Latest news with #AmritsarAirport
Time of India
05-08-2025
- Time of India
Amritpal Singh bail plea rejected: Delhi HC says family can support wife; trial set to begin soon
NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court has dismissed the interim bail application of Amritpal Singh , an accused in a major narcotics case linked to the seizure of 103 kg of heroin at the Attari border in April 2022. Singh had sought interim bail under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act on humanitarian grounds, citing the need to arrange and care for his wife — a college professor — who is scheduled to undergo gall bladder surgery. A resident of Tarn Taran, Punjab, Singh was apprehended on December 12, 2023, at Amritsar Airport while allegedly attempting to flee to Dubai. A lookout circular had been issued against him five days earlier, on December 7. You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi The bail plea was opposed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which argued that Singh's family is financially stable and that other family members are available to support his wife and two minor children during her surgery. The NIA also noted that the trial is set to begin before the Special NIA Court in Delhi. Justice Ravinder Dudeja rejected Singh's application after considering submissions made by NIA counsel Advocate Shilpa Singh, who reiterated that the petitioner's wife, a faculty member at Guru Arjan Dev College, is capable of managing the situation in his absence. Another accused in the same case, Vipin Mitta, was granted bail by the Delhi High Court on May 30. (With agency inputs)
India Today
21-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Amritsar airport receives bomb threat, days after Golden Temple scare
Amritsar Airport received a bomb threat after unknown callers informed airport authorities of a possible explosion. The threat call triggered security alarms, prompting police to register a case and initiate an are currently tracking the phone number used for the threat call. Security measures have been heightened in and around the threat came days after the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) received been receiving emails over the past few days threatening to blow up the Golden Temple. The SGPC, the apex body responsible for Sikh religious affairs, has filed another complaint with the police and demanded a thorough Despite the series of threats, Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla criticised Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for his absence from Amritsar. 'Today is the sixth day of these threats, but Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has not come here even once,' Aujla said, highlighting concerns over the state's handling of the also stressed that securing the Golden Temple is a joint responsibility of both central and state governments. 'The security around the Golden Temple is the responsibility of the central and state governments,' he said to the news agency Friday, police detained a software engineer from Faridabad in connection with the threats. However, another threatening email has surfaced since, renewing concerns about the safety of one of Sikhism's holiest sites.- EndsWith inputs from Watch
India.com
12-05-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Pakistan Carries Out Fresh Drone Attacks In Samba; Blackout In Hoshiarpur; Flight Diverted From Amritsar
In a violation of fresh understanding with India, Pakistan on Monday night launched a fresh drone attack in Jammu's Samba and Punjab's Amritsar and Hoshiarpur. According to reports, a very small number of drones have entered the Samba sector. India's air defence system engaged them successfully and neutralised them all. The Army sources told ANI that there is nothing to be alarmed. On the other hand, a loud explosion was heard in Hoshiarpur, leading to a blackout in the area. Hoshiarpur Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain said, "We are declaring a precautionary partial blackout in the areas of Dasuya and Mukerian for some time...I appeal to the residents of Hoshiarpur to observe a voluntary blackout on their part and stay inside their homes. There is no need to panic." She, however, did not confirm the blast sound. Some reports claimed that drones were also spotted in Jalandhar while a flight from Delhi was turned back from Amritsar Airport due to a blackout following sirens. This comes days after India and Pakistan reached an understanding to not escalate the conflict further and reduce the tensions following the Operation Sindoor.
