12052025-ATR-01.qxd 5/11/2025 10:53 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 38°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 38°C | MIN 25°C LIFE IN BORDER AREAS RETURNS TO NORMALCY FORMER CIVIL SURGEON, ACCOUNTS OFFICER BOOKED B’WOOD VETERAN AMITABH BACHCHAN SALUTES ARMY Shops and other businesses opened as usual and customers came to the market in significant numbers.P2 Accused of committing irregularities in connection with a grant of ~31.83 lakh issued by the Health Department.P2 Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan has expressed profound admiration for the Indian Army’s valour. P4 » » SUNSET MONDAY 7.03 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 5.31 AM » MONDAY | 12 MAY 2025 | AMRITSAR Sighting of drones, explosive sounds keep residents on edge Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service The seized contraband in Tarn Taran. PHOTO: GURBAXPURI 673 gm heroin seized by BSF Tarn Taran, May 11 In a joint operation launched in the border area on Friday, the police and BSF recovered 673 grams of heroin wrapped in a packet. SSP Abhimanyu Rana said a joint team of the police and BSF headed by Sub-Inspector Gurinder Singh, SHO, Khemkaran, recovered a suspected packet. The packet contained 673 grams of heroin with 10 grams of packing material. The SSP said the packet was dispatched by a drone that came from across the border. A case under Sections 21-C, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act and Sections 10,11 and 12 of the Aircraft Act has been registered in this regard. — OC Amritsar, May 11 Ceasefire violation by Pakistan last night in Jammu sector and sighting of drones in the holy city reminded residents of past misadventures of Pakistan to this border district. The social media was full of suggestions by locals who pleaded with the Central Government not to believe in Pakistan and its political establishment. Harman Soch, a social media user from Amritsar, reacted saying, “No ceasefire in Amritsar on May 11, 4:24 am. Series of blasts, I just slept at 4:00 am, thinking it is a quiet night. My dog woke me up in just 20 minutes, wanting to do his business. So I took him out in the dark and heard some sounds in far distance. And then suddenly, all around it was still continuing, made this video before I came inside (her house). Check out how it feels and sounds to people in the city.” She then uploaded the video she had made from outside her house, catching the movement of drones. After reading her post, a social Pak continues proxy war as BSF, police seize explosives Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Although neither loss of life nor property was reported, yet the drone movement kept the residents on tenterhooks in Amritsar. media user commented that Pakistan did not let Indians sleep. “I hope PM Modi makes sure Pakistan does not blink for the next few years,” she wrote. Another user commented that Pakistanis were violating the ceasefire mediated by US President Donald Trump, what next then? What made the netizens come on to the social media to air their views that drones were being sighted at night in different areas of the holy city in spite of the ceasefire being announced. Although neither loss of life nor property was reported, yet the drone movement kept the residents on tenterhooks and they continued to air their experiences about drone movement in their areas on their social media account. Keeping in view the movement of enemy drones, the district administration later imposed the blackout. Many people were reminded of the gruesome impact of wars faced by the city in 1965 and 1971. They prayed to the Almighty that better sense prevails in both countries and they would desist from war. Amritsar, May 11 Though there has been a pause in the war-like situation with Pakistan following a ceasefire announced by the governments of the two neighbouring countries, a proxy war is still on. This relates to smuggling of explosives, arms and ammunition. The drug and weapons smugglers supported by the Pakistan army and ISI continue to push in drugs, arms and explosives to create disturbance in Punjab as well as in other parts of the country. The Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police have foiled yet another attempt by smugglers to sneak in explosives by seizing around 1 kg of RDX along with two hand grenades and two pistols. On Saturday also, there had been recovery of a huge quantity of explosives and Explosives, weapons and hand grenades seized by Punjab Police in a joint operation with the BSF in Amritsar on Sunday. weapons from the Amritsar border. “Acting swiftly on information received from alert locals, our teams have recovered a consignment of arms and explosives from the agricultural fields of Chak Bala village in Ajnala,” said Director General of Police, Punjab, Gaurav Yadav on Sunday. The BSF, in a joint operation with Amritsar rural Sacked SI Sandeep Resume op at