24072025-ATR-01.qxd 7/23/2025 11:43 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY CHAIR ON SIKH STUDIES INAUGURATED AT GNDU NAGOKE: LAND OF REBELLION, LEADERSHIP JAFAR PANAHI HONOURED AS ASIAN FILMMAKER OF THE YEAR The purpose largely would be to carry out research and documentation of Sikh history. P2 Village known for its freedom fighters, political influence, religious harmony, social progress. P3 The Iranian filmmaker has been named the Asian Filmmaker of the Year by the Busan International Film Festival. P4 » » MAX 30°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 31°C | MIN 24°C SUNSET THURSDAY 7.32 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 5.41 AM » THURSDAY | 24 JULY 2025 | AMRITSAR MC to set up memorials for war heroes at Ram Bagh Bravehearts include General Harbaksh Singh, hero of 1965 war Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 23 The Municipal Corporation would set up memorials for valiant warriors like General Harbaksh Singh, a war hero credited with saving Amritsar during the 1965 IndiaPakistan war and other bravehearts at the historic Ram Bagh, announced Mayor Jatinder Singh Moti Bhatia during an event to mark the foundation day celebrations of Amritsar Vikas Manch (AVM), an organisation working for the betterment of city. The Manch also celebrated 90th birthday of its chief patron, Prof Mohan Singh on the occasion. Speaking on the occasion, Mayor Bhatia announced that an e-bus service would be launched to improve local transportation. He also listed initiatives including beautifying the Golden Gate, constructing a flyover at the entrance of New Amritsar and creating modern parking facilities in key areas. During the event, leaders of the AVM presented several key suggestions to enhance the city’s grandeur, which Bhatia responded to positively. AVM president Surinderjit Singh Bittu strongly emphasised the need for a proper solution to the Bhagtanwala dump crisis. Mayor Bhatia Man murdered after altercation Amritsar, July 23 Trying to resolve a dispute between two persons proved costly for a man identified as Kishan, a resident of Shivpuri area, who was hacked to death in Prem Nagar, falling under Islamabad police station here on Tuesday night. The police arrested the accused, identified as Manna Singh alias Manna (28) of Prem Nagar and Krish (18), a resident of Guru Nanak Pura locality here. A case of murder was registered against them. DCP Jagjit Singh Walia said that Divansh Sharma, son of the deceased, lodged a complaint with the police that his father worked with Kunal Trading Company on Bohri Sahib road. He said yesterday at around 7.30 pm, he was working at the shop when Manna and Deepu of Prem Nagar had a quarrel with three others. He said that his father Kishan intervened and alleged that Manna attacked his father with a ‘Datar’, leaving him critically wounded. He died on the spot. The DCP said raids were on to arrest the remaining accused. — TNS VB arrests reader Tarn Taran, July23 A team of the Vigilance Bureau (VB) arrested Varinder Goyal, reader to president, District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Tarn Taran, while receiving a bribe of Rs 50,000 on Wednesday. A case in this regard was filed by a woman resident of Deo (Tarn Taran). The accused had demanded Rs 3 lakh to help her get compensation of Rs 30 lakh sanctioned after death of her husband, an ASI, in a road mishap. — OC Mayor Jatinder Singh Bhatia during the foundation day function of Amritsar Vikas March in the city on Wednesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR responded by saying that the issue would be fully resolved within a year and a half. Principal Kulwant Singh Ankhi brought to the Mayor’s attention the construction of multi-storey buildings within the Sri Harmandir Sahib complex area, which violates municipal bylaws. Bhatia stated that a proper and legal solution would be implemented to address these high-rise buildings affecting the sanctity of Sri Harmandir Sahib’s surroundings. For Ram Bagh’s prestige, he announced an increase in the number of gardeners, labourers and cleaning staff from 16 to 60 and mentioned the upgrading of sewage system along the Heritage Street. Manmohan Singh Brar and Hardeep Singh Chahal highlighted serious shortcomings in the Circular Road built under the Smart City project. Brar demanded enforcement of the agreement between the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Amritsar Municipal Corporation regarding Ram Bagh. Senior vice-presidents of the organisation, Rajwinder Singh Gill and Jaspal Singh, emphasised effective implementation of the ban on poly- thene bags. General secretary Yogesh Kamra stressed the urgent need to make the Tung Dhab drain pollutionfree. Kuldeep Singh Boparai and Jatinderpal Singh demanded elimination of the menace of Chinese kite strings. Rajinder Singh Marwaha, chairman of the World Sikh Chamber of Commerce, Punjab, Harpal Singh Ahluwalia, president of the Jassa Singh Ahluwalia Federation and Sukhwinder Singh Kohli demanded an Information Centre at the Golden Gate to provide visitors with information about prominent tourist spots and memorials. 