News / Author / Gurpreet Singh Nibber

Gurpreet Singh Nibber

Gurpreet Singh Nibber is an Assistant Editor with the Punjab bureau. He covers politics, agriculture, power sector, environment, Sikh religious affairs and the Punjabi diaspora.

Articles by Gurpreet Singh Nibber

Badals’ nearly three-decade SAD reign comes to an end

Sukhbir Badal's resignation from SAD ends a 30-year Badal legacy, following electoral declines and internal party splits amid growing dissent.

Chandigarh

Updated on Jan 11, 2025 08:40 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh

SAD not to contest Delhi assembly polls: Paramjit Singh Sarna

A party leader, who did not want to be named, said the SAP was currently busy with the upcoming Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee elections on January 19

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Delhi unit president Paramjit Singh Sarna (HT File)

Chandigarh

Updated on Jan 09, 2025 08:00 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh

Day after Takht push, SAD leaders to meet jathedar today over party recast

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders will meet Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh on Wednesday to seek clarification on reorganisation of the party, which is being supervised by a seven-member committee constituted by the Takht on December 2 last year.

Chandigarh

Updated on Jan 08, 2025 08:02 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber

Maghi Mela: Sukhbir to lead SAD’s show of strength rally on January 14

Maghi has a strong religious connotation and is an important event for the religion-driven party SAD as the event commemorates the martyrdom of 40 muktas (Sikhs) who fought for tenth master Guru Gobind Singh.

Chandigarh

Updated on Jan 03, 2025 09:16 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh

Akali Dal meeting next week to decide on Sukhbir’s resignation

Sukhbir resigned in November last year, handing over the party’s reins to senior most and veteran Akali Balwinder Singh Bhundar as a working president.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) will hold a meeting of its working committee in a week’s time to take a decision on accepting the resignation tendered by Sukhbir Singh Badal as party chief. (HT File)

Chandigarh

Updated on Jan 02, 2025 08:02 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh

SAD begins campaign for Jan 19 HSGMC polls

While the nominations ended on December 28, at least 89 candidates have filed their papers on all 40 constituencies scheduled for the polls

The party has earlier announced to field candidates for the upcoming polls under the banner of Haryana Sikh Panthic Dal. (HT File)

Chandigarh

Updated on Dec 30, 2024 05:06 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh

Punjab: SAD to fight HSGMC polls under Haryana Panthic Dal banner

The decision came a day after the Haryana Gurdwara Election Commission informed the high court that a political party is not permitted to contest under its name or symbol

The SAD was disqualified from contesting HSGMC polls on the ground that it is a registered political party with the Election Commission of India (ECI) under the Representation of the People Act , 1951. (HT File)

Chandigarh

Updated on Dec 26, 2024 05:48 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh

MC polls results a mixed bag for ruling AAP

AAP secures majority in Patiala and Jalandhar, winning 179 of 368 municipal wards. In Ludhiana, it emerges largest party but seeks support for majority.

Punjab health minister Dr Balbir Singh in a meeting with winning candidates of the municipal corporation elections at Circuit House in Patiala on Monday. (ANI)

Chandigarh

Updated on Dec 24, 2024 09:00 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh

Dec 22 deadline to accept Sukhbir’s resignation: Legal opinion to form basis of reply to Akal Takht

A few leaders are said to have raised fear that taking directions from religious body may invite action from Election Commission; a five-page reply is expected to reach the Sikh clergy head on Saturday.

Chandigarh

Updated on Dec 21, 2024 08:54 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh

SKM to hold talks with Dallewal-Pandher camp on Dec 21

Farm leader Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Balbir Singh Rajewal part of 6-member panel that will meet SKM (Non-Political) and KMM in Patiala

An aerial view of Shambhu border as farmers hold 'Delhi Chalo' protest on various demands, in Patiala on Sunday. (ANI)

Chandigarh

Updated on Dec 19, 2024 09:04 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh

SKM meet today to decide on support for ongoing farmers’ stir

Balbir Singh Rajewal, who heads a Bharatiya Kisan Union faction, says his group would ponder on how to give support to the protesting farmer bodies at the Punjab-Haryana border points

Chandigarh

Updated on Dec 18, 2024 08:56 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh

