12082025-ATR-01.qxd 8/11/2025 10:48 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLOUDY PUDA-MC COORDINATION FAILURE HITS CIVIC AMENITIES DGP REVIEWS SECURITY MEASURES AHEAD OF I-DAY FITNESS IS A JOURNEY, NOT A RACE: SHARAD MALHOTRA Poor coordination between PUDA and the MC has left thousands of residents and traders in a fix. P2 Ahead of the I-Day celebrations, Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav held a meeting with police officials. P2 The actor says fitness is not just about body but also the mind. If the mind is healthy, body will naturally follow. P4 » » » MAX 34°C | MIN 29°C YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 28°C SUNSET TUESDAY 7.17 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 5.53 AM TUESDAY | 12 AUGUST 2025 | AMRITSAR 219 stolen cellphones recovered, handed over to rightful owners Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 11 In a special drive launched by the Amritsar police, cops have recovered as many as 219 mobile phones, valued around ~48 lakh, during the past three months. The recovered mobile phones were handed over to their rightful owners, after a proper verification, during a special programme here on Monday. The drive was supervised by Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar. Sharing details, he said, the mobile phones, which were either lost or stolen from various districts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi and Punjab were recovered during the special drive. “Out of the total 219 mobile phones, 65 were traced by the East Division police, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Dr Sheetal Singh, while 54 mobile phones were recovered by Central Subdivision of the police commissionerate, headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police Jaspal Singh. Similarly, 100 cellphones were seized by the cyber crime cell,” said Bhullar. Farmers, workers take out motorcycle rally to protest land pooling policy Tribune News Service Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar hands over a recovered cellphone to its owner in Amritsar on Monday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR He said three police subdivisions compiled a list of stolen or missing mobile phones, the complaints of which were filed by the police. Acting on these complaints, the police utilised technical methods to trace them. Police teams were sent to various locations across various states, including UP Bihar and Delhi, apart , from different parts of Punjab, to retrieve these devices. “Additionally, there is a centralised portal issued by the Department of Telecommunications called the Central Two youths hit by police patrol van, die Equipment Identity Register (CEIR), which manages the tracing of lost mobile phones,” he pointed out. The Police Commissioner appealed to the public to immediately file complaints with the police about their missing mobile phones so that these could not be misused by any mischievous elements. Meanwhile, the Police Commissioner said the police have recovered as many as 73 stolen motorcycles and scooters, and 16 luxury cars from different areas of the city. Camp to boost basmati rice exports to be held today Amritsar, August 11 A large number of farmers took out a massive motorcycle rally across the district to protest against the Punjab government’s land pooling policy. The protest organised by the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, saw thousands of farmers riding motorcycles to show their opposition to the policy. The march was peaceful but powerful and drew a lot of attention due to the large crowds and strong participation. Sarwan Singh Pandher, general secretary of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) and a leading figure in the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, spoke to the media during the rally. He said that the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government must rethink the land pooling policy because a majority of farmers are strongly against it. “The sooner the government cancels this policy, the better it will be for everyone.” He also added that farmer organisations will continue their protests in villages and Farmers associated with the KMSC and workers during a massive motorcycle rally at the Golden Gate in Amritsar on Monday. streets, and there will be no compromise on the issue. The Kisan Mazdoor Morcha has also announced a mega rally in Kukkar village in Jalandhar on August 20, where thousands of people are expected to gather to raise their voice against the policy. Pandher mentioned that similar motorcycle rallies held in other districts were also successful and received huge support from the farming community. Leaders from several other farmer unions, such as Jasvinder Singh Longowal, Baldev Singh Jeera and Manjeet Singh Rai, also appealed to the people of Punjab to join the upcoming rally in large numbers. They said this fight was not just about land, but also about protecting the future of Punjab’s farmers and villages. Protests in Tarn Taran Expressing their resentment against the land pooling policy