‘Blue Star’ Anniversary Peaceful, Giani Gargajj Refrains From Making Speech

Amid tight security arrangements, members of various Sikh organizations participated in the 41^st Operation Blue Star anniversary observed peacefully at the Akal Takht (Eternal Throne, AT) on 6 Jun. Officiating AT Jathedar (leader) Kuldeep Singh Gargajj neither delivered an address nor felicitated the families whose near and dear ones were killed during the Army operation in 1984, as done historically. However, Giani Gargajj performed the ardas (prayers) in which he raised several issues, including the 'targeting of Sikhs in India and abroad,' the concept of a 'Sikh homeland,' and 'discrimination against Sikhs.' Dal Khalsa activists, and supporters of former Member of Parliament Simranjit Singh Mann-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and former MP Dhyan Singh Mand raised pro-Khalistan slogans. Dal Khalsa activists also carried placards bearing portraits of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who was once the head of Damdami Taksal (Sikh seminary, DT). Current DT head Harnam Singh Dhuma had earlier objected to Gargajj delivering an address to the Sikh community and felicitating the families. Dhuma’s reason for objecting was that Giani Gargajj’s appointment violated Sikh maryada (religious protocol). Upon Giani Gargajj’s refraining from making the speech, Dhuma said he 'felt relieved.' At the root of the conflict is a contest between Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and DT for control over Sikh institutions and religious affairs. On the same day, DT made it a point to invite two Takht (Throne) Patna Sahib representatives—Patna Sahib head granthi (hymns’ reciter) Giani Baldev Singh and granthi Gurdial Singh—and gave them prominence at a function held at its Mehta Chowk headquarters. Both representatives were barred by AT on 21 May from community services. During the tenure of former SAD head Parkash Singh Badal, Dhuma was close to the party. But now DT seems to have drifted towards the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In November 2024, Dhuma had supported the BJP in the Maharashtra elections. In February 2025, Dhuma participated in Hindu rituals while taking a holy dip in river Ganges at the Hindu religious Maha Kumbh Mela (huge gathering) (earlier coverage).

On 6 Jun, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney invited his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) summit. Carney said India is the fifth-largest market in the world and therefore had to be included in the summit, which will see the participation of the world’s leading economies. Signallying a thaw after relations between India and Canada soured in the past two years, he said, the two countries look forward to working together with 'renewed vigor, guided by mutual respect and shared interests.' Upon being asked about the killing of pro-Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Carney acknowledged the sensitivity of the issue but maintained that his government would not interfere in the legal process underway in Canada. The Toronto Star reports that the invite was conditional to India promising to be ‘accountable and engaging in law enforcement dialogues’.The national spokesperson of the Sikh Federation of Canada, Moninder Singh said Modi receiving an invite to the G7 summit is an ‘overreach and unacceptable.’ Canada-based World Sikh Organization legal counsel Balpreet Singh said the announcement of Modi's invitation had sparked 'outrage and pain' within the Canadian Sikh community. India had earlier said even if Modi is invited, he would not attend the G7 summit but has now accepted the invitation. Meanwhile, in the US, the Fremont Gurdwara Sahib, California has asked the US Department of Justice (DoJ) to launch a security investigation into the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), to determine whether the Pennsylvania-based non-profit should be required to file as an Indian foreign agent. Under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act, any such determination by the DoJ would require the HAF to publicly disclose details of its activities, including meetings with lawmakers, and any contracts and financial arrangements it has with the Indian govt. In a statement HAF said it was a ‘non-partisan tax-exempt charity that is wholly independent and has 'absolutely no affiliation or ties to any organization or political parties in the US or abroad' (earlier coverage).

