Delhi Court Acquits Sajjan Kumar in 4th 1984 Sikh Genocide Case

A Delhi court acquitted former Indian National Congress Member of Parliament Sajjan Kumar in a case linked to instigation of violence during the 1984 Sikh genocide. Special Judge Dig Vinay Singh delivered a brief oral order clearing Kumar of rioting and communal violence in the Janakpuri and Vikaspuri areas of west Delhi due to lack of witnesses. The prosecution stemmed from two First Information Reports (FIR) registered by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) in February 2015. One FIR related to the killing of Sohan Singh and his son-in-law Avtar Singh in Janakpuri on 1 Nov 1984. The second FIR concerned the death of Gurcharan Singh, who was allegedly set on fire in Vikaspuri on 2 Nov 1984. Gurcharan’s advocate Navkiran Singh said his client was a boy when the mob threw him into a burning truck. He survived with severe injuries and was bedridden until 2009 when he succumbed to his death. Advocate Harvinder Singh Phoolka stated another witness, Harvinder Singh Kohli, provided evidence to SIT but passed away before he could record his statement in the court. Though five members of the Kohli family testified that they saw Kumar leading the mob, the court did not find the testimonies sufficient. In Ludhiana, families of victims gathered to raise slogans against the verdict, alleging that justice has once again been denied. Nirmal Kaur, who saw her father being burnt alive, said, ‘I was destroyed, and every good thing in my life was taken away.’ Bagi Kaur, whose ten family members were killed, said not a single day had passed in all these years when she missed a court hearing, regardless of the circumstances. She added, ‘Our pain has now been completely disregarded.’ However, Kumar will continue to stay in jail. On 25 Feb 2025, the special Rouse Avenue Court, New Delhi had sentenced him to a double life imprisonment for the murder of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh in Delhi's Saraswati Vihar. Kumar is already serving a life sentence in Tihar Jail for the killing of five Sikhs at Raj Nagar (earlier coverage).

A large number of people, including media and civil society organizations, showed up for a rally in support of independent journalists and activists in Bathinda on 24 Jan. The protesters first staged a sit-in outside the Deputy Commissioner's office and later staged a demonstration in the city. The organizers said that in the coming days, such rallies will be held in central and north Panjab as well. While social media was full of images, videos and speeches from the rally, it was surprising to see the rally missing from the coverage of most of the mainstream newspapers of Panjab. Furthermore, independent YouTube channels that came to prominence during the Farmers Protest 1 (2020–21) also neglected to cover the protest. This points to the control of the Aam Aadmi Party government on the media in the state. Chairman of Punjab Human Rights Organisation, Justice Ranjit Singh said, ‘The government is suppressing the media so its truths do not reach people.’ Meanwhile, the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the apex body of Indian National Congress, met on 22 Jan to discuss infighting among its leaders in Panjab. After the meeting CWC issued a stern warning to all its leaders to refrain from making public statements against each other, adding that there will be no leadership change in the state until the next elections in 2027. The latest provocation came from former Panjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, who asked for representation of marginalized castes in the INC Panjab Scheduled Caste committee meeting which was held behind closed doors. Despite this, Channi’s clip was recorded and surfaced in the media, leading to questions as to who had done it. The CWC has not looked into the matter, leading to many Panjab INC leaders asking the party to not undermine Channi. Concurrently, Bharatiya Janata Party, INC and AAP are gearing up for the Chandigarh mayoral elections on 29 Jan. BJP has 18 councilors, AAP has 11, and INC has 6. Chandigarh INC Member of Parliament Manish Tiwari also has a vote. BJP is fielding Saurabh Joshi, INC is fielding Gurpreet Singh Gabi, and AAP is fielding Yogesh Dhingra for the mayor's post (earlier coverage).

