14062026-TT-01.qxd 6/13/2026 11:11 PM Page 1 c m y b TMC PROTESTS RAID AT ABHISHEK’S HOUSE NATION /thetribunechd 123 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 163 | 20 PAGES | ~7.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HIMACHAL PRADESH sunday | 14 june 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Rubio warns against violating US’ Hormuz blockadeasEAMflags Indian sailors’ killings Ujwal Jalali Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 13 US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said violations of the American blockade and the illicit transport of Iranian oil through the Strait of Hormuz will not be tolerated. Rubio conveyed the message during a conversation with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday. The call came after Jaishankar lodged a strong protest over the deaths of three Indian seafarers in US attacks on commercial vessels off the coast of Oman. “The Secretary stressed that all commercial vessels should immediately comply with orders from US forces as they seek to uphold peace and security in the Strait,” US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said. Rubio also underscored that any violation of the US blockade and the unlawful transport of Iranian oil would not be tolerated, Pigott added. Three vessels carrying Indian crew continued on page 8 Five Air Force men killed as AN-32 transport plane crashes in Assam Co-pilot survives amid questions over safety of more than 35-yr-old aircraft Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service Security personnel near the wreckage of the IAF’s AN-32 transport aircraft that crashed while landing in Jorhat district of Assam. PTI Squadron Leader Flight Lieutenant Sergeant Prashant Singh Shubham Kumar Jitendra Sharma Agniveervayu K Kumawat Agniveervayu Danish Alam New Delhi, June 13 Five Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel were killed when their AN-32 transport aircraft crashed while landing at Assam’s Jorhat base around 10 am on Saturday. Six personnel were on board and two among those killed were officers. The co-pilot survived and is undergoing treatment at a military hospital in Jorhat, said IAF officials. The deceased have been identified as Squadron Leader Prashant Singh, Flight Lieutenant Shubham Kumar, Sergeant Jitendra Sharma, Agniveervayu Khemaram Kumawat and Agniveervayu Danish Alam. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the IAF condoled the deaths in separate messages on X. “A court of inquiry is being constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident,” the IAF said. 70% drugs in Pb coming from Gujarat; BJP sheltering Lawrence Bishnoi, says Kejriwal Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, June 13 AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday claimed 70 per cent of the drugs making their way to Punjab were coming from Gujarat. He said Gujarat had become the gateway of drugs under the “ED Party” (as he called the BJP). He also referred to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi as “ED party ka damaad” (son-inlaw of BJP), implying he was being sheltered by the Centre. Kejriwal made these comments while addressing traders during the ‘SarkarVyapar Milni’ in Jalandhar. While referring tacitly to the SAD, BJP and Congress respectively, Kejriwal said the state had four parties — the Chitta Party (or the Beadbi Party) i.e. SAD; ED Party (BJP); Jhagda Party (Congress) and the AAP . Accusing the BJP of target- AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann at a rally in Jalandhar. ing traders in the state through the ED, he reiterated AAP was reaching out to address their problems. “Last year, the ED Party collected Rs 60 crore donation from Punjab. But AAP got only Rs 70 lakh donation. The government is ours. The BJP has only two seats. But ED Party received generous amounts from industrialists…how? Through the threat of ED raids. Whoever didn’t give money was raided,” claimed Kejriwal. He alleged, “The ED Party (BJP) and Chitta Party continued on page 8 After surviving Himachal paraglider crash, Hollywood lens master fights for recovery 6 years in jail without trial, Khalid & Imam move fresh bail pleas Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 13 British cinematographer George Richmond, whose visual genius has illuminated some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters such as ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, ‘Rocketman’ and ‘Free Guy’, and who came within a breath of death when his paraglider crashed into the Himachal Pradesh mountains on June 8, is fighting back. Slowly, painfully, but fighting. A health bulletin issued by the PGI-Chandigarh, which was later withdrawn on the family’s request, on Saturday evening said the 54-yearold was “awake, conscious, responding to commands and able to interact and Richmond stable, but has limited limb movement communicate with his wife”. Sources confirmed to The Tribune that Richmond