18082025-ATR-01.qxd 8/17/2025 10:37 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 33°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 30°C | MIN 27°C DRUG AWARENESS TAKES CENTRE STAGE AT ATTARI-WAGAH BORDER PATHANKOT CONGRESS' MARCH AGAINST 'VOTING THEFT SCAM' CELEBRATING JOY OF HAPPY ACCIDENTS, LUCKY TURNS NCB organised a series of street plays to sensitise the public about the harmful effects of drugs in the district. P2 Congress members held a protest rally against the alleged ‘voting theft scam’ of the BJP-led Union Government. P2 Serendipity Day: Celebrating life’s gentle magic, unplanned turns and fortunate accidents that lead us to destiny. P4 » » SUNSET MONDAY 7:02 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 5:52 AM » MONDAY | 18 AUGUST 2025 | AMRITSAR Martyr memorial park facing neglect Bhagwanpuria aide shot dead in gang war Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service TRIBUNE PHOTOS: VISHAL KUMAR Statue of Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra at his memorial park in Amritsar (left); the park is in a state of neglect (right); and Ministers Laljit Singh Bhullar, Harbhajan Singh ETO and senior BJP leader Laxmi Kanta Chawla, along with others, pay tribute at a state- level function held to mark the death anniversary of Madan Lal Dhingra at Gol Bagh on Sunday. Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 17 A state-level event was held at Gol Bagh here on Sunday to mark the death anniversary of Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra, one of the country’s bravest freedom fighters, but his memorial park near the International Bus Terminal lies in shambles. Madan Lal Dhingra was hanged on August 17, 1909, in a London prison after he shot a British official to protest against the British Raj. His courage inspired many others to join the freedom movement. Every year, his sacrifice is remembered with pride and respect. However, even as speeches were delivered and flowers laid in his honour, Dhingra’s actual memorial, a park in Amritsar where his remains were brought back from England in 1976, is in a dilapidated condition. His mortal remains had been buried in Pentonville Prison in London after his execution in 1909. In 1976, his remains were exhumed and brought back to India, where they were received with full honours and later, his final rituals were performed in the city. The memorial park, located in the city, was meant to be a place of respect and remembrance. But it lies neglected. Overgrown grass, broken benches, litter, and damaged pathways show a lack of care. The plaque bearing Dhingra’s name is faded and there are no proper signs to guide visitors. Even the pedestal on which a statue of the martyr is installed is showing signs of neglect, with wild growth further damaging the structure. People living nearby say the park is mostly used for walking dogs or by children playing, with very few knowing its historical importance. Locals and historians are disappointed by the condition of the memorial. “We remember him with great respect every year, but forget him the very next day,” said a local history teacher, adding that the government should do more than just hold events. Many believe that the memorial deserves a proper makeover, with clean surroundings, security, and better information for visitors. School trips and awareness campaigns could help the younger generation learn about Dhingra’s life and sacrifice, said Jagwinder Singh, a senior citizen. While today’s ceremony at Gol Bagh was filled with respect and honour, the condition of Dhingra’s memorial is a reminder that real tribute lies not just in words, but in preserving history. Parking woes near Golden Temple irks devotees Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 17 The shortage of designated parking facilities near Darbar Sahib is causing inconvenience to devotees visiting the holy shrine. With no proper space available in the vicinity, pilgrims are forced to park their vehicles on the slope of the Saragarhi overbridge, causing traffic disruptions. The overbridge, which connects to Saragarhi parking, turns into an unregulated parking zone. Vehicles lined up on both sides of the slope not only obstruct the smooth flow of traffic but also pose a safety hazard for commuters. Locals and those who commute regularly complain that the situation worsens during the weekends and on religious occasions when footfall at the Devotees parking their vehicles on slope of Saragarhi overbridge posing obstacles in the movement of traffic near Darbar Sahib. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Darbar Sahib rises sharply. Residents say that the issue has persisted for a few months due to the absence of systematic parking arrangements around the shrine. While a multilevel parking project was earlier proposed to address the problem, it has yet to become functional. In the meantime, the narrow lanes leading towards the Ex-Sarpanch booked for extortion Tarn Taran, August 17 A businessman from Bhikhiwind has lodged a police complaint against a former Sarpanch on the charge of threatening him and demanding extortion money worth Rs 10 lakh. The businessman who is from Rajasthan and is settled in Bhikhiwind, alleged in his complaint to the police that he has been receiving threatening calls for the last three weeks and the caller was demanding Rs 10 lakh by way of extortion money. He even threatened to shoot him dead if he refused to oblige. The businessman said that he recorded the voice of the caller and sent it to his friends in the area who recognised the voice and said it was that of Gurpreet Singh Billa, former Sarpanch of Chack Bahmbah village. Bhikhiwind police said the accused has been booked. — OC Wife, paramour booked for man’s murder Amritsar, August 17 A man, identified as Jaspal Singh (50), was allegedly killed by his wife and her alleged paramour in Kohali village falling under Lopoke police station here. His body was found in the bushes a near Kohali village canal on August 15. However, the family came to know about his murder, when the video of his body lying in the bushes went viral on social media. The police have booked his wife Amanjit Kaur of Hetampura village and her lover Ajay Singh of Kohala village for his murder. However, no arrest has been made as the duo was absconding after the incident. Himanshu Bhagat, SHO Lopoke police station said that Jaspal had sharp edged weapon injury marks on the body. — TNS Golden Temple and the overbridge remain