Punjab news digest: Braid-chop hysteria grips state, Khattar on Chandigarh stalking, and new song on ‘reach’ behind bars

Been away? Need the news in one go? Here’s a wrap-up from Punjab, the neighbourhood, and more

Braid-chop hysteria grips Punjab, 10 cases in a day

Meena Devi of Chandu village in Sangrur showing the braid that she claimed was chopped in sleep on Friday night. (HT Photo)

At least 10 new cases of braid chopping were reported in the state on Saturday, with seven of them from Muktsar alone. In Muktsar, Jasveer Kaur (45) of Chauntra village claimed she had a strange dream around midnight after which she fell unconscious. She found her braid chopped off when she woke up, she said. Read more

New Punjabi song glorifies ‘reach’ behind bars: ‘Will call you from jail... update Facebook too’

Sung by Mankirt Aulakh and penned by Inder Pandori, the song that’s gone viral on YouTube projects the “jatt” as a superhero who takes pride in the gun culture and his connections with gangsters. “Na parkhi paunch jatt di” — a loose translation says, “If you mess with us, don’t keep any doubts about our reach.” Read more

Punjab governor Badnore seeks list of govt’s feats in his 1 year tenure

An unusual letter from governor VP Singh Badnore wherein ‘His Excellency’ has asked the Punjab government to list its achievements under his one-year tenure has sent state officials in a tizzy. Read more

Putting a brave face, Jaspal Kaur (60) of Chanarthal Khurd village in the district is consoling her daughter-in-law Rajbir Kaur (32) and eight-year-old granddaughter Amanpreet alias Ashu after her son Devinder Singh (32) committed suicide on Wednesday. Read more

Punjab boy breaks a barrier, composes, sings for Hollywood movie

Born in Jagraon, a small town around 40 km from Punjab’s Ludhiana industrial hub, Rahul started learning music at the age of 10. He trained in Punjabi folk music, Indian classical and Sufi music. Read more

Chandigarh stalking case: Khattar says accused state BJP chief’s son will face action

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday ruled out the resignation of state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Subhash Barala in the wake of the BJP legislator’s son allegedly chasing and harassing the daughter of a senior Haryana bureaucrat on Friday night in Chandigarh. Read more

CBI arrests Chandigarh SDM, her husband, middleman in Rs 50k bribery case 

The CBI arrested Shilpy Pattar Dutt, sub-divisional magistrate (east), Chandigarh, her husband Dhiraj and a middleman GS Brar in graft case. The trio were arrested on Sunday after a local team of CBI raided the SDM’s house on Saturday night and allegedly caught Shilpy red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000. Read more

Heavy rains, landslides block Himachal highways for 6 hours

Landslides caused by heavy rains blocked the Chandigarh-Shimla and Chandigarh-Manali national highways for over five hours early this morning, disrupting the tourist traffic and supplies of essentials to many hill towns. Read more

For more stories, visit www.punjab.ht

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