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P4 Acclaimed director Hansal Mehta's cinema has all the gravitas needed to make thought-provoking content.P4 » » » SUNSET SATURDAY 6.33 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 6.21 AM SATURDAY | 22 MARCH 2025 | AMRITSAR Gangster injured in brief police encounter near Buttar canal in Mehta, hospitalised PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 21 Kulbir Singh, the prime suspect in the firing incident that took place at Khabbe Rajputa village and claimed the life of a 13-year-old boy, was injured in a brief exchange of fire with the police here on Friday. He tried to flee the spot when he was taken for recovery of a pistol near Buttar canal. In his attempt to slip away, he allegedly fired at the police party members of which had a narrow escape as the bullet hit the police vehicle. As the police also opened fire in retaliation, he suffered a bullet injury in the left leg, the police said. Kulbir Singh was one of the shooters who had fired at an Army man during a football match at Khabbe Rajputa village falling under the Mehta police station here. Gursewak Singh, alias Sabu, (13) of Nangali Kalan village who was participating in the football match was killed in the inci- A video grab of the encounter spot near Buttar canal in Mehta in Amritsar on Friday. dent while Army man Gurpreet Singh (25) was injured. He was arrested from Rewari in Haryana by the police two days ago and was currently in the custody of the police. Amritsar Rural SSP Maninder Singh said during his interrogation, he revealed that he had hidden a .32 bore pistol near Buttar canal. When he was taken to recovery by the police team led by investigating officer and SHO Shamsher Singh, he pushed the constable Gurpreet Singh and took out the hidden loaded pistol and fired at the police team while escaping towards a nearby field. The police first fired in the air to warn him and when he did not stop, he hit in the leg. He was arrested and admitted to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, said the SHO. He said efforts were on to nab the second shooter who was still evading arrest. Till now, the police have arrested five persons in the case. Apart from Kulbir Singh, the police held Paramjit Kaur, who is mother of gangster Amar Singh, currently living in Portugal, Jobanjit Singh of Tatle village in Gurdaspur, Amritpal Singh of Bharath village in Sri Hargobindpur and Gurpreet Singh of Rangar Nangal in Batala. Amar Singh is a close associate of gangster Balwinder Singh, alias Dony Bal. Jobanjit, Amritpal and Gurpreet had provided shelter to the shooters. The SHO said the Army man had a quarrel with Gurpreet Singh, alias Gopi, of Rangar Nangal. The shooters had come to kill the Army man, but bullets also hit Gursewak Singh who was standing just behind him. Grocery store owner shot at in Ram Tirath area, critical Had been receiving extortion threats for the past few days Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 21 A grocery store owner was shot at by two scooter-borne armed persons in Ram Tirath area falling under the Kamboh police station here on Friday. The injured trader, identified as Sukhwinder Singh, alias Sukha, was rushed to a private hospital where his condition is stated to be serious. The police have launched investigations to identify the perpetrators after lodging an FIR on the statement of the victim’s wife Daljit Kaur. The complainant alleged that Sukhwinder Singh was getting extortion calls for the past few days by some unidentified persons and he had refused to give the same. According to information, Cops at the grocery store where its owner Sukhwinder Singh (inset) was shot at in Ram Tirath area in Amritsar on Friday. Sukhwinder Singh was present at his grocery shop in Ram Tirath area when the two scooter-borne persons, who had covered their faces with cloth, arrived there. They entered the shop and opened fire on him hitting him in stomach and waist area. He was crit- ically injured. The family members living on the upper floor of the shop heard the noise of gunshots and immediately rushed downstrairs. They rushed him to a private hospital. Daljit Kaur told the police that Sukhwinder had been getting extortion calls on his WhatsApp number for the past few days. They were demanding ~50 lakh as extortion. When he did not pay any heed to their demand, the miscreants threatened to kill him or harm other members of the family, including children. She said at around 3pm, two scooter-borne persons arrived and shot at him. SSP Maninder Singh said an investigation has been launched to identify the suspects and a hunt is underway to arrest them soon. Drug peddler nabbed with 1-kg heroin City police seize over Illegal colonies razed on Asr-Fatehgarh Churian road 2 kg of heroin, pistol Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 21 Busting a cross-border narco-terror module, the city police have seized 2.3 kg of heroin and a pistol in two separate incidents. DCP (Investigations) Ravinder Pal Singh Sandhu said around 1 kg of heroin was seized following the disclosure of Karandeep Yadav, a Babbar Khalsa International operative, who was arrested by the police along with two others from Bihar while they were escaping to Nepal. He said Karandeep and his two associates Mukesh Kumar Yadav and Sajan Singh were arrested by the police from Bihar a week ago. During his police remand, Karandeep Yadav said he was in contact with a foreignbased drug peddler and had smuggled a drug and weapon Amritsar, March 21 Acting on a tip-off, the Amritsar rural police have arrested a drug peddler with 1 kg of heroin. He was identified as Shagandeep Singh, alias Shagan, of Naushehra village falling under the Sarai Amanat Khan village in Tarn Taran district. The police said he was arrested from Rajatal area when he was going to deliver the consignment of drugs on his bike (PB-46AM-1655) which was also impounded. A probe was on to find his backward and forward links and a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act was registered against him. Tribune News Service consignment from Pakistan. He had stored the same at a residence on the backside of Max City. On his disclosure, the police recovered 1 kg of heroin and a pistol. During interrogation, Karandeep disclosed his links with US- and Canadabased handlers. He used Ramdas and Dera Baba Nanak sector of the Pakistan border for his operations. Karandeep and his associates were caught after interrogation of Joban Singh and Gurbaksh Singh, alias Laal, who were earlier arrested with 290 gm of heroin. In second case, the Cantonment police arrested Mangal Singh of Mahawa village, falling under the Gharinda police station, near the IndoPak border with over 1 kg of contraband. — TNS AI-based jammers to be set up in Central Jail, says DGP (Rlys) PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 21 A day after the visit