18112025-ATR-01.qxd 11/17/2025 11:41 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY FARMERS PROTEST POLICE INACTION IN SUICIDE CASE RESIDENTS WORRIED OVER ROAD INFRA AHEAD OF FOGGY SEASON STARS LIGHT UP MYNTRA GLAMSTREAM FEST IN MUMBAI Farmers held a protest against the Patti police for not taking action against those named in a suicide note. P2 With foggy mornings just days away, city residents are becoming concerned about the condition of roads. P2 MAX 25°C | MIN 9°C YESTERDAY MAX 25°C | MIN 9°C The event saw a dazzling lineup of celebrities, including Malaika Arora, Sanya Malhotra and Palak Tiwari. P4 » » SUNSET TUESDAY 5.29 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 7.02 AM » TUESDAY | 18 NOVEMBER 2025 | AMRITSAR Murder case: Third suspect arrested after gunfight Tribune News Service Batala, November 17 The Batala police arrested a murder suspect, Manik Kumar, after laying a trap on the Batala-Amritsar road on late Sunday evening. A few days ago, a youth was killed by five persons. A few days ago, a youth, Jasdeep Singh alias Deep Cheema, was killed by five persons. The cops said it was a case of internecine warfare as the deceased was aligned to the Donny Bal gang. This group has a long-standing animosity with gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria. Several firing incidents have been reported from the city due to this ongoing rivalry. Keeping in view the severity of the incident, DIG (Border) Sandeep Goel rushed to Batala from Amritsar yesterday evening. A police officer said Manik was coming towards the city from the Amritsar side when the cops, who had prior information about his movements, signalled him to stop. However, the accused started firing following which the cops retaliated. Manik was injured in the crossfire and has been admitted to the Civil Hospital. The cops have already arrested two of the accused involved in the case. They have been identified as Harvinder Harry and Savinder Singh. Manik is the third person to be arrested. “We have definite clues of the movement of the remaining two accused and we hope to nab them soon,” said SSP Sohail Qasim Mir. Both the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and Donny Bal gangs are openly involved in extortion cases. The police are keeping an eye on the movements of their loyalists. BPEO ignores Education Dept directive, three teachers shifted Batala, November 17 Despite strict instructions from the Secretary (Education) that no teacher is to be sent on deputation to any other school, the Block Primary Education Officer (BPEO) of the Fatehgarh Churian education block, Pohla Singh, has sent three teachers on deputation, triggering resentment among the teaching fraternity. According to rules, permanent deputations are banned. However, under extraordinary circumstances, a teacher may be sent on temporary deputation, also called RG (temporary) duty, for a maximum of 30 days and that too with prior permission from the Secretary. BPEO Pohla Singh, who was transferred 15 days ago following a complaint by a woman teacher, has deputed Pawandeep Kaur, Saleena and Vijay Kumar to other schools, thus making a mockery of the Secretary’s orders. The erroneous orders were endorsed by Inderjit Singh, a clerk working in the BPEO office. “I have just endorsed the BPEO’s orders and have done nothing wrong,” said Inderjit Singh. Ranjit Avenue dumping row: AIT begins clearing plots Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Teachers burn an effigy of whistleblower Sukhpreet Kaur Gill. When news of this violation spread among teachers, a woman teacher, Sukhpreet Kaur Gill, became the whistleblower and alerted senior officials. Instead of withdrawing the orders, some employees of the BPEO got together and burnt her effigy. When contacted, District Education Officer (DEO), Primary, Paramjit Kaur said, “I have been informed of this infringement and have ordered an inquiry. I have also informed senior officials in Chandigarh.” Sources disclose Paramjit Kaur had herself endorsed the Secretary’s orders warning officials of sending teachers on deputation. “When the DEO (Primary) herself endorsed the orders, there was no need to mark an inquiry. She is just buying time and is trying to save the erring BPEO. She should have taken action the moment she got to know that the teachers had been posted to other schools,” said Harjinder Singh Wadala Bangar, president of the Gurdaspur unit of the Democratic Teachers Front (DTF), a powerful organization, which looks after the interests of the teaching community across the state. Meanwhile, the post of Fatehgarh Churian BPEO has been lying vacant for over the last 15 days ever since Pohla Singh was shifted. — TNS Amritsar, November 17 A day after Congress leader Anil Joshi announced a protest over waste dumping in the Ranjit Avenue area, the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) swung into action. Chairman Karamjit Singh Rintu visited the site and assured residents that all vacant AIT land would be cleared and fenced to prevent further dumping. Rintu, who is also the Aam Aadmi Party’s in-charge for the North Assembly constituency, said the AIT would not allow garbage or construction debris to accumulate on any of its plots