Panjab Govt. Employees Corner AAP over DA Dues

More than 50K government employees and pensioners held a massive protest at Sector 39, Chandigarh on 7 Aug to press their demands to the Aam Aadmi Party government in Panjab, including release of pending Dearness Allowance (DA). Chandigarh Police used water cannons to disperse protesting employees when they tried to head towards the Panjab Assembly. The protest was held under the banner of Sanjha Mulazam (Joint Employees) and Pensioners Front and Sanjha Mulazam Manch (Joint Employees Front) Punjab with several employees’ organizations joining in. The protesting employees have been demanding release of pending 18% DA, implementation of the Old Pension Scheme and regularization of contractual employees. On 3 Aug, the Punjab and Haryana High Court (PHHC) had ordered the Panjab government to clear the pending DA arrears for 750K employees and pensioners within 15 days. PHHC dismissed appeals by the Panjab government and the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), and directed them to stop ‘unproductive expenditures’ like advertisement campaigns, and clear DA dues, adding that defaulting on the timeline will levy an interest of 6% per annum on the unpaid amounts from the due date. On 4 Aug, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the state is considering legal options, including appealing to the Supreme Court of India as ‘certain constitutional benchmarks and judicial precedents appeared to have been overlooked in the court order’. He added, ‘The government is surprised by the order as the state is already following a PHHC-approved liquidation plan to clear dues amounting to USD 1.5B.’ The order, if implemented, will cost the state exchequer USD 2.4B. Cheema further added that the Panjab government was paying some of the highest pay scales in the country, surpassing even the union government in several categories. However, in Amritsar, the Democratic Teachers Front (DTF) and other organizations also cornered the government over 37 suspended allowances. DTF district general secretary Gurbinder Singh Khahira said, ‘Honorarium, raw, contract, and outsourced employees are being exploited to such an extent that they are not paid a livable minimum wage. Even low wages are not being received on time.’ Meanwhile, in Ludhiana, Community Health Officers have intensified their agitation against the state government’s failure to fulfill their demand for a USD 53 per month salary hike. They have scheduled a protest for 10 Aug in Chandigarh (earlier coverage).

Panjab CM Bhagwant Mann in Assembly | Photo by The Tribune

Panjab Assembly Clears Nine Bills in Three Hours; Opposition Cries Foul

In a sitting lasting nearly seven-and-a-half hours without a lunch break, the Panjab Assembly cleared nine Bills on 10 Aug—the final day of the monsoon session—even as the Opposition members expressed concern over complex legislation being rushed in without proper debate. The Panjab Assembly passed the Punjab Regulation of Fee of Un-aided Educational Institutions (Amendment) Bill, 2026, to cap fee at 5% by private unaided educational institutions; approved the Punjab State Outsourced Personnel Transition to Contractual Engagement Bill, 2026, under which 28K eligible outsourced personnel who have completed five years of continuous service would be considered for direct contractual engagement. It cleared the establishment of three private digital open universities, and approved amendments to the Punjab Goods and Services Tax Act (GST)—aimed at simplifying GST compliance by reducing litigation, facilitating post-sale discount adjustments, and export-related refunds—and the Punjab Panchayati Raj Act, 1994. The Assembly cleared all nine Bills in less than three hours. The Assembly also witnessed a heated debate on 5 Aug as it passed a resolution lauding the Aam Aadmi Party government for providing 68,228 jobs on merit and ensuring transparency in the recruitment process over the past four-and-a-half years. The resolution was passed amid objections from the Opposition who demanded that the government release a white paper on recruitments made during its tenure. On 6 Aug, Indian National Congress Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs), joined by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), staged a walkout over alleged rampant illegal mining in the state, demanding the constitution of a committee to investigate the matter. Responding to the allegation, Mines and Geology Minister Barinder Goyal blamed the union government for allegedly withholding funds from Panjab. To this, BJP MLA from Pathankot Ashwani Sharma said, ‘If a girl is born in someone’s family, even that becomes the Center’s (union government’s) fault. But if a boy is born, it is because of your hard work.’ The remark drew strong objections, with women MLAs rising in protest and demanding that Sharma withdraw his statement and issue an unconditional apology. Meanwhile, Samyukta Kisan Morcha (United Farmers’ Front) and central trade unions organized nationwide road and rail blockades across 1K on 10 Aug, coinciding with the Quit India Day in 1942 during India’s freedom struggle. They were targeting free trade agreements, corporate policies, and unfulfilled agricultural demands (earlier coverage).