of the state government, activists of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), led by the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Punjab, staged a motorcycle rally in a number of villages in the district on Monday. Satnam Singh Manochahal, district president of the Cops seize 300gm heroin, nab four 3 robbers involved in liquor vend loot arrested with pistol Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Bikramjit Singh (left) and Simranjit Singh. PHOTOS: GURBAXPURI Tarn Taran, August 11 Two youths were killed on the spot in a road accident on Monday on the Tarn Taran road in Chabal town when their bike collided head-on with the speeding van of a police patrolling team. The families of the victims and area residents staged a dharna on the spot which led to traffic jam for more than two hours in the area. Following an assurance given by senior police officials about prompt action and unbiased investigation, the protesting residents lifted their dharna and the bodies were brought to the local Civil Hospital for postmortem. The police said the deceased have been identified as Bikramjit Singh Vicky (22), and Simranjit Singh (21), residents of Mannan village. The duo who died in the mishap was returning from Tarn Taran to their village on a motorcycle. On the Tarn Taran road near Chabal, a speeding Mahindra van of a police patrolling team hit them from the front. Both died on the spot. DSP Rachhpal Singh said that a case is being registered against ASI Harjinder Singh who was driving the police van. The bodies have been sent to the local Civil Hospital. — OC Amritsar, August 11 The Farm Advisory Service Centre at Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) is set to organise a special camp at Abdal village in Majitha block here tomorrow (Tuesday). The camp would be organised with the aim of boosting basmati rice exports. The event will feature scientists from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, and the Basmati Export Development Foundation, Meerut, who will share their expertise with farmers, including both men and women. Directors of the Punjab Rice Millers Exporters’ Association will also participate in the camp. A dedicated exhibition, showcasing modern agricultural techniques, will be held and literature published by PAU, Ludhiana, will be distributed among attendees. The four accused in custody of the police in Amritsar on Monday. Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 11 Kathunangal police have seized around 300 grams of heroin from four persons, identified as Vikramjit Singh alias Vicky Pardhan, Gurpreet Singh, Bhagwant Singh and Sandeep Singh, all Indo-Norwegian Cultural Forum confers Premchand Award on GNDU professor Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 11 Prof Sunil Kumar, Chairman, Hindi Department and Dean, Language Faculty, Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar, has been conferred the International Premchand Award-2025 by the IndoNorwegian Information and Cultural Forum, Norway, for his outstanding contribution to literature. Prof Sunil Kumar is an eminent name in Hindi literature and has been continuously doing commendable work in the field of teaching, research and writing. He is also the provincial president of All India Prof Sunil Kumar Sahitya Parishad, Punjab, and is working to establish cultural and social values among the general public through various literary activities. Scholars from India and abroad congratulated Prof Sunil Kumar on being conferred this prestigious award. Expressing gratitude to the Indo-Norwegian Cultural Forum for the award, Prof Sunil Kumar said, “My aim is to create literature for the welfare of the society, to define the culture of the country by deeply assimilating it so that the unity, integrity and pride of the country can be ensured while preserving the civilisation and culture of India.” He received the award in the presence of Nobel Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi, who in his speech, called upon everyone to take the lead in solving the problems of the country and the world like the KMSC, addressing a gathering near the District Administrative Complex (DAC), condemned the land pooling policy of the state government. He said farmers of the state would not allow the government to encroach on their land in any way. He said the KMSC would not allow the state government and the powercom to instal chip meters. He said farmers have decided not to allow any of the leaders of the ruling AAP to implement anti- farmer policies. The KMSC is seeking waiver of the loan of farmers and workers. The committee has been demanding compensation worth Rs 3.77 crore for the machinery damaged while committing torture on agitating farmers staging a dharna at the ShambhuKhanauri border. Manochahal said in the district, workers of the KMSC took out tractor marches at Chabal, Patti, Khadoor Sahib, Bhikhiwind, Valtoha, Gohalwar and burnt effigies of the AAP government. king of stories, Munshi Premchand. Pro vice-chancellor of Punjab Central University, Bathinda, Dr Kiran Hazarika, on behalf of the honoured