4.1 kg heroin seized, two arrested Rain throws normal life out of gear in Tarn Taran district Our Correspondent Amritsar, July 23 Amritsar rural police have arrested two drug smugglers having links with a Pakistanbased drug trafficker and seized 4.1 kg of heroin from their possession. Those arrested were identified as Sahibdeep Singh of Hardo Rattan village and Sukhbir Singh of Mulla Behram village. Aditya Warrior, Superintendent of Police (SP), said that the duo was in touch with a Pakistan-based notorious drug peddler, identified as Kali. The seized contraband was smuggled from Pakistan with the help of drones, he said, while adding that a case under the NDPS Act was registered in this connection. “The Special Cell arrested Sahibdeep Singh and Sukhbir from Baba Gulab Shah Dargah link road following specific intelligence,” the SP said. He said that the police was also looking into their backward and forward linkages and more arrests are likely. Investigations are also on to identify their properties amassed out of illegal drug trade which would be confiscated after evaluation by a competent authority. Meanwhile, the BSF seized two drones along with heroin from Dhanoe Kalan border village on Tuesday. A total of 1.13 kg of contraband wrapped in yellow colour material was seized. The Amritsar rural police have registered separate cases in this connection. — TNS Tarn Taran, July 23 Heavy rain in different parts of the district on Wednesday morning for about four hours affected normal life, specially school and collegegoing students and daily wage earners, throwing their daily routine into disarray. Most villages in the district lack proper drainage and there were reports that ponds in the villages were overflowing. Filthy water along with single-use plastic bags entered the streets and roads besides farmers’ fields with the flow of water which caused problems for the people. Daljit Singh Dialpur, Jaswinder Singh, Manjit Singh, Harinder Singh and other resident of Dialpur village said that the overflowing water in their village pond caused problems for the residents. Harinder Singh, a farmer, said that the filthy water of the pond entered his fields and the foul smell created inconvenience for him and other farmers in the area. Normal traffic remained disrupted at the local Chabal-Amritsar bypass where knee-deep water accumulated. The problem has not seen a solution in the last about 10 years. Rainwater had stagnated on the Tarn Taran-Goindwal Sahib road at Reshiana village on the Tarn Taran road in Chabal, Patti road in Bhikhiwind and in other Commuters navigate the water-logged Tarn Taran-Chabal- Amritsar bypass; (below) residents of Dialpura village at the site where the village pond was overflowing after incessant rains. GURBAXPURI parts in the district. However, there was no rain in the border township of Khemkaran, said Dilbag Singh Pattu, former president of the Nagar Panchay- at. Prabhsimran Singh, an official of the Agriculture Department, said the rain was beneficial for the farmers as it was sufficient to water their paddy crop. GNDU researcher’s work MC officials asked to ensure cleanliness focuses on crime, its causes Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 23 The Municipal Corporation has directed the sanitation department to address the growing concerns of irregular garbage collection and plastic use in the city. MC Commissioner Gulpreet Singh Aulakh, in a meeting with the officials, stated that there is a need for regular lifting of garbage and prompt complaint resolution. Aulakh asked the sanitation department officials to ensure timely garbage collection and address complaints promptly. While hinting at the shortage of small collection Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 23 Heena Sehgal, a postgraduate student of psychology at Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), has conducted research exploring the psychological drivers of criminal behaviour, with a focused group at Amritsar Central Jail. Titled ‘Understanding Criminal Behaviour and the Psychology Behind Crime’, the study examines impulsivity, aggression and emotional dysregulation (inability to control emotional reactions) as key factors behind deviant actions. Conducted under the guidance of Dr Mehak Arora, Assistant Professor, and supported by Dr Rupan Dhillon, Head of the Department, Heena said that this research highlights the critical need for mental health interventions in correctional facilities. “The study involved 100 participants, 50 offenders convicted of crimes ranging from serious offences like murder, rape and drug trafficking to minor crimes such as theft and vandalism, and 50 non-offenders, all aged between 21 and 40 years. After regular interactions and documenting the results, it indicated that offenders display significantly higher levels of aggression, impulsivity and emotional dysregulation compared to nonoffenders. Aggression, defined as hostile responses to perceived threats, and impulsivity, characterised by rash decision-making, was Researcher Heena Sehgal with a senior police official. Their inputs provided critical insights into the psychological dynamics of correctional settings. TRIBUNE PHOTO Why is the study crucial? With rising crime rates and declining trust in social and legal system, Sehgal’s research advocates for structured mental health programmes