Looking Back: A year that tested power, exposed fault lines

If 2024 was about uncertainty, 2025 was about confrontation, course correction and consequence. Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula — the Tricity — remained firmly in the national spotlight through a year that saw students deal a blow to the Centre, courts redraw policy lines, corruption probes shake powerful institutions, and crime puncture the region’s carefully cultivated calm.

From governance reforms and record property deals to violent incidents, climate shocks and administrative delays, 2025 laid bare both the strengths and the strains of this planned yet persistently pressured urban region.

PU STUDENT PROTEST

The most defining story of the year erupted at Panjab University. A restructuring notification issued by the Centre, first exposed by The Tribune, triggered an unprecedented 27-day agitation that paralysed the campus and sent political shockwaves across Punjab and Chandigarh. Students, backed by teachers, alumni and opposition parties, held firm until the Centre withdrew the notification.

The agitation ended with the Vice-Chancellor handing over a written charter, stalled Senate elections being cleared, and students returning to classes claiming a complete victory. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and PCC chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring hailed the outcome, marking the episode as a rare instance where sustained campus resistance forced a policy rollback.

SHOCKING CAMPUS VIOLENCE

Even as Panjab University emerged as a site of democratic assertion, it was also scarred by one of the year’s most distressing violent incidents. On March 28, 21-year-old computer science student Aditya Thakur was fatally stabbed during an altercation at a music concert on the UIET campus in Sector 25. He succumbed to his injuries at PGIMER, despite emergency treatment. Chandigarh Police arrested four suspects within two days and later apprehended a 17-year-old co-accused. The case raised uncomfortable questions about event permissions, campus security and simmering tensions among youth groups, puncturing the perception of university spaces as inherently safe.

DISSENT AGAINST CENTRE

Chandigarh’s uneasy relationship with the Centre came into sharper focus when the proposed Article 240 Constitutional Amendment Bill was listed for the Parliament’s winter session. Seen as expanding the Centre’s control over Union Territories, the Bill triggered fierce opposition from regional parties, legal experts and civil society. Amid mounting resistance, the Centre put the proposal on hold, underscoring the political sensitivity surrounding Chandigarh’s administrative framework.

SC REDREW MEDICAL ADMISSIONS POLICY

In January, the Supreme Court struck down Chandigarh’s reservation system for postgraduate medical admissions based on residence, terming it unconstitutional. The ruling had wide ramifications for local aspirants and institutions, reopening debate on domicile-based benefits and aligning admissions with national norms.

CORRUPTION CASES SHOOK ELITE INSTITUTIONS

This was also the year when corruption cases pierced the image of elite institutions. The CBI registered an FIR in the Rs 1.14-crore welfare grant scam at PGIMER, booking eight persons — including six PGI staffers, a photocopy shopowner and his partner. Investigators alleged that funds meant for poor patients were siphoned off between 2020 and 2024 through fake beneficiaries, forged bills and deletion of digital records, raising serious questions about internal oversight at the premier medical institute.

In another case, the CBI booked a former Enforcement Directorate officer and the brother of a PNB manager in a disproportionate assets case involving Rs 93.24 lakh. Assets were found to have swelled by 231 per cent in just 10 months, with Rs 56.41 lakh in cash seized and multiple family accounts placed under scrutiny.

POLICE SCANDALS & STERN JUDICIAL SIGNALS

The arrest of DIG HS Bhullar and his close aide Kirshanu Sharda in a corruption case delivered one of the sharpest jolts to the police establishment. The probe uncovered alleged recoveries, a deep nexus and disproportionate assets. When a plea seeking a stay on the CBI investigation reached the Supreme Court, it was firmly rejected, with CJI Justice Surya Kant remarking, “It’s better we don’t open our mouths. Don’t invite harsh observations from us.” The episode badly dented the credibility of senior police leadership.

IPS OFFICER’S SUICIDE & UNRESOLVED QUESTIONS

The alleged suicide of IPS officer Y Puran Kumar sent shockwaves through the region. An FIR naming senior Haryana officials gave the case a political edge. Matters worsened when an ASI linked to the probe also died by suicide, prompting another FIR in Haryana. Despite multiple agencies stepping in, the absence of closure kept the issue alive throughout the year.

CENTRAL AGENCY STEPS INTO EX-DGP FAMILY CASE

In another sensitive matter, the CBI registered an FIR against a former Punjab DGP and his wife in connection with their son’s death, following a request by the Haryana Government. The case was initially registered at the Mansa Devi Complex police station, once again reflecting growing reliance on Central agencies in high-stakes, politically sensitive probes.

