Suspected terrorists fired upon a convoy of vehicles carrying security personnel in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday evening, prompting security forces to launch a search operation, officials said.
Who controls the government in Punjab?
Swami Agnivesh speaks about the Dera-Sikh standoff, which he is attempting to resolve.
Dera Saccha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on Friday deferred a premiere of his controversial film "Messenger of God" in which he claims he has not tried to project himself as God or hurt any religious sentiments.
The Aam Aadmi Party has fielded Karamjit Anmol, while the BJP has named North West Delhi MP Hans Raj Hans from Faridkot, a reserved parliamentary constituency.
Campaigning for the Punjab assembly elections came to an end on Saturday evening and major political parties -- the Shiromani Akali Dal, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress -- are keeping their fingers crossed.
Bareta, who was one of the accused in the incidents related to the desecration of a religious text in Faridkot in 2015, was declared a proclaimed offender.
The decision has been taken to maintain peace in the area in wake of the Dera stand-off with Sikhs following the recent blasphemous act of Dera head Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh.
BJP leaders are continuously trying to defend their participation in the event.
The cases relate to the murder of a Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chatterpatti and Dera Manager Ranjit Singh besides other related cases.
Citing lack of evidence, a fast track court has acquitted 14 volunteers of Dera Sacha Sauda, a religious cult, who were charged with killing a Sikh in firing at suburban Mall three years ago.
A search operation to track down the fleeing terrorists continues near the scene of the ambush, while mobile internet services remained suspended in the twin districts for the second day on Sunday, they said.
Official sources said mobile Internet services were suspended both in Poonch and Rajouri districts as a precautionary measure to check rumour-mongering and prevent miscreants from creating any law and order problem.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations, the media wing of the army, the terrorists attacked the security post in Dera Ismail Khan's Daraban area bordering the South Waziristan tribal district in the early morning hours.
There has been a stand off between the Sikhs and the followers of Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh ever since he released a picture showing himself in the attire of Guru Gobind Singh.
Pakistan, which is witnessing an influx of Tehreek-i-Taliban terrorists in significant numbers in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's tribal districts, is also facing a threat from the Islamic State (ISIS) which is trying to establish a foothold in the country, the ministry of interior has said.
The police on Monday said there is no immediate possibility of giving Dera Saccha Sauda chief Ram Rahim Singh a clean chit in the murder of a 40-year-old Sikh man who was gunned down by the spiritual guru's private security guard last week.
Amritpal and Papalpreet had been on the run since March 18 when the Punjab Police launched a crackdown against the Khalistan sympathiser and his aides.
The genesis of India's most-loved dish may go to canny cooks in the Mughal era, notes Sandeep Goyal.
Glimpses of the devastation caused due to heavy rainfall in the national capital and other parts of northern India.
The 50-year-old self-styled godman, who boasted of millions of followers, is lodged in Rohtak's Sunaria jail for raping his two disciples.
If we accept that there is a challenge in Punjab today, any realistic progress can only be made if the rest of the country, especially the government and the ruling party, engage with this sense of grievance, points out Shekhar Gupta
The additional director general of police (security), however, said in an order on Friday that the security personnel were 'being withdrawn on a purely temporary basis in connection with an emergent law and order duty'.
Unless Punjab has a chief minister who is able to look beyond community/vote bank politics, carry all sections of society, stop appeasing while addressing genuine concerns and break the stranglehold of the SGPC over Sikh affairs, my beloved home state is bound to die and conversions will be rampant, warns Sanjeev Nayaar.
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is serving a prison sentence in a Haryana jail, was granted a three-week furlough on Monday, a reprieve that Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said had nothing to do with elections.
The incident took place when the policemen went to arrest some Nihangs (Sikhs armed with traditional weapons) in Sultanpur Lodhi in a case registered against them, said a senior police official over the phone.
However, there is no official confirmation on Brar's detention yet, Punjab Police officials said on Friday.
Nijjar was a close associate of Gurdeep Singh alias Deepa Heranwala, who was involved in the killing of around 200 people in Punjab during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The army said that three terrorists were "neutralised while entering the base while the remaining three terrorists have been cornered/isolated due to timely and effective response by the troops".
Amritpal managed to evade arrest for more than a month, which was proving to be a major embarrassment for the Punjab police that had launched a crackdown against the radical preacher and his aides on March 18.
The unidentified youths shot Nijjar, a designated terrorist, inside the premises of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib, of which he was the head, at Surrey at 8:27 pm (local time) on Sunday, they said.
The Punjab government on Sunday banned the public display of firearms, including on social media, and songs allegedly promoting gun culture and violence, as it tightened regulations after facing flak from the Opposition over the law and order situation.
Dera Saccha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on Friday said he was unaware of the reasons behind Central Board of Film Certification chairperson Leela Samson's resignation, adding that those protesting against his movie Messenger of God have not seen it yet.
Whether it was the MGNREGS or the NFSA or the Aadhaar-based DBT scheme for cash transfer, the Modi government has built on the basic architecture created by the Singh government. Policy makers in the Modi government, instead of discarding them as products of the previous political regime, worked on them, expanded their scope and reach, and used new tools to improve their performance, explains A K Bhattacharya.
A total of 26 Army personnel, including three officers and five paratroopers, and seven civilians have been killed in eight terror attacks since October 11, 2021 in the twin districts.
'Terrorists who are active in Poonch and Rajouri are not relying on random locals for logistics, guidance etc.' 'They are being supported by a selected few who are being vetted, cleared and directed from across the LoC.'
The Canadian government on Tuesday named Satinder Singh Brar, nicknamed Goldy Brar, the alleged mastermind in the killing of famous singer-politician Sidhu Moosewala, among the country's top 25 wanted criminals.
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi cited a viral video on social media platforms, claiming that in it Modi's voice is heard in a call with BJP rebel Kripal Parmar.
The Khalistan sympathiser, who is yet to be nabbed, escaped the police's net in Jalandhar district on March 18, switching vehicles and changing his appearance.
If the CM can steer the BJP into forming a government for a third term, he will have achieved a unique place in the party's history -- Mewat notwithstanding.
