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19 minutes ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Punjab Assembly refers anti-sacrilege bill to select committee for consultation
The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday referred a bill, which proposes life imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh for acts of sacrilege against religious scriptures, to a select committee of legislators for the consultation with stakeholders, PTI reported. The 2025 Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scripture(s) Bill was tabled in the Assembly by the Aam Aadmi Party government on Monday. The bill proposes strict punishment for desecration of holy scriptures, including the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Bhagavad Gita, the Bible and the Quran. It proposes minimum imprisonment of 10 years and a minimum fine of Rs 5 lakh for persons found guilty of sacrilege, the newspaper reported. It also states that an attempt to commit such an offence may lead to a jail term of three years to five years and a fine up to Rs 3 lakh. The bill noted that offences under the proposed law would be cognisable, non-bailable and non-compoundable, The Indian Express reported. The cases would be tried in a sessions court. As per the bill, an offence is defined as sacrilege, damage, destruction, defacing, disfiguring, de-colouring, de-filling, decomposing, burning, breaking or tearing of any holy scripture or its part, PTI reported. On Monday, a government spokesperson told The Indian Express that there had been several incidents involving the sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib and other religious texts. This deeply hurt public sentiments and caused unrest in society, the spokesperson said, adding that sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita addressed such offences but did not prescribe sufficiently stringent penalties to serve as an effective deterrent. 'Considering the gravity of such offences and the imperative to preserve communal harmony and religious sanctity, the Cabinet found it necessary to introduce state-specific legislation providing enhanced penalties – including life imprisonment – for those convicted of sacrilege against any holy granth,' The Indian Express quoted the spokesperson as saying. During the discussion on the bill in the Assembly on Tuesday, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that the proposed legislation would ensure that no heinous crime takes place by making a provision of the sternest punishment against culprits, PTI reported. The special session of the Assembly had been called after the chief minister met representatives of the Sarb Dharam Beadbi Rokko Kanoon Morcha, an organisation whose activist Gurjeet Singh Khalsa has been protesting atop a 400-foot telecom tower for 275 days demanding the law, The Indian Express reported.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Panel formed to find missing part of Justice Gurnam Commission report
Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Sandhwan on Tuesday announced the formation of a committee to find the missing action taken report of the Justice Gurnam Singh Commission on the 1986 Nakodar sacrilege and police firing incidents. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema brought to the Punjab Assembly's attention the Justice Gurnam Singh Commission Report, a copy of which is with the Assembly, but 'the action taken part mysteriously missing'. He urged Sandhwan to form a committee to find the report. Later, the Speaker announced the formation of a committee to find the report. Participating in the discussion on the Punjab Prevention of Crime Against Religious Scriptures Bill, 2025, in the Assembly, Cheema said, 'The missing part of the Justice Gurnam Singh Commission report will enable the people of Punjab to ascertain the truth behind the 1986 incidents, understanding actions of those involved at that time, and see the reality of their descendants' current actions.' Cheema said, 'Historically, whenever the SAD-led government or a religiously aligned government came to power in Punjab, there were attempts, either directly or through conspirators, to desecrate the Guru Granth Sahib to destabilise the state.' The minister cited an incident of February 2, 1986, during the SAD tenure, when five sacred 'Birs' were set ablaze at Gurdwara Sahib Guru Arjan Dev in Nakodar. Cheema recounted the events of February 4, 1986, stating, 'Four youths, Ravinder Singh Littran, Baldhir Singh Ramgarh, Jhirmal Singh Gursiana, and Harminder Singh, were shot dead while peacefully protesting, mirroring the peaceful demonstrations seen at Bargari.' The finance minister pointed out that during these incidents, 'the state was governed by the ASD, with Surjit Singh Barnala as the chief minister, Captain Kanwaljit Singh as the home minister, and Sukhjinder Singh Khaira, father of Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira as the education minister,' and expressed regret that 'not a single action or First Information Report (FIR) was filed by the then government'. Cheema alleged that the then minister Sukhjinder Singh had opposed the building of a gate in the name of one of the victims. However, heated exchanges ensued between Cheema and Sukhpal Singh Khaira after the minister took Khaira's father's name. Khaira said the minister was misleading the House. Amid the verbal duel between Cheema and Khaira, the Speaker asked the Congress MLA not to disrupt the House's proceedings and warned him of being named for indiscipline. Khaira dared Cheema to have an open debate with him over the issue outside. LoP Partap Singh Bajwa intervened in the matter and said, 'Let us not go personal.'
New Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Congress retaining power in 2028 hinges on Guarantee Committees, says DKS
BENGALURU: KPCC President and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has said that the outcome of the 2028 Assembly elections will depend on the performance of the Guarantee Committees. 'The State Government has allocated ₹1 lakh crore to support the poor, which constitutes 25 per cent of the state's budget. Of this, ₹50,000 crore has been spent on the Guarantee Schemes. It is the responsibility of the Guarantee Committees to take these schemes to the people, and the election results will depend on their efforts,' he said. Shivakumar stated that plans are underway to hold Guarantee Conventions in every ward and panchayat in the coming days. Addressing Guarantee Committee office-bearers from state, district, and taluk levels on Tuesday, he said that many of the Congress party's schemes and initiatives—such as MNREGA and the land-to-the-tiller policy—are unmatched.
