30082026-ATR-01.qxd 29-08-2026 23:21 Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY ‘MISSION CLEAN PUNJAB’ CAMPAIGN KICKS OFF RECONNECTING STUDENTS WITH SIKH MUSICAL TRADITION FILMMAKER MANAHAR KUMAR DELVES ON ART OF STORYTELLING A 10-day statewide cleanliness drive has been kicked off in five Assembly constituencies of Amritsar. P2 Akal Tanti Saaz Academy in Sangrur keeps resonant voice of traditional string instruments or Tanti Saaz alive. P3 MAX 36°C | MIN 29°C YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 28°C His film Race won Best Indie Film at the New York Film Awards and Best Short Film at the Georgia Film Festival. P4 » » SUNSET SUNDAY 6.52 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 6:02 AM » SUNDAY | 30 AUGUST 2026 | AMRITSAR 4 foreign-made pistols, 30 Two booked for abduction, rape live rounds seized near Attari Tribune News Service Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 29 Acting on a tip-off about a suspected arms smuggler having links with Pakistani smugglers, a joint team of the Amritsar rural police, the BSF Intelligence Wing and 181 BSF battalion intercepted a man near the Attari railway station and recovered four foreignmade pistols and 30 live rounds from his possession on Friday. According to the police, the accused, identified as Rajbir Singh, was allegedly involved in procuring consignments of illegal weapons from Pakistan and supplying them further in Punjab. The intelligence input suggested that he had received a large consignment of weapons and was travelling towards the railway station side on his motorcycle. Following the information, the police and the BSF intelligence personnel laid a cordon near the railway line and intercepted Rajbir Singh while he was approaching through an unpaved road on his black motorcycle (registration number PB02-CJ-7863). During a search, the joint team recovered four pistols ACCUSED PROCURED ILLEGAL WEAPONS FROM PAKISTAN, SAY POLICE ■ According to the police, the accused, identified as Rajbir Singh, was allegedly involved in procuring consignments of illegal weapons from Pakistan and supplying them further in Punjab. ■ The intelligence input suggested that he had received a large consignment of weapons and was travelling towards the railway station side on his motorcycle. ■ Following the information, the police and the BSF intelligence personnel laid a cordon near the railway line and intercepted Rajbir Singh while he was approaching through an unpaved road on his black motorcycle (registration number PB02-CJ-7863). ■ During a search, the joint team recovered four pistols along with magazines. The seized weapons included a Ruger pistol marked Stoeger Cougar 800 FT, another Ruger pistol of the same marking, a Beretta CAL 7.62 mm pistol and a Zastava Serbia M57 7.62 mm pistol. Four magazines and 30 live rounds were also recovered. along with magazines. The seized weapons included a Ruger pistol marked Stoeger Cougar 800 FT, another Ruger pistol of the same marking, a Beretta CAL 7.62 mm pistol and a Zastava Serbia M57 7.62 mm pistol. Four magazines and 30 live rounds were also recovered. A case has been registered against the accused under relevant provisions of the Arms Act at the Gharinda police station and further investigation is underway to ascertain the source of the weapons, their intended recipients, and the extent of his links with Pakistan-based smugglers. Investigators are questioning the accused to determine whether the recovered weapons were part of a larger consignment. Also, they are trying to find out if he has been involved in earlier cross-border arms smuggling cases too. Meanwhile, the Gharinda police also recovered over 1.1 kg of heroin allegedly smuggled from Pakistan and arrested four persons in this connection in two separate operations. They were identified as Kulbir Singh, alias Keera, Ravinder Singh of Atalgarh village and Sahil Singh of the old Mandi area in Attari. The police said the accused were near Hardo Rattan border village and trying to throw some packet, which they seized and during checking, 570 gm of heroin was recovered. Similarly, in another operation, Kuldeep Singh of Attari was arrested with 580 gm of heroin. Amritsar, August 29 A 23-year-old woman has accused two persons of allegedly abducting and raping her. Following her complaint, the Ajnala police have booked the accused, Harpreet Singh of Thoba village in Ramdass and his accomplice Akashdeep Singh. The victim,in her complaint to the police, stated that on August 28 when she was returning home from work, the accused intercepted her in a black Thar. She alleged that the accused pulled her into the vehicle 23-yr-old was on way home when she was intercepted by duo and then assaulted her. She alleged that the accused took her to a house at unknown place and locked her in a room. She said Akashdeep held her arms, while accused Harpreet Singh raped her. Later, they left her at a secluded area and fled. The police said a case had been registered and efforts were on to arrest the suspects. Apply by 31st August 2026 Nihang Sikh shot at Rakhar Punya fair venue Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 29 A young Nihang Sikh was found shot near the Civil Hospital in Baba Bakala town late Friday night. The 21-year-old’s killing amid heightened security in view of the annual Rakhar Punya fair, and also in an area witnessing a sea of devotees, has put forth several questions, with the police working on various theories. Officials have not written off the personal enmity angle. According to information, The youth was found dead at the rear of Civil Hospital in Baba Bakala the deceased, Raja Singh (21), was a resident of Maglani village. The youth was found dead at a secluded place at the rear of Civil Hospital, Baba Bakala. He was reportedly dressed in Nihang attire and had apparent bullet injuries on his chest and hand. The police received information about the body at around 9.30 pm, following which a team reached the spot and took the body into custody. It was sub- sequently kept at the Civil Hospital, Baba Bakala, for autopsy. The family members of the deceased told the police that he had gone to visit Rakhar Puniya fair. Beas police station SHO Gurwinder Singh said the bullet injury marks were found on the deceased’s chest and hand. The police have initiated a probe to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the killing and identify those Pollution board raps Artist Smrit Luthra’s brush with nature, its serenity MC over failure to treat legacy waste Trubune News Service The Municipal Corporation has been given 10 days to apply for mandatory waste management permits. Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 29 The Punjab Pollution Control Board has come down heavily on the Amritsar Municipal Corporation for failing to clear nearly 1.5 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste piled up across an 11-acre dumpsite along Chabal Road. The matter was listed before the National Green Tribunal during the hearing of a public petition filed by a local. The tribunal informed the court that the civic body has been dumping mixed waste for years without any valid authorisation under the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016, without any functional machinery to process or dispose of the legacy waste; and without any facility to handle toxic runoff that could seep into the ground. Chabhal Road is a busy corridor connecting Amritsar with Tarn Taran district. Stench emanating from the mounting garbage poses a serious health threat to people residing in nearby localities like Indra Colony, Sha- heed Udham Singh Colony and Ibban Kalan. For skipping the hearing, the pollution board ordered the civic body to deposit an earlier environmental penalty of Rs 8 crore imposed from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2025, within 15 days. On the latter’s failure to do so, land revenue recovery procedures will be initiated. The board also filed a fresh complaint with the state environment secretary, seeking an increased penalty of up to Rs 8.90 crore. The civic body has been given 10 days to apply for mandatory waste management permits and two months to ensure full operational compliance. The pollution board has also written to top officials in the state local government department to flag the municipal body’s careless approach and seek intervention. In response, Municipal Commissioner Bikramjit Singh Shergill said the contract to process and clear the old garbage had already been assigned, adding that the entire plot would soon be cleaned up and recovered for productive public use. Amritsar, August 29 The city just had a brush with the creativity of Chandigarhbased artist Smrit Luthra, whose works largely explore the quiet beauty of nature and the maelstrom of its hues. Presented in oil on canvas, the exhibition, held at Thakar Singh Art Gallery, invitedviewers to pause and reconnect with the nature. Luthra’s paintings reflect a sensitive engagement with nature and not merely as a subject to be observed but as a living presence with its own moods and rhythms. Through colour, texture and light, she transforms familiar elements of the natural world into evocative visual experiences. Each canvas carries a sense of stillness while retaining the energy and Members of Thakar Singh Art Gallery honour artist Smrit Luthra in Amritsar. vitality inherent in nature. “I saw painting as an escape from the mundane. As my husband was in a government job, we travelled across the country a lot and my process of knowing a new place was through solo explorations and long walks. One day, I thought of sharing all those memories through my paintings,” said Luthra. Her travels, therefore, became an important part of her artistic process. The land- scapes she encountered during her solitary explorations provided not only visual inspiration but also moments of reflection, which she later translated onto canvas. The richness of oil painting lends particular depth to her work. Layered colours and expressive brushwork create an interplay of light and shadow, allowing each painting to unfold gradually before the viewer. Earth, sky, water, foliage and changing natural forms become vehicles for expressing emotions that are universal yet deeply personal. Rather than reproducing landscapes in a literal manner, Luthra focuses on capturing their atmosphere and spirit. The paintings encourage viewers to look beyond the physical elements of nature and engage with the emotions they evoke. responsible. Further details, including the motive behind the shooting and the circumstances in which Raja Singh was killed, are awaited. “The police are trying to find out as to who accompanied him to the village fair and with whom he was in contact before his death,” said the police. The incident has left the family devastated. The incident has triggered panic in Baba Bakala as it occurred on the night of the Rakhar Punya fair, when the town witnesses a large gathering of people. 600 gm heroin seized from Tarn Taran Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, August 29 A police team from Khemkaran, led by ASI Jagdeep Singh, on Friday recovered 600 gram of heroin from Mehndipur village in Tarn Taran on Friday. The police said on receiving a tip-off, they reached the spot and recovered the contraband. The fields where the heroin was seized belonged to one Tarsem Singh, a village resident. The police said they were probing all angles to ascertain if the consignment was dropped using a drone from across the border. A case has been registered in this connection. Habitual drug offender’s house razed; was named in eight cases Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 29 Continuing its crackdown against drug trafficking under the “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, the Amritsar Police Commissionerate and civic body officials on Saturday demolished an illegal property belonging to a habitual drug offender at Guru Nanak Nagar in Verka here. Ravinerpal Singh Sandhu, Deputy Commissioner of Police Law and Order, said that the Police Commissionerate provided security assistance to the civic body and maintained law and order during the operation. According to the police, Jatinderpal Soni, alias Love (37), has eight cases against him. He has been slapped with The police say it was the 27th such drive undertaken as part of the intensified action against properties linked to habitual drug offenders. charges under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and violation of jail rules. He was released from jail on c m y b August 7, 2025. His criminal record includes cases registered at A Division, Verka, Islamabad, Sadar and Gurdaspur police stations between 2012 and 2025. Several of these cases pertain to alleged possession or trafficking of drug substances under the NDPS Act. The DCP said the demolition was the 27th such drive undertaken as part of the intensified action against properties linked to habitual drug offenders. The police said as part of the ongoing “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, 1,312 cases had been registered under the NDPS Act in Amritsar from January 1 to August 28, 2026, resulting in the arrest of 2,150 persons. During the period, the police claimed to have seized 137.252 kg of heroin, 11.438 kg of methamphetamine (ICE), and Rs 75.60 lakh in alleged drug money. As many as 41 vehicles have also been impounded in connection with drug cases. He said the drive and the crackdown would continue against drug traffickers and habitual offenders, with action also being taken against properties allegedly constructed or acquired through illegal activities.