The suicide of a senior government officer in Punjab has sent shockwaves across the state. On Friday, Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, district manager of the Punjab Warehousing Corporation (PWC), died by suicide after consuming a poisonous substance, but not before recording a video in which he blamed Punjab minister Laljit Singh Bhullar.. Grieving family members of Punjab State Warehousing Corporation (PSWC) district manager, Gagandeep Singh Randhawa in, Amritsar on Saturday. (Sameer Sehgal/HT) (HT_PRINT). “Kha layi ‘celphos’ tuhade yaar ne, minister Laljit Bhullar de dar ton. Hun nahi main bachda,” (Your friend has consumed Celphos out of fear of minister Laljit Bhullar. I will not survive now), Randhawa said in the clip, according to a PTI report.. A day later, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann directed the chief secretary to conduct an impartial probe into the matter and asked the minister to step down to ensure a fair investigation.. An FIR has been lodged against Bhullar, his father Sukhdev Singh Bhullar, and his personal assistant Dilbagh Singh under Sections 108 (abetment of suicide), 351(3) (criminal intimidation), and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.. What are the claims made by his wife in the FIR?. Randhawa’s wife, Upinder Kaur, has made serious allegations in the FIR, stating that her husband was constantly pressured by Bhullar to withdraw a tender.. In her complaint, Kaur alleged that Bhullar initially pressured Randhawa to allot a warehouse tender to his father, Sukhdev Singh Bhullar, threatening him with violent consequences if he refused.. Also Read: Punjab minister Laljit Bhullar resigns after warehousing DM ends life. Kaur further stated that her husband told her he was repeatedly pressured to award the tender to Bhullar’s father, even though doing so would have violated the rules. She claimed that he would often break down and felt helpless due to the threats.. When the tender was eventually awarded to another party, Bhullar allegedly increased the pressure on Randhawa.. According to Kaur, this was followed by further threats over WhatsApp calls, with Bhullar demanding that Randhawa cancel the tender and reissue it in his favour.. Kaur also alleged that on March 13, Bhullar summoned Randhawa to his residence in Patti, where he humiliated and assaulted him. She claimed that Bhullar held him at gunpoint and forced him to admit that he had accepted a bribe of ₹10 lakh to award the tender to another party.. A few days later, Randhawa consumed poison and died.. Opposition slams AAP government in Punjab over the suicide. Opposition parties have slammed Punjab’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, accusing it of creating a reckless law-and-order situation in the state where even government officers are no longer safe.. BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said the AAP government is indulging in crime and corruption in Punjab, adding that both Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann are busy protecti 

 Nearly three years after ethnic violence tore through Manipur, a cautious first step towards reconciliation emerged as chief minister Yumnam Khemchand sat down with the apex Kuki-Zo body for an “ice-breaking” meeting, describing it as an effort to bridge the deep trust deficit between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities.. Manipur CM Yumnam Khemchand Singh (right) briefs the media after the meeting in Imphal on Sunday. (HT Photo). According to a statement issued on Sunday by the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), the meeting was held in Guwahati on Saturday and marked the first engagement between the two sides since violence broke out on May 3, 2023.. “As the first engagement after nearly three years of conflict between the Meitei and the Kuki-Zo communities, the interaction was largely an ‘ice-breaking’ session,” the statement said.. The KZC delegation raised several key issues related to the ongoing unrest in Manipur, including the urgent need to de-escalate tensions between the Kuki and Tangkhul Naga communities and the importance of ensuring justice for victims as a prerequisite for any meaningful peace and reconciliation process.. The council also emphasised maintaining the sanctity of the “buffer zone” until a political settlement is reached and called for expediting the ongoing Suspension of Operations (SoO) talks to ensure durable and lasting peace in the region.. “The chief minister, in turn, shared his concerns, commitments, and the steps undertaken by his government to restore peace and normalcy in Manipur,” the statement added.. Speaking to the media on Sunday during a visit to the Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) in Imphal, Khemchand described the meeting as a first step towards addressing the “trust deficit” between the two communities.. He said no demands were raised and no commitments were made during the interaction, but stressed the need for reconciliation and restoration of peace.. Khemchand said the state government may invite KZC for another round of talks in Imphal, if required.. “Any step for restoration of peace in Manipur cannot be done in a single meeting, it will take time to regain trust among the warring communities, and the trust deficit among the two communities has been reduced, which is a positive step towards reconciliation,” he said.. The CM noted that internally displaced persons (IDPs) from both Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities continue to suffer from a trust deficit, and said the meeting in Guwahati was aimed at rebuilding confidence.. Responding to questions on the demand for a separate administration and the issue of buffer zones, he said, “The Prime Minister of India has already made his statement on the Parliamentary floor that the territorial boundary of Manipur will not be compromised, so what comment can I add to this?”. On the term “buffer zone”, he added, “there is no buffer zone in Manipur, but there are some sensitive areas.” 

