04012026-TT-01.qxd 1/3/2026 10:50 PM Page 1 c m y b GILL BACK AS CAPTAIN IN ODI SERIES WITH NZ SPORT /thetribunechd 123 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 4 | 18 PAGES | ~7.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HIMACHAL PRADESH sunday | 4 january 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Prez Maduro deposed, captured with wife as explosions rock Caracas, other locations Indicted by US dept for role in narco-terror, leading corrupt &illegitimate government US strikes Venezuela Punjab man looking for brother in Russia finds his body after 1.5 years Ukraine on the Russian war front in November 2025, his Jalandhar, January 3 brother Jagdeep Kumar said. A 30-year-old youth from Jagdeep brought ManGoraya in Punjab’s deep’s mortal Jalandhar, who was remains from Russia duped by travel agents to their native place into joining the Russin Goraya late Saturian army in 2023 and day night, with his whose brother was parents unaware of frantically searching the tragedy until the for him for the past body reached home. over a year and a half, Recounting his Mandeep Kumar has been confirmed ordeal, Jagdeep told dead through DNA analysis. The Tribune that he made two Mandeep Kumar was killed trips to Russia and submitted Continued on page 6 in a drone attack fighting REFLECTING ON BUDDHA PTI Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service OIL-RICH NATION ON WRONG SIDE OF WEST ■ Nicolas Maduro’s fall is the culmi- REUTERS Caracas (Venezuela), Jan 3 The United States hit Venezuela with a “large-scale strike” early Saturday and said President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of the country after months of stepped-up pressure by Washington. The extraordinary night-time operation was announced by President Donald Trump on social media hours after the attack. The legal authority for the strike—and whether Trump consulted Congress beforehand—was not immediately clear. The stunning, lightningfast American military action, which plucked a nation’s sitting leader from office, echoed the US invasion of Panama that led to the surrender and seizure of its leader, Manuel Antonio Noriega, in 1990, exactly 36 years ago on Saturday. Trump said a helicopter was hit during the operation in Venezuela, and a few US members were injured, but he believed none were killed. “A couple of guys were hit, but they came back, and they’re supposed to be in pretty good shape,” he said. He said the US lost no aircraft in the operation. “We got it all back. One of them was hit pretty hard, but we got it back. We had to do it because it’s a war,” he added a few moments later. Maduro and his wife, captured overnight from their Continued on page 6 ALL DISPUTES DON’T NEED FULL TRIAL: CJI BACK PAGE Photo posted by Trump shows Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro aboard USS Iowa Jima; and (right) smoke rises from blasts in Caracas. nation of months of stepped-up US pressure on various fronts. Washington had accused Maduro of running a ‘narco-state’ and rigging the 2024 elections ■ The 63-year-old leader, a former bus driver handpicked by dying Hugo Chavez to succeed him in 2013, had denied allegations and said Washington was intent on taking control of his nation’s oil reserves, the largest in the world IT’S A WAR, HAD TO DO IT RUSSIA ASKS US TO FREE MADURO We had to do it because it’s a war. A US helicopter was hit and a couple of guys were hurt, but they came back and are supposed to be in good shape. Donald Trump, US PREZ Russia has urged the US authorities to immediately release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, “We strongly urge the American leadership to reconsider its position and release the legally elected president of a sovereign country and his wife.” ❝ One more arrested in ‘saroops’ case AMRITSAR: The special investigation team probing the disappearance of 328 “saroops” of Guru Granth Sahib has arrested another former SGPC employee as it conducted searches at 15 locations, including Chandigarh, on Saturday. INSIDE SCorderonSharjeel, Khalidbailtomorrow NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will pronounce its verdict on the bail pleas of activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and five other accused in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case on Monday as the top court reopens after the winter break. INSIDE Today’s issue is of 18 pages, including six-page Spectrum. c m y b PM Narendra Modi at the inauguration of an exposition on Piprahwa Relics linked to the Buddha in New Delhi. He termed the return of relics after 125 years a “moment of pride, reverence and cultural connect”. After BCCI diktat, SRK team drops Bangladesh player from IPL squad Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 3 The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has released Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from its roster for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The decision comes amid national uproar, where KKR owner and Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan was trolled on social media, with fringe groups calling him a “traitor” for acquiring the services of the Bangladeshi pacer for the KKR for a sum of Rs 9.2 crore. “Due to the recent developments, the BCCI has instructed the KKR to release one of their players, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, from their squad. The BCCI has also said if they ask for any replacement, the board is going to allow it,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told ANI on Saturday. Although he did not specify the exact reason for this drastic step, it is understood the decision was taken because of public uproar over reports Continued on page 6 Set afire, Hindu trader succumbs New Delhi, January 3 Khokan Chandra Das, a middleaged Hindu businessman who was brutally attacked, hacked and set on fire three days ago, died in Dhaka on Saturday. Das was undergoing treatment at the National Burn Institute in Dhaka. Doctors said about 30 per cent of his body was burned, with severe injuries to his face and respiratory tract. His nephew-in-law, Pranto Das, said the family was seeking a Continued on page 6