CRIME PUNCTURED CALM

Apart from institutional scandals, street crime repeatedly grabbed headlines. The murder of Mohali-based kabaddi player Kanwar Digvijay Singh, alias Rana Balachauria, after he arrived for a private tournament, stunned the region. The police later shot dead the prime suspect, Harpinder alias Middu, in an encounter, describing him as a hardened criminal.

In early December, the broad-daylight shooting of Inderpreet, alias Parry, near the Timber Market in Sector 26 further rattled the city. Allegedly linked to gang rivalries, the killing triggered an intense manhunt. The police arrested a man accused of supplying the stolen Hyundai Creta used in the crime, while Delhi Police’s Operation Cell tracked down the shooters. The incident reinforced concerns about gang influence and organised crime spilling into public spaces.

LOSSES IN PUBLIC LIFE

Punjabi singer Rajvir Jawanda died 11 days after suffering critical injuries in a road accident, compounded by a cardiac arrest, silencing a popular voice in the music industry. The Tricity also mourned former Union Home Minister and Punjab Governor-cum-Chandigarh Administrator Shivraj Vishwanath Patil, remembered for his understated constitutional conduct.

DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS: PROMISE VERSUS PACE

Punjab cleared the decks to acquire over 5,100 acres for nine new sectors in Mohali and two townships in New Chandigarh, marking a decisive shift from the abandoned land pooling policy to full acquisition. Section 11 notifications and compensation awards for EcoCity-3 and MediCity were lined up, reshaping the region’s urban future.

Infrastructure delivery, however, remained uneven. The Mohali-Rajpura railway link finally received approval, Tribune flyover bids were opened, and one section of the Tricity Ring Road — from Mohali IT City to the Kurali expressway — became operational. In contrast, the Zirakpur Bypass remained stuck in procedural limbo despite an eight-month-old green signal from the PM-led CCEA, emerging as a symbol of bureaucratic drag.

TECHNOLOGY, INDUSTRY & INVESTMENT PUSH

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced a major upgrade of Mohali’s Semiconductor Laboratory, reviving hopes of placing the region on India’s semiconductor map. Mohali’s stature grew as an investment destination, driven by IT, real estate and manufacturing interest.

PROPERTY BOOM & LIFESTYLE SHIFTS

Chandigarh’s property market scaled unprecedented heights. Registrations touched a new high, capped by a Sector 9 bungalow selling for Rs 126 crore — the city’s costliest deal ever. Estate Office data showed luxury housing peaking, while experts said actual market values were likely even higher. Vehicles outnumbered humans, and the scramble for fancy registration numbers reflected rising affluence and changing urban aspirations.

REFORMS, SCHOOLS & SAFETY

The Chandigarh Railway Station upgrade neared completion, reviewed by Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and Ravneet Singh Bittu. Early-year financial restrictions imposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs were later eased. Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria’s personal intervention on broken roads led to large-scale relaying works across the city.

Reforms quietly altered governance: the Sewa curriculum was introduced in schools; Chandigarh was declared slum-free; property auto-mutation was rolled out; and the UT reported a 91 per cent conviction rate under new criminal laws — the first in the country to fully implement them. The long-stalled Metro project showed signs of revival after years of being adrift.

RAIN, HERITAGE & UNFINISHED VISIONS

Record rainfall lashed the Tricity, triggering flood-like situations and exposing drainage weaknesses. At the Capitol Complex, a court-mandated verandah was completed and restoration plans expedited under UNESCO’s watch. Meanwhile, as the Rock Garden marked Nek Chand’s 101st birth anniversary, experts and family members stressed that completing his unfinished vision and securing global heritage status remained the real tribute.

FIVE HIGHS

• PU students force Centre to withdraw restructuring plan
• Record-breaking property boom and Rs 126-crore deal
• Slum-free status and rollout of auto-mutation
• SCL upgrade announcement boosts tech prospects
• 91% conviction rate under new criminal laws

FIVE LOWS

• Police and institutional corruption scandals
• Campus stabbing and gang-linked killings
• Zirakpur Bypass stuck despite top-level clearance
• High-profile suicides with unresolved questions
• Persistent gaps in heritage and urban planning
• Frequency of street crime

THE BALANCE SHEET

In 2025, Chandigarh Tricity showed that institutions can still be challenged and corrected — by students, courts and residents. Yet the year also exposed deep governance stress, security anxieties and the high cost of delay. As 2026 beckons, the real test lies in converting announcements into action, and ambition into accountable, inclusive urban growth.