Atonement over, Akali Dal leaders gears up for civic body polls

A senior SAD leader said there is still a lot of ambiguity as to way ahead but it’s certain that the party will put its best foot forward in the civic body polls.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders at the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar on Friday. (HT Photo)

Chandigarh

Updated on Dec 14, 2024 08:44 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh

SAD panel in fix over accepting Sukhbir’s resignation

As pressure mounts on working committee to accept Sukhbir’s resignation, party is likely to take a legal opinion in the matter

Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal performing sewa at a gurdwara in Muktsar Sahib on Wednesday. (HT)

Chandigarh

Updated on Dec 12, 2024 10:08 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh

Phoolka to join SAD, says Punjab needs a strong regional force

A Jat Sikh from Bhadaur town of Sangrur who has been fighting a four-decade-long legal battle for victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Phoolka has the right credentials to emerge as a consensus candidate to head the SAD.

Former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Dakha and human rights lawyer Harvinder Singh Phoolka, 69, on Saturday announced that he would be joining the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). (HT File)

Chandigarh

Updated on Dec 08, 2024 05:00 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh

Punjab politics: HS Phoolka to join Shiromani Akali Dal

A human rights lawyer fighting a four-decade-long battle for victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, 69-year-old ex-AAP MLA Phoolka has the right credentials to emerge as a consensus candidate to head the SAD.

Chandigarh

Published on Dec 07, 2024 03:15 PM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber

Akali rebels seek clarity on Sukhbir Badal’s resignation

The SAD, on its part, has called an emergency meeting of the party’s core committee on Friday to discuss the further course of action after the assassination attempt on Sukhbir.

Sukhbir Singh Badal with ASIs Jasvir Singh and Hira Singh, who saved his life by foiling the murderous attack on him. (HT Photo)

Chandigarh

Updated on Dec 06, 2024 07:06 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh

After clergy’s unity call, rebel Akali leaders dissolve group

A day after the five Sikh high priests directed both factions of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) to bury the hatchet and forge unity for Panth’s cause, rebel leaders on Tuesday announced to dissolve their group and discontinue the “Sudhar Lehar” (reforms movement) initiated by it in July to reorganise the party

Gurpartap Singh Wadala, convener of the “Sudhar Lehar” and is a part of the Akal Takht-constituted six-member panel for reorganisation the SAD.

Chandigarh

Updated on Dec 04, 2024 06:18 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber

Takht sets ball rolling for SAD reforms

The verdict has also ended an almost decade-long saga that haunted the SAD after a series of sacrilege incidents in 2015, when the party was in power, led to its political downfall.

Sukhbir Singh Badal and other leaders of the previous SAD government during the hearing of 'tankhaiya' (guilty of religious misconduct) case by the Akal Takht, in Amritsar on Monday. (PTI)

Chandigarh

Updated on Dec 03, 2024 05:22 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh

Shiromani Akali Dal panel keeps decision on Sukhbir resignation pending

The panel will discuss the issue with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) members and district-level SAD leaders before taking a decision.

The working committee of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday decided to keep its decision on the resignation by president Sukhbir Singh Badal pending. (HT file photo)

Chandigarh

Published on Nov 18, 2024 03:57 PM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber

Punjab: Sukhbir’s ‘tactical move’ ahead of Takht verdict

Sukhbir Singh Badal has already approached the Akal Takht twice ever since he was declared a tankhaiya (guilty of religious misconduct) on August 30. He has been waiting for the pronouncement of the punishment.

Chandigarh

Updated on Nov 17, 2024 06:06 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh

50% stubble still in fields, experts fear fire spike

In the two weeks since Diwali, which fell on October 31, stubble-burning incidents have doubled compared to the fortnight preceding the festival, indicating the mounting scale of emissions that are sweeping across north India.

The sudden rise in farm fires is driven by the approaching wheat sowing deadline, as farmers hurry to clear fields for rabi crops, experts said. (PTI File)

Chandigarh

Updated on Nov 15, 2024 09:56 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh

Punjab’s dist Sangrur records max field fires

At the onset of the kharif harvest, Amritsar reported the highest number of cases. Till Sunday, Amritsar has recorded 643 cases, nearly half the number in Sangrur.

The Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC) starts recording farm fires from September 15 to November 30. (ANI File)

Chandigarh

Published on Nov 10, 2024 10:48 PM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh

Rabi sowing on, Punjab still faces DAP shortage of 1.28 lakh tonnes

The state has 3.52 lakh tonnes of DAP, a key fertiliser ahead of rabi sowing, against requirement of 4.8 lakh tonnes

Punjab’s annual requirement of DAP is 8.5 lakh tonnes. (HT Photo)

Chandigarh

Updated on Nov 07, 2024 09:06 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh

Trudeau failed to handle situation:Punjab-origin Canadian politicians

Former premier of British Columbia Ujjal Dosanjh has said that the current turmoil stems from the Trudeau government’s inaction on violent statements and activities by separatists in Canada

Former premier of British Columbia Ujjal Dosanjh. (HT File)

Chandigarh

Updated on Nov 06, 2024 05:08 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh

Drastic drop in Punjab farm fires, but late harvest a worry

NASA’s VIIRS satellite monitoring system recorded 3,916 fire incidents between September 15 and November 2 this year, compared to 11,262 during the same period last year, marking a dramatic shift in the annual stubble burning pattern that typically blankets north India in hazardous smog.

Stubble burning seen in a field, in Sangrur on Saturday. (ANI Photo) (ANI)

Chandigarh

Updated on Nov 03, 2024 06:14 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber, Abhishek Jha, Chandigarh/new Delhi

Maryam Nawaz Sharif bats for for ‘smog diplomacy’ with India

The chief minister of Pakistan’s Punjab Province says she will write to her Indian counterpart (Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann) to reiterate her commitment to “smog diplomacy. The AQI of Lahore has touched an alarming level of 708.

Maryam Nawaz Sharif during an event in Lahore on Wednesday said Pakistan wants to have open a diplomacy with the Indian government as it concerns people’s health. (HT FILE)

Chandigarh

Updated on Nov 02, 2024 07:38 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh

IIT Kharagpur teams in Punjab to assess rice yield

The teams will visit rice mills in Jagraon, Raikot and Khanna. The designated mills have been asked to arrange 20-30 tonnes of paddy for shelling in the presence of IIT teams.

IIT Kharagpur teams’ visit comes amid rice millers’ apprehensions about shelling paddy, especially those of hybrid varieties, as they claim that these are yielding 3-4 kilograms less than the permissible limit of 67% (or 67 kg rice grain from 100 kg paddy). (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Chandigarh

Updated on Oct 30, 2024 07:18 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh

A tale of fire and water: Why Punjab’s paddy fields simmer

Farmers in Punjab burn paddy stubble to clear fields for wheat, worsening air pollution and health issues despite government efforts and judicial mandates.

A farmer burns stubble after a harvest at a paddy field, on the outskirts of Amritsar. (PTI)

India News

Updated on Oct 30, 2024 05:00 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber

Punjab: Centre rejects millers’ demand for field trials

The millers have been reluctant to shell the paddy, claiming that the out-turn ratio (post-milling yield) in these varieties was 62-64%, which was less than 67%, the acceptable permissible norm

As per the data from the state agriculture department PR 126 variety was sown over 43% of the total 32 lakh hectares under paddy cultivation in the kharif season this year. (ANI File)

Chandigarh

Updated on Oct 28, 2024 06:08 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh

‘Beleaguered’ Shiromani Akali Dal opts out of bypoll contest

The Shiromani Akali Dal will not contest the November bypolls, focusing instead on SGPC elections, following Akal Takht's ban on president Sukhbir Badal's campaign.

Chandigarh

Updated on Oct 25, 2024 09:06 AM IST

ByGurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh

Copy

Whatsapp Twitter Facebook Linkedin

Gurpreet Singh Nibber

Gurpreet Singh Nibber is an Assistant Editor with the Punjab bureau. He covers politics, agriculture, power sector, environment, Sikh religious affairs and the Punjabi diaspora.

Sukhbir Badal's resignation from SAD ends a 30-year Badal legacy, following electoral declines and internal party splits amid growing dissent.

A party leader, who did not want to be named, said the SAP was currently busy with the upcoming Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee elections on January 19

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders will meet Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh on Wednesday to seek clarification on reorganisation of the party, which is being supervised by a seven-member committee constituted by the Takht on December 2 last year.

