16052025-ATR-01.qxd 5/15/2025 11:08 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 42°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 41°C | MIN 25°C IN BOARD EXAMS, PUGILISTS PACK A PUNCH CYCLISTS DEMAND ADVANCED TRAINING, EQUIPMENT IT’S TIME WE DISPEL MYTHS ABOUT PUNJABIS, SAYS SOBTI Over 10 pugilists from Amritsar Boxing Centre proved their mettle in Class X and Class XII exams. P3 International cyclist Amarjit Singh said cycling equipment is very costly that is why not many pursue the game. P3 Punjabis are not butter chicken eating quam that wears jewellery at weddings and talks loudly says the actor. P4 » » » SUNSET FRIDAY 7.05 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 5.29 AM FRIDAY | 16 MAY 2025 | AMRITSAR SGPC grants ~5 lakh for kin of drone attack victim Amritsar, May 15 Expressing grief over the death of Sukhwinder Kaur, one of the family members injured in the drone attack at Khai Pheme Ki village in Ferozepur district, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami has announced an assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the victim’s family. The incident occurred on May 11 (around 9 pm) when the family was having dinner on their open verandah when a Pakistani drone fell and debris caused a fire that caught the parked car. Sukhwinder Kaur sustained 100 per cent burn injuries, while her husband, Lakhwinder Singh, suffered 70 per cent burns. They were both referred to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) in Ludhiana. Their son, Jaswant Singh, also sustained injuries. Dhami said the family has suffered a great loss as three of its members have been injured in the attack. He said the loss of mother cannot be compensated, but the SGPC has decided to provide financial help of Rs 5 lakh to the family. — TNS Houses of two drug smugglers razed in Dinanagar village Tribune News Service Gurdaspur, May 15 The houses of two heroin smugglers were razed by the Water Resources Department in collaboration with the Gurdaspur police at Dida Sansian village here on Thursday. Residents were surprised why these very houses were not taken down when they were built in the first place itself. The village is known to be a drug haven. Almost all the residents of the hamlet have been in the business of bootlegging and heroin smuggling for the last few decades. The police said they received a report from officials of the Water Resources Department that the houses of Baljinder Singh and Lakhwinder Singh were built on land belonging to the government. “They had written to the police that the houses had encroached upon government land and this aspect needs to be investigated. During investigations, we found that 10 and 12 NDPS cases were registered against both Baljinder and Lakhwinder, respectively,” said a police officer. Incident took place near DK Cement Store in Chheharta area Tribune News Service The house of a drug smuggler being demolished at Dida Sansian village in Dinanagar subdivision of Gurdaspur on Thursday. The police reached the spot in full strength. SSP Aditya, SP Jugraj Singh, DSP (Dinanagar) Rajinder Manhas and DSP (Gurdaspur) Sukhraj Singh were present when the operation started. Dinanagar SDM Jaspinder Singh Bhullar and Duty Magistrate Dalwinder Singh, too, were present. Earlier, Irrigation Department officials had sent an eviction notice to 55 residents of this village asking them to vacate their houses. However, none of them have responded yet. Eighty per cent of the hous- es in the village have been illegally constructed near a canal. Norms say construction cannot take place within 130 feet from the canal. These constructions can obstruct water flow, disrupt canal ecosystems and increase the risk of flooding. “The Water Resources Department asked us to help them free the encroached land. On the way, we found that the houses belonged to smugglers and they had several NSDP cases clamped against them,” said an officer. Minister Dhaliwal hands over cheque for ~10 lakh to kin of hooch tragedy victims Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 15 Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal today distributed cheques for Rs 10 lakh each to the families of those who fell victim to the hooch tragedy in Majitha sub-division two days ago. Speaking on the occasion, the minister said that Punjab Police have arrested 16 individuals connected to the case, including some traders from Delhi and Ludhiana. He said that the government was providing free medical treatment to those hospitalised and will grant them financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh each. He also assured justice and strict action against the culprits responsible for the tragedy. “Though no amount of money can compensate for the loss of a family’s breadwinner, it is the government’s responsibility to do whatever possible to support the surviving mem- Minister Kuldeep Dhaliwal hands over compensation cheques to the victims’ families at Maradi Kalan village on Thursday. VISHAL KUMAR bers,” Dhaliwal said, adding that the government would take strict action against all those involved in drug trafficking, including