Amritsar airport, says Aujla Kaur convicted, gets 10-yr imprisonment Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 11 The court of Additional Sessions Judge has pronounced 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for dismissed Sub-Inspector Sandeep Kaur in a four-yearold abetment to suicide case. The victim was identified as Vikramjit Singh, alias Vicky, of Nawa Pind village falling under the jurisdiction of Jandiala Guru police station. The police had recovered a suicide note from a room of the hotel on the Batala road where he had taken the extreme step. Tragically, perturbed over this, his wife Sukhbir Kaur also ended her life the same night. She was in shock over the incident. Their only daughter also committed suicide in January this year. Harsimran Singh, a legal counsel of the victim’s family, said the prosecution duly established that the SI was not only blackmailing the victim and demanding money, but also pressurizing him to murder some third person. He was being threatened by the convict SI to commit the crime or his family would face dire consequences. “Instead of insuring prevention of crime being duty bound, she has been committing crimes,” the court order said. She was convicted under Section 306 of the IPC. Apart from 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for 10 years, she was also fined ~20,000 and in default of payment of fine, she would undergo rigourous imprisonment for three more months. The victim family’s legal counsel said this should be an example for those officers who misuse their authority to extort and blackmail innocents. He said the court has given justice to the family while the police were bent on saving the accused SI. In his suicide note, Vicky had accused the SI, who also belonged to the same village, of harassment and blackmail. He had claimed that she had taken ~18 lakh from him on different occasions and had been threatening him through her friends. The police had booked the SI on charges of abetment to suicide. MP Gurjeet Aujla (centre), Chairman of the airport advisory committee, during a meeting with officials in Amritsar on Sunday. Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 11 Despite the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, air traffic is yet to resume at Sri Guru Ramdas Jee International Airport here. With activists and traders demanding to resume the operations, Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Chairman of the Advisory Committee of Airport, also met officials. He demanded from the government to resume operations at the airport. MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla claimed that the situation is completely under control, no one needs to panic. He said the Amritsar airport is the backbone of the holy city because the whole economy depends on it. That is why he also appeals to the media not to run any such news about the airport which causes panic. He said now when the whole atmosphere is completely calm, he will demand to run this airport on a priority basis. MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla said the Lahore airport is working in Pakistan, but almost all the airports in border areas of India are closed, which was also necessary but he would like to say that looking at the situation, some flights should be allowed to operate. He said people also want peace and war is not a solution to any issue. There is no doubt that this war was imposed on India because civilians were being attacked repeatedly. There is a big problem of drugs, youngsters are being targeted, so people want a solution to all these issues and that is why the war was imposed. Aujla said he wants the airport to open as soon as possible but he knows that the decision will be taken when the situation returns to normal completely. He knows that without the airport, the business of Amritsar is closing down due to which labour may also go back which will be difficult to call back and start the industry, that is why he also wants that these issues should be resolved as soon as possible. MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla said about the increasing rates of flights that whenever difficult times come, many people hoard food items, while many do hoard by increasing the rates of travel fares. To stop this, he has formed a group of MPs from every border area and a big campaign will be launched against this so that a law can be made against them and anti-national charges can be registered against them as well. police, recovered 972 grams of RDX, two .30 bore pistols with four magazines, 30 live cartridges, two hand grenades, two lever detonators, remote control device and charger, a command mechanism, eight batteries and a black box from the spot. As per initial probe, the consignment was dropped by a drone. The BSF in a joint opera, tion with Punjab Police, today claimed to have foiled a terror plot by seizing huge quantity of explosives, arms and ammunition