30032026-ATR-01.qxd 3/29/2026 11:48 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY/RAIN MAX 28°C | MIN 20°C YESTERDAY MAX 28°C | MIN 18°C FARMER TURNS TO ANIMAL REARING, MILKS HUGE PROFITS FARMERS WORRIED AS OVERNIGHT RAIN DAMAGES WHEAT VIJAY VARMA TURNS MATKA KING A marginal farmer from a small hamlet in Gurdaspur has reaped significant rewards after his shift to dairy farming. P2 Overnight moderate to heavy rain caused considerable damage to wheat crop in Tarn Taran, much to farmers’ worry. P2 Prime Video celebrated Vijay’s birthday by announcing April 17 as the premiere of his upcoming drama Matka King. P4 » » SUNSET MONDAY 6.48 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 6:20 AM » MONDAY | 30 MARCH 2026 | AMRITSAR Jathedar seeks action against NCB Zomato delivery youth found murdered in Ranjit Avenue officials in BSF jawan’s custodial death Body found in basement of an under-construction building Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 29 Akal Takht’s acting Jathedar, Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj, on Sunday demanded strict action against officials of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in connection with the alleged custodial death of a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan in Amritsar. During his visit to Jammu, he met the family of Jaswinder Singh, a BSF jawan, who died due to alleged torture while in the NCB custody, on March 21. Expressing solidarity with the bereaved family, he assured that the community stood firmly with them in their pursuit of justice. Gargajj urged the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Government to ensure justice in the case. He alleged that the victim was subjected to brutal torture, which led to his death, and claimed that the family had Akal Takht’s acting Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj with family members of the BSF jawan in Jammu. observed visible injury marks on body of the deceased. “If deceased had committed any offence, the law should have taken its course. Custodial torture and killing cannot be justified under any circumstances,” he said. Gargajj termed the incident “deeply unfortunate”, stating that even a soldier safeguarding the nation’s borders was not safe. Jaswinder Singh was taken into custody by the NCB near Billol Bridge of Miran Sahib on March 3. It has been alleged that he was subjected to torture for nearly 17 days, which eventually led to his death. Posted at the Bangladesh border, he had come on leave to his house in Jammu when he was picked by the NCB. He was being brought to Amritsar from Jammu when his health condition deteriorated. He was admitted to a private hospital here where he died on March 21. The incident had led to a strong protest by the family members and relatives of the jawan in Jammu which ultimately led to the registration of an FIR against NCB officials in Jammu. On March 25, the Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PSHRC) took a suo motu cognizance of the alleged custodial death. The commission sought detailed reports from the Zonal Director of the NCB, the District Magistrate and the Commissioner of Police, Amritsar. The commission specifically called for the judicial inquiry report, post-mortem findings along with videography, medical treatment records during custody, and the opinion of a board of doctors regarding the exact cause of death. Additionally, the District and Sessions Judge, Amritsar, was requested to expedite submission of the inquest report. Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 29 Panic gripped the posh Ranjit Avenue area after body of a Zomato delivery youth was found in the basement of an under-construction building in DBlock on Friday night. The deceased has been identified as Arvinder Singh (30), a resident of Green City, Naraingarh area in Chheharta. He had sustained severe head injuries. Though the incident occurred late on Friday, the police were informed on Saturday afternoon, following which the body was taken into custody and sent for a postmortem examination. Ranjit Avenue police station Station House Officer (SHO) Inspector Robin Hans said a murder case was registered against unidentified persons in this Arvinder Singh. FILE PHOTO connections. “CCTV footage from the area is being examined, and efforts are underway to trace the accused,” the SHO said. According to the victim’s family, Arvinder, also known as Babblu, had left home on Friday morning for work, but did not return at night. After unsuccessful attempts to locate him through friends, the victim’s fami- ly was informed by the police next day about the recovery of his body near the construction site. Victim’s father, Balwinder Singh, said Arvinder had been working as a delivery boy for several years and was the sole breadwinner of the family, while his younger brother was working abroad. The victim’s family has alleged that the murder could be linked to monetary dispute as