24052025-ATR-01.qxd 5/23/2025 10:37 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 42°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 37°C | MIN 27°C GNDU INTRODUCES 53 JOBORIENTED COURSES DGP RALLIES STUDENTS AGAINST DRUG ABUSE AISHWARYA RAI DAZZLES IN GAURAV OUTFIT AT CANNES GNDU is set to introduce 53 new joboriented courses through Open Distance Learning. P2 Under the "Yudh Nashiya Virudh" drive, DGP (Special) Shashi Prabha Dwivedi interacted with students. P2 The Bollywood star chose a custom couture ensemble by designer Gaurav Gupta for Cannes red carpet. P4 » » SUNSET SATURDAY 7.10 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 5.25 AM » SATURDAY | 24 MAY 2025 | AMRITSAR Air India flights hit due to strong winds Civil Defence issues five-day heat alert for residents from May 29 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 23 High-velocity winds across northern India disrupted flight operations on Wednesday night, forcing an Air India flight from Delhi to Amritsar to return mid-air. According to the reports, Flight AIC479, operating on the Delhi-Amritsar route, reached the skies above Amritsar, but was unable to land due to strong winds. After circling the area multiple times in an attempt to stabilise, the aircraft was diverted back to Delhi. Air India later rescheduled the flight, which successfully departed again and landed in Amritsar during the early hours of Thursday. Passengers aboard the delayed flight described the experience as unsettling, but expressed relief at arriving safely. This incident followed a turbulence scare earlier in the day on an Indigo flight en route from Delhi to Srinagar. The aircraft reportedly encountered severe turbulence mid-air, leading to moments of panic among passengers. Amritsar, May 23 The Directorate General of Civil Defence has issued a five-day high alert for heatstroke to residents starting from May 29. In an advisory issued to the government, it said that people should avoid going out between 10 am to 3 pm from May 29 to June 2 as the Meteorological Department has already warned that the temperature will increase from 45 degree Celsius and hover towards 55 degree Celsius. If a person feels suffocated or suddenly falls ill, then a doctor should be immediately consulted, ventilation in rooms should be ensured, use of mobile phones reduced, water, lemonade, lassi and fruit juice etc consumed as much as possible, it said. The weather may worsen in most areas in the coming days due to the temperature rising between 47 and 55 degree Celsius. Batteries in general and car windows should be kept slightly open for ventilation, fuel tanks of vehicles should not be filled completely and tyres of vehicles should not be Notorious criminal injured in brief encounter with cops Police nab two of his associates, recover revolver from them Commuters riding scooters have their faces covered with cloth on a hot day in Amritsar on Friday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR overinflated, especially when travelling. It has been advised to drink plenty of water and fluids, make sure gas cylinders are not kept in the sun, make sure electricity meters are not overloaded and use air-conditioners only in enclosed areas of the house, especially during peak heat hours. And after two to three hours, take a 30-minute break. If the temperature outside is 45-47° Celsius, keep the AC at 24-25° at home. Avoid direct exposure to sunlight, especially between 10 am and 3 pm. Amritsar, May 23 A notorious criminal along with his accomplice was arrested by the Amritsar police after a brief encounter in Ranjit Avenue area here on Thursday evening. One of them was injured in retaliatory firing by the police. He was identified as Kanwalpreet Singh (34) of Ekroop Avenue in Naushehra Khurd village. Two others arrested were identified as Gurbhej Singh, alias Bheja, and Wasan Singh of Tarn Taran district. Kanwalpreet has 11 cases, including attempt to murder, robbery, dacoity and snatchings, registered against him at multiple police stations in various districts, including Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Batala, Gurdaspur, Faridkot and Ferozepur, said Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar. Similarly, Gurbhej and Wasan Singh faced five and six cases, PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Tribune News Service An official briefs Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar (C) after a brief exchange of fire at Ranjit Avenue in Amritsar on Friday. respectively, for committing heinous crimes. All of them were arrested by the police. Kanwalpreet suffered a bullet injury in the leg and was taken to hospital for treatment. Sharing details, the Police Commissioner said the trio had snatched a car from a local resident during Blackout, which was being observed in the city in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor and subsequent drone and missile attacks by Pakistani forces. The police have recovered the snatched car and a revolver from them. Bhullar