03092026-ATR-01.qxd 9/2/2026 10:30 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FARMERS OPPOSE INDIA-US TRADE DEAL, LAND POOLING MINISTER REVIEWS PROGRESS OF SAROVAR KAR SEWA Harbhajan Singh ETO joins devotees in kar sewa of the sacred sarovar at Sri Valmiki Tirath. P2 PARTLY CLOUDY/RAIN MAX 34°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 27°C A WOMAN’S PURITY MORE VALUABLE THAN HER LIFE? Farmers demand withdrawal of certain government policies during their protest at the DC’s office. P2 FORECAST Actress Swara Bhasker clarifies on ‘X’ that she did not mean that Rani Padmaavati was coward. P4 » » SUNSET THURSDAY 6.52 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 6.07 AM » THURSDAY | 3 SEPTEMBER 2026 | AMRITSAR Man arrested with 14 kg opium in Tarn Taran village New IG Bhullar faces challenge of droneincursionsfromacrossborder Our Correspondent Ravi Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Tarn Taran, September 2 A police party from the Valtoha police station recovered 14 kg of opium from a car-borne man near Dasuwal village in Tarn Taran district on Tuesday. The accused was identified as Gurmeet Singh, alias Geetu, a resident of Margindpura village. Gurdaspur, September 2 Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, the new IG (Border), faces the formidable challenge of countering drones being used by state and non-state actors in Pakistan, even as the continuous incursions of these flying machines into Punjab’s border areas fuel the flow of “white powder” among the state’s youth. Officers privately admit that the Punjab Government’s anti-drug campaign, Yudh Nashian Virudh, will continue to lack teeth if drones keep crossing the wire fence from Pakistan. On a conservative estimate, two drones a day enter the border villages falling under the Gurdaspur and Amritsar (Rural) police districts. The drones have fundamentally altered the landscape of illicit smuggling, emerging as a primary tool for international drug syndicates to push heroin into the hands of unsuspecting youngsters. Former Governor Banwarilal Purohit had aptly summed up the gravity of the situation after visiting border villages, saying that “heroin was available like toffees”. By exploiting cheap, commercially available components and advanced satel- Sub-Inspector Baljinder Singh said that a police party was checking vehicles at a naka near Dasuwal village when it intercepted a man travelling in a Verna car. During search of the vehicle, the police recovered a heavy object wrapped in a wax packet. On checking the packet, 14 kg of opium was found inside. The police also recovered Rs 1,000 in drug money from the accused. The police impounded the car and registered a case against the accused at the Valtoha police station under Sections 18-B and 27-A of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. The accused was produced before a court, which remanded him to five days’ police custody. lite communication networks, criminal syndicates are increasingly able to bypass traditional physical barriers, fencing and ground-based surveillance, dropping high-value contraband directly into targeted locations in Punjab. A senior police officer said drone-assisted smuggling had risen exponentially in the state. “Punjab is the worst-hit state in the country and accounts for nearly 98 per cent of all drone-related cases nationwide,” he claimed. Officers have informed the new IG that high-grade Afghan heroin and synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine are regularly recovered from villages located near the international border. The nature of drone incursions has also evolved, from primitive commercial quadcopters to highly sophisticated machines. Earlier, drones generally flew at low altitudes and were more readily detected and brought down by the BSF and police. Of late, however, they are reportedly operating at much higher altitudes, making interception and recovery more difficult. An even more worrying development is the reported use of advanced technology to erase flight logs Deserted stretch under railway overbridge raises security concern Pawan K Jaiswar Amritsar, September 2 A railway overbridge (ROB) connecting the Islamabad area with Khalsa College on the main GT Road may have eased movement across the railway tracks, but the failure of the authorities to open the road beneath the bridge has left a crucial stretch virtually deserted, raising security concerns among residents of adjoining localities. The road underneath the overbridge at the 22 Number railway crossing continues to remain closed to traffic despite the completion of the bridge. With little or no vehicular movement, residents say the stretch has gradually turned into an isolated patch, particularly during the evening and night. Residents allege that incidents of snatching in the adjoining areas have increased over the past couple of years and fear that the deserted stretch could provide criminals with an easy escape route. They said regular traffic and public movement could act as a deterrent to anti-social PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Tribune News Service People cross railway tracks under the overbridge in Amritsar. elements while also improving surveillance in the area. Davinder Singh, a resident of a nearby locality, said that recently two bike-borne men with their faces covered allegedly snatched an earring from an elderly woman. The woman sustained injuries in the incident. Although the family did not lodge a complaint with the police, the incident has added to concerns among residents. “The road remains deserted for long periods and there is hardly any public movement, especially after sunset. The authorities should open it to traffic so that the area does not become a safe passage or hiding place for criminals,” said another resident. While the ROB provides a direct link between the Islamabad side and Khalsa College on the main GT Road, commuters remain unable to use the road beneath the structure. Residents said the issue was not merely one of convenience but also of public safety. They urged the authorities to complete the necessary work and reopen the road at the earliest. They also sought adequate street lighting and regular police patrolling to improve security in the area. and GPS-coordinate histories after landing or