Punjab Government Issues Strict Directives for Child Protection; Immediate Action Against Obscene and Vulgar Content on Social Media

Vulgarity on Social Media Will Not Be Tolerated: Dr. Baljit Kaur

Activities Adversely Affecting Children’s Minds to Be Closely Monitored

Chandigarh, June 22:Expressing deep concern over the increasing trend of vulgar and obscene content being circulated on social media platforms, Punjab Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur today said such material poses a direct threat to the psychological and social well-being of children.

Welcoming the orders issued by the Punjab State Commission for Protection of Child Rights to the ADGP (Cyber Crime) for strict action against those posting such content, Dr. Baljit Kaur reiterated the Punjab Government’s firm commitment to safeguarding children and protecting their rights.

The Minister has directed all District Social Security, Women and Child Development Officers to keep a strict watch on the circulation of such objectionable content at their level. She instructed that any complaint or information received regarding such content must be immediately shared with the police and the Child Rights Commission. Additionally, awareness campaigns must be organized at the local level to sensitize parents, teachers, and youth about the responsible use of social media.

Reaffirming the government’s resolve to ensure a safe and nurturing environment for children’s overall development, Dr. Baljit Kaur stated that any elements adversely affecting the mental health of children will not be tolerated under any circumstances. The culprits will face the strictest legal action and be made examples of, to deter others from posting obscene content online.

The Minister also instructed the Police Department to intensify surveillance of such content on social media and take immediate action against individuals involved in creating or uploading it, under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, IT Act 2000, and POCSO Act 2012.

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Punjab Government’s Decision about Development Authorities Will bring more transparency: Harbhajan Singh ETO

Opposition Parties Spreading rumours to mislead Public: ETO

Chandigarh, June 22-The Punjab government's decision, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, regarding development authorities will significantly contribute to the overall development of the state. This was stated on Sunday by Cabinet Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO in a press release.

The Cabinet Minister said that appointing the Chief Secretary as the Chairman of all Local Development Authorities in Punjab will accelerate the approval process for development-related matters and directly benefit the common people.

The Minister added that, following the Chief Minister’s directives, state officials studied the reforms introduced by the Gujarat government in institutions like Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority, as well as the models adopted by the Uttar Pradesh government in Noida, Meerut, Kanpur and Lucknow. After a detailed analysis of the impact of these models, the officials submitted their findings to the government. Based on these conclusions, a decision was taken to amend Section 29(3) of the Punjab Regional and Urban Planning and Development (PRTPD) Act.

He further stated that this decision will facilitate swift action on development matters involving key institutions such as the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA), and Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA), thereby benefitting the people of the state. This change will streamline the functioning of development authorities and ensure timely decision-making. It also marks a major step toward decentralization of powers.

The Cabinet Minister also highlighted that including departments such as Revenue, Industries, Water Supply and Sanitation and others in the decision-making process of development authorities will strengthen inter-departmental coordination.

Mr. Harbhajan Singh ETO strongly criticized the opposition parties for making baseless and misleading statements on this issue, accusing them of attempting to confuse the public for political gain.

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ARMY PERSONNEL, HIS ACCOMPLICE ARRESTED FOR LEAKING SENSITIVE MILITARY DATA TO PAK ISI

— GURPREET SINGH, POSTED IN JAMMU, WAS IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH ISI HANDLER RANA JAVED, TRANSMITTED CLASSIFIED INFO VIA PEN DRIVES: DGP GAURAV YADAV

— MONETARY COMPENSATION ROUTED THROUGH COMPLEX FINANCIAL NETWORK; TWO MOBILE PHONES WITH ENCRYPTED CHATS RECOVERED: SSP AMRITSAR RURAL MANINDER SINGH

CHANDIGARH/AMRITSAR, June 22:In a major counter-espionage operation amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Amritsar Rural Police has arrested an Indian Army personnel and his aide suspected of espionage activities linked to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Sunday.

The arrested accused have been identified as Gurpreet Singh alias Gopy Foji, a resident of Dhariwal in Amritsar— presently, serving in the Indian Army and posted in Jammu; and his associate Sahil Masih alias Shali, a resident of Dhariwal in Amritsar.

DGP Gaurav Yadav stated that preliminary investigation revealed that Gurpreet Singh was in direct contact with operatives of the Pakistan ISI and is suspected of sharing sensitive and confidential information via pen drives. The key ISI handler involved in the case has been identified as Rana Javed, he added.

The DGP said that two mobile phones containing virtual numbers, reportedly used to communicate with ISI operatives, have been recovered from the possession of both the arrested accused persons. Further investigations are underway to dismantle the broader espionage-terror network and identify all collaborators in this case, he said.

Sharing more details, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amritsar Rural Maninder Singh said that accused Gurpreet Singh alias Gopy Foji was recruited into the Army in 2016 and systematically exploited his official position to collect, store, and transmit classified military information via pen drives and discs.

The espionage network was reportedly facilitated by an acquaintance identified as Arjan, a Dubai-based drug trafficker from Dhariwal, who introduced Gurpreet to ISI operatives five months ago, he said, while adding that since then, Gurpreet has actively engaged in the unauthorised collection and relay of sensitive military data to the ISI using pre-decided drop locations.

The SSP said that in lieu of this espionage activity, accused Gurpreet was receiving monetary compensation through a complex financial network involving intermediary bank accounts of friends, relatives, and foreign associates to evade detection. In an intelligence-led operation, police teams have arrested, Gurpreet and his associate Sahil Masih, while they were attempting another handover of sensitive data, he said.

He said that further investigations are in progress to unravel the wider nexus and identify additional conspirators, both domestic and foreign-based.

A case FIR No. 140 dated 21.06.2025 has been registered under sections 3, 5, and 9 of the Official Secrets Act and section 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Police Station Lopoke in Amritsar Rural.

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DAY 113 OF ‘YUDH NASHIAN VIRUDH’: 151 DRUG SMUGGLERS HELD WITH 533-GMs HEROIN, 2.8KG OPIUM, ₹5.3L DRUG MONEY

— AS PART OF ‘DE-ADDICTION’, PUNJAB POLICE CONVINCE 54 PERSONS TO UNDERGO DE-ADDICTION TREATMENT

CHANDIGARH, June 22:With the war against drugs “Yudh Nashian Virudh” waged on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to eradicate drug menace from state completed 113 days, Punjab Police on Sunday arrested 151 drug smugglers and recovered 533 grams heroin, 2.8 kg opium and Rs 5.32 lakh drug money from their possession. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached to 18,719 in just 113 days.

The operation was conducted on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav simultaneously in all 28 Police districts of the state.

Notably, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann has asked the Commissioners of Police, Deputy Commissioners and Senior Superintendent of Police to make Punjab drug free state. The Punjab government has also constituted a 5-member Cabinet Sub Committee led by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema to monitor the war against drugs.

Divulging details, Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla informed that over 200 Police teams, comprising over 1500 police personnel, under the supervision of 99 gazetted officers have conducted raids at as many as 523 locations across the state leading to the registration of 98 first information reports (FIRs) across the state. Police teams have also checked as many as 502 suspicious persons during the day-long operation, he added.

The Special DGP said that with the state government has enforced a three-pronged strategy— Enforcement, Deaddiction and Prevention (EDP)— to eradicate drugs from the state, the Punjab Police as part of ‘De-addiction’ has convinced 54 persons to undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment today.