24032025-ATR-01.qxd 3/23/2025 11:05 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune JCT WORKERS PROTEST, DEMAND ACTION IN PF SCAM ACTRESS SARGUN MEHTA, A CREATIVE POWERHOUSE Committed to breaking stereotypes, the actor is actively shaping her career and industry around her. P4 MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 31°C | MIN 14°C YESTERDAY MAX 30°C | MIN 12°C RASIKA DUGAL WANTS TO WORK WITH DILJIT DOSANJH JCT workers have now come forward with serious allegations against JCT officials and EPFO. P2 FORECAST Rasika Dugal is known for effortlessly inhabiting diverse characters across films, web series and theatre. P4 » » SUNSET MONDAY 6.34 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 6.19 AM » MONDAY | 24 MARCH 2025 | AMRITSAR Snatcher held, 9 cellphones recovered Manish Sisodia’s appointment as Punjab AAP in charge welcomed Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 23 The Division A police have arrested a snatcher and recovered nine mobile phones, which were snatched from different parts of the city, from his possession. He was identified as Shivam, alias Pappa, of Hussainpura Chowk here. The police said he faced two cases of snatching and one under the NDPS Act in the past. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said Piyush, a resident of Mahan Singh Gate, had lodged a complaint with the police two days ago that some unknown person had looted his mobile phone. During investigations and after analyzing the footage of the CCTV cameras installed near the spot, the police identified the suspect as Shivam. He was arrested by the police and the snatched mobile phone was recovered from him. The police also seized eight more expensive mobile phones after his interrogation. Amritsar, March 23 The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) youth wing has welcomed the appointment of senior leader Manish Sisodia as Punjab in charge and Satyender Jain as co-in charge. The move is being viewed as a strategic step to further strengthen the party’s organization and grassroots presence in the state. Speaking on the occasion, AAP youth wing’s senior vicepresident Jagjit Singh Jenki said Sisodia’s leadership, which is widely acknowledged for ushering in ground-breaking reforms in Delhi’s education and health sectors, will now play a key role in driving positive change across the state. “Manish Sisodia is synonymous with clean governance and impactful policies. His entry into Punjab’s political space will energize the organization and deliver results for common people,” Jenki remarked. He further noted that Satyender Jain as co-in charge CI nabs four drug peddlers with 4-kg contraband Tribune News Service Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia being welcomed by Punjab AAP youth wing’s senior vice-president Jagjit Singh Jenki in Amritsar. will bring renewed energy and coordination to the party’s expansion efforts, particularly at the grassroots level. Jenki said the AAP-led Punjab Government has initiated significant reforms in areas, such as education, healthcare, power and water supply. He asserted that these efforts will be intensified further under the new leadership. Calling upon party workers, he urged them to intensify public outreach and focus on resolving citizens’ issues at the local level. “The party is ready to carry a fresh wave of change to every village, town and city in the state. These appointments will solidify the party’s mission and strengthen our connection with people,” he added. Amritsar, March 23 The Counter Intelligence (CI), Amritsar, has arrested a father-son duo among four members of a cross-border narco-terror module and seized 4 kg of heroin from their possession. Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav in a statement issued here on Sunday said that those arrested have been identified as Sukhwinder Singh, his son Navjot Singh, both residents of the Tarn Taran road, and Aniket, a resident of Chheharta in Amritsar, and Gurpreet Singh, alias Gopi, of Sheron village in Tarn Taran. The police also confiscated an auto-rickshaw (PB-06-AW8034) and a motorcycle (PB02DV-0351), which were used for transportation of narcotics, from their possession. “Following reliable inputs The consignment of 4-kg heroin seized by CI staff in Amritsar. that some individuals having a direct contact with Pakistan-based drug smugglers were involved in drug smuggling and recently retrieved a drug consignment from Attari area to further supply to local peddlers, the Counter Intelligence acted swiftly and conducted a raid near Government Hospital in Narain- garh area and arrested four suspects with 4 kg of heroin,” said the DGP . He said the racket was being operated by a foreignbased man, identified as Bhullar. He said Sukhwinder and his son Navjot Singh had received the 4-kg heroin consignment from an unidentified person Tribute paid to Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Gurdaspur starts free coaching Rajguru, Sukhdev on their martyrdom day for civil service aspirants Amritsar, March 23 Members, office-bearers and leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) paid floral tributes at the portraits of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev on the occasion of their martyrdom day here on Sunday. Organised at the AAP’s district office, leaders and workers gathered to pay floral tributes to the freedom fighters who had preferred sacrifice over self to liberate the country from foreign yoke. Addressing party workers, AAP district urban president Manish Agarwal said his party has always respected and tried to follow the revolutionary philosophy of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and the Aam Aadmi Party is working to make it the country he dreamt of. He said after the formation of the AAP government in Punjab, the pictures of Baba Saheb Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh were installed in all the government offices. He said they appeal to the youth to connect with Bhagat Ravi Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Members of the AAP district unit pay floral tributes to the three martyrs in Amritsar on Sunday. Singh’s thinking and inculcate in themselves the spirit of service to the country. On the occasion, Lok Sabha In-charge Iqbal Singh Bhullar, district secretary Mukhwinder Singh Virdi, state co-president of SC wing Ravinder Hans, SS Board member Anil Mahajan, event in-charge Jagdeep Singh, media in-charge Varun Rana, Sarabjit Singh Bittu, Gurpreet Kataria, Monica Tyagi and other leaders were present. Tarn Taran also remembers martyrs Members of the different unions of farmers, employees, political parties and others paid rich tributes to Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev on the occasion of their martyrdom day here on Sunday. Functions to remember the martyrs were organised in Tarn Taran, Patti and other places in the district. At a function organized by the Revolutionary Marxist Party of India (RMPI), a large number of party leaders and workers were present on the occasion. — TNS District Bar Association demands toll exemption, stipend for young lawyers Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 23 The newly elected executive body of the Amritsar Bar Association welcomed Manan Kumar Mishra, Chairman, Bar Council of India and Rajya Sabha member, and Karanjit Singh, member of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana, during their visit to the district courts here on Sunday. The executive raised the issues being faced by the legal fraternity, especially young lawyers. In a memorandum submitted to Mishra, the association demanded that lawyers should be exempted from paying the toll tax. They said norms for providing free legal aid should be made stricter and proper verification of income of Manan Kumar Mishra, Chairman, Bar Council of India and Rajya Sabha member and Karanjit Singh, member of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana, being welcomed in Amritsar on Sunday. the applicant should be done before providing free legal aid. The association further sought stipend for young lawyers. District Bar Association president Gurpreet Singh Panesar said, “Lawyers have to go to the high court in Chandigarh and to other district courts to represent litigants. Owing to hefty toll tax fee at various places, a lawyer has to spend a substantial sum of money on paying the toll fee.” Panesar said they have also demanded a stipend for young lawyers as they are new in the profession. He said stipend would help these lawyers practice law without worrying about their expenses. The association said free legal aid should strictly be made available to litigants who cannot afford to engage a private lawyer. He said many litigants who are wellto-do are also getting benefit of free legal aid which is against the interests of the legal fraternity and contradictory to the spirt of free legal aid services. On the occasion, Manan Kumar Mishra announced a financial aid of ~10 lakh to the Bar association on behalf of the Bar Council of India. Further, Karanjit Singh handed over a cheque for ~2 lakh to the association on behalf of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana. c m y b Gurdaspur, March 23 The Gurdaspur administration has started ‘Mission Umeed’ in which free coaching classes will be held for aspirants for civil service exams at the District Employment and Business Bureau within the precincts of the District Administrative Complex (DAC). The classes were inaugurated by Aditya Uppal, holding the additional charge of the Deputy Commissioner of Gurdaspur, Harjinder Singh Bedi, Additional Deputy Commissioner (General), Aditya, SSP , and Jaspinder Singh, SDM. District Employment Officer Parshotam Singh, District Education Officer Rajesh Sharma and Chetan Bharat, founder and managing director of Chetan Bharat Learning Institute, were also present on the occasion. Educationists welcome the step Upma Mahajan, principal of a Batala-based school, WHAT AN ACADEMICIAN HAS TO SAY ■ Upma Mahajan, principal of a Batala-based school, said, “It is possible for a poor student to become an IAS officer through