Jagtar Singh Hawara | Photo by The Hindu

2027 Elections: INC Internal Feud Deepens; AAP Makes U-turn on Hawara’s Parole

Around 15 Indian National Congress (INC) Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) from Panjab have sought time from the party’s central leadership to discuss ‘pressing’ issues in an attempt to end the ongoing internal leadership feud ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. The party’s Har Booth, Congress Mazboot (Congress strong in every booth) campaign held between 31 Jul–8 Aug saw open factionalism, sloganeering, clashes, and poster war targeting All India Congress Committee general secretary Bhupesh Baghel and Panjab Pradesh Congress Committee Chief (PPCC) Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. Controversial hoardings saying Go back ‘Baghel’, alluding to ‘Go Back Simon’ (against Sir John Simon Commission under British India), appeared in Sri Muktsar Sahib on 3 Aug. In Ludhiana, supporters of INC leader Bharat Bhushan Ashu raised slogans, and openly displayed posters and T-shirts carrying the same slogan. In Malerkotla, rival factions reportedly clashed on stage. In Khanna, INC workers raised slogans in support of former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi. A senior INC leader said, ‘Instead of strengthening booths, Baghel’s campaign has left them fractured.’ Meanwhile, amid speculation of an alliance between Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which was later debunked by Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Parliament House, New Delhi on 7 Aug. Following the meeting, SAD supported the immediate implementation of the Women’s Reservation Bill, and fair and equitable delimitation to ensure equal representation to all states—a move seen as appeasing the BJP for a possible alliance. With the threat of the proposed BJP-SAD alliance eating into its vote base, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Panjab government responded by making a U-turn on pro-Khalistan extremist Jagtar Singh Hawara's parole application who is currently serving life imprisonment at Delhi’s Tihar Jail. Hawara was convicted as a conspirator in the 1995 assassination of the 12^th Chief Minister of Panjab Beant Singh. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann wrote to Governor Gulab Chand Kataria seeking a 10-day parole for Hawara on humanitarian grounds citing his ailing mother's health. However, a letter dated 19 Feb 2026, issued by the Panjab Department of Jails, shows that Hawara's parole application was forwarded to Tihar Jail authorities with an ‘unfavorable’ recommendation citing 25 criminal cases against him by the same AAP government (earlier coverage).

Chief Election Commissioner Panjab Anindita Mitra | Photo by News On Air

First Phase of SIR Concludes in Panjab; Concerns Over Voter Deletion

Nearly 200K names have been left out after the first phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Panjab, with authorities citing reasons such as permanent relocation, absence, death, and duplicate entries. State Chief Electoral Officer Anindita Mitra said that the house-to-house enumeration phase was completed across all 23 districts and 117 Assembly constituencies. The 40-day exercise began on 25 Jun and ended on 3 Aug, with 19,394,408 electors submitting enumeration forms, accounting for 90.37% of the state’s 21,461,043 registered voters listed on 9 Jun 2026. Mitra said while 93.4% of electors included in the SIR were successfully mapped with records from 2003 or earlier revisions, around 1280K electors (6.6%) who submitted forms could not be matched. Notices will be issued to the unmapped electors starting 13 Aug for further verification when the draft electoral roll will be published, opening the claims and objections window till 12 Sep. Mansa recorded the highest enumeration form collection rate of 96.31%, followed by Malerkotla (94.23%), Sangrur (94.17%), Pathankot (94.12%), and Sri Muktsar Sahib (94.04%). Budhlada Assembly constituency, Mansa district registered the highest collection rate at 96.94%, reflecting strong voter participation. On 5 Aug, Chandigarh Member of Parliament Manish Tewari raised concerns over the SIR, claiming that nearly 210K voters have been removed from the city’s draft electoral roll. Tewari said the number of electors in Chandigarh had declined from 659,805 during the 2024 General Election to 450,282 in the draft electoral roll prepared as of 2 Aug—meaning 209,523 voters have been deleted, reflecting an overall reduction of 31.76%. Describing the figures as ‘very worrying’, Tewari said the extent of deletions in several wards was particularly concerning. The announcement of the SIR was viewed with suspicion in Panjab, with all major political parties except the Bharatiya Janata Party questioning the intent and timing of the exercise. Additionally, the Election Commission of India has carried out rationalization of polling stations across Panjab, increasing the total number of polling stations in the state from 24,453 to 25,332, with the highest increase in Amritsar from 2,134 to 2,240 (earlier coverage).