Paying tribute to veteran leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa at his final prayer meeting in Sangrur on 8 Jun, Panjab Bharatiya Janata Party's president Sunil Jakhar said, 'a strong regional party is a necessity, not just for the Panth (Sikh Collective), but for the entire nation. All Akali factions should set aside their egos and unite for the community’s interests, stepping forward for the and Panjab. That would be a true tribute to Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa.’ Echoing his views, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal also said that Dhindsa also wanted to see a 'united Akali Dal for the sake of Panjab and its people.' On the same day, Panjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann accused the Badal family of 'misusing' its political power to interfere in religious affairs of the Sikhs. He alleged that the family had influenced the appointment of the Akal Takht (Eternal Throne, AT) Jathedar (leader) over the years to suit its personal interests. He said, out of their greed for money, the Badals had converted the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to Shiromani Golak (cash box) Parbandhak Committee. Condemning Mann for his remarks, SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami called them 'baseless, deeply hurtful to Sikh sentiments, and a blatant insult to the Sikh Panth's highest religious institution. The remarks not only reflect Mann's intellectual bankruptcy, but also exposes his arrogance and shallow understanding.' Meanwhile, the influence of Delhi-based politicians on Panjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is visible in the star campaigners list for the West Ludhiana Assembly by-poll scheduled on 19 Jun. Out of the top 11 campaigners, nine are from Delhi and only two are from Panjab. Ahead of the by-poll, on 6 Jun, the Panjab Vigilance Bureau issued summons to Indian National Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu in a five-month old school land fraud case. Amidst criticism, a day later, the Panjab government suspended Jagatpreet Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Vigilance, Ludhiana, who had issued the summons (earlier coverage).

On 6 Jun, a US Republican congresswoman Mary Miller published—then deleted—a post on X saying that Giani Surinder Singh, a Sikh granthi (hymns’ reciter) from Gurdwara South Jersey Sikh Center in Vineland, New Jersey should not have delivered the House’s morning prayer. Miller mistakenly identified Singh as a Muslim and said that it was 'deeply troubling' someone of that faith had been allowed to lead prayer in the House and it 'should never have been allowed.' Miller continued, 'America was founded as a Christian nation, and I believe our government should reflect that truth, not drift further from it.' House minority Democrat leader, Hakeem Jeffries responded, 'It is deeply troubling that such an ignorant and hateful extremist is serving in the US Congress.' David Valadao, a Republican congressman of California, said, 'I’m troubled by my colleague’s remarks about this morning’s Sikh prayer...Sikh-Americans are valued and respected members of our communities, yet they continue to face harassment and discrimination.' The Sikh Coalition responded, 'To be clear, deleting the tweet is not enough. Congresswoman Miller should apologize for her remarks—to both the Sikh and Muslim communities, because no one should be targeted on the basis of their identity.' Meanwhile, a US Court sentenced an Indian origin man Bhushan Athale from Dallas, Texas to 26 months imprisonment. In 2022 and 2024, Athale had left seven voicemails for an employee of a Sikh non-profit based in New Jersey. Atahle had said, '(he would) cut the hair of every Sikh.' In another incident in the United Arab Emirates, Dalvinder Singh, an Amritdhari (initiated) Sikh from Kaithal, Haryana was forced to remove his kirpan (traditional sword) and turban, besides suffering humiliation in custody for 20 days. Dalvinder was part of a group visiting the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan (BAPS) Temple. On 7 Jun, Shiromani Akali Dal leader and Bathinda Member of Parliament Harsimrat Kaur Badal appealed to India’s External Affairs minister S Jaishankar to initiate a dialogue with the UAE govt. to sensitize it about the religious significance of the five kakar (articles of faith) for Sikhs. 

On 27 May, the US President Donald Trump's administration ordered its embassies around the world to stop scheduling appointments for student visas. In the memo, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, ‘The Department is conducting a review of existing operations and processes for screening and vetting of student and exchange visitor (F, M, J) visa applicants, and based on that review, plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting for all such applicants.’ Most international students hold the F-1 student visa. The J-1 visa is granted to students in exchange or scholarship programs such as the Fulbright fellowship; professors participating in exchange programs; and interns. The M-1 visa is granted to students participating in training programs in the US. Many of the US universities rely on foreign students for a significant chunk of their funding—as those scholars often pay higher tuition fees. An official said the halt is temporary and does not apply to students who have already scheduled their visa interviews. According to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) by Numbers 2024, the total number of active F-1 and M-1 international students in the US were 1.58M in 2024, marking a 5.3% increase over 2023. While international students hailed from more than 229 countries, this growth was substantially fuelled by students from India including Panjab. Nearly 420K Indian students represented an increase of 11.8% compared to 2023. Meanwhile, three men from Panjab—Amritpal Singh from Bhagowal village in Hoshiarpur, Husanpreet Singh of Dhuri in Sangrur, and Jaspal Singh of Langroya in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar—went missing in Iran in May. The men were allegedly duped by local travel agents who had promised them lucrative jobs in Australia. They were told that their stopover in Iran was temporary and that they would soon proceed to their final destination. However, soon after reaching Tehran, they were kidnapped and their families received ransom calls. The Indian Embassy in Iran took over the matter with the Iranian authorities who rescued them.

