06042026-ATR-01.qxd 4/5/2026 11:40 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune POULTRY DREAMS TAKE FLIGHT FOR THIS PROGRESSIVE FARMER BOLLYWOOD MEN ARE REINVENTING WHITE VEST From casual staple to style statement — take cues from star on how to elevate the humble tank. P4 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 29°C | MIN 14°C YESTERDAY MAX 26°C | MIN 13°C ITALIAN DRAMA FEEL MY VOICE TRENDS CHARTS Harmandeep Singh Handa of Chauhan village near Jandiala has successfully diversified into poultry farming. P2 FORECAST The Netflix film is quickly emerging as one of the platform’s most talked-about new dramas. P4 » » SUNSET MONDAY 6.53 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 6.11 AM » MONDAY | 6 APRIL 2026 | AMRITSAR Police bust arms network, two held with explosives NCB summons AAP leader in 17 kg drug case again Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 5 The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has summoned AAP leader Kamal Kumar again in connection with a drug seizure case. He has been asked to appear before the central agency on April 7, a senior NCB official said. He was summoned in connection with the seizure of around 17 kg of drugs in February. The NCB had already arrested an AAP sarpanch, Parminder Singh, alias Pamma, of Kalsian village, in the case. Kamal Kumar had earlier refuted all the allegations, adding that he was fully cooperating with NCB officials who had previously summoned him on March 20. On February 16, the NCB nabbed three drug traffickers and recovered 8.8 kg of heroin, 5.6 kg of methamphetamine — popularly known as ICE — and 3 kg of opium from them. NCB teams had conducted raids near Kakkar and Pandori villages close to Attari. During the operation, three suspects, including Jaspal Singh, alias Jassa of Ajnala, were taken into custody. Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar addresses mediapersons in Amritsar on Sunday. Drug trafficking network exposed, two nabbed with over 4 kg heroin Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 5 In a significant breakthrough against cross-border narcotics smuggling, the Amritsar Commissionerate Police have busted a drug trafficking module by arresting two persons and recovering 4.13 kg of heroin. The arrests were made following a targeted operation based on specific intelligence, Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said. The arrested individuals — Atish Suman (22) of Phagwara and Sawinder Fazilka native dies ‘by suicide’ over financial dispute; one booked Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, April 5 Gurpreet Singh (31), who was currently residing in Patti here, died under mysterious circumstances on Thursday. The family has held Kiran Punjabrao Kadam, a resident of Loleswar in Maharashtra state, responsible for his death. Harpreet Singh, brother of deceased Gurpreet Singh, has lodged a complaint at the Patti police station. The victim came from his native village Paliwala under the Vairoka police station in Fazilka district and lived on Kulla Road in Patti. He died on Thursday after allegedly consuming poisonous substance. Harpreet Singh checked the mobile phone of his deceased brother Gurpreet Singh and found a suicide note in which he had transferred about Rs 20 lakh to the account of Kiran Punjabrao Kadam, but he was not returning him the money, due to which Gurpreet Singh ended his life by consuming poisonous substance. The Patti police have registered a case against Kiran Punjabrao Kadam (of Maharashtra) under Section 108 of the BNS. Earlier on Thursday, a report was registered under Section 194 of the BNS on the complaint of the family. ASI Satnam Singh of the Patti police said that after registering a case, further proceedings have been initiated. Amritsar, April 5 A day after the seizure of an RDX-laden improvised explosive device (IED) by the Amritsar Rural Police, the State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) of Punjab Police has arrested two persons and recovered two hand grenades, along with two pistols and two magazines, from their possession. According to information, the police initially arrested Sarabjit Singh, a resident of Ammishah village in Tarn Taran district. His interrogation later led to the arrest of another suspect, identified as Bikramjit Singh of Nangal Pannuan village. He was apprehended in Gujarat, sources said. Preliminary investigations revealed that the explosives were intended to target police personnel and other vital establishments. Recently, unidentified persons had hurled grenades at the Bhindi Saida police station, located just three kilo- arms, police teams set up a naka (checkpoint) and intercepted him, a police official said. A thorough search led to the recovery of