CHANDIGARH/ FEROZEPUR, May 25:

          In a significant breakthrough amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) Punjab, in a joint operation with Ferozepur Police, has arrested three associates of the Ashish Chopra Gang involved in the sensational double murder of Rishabh and Shalu due to gang rivalry between the Nata Gang and Ashish Chopra Gang, said Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav on Sunday.

          Those arrested have been identified as Manpreet Singh alias Mannu and Ramandeep Singh, both residents of Ferozepur and Sonu, a resident of Faridkot. Police teams have also recovered thee pistols along with seven live cartridges and four shells from their possession.

          DGP Gaurav Yadav said that the arrest of these accused persons has also led to the cracking of another murder case, in which a person identified as Yotham was killed, with Manpreet Mannu being the main shooter. Further investigation is underway to identify other associates of this gang and establish backward and forward linkages, he added.

          Sharing details of the operation, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) AGTF Promod Ban said that acting on specific intelligence, police teams from AGTF led by DSP Rajan Parminder along with Ferozepur Police raided the hideout of Ramandeep Singh and Sonu in village Gulabe Wala in Sri Muktsar Sahib.

          The accused attempted to flee and opened fire at the police party but were apprehended after a chase, he said, while adding that a criminal case FIR no. 89 dated 24/5/2025 under sections 109, 132 and 22 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act has been registered at Police Station Sadar Sri Muktsar Sahib.

          The ADGP said that in a separate operation, accused Manpreet Mannu was intercepted in Ferozepur, where he opened fire at the police team in a bid to escape. In retaliatory fire, the accused sustained a bullet injury and was arrested, he said, while adding that Police teams have also impounded his Hero HF Deluxe Motorcycle, which he was riding.

          In this regard, a separate case under section 109 of the BNS and sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act has been registered at Police Station City Ferozepur.

          Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ferozepur Bhupinder Sigh said that the arrested accused have a criminal background and were involved in multiple heinous crimes, including the recent double murder case. Further investigations are ongoing and more arrests and recoveries are likely in coming days, he added.

Chandigarh:

Haryana Congress on Sunday organised a ‘Jai Hind’ Sabha in Chandigarh as a part of the nationwide program carried out by the Indian National Congress. 

Congress Party General Secretary and former Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan Sachin Pilot, State Congress President Choudhary Udaybhan, MP Deepender Hooda, MP Jai Prakash, MP Satpal Brahmachari, MP Varun Mullana, all Congress MLAs, former MLAs, Working President Jitendra Bhardwaj, Suresh Gupta, Organization General Secretary Jaideep Dhankhar and other party officials were present in this programme. 

Addressing a press conference after addressing the Jai Hind Sabha, Sachin Pilot said after the Pahalgam attack, the entire opposition unitedly supported and strong stood with the armed forces and the government. “We are proud of our Army. The Jai Hind Sabha has been organized in support of our army and the families of the brave soldiers and to thank them,” he said.

During this, MP Deepender Hooda presented a vote of thanks for the armed forces of the country that the bravery shown by the army of the country, the way in which it has acted is an example in front of the world. The motion was passed unanimously by all present there by raising their hands.

Deepender Hooda said that BJP MP Ramchandra Jangra has destroyed the honor of those whose husbands were ruined by the terrorists in Pahalgam with his words. He questioned where is the Women’s Commission, why has it not taken any cognizance of these statements till now. 

Deepender said the entire nation stands with the all the sisters and daughters whose ‘Sindoor’ has been taken away. “No political party should have the ideology that their party comes before the country, but the BJP has been continuously making irresponsible statements,” he said. 

“Haryana’s daughter, our braveheart Himanshi Narwal was trolled first. Colonel Sophia Qureshi was targeted. A Deputy Chief Minister of BJP said that the country’s Army bows at the feet of the BJP leader. The Foreign Secretary was targeted. This is absolutely unacceptable. BJP leaders tried to break the unity with their statements, which worked to boost the morale of the enemy,” he added.

