The Chandigarh mayoral elections have been postponed till further notice. The mayoral election, which was scheduled to take place today was called off after the ill health of Anil Masih, presiding authority for the polls, as per the notice.

After receiving the text messages regarding the postponement of the elections in Chandigarh, the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) attacked the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) saying the BJP was afraid of their defeat. Congress and AAP are fighting the mayoral election together against the BJP in Chandigarh.

In fact, Congress leader Pawan Bansal went on to say that he had received the information that the presiding officer had been hospitalised with the intention to postpone the mayor election by the BJP. They have done a totally undemocratic thing, he charged.

AAP said the BJP was going to face defeat, while Congres said the BJP was not ready to face defeat.     

On Chandigarh mayor elections postponed, Congress leader HS Lucky said BJP is killing democracy. BJP thinks they will lose because they have 15 votes and we, the APP-Congress alliance, have 20 votes. They know the alliance will win all three posts of Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor, and Deputy Mayor, the Congress leader added.

AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha, on mayoral election, said AAP and Congress have decided to approach the High Court for justice and ensure that the mayoral election is held. He further said that it is clear that INDIA alliance is winning this election and the BJP is losing. BJP has got scared of the INDIA alliance, he added. We request the EC to appoint another presiding officer if the existing one has fallen ill but the election should take place today, Chadha said.

We had valid passes to enter the election building, but we were told that entry had been closed as the presiding officer had suddenly fallen ill. To end democracy and free and fair elections in the country, BJP will do anything, the AAP leader slammed BJP.

A CCTV video, that has emerged from Punjab’s Jalandhar district, showcases a policeman being hit by a speeding car at the high-tech checkpost in Kawan Pattan village near to Sultej river in Shahkot on Thursday.

The victim has been identified as Assistant of Sub-Inspector Surjit Singh, who was posted there on duty, he was standing in the middle of the road, signalling to stop the speeding car, but instead of stopping, the car hit the cop.

The driver, instead of extending help, fled the spot.

ASI Surjit Singh, a resident of Bajwa Kalan, was serving in Jalandhar Dehat Police. In a video that has surfaced, we can see that the driver ran over the police officer and then lost control of the vehicle. The driver did not offer any assistance and fled from the spot of the incident.

ASI Surjit’s condition is critical, and the entire incident was captured on CCTV. The video shows the car dragging the ASI after hitting him.

On Thursday, he was on duty at a high-tech checkpoint in Kawan Pattan village, which is adjacent to the Sutlej River in Shahkot. During his duty, in the afternoon, he signaled a white Jane car to stop. However, instead of stopping, the driver drove away. The car was coming at a high speed towards ASI Surjit, who tried to move to the side to avoid getting hit.

The driver hit the ASI with the car and dragged him, then dropped him on the divider a short distance away. After this, the car returned to the highway and stopped after hitting the railing. The driver got out of the car and ran away.

Singh was flung several feet in the area, as the impact was so severe. He fell onto the ground and crashed onto a road divider which led to severe injuries.

A senior official has stated that the police have registered a case against the unidentified driver, and efforts are underway to trace and bring him to justice.

Punjab’s education minister, Harjot Singh Bains, 1,378 security guards have been hired for all senior secondary government schools. Bains, who was presiding over a programme at a local government school, said these security guards would be responsible for the students safety as well as making sure they didn’t leave the school grounds while they were in class.

According to him, security guards will be present at all senior secondary schools with a student body of more than 500.

The minister stated that these security officers will be stationed at the entrance and exit points of the schools and will keep track of visitors in addition to ensuring that no student exits the facility during school hours without the principal’s consent.

The state government has launched a particular initiative to modernise the educational system by building new schools, the minister said.

Harjot Singh Bains made the announcements while he was in the city and said they had been initiated to address the widespread thefts and security issues within civic-run educational institutions.

A total of Rs 66.15 lakh has been set up in the Ludhiana district for the deployment of guards at 189 government schools, including illustrious establishments like the Government Model Senior Secondary Schools in Model Town, Cemetery Road, PAU, and Miller Ganj (Dholewal).

The decision was made in response to an increase in theft instances at government schools, which as of right now have few security measures.

He said that the government had allocated Rs 250 crore for the construction of perimeter fences at all government schools.

Similarly, Bains indicated that close to 2,000 campus managers would be hired to oversee the upkeep of the educational facilities. He said that for the first time, money has been given to schools for hygiene.

Depending on the number of students in a school, the government will distribute between Rs 3,000 and Rs 50,000 per month.