02052025-ATR-01.qxd 5/1/2025 10:31 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune SRK, RAJINIKANTH, AAMIR AT WAVES SUMMIT 2025 IT'S NEVER TOO LATE FOR DEEPAK TIJORI This time not as a writer & director but as an actor for Ittar, a mature love story that suits his looks and his mood. P4 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 36°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 36°C | MIN 26°C CHRIS HEMSWORTH HAS FOUND HIS NEXT PROJECT Bollywood stars arrive at Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, to take part in inaugural edition of WAVES 2025. P4 FORECAST The Hollywood star is doing a submarine thriller movie that will be directed by German filmmaker. P4 » » SUNSET FRIDAY 6.57 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 5.38 AM » FRIDAY | 2 MAY 2025 | AMRITSAR Bhakra water allocation to Haryana an assault on Punjab’s rights: Rintu Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 1 Karamjit Singh Rintu, Aam Aadmi Party’s national joint secretary, spokesperson, and Chairman of the Amritsar Improvement Trust, has strongly condemned the decision of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to release 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana. He said the move is nothing short of a betrayal to Punjab and its people. Rintu emphasised that the BBMB’s decision is not only technically flawed but also legally untenable. He asserted that Haryana has already received more than its rightful share of water, and the move to provide additional supply, especially during the critical paddy cultivation season, amounts to a grave injus- AAP’s national joint secretary Karamjit Singh Rintu addresses mediamen in Amritsar on Thursday. tice to Punjab’s farmers. He said while the capacity of the Bhakra main line canal is 10,000 cusecs, Haryana’s legal share is limited to 7,000 cusecs. Ignoring objections raised by engineers and acting under political pressure, the BBMB has made this decision through voting, raising serious questions about the board’s impartiality. Amritsar, May 1 Leaders and workers of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) staged a protest outside BJP leader Tarun Chugh’s house, condemning the Central Government’s decision to release extra water from the Bhakra dam to Haryana. Cabinet Ministers Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal and Harbhajan Singh ETO led the protest, alleging that the move is a “robbery” of Punjab’s water rights. Dhaliwal said the Central Government’s decision to release 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana is a direct attack on Punjab’s water rights. He said Punjab is already facing a severe water crisis with a sharply falling groundwater level and this decision will exacerbate the problem. “The AAP will fight against this injustice and ensure that Punjab’s water rights are pro- PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR AAP workers protest outside BJP leader Chugh’s house Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal addresses a rally outside BJP leader Chugh’s house in Amritsar on Thursday. tected. The state does not have a single drop of extra water to give, and the Central Government’s decision is a clear robbery of our state’s water rights,” he said. Harbhajan Singh ETO said, “The BJP government is continuously doing injustice to Punjab, and it is time for their state leadership to take a stand in the interest of Punjab. We will fight till the end to protect the state’s water rights.” Those present on the occasion included Mayor Jatinder Singh Moti Bhatia, MLA Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar, MLA Dr Ajay Gupta, district president Manish Aggarwal and other senior leaders of the party. — TNS Launching an attack on the Central Government, Rintu alleged that this decision is part of a broader conspiracy to deprive Punjab of its rightful water share. Cit- ing past instances such as the SYL canal dispute, the suppression of the farmers’ protest, and the withholding of panchayat grants, he accused the BJP-led Central Government of pursuing an anti-Punjab agenda that is no longer tolerable. He said the Aam Aadmi Party has demanded an immediate reversal of the decision. He urged the Central Government to adopt a clear and just policy on Punjab’s water rights and insisted that any future decisions must be based on the consensus of technical committees. Rintu affirmed that they are prepared to go to any extent to safeguard Punjab’s rights over its water, as this is not just about a resource, it’s a matter of Punjab’s dignity, and they will not allow it to be looted. Effigies of Union Govt burnt in Tarn Taran Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, May 1 The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab has expressed great resentment against the alleged indifferent attitude shown by the BJP-led Union Government and the management of Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) by organising demonstrations in different parts of the district. The protesters also burnt effigies of the Union