of Anupinder Singh Grewal, Administrative Judge, Sessions Division, Director General of Police (Railways) Shashi Prabha Dwivedi along with Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar today conducted a surprise checking at Amritsar Central Jail here on Friday. Around 150 cops scanned the entire jail though no significant recovery was made during the entire operation. Speaking on the occasion, Dwivedi said that the Punjab government has been taking a number of steps to prevent cell phones, drugs and other prohibited material from being sneaked inside the Amritsar Central Jail. She said that Artificial Intelligence-based surveillance cameras would soon be installed in the jail periphery to stop throwing of prohibited material from outside the jail complex. Apart from this, Kavach jammers would be set up near the barracks of notorious gangsters making them Amritsar, March 21 In a major crackdown on unauthorised colonies, the Amritsar Development Authority (ADA) took action against illegal constructions along the Amritsar-Fatehgarh Churian Road here on Friday. The enforcement drive was carried out under the supervision of ADA Chief Administrator Nitesh Kumar Jain in compliance with the government directives. Led by District Town Planner (Regulatory) Gursewak Singh Aulakh, the regulatory wing of ADA, along with Duty Magistrate Jagbir Singh, Sub-Divisional Engineer (SDE) of ADA, and officials from the Kamboh police station demolished multiple unauthorised colonies being developed without the approval. Authorities concerned identified several dead zones as far as use of mobile phones are concerned. Kavach jammers would be installed at Amritsar, Kapurthala, Bathinda and Patiala jails. She said that in the past, three jail employees were arrested by the authorities on charges of sneaking in mobile and drugs inside the prison. She said since January, around 40 mobile phones including 15 smart phones have been recov- ered by the jail authorities. Answering queries from the media, the DGP (Railways) said that there are over 4,000 prisoners lodged inside the jail against a capacity of 2,000. Around 100 foreigners including Pakistani nationals were also languishing in jail. In the past three months, city police have confiscated 50 kg of heroin and nabbed over 150 drug peddlers till now. unauthorised colonies in villages near Nangli and Fatehgarh Churian Road, including Baba Deep Singh Avenue (Extension), Aashiyana Estate (Extension) and Vrindavan Orchid Colony on Loharka Road. Notices were issued under the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act (PAPRA) of 1995, halting all ongoing construction and initiating demolition procedures. According to the District Town Planner, these actions were necessary as developers were violating government regulations and proceeding with unauthorized construc- tions despite repeated warnings. Officials also warned that individuals involved in unauthorized colony development could face imprisonment ranging from 5 to 10 years and fines between Rs 25 lakh and Rs 5 crore under the amended PAPRA Act of 2024. The regulatory wing First budget meeting As pvt school admissions begin, of new MC House rush grows to buy books, uniform DEO office plans to probe plaints of school-book shop tie-up on March 29 Tribune News Service DGP (Railways) Shashi Prabha Dwivedi and Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar visit the Central Jail in Amritsar on Friday. ADA officials and workers demolish an illegal colony near Amritsar on Friday. has already written to the police department for FIRs against 15 illegal colonisers and builders responsible for unauthorised construction. The ADA’s regulatory wing has urged the public to exercise caution while purchasing plots in unauthorised colonies which do not have the approval from PUDA. Aulakh said, “The residents are advised to verify the approval status of any colony before investing to avoid financial losses and legal complications. Additionally, people have been asked to seek necessary approvals from PUDA before initiating any construction to ensure compliance with legal regulations. Authorities continue to monitor unauthorized developments across Amritsar and are committed to taking strict action against violators to effectively regulate urban development.” Amritsar, March 20 The Municipal Corporation has scheduled its first meeting for the annual budget on March 29 following the formation of the new House. Mayor Jatinder Singh Moti Bhatia has formally written to the Amritsar Municipal Corporation officials for making necessary arrangements for the budget session. Additionally, he has instructed to prepare the agenda for the meeting. With the recent appointment of Senior Deputy Mayor Priyanka Sharma and Deputy Mayor Anita Rani, the MC House is now set to discuss and approve the financial roadmap for the upcoming year. However, the budget session is expected to be a stormy affair, as Opposition councillors, particularly from the Congress party, have c m y b been vocal in challenging the Mayor’s authority. The Opposition has repeatedly demanded that Mayor Jatinder Singh Moti Bhatia prove his majority in the House, making it likely that heated debates will unfold during the meeting. The upcoming budget discussion carries significant importance, as numerous development projects have been stalled due to the dissolution of the House in January 2023. With civic infrastructure projects and pending works piling up, stakeholders are eager to see whether the new leadership can push through crucial financial decisions. Given the ongoing political tensions, all eyes will be on the March 29 session, which is expected to set the tone for governance and administration in the city in the months ahead. As the admission season begins in most of the private schools, parents rush to buy uniforms and books from specific shops that are ‘suggested’ by schools in Amritsar. PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR Neha Saini Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 21 It is that time of the year again when parents have to rush to shops, stand in long queues and burn a hole in their pockets to buy new uniforms and books for the new academic session. As admissions begin in private schools, the hassles for a new set of books and uniforms bring new challenges for parents who throng shops in city, with stress quite visible on their faces. Despite repeated warnings and efforts, most private schools violate the guidelines and ‘suggest’ parents to buy uniforms and books from specific shops. The District Education Office has received four complaints till now against private schools for not complying with orders and recommending particular shops to parents for uniforms and books. DEO (Secondary) Harbhagwant Singh said that they have asked the schools in question to reply to the show-cause notice. “We have marked the complaints continued on page 2