05012026-ATR-01.qxd 1/4/2026 11:21 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY POLLUTION FROM TUNG DHAB DRAIN IRKS LOCALS PREVENTING ROAD MISHAPS IN FOGGY WEATHER VIKAS KHANNA CALLS DIRECTING SHABANA HIS BIGGEST PRIVILEGE The drain has neither been covered nor closed to put an end to the hardships faced by residents. P2 Awareness, strict norms and technology can help check accidents in chilly conditions. P3 MAX 18°C | MIN 4°C YESTERDAY MAX 16°C | MIN 7°C Celebrity chef-turned-filmmaker Vikas Khanna has directed Shabana Azmi in his upcoming film, Imaginary Rain. P4 » » SUNSET MONDAY 5.36 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 7.19 AM » MONDAY | 5 JANUARY 2026 | AMRITSAR Sarpanch shot dead: AAP leaders blame security lapses, cops demur Gurbaxpuri Tarn Taran, January 4 The statements of the district police and the local AAP leaders regarding the security provided to Jarmal Singh, Sarpanch of village Valtoha Sandhuan, and a close associate of AAP MLA from Khemkaran assembly constituency, Sarwan Singh Dhun, has been a study in contrast. Jarmal Singh (50) was shot dead by gangster Prabh Dasuwal's operatives at a marriage palace in Amritsar today. Jarmal Singh's relative Karamjeet Singh Deol said here today that Jarmal Singh had left the Akali Dal VARYING VERSIONS ■ Jarmal Singh had left the Akali Dal Jarmal Singh, AAP Sarpanch of Valtoha Sandhua village and joined the Aam Aadmi Party, whom AAP MLA Sarwan Singh Dhun considered to be his close confidant. Before Prabh Dasuwal's and joined the Aam Aadmi Party. AAP MLA Sarwan Singh Dhun considered him his confidant. ■ Before Prabh Dasuwal’s operatives opened fire at the wedding function, Jarmal Singh was sitting near the MLA, but as soon as the MLA left to get food, Jarmal Singh was shot. ■ Tarn Taran SSP Surendra Lamba claimed police had provided security but no security personnel was present with Jarmal Singh. operatives opened fire at the wedding function, Jarmal Singh was sitting near the MLA, but as soon as the MLA got up for his meals, Jarmal Singh was left alone and was shot by the suspects. Karamjeet Singh Deol said that Sarpanch Jarmal Singh was being continuously threatened by Prabh Dasuwal, due to which the police had given him security for some time, which was subsequently withdrawn by the police. Incidentally, Jarmal Singh had kept his gunman, the munshi of his agency, as his security personnel. Karamjit Singh Deol said that had the police not withdrawn the security of Jarmal Singh, a precious life could have been saved today. Meanwhile, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Tarn Taran, Surendra Lamba claimed that the police had provided security to Jarmal Singh, but there was no security personnel present at the time of the incident. The SSP said that he would investigate the matter. Karamjeet Singh Deol said that Jarmal Singh was a property agent in the area besides working as a commission agent. Gangster Prabh Dasuwal had demanded a ransom of Rs 50 lakh from the deceased Sarpanch. His activists had also fired shots at the agent's shop in Algo Kothi grain market. The local leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party in the area have blamed the police for alleged negligence. Ready to soar high A kite being ferried on a two-wheeler ahead of the Lohri festival in Amritsar on Sunday. The festive spirit is adding warmth amid the winter chill this season. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Gangsters fire at chemist shop, salon ~15 crore for city to boost Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, January 4 In less than 12 hours, the operatives of foreign-based gangsters fired at two places in Tarn Taran town. The incidents have terrorised the local residents. A newly opened salon and academy was made the target on Sunday morning while a chemist shop was targeted on Saturday night. According to the information received, three motorcycle-borne masked armed operatives of gangster Prabh Dasuwal fired at Suraj Medical Store, a chemist shop on Saturday night, and escaped. The incidents have raised a question mark on the performance of the district police and also deepened the sense of terror that was already Police officials at the chemist shop where gang operatives opened fire. PHOTO: GURBAXPURI spreading among the people. The proprietor of the shop, Biru Ram, said that a few days ago, Prabh Dasuwal had sent him a voice call on a mobile demanding an extortion money Rs 10 lakh. Biru Ram said that Prabh Dasuw- al had called him on his mobile a few days ago but he switched off his phone. Dasuwal, in a voice message, warned Biru Ram. At night, Biru Ram was inside the shop when three masked operatives of the