01102026-ATR-01.qxd 10/1/2026 12:04 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY TOP ENTREPRENEURS FETED AT THE TRIBUNE ACHIEVERS AWARDS WOMEN MORE AT RISK OF HEART ATTACK AFTER MENOPAUSE STALLONE IDENTIFIES HIMSELF WITH CHARACTER IN ROCKY Governor Gulab Chand Kataria lauds the group for raising the voice of people since the pre-Independence period. P2 As oestrogen's protective effects on heart diminish in menopausal women, regular check-ups are must. P3 MAX 32°C | MIN 22°C YESTERDAY MAX 32°C | MIN 21°C Fifty years after one of Hollywood’s alltime hit Rocky, Sylvester Stallone still identifies himself with the character. P4 » » SUNSET THURSDAY 6.16 PM » SUNRISE FRIDAY 6.25 AM THURSDAY | 1 OCTOBER 2026 | AMRITSAR Bomb threat emails trigger security checks at schools Nothing suspicious found, probe on to identify sender, say police Neha Saini Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 30 Several Amritsar schools on Wednesday received bombthreat emails, prompting the authorities to order their closure and launch security checks. The development coincided with Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s rally in Jalandhar. A threatening email was received at 7 am at Sri Guru Harkrishan Senior Secondary School on GT Road in Amritsar. The school is run by the Chief Khalsa Diwan. The school management immediately informed the police after receiving the email, following which the school was closed as a precautionary measure. Similar emails were received by Shri Ram Ashram Public School and Ryan International School. Amritsar Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) Jugraj Singh said police teams and bomb squads thoroughly searched the Prisoner dies by suicide at Goindwal jail Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, September 30 An undertrial prisoner died by suicide at the Central Jail in Goindwal Sahib, according to officials. The victim has been identified as Manjit Singh, a resident of Malchak village. He hanged himself with a blanket. According to his relative Mukhtar Singh, Manjit had been arrested by the city police about a month ago and subsequently transferred to the Central Jail. On September 29, he attempted to take his life inside the facility and was rushed to the Civil Hospital in Tarn Taran, where he succumbed to his injuries. The Goindwal Sahib police station has filed an official report under Section 196 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Sri Guru Harkrishan Senior Secondary School in Amritsar was shut immediately after the threat was received at 7 am on Wednesday. A TRIBUNE PHOTO schools and found no suspicious object. Don’t believe in unverified claims, residents urged “The schools were searched and nothing suspicious was found. A probe has been ordered to verify and trace the sender of the emails,” he said. Singh said the schools were safe and urged parents not to believe or circulate unverified claims. The development came as security arrangements had been intensified across the state for Shah’s visit to Jalandhar, where he addressed a rally. The rally marked the culmination of the BJP’s Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra. Several private schools in Jalandhar also received similar threats. Dhaliwal calls for face-to-face questioning of Majithia, Bhola DRUG RACKET Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 30 Punjab AAP chief spokesperson Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal on Wednesday slammed the SAD and the BJP over the drug issue after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing an alleged Rs 6,000crore racket summoned Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia for questioning on October 5. In a release issued here, he said the SIT should bring the complete truth about the drug case to light. He said accused Jagdish Bhola and Majithia should be questioned face-to-face so that every link in the drug network could be thoroughly investigated. According to sources, the SIT has also summoned Bhola, who was arrested in November 2013. The police had seized drugs worth Rs 20 crore from his home. The Enforcement Directorate later pegged the money laundering and drug racket at Rs 6,000 crore. Bhola named Majithia in 2014. Dhaliwal said, “Jagdish Bhola and Bikram Singh Majithia should be made to sit face-to- CENTRE SHIRKING RESPONSIBILITY ❝CM Bhagwant Mann has repeatedly demanded that the Centre install anti-drone systems and take effective steps to seal the border, but the Centre is running away from its responsibility. ❞ — Kuldeep Dhaliwal, AAP LEADER face and questioned so that the truth comes out. Every aspect of the drug network must be investigated, and no person should be given any special treatment.” He added, “Every resident of Punjab knows how the drug network spread across the state during the 2007-2017 Akali-BJP government. Bikram Majithia and his asso- ciates played a major role in that period.” He asserted that the AAP government had launched a comprehensive war against drug abuse, arresting thousands of smugglers and peddlers. “The opposition parties are doing politics on the drug issue only to defame the Bhagwant Mann government. The allegations of political vendetta being levelled by the SAD are completely misplaced. The objective of the Mann government is not political vendetta but to make Punjab drugfree,” he said. Dhaliwal said Punjab shares a 532-kilometre border with Pakistan, while the BSF's jurisdiction extends up to 50 km inside the fence. “Drones are being used to bring drugs and weapons from across the border. CM Bhagwant Mann has repeatedly demanded that the Centre install anti-drone systems and take effective steps to seal the border, but the Centre is running away from its responsibility," he alleged. “The Punjab Government is doing everything within its jurisdiction to stop the drug trade, but border security is the responsibility of the Centre,” he said. ~183 cr released for stubble mgmt machines, says PUNSUP chief Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 30 Farmers across the state have procured 16,227 crop residue management machines this kharif season, said PUNSUP Chairman Prabhbir Singh Brar, appreciating the initiatives being undertaken by the government for paddy straw management. He said the government had released a subsidy of Rs 183 crore to farmers for the purchase of these machines. He said the government was continuously working to protect the environment and encourage farmers to adopt scientific methods of crop residue management instead of burning paddy straw. Brar said a 50 per cent subsidy was being provided to farmers for the purchase of the machines, while Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs), Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), cooperative societies and gram panchayats were being provided an 80 per cent subsidy. He said 49,922 incidents of paddy straw burning were recorded in 2022, which declined to 5,114 incidents in 2025, registering a reduction of nearly 90 per cent. Mystery shrouds Class XI student dies by suicide, family blames teachers School refutes harassment allegation, says feud among students behind it woman’s death; kin allege poisoning Neha Saini