CHANDIGARH: Year 2018 remained fairly action-packed for Punjab. TOI revisits various giant events during the 12 months that saved the state in information for excellent or bad reasons.
KARTARPUR CORRIDOR GETS A GO-AHEAD
After Pakistan introduced plans for the initiative, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu on November 26, laid the basis stone for the Kartarpur Sahib corridor in Gurdaspur for facilitating simple get right of entry to of Sikh pilgrims to the ancient gurdwara in Pakistan. Two days later, Pakistan PM Imran Khan carried out the ground-breaking ceremony across the border. Though the problem was related to the long pending call for of the Sikh group, it was marred by way of the credit
war between BJP-SAD on one side and the Congress at the other.
CONTROVERSIES’ FAVOURITE CHILD
Cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu remained in controversy in the course of the 12 months. He came underneath assault, even from his own CM Amarinder Singh, for the first time in August after he hugged Pakistan military chief Qamar Javed Bajwa during the oath-taking ceremony of Pakistan PM Imran Khan. He once more visited Pakistan for the Kartarpur corridor groundbreaking ceremony in November, giving extra gas to his warring parties. What’s extra, he returned with a crammed black partridge won as a gift that he wanted to pass on to Capt Amarinder however came underneath hearth for violation of the Wildlife Protection Act. Sidhu waded into but another controversy along with his remarks in Hyderabad that his captain was Rahul Gandhi, as his cupboard colleagues sought his resignation pointing out that Captain Amarinder was captain of all Punjab Congress leaders. The opposition events additionally assault Sidhu after the Amritsar train tragedy, where his wife was chief guest during the Dussehra celebrations.
PROBE PANEL REPORT CREATES POLITICAL STORM
Probe panel headed by way of Justice Ranjit Singh (retd) appeared into the sacrilege instances across the state and the October 2015 police firing incidents in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan. It submitted its report back to Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on August 16, which caused political hurricane in Punjab as it indicted ex-CM Parkash Singh Badal and various other SAD leaders and law enforcement officials, together with then DGP Sumedh Singh Saini. The commission’s document made a gigantic dent in SAD's image and also ended in resignation of senior Akali (taksali) leaders. Based at the document, the state government constituted a SIT to probe further. Iy additionally wondered Badal, his son and SAD chief Sukhbir Singh, and the then DGP amongst others.
AKALIS’ ATONEMENT AT HARMANDAR SAHIB
After facing other folks’s anger for sacrilege incidents, death of 2 youth protesting towards sacrilege in the October 2015 police firing incident at Behbal Kalan and pardon to Dera Sacha Sauda head rape-convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the SAD leaders selected to seek atonement at Harmandar Sahib. SAD leaders, led by way of former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, carried out sewa at the Golden Temple for three days, beginning December 8, “for errors dedicated knowingly or unknowingly” during their 10-year rule.
SUKHPAL KHAIRA OUSTED, AAP A DIVIDED HOUSE
After elevating various questions on their own central leadership and in search of autonomy for the state unit, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) rebellion MLAs Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Kanwar Sandhu had been suspended for anti-party actions on November three. They had been a part of the 8 rebellion AAP MLAs of Punjab. But on December 25, AAP controlled to win back probably the most dissenters — Garhshankar MLA Jai Kishan Rori. The other dissident MLAs, led by way of Khaira, have introduced to shape Punjab Democratic Alliance after becoming a member of arms with suspended AAP MP Dharamvira Gandhi, Lok Insaaf Party’s Bains Brothers, Bahujan Samaj Party and others.
MAUR BLAST NOT SOLVED, MIXED YEAR FOR POLICE
The 12 months began with certain signal for the Punjab Police when it was ready to gun down probably the most dreaded gangsters of Punjab, Harjinder Singh alias Vicky Gounder, in an stumble upon along side his aide Prema Lahoria on January 26 near the Punjab-Rajasthan border in Rajasthan’s territory. However, the state police SIT is but to resolve the January 2017 Maur blast case, through which seven had been killed and 12 injured. In addition, in a grenade assault on November 18 at Nirankari Bhawan in Amritsar, three other folks died and over 20 were given injured. The state police cracked the case with the arrest of Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) individuals. The police additionally remained a success in cracking the Maqsudan police station (Jalandhar) hand grenade blasts case of September 14, with the arrest of 2 faculty scholars related to a Kashmir-based terrorist outfit.
MOLASSES LEAK FROM GURDASPUR SUGAR MILL
It was on May 17 that loads of fish had been found floating dead in Beas river after the leakage of molasses from the Chadha Sugar Mills in Kiri Afgana village of Batala owned by way of Jasdeep Kaur Chadha. Though the Punjab Pollution Control Board had in May imposed Rs 5 crore fantastic at the mill, the state government has to this point recovered simplest Rs 2 crore. SAD had attacked the Congress government pointing out it was extending preferential remedy and giving safe passage to the mill since it is owned by way of family members of Paramjit Singh Sarna, chief minister’s religious adviser.