US Congressman David Valadao of California’s 22^nd Congressional District and Congressman Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey have jointly introduced the Sikh American Anti-Discrimination Act, a Bill that would establish a dedicated Department of Justice (DOJ) Task Force on Anti-Sikh Discrimination. The task force would be mandated to work in collaboration with the Sikh community and focus on prevention, documentation, and accountability. On 24 Jan, California Congresswoman Zoe Lofgen also added herself as a co-sponsor for the Bill. Meanwhile in the UK, 49% of British Sikhs are worried about rising anti-Sikh sentiment, says the British Sikh Report, 2026. The report is based on the results of a survey of 1,500 Sikhs throughout the country. A recurring theme in the report is that Sikhs are ‘routinely misrecognized’ and misidentified as Muslim, which means Sikh men experience racism not for who they are, but for what they are perceived to represent within wider cultural anxieties. The survey indicated that 50% respondents were worried about misinformation or fake news on social media causing panic or hostility. And 54% respondents thought Sikh communities in the UK could be misunderstood or targeted over geopolitical tensions involving India. Concurrently, an international conference focusing on violence against Sikhs in India was held on 16 Jan 2026 in Baku, Azerbaijan, bringing together Sikh representatives, academics, legal experts, and civil society members from multiple countries. Facilitated by Sikh Federation International, the conference featured Sikh speakers from the UK and Canada. Parallely, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Early Warning Project 2025 has ranked India fourth—behind Myanmar, Chad and Sudan— amongst 168 countries indicating risk of future mass killings of civilians. Alongside, the Supreme Court of India has dismissed four petitions challenging the order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court allowing for trial in sacrilege-related cases from Moga, Faridkot and Bathinda districts, which were transferred to Chandigarh in March 2025. Earlier, the sacrilege cases from Bargari and Burj Jawahar Singh Wala villages in Faridkot district were transferred to Chandigarh. The case of firing at Behbal Kalan village in Faridkot district—where two Sikhs were killed during a protest against sacrilege on 14 Oct 2015—was also transferred to Chandigarh (earlier coverage).

The Aam Aadmi Party government in Panjab has rolled out the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana (Chief Minister Health Scheme, MMSY) that provides cashless medical treatment of up to USD 11K per family per year. The scheme will cover around 6.5M families, benefiting nearly 30M people in 823 empanelled hospitals. With no exclusions, the scheme aims to bring all residents of the state under a single healthcare coverage framework. However, top multi-specialty hospital chains such as Fortis and Max have refused to be part of the empanelled hospitals. Health cards can be obtained through sewa kendras (service centers) and online registration using Aadhaar (Identity Card) and Panjab Voter Identity Card. The scheme is being implemented through a hybrid financial model. Insurance coverage of USD 1.09K per family is provided through United India Insurance Company, while the remaining coverage is funded directly by the state government. A budgetary provision of USD 130M has been made for the scheme. Panjab’s debt burden is already USD 45.8B and its subsidy bill is over USD 2.3B which are reasons to view the scheme with skepticism. The skepticism also stems from the fact that in 2024–2025, private hospitals in Panjab, represented by the Private Hospital and Nursing Home Association (PHANA), suspended cashless treatment under the state-run health insurance scheme due to roughly USD 65M in pending dues, which is still unpaid. PHANA cautioned that once the scheme covers 100% population, empanelled hospitals would become fully dependent on government reimbursements. Honorary Secretary PHANA, Dr. Divyanshu Gupta said, ‘Any delay in payments may severely impact hospital operations, including the timely payment of staff salaries. Therefore, PHANA stressed that the 15-day payment clause mentioned in the Memorandum of Understanding be implemented strictly.’ Meanwhile, Panjabis celebrated Basant Panchmi (5^th day of Spring) festival despite the day beginning with rain. Like every year, many used the deadly Chinese dor (plastic string) for flying kites, which can cut through skin and tissue. The dor claimed the life of Taranjot Singh, a 15 year-old who was returning home on a scooter in Samrala, Ludhiana district and got entangled in the string, causing an accident. The dor also injured three in Barnala and two in Muktsar (earlier coverage).

