21092026-ATR-01.qxd 20-09-2026 22:59 Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 33°C | MIN 22°C YESTERDAY MAX 32°C | MIN 23°C FISH, POULTRY & PICKLES: BARNALA FARMER GROWS BIZ BRTS SHUTDOWN LEAVES COMMUTERS IN THE LURCH DEEPVEER WELCOMES THEIR SECOND CHILD Sukhpal Singh started with a 2.5-acre pond, now manages fish in ponds across 30 acres. P2 Residents say poor planning and lack of accountability turned project into a costly transport failure. P3 Actors Deepika Padukone & Ranveer Singh welcomed their second child together on Saturday, a baby girl. P4 » » SUNSET MONDAY 6.31 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 6:18 AM » MONDAY | 21 SEPTEMBER 2026 | AMRITSAR Masked men attempt firing at Fatehabad shop, gun fails to go off 10 kg heroin seized, 3 arrested Gurbaxpuri Amritsar, September 20 The Amritsar police on Sunday arrested three suspected drug peddlers and seized over 10 kg of heroin from them at a checkpost near Attari on the AttariJhabal road. It was the fourth major drug haul in as many days. The local police had seized a total of 54 kg of heroin in three separate instances since September 16. Those arrested in the latest case have been identified as Sharanjit Singh, a resident of Cheema Khurd village; Baljinder Singh, a resident of Bohar Wali Gali in Amritsar; and Sunny, a resident of Chandi Patti in the Fatahpur area here. According to officials, a team led by Gharinda police Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, September 20 Two masked motorcycleborne men allegedly attempted to open fire outside a marble store in Fatehabad town here on Sunday afternoon. The attempt was foiled after the pistol reportedly failed to fire. Store owner Ganpat Lal Ratawat, a resident of Amritsar, said he had received an extortion call on his mobile phone from a foreign number on September 15. According to Ratawat, the caller demanded Rs 50 lakh and threatened to kill him if he failed to pay the amount. Ratawat said he was sitting at his shop on Sunday when the two masked men arrived on a motorcycle and alleged- INBRIEF TWO BOOKED FOR ~1.19-CR JOB FRAUD Tarn Taran: Two Bengalurubased persons, including a woman, have been booked for allegedly cheating several youths of ~ 1.19 crore on the pretext of providing them jobs in the Military Engineer Service (MES). The case was registered at Chabal police station on the complaint of Mangal Singh, a resident of Bhuchar Kalan village. The accused have been identified as Darshana Bhardwaj, a native of Sunitpur in Assam and currently residing in Narayanpura, Bengaluru North, and Noor Islam, a resident of Govindpura, Bengaluru. According to Mangal Singh, the accused had allegedly been active in the area for the past five years. OC 17 BOOKED FOR FELLING TREES Tarn Taran: The Sadar Patti police station has registered a case against 17 people for allegedly chopping down and uprooting around 500 trees on panchayat land in Bhangala village here. The case was registered on the complaint of Sarpanch Karamjit Kaur. She alleged that the trees and a large number of saplings had been planted on six kanals of panchayat land. The accused include Bikkar Singh, Tarlok Singh, Sukhjinder Singh, Sukhchain Singh, Amrik Singh, Nishan Singh, Sundar Singh, Mukhtiar Singh, Harpal Singh, Mahinder Singh, Ranjit Singh, Dayal Singh and Inder Singh. OC MAN SHOOTS FATHER Tarn Taran: Daljit Singh, a resident of Nawanpind Fatehpur village in Valtoha, shot and injured his father following a quarrel. According to the police, Daljit did not want his aunt Jaswinder Kaur take care of his nephew Malkit Singh’s wife after she delivered a child. Daljit allegedly quarrelled with Jaswinder and assaulted her. When Daljit’s father Sarwan Singh intervened, the accused opened fire with a licensed pistol, injuring his father. Sarwan Singh has been admitted to a hospital for treatment. ASI Waryam Singh said a case had been registered under Sections 35 (2),109 and 351 (3) of the BNS and Section 27 of the Arms Act. OC Had received ~50L extortion call, claims shopkeeper ly attempted to fire at him. The incident was captured on a CCTV camera installed at the store. Goindwal Sahib SHO Baljit Kaur met the store owner and took details of the incident. Seventh incident in past six months The incident comes amid a series of extortion threats reported by businessmen in the town. According to available information, this is the seventh such incident reported in Fatehabad over the past six months. Fourth major haul since Sept 16; 64 kg recovered in total Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service PREVIOUS SEIZURES SEPTEMBER 16: Four persons arrested with 27 kg of heroin and a foreign-made .30-bore PX5 pistol along with three cartridges. SEPTEMBER 18: One person arrested with 10 kg of heroin. SEPTEMBER 19: Three persons arrested with 17 kg of heroin. station SHO Amandeep Singh was patrolling the area when it received specific information that the three accused were involved in selling heroin. The informer told the police that the accused were carrying a large quantity of heroin and travelling on a black motor- cycle towards the AttariJhabal Road via the Defence Drain from Attari village. Acting on the information, the police set up a naka at the T-point on the Attari-Jhabal Road and intercepted the three suspects. During a search, over 10 kg of heroin was recovered from their possession, the police said. A