Panjab CM Appears at 'Akal Takht'

Panjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann appeared before Sri Akal Takht Sahib (Eternal Throne, AT) Secretariat on 15 Jan. Before appearing at the AT Secretariat, he offered prayers at the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple). Mann had come barefoot as he had announced, but with a large retinue of security guards and assistants. He carried a suitcase and later told journalists that he had submitted his clarifications with documentation to the AT Acting Jathedar (leader) Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj. Takht Sri Damdama Sahib Jathedar Baba Tek Singh was also present in the meeting. Mann said, 'Sri Akal Takht Sahib is the supreme authority for the entire Sikh community. The Jathedar Sahib has recorded my statement, and further action will be taken after consultations with the Singh Sahibans (loved ones). I will abide by every decision of the Jathedar Sahib. My appearance here has given me immense contentment, inner peace, and satisfaction.' Jathedar Gargajj said Mann admitted during their meeting that he shouldn’t have said certain things on religious affairs of the Sikhs and assured him that he would desist from making any such statements in future. He added that the explanation given by Mann on the charges of religious misconduct would be taken up in the next meeting of the five Singh Sahiban. The Jathedar said he had asked Mann to name two forensic laboratories where the videos purportedly showing him disrespecting the Sikh Sovereigns could be examined. On the same day, Indian President Draupadi Murmu presided over the 50^th Golden Jubilee of Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU). The ceremony was held in the presence of the Governor of Panjab and Chancellor, GNDU, Gulab Chand Kataria, Panjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, and Amritsar Member of Parliament Gurjeet Singh Aujla. However, on 18 Jan, Mann attacked the apex representative body of the Sikhs, Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee president Harjinder Singh Dhami. He said, 'Instead of calling himself a soldier of Guru Gobind Singh, Dhami calls himself a soldier of Sukhbir Singh Badal (chief of Shiromani Akali Dal). What good can be expected from such a person, who takes pride in serving someone who ruined Panjab with every move? (earlier coverage).'

Marking a shift in Panjab's political landscape, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) organized its maiden political conference at the historic Maghi Mela in Muktsar on 14 Jan. The Mela (fair) is held in the memory of forty Sikh martyrs known as Muktas (liberated ones) in the 1705 Battle of Khidrana against the Mughals. BJP leaders issued a 'clarion call' for a BJP-led government in the state in 2027, focusing their attack on the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Indian National Congress while notably sparing the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) from direct criticism. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said Haryana purchases 24 crops at Minimum Support Price and urged Panjab to opt for a 'double engine' government. Former union minister Anurag Thakur said after fighting Mughals and the British, Panjab now faces a new battle against drugs, lawlessness, and what he termed the 'K-Company' (referring to Arvind Kejriwal). Union State Railway Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu slammed AAP Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann for spending four years 'telling lies and cracking jokes,' saying the CM has pushed Panjab into a debt trap of USD 45.8B. SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal accused AAP of misleading Panjabis with false promises and alleged that nearly 50% of recruitments in the state have gone to outsiders. He claimed that over USD 440M has been spent on advertisements alone. Meanwhile at the AAP stage, CM Mann highlighted the issue of 328 missing saroops (tome) of the Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh scripture and charter). He said, 'The Special Investigation Team has found 169 missing saroops from a religious shrine near Banga, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district with records existing for only 30. No agency, neither SGPC (Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee) nor those who managed them, had proper documentation.' The management of the shrine Rasokhana Nabh Kanwal Raja Sahib, village Majara Nauabad has countered the allegation and given details of all the saroops with them. On 18 Jan, in protest against the allegation on the shrine, Banga Member of Legislative Assembly Dr. Sukhwinder Singh Sukhi resigned from his cabinet rank and post of Chairman, Punjab State Warehousing Corporation (earlier coverage).