The Panjab Cabinet has decided to waive off loans worth USD 7.8M of 4,750 Dalit (marginalized caste) families which were availed from the Punjab Scheduled Castes Land Development and Finance Corporation. Panjab Khet Mazdoor (farm labour) Union (PKMU) general secretary Lachhman Singh Sevewala said this waiver was too small. PKMU had conducted a loan related survey in 2017 which revealed that the total loan on 84% agricultural laborers was over USD 70M. The Cabinet has also given its nod for conditional, partial surrender and cancellation of licences issued to colonies under Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act. In addition, the Cabinet gave the go-ahead to partial cancellation of approvals granted to industrial park projects. The Cabinet has hiked the development charges for real estate promoters, ranging from 50-100% across the state. The maximum hike is in areas around Chandigarh which are experiencing large-scale urbanization with a number of residential and commercial projects being approved. In Ludhiana and Jalandhar, the hike varies between 52-65%. Meanwhile, the staff-strapped Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) is facing flak for imposing a blanket ban on all transfers and postings of employees across the state till 30 Sep, citing the ongoing paddy season and the need to ensure uninterrupted power supply. The hardest hit are employees already mid-process in transfers or those seeking relocation due to medical or personal emergencies. A senior PSPCL official noted that the corporation has chosen to tighten internal movement rather than resolve the root crisis, which is severe manpower shortage without timely recruitments. In Ludhiana alone, of 5,681 sanctioned posts, only 1,666 are currently filled. Among technical posts, only 250 of 465 junior engineer posts are filled; 47 additional assistant engineers are serving against the sanctioned 76. The situation is dire among assistant linemen, where 2,178 out of 3,089 posts are lying vacant (earlier coverage).

In village Raidharana of Sangrur district in the south of Panjab—a region infamous for its high farmer suicide rate—36-year-old Mani Kaler is rewriting the narrative. Despite leaving more than half of his 24-acre farm fallow for four months each year to rejuvenate the soil, Kaler earns an impressive profit of around USD 82K annually. His farm is also a significant contributor to rural employment—around 100 laborers are engaged for eight months of the year. Kaler’s journey began in 2013 when he decided to move away from his family’s practice of leasing out land and not cultivating it by themselves. He started by cultivating 2.5 acres to produce flower seeds under contract with a private company. Encouraged by early results, he expanded to vegetable farming on 5 acres, and by 2018 had established nursery cultivation on 10 acres. By 2024, he had reclaimed all 24 acres and converted the entire holding into a model of diversified and profitable farming. Meanwhile, in central Panjab, in 2014-15, 2.5K hectares in Kapurthala were under muskmelon cultivation. In 2024-25, the area was reduced to 900 hectares. Skyrocketing seed costs, climate change and blight caused farmers to take to maize cultivation.The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has now come up with its hybrid, low-cost muskmelon variety and has started popularizing it in the red-soiled Dona belt of Doaba. On the paddy front, in 2023-24, Panjab produced 2.6M tonnes of basmati rice mostly in the northern districts. The production increased to 3.2M tonnes in 2024-25. Due to international demand, the 1,121 variety is being sold at USD 58 per quintal in some areas. Ranjit Singh Jossan, vice-president, Basmati Rice Miller and Exporter Association, said with the ban on hybrid varieties and Pusa 44, basmati rice had become a viable and sustainable option. He highlighted that basmati not only consumed significantly less water, but also fetched premium prices in both national and international markets. This year, the state government is targeting 1M hectares—a significant jump from 596K hectares in 2023 (earlier coverage).

