30062025-ATR-01.qxd 6/29/2025 11:00 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune MINISTER LAYS STONE FOR KEY ROAD IN PATTI AREA DRUG PEDDLER’S PROPERTY WORTH ~9 CRORE FROZEN The SSP informed that proceedings have been initiated on orders issued by the Union Finance Ministry. P2 GENERALLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 28°C YESTERDAY MAX 36°C | MIN 29°C LET GRIEF BREATHE IN PEACE: VARUN DHAWAN The road will connect several villages in the Patti area to National Highway 54. P2 FORECAST Actor slams media’s intrusive coverage of Shefali Jariwala’s funeral. P4 » » SUNSET MONDAY 7.39 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 5:28 AM » MONDAY | 30 JUNE 2025 | AMRITSAR Come July 2, Neos Airlines to resume flightto Milan from city Charanjit Singh Teja RESUMPTION OF AIR TRAVEL Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 29 In a major relief for Punjabis, direct flight service between Milan in Italy and Amritsar is set to resume from July 2. Neos Airlines, which had suspended its Milan-Amritsar operations on May 6 due to tensions between India and Pakistan, has now announced the revival of the route following normalisation of the situation. The direct international flight will operate twice a week, every Thursday and Friday, connecting Italy’s fashion capital with Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar. The service is significant for thousands of people of Punjabi origin in Italy, especially in Milan, which hosts one of the largest overseas Punjabi communities in Europe. According to airport offi- ■ The airlines had suspended the flight on May 6 after outbreak of hostilities between India and Pakistan. ■ The flight will operate twice a week, every Thursday and Friday to Milan which has one of the largest overseas community in Europe. ■ Expected to act as a cultural bridge, the flight will ease the burden of travellers who have to go via Delhi or other cities. cials, bookings for the Neos flights have already begun, triggering an enthusiastic response from the Punjabi diaspora and international travellers. The aircraft, which offers 359 seats, will also provide onboard Wi-Fi service, adding comfort and convenience to the journey. Manager, Amritsar Airport, Amit Sharma confirmed that the flights were halted in early May due to geopolitical concerns. “Now that the situation has normalised, Neos Airlines will restart operations from July 2. This direct link is crucial for NRIs and business travellers who fre- quently fly between Punjab and Europe,” he stated. “The restoration of this direct route is expected to ease the travel burden for passengers who previously had to rely on connecting flights through Delhi or other airports. The resumption will not only reduce travel time but also eliminate the inconvenience and additional expenses associated with layovers. For the Punjabi community, the Neos MilanAmritsar flight serves as a vital cultural bridge between Punjab and Europe,” said Yogesh Kamra, convener at FlyAmritsar Initiative. Rural police nab arms smugglers Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 29 The special cell of Amritsar rural police arrested three cross-border weapon smugglers and confiscated three Glock pistols among six weapons, live ammunition rounds and three mobile phones from their possession. Preliminary investigations revealed that they were in contact with Pakistan-based weapon smugglers, Salman and Arman Jatt, through social media applications. Those arrested were identified as Sarabjit Singh alias Dani, a resident of Rokhe village, Gurpal Singh alias Heera of Dode village and Jagjit Singh alias Jagga of Thathi Jaimal Singh. Amritsar rural SSP Maninder Singh said that the special cell team raided at Tola Nangal village following intelligence The three cross-border weapon smugglers nabbed by Amritsar rural police; (right) the seized weapons on display. TRIBUNE PHOTOS inputs that the accused were in contact with Pakistan-based anti-national elements and had been indulging in trafficking of sophisticated weapons. The police team intercepted their car and during a search, seized three Austria-made Glock pistols, three .30 bore pistols, eight live cartridges of .30 bore, three mobile phones and a Swift car without a number plate from them. A case under provisions of the Arms Act was registered at Rajasansi police station against them. They would be produced in court seeking police remand for further interrogation to unearth their backward and forward linkages. Meanwhile, the rural police arrested Ajay Singh and Arshdeep Singh, both residents of Attari border town, and recovered two Glock pistols and an auto-rickshaw from them. The SSP said that the police had received a tip-off that the duo was involved in crossborder smuggling of weapons and sold them further to criminal elements across Punjab. Similarly, Rajasansi police recovered two country-made pistols, a .315 bore live bullet from two persons, identified as Harpreet Singh alias Happy of Bal village and Kamalpreet Singh of Tahirpur in Uttar Pradesh. Drug smuggler’s operative injured in retaliatory firing by police Where heaven meets Earth Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 29 An operative of a foreignbased drug and weapon smuggler, identified as Soni Singh, was injured in a police encounter while being taken for the recovery of a weapon here on Saturday. He was arrested by Mehta police on June 25 for allegedly possessing 262 grams of heroin and a .32 bore pistol. Sharing details, Superintendent of Police (Investigations) Aditya Warrior said that Soni Singh alias Sonu of Tanel village, falling under Mattewal police, was arrested by a patrolling party of the police near a gurudwara in Mehsampur village. During a search, the police recovered the contraband and weapon. Investigations revealed that earlier on June 22, he along with his accomplice had fired outside a chemist’s shop in Mattewal area in