Government. The party workers gathered in large numbers at Lahore Chowk for the protest in which sarpanches, members of panchayats and officer-bearers of different state government organisations took part. Gurwinder Singh Beharwal, district president and Chairman of the District Planning Committee, while speaking on the occasion, condemned the BBMB for releasing excess canal water to Haryana and warned that the people of Punjab would in no way allow this indifferent attitude to continue. Beharwal said that the state of Punjab was already facing an acute shortage of water while the groundwater level was getting further depleted. He said that the state leaders of the BJP stood by Central Government at the cost of Punjab farmers and had become mute spectators to the excess. Speaking in Bhikhiwind, senior AAP leaders sharply condemned the Union Government and said that the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi adopted repressive tactics but the brave Punjabis had foiled all her anti-Punjab policies. The AAP workers burnt effigies in Tarn Taran too. Two hand grenades, three pistols recovered from border village Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 1 The Border Security Force (BSF) in a joint operation with Punjab Police have confiscated two hand grenades, three pistols, six magazines along with 55 live cartridges here. The seizure took place in the border village of Bharopal here on Wednesday late evening. With this seizure, the BSF claimed to have foiled a major suspected terror attack. “Acting on credible information of the BSF Intelligence Wing, a joint search operation was launched last evening near Bharopal village, leading to the recovery of two hand grenades, three pistols with six magazines and 50 live rounds,” said the BSF, while adding that the recovered arms and ammunition have been handed over to the police for further action. A BSF spokesman said the BSF is fully prepared and is on high alert and has been thwarting attempts of cross-border The arms and ammunition seized by BSF troops in a joint operation with the Punjab Police at Bharopal village in Amritsar. terror syndicates to sneak in arms and ammunition to stock violence and anti-national activities in the country. “The swift and coordinated action with Punjab Police has prevented a possible major terror incident, and reaffirmed its commitment to national security and protection of citizens,” he said. Amandeep Singh, SHO, Gharinda police station, said a case under the Explosive Act and the Arms Act has been registered against unknown persons in this connection while further probe was on. The recovery was made a day after the Punjab Police held five operatives of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and recovered a hand grenade and a pistol from them. The police said the hand grenade and the pistol were smuggled from Ajnala sector. The grenade was meant to target police establishments. Mayor forms F&CC panel, Sr Dy Mayor strikes dissenting note Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 1 Mayor Jatinder Singh Moti Bhatia has formed a sixmember Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC), but the decision has sparked internal dissent, especially from Senior Deputy Mayor Priyanka Sharma. The F&CC, a key committee responsible for financial decisions and city development projects, now includes Senior Deputy Mayor Priyanka Sharma, Deputy Mayor Anita Rani, Municipal Commissioner Gulpreet Singh Aulakh, councillor Sukhbir Kaur from Ward 31 and councillor Jagmeet Singh from Ward 52. Councillor Jagmeet Singh, notably won the municipal elections as an independent candidate and later joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Senior Deputy Mayor Priyanka Sharma has strongly objected to the manner in which the committee was constituted. “No consultation was done with me before finalising the names, including that of two councillors from the same constituency, which raises questions. This looks like favouritism,” she said, adding that while the mayor has the authority to make decisions, ignoring teamwork and consultation weakens the system. Some other councillors have also expressed dissatisfaction, warning that such unilateral decisions could increase factionalism within the party in the coming days. As attention now shifts to the formation of other sub-committees, such as those for Property Tax, O&M (Operations & Maintenance), Health, MTP (Municipal Town Planning) and others— several councillors are lobbying for the role of chairperson. Mayor Jatinder Singh Moti Bhatia stated, “The committee will hold a meeting soon to initiate ground-level development work and ensure that stalled tenders are reissued and implemented without delay. We will not allow any irregularities in the tender process as happened previously. Everything will be done transparently and every file will be thoroughly checked.” GANGSTER SONU MOTA CASE CICSE/ICSE results: City students come out with flying colours Police arrest prime accused from Manali The six suspects in custody of the Amritsar rural police on Thursday. Gang