Jalandhar, Panjab-based media group Punjab Kesari has written to Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann saying that between 11–14 Jan enforcement authorities have raided its offices and hotels, and delayed its flagship newspapers Punjab Kesari (Hindi) and Jag Bani (Panjabi) from reaching its readers. The letter said the raids were conducted after a 'balanced and fair' news report on opposition allegations against the ruling AAP's national convenor Arvind Kejriwal appeared on 31 Oct 2025 in their newspaper. The letter pointed out that since 2 Nov 2025, the government has stopped all advertisements to the group; with these raids targeted the group and its associate concerns 'with an extraneous motive to intimidate the press.' Opposition parties in Panjab said the AAP government was using state power to muzzle the press. The Press Club of Chandigarh has expressed solidarity with the media group. The Panjab government said that the action was based on serious and documented violations detected by statutory authorities. On 20 Jan, the Supreme Court of India ordered the Panjab government to not ‘close the newspaper.’ Earlier, in May 2024, the Panjab government had targeted Barjinder Singh Hamdard, Editor-in-Chief of Ajit Group, by initiating a Vigilance Bureau probe for alleged irregularities of USD 34M in the Jang-e-Azadi Memorial construction, leading to accusations of political vendetta, cessation of government advertisements, and protests by opposition parties. By October 2024, Kejriwal had reached out to Hamdard and the newspaper had started getting newspaper advertisements. Meanwhile, on 19 Jan, citing copyright infringement, the Panjab government managed to get a popular YouTube news channel Lok Awaz TV’s Facebook page blocked. The action followed after the channel’s report debunked CM Mann’s tall claims of improvement in road networks showing the reality of faulty road construction and alleging corruption in the projects. Concurrently, CM Mann and Panjab Industries Minister Sanjeev Arora are facing difficulties in getting travel visas to UK and Israel, countries they wanted to visit with their delegation to attract foreign funding to Panjab. Panjab AAP General Secretary and party’s Media In-charge Baltej Singh Pannu said the union government has given no reason for the denial (earlier coverage).

A Royal Canada Mounted Police report says, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang—already accused of extortion and murder-for-hire in Canada—has been ‘acting on behalf of the Indian government.’ The document marked ‘Protected A’ noted, ‘The Bishnoi crime group is known to use violence to further their criminal enterprise, while acting on behalf of the Indian government.’ This is not the first time Canadian security officials have made this claim about Bishnoi. In Oct 2024, the Canadian police had alleged that agents of the Indian government were using organized crime groups like the Bishnoi group to collect information about members of the South Asian diaspora. Balpreet Singh, spokesperson of the World Sikh Organization of Canada claimed it was deeply troubling that Ottawa appeared ‘willing to overlook India’s ongoing campaign of transnational repression and its clear links to the Bishnoi gang at the expense of the safety and security of Canadians.’ The Indian government has not yet responded to the claims. Bishnoi is currently lodged in Sabaramati Jail in Gujarat. Meanwhile, Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Patnaik has dismissed Canada's old allegations linking New Delhi to the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on 18 Jun 2023 outside a Gurdwara in Surrey, asserting that the case is against four individuals and not against the Indian government. Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had alleged in Sep 2023 of a ‘potential involvement’ of Indian agents in Nijjar’s killing. Meanwhile, David Eby, Premiere of British Columbia (BC) arrived in India on a trade mission, a move that was largely opposed by many in BC’s Sikh community, who do not want normalized trade relations until Nijjar’s killers are brought to justice. Eby expressed concern over the document on Bishnoi gang’s involvement with the Indian government. The India trip comes amid continued tensions between the countries as both look to diversify their trade partners in light of US President Donald Trump's steep tariffs on the two countries. Eby also called on Panjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and expressed interest in strengthening business ties (earlier coverage).