Sachin Pilot said India is united on the issue of terrorism. “We gave unconditional support to the government. The government should immediately call a special session of Parliament so that a message goes out from the Parliament that India stands united in its fight against terrorism.,” he stated. 

Raising how the US President claimed that India had been pressured into declaring ceasefire, he said the US President said not once but said eight times that India was forced to declare ceasefire by luring or pressurizing it for trade. “It is surprising that the Indian government did not even deny it. The Indian government should explain what was the compulsion that the US President was announcing ceasefire,” he questioned. 

“People in responsible positions in the BJP, whether they are Madhya Pradesh ministers, Deputy Chief Minister or Haryana’s Rajya Sabha MP Ramchandra Jangra, are using indecent language against our Army, brave Army officers and the people killed in the Pahalgam attack and their families. The SIT was formed on the orders of the Supreme Court,” he pointed out. 

He questioned whether the top leadership of the BJP will break its silence against such leaders. “Should they not be removed from their posts? On the contrary, the BJP constantly questions the Opposition. The BJP points fingers at the opposition every time, it should look into its own affairs,” he said. 

Pilot said Pakistan infiltrated terrorists into India with the support of China. “The whole world knows that Pakistan was in the grey list. Pakistan gave shelter to Laden, Masood Azhar and other terrorists carry out their activities under the protection of Pakistan. We have been saying continuously that Pakistan is a country that nurtures and shelters terrorists, but it is unfortunate that the ceasefire was announced by the President of America, and neither the American President nor the Foreign Minister mentioned the word terrorism even once,” he pointed out. 

He also said that before this, the US President never weighed Pakistan on the same scale with India. “This is an insult to India. Pakistan has received huge amount of money from IMF. What is the guarantee that Pakistan will not use this money to promote terrorist activities. Apart from this, Pakistan got the support of countries like China but even its friendly countries did not come forward in support of India, which is a diplomatic failure of the government,” he stated. 

On this occasion, MP Deepender Hooda said the Congress Party believes in always putting the country before its politics. “When the enemy of the country has his eyes on the country, the Congress Party will be the first to come forward in unity. Today, 7 delegations of the country have gone to the whole world to put forward India’s position,” he said. 

“Let us expose before the world that Pakistan is not a trustworthy country. Pakistan is not capable of fighting a direct battle, so it attacks from behind. It is important to expose the truth of Pakistan because when ceasefire happened after the war, Pakistan was given a loan of more than 1 billion by the IMF. What is Pakistan being rewarded for? The world cannot reward a country that supports terrorism,” he added.

Meanwhile, in protest against the recent incident with MLA Ashok Arora, MP Deepender Hooda said the Congress Party will fight unitedly for the rights of the elected representatives. “We will take time from the Honorable Governor and will go there and put forth our point and will fight this battle from the road to the Parliament. If the officers in the District Development Monitoring Committee do not listen to the public representatives, then how will we fight for the lakhs of voters who have entrusted us with their responsibility,” he stated. 

He said he thought that the Chief Minister himself has been an MP, and will condemn this, and will instruct the officers that violation of the rights of MPs and MLAs will not be tolerated, but the Chief Minister has been biased. 

On this, State President Udaibhan said the Congress Party will also take this matter to the Privilege Committee. He gave the government 3 days to take legal action on this issue and said that if legal action is not taken in 3 days, then after this the Congress Party will decide the further strategy.

Chandigarh, May 24 – The Haryana Government  has notified the Model Online Transfer Policy under Articles 162 and 166 of the Constitution of India, a progressive initiative to ensure fair, transparent, and efficient employee transfers across government cadres. Effective immediately, the policy aims to enhance administrative efficiency and job satisfaction through a merit-based online system. A notification to this effect was issued by Chief Secretary Sh. Anurag Rastogi.

