18072026-ATR-01.qxd 7/17/2026 10:50 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY RISING GROCERY PRICES STRAIN HOUSEHOLD BUDGET PICTURE NOT SO ROSY: FLOWER ESSENCE FADES FILMMAKER AMIT RAI RETURNS WITH —OHH MY DOG Prices of edible oils, including mustard, vegetable, soybean & rice bran oils, have surged by 20 to 25% in past 10 days. P2 The traditional business of extracting natural essence has seen a decline over the past 15 years. P3 The emotionally driven film celebrates the bond between humans & dogs and is inspired by real-life experiences. P4 » » » MAX 35°C | MIN 29°C YESTERDAY MAX 36°C | MIN 30°C SUNSET SATURDAY 7.35 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 5.38 AM SATURDAY | 18 JULY 2026 | AMRITSAR 2 days on, 4 booked for minor’s murder Tribune News Service MATERNAL UNCLE AMONG ACCUSED The hotel where the fire broke out along Mall Road in Amritsar on Friday. It took firefighters two hours to douse the flames. TRIBUNE PHOTO City hotel engulfed in flames after gen set catches fire; area sealed off Amritsar, July 17 Tribune News Service A fire broke out at a city hotel “Courtyard by Marriott” after its generator set caught fire today. The hotel is in the vicinity of the Commissioner of Police’s residence along Mall Road. Flames billowing out of the building engulfed nearby houses, causing a panic among residents. CAUSE YET TO BE ASCERTAINED ■ The hotel is in the vicinity of the Police Commissioner’s residence along Mall Road. Flames billowing out of the building engulfed nearby houses, causing a panic among residents ■ Even as its exact cause is yet to be ascertained, preliminary reports suggested that the generator set installed on the hotel premises caught the fire first Firefighters rushed in to douse the flames and it took them two hours to stop the blaze from spreading to nearby buildings. Even as its exact cause is yet to be ascertained, preliminary reports suggested that the generator set installed on the hotel premises caught the fire first. Following which, the area was evacuated and cordoned off. Officials said a detailed investigation would be conducted to find out if it was a short-circuit or some technical glitch. There were no reports of any human loss or injuries. However, officials feared substantial property damage. Senior police and civil administration officials are monitoring the situation. Amritsar, July 17 Two days after a 15-year-old girl allegedly died following a brutal assault at a house in the city, the police booked four persons, including the victim’s maternal uncle, on charges of murder. The accused have been identified as Vineet Kumar, alias Honey, of Roopnagar locality here, Nannu, Malkeet Singh, alias Kitti, from Jalandhar and one other, whose identity is yet to be established. In his complaint, the victim’s elder brother, Sujal Sahota, a resident of Phillaur (Jalandhar), alleged that on July 15, victim’s maternal uncle Vineet Kumar called him up, asking him to bring his sister Lavanya to his place. The accused said he wanted to discuss something important. The complainant stated that he, along with his parents, sister and a family friend, travelled to Amritsar. While the parents and the friend waited outside the accused’s house in a vehicle, he, along with his sister, went inside. There Vineet allegedly accused Lavanya of stealing gold earrings from his house. ■ In his complaint, the victim’s elder brother, Sujal Sahota, a resident of Phillaur (Jalandhar), alleged that on July 15, victim’s maternal uncle Vineet Kumar called him up, asking him to bring his When the complainant denied any knowledge of the alleged theft, the former allegedly assaulted both of them, forced the complainant out of the room and locked the door from inside. The FIR further stated that Vineet later called his brother, Nannu, and both of them continued to assault the girl inside the room. After some time, when the complainant managed to reach the upper floor, he allegedly found his sister lying in an unconscious state, with barely any clothes on. According to the complaint, when the accused’s wife went to dress up the girl, she found that the girl had already died. The complainant further alleged that the accused stuffed the girl’s body into their car and returned to Jalandhar. Near Kartarpur, Malkeet Singh, alias Kitti, a relative of the accused, sister Lavanya to his place. ■ When they reached the accused’s place, the latter assaulted both of them, forced the complainant out of the room and locked the door from inside. stopped them and another unidentified person transferred the body to their vehicle and forcibly made the accused’s wife accompany them. The complainant also alleged that the accused threatened to kill the entire family if they approached the police. He said the family suspected the murder was linked to a dispute. Vineet had previously tried to establish a relationship with the minor girl. When she refused, he allegedly planted gold ornaments in her bag and accused her of theft, the complainant alleged. The police said a case under Sections 103 (murder), 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) had been registered at the Gate Hakima police station, adding that further investigation was on. No arrests have been made. A cop at the firing scene in Fatehbad. PHOTO BY WRITER 2 booked for extortion, opening fire Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, July 17 The police have booked two persons for reportedly opening fire outside a merchant’s shop in Fatehbad on Friday. It is learnt that 15 days ago, unknown persons made an extortion call, demanding Rs 50 lakh from a cloth merchant, Navdeep Singh Honey. They even threatened to kill him if he refused to give them the amount. When Navdeep did not give in to the threats, two motorcycle-borne youths opened fire outside his shop on today. On hearing gunshots, Navdeep’s staff called the police. DSP Harinder Singh said they had begun a probe and were also scanning the CCTV footage. He said a case had been registered and that the accused would