In a boost to the Panjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), several prominent politicians joined the party at the Panjab BJP headquarters in Chandigarh on 16 Jan. The leaders are former Member of Parliament Jagmeet Singh Brar, his younger brother and former Member of Legislative Assembly Ripjit Singh Brar, breakaway Akali Dal leader Charanjit Singh Brar, and former Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Panjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Onkar Singh. The induction took place in the presence of state BJP chief Sunil Jakhar, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Panjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma, and Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu. Jagmeet Singh Brar was once a heavyweight in the Panjab Indian National Congress (INC) and a former member of the Congress Working Committee. He has had a long and checkered political journey including once defeating Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal in the 1999 Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) elections from Faridkot. He was suspended from INC in 2014 over questioning the party leadership. He and his younger brother joined SAD but resigned in 2022. Charanjeet Singh Brar came into prominence as one of the key organizers of the famous Khatkar Kalan conference in 2011, which launched Manpreet Badal’s People’s Party of Punjab. Charanjeet later joined SAD and served Sukhbir Singh Badal as an OSD. He rebelled against SAD in 2024, briefly helped form the Giani Harpreet Singh-led Akali Dal Punar Surjeet (revival) and has now jumped ship again. Professor Onkar Singh has overseen CM Mann's constituency, Dhuri, and is considered to have strong grassroots connections there. He said his sacking was disrespectful, citing 2024 orders from AAP Delhi leadership to dismiss him. Meanwhile, in the INC, former CM Charanjit Singh Channi raised the issue of lack of representation of Dalit (marginalized caste) leaders in the state party unit as compared to Jat Sikhs, who are traditionally farmers. His statement has made public the INC’s multiple internal discords. On 19 Jan, Channi posted a clarification, saying in his brief term as CM he had never discriminated against any caste. The Congress High Command has called for a meeting on 23 Jan.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Panjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann have launched the second phase of the anti-drug campaign Yudh Nasheya Virudh (War Against Drugs, YNV). YNV aims to strengthen the fight against drug abuse through local involvement and new technological measures. The campaign is set to focus on community-driven strategies and increased rehabilitation efforts. A key initiative in the second phase is the formation of Pind de Pehredaar (Village Guards Committees). Each village will assemble a ten-member committee tasked with leading anti-drug efforts locally, modelled after similar defense committees in border areas. These groups are intended to provide resources and coordination for prevention and reporting. To modernize the fight against drug abuse, the AAP government has launched a dedicated mobile application and a missed-call reporting number, allowing citizens to directly notify authorities of drug-related issues. The move shows the AAP government’s earlier policing-focused YNV Phase 1 from 1 Mar 2025, which is ongoing, has had limited success and the government now wants to involve locals in the campaign against drugs. Forming local committees to report drug abuse is vigilantism. With a history of vigilantism, AAP could be setting a dangerous precedent by misusing the law to potentially target and harass innocents. Meanwhile on 11 Jan, in London, around 200 Sikh men and women surrounded a council flat in Hounslow. They charged that a 34-year-old Afghan man was grooming a 16-year-old Sikh girl. The parents of the schoolgirl had approached a Gurdwara in Slough seeking help as they were worried about their daughter, who had left home to live with the man. Eventually, the police stepped in and the man was taken away in a police van and the girl went back to her family, who were part of the demonstration. Jaspal Singh of a social group Shere Panjab said, 'Why is it that Sikhs had to put a stop to this when police couldn’t? This is disgraceful. We are doing the police’s job. The Sikh community has been dealing with this for many years and we have had enough’ (earlier coverage).

Gurpreet Kaur, a marginal farmer from Kalyan village in Patiala district, along with her husband Lakhwinder Singh, has scripted an inspiring story of grit, innovation, and entrepreneurship within just six years. From a hand-to-mouth existence on 2.5 acres of land, the couple have turned into agro-processing entrepreneurs handling nearly 200 tons of produce annually, employing several people and supplying products across various states. Initially relying on conventional farming, their existence was tough and the situation worsened during the Covid-19 lockdown. Facing difficulties in selling her small vegetable produce, Gurpreet started making traditional pickles and preserves. She began with processing just 10–15 kg vegetables grown in her own fields. Gurpreet says, ‘How kilogram-level processing turned into quintals and then into tonne-level processing today feels like a dream to me.’ The couple now runs KS Agro, a fast-growing food processing unit operating from their home, with plans to set up a full-fledged factory and their own retail stores. Their product range has expanded to around 100 types of items. Additionally, Punjab Agricultural Management and Extension Training Institute’s (PAMETI) Business Biba'z Project, aimed at empowering rural women by helping them transition from farm laborers to independent agri-preneurs, held a three-day entrepreneurship development program on mushroom cultivation at the Ludhiana campus. The program was designed to equip women with practical skills and entrepreneurial knowledge on mushroom cultivation. Dr. Kanwar Barjinder Singh, Director PAMETI said, ‘When women gain economic independence, they uplift entire communities. Empowerment is contagious.’ Meanwhile, Panjab’s sugar mills are grappling with a sharp shortfall in sugarcane supply this crushing season because of an acute shortage of harvesting labor, compounded by significantly lower cane yields. Industry officials estimate that labor availability has declined by 35–40%, severely disrupting harvesting operations and resulting in unusually low cane arrivals at mills during the peak crushing period. Additionally, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann met with Indian Union Home Minister Amit Shah on 17 Jan to voice concerns over the proposed Seeds Bill 2025, which is expected to be introduced in the Indian Parliament during the upcoming Budget Session (earlier coverage).