KARTARPUR CORRIDOR GETS A GO-AHEAD
After Pakistan introduced plans for the initiative, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu on November 26, laid the basis stone for the Kartarpur Sahib corridor in Gurdaspur for facilitating simple get right of entry to of Sikh pilgrims to the ancient gurdwara in Pakistan. Two days later, Pakistan PM Imran Khan carried out the ground-breaking ceremony across the border. Though the problem was related to the long pending call for of the Sikh group, it was marred by way of the credit
war between BJP-SAD on one side and the Congress at the other.
CONTROVERSIES’ FAVOURITE CHILD
Cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu remained in controversy in the course of the 12 months. He came underneath assault, even from his own CM Amarinder Singh, for the first time in August after he hugged Pakistan military chief Qamar Javed Bajwa during the oath-taking ceremony of Pakistan PM Imran Khan. He once more visited Pakistan for the Kartarpur corridor groundbreaking ceremony in November, giving extra gas to his warring parties. What’s extra, he returned with a crammed black partridge won as a gift that he wanted to pass on to Capt Amarinder however came underneath hearth for violation of the Wildlife Protection Act. Sidhu waded into but another controversy along with his remarks in Hyderabad that his captain was Rahul Gandhi, as his cupboard colleagues sought his resignation pointing out that Captain Amarinder was captain of all Punjab Congress leaders. The opposition events additionally assault Sidhu after the Amritsar train tragedy, where his wife was chief guest during the Dussehra celebrations.
PROBE PANEL REPORT CREATES POLITICAL STORM
Probe panel headed by way of Justice Ranjit Singh (retd) appeared into the sacrilege instances across the state and the October 2015 police firing incidents in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan. It submitted its report back to Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on August 16, which caused political hurricane in Punjab as it indicted ex-CM Parkash Singh Badal and various other SAD leaders and law enforcement officials, together with then DGP Sumedh Singh Saini. The commission’s document made a gigantic dent in SAD's image and also ended in resignation of senior Akali (taksali) leaders. Based at the document, the state government constituted a SIT to probe further. Iy additionally wondered Badal, his son and SAD chief Sukhbir Singh, and the then DGP amongst others.
AKALIS’ ATONEMENT AT HARMANDAR SAHIB
After facing other folks’s anger for sacrilege incidents, death of 2 youth protesting towards sacrilege in the October 2015 police firing incident at Behbal Kalan and pardon to Dera Sacha Sauda head rape-convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the SAD leaders selected to seek atonement at Harmandar Sahib. SAD leaders, led by way of former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, carried out sewa at the Golden Temple for three days, beginning December 8, “for errors dedicated knowingly or unknowingly” during their 10-year rule.
SUKHPAL KHAIRA OUSTED, AAP A DIVIDED HOUSE
After elevating various questions on their own central leadership and in search of autonomy for the state unit, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) rebellion MLAs Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Kanwar Sandhu had been suspended for anti-party actions on November three. They had been a part of the 8 rebellion AAP MLAs of Punjab. But on December 25, AAP controlled to win back probably the most dissenters — Garhshankar MLA Jai Kishan Rori. The other dissident MLAs, led by way of Khaira, have introduced to shape Punjab Democratic Alliance after becoming a member of arms with suspended AAP MP Dharamvira Gandhi, Lok Insaaf Party’s Bains Brothers, Bahujan Samaj Party and others.
MAUR BLAST NOT SOLVED, MIXED YEAR FOR POLICE
The 12 months began with certain signal for the Punjab Police when it was ready to gun down probably the most dreaded gangsters of Punjab, Harjinder Singh alias Vicky Gounder, in an stumble upon along side his aide Prema Lahoria on January 26 near the Punjab-Rajasthan border in Rajasthan’s territory. However, the state police SIT is but to resolve the January 2017 Maur blast case, through which seven had been killed and 12 injured. In addition, in a grenade assault on November 18 at Nirankari Bhawan in Amritsar, three other folks died and over 20 were given injured. The state police cracked the case with the arrest of Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) individuals. The police additionally remained a success in cracking the Maqsudan police station (Jalandhar) hand grenade blasts case of September 14, with the arrest of 2 faculty scholars related to a Kashmir-based terrorist outfit.
MOLASSES LEAK FROM GURDASPUR SUGAR MILL
It was on May 17 that loads of fish had been found floating dead in Beas river after the leakage of molasses from the Chadha Sugar Mills in Kiri Afgana village of Batala owned by way of Jasdeep Kaur Chadha. Though the Punjab Pollution Control Board had in May imposed Rs 5 crore fantastic at the mill, the state government has to this point recovered simplest Rs 2 crore. SAD had attacked the Congress government pointing out it was extending preferential remedy and giving safe passage to the mill since it is owned by way of family members of Paramjit Singh Sarna, chief minister’s religious adviser.
Panthic issues shook politics, train tragedy souls
![Panthic issues shook politics, train tragedy souls]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
December 31, 2018
Rating:
