Seven officials have been suspended in the tender scam of Rs 52.81 crore of Amritsar Municipal Improvement Trust. These include SE Sat Bhushan Sachdeva and other XENs, SDOs and JEs. This action took place after irregularities in the tender for development works in Ranjit Avenue. Secretary Local Bodies has taken this step on the basis of DC's investigation report.
During the annual martyrdom gathering of Fatehgarh Sahib, a video of some teenagers wearing Nihang Bana, taking off the warm caps of passers-by and hanging them on their necks has gone viral. This action has been strongly condemned by Sikh Sangat and Nihang groups. The SGPC member has called it contrary to Sikh dignity. A demand has been made to the administration to control such anti-social elements. A retired DSP also apologized for this incident.
The special session of the Punjab Assembly began by paying homage to the sacrifices of the four Sahibzadas of Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. The MLAs including Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan remembered the unparalleled sacrifice of the Chhote Sahibzadas. The session expressed concern over attempts to distort Sikh history, especially over the use of terms like 'Veer Bal Diwas' and 'Banda Bairagi'. The MLAs demanded the Center to pass a resolution not to change Sikh history.
This article reviews major political faces and events of Punjab in 2025 through Punjabi idioms. This includes the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the challenges of Sukhbir Badal, the controversial statements of Raja Vading and Dr Navjot Kaur, and the success of Harmanpreet Kaur. Corruption cases, grenade attacks, farmers' agitation and devastating floods are also discussed, showing Punjab's resilience and lessons learned.
20-year-old Ashu was stabbed to death by two of his friends in Ravidas Colony, Jalandhar. The friends were staying at Ashu's house for the last two days. There was a fight over some issue on Sunday night, after which this incident took place at 4 in the morning. Rama Mandi police reached the spot and started investigation. The accused friends are absconding, raids are underway to search for them.
CAG audit report of Citco has revealed a loss of more than Rs 10 crore. According to the report obtained by RTI activist RK Garg, the loss was due to online booking facility being stalled, staff on zero sales at the steel depot, wrong bakery operations at Sukhna Lake and the management of Delhi Guest House. The report has recommended taking corrective steps.
Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali witnessed dense fog on Sunday morning, affecting traffic. Later, when the sun came out, people went out to visit Sukhna Lake and Rock Garden. However, the air quality index of Chandigarh remained above 220, which falls in the poor category. The Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert of dense fog for the next two days. Experts have advised wearing masks to protect from pollution.
A domestic dispute turned violent in Patiala, where a man, Ravi Kumar, was attacked by his wife Mandeep Kaur and his family members after entering their house. Ravi was seriously injured in the attack, and his mother and sister-in-law who came to save him were also assaulted. Based on the complaint, the police have registered a case against several people and started investigation.
The Joint Action Committee of PGI Chandigarh has demanded UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria to hand over the investigation of the scam in Ayushman and Himcare schemes to CBI. The committee says that these cases are similar to the private grant sale scam, in which the CBI is already investigating. The mastermind of both the scams is the same, hence CBI intervention is necessary for better investigation.
A warden, Varinder Kumar, has been arrested for supplying drugs in Bathinda Central Jail. In a joint action, police and jail administration recovered 27 grams of heroin, 21 grams of opium and 60 banned capsules from him. This is the same jail where Lawrence Bishnoi was interviewed. The accused has been suspended and taken on police remand.
Due to dense fog in Jalandhar on Sunday morning, a Verka vehicle fell into a dirty drain on Maqsudan Road from DAV College flyover. Driver Jasveer Singh escaped safely, but he raised questions on the negligence of the administration. He says that despite zero visibility, there was no marking or warning board on the drain. This is the third time that a vehicle has fallen here, due to which concrete arrangements have been demanded. Police is investigating.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ruled that a soldier's death from cerebral hemorrhage while on leave will be considered military service-related. Rejecting the arguments of the Central Government, the court said that even a soldier on leave remains subject to the service conditions. The decision came on a petition by Suman, whose husband died during leave. The court upheld the order of special family pension.
There was an encounter between police and robbers in Rampur Bildon forest of Garhshankar. The police surrounded the wanted accused of robbing a money changer in Mahilpur and a shop in Hoshiarpur. One of the accused, Omkar Singh alias Gora, was injured in the encounter, while Ram Asra alias Shammi and Arman alias Manga were arrested. Police have recovered weapons and an unnumbered motorcycle.
The Punjab government is opposing the 'Ji Ram Ji Act' and will write a letter to the rural development ministers of all the states, appealing for unity. Minister Tarunpreet Singh Saund called it harmful for the Scheduled Castes and the poor class. Punjab believes that this new law will put an additional financial burden of Rs 600 crore on the states and will give less employment guarantee than MNREGA, causing huge losses to the states.
Prakash Parv of Dasham Pita Shri Guru Gobind Singh Maharaj is being celebrated with devotion in Amritsar. Lakhs of devotees are paying obeisance at Sri Harmandir Sahib. This festival also reminds the martyrdom of the four Sahibzadas of Guru Sahib, who sacrificed their lives for religion and humanity. On this occasion, lights were decorated, Gurbani Kirtan was performed and lamp garlands were lit instead of fireworks.
Punjab government under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is expanding the horticulture sector so that the income of farmers can be increased. On the instructions of Horticulture Minister Mohinder Bhagat, the department is helping farmers to move away from traditional crops and adopt horticulture. Subsidy and information about modern technology is being provided under various schemes. Due to this, the horticulture area has increased from 4.81 lakh to 5.21 lakh hectares, due to which farmers are getting economic benefits.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann in a review meeting with the Sports Department has allocated a budget of Rs 1350 crore to improve sports infrastructure in Punjab. With this budget, 3100 stadiums will be constructed across the state, the target of which is to be completed by June 2026. Additionally, gyms at 3000 locations, distribution of 17000 sports kits, launch of sports portal and construction of Yuva Bhawan are also included.
Chandigarh Police has filed a charge sheet against six vicious people caught with fake Indian currency worth Rs 24 lakh. The crime branch has filed a charge sheet against the accused in the district court, the hearing on which will start from January 6, 2026. Apart from fake notes, the police also recovered printing machines and other objectionable material.
A young man died under suspicious circumstances on Wednesday evening in village Baghuwal of Fatudhinga police station area of Kapurthala. 22-year-old Rajvinder Singh had returned home after working in the fields when his health deteriorated. The family took him to a private hospital in Jalandhar, where he was declared dead. The police took the body into custody, conducted post-mortem and handed it over to the family members.
A woman became a victim of snatching in Singapura area of Zirakpur. Bike riding miscreants snatched the woman's purse, which contained cash, gold bracelets and important documents. The victim, Veena Karer, was waiting for a relative at Singapura Gate when the incident occurred. Police have registered the case and started investigation.