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‘Operation Blue Star’ Marked Peacefully at Akal Takht; BJP Leader at Taksal HQ
09
June
2026
Panjab: Cap private school fee hikes; Adani bags FCI’s silo contracts; BJP nominates Chugh to RS, Ayali joins 'Waris Panjab De'. Sikh: ‘Operation Blue Star’ marked peacefully at Akal Takht; BJP leader at Taksal HQ; UK Sikh MPs defend 'Kirpan'—and more stories.
BJP leader Girish Mahajan at Damdami Taksal Program
1.
‘Operation Blue Star’ Marked Peacefully at 'Akal Takht'; BJP Leader at 'Taksal' HQ
Devotees and members of various Sikh organizations assembled peacefully at the Sri Akal Takht Sahib (Eternal throne, AT) on 6 Jun to commemorate the 42nd anniversary of ‘Operation Blue Star’ (OBS)—the attack on Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) complex and more than a hundred Gurdwaras throughout Panjab by Indian Army in June 1984. As per tradition, AT Jathedar (leader) Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj addressed the congregation, in which he criticized attempts by governments to impose laws and exercise control over Sikh institutions. In 2025, Giani Gargajj had not addressed the congregation due to objections from certain Sikh organizations. Referring to the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar, Amendment Act, 2026, he said, 'No law related to Sikh religious affairs should be enacted without the consent of the Sikh Panth (Collective).' He also raised the issue of Bandi Singhs (Sikh prisoners) who had completed their terms but were still languishing in prisons and demanded their release. The apex Sikh management body, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) honored the family members of Sikhs killed during OBS along with Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. A number of youth attended the congregation. Their reasons for attending the program stem from a combination of inherited memory, historical curiosity, and a desire to understand a defining chapter of Sikh history. Parallely, Gurdwara Gurdarshan Parkash, Mehta Chowk, Amritsar district, which is the Damdami Taksal (Sikh seminary, DT) headquarters, also held an OBS commemoration. Sant Bhindranwale was DT’s head. Its current head, Baba Harnam Singh Dhumma, is close to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and even campaigned for it during the 2024 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections. At the DT program, a BJP minister from Maharashtra, Girish Mahajan, with links to the BJP’s parent organization, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, addressed the congregation and commiserated with the ‘martyrs’, called OBS a misdeed of the Indian National Congress (INC), but did not mention Sant Bhindranwale. BJP Panjab chief Kewal Singh Dhillon also blamed the INC for OBS. In 2025, the BJP paid tribute to the martyrs, but later deleted it. This is ironic because in the last four decades, the BJP has villainized Sant Bhindranwale and justified OBS. The change of heart seems to be guided by the upcoming Panjab elections in 2027, rather than an acknowledgment of the Indian state’s mistake or empathy for Sikhs (earlier coverage).
Kirpan Photo by The Pioneer
2.
UK Sikh MPs Defend Right to Wear 'Kirpan'
The murder of Henry Nowak in the UK, the conviction and sentencing of Vickrum Singh Digwa on 2 Jun to a minimum term of 21 years, has raised three issues: two-tier policing, racial attack on Sikhs, and permission to Sikhs to publicly carry their article of faith—the kirpan (traditional sword). On 3 Jun, large crowds gathered in Southampton pelted police with stones and bottles as anti-immigration activists condemned two-tier policing. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood have condemned the violent protests. Hampshire Police's Deputy Chief Constable Robert France said, 'I am deeply sorry that in the moments Nowak lost consciousness, he had been handcuffed and arrested.' The UK's Sikh community is distancing itself from Nowak’s murder, with prominent Sikh organizations and community leaders condemning Digwa’s actions and insisting that the killing has nothing to do with their religion. Sikh representatives acknowledge a rise in anti-Sikh hostility following the case—Sikhs’ reluctance to step out, allow elders out alone, empty Gurdwaras—but their focus has remained on condemning Digwa’s actions. During a Parliamentary debate, the UK’s Sikh lawmakers defended the right to wear the kirpan publicly. Labour Member of Parliament (MP) Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi condemned political parties for 'scapegoating and throwing under the bus an entire community based on the actions of one violent murderer.’ He said, ‘The likes of Reform, Restore, and the far-right have decided to politicize people’s pain, attacking the Sikh community for wearing the kirpan and wanting it banned, even though the kirpan was not used in this violent attack.' 11 Sikh UK MPs have issued a statement saying, ‘This was not about Sikhism. It was about a man carrying an offensive weapon and committing a brutal murder.’ The US State Department and US Vice-President JD Vance have both called out ‘ideological conditioning’ (of Sikhs) and ‘two-tier’ policing while taking an anti-immigration stance. Sri Akal Takht Sahib (Eternal Throne) has backed the UK court’s judgment and issued a statement condemning the murder. Meanwhile, at Takht Sri Hazur Sahib (Throne), Nanded, Maharashtra, police have seized 4,796 sharp-edged weapons, including swords and daggers. The apex Sikh management body, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Harjinder Singh Dhami has objected to the registration of police cases against Sikh devotees, weapon traders, and individuals (earlier coverage).