in Blocks D, C, and E of Ranjit Avenue. He said recent disruptions in the municipal corporation’s door-to-door waste collection system had led to dumping on AIT-owned land, but tenders for removal had already been finalised. He added that the awarded Farmers, workers burn effigies across dist to oppose Electricity Amendment Bill Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 17 Farmers and workers continued their agitation against the Electricity Amendment Bill on Monday, holding protests across the district for the third consecutive day under the banner of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM). Demonstrators burnt effigies of the government at several locations. KMM leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said protests were held at nearly 750 places, targeting both the Central and Punjab governments. He added that people from many villages responded strongly to the call for three days of statewide demonstrations. Large gatherings of farmers and labourers were witnessed, during which effigies were burnt to Farmers and workers during a protest in Amritsar on Monday. oppose the draft Electricity Amendment Bill 2025. Pandher warned that if the draft becomes law, the electricity sector will shift into private hands. “Like private hospitals, schools, and transport services, private electricity companies will work for profit, not public welfare,” he said, adding that this would make electricity prohibitively expensive for ordinary consumers. He further alleged that the BJP-led Central Government is weakening the powers of the states, calling the trend dangerous and unacceptable. He said the draft bill would allow private companies to collect electricity bills and eventually eliminate all subsidies. Although sectors like the Railways have been temporarily exempted, Pandher claimed they too would face the impact later. He added that the push for prepaid electricity meters by both the Central and Punjab governments is part of the same policy, aimed at easing bill recovery for private companies. “Electricity was once a state subject, then moved to the concurrent list, and now the Centre wants full control through this new law,” he said. Pandher criticised the Punjab Government for remaining silent on the issue, calling its stance mysterious and concerning. AIT Chairman Rintu said they would not allow garbage or construction debris to accumulate on any plot in Ranjit Avenue. tenders had now matured, allowing the AIT to begin rapid clearance of garbage from all affected locations. “Some miscreants even set fire to the waste, causing smoke and inconvenience to residents. Unfortunately, certain individuals attempted to play dirty politics over this,” Rintu said. The Chairman said he had held joint meetings with officials of the AIT and the municipal corporation to resolve the issue. A tender worth nearly Rs 45 lakh has been executed to expedite waste removal, he added, noting that all vacant AIT plots would be fully cleared in the coming days. Rintu further stated that the civic body had allotted a new contract for door-to-door garbage collection. The agency would deploy vehicles and equipment shortly, ensuring sanitation issues do not recur. He appealed to residents of the North Assembly constituency to contact him directly for any sanitationrelated concerns. To prevent future dumping, the AIT has also initiated tenders for fencing its vacant plots. Rintu said the land parcels in Ranjit Avenue would soon be fenced and gated. Machinery belonging to the municipal corporation that had been lying idle on AIT land had also been flagged for removal and would be shifted soon. Cold remedy A worker gives finishing touches to a quilt made from cotton in a traditional way by the roadside in Amritsar. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR 30-yr-old woman found dead in Shopkeeper shot dead Child found dead under suspicious guest house; paramour booked in Dhulke village; cops circumstances; murder suspected Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 17 A 30-year-old woman was found dead under suspicious circumstances in a guest house room in Amritsar on Thursday, prompting police to register a murder case against her alleged paramour. The deceased, identified as Veerpal Kaur of Amritsar, was found in room number 104 after the police received an alert call. Inspector Balwinder Singh reached the spot with his team and summoned a forensic unit to examine the room. The police videographed the entire scene before shifting the body to the Civil Hospital for post-mortem. According to the police, a case was registered on the statement of Veerpal’s brother, Inderjit Singh, alias Sonu. He told the police that Veerpal had married Rasalal Singh seven to eight years ago and the couple had two children. However, she was allegedly in an illicit rela- POLICE CONDUCTING RAIDS TO NAB ACCUSED ■ The deceased, identified as Veerpal Kaur of Amritsar, was found in room number 104 after the police received an alert call. Inspector Balwinder Singh reached the spot with his team and summoned a forensic unit to examine the room. The police videographed the entire scene before shifting the body to the Civil Hospital for post-mortem. ■ According to the