03082025-ATR-01.qxd 8/2/2025 11:30 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 33°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 31°C | MIN 25°C CAMERAS ROLL AS CHILDREN TURN DIRECTORS FOR HERITAGE FILMS STUDENTS, STAFF OF TARN TARAN SCHOOL CELEBRATE TEEJ RANI DEDICATES NATIONAL AWARD TO ALL MOTHERS INTACH’s HECS organised the second edition of the Amritsar and Punjab Filmit Festival at a city school. P2 Teej was celebrated with rich traditional fervour at Saraswati SD Public School on Saturday. P2 The award, for Best Actress, was for her role in Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway, where she played role of a mother.P4 » » » SUNSET SUNDAY 7.25 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 5.47 AM SUNDAY | 3 AUGUST 2025 | AMRITSAR Two held with sedative pills Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 2 The Amritsar rural police arrested two persons allegedly with sedative pills in separate incidents here on Thursday. A total of 2,550 intoxicant tablets were recovered from them. The police said Amritpal Singh of Chatiwind Lahel village falling under the Kathunangal police station was arrested with 1,490 sedative tablets. He was travelling in a car (PB-08-CB-6444) when he was intercepted from near the Mehnia Kuhara village drain bridge. During search, the police recovered the intoxicants from him. A case under the NDPS Act was registered against him. Similarly, the Tarsikka police nabbed Rafal Singh of Dehriwal village with 1,060 intoxicant tablets. He was arrested from a drain at Tarsikka while on patrol. The police said the forward and backward links of both the accused were being traced to unearth the entire nexus. More seizures are likely to be made during investigations, the police said. Lawyer, who was shot at, dies; Dist Bar Association to hold protest Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 2 Lakhwinder Singh, a lawyer, who was shot at by armed assailants in the Jandiala Guru area on July 22, succumbed at a private hospital here on Saturday. A wave of shock and grief engulfed the family. The victim had been fighting for life in a private hospital since the incident. The police had arrested three persons, including aides of gangster Happy Jatt, in the case. The Amritsar Bar Association on Saturday boycotted work and expressed sympathy with the bereaved family. The association threatened to stage a dharna outside the district court in protest against the police, which have failed to nab the key conspirators in the incident. The police handed over the body of Lakhwinder Singh after an autopsy to the family and the cremation took place at Jandiala Guru. Members of the Amritsar Bar Association were also present during the victim’s cremation. Lakhwinder Singh, who was practicing at the Amritsar Lakhwinder Singh court, was shot at by five persons riding on two motorcycles when he was heading to the district court on July 21. Earlier, the police had arrested Lovepreet Singh of Amritsar in this regard. Following his arrest, the police had claimed that the incident was the outcome of a personal enmity while denying the involvement of any gangster. However, later the police nabbed two shooters from Dehradun in Uttarakhand and recovered two pistols from them. Both the accused were allegedly operatives of notorious gangster Happy Jatt, who had allegedly fled to foreign shores after dodging the intelligence agencies. They were identified as Manminder Singh, alias Har- Govt plans events to celebrate Guru Teg Bahadur’s martyrdom Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 2 The state government has planned to organise a series of events to commemorate the martyrdom of the ninth Sikh master, Guru Teg Bahadur, starting from November 19. This was stated by Cabinet Ministers Tarunpreet Singh Sond and Harbhajan Singh ETO during a press conference here on Saturday. They said the state government has planned a series of events to mark 350 years of the martyrdom day of Guru Teg Bahadur. As part of the preparations, Harbhajan Singh ETO, along with Cabinet Minister Taranpreet Singh Soud, Tourism Department Adviser Deepak Bali and Director Sanjeev Tiwari, visited Baba Bakala Sahib to review the arrangements. Minister ETO said the government has planned to organise big religious functions at Baba Bakala Sahib in memory of Guru Teg Bahadur. The events will start with the inauguration of man, alias Billa, a resident of Bazigar Basti in Faridkot, and Manpreet Singh, alias Mani, alias Kala Papa, of Khalsa Nagar here. The police had booked Balwinder Singh of Boparai village, Gurpreet Singh, Ajaypal Singh, Abhi and Angrej Singh following the statement of Daljit Singh, brother of the victim, who had told the police that the accused suspect that Lakhwinder Singh, who was contesting the case from their side, has been supporting the opposite group also. Meanwhile, the police have recovered five weapons smuggled from Pakistan during the interrogation of Manminder and Manpreet. Among the weapons seized included two .32 bore pistols, 9mm pistol and a .30 bore pistol. Besides, 24 bullets were also recovered from them. SP Aditya Warrior said Manrpreet faced six criminal cases while Manminder had three cases registered under the NDPS Act against him. Investigations revealed that they had acted on the directions of Abhi, who was still absconding and a hunt was on to nab him. Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 2 An unknown person was found dead at a vacant plot on 88 foot road falling under the Sadar police station here on Friday. The police have started inquest proceedings in this connection. The deceased has not been identified as yet. The police said the exact cause of the death would given time-frame, he added. The Adviser to the department, Deepak Bali, emphasised the importance of engaging youth in the events and ensuring that pilgrims are welcomed and accommodated properly. He said the events should be grand and memorable, leaving a lasting impression on the future generations. The ministers invited all communities to participate in the event and make it a grand success. The events will be a testament to the rich cultural heritage and spiritual legacy of Punjab, they added. Heritage street model to be replicated on four other roads Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 2 The long-awaited redevelopment of four prominent roads leading to Darbar Sahib is set to begin next month as work orders for the Smart City project have been officially issued. These roads — Mahana Singh Road, Inside Ghee Mandi, Katra Ahluwalia and Sri Ramsar Road to Katra Ahluwalia — will undergo a comprehensive makeover on the lines of the existing Heritage Street. As part of the plan, the existing dilapidated water supply and sewerage pipelines will be completely replaced. Overhead electricity cables, which currently mar the aesthetics of the area, will be laid underground to give the stretch a clean and uniform look. The roads, approximately 4.5 km in length, will be enhanced with facade work reflecting the heritage architecture of the walled city. MC officials said the design and engineering drawings for the project will be finalised early next month. The goal is to complete all the development works within this year. The revamped roads will not only improve travel experience for devotees and tourists heading to the Golden Temple, but also restore the historical and cultural charm of the surrounding areas. Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 2 The 325 kg of unregistered tramadol salt, seized from the Haridwar-based firm by the Amritsar police, was enough to illegally manufacture as many as 10 lakh tablets of tramadol, which would have been further smuggled to Punjab in a clandestine manner, revealed police investigations. “With the 325 kg tramadol salt recovered from the firm, Lucent Biotech Limited, in Haridwar, they can manufacture around 10 lakh more tablets, which could have been trafficked to Punjab,” said Dr Sheetal Singh, Assistant Commissioner of Police (East), while talking to The Tribune. Nevertheless, it is not the first instance that such a huge haul of habit-forming drugs has been seized. Himachal Pradesh and Haridwar-based pharmaceutical firms had come under the scanner earlier also. Unidentified man found dead Cabinet Ministers Harbhajan Singh ETO and Taranpreet Singh Sond address a press conference in Amritsar. Bhai Jaita’s memorial at Anandpur Sahib. He said preparations are under way for the yatra from Gurdaspur to Anandpur Sahib. The Chief Minister is personally monitoring the preparations daily to ensure that the events are conducted with grandeur and dignity, claimed the minister. He said the government has started working on the infrastructure development, including road construction and repairs. The teams are working on a priority basis to complete the work within the 10L tramadol pills could have been made with seized material: Cops The project had faced delays due to legal hurdles. Initially, the first tender floated last year was cancelled in January this year. A second tender was challenged in the Punjab and Haryana High Court by a contractor, leading to a temporary status quo order. However, the court dismissed the petition in April after hearing the arguments presented by the MC’s legal team. Following the verdict, the tender process resumed and the finalised work order was sent to Chandigarh for clearance. Officials confirmed that the project aims to elevate the spiritual and aesthetic atmosphere of the city’s holiest precincts. c m y b be ascertained after an autopsy. On the other hand, residents of the area said he might have died of drug overdose. The police said his body was kept in the mortuary for 72 hours for identification. Residents of the area alleged that the vacant plot from where the body was found has become a den of drug addicts, who could often be seen consuming drugs. The 325 kg unregistered tramadol raw material seized from a Haridwar-based firm by the Amritsar police. FILE PHOTO Following a two-week-long probe into a seizure of just 35 tablets of tramadol from a man led the Amritsar police to an illegal pharma opioid supply network originating from Haridwar in Uttarakhand and the recovery of a big haul of the habit-forming drug, raw material and drug money. Two drug manufacturing units — Lucent Biotech Limited and Recall Lifesciences — at Roorkee and Haridwar, respectively, allegedly involved in the illegal supply of medicinal drugs in Punjab markets, were sealed by the police and their documents were being scrutinised, the police said. Till now, the police have arrested six persons and recovered 74,465 tramadol tablets, 50 alprazolam pills and 325 kg of tramadol raw material, besides Rs 7.65 lakh drug money. Those arrested have been identified as Bikram, the owner of Recall Lifesciences; Hari Kishore, the plant manager at Lucent Biotech Ltd; Kulwinder Singh, a medical store owner in Kathunangal; Manish Kumar Arora; and Pooran Jatav. Notably, the seized tramadol strips had a disclaimer, which read “Government Supply Only – Not for Sale,” indicating illegal diversion of medical stock. Dr Sheetal said names of several firms have cropped up during a probe and further probe was on and more arrests are likely to be made during further course of investigations. Last year, the Special Task Force (now Anti-Narcotics Task Force) had arrested seven drug smugglers or suppliers and recovered 70.42 lakh intoxicating tablets/capsules, 725kg intoxicating tramadol powder and Rs 2.37 lakh of drug money. 38-yr-old man stabbed to death Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 2 A man, identified as Vicky (38), a resident of Niwi Abadi, Kishan Kot, falling under the Islambad police station, here was stabbed to death by his neighbours here on Saturday. The family members alleged that he had gone to take his money while the accused’s family claimed that the victim had allegedly molested their daughter. Jasbir Singh, Station House Officer (SHO), Islamabad police station, who arrived at the scene, said the statement of the victim’s family is being taken and action would be taken accordingly. According to people, the police had taken father of the prime suspect, who had fled the scene, into custody. The deceased had a one- year-old daughter. A relative of the deceased said the accused family had taken along Vicky to the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu in his car and had returned yesterday. She said today when he had gone to take his money, the accused pulled him inside and bolted the doors before killing him. The police said investigations are in progress.