from the Amritsar border. Yesterday also following an intelligence-based operation, the BSF troops in collaboration with Punjab Police recovered a huge packet containing 2.7 kg of explosives suspected to be RDX, two detonators and IED circuit, two hand grenades with accessories, two pistols with four magazines and 30 live rounds from Sheikh Bhatti village located near the international border in Amritsar. A senior BSF official, wishing not to be named, said that there has been a spurt in the smuggling of explosives and weapons from across the fence. He said the BSF has thwarted several such attempts in the recent past leading to the recovery of huge quantity of explosives. Three nabbed in youth’s murder case Amritsar, May 11 Days after a youth was shot dead, the city police have arrested three suspects in the case and recovered a .30 bore pistol along with the motorcycle used in the crime. Arnav, alias Lovepreet Singh, was shot dead by unidentified armed assailants in Smile Avenue located in Nangli village located on the Fatehgarh Churian road here on April 13. Those arrested in the case included Amanpreet Singh, alias Babblu (27), of Dayanand Nagar on the Fatehgarh Churian road, Akashdeep Singh, alias Kashi, of Loharka (25) and Shera (26), who lives in a rented accommodation in Dayananad Nagar. Happy, father of the victim, told the police that Arnav worked in a salon and was returning home after work on a scooter. When he reached near the gate of the locality, unknown persons fired bullets, leaving him dead on the spot. He told the police that several miscreants were threatening to kill him over an old enmity. “Investigations revealed that Arnav and his accomplices had thrashed Harshbir Singh, alias Ansh, leaving him injured. He was a nephew of Amanpreet Singh who wanted to take revenge for it. He along with his accomplices did a recce of the victim before committing the crime. — TNS Three suspects in custody of the Amritsar police on Sunday. Met predicts severe heatwave, rise in temp Long power cuts at night trouble residents Amritsar, May 11 If the weather forecasts are to be believed, a severe heatwave is expected to hit the region in the coming days with temperature expected to soar significantly. While the maximum temperature had hovered around 35 degree Celsius for the last 10 days, it is expected to rise to 45 degree Celsius by the end of the next week. In view of the changing weather conditions, health experts are advising people to take necessary precautions to avoid heat-related illnesses. Medical professionals stated that the hot and dry HEAT IS ON: A woman drives down a road with her face covered on a hot day in Amritsar on Sunday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR weather can exacerbate underlying illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and mental health con- ditions. Older adults, children and people with chronic conditions are particularly vulnerable to heat-related illnesses, they stated. The district health department stated that residents are being advised to stay indoors and avoid direct exposure to sunlight, especially during the hottest part of the day. Staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water is also crucial, said Civil Surgeon Dr Kirandeep Kaur. People are also advised to keep their homes cool by using shades, blinds or curtains to block direct sunlight and keep windows open at night to cool continued on page 2 c m y b Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 11 Long power cuts at night compelled by blackouts due to escalating tension between India and Pakistan have troubled residents, especially children and older people, as they are unable to get proper rest. Even though cloudy weather conditions coupled with showers have brought the temperature substantially low during the last few days, it has started to rise again with each passing day. However, harsh days seem ahead for the residents with the weatherman predicting that the highest temperature would tough 43 degrees Cel- PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Tribune News Service BLACKOUT EFFECT: The city plunges into darkness in Amritsar. sius in the next week. “Last night, power shutdown started at 8.30 pm and before that on Thursday, pow- er went off at 9 pm. On both these days, power supply was restored only at 6 am next morning,” said Mahesh Kumar, a local resident. He complained that power outage at night forces people to have an uncomfortable time. The rising tensions between the two countries have also started to impact other aspects of life as roads seem less crowded. Even as there are no restrictions on the movement of public during the daytime, most roads look deserted during the early morning and evening hours. Shopkeepers said due to the rising tensions, the general public is refraining from spending money. “Suddenly, fruit too has become an unnecessary item for people. Maybe they are saving for continued on page 2