in prisons, including anger management, impulse control training, and cognitive-behavioural therapy. In May this year, a report revealed acute shortage of counsellors and mental health professionals in rehabilitation and reformation system in Indian prisons. “It calls for integrating trained counsellors, psychologists and psychiatrists into correctional systems to support offender rehabilitation and reduce recidivism, fostering safer communities,” she said. Heena Sehgal’s study hints towards a more compassionate and reformative criminal justice system, emphasising psychological interventions to address the root causes of crime. The research was conducted in cooperation with Amritsar Central Jail authorities, including the ADGP Super, intendent, Assistant Superintendent, and prison staff, whose support provided critical insights into the psychological dynamics of correctional settings. c m y b ❝ Property owners with accumulated garbage, filth and stagnant water in their vacant plots will face fines and challans. 985 challans have already been issued and owners billed Rs 16,832 per day for cleaning expenses. ❞ — Gulpreet Aulakh, MC COMMISSIONER vehicles, the MC Commissioner assured that the issue would be resolved soon as the required machinery would be made available. Aulakh also demanded strict enforcement of rules against plastic carry bags. He added that 95 shopkeepers have already been fined for violating the ban. Establishments still using plastic despite prior warnings will face fines and challans, he added. Talking about property owners with accumulated garbage, filth and stagnant water in their vacant plots, Aulakh said that they will face fines and challans. The department has already issued challans for 985 vacant plots and is billing owners Rs 16,832 per day for cleaning expenses. Aulakh appealed to the residents to maintain cleanliness on their own vacant plots to avoid penalty. The Municipal Corporation will continue to issue challans and notices, recovering expenses after cleaning, if necessary, he added. He added that the Municipal Corporation is working to improve solid waste management, including bio-remediation of legacy waste, installation of static compactors, door-to-door waste collection, segregation of waste and processing of fresh waste. The meeting was attended by Health Officer Dr Kiran Kumar, Chief Sanitary Officer Malkeet Singh Khaira and other senior officials. Rural police seize pistols, nab arms smugglers Pawan K Jaiswar identified as pivotal contributors to criminal conduct. These findings reframe crime as a behavioural outcome of psychological dysfunction rather than a mere moral failing,” said Heena. ACTION TAKEN Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 23 Acting on a tip-off, the Amritsar rural police have confiscated as many as eight pistols in two separate incidents and arrested four trans-border weapon smugglers in this connection. In the first instance, a joint operation was carried out with the Border Security Force (BSF) that led to the seizure of five pistols from two persons, identified as Lakhwinder Singh and his brother Harpreet Singh of Dande village. “Developing an intelligence input, the BSF and CIA staff of Amritsar rural police held a naka on Attari-Dande road. They intercepted two bike-borne arms smugglers and seized five pistols from them,” said Aditya Warrior, SP (investigations), here on Wednesday. He said among the weapons seized from them were three .30 bore pistols and two 9mm pistols. Their bike (PB-02-EX9625) and a mobile phone were also seized. As per preliminary probe, the duo was in touch with Pakistan-based smugglers and used to supply weapons to anti-social elements in different parts of Punjab. A case under the Arms Act was registered against them and further probe was on to expose the racket. In the second incident, the Gharinda police arrested Akashdeep Singh of Chabal Khurd village and Gurpreet Singh of Kasel village falling under Sarai Amanat Khan police station in Tarn Taran for allegedly possessing three pistols, two of which were of .30 bore and one of 9mm. A separate case under the Arms Act was registered with Gharinda police in this regard. Meanwhile, BSF seized another pistol without upper slide along with magazines and three live bullets smuggled via drone in Dhanoe Kalan border village. The drone crashed because of technical measures deployed by the BSF to curb smuggling at the IB. Five booked for murderous attack on lawyer The police have nominated five persons in the case of murderous assault on a lawyer in Jandiala Guru area on Monday. Those booked were identified as Balwinder Singh of Boparai village, Gurpreet Singh, Ajaypal Singh, Abhi and Angrej Singh though no arrests have been made till now. Lawyer Lakhwinder Singh was shot at by three armed persons in Jandiala Guru area when he was on his way to the Amritsar court complex. Daljit Singh, victim’s brother, told the police that the accused suspect that Lakhwinder Singh, who was contesting the case from their side, had been supporting the opposite group also. Meanwhile, members of the Amritsar Bar Association today met DIG (Border Range) Dr Nanak Singh seeking immediate arrest of the accused. The DIG assured that the accused would be arrested soon.