22102025-ATR-01.qxd 10/21/2025 11:40 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY RAJYA SABHA MP CELEBRATES DIWALI WITH FLOOD-HIT PEOPLE 11 MORE FILE NOMINATION PAPERS ON LAST DAY AKSHAY, AJAY, KAJOL MOURN VETERAN ACTOR ASRANI’S DEATH Dr Vikramjit Singh Sahney, MP (Rajya Sabha), celebrated Diwali with flood-hit families at Chak Aul village. P2 On the last day of filing of nomination papers, 11 more candidates jumped into the fray on Tuesday. P2 Several Bollywood celebrities mourned the demise of Asrani, calling his death an ‘absolute loss to film industry’. P4 » » » MAX 31°C | MIN 18°C YESTERDAY MAX 31°C | MIN 17°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 5.50 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 6.39 AM WEDNESDAY | 22 OCTOBER 2025 | AMRITSAR Air quality control blows up in smoke as festivities choke city Neha Walia Tribune News Service SSP Ravjot Grewal briefs medipersons about the recovery of illegal arms in Tarn Taran. GURBAXPURI Five gangster aides nabbed with illegal arms near BSF HQs Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, October 21 In a major breakthrough, local CIA staff of the Punjab Police arrested five individuals, including a juvenile, on Sunday night for their involvement in extortion and illegal arms smuggling. The arrests were made near the BSF headquarters along the KhemkaranAmritsar highway. Addressing mediapersons here on Tuesday, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ravjot Grewal said the arrested suspects were working under the direction of notorious gangsters Lakhbir Singh Landa of Harike, Satnam Singh Satta of Naushera Pannuan, Gurdev Singh Jaisal of Chambal, and Gurjant Singh Janta of Jatta village. The accused have been identified as Gurwinder Singh, alias Palli, or Raja and Jashanpreet Singh, alias Tori, both residents of Chela Colony, Bhikhiwind; Amritpal Singh, alias Amrit, of Johal Dhaewala, and Jaswinder Singh, alias Ashu, of Jamarai. The fifth suspect is a juvenile whose identity has not been disclosed by the police due to legal restrictions. The SSP stated that the group was engaged in smuggling weapons from across the border using drones and were also involved in planned target killings. During the arrest, police recovered three pistols, two magazines and five cartridges from their possession. Initial investigations revealed that four of the arrested individuals were new to criminal activity and all are below the age of 24. They were reportedly coerced into gang operations under threats — facing consequences such as shootings at their homes or business establishments if they refused to comply. A case has been registered under Section 111 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 25, 26(6), 25(7)(1), and 25(8) of the Arms Act by the Bhikhiwind police. The police are currently gathering more details about the extortion and other criminal activities carried out by the group. The police say the gang had created an atmosphere of fear in the region through their operations, and further arrests and leads are expected as the investigation continues. Two suspects shoot at Cong’s Chohla Sahib block president Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, October 21 Bhupinder Kumar Nayyar, a resident of Chohla Sahib village and president of the Congress party for the Chohla Sahib block, narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in his village here on Monday. The incident occurred when two masked suspects opened fire on him while he was sitting at his shop in the village. In his complaint lodged with the Chohla Sahib police station, Nayyar said he was seated at his shop located at the village adda (junction) when two masked men on a motorcycle approached. He stated that the attackers stopped a few yards away from his shop. One of the two, reportedly dressed in Nihang attire, got off the bike and came in front of his shop, firing two shots in his direction. Fortunately, both shots missed, and Nayyar escaped unharmed. Nayyar revealed that he had earlier received extortion calls from unidentified gangsters but had chosen to ignore them initially. He eventually reported the matter to the police and requested security. However, no protection has been provided to him to date. He also pointed out that despite multiple requests from traders and shopkeepers in the area, no adequate security arrangements have been made by the police to safeguard the business community in the town. The police have launched an investigation into the attack, and efforts are underway to identify and apprehend the culprits. Amritsar, October 21 Another year, same story. With double festivities being celebrated this year on October 21 — Diwali and Bandi Chhor Diwas — the air quality index (AQI) in Amritsar once again deteriorated, averaging between 224 to 250 as recorded by the air monitoring device installed near the Golden Temple. This falls under the “poor” category, attributed largely to fireworks, stubble burning, and vehicular emissions, consistent with trends from previous years. The Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5) levels