was being hosted as a personal guest at Patiala Mahal — the palatial house of former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh — through his close personal friendship with the former CM’s son Raninder Singh. Raninder is the titular heir to the Phulkian dynasty of Patiala and is the former president of the National Rifle Association of India. Richmond’s wife has remained at his bedside since she flew into India and he was airlifted to the PGI following the near-fatal accident in Kul- US-IRAN DEAL 24 HOURS AWAY: SHEHBAZ WORLD lu district. He was among a group of five paragliders on a cross-country flight from Bir Billing in Kangra district towards the Deo Tibba region in Kullu. This was probably his first flight and it’s not clear what happened to his controls, except that he crashed into the mountainside. Fellow paragliders alerted the local authorities. A rescue operation involving the Himachal administration and the Indian Air Force led to his evacuation. He was airlifted to Kullu for initial care before being shifted to the PGI in the early hours of June 9. According to the medical team attending on him, Richmond currently had very limited movement continued on page 8 Rahul Gahlawat Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 13 A Delhi court has sought response from the city police on fresh regular bail applications filed by activists Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid in the larger conspiracy case related to the 2020 riots, several months after the Supreme Court had rejected their petition. Additional Sessions Judge Sumedh Saini issued a notice to the Delhi Police and listed the matter for hearing on July 4. Both applications were filed after the Supreme Court declined to grant them bail on January 5 in the case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). In his plea, Imam contended that more than six months had continued on page 8 Today’s issue is of 20 pages, including six-page Spectrum. c m y b PAST AN-32 CRASHES ■ JUNE 3, 2019: Plane disap- pears shortly after take-off from Jorhat for Arunachal; all 13 aboard killed ■ JULY 2016: Plane with 29 disappears on way from Chennai to Port Blair; wreckage found in 2024; all dead ■ JUNE 2009:An AN-32 crashes near Rinchi Hill in Arunachal; all 13 personnel on board killed ■ MARCH 1999: Crash near Delhi’s Palam airport; all 21 on board killed, casualties on ground too Serious questions, meanwhile, have again risen over flying the AN-32 aircraft, which are over 35 years old even as their replacement is still a few years away. Sources said as soon as the aircraft took off from Jorhat on a routine sortie, its pilot reported a technical malfunction and decided to return to the base. continued on page 8 Lt Gen Seth, who has led 2 Commands,totakeover as Army Chief on June 30 Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 13 The government has appointed Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth, currently serving as the Vice Chief of the Army, as the next Army Chief. He will assume charge on June 30 upon the retirement of the incumbent, Gen Upendra Dwivedi, PVSM, AVSM. Lt Gen Seth, an officer of the Armoured Corps, was commissioned in December 1986. It will be the first time in nearly three decades that an Armoured Corps officer has been appointed Army Chief. The last officer from the Armoured Corps to hold the post was Gen Shankar Roychowdhury, who retired in September 1997. Lt Gen Seth has extensive experience across operational, strategic, capability development and institutional domains, contributing significantly to the Army’s combat effectiveness and First Armoured Corps officer to lead force after nearly three decades Pharmacy cashier shot in Chandigarh CHANDIGARH: A 45-year-old cashier was shot dead by two masked men at Sector 11based Shri Kumar Medical Hall here in broad daylight on Saturday. One of the assailants fired 13 rounds from a semi-automatic pistol at the victim, Janki Das, from point-blank range. — TNS Pvt school director shot dead in Shimla SHIMLA: The Director of a private school in Shimla’s Sanjauli was allegedly shot on the school premises by unidentified assailants on Saturday. The deceased has been identified as Meenakshi Mittal, Director of Saraswati Paradise Public School. INSIDE Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth long-term transformation. He has commanded at every level in diverse operational environments. His command assignments include an Armoured Regiment in the desert sector, an Armoured Brigade in the western theatre and a counter-insurgency force in Jammu & Kashmir. As a Lieutenant General, he continued on page 8 Centre takes over Jaipur Polo Ground NEW DELHI: The Centre on Saturday took physical possession of the historic Jaipur Polo Ground in the heart of Lutyens Delhi, sealing its gates and formally reclaiming the 15.2-acre property after a court declined to grant interim relief to the Indian Polo Association against an eviction order. BACK PAGE