Page 11 - Punjab

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

Virendra Sachdeva slams AAP over failure in Punjab's cash transfer scheme

This comes after AAP leaders criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party for not implementing the financial aid scheme of providing Rs 2,500 per month to women in Delhi

SKM to hold 'dharnas' outside residences of Punjab AAP MLAs on Mar 10

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Thursday announced that it will hold 'dharnas' outside the residences of AAP MLAs on March 10 in protest against the Punjab Police's action against farmers. A decision in this regard was taken by an emergency meeting held by the SKM in Ludhiana. The meeting came a day after the Punjab Police thwarted the farmers' attempt to go to Chandigarh on the SKM's call for a week-long dharna beginning Wednesday, as multiple checkpoints were set up across the state and security was stepped up at all entry points of the Union Territory (UT). The SKM, a conglomerate of more than 30 farmer bodies, had given the call for the sit-in at Chandigarh in support of the farmers' various demands, including purchase of six crops at minimum support price (MSP) by the state government. In the meeting held in Ludhiana on Thursday, the SKM leaders strongly condemned the Punjab Police's action against the farmers. Bharti Kisan Union (Lakhowal) general secretary Harinder Singh

Cong forms assets dept, names ex-MP Vijay Inder Singla as in-charge

The Congress on Wednesday constituted a new department to take care of its assets and properties across the country and appointed Vijay Inder Singla as its in-charge. Singla is also the joint treasurer of the Congress party, along with senior party leader Ajay Maken. Singla is a former Punjab minister and also a former MP from Sangrur in Punjab. "Congress president has constituted a new AICC department to oversee the Congress party's assets and properties across the country and has appointed Vijay Inder Singla as the AICC in-charge of the department with immediate effect. He will also continue as the joint treasurer of the AICC," a statement from AICC general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal said. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, during the inauguration of the new party headquarters at Indira Bhawan, had urged party leaders to take legal recourse to take back properties that were in the possession of the Congress when the first split took place. He also urged party leaders

SC issues contempt notice to Punjab for not implementing pension scheme

The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a contempt notice to the Punjab chief secretary for failing to implement a three-decade-old pensionary benefits scheme in the state. Observing the court couldn't be taken for a ride, a bench of Justices Abhay Oka and N Kotiswar Singh asked the chief secretary to answer why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him for the violation of the undertakings. "In spite of repeated undertakings given to the high court, compliance has not been made by the state government. Therefore, we issue showcause notice to K A P Sinha, chief secretary, State of Punjab calling upon him to showcause why action under the Contempt Of Courts Act 1971 (both civil and criminal) should not be initiated against him," the court said. The bench said if the official felt some other officer was at fault, he was "free to file an affidavit" giving the names or other details of the officers responsible for the court to initiate action. The matter would be heard aga

SKM protest: Punjab police stops farmers from heading to Chandigarh

Farmers under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha were stopped from going to Chandigarh for their week-long dharna beginning Wednesday in support of their various demands, with multiple barricades and checkpoints set up across Punjab and security stepped up at all entry points of the Union Territory. The Morcha, which is a conglomerate of more than 30 farmer bodies, had given a call for the dharna in Chandigarh starting March 5 in support of their various demands. Punjab Police Deputy Inspector General of Police H S Bhullar said the protesting farmers will not be allowed to reach Chandigarh at any cost. "Wherever any farmer came out (on roads), police of that area stopped them," Bhullar said. Farmers, who left for Chandigarh in tractor-trolleys and other vehicles on Wednesday morning, were stopped by the Punjab Police at many places. In Moga, Krantikari Kisan Union district Moga president Jatinder Singh said they were stopped at Ajitwal in Moga district by the police when the

Police detain SKM leaders ahead protest; Punjab CM warns farm unions

In Ludhiana, SKM leaders including Harjit Singh Giaspura, Balwant Singh Khirnia, Avtar Singh Mahlo, Manmohan Singh Deol and Dilbag Singh were allegedly detained

'Punjab becoming a state of dharna', says CM Mann amid protest tensions

Midnight raids spark outrage as Punjab CM Mann says, 'Punjab is becoming a state of dharna' defending police action ahead of farmers' 'Chandigarh Chalo' protest

Punjab to deploy anti-drone tech to check drug inflow from across border

The Punjab government will take the help of anti-drone technology to check smuggling of narcotics and arms and ammunition from across the border, Cabinet minister Harpal Singh Cheema said on Tuesday. Finance Minister Cheema, who is leading a cabinet sub-committee to monitor action against the drug menace and Cabinet minister Aman Arora on Tuesday witnessed the demonstration of the anti-drone technology by three companies in Mohali. Speaking to reporters, Arora said drugs, arms and ammunition are coming from Pakistan as he stressed upon the use of anti-drone technology to check the inflow from across the border. "It is the primary responsibility of the government of India and the BSF to check smuggling of narcotics and arms and ammunition from across the border," Arora said, adding the Border Security Force (BSF) has 50 km of jurisdiction. "But we have been seeing over the past many years that the BSF is not getting 100 per success (in checking smuggling from across the border)," he

Viral pastor Bajinder Singh faces sexual harassment charges in Punjab

Pastor Bajinder Singh, who claims to possess healing powers, has been accused by a woman of inappropriately hugging and touching her

Punjab Police launches massive anti-drugs op across state, Cong takes dig

Punjab Police has launched a statewide operation against drugs, conducting raids at 750 locations as the cabinet sub-committee on the drug menace held its first meeting on Saturday, officials said. Around 12,000 police personnel were involved in the operation being carried out as part of an anti-drug campaign. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday set a deadline of three months to make the state drug-free. As part of the state government's renewed push against the drug problem, action is being taken against drug peddlers and in some places, their properties were also demolished. Cabinet Minister Aman Arora on Saturday appealed to all political parties that instead of playing politics, they should extend their support to the state government's anti-drug campaign to save Punjab. The meeting of the cabinet sub-committee was also attended by Chief Secretary KAP Sinha and Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav. Addressing the media after the meeting, Finance Minister Harpal Si