Maghi has a strong religious connotation and is an important event for the religion-driven party SAD as the event commemorates the martyrdom of 40 muktas (Sikhs) who fought for tenth master Guru Gobind Singh.

Sukhbir resigned in November last year, handing over the party’s reins to senior most and veteran Akali Balwinder Singh Bhundar as a working president.

While the nominations ended on December 28, at least 89 candidates have filed their papers on all 40 constituencies scheduled for the polls

The decision came a day after the Haryana Gurdwara Election Commission informed the high court that a political party is not permitted to contest under its name or symbol

AAP secures majority in Patiala and Jalandhar, winning 179 of 368 municipal wards. In Ludhiana, it emerges largest party but seeks support for majority.

A few leaders are said to have raised fear that taking directions from religious body may invite action from Election Commission; a five-page reply is expected to reach the Sikh clergy head on Saturday.

Farm leader Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Balbir Singh Rajewal part of 6-member panel that will meet SKM (Non-Political) and KMM in Patiala

Balbir Singh Rajewal, who heads a Bharatiya Kisan Union faction, says his group would ponder on how to give support to the protesting farmer bodies at the Punjab-Haryana border points

A senior SAD leader said there is still a lot of ambiguity as to way ahead but it’s certain that the party will put its best foot forward in the civic body polls.

As pressure mounts on working committee to accept Sukhbir’s resignation, party is likely to take a legal opinion in the matter

A Jat Sikh from Bhadaur town of Sangrur who has been fighting a four-decade-long legal battle for victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Phoolka has the right credentials to emerge as a consensus candidate to head the SAD.

A human rights lawyer fighting a four-decade-long battle for victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, 69-year-old ex-AAP MLA Phoolka has the right credentials to emerge as a consensus candidate to head the SAD.

The SAD, on its part, has called an emergency meeting of the party’s core committee on Friday to discuss the further course of action after the assassination attempt on Sukhbir.

The verdict has also ended an almost decade-long saga that haunted the SAD after a series of sacrilege incidents in 2015, when the party was in power, led to its political downfall.

The panel will discuss the issue with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) members and district-level SAD leaders before taking a decision.

Sukhbir Singh Badal has already approached the Akal Takht twice ever since he was declared a tankhaiya (guilty of religious misconduct) on August 30. He has been waiting for the pronouncement of the punishment.

In the two weeks since Diwali, which fell on October 31, stubble-burning incidents have doubled compared to the fortnight preceding the festival, indicating the mounting scale of emissions that are sweeping across north India.

At the onset of the kharif harvest, Amritsar reported the highest number of cases. Till Sunday, Amritsar has recorded 643 cases, nearly half the number in Sangrur.

The state has 3.52 lakh tonnes of DAP, a key fertiliser ahead of rabi sowing, against requirement of 4.8 lakh tonnes

Former premier of British Columbia Ujjal Dosanjh has said that the current turmoil stems from the Trudeau government’s inaction on violent statements and activities by separatists in Canada

NASA’s VIIRS satellite monitoring system recorded 3,916 fire incidents between September 15 and November 2 this year, compared to 11,262 during the same period last year, marking a dramatic shift in the annual stubble burning pattern that typically blankets north India in hazardous smog.

The chief minister of Pakistan’s Punjab Province says she will write to her Indian counterpart (Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann) to reiterate her commitment to “smog diplomacy. The AQI of Lahore has touched an alarming level of 708.

The teams will visit rice mills in Jagraon, Raikot and Khanna. The designated mills have been asked to arrange 20-30 tonnes of paddy for shelling in the presence of IIT teams.

Farmers in Punjab burn paddy stubble to clear fields for wheat, worsening air pollution and health issues despite government efforts and judicial mandates.

The millers have been reluctant to shell the paddy, claiming that the out-turn ratio (post-milling yield) in these varieties was 62-64%, which was less than 67%, the acceptable permissible norm

The Shiromani Akali Dal will not contest the November bypolls, focusing instead on SGPC elections, following Akal Takht's ban on president Sukhbir Badal's campaign.

Join Hindustan Times

Create free account and unlock exciting features like