said at around 9.30 pm on May 7, unidentified persons snatched a KIA Sonnet car (PB-02-EV-2500) from a local resident, Adesh Kapoor, at Ranjit Avenue area here. The police had registered a case in this connection. He said yesterday, Robin Hans, SHO, Ranjit Avenue police station, was present near Amrit Anand Park when they noticed a car without registration number. They were going from Sanjay Gandhi Colony to Housing Board colony. A police team led by ASI Lakhwinder Kumar started chasing the car. They signalled the car to stop and when it did not, they fired two gunshots in the air. Later, they surrounded the car. Gurbhej and Wasan Singh challenged the police while Kawalpreet fired a gunshot at the team, members of which had a narrow escape. ASI Lakhwinder then shot him in the leg leaving him injured. A fresh FIR was registered against them for firing at the police party on charges of attempt to murder and under the Arms Act. 3 held in firing, murder bid case Drug smugglers held Week after being replaced, sewer after highway chase lid damaged again in Tarn Taran Amritsar, May 23 Four days after a man was shot at by several persons near the Amritsar railway station, the city police have arrested three suspects from Panipat area following a joint operation with the Haryana Police. Those arrested were identified as Balram Sharma alias Bawa (35) of Anand Nagar, Batala Road, Atul Kumar (33) of Pawan Nagar and Manish Bhutt (31) of Power Colony, Majitha Road. The police have also recovered the SUV (PB-02EW-5798) used in the crime from their possession. Assistant Commissioner of Police Rishabh Bhola said Sudhir Kumar, a resident of Dashmesh Nagar, was injured in the firing incident. He had told the police that as he was celebrating his marriage anniversary, he came to a liquor vend near the railway station for procuring some liquor. He said when he reached there, two groups were quarrelling and one group was chasing another while firing. He said suddenly some of them came up to him and start- Ravi Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Three suspects in custody of the police in Amritsar on Friday. ed beating him up. He said one of them shot him in his head, but the bullet grazed past it. The ACP said police teams were formed and dispatched to nab the suspects who had fled an SUV The police got a . tip-off that they had fled towards the Delhi side following which Haryana Police were alerted and the accused were arrested from Panipat area. He said accused Balram already had a case (under the Arms Act) registered against him at the Sadar police station. He said a probe was on and raids were being conducted to arrest their accomplices. — TNS Pathankot, May 23 The Pathankot police apprehended armed drug smugglers after a fierce exchange of gunfire on the PathankotJalandhar National Highway (NH-44) on Thursday afternoon. The operation disrupted traffic for hours and left commuters stunned. The chase began around 1.30 pm when the teams of Pathankot CIA and the Special Branch, acting on intelligence inputs, identified a vehicle carrying three known drug traffickers, Rajeev Abhi, Dheeraj and Shaavi. Police at a checkpoint attempted to intercept the vehicle, but the smugglers opened fire and fled, prompting a high-speed chase. At one point, the smugglers drove over a road divider following which they came face to face with the cops, who reportedly had to take cover behind a truck as the gunfire intensified. A civilian even attempted to stop their car but was unsuccessful. Rajeev Abhi was seriously injured as a bullet had hit him in his left leg during the chase. “He is the mastermind of drug operations in the area,” said SSP Daljinder Singh Dhillon. The smugglers then crossed into Himachal Pradesh and admitted Abhi to a hospital in Indora. The HP police got a whiff of the smugglers’ intentions and subsequently informed Pathankot police that “they had reached Indora and admitted one of the accused to the hospital.” By the time Pathankot police reached the hospital, Dheeraj and Shaavi had switched vehicles in a failed attempt to evade capture. However, the chase concluded when their car was stuck in a traffic jam. The police have arrested both Dheeraj continued on page 2 Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, May 23 Less than a week after the renovation work was completed, the lid of the sewer manhole has again been damaged. The lid installed right in the middle of the main road in Tarn Taran town, in front of the Tehsil Complex and the Quality Sweets shop, developed cracks a year back and was totally damaged four months back. Shopkeepers and commuters had been facing trouble due to the damaged condition of the lid as that area over the manhole caved in and mishaps were becoming routine. Frequent complaints were being lodged by the public and renovation work was undertaken and completed 10 days back. Social worker Dalwinder Singh Pannu, Karam Singh Lalpura and others alleged that substandard material was used as a DEATH TRAP: The broken lid of a manhole in