11122025-ATR-01.qxd 12/10/2025 10:35 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY INSTITUTE INDEPENDENT EC TO SAVE DEMOCRACY: HARSIMRAT ‘HIDDEN SUGAR’ PUSHING YOUTH TOWARDS DIABETES: EXPERTS IT’S DREAM COME TRUE FOR AMRITSAR GIRL ANEET PADDA Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Wednesday called for the institution of an independent Election Commission. P2 Hidden sugar in everyday food products is silently pushing people towards pre-diabetes condition. P3 MAX 23°C | MIN 7°C YESTERDAY MAX 23°C | MIN 7°C The World TV premiere of Amritsar girl Aneet Padda’s film Saiyaara on Sony MAX is on December 20. P4 » » SUNSET THURSDAY 5.27 PM » SUNRISE FRIDAY 7:20 AM AMRITSAR | THURSDAY | 11 DECEMBER 2025 Amritsar police bust cross-border module, seize 5 kg contraband Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 10 The Commissionerate of Police, Amritsar, on Wednesday claimed to have busted an organised drug cartel operating through Pakistan-based and other foreign handlers, who used WhatsApp communication and drone-based deliveries for smuggling. Officials said that during multiple intelligence-driven operations held during the past five days, the police have arrested three key operatives and uncovered a wider network linked to international smugglers. Three FIRs have been registered at police stations of Gate Hakima and Chheharta in this connection. Sharing details, Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that in the first case, the police arrested Balwinder Singh with 35 gm of methamphetamine, popularly known as ICE. After his disclosures Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, Commissioner of Police, addresses mediapersons regarding the arrest of three persons, in Amritsar on Wednesday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR the police recovered an additional over 2 kg of ICE from a concealed location. Apart from this, it confiscated a car, a mobile phone and Rs 2,500 drug money from him. Further interrogation revealed that he was working directly with a Pakistan- based trafficker, who used to share drone-drop locations through WhatsApp. Balwinder, a resident of Daoke village in Amritsar rural, reportedly owns agricultural land near the international border with Pakistan and facilitated drone-based deliveries using coded messages. In another operation, the police arrested Navtej Singh with 40 gm ICE. As per the initial probe, he was in contact with a handler in Doha, Qatar, during his stay abroad. After returning to India, Navtej continued working as a courier, retrieving narcotics from designated locations on instructions sent through WhatsApp. His disclosures led to the recovery of 1.966 kg ICE, taking the total seizure from him to over 2 kg. The police also seized an Activa scooter used for transporting drugs. Navtej, hailing from Mahawa village in Amritsar rural, has two previous NDPS cases, including a 1.04 kg heroin case registered in 2021. Similarly, in the third operation, the police apprehended Mahabir Singh with over 1 kg heroin. Investigations indicate that he received heroin consignments through drones launched from Pakistan. A motorcycle was also confiscated from his possession. Mahabir, a resident of Kaaliyan Sektaran village in Tarn Taran, worked as a porter and had no previous criminal history. 3 youths killed, one hurt after car rams into bypass pillar Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 10 In a late-night accident on Tuesday, three youths lost their lives while another was critically injured after a speeding Hyundai Verna rammed into a flyover pillar on Mahal village bypass under the cantonment police station limits here. The accident occurred around 1.30 am, when the car reportedly being driven at very high speed, went out of control and smashed into the pillar with immense force. The police from nearby Mahal police post reached the spot and took the bodies into custody. One youth fell outside the car, while the other two were taken out with difficulty after removing the car doors. According to relatives present at the site, the victims — Jaskaran Singh (21) and Diljaan Singh (23) of Chak Mishri Khan village, Jobanjeet Singh (32) of Lopoke and Avtar Singh (28) of Boparai Baaj village — were returning to Amritsar from Lopoke in a friend’s Verna car. Diljaan was driving the vehicle. He was also seriously injured in the incident. According to the police, he was out of danger now. The impact was so severe that the engine reportedly was found nearly 10 feet away. Some passersby after seeing the victims trapped inside the mangled car, stopped their vehicles and began rescue efforts. With the help of police, all four youths were pulled out after nearly half an hour of struggle. By then, Jaskaran, Jobanjeet and Avtar had succumbed to their injuries. Diljaan was found breathing and was rushed to a nearby hospital. Mangled remains of the car near Mahal flyover bypass in Amritsar. One killed, 1 hurt in indiscriminate Farmers remove pre-paid electric firing between two gangs in Sarhali meters, hand these to officials Gurbaxpuri Tarn Taran, December 10 One gangster was killed and another injured seriously when firing started between two groups of criminals in the grain market of Sarhali township on Wednesday evening. DSP Patti Lovekesh Saini has confirmed the incident, stating that one person had died and another injured in the incident, and said that he was leaving for the spot. According to the information collected from the local Civil Hospital, the deceased has been identified as Ajaypal Singh (25), son of Mukhtar Singh, a resident of Sangha village, while the injured has been identified as Man arrested for threatening AAP leader Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 10 The Amritsar Rural police have arrested a man for allegedly issuing death threats to Sonia Maan, Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajasansi constituency in charge. According to the police, a written complaint was submitted by Sonia’s social media handler, stating that on December 8, an unknown person, using the ID @preet_jatit581, uploaded threatening posts on social media, claiming that he would shoot and kill her. Taking the matter seriously, the police immediately registered an FIR under relevant sections of the BNS and Information Technology act at the cyber crime police station. During the technical investigation and human intelligence gathering, the police identified the person operating the said social media ID as Gopi, a resident of Bhindi Saida area. The accused was promptly arrested. The bullet-ridden XUV parked at the local hospital. PHOTO BY WRITER Avinash Kumar (27), son of Rajinder Kaur, who was admitted at the hospital. Keeping in view his serious condition, he has been referred to Guru Nanak Hospital, Amritsar. There are reports that the two groups of the gangsters were enjoying at two different places around Sarhali and challenged each other. Following this, both came to the grain market of Sarhali, where one group opened fire at the other, leading toindiscriminate firing between both sides. Ajaypal received a bullet in his head from the back side while another one hit him in the thigh. Avinash was injured in the leg. He had remained behind bars in connection with a case and was released from jail recently. One of the gangster group is associated with the Arashdeep Singh, a resident of Ruriwala (Chohla Sahib). After Avinash was referred to Guru Nanak Hospital, the other gangsters took him in their own car, leaving behind the XUV with the bullet marks at the hospital. The Sarhali police have initiated further proceedings. Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, December 10 The local district units of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and that of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC), Punjab, removed the pre-paid electricity meters installed with the powercom meters and handed over these to officials of the powercom at subdivisions across the district on Wednesday. Satnam Singh Manochahal and Harijinder Singh Shakri, district president and district general secretary of the KMSC, respectively, said here today that in the district a total number of 10,000 prepaid electric meters installed Farm leaders with the pre-paid meters at Naushehra Pannuan subdivision office. PHOTO: GURBAXPURI with the old ones would be removed and handed over the powercom officials at the sub-division. Harjinder Singh Shakri, a farm leader, said that under his leadership more than 400 pre-paid meters had been removed from the meters of the consumers and were given to the officials of subdivision at Sarhali and Naushehra Pannuan today. At other places women leaders of the organisation Ranjit Kaur Kalha, Davinder Kaur Piddi and Upjit Kaur led the movement. Manochahal said that according to an estimate, the organisation would remove about 10,000 pre-paid meters in the district and hand these over to the authorities concerned. The leaders said the Union and the state governments were trying to hand over the distribution system of electricity to corporate sector, but this will not be allowed to succeed. The leaders have demanded the repealing of the Electricity Amendment Bill-2025. Twist in murder Despite minister writing to Chief Secy, teachers case; killer friend, put on election duty; students likely to suffer not husband: Cops Widows, mothers, pregnant, unmarried women staff should be exempt, demands front Neha Saini Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 10 A new twist has emerged in the murder case of Mumbai resident Savita Sonkar, whose body was found from a rest house near the railway station on Sunday night. While initial suspicion was directed at her ‘husband’, the police investigation has now revealed that she was actually murdered by her friend Akshay Rathore. In a dramatic turn of events, Akshay’s body was also found on the Jandiala Guru railway track on Tuesday evening. He allegedly committed suicide by jumping before the train. The government railway police have started inquest proceedings in the case. Gurpreet Singh, SHO, Civil Lines police station, said that a case of murder had been registered against Akshay after Savita’s body was found in the room which had reportedly been rented with a fake identity. The probe revealed that Akshay had checked into the rest house on Saturday using an Aadhaar card belonging to a man named Ganesh, indicating that he had deliberately concealed his identity. Savita’s body, bearing signs of struggle and possible strangulation, was found from the room on Sunday night. The police suspect that Akshay killed her after an altercation and fled the scene. The SHO said both families had been informed of the developments. With Akshay now found dead, the case has taken a complex turn. Akshay’s body was identified with the help of the mobile phone number, which he had given at the rest house. The mobile phone was found from near his body at Jandiala Guru, which revealed his identity. Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 10 Even though Education Minister Harjot Bains had written to Chief Secretary to exclude teachers from poll duties in the interest of students, his words seem to have little effect as in the recent zila parishad and panchayat samiti elections schoolteachers have been deployed for SIR and booth-level duties. Hundreds of teachers from Amritsar have been assigned as booth-level officer (BLO) duties in the polls and are travelling 80-100 km almost daily to report at their jobs. Democratic Teachers Front district president Ashwini Awasthi said that the district administration had crossed all limits because this time the election duties of widows, mothers, pregnant and unmarried women employees had also been assigned. Talking about the duties of BLOs, the teachers said that c m y b Delegation of DTF (Amritsar) demands exemption from poll duties for teachers, in Amritsar. the work of drawing, counting and revising votes was done by BLOs at their booths throughout the year. “Adding to the pressure, there are strict orders from the Election Commission and the administration for the BLOs to clear the pendency and book a call in the BLO app daily. For the last few months, the work of SIR (Special Intensive Revision) by the EC is also being done with great dedication by the BLOs despite many difficulties. Despite this, it is completely unfair to impose election duty on BLOs this time as well,” said Gurbinder Khairah, a government schoolteacher from Amritsar. Awasthi said that in 2025, government schools have had several disruptions. “Teachers have remained engaged in poll duties. Almost all senior secondary teachers, even of important subjects like maths, science, social science and English have been assigned poll duties. Students remained at receiving end as classroom teaching suffered. This time, most schools are functioning with marginal teaching capacity as teachers have been engaged in SIR and poll duties. Add to that school closures due to IndiaPak escalations in May, followed by floods. It has been a bad year for school education in Punjab,” he said. He further condemned that women teachers were being harassed due to these duties. Polling is on December 14. In several districts, women teachers have been posted 70 to 100 km away from their parent school, making it difficult for them to travel. “On the day before polls, they will have to stay overnight despite many safety issues. Rehearsals have been conducted on December 8, and on December 11 and December 13. Many female teachers faced safety issues as they had to travel really late at night, some without any family member to accompany them,” said Awasthi. The teachers demanded exemption as the BLOs had been busy with their department work as well as election work throughout the year. They demanded that in these elections, relief be given to chronically ill, widows, mothers, pregnant employees.