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A blast that took place at a railway track near the Shambhu area in Punjab's Patiala was an attempted detonation, a senior police officer said on Tuesday. The person who was trying to carry out the detonation on Monday has died, Patiala SSP Varun Sharma said. The blast took place near the Shambhu-Ambala rail track. Police earlier said that an unidentified body, which was blown into pieces, was recovered from the spot. Initially, it was considered a low-intensity blast. However, investigation has revealed that it was an attempted detonation. The explosion occurred at around 10 pm at the rail track dedicated for freight trains, police said. The explosion also caused some damage to the track. "Late night, we had received information about a low intensity explosion at a railway track near Shambhu-Haryana border. Immediately, I, along with the deputy inspector general of police and other senior officials, rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation. "We found that it was not a
The Enforcement Directorate on Friday conducted searches at premises linked to Punjab industries minister Sanjeev Arora and some others as part of an investigation, officials said. Locations in Ludhiana and some others places are being covered by the agency officials, they said. Arora, an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, was raided by the ED in 2024 too. It has then said in a statement that companies linked to Arora and some other entities caused "loss" to the state government and generated "huge" proceeds of crime by alleged misuse of industrial land for residential projects. A few days back, the federal probe agency conducted FEMA searches at the premises of AAP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Kumar Mittal and his educational institutions in Punjab and Haryana.
A bus carrying devotees overturned in Punjab's Fatehgarh Sahib's while returning from Anandpur Sahib, killing six and injuring 21 others, police said on Wednesday. The incident occurred near Himmatpura on Morinda-Chunni road area in Bassi Pathana at around 10 pm on Tuesday when the devotees -- all residents of Main Majri in Fatehgarh Sahib -- were returning from Anandpur Sahib in Rupnagar district after paying obeisance on the occasion of Baisakhi. The bus overturned on the road after some malfunction, a police official said. Six people, including a woman, died in the incident while 21 sustained injuries, Fategarh Sahib Deputy Superintendent of Police Raj Kumar said. The injured have been shifted to nearby hospitals, the police said.
As the Enforcement Directorate conducted raids against AAP leader Ashok Kumar Mittal, the party's national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said the BJP has started its "preparations" for the upcoming poll in Punjab by using central agencies. The ED on Wednesday conducted raids at the business and residential premises of AAP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Kumar Mittal in Punjab and Haryana as part of a Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), officials said. In a post on X in Hindi, Kejriwal said, "Modi ji has started preparations for the elections in Punjab. But, the people of Punjab will not tolerate this... they would give a befitting reply to the BJP." About 10 locations in Jalandhar and Gurugram are being covered under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). This includes the premises of the Phagwara-based Lovely Professional University (LPU) and two linked educational institutions named Tetr College of Business and Masters Union College of Business located in .
The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday conducted raids at business entities linked to AAP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal in Punjab as part of a FEMA probe, offiicials said. Mittal, a 61-year-old businessman and educationist who heads the Lovely Group including an university by this name, was recently made the deputy leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Rajya Sabha, replacing Raghav Chadha. Officials said the searches are being conducted at multiple business entities linked to Mittal in Jalandhar and Phagwara apart from some other locations. The action is being undertaken under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), they said.
An explosion outside the office of the Punjab BJP office here on Wednesday evening led to panic and police cordoning the area. There were no reports of any casualties. Sounds of the explosion were heard around 5 pm, said head of the state BJP's media cell Vineet Joshi. A scooter parked outside the building in Sector 37 was damaged. Senior police officers, including Senior Superintendent of Police Kanwardip Kaur, as well as a team of the Central Forensic Laboratory rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation. "We heard the sound of the explosion. How did it take place? We could see some signs on the boundary wall. Only police can provide details," Joshi told reporters. "It is a matter of concern if a blast took place outside the party office," he added. There was little clarity on what had happened. Further details are awaited.
Punjab Cabinet Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar tendered his resignation on Saturday, following directions from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, sources said. The MLA from Patti in Tarn Taran was asked to resign in connection with the alleged suicide of a Warehouse Corporation district manager in Amritsar. Mann has directed the chief secretary to conduct a probe into the matter. Negligence of any kind will not be tolerated, he said. Recently, a video surfaced on social media in which Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, the manager, was heard saying that he had consumed some poisonous substance and named Laljit Singh Bhullar, the transport minister. Earlier, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia alleged that Randhawa died by suicide after consuming Celphos. Majithia also alleged that Randhawa named Bhullar before his death.
Ahead of his rally in Punjab's Moga, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday hit out at the AAP government, accusing it of drowning the state in corruption, drugs, and crime. He said Punjab wants 'badlav' (change). "Every person in Punjab wants change. Because the sacred land of Punjab, known for its soldiers, farmers and hardworking people, has been drowned in corruption, drugs, and crime by the 'Aap-da' government," Shah said in a post on X. Taking on the Bhagwant Mann government over the law and order situation, Shah said that under this "remotely-controlled" AAP dispensation, law and order and development are "missing" from Punjab. "Today, we are very eager to engage in dialogue with the sisters and brothers of Punjab at the BJP's 'Badlav' rally in Moga," said Shah. Shah will address the 'Badlav' rally in Moga on Saturday. The rally is being seen as the beginning of the BJP's poll campaign in Punjab, where assembly elections are due in early 2027. Elaborate arrangements ha
HPCL-Mittal Energy Limited (HMEL) will invest Rs 2,600 crore in the speciality and fine chemicals sector in Punjab, renowned industrialist Lakshmi Niwas Mittal said on Friday. HMEL will also enter the retail fuel sector and open 500 retail outlets across the country, he added. Mittal, who is also the executive chairman of ArcelorMittal, was addressing a gathering during the three-day Progressive Punjab Investors Summit 2026, which began here on Friday. On the occasion, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and other dignitaries were present. The AAP government is holding the summit to showcase investment opportunities in Punjab. During his address, Mittal said HMEL is now moving forward with investments in the speciality and fine chemicals sector. "We are moving forward in the speciality and fine chemicals sector for which we are announcing a new investment of Rs 2,600 crore," Mittal said. Referring to HMEL's Guru Gobind Singh refinery in Bat