The Panjab government has launched Operation Prahar (strike), a massive statewide crackdown aimed at dismantling the entire ecosystem of organized crime, with more than 2K police teams conducting coordinated raids across the state. The 72-hour-long operation between 20–22 Jan targeted associates, financiers and support networks linked to 61 foreign-based gangsters, with around 12K police personnel deployed in what officials described as one of the largest anti-gangster drives in recent years. Panjab Director General of Panjab Police Gaurav Yadav said that the crackdown is aimed at breaking the entire crime network, not just arresting shooters or foot soldiers. Yadav said, 'Financing, logistics, safe houses, weapon supply chains and communication networks—we are committed to busting the entire ecosystem. There will be zero tolerance for those aiding or abetting gangsters.' He said the police had mapped around 1,200 associates, along with nearly 600 family members allegedly involved in criminal activities. Prominent gangsters under the scanner include Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar, Rohit Godara, Arshdeep Singh Gill alias Arsh Dalla, Supreet Singh alias Harry Chattha, and Harvinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda. Of the 61 Panjabi gangsters operating from foreign soil, 18 are in the US, followed by nine in the UAE, six each in Canada and Germany, five in the UK and Europe, three each in Australia and Portugal, two in Thailand/Malaysia and one each in Pakistan, Italy, Brazil, and Indonesia. Gangsters running criminal syndicates from foreign soil have rattled law enforcement agencies, especially in Panjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi, where several high-profile killings carried out on their instructions. 21 foreign-based gangsters already face red-corner notices. Panjab has also formed the Overseas Fugitive Tracking & Extradition Cell (OFTEC) to track and arrest foreign based gangsters and terrorists. The unit will operate under the supervision of Indian Police Services officer Ashish Choudhary, designated as the state nodal officer for international police cooperation. Yadav said between April 2022–October 2025, Panjab saw 324 armed exchanges between the police and gangs, leaving 24 gangsters dead, 515 arrested, 319 injured and three police officers killed. By the end of Operation Prahar, the police had arrested 3,287 gangsters (earlier coverage).

The Punjab and Haryana High Court (PHHC) directed Panjab authorities to fill 461 vacant fire fighter posts, originally reserved for women, by appointing eligible male candidates. The court noted that ‘no female candidate cleared the physical measurement and efficiency test’ which seems a highly problematic statement considering 1,875 women appeared for the test. The recruitment was initiated on 28 Jan 2023 through an advertisement for 991 posts of fire fighters and driver-operators in municipal councils, corporations, and village councils. Of these, 461 were reserved for women. While male candidates were required to meet height, chest, and eyesight norms and to clear three physical fitness tests, women were required to meet only height and eyesight standards and were exempt from the fitness tests. The court noted that of 1,875 women who appeared, ‘none were able to clear the test.’ According to PHHC, ‘not a single woman met the basic height and eyesight norms to qualify for the posts’ which is indicative of bias in the selection process. Additionally, the court dismissed a plea for anticipatory bail filed in a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 case by a 19-year-old accused in a case involving allegations of sexual assault of a minor. PHHC observed that serious charges cannot be diluted by later affidavits or claims of consent by the minor. Meanwhile, three decades after her husband died in a tractor accident, a woman has won compensation of USD 4664 along with interest and penalty. Widow Kashmir Kaur, and their young child were left without any financial support when her husband died in a tractor accident in 1996. The deceased was employed by his father as a tractor driver. The insurance company opposed the claim, arguing no genuine employer-employee relationship could exist between a father and son. PHHC held that blood relations alone cannot negate employment and referred to the Employees’ Compensation Act, which recognizes contracts of employment may be written or oral. Furthermore, the union government has approved a policy of the Chandigarh Administration for providing monthly financial assistance to acid attack survivors and directed authorities to provide USD 109 per month to each acid attack victim in the Union Territory (earlier coverage).