choked with haphazardly parked cars, causing jams and delays. Traffic police personnel admit that the situation is dif- ficult to manage with the current infrastructure. “We repeatedly urge visitors to go to Saragarhi parking, but this space gets filled quickly, especially during rush hours. Devotees then leave their vehicles on the overbridge, creating blockades,” said a traffic police personnel. Devotees argue they have no choice. “We come from far and want to pay obeisance at Darbar Sahib, but there is no convenient place to park,” said Gurpreet Singh, a visitor from Ludhiana. The problem of parking near the Golden Temple has been a long-pending civic concern. Civic rights activists have demanded urgent intervention, suggesting that additional parking spaces be created in areas on the periphery with shuttle services for devotees. Amritsar, August 17 An alleged gangster, Sukhwinder Singh, a resident of Mohni Park area, who was reportedly associated with Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang, was shot dead in a gang war that took place at Khandwala area here on Sunday night. Sukhwinder Singh’s accomplice, Amritpal Singh, was injured in the incident. Sukhwinder Singh was shot by Nikhil Chahal of Gwal Mandi area along with his accomplice Vikramjit Singh, both associates of Balwinder Singh alias Dony Bal gang. The incident occurred just a few meters away from a police naka. The police teams immediately chased and launched a manhunt to nab the perpetrators of the crime while the injured were rushed to a hospital. Sukhwinder Singh The police team led by Chheharta SHO Vinod Sharma arrested Vikramjit Singh, while Nikhil who escaped from the spot, entered a park to hide himself. When surrounded, he fired at the police team which had a narrow escape. In selfdefence, they returned the fire and Nikhil sustained a bullet injury in the leg. He was taken to the hospital for treatment. The firing led to panic as people were cele- brating Krishna Janmashtami festival at that time. Ravinder Pal Singh Sandhu, Deputy Commissioner of Police, said that Sukhwinder Singh and Amritpal Singh were in Khandwala area when Nikhil and his accomplices came to the scene and started firing indiscriminately at him. Sukhwinder sustained four bullet injuries in the stomach leaving him critically wounded. Amritpal also suffered a bullet injury in hand. They were admitted to the hospital where Sukhwinder succumbed to his injuries in the wee hours today. He said raids were on to arrest their accomplices who had fled the scene following the firing. The Dony Bal gang later claimed responsibility for the incident on social media while alleging that the deceased used to conduct recce of his accomplices. Police demolish drug peddler’s house in Rangarh village near IB Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 17 Cracking down on drug traffickers, the police on Sunday demolished the residence of a drug peddler, identified as Janak Singh, at Rangarh village, located near the IndiaPakistan border here. Janak Singh has three cases of drug peddling against him while his son Nishan Singh and his three brothers are also allegedly involved in cross-border trafficking of narcotics, said SSP (Rural) Maninder Singh. They also have about three cases against them registered under the NDPS Act. He said Janak Singh and one of his brothers was out on bail while another brother was still in jail. According to police, the house was constructed allegedly with the money earned from smuggling of narcotics and was built after encroaching on panchayat land. Maninder Singh said that Janak Singh used to work as a labourer but later entered into illegal drug trade. He was first booked in an NDPS Act case in 2022. He had constructed a palatial house on government land. “The District Develop- Amritsar rural police demolished the house of a drug peddler in Rangarh village located near India-Pakistan border on Sunday. VISHAL KUMAR ment and Panchayat Officer (DDPO) had informed the police about the illegal construction by Janak Singh after encroaching upon government land in the village and sought police help for removing it. We reached the village and demolished the house constructed here,” said SSP (Rural) Maninder Singh. He said till now, the Amritsar rural police had demolished illegal properties of as many as six drug smugglers since the launch of state- wide crackdown on peddlers under the “Yudh Nashiyan Virudh” campaign. He said more such operations would be carried out in future after following due legal procedure. The SSP said that since March 1, the Amritsar rural police have confiscated as many as 150 kg of heroin and drug money to the tune of Rs 2 crore. Apart from this, the police have also frozen the properties of drug smugglers with a total market value of Rs 4 crore. Water level recedes in rivers but no relief for farmers Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, August 17 Water level in river Beas and Sutlej decreased on Sunday as compared to a day earlier but there was no relief for the affected farmers. Reports were received from the affected villages that cattle heads were getting infected with the foot-and-mouth disease for lack of better environment and a place to squat. There were reports that the number of affected villages— from Bhalojla (near Beas river) to Muthanwala (near Sutlej) — is around 40 and crop is estimated to have been affected in more than 50,000 acres. Due to a breach in the embankment near river Beas at Mundapind and Gharka, c m y b Farmer union leaders speak to villagers about foot-and-mouth disease afflicting cattle. GURBAXPURI crops in these two villages spread over 1,000 acres have been submerged. Navneet Singh, SDO Irriga- tion, said water level downstream on Sunday was 75,000 cusecs as compared to 90,000 cusecs on Saturday. The SDO added that upstream, water level in the river today was 98,000 cusecs on Sunday as compared to 1.05 lakh cusecs on Saturday. Mahanveer Singh Gill, a farmer of Toot village falling near Sutlej river, said that water level had reduced but it will take many days to come down to its normal level as the crops were still submerged. The leaders of Jamhoori Kisan Sabha visited the flood affected Bhail Dhai Wala, Mundapind, Gujjarpura, Ghadka, Chamba Kalan, Kambo, Dhuann Dhai Wala and other villages. Farmers in large numbers complained of the footand—mouth disease affecting their cattle head. Farmers alleged that no team of the departments concerned has come to examine their cattle.