‘People (in Punjab) open fire like they are bursting crackers… even minors’: Governor Gulab Chand Kataria

Punjab Governor and senior BJP leader Gulab Chand Kataria said the law and order situation in the state was “worrisome” and “people opened fire with weapons like they were bursting crackers on minor issues”, in Ludhiana on Thursday.

He told the media that, “The law and order situation is not satisfactory at all. The kind of incidents that happen here daily… People here open fire and shoot… Even minors… It’s a big challenge, and we are all trying to overcome it.”

Kataria also said Punjab has been weakened due to drugs. “Hating or punishing the addicts is not going to solve the problem. Only if we start saving the current generation from drugs, Punjab can rise again in the coming years.” Kataria also said, “So, I think that this challenge is for all and not for any one person. We all accept this challenge. We are trying to figure out how (to overcome it).”

Kataria presented the Sat Paul Mittal National Awards 2026 at a ceremony organised by the Nehru Sidhant Kender Trust, established in 1983 by the late Sat Paul Mittal. Held on the 137th birth anniversary of India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the ceremony also marked 34 years of the Sat Paul Mittal National Awards, recognising outstanding service to humanity.

This year’s awards recognised four distinguished individuals and institutions for outstanding service to humanity, with a cumulative cash prize of Rs 20 lakh presented across the Platinum and Gold categories along with citations.

The Sat Paul Mittal National Award 2026 – Platinum under the ‘Individual Category’ was conferred upon  Shalini Khanna, Director of NAB India Centre for Blind Women and Disability Studies. The award recognised her dedicated work to empower visually impaired and disabled women and children through skill development.

The Sat Paul Mittal National Award 2026 – Gold under the ‘Individual Category’ was conferred upon Nitesh Kumar Jangir, Co-founder of Coeo Labs and InnAccel, for developing affordable medical technologies that address critical neonatal, maternal and intensive-care needs.

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The Platinum award under the ‘Institutional Category’ was conferred upon Foundation to Educate Girls Globally. The foundation was recognised for its transformative efforts to bring out-of-school girls back into education and improve learning opportunities for children across underserved communities in India.

The Gold award under the ‘Institutional Category’ was conferred upon Sankara Eye Foundation, India. The award recognised its contribution to making quality eye care accessible to underserved communities.

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Divya Goyal is a Principal Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in Ludhiana (Punjab). She is w... Read More