an extortion bid. The victim had refused to give the extortion A view of Golden Temple surrounded by clouds in Amritsar on Sunday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR After Kunwar Vijay, Rintu contender for North seat Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 29 After the AAP suspended cop-turned-MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap for five years over ‘anti-party activities’, Amritsar Improvement Trust Chairman Karamjit Singh Rintu, a former Mayor, is likely to take over as the new leader of the party. He also resides in the same assembly segment. The vacuum is likely to set off a competition among several leaders to claim party representation in the next assembly election from this segment. Irked at anti-party statements being aired on public platforms by Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh for the past few years, the party handed over halqa in-charge duties of the constituency to Rintu. Rintu has been spearheading public campaigns of the party and the government in the constituency for some months, sending out a clear message by the party. Manish Agrawal is another claimant as he had unsuccessfully contested the 2017 assembly election from the Amritsar North constituency. The election was won by Sunil Dutti of the Congress while his other opponent was BJP’s Anil Joshi. Later, he remained ‘halqa incharge’ of the Amritsar North constituency from 2017 to 2021. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a senior party functionary said there are several candidates but the name of Rintu carries weight and the party has been conducting its civic and antidrug campaigns under his leadership, sending out a clear message about who is the next choice. Three days before the Punjab assembly election, the Congress had suffered a jolt as Amritsar Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu joined the AAP in the presence of Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann in Amritsar. Superintendent of Police Aditya Warrior with other police officials at the encounter site. TRIBUNE PHOTO money. The complainant runs a medical store in Ramdiwali Musalmana village. He said on June 22, he was giving medicines to customers when two unknown persons came on a bike without a number plate and fired at the shop with the bullet hitting the walls. They then fled towards Bhoewal village. SP Aditya Warrior said that during a probe, he disclosed about the weapon used in the crime which was hidden at a secluded place near Mattewal drain. He said a police team along with the accused reached the spot. He said as the accused took out the pis- tol from the spot, he fired two gunshots at the police team which retaliated the fire. Soni Singh suffered a bullet injury in the leg and was taken to the hospital for treatment. He said Soni had three cases of theft against him and had recently come out of Gurdaspur jail. Legacy of Sher-e-Punjab reverberates at Ram Bagh Charanjit Singh Teja To mark 186th death anniversary, first Samagam held in 45 years Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 29 The 186th death anniversary of Sher-e-Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh was observed with solemnity and devotion at the historic Summer Palace located in Ram Bagh, Amritsar. The function organised under the patronage of Sri Akal Takht Sahib and facilitated by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), saw participation from several religious and social organisations, along with prominent personalities of the city. The event began with the recitation of Sukhmani Sahib, followed by soulful renditions of Gurbani and Sikh historical ‘vaars’ by Dhadhi and Kavishar jathas, drawing a good congregation to the venue. It was a rare spiritual gathering at the historic site, being the first such Samagam at Ram Bagh in nearly 45 years. Last such gathering was reported in Ragis perform kirtan at the Summer Palace in Ram Bagh, Amritsar, on Sunday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR 1980, on the 200th birth anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargarj, acting Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, who spearheaded the initiative, emphasised the importance of preserving Sikh heritage c m y b structures, particularly in the eastern part of Punjab, in addition to the historically significant sites in Pakistan. “This is not merely a remembrance, but a call to preserve and reconnect with our glorious past,” he said while addressing the gathering. Gargaj added that in view of the ongoing restrictions on Sikh jathas travelling to Pakistan, the decision was taken to organise the event in Amritsar, ensuring continued homage to Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Highlighting Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s legacy, Gargaj said the Maharaja was deeply devoted to the Khalsa Panth and Sri Guru Granth Sahib. His contribution to the spiritual and secular domains included adorning Sri Harmandir Sahib with gold as well as serving Kashi Vishwanath Mandir and the Gold- en Mosque in Lahore. “He renamed this garden Ram Bagh in honour of Guru Ram Das after building his palace here in Amritsar,” he added. He further expressed the desire to make this an annual tradition, with both the birth and death anniversaries of Maharaja Ranjit Singh commemorated at Ram Bagh in the future. “We must pray for a time when Punjab once again witnesses a rule like that of Sher-ePunjab, marked by unity, peace and prosperity for all communities,” he remarked. He also appreciated the role of officebearers of Amritsar Vikas Manch for their initiatives. Several eminent personalities graced the event, including SGPC officials, scholars, activists and community leaders. Among them were Sri Darbar Sahib manager Rajinder Singh Ruby, Sarbjit Singh Dhotian, historian Dr Kulwinder Singh Bajwa , Kulwant Singh Anakhi (Amritsar Vikas Manch) continued on pg 2