A 100-foot-wide breach in Panjab’s Abohar-Malukpura canal, reported on 30 May night, widened rapidly to nearly 200 feet, sparking fresh outrage among farmers just as paddy transplantation was set to begin. The distributary originates from the Sirhind feeder canal and supplies water to nearly 20 villages in the region. The canal had been shut for a fortnight for cleaning and was reopened on 29 May. Farmers are questioning the efficiency and intent of the canal cleaning operations. 'The cleaning work was doubtful. Why wasn’t the structural strength checked before releasing water?' asked Resham Singh, a local farmer. 'Mud has entered our fields due to the breach, and now we have to clean it before starting transplantation. Our saplings are not even ready, so how are we benefitting from this?' On the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), staring at a huge water crisis, Pakistan has written four letters requesting India to reconsider its decision to keep the IWT in abeyance. Pakistan's Ministry of Water Resources Secretary Syed Ali Murtaza wrote to India’s Jal Shakti (water resources) Ministry. India has made it clear the treaty will remain in abeyance until Islamabad 'credibly and irrevocably' ends its support for cross-border terrorism. Official data shows that Pakistan released 15% less water from its dams this week when compared to the same period last year. On 5 Jun, water release in Pakistan’s Panjab fell to 124K cusecs from 144K cusecs in 2024. The Indus River at Tarbela Dam in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is at 1,465 meters, close to its dead level of 1,402 meters. At Chasma Dam in Panjab, also on the Indus, the water level is 644 meters, just above its dead level of 638 meters. Mangla Dam on the Jhelum River in Mirpur is at 1,163 meters, slightly above its dead level of 1,050 meters. The dead level is the lowest level where outlets can drain the water into reservoirs by gravity. Below the dead level, water pumps have to be used to drain the water (earlier coverage).

To boost tourism in the border region of Panjab, on 1 Jun, the Indian Army opened the centuries-old Ferozepur Fort to the public. Historians say the fort was occupied by the British through deceit after the death of Sardarni Lachhman Kaur in 1835 and was converted into a British garrison in 1839 following instructions from the Duke of Wellington. In 1858, the British opened an arsenal here and different kinds of ammunition were manufactured. The fort served as the base depot for the supply of guns and ammunition as well as trained horses and bullocks. About 10,000 bullocks, as many horses and 150 camels would be tethered here at any given time. The fort continued to be used as an arsenal until 1941 when the ammunition was shifted out as a tactical move by the British during World War II. Dr. Rameshwar Singh, a historian, said the fort had come to the notice of German dictator Adolf Hitler and finds mention in his autobiography . ‘The move reaffirms the government's commitment to preserve national heritage and promote responsible border tourism,’ said Major General Ranjeet Singh Manral, General Officer Commanding, Golden Arrow Division. Meanwhile, in Malaysia, despite dwindling numbers and shifting cultural dynamics, the Panjabi language continues to find a voice due to the efforts of a committed group of educators and community leaders. The national-level Panjabi language program, spearheaded by the Khalsa Diwan Malaysia (KDM), based in Ipoh, has played a central role in this effort for the last 25 years. Under KDM’s guidance, Panjabi Education Centers across the country have continued to offer instruction and teacher training in the language, ensuring its transmission to future generations. Malaysia's Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek lauded KDM’s ‘noble initiative’. Her statement said: 'The Panjabi language cannot be separated from daily life within the Panjabi community, as both are closely linked in social, cultural, and spiritual aspects’ (earlier coverage).

Marriage Material, is Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti's theatre adaptation of Sathnam Sanghera’s acclaimed 2013 novel by the same name. The story is set in the end of the 1960s and in a corner shop in Wolverhampton, UK. Panjabi Sikh shopkeeper Bains is talking with Surinder, his 16-year-old daughter—brilliant, beautiful, and the apple of his eye. She wants to study, he wants to marry her off. The play has many such intergenerational conflicts. Rolling across several decades, the narrative charts the fortunes of one British South Asian family, where long hours and stocktaking come freighted with hopes, ambitions, torn loyalties, and painful choices. Surinder longs to step out into 1970s Britain, her sister Kamaljit wants to follow tradition and keep house. Both end up defying their parents, at great emotional cost. Their dilemmas will feel familiar to many, particularly second-generation sons and daughters. Meanwhile, the grim realities of racism assert themselves constantly. Bains, who hoped for a good life for his wife and daughters, is worn to a shadow by grinding work and endless abuse. The play begins in the wake of Enoch Powell’s notorious Rivers of Blood speech and ends in the present day, where resurgent anti-immigrant rhetoric poisons the air. Despite the tough material and Iqbal Khan’s vibrant staging—a co-production with Birmingham Rep—the tenderness at the play’s heart lights up the drama. The cast spin nimbly between characters and decades and there are particularly fine performances from Jaz Singh Deol as Kamaljit’s son, Arjan, struggling to define where he belongs, Irfan Shamji as the rival shopkeeper, and Tommy Belshaw as the salesman and wannabe poet who steals Surinder away. It is a sweeping piece but, without the depth of characterization and the texture of the novel, it too often feels rushed. Key moments don’t have enough space and complex emotions squeeze into short exchanges. The dramatic structure means that Surinder, about whom we have come to care so much, is absent for much of the second act. The play opens at Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, London on 17 Jun.