10112026-ATR-01.qxd 11/9/2026 11:14 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune CYCLE BUDDIES CELEBRATES DIWALI WITH BSF JAWANS DUES: STALEMATE BETWEEN TEACHERS, GOVT CONTINUES The Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers’ Union announces a series of protests to press for demands . P3 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 29°C | MIN 15°C YESTERDAY MAX 29°C | MIN 15°C ACTOR BHUMI PEDNEKAR AIRS POLLUTION CONCERN Members of Cycle Buddies celebrate Diwali with BSF personnel on the Wagah border. P2 FORECAST Actor Bhumi Pednekar expresses concern over the health risks posed by rising pollution levels. P4 » » SUNSET TUESDAY 5.34 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6:55 AM » TUESDAY | 10 NOVEMBER 2026 | AMRITSAR Lit-up Golden Temple sees sea of devotees Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 9 The popular saying, “Dal-roti ghar di, Diwali Amritsar di”, came alive on Sunday night as lakhs of devotees thronged the Golden Temple to celebrate Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas. The holy city was lit up with colourful lights, while the Golden Temple complex witnessed a huge rush of devotees from across the country and abroad. The festive atmosphere was marked by prayers, Gurbani Kirtan, traditional earthen lamps, lights and fireworks. The occasion commemorates the return of Guru Hargobind Sahib to Amritsar after securing the release of 52 kings from Gwalior Fort. The Golden Temple complex and Akal Takht were beautifully illuminated with decorative lights. As evening set in, devotees lit over 1 lakh earthen lamps in the parikrama. The SGPC used 1.5 quintal (150 kg) desi ghee for diyas. The reflection of the glowing lamps in the sacred Sarovar created a beautiful sight. The celebrations reached their peak with a grand fireworks display that lit up the night sky in different colours. Among the devotees was Indian cricketer and Amritsar-born Abhishek Sharma, who visited the Golden Temple with his mother. They also paid obeisance at Gurdwara Shaheedan Sahib and prayed for the welfare of all. They listened to Gurbani kirtan on the occasion. A special religious programme was organised at the Golden Temple, while a Gurmat Samagam was held at Diwali window meets defiance Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Clockwise from top) Devotees offer prayers, diyas being lit up and Indian cricketer Abhishek Sharma with his mother at the beautifully illuminated Golden Temple in Amritsar on Diwali. PHOTOS: VISHAL KUMAR Gurdwara Manji Sahib Diwan Hall. Prominent ragis and religious preachers shared Gurbani and teachings with the devotees. The festive spirit was also vis- ible across the city. Houses and shops were decorated with lamps and colourful lights, while markets remained crowded throughout the day. All markets were crowded, with locals buying sweets, decorative items, jewellery, utensils, crockery and dry fruit. Hotelier Amritpal Singh said the flow of devotees remained steady from the evening till the midnight. He said most visitors this year were from Punjab, and rooms were easily available in hotels and sarais around the Golden Temple. Over 8 kg of heroin seized Greyhazeenvelopscity;airquality‘verypoor’ Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 9 The Amritsar rural police recovered 8.409 kg of heroin in two separate operations in the border belt here yesterday. In the first case, officials recovered 7.904 kg of heroin, two motorcycles, a SIM card and a tracker device from the Bhindi Saidan area. A team led by SHO Simranjit Kaur was patrolling the continued on page 2 Amritsar, November 9 A day after Diwali celebrations, the city’s air quality deteriorated, falling in the “very poor” category, as per data released by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB). A thick layer of smog enveloped the city, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching a high of 431 on Sunday. The air monitoring device installed near the Golden Temple recorded today’s AQI at 311. Neeraj Bagga Visibility remained low in Amritsar on Monday morning. VISHAL KUMAR The city’s AQI for five days from October 26-30 remained 228, 310, 160, 185 and 185, respectively. Last year on Diwali, the AQI was between 224 and 250; in 2024, it was 350. If we look at the data between 2023 and 2025, the air quality has seen a consistent decline during Diwali. In November 2024, the day after Diwali saw an AQI of 369. A city resident, Manjit Singh, said the sky was overcast, with haze all around. “As compared to the past years, the visibility was better, though,” he added. Environmentalist PS Bhatty said the bursting of high-intensity firecrackers had impacted the air quality. Environmental engineers of the PPCB said they had managed to curtail the stubble burning cases, but the bursting of firecrackers had changed the pollution levels overnight. Amritsar, November 9 The bursting of crackers exceeded the permitted twohour window on Diwali, with residents across the district continuing fireworks well past midnight despite clear restrictions imposed by the district administration. The administration had allowed firecracker bursting only between 8 pm and 10 pm, but the ban appeared to exist only on paper as loud explosions and colourful fireworks continued to light up the skies for several hours beyond the prescribed deadline. The widespread violations raised questions over the enforcement of the restrictions despite police deployment across the city. On October 15, Additional Deputy Commissioner Pallavi Mishra had issued detailed directions regulating the sale and use of firecrackers during festive occasions in compliance with the Supreme Court’s orders. She had specifically warned that bursting crackers outside the permitted hours and selling prohibited varieties would invite strict legal action. Citing the Supreme Court order dated October 13, 2018, the administration had fixed the permissible timings at 8 pm to 10 pm on Diwali, 4 am to 5 am and 9 pm to 10 pm on Gurpurb, and 11.55 pm to 12.30 am on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. The ADC had also appealed to residents to use only green crackers, which do not contain harmful substances such as lithium, mercury, arsenic, lead and barium salts. The directions were circulated among the Municipal Commissioner, SSP SDMs and Punjab Pollu, tion Control Board officials for enforcement. However, the scale of celebrations beyond the two-hour window suggested that the restrictions failed to deter violators. Though police patrolling teams were deployed at various locations, the late-night fireworks continued unabated in several areas. Meanwhile, no major burn injury cases were reported in the