Former Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar | Photo by Hindustan Times

CBI Submits Chargesheet on NEET Paper Leak; Panjab Govt. Transfers Police Commissioner

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) submitted its final report before the fast-track court dealing with ‘criminal cases arising from paper leaks’. The 20K-page chargesheet listed three National Testing Agency subject experts—PV Kulkarni for chemistry, Manisha Sanjay Havaldar for physics, and Manisha Gurunath Mandhare for botany and zoology—as the primary sources of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test paper leak. The chargesheet said, ‘Investigation has revealed that (these three) experts were provided with plain sheets inside the confidential section for rough work during translation/back translation. Accused Kulkarni—the alleged mastermind of the leak—had used these sheets to note down, on small chits, all 135 questions of chemistry in brief, and the answer options, and had taken them out in a concealed manner.’ On 10 Aug, the court rejected the plea of three accused seeking directions for conducting polygraph, brain-mapping, and lie detector tests on them. The accused have been booked for offences including criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, and destruction of evidence, along with provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 and remanded to judicial custody till 12 Aug. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) shared an excerpt of a media statement from Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar’s press conference on 4 Aug on its social media, claiming it proved a Pakistan link to the students' protest in Delhi. Responding on 6 Aug, the Amritsar Police said it would initiate legal proceedings under the Information Technology Act, 2000 against the social media handles of the BJP as they had uploaded ‘trimmed’ videos of the press conference with edited background and extracts to give an impression that the city police chief had suggested protestors at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi had links with members of the Inter-Services Intelligence terror module. The police also issued a clarification saying there was no association between the two. However, on 7 Aug, Bhullar was shifted by the Panjab government. Meanwhile, student protests in Jharkhand escalated with the students marching towards the State Assembly in Ranchi on 10 Aug. The students have been protesting since 25 Jul with the Sikh community in Ranchi providing food aid to them (earlier coverage).

Sikh activist Moninder Singh | Photo by CBC

UN Special Rapporteurs Warn Canada over Threats to Activist Moninder’s Life

Five UN special rapporteurs have written to Canadian authorities expressing 'serious concerns' about the safety of British Columbia-based Sikh activist Moninder Singh. The joint letter said the threats may have been an attempt by India to intimidate Moninder over his advocacy and co-operation with the UN. It said that Moninder had given several speeches to UN agencies, and that some of the plots to kill him detected by police coincided with those appearances. It further said, 'We are concerned that such threats fall within a broader pattern of transnational repression by Indian authorities against Sikh activists in different countries, including Canada. These allegations, if true, may constitute unlawful intimidation and reprisals in direct retaliation for Mr. Moninder Singh’s human rights advocacy and cooperation with United Nations human rights representatives and mechanisms.' India has emerged as the second-most significant foreign interference threat to Canada's democratic institutions and processes.” The letter recalled that since 2022, Singh has received four so-called ‘duty to warn’ notices from the Canadian authorities about credible and imminent threats to his life, including to his wife and children in February 2026. It asked Canada ‘to take all feasible measures at its disposal to protect Moninder and his family, as well as similarly situated individuals on Canadian soil. The letter said, ‘We also urge the authorities to accelerate the investigations into these allegations, hold perpetrators accountable, ensure adequate remedy to victims, and take all steps to prevent recurrence.' While UN human rights rapporteurs are not UN officials, they carry out mandates assigned to them by the organization, and report on human rights issues around the world. Canada has informed the UN that it remains 'deeply concerned' about the threats Moninder is facing, and is taking action to disrupt all credible threats made by foreign actors against those on Canadian soil. Meanwhile, three people, including a Panjab-origin Sikh correctional officer, were killed when a Correctional Service of Canada vehicle transporting an inmate was involved in a head-on collision in rural Alberta. The deceased have been identified as Correctional Officers Ramandeep Kaur Maan and Nicolae Serban, both from the Edmonton Institution for Women, and inmate Kiara Mooswa. Maan, a young woman from Gudhe village, Ludhiana district had moved to Canada as an international student and joined the country’s correctional service just six months ago (earlier coverage).

