PunjabENews

Category: Punjab

  • AAP suspends Amritsar North MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh for five years

    AAP suspends Amritsar North MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh for five years

    Amritsar: The Aam Aadmi Party’s Political Affairs Committee has suspended Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, MLA from Amritsar North, from the party for five years over alleged anti-party activities.

    Kunwar Vijay Pratap had recently opposed vigilance action taken against Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia.

    The party said that action against drugs is part of its ideology and there is no place for those who oppose it.

    According to AAP, the MLA has been suspended for his anti-party activities.

  • Punjab government to bring strict law against sacrilege, says CM Mann

    Punjab government to bring strict law against sacrilege, says CM Mann

    Chandigarh: Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said that his government will soon introduce a law to ensure stringent punishment for sacrilege of religious texts.

    Chairing a meeting with officials and representatives of the ‘Sarv Dharm Sacrilege Roko Kanoon Morcha’ in Chandigarh, Mann said that all stakeholders, including religious organisations, would be consulted while drafting the law.

    He said the views of stakeholders would be incorporated to ensure the law addresses public concerns.

    The Chief Minister added that the process would be completed soon to address the sentiments of the people, and a cabinet meeting would be convened on the issue at the earliest.

  • Bharat Bhushan Ashu blames sabotage, factionalism within Congress for Ludhiana West defeat

    Bharat Bhushan Ashu blames sabotage, factionalism within Congress for Ludhiana West defeat

    Chandigarh: Days after resigning as Punjab Congress working president following the party’s defeat in the Ludhiana West bypoll, senior leader Bharat Bhushan Ashu has criticised internal sabotage and factionalism within the party for the loss.

    In a strongly-worded post on social media platform X, Ashu questioned why “proxy leaders” were used to weaken his campaign and why some within the party viewed the election as a means to “settle personal scores” instead of strengthening the Congress.

    Ashu, who was the Congress candidate in the bypoll, lost to AAP’s Sanjeev Arora. Although he did not name anyone, his remarks are being seen as a veiled reference to Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring.

    Ashu’s post came after the Congress high command formally accepted his resignation, which he had tendered while taking “moral responsibility” for the party’s defeat in the by-election.

  • One-year-old girl kidnapped from Guru Ramdas Saran in Amritsar, probe underway

    One-year-old girl kidnapped from Guru Ramdas Saran in Amritsar, probe underway

    Amritsar: A one-year-old girl named Muskan was kidnapped from Sri Guru Ramdas Saran, associated with Sachkhand Sri Harmandir Sahib, in Amritsar on Friday morning. The incident, which occurred around 10 am, was captured on CCTV and is being investigated by the police.

    According to officials, Sushma Devi, a resident of Old Delhi, had come to Amritsar with her husband Sunil and their three children to pay obeisance at Sri Harmandir Sahib. While staying at Guru Ramdas Saran, Sushma befriended a woman who later kidnapped her daughter under the pretext of playing with her.

    A complaint has been lodged by Sushma Devi at the Galiara police post, and the police have launched a search operation to trace the child.

    CCTV footage from the area is being examined to identify and locate the suspect. Further investigation is underway.

  • Disproportionate assets case registered against sacked DSP Gursher Singh Sandhu, mother

    Disproportionate assets case registered against sacked DSP Gursher Singh Sandhu, mother

    Chandigarh: The Vigilance Bureau has registered a case of disproportionate assets against sacked DSP Gursher Singh Sandhu and his mother, Sukhwant Kaur, in connection with the Lawrence Bishnoi interview case.

    The case has been filed by Flying Squad 1 of the Vigilance Bureau after discrepancies were found in their income and expenditure records over the past three years.

    According to officials, while Gursher Singh received a salary of only Rs 26 lakh during this period, he and his family spent around Rs 2.59 crore, including Rs 1.83 crore shown as income by his mother. The family’s total income during the period was found to be around Rs 2.67 crore, and they also repaid a loan of Rs 63 lakh.

    The Vigilance Bureau has initiated an investigation to trace the sources of this income and is conducting raids to locate the sacked DSP.

    However, sources said that Gursher Singh has fled abroad and a red corner notice has already been issued to trace and arrest him.

  • Toll plaza worker loses arm after being run over by tipper in Rupnagar

    Toll plaza worker loses arm after being run over by tipper in Rupnagar

    Rupnagar: A 27-year-old toll plaza employee, Kamalpreet Kaur, suffered serious injuries after being run over by a tipper driver at the Solakhian toll plaza in Rupnagar.