Panjab CM Bhagwant Mann Photo by Indian Express
3.
Panjab to Cap Private School Fee Hikes; Secures Top Rank in School Education
Following the death of a 17-year-old student, Amjot Kaur, by suicide in Amritsar, Panjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced that private schools in the state will not be allowed to increase fees by more than 5% per annum. CM Mann said the Panjab government will introduce a law in the next Legislative Assembly session against arbitrary fee hikes by private schools. Mann said he received multiple calls from distressed parents about schools withholding roll numbers before exams, denying certificates without a ‘no dues’ clearance, and forcing students to stand in corners as punishment. He added, ‘Schools that hiked fees by more than 15% in the last three years must refund the excess amount immediately.’ Amjot was a Class 12 student of a private school in Fatehgarh Churian, Amritsar district. She had consumed a poisonous substance on 22 May and succumbed during treatment at the hospital. Amjot had recorded a video from the hospital that went viral. In the video, she states, ‘I was called to school on 11 May, and was taken to a separate room where I was mentally tortured.’ Amjot lost her life over the pending school fees of around USD 209. Federation of Private Schools and Associations President, Jagjit Singh Dhuri, said that CM Mann had promised a similar policy back in 2022, but it had not been implemented. Barely two weeks after taking oath as CM, Mann had barred private schools from increasing fees ‘by even a single rupee’ (USD 0.01) for the 2022–23 academic session and warned them against compelling parents to purchase books and uniforms from specific shops. There are 7,589 unaided private schools in Panjab catering to 3.1M students. Furthermore, a Class 10 student, Gagandeep Kaur, questioned CM Mann at a state function about the use of age-based tie-breakers to rank students with identical scores in board examinations, prompting CM Mann to scrap their use. Additionally, according to the latest Education Quality Report 2026, Panjab has secured the top position in school education in India, ahead of Kerala, Maharashtra, and Delhi. Barnala has emerged as the top-performing district in Panjab and secured the third position among districts across the country in the Performance Grading Index 2.0 (earlier coverage).
Cockroach Janata Party Protesters Photo by Indian Express
4.
CBSE’s OSM System Fiasco; Satirical Student Movement Protests
Class 12 students in Panjab and across India are stuck in uncertainty due to glitches in the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) new On-Screen Marking (OSM) system that was meant to modernize evaluation. Students have alleged unchecked answers, incorrect marking of Multiple-Choice Questions, blurred scanned copies, and incorrect answer sheets. OSM was announced on 9 Feb—a week before the Class 12 Board Exams—during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Pariksha pe Charcha (conversations around exams). OSM was deployed on 3 Mar. Rushed implementation meant insufficient system testing, leading to portal crashes, login failures, slow-loading user interfaces, and poor scan quality. An estimated 25–30K teachers participated in the onscreen marking, but reported that training was limited to a few hurried webinars and mock evaluations. Raj Kumar, an evaluator from Police DAV School, Jalandhar, said detailed instructions arrived just 12–15 days before the evaluation, with minimal hands-on training. Furthermore, evaluators had to juggle marking with teaching and administrative responsibilities, including Booth Level Officer duties in the Panjab Civic Polls. A non-medical student from Jalandhar, Himanshu, said he attempted almost all questions in Physics but scored only 14 out of 70. His scanned copy showed that several answers were not evaluated. 17-year-old Sarthak Sidhant from Jharkhand exposed the OSM system as a major tender scam, leading the Union government to transfer CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh and Secretary Himanshu Gupta. The re-evaluation portal announced for 29 May finally opened on 2 Jun and kept crashing intermittently. More than 17K students from Panjab alone have applied for re-evaluation. The CBSE scam has come weeks after the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) paper leak that led to suicides by five students. Incidentally, the frustrated youth of India were termed as parasites and cockroaches by the Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on 15 May, leading to the birth of a satirical political movement Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), by a US-based student Abhijeet Dipke. On 6 Jun, CJP called its first on-ground protest at Jantar-Mantar in Delhi, which was attended by students from across the country. The Delhi police said it decided to allow the protest to pacify the youth’s anxiety over the recent exam leaks and glitches. CJP demands the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, under whom the recent CBSE and NEET examinations turned into fiascos (earlier coverage).