the weapons and explosives from his possession. Investigations further revealed that Sarabjit was allegedly running an organised network for supplying hand grenades and IEDs in the region. Following his arrest, the police launched raids to apprehend other members of the gang, which led to the arrest of Bikramjit. It is learnt that the accused were acting on the directions of Shahzad Bhatti, who has also been named in the case registered under the Explosive Substances Act and the Arms Act. Further investigation is ongoing. Sources added that mobile phones of the intended recipients in Gurdaspur were found switched off soon after the arrest, raising suspicions of a wider network. The police are now probing possible crossborder links and mapping the entire supply chain. Singh, alias Sundri (28), of Boparai Kalan village — were in direct contact with Europe-based handlers as well as operatives lodged in jail, preliminary investigations revealed. They were allegedly involved in facilitating the supply and distribution of heroin consignments in the Majha and Doaba regions, the Police Commissioner added. Sharing details, Bhullar said that acting on credible inputs, the police first apprehended Atish Suman and recovered 220 grams of heroin from him. During sustained interrogation, he led the police to an additional 670 grams of the contraband from his possession. Based on his disclosures, the police then arrested his associate, Sawinder Singh, from whom a major quantity of 3.24 kg of heroin was seized. Both the accused have prior criminal records under the NDPS Act and the Arms Act. Police officials said investigations are ongoing to trace the forward and backward linkages of the network, and more arrests and recoveries are expected. BSF recovers 508 gm heroin in Tarn Taran Commuters suffer as road projects remain stalled Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, April 5 A team of BSF jawans, led by Inspector Prakash Soni, recovered a packet weighing 548 grams from near Naushera Dhala village here, of which 508 grams was heroin. Contraband was dropped by drone that came from Pak side ASI Nirmal Singh, posted at the Sarai Amanat Khan police station, said that the contraband was dropped by a drone, which came from the Pakistan side. A case has been registered under Sections 21-C, 61 and 85 of the Narcotic, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and Sections 10, 11 and 12 of the Aircraft Act on Saturday. The State Special Operation Cell of Punjab Police has arrested two persons and recovered two hand grenades from their possession. metres ahead of the barbed fence near the India-Pakistan International Border. In addition, grenades were also thrown at the BJP office in Chandigarh. There has been a surge in the seizure of explosives, including hand grenades, IEDs, and sophisticated weapons, recovered by state agencies from across the border. Police sources said Sarabjit, who initially worked as a daily wage labourer to support his family, came into contact with drug peddlers about three years ago. He gradually became involved in supplying drugs as well as illegal arms and explosives allegedly smuggled from Pakistan using drones. Acting on a specific tip-off that Sarabjit Singh was travelling from Tarn Taran to Gurdaspur to transport Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 5 Despite repeated announcements by local political leaders and assurances from the administration that tenders would soon materialise, several major roads in Amritsar are yet to be recarpeted, leaving commuters struggling with deteriorating conditions. Large potholes on these roads have become a daily hazard for residents, leading to traffic congestion and inconvenience. The situation worsens during rainfall, when these potholes fill with water and pose a serious risk to commuters’ safety. The delay is primarily attributed to the incomplete tendering process of two key road projects under the Amritsar Municipal Corporation. As per information, the tender for upgrading and beautifying 25 major roads has not been opened due to the nonreceipt of funds from the gov- The Batal road in a pathetic condition in Amritsar on Sunday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR ernment. The deadline for opening this tender has already been extended seven times. Similarly, tenders for the second phase of mechanical sweeping of inner and outer city roads have also been postponed, with the latest date now fixed for April 6. As a result, both projects remain in limbo. If the tenders are not finalised soon, the upcoming monsoon season could further delay recarpeting and other road works. Meanwhile, a separate project announced by the Central Government to upgrade 15 kilometres of city roads to international standards