    According to Suleman, manager of Kurali Toll Road Limited at Solakhian, the incident occurred when the driver ran over Kamalpreet in a bid to save the slip at the toll lane.

    She was first rushed to the civil hospital in Rupnagar and later referred to PGI Chandigarh due to her critical condition, where doctors had to amputate her right arm.

    Jarnail Singh, the investigating officer at Singh Bhagwantpur police station, said that Kamalpreet’s statement could not be recorded as her condition remains serious. Further investigation is underway.

  • Punjab cabinet reshuffle delayed due to Governor’s absence, oath likely after July 2

    Punjab cabinet reshuffle delayed due to Governor’s absence, oath likely after July 2

    Chandigarh: The reshuffle of the Punjab cabinet has been postponed for about a week due to the absence of Governor Gulab Chand Kataria from Chandigarh. Sources said the governor is on his way to his hometown, Udaipur, and will remain out of station until July 2.

    The swearing-in of new ministers cannot take place in his absence, as the governor is required to administer the oath during the cabinet expansion.

    The Punjab government had planned to expand the cabinet this week. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had recently indicated that the expansion would take place within two to four days and had confirmed that Sanjeev Arora would be made a minister. Mann shared this information after a meeting with the governor.

    Sanjeev Arora, the newly elected MLA from Ludhiana West, is set to be inducted into the cabinet. During the election campaign, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal had promised to appoint Arora as a minister. Discussions are also underway regarding the inclusion of other leaders in the cabinet and the possible removal of some ministers. A reshuffle of ministerial portfolios is also expected.

    While the cabinet expansion has been delayed, Sanjeev Arora will take oath as an MLA on Saturday at the Punjab Vidhan Sabha complex. Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwa will administer the oath to the newly elected MLA.

  • Akal Takht constituted recruitment committee, Amritpal Singh’s group discuss common Panthic platform

    Akal Takht constituted recruitment committee, Amritpal Singh’s group discuss common Panthic platform

    Chandigarh: A crucial meeting was held on Friday between the Akal Takht’s recruitment committee, formed for the revival of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and leaders of ‘Akali Dal Waris Punjab De’, an organisation led by MP Amritpal Singh, to discuss the formation of a common Panthic platform.

    The meeting took place at Amritpal Singh’s residence in Jallupur Khera and was attended by committee members Bibi Satwant Kaur, Manpreet Singh Ayali, Jathedar Santa Singh Umaidpuri, Jathedar Gurpartap Singh Wadala, and Iqbal Singh Jhunda, along with Bhai Daya Singh Lahoria.

    Leaders of ‘Akali Dal Waris Punjab De’ welcomed the committee’s efforts for Panthic unity. It was decided that joint efforts would be made to bring Panthic parties together under the guidance of Sri Akal Takht Sahib to help steer the community out of the current Panthic crisis.

    Members of the five-member committee of ‘Akali Dal Waris Punjab De’, including Tarsem Singh, Sarbjeet Singh Khalsa MP Faridkot, Amarjit Singh Banchiri, Harbhajan Singh Tur, and Surjit Singh Daulatpur, were also present at the meeting.

  • NIA files charge sheet against seven in Gurdaspur police station grenade attack case

    NIA files charge sheet against seven in Gurdaspur police station grenade attack case

    New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a charge sheet against seven accused, including three absconders, in connection with the grenade attack on Ghani Ke Bangar police station in Batala, Gurdaspur, in December 2024.

    Officials said Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) activists Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Pasia, and Gurpreet, alias Gopi, had claimed responsibility for the attack in a post on social media.

    Pasia, who is based in the US, along with Pakistan-based terrorists Harvinder Singh, alias Rinda, and Shamsher Singh, alias Shera alias Honey, are currently absconding and have been named in the charge sheet filed by the NIA in a Mohali court on Thursday.

    According to a statement issued by the NIA, the four arrested accused named in the charge sheet are Kuljit Singh, Abhijot Singh, Gurjinder Singh, and Shubham, all residents of Qila Lal Singh village in Batala.

    The seven accused have been charge-sheeted under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Explosive Substances Act, and other relevant sections for their alleged role in the conspiracy and execution of the December 12, 2024, attack.