gangster came on a motorcycle and fired three bullets from a pistol which shattered the windows of his shop. In another incident, armed men who came on a motorcycle opened fire at a newly opened salon and academy on Sarhali Road, shattering the glass gate. The salon management said that they had received information about the incident only on Sunday morning but refused to give more details of the incident. SHO Gurcharan Singh of the local Sadar police station said that they are investigating the matter. Regarding action taken by the local police on the statement of Biru Ram, the owner of Suraj Medical Store, ASI Tarsem Singh said that a case has been registered in this regard under sections 308 (4), (3) and (5) of the BNS and sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act. Revolutionary Marxist Party of India’s (RMPI) Daljit Singh Dialpura expressed concern over the activities of gangsters and demanded the safety of people’s lives. Cloth trader gets ~50 lakh extortion calls Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 4 A cloth trader from Khilchian, Rajinder Kumar, has alleged that a foreign-based notorious gangster, Prabh Dasuwal, demanded extortion money of Rs 50 lakh and threatened him and his family with dire consequences in case of non-payment. According to the complaint, Rajinder Kumar, who runs a garment business in the Khilchian The extortion calls coming from international WhatsApp number were allegedly from notorious gangster Prabh Dasuwal, who is based abroad area and frequently travels outside the city for work, started receiving threatening calls over the past few days from international WhatsApp numbers. The caller allegedly iden- Naib Subedar’s mortal remains flown in from J-K Amritsar, January 4 The mortal remains of Naib Subedar Pargat Singh (31), a resident of Ramdas, who died of heart attack caused by low oxygen levels in Anantnag district of Kashmir valley, arrived at his house today. He is survived by two sons. Flown in by the Army, the martyr's body arrived at Sri Guru Ramdas Jee International Airport. From there, the body was taken to his native village, Ramdas. His funeral will be held tomorrow with full military honours. Naib Subedar Pargat Singh had spoken to his family late last evening, saying he was having difficulty in breathing and was unable to speak. The family received news of his martyrdom this morning. Posted at the 19th Rashtriya Rifles, the deceased had joined the Army in 2015. According to his mother, Ranjit Kaur, her son never even suffered from a headache; he was extremely brave. He had gone on leave just a month and a half ago and had spoken to the family only at 8 pm last night. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also expressed grief. In a post on X, he wrote, "Heartfelt salutes to Pragat Singh's courage and passion for the nation. I express my deepest condolences. The Punjab government will possible assistance will be provided to the family." — TNS tified himself as Prabh Dasuwal and demanded that the money be handed over to his associates. Taking prompt action, the Khilchian police registered a case and nomi- nated Dasuwal along with his two accomplices-Satnam Singh alias Satta and Mandeep Singh, both residents of Valtoha in Tarn Taran district in the case. Police authorities said that raids are being conducted at various places to apprehend the accused. The police added that both local accomplices of the gangster have prior criminal cases registered against them at different police stations and assured that the accused would be arrested soon. water & sewerage works Charanjit Singh Teja Amritsar, January 4 The Municipal Corporation has floated tenders worth around Rs 15 crore under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT-2) project to strengthen water supply and sewerage infrastructure in the city. As part of these tenders, missing water and sewerage pipelines will be laid in nearly two dozen localities where such facilities were not provided earlier. In addition, new machinery will be procured to address persistent sewerage-related problems. The technical bids for the project were opened on December 22, while the financial bids were opened on December 30. Contractors have quoted savings ranging between 25 and 40 per cent in these tenders. A total of 18 firms participated in the tendering process, indicating strong competition. Under the AMRUT-2 project, development works will be carried out in wards numbered 14 to 27, 30 to 34, 61, 62, 66, 71 and 74. Key areas identified for laying missing water and sewerage lines include Gumtala, Sandhu Avenue, Sant Avenue, Ranjit Vihar, Friends Avenue, colonies along Khairabad Road and Guru Amardas Nagar. The