Adani Silos Photo by The Tribune
5.
Adani Bags FCI’s Silo Contracts; India Reduces Urea Requirement
Adani Agri Logistics Ltd (AALL) and Leap India Food & Logistics Private Ltd together bagged 110 out of 134 grain silo contracts worth more than USD 1.7B in the Food Corporation of India’s (FCI) USD 2B silo program, which was supposed to overhaul India’s foodgrain storage for the Public Distribution System. Around 4.65 MMT of grains, of the total 6 MMT, will now be stored in silos owned by these two companies. FCI had initially proposed an ‘anti-monopoly’ clause to prevent a single company from cornering the projects. However, in 2022, NITI Aayog (earlier the Planning Commission) and the Department of Economic Affairs opposed the restriction, leading to the clause being dropped, allowing the Adani Group to expand across multiple states without restrictions. AALL now operates grain storage facilities across Panjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu. The company operates 26 Advanced Grain Terminals with a total capacity of 1.45 MMT, and has 64 more sites under development that will bring total capacity to 4 MMT. FCI, however, rejected allegations of favoritism and promotion of monopoly in the award of silo projects, asserting that the tendering process was transparent and conducted in accordance with established procurement norms. The Farmers’ Protest 1.0, 2020–21—which farmers won by forcing the government to repeal the three farm laws that would have enabled private players to control the agriculture sector—opposed the privatization of the agriculture sector. Farmers had then flagged the monopolization of agriculture in India by the Adani Group, similar to the monopolization of agriculture in the US by Monsanto and other private players. Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture and Family Welfare has cut back its requirements for urea from 19.4 MMT to 19 MMT and for Diammonium Phosphate from 5.9 MMT to 5.6 MMT. Additional Secretary, Department of Fertilisers, Aparna Sharma said, ‘Due to the El Niño effect, the Indian Meteorological Department forecast that monsoons are expected to be lower; therefore, we requested the Department of Agriculture and Family Welfare for re-assessment of fertilizer for the monsoon season.’ Meanwhile, farmers from Faridkot district have offered to transfer money via UPI to thieves stealing tubewell motors. The desperate measure follows an overnight raid in which thieves stole 25 motors from village fields (earlier coverage).
BJP's Tarun Chugh Photo by Indian Express
6.
BJP Nominates Chugh to RS, INC’s Warring Stays & Ayali Joins 'Waris Panjab De'
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament, RS) polls in five states. The list features BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh from Amritsar but does not feature sitting RS member and Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu—whose term ends on 21 Jun—or former BJP Panjab chief Sunil Jakhar. Chugh has been a long-time party strategist with deep roots in Panjab politics. The attempt seems to be to balance the party’s recent move to feature a Jatt Sikh Kewal Singh Dhillon as the Panjab BJP chief with a Hindu face. Nominating Chugh has also fuelled speculation over Bittu's future political role in Panjab, which goes to elections in early 2027. Bittu said he had completed 17 years in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) and the RS. Now he had 'packed his bags' and was fully prepared to move to Panjab. Yet, all does not seem well in the BJP camp following the appointment of Dhillon as state president. On 7 Jun, former Indian Administrative Services officer Dr. Jagmohan Singh Raju, who had been among the contenders for the top post, resigned as general secretary of the Panjab BJP. Meanwhile, the Panjab Indian National Congress (INC) remains deeply factionalized under its Panjab chief, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring. Senior INC leaders met in Delhi to finalize the party’s strategy for Panjab and discuss key political issues. They indicated that there would be no changes in the party’s leadership in the state. There was speculation that Warring would be replaced, but the party has decided otherwise, at least for now. A senior INC leader, however, said, on condition of anonymity, that a change was '100% likely'. The leader added, 'I am fairly certain that a new state president, a new Leader of Opposition, and head of the campaign committee will be appointed.' However, with elections nearing, INC might be making a mistake, as it did in 2021, when it named a new Chief Minister candidate and state party chief much closer to the elections. Concurrently, on 9 Jun, rebel Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Member of Legislative Assembly, Manpreet Singh Ayali, formally joined the jailed Member of Parliament from Khadoor Sahib Amritpal Singh's party SAD (Waris Panjab De) (earlier coverage).