The policy covers employees in cadres with 50 or more sanctioned posts, excluding All India Services, Haryana Civil Services (Executive Branch), and Allied Services, unless exempted by the Human Resource Department (HRD). Smaller cadres with fewer than 50 posts may be included at the competent authority’s discretion. All cadre posts, including headquarters positions, are part of the transfer drive. Within 15 days of notification, departments must publish a list of covered cadres, specifying Prescribed Tenure, Minimum Tenure, and Unit, with provisions for periodic revisions with HRD approval.

According to the policy, Post allocations are based on a composite merit score out of 80 points. Age contributes up to 60 points, calculated as age in days divided by 365 (up to four decimal points). For example, a 40-year-old employee scores approximately 40 points. Up to 20 points are awarded for special circumstances: 10 points for all female employees; 10 points for female employees who are unmarried and over 40, widows, divorced, or judicially separated; 10 points for male employees who are divorced, widowers with minor children, or judicially separated with minor children; 5 points for employees whose spouses work in State or Central Government if the transfer reduces posting distance; 10 points for spouses of military or paramilitary personnel; 10 points for employees or their immediate family with debilitating disorders (certified by authorized medical boards like AIIMS or PGI Chandigarh); 10 points for those with 100% differently abled or mentally challenged children; and up to 20 points for employees with disabilities under the RPWD Act 2016, based on disability percentage starting from 40%.

Qualifying debilitating disorders include Chronic Heart Diseases (e.g., Cardiomyopathy, Heart Failure), Chronic Cardiac Dysrhythmias, Interstitial Lung Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Cirrhosis of Liver, Chronic Renal Failure, Epilepsy, Paraplegia, Quadriplegia, Hemiplegia, Parkinson’s Disease, Degenerative Disorders of the Nervous System (e.g., Motor Neuron Disease), Chronic Demyelinating Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Cerebral Vascular Accident, Multiple Sclerosis, Myopathies, Thalassemia, Haemophilia, Aplastic Anaemia, all types of Cancer, Schizophrenia, AIDS, and Organ Transplants (Heart, Liver, Kidney, Lung, Intestine). Valid medical certificates from authorized institutions are required for this.

Apart from this, an employee who has been awarded major penalty under HCS (Punishment &  Appeal) Rules, 2016 shall invite a penalty of -10 marks during the currency of the punishment.

Ensuring more transparency

Transparency is ensured through the publication of cadre details within 15 days, with the online system minimizing subjectivity. The policy supports employees with personal challenges, such as women, those with medical conditions, or disabled children, enhancing access to preferred postings. Departments must comply with the 15-day deadline, and employees should ensure documentation like medical certificates.

Employees may file grievances within 15 days of order issuance, but only after joining at the new place of posting. Complaints must be submitted through intraHaryana.nic.in, and will be addressed within the same time frame.

Administrative Powers and Relaxation

The Chief Minister retains the authority to relax or modify provisions in public interest or administrative exigency. The Human Resources Department will also be the final authority on clarifications.

General online transfers will be made preferably once in a year. However, transfer/posting necessitated

by promotion, direct recruitment or administrative exigencies, can be made anytime with the prior approval of the Chief Minister.

Repeal of Earlier Guidelines

All previous transfer policies, including the General Principles for Online Transfers (2020) and related departmental notifications, stand withdrawn from the date of this notification.

Rationalization Process

The department will undertake rationalization to redistribute or ascertain the number of posts in any unit based on administrative requirements and efficiency. This entire stage will be completed  within 15 days. Within first 7 days, the department will undertake the preliminary rationalization exercise. There may be a possibility that the number of employees posted in any unit are in excess of the administrative requirement. Such surplus employees will be required to participate  in the ongoing transfer drive. Amongst such surplus employees, the employee with the longest stay shall have to participate in the transfer drive. In case where more than one employee are

having the same period of stay, then the younger employee shall have to participate in the transfer drive. Further surplus employees, who belong to the Protected Category shall not be transferred  without their consent subject to the condition that not more than 50% of such excess employees in that unit belong to the Protected Category.

