24042026-ATR-01.qxd 4/23/2026 11:27 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune LOCALS FLAG OVERCHARGING AT MC PARKING FACILITIES GURDASPUR WOMAN BAGS GOLD AT BOXING MEET Says sport a therapeutic outlet for aggression, helps challenge traditional gender norms. P3 MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 40°C | MIN 23°C YESTERDAY MAX 38°C | MIN 20°C PRETTY, POWERFUL PINK WILL NEVER BE OFF-SEASON Residents claim contractors have been flouting the approved rate list at key parking locations. P2 FORECAST From playful to powerful, these starapproved pink outfits serve major summer style goals. P4 » » SUNSET FRIDAY 7.05 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 5.51 AM » FRIDAY | 24 APRIL 2026 | AMRITSAR Man gets life term for raping minor daughter Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 23 The Additional District and Sessions Judge (POCSO-cumFast Track Court), Amritsar, convicted Satnam Singh alias Manu, a resident of Daniyal village under Khilchian police station for allegedly raping his minor daughter. The incident occurred two years ago when a case under Sections 65(2)/64(1) BNSS and Section 6 of the POCSO Act was registered against the accused. The court sentenced the convict to life imprisonment until natural life along with a fine of Rs 1 lakh. According to the judgment, on July 17, 2024, when the victim’s mother was away from home, the accused forcibly raped his minor daughter and assaulted her. Investigations revealed he had been repeatedly raping her for two years prior to his arrest. He was also threatening her not to disclose the crime to anyone. While giving the judgment, the court emphasised that no leniency would be shown towards heinous crimes against minors. Perpetrators would face the full force of the law to prevent future atrocities, the court stated. Cross-border smuggling module busted; 3 held with drugs, arms Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 23 The Amritsar Commissionerate Police here today claimed to have dismantled a drug and arms trafficking module with the arrest of three persons. They seized 915 gm of ICE (methamphetamine) and five pistols from their possession. The arrested accused have been identified as Sukhwinder Singh alias Sukha (21), Sola Singh alias Sonu (29) and Karan Singh (22), all residents of Sahanke village in Ferozepur district. The seized weapons include two 9mm Glock pistols and three .30 bore pistols, along with two live cartridges. Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said preliminary investigations revealed that the accused were in contact with Pakistan-based smugglers through social media platforms. Contraband consignments were being dropped via drones from across the Baba Bakala resident held for spying for ISI Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 23 The Amritsar Rural police have arrested a man from Baba Bakala for allegedly spying on Indian Army establishments on behalf of Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The accused has been identified as Bikramjit Singh, a resident of Baba Bakala. According to police officials, he was apprehended following specific intelligence inputs received by the Khalchian police station indi- Tarn Taran man duped of ~15 lakh by travel agents Gurbaxpuri Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar addresses mediapersons in Amritsar on Thursday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR border, he said, adding that the accused were acting as local handlers for distribution of drugs and illegal arms. The DGP said further investigations were underway to establish forward and backward linkages to dis- mantle the entire network. Sharing operational details, Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the arrests were made during a targeted operation based on specific intelligence inputs. Initially, one .30 bore pistol was seized from the accused. Subsequent disclosures led to the seizure of the remaining contraband, including the drugs and other firearms. He added that the consignments were dropped in the densely forested Mamdot area in Ferozepur sector from where the accused used to retrieve and supply those to different locations. A case has been registered under the NDPS Act and relevant provisions of the Arms Act at Gate Hakima police station here. Further investigation is in progress. Tarn Taran, April 23 Angrej Singh, a resident of Manochahal Kalan, has been defrauded of Rs 15 lakh by travel agents on the pretext of sending his daughter abroad. The amount was given to the travel agents more than two years back. Even after the passage of two years, the trav- Abducted minor girl Applicants at Aadhaar centre rue lack of facilities rescued by police People standing in queues outside have no access to water, shade Gurbaxpuri Tarn Taran, April 23 The Bhikhiwind police have rescued the minor girl who was abducted on Wednesday when she was on her way back from school. The victim, Sahijdeep Kaur (6), was abducted by Lovepreet Kaur of Sursing and Arti, a resident of Patti road, Bhikhiwind. Kuljit Kaur, mother of the girl, had lodged a complaint with the police. ASI Kulwinder Pal, the investigation officer (IO), said that Lovepreet and Arti have been arrested and the girl has been rescued from the possession of Arti at the residence of whom Was kidnapped when she was on her way back from school Lovepreet Kaur had kept the girl. Kuljit said that her daughter had failed to come on time from school. So, she and her husband searched for her. From the footage of the CCTV cameras installed in a house at the village, the culprits were recognised. The IO said that the accused have confessed to the crime and have been booked under Section 140 (3), 142, 97, 61 (2) of the BNS. The girl has been handed over to her parents. cating his suspicious activities and alleged links with a Pakistan-based handler. The police have registered an FIR against him under Section 3, 4 of Official Secrets Act and Section 61 (2) of BNS against him. Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused had allegedly been in contact with an ISI agent through mobile communication for the past some time. It is suspected that during this period, he shared photographs and sensitive information related to Indian military installations. Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 23 Applicants standing in queues outside a central government office that accepts applications to enrol for new Aadhaar cards, rectification and updating of already made Aadhaar cards, are a harassed lot. In this heat, there is inadequate arrangement for drinking water and shade outside the office. The office is situated on Batala road. Applicants said that hardly any arrangements have been made for their convenience outside the office. Waiting for their turn, they have to stand for hours under the hot sun without water and shade. Applicants stand in the sun outside an Aadhaar centre in Amritsar on Thursday. Showing his card, 31-yearold Chand Singh, a resident of Bhrariwal, claimed his name was printed as Chan Singh in his Aadhaar card, prompting him to visit the place to rectify the mistake. He said it was his second visit to rectify the mistake. “Today, I have been standing here for the past two hours and the staff is yet to PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR guide me. The place is without any potable water.” Mohit, an applicant, said it becomes better once we gain entry inside the premises. An official at the centre said 30 seats have been set up outside. However, as per the bylaws, they cannot install a roof on the pavement which is just outside the office. He said there is ample cold water inside the office and those who gain entry after fulfilling the procedure could use the facility. In addition, 30 more chairs are available inside and four officials simultaneously attend to the applicants there. The premises is also centrally air-conditioned. He said they cannot install a water machine outside as thieves could steal it. Twice, thieves have barged inside the premises. First, they took away cash and the second time, they took away air-conditioning pipes and other material. el agents neither sent his daughter abroad nor are they returning the amount. So, Angrej Singh lodged a police complaint. The accused have been identified as Oma Rani alias Ashtha, her husband Baldev Raj, a resident of Batala road, Amritsar, and their employees Parminder Pal Singh, a resident of Kot Khalsa, Amritsar. One injured in clash between two groups Tarn Taran, April 23 A passer-by was shot at in a clash between two parties near the Dhora police post here today. The injured, Rachhpal Singh (25), has been admitted to the Tarn Taran Civil Hospital. Rachhpal Singh, who lives near the Dhora police post, said that he was going for some work when a bullet was fired during a clash between two parties. The bullet hit his left leg. He was immediately admitted to the local civil hospital by his family members where his condition is said to be out of danger. He said that the shooters were led by Kaka and his son Mohit. There were seven other unidentified armed persons with them. — OC Tie-up that will help basmati farmers cut export rejection Fish traders intensify stir against GNDU joins hands with Japanese firm to test rapid pesticide detection tech sealing drive, seek alternative site Neha Saini Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 23 In good news for basmati rice growers and exporters from the region, Guru Nanak Dev University has secured funding for an international industry-sponsored research project from Horiba Ltd, Japan, that focuses on validating an advanced rapid pesticide detection technology developed by Horiba, a world leader in analytical and scientific instrumentation. The project will evaluate the performance, accuracy and sensitivity of the rapid pesticide detection kit under both laboratory-controlled conditions and field environments across Punjab. The department of biotechnology of the university has received this research project worth Rs 22 lakh. It will be executed under the guidance of Prof Pratap Kumar Pati (principal investigator) and Dr Navdeep Kaur (co-princi- A farmer in his paddy field near Amritsar. FILE pal investigator). Pati said that Punjab farmers often export basmati rice and fruits. These export markets have strict pesticide limits or maximum residue limits (MRLs). The rapid testing kits can ensure that the produce meets safety standards and also promotes healthy pesticide use and mark a shift towards sustainable farming. Significance for Punjab This project will be of particular significance for farmers in Punjab as intensive agriculture (like wheat–paddy cycles) often involves heavy pesticide use. Last year, the Punjab Government had banned the use of several chemicals and insecticides as large shipments of basmati rice exports face repeated rejections in Europe and West Asia as those did not meet international standards of pesticide limit. The currently available detection approaches are mostly laboratory-based, timeconsuming, costly and inaccessible at the farmer level, creating a critical gap between policy frameworks and ground-level implementation. Basmati farmers from Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Tarn Taran belt, which is already struggling to safe- c m y b guard the GI Tag status of basmati rice, have to depend on private laboratory testing that costs around Rs 10,000-15,000 per sample. Prof Karamjeet Singh, V-C, GNDU, said, “Through scientific validation and extensive field assessment of the rapid pesticide detection kit, one can enable farmers to hold on-the-spot testing of soil and crops. Traditional pesticide testing requires laboratories, expensive equipment and trained staff. Rapid kits, however, allow field-level testing within minutes to an hour. Farmer can test crops, soil or water right in the field or mandi, instead of waiting days for lab reports.” “These kits will help ensure rice meets strict MRLs, avoiding the need to destroy crops or sell them at lower prices. A robust kit will be developed after on-ground experiments,” said Pati. The project collaboration will run for two years. Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 23 Fish traders have intensified their protest against the Municipal Corporation’s sealing drive targeting fish shops. They are demanding an alternative site for their businesses. The shops were sealed by the police on Monday over the government’s notification giving “holy city” status to the walled city area. The Wholesale Fish Market Association, while moving the High Court, had also announced a protest at Bhandari Bridge in coordination with meat and tobacco traders’ unions to mount pressure on the local administration. However, following a crucial meeting with the police administration on Wednesday evening, the proposed protest was deferred by two days. Rajinder Kumar, execu- Fish traders during a meeting with police officers in Amritsar. tive member of the association, said traders support the “holy city” status, but stressed that authorities must ensure rehabilitation of affected shopkeepers. He said a meeting with the Deputy Commissioner and Municipal Corporation Commissioner has now been scheduled, where the demand for allotment of an alternative site would be reiterated. The traders have demanded that a designated place be allotted for the fish mar- ket and that they be allowed to continue business at their current shops until relocation is arranged. The association had earlier announced a dharna on April 23 at Bhandari Bridge. Amid rising tension, senior police officials Jagjit Singh Walia and Harpal Singh held a meeting with the traders. After police officials assured them of an appropriate solution, the association decided to temporarily suspend the protest.