India & Oman Flags Photo by Kashmir Images
7.
US-Iran Peace Talks Progress; India-Oman Deal to Ease Critical Imports
8 Jun marked the 100th day of the war between Israel-US and Iran. While a general ceasefire was extended for the fourth time, Iran and Israel attacked each other again. The US President Donald Trump immediately intervened and asked Iran and Israel to stop hostilities. President Trump also said, ‘final negotiations on ‘Peace’ are proceeding.’ On the same day, Yemen’s Houthi rebels declared a 'complete and total ban on Israeli maritime navigation' in the Red Sea, threatening a key bypass route to the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, the India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) —bilateral free trade and investment pact—officially entered into force on 1 Jun. CEPA solidifies India’s access to vital Omani imports, including crude oil, Liquefied Natural Gas, fertilizers, and ammonia. India is also accelerating a long-pending investment in Canada to secure fertilizer supplies amid growing concerns over disruptions triggered by the West Asia war. The move is aimed at securing long-term supplies of Muriate of Potash, a key fertilizer nutrient for which India is entirely dependent on imports. The move assumes urgency because paddy sowing has started and domestic demand for fertilizers, including from Panjab, is high. Concurrently, the Panjab government has not yet responded to the call for a reduction in Value Added Tax for diesel, which affects farmers adversely. India has also scrapped customs duties on cotton imports for five months to boost supplies of contamination-free natural fiber for textile exporters amid strong overseas demand for yarn. Simultaneously, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has renewed pressure on New Delhi over its purchases of Russian oil, telling the US Congress that the Trump administration wants to end ‘as soon as possible’ sanctions, waivers, and special arrangements that have allowed countries such as India to import Russian oil. Alongside, amid the ongoing India-US trade deal talks, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has named India among the countries that have unfair trade practices. The USTR has proposed imposing additional tariffs ranging from 10–12.5% on imports from affected countries. The USTR released the outcome of 60 investigations conducted under the US Trade Act of 1974 Section 301, identifying India among 54 economies that do not have adequate measures in place to effectively prevent the import of goods produced using forced labor (earlier coverage).
Police action on linemen in Patiala Photo by The Tribune
8.
Police Lathi-Charge Protesting Linemen; Three Die During Sewage Tank Cleaning
Tensions escalated outside the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited headquarters in Patiala on 4 Jun when the police caned apprentice linemen who had been staging a sit-in protest, demanding recruitment and implementation of assurances made by the authorities. The police action led to the detention of several members of the 2600 Apprentice Linemen Union. Union leader Akash Kamboj alleged that the apprentice linemen have successfully cleared the required technical examinations and have been awaiting recruitment. The government had assured them that they would become eligible for employment after qualifying for a Panjabi language examination, which has been repeatedly delayed, and the protestors had not received any clear answer from the authorities. Protestors accused the police of using excessive force despite the protest being peaceful. At least ten protesters reported to the local government hospital. Superintendent of Police (City) Palwinder Cheema said the protesters had ‘locked both gates’ of the office and held common people and power corporation officials hostage for more than four hours, leaving them with ‘no choice’ but to use ‘minimal force’. Panjab Indian National Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring condemned the use of force against the protestors, saying visuals emerging from it were ‘horrible and bone-chilling’. Meanwhile, three workers, including a father-son duo, died while two others were taken ill after inhaling toxic fumes following a gas leak during sewage tank cleaning at a tool manufacturing unit in Ludhiana. The incident occurred at Deeps Tools, owned by Rajdeep Jain, where workers had been called in to clean the sewage. A police officer said they were investigating whether the management had delayed taking the victims to the hospital. Deputy Commissioner Ludhiana, Himanshu Jain said, ‘We have also sought a report from Punjab Pollution Control Board on the nature of the toxic gas and the circumstances under which the work was ongoing in the factory during night.’ The deceased were identified as Maan Singh, his son Amit, residents of Giaspura, and Shriram. A First Information Report for culpable homicide not amounting to murder has been registered against the factory management. Additionally, a family from Moga district was left devastated when an uneven sewage manhole claimed the lives of a woman, Jyoti, and her six-month-old son Manvir Singh (earlier coverage).
SAD Leader Bikram Singh Majithia Photo by Indian Express
9.
