04082026-TT-01.qxd 8/3/2026 11:18 PM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 214 | 14 PAGES | ~6.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HIMACHAL PRADESH TN GOVT MOVES SC FOR RELEASE OF ITS SHARE OF CAUVERY WATER NATION /thetribunechd HC SEEKS NIA REPLY ON ANDRABI’S APPEAL IN UAPA CASE J&K RS PASSES MSME BILL TO TACKLE DELAYED PAYMENTS BUSINESS SHARIF’S PARTY SET TO FORM GOVT IN POK AMID VIOLENCE WORLD tuesday | 4 august 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com WFI ex-chief Brij Bhushan, aide cleared in wrestlers’ sexual harassment case Court cites lack of proof, inconsistent testimonies Rahul Gahlawat Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 3 A Delhi court on Monday acquitted former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in a sexual harassment case filed by six women wrestlers on the grounds of lack of evidence and contradictory testimonies of witnesses. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ashwani Panwar of the Rouse Avenue Courts also acquitted former WFI Secretary Vinod Tomar in the high-profile case dating back to 2023. Brij Bhushan, who is a former BJP MP from Kaiserganj in Uttar Pradesh, and Tomar were present in the court when the verdict was pronounced in in-camera proceedings. The allegations that shook the sporting world surfaced when women wrestlers protested at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, accusing then WFI president Brij Bhushan of sexually harassing women wrestlers. continued on page 8 Former WFI president and BJP ex-MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh with supporters on his acquittal in New Delhi on Monday. MUKESH AGGARWAL Phogat: Will appeal against his acquittal NEW DELHI: Olympian Vinesh Phogat on Monday said the women wrestlers who had filed a sexual harassment case against former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan would appeal against his acquittal. “From the very beginning, the entire administration, the government and the system have been engaged in protecting Brij Bhushan,” Phogat posted on X. — TNS PUNJAB CONG CASE THAT SHOOK NATION JAN 18, 2023: Women wrestlers begin protest at Jantar Mantar, demand Brij Bhushan’s arrest APR 25: SC notice to Delhi Police APR 28: Delhi Police register two FIRs against duo, but one filed by a minor closed subsequently JUNE 15: Police file chargesheet JULY 20: Both get regular bail MAY 21, 2024: Charges framed JUNE 1: Trial begins against duo JULY 2, 2026: Court reserves order AUG 3: Court acquits both Brij Bhushan and his aide Tomar Tribune News Service Amid the ongoing Punjab Congress tussle, hoardings of AICC general secretary Bhupesh Baghel dressed as a British officer with a “Go Back Baghel” slogan have purportedly been put up by former CM Charanjit Singh Channi’s supporters in Muktsar. The display draws an apparent analogy to the Freedom struggle’s “Simon Go Back” campaign. INSIDE Encroachments along drains worsened Mandi flashflood impact: Study Tribune News Service Shimla, August 3 The widespread encroachment on the active floodplain through the construction of houses, retaining walls, road embankments and commercial structures has been blamed for the devastating flashflood that struck Thunag village in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh in 2025, claiming 15 lives and leaving hundreds homeless. The observation is part of an assessment conducted by the Centre for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience at Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla. Led by the centre’s Deputy Director, Mahesh Sharma, the study combined field surveys with analysis of highresolution satellite images. The researchers found that structures located immediately adjacent to the floodplains suffered disproportionately greater damage irrespective of their construction type whereas buildings situated only a short distance uphill remained largely unaffected. Though extreme rainfall was Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 3 Modifying its earlier order, the Supreme Court on Monday clarified that governments of Delhi and other states can close or withdraw FIRs, in accordance with law, against students who participated in CJP protests over NEET paper leak, except against those facing grave and heinous offences. A Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana also clarified that the term “criminal antecedents” in its July 28 order meant only “grave and heinous offences”. “It is clarified in the July 28 order that the NCT of Delhi and any other state shall be at liberty to close/withdraw FIRs against protesters. The word ‘criminal antecedents’ is to be read as grave and heinous offences,” the Bench said. The clarification came after senior advocates Gopal Sankaranarayanan, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and others, appearing for the petitioners, pointed out that the expression “criminal antecedents” in the court’s July 28 order was being used to keep cases alive even when such antecedents relat- DIPKE CHALLENGES PM ON DEGREE Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke has said he is ready to show his scholarship and loan sanction letters for his US education if PM Narendra Modi makes his degree public. ed to minor offences, such as traffic violations, or participation in earlier protests. Earlier, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that the Centre was committed not to pursue FIRs against protesting students, except those with criminal antecedents, but it was not clear if the cases could be withdrawn or had to be quashed by courts. Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for some of the petitioners, suggested that a former Chief Justice of India could be appointed to oversee the Special Investigation Team (SIT). “There are two options before us. One is to constitute an SIT comprising police officers to conduct the investigation, and the other is to appoint a committee headed by a retired judge,” the Bench said. As advocate Vrinda Grover raised the issue of the use of pellet guns during the Jantar Mantar protest, the Bench continued on page 8 Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 3 Poll strategist and Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor pulled off a stunning electoral debut on Monday by wresting Bihar’s Bankipur seat, which has been a BJP bastion for the past 31 years. Kishor defeated BJP’s Neeraj Kumar by a margin of 19,324 votes in a seat vacated by BJP national president Nitin Nabin after he recently moved to the Rajya Sabha. The Opposition framed the Bankipur outcome as the “beginning of the end of the BJP”, with the party promising to assess the defeat and continued on page 8 edit: bjp jolted Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor greets people following his victory in the Bankipur Assembly byelection in Patna on Monday. PTI POST-CJP STIR, BJP LOSES 2 BYPOLLS, WINS ONE In Bankipur, Bihar, Jan Suraaj’s Prashant Kishor won against BJP’s Neeraj Kumar. In Datia, Madhya Pradesh, Congress’ Ghanshyam Tiwari won against BJP’s Ashutosh Tiwari, while in Manjalpur, Gujarat, BJP’s Satendrabhai Patel defeated Congress’ Bhikabhai Rabari. Dubey seeks Zuckerberg apology as Parl panel grills Meta over PM video removal Rinku Behera & Animesh Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 3 Meta officials on Monday faced tough questions from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology over the removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s video from Facebook. Committee chairman and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey demanded an apology from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, holding the company accountable for the incident. According to sources, Meta officials offered to apologise, HC draws curtain on Haryana JBT job row Saurabh Malik Navneet Rathore States can close CJP Kishor stuns BJP in bastion protest FIRs, says SC Bankipur; Cong takes Datia 15 persons were killed, hundreds left homeless in Thunag in 2025 the primary trigger, it couldn’t be solely blamed for the disaster, said Sharma. “Neighbouring areas that received nearly the same amount of rainfall suffered substantially less damage, indicating that geomorphic factors amplified the flashflood severity. Our findings are consistent with recent studies showing that flashflood hazards are caused by the interaction of climatic extremes, catchment morphology and human-induced changes within the river’s corridors under changing environmental conditions,” he said. Sharma said Thunag’s steep terrain—located at an elevation ranging from 1,859 metres to 2,600 metres—was another factor that worsened the disaster. A building-level analysis showed that proximity to hydraulically constrained stretches (where water flow is restricted) was a stronger predictor of damage than structural continued on page 8 Chandigarh, August 3 Nearly 12 years after a single judge showed the door to over 2,800 JBT teachers, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has drawn the curtain on the recruitment dispute. The Haryana Government will retain the currently serving teachers. It will also offer prospective appointments to 160 writ petitioners based strictly on academic merit. In all, 3,206 JBT teachers were appointed by the Om Parkash Chautala-led government. Thirteen years later, Justice K Kannan had then ruled that the published selection list was not genuine and did not contain the names of “all candidates who were meritorious”. The Bench had asserted that the selection was vitiated “though not fully”, and also rejected the argument that the selection of candidates after 13 years could not be interfered with. Acting on appeals filed against the Single Bench judgment, the Division Bench of Justice Harsimran Singh Sethi and Justice Amarinder Singh Grewal Cruelty law to cover live-in partners: SC DELHI: Widening the scope of Section 498A of the IPC, the Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the provision, which deals with cruelty by a husband or his relatives, would also apply to partners in live-in relationships if an intention to marry is proven. BACK PAGE NEW Serving teachers to stay, 160 petitioners to get jobs made it clear that the outcome flowed entirely from the state government’s stand accepted by all parties and not from any adjudication by the court on the merits of the controversy. The Bench was assisted in the matter by senior advocates Puneet Bali and Gurminder Singh, among others. The Bench observed: “The present order has been passed solely in view of the stand taken by the respondent state. Nothing contained in this order shall be construed as an expression of opinion on the merits of the issues raised in the present appeals by this court.” The court noted that “there is no adjudication of the issue by this Bench in the appeal”. It then modified the single judge’s January 8, 2014, judgment to