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P4 » » SUNSET FRIDAY 6.29 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 6:11 AM » FRIDAY | 18 SEPTEMBER 2026 | AMRITSAR Fed up with ‘no response’, farmers block tracks 15 get lifesterm for gangster’ murder; Protest continues for 6 hours; only few trains affected; blockade lifted after admn’s word Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 17 Disrupting rail traffic for six hours, farmers in large numbers squatted on the railway tracks at Devidaspura village near Jandiala Guru on Thursday. On the call given by the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, farmers associated with the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee and other farm organisations had been protesting outside the residence of Cabinet Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO for the past few days. Awaiting a clear response from the government, the farmers said all they wanted was the authorities’ assurance. Fed up with the long wait, the farmers shifted their protest to the Devidaspura tracks on Wednesday night. Farm leader Sarwan Singh Pandher alleged that police teams had visited the houses of several farm leaders and tried to stop them from reaching the protest site. Despite this, a large number of farmers reached Devidaspura. The farmers had set a noon deadline for the government to respond to their demands. They had made it clear that they would block railway tracks in case the authorities concerned failed to give them any assurance. Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Dalwinderjit Singh Man arrested on charge of sexual assault A stitch in time saves nine: Top cop on family’s role in drug prevention Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 17 The Division B police have arrested a man for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl. The accused, Pratham, runs a 10-room hotel in the walled city. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, City 3, Manmohan Singh said a case under relevant Sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act had been registered on the complaint of the girl’s family members Amritsar, September 17 Police Commissioner Harmanbir Singh Gill on Thursday called for greater involvement of families and society in the fight against drugs, saying the police and government alone could not tackle the problem. Addressing a “Sampark Programme” organised to strengthen public outreach and create awareness against drug abuse, Gill said the focus should not only be on legal action against drug suppliers, but also on reducing Members of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha block railway tracks at Devidaspura village near Jandiala Guru on Thursday; and (below) passengers wait for a Delhi-bound train. PHOTOS: VISHAL KUMAR and senior police officials reached the spot and held talks with the farm leaders. Police Commissioner Harmanbir Singh Gill demand, counselling youngsters and helping addicts return to the mainstream. He said parents had the first responsibility in preventing drug abuse and urged them to maintain regular communication with But to no avail. The farmers then moved onto the railway tracks and squatted their children and remain aware of their friends, activities and daily routine. Gill said families should not hesitate to seek help if any member was struggling with drug addiction. They could approach the police station, SHO, village sarpanch, councillor or other responsible representatives for assistance. The police would facilitate counselling and de-addiction support wherever required, he said. Calling for public participation in curbing the supply of drugs, the CP urged residents continued on page 2 Sudden showers, strong winds flatten paddy CharanjitSingh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 17 Heavy rain, accompanied by high-velocity winds, damaged early varieties of paddy and basmati at isolated places in the district last night. Farmers from various villages of the district stated that standing crops were flattened in several fields. They said high-velocity winds were harmful for early maturing varieties of paddy and basmati, which were already at an advanced stage of maturity. The weather also affected the produce the at Bhagtanwala grain market. Paddy bags stacked in the open got drenched. During a visit to the Bhagtanwala grain market, it was found that rainwater had accumulated in some places because the drainage system was not functioning properly. Commission agents said:”The problem compounds during sudden showers as a considerable quantity of paddy The damaged crop at Bhani Gilla village in Amritsar. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR is kept in the open during the arrival season.” They demanded that officials of the Punjab Mandi Board should take immediate steps to improve the drainage system and ensure proper arrangements for protecting the crop from rain. Farmer Gurwinder Singh Bajwa said: “The crop that has fallen on the ground can suffer greater damage.” The farmers are particularly worried about the quality of the grain in fields where the crop has fallen. They said when mature paddy or basmati plants were flattened, the grain could become weaker and its colour might also change. Such changes could affect the quali- ty and consequently the price received by the farmers. They also feared a decline in the yield in fields where the crop has been completely flattened. A lodged crop is more difficult to harvest and can remain in contact with moisture for longer, increasing the risk of quality deterioration if wet conditions continue. c m y b there from around 12 noon to 6 pm. Only a few trains were affected, with some being stopped or diverted. After several rounds of talks, an understanding was reached between the administration and the farm leaders. During the meeting, it was concluded that a meeting between farm leaders and the Agriculture Minister, Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, would be held in Kisan Bhawan, Chandigarh, on September 24. As for the assistance to families of farmers and farm labourers who died by suicide due to debt, the Amritsar Deputy Commissioner said he had taken up the matter with the government. He assured the protesters that the families of farmers would be provided Rs 3 lakh and families of farm labourers Rs 2 lakh within a month. The administration promised to give jobs and compensation to the families of farmers and workers who had died during the farmers’ agitation within a month. The farmers were told that cases related to stubble burning, police and railways would be taken up and resolved during the meeting with the government. Following the assurances, the farmers vacated the tracks around 6 pm. 1 accused still on run Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 17 Nearly a decade after Rahul, alias Hariya, an alleged gangster was chased and shot outside the B Division police station, an Additional District and Sessions Court here sentenced 15 alleged gangsters to life imprisonment in the case. Additional District and Sessions Judge Sanjeev Kundi pronounced the conviction on Wednesday. They were convicted and sentenced on the charges of murder, attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy, rioting while armed with deadly weapons and unlawful assembly. One of their accomplices Pawan, alias Tamba, a proclaimed offender is yet to be arrested. Those sentenced include notorious gangsters Sagar, alias Boby Malhotra, Darshan Singh, alias Raja, Kanwadda, Saraj Singh, alias Mintu, Arun Chhurimar, Sahil Baba, Sukhpal Singh, alias Shiva, Aman Kumar, alias Ammu, Mukesh, Simranjit Singh, alias Baba, Saurabh, alias Kattu, Jagroshan Singh, alias Roshan, Shiva, Suraj, Raminder Singh, alias Goli, and Jaskaran. According to the prosecution, the accused were allegedly associated with The gang was also accused of killing Congress councillor notorious gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and suspected Hariya of passing information about their activities to the police. The victim had allegedly received threats from the gang before the incident and complaints regarding the threats had been lodged with the police. On May 4, 2016, Hariya was returning on his motorcycle towards the B Division police station after attending a party on the 100 Foot Road when the accused allegedly chased him on eight to 10 motorcycles and opened fire while following him through a crowded area. The assailants followed Hariya up to the police station and allegedly fired several shots at him outside the station. Two others who were accompanying him were also injured in the assault. The accused had also allegedly committed two other murders before killing Hariya. The gang was also accused of killing Congress councillor Gurdeep Singh Pehalwan, who was shot outside Gole Bagh Akhara. OpenAI picks 2 GNDU students as campus leads Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 17 OpenAI has picked two students of the department of electronics technology in Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) — Pranit Kumar and Shailesh Sethi — as campus leads. Pranit Kumar is a second year MTech student, while Shailesh Sethi is pursuing BTech. The selection recognises their technical capabilities, interest in AI, project development skills and achievements in AI-related innovation. According to Dr Hardeep Kaur, head of the department of electronics technology, as many as 60,000 students from universities and engineering institutions across India had applied for the programme. The selection process included two rounds of rigorous interviews conducted by OpenAI’s official technical teams. “The OpenAI Student Collective is a student-led AI community programme through which selected campus leads help their universities build a culture of AI learning, experimentation and innovation by organising workshops, weekly project-building sessions and student showcases, with training and support from OpenAI,” she said. In their new roles, Pranit and Shailesh will contribute to building a stronger AI ecosystem on the campus. They will organise AI workshops, hackathons and encourage fellow students to explore emerging AI technologies, facilitate peer learning and innovation. As part of the programme, the students also attended an on-boarding session in Mumbai, with their travel and stay sponsored by OpenAI. During the visit, they interacted with senior OpenAI professionals and leaders. Drones being positioned at strategic locations near the International Border. ADGP lists measures to keep drug, arms smuggling in check Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 17 Additional Director General of Police, Anti-Narcotics Task Force, Nilabh Kishore today visited the border belt in Amritsar and reviewed the security arrangements, including checkpoints set up in border villages as part of the second line of defence against cross-border smuggling. The visit comes two days after the Punjab Police enhanced its anti-drone capabilities along the Amritsar border belt. The ADGP also held a meeting with Border Security Force officials to discuss measures to check the movement of drugs, weapons and explosives from across the International Border. The official’s visit assumes significance amid renewed focus by security and intelligence agencies on strengthening border management and coordination among forces deployed along the sensitive frontier. A recent COPS ALARMED OVER DRONE USE BY SMUGGLERS ■ The growing use of drones for smuggling narcotics, weapons and other contraband has emerged as a major security concern in Punjab, with the border belt recording huge hauls. ■ The Ministry of Home Affairs told Parliament in July that droneassisted smuggling had increased sharply since 2021, with Punjab accounting for 298 of the 305 such incidents reported across the country in 2025. meeting of senior officers of the Army, BSF and Punjab Police at the Western Command headquarters in Chandimandir discussed measures, including creation of a unified intelligence grid, better sharing of intelligence inputs, exchange of findings from drone wreckage analysis and forensic examination, and enhanced night surveillance along vulnerable stretches. Kishore also reviewed the deployment of drones along the border belt. The drones are being positioned at strategic locations near the International Border to supplement existing antidrone systems and help security agencies monitor aerial activity. Besides detecting suspicious aerial movement, the drones are expected to assist in tracking suspected drug couriers who enter border villages to collect consignments dropped by drones from across the border. The growing use of drones for smuggling narcotics, weapons and other contraband has emerged as a major security concern in Punjab. The Ministry of Home Affairs told Parliament in July that droneassisted smuggling had increased sharply since 2021, with Punjab accounting for 298 of the 305 such incidents reported across the country in 2025.