Tribune News Service Tarn Taran, September 30 A woman died under mysterious circumstances on Wednesday morning at Dilawalpur village under the Goindwal Sahib police station, with her family alleging that she was poisoned by her in-laws. The police are yet to register a case in this regard. The woman was identified as Suman (27), wife of Arshdeep Singh. Suman’s father, Jeet Singh, a resident of Lohian in Jalandhar, alleged that her in-laws had been harassing her for a dowry. He said Suman had married Arshdeep Singh two months ago after being in a relationship with him for nearly seven years. He alleged that the harassment over dowry began Suman, the deceased soon after the marriage. Jeet Singh said he received a call from Arshdeep early Wednesday morning informing him that Suman had died under unexplained circumstances. He alleged that his daughter had been given a poisonous substance and demanded a high-level investigation into the matter. — OC Amritsar, September 30 The death of a Class XI student of Saragarhi Memorial School of Eminence, Town Hall, has sparked a protest by her family and local residents, who alleged that she had faced humiliation and mental harassment at the hands of her teachers. The student, identified as 15-year-old Komal, died by suicide at her home on Tuesday evening. The school administration denied the allegations. It said Komal’s parents had told the school that she was under mental stress following an altercation involving her friends. Meanwhile, family members and local residents gathered outside the school with her body, demanding an investigation and action against those they held responsible. The victim’s sister, Laxmi, alleged that Komal and three Relatives of deceased Komal (inset) protest outside Saragarhi Memorial School of Eminence in Amritsar. other girls had been repeatedly taunted and humiliated following a dispute among students. She said the four girls were suspended for a month and removed from NCC activities. She alleged that two teachers questioned the girls’ character and repeatedly humiliated them, leaving Komal distressed. “My sister, along with three other girls, was suspended from school as disciplinary action, including their removal from NCC activities. Two teachers used to taunt the girls, including my sister, questioning her character and humiliating her. She was quite distressed after that and took the extreme step,” she said. Komal’s classmate Meenakshi alleged that the students were humiliated following a minor altercation. She said Komal aspired to join the Punjab Police and was a member of the school’s NCC wing. Komal’s father Ashok Kumar is a food vendor and the family’s sole breadwinner. The family has demanded the registration of a case against the teachers concerned and the school authorities. SHO Navdeep Singh said the body had been handed over to the family after the post-mortem examination. He said statements of family members and witnesses were being recorded, while the police had also spoken to the school principal and teachers. Left seeks resignation Jabbowal school’s climate action efforts earn national recognition of CEC over SIR row Neha Saini Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 30 Members of several Left parties staged a protest here, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over the alleged deletion of names from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise being conducted across the country. The protesters included members of the CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML) and RMPI. They also demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi resign on moral grounds, alleging that the deletion of voters’ names had deprived crores of people of their constitutional right to participate in the electoral process. They sought restoration of the deleted names, alleging that the exercise had particularly affected poor and marginalised sections. The protesters marched towards Putlighar Chowk, where they burnt an effigy of the CEC and raised slogans against Kumar and the BJPled Centre. Senior Left leader Ratan Singh Randhawa said it was high time people woke up and held the Centre’s NDA government accountable. Another Left leader, Amarjit Singh Asal, said every step should be taken to restore people’s trust in democratic institutions. CPI leaders Vijay Kumar Cheharata, Charanjit Majitha, Sucha Singh Ajnala, Jagtar Karampura and Amarjit Singh Ansal demanded corrective measures to restore the names of eligible voters. — TNS Amritsar, September 30 At Government Senior Secondary School in Jabbowal here, climate action has moved beyond textbooks and become part of everyday learning. Students are being encouraged to understand their environment, think about sustainability and turn awareness into practical action. The effort has now earned the school national recognition. It was declared a national winning school under the GenCAN Climate Action Leadership Challenge, while mentor teacher Sanjeev Kumar was recognised as the National Best Performing Mentor Teacher at a ceremony held at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. Students Sajanpreet Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Palakreet Government Senior Secondary School, Jabbowal, teacher Sanjeev Kumar and four students receive an award at a programme in New Delhi. Kaur and Noorpreet Kaur, along with Kumar, represented the school at the national programme. For Jabbowal, however, the c m y b award is less about a moment on the stage and more about a growing culture of environmental responsibility on the school campus. Through the Generation for Climate Action (GenCAN) initiative of the HCL Foundation and the Centre for Environment Education (CEE), stu- dents have been introduced to climate change, biodiversity, conservation and sustainable practices through experiential learning and school-based activities. “The approach encourages students to see environmental problems around them and consider what they can do about them. In the process, climate education becomes a hands-on exercise rather than just another classroom topic,” said Kumar. The students’ visit to Aravali Biodiversity Park during the national programme further reinforced that learning. Nature walks, workshops and interactive sessions gave them an opportunity to experience ecosystems first-hand and interact with young climate leaders and teachers from across the country. For Kumar, whose role was also recognised at the national level, the journey has been about encouraging students to become active participants in environmental action. “The recognition reinforces our learning method that teaches students, who are mostly from local villages, to turn their lessons into action on the ground. It was based on the school’s overall climateaction journey, involving various student-led activities such as climate awareness, waste management, energy and water conservation, biodiversity, environmental audits, creative campaigns and community awareness activities,” said Kumar. Kumar has also been running a school science club, through which students have developed eco-briquettes from paddy straw, as well as biocookers and fuels, including ethanol, from farm waste.