15052026-TT-01.qxd 5/14/2026 10:56 PM Page 1 c m y b 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 133 | 12 PAGES | ~6.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HIMACHAL PRADESH MISHANDLING OF TAIWAN CAN SPARK CONFLICT, XI WARNS TRUMP WORLD /thetribunechd BJP ACCUSES SPEAKER OF BIAS IN ALLOCATION OF HOUSE PANELS J&K WHOLESALE INFLATION BAR SEEKS REPORT ON WB SPIKES TO 42-MONTH EX-CM MAMATA’S PRACTICE HIGH OF 8.3% BUSINESS STATUS BACK PAGE friday | 15 may 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Indian vessel sunk off Oman as Delhi hosts Iran minister for BRICS meeting EAM for talks to resolve W Asia crisis | Tehran asks grouping to slam US aggression Ujwal Jalali & Rinku Behera Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 14 An India-flagged commercial vessel reportedly sank after it came under attack in the Omani waters even as New Delhi on Thursday hosted several foreign ministers, including Iran’s Abbas Araghchi, for the BRICS meeting. It was not immediately known who carried out the strike on the vessel. All its 14 crew members were rescued safely. At the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting, India raised the alarm over the escalating conflict in West Asia, warning that tensions in the region were threatening global economic stability and maritime security. It said dialogue, diplomacy and adherence to international law was the only sustainable path to peace. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the continuing instability in West Asia, particularly around key maritime routes such as the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, had exposed the fragility of the global order and intensified pressure on developing Centre bans sugar exports till Sept 30 to contain inflation NEW DELHI: India has banned the export of sugar till September 30 this year with immediate effect, a move which would help enhance domestic availability and contain prices. The ban, however, does not apply to sugar being exported to the EU and the US under the CXL and tariff rate quota arrangement, respectively. Banning exports of a commodity helps prevent a rise in prices amid inflation concerns caused by the West Asia conflict. INSIDE NIA files charges against 10 in Red Fort blast case NEW DELHI: Six months after the Red Fort car explosion incident, in which 11 persons were killed and several others were injured on November 10, 2025, the NIA on Thursday filed a 7,500-page chargesheet in the matter in a special NIA court at Patiala House Courts in the national capital. The accused, including Umar un Nabi, were linked to the organisation Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, an offshoot of Al-Qaida. INSIDE Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Iran's Abbas Araghchi and other delegates during the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi on Thursday. PTI economies. “The conflict merits particular attention. Continuing tensions, risks to maritime traffic and disruptions to energy infrastructure highlight the fragility of the situation,” Jaishankar said. The minister also expressed serious concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, reiterating India’s support for a sustained ceasefire, unhindered humanitarian access and a credible pathway towards a lasting resolution of the Palestine issue through a two-state solution. The EAM said India, as BRICS Chair, had already hosted over 80 meetings under the grouping and was working to strengthen institutional mechanisms following the expansion of the bloc. Iran urged BRICS nations to explicitly condemn the US and Israel over “attacks on its sovereignty”. Araghchi said the “western powers were pushing the world towards Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 14 Ending nearly 10 days of suspense, intense lobbying and factional manoeuvring, the Congress on Thursday named VD Satheesan as the next Chief Minister of Kerala, with the party leadership ultimately backing public support, organisational performance and alliance acceptability over traditional seniority claims within the state unit. Sources said Satheesan would take oath on May 18. Satheesan’s elevation came after the Congress high command weighed competing claims from party general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal and senior leader Ramesh Chennithala, both of whom remained in contention till the final stages of deliberations in the national capital. The announcement was made by Kerala in-charge Deepa Dasmunshi at a press conference attended by AICC observers Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik, shortly after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi concluded a nearly two-and-a-half-hour meeting with Venugopal. The decision marks a major generational shift within the Kerala Congress, where lead- Party opts for election performance, public support over seniority Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 14 Holding that a “coordinated campaign” was run to vilify the judiciary after she refused to recuse herself from the Delhi excise policy case, Delhi