has also been put on hold due to a lack of funds, despite the appointment of a consultant. The Rs 55-crore project for the beautification and upgradation of 25 roads was floated on January 30, 2025, but has yet to make progress. The roads included under the tender com- prise key stretches such as McLeod Road-Sadar police station, Putlighar Chowk to India Gate, Bhandari Bridge to Putlighar Chowk-Pipli Sahib Gurdwara Road, Shivala Road from Hussainpura Chowk to Mall Road, Rani Ka Bagh-Sadar police station, Basant Avenue main road, Shastri Nagar main road, 100 Feet Road from GT Road to Sultanwind Road, the Court Road stretch from Rialto Chowk to Bhandari Bridge, Court Road, Chamarang Road from GT Road to Sultanwind Road, Kashmir Avenue main road, Bhandari Bridge to Qila Gobindgarh, Majitha Road from Hussainpura Chowk to Guru Gobind Singh Chowk, Old Jail Road, Kitchlu Chowk to Nari Niketan, the stretch beneath the elevated road from Bhandari Bridge to Alpha One, Islamabad, Sher Shah Suri Road from GT Road to the bypass, the Civil Hospital Road from continued on page 2 Students use art to question censorship of Punjab 95 Hailstorm, rain & winds destroy standing wheat crop in Majitha Neha Saini Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 5 A clip from an eight-minute dance choreography by students of the Department of Engineering and Technology at Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) has gone viral for questioning the censorship of Punjab 95, a film led by Diljit Dosanjh that has struggled to secure a release. In the clip, BTech students from the university present a dance enactment that questions why the film, based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, has yet to be released. The choreography begins with a young girl questioning her grandmother while holding ashes in her hand, asking what happened to her grandfather years ago. Over the course of eight minutes, the performance touches upon A grab of the viral video of GNDU students holding the poster of the film Punjab 95 in Amritsar. the painful past of extrajudicial killings and the disappearance of youth during the insurgency and counter-insurgency operations in Punjab during the 1980s and 1990s. Raising their voices on stage for a film that has been stalled for over two years, the act was conceived and directed by Gulzar Singh, a student of GNDU’s Music Depart- ment, and Bacchanpal Singh, a former student of the university. Both are theatre artistes who have been actively involved in youth festivals. “Our aim was not to make any politically provocative statement; we simply wanted to question the logic behind delaying a film that revisits an important and factually grounded part of Punjab’s history,” said Gulzar Singh. Karanbir Singh, a BTech Computer Science student at GNDU who participated in the enactment, said, “The act was created to encourage Punjab’s youth to speak out against oppression in any form. A film about Jaswant Singh Khalra, who stood against extrajudicial killings, must be released. Let people watch it and decide for themselves. Labelling those who support c m y b its release as ‘Khalistani’ or ‘separatist’ is unfair.” Gulzar added that the team deliberated extensively before proceeding with the concept. “We wanted to avoid any messaging that could be misinterpreted or trigger controversy. A film like Dhurandhar becomes a major hit, and Punjabi artistes like Satinder Sartaaj are used in its promotion. Meanwhile, Punjab 95, which tells Punjab’s story and stars a globally acclaimed artiste like Diljit Dosanjh, remains unreleased. People deserve to know their own history,” he said. Who was Jaswant Singh Khalra? Jaswant Singh Khalra was a Sikh human rights activist who exposed approximately 25,000 cases of alleged continued on page 2 Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 5 A heavy hailstorm accompanied by rain and high-velocity winds has caused widespread damage to standing crops across several villages in the Majitha area, leaving farmers distressed. Farmers reported that crops such as wheat, peas, and maize have suffered extensive losses, with the worst-hit villages witnessing intense hailstorms. Residents said hailstones, some as large as gram seeds, lashed fields for a prolonged period, flattening crops and washing away grains. Satinderpal Singh, a farmer from Harrian village, said his maize crop spread over 17 acres, along with tomato and A farmer with his damaged wheat crop in Amritsar. wheat crops, has been severely damaged. “Most of the grains have been knocked off and washed away due to the hailstorm. The loss is unbearable,” he said. Farmers also expressed resentment over the absence of officials from the Agriculture Department and the local administration. continued on page 2