The war against drugs under ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to eradicate the drug menace from the state entered the 40th day on Wednesday.

Punjab Police on Wednesday arrested 111 drug smugglers and recovered 3.7 kg heroin, 253 kg poppy husk, and Rs 98,800 drug money from their possession.

An official said that the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached 5,535 in just 40 days, adding that the operation was conducted on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav simultaneously in all 28 police districts.

Self-styled pastor Jashan Gill, who has been accused of raping a 22-year-old BCA student and later forced her to undergo an abortion that eventually claimed her life in 2023, surrendered in a trial court in Gurdaspur town of Punjab on Wednesday.

The victim’s father alleged that the pastor lured her daughter with false promise, raped her and arranged botched up abortion, resulting in severe complications.

A day earlier, the brother and sister of the accused were arrested by the police.

In a proud moment for the academic fraternity, Dr. Zora Singh, Chancellor of Desh Bhagat University, Mandi Gobindgarh, was honoured by the Haryana Sahit and Sanskritik Akadamy (Punjabi) for his outstanding contributions to the field of education and culture. The recognition came during the book release ceremony of a landmark historical work held at the Chandigarh Press Club. The event marked the formal release of the highly anticipated book "Revolutionaries and The British Raj: Martyrs of The Hardinge Bomb Outrage", authored by renowned historian Dr. Amarjit Singh, superannuated Professor from Kurukshetra University. This scholarly work sheds new light on the revolutionary struggle in Punjab and Delhi in the early 20th century and offers fresh perspectives on the ideological motivations of key martyrs such as Master Amir Chand, Bhai Bal Mukund, Awadh Bihari and Basant Kumar Biswas. The book was unveiled in the presence of an esteemed panel of dignitaries, including Prof. S. K. Gakhar, Vice Chairperson, Haryana State Higher Education Council; Prof. Viney Kapoor Mehra, Former Vice-Chancellor, Dr B.R. Ambedkar National Law University, Sonipat and Sardar Harpal Singh Gill, Director, Haryana Sahit and Sanskritik Akadamy (Punjabi), who presented a special felicitation to Dr. Zora Singh.

In a path breaking initiative, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Wednesday asked the officers to organize a special Kisan Milni at Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana on April 12 to sensitize the farmers regarding cultivation of paddy.

Chairing a meeting here at his official residence, the Chief Minister said that the special Kisan Milni will focus on making the farmers aware about cultivation of paddy before the starting of paddy season. He said that during the Milni the farmers will be apprised about the innovative and less water guzzling techniques of paddy transplant. Likewise, Bhagwant Singh Mann said that focus will be on motivating the farmers to use only the high yielding varieties of paddy approved by the PAU.

The Training and Placement Cell of Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University, Fatehgarh Sahib, successfully organized a Placement Drive 2025 in collaboration with ADVI Group of Companies, Bangalore on 8th April 2025. The event witnessed enthusiastic participation from final-year students of B.Tech, MCA, BCA, and the related streams. Prior to the commencement of the placement drive, Dr. B S Manusudan, Chairman and Lalitha, Product Manager of ADVI Group indulge in an insightful interaction with Dr. Pritpal Singh, Vice Chancellor, and Dr. Navdeep Kaur, Dean Research and Head of the Department of Computer Science. They discussed emerging market opportunities, industry expectations, and the cutting-edge technologies students must be trained in to stay relevant in the evolving tech landscape. The interaction emphasized the need for enhanced industry-academia collaboration to better prepare students for future roles. The recruitment process involved a written test, followed by technical and HR interviews, designed to evaluate candidates' technical knowledge, problem-solving skills, and communication abilities. After a rigorous assessment, two students reached the final selection round. The offered CTC ranged between ₹12–14 LPA, making it one of the most rewarding opportunities presented to the students this year. Dr. Kamaljit Kaur, Incharge, Training and Placement Cell, expressed her pride in the students’ performance and extended gratitude to the ADVI recruitment team. She emphasized the significance of such industry interactions in exposing students to real-world challenges and inspiring them to align their skills with the industry needs.

A Border Security Force (BSF) jawan was injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab's Gurdaspur district, officials said on Wednesday.

The incident took place on the intervening night of April 8-9 in Gurdaspur, the BSF said.

A BSF party was undertaking an area domination patrol ahead of the border security fence during the night when it detected multiple improvised explosive devices (IEDs) with concealed wires “well inside” the Indian territory, it said.

While cordoning off and sanitising the area, the detonating device of some of the IEDs, which was concealed, accidentally got triggered, resulting in a serious leg injury to a BSF jawan.

The Department of Sociology at Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University, Fatehgarh Sahib, has organized a One-Week workshop on "Innovation in Social Research: Emerging Trends and Techniques." Prof. (Dr.) Prit Pal Singh, Vice Chancellor of the University, inaugurated the workshop and appreciated the efforts of the Department. Prof. (Dr.) Sukhwinder Singh Billing, Dean Academic Affairs, was the special guest. In his address, Dr. Billing highlighted the pivotal role of research and innovation in academic growth and extended a warm welcome to all the participants and distinguished guests. First day of the workshop was conducted by Prof Harvinder Singh Bhatti, Professor of Sociology.

Students from the Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) Department of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Engineering College (BBSBEC) showcased their talent and innovation at the NextQuantum 2.0 Hackathon, organized during the Robomania Fest at Gulzar Group of Colleges. Two dedicated teams from BBSBEC participated in the 24-hour coding marathon, competing with some of the finest young developers from various engineering institutions. 

A blast was reported outside the residence of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Cabinet minister Manoranjan Kalia’s house in the early hours of Tuesday in Jalandhar city in Punjab, police said.

Kalia was unhurt in the blast.

Police teams were deployed at Kalia’s residence soon after the incident. Forensic experts were collecting evidence from the spot.

According to the police, the explosive, suspected to be a grenade, was thrown in front of the gate of Kalia’s residence at around 1 a.m.