Jallianwala Bagh Memo- A woman, along with her daughter, celebrates Diwali. VISHAL KUMAR 31 fire incidents on Diwali night Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service LOCALS SPLURGE ■ This Diwali, the amount spent on crackers turned out to be over Rs 30 crore. ■ While jewellers did a brisk business, with the sale amounting to over Rs 100 crore, those dealing in cars did not stay behind as the sales reached 471 units. ■ Traders dealing in crackers said they learnt from sources that Sivakasi units sold crackers worth nearly Rs 25 crore. ■ Pankaj Khurrana, a leading jeweller, said most gold was purchased on Dhanteras. ■ He said 50 to 60 kg gold was sold across the district before Diwali. ■ Hemant Singh, general manager at a car showroom here, said as many as 471 units were sold in the district from November 1 to November 8. rial Civil Hospital during the festival night. “Only three burn cases were reported, nothing major, all victims were sent back after firstaid,” said Dr Rajneesh Sharma, Senior Medical Officer, Civil Hospital, here. Meanwhile, Guru Nanak Dev Hospital and ENT hospital received around 24 cases on Diwali night. Out of these, nine were eye injuries cases — seven were sent back after first-aid, while two persons having serious continued on page 2 Amritsar, November 9 On Diwali night, around 31 fire incidents were reported in the city. As per the Fire and Emergency Services Department, a blanket factory and a truck parked in Majitha were among the major cases, while most incidents involved minor fires in vacant plots and residential areas. Emergency calls continued to pour in from different parts of the city and its outskirts, with firefighters remaining alert through the night. According to the department, the cause of several fires was largely garbage, while minor fires broke out in houses. In most cases, the flames were brought under control before those could spread and cause major damage. Dilbagh Singh, Additional Divisional Fire Officer (ADFO), said the department had kept its personnel and firefighting equipment ready to respond to any emergency. Teams responded to every call and reached the spots promptly to put out the fires. He said while some incidents were minor, damage was reported at a few places. However, no major fire was reported during the celebrations. He added that firecrackers were not the cause of all incidents. Some fires were triggered by electrical short circuits, while others broke out continued on page 2 Akal Takht raps authorities over Man shot dead, ASI among 3 hurt Two get 12 years in jail poor upkeep of historic Ram Bagh inheroin seizurecase Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 9 Acting Jathedar of Akal Takht Kuldeep Singh Gargaj criticised the authorities for neglecting Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s historic Summer Palace at Ram Bagh and lit earthen lamps at the heritage site on Bandi Chhor Divas last night. Expressing concern over the condition of the palace, he questioned the government’s failure to ensure proper maintenance of a monument associated with the legacy of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The palace remained unlit on the festival even as religious and public places across the city were illuminated. Gargaj lit earthen lamps at the site and prayed for the Chardi Kala (well-being and prosperity) of the Sikh Panth He said the heritage site Acting Jathedar of Akal Takht Kuldeep Singh Gargaj (left) lights up diyas at Ram Bagh in Amritsar on Sunday night. deserved proper care and preservation. Those raising the issue also urged the government to take responsibility for its upkeep and suggested that, if the authorities were unable to maintain it, its management could be entrusted to the Sikh sangat. Amritsar, November 9 A man was killed and three others, including an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI), injured after two persons allegedly opened fire at them during a dispute over gold on Diwali night. The police were at the spot in connection with a threat complaint filed by late Partap Singh. According to the police, Pratap Singh and his brother Vikram Singh, alias Vishal, had complained that they were being threatened by their former associates, with whom they earlier had close ties. ASI Harnek Singh, accompanied by another police official, were also there. While the police were interacting with the complainants, the accused, identified as Dilbagh Singh and his brother Ranjit Singh, arrived there. Dilbagh Singh allegedly c m y b Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service The grieving family of deceased Partap Singh in Amritsar. VISHAL KUMAR pulled out a firearm and opened indiscriminate fire, hitting ASI Harnek Singh in the thigh. Pratap Singh sustained bullet injuries and died, while Vikram Singh suffered a bullet injury. He was rushed to hospital. The police said when the team tried to overpower Dilbagh Singh, Ranjit Singh also opened fire. During the ensuing scuffle, Dilbagh Singh was allegedly hit by a bullet fired by his associate Ranjit. Both accused were overpowered and arrested on the spot. Dilbagh Singh was taken to the Civil Hospital and later referred to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, where he is recuperating. Ranjit Singh has been arrested in the case. The police have recovered continued on page 2 Amritsar, November 9 A special court here has sentenced two persons to 12 years of rigorous imprisonment each in a 490 gm heroin seizure case registered by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in March 2025. The court pronounced the verdict on November 7, convicting Sukhjeet Singh, the alleged carrier, and Sukha Singh, the supplier, under various provisions of the NDPS Act. The NCB authorities, while sharing the information today, said Sukhjeet was convicted under Sections 21(c), 8 and 25 of the Act while Sukha Singh was held guilty under Sections 29 and 21(c). Both the accused were fined Rs 1 lakh on different counts. Failure to pay the fines would attract an additional year’s imprisonment on each count, NCB officials said. On March 8, 2025, a joint team of the NCB and the Border Security Force (BSF), acting on specific intelligence, intercepted Sukhjeet Singh near Peer Baba Shah Ji in Jasraur village, falling under the Bhindi Saidan police station area in Ajnala. During the operation, the accused took out a packet wrapped in yellow tape from a plastic bag tied beside the seat of his motorcycle. The packet contained 490 gm of heroin. The seizure was videographed and the contraband was subsequently confirmed as diacetylmorphine by the Central Revenue Control Laboratory, New Delhi. During investigation, the continued on page 2