Farmers, agricultural workers, and labor unions observed All India Resistance Day on 16 Jan. On a call given by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (United Farmers Front), village level meetings, demonstrations and gatherings were organized across India to oppose the Seeds Bill 2025, Electricity Amendment Bill 2025, Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) 2025 (rural employment scheme), and the four Labour Codes. The protesters said these legislations threaten farmers’ livelihoods, workers’ rights, food security, employment guarantees and the federal rights of states. Demonstrations were held throughout Panjab and 11 other Indian states. Krishna Prasad, finance secretary, All India Kisan Sabha (All India Farming Council) said, ‘The US government is putting pressure on India to open up sectors... There was a 7% import tax on cotton that has been totally withdrawn. The US is demanding there should be no tax for importing milk products and soybean, maize—whatever they are unable to sell in China, they want to dump in the Indian market. We will never allow this. If the government agrees to sign a Free Trade Agreement with the US, that means the government is not with the people of India, not with the farmers of India, not with the workers of India, but with foreign multinational corporations.’ Meanwhile, India has imposed a 30% import duty on pulses and lentils originating from the US. The decision is viewed as a retaliatory measure following higher tariffs imposed earlier by the US on certain Indian products. Furthermore, in light of escalating tensions in Iran, US president Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff on any country ‘doing business’ with Iran, a move that could impact India. The announcement has sparked concern about the fate of India-operated Chabahar port in Iran. India is currently operating under a six-month conditional US sanctions waiver that will expire in late April. The US has already imposed 50% tariffs on India, among the highest in the world, including 25% for purchases of Russian oil. Concurrently, India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade has partially lifted a ban imposed in 2022 by allowing wheat products of 500K tons for export (earlier coverage).

The Panjab government reopened schools on 14 Jan after the winter break. Schools witnessed low student attendance as several parents refused to send their wards to school due to prevailing weather conditions. Teachers reported that many students who cycled to school or were dropped off on two-wheelers had their hands turn blue due to the severe cold. The government then announced that all private, aided and government schools would open at 10 am instead of the earlier time of 9 am. Meanwhile, on 13 Jan, Lohri (festival marking passing of Winter Solstice), Ludhiana witnessed its coldest day and night in 56 years. According to meteorological data recorded at the Punjab Agricultural University, maximum temperature was 9.2℃ while minimum was 2.6℃. Chandigarh recorded the lowest maximum temperature of the winter at 8.9℃. The day temperature was lower than that of Manali, Shimla and Srinagar. Fog reduced visibility and 21 flights had to be cancelled at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Chandigarh. In other places of Panjab, the minimum temperature was 1.6°C in Bathinda, 2°C in Faridkot, 2.4°C in Anandpur Sahib, 2.5°C in Gurdaspur and 2.6°C in Hoshiarpur. Ballowal Saunkhri village in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district recorded a minimum temperature of 0°C. The Agriculture Department has issued an advisory urging farmers to take immediate measures to protect standing crops amid continuing cold wave conditions in the region, which pose a serious threat to winter crops and vegetables such as mustard, potato, pea, and tomato. Frost can scorch leaves, slow growth and, in severe cases, lead to significant yield losses. The department has recommended light irrigation during the evening or early morning hours, as moist soil retains more heat than dry soil. For vegetables, officials have suggested covering fields with straw, crop residue or plastic sheets during the night to provide insulation. Meanwhile, after meeting Indian union Home Minister Amit Shah on 17 Jan, Panjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann announced that the union government had in principle agreed to shift the security fence closer to the International Border, which will be a big relief to farmers (earlier coverage).

The Panjab government has sought the UK government’s assistance in procuring films, tapes, and other archival documentation relating to freedom fighter Bhagat Singh's trial proceedings. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann made the request in a letter dated 9 Jan to British Deputy High Commissioner Alba Smeriglio. The letter said, ‘It is learnt that original audio/video recordings and archival documentation pertaining to the trial proceedings of Shaheed (martyr) Bhagat Singh, Shaheed Sukhdev Thapar, and Shaheed Shivaram Hari Rajguru are presently held by concerned authorities in Scotland. They are reportedly preserved within a museum/institution maintaining historical legal archives.’ Bhagat Singh, aged 23, was hanged on 23 March 1931, along with Sukhdev and Rajguru, for the murder of British police officer John Saunders in what came to be known as the Lahore Conspiracy Case. Backing the move, Imtiaz Rashid Qureshi, Chairman of the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Foundation Pakistan, said the demand resonates with their long-standing struggle to have the controversial trial reviewed. Qureshi recalled that he had filed a constitutional petition in the Lahore High Court in May 2013, seeking the reopening of the Lahore Conspiracy Case, 1928. The petition argued that the trial did not meet the standards of due process, as the verdict was announced without hearing testimonies of nearly 450 witnesses and without providing the accused a fair opportunity to appeal. The request reflects the enduring political and emotional struggle of the people of both East and West Panjab. However, a review of British archival catalogues shows that no such recordings were made because the trial took place at a time when sound recording was not practiced in British courts and film cameras were not suited to routine courtroom proceedings. What survives instead is a substantial written archive, spread across British holdings in London. These records are extensive but are textual in nature. The India Office Records at the British Library hold intelligence information from 1929–31 mapping the revolutionary’s networks and assessments of his activities. The National Archives in Kew record how the case and the executions were discussed in London, including fears of mass protest and international reaction to the use of capital punishment (earlier coverage).