Majithia Absconding; 'Nihangs' Levy Symbolic 'Khalsa' Tax on Himachal Vehicles
On 30 May, the Panjab police arrested a local youth, Jobanpreet Singh, from Majithia, Amritsar district, for assaulting an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) worker, Paramjit Singh Pamma. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sohail Qasim Mir said that around 11.30 am that day, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia and his supporters barged into the police station and attempted to free the detainee. They also tore official case files, damaged government property, and assaulted police personnel. The police booked Majithia and carried out raids at his residences in Amritsar and Chandigarh. Majithia is absconding, and the police have issued a lookout notice. Ironically, Majithia was one of the first to condemn the attack by now Khadoor Sahib Member of Parliament Amritpal Singh and his supporters on Ajnala police station, Amritsar district, in February 2023. Coincidentally, hours after Majithia was booked, 11 police officials were transferred. The transferred officials included Amritsar Rural SSP Mir—now posted as Assistant Inspector General Personnel-I, an administrative post—in Chandigarh. Meanwhile, a brawl took place in Kasol, Himachal Pradesh (HP) on 30 May between tourists from Panjab and locals. In the scuffle, tourist Manpreet Singh shot a local, Yuvraj, in the leg. The police have arrested the Panjabi tourists while Manpreet's family has appealed to the Chief Ministers of Panjab and HP to release their son. Concurrently, on 1 Jun, tensions flared on the Panjab-HP border, with protesters blocking the Kiratpur Sahib–Manali National Highway for four hours over the entry tax imposed by HP's Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Indian National Congress government. On 4 Jun, the agitation against the HP government’s entry tax on out-of-state vehicles escalated after Nihang Sikhs (traditional warrior) imposed a symbolic Khalsa tax on Himachal-registered vehicles entering Panjab via the Kiratpur Sahib–Manali highway for one hour as a protest against Himachal’s entry levy. Speaking to reporters, Nihang Achar Singh, who led the drive, said they took the step because both the Panjab and HP governments had failed to address the concerns of people affected by the HP tax. The taxes by both the HP government and the Nihang Sikhs are illegal because the highways are maintained by the National Highways Authority of India which already imposes a hefty tax on all vehicles (earlier coverage).
HPV Vaccine Photo by Everyday Health
10.
Not Many Takers For HPV vaccine in Ludhiana; Cases of Missing Girls Surface
The 90-day Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign in Ludhiana—for girls who have completed 14 years of age but have not yet turned 15—has been extended by another 90 days after only 825 vaccinations were completed so far. Launched on 5 Mar with a target of 40K girls and the goal of protecting adolescent girls against cervical cancer, the campaign is facing significant challenges such as misinformation about infertility, social stigma, and early trial controversies. The drive, conducted across 19 government school centers, was expected to be a landmark step in reducing cervical cancer cases, which remain one of the leading causes of mortality among women in India. However, on 3 Jun, the Health Department again decided to extend the drive, noting that recent awareness efforts, such as workshops in schools and sessions during parent-teacher meetings, have begun to yield results late, with 300 girls vaccinated on 1 Jun and 225 on 2 Jun. Meanwhile, police busted a prostitution racket being run from a home in Khanna. Seven people, including a couple, were arrested during the raid after an anonymous complaint at the Senior Superintendent of Police’s office. Additionally, the Enforcement Directorate executed extensive search operations across Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Panjab on 3 Jun, targeting Indian agents and recruiters facilitating a massive transnational human trafficking and ‘cyber slavery’ network operating between India and Cambodia. Enforcement bodies and state police wings have launched a major, coordinated crackdown against these networks across the country. Furthermore, several girls across Ludhiana have reportedly gone ‘missing’ from their homes after reports of their disappearance surfaced across media and digital platforms. Ludhiana Commissioner of Police Swapan Sharma said that 11 First Information Reports involving 13 girls had been registered across various police stations in Ludhiana in recent weeks. He added, ‘These minor girls were not kidnapped or abducted for extortion. Most of them appear to have left their homes on their own. In one case registered at the Jamalpur police station, UP, three girls were recovered from their native village where they had gone voluntarily due to family-related issues.’ The Punjab State Women Commission has taken cognizance of the matter, seeking a status report on the investigation and the measures being taken to trace the missing girls (earlier coverage).
Notes
Suggested Reading (opinions are author’s own)
Ravinder Singh Robin in NDTV: Beyond Anger: Understanding Sikh concerns and trust deficit.
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