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has asked the Department of Rural Development and Panchayats, Panjab to clear outstanding dues of USD 135M. The AAP government passed the orders despite the arrears being waived off by the previous Indian National Congress government under Charanjit Singh Channi. The then Panjab Cabinet had also reduced the water supply bill from USD 1.6 (INR 166) to USD 0.54 (INR 50) per month per household and stated that the pending dues would be cleared by the state government. Channi has appealed to village councils to not return the dues. In a similar move, AAP has revived boards for the welfare of different castes, besides constituting new ones for various social castes such as goldsmiths, Arora Khatris and Sufi Sant Samaj. Most of these boards were constituted by the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party led government in the last leg of their 2012–17 tenure. The boards remained dormant after the alliance lost the state elections. Meanwhile, a delegation of the Punjab State Electricity Board Engineers Association (PSEBEA), led by its president Joginder Singh Dhiman, finally met the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on 22 Jan to discuss the grievances of engineers and employees of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL). The meeting assumes importance as engineers and employees of PSPCL have been on an agitation since November 2025. According to association members, the suspension of Harish Sharma, Chief Engineer of the Ropar and Goindwal Sahib Thermal Plant, was discussed in detail during the meeting. His suspension, along with the termination of services of Harjeet Singh, Director (Generation), had triggered widespread resentment among engineers. Employees have been alleging political interference in the functioning of PSPCL, which they argue is an autonomous body and should be allowed to operate independently on professional lines. Concurrently, on the call of the Ministerial Services Union State Committee, ministerial employees in Amritsar staged a protest against the state government over the non-fulfillment of their long-pending demands. District chief spokesperson Tejinder Singh Dhillon said ministerial employees had been consistently demanding the release of pending Dearness Allowance (to mitigate rising costs) installments, which have been delayed for a long time (earlier coverage).

The Supreme Court of India came down heavily on the alleged collusion of builder-mafia and bureaucrats resulting in ecological damage of Chandigarh’s iconic Sukhna Lake. A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said, ‘There are illegal constructions in collusion and connivance with bureaucrats, backed by political entities in Panjab resulting in complete destruction of the lake. Do you want to dry the lake?’ In recent days, Sukhna Lake also encountered an oil spill. A team of the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee had pumped out the oil from the affected area and had collected samples of both oil and water to ascertain the cause of the spill. The incident raised environmental concerns as the lake and its surrounding areas are notified wetlands and host migratory birds. Meanwhile, the Punjab and Haryana High Court (PHHC) indicated that it would find ways to protect the green cover of Panjab while allowing essential infrastructure development as the state government and the National Highways Authority of India argued that its blanket ban on tree felling was stalling key infrastructure and commercial projects. As it declined to revoke its blanket ban on tree felling, PHHC has set up a panel to study the trees proposed to be cut for the construction of roundabouts in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar. The panel, comprising nominees of the Panjab Advocate General, Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) and the Forest Department, has been directed to inspect the area and submit a detailed report by 30 Jan. PHHC expressed concern over the cutting of mature and heritage species such as peepal and banyan (ficus species). Chief Justice Sheel Nagu asked GMADA’s counsel, ‘Do you want your children and grandchildren to survive or not?’ Concurrently, Panjab Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) noted that parts of Panjab, Haryana and Chandigarh fall in Category VI of seismically prone areas, making strategic planning ‘urgently indispensable.’ RERA has called for urgent regional and national-level strategic planning of real estate development and warned of a ‘lack of vision’ among competent authorities issuing licenses (earlier coverage).

