Race walker Gurmeet Singh, on Sunday, qualified for the 2012 London Olympics 20km race walking competition after finishing sixth in the 18th Dublin International Grand Prix in Ireland.
Ahead of their planned protest in Chandigarh on March 5, several Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) leaders were detained in early morning raids at their residences on Tuesday and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann denounced the agitating farmer unions, saying they have turned Punjab into a 'state of dharnas' and caused huge losses to it.
People along the Line of Control and International Border in the Jammu region continue to live under the shadow of death, with unexploded mortar shells fired by Pakistani troops still embedded in farmlands and residential areas even though hostilities have stopped for nearly a week. IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: / Rediff.com Despite the May 10 understanding between India and Pakistan, locals describe the border areas as a 'death trap'. Sixty-two-year-old Balvinder Singh, who returned to his home in Pargwal sector on May 14, recounted a narrow escape. "Two shells exploded in our compound, damaging our house. Three more landed on our farmland. We were terrified and told our family to stay away from the fields until the Army could help," Singh told PTI. Army engineers later came to the village and safely defused the unexploded shells, bringing a temporary sense of relief. "Fear is writ large on the faces of people to these death traps in border hamlets", he said. Scenes of destruction are evident rooftops torn apart, broken houses, windows punctured by shrapnel, and carcasses of cattle lying in pools of blood. The acrid smell of gunpowder still lingers in the air. Sardar Gurmeet Singh faced a similar ordeal. His family could not re-enter their home as a live mortar shell had sunk into the compound in a village close to the International Border. "The army's bomb disposal squad removed it after four days, allowing us to finally enter, back home," he said. Indian Army engineers have launched a sweeping clearance operation across border districts, defusing over 80 unexploded shells in the past five days -- including 6 in Pargwal, 19 in Rajouri, 42 in Poonch, and 12 along the IB. "These shells, mostly 120 mm calibre, have a range of 15 to 30 km and pose a serious threat to both civilian and military targets," an Army officer said. "Many of them were fired by Pakistan during recent hostilities." On May 7, the Indian Army launched Operation Sindoor, conducting precision strikes on nine terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, most of them tourists. The subsequent retaliation by Pakistan pushed the region to the brink of war. From 7 to 10 of May, 27 civilians were killed and over 70 injured in Pakistani shelling in the Jammu region. Farid Din Gujjar, a resident near the border, expressed fear about returning to his fields. "Several shells created deep craters in our paddy land. We cannot resume work until all unexploded ordnance is cleared. It's a death trap," he said. Army units, in coordination with Jammu and Kashmir Police, have evacuated high-risk zones and issued stern warnings to residents not to touch any suspicious objects or unexploded shells. In one major operation, 42 live shells were safely destroyed in the Poonch villages of Jhullas, Salotri, Dharati and Salani. "All safety protocols were followed. The shells posed a serious danger to local lives," an Army spokesperson said, calling the effort a 'continued commitment to protect civilians and restore normalcy'. Poonch saw the vast majority of deaths due to shelling. Security officials said that Pakistan used a mix of mortar shells, armed drones, and missiles during the shelling spree, specifically targeting civilian habitations and border towns in Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri, and Poonch. As clearance operations continue, the border residents are slowly returning to their homes, but with caution, fear, and lingering uncertainty about shelling that may yet happen in the future.
A Pakistani gangster, Shahzad Bhatti, has claimed responsibility for an attack on the residence of Jalandhar-based YouTuber Rozer Sandhu, alleging the YouTuber used derogatory language against the Muslim community. A "grenade-like object" was hurled at Sandhu's residence on Sunday, but it did not explode. Police are investigating the incident and have taken a suspicious metallic object into custody. The attack follows a recent trend of violence targeting police posts and religious places in Punjab, with authorities expressing concern about attempts to disrupt the ongoing campaign against drugs in the state.
The next phase in the game saw both teams create half-chances but both the backlines did enough to thwart the danger.
People in some border villages of Ferozepur district in Punjab began moving to safer areas amid soaring tensions between India and Pakistan.
The terrorists opened fire on the camp housing labourers of a private company working on construction of a tunnel Gund area in the district, officials said.
Shillong Lajong FC rallied splendidly to beat Indian Navy 2-1 and advance to the semifinal of the Durand Cup football tournament for the second successive year in Shillong on Saturday.
The home team showed exceptional defensive prowess to hold the Highlanders at bay and secure a point despite playing with 10 men for over 60 minutes of the game.
Dr Dar and six labourers were killed when terrorists struck a tunnel construction site on the Srinagar-Leh national highway in Ganderbal on Sunday evening.