align with the Haryana Government’s July 28 communication. Recording the state’s submissions, the Bench noted that the “competent authority” had continued on page 8 stating that the video was removed due to a technical glitch. However, BJP MPs questioned how content related to the PM could be taken down and sought clarity on those responsible for the lapse. The members maintained that the issue continued on page 8 Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann addresses mediapersons at the Vidhan Sabha in Chandigarh. RAVI KUMAR Punjab House passes resolution against Centre over paper leaks Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 3 The Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Monday unanimously passed a censure resolution against the BJP-led Centre over recurring examination paper leaks, alleged recruitment irregularities and the reported crackdown on student protests across the country. The move, seen as part of the AAP government’s outreach to young voters ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, also hailed Gen Z for bringing an “arrogant government and ruler” to its knees. The resolution, moved by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, transformed the Assembly into a platform for attacking the Centre on an issue the ruling party believes resonates strongly with youth appearing for competitive examinations, unemployed and government job aspirants. The House condemned “the excessive use of force, arbitrary detention and criminal prosecution of peacefully protesting students and citizens, including educationistinnovator Sonam Wangchuk, for exercising their democrat- ic right to peaceful protest”. The members, barring Congress and BJP MLAs who had left the House when the resolution was moved, expressed unwavering solidarity with the students and called for withdrawal of all criminal proceedings against them. Participating in the debate, members condemned the “frequent examination scandals and recruitment failures”, while criticising the alleged use of pellet guns and tear gas shells against students protesting the NEET paper leak in Delhi. continued on page 8 Census in J&K, HP to begin on Sept 1 NEW DELHI: Census operations in the Union Territory of Ladakh and the snow-bound non-synchronous areas of the UT of J&K, as well as Himachal and Uttarakhand, will be conducted from September 1 to 30, according to a notification issued by the Union Home Ministry on Monday. — TNS Teacher stabbed to deathinF’badschool FARIDABAD: A 21-year-old man allegedly stabbed a female teacher to death after entering a private school in Sikrona village, Faridabad, on Monday. The victim sustained more than 20 stab wounds to her neck and chest and died on the spot. The police have arrested the accused. — OC Delhi girl faces rape threats, online abuse after viral video at CJPprotest ManikantMishra Tribune News Service NewDelhi, August3 For nearly two weeks, 23-yearold content creator Shraddha Singh has found herself at the centre of an online storm she had never anticipated. A video she shot during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar went viral within hours, triggering widespread criticism, abuse, rape threats and even fear of stepping outside her home. Shraddha spoke at length about how the controversial video came into being, the tor- rent of online abuse that followed, the psychological impact it had on her life and what she learnt from the experience. Shraddha said her decision to attend the protest had little to do with creating viral content. “I went there because the protest was about education and I am also a student. But at the end of the day, I am also a content creator.” She said she had been visiting the protest regularly since July 19 and was familiar with the atmosphere by the time she recorded the now-viral clip on July 25. According to Shraddha, c m y b Content creator Shraddha Singh the video was never planned as any sort of statement but a work of comedy that she brought up instantly on the spot. “RAF personnel were wearing blue and I was wearing red. The Harpic meme suddenly came to my mind. It was just a random thought. I came home, edited it and uploaded it.” She said the clip exploded almost immediately. “Within an hour, it crossed 1.9 million views,” she said. However, the excitement quickly turned into concern. “I always read comments. People started telling me that what I had done was wrong. Many abused me while others took it as a joke. After reading everything, I felt maybe I had made a mistake, so I deleted the video.” Shraddha rejected the allegations that she removed the video only after facing criticism. “If I had done it for fame, I would have kept the video online. It was getting huge views. But I genuinely felt I had made a mistake.” She later uploaded an apology video, hoping it would bring the matter to an end. Instead, the apology became another source of ridicule. According to her, people started making before-and-after videos. They used her apolo- gy as content. Shraddha said what initially appeared to be trolling soon escalated into something much more serious. “People were using extremely filthy language. They sent rape threats, death threats and messages saying they would kill me if they saw me,” she said. The backlash didn’t stop even when she logged out. It followed her into her everyday life. The yoga classes she attended regularly stopped. Casual walks outside disappeared. For days, she refused