confiscation of their properties. Jagwinder Pal Singh Jagga Majitha, Majitha constituency in-charge, Sub-Divisional Magistrate Harnoor Kaur and Assis- tant Commissioner Khushpreet Singh were among the other officials present. As many as 27 people have lost their lives till now in the Majitha hooch tragedy that rocked Punjab on Tuesday. All the victims had consumed illicit liquor made from methyl alcohol (methanol) procured from a Ludhiana firm by the prime accused Sahib Singh. Within hours of consumption, the victims developed health complications and died. The tragedy struck Marari Kalan, Bhangali Kalan, Bhangwa, Thariyewal, Patalpuri and Talwandi Ghuman villages. The administration and Punjab Police rushed to the spot and took the victims to hospital. Police authorities said that a majority of victims suffered multiple organ failure because of consumption of methanol. Meanwhile, six victims who were admitted to the Guru Nanak Dev Hospital were discharged after their health conditions improved. They were Kewal Singh, Gulzar Singh of Maradi Kalan, Raman Kumar of Thariyewal, Mulakh Raj of Patalpuri, Subegh Singh of Bhangwa and Tarsem Singh of Bhangali Kalan. Man held with 1 kg heroin, illegal weapon Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 15 The Special Cell of Amritsar rural police on Thursday arrested a drug smuggler and confiscated over 1 kg of heroin along with a pistol suspected to have been smuggled from Pakistan from his possession. The accused was identified as Vijaypal Singh alias Vijay Baba, a resident of Sarai Amanat Khan village in Tarn Taran. The police also impounded his bike. Authorities said that police teams were carrying out checks on Bhitewad road when they intercepted a bikeborne person near Ram Tirath Road. During a search, the police confiscated the contraband and the .32 bore pistol with seven live cartridges. He was arrested and a case under the NDPS Act was registered against him at The seized contraband and weapons in custody of the Amritsar rural police on Thursday. Lopoke police station here. The contraband and weapon was suspected to be smuggled from Pakistan. The police was carrying out investigations to find out his contacts with Pakistanbased smugglers. Meanwhile, Ajnala police have also arrested two per- MC team attacked during anti-encroachment drive sons, identified as Prem Singh of Bhindi Saida and Harman Singh of Budewali village, and recovered a 9 mm Glock pistol along with two rounds. The police also seized their car. Police authorities said that a patrolling team was going from Ajnala to Nepal village road when they found a Swift Dzire car without a registration number plate moving at high speed. The car was coming from Riar village. The police teams signalled the car to stop. On seeing the police, the driver of the car tried to flee from the spot. He was overpowered and arrested by the police team. During a search, the police recovered the pistols with two bullets. He could not reveal the source of the weapon which was apparently smuggled from Pakistan. The police was probing from whom he had procured the weapon. “The antecedents of both the suspects are being ascertained,” said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Maninder Singh while adding that more recoveries are likely to be made. A case under the Arms Act has been registered. c m y b Amritsar, May 15 A team of the Estate Wing of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation was reportedly attacked by a group of individuals attempting to obstruct them from discharging official duties during an anti-encroachment drive in Chheharta area here on Thursday. The incident occurred during a scheduled operation to clear illegal encroachments from the footpath near DK Cement Store. The joint operation, led by officials from the Civil Wing and the Estate Wing, was being carried out. MC officials, including Junior Engineer Arun Kumar, Sub-Inspector Harpal Singh, Estate Officer Dharminderjit Singh and several field staff and labourers were present on the spot. The team began its drive from Putlighar Chowk and proceeded towards Chheharta Chowk. When they reached near DK Cement A damaged vehicle of the Estate Wing of the municipal corporation in Chheharta area on Thursday. Store, they started removing construction materials like bricks, sand, and gravel, illegally dumped on the footpath. The MC team used a ditch machine, started loading the building material onto a tipper truck. Suddenly, a mob of 15-20 people gath- ered at the site and reportedly attacked the MC team. Senior MC officials claimed that Daljit Kumar, owner of DK Cement Store, and Shivji, owner of a nearby grocery shop, were leading the group. Along with unidentified individuals, they attacked the MC Flight ops resume at city airport after week-long suspension Amritsar, May 15 After a week-long suspension, flight operations at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport resumed on Wednesday, with a total of eight flights taking off and landing on the first day. These included one international and seven domestic flights. The first international arrival was a Qatar Airways