work is planned Rich tributes paid to renowned Sikh scholar Jaiteg Singh Anant Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 4 The office-bearers of Waris Shah Foundation have expressed grief over the untimely demise of renowned Sikh scholar and eminent photojournalist Jaiteg Singh Anant. The Foundation described his passing away as an irreparable loss to the Sikh intellectual circle and Punjabi literature. In a joint statement, president of the Foundation, Dr Bikram Singh Ghumman, general secretary Dr Charanjit Singh Gumtala, press secretary Amrit Lal Mannan, along with Dr Brijpal Singh, Jaiteg Singh Anant Dr Iqbal Kaur Saud, Iqbal Singh Bamrah and other members, said that Jaiteg Singh Anant made invaluable contributions to Punjabi literature, Sikh history and the world of art through his c m y b writings and visual work. "By profession, Jaiteg Singh Anant was a highly accomplished photojournalist and had received more than 70 national and international awards. He was counted among the top 10 photo artists of India. His journalistic career began in 1968 with the daily 'Jathedar' newspaper. In his early years, he also worked as an art critic for Punjabi newspapers, carving out a distinct identity for himself in the field," said Dr Charanjit Singh Gumtala He was the first Canadian author whose book "Ghadri Yodhe" was honoured with the Best Book Award by the THRUST ON CIVIC AMENITIES Tribune News Service Punjab Language Department. Over the years, he enriched his Punjabi mother tongue with more than two dozen books covering literature, freedom movement, Sikh history, art, music, culture and heritage. "Anant had friends, admirers and well-wishers across Canada, India and Pakistan as well as in the US, UK, Hong Kong, Australia and other countries, with whom he remained in regular contact. Although he is no longer among us, his rich legacy and lasting contributions to Punjabi literature and culture will always be remembered," added Gumtala. ■ The Municipal Corporation has floated tenders worth around Rs 15 crore under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT-2) project to strengthen water supply and sewerage infrastructure in the city. ■ As part of these tenders, missing water and sewerage pipelines will be laid in nearly two dozen localities where such facilities were not provided earlier. ■ In addition, new machinery will be procured to address persistent sewerage-related problems. ■ Mayor Jatinder Singh Bhatia said the objective is to strengthen basic civic amenities across all 85 wards of the city. to be completed within three months. The Municipal Corporation's Operation and Maintenance (O&M) wing will also install 12 new tubewells using AMRUT-2 funds. These include four tube-wells that have become defunct due to age and technical faults. New tube-wells will replace old ones in wards 11, 13 and 61, as well as on Chamrang Road in ward 30 of the east assembly constituency. Apart from this, new tubewells will be installed in ward 83 at Old Chungi Dasmesh Avenue and Vikas Nagar (Gali Subedaran), ward 67 at Kishankot Islamabad, ward 37 in the southern constituency covering Abadi Wadoo Jala and Sultanwind Road, ward 11 in the northern constituency, and ward 23 in the eastern constituency at Ganpati Estate on Batala Road. The technical bids for these tubewells are scheduled to be opened on January 10. The Municipal Corporation has set a deadline of March 31, 2026, to complete all works under these tenders. As part of the project, five mini super-sucker machines and grab bucket machines will also be purchased to tackle sewerage blockages. This procurement aims to address the shortage of machinery and ensure timely deployment of supersucker machines in wards facing sewerage jams. Mayor Jatinder Singh Bhatia said the Municipal Corporation's objective is to strengthen basic civic amenities across all 85 wards of the city. He stated that concrete steps are being taken to provide permanent solutions to water supply and sewerage issues, and problems highlighted by councillors are being addressed on a priority basis in line with public needs. Ministry of Home Affairs officials visit Golden Temple The delegation with SGPC officials. A TRIBUNE PHOTOGRAPH Amritsar, January 4 Joint Director (FCRA Division), Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Saurabh Bansal; Deputy Director Ayush Bansal, president, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI); CA Charanjot Singh; and CA Ravi Miglani on Sunday paid obeisance at the Golden Temple. The delegation also met SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami. Dhami and and SGPC officials presented them with a model of the Golden Temple and shawls. — TNS