HC Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma on Thursday initiated contempt proceedings against AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and several senior party leaders, before stepping aside from hearing the matter herself. Justice Swarana Kanta sends case to another Bench VD Satheesan after being named the Kerala CM on Thursday. PTI WILL ABIDE BY PARTY’S DECISION: VENUGOPAL Congress leader KC Venugopal, who was in race for the Kerala CM post, said he accepted the party high command’s decision and would extend support to the Congress-led UDF govt. ership choices have historically revolved around factional equations, caste-community balancing and seniority. The sources said the high command viewed Satheesan as the face of a new Congress leadership in Kerala after his continued on page 8 edit: kerala breakthrough Justice Sharma said continuing to hear the excise case could allow the accused to later claim she was acting with prejudice against them. “If I continue hearing the matter, they may say I hold a grudge against them. Therefore, this case will now go before another Bench,” the judge observed while recusing from the case. The contempt action has been initiated against AAP leaders, Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Durgesh Pathak, Sanjay Singh, Vinay Mishra and Saurabh Bharadwaj over alleged defamatory statements, edited videos and social media posts targeting continued on page 8 Animesh Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 14 Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Chandigarh are among the 16 states and three union territories where the third phase of the special intensive revision of electoral rolls will be conducted by the Election Commission of India in a staggered manner, beginning May 30. However, Himachal and the union territories of J&K and Ladakh have not been included in the third phase of the SIR. The EC said the third phase would cover the entire country except Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. “After due consideration of the weather in the upper reaches/snow-bound areas, the SIR schedule for J&K, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh will be announced later,” the EC said. The states and UTs where the SIR will be carried out are Delhi, Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Andhra Starting May 30, 16 states, 3 UTs to be covered Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Telangana, Punjab, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Tripura, Dadar and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. In Punjab, the final electoral rolls will be published on October 1, while in Chandigarh and Haryana, these will be published on September 22. In Delhi, the final rolls be released on October 7. As per the schedule, the final rolls will be released on September 6 in Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim and Manipur. On September 11, the final electoral rolls of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu will be released. The final rolls of Uttarakhand will be out on September 15. The poll body said during the third phase of the SIR, over 3.94 lakh booth-level officers will continued on page 8 SHOCK-STRUCK: Combo-images show Nanhe Mian (inset) being thrown nearly 50 feet into the air along with a tin roof during a powerful storm in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh. PTI Man flung 50 ft into air as fierce storm kills104 in UP Bareilly, May 14 In a shocking incident, a man was flung nearly 50 feet into the air along with a tin roof and thrown into a field during a powerful storm in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district as the adverse weather killed at least 104 people across the state. The incident was captured in a video and the man, Nanhe Mian of Bamiyana village, suf- fered multiple injuries, including a fractured arm and leg, in the incident that occurred on Wednesday. In the video doing the rounds on social media, the man is seen being launched into the air while he is holding onto the tin roof. He then lets go, does a somersault in the air and lands in the adjacent field. Initially, some social media users expressed disbelief over the video and suspected that it was generated using artificial intelligence. But for Nanhe, an e-rickshaw driver, it is all too real. Nanhe, around 50 years old, said on Thursday that he had gone to a wedding hall to collect some items when the storm intensified. “The wind was so strong that the tin shed started making loud noises. I thought if I did not hold onto it, it would be blown away in the storm. So, I immediately grabbed a rope tied to the shed. Then a very strong gust came and lifted both the shed and me into the air,” he said. Off studies for 45 yrs, Pb woman scores 77% Nirbhaya rerun: Woman Encouraged by sons, Phagwara’s 61-yr-old Narinder Kaur takes up Class X challenge Tribune News Service BHIWANI: Deepika, daughter of a private school van driver from Khera village in Bhiwani district, secured the top position in the Haryana Board Class X examination by scoring 499 out of 500 marks. Girls once again outshone boys. The pass percentage among girls stood at 91.64 per cent, compared to 87.69 per cent among boys. INSIDE Shekhar Singh Delhi HC judge recuses,initiates contemptagainst Kejriwal,5others Ph 3 of SIR to include Pb, Haryana & Delhi Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Driver’s daughter tops Hry Class X examwith499/500 instability and conflict”. “Iran calls upon BRICS member states and all responsible members of the international community to explicitly condemn violations of international law by the US and Israel, including their illegal aggression against Iran, a member of BRICS,” Araghchi said. The Iranian Foreign Minister accused Washington and Tel Aviv of pursuing “illegal expansionism and warmongering”. Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) thanked the Omani authorities for rescuing the Indian crew. “The attack on an Indiaflagged ship off the coast of Oman yesterday is unacceptable. We deplore the fact that commercial shipping and civilian mariners continue to be targeted,” it said. The MEA said: “India reiterates that targeting commercial shipping and endangering innocent civilian crew members, or otherwise impeding freedom of navigation and commerce, should be avoided.” While the vessel was sunk, two foreign-flagged continued on page 8 Cong Kerala suspense ends, Satheesan pips Venugopal in CM race Phagwara, May 14 With a shy smile and a book still in her hand, 61-year-old Narinder Kaur stands at the door of her home in Sarhali village near Phagwara as a young woman greets her warmly, “Congratulations, Aunty ji.” Blushing with pride, Narinder Kaur softly replies, “Thank you ji.” Then, walking back into her room lined with books and notebooks, she says with quiet joy, “Mainu famous krta meri padhai ne (my education has made me famous).” At an age when many people believe dreams have already passed them by, Narinder Kaur has proven otherwise. After a gap of Narinder Kaur cleared Class X exam through open school. SARABJIT SINGH nearly 45 years, she appeared for the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) Class X open school examination and scored an impressive 77 per cent marks. But for Narinder Kaur, these marks are much more than numbers; the fulfilment of a lifelong dream. She had to leave her studies in 1981. Seven years later, she got married, c m y b but the desire to continue studying never left her heart. “Those years were emotionally very difficult,” she recalls. “I would often dream of going to college. I even requested relatives to convince my family to let me study, but it never happened.” Later, she asked her husband for permission to continue her education, but he too refused. Still, the love for learning remained alive. “Mainu padhayi naal bahut pyaar hai (I’m fond of studies),” she says, her eyes filling with tears. It was only years later when Narinder shared her unfinished dream with her sons living abroad that life finally changed. “They told me, ‘If you want continued on page 8 The Bareilly police said Nahne was standing inside the wedding hall when strong winds tore the tin roof of the structure. At least 104 people died in about a dozen districts, the worst hit being the area around Prayagraj, the office of the state’s Relief Commissioner, HB Yashod, said. CM Yogi Adityanath has ordered speedy relief disbursal. — Agencies gang-raped in Delhi bus Two-dayworkfrom home,Metrotravel tosavefuelinDelhi Rahul Gahlawat Anshita Mehra Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 14 Fourteen years after the Nirbhaya gang rape case shook the national capital, Delhi witnessed another horrific incident after a 30-year-old woman was allegedly gangraped inside a moving private sleeper bus by its driver and conductor, the police said on Thursday. The incident allegedly took place late on the night of May 12. Both accused have been arrested. The victim, a resident of the Pitampura slums and mother of three children, was returning home after finishing her shift at a local factory in Mangolpuri when she was Victim dumped along road; driver among 2 held allegedly dragged into the bus near the B-Block bus stand in Saraswati Vihar. The distance between Mangolpuri and Pitampura is around 5 km. The incident has raised fresh questions over Delhi Police’s claims regarding night patrolling and surveillance for the safety of residents. According to the victim’s statement, she was forcibly pulled inside the bus, after which the accused shut the door and instructed the driver to move the vehicle. continued on page 8 edit: another gangrape Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 14 The Delhi Government on Thursday announced a slew of measures, including two days of work from home for government offices and use of Metro trains by ministers and officers on Mondays. The steps are part of a sweeping 90-day public participation campaign, “Mera Bharat, Mera Yogdan”, aimed at promoting fuel conservation, responsible consumption and support for made-inIndia products. Announcing the initiative at the Delhi Secretariat, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the campaign was continued on page 8