12072026-TTC-01.qxd 7/12/2026 12:52 AM Page 1 c m y b 123 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 191 | 22 PAGES | ~7.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 BENGAL GOVT SETS UP PANEL TO EXAMINE DRAFT UCC BILL NATION /thetribunechd INTERPOL RED CORNER NOTICE AGAINST HIZBUL TERRORIST J&K FORGOTTEN 9,909: PB REGISTERS RESTORE WWI SACRIFICES SPECTRUM IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER PLEDGES REVENGE FOR SLAIN FATHER WORLD sunday | 12 july 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com BJP plotting NC split, MLA offered ~20 cr, says Omar Alleges legislators being lured with J&K statehood Adil Akhzer Punjab AICC general secretary in-charge Bhupesh Baghel with Charanjit Singh Channi, Sukhjinder Randhawa, Partap Bajwa and others in Chandigarh. Baghel fails to defuse Punjab Cong crisis as Channi lines up 92 leaders at meeting Leadership dispute likely to reach high command’s court again Rajmeet Singh Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 11 A high-stakes meeting between disgruntled Punjab Congress leaders, led by former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, and AICC state in-charge Bhupesh Baghel on Saturday ended without any immediate resolution to the deepening leadership crisis, leaving the matter for the party high command to decide. The meeting came days after the high command retained Amrinder Singh Raja Warring as the Punjab unit president and appointed Channi as chairman of the campaign committee. Warring was not part of the meeting, which was held as the party gears up for the 2027 Assembly elections. As many as 92 leaders, including sitting and former MLAs who are opposed to Warring being retained as the president, attended the meeting at the Chandigarh residence of Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh. They conveyed to Baghel that while they had no personal enmity with Warring, the party “could not return to power if a compromised leader was in the saddle”. Prominent among those present were Channi, Partap Singh Bajwa, Rana Gurjeet, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Sangat Singh Gilzian, Aruna Chaudhary, OP Soni, Pargat Singh, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa and Bharat Bhushan Ashu. Before the closed-door meeting that lasted several hours, Channi put out a cryp- Bhartesh Singh Thakur Lt Col Ashish Chandok (40) has been contesting three cases, filed by his wife at the Panchkula courts, for the past year. He has been living separately from his wife. Lieutenant Colonel Chandok told the police that on July 9, during the hearing of his cases at the family court, Panchkula, the opposing lawyer, Maninder Singh Bitta, and his associates misbehaved with him and later called 10-17 lawyers who allegedly assaulted him outside a courtroom. He alleged that Bitta and other lawyers then confined him in the chamber of advocate NS Sodhi, where they assaulted him again. “Bitta and his associates then threatened me to write a ‘raazinama’, else they would not leave me and beat me up,” he told the police. “They got a raazinama signed by me, which I was not able to read. After I signed it, I was allowed to leave the court complex,” he added. continued on page 7 J&K CM Omar Abdullah with NC chief Farooq Abdullah in Srinagar. PTI NAME LEADER OR APOLOGISE: BJP TO J&K CM The BJP rejected Omar’s allegations as “misleading and baseless”. J&K BJP leader Ravinder Raina said if the CM was “speaking the truth, he should place the facts and evidence in public domain”. The party asked Omar to either name the BJP leader or issue a public apology. It warned of legal action if he failed to substantiate claims. “Do not consider us so weak. There is not a single legislator on the stage who will sell his integrity for Rs 20 crore, or even Rs 100 crore...You (BJP) will not be able to come to the front seat through the back door. For now, people have kept you in the back seat. You will remain there,” he said. The NC leader also said the party’s success in the Assembly elections had become a punishment. “Why did you make a government, if you don’t let them work? If you had to harass people through the Raj (Lok) Bhavan, dismiss employees, run bulldozers and do all these things, why did you bring us forward?” he said. On statehood, the Chief Minister also said their patience shouldn’t be mistaken for weakness. “I kept my political future and reputation at stake and told continued on page 7 SanjayYadav Tribune News Service Army officer blames lawyers; FIR lodged Himachalfordigital templedonations, issuesguidelines SHIMLA: Devotees visiting HP temples will be encouraged to make donations through digital modes such as UPI, point-ofsale machines and online banking under a