of robbers busted, 6 held Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 1 With the arrest of six persons, the Majitha police on Thursday claimed to have busted a gang of robbers. The police also recovered sharp-edged, blunt weapons and two motorcycles from their possession. Those arrested were identified as Hardeep Singh, alias Shiva, Jatinder Singh, alias Sunny, Joban Singh, alias Bobby, Gurjit Singh, and Vishavjit Singh, alias Raja, all residents of Bhangwa village in Majitha, and Malkeet Singh of Sainsra Khurd village falling under the Jhander police station here. Assistant Sub-Inspector Harjinder Singh said the police got specific information that the accused had formed a gang, which used to rob innocent people by brandishing sharp-edged weapons and also indulged in drug peddling. They all have a previous criminal record. The information revealed that they were hiding behind the bushes near Bhoma canal for some crime. Police teams were rushed to the spot and the accused were arrested. The police recovered a sword, three datars, a base and wooden handle of spade, and two bikes, including a Bullet motorcycle, from them. The police have registered a case under Organized Crime (section 111 of BNS) against them. The police said they were brought on police remand for further investigations. Amritsar, May 1 Meritorious students in the district celebrated the results of CICSE (Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations) Board examinations declared on Tuesday. Several students from city schools saw academic success scoring above 90 per cent marks in the Class X and Class XII Board exams. From Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School, affiliated to CICSE, Tavcharan Kaur of Class X at the Basant Avenue school branch topped with an impressive 97.8 per cent, followed by Gurdev Singh with 96.8 per cent and Gurasees Kaur with 96.4 per cent. From Bhagtanwala CKD School, Udayvir Singh and Ishmeet Kaur both scored 96.8 per cent, while Harshdeep Kaur secured 96 per cent. The students of Golden Avenue branch of the school also excelled with Prabhnoor Kaur scoring 94 per cent and Paramveer Kaur achieving 93.6 per cent. At Friend’s Avenue branch of the school, Parinaz Kaur scored 96 per cent and Simranjit Singh 94 per cent. At Holy Heart Presidency School, Daljit Kaur of non-medical stream, emerged as the c m y b Tavcharan Kaur (97.8%) school topper with an aggregate of 96 per cent. Following closely were Gurshaan with 95.5 per cent and Kamalnoor with 94.75 per cent, securing the second and third positions, respectively. From the medical stream, Abhinoor Kaur outshone her peers with a remarkable score of 97 per cent, clinching the top rank. In the Commerce stream, Anmolpreet Kaur distinguished herself by securing the first position with an outstanding 95.25 per cent per cent. In Class X, Shreya led the batch with a phenomenal 97.2 per cent, followed by Medha Aggarwal with 97 per cent and Eknoor Singh with 96.4 per cent, securing the second and third ranks, respectively. At Reveldale School, Attari, in Class 12, Navjot Singh from non-medical stream, scored 96.75 per cent marks. Rajinder Kaur of Plus Two medical scored 95 per cent marks. Simratpal Kaur of Plus Two Commerce also scored 95 per cent marks. Jaskaran Singh of Plus Two Arts scored 94 per cent marks. Ten students of Plus Two classes have secured more than 85 per cent marks, while 18 students have got more than 80 per cent marks. In Class X Board results, Samarpreet Singh with 93.6 per cent marks and Rajanpreet Kaur with 93.4 per cent marks emerged as school toppers. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar (C) addresses mediapersons in Amritsar on Thursday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Tribune News Service 18 students secure more than 80% marks Students of St Joseph’s Convent School, Qadian, had 100 per cent results in CICSE Class X Boards. Nida Mubashir topped the batch with an impressive 95.8 per cent, followed closely by Kanwaljit Singh with 92.5 per cent, and Arshpreet Kaur securing third position with 91.2 per cent. Father William Sahota, director of the school, extended heartfelt congratulations to the students, praising their exceptional performance. — TNS Amritsar, May 1 Two days after the broad daylight murder of alleged gangster Ravneet Singh alias Sonu Mota, a resident of Sultanwind Road area, in Kathian Wala Bazaar near the Golden Temple here, the police have arrested the prime accused, Abhiraj Singh alias Abhi (25), hailing from the Telephone Exchange area. Speaking to media persons, Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that Abhiraj along with his accomplice Rahul Kumar alias Mota (27) of Ganj Di Mori, was arrested from near Bhootnath temple in Manali, Himachal Pradesh. “Revenge was the motive behind the murder as Abhiraj was suspicious that it was Sonu Mota who got a recee conducted of his slain father Gurdeep Pehalwan who was later shot dead at an Akhara in Gole Bagh area in 2018,” said Bhullar. He said after shooting down Sonu Mota, the duo escaped continued on page 2