The Panjab Cabinet approved a direct subsidy of USD 0.75 (INR 68.5) per quintal for sugarcane growers, becoming the state offering the highest sugarcane price in India. The subsidy will be paid directly to sugarcane farmers on behalf of private sugar mills for the crushing season 2025–26. A total budget allocation of USD 35M has been approved. An official said, 'Panjab already offers the highest state agreed price for sugarcane in the country at USD 4.5 (INR 416) per quintal, reflecting an increase of USD 0.16 (INR 15) from the 2024–25.' To promote crop diversification, the Cabinet has also approved collaboration with Japan International Cooperation Agency for introducing Japanese technology to strengthen Panjab’s horticulture sector. The collaboration will focus on horticulture development, cold chain infrastructure, water management and skill development to double horticulture’s share in Panjab’s economy. ​​Meanwhile, in a bid to curb hoarding and ensure adequate market supply, the union government of India issued orders to regulate wheat stocks across the country, imposing strict limits on the quantity that traders, retailers, processors and other entities can hold until 31 Mar. The order stated, ‘Traders and wholesalers have been capped at holding a maximum of 2K MT of wheat. Traditional retail outlets are permitted to hold no more than 8 MT of wheat at each store.’ Meanwhile, a group of empanelled Fortified Rice Kernel (FRK) manufacturers has approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, challenging what they describe as an ‘arbitrary, unconstitutional and midstream change of rules’ by the state procurement authorities. The petitioners, all Panjab-based FRK manufacturers empanelled for the Kharif (monsoon) Marketing Season 2025–26, have sought quashing two official letters dated 15 Dec 2025 that alter the supply chain, allocation mechanism, and payment structure, which were clearly laid down in the original Request for Proposal issued on 5 Aug 2025. Meanwhile, the Agriculture Department has launched a campaign to intensify the crackdown on fake pesticides being sold on e-commerce platforms after it identified unauthorized pesticide sales, noting a major threat to the environment and crops. The department also appealed to the farmers, urging them to seek guidance about the use of recommended doses of genuine pesticides prescribed for their crops (earlier coverage).

Shakkar Parey, a Panjabi language animated venture by Jalandhar-based couple Dr. Harjit Singh and his wife Tejinder Kaur, has amassed millions of views on YouTube. The show began as a YouTube experiment to introduce Panjabi children to animation and stories rooted in their own land, today boasts of 26.3K subscribers and a collective viewership of 60M. Dr. Harjit, a celebrated filmmaker and former Doordarshan producer-director, and Tejinder, an author and former professor, share a deep passion for children's storytelling. The name Shakkar Parey means sugar-coated fried cookies. In Shakkar Parey, Tejinder Kaur's flair for song, poetry and story-writing aligns seamlessly with Dr. Harjit's storytelling and directorial skills, creating a magical fantasy world populated by charming, animated characters that speak in Panjabi. The cheerful videos feature a generous sprinkling of chaste Panjabi akhauts (sayings) and idioms woven into entertaining songs and tales. The cast of characters includes wayward lambs, mischievous bears, hens, wolves, snakes, squirrels, tortoises, bees, robots and, of course, the naughty twin cats. Out of the 256 videos, several individual uploads have garnered between 2–6M views. Elaborating on the philosophy behind the project, Dr. Harjit says, ‘There is a plethora of animation strewn across the internet. But the question is whether our kids can relate to these characters. I believe characters in western animation don’t appeal to Panjab's children or their immediate value system. Unless the characters speak of your culture, environment and colours, the characters are not your own. Shakkar Parey aimed at giving children characters rooted in their own land, language and values.’ While Tejinder Kaur has penned numerous books for her grandchildren and others, Shakkar Parey brings her lived experience vividly to life. Their sons, Zorawar and Shiva (no second names), and music director Rishabh Ganesh, among others, also pitch in with the series. Animation has long been central to Dr. Harjit's creative journey. Inspired by Jim Henson's Muppets, he went on to conceptualize his own animation show. In 1979–1982, an era when animation techniques were manual, he created latex and rubber characters and imported specialized remote controls. Years after retirement, the couple has revived the animation dream on YouTube, leading to the birth of Shakkar Parey.