10072025-ATR-01.qxd 7/9/2025 11:06 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLOUDY/RAIN MAX 30°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 31°C | MIN 25°C VALLAH MANDI PLAGUED BY STAGNANT WATER ACTOR SALMAN KHAN LEAVES FANS IN SPLITS NEPOTISM NOT CONFINED TO JUST FILM INDUSTRY Vallah Mandi, one of the largest vegetable markets in the region, has become a breeding ground for diseases. P2 Actor Salman Khan showed his lighter side with a birthday post for his brother-in-law, Atul Agnihotri. P4 Audiences will reject what is substandard & appreciate, when an actor star kid or not, delivers, says director Santosh. P4 » » » SUNSET THURSDAY 7.38 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 5.33 AM THURSDAY | 10 JULY 2025 | AMRITSAR Weapons, ammunition found in Gurdaspur Gurdaspur, July 9 The Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) has foiled a terror plot allegedly orchestrated by Pakistan-based Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) operative Harwinder Rinda by recovering arms and ammunition near Gazikot village in the district. The arms and ammunition were meant for Rinda’s associates operating in Punjab. Two AK-47 rifles and 16 cartridges, two magazines and two PS-86 hand grenades were recovered. Police officials say the consignment had been pushed into Indian territory by Pakistani agencies as part of a plan to carry out attacks at locations across Punjab. The main aim of the terrorists was to disrupt peace in the state. An FIR has been registered at the Purana Shala police station under the Explosives Act and the Arms Act. — TNS Jugraj’s murder case: Attackers identified, raids on to nab them Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 9 Three days after the broad daylight murder of Jugraj Singh (28), a resident of Chanane village, here, the police on Wednesday claimed to have identified the suspects and further vital leads in the incident. Raids were on to nab them, he said. However, the police have reportedly detained several persons for interrogation. Jugraj, alias Gora, was killed on Saturday when three bike-borne assailants had fired at him in Chananke village. He died on the spot due to multiple bullet injuries. The CCTV footage of the incident had surfaced after the incident which had later gone viral on social media. The incident was suspected to be the outcome of a rivalry between the Bambiha and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria A CCTV grab of armed assailants firing at Jugraj Singh in Chananke village in Mehta area. gangs. Amritsar (Rural) Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Maninder Singh said, “We have identified the three suspects who had arrived in the village on a motorcycle and opened fire on Jugraj Singh at close range leaving him dead. Raids were on the arrest them.” Asked about several suspects detained by the police, he said the police were working on various leads and he can reveal nothing further in the case as it could hamper the probe and benefit the killers. Jugraj reportedly did not have any criminal background. The police said his brother Jagrup Jupa, who was held in a heroin seizure case, was associated with the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang. Shortly after the killing, an Instagram post by the Gopi Ganshampuria group allegedly claimed the responsibility for the attack. It is worth mentioning here that on June 25, the same gang allegedly orchestrated the killings of Karanvir Singh, a close associate of Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, and his mother Harjit Kaur in Batala. That killing was also claimed to be in revenge for the murder of their aide Gora Bariar. Prime accused’s wife held in sarpanch’s murder case Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 9 A day after the sensational murder of Parwinder Singh, a former sarpanch associated with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Saidpur village under the Rajasansi area, the police have arrested prime accused Shubham Sehpal’s wife, identified as Kirandeep Kaur, in this connection. Shubham Sehpal is still out of reach of the police. According to the police, a hunt was launched to nab him. Both Shubham and Kirandeep Kaur, who originally hailed from Rurka Kalan village in Phillaur, were nominated in the murder case following the statement of the deceased’s son Simranpal Singh. Simranpal Singh, who runs a restaurant near the The wife of the prime murder accused in custody of the police in Amritsar on Wednesday. house, was an eyewitness to the incident. The incident occurred on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. Minor quarrels and heated arguments with the accused over the parking of cars in the street on several occasions in the past took an ugly turn on that night leading to the murder, the police said. The two families had previously clashed on multiple occasions, including indulging into arguments over car parking. The latest altercation began over a ladder placed by Palwinder Singh to help an electrician fix a power supply-related issue by climbing a pole. Shubham allegedly came out of his house, threw away the ladder and when confronted, pulled out his licensed revolver and fired seven shots. Three of the bullets hit Parwinder Singh, killing him on the spot. Simranpal alleged that just a month ago, the accused had vandalised their car by breaking its windowpanes. Simranpal said after shooting