Page 10 - Punjab

Punjab govt unveils ₹2.36 trn Budget, announces first-ever 'drug census'

Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Wednesday presented a Rs 2.36 lakh crore FY26 Budget for the state, focussing on tackling drug menace, and the health sector. During his budget speech, Cheema talked about AAP-led Punjab government's anti-drug campaign to check drug scourge. Cheema said the Punjab government is going to carry out the first-ever "drug census" in Punjab to understand the prevalence of drugs, usage of de-addiction centres etc. He said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's visionary leadership has been the driving force behind Punjab's remarkable progress over the past three years. Cheema proposed total budget expenditure of Rs 2,36,080 crore for FY 2025-26. He said the state government will establish a second line of defence at border by deploying 5,000 home guards alongside BSF. Cheema said, for the first time in Punjab's history, the Bhagwant Mann government has decided to extend the state health insurance scheme in the coming fiscal year to make it universal

Army colonel assault: HC orders Punjab govt to submit reply by March 28

Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday directed the Punjab government to file a detailed reply by March 28, asking it to explain the delay in the registration of an FIR in the army colonel assault case. The high court asked the government to name the officer who was informed by the petitioner about the incident and the reasons for the officer's refusal to take action and register an FIR. "An explanation for the delay in registering the FIR, despite the availability of medico-legal reports on record, along with detailed statement of the petitioner dated March 14, 2025, as well as comprehensive text message to Nanak Singh, senior superintendent of police, Patiala...," a bench of Justice Sandeep Moudgil said and directed the Punjab government to file a detailed reply by Friday, the next date of hearing. Colonel Bath, who has accused 12 Punjab Police personnel of assaulting him and his son over a parking dispute, on Monday filed a plea in the high court, seeking transfer of the probe

'State of Punjab means absent': SC raps govt over non-appearance of counsel

The Supreme Court on Monday censured the Punjab government over the absenteeism of its advocates in cases and asked the state's advocate general to ensure their attendance. A bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and Aravind Kumar made the observation while hearing the plea filed by the state government's plea against the Punjab and Haryana High Court order of bail to former minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia on August 10, 2022. "Mr Advocate General of Punjab, we have already called you in one case. In your state, even after service of notice, your panel advocates in the Supreme Court are not appearing. We have already referred in two orders. This is everyday drama. State of Punjab means absent. It is happening not only in criminal cases but civil cases also. Nobody is appearing," the bench said. The top court adjourned by two weeks the plea filed by the Punjab government after it sought time. During the hearing, Punjab advocate general Gurminder Singh .

Watch: Viral pastor Bajinder Singh seen assaulting man, woman in office

A pastor in Punjab facing a sexual harassment case is back in the news after a video of him purportedly arguing and slapping a woman and a man has been distributed widely on social media platforms.

Watch: Viral pastor Bajinder Singh seen assaulting man, woman in office

A viral video shows Bajinder Singh throwing a mobile phone at a man before hitting him with a purse. He then slaps the man in front of other staff members

Wife of assaulted Colonel, ex-servicemen hold protest in Punjab's Patiala

The wife of the Army Colonel, who has accused 12 Punjab police personnel of assaulting him and son over a parking dispute, staged a sit-in protest outside the Patiala deputy commissioner's office on Saturday. She was joined by several ex-servicemen. The protest came a day after the Punjab Police registered a fresh FIR based on the statement of Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath. A high-level Special Investigation Team (SIT) has also been set up to expedite investigation. During the protest, the Army Colonel's wife, Jasvinder Kaur Bath, accused the 12 police officials of brutally thrashing her husband and son, and demanded speedy justice. BJP leader and former MP Preneet Kaur, who joined the protest, strongly condemned the incident. "As a citizen of India and the wife of an ex-Army officer (former chief minister Amarinder Singh), I stand in complete solidarity with the assaulted officer and family. I demand an impartial probe, so that the guilty get proper punishment," she said. Speaki

