Quebec Bans Turbans & Niqabs in Schools; Naindeep Cleared by Toxicology

November

2026

The newly elected government in Quebec province, Canada is set to ban overt religious attire, including Sikh turbans and Muslim niqabs, in elementary schools. Quebec Education Minister Joël Arseneau said, ‘It's accepted that when you send your child to school, there are rules. The vast majority of people will understand that a religious symbol can be removed.’ Quebec began restricting religious symbols in public spaces in 2019, when the Coalition Avenir Québec government introduced its controversial secularism law, which barred certain public servants in positions of authority from displaying visible symbols of faith. Meanwhile, in the US, Fresno City Council candidate Naindeep Singh Chann has been cleared of Driving Under the Influence accusations after laboratory results showed no drugs in his system. Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto said Naindeep’s blood test came back negative for any drugs. Naindeep was arrested on 24 Oct night over expired tags; he felt vindicated by the test results. Despite a public apology from Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto, Naindeep's legal team is seeking information about the arrest and how details were disclosed to the media. His association with the Jakara movement, pushing for Panjabi, Sikh & LGBTQ+ rights in California and emphasizing transparency and rebuilding trust between Fresno city hall leadership and residents has made him a target of many attacks. Additionally, a truck driver of Panjabi origin, Khushwinder Gill, has been charged in Canada for allegedly trying to smuggle 52 bricks of cocaine and heroin across the Canada-US border in 2025. David Lee of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said, ‘This significant seizure reflects the strong partnership between the CBSA and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Together, we are helping protect communities in Canada from drug trafficking.’ Concurrently, Sukhwinder Kaur from Moga has petitioned the US government and the High Commission of India for custody and repatriation of her eight-month-old grandson after her 30-year-old daughter, Jasmine Aujla Gill, was murdered in California. Jasmine went missing from her Sacramento home on 30 Sep. Her husband, Gurinder Singh Gill, told the authorities that ICE agents had taken her into custody. However, Jasmine’s burned and buried human remains were found in neighboring El Dorado County on 1 Oct. The police arrested Gurinder on 14 Oct, after learning that the couple was in an ongoing divorce and child custody dispute. Furthermore, more than a year after completing his sentence, 24-year-old Amritpal Singh from Khaire Ke Uttar village, Fazilka district, continues to languish in a Pakistani jail, despite a court ordering his deportation to India. Amritpal inadvertently crossed the international border on 27 Jun 2025 while cultivating his agricultural land located beyond the barbed-wire fence (earlier coverage).