Hamdard Case: Punjab Vigilance decides to cancel FIR against Barjinder Singh Hamdard, others in Jang-E-Azadi Memorial case
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, December 6, 2025:In a significant development, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court that it is in the process of preparing a cancellation report in the May 22, 2024 FIR registered against media baron Barjinder Singh Hamdard and others in connection with alleged irregularities in the construction of the Jang-e-Azadi Memorial in Jalandhar.
During the hearing, the State counsel, on instructions from DSP Ashwani Kumar of the Vigilance Unit, submitted that the investigating agency will file the cancellation report within four weeks in FIR No. 09 (22.05.2024), registered under IPC Sections 406, 409, 420, 465, 467, 468, 471, 120-B, and Sections 13(1)(A) & 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Taking note of the submission, the court observed that the matter had been rendered infructuous and disposed of the case accordingly.
The FIR had named Hamdard—who served as the managing committee president of the Jang-e-Azadi Memorial Foundation and is the editor-in-chief of the Ajit Group of Newspapers—along with others, alleging financial and administrative irregularities in the memorial project.
Click the link to read the order copy:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dZgFyHkI9dvMpVx3TsfWPPNyH2Radvpc/view?usp=sharing
Hamdard, who was named in the FIR along with others, had been closely associated with the memorial project for over a decade. As the managing committee president of the Jang-e-Azadi Memorial Foundation and editor-in-chief of the Ajit Group of Newspapers, he played a central role in spearheading the conception and development of the memorial since 2012.
He resigned from the Foundation on April 10, 2024, stepping down as both member secretary and managing committee president.
The memorial, spread over 25 acres in Kartarpur—about 18 km from Jalandhar—was a flagship initiative of the previous Shiromani Akali Dal–BJP government. Built at an estimated cost of ₹315 crore, the first phase of the project was opened to the public in 2016 as a tribute to the sacrifices made during India’s freedom struggle.