The new Model Online Transfer Policy reflects the Haryana Government’s commitment to ensuring fair, technology-driven governance. All departments have been instructed to complete the integration and publication of cadre-specific details promptly to facilitate the successful rollout of the new policy.

Chandigarh, May 24 – Haryana Cooperation Minister, Dr. Arvind Sharma, said that since 2014, the state government has been officially celebrating the birth anniversaries of great saints under the ‘Sant Mahapurush Samman evem Vichar Prasar Yojana’ in the state. This initiative continues the vision of the then Chief Minister and now Union Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal. A state-level event is being organised on May, 30 in Pahrawar, Rohtak, to mark the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Parshuram. There is great enthusiasm among the Brahmin Samaj and people from all 36 biradri regarding this event.

Dr. Arvind Sharma said this during a programme in Sonipat on Saturday. He invited members of the Brahmin Samaj and all sections of society to attend the upcoming state-level celebration of Bhagwan Parshuram’s birth anniversary.

He further said that Chief Minister, Sh. Nayab Singh Saini will attend the programme on May 30 as the Chief Guest. Dr. Sharma said that the active participation of the people will make this programme grand and memorable.

Chandigarh, May 24 — Haryana Development and Panchayats Minister Sh Krishan Lal Panwar, while addressing gatherings on the occasion of Maharishi Kashyap Jayanti in villages Matalouda, Dariyapur, Israna, Uralana Kalan, Bhadad, and other areas of the Israna Assembly constituency in Panipat district on Saturday, emphasized the importance of the younger generation following the path shown by Maharishi Kashyap. He urged them to work actively towards eradicating societal evils and fostering a spirit of mutual brotherhood and humanity.

He further stated that the Haryana Government has resolved to officially celebrate the birth anniversaries of all revered saints and sages at both the state and district levels. The Panchayat Minister highlighted that it is the responsibility of every citizen to draw inspiration from the lives and teachings of saints and contribute positively to society. In Indian culture, saints are held in the highest regard as torchbearers of virtue and wisdom. Their teachings not only guide individuals but also serve to inspire governance to remain committed to public welfare.

Minister Krishan Lal Panwar added that true global peace can only be achieved by rising above caste-based discrimination and ensuring equitable access to quality modern education for children across all sections of society—following the ideals laid down by our saints and sages.

Chandigarh, May 24 – Haryana Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Sh. Shyam Singh Rana, said that Prithviraj Chauhan was a great warrior. Prithviraj Chauhan and the Veer Shiromani Maharana Pratap are strong sources of inspiration for today’s youth. He said that Maharana Pratap Jayanti will be celebrated on May 29 in village Salwan at the state level. Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Nayab Singh Saini will participate as Chief Guest in the Programme.

Sh. Shyam Singh Rana participated as Chief Guest in district-level Prithviraj Chauhan Jayanti programme in Ambala on Saturday. He encouraged everyone to attend the state-level programme on May 29 in the village Salwan in large numbers. He also announced a grant of Rs.11 lakh for the construction of Maharana Pratap Bhawan in Salwan.

MLA, Sh. Yogendra Rana and former state minister Sh. Aseem Goel also remained present on this occasion. 

Chandigarh, May 24 – Haryana Energy, Transport and Labour Minister Sh. Anil Vij  said that a beautiful modern park will be constructed in the old Railway Colony of Ambala Cantonment, which will provide various facilities to the people. He has allocated Rs. 25 lakh from his discretionary fund to the Railways for this park. The park will benefit not only residents of the Railway Colony but also those living in surrounding areas. Sh. Anil Vij has directed the DRM of Ambala to expedite the park’s construction work.

Sh. Vij has allocated Rs.10 lakh for promoting sports activities at the Central Phoenix Club and Rs. 5 lakh for installing a high-quality sound system at the open-air theater in Subhash Park.

The club’s management has expressed heartfelt gratitude for the Energy Minister’s support. It was through Sh. Anil Vij’s efforts that a shooting range was established at the club, and today, shooters from this facility are making Ambala Cantonment proud on the global stage.