Police assault Army colonel, son in Patiala, wife demands CBI inquiry

The wife of an Army Colonel broke down into tears on Friday, demanding justice for her husband and son, whom she alleged fell victim to an "unimaginable act of brutality" at the hands of some Punjab police officials. Addressing a press conference in Patiala alongside her son and a relative, Jasvinder Kaur Bath accused twelve Punjab Police officials of thrashing her husband, Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath and their son over a parking dispute and demanded that the case be transferred to the CBI for an impartial investigation. She submitted a representation to the Deputy Commissioner of Patiala, recounting the ordeal her family allegedly faced at the hands of the Punjab Police. Bath has demanded the immediate registration of an FIR based on her husband's complaint under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the naming of all 12 accused police officers in the FIR, and the immediate transfer of the accused officers out of Patiala. She further alleged that the police had not

Sitting or retired HC judge must inquire Colonel assault case: Cong leader

Punjab Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa on Friday demanded that a sitting or retired high court judge should inquire the complaint by an Army Colonel that he and his son were thrashed by 12 state police officials. "We demand an inquiry by a sitting or retired high court judge into the incident," Bajwa told reporters in Chandigarh, ahead of the opening day of the budget session of Punjab Assembly. Calling it a serious incident, the Congress leader said all the "erring" Punjab police officials should be arrested and dismissed from service. "Recently, (AAP national convener) Arvind Kejriwal was in Punjab, but neither he nor Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann have uttered a word about the incident," he said. Bajwa, who is Leader of Opposition in Punjab, also slammed the Bhagwant Mann government over the "deceitful" detention of several farmer leaders. He said the heavy barricades at the protest sites in Shambhu and Khanauri border were not put up by Punjab farmers, but the Haryana

7 aides of Amritpal Singh remanded to 4-day police custody by Punjab court

Radical preacher Amritpal Singh's seven associates were on Friday produced before a court here in connection with the attack on the Ajnala police station in 2023 and remanded to police custody till March 25. The seven were released from the Dibrugarh Central Jail in Assam and re-arrested in another case by the Punjab Police. All seven detainees were produced before the court in Ajnala here under tight security and sent to four-day police remand, officials said. Police here sought the remand on various grounds, including to recover some mobile phones and weapons, and to conduct further investigations. The Punjab government had decided not to reinvoke the NSA at the end of the detention period of Amritpal's seven associates. Punjab Police had secured their transit remand and after completing the legal transfer process from Dibrugarh Central they were brought to Ajnala. A 25-member Punjab Police team had been camping in Dibrugarh for the past few days to facilitate the transfer of .

Farmers' protest: Traffic resumes at Shambhu border, Khanauri set to open

A day after Punjab Police detained protesting farmers and demolished their temporary structures, traffic resumed on the Shambhu-Ambala Highway on Thursday after more than a year, and Khanauri border point is also set to open, with Haryana Police removing roadblocks on their side of the road. The road clearance exercise continued even as angry farmers held protests at several places in Punjab including Moga, Tarn Taran, Muktsar and Faridkot against the last evening crackdown on the protesters. A group of farmers, including women, entered into a scuffle with police personnel in Moga while on their way to hold a protest outside the deputy commissioner's office. Meanwhile, in a statement issued in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party reaffirmed its support to farmers but emphasised the urgent need to reopen key roads to protect Punjab's economy. The protesting farmers lashed out at the AAP government for detaining their leaders and removing protesters from the Shambhu and Khanauri border points,

Farmers call for protest after Haryana, Punjab evict them, open borders

JCB machines were deployed to remove the concrete blocks and reopen the Shambhu-Ambala road, which had remained closed for over a year due to farmers' protest