front of the Tehsil Complex in Tarn Taran on Friday. PHOTO: GURBAXPURI result of which the lid got damaged less than a week after the work was completed. Shopkeepers alleged that the work was not done properly, resulting in the sewer lid getting damaged again. When pointed out, Deputy Commissioner Rahul said that the matter would be looked into and appropriate steps taken. Aujla meets Tharoor, says narco-terrorism Khadoor Sahib MLA Lalpura accuses SSP in border dist support India’s stand on Pak of framing innocent persons in SI death case Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 23 Member of Parliament from Amritsar Gurjit Singh Aujla met Dr Shashi Tharoor, who is leading a delegation of Indian MPs to the US and other countries. Expressing concern over the cross-border drug and arms trafficking and tense situation at the border resulting in loss of livelihood and setback for the economy, Aujla submitted a memorandum to Dr Tharoor and sought national and international intervention to improve the situation in Amritsar. MP Aujla said that Punjab, especially the border area of Amritsar, has been at the forefront of narco-terrorism, drone warfare and cross-border smuggling of arms for the last 45 years. “Amritsar, once a thriving commercial and industrial hub, has been facing economic devastation for decades due to policy neglect, terrorism and a complete shutdown of crossborder trade. The smuggling of drugs and weapons from across the border in the Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency is not an internal security issue, but a full-fledged external attack being carried out through narco-terrorism and drone warfare, and it should be addressed as such,” said Aujla. Amritsar, once the pride of North India’s industrial and commercial scene, has now seen its entire industry collapse. Giving information about the declining economy of Amritsar, Aujla said that all the industries like textiles, automobiles, chemicals, hosiery, carpet etc are in turmoil now. “This destruction started with Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in 1984, and since then, the economic decline has worsened. As a result, people started moving out of Amritsar and Punjab. No recovery plan was ever seriously implemented. Before partition, Amritsar was a major commercial centre, with a per capita income on par with Mumbai and Calcutta. However, its economic condition has deteriorated considerably in recent years. Trade routes, which once extended through Afghanistan to Iran and Iraq, were disrupted, especially with the rise of terrorism, leading to a sharp decline in business,” he said. Mentioning Lahore, he said its population has crossed 10 million and is growing. Meanwhile, despite its heritage, talent and strategic location, Amritsar’s total GDP income is barely Rs 30 lakh. “This economic disparity is not natural —- it has been created by decades of targeted terrorism and policy neglect,” said Aujla. With the border closed once again after the recent IndiaPak military escalation, livelihoods have once again been compromised. c m y b Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, May 23 Khadoor Sahib MLA Manjinder Singh Lalpura has levelled serious allegations against Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Abhimanyu Rana in connection with the gunning down of a sub-inspector, Charanjit Singh, about one and a half months back. The MLA has demanded action against the SSP for alleged irregularities in registering a case. Sub-inspector Charanjit Singh died of a gunshot in the firing between two groups in Kot Muhammad Khan village. In the case, a total of 70 persons were booked while 20 were arrested the same day. The MLA has shared the post on his Facebook page and MLA Manjinder Singh Lalpura SSP Abhimanyu Rana alleged that while registering a case in this regard, facts were concealed. The MLA said that facts were wrongly interpreted and 50 persons associated with different political parties were booked in a fake case of murder. The MLA said that the SSP build up undue pressure on his subordinates and got a fake case registered. He objected to the registering of a case under the Arms Act against the related persons at the Special Cell of Amritsar rural police. The MLA said that the facts of the incident have been wrongly presented to book a large number of persons in the case and assured the residents of the area that he on behalf of the state government would ensure justice to the people and that no innocent person would be implicated in the case. SSP Abhimanyu Rana, commenting on the charges levelled by the ruling party MLA, said the case is being probed by a SP rank officer in a fair and transparent manner. It is the second instance when MLA Manjinder Singh Lalpura has got involved in a direct quarrel with an SSP rank officer in the last two years. Previously, he had challenged then SSP Gurmeet Singh Chauhan as his close relative and others were booked and arrested in an alleged case of legal mining. The SSP was transferred within a day then.