RSS Chief Mohan Bhawat | Photo by Scroll

NDP Seeks to Block Bhagwat’s Canada Visit; ‘Bishnoi Gang Exploited Student Visas’

Members of Canada's New Democratic Party (NDP) have called on their federal government to deny entry to the Indian Hindu right-wing ‘fascist paramilitary organization’ Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Network's (RSS) head Mohan Bhagwat, due to visit Canada at the end of August. NDP Foreign Affairs Critic Heather McPherson and NDP Immigration and Public Safety Critic Jenny Kwan wrote on 7 Aug to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Public Safety, and Immigration to urge action in advance, and renewed past NDP calls on Canada to ban the RSS entirely. McPherson said, 'The RSS is an extremist group that advocates hate and violence towards religious minorities and marginalized in India and also engages in targeted intimidation of those who speak out against the organization in Canada. Multiple minority communities fear his presence in Canada could amplify hate and violence towards them and risk the safety of vulnerable individuals.' On 6 Aug, over 40 Canadian civil society organizations—including Canadian Forum for Human Rights and Democracy in India, Canadian Council of Indian Muslims, Canadians for Indian Democracy, World Sikh Organization, and Canadian Council of Muslim Women—released a joint letter calling for Mohan Bhagwat to be denied entry to Canada. Meanwhile, an intelligence report by the Canada Border Services Agency has revealed how the Lawrence Bishnoi gang systematically exploited Canada's international student visa and work permit programs to recruit vulnerable youth for transnational extortion and its violent crime network. The report ‘The Bishnoi Gang: An Emerging Threat in Canada’ was circulated among immigration officers in December 2025 as a tactical guide to help authorities counter the gang's growing activities targeting Canada's South Asian communities. A Canadian intelligence assessment also claimed that between 2019–23, approximately 4K Indians, including Panjabis, who had entered Canada on study permits were charged with a total of 17,929 offenses. Of these, 4,920 charges were classified as serious or related to organized crime. The report further stated that more than 13,040 criminal charges were leveled in 2024 against Indian citizens in Canada on study visas. Concurrently, Chandigarh Police has registered nine First Information Reports of cheating, including eight alleging immigration fraud, against operators of visa and overseas placement consultancies in different parts of the city, with complainants claiming they were cheated of more than USD 62K on the promise of jobs and visas abroad (earlier coverage).

Gursimran Singh Mand

Youth Thrash Sikh-baiter Mand; A New Channel Enters Gurbani Transmission Space

Some Sikh youths attacked the president of the International Anti-Khalistan Front, Gursimran Singh Mand, at Panjokhra Sahib village, Ambala district, Haryana on 7 Aug. The incident took place when a large number of people had gathered at the Gurdwara Panjokra Sahib on the occasion of the eighth sovereign Guru Harkishan’s birth anniversary. Mand demanded special entry to the Gurdwara. When denied, he drove through the crowd crushing a motorcyclist—27-year-old Surinder Singh whose spine was fractured— and injuring others. Mand also used derogatory words despite his security officers asking him to desist. Mand’s actions provoked the youth who attacked him and ransacked his car. Mand has been a Sikh-baiter for long. He celebrates 'Operation Blue Star'—the attack on Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) complex and more than a hundred Gurdwaras throughout Panjab by the Indian Army in June 1984. Since 2014, when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power, he has donned saffron robes. The youth also made Mand apologize for his earlier statements and support for BJP's ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The police detained two Sikh youths who were released on 10 Aug after a large crowd led by farmer leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni gathered in front of the Panjokhra police station. Surinder has recorded his statement and the police have said they will file a First Information Report against Mand after examining the CCTV footage. Meanwhile, a new channel Galactic Television & Communications (GTC Network), owned by Rabindra Narayan, has entered the Darbar Sahib Gurbani Kirtan (singing of Sikh texts and hymns) transmission space. In 1998, Narayan had set up Gurbani transmission on ETC channel. In 2007, ETC transferred the Gurbani transmission rights to G-Next Media (PTC). In 2012, Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal-owned PTC signed an 11-year exclusive worldwide agreement with Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). Since that agreement lapsed on 24 Jul 2023, SGPC has been transmitting Gurbani on its Facebook and YouTube channels, which PTC then relays. In 2025, Badal and Narayan had a fallout, and on 6 Aug, Narayan's GTC channel started transmitting Gurbani. SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said the committee has served a legal notice on GTC for telecasting live Gurbani without authorization, asserting that all broadcasting rights of Gurbani rest exclusively with the SGPC (earlier coverage).