his father, Shubham also took away his father’s licensed pistol. He fled the scene in his SUV. Maninder Singh, SSP , Amritsar rural, confirmed the arrest of Kirandeep Kaur while adding that raids were being made to arrest the prime suspect, who would be arrested soon. Bus services affected as Punbus, Trade unions, farmers hold protest rally at bus stand Roadways staff stage blockade Tribune News Service Passengers wait for buses at the ISBT in Amritsar on Wednesday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 9 Passengers underwent a harrowing experience as members of the Punjab Roadways and Punbus Contract Workers’ Union applied brakes on nearly 180 buses of AmritsarI and Amritsar-II depots on Wednesday. The government was caught off-guard as it did not have any alternate arrangement in place to handle the situation. Punjab Roadways managed to ply only three buses as they have as many regular employees. These buses were insufficient to ferry the passengers who were waiting at the ISBT in large numbers. Starting at 11 am, the union staged a four-hour-long blockade at the entry and exit gates of Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra Inter-State Bus Terminal here. Holding placards, they raised slogans against the government for not accepting their long-pending demand of regularising them. Kewal Singh, president of the Amritsar chapter of the union, said they started the protest on the call of their own union. They also extended support to the strike call given by the trade unions. “There are about 7,500 contractual workers in Punbus and PRTC across the state and after repeated assurances by the government, they have not been regularised. Of these, about 400 contractual workers are employed in the two depots of the city. I myself am working on contractual basis for the last 15 years,” he said. “Nearly 1,600 contractual workers managed to clear the written examination in 2015 and were assured that they would be regularised after three years,” said Hira Singh, president of the union from Depot-I, adding that even after the passage of nearly six years, they were not regularised. Those buses of Punbus which managed to pay off their loans have been merged in the Punjab Roadways, but the same rule is not applicable for the staff. Buses under the Punjab Roadways are driven by regular staff and there are no contractual workers under it. The Transport Department did not have any alternate arrangement to ferry passengers, most of whom prefer to drive in buses offering free travel for women in state-run buses. The next two days are also likely to be a nightmare for passengers. Counselling for undergraduate admissions concludes at GNDU Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 9 Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar, has completed the counselling process for its 2025 undergraduate session conducted through the University Common Entrance Test (UCET) and University Common Admission Test (UCAT). The process covered courses under the university’s 14 departments within the Faculty of Sci- ences and Engineering. The counselling witnessed overwhelming participation with nearly all seats across various courses were filled in the first round. Dr Tejwant Singh, UCET coordinator, said with demand for some programmes, especially life sciences and IT-based courses, exceeding expectations, it signals the university’s rising prominence as higher education destination. Dr Kang further said the counselling for supernumerary quota seats, reserved for students from border areas and rural regions, will soon be conducted at the departmental level. These seats have also garnered significant interest with the process expected to conclude on time. For any vacant seats, the waiting lists will be handed over to departments by tomorrow (July 10) enabling them to contact eligible candidates and ensure optimal seat allocation. Amritsar, July 9 A massive rally was held at the bus stand here on Wednesday, in response to a call by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha and Central Trade Unions, in which thousands of protesters from various sections of society participated. The employees of banking sector and public transport undertakings also took part in the protest which hampered work for the general public. The protesters stated that they had given prior notice to the government and the inconvenience caused to the public could have been avoided had the government listened to their demands. The rally, led by leaders from various farmer organisations and trade unions, including Bant Singh Brar, Amarjit Singh Asal and Kulwant Singh Bawa, among others, aimed to voice opposition against the policies of the BJP 4 miscreants abscond after firing at cops Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, July 9 Four Thar-borne suspects fired at a police team on Wednesday. The vehicle bore the registration number PB02, DD-0999. According to details available, a team of the local Sadar police led by Subinspector Avtar Singh was setting up naka on National Highway No. 54 near Jio petrol pump on Tuesday evening. The SHO, who was pasting police sticker on the glass of the Thar, signalled it to stop. The Thar driver absconded, ignoring the police signal and fled towards the SheronDhotian villages. The police team was chasing the Thar which turned towards Tarn Taran side and reached Sangha village. The suspects who were in the age-group of 20-25 