 Jammu: The pilgrimage to the Mata Vaishno Devi temple atop Trikuta hills in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district resumed on Sunday after its temporary suspension due to heavy rush, officials said.. Illuminated view of the main gate of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Temple on the first day of Chaitra Navratri, in Reasi on Thursday. (ANI Video Photo) (ANI Video Grab). Authorities on Saturday suspended the pilgrimage to the cave shrine due to a heavy rush at the Bhawan, as 39,000 devotees paid obeisance at the temple till late in the afternoon.. Chaitra Navratri started on March 19 and will end on March 27.. “The yatra has been resumed after temporary suspension due to a heavy rush at the Bhawan,” a shrine board official said. He said that registration for the yatra resumed this morning in Katra.. Nearly one lakh devotees have paid obeisance so far, with authorities ensuring smooth and safe arrangements for the pilgrimage.. On Saturday, more than 39,000 pilgrims visited the holy town of Katra and paid obeisance at the Mata Vaishno Devi temple, officials said.. Officials said that more than 5,000 more pilgrims were on their way to the cave shrine after registration. There was a huge rush of pilgrims at the registration centre.. Hundreds of devotees chanting ‘Jai Mata Di’ were trekking along the serpentine pathway to the Mata Vaishno Devi temple atop Trikuta hills on the third day of Navratri to pay obeisance and seek the deity’s blessings.. Decorated with a variety of fresh flowers filling the air with fragrance and illuminated with multi-coloured lights to provide a spectacular view to devotees, the cave shrine is witnessing a huge rush of pilgrims.. Authorities have put in place multi-tier security arrangements at the Katra base camp and en route to the shrine to ensure a safe and secure yatra.. The sacred Shat Chandi Maha Yagya commenced at the revered Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine on Thursday, heralding the auspicious beginning of Chaitra Navratri 2026. 

 Nearly two years before Ranya Rao was arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at the Bengaluru airport for smuggling gold, the Kannada actor and her associate were cheated of ₹2 crore by a Ugandan gold agent, officials have revealed.. Kannada actress Ranya Rao was arrested from the Kempagowda International Airport.. In March 2025, Rao was arrested from the Bengaluru airport after she returned from Dubai allegedly with a consignment of 14-kg of gold worth ₹12.56 crore concealed on her body.. In a chargesheet filed last month, DRI officials said Rao and her associates smuggled 127.28 kg of gold valued at ₹102.55 crore into India between March 2024 and March 2025. The gold was later sold in the domestic market through a network of handlers and jewellers.. Also Read: ED files charge sheet against Ranya Rao, 2 others; says 127 kg gold worth ₹102 crore smuggled to India. Officials have now revealed that Rao and her associate, Tarun Konduru Raju, tried sourcing gold from suppliers, based in African nations, including Uganda, before resorting to smuggling the prized metal from Dubai.. A ‘Ugandan agent’ and ₹2 crore fraud. An official aware of the probe told HT that Rao and Raju tried to source gold from suppliers in African nations, including Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.. The duo also opened a company called Vira Diamonds Trading LLC in Dubai in 2023 to facilitate the transfer. Dubai was intended to be the transit and trading hub.. “They were advised that African mines were the primary source of gold for Dubai’s markets so they attempted to directly procure it from Africa,” the official said, citing the chargesheet.. Rao and her associate got in touch with a Uganda-based agent, Ben, and the two sides agreed to an initial 5 kg trial, which was to be followed by a 50 kg contract.. The duo also paid ₹25,000 (around 23.5 lakh) upfront, followed by two separate payments of around $10,000 each ( ₹9.39 lakh). However, the Uganda-based agent didn’t deliver any gold.. On January 1, 2024, Raju travelled to Uganda city Kampala to meet the agent. He was shown the gold and asked for an additional payment of ₹1.7 crore to release the consignment.. “Rao was coordinating from Dubai to arrange cash and hand it over to Ben’s associate in Dubai. Raju eventually discovered that it was a scam, resulting in a loss exceeding ₹2 crore,” the official said.. Also Read: ‘Missing simple Bengaluru life’: Resident regrets moving to Bellandur from Basavanagudi. Enforcement Directorate (ED) also claimed to have recovered the WhatsApp chats that showed the ‘proof’ of payments. However, there wasn’t enough “material evidence to substantiate the alleged scam”, a second official said.. Three strategies to smuggle gold. After getting duped of ₹2 crore, Rao and Raju resorted to a similar venture in Kenya, but that too was aborted due to similar fraud, a third official said.. The two even sought help from Kenyan officials on the fraud, but th 

 The Opposition on Saturday demanded action against Maharashtra leaders, including ministers, linked to Ashok Kharat, the self-styled godman arrested on charges of rape, a day after NCP leader Rupali Chakankar tendered her resignation from her post as chairperson of the Maharashtra State Commission for Women.. A photo showing Rupali Chakankar, chairperson of the state women’s commission, holding an umbrella for Ashok Kharat was shared widely on social media (X/Anjali Damania). The Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) has demanded that Chakankar, who headed a trust run by Kharat, be made a co-accused in the case, over her links to the accused. Kharat is said to have links with several politicians, businesspeople and celebrities.. Deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar said she has forwarded Chakankar’s resignation to CM Devendra Fadnavis for acceptance. Chakankar tendered her resignation on Friday.. ALSO READ | Sena ex-minister’s aide on SIT radar, oppn demands action against Mahayuti ministers. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray slammed the state government over its alleged links with Kharat, saying: “Maharashtra has a law against superstition and now we see that those expected to implement it were involved in Ashok Kharat’s superstitious activities. Action against Kharat is not enough; his political devotees too must not be spare.”. Saying that photos of several ministers with Kharat have emerged, Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray added, “The CM should conduct an inquiry into these ministers. There are around eight or nine such ministers and all of them should be removed from the cabinet.”. ALSO READ | Case of ‘godman’ Kharat a blot on Maharashtra: Minister Shirsat. Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said Chakankar’s resignation was not enough. The call detail records (CDR) of the ministers and political leaders seen with Kharat should be checked and action should be taken against them. “Kharat amassed massive sums of money and had links with political leaders from the ruling alliance. So there is a possibility the state government will try to bury the matter,” Wadettiwar said.. The case involving the self-styled godman Ashok Kaharat is a taint on Maharashtra, and strict action should be taken in this matter, minister of social justice Sanjay Shirsat said.. The Shiv Sena leader said photographs of Kharat with many prominent leaders have surfaced, but that doesn’t mean those individuals have links with him.The minister said the matter is being probed and the government will take appropriate action.