police, a case was registered on the statement of Veerpal's brother, Inderjit Singh, alias Sonu. He told the police that Veerpal had married Rasalal Singh seven to eight years ago and the couple had two children. However, she was allegedly in an illicit relationship with Gurmeet Singh, alias Dharma, which had led to frequent disputes with her husband. ■ The family has accused Gurmeet Singh, alias Dharma, of murdering her, claiming he too left home the same day and has been missing since. Police teams are carrying out raids to trace and arrest the accused. tionship with Gurmeet Singh, alias Dharma, which had led to frequent disputes with her husband. Three months ago, the family had brought Veerpal and her children back to their home, where she had been staying since. Inderjit said that on the morning of November 14, Veerpal left around 10 am, saying she was going to collect clothes and belongings from her in-laws’ house, but she did not return. Later that evening, the family received a phone call informing them that she had been strangled to death and her body was lying in the guest house. The family has accused Gurmeet Singh, alias Dharma, of murdering her, claiming he too left home the same day and has been missing since. Police teams are carrying out raids to trace and arrest the accused. suspect extortion link Ekam Preet was playing outside before he went missing Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 17 A shopkeeper was shot dead on Sunday evening after two unidentified assailants opened fire on a grocery shop at Dhulke village falling under the Baba Bakala Assembly segment. The victim died on the spot after sustaining a bullet injury in the chest. According to the police, preliminary investigation indicates that the attack may be linked to an earlier extortion attempt. The family told the police that unidentified persons had fired five rounds at their house on October 26 and demanded Rs 50 lakh as ransom. The matter was reported to the police at the time and an initial inquiry was conducted. The victim’s son, Lakhwinder Singh, said the family had received no fur- c m y b ther calls after the earlier incident and assumed the threat had subsided. However, last night two armed men allegedly arrived at the shop and opened indiscriminate fire, killing his father instantly. Following the firing, police teams reached the scene and cordoned off the area. Officials said CCTV footage from the vicinity is being examined to identify the attackers and determine whether both firing incidents are connected to the same gang. The police said that the accused will be arrested soon. Meanwhile, the bereaved family has accused authorities of inaction, claiming the murder could have been prevented had strict action been taken after their first complaint. Villagers have expressed fear after the incident and demanded strict action against those involved. Amritsar, November 17 A seven-year-old boy was found dead under mysterious circumstances near a vacant house at Babowal village under the Majitha area on Sunday evening. The victim, identified as Ekam Preet Singh, was discovered lying unconscious near a bungalow close to his home, triggering panic in the village. According to the family, Ekam Preet, the only son of his parents, had been playing outside shortly before the incident. When he did not return for some time, the family began searching for him and eventually found him lying motionless near the bungalow. Bricks and stones were scattered at the spot, raising suspicion of foul play. The family alleged that the child was murdered and his body dumped there, claiming the condi- VICTIM IS SURVIVED BY AN ELDER SISTER ■ According to the family, Ekam Preet, the only son of his parents, had been playing outside shortly before the incident. When he did not return for some time, the family began searching for him and eventually found him lying motionless near the bungalow. Bricks and stones were scattered at the spot, raising suspicion of foul play. ■ The family alleged that the child was murdered and his body dumped there, claiming the condition of the site made an accidental fall unlikely. Ekam Preet is survived by an elder sister. Village sarpanch Shamsher Singh said he received a phone call around 5 pm informing him that a child was lying unconscious. When he reached the spot, he found the boy in critical condition with construction material, stones and debris scattered around. tion of the site made an accidental fall unlikely. Ekam Preet is survived by an elder sister. Village sarpanch Shamsher Singh said he received a phone call around 5 pm informing him that a child was lying unconscious. When he reached the spot, he found the boy in critical condition with construction material, stones and debris scattered around. After inspecting the area, the sarpanch also expressed doubts that it was a simple accident. The police reached the village promptly, recorded statements of the family and sent the body for a post-mortem. Officials said the exact cause of death will be known only after the autopsy report is received. Considering the family’s suspicion of murder, the police are examining all angles and have assured that strict action will be taken against anyone found involved.