were also marked as poor, indicating a significant decline in breathable air quality. Despite yearround efforts by environmental activists and the district administration to control stubble burning and regulate cracker bursting through Residents burst crackers leading to increased levels of pollution in Amritsar on Monday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR limited window periods, the AQI remained in the poor range. The real-time air quality data is sourced from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB). Data over the past three years shows a consistent decline in Amritsar’s air quality during Diwali, with this year’s AQI being 1.02 times higher than the average AQI of other cities in Punjab. In November 2024, Amritsar had recorded an AQI of 369 the day after Diwali. Recent trends suggest worsening conditions, with some areas in Punjab even entering “red” and “severe” AQI categories due to the combined effects of celebratory pollution and crop residue burning. Rajiv Gupta, the official in charge of fire and stubble burning control, said the number of active stubble burning cases has significantly decreased compared Police Commemoration Day observed Amritsar, October 21 The Amritsar Commissionerate Police observed Police Commemoration Day with a solemn ceremony at the Police Lines, where floral tributes were paid to the brave martyrs who laid down their lives in the line of duty. The event was held at the Shaheedi Smarak and witnessed participation from senior officers, dignitaries, and families of police martyrs. Prominent attendees included former minister Lakshmi Kanta Chawla, Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney, DCP (City) Jagjit Singh Walia, DCP (Detective) Ravinder Pal Singh Sandhu, DCP (Law & Order) Alam Vijay Singh, along with several ADCPs, ACPs, SHOs, and a large contingent of police personnel. Under the command of ACP Khushbir Kaur, a ceremonial police contingent presented a guard of honour to the martyrs. A two-minute silence was observed in memory of the bravehearts. During the ceremony, Kamaljit Singh read out Police personnel pay tribute to slain bravehearts in Amritsar on Tuesday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR the names of 191 police and paramilitary personnel across India who attained martyrdom in the past year, including three from Punjab: SubInspector Charanjit Singh, ASI Dhanwant Singh and Constable Harshveer Singh. In his address, Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar highlighted the significance of October 21, marking the sacrifice of 10 CRPF personnel who were martyred in Tribune News Service Gurdaspur, October 21 The Gurdaspur district administration is going all out to prevent stubble burning even as Deputy Commissioner Dalwinderjit Singh instructed officials to fan out in each and every village to make sure that farmers do not resort to stubble burning. Today, the DC and SSP Aditya visited scores of villages and held meetings with farmers, making a fervent appeal not to set crop residue on fire and also making them aware about stubble management. The officials visited Sohal and Sahari villages in the morning where they held meetings. Villagers from adjoining places were also present. The State Agriculture Department has provided farmers with the required agricultural machinery. Offi- The Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner and other officials brief farmers at Sohal village. cials of the Agriculture Department, including Deputy Director Amrik Singh, accompanied them. The officials visited a dozen more villages in the evening. The Deputy Commissioner said last year, there were three incidents of burning stubble at Sohal village, but this year not even a single incident has surfaced till yet. He added that in a positive development, straw bales were being made under stubble management scheme in Sohal. He appreciated the efforts being made by progressive farmer Atar Singh towards curbing burning residue. “Last year, 47 incidents of stubble burning had taken place in the district. However, just five incidents of stubble burning have taken place till yet. We seek the cooperation of the farmers and in a majority of cases we are getting positive responses,” the DC said. He added that if any farmer faces any problem, he could contact the Agriculture Department office, BDPO or the SDM office. SSP Aditya appealed to the farmers to cooperate with the district administration. c m y b 350 lanterns fill sky in tribute to ninth Sikh master Tribune News Service 1959 while patrolling the IndoChina border in Ladakh. He said since then, the day has been observed nationwide to honour all police martyrs. The Police Commissioner praised the Punjab Police’s legacy of courage and sacrifice, especially during the militancy period. “We take immense pride in being part of this brave force which fought terrorism fearlessly during the dark days of mili- tancy,” he said. “Back then, many police personnel left home uncertain of their return, a true testament to their unmatched