The Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government is preparing to take strict action against government employees who participated in the mass strike across the state. The government has sought a list of employees who remained absent from duty without prior permission during the strike. Secretary-level officials have been directed to submit the list by tomorrow. The government has argued that the strike disrupted public services and caused considerable inconvenience to ordinary people. Officials have indicated that action will be taken against employees found absent from duty without authorization. Ea

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday paid obeisance at Takht Sri Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo, Bathinda district, nearly two weeks after surviving a life-threatening attack in Nanded, Maharashtra. He was accompanied by his wife, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, and senior party leaders. A large number of Akali workers gathered at the religious shrine to welcome him. Speaking to reporters after paying obeisance, Sukhbir Badal alleged that certain forces were working to weaken Punjab and Sikh leadership and disturb peace and communal harmony in the state. He said the Shiroma

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami has strongly objected to the government granting another furlough to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. Dhami said the decision reflects a “double and discriminatory approach” by the government. He questioned why Ram Rahim is repeatedly granted furloughs and paroles while Sikh prisoners, who have been incarcerated for long periods, are allegedly denied parole even to meet seriously ill family members. He said such treatment raises questions about the credibility of equal application of law

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin may attend the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13. During his meeting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Moscow on Monday, Putin expressed hope of meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon. The two leaders discussed India-Russia relations and ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation. Jaishankar, who arrived in Moscow on Sunday for a two-day visit, also met Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov. They discussed ways to further expand India-Russia trade and economic cooperation. Putin also noted that trade between Russia and India

Ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi is likely to visit Punjab in the last week of August or the first week of September. Punjab Congress in-charge Bhupesh Baghel shared the information after meeting Rahul Gandhi. During the meeting, Rahul Gandhi’s proposed visit to Punjab and preparations for a special bus yatra across the state were discussed. According to Baghel, a roadmap for the bus yatra has been discussed and preparations for Rahul Gandhi’s visit are underway. During the proposed bus yatra, Rahul Gandhi is expected to travel

Senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia has made a significant statement regarding the possibility of a renewed alliance between the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying that people in Punjab want the two parties to come together again. Majithia said the situation on the alliance would become completely clear in the coming days and that the top leadership of both parties would sit together and take a final decision. He said the two parties had gone their separate ways following the controversy over the farm laws, but the situation in Punjab has

Former Punjab Chief Minister and Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi on Thursday clarified that he had been absent from Wednesday’s Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting with the permission of the party high command. Channi said he had an examination at Panjab University, which prevented him from attending the meeting. He said the party high command had granted him permission to remain absent. The meeting, chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, was attended by senior leaders including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, along with several other top leaders and special invitees. A

Various Sikh organisations have extended their support to the ‘Punjab Bandh’ call given by the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha for August 21. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has also backed the bandh and decided to keep its offices and all affiliated institutions closed on August 21. Apart from the SGPC, the Shiromani Akali Dal Reunited, Akali Dal ‘Waris Punjab De’, Dal Khalsa, Hawara Committee, Mann Dal and several other Sikh organisations have announced their support for the bandh. Sikh leaders have appealed to the public to completely shut their businesses until 2 p.m. on Aug

A devastating fire broke out at a hotel in Kolkata, West Bengal, early Wednesday morning, killing around nine people, including five Bangladeshi nationals. A child was also among those who died. Police officials said the fire broke out on the second floor of the hotel at around 2:50 a.m. local time and was brought under control within about an hour. A preliminary investigation suggests that an electrical short circuit may have caused the fire. According to Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, four of the five Bangladeshi nationals who died were members of the same family. Six other Bang