interception, making it difficult for investigators to establish their precise launch points in Pakistan. Officers engaged in tackling the menace say drones often operate under the cover of darkness or poor-visibility conditions such as fog and bad weather. They are used for quick “drop-and-go” operations over pre-designated agricultural fields. The police are taking several measures to check the menace. The “Baaj Akh” (Hawk Eye) anti-drone system has been deployed near the wire fencing to detect and neutralise unauthorised aerial objects within a range of several kilometres. The police have also constituted Village Level Defence Committees (VLDCs), which serve as the eyes and ears of the force in border villages by promptly reporting suspicious drone activity and low-flying sounds. IG Gurpreet Bhullar, therefore, has an onerous task on his hands. His colleagues say that even if he succeeds in bringing down 50 per cent of drones entering Punjab, it would amount to one of the biggest victories of his policing career. Teachers of aided schools to go on leave on Sept 5 Amritsar, September 2 All members of the Aided School Union, Punjab, will observe mass casual leave on Teachers’ Day, September 5, and stage a protest outside and gherao the residence of Punjab Education Minister at his native village, Gambhirpur, in Anandpur Sahib. The employees will wear black clothes and clang plates (thalis) as a mark of protest. The decision was taken at a meeting held today at Guru Nanak Girls Senior Secondary School, Amritsar, under the leadership of district president Jaswinder Singh and secretary Ajay Chauhan. The union leaders alleged that the state government had failed to fulfil the commitments made to aided schools in its 2022 election manifesto. “The decisions taken at the meeting with the Cabinet SubCommittee on June 4, 2026, have not been implemented even after three months. In most districts of Punjab, employees have not been paid salaries for 15 months, while in some districts, salary payments have been pending for 19 months. — TNS Bullets fired at ex-cop’s house in Baba Bakala Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 2 Unidentified persons opened fire at the house of a former policeman on Dhianpur Road in Baba Bakala, with bullets hitting the main gate, a kitchen wall and the parapet of the house. The incident took place around 8.50 pm on August 31 when Harjinder Kaur, wife of former policeman Baljit Singh, was at home with her youngest son, Yadvinder Singh, who is posted with the Ludhiana City Police. According to her complaint, she initially assumed that the firing was taking place on the road. However, when the family inspected the house the following morning, they found bullet marks on several parts of the building. The complainant told the police that the firing appeared to have been carried out by unidentified persons. Following the complaint, a case under Section 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 25, 27, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act was registered at the Beas police station on Tuesday. The police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident and the motive behind the firing. The incident comes amid growing concern over targeted attacks on police personnel in the region. An Assistant Sub-Inspector was recently killed in a targeted attack in the Majitha area, but the police have yet to make a breakthrough in that case. A social media post later claimed responsibility for the attack. The latest firing at the residence of a former policeman has added to these concerns, particularly as the family has alleged that their house was specifically targeted. The police are examining whether the latest incident is linked to the victim’s police background or stems from a personal or criminal dispute. Kanwalpreet Singh Chahal, SSP Amritsar (rural), , said CCTV footage from cameras installed in the vicinity of the house was being examined for clues about the perpetrators and the motive behind the attack. He said the accused would be arrested once they were identified. c m y b 11 rounded up, 8 vehicles impounded in search op against drug peddlers Police officials question a man during a cordon and search operation in Amritsar on Wednesday. Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 2 As many as 11 persons were booked or detained and eight vehicles impounded during a major early morning cordon and search operation (CASO) conducted in Zone 1 of the Central subdivision by the Amritsar Commissionerate Police on Wednesday. The operation, carried out under the ongoing Yudh Nashian Virudh campaign, led to the registration of an NDPS Act case against one person following the recovery of 7 grams of contraband. Another person was booked under the Excise Act after police recovered 30 bottles of illicit liquor. Three persons were booked under Section 129 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), while five others were placed under preventive detention under various provisions of the BNSS. Around 150 police personnel, including commandos, were deployed in multiple teams during the search operation. The exercise was led by DCP (Law and Order) Ravinder Pal Singh Sandhu and supervised by ADCP (City-I) Yogeshwar Singh, ACP (Central) Surinder Singh, SHOs and other police officials. The police cordoned off several sensitive areas including Anngarh, Valmiki Mohalla and other adjoining localities and carried out door-to-door searches and checking of suspected persons. Motorcycles and other vehicles were thoroughly scrutinised, with their ownership and documents being verified. The teams also searched the premises of persons with suspected criminal backgrounds. DCP Ravinder Pal Singh personally visited the areas to oversee the operation and interacted with local resi- dents. He said the police would maintain sustained pressure on drug peddlers, suppliers and their networks and not allow the drug trade to regain a foothold in the city. He appealed to residents to share information about the sale or supply of narcotics with the police. Officials assured that the identity of informers would be kept confidential and prompt action would be taken on credible information. The police said such search and checking operations would continue as part of its intensified campaign against drugs and crime.