he had lent money to his few acquaintances in the market. Victim’s sister, Harpreet Kaur claimed that some persons, who had borrowed money from him, had been avoiding repayment and might have lured him to a secluded spot before killing him. The bereaved family has sought justice and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits who committed murder. Cong councillors raise objections over Figures contradict perceptions, small size but big expectations limited time allocation for discussion SGPC BUDGET Charanjit Singh Teja MC HOUSE MEETING Tribune News Service Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 29 Political tensions have intensified ahead of the Municipal Corporation (MC) budget meeting scheduled tomorrow, with opposition councillors raising strong objections over the limited time allocated for discussion. Congress councillor Vikas Soni has condemned the decision to allow only 30 minutes for budget discussion and accused the administration of adopting a “dictatorial” approach. He demanded that the budget session should be extended to at least three days so that issues related to all 85 wards can be discussed in detail. Soni said, “If councillors are not given adequate time to speak, the Congress will be forced to launch a protest.” He questioned how 85 councillors could present their concerns on critical civic issues such as garbage management, sewer blockages, drinking water shortage and The office of the Municipal Corporation at Ranjit Avenue in Amritsar. malfunctioning streetlights within just half an hour. Congress councillors have also made it clear that they would not accept any table agenda being pushed through without proper discussion and deliberation in the House. Raising further concerns, Soni pointed out that no House meeting had been convened over the past one year. He said the upcoming session was a mere formality being conducted under compulsion as the financial year draws to a close on March 31. According to him, the administration was rushing to pass the budget without meaningful debate. He also alleged that the Mayor and the Municipal Commissioner had sidelined established democratic traditions by failing to consult opposition parties before finalising the budget proceedings. The Congress has warned that any attempt to suppress discussion or bypass due process would be strongly opposed inside and outside the House. Amritsar, March 29 The annual budget presented by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on March 28 for the financial year 2026-27 challenges many common perceptions about its financial strength. Since this is an election year in Punjab, political parties and factions of the Akali Dal often make exaggerated claims about the SGPC’s budget. In the past, some political voices even created the impression that the SGPC’s budget was equal to that of the Punjab Government. However, the actual figures show that there is no comparison. While the Punjab Government presented a budget of about Rs 2.60 lakh crore on March 8, the SGPC’s budget is only Rs 1,487.41 crore. Addressing this misconception, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami stated in his budget speech, “Contrary to popular belief, the SGPC budget is just 0.9 per cent of the Punjab Government’s Office-bearers attend budget meeting of the SGPC in Amritsar. budget, roughly equal to that of a large municipal corporation.” He said misleading propaganda was often spread regarding this issue. There are some reasons why people tend to believe such misconceptions. Around 47 per cent of the SGPC’s total income comes from offerings (golak) at gurdwaras. Out of the total funds collected, around 25 per cent is spent on salaries, while 28 per cent goes towards headquarters expenses and gratuity funds. Many Sikhs feel that the SGPC does not promote religion as effectively as expected, especially since only Rs 120 crore is allocated to the Dharam Prachar Committee. Similarly, areas where the SGPC often faces criticism, include support for Sikligar and Vanjara Sikhs and poor village granthis, who receive only Rs 7.61 crore. This amount also includes support for Nihang groups, legal aid for political prisoners in jail, monthly assistance for Bandi Singhs, pensions for families of those who sacrificed their lives for Sikhism and help for martyrs’ and injured families, as well as religious outreach through social organisations. The SGPC is also criticised for not promoting modern education. However, despite limited resources, it runs 31 higher education institutions including universities, medical colleges and 50 primary and secondary schools. A total of Rs 12.50 crore has been allocated for free education for Sikh children, including fee support for Amritdhari students, free education for Amritdhari girls, and aid for poor students. It also includes preparation for administrative and judicial services through Nishchay Academy. An additional Rs 5 crore has been set aside for