years fired at the police team which retaliated. There was a rush of vehicles and the Tharborne accused absconded from the spot. The police have registered a case in this connection. c m y b Central trade unions, banking employees and workers participate in a protest rally in Amritsar on Wednesday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR government at the Centre. The protesters expressed their concern over the government’s policies, which they alleged are ‘pro-corporate’ and ‘anti-worker’. They specifically highlighted the government’s plans to implement the four labour codes, which would abolish the 29 existing labour laws and potentially destroy workers’ rights. The protesters also raised several demands, including providing farmers with one and a half times the cost of all crops, waiving loans of farmers and labourers, fixing the daily wage for MNREGA labourers at Rs 600 per day and providing work for at least 200 days annually. The protesters also demanded that the minimum wage for skilled labourers be fixed at Rs 26,000 per month. They further demanded providing a minimum pension of Rs 9,000 per month for labourers. Leader of the protesters, Amarjit Singh Asal, demanded immediate end to contractual recruitment and stated that employees should be provided permanent jobs as they are being exploited under the contractual system. Asal also demanded that recruitment in the Army under the Agniveer scheme should be stopped and the government should revert to the previous recruitment process. Bant Singh Brar demanded stopping of privatisation of government institutions and ensuring access to healthcare and education for all The rally saw participation from various leaders and Travel to South India with Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train Amritsar, July 9 With an aim to highlight Indian culture and vast heritage and promote tourism, Indian Railways, in a special initiative, will start “Bharat Gaurav” passenger train from the Pathankot cantonment on July 28. The train will travel to important religious places of South India, such as Tirupati, Rameswaram, Madurai, Kanyakumari and Malakpur, during its 13-day journey. These special tourist trains are designed to promote domestic tourism and showcase India’s rich heritage. According to IRCTC, this passenger train will provide those living in North India the opportunity to understand the religious and cultural significance of South India and this journey called, Dakshin Bharat Yatra, will span over 13 days. The train will offer various itineraries, including spiritual journeys to pilgrimage sites, cultural explorations and visits to historical landmarks. The train, which will start from the Pathankot canton- workers, including Vijay Kumar, Shaukat Masih and Gurjinder Singh. The protesters demanded that the government take immediate action to address their concerns and meet their demands. Effigies of Union Govt burnt in Tarn Taran Tarn Taran: Meanwhile, a large number of government staff, including employees of banks, post offices, other government departments and other union employees, farmers, labourers and daily wagers, took part in the one-day strike against the policies of the Union Government organised joint rallies and marched through bazaars of the town on Wednesday. The protesters burnt effigies of the Union Government at the spot. Workers, farmers and employees along with contractual staff too organised protests in different parts of the district. Army, civil admn conduct joint exercise near IB Tribune News Service Bharat Yatra trains are special tourist trains run by Indian Railways. ment railway station on July 28, will return on August 9. This journey will include a total of 12 nights and 13 days. A railway spokesperson said the train will have 640 seats in sleeper class economy, with fare per person to be Rs 30,135. A total of 70 seats in 3 AC standard and the fare per person will be Rs 43,370 and a total of 50 seats in 2 AC comfort and the fare per person will be Rs 57,470. The fare includes tea, breakfast, lunch, dinner, apart from accommodation and trans- port expenses. Indian Railways has asked passengers, who want to book the journey, to get their tickets from the railways’ official website or from the nearest railway station. The tour includes several boarding and de-boarding points, including Pathankot cantonment, Jalandhar city, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Ambala cantonment, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Panipat, Sonipat, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Mathura, Agra cantonment and Gwalior. — TNS Gurdaspur, July 9 The Army and the Gurdaspur civil administration conducted a joint exercise ‘Rahat’ at the Dera Baba Nanak brigade today near the International Border (IB). The joint initiative, which is an ongoing exercise, was presided over by Brig Vikramjit Singh Kochhar, Station Commander, Tibri cantonment. The exercise was conducted in close coordination with officials of the Gurdaspur administration to improve the disaster response during a war-like situation. All senior officials of the administration were present. The exercise was also aimed at improving coordination between the Army and the civil administration. “This collaborative effort underscores the importance of joint planning and execution of plans during a conflict. Relief operations during emergencies, too, were discussed,” said Brig Kochhar.