchase in dist DC marks inquiry Tribune News Service Gurdaspur, April 30 A Jalandhar-based NGO — Action Group Against Plastic Pollution (AGAAP) — has claimed that trees are being illegally cut on various roads in the district. Dr Navneet Bhullar, cofounder of AGAAP and her , colleague, Amandeep Kaur, founder of another NGO called ‘water-warriors’, claimed that nine trees had been cut on the JalandharBatala Road and 28 more on the Batala-Kahnuwan road. “Tree cutting is still going on despite the fact that we had brought this to the notice of senior officials of the Gurdaspur district administration a few days ago,” said Dr Bhullar. DC Dalwinderjit Singh said he had marked a probe into Dr Bhullar’s allegations. The inquiry will be conducted by the Gurdaspur District Forest Officer (DFO). Sources said prima facie it appeared that the trees were dangerously close to the road and were old. “They were a threat to life and property,” said an officer. However, Dr Navneet rubbished these claims and added that in no way were the trees old enough to be chopped. “We have given photographs to the DC of the trees that have been brought down. Despite assurances given by district officials, tree felling was regularly going on,” she said. — TNS Amritsar, April 30 The broad daylight murder of former gangster and bookie Ravneet Singh, alias Sonu Mota, was apparently a revenge killing. The prime suspect, Abhiraj Singh, alias Abhi, was son of slain Congress councillor Gurdeep Pehalwan. Pehalwan was gunned down by armed assailants when he was having a bath at Gole Bagh Akhara in 2018. Sony Mota was one of the suspects booked by the police in the murder case. Among others who were booked in the case included notorious gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, Bhupinder Singh, alias Sonu Kangla, Bobby Malhotra, Karan Masti, Angrej Singh, Rinju and Amar Singh. “We are yet to ascertain the exact motive behind the murder though revenge could be one of the reasons,” said Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Vishaljit Singh. He said the police have also identified his accomplice and raids are being made to nab both the accused. Abhiraj Singh also faced a criminal case. The police said Sonu Mota was shot dead in the narrow lanes of Kathian Wala Bazaar near the Golden Temple on Tuesday evening. The incident took place in the market behind the Akal Takht. Assailants led by gangster Abhiraj Singh, alias Abhi Pehalwan, intercepted Sonu Mota while he was headed towards Gurdwara Guru Ka c m y b Mahal. He was accompanied by an associate. The attackers had been reportedly tracking the movement of Sonu for the past several days. As Sonu entered the busy bazaar area, the assailants intercepted him by blocking his way with scooters. Abhi Pehalwan pulled out a pistol and opened fire on Sonu who collapsed after being hit by five bullets. Sonu’s associate attempted to retaliate, but the assailants managed to flee. Sonu Mota faced around five criminal cases, including one under the NDPS Act, said the police. The city police recently demolished his house in Mustafabad area. His mother Joginder Kaur also faced a couple of cases under the NDPS Act. Amritsar, April 30 The Food Corporation of India (FCI) Chairman-cumManaging Director, Ashutosh Agnihotri, reviewed the purchase of wheat in markets of the district on Wednesday. Meanwhile, they reached Jandiala Mandi where they discussed in detail the arrival of wheat, purchase of wheat and gathered farmers’ feedback on the arrangements. They expressed satisfaction over the procurement arrangements and instructed the authorities to ensure that they carry out the lifting of the purchased goods efficiently at the earliest. On the occasion, Additional Deputy Commissioner Jyoti Bala from the district administration welcomed them on their arrival. Director Food Vrinder Shar- The overall results for Class 12 were considerably good this year. Holy Heart Presidency School reported 100 per cent results in ICSE and ISC Board Examinations for the academic year 2024–25. Daljit Kaur, from non-medical stream, emerged as the school topper with an aggregate of 96 per cent. Following closely were Gurshaan with 95.5 per cent and Kamalnoor with 94.75 per cent, securing the second and third positions, respectively. From the medical stream, Abhinoor Kaur outshone her peers with a remarkable score of 97 per cent, clinching the top rank. Jasmeen Kaur and Simarjot Kaur secured the second and third positions with impressive scores of 96.25 per cent and 95.5 per cent, respectively. In the Commerce stream, Anmolpreet Kaur secured the first position with 95.25 per cent. Gurleen Kaur and Preet Kaur followed with 94.25 and 93.75 per cent, respectively. 2 pvt academy students bag 2 top spots in Tarn Taran The FCI Chairman in Amritsar. Japjit Kaur (L) and Akshara ma, District Food Supply Controller Amanjit Singh Sandhu, District Market Officer Amandeep Singh and other department officials were also present. Meanwhile, Ashutosh took an opportunity to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple and later offered tributes to the martyrs at the Jallianwala Bagh. Later, they also visited Sri Durgiana temple. — TNS Tarn Taran, April 30 Japjit Kaur, a student of the local Punjab Children Academy, has topped the district in the ICSE Class X exams, the results of which were declared by the board on Wednesday. Harmanpreet Singh, director of the academy, said Japjit Kaur stood first in the district by scoring 98.6 per cent marks followed by Akshara who stood second in the district with 98 per cent marks. — OC