case under Sections 21C, 25, 29 and 61-85 of the NDPS Act has been registered. The motorcycle allegedly used to transport the contraband was also impounded. The police are investigating the source of the heroin and the intended recipients of the consignment. They are also examining the possibility of the accused having links with a wider drugtrafficking network. Prisoner dies under mysterious Civic body foils bid to circumstances at Goindwal jail encroach upon pond Our Correspondent Tribune News Service Tarn Taran, September 20 A 48-year-old prisoner died under mysterious circumstances at the Central Jail in Goindwal Sahib on Sunday. The deceased was identified as Gaurav Sharma, a resident of Guru Nanak Pura in Amritsar. According to his wife, Suman Sharma, she received a call from the jail informing her that Gaurav’s condition had deteriorated and that he had been admitted to the Civil Hospital in Tarn Taran. Doctors at the hospital declared Gaurav brought dead. Jail officials said that an autopsy would be conducted on Monday, after which further action would be taken based on the findings. Meanwhile, Suman Sharma alleged that jail authorities Amritsar, September 20 The Amritsar Municipal Corporation on Sunday intensified its anti-encroachment drive, foiling an alleged attempt to encroach upon a pond on Gumtala Road. The operation was led by Secretary-cum-Estate Officer Sushant Bhatia and Estate Officer Dharminderjit Singh. According to officials, the MC received information about an attempt to carry out unauthorised activity at the site. A municipal team reached the spot and stopped the alleged encroachment attempt. The persons allegedly involved left the site after seeing the MC team. The officials inspected Grieving family members of the deceased at the Civil Hospital in Tarn Taran. PHOTO: GURBAXPURI had tortured her husband. She also claimed that Gaurav was taken to the hospital in a three-wheeler, which she alleged was an unsafe mode of transport for someone in his condition. When contacted, jail offi- cials did not respond to the allegations. The exact circumstances surrounding Gaurav Sharma’s death are expected to become clearer after the postmortem examination and any subsequent inquiry. the site and took necessary steps to prevent any further unauthorised changes to the public property. Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation conducted a major anti-encroachment operation along Airport Road, removing unauthorised obstructions from roads, footpaths and other public spaces. ‘Won’t tolerate violation’ The civic body warned that encroachments on public land, roads, footpaths, ponds and other municipal properties would not be tolerated. Field staff have been directed to keep a watch on vulnerable locations and act promptly on information about fresh encroachments. A video grab of SHO Manjit Kaur being manhandled during a clash between two groups in Amritsar. Nihangs manhandle woman SHO; ADCP promises strict action Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 20 Several Nihangs protesting outside the Gate Hakima police station allegedly manhandled woman SHO Manjit Kaur. The incident took place when several protesting Nihangs attacked and assaulted another Nihang, and she tried to intervene and rescue the victim. Jogeshwar Goraya, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP), said appropriate action would be taken against those involved. He said action would also be taken against those who scuffled with the SHO. “Apart from this, action will also be initiated against the police personnel who were found negligent in the video, which surfaced on social media,” he added. Goraya said the video showed some individuals allegedly pushing and manhandling Gate Hakima SHO Manjit Kaur while she was trying to control the situation. The ADCP said two groups were embroiled in a dispute in the Gate Hakima police station area, following which the SHO reached the spot and intervened to maintain law and order. He noted that the police officer handled Fund crunch hits MC works;Veer Enclave residents await water supply Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 20 The poor financial condition of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation has begun to affect development works, with the civic body unable to clear pending payments to contractors. Residents of Veer Enclave have been without a regular drinking water supply for nearly eight months, as the Municipal Corporation has failed to clear the pending payment of the contractor engaged to complete a new tubewell project in the locality. The contractor said he had already completed the boring work for the tubewell but was unable to purchase and install the motor and complete the necessary connections as the MC had not released his pending payment of around ?1.5 crore. The contractor said the delay in payments had also affected his household finances, claiming that he was unable to pay his children’s school fees. He alleged that contractors were being pressured to complete works despite the civic body failing to release funds. He alleged that contractors approaching officials for payment of their dues were threatened with blacklisting. When contacted, SDO Rajesh Sharma acknowl- edged that the payment had not been released. However, he said the contractor should not have participated in the tender process if he did not have sufficient funds to execute the work. Sharma added that the contractor would be blacklisted if he failed to complete the project within the stipulated time. Meanwhile, residents said the tubewell had remained non-functional for nearly eight months. They claimed to have repeatedly approached political representatives and civic officials over the issue. Amarinder Singh, president of the Veer Enclave Welfare Association, said it was surprising that work on the tubewell, approved by the Finance and Contract Committee nearly eight months ago, had still not been completed. He said the matter was in the knowledge of Municipal Commissioner Bikramjit Singh Shergill, Mayor Jatinder Singh Moti Bhatia, Deputy Mayor Priyanka Sharma and the local MLA. Despite repeated representations, he said, the issue remained unresolved. Amarinder Singh said residents were now considering staging a protest outside the Municipal Corporation office if the water supply problem was not resolved. Sweets turn costlier ahead of Diwali as desi ghee, dry fruit prices soar Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 20 Prices of desi ghee-based sweets have risen by at least 10 per cent ahead of the festive season, likely to leave a bitter taste for thousands of sweet lovers. Sweets makers attribute the increase to rising prices of sugar, dry fruits and, more recently, desi ghee, which have pushed up production costs. Amitesh Singh, a senior member of the Desi Ghee Sweet Sellers’ Association, said they were forced to pass on the increase to customers ahead of the festive season. “We do not have any alterna- tive. The cost of production has gone up considerably after a rise in the rates of most ingredients used in the preparation of sweets,” he said. According to sweet sellers, prices of all milk-based products, including desi ghee and khoya, have increased. They said the outbreak of war in West Asia between the US and Iran had disrupted the supply of dry fruits, particularly pistachios and almonds. Amitesh said the price of almonds had risen from Rs 800 to Rs 980 per kg, while that of pistachios had increased from Rs 2,100 to Rs 3,800 per kg. Sanket Kamboj, proprietor of a leading sweetmeat outlet, ANOTHER HIKE LIKELY ■ Almond prices rise from ~800 to ~980 per kg in the city ■ Pistachio prices jump from ~2,100 to Rs 3,800 per kg ■ 15-kg desi ghee tin costs ~10,000, up from ~9,000 a few days ago ■ Cashew prices see only a marginal rise ■ Shopkeepers fear another price increase ahead of Diwali as West Asia war impacts the import of dry fruits << Prices of ghee-based sweets have gone up by at least 10%. did not rule out another hike in prices before Diwali. “The global situation is uncertain and its influence on c m y b costs is unavoidable,” he said. He said the increase in ingredient prices had occurred over the past one-and-a-half months. For his outlet, dry fruit prices were a major concern as its main products were based largely on almonds, cashews and pistachios. While there had been a negligible increase in the price of cashews, the prices of almonds and pistachios had skyrocketed, he said. Another major concern is the rise in the price of desi ghee. The cost of a 15-kg tin has increased from Rs 9,000 to Rs 10,000. Verka was already selling a tin for Rs 10,000 and has increased the price by Rs 100, he said. Locally made sweets are widely appreciated for their quality and preparation. Many local sweetmeat makers also export their products to meet the demand among non-resident Indians (NRIs). Negligent cops to face dept action the situation effectively. “Action will be taken against those responsible for disturbing law and order,” the ADCP said, adding that departmental action would also be taken against police personnel found negligent in discharging their duty. The incident reportedly followed a dispute between two groups of Nihangs over an issue a few days earlier. One of the groups had approached the police with a complaint and later staged a protest, alleging police inaction. During the protest, another Nihang Singh reached the spot. The other group allegedly suspected him of conducting reconnaissance for the rival faction and picked a quarrel with him, subsequently assaulting him. Upon receiving information, SHO Manjit Kaur reached the spot and intervened to rescue the Nihang from the assault. A video of the incident later surfaced on social media, showing a confrontation between the police officer and some members of the group. Ex-Jathedar demands resignations of Dhami, Gargaj Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 20 Former Akal Takht Jathedar Ranjit Singh has demanded the resignations of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami and Akal Takht Jathedar Kuldeep Singh Gargaj over the police case involving former SGPC member Amarjit Singh Chawla. Ranjit Singh questioned the circumstances under which a woman who had levelled allegations against Chawla was accommodated at an SGPC sarai. He demanded an inquiry to establish who had arranged her stay at the sarai and for what purpose. Ranjit Singh alleged that the woman was allowed to stay at the SGPC sarai for nearly a year, in violation of the rules, and was allegedly sexually exploited during the period. He said such arrangements could not have been made without the knowledge of senior SGPC functionaries and questioned the role of Dhami. He said Dhami should resign on moral grounds.