08052026-ATR-01.qxd 5/7/2026 11:25 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune MC DISTRIBUTES SAFETY GEAR TO 1.7K SAFAI SEWAKS GURDASPUR’S JUDOKA AWAITS AID FROM JFI Rehaan Sharma has won a gold medal in the DAV National Judo Championships. P3 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 21°C YESTERDAY MAX 34.4°C | MIN 20.8°C ABHISHEK BACHCHAN’S FACEOFF WITH SRK The Municipal Corporation of Amritsar distributes equipment worth approximately ~36 lakh. P2 FORECAST Abhishek is playing a nasty arch-villain in King, at the personal request of Shah Rukh Khan. P4 » » SUNSET FRIDAY 7.04 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 5:33 AM » FRIDAY | 8 MAY 2026 | AMRITSAR Diversion of cops to VIP duty ‘delays’ Khasa blast probe Large number of personnel deployed for CM Bhagwant Mann’s Shukrana Yatra Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Police personnel check a car during a night-domination operation in Amritsar. Police personnel in civvies keep vigil Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 7 In the aftermath of two backto-back IED blasts outside high security and sensitive installations, including the Border Security Force Headquarters at Jalandhar and Army cantonment area at Khasa in Amritsar, the security has been tightened in the border belt. The police have increased deployment and launched extensive domination exercises in sensitive areas especially during nights. Lists of potential criminals and anti-social elements, including persons who could provide shelter or logistical support to offenders, have also been prepared. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said cops in civil dress have been deployed to keep an eye on suspicious vehicles, especially two-wheelers and cars, that could be used in criminal activities. The police teams are sharing real-time information through wireless communication, enabling quick-response teams to intercept and question suspects, he added. Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav visited Jalandhar and Amritsar on Wednesday and reviewed the prevailing security situation and held meetings with Army, BSF and other sister agencies to review the security arrangements amid heightened concerns following the recent blasts. The DGP has issued strict directions to intensify vigilance across the district. Bhullar said a special check- ing campaign was also being conducted across the city to keep a close watch on suspicious activities last night. He added that special teams of the CIA staff have been assigned to monitor such suspicious individuals and maintain surveillance. Considering Amritsar’s importance as a major tourist destination, the police have intensified checking operations at hotels and guest houses. Special inspections are being carried out during late-night and early-morning hours to ensure that no suspicious element finds shelter in the city. Besides visible police deployment, ambushes and trap points have been laid at strategic locations to catch criminals without any warning. Amritsar, May 7 With a large number of cops deployed on VIP duty for Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s Shukrana Yatra, the investigations into the blast outside the Army cantonment in Khasa have been delayed. Personnel from seven police districts remained on their toes on Thursday, as Shukrana Yatra, which commenced from Anandpur Sahib yesterday, entered Amritsar from Jalandhar amid high security. Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Morcha led Sarwan Singh Pandhar had announced to confront the CM during the yatra on issues concerning the farming community and labourers. However, they were stopped at Jabbowal village leading to a confrontation with the police. "We have been on the VIP duty since early morning and hundreds of police personnel have been deployed along the route for the CM's visit to Golden Temple," said a senior police official wishing not to be named. The diversion of police personnel to the VIP duty has raised serious concerns about the pace of investigations in the twin blast cas- Forensic experts examine the blast site outside Army Cantonment in Khasa, Amritsar. es. With senior officers and field teams reassigned to provide security cover to the visiting dignitaries, crucial investigative work has been hit. The border state was rocked by two back-to-back IED blasts near the high-security installations in Tuesday night. Though Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav claimed that the investigations were being carried out in close coordination with the Army, BSF and other sister agencies and multiple teams were working on human intelligence, technical inputs and forensic evidence, the VIP duty has surely hampered the probe. According to sources, several officers who were actively pursuing leads in the blast cases have been withdrawn to manage elaborate security arrangements. “In such investigations, every hour lost weakens the trail. When manpower is diverted, critical clues face Drones, explosions, sirens kept them on edge, recall border area residents YEAR ON Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service A volunteer of Dera Kar Sewa Bhuri Wale waters plants along the bypass road in Amritsar. Nurturing saplings with spirit of service Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 7 When most people are still asleep, Harjinder Singh begins his day at 5 in the morning. After offering prayers and having a light breakfast, he, along with a sewadar, climbs onto a truckmounted water tanker and hits the road. His mission is simple yet powerful: To water hundreds of saplings growing along roads in Amritsar. Harjinder Singh is not a famous environmental activist, nor does he seek attention for his work. He is a volunteer with Dera Kar Sewa Bhuri Wale and works as a driver. Yet, many of the green saplings lining the roads of Amritsar flourish because of his daily dedication to the cause. Accompanied by another volunteer from the dera, Harjinder spends four to five hours every day watering saplings planted along the selected road. Whether it is the scorching summer heat or the freezing winter cold, the routine never stops. Under the leadership of Baba Kashmir Singh Bhuri Wale, Dera Kar Sewa has carried out several beautification and plantation projects in the city. The organisation has transformed the banks of the Upper Bari Doab Canal with thousands of trees, shrubs, flowers and walking paths. It has also developed the central verge of Tarn Taran Road with greenery and landscaping. Over the past several years, the dera has also been actively planting and maintaining trees along roads managed by the Municipal Corporation, Public Works Department (PWD) and National Highways Authority of India. Ram Singh, spokesperson of Dera Kar Sewa Bhuri Wale, says environmental protection is deeply connected with faith, spirituality and seva. “There are many forms of seva, and planting and caring for trees is one of the most meaningful services,” he says. Continued on Page 2 Amritsar, May 7 City residents still vividly remember the India-Pakistan tensions when sighting of drones, sound of explosions and siren kept them on the edge during Operation Sindoor last year. Residents of the Khasa area — located 16 km from the International Border — saw several drones being neutralised mid-air by the Indian air defence system. As per Rajwinder Kaur, a Khasa resident, they saw red streaks in the sky that burst in the air with loud blasts. Explosions were heard in different parts of the district and the residents remained concerned about the safety of their near and dear ones. Residents of Wadala Bhittewad village assist an Army man in placing sand bags around explosives in Amritsar. FILE PHOTO Rajwinder Kaur said initially her entire family and people in the neighborhood were anxious over the developments, but gradually they became confident as Indian Armed Forces thwarted Pakistan’s nefarious designs. She added that they were equally surprised at Pakistan’s capability of sending a large number of hi-tech drones. It also became clear that how some people in Pakistan were using the same technology to smuggle in contraband. Gurinder Singh said the natives of the border district had a tense night on May 9 as a complete blackout was clamped in response to escalating tensions. The renewed attempts by Pakistan came after the Indian Armed Forces carried out precision strikes on nine terror camps in Pakistanoccupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan during Operation Sindoor in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. The government ordered the closure of all educational institutions for three days from May 10. Surinder Duggal, a dealer of allopathic medicines, said those days brought forth a new kind of war altogether. “During my childhood days I had seen the wars of 1965 and 1971 between India and Pakistan. Those wars were fought on the front, while this time drones were seen flying above houses. The impact of the limited war was immense as people from outside avoided visiting Amritsar and locals did not buy anything non-essential. Yet panicked locals stocked ration and other essential items,” he added. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) also played a crucial role by extending help to the drone attack victims. On May 16, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami announced an assistance of Rs 5 lakh to a family of Ferozepur’s Khai Pheme Ki village. Continued on Page 2 the risk of being overlooked,” said a retired police official. He pointed out that specialised investigative teams should be insulated from VIP duty to ensure continuity in sensitive cases. They argue that balancing VIP security with investigative priorities is essential to maintain public trust in law enforcement. Amritsar Rural SSP Sohail Qasim Mir could not be contacted for comments despite repeated attempts. City colleges receive bomb threat emails Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 7 Days after back-to-back blasts triggered security concerns among citizens in Amritsar and Jalandhar, several colleges in Amritsar and Baba Bakala on Thursday received a bomb threat via email. It said bomb explosions will occur between May 7 to May 9 across several cities of Punjab, including Amritsar, Adampur, Fatehgarh Sahib and more. An email was received at the admission office of a local private college in Manawala. "We immediately reported it to police. Bomb squads and police team were rushed to the college. We were later told that it was a hoax and there was no need to panic," said a spokesperson of college management. The email purportedly sent by Khalistan National Army also threatened CM Bhagwant Mann and Union Minister Ravneet Bittu. It also mentioned the Khasa Cantonment explosion, for which Khalistan Liberation Army had claimed responsibility. Previously, several such hoax emails have been received by prominent schools of the city. A spokesperson of the Amritsar police said the threat email was a hoax and they had alerted the security personnel across city. Amritsar fortifies civil defence infrastructure Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 7 Designated as a category-II civil defence city by the government due to its strategic location near the International Border, Amritsar is witnessing renewed efforts to strengthen its civil defence mechanism post Operation Sindoor. The military operation highlighted the urgent need to augment the city’s preparedness against emergencies and hostile situations. Officials said while Amritsar historically had an active civil defence setup headquartered at the historic Ram Bagh complex, the system gradually became inactive after the premises was handed over to the Archaeological Survey of India. However, the border tensions witnessed during Operation Sindoor last year pushed the authorities to revive and modernise the mechanism. As part of a renewed drive, the Civil Defence Depart- ment undertook a large-scale enrolment of volunteers. Civil Defence Instructor Hajrai Khanna said the department now has a sizeable pool of trained manpower. “We have over 600 volunteers and are regularly conducting training programmes for them,” Khanna said. He added that awareness and preparedness programmes are also being organised regularly in schools, colleges and NCC units to prepare young volunteers for emergency situations such as blackouts, evacuations and rescue operations. District Commandant Manpreet Singh Randhawa said the government has also proposed a major upgrade to the city’s warning infrastructure through a modern siren system. “At present, we have sirens in place at nearly 25 locations. The new siren system would be an upgrade, which would be operated from a single switch at a centralised location,” Randhawa said. Continued on Page 2 CM Mann slams Akalis for shielding accused in sacrilege cases Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, May 7 Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Thursday launched a blistering attack on the Shiromani Akali Dal over incidents of ‘beadbi’ (sacrilege) during its tenure, calling out Akali leaders for failing to deliver justice and shielding the guilty while in power. After paying obeisance at Gurdwara Bir Baba Budha Sahib, the Chief Minister, who also addressed a gathering at Patti, said those who once claimed they would rule Pun- jab for 25 years are unable to gather even 25 people for their meetings today. The CM stated, “Akalis themselves were involved in ‘beadbi’, which is why they could never bring such a legislation. People, especially in the Majha region, kept voting for them considering them followers of Baba Nanak, but they disrespected the ‘bani’ through ‘beadbi’ of Guru Granth Sahib. Such were the circumstances that no proper action was taken, no culprits were identified and the police would simply claim that the c m y b accused were unknown.” Attacking the Opposition over its stand on the law, Mann said, “The whole world is happy with the new law, but one family controlling the SGPC is unhappy and claims that the Panth does not approve of the law. Instead, they should welcome and support its implementation so that no one dares commit such dastardly acts again.” Expressing gratitude over the passage of the legislation, he said, “It was with Guru Sahib’s blessings and wisdom Continued on Page 2 Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann addresses people during Shukrana Yatra. PHOTO: GURBAXPURI