Hans India
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
BC Ordinance sent for Governor's nod
Hyderabad: The state government on Tuesday sent the Telangana Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, for the approval of Governor Jishnu Dev Varma. The Ordinance seeks to increase the reservations for Backward Class (BC) communities in local body elections to 42 per cent. Recently, the state Cabinet gave approval for a 42-per cent quota for the BCs in the local body polls. With the Ordinance proposal reaching Raj Bhavan, all eyes are now on the Governor's response. The government is expecting that the Governor will give his nod in a week for the promulgation of the Ordinance. Following the recent High Court order directing the government to complete reservation-related procedures for local polls within 30 days and declare results by September 30, the government decided to take ordinance route to enhance the BC quota. The government has already sent the Telangana Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Rural and Urban Local Bodies) Bill, 2025, which was passed by both Assembly and Legislative Council, for the Presidential nod through the Governor. Since there was a delay in the approval of the Bill by the President of India, the state government decided to promulgate the Ordinance. The state Cabinet approved the increase of BC quota to 42 per cent based on the data prepared by the recently conducted Caste Census (State Socio-Economic and Educational Empowerment Population Census -SEEEPC) in the state.
The Print
9 hours ago
- Business
- The Print
By reviving Hasina-era mango diplomacy with India, Yunus govt signals ‘business as usual'
The mango shipments were coordinated by Bangladesh's Ministry of External Affairs and followed an earlier exchange of Eid greetings between the two governments. PM Modi had extended wishes to Muhammad Yunus, his counterpart in Dhaka, who reciprocated the wishes. While consignments of mangoes were also sent to other South Asian countries, and states in India, including key political figures in West Bengal and Tripura, one notable omission stood out: Assam. New Delhi: Earlier this week, Dhaka dispatched 100 kg of its prized Haribhanga mangoes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, continuing a tradition of 'mango diplomacy' that began under Bangladesh's deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The seasonal exchange came at a time of considerable political and diplomatic tensions between the two countries. Earlier Thursday, Yunus sent 300 kg of the popular mangoes as a gift to Tripura CM Manik Saha. Each year, the Bangladesh government sends seasonal gifts to the Tripura state government and prominent individuals. In a reciprocal gesture of goodwill, Tripura sends Bangladesh its renowned Queen variety pineapples, known for their sweetness and juiciness. On the surface, the gift baskets appeared to signal a thaw in ties, which turned frosty following Sheikh Hasina's ouster in August 2024. But the timing of the gesture gives it deeper, more strategic undertones, particularly the omission of Assam from the list of recipients. In June, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma had told the state Assembly that authorities 'pushed back [into Bangladesh] almost 330 people' who they suspected of being foreigners. Also Read: Yunus initiates 'mango diplomacy' in bid to strengthen ties with China. 50-yr water sharing plan soon 'Business as usual' Even as it revives Hasina-era mango diplomacy, the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus is recalibrating its regional strategy and moving decisively to deepen ties with China and Pakistan. Beijing, already a major player in Bangladesh, had announced a $1 billion economic package during Hasina's final months in office. The interim government has signaled its intent to build on that investment. In a parallel move, relations with Pakistan have also warmed considerably. In April, Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch visited Dhaka in what marked the first high-level engagement between the two countries in over 15 years. Since Hasina's departure, both nations have resumed military dialogues, reactivated trade agreements, and relaxed visa requirements. Notably, Bangladesh maintained a neutral stance during the most recent flare-up between India and Pakistan, a move interpreted by many as a signal that Dhaka is seeking to expand its strategic flexibility in the region. Last month, China hosted the first-ever trilateral meeting between Bangladesh, China, and Pakistan in Kunming, in the southwestern province of Yunnan. In a statement released after the meeting, the Chinese foreign ministry said the three nations had 'reaffirmed their commitment to genuine multilateralism and open regionalism,' emphasizing—apparently with India in mind—that the cooperation 'is not directed at any third party'. Analysts say these developments point to a quiet but unmistakable shift in Bangladesh's foreign policy outlook. 'Bangladesh is signaling that it's business as usual,' Mubashar Hasan, Bangladeshi political analyst and researcher at the University of Oslo, told ThePrint. Adding, 'While the country takes pride in its mangoes, the gesture also reflects a broader shift—unlike during Hasina's tenure, Dhaka no longer views India as its primary regional ally. India maintained a realist foreign policy and aligned with Hasina's rhetoric while she was in power. Although India's stance remains largely unchanged, Bangladesh's political outlook has clearly evolved.' By engaging with China and Pakistan while keeping diplomatic courtesies alive with India, Bangladesh appears to be walking a careful tightrope while asserting greater autonomy. As for mango diplomacy, while symbolic, has a history in the subcontinent. In 1986, Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi famously gifted mangoes to Philippine President Corazon Aquino. In 2008, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari sent a crate to then-Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a gesture of goodwill. Bangladesh has also used mangoes as a soft power tool. In 2023, Hasina sent a similar consignment to Indian leaders to encourage progress on the long-stalled Teesta water-sharing agreement. Now, the Yunus administration is actively pursuing the extradition of Hasina, living in exile in India, to face charges stemming from the brutal crackdown on student-led protests in 2024. She has been accused of crimes against humanity and has now been indicted as well. Authorities in Dhaka have also begun freezing the assets of Hasina and her family. Justice Minister Asif Nazrul and Foreign Affairs Adviser Towhid Hossain confirmed that formal extradition requests have already been sent to New Delhi. India has so far not responded to any of the requests. (Edited by Amrtansh Arora) Also Read: Indian mangoes land in America and become 'ticking time bombs'