hard work, dedication and strategic preparation. Financial constraints can be really challenging at times, but students can overcome this barrier with government support and perseverance.” said, “It is possible for a poor student to become an IAS officer through hard work, dedication and strategic preparation. Financial constraints can be really challenging at times, but students can overcome this barrier with government support and perseverance.” “I see a major disadvantage. Students may feel less motivated if they do not invest financially in their education, potentially leading to lower levels of engagement and commitment,” said a sceptical education official. The initiative has also come in for praise as examcentric education, as is prevalent in modern day schools, and frequent tests have been linked to a decline in students’ ability to think critically, creatively and analytically. Such coaching centres also place an emphasis on developing other abilities that are crucial to passing the civil services exams such as speed, accuracy and time management. Educationists claim private institutions had begun demanding huge fees for their coaching services, which subsequently led to commercialisation of education, a development where profits and money are given more preference than education, thereby pushing poor students into a disadvantageous situation. at Rajatal village in Amritsar, out of which, they shared 2 kg with Aniket and Gurpreet Singh for further supply. Pertinently, Sukhwinder’s second son Harmanjit Singh, alias Harry, and Aniket’s brother Sagar were already arrested by the Anti-Narcotic Task Force in another drugrelated case in January this year and were currently lodged in Amritsar jail. Their roles in the current seizure was also being looked into, the DGP added. A probe is on to uncover deeper connections within this network by establishing backward and forward linkages, the DGP said, adding that more recoveries and arrests are expected in the coming days. A case under the NDPS Act was registered at the State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) here in this regard. Three travel agents booked for fraud Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, March 23 Three agents of an immigration agency, being run by them from Amritsar, have been booked for defrauding a man, a resident of Marhana village in Tarn Taran district, of ~21.5 lakh by luring to send his two sons to the US. The three agents were booked by the Cholha Sahib police on Saturday, said ASI Hardeep Singh here on Sunday. Dilbag Singh, father of Karanjit Singh and Charanjit Singh, in his complaint lodged with the Chohla Sahib police stated that the accused, identified as Gursharan Singh, his bother Gulzar Singh and Jobanpreet Singh, son of Gulzar Singh, said the accused took the amount from him by promising to send his both sons to the US about one and a half years ago. Dilbag said the accused neither sent his sons to the US nor returned the money taken from him. War against drugs: 13 held with over 1-kg heroin, drone, bike in Tarn Taran Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, March 23 Under the ‘War against drugs’ drive launched by the state government, the Tarn Taran police on Saturday arrested 13 drug traders and recovered 1.053 kg of heroin, one drone (brought from Pakistan) and one motorcycle from their possession. With the arrest of these persons, the number of drug traders arrested till March 22 March has reached 140. Besides, the police have also seized 5.53 kg of heroin, 7.50 kg of opium, 4,719 intoxicating tablets and ~45.78 lakh as drug money so far. SSP Abhimanyu Rana said here on Sunday that a team of the Sarai Amanat Khan police station led by Sub-Inspector Gurinder Singh arrested two persons with 974 grams of heroin while an associate Two suspects in the custody of the Tarn Taran police. GURBAXPURI accompanying them managed to escape from the spot. The SSP said those arrested have been identified as Kuldeep Singh Kipa of Dauke and Lakhwinder Singh Lakha of Rajatal village who were arrested from the border area village of Lahian. Meanwhile, the Verowal police arrested two motorcycleborne persons with 40 gm of heroin while an associate accompanying them fled the spot. The SSP said those arrested have been identified as Lovjit Singh Labhu of Sanghar Kalan and Dharminder Singh Mindi of Dhota village. The motorcycle of the accused was seized by the Verowal police. The SSP said the other drug traders arrested have been identified as Sukhwant Singh of Gohalwar, Gopal Singh of Pakka Kilha (Chabal), Sajan Singh, alias Sandeep, of Khemkaran, Akashdeep Singh of Agon Kothi, Satnam Singh of Rajoke, Nishan Singh of Kairon, Daler Singh Nona of Ghariala village, Jashandeep Singh Roban of Thathian Mahantan and Sarabjit Singh Rinku of None village with 41 grams of heroin. The accused have been booked under relevant sections of the NDPS Act by the police. With the recovery of one drone from Kalsian Kalan village, the Khemkaran police have registered a case under Sections 10, 11 and 12 of the Aircraft Act.