Elections to five municipal corporations, 44 municipal councils, nagar panchayats and bypoll for 49 wards of urban civic bodies in Punjab will be held on December 21. These elections, which will be fought on party symbols, will test the mettle of the Congress, AAP, SAD and the BJP. SAD, which did not contest the recently held four Assembly byelections, would be fielding its candidates in these civic polls, thus making it a four-cornered contest. After the pronouncement of ‘tankhah’ to several Akali leaders, including former party chief Sukhbir Badal, the results would reveal if the public

Farmers began the 'Delhi Chalo March' from the Shambhu border of Punjab-Haryana today at around 1 pm. However, after Haryana Police fired tear gas shells, 14 farmers were injured, including a prominent farmer leader. Following the incident, the protesting farmers decided to postpone their foot march for the day. Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher stated that due to the injuries sustained by some farmers, the group would return for today. He confirmed that a new group of farmers will leave for Delhi on December 8. Meanwhile, the Haryana government has instructed the police to ensure that the f

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) core committee today described the assassination attempt on S Sukhbir Singh Badal as a full-blown assault on Sikh traditions, Khalsa heritage and the sacred values and institutions bequeathed by the Great Guru Sahiban. It also referred to the entire incident as part of an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government sponsored programme which was part of a deep rooted conspiracy to finish the moderate Akali leadership which stood for ‘sarbat da bhala’ as propounded by the Guru Sahiban. The core committee meeting of the party, which was presided over by Acting President Ba

An Amritsar court has sent Narayan Singh Chaura, accused of attempting to shoot former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, to three-day police remand. The police had sought a seven-day remand but were granted only three days. Reports suggest that Chaura had been visiting the Darbar Sahib for the past three days. Notably, Sukhbir Singh Badal was serving as a sevadar outside the Darshani Deodhi under religious punishment imposed by Sri Akal Takht Sahib at the time of the incident. Security personnel in civilian attire, deployed for Badal’s protection, apprehended Chaura and th

The first batch of 100 farmers from the Shambhu border of Punjab-Haryana will leave for Delhi on foot on Friday. If they clash with the police during their journey, they have vowed to surrender to arrest. Despite the Haryana Police's refusal, the farmers have decided to proceed. According to reports, senior officers of the Punjab Police held a meeting with farmer leaders at the Shambhu border today regarding their "Delhi Chalo" march. The meeting lasted for about half an hour, but the farmer leaders remained adamant that they will go to Delhi. Meanwhile, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has exp

Narayan Singh Chaura, accused of attempting to attack former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, is a resident of Chaura village in Dera Baba Nanak, Gurdaspur district. Police confirm he has a prior criminal record. According to his wife, Jasmeet Kaur, Narayan left home around 6 a.m., stating he was attending a program. She mentioned they have two sons, both lawyers, and three grandchildren. Senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia strongly criticized the remark by Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, who indicated that the investigation includes a

Regarding Narayan Singh Chaura, who attempted to shoot Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal, the police have revealed that the accused had visited Sri Darbar Sahib the previous day, and they were already monitoring his activities. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar stated that the incident is being investigated from all angles, including whether it was an attempt to garner sympathy. Commissioner Bhullar also informed reporters that officers in plain clothes were deployed at the Sri Darbar Sahib complex, and the individual who thwarted the attack was ASI Jasbir Singh of the P

Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal was shot at by a man while he was performing the duty of ‘sewadar’ outside the Golden Temple on Wednesday. Sukhbir Singh Badal, who was sitting in a wheelchair, escaped unhurt as the bullet hit a wall. According to reports, the shooter was among the crowd and the attempt to attack Sukhbir Badal was made at close range. The person was overpowered by people present on the spot. According to the police, the assailant was identified as Narayan Singh Chaura who was immediately taken into custody.

Punjab has witnessed a 65% increase in AIDS cases over the past five years, according to a report presented in the Lok Sabha. Experts attribute this surge primarily to drug abuse in the region. The report reveals that 2,45,939 AIDS cases were recorded between 2019-20 and 2023-24, with the numbers rising annually. Notably, women account for 30-35% of the total cases. Additionally, the number of transgender individuals infected with HIV grew from 117 in 2019-20 to 186 in 2023-24, highlighting a concerning upward trend.