Olympian Gurmeet Singh on Sunday won a bronze medal but Khushbir Kaur had to be content with a fourth-place finish in the Asian 20km Walking Championship, held at Nomi City, Japan.
Jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief and rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been granted a 21-day furlough.
Despite having the ball possession of 60.6 per cent, the Highlanders were not able to go past the defence of the Mohammedan FC.
The Congress appeared to have bounced back in the state's political landscape after suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of the AAP in the 2022 Punjab assembly polls.
Determined Chennaiyin FC came from a goal down to beat NorthEast United 3-2 in an Indian Super League match at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Thursday, courtesy of a brace from birthday boy Wilmar Jordan Gil.
FC Goa have been unbeaten in the last 10 games.
The Supreme Court has refused to hear a plea by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) challenging the temporary release of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. The court noted that Singh's counsel objected to the maintainability of the PIL before the high court, which was disposed of on the ground that it was filed against a single person, Singh. The bench said it was not inclined to consider the present petition. Singh is serving a 20-year jail term for raping two of his disciples.
The dera chief, who is serving a 20-year jail term for raping two disciples, was granted 40-day parole on January 20.
The Sirsa-headquartered Dera Sacha Sauda has a number of followers in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and other states.
NEUFC fashion dramatic turnaround to stun Bagan in a shootout and win historic Durand Cup title in Kolkata on Saturday
Moroccan striker Alaaeddine Ajaraie struck a brilliant hat-trick as NorthEast United FC demolished Mohammedan Sporting 6-0 to enter the Kalinga Super Cup quarter-finals.
East Bengal edge past NEUFC 1-0 to register first win of ISL season
Gurmeet Singh, on Sunday, created history by becoming the first Indian athlete to clinch a gold medal in the Asian 20km Race Walk Championships as he won the men's event with his season's best effort.
Rising sprinter Animesh Kujur and star hurdler Jyothi Yarraji picked up their third and second gold medals respectively at the National Games.
After the Akal Takht on Friday declared Sukhbir Singh Badal 'tankhaiya' -- guilty of religious misconduct -- some leaders of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party as well as rebel Akalis called for the Shiromani Akali Dal chief to step down.
The Haryana government on Tuesday granted 20-day parole to the sect chief, official sources said.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant extended their positive form with a 2-0 win over NorthEast United FC to move to the top of the table in the Indian Super League in Guwahati on Sunday.
NorthEast United FC stormed into the Indian Super League play-offs after a thumping 3-0 victory over Chennaiyin FC in Chennai on Monday.
The 62-year-old former deputy chief minister was first elected the party president in 2008. His re-election at the outfit's general delegate session in Amritsar comes barely four months after he quit after he was declared 'tankhaiya' (guilty of religious misconduct) by the Akal Takht for "mistakes" committed by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and its government from 2007 to 2017.
The court in Panchkula had convicted Ram Rahim and four others -- Krishan Lal, Jasbir Singh, Avtar Singh and Sabdil -- in the murder case on October 8.
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's former jailer Sunil Sangwan has won the Charkhi Dadri seat in Haryana as Bharatiya Janata Party candidate.
A brilliant brace from Alaaeddine Ajaraie and a goal by Guillermo Fernandez off the bench saw NorthEast United FC prevail over Odisha FC 3-2 in a thrilling Indian Super League match in Guwahati on Sunday.
Among these are Labh Singh Ugoke, who defeated former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi in the Bhadaur assembly segment by a margin of 37,558 votes, and Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, who beat Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal in his traditional Lambi seat by 11,396 votes.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice GS Sandhawalia and Justice Lapita Banerji was hearing a petition of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee which had challenged the grant of temporary release to the Dera Sacha Sauda chief.
This hard-fought win also brings relief to Mohun Bagan manager Jose Molina, who had faced 'Go Back' chants at this very venue on Wednesday during their draw in the AFC Cup.
The 51-year-old sect head is currently serving a 20-year prison term in Rohtak's Sunaria jail for raping two of his women followers.
Let reason, not emotion, guide your decisions.
The court will pronounce the quantum of sentence to the six convicts on Saturday.
Dera Sacha Sauda chief and rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh walked out of the Sunaria jail in Haryana's Rohtak district on Thursday after he was granted a 30-day parole.
Hockey icon Balbir Singh Senior, who died at 96 after battling multiple health issues, was on Monday cremated in Chandigarh with full state honours, with Punjab Sports Minister Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi declaring that the Mohali stadium will be named after the legendary player. The mortal remains of the three-time Olympic gold medallist was consigned to flames at an electric crematorium here, with his maternal grandson Kabir performing the last rites in the presence of Sikh priests.
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