flight from Doha, which landed at 1.48 am in the early hours of May 14. The flight departed again at 3.35 am. Among domestic services, an Air India flight arrived from Delhi at 12.20 pm and departed back at 1 pm. Alliance Air operated a flight from Kullu, which returned at 9.08 am after arrival. Indigo’s flight from Delhi landed at 1.40 pm and took off again at 2.10 pm. Further international connectivity is expected to resume soon. Malaysia Airlines will restart its services on May 18 while AirAsia flights are scheduled to resume on May 19. team, disrupted the operation, and allegedly misbehaved with officials, including police personnel. During the scuffle, miscreants reportedly pelted stones at the official vehicle (Gypsy) of the Estate Officer, damaging both the left and rear view mirrors. The officer had a narrow escape. In response, the Amritsar Municipal Corporation formally requested the Police Commissioner that an FIR be registered against shop owners and unidentified persons involved in the attack. Jai Inder Singh, Joint Commissioner of MC, demanded to register a case for obstruction of government work, verbal abuse of government officials, and intentional damage to public property. The request for legal action has been forwarded to the Assistant Commissioner of Police (West) and the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Chheharta police station for necessary proceedings. Man arrested for physical abuse of minor Our Correspondent Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar. These airlines provide onward connections to Kuala Lumpur, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Manila, China, and other Southeast Asian destinations. Flight operations at the Amritsar airport had been halted on May 7 due to the rising tensions between India and Pakistan. Initially imposed as a precautionary measure, the suspension was extended till May 15. However, following the announcement of a ceasefire on May 12, authorities declared the resumption of flights. Despite the announcement, a sudden blackout on the night of May 12 forced an Indigo flight en route from Delhi to return mid-air from Bathinda. No flights could operate from the airport the following day (May 13). With the current restoration of services, airport authorities are hopeful of a return to normal operations in the coming days. — TNS Tarn Taran, May 15 The city police on Wednesday arrested an accused on the charge of exploiting a minor girl sexually. SHO, city police, subinspector Ranjit Singh, said that the accused has been identified as Jagjit Singh who was living in a rented portion in the town after his retirement from the Army. The victim’s father is mentally retarded and her mother lives separately from her father, stated social activists in a complaint lodged with the District Child Security Officer, who referred the case to the city police. SHO Ranjit Singh said that the accused has been arrested. The statement of the victim was recorded by sub-inspector Rani Kaur. The accused used to take the victim to his residence where he used to exploit her physically. Punjabi films breaking boundaries, says Babbu Mann at ‘Shonki Sardar’ promotional Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 15 With big production studios and established stars collaborating, Punjabi films are now set to go for a pan-India market, something that did not quite work out earlier. Probably one of the few Indian regional film industries to crack the overseas market before it went panIndia, Punjabi films have a wider market presence in Europe and South West Asia including markets like Singapore, Malaysia and Australia. Aiming high with this view, actor-singer Babbu Mann said that Punjabi cinema is now resonating with its culture, subjects and music. Mann, along with actor Nimrit Kaur Ahluwalia, Hashneen Chauhan the and the team of Punjabi actor-singer Babbu Mann, Nimrit Ahluwalia and team of upcoming Punjabi film “Shaunki Sardar” in Amritsar on Thursday. his upcoming film “Shonki Sardar” was in Amritsar on a promotional tour. The film is a joint production of Zee Studios, Boss Music Records Private Ltd and 751 Films and is releasing in cinemas worldwide tomorrow (May 16). Directed by Dheeraj Kedarnath Rattan and produced by Ishaan Kapoor, Shah Jandiali, Dharmendra Batoli and Harjot Singh, the film also stars popular Punjabi actor Guggu Gill and star Punjabi singer-turnedactor Guru Randhawa. Guru has now joined the list of globally popular Punjabi singers to take up acting full-time. Despite years in the industry, Babbu Mann, who was once controversy’s favourite child, seemed to have taken it all in stride, with a smile. A vocal actor, Mann always advocated Punjabi film industry’s bigger purpose in going beyond conventional film-making and competing with the best. “We have the talent, the stories and above all, the music that breaks boundaries,” he said. The only thing he concerns himself with is the language. “Punjabi, though quite globalised a language, is losing ground at home. We need to work to promote it,” he said. Doing most of the talking, Mann also shared that his latcontinued on page 2