Indian Express
12-05-2025
- Indian Express
Flight operations resume at Amritsar and Chandigarh airports
Authorities Monday reopened the international airports in Amritsar and Chandigarh for full flight operations following a week-long closure after a temporary suspension due to Operation Sindoor and heightened security concerns along the international border with Pakistan. Flight services to and from Amritsar's Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport and Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport in Chandigarh resumed. In an official statement, a Chandigarh airport official said, 'Flight services to and from Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Chandigarh, have resumed as of 10.30 am on May 12, 2025. Passengers are advised to check with their respective airlines for updated schedules.' The spokesman for the Amritsar Airport said, 'Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar also reopened to all commercial, civil, domestic, and international flights starting 10.18 am on May 12, 2025.' However, the spokesman said, so far, no flight is scheduled to take off or land, and it may take some time for the airport to start working at its full capacity. Both airports had been closed to civilian air traffic since May 7, as part of a precautionary lockdown across 32 airports in northern and western India. This suspension followed a series of drone incursions and retaliatory air strikes during India's Operation Sindoor. As many as 407 flights were operated from the Amritsar airport from April 29 to May 5, 2025, with 67,989 passengers travelling. In the days leading up to the closures, Pakistani kamikaze drones were spotted and intercepted over Amritsar, especially around Khasa Cantonment, Chheharta, and Airport Road. On May 10, the Indian Army reported intercepting Byker YIHA III drones targeting civilian areas. As many as 15 to 20 drones were spotted in Amritsar, while drone threats were recorded in 26 other locations across India, including Jammu, Srinagar, Pathankot, and Bhuj in Gujarat. Debris from neutralised drones and missiles was later recovered from villages like Makhan Windi, Jethuwal, and Pandher, though no major civilian casualties were reported. Residents faced blackouts, sirens, and temporary displacements, triggering widespread panic.
Indian Express
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
India-Pakistan conflict: Villagers near Zero Line in Punjab in no mood to evacuate, offer Gurdaspur MP chai and pakora after he calls on them
Amid the tension between India and Pakistan, Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa was offered tea and pakora (fritters) when he went to check on villagers residing in border areas under his constituency on Friday. 'This is the spirit of Punjab. Punjabis are never afraid. Frankly, I smelt tension at the border. But villagers offered me tea and pakoras when I visited them to check if they were facing any issues,' said Randhawa. Currently, most villagers in the border areas are not ready for evacuation, though some have sent their women and children to safer places. Meanwhile, banking facilities have been interrupted in many areas near the international border. Two bank branches in Khalra village, just 1 km from the border, remained closed on Friday. The deputy commissioner of Tarn Taran also claimed there were no immediate plans to evacuate people. Citing past experiences when full evacuations did not lead to war, locals stated that the current situation may not escalate further. 'I have seen the 1965 and 1971 wars. I know what kind of preparations are made during a war. So far, it is peaceful here. I don't think there would be any war. We were evacuated in 2016, too, after the Uri attack,' said Balwinder Singh, 80, a resident of Khalra village. 'The border villages are not the same as they were during the 1965 or 1971 war, or even during the Kargil war. At that time, we were living a humble life. We didn't have much to lose. But in the last two decades, we have seen vast development in border areas. Now we have good roads and almost all the facilities in our home that you will find in cities,' said Chetan Singh from Rajo Ke village near the Zero Line. 'Earlier, we had kaccha houses. Now we have pucca houses. How can we leave behind homes which have been constructed with such hard work,' he added. MP Randhawa said, 'The administration can't do much here. It will set up shelters. But even poor villagers do not like to live in shelters. They will go to their relatives instead of living in shelters. This is Punjab. Society comes forward at the hour of need.' Meanwhile, the suspension of all commercial and civil flight operations from the Amritsar Airport has been further extended till 5.30 am on May 15. SGPC steps in In light of the growing tensions between India and Pakistan, the Bir (Guru Granth Sahib) was shifted from the Gurdwara Baba Sidhji on the Zero Line near Kartarpur Sahib Corridor on Friday. Devotees pay obeisance here before going to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan. Partap Singh, Secretary, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), said residents of border areas can contact the nearest gurdwara under the SGPC management if they require assistance in the wake of the tension between India and Pakistan. The manager of the historic Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Dera Baba Nanak, said, 'We had got a request only from Gurdwara Sidh ji. So, the Bir was brought from there. If any other village would make such a request, then we will bring the Bir from there as well.' Partap Singh said, 'Special arrangements for shelter and meals have been made at nearby gurdwaras for people displaced from border areas.' SGPC had also played a big role in providing langar (food) and shelter to the evacuated population in 2016. Meanwhile, an SGPC team visited Sikhs who were injured in the recent attack in Poonch and assured them of all possible assistance.