courage and dedication.” “The 119 police personnel from the Amritsar Commissionerate were martyred during the years of militancy. Our martyrs are our pride, and their families remain an inseparable part of the police fraternity,” he added. — TNS Gurdaspur admn instructs officials to keep One killed, four injured in clash a vigil on farmers to prevent stubble burning Tribune News Service to last year. “Till October 21, the total active farm fire cases stand at 415, as compared to over 1,500 last year. With active on-ground enforcement, stubble burning has largely been checked and hasn’t contributed significantly to the air quality decline in the Majha belt,” he said. Atul Kaushal, Environmental Engineer with the Punjab Pollution Control Board, noted that even though the window for firecracker use was kept short this year, violations were widespread. “The confusion over Diwali being celebrated across two days contributed to unchecked firecracker usage. However, Punjab’s average AQI during Diwali has shown some improvement from last year. This year, the average AQI hovered between 220 and 230, whereas last year it breached the 260 mark,” he stated. Amritsar, October 21 One person was killed and four others sustained serious injuries in a violent clash that erupted at Boparai Khurd village under the jurisdiction of Lopoke police station here on late Monday night. The incident is believed to be the result of a long-standing rivalry between two groups in the village. The deceased has been identified as Hari Singh (65), while the injured include Harjinder Singh, Satwant Singh, Lakhbir Singh and Harpreet Singh, alias Happy. All the injured victims have been admitted to various hospitals in Amritsar for treatment. Keval Singh Pehalwan, former village sarpanch and nephew of the deceased, said the two families have had an old feud. He alleged that the attackers are linked to the ruling party and had previously ATTACKERS WERE CARRYING KIRPANS, DATARS ■ Keval Singh Pehalwan, former village sarpanch and nephew of the deceased, said that the clash occurred when some youths were bursting firecrackers outside Harjinder Singh’s flour mill, which allegedly provoked the rival group to attack them. The attackers reportedly used sharp-edged weapons including kirpans and datars, along with firearms such as a pistol and a .315 bore rifle during the violent assault. framed their family members in false cases. “Earlier, 11 of our people were falsely implicated and five even spent time in jail,” Keval Singh claimed. He further stated that the clash occurred when some youths were bursting firecrackers outside Harjinder Singh’s flour mill, which allegedly provoked the rival group to attack them. The attackers reportedly used sharp-edged weapons including kirpans and datars, along with firearms such as a pistol and a .315 bore rifle during the violent assault. Lopoke Station House Officer (SHO) Satpal Singh confirmed that based on the statement of Jasbir Singh, son of the deceased, a case has been registered against 11 accused under charges of murder and other relevant sections of the IPC. The accused have been identified as Ranjit Singh, Rashpal Singh, Ajit Singh, Ajaymer Singh, Gurtaj Singh, Kashmir Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Avtar Singh, Gurkamal Singh and Bikramjit Singh. Police teams have launched raids to arrest the accused. SHO Satpal Singh stated that the situation in the village remains tense but under control and additional police personnel have been deployed to prevent any further flare-ups or untoward incidents. Amritsar, October 21 The Punjab Government has launched a series of commemorative events to honour the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib, with special programmes scheduled across various districts of the state. At one such event in Rajasansi, Sonia Mann, AAP in-charge for the region, marked the beginning of the celebrations by releasing 350 lantern balloons into the sky. The symbolic gesture was a tribute to the great sacrifice of the ninth Sikh Guru and served as the official start of the anniversary events. Speaking on the occasion, Mann said the government has initiated development projects on a war footing to ensure the success of the celebrations. She emphasised that the roads along the planned procession routes are being cleaned and repaired as a top priority. “These roads are being developed on a priority basis,” she said. “The appearance of the places touched by the feet of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib will be transformed and development work will be carried out in those villages and towns accordingly.” Mann also used the platform to appeal to the public to celebrate a “green Diwali”. She urged people to come together for a pollution-free festival by keeping their surroundings clean and adopting environmentally conscious practices. The event saw participation from local residents and community leaders who paid homage to Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib and pledged to uphold his legacy of sacrifice, courage and righteousness.