02042026-ATR-01.qxd 4/1/2026 11:16 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune DUCT SPACES NEAR GOLDEN TEMPLE TURN ‘HAVEN’ FOR MISCREANTS DOCS SUGGEST LIFESTYLE CHANGES TO PREVENT MAJOR DISEASES Locals allege theft incidents, presence of addicts in one of the city’s busiest religious corridors. P2 Experts have raised concerns over the growing number of young people being diagnosed with lifestyle diseases. P3 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 30°C | MIN 18°C YESTERDAY MAX 28°C | MIN 15°C PRIYANKA OFFERS SEVA AT GOLDEN TEMPLE SUNSET THURSDAY 6.50 PM Priyanka Chopra made a sombre visit to Amritsar, offering prayers at the Golden Temple as she remembered her father. P4 » SUNRISE FRIDAY 6.16 AM THURSDAY | 2 APRIL 2026 | AMRITSAR Vein Poin sarpanch Workers protest abolition of 29 Labour Laws across Tarn Taran accused of arson; PWD to rebuild houses Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, April 1 Employees, labourers and members of other working classes staged protests across the district against the Central Government’s abolition of 29 labour laws and the implementation of four labour codes from today. They termed the move highly condemnable and anti-worker. Employees and pensioners gathered in front of the PSPCL circle office, where leaders of various organisations — Gurpreet Singh Gandiwind, Gurbhej Singh Dhillon, Hardev Singh Nagoke, Kulwinder Singh Bagrian, Puran Das, Lakhbir Singh Rashiana, Kawaljit Kaur, Ajmer Singh, and Swaran Singh Kohardka, among others — addressed the gathering. The speakers said that the day would be remembered as a “black day” in the Gurbaxpuri Employees and workers during a protest in Tarn Taran. GURBAXPURI history of the working classes. The leaders also criticised the affidavit submitted in court by the Punjab Government, stating that it is not bound to pay dearness allowance or extend pay commission benefits to employees and pensioners. They termed this stance anti-employee. On the call of the Government School Teachers’ Union, Punjab, protests were also held in various schools across the district. The protesters opposed the introduction of the four labour codes, formed by subsuming 29 existing labour laws and burnt copies of the labour codes as a mark of protest. Tarn Taran, April 1 Sanjeev Sharma, SDM, Khadoor Sahib, on Wednesday visited two families in Vein Poin village whose houses were allegedly torched recently by sarpanch Baldev Singh and his supporters. The houses of Dalbir Kaur, widow of Swaran Singh, and Sukhdev Singh Sonu were set ablaze by the sarpanch and his associates. “All belongings and materials stored in the houses have been burnt,” said the SDM, adding that interim relief would be provided to the families and that the Public Works Department (PWD) would soon undertake reconstruction of the houses. Sarpanch Baldev Singh and his supporters had visited Dalbir Kaur’s residence to inquire about the whereabouts of her son, Lovepreet Singh, who was not at home. At the time, Baldev was reportedly enraged due to a verbal altercation that had taken place between him and Lovepreet a few days earlier. In a fit of anger, Baldev and his men allegedly sprinkled petrol all over the house and set it on fire. They then proceeded to Sukhdev Singh’s residence, an associate of Lovepreet, and set it ablaze as well. Both houses belonged to families from the same Scheduled Caste community. The Goindwal Sahib police have booked sarpanch Baldev Singh, Sukhwinder Singh Sukha, Gurwans Singh, Gajji, Jobanjit Singh Joban, and Alloo under relevant sections of the law, while a few others involved in the incident are yet to be identified. Woman found dead in hotel room: Manager held, probe underway Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 1 A day after a woman was found dead in a hotel room near the Golden Temple, the City Police Commissionerate has arrested the hotel manager for negligence and proce- dural violations. According to police officials, a case has been registered under Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 223 (disobedience of a lawful order promulgated by a public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Division B police station. The deceased has been identified as Tamanna, alias Monica, a resident of Guru Nanakpura, Amritsar. The police said she had checked into Hotel AK, located near Post Office Chowk, with an unidentified person. Information about her death was received on March 31, following which police teams rushed to the spot and initiated an investigation. During the probe, the scrutiny of hotel records revealed that the manager, c m y b Sukhchain Singh, a resident of Bharopal village in Amritsar (Rural), had allegedly allotted a room without verifying proper identification documents. Acting on this lapse, the police added Section 223 of the BNS to the continued on page 2 Over 3 kg heroin seized in police crackdown Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 1 The Amritsar Rural Police seized nearly 3.4 kg of heroin in three separate operations on Tuesday and arrested several accused linked to an organised narcotics network. In the first operation, the Khalchian police busted an alleged drug trafficking gang by arresting three persons and seizing 2 kg of heroin during a naka near the grain market on the KalekeKhalchian road. The police said they received a tip-off that Daljit Singh, alias Lala, of Budha Theh; Navpreet Singh, alias Nav Bhullar, of Wazir Bhullar village; Sahil and Krishdeep Singh of Khalchian; Gurbalraj Singh, alias Fauji; and Balwinder Singh of Panjala Mandel village in Abohar (Fazilka) had formed an organised gang involved in drug peddling. The informer revealed that Daljit and Nav Bhullar were operating the racket from abroad and had links with Pakistan-based drug traffickers. He further stated that accused Sahil, Krishdeep Singh, Gurbalraj and Balwinder Singh had recently received a heroin consign- The seized contraband in Amritsar. FILE PHOTO ment smuggled from Pakistan and were transporting it in Amritsar. Acting swiftly, a police team arrested Sahil, Gurbalraj and Balwinder Singh, leading to the recovery of 2 kg of heroin. Investigations are underway to apprehend the remaining accused. In another operation, acting on a tip-off, the police recovered an abandoned packet wrapped in yellow tape from sugarcane fields in Tur village under the Bhindi Saida police station. Gurnam Singh of Saidogazi village, who owns farmland, said his labourer discovered the packet while harvesting sugarcane and immediately informed him. He then alerted the police. Upon inspection using a drug detection kit, the packet was found to contain 400 grams of heroin, suspected to have been smuggled from Pakistan. In the third case, police arrested a youth near a border village and recovered 998 grams of heroin along with a mobile phone. The arrest was made following specific intelligence inputs, as the accused was allegedly on his way to deliver the consignment on foot. He was identified as Manmeet Singh of Maude village, located near the International Border with Pakistan. The police said three separate FIRs have been registered and further investigations are underway to dismantle the entire drug trafficking network.