writers, thanked the Indo-Norwegian Cultural Forum, Spiel Darpan and Dr Suresh Chandra Shukla. As the keynote speaker, Prof Shailendra Kumar Sharma delivered an important address. The personalities, who were honoured in different categories included poet and lyricist Santosh Anand, Dr Mohan Bairagi and Prof Jagdish Chandra Sharma from Ujjain, Dr Sanjeev Kumar, Manoj Bhavuk and others. c m y b residents of Chawinda Devi. He said they were arrested in connection with an FIR registered with Kathunangal police. So far, a total of 576 grams of heroin have been seized in the case that led to the arrest of six persons so far. Police said that on August 2, Gurpreet Singh Gopi was arrested with 20 grams of heroin and after his disclosure, the police confiscated 256 grams of contraband from his accomplice Bhagwant Singh. The police said further probe was on to expose the forward and backward links of the suspects. Amritsar, August 11 The Cantonment police have arrested three robbers who had fired at a liquor vend and looted around Rs 17,000 from the shop on July 27. Those arrested were identified as Vishnu (29) of Haripura locality, Ritik Kumar (25), alias Kala, of Railway B Block Colony and Paras Chohan (21) of Vadda Haripura locality here. The police have recovered a pistol with magazine and live bullet, an Apple iPhone, a scooter and Rs 1,000 from their possession. Vishnu had two criminal cases registered under the NDPS Act against him while Ritik faced three cases and Paras had no criminal history. Vishnu was arrested by the police on August 6 while the remaining two were held later on. During their interrogation, they had confessed to several cases of looting occurred in the city in the past. Sharing details, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Alam Vijay Singh said on the night of July 26 night, complainant Sanjiv Joshi and his colleague was present at the RP wine liquor vend when three bike borne persons with covered faces arrived at the scene. They fired at the vend and robbed Rs 16,000-Rs 17,000 from them and ran away on their scooter. He said during technical and scientific investigations, the police arrested Vishnu and his accomplices on different dates and recovered the weapon and scooter used in the crime. He said during interrogation, they ad confessed to have carried more robberies in Ranjit Avenue, Civil Lines, Maqboolpura and Gate Hakima police station areas. Further probe was on, the police official said. Armed assailants fire at medical stores in Gurdaspur, Batala villages, create terror Ravi Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Gurdaspur, August 11 Two firing incidents in adjacent villages have created a fear psychosis among residents of Fatehgarh Churian and Dera Baba Nanak assembly seats. Around 9.15 am, an Activaborne person fired gunshots at a medical store in Kalanaur of Dera Baba Nanak sub-division. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Aditya said investigations into the case had been fast-tracked. “We intend to arrest the accused soon,” said the SSP The son of the . medical store owner, who is based in Canada, received a call last night asking for the telephone number of his father who runs the shop. When the son asked the caller why were they asking for his father’s mobile number, the caller replied, “We are men of Jaggu Bhagwanpuria.” Bhagwanpuria, who is at present incarcerated in Silchar jail in Assam on several criminal charges, is a known gangster of the area. Recently, Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa had also claimed that he was a threat to his family. Officials say the Gurdaspur police started working on the leads immediately after the incident took place. “The police acted with alacrity. They are investigating the case and have also stumbled upon some clues based on which they will arrest the accused soon,” said an official. In another incident which happened hours later, two motorcycle-borne persons fired at a chemist shop in Dalam village of Fatehgarh Churian assembly seat. Joga Singh (44), an ex-Congress sarpanch who is also the owner of the shop, was fired upon and a bullet hit him in the shoulder. He was taken to a nearby hospital where his condition is said to be stable. The assailants later fled towards Dera Baba Nanak. Dalam village falls under Qila Lal Singh police station. Joga Singh is a close associate of former cabinet minister and sitting MLA of Fatehgarh Churian, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa. “The state government must check the fast deteriorating law and order situation in the state. Such incidents are uncalled for,” said Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa. SSP Batala, Suhail Qasim , Mir said both the accused had been arrested. The incident, say police sources, was orchestrated by foreignbased gangster Amrit Dalam. “We have also confiscated the arms used in the firing. Amrit Dalam also has a UAPA case registered against him. He is the one behind the firing,” said SSP Qasim Mir. While Kalanaur falls in Gurdaspur police district, Qila Lal Singh falls under the ambit of Batala police district.