coaching students who clear preliminary exams. Moreover, Rs 66.77 crore has been allocated to educational institutions for infrastructure, maintenance and support to institutes —Miri Piri Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Shahabad Markanda, Haryana, and Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University, Fatehgarh Sahib. Despite what the numbers show, the common Sikh expects the SGPC to go beyond statements and take concrete action on key religious and social issues. However, the budget leaves little room for this, as both the estimated income and expenditure stand at Rs 1,487.41 crore, leaving no extra funds to meet wider expectations. Since this is an election year, criticism of the SGPC is likely to continue based on these existing perceptions, despite Dhami trying to address these concerns in his speech. Amid fuel shortage worries, pvt schools delay reopening for new session AAP councillor among 4 Neha Saini Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 29 The reported fuel shortage and panic buying triggered across Punjab, despite Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announcing adequate stocks for 12 days, has worried managements and heads of private schools in the district. A majority of pupils studying in private schools across the district use school buses to commute to their respective institutions. With fuel shortage concerns raised due to the ongoing Iran-US war, most managements have either extended reopening of their respective private schools for the new session or shifted to online classes for a short time. Some private schools running elementary classes have sent messages to parents about starting online classes for their wards until the possible fuel shortage sit- Residents wait for their turn to get their vehicles refuelled outside a petrol station at Kachehri Chowk in Amritsar. uation becomes clear. Meanwhile, other private schools are keeping all options open for their students. “Usually, we begin our new session from April 1. This time we have extended reopening of our school till April 6. The last two days when fuel shortage was reported across the district, we ensured that fuel stock for our school vans was adequate as senior classes are still going on,” said Amandeep Kaur, director, St Soldier Elite Senior Secondary School. The school has three branches in Jandiala, Majitha and at Ram Tirath which opened recently. “We have around 2,500 students at Jandiala branch, a c m y b majority of whom use school buses to commute. Extending reopening of schools for the new session seems to be practical solution for now,” said Amandeep. “At present, we have a school break. We will reopen for the new session from April 7 or after Baisakhi. By that time the fuel supply situation will become clear. Also, we have many students who come from nearby villages on school buses. So, we will take decision accordingly,” said Bindu Bhalla, principal, RD Khosla School, Batala. Meanwhile, small eateries and restaurants across Amritsar district are facing severe LPG shortage, with many turning to coal or electric appliances for preparing eatables. Owners of eateries have reported black marketing of cylinders with LPG prices doubling or tripling. This has forced many eateries and restaurants to reduce their menus, and lay off staff leading to significant drop in daily sales. Despite government claims of increased allocation of LPG cylinders, supply remains inconsistent and insufficient across the district. named in land fraud case Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 29 The city police have booked an AAP councillor among four persons for criminal trespass and criminal intimidation in an alleged land fraud case. However, despite registration of an FIR, the police have not been able to arrest four accused, said the complainant. He urged the police to arrest the accused and provide justice to the family. Those booked were identified Ashok Kumar, Rakesh Kumar, deed writer Mangat Ram Silli and Daljit Singh. In a press conference here today, complainant Ashwani Kumar Sahdev, a resident of Friends Colony, said the case was registered following a probe by an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP). He along with Kanwaljit Singh Nanda claimed that they had been receiving death threats from the accused after registration of the case. They urged the state government and senior police officials to ensure arrest of the accused. They also asked the police to provide them protection. Sahdev, who runs a goldsmith shop, alleged that the accused had prepared fake documents to facilitate a fraudulent registry of his ancestral property measuring 601 square yards on GT Road at Daburji and attempted to take possession of the land in connivance with deed writer and others. He added that a petition in this regard had already been filed in a court. The police maintained that investigations were in progress and action would be taken as per law.