23082025-ATR-01.qxd 8/22/2025 11:23 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLOUDY MAX 30°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 27°C FLOOD PANIC GRIPS VILLAGES AS BEAS LEVEL SURGES 25 YRS OF GLORY CONTINUES FOR KHALSA SCHOOL BOXING TEAM POLLYWOOD ACTORS MOURN LOSS OF COMIC GENIUS The water level in the Beas and Sutlej rivers rose significantly on Friday, causing panic among farmers. P2 The Khalsa College Senior Secondary School boxing team has won in all three categories. P2 Jaswinder Bhalla — a name synonymous with his wit, wisdom and unforgettable characters — passed away on Friday.P4 » » » SUNSET SATURDAY 7.05 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 6.00 AM SATURDAY | 23 AUGUST 2025 | AMRITSAR City artistes pay tributes to Protests held over state versatile actor Jaswinder Bhalla govt’shigh-handedness Neha Saini Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 22 The news of Jaswinder Bhalla’s demise after a long illness came as a shock not just for the Punjabi entertainment industry but also for the lovers of Punjabi films. Jaswinder Bhalla was an institution in himself, a versatile artiste and an educator, who brought laughter and evoked love for Punjabi boli. As condolences poured in, Amritsar-based artists and actors, who had the opportunity to share screen space or personal time with the actor, shared their experiences and memories of Bhalla. Kewal Dhaliwal, eminent theatre person, who had known Bhalla through his early on-stage collaborations, said that he was an extremely gifted artist. “He started his career in entertainment industry through live audio recordings and stage shows. At a time when not many Punjabi films were made and entertainment was limited mostly to live stage and DD shows, Jaswinder Bhalla’s comedy Chhankatta series, with Bal Mukund Sharma, became a super-hit worldwide. It was a phenomenal achievement at that time,” said Dhaliwal. Punjabi actor and comedian Jaswinder Bhalla (second from left). Kewal Dhaliwal’s association with Bhalla happened through his time serving as the in-charge of Youth Welfare Committee at Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana. Through sharp political and social satire and character sketches, Bhalla did what most comedy artists do today — invite a jail term. “His comic timing was impeccable and his courage to call out political masters of the time while making them laugh at themselves was something that made him stand apart from the crowd. The Chhankatta audio series became a core memory of Punjabi pop culture with Bhalla later also giving other iconic characters like Chacha Chatar Singh and the more current, Advocate Dhillon (from his popular film Carry On Jatta). Amritsar-based actor Anita Devgan, a well-known name of Punjabi film industry, has extensively worked with him. Anita Devgan and Jaswinder Bhalla have appeared together in several Punjabi films, often bringing comic flair to their respective supporting roles. She had once described Bhalla as an extremely humble and good human being. In her condolence message for the actor and co-star, Devgan described his contribution to Punjabi film industry as unparalleled, “We were supposed to work together more. No one thought that you would go so soon,” she posted on her social media page. Amritsar, August 22 BJP leaders on Friday held demonstrations and burnt effigies of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and the AAP government in protest against the forcible stopping of awareness campaigns regarding various Central Government schemes launched by the BJP under its campaign BJP Ke Sewadar Aap Ke Dwar. The protests were held in all the five urban assembly constituencies led by various BJP leaders, including BJP urban president Harwinder Singh Sandhu. During the protest, they raised slogans against the AAP government for illegally detaining the party leaders during their campaigns. In the North assembly constituency, BJP workers led by Sukhminder Singh Pintu organised a protest at Khandewala Chowk on Majitha Road where former MP and Punjab ex-BJP president Shwait Malik also took part. Similarly, demonstrations were held at Khandwala Chowk in Amritsar West assembly constituency, at Sultanwind Chowk in Amritsar South Constituency and at Lohgarh Chowk in Amritsar Central constituency. Speaking on the occasion, c m y b Police seize truck with 600 bags of urea Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service BJP leaders and workers during a protest in Amritsar on Friday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Sandhu alleged that these camps were being organised to provide direct benefits of the various Central Government schemes to the common people. The AAP government got baffled over this as the BJP got immense response at these camps. He said the condition of the common man has worsened during the AAP regime in past three and a half years while the state government was also misusing the funds being provided by the Central Government for the development of Punjab. He said all the people-friendly schemes launched by the previous state governments were also stopped abruptly and now it was using police force to stop the benefits of various Central Government schemes being provided to people. Amritsar, August 22 The police have confiscated a truck carrying around 600 bags of urea fertiliser, amid its acute shortage. The bags of urea which were released to a cooperative society in Bhittewad village, were allegedly being siphoned off and unloaded at a private godown. However, the police got wind of it and a raid was immediately conducted at the spot in a joint operation with officials of the cooperative society. Following preliminary investigations, the police have booked Davinder Singh, secretary of the cooperative society at Bhittewad village, on charges of cheating and criminal conspiracy. He was yet to be arrested. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Dr Sheetal Singh said that the Vallah police received a tip-off that a truck bearing the registration number PB-02-BL-9877, carrying urea, was illegally unloading it at a private godown. The urea was meant to be transferred to the cooperative society in Bhittewad village for further distribution to farmers at subsidised rates. A truck laden with urea fertiliser seized by the Amritsar police. He said police teams swung into action and recovered the truck which had unloaded around 64 bags weighing around 45 kg each at the private godown. When the police reached the spot, the accused Davinder Singh slipped away from the scene and the driver also escaped with the truck. “Immediately, a PCR team chased the truck and intercepted it on Ram Tirath Road,” he said. In the receipt produced by the truck driver, Davinder Singh has signed the documents for receiving the urea which clearly indicate his intention to siphon off the government fertiliser meant for farmers of Bhittewad village. He said a notice has been issued and he was asked to join the investigations. “The investigations would be carried out threadbare to bust the entire nexus of siphoning and smuggling of urea which is distributed to the farmers at subsidised rates,” he said.