Punjab Police to transport 7 accomplices of Amritpal Singh from Assam

Pro-Khalistan radical preacher Amritpal Singh's seven accomplices, who were released from Dibrugarh Central Jail in Assam following the withdrawal of NSA charges against them and re-arrested in another case by Punjab Police, will be flown to the northern state on Thursday, officials said. Punjab Police re-arrested them for attacking a police station on the outskirts of Amritsar in 2023 and got a transit remand from a local court here. "All seven detainees will be flown to Punjab under tight security. Punjab Police has secured their transit remand and are now completing the legal transfer process from Dibrugarh Central Jail," a senior official told PTI. A 25-member Punjab Police team has been camping in Dibrugarh for the past few days to facilitate the transfer of Singh's accomplices, who have been imprisoned along with the Waris Punjab De (WPD) leader here for nearly two years. "They will be taken to Punjab on two different commercial flights. Three of them have already been brough

Opposition slams AAP govt over explosion outside temple in Amritsar

A blast occurred outside a temple in Amritsar around midnight when a motorcycle-borne person threw an explosive device towards it, damaging a portion of its wall and shattering window panes, officials said on Saturday. While no one was hurt in the incident, the explosion caused panic among residents in the Khandwala area of Amritsar. There have been many incidents of explosions targeting police posts in Amritsar and Gurdaspur in the past four months but it the first such attack on a temple. Opposition parties alleged that the incident reflected the "deteriorating" law and order situation under the AAP government. Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the police were informed about the incident at around 2 am on Saturday by the Thakur Dwar temple priest. CCTV footage of the incident showed two unidentified persons coming to the temple on a motorcycle. After waiting for a few seconds, one of them is seen throwing some explosive material towards the temple and the t

'Many attempts to disturb peace in state': Punjab CM after Amritsar blast

A blast occurred at Thakurdwara Temple in Khandwala, Amritsar, late last night after two bike-borne men lobbed an object, suspected to be an explosive, at the temple

AGTF, Faridkot police nab gangster Manpreet Singh in encounter; 3 arrested

Manpreet Singh, a key accused in the recent murder at Village Kapura in Moga on February 19 and a firing incident at Raja Dhabha in Jagraon on February 26, was injured during the encounter

Punjab inks MoU with IOC, secures higher diesel discount for state buses

State transport minister Laljit Singh Bhullar said with this Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the state government would save Rs 9 crore per annum

IISER scientist dies after violent parking clash with neighbour in Mohali

IISER scientist Abhishek Swarnkar dies after a violent parking dispute in Mohali; accused Monty on the run as police register a case of culpable homicide and launch a probe

Telangana tunnel collapse: Body of worker sent to Punjab, rescue continues

The mortal remains of Gurpreet Singh, whose dead body was recovered from the partially collapsed SLBC tunnel here, were sent to his native place in Punjab, even as rescue operations continued on Monday to locate the remaining seven persons. Gurpreet Singh, who worked as a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) operator for Robbins Co, was among the eight men trapped inside the tunnel after its partial collapse on February 22. The body was transported in a special ambulance following postmortem and other procedures at Nagarkurnool civil hospital, official sources said. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh to his family. The body could be extricated following "very careful" digging and other efforts for more than 48 hours. It was buried under silt at a depth of about 10 feet, a senior official said on Sunday. Singh was identified based on his earring on the left ear lobe and tattoo on the right hand. The search for the remaining workers continues, the offici

BJP and Akali Dal brought drugs to Punjab, says Minister Harpal Cheema

He further stated that over 872 FIRS had been filed in the last 1.5 weeks and about 1200 crore people had been arrested

Multi-storey building collapses in Ludhiana; 1 dead, several rescued

A multi-storey building of a textile factory collapsed in Focal Point area here late Saturday evening, officials said. Six workers are feared trapped under the debris, they said, adding that the rescue operation was underway. One worker has already been rescued and taken to a nearby hospital, they said. The incident occurred in the Focal Point Phase-8 area on Saturday evening. Initially, seven workers were trapped under the debris. According to an eye witness, a loud sound was heard before the building caved in. Two teams of National Disaster Response Force and other teams of police, fire brigade and factories departments, the Municipal Corporation were undertaking the rescue operation. The operation was underway to bring out the six workers trapped beneath the debris. Revenue Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian and Deputy Commissioner Jitendra Jorwal are personally overseeing the rescue efforts at the site. They emphasised that the top priority is to rescue the trapped workers. T