Sinkhole in Ludhiana | Photo by The Tribune

PPCB Submits Report on Illegal Mining; Massive Sinkhole in Ludhiana

The Panjab government passed the Punjab Protection of Trees Bill, 2026, on 10 Aug. The Bill, pending the Panjab Governor's approval, regulates felling of trees in urban and other non-forest areas, and enforces a mandatory 10-to-1 replantation rule, which means anyone who cuts one tree must plant ten trees. The Bill mandates fines for first, second, and third offenses at USD 100, USD 350, and USD 500 respectively. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema informed the Legislative Assembly, 'The total area under forest and tree cover of Panjab is 5.9% and the government has set a target to enhance it to 7.5% by 2030.' However, according to the ‘India State of Forest Report’, Panjab's actual physical forest cover stands at 1,846 sq kms, which accounts for just 3.7% of the state's geographical area—significantly lower than the national average. Though the recorded forest area is legally higher at 3,084 sq kms or 6.12%, this includes a separate tree cover (trees outside recorded forests) spanning around 1,465 sq kms. Three districts—Hoshiarpur, Rupnagar, and Pathankot—account for 63% of total trees. Meanwhile, in a status report filed by Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) before the National Green Tribunal on illegal sand mining, PPCB said it inspected 153 of the district’s 171 operational stone crushers. Of these, 71 units were found non-compliant with environmental norms, 55 were partially compliant, and the rest were found to be fully compliant with prescribed norms. The PPCB said show-cause notices under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 have been issued to all 71 non-compliant units, while advisory notices have been served on the 55 partially compliant units, directing them to rectify deficiencies. Concurrently, a large portion of a road caved in at Kitchlu Nagar, Ludhiana leaving behind a gaping sinkhole that exposed underground sewerage and pipelines. In June, a large cave-in had occurred near Saggu Chowk, nearly 2 km from this spot. The sinkhole, believed to be due to the city’s aging underground sewerage network and unregulated digging by private cable companies, has prompted the Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain and Mayor Inderjit Kaur to direct the Municipal Corporation officials to identify the cable companies responsible for digging in the area (earlier coverage).

Indian Minister for Transport Nitin Gadkari | Photo by NDTV

10.

Conflict of Interest in E20 Rollout; Panjab Assembly Passes Resolution

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has flagged rising concerns over the quality of E20 (20% ethanol blended) petrol in a statement on 28 Jul. SIAM warned that contamination at fuel pumps was causing an increase in failures of critical engine and exhaust components. The Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) said oil marketing companies regularly monitor fuel quality. MoPNG said, 'It is hereby clarified that fuel quality is monitored on a regular basis by Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs). In addition to the advanced and elaborate testing protocols already in place, further checks have been instituted, including water ingress testing 8–12 times a day in over 87K outlets.' However, on 5 Aug, SIAM said it had 'withdrawn' the letter. Nationalized OMCs—Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, and Hindustan Petroleum—have rejected claims of widespread contamination in E20 petrol, saying an India-wide testing exercise found no evidence to support reports of elevated chloride and moisture levels. Earlier, in June, during a Supreme Court of India hearing, India's Attorney General R. Venkataramani referred to the ethanol blending initiative as an 'ongoing experiment'. This was an attempt to package the move to force E20 petrol on 230M petrol vehicle customers while providing no options for unblended petrol. If the policy is indeed an 'experiment', then the government did not obtain customers’ consent and does not provide any compensation for engine damage. Data shows producing one liter of ethanol from sugarcane, maize, and rice needs 3,630 liters (L) of water, 4,670 L, and 10,790 L respectively. The union government has so far approved USD 491M in interest subsidies for eligible ethanol projects. Interestingly, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari has been promoting ethanol vigorously while his son Nikhil Gadkari is Managing Director of CIAN Industries which produces ethanol. CIAN's revenue in Financial Year (FY) 2021–22 was USD 26M but grew to USD 235M in FY 2025–26, signaling a 9-fold growth. Meanwhile, with customers reluctant to buy old cars, the E20 petrol rollout has hit Panjab's USD 105M pre-owned automobile market badly. Panjab's Legislative Assembly has passed a resolution urging the union government to review and suspend the mandatory implementation of E20 petrol for vehicles not designed or certified to run on the fuel (earlier coverage).

Notes

Updates

IN: Parliament passes a Bill to levy charges on UPI payments.
US: No extradition request in Panjab cop extortion case (earlier coverage).
TW: Tanvi Sharma becomes youngest-ever winner of BWF Taipei Open Super 300.

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Panjab Govt. Employees Corner AAP over DA Dues