new set of guidelines aimed at enhancing transparency in the management of temple offerings. The Department of Language, Art and Culture on Saturday issued comprehensive guidelines in this regard. INSIDE FSSAI notice to Swiggy Instamart over ‘expired’ food NEW DELHI: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Saturday said it had issued nine notices to quick-commerce platform Swiggy Instamart following multiple consumer complaints, including allegations of the supply of rotten and expired food products. INSIDE India, NZ elevate ties to strategic G’gram gunmen were shot partnership; aim to double trade from close range: Autopsy Lt Col assaulted in P’kula court, confined to room Chandigarh, July 11 A serving Lieutenant Colonel posted at the Chandimandir military station in Panchkula was allegedly assaulted inside the Panchkula court complex by lawyers on July 9. He was then allegedly confined in a lawyer’s chamber and forced to sign an agreement. An FIR was registered at the Sector 7 police station in Panchkula on Friday on the charges of voluntarily causing hurt, voluntarily causing grievous hurt, wrongful confinement, unlawful assembly, rioting and criminal intimidation. tic post on social media: “Wait and watch which way the wind blows.” The dissidents expressed strong reservations over the current state leadership, with some alleging that Warring’s continuation could adversely impact the Congress prospects in the run-up to the elections. Warring skipped the meeting, saying that “his absence would allow the dissenting voices to speak freely without any discomfort”. continued on page 7 Srinagar, July 11 Ahead of the National Conference’s protest on statehood in Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday accused the BJP of trying to topple the state government by engineering a split in the party. He claimed that one of its MLAs was offered Rs 2030 crore to switch sides. Speaking at a grand event held on the 26th death anniversary of his grandmother Akbar Jehan at the mausoleum of his grandparents at Hazratbal, Omar said, “You (Centre) have made a joke of our patience, decency and silence.” “Attempts are being made to break the National Conference. When offers of money and ministerial berths didn’t work, the BJP is now telling my MLAs behind closed doors that ‘come with us and we will give you the statehood’,” Omar claimed. The NC vice-president further claimed that an NC MLA from Jammu told him that a BJP office-bearer, who is also a Supreme Court lawyer, had offered him Rs 20-30 crore, a ministerial berth and statehood to switch sides. Slamming the BJP Omar , reposed faith in his MLAs. SPECIAL TO THE TRIBUNE Avneet Kaur Coast Guard officials rescue people, mostly Indians, from a capsized tourist boat off Phu Quoc Island in An Giang, Vietnam, on Saturday. ANI 15 Indian tourists dead as boat capsizes in Vietnam Ujwal Jalali Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 11 Fifteen Indian nationals were killed on Saturday after a tourist speedboat capsized near Phu Quoc Island. Vietnamese authorities said the speedboat was carrying 32 Indian tourists, along with four crew members, when it overturned about 400 metres from shore while returning from Hon May Rut Ngoai Island to An Thoi Port. Twenty-one people were rescued in an operation hampered by rough seas and strong winds, while all 15 bodies were later recovered. An investigation has been ordered into the cause of the accident. Expressing condolences to the bereaved families, the Indian Embassy in Vietnam said officials in Hanoi and the Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City remained available for any assistance. The embassy said 10 of the deceased hailed from Tamil Nadu, three from Andhra Pradesh and two from Kerala. Auckland, July 11 India and New Zealand have elevated their bilateral ties to a strategic partnership, announcing a roadmap to deepen cooperation across trade, defence, maritime security, agriculture, tourism, sport and innovation during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Auckland on Saturday. The two countries also agreed to increase bilateral trade in goods and services to around NZ$7 billion (approximately Rs 35,000 crore) by 2030. The visit, the first by an Indian Prime Minister to New Zealand in four decades, combined highlevel diplomatic engagements, business and sporting initiatives, and a large community event, while rival protest groups demonstrated outside Spark Arena, Auckland, under a heavy continued on page 7 Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon during an Indian diaspora event in Auckland. PTI PM PREFERS DIRECT CONTACT WITH ELECTORATE: MEA The Ministry of External Affairs described PM Modi as a ‘quintessential’ politician who prefers direct engagement with the electorate. To a querry on why Modi had not held a press conference for NZ journalists, MEA Secretary (East) Rudrendra Tandon said the query gave him a ‘déjà vu’ of a similar question raised during the PM’s Norway visit to Norway. Gurugram, July 11 Postmortem reports of slain shooters from Deepak Nandal’s gang, who were gunned down in the Gurugram encounter on Thursday night, have revealed that a total of 21 bullets struck their bodies. No bullets were found lodged inside the bodies, indicating the rounds had passed through. The findings suggest that the shots were fired at close range. A video of the incident has also surfaced, showing armed men moving through the street. The footage, recorded by residents of the colony, purportedly shows plainclothes police personnel. The slain shooters included Ankit, Nitin and Aryan, all residents of Baloth village in Rohtak, and Deepa, alias Sandeep, who hailed from Fatehabad. According to doctors who conducted the autopsies, Deepa sustained four bullet wounds. Aryan and Nitin suf- 21 bullets struck shooters, all passed through bodies fered five gunshot wounds each, while Ankit’s body bore the highest number — seven. Doctors said all victims had sustained gunshot wounds to the neck, chest and abdomen. The postmortem examination revealed that all bullets passed through the bodies and not a single bullet was found lodged inside. According to the doctors, the findings indicated that the shots were fired at very close range. Following the postmortem, all four bodies were handed over to relatives late Friday evening. Meanwhile, injured shooter Shivam and three cops are undergoing treatment at a hospital and their condition is reportedly stable. A senior police official said they would continued on page 7 Shut since Partition, Lahore gurdwara reopens Before Khalra conviction, ex-DSP Jaspal Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Gurdwara Patshahi Chhevin at Amar Sidhu in Lahore. FILE Amritsar, July 11 A historic gurdwara in Lahore associated with Guru Hargobind Sahib has been reopened to devotees for the first time since Partition, ending a wait of nearly 79 years. Gurdwara Patshahi Chhevin at Amar Sidhu, a historic village on the LahoreKasur road that is now part of Lahore’s urban limits, was formally reopened following the shrine’s renovation. The local Sikh community marked the occasion by performing a Sukhmani Sahib Associated with Guru Hargobind, the shrine was built in 1923 ‘paath’ and ‘ardas’ on Friday. The shrine is one of the three historic gurdwaras in Lahore associated with Guru Hargobind Sahib. Historical accounts state that the Guru stayed at the site while returning from Kashmir before proceeding towards Amritsar. The shrine is also linked to Bibi Kaulan, who is believed to have accompanied the Guru during the journey along with a Sikh con- gregation. According to Davinder Singh Dhillon, editor of the Gurdwara Pedia portal, the site initially comprised only a simple memorial. A grand gurdwara was constructed in 1923 through the efforts of Bhai Mohan Singh Akali (Nihang) and the support of the Lahore Sikh community. Renowned civil engineer Sir Ganga Ram, who built several iconic buildings in undivided Punjab during the British era, made a significant contribution to the construction. Dhillon said the complex originally had around 17 kanals of land, with continued on page 7 Today’s issue is of 22 pages, including six-page spectrum. c m y b had won pardon in another murder case Mohit Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 11 Even as the whereabouts of dismissed DSP Jaspal Singh, who was sentenced to life for his role in the 1995 abduction and murder of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, remain unknown, records reveal that this was not the first time he had managed to secure freedom despite serious criminal charges. In 2023, he secured bail and premature release, but records reveal that he had previously Also figures in abduction, disappearance of Bhagat Singh sister’s kin Against nat’l security: Govt panel says OTT ban on ‘Satluj’ to stay Aditi Tandon received a pardon in another high-profile murder case in 2005. Documents accessed by The Tribune reveal that then Punjab Governor Gen SF Rodrigues (retd), acting on a recommendation from the Congress-led Punjab Government, granted a pardon to Jaspal Singh after a Patiala court continued on page 13 Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 11 The online ban on Diljit Dosanjh-starrer “Satluj” will continue, the high-level government committee reviewing the matter said today, citing the imperatives of national security and sovereignty. The Ministry of Information and continued on page 7