be arrested soon. Cops intensify vehicle verification after youth’s death Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 17 Days after a tipper truck allegedly ran over a youth, killing him on the spot along Sultanwind Road here, the Amritsar traffic police on Friday intensified the verification of heavy vehicles entering the city during the prohibited hours. A special drive against encroachments and traffic rules violation was also undertaken. The police said vehicles without registration plates or having tint films too were on their radar. The enforcement comes in the wake of a recent fatal accident on Sultanwind Road in which a youth lost his life after Cops stop a truck for checking during a special drive in Amritsar on Friday. TRIBUNE PHOTO being hit by a tipper truck, raising concerns over the movement of heavy vehicles within the city limits during busy hours. The drive was carried out under the supervision of Additional Deputy Com- Man booked in fake arms licence case Our Correspondent The destroyed contraband included 31.068 kg of heroin. Cops destroy narcotic substances in Tarn Taran Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, July 17 The police on Friday destroyed narcotic substances seized in 61 cases. Senior Superintendent of Police, Surendra Lamba, said all legal procedures were followed under the supervision of the Drug Disposal Committee and DIG, Ferozepur Range, Snehdeep Sharma to ensure that the seized substances were destroyed in a proper way. The SSP disclosed that the destroyed narcotic substances included 31.068 kilograms of heroin, 4.450 kilograms of intoxicant powder, 1,070 tablets, 89 capsules, and 2.692 kilograms of packing material, seized in various cases registered across Tarn Taran district. He appealed to the public to share information regarding drug trafficking with the police in order to keep the menace in check. Tarn Taran, July 17 The police have booked a resident of Pandori Gola village for duping a Kulla village resident of Rs 1.90 lakh in a fake arms licence case. The complainant, Tarsem Singh, told the police that he had approached Karan Singh, a resident of Pandori Gola village, for an arms licence following a robbery in his garments’ store some time ago. The former approached Karan and paid him Rs 1.90 lakh for the same. At the time of the renewal of the licence, he came to know that it was fake. Following this he filed a police complaint and subsequently a case under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 of the BNS was registered against the accused. missioner of Police (Traffic) Amandeep Kaur. Traffic police teams, led by zonal in-charges, conducted inspections on major roads and in busy markets across the city. During the drive, encroachments on roads and footpaths were also removed, while shopkeepers were warned against occupying public spaces. The police said encroachments not only hindered the traffic movement but also put the life of pedestrians at risk. ADCP Amandeep Kaur appealed to residents and motorists to cooperate with the traffic police. She said adherence to traffic rules would help reduce accidents, ensure smoother traffic flow and make roads safer for commuters. She added that special enforcement drives would continue in the city. HC nod to promotions, yet 1,150 schools without principal in Punjab Neha Saini Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 17 The recent decision by the Punjab and Haryana High Court to vacate the interim stay on promotions of lecturer and headmaster cadre officials to the post of principal in government senior secondary schools had revived hopes of filling long-pending vacancies in Punjab. But even weeks after the court order, the Education Department is yet to initiate the promotion process, leaving around 1,150 government senior secondary schools without regular principals. The delay has drawn criticism from the Democratic Teachers Front (DTF), which has been highlighting the issue since last year. DTF state president Vikram Dev Singh said the organisation had c m y b raised concerns over the administrative disruption caused by the absence of principals through a report released early last year. “The report highlighted that 44 per cent of principal posts in government senior secondary schools were lying vacant. During the tenure of the Punjab AAP government, which claims to have brought an ‘education revolution’, these vacancies increased to over 55 per cent. Yet, the government appears to be in no hurry to address the issue,” he said. DTF members across districts, including Amritsar, have termed the delay a failure of the Education Department. They attributed the prolonged vacancy crisis to frequent policy changes, the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) dispute and subsequent procedural bottlenecks. MC staff remove encroachments from a road in Amritsar on Friday. TRIBUNE PHOTO MC takes encroachers to task, warns repeat offenders Confiscates goods kept along roads, footpaths Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 17 Continuing its campaign against encroachments, the estate wing of the city Municipal Corporation carried out a drive along Batala Road, Verka Bypass and Ram Talai Road today. Teams removed encroachments from roads, footpaths and public spaces, confiscating goods, display items and other material. Municipal Commissioner Bikramjit Singh Shergill issued a warning to encroachers to refrain from reoccupying public places. “Any fresh encroachment will invite strict legal action, including confiscation of goods and penalties under the provisions of the Municipal Corporation Act,” he stated. The drive was carried out under the supervision of secretary-cum-estate officer Sushant Bhatia and estate officer Dharminder Jit Singh. Bhatia said the civic body The confiscated goods being loaded onto a truck. reaffirmed its commitment to keeping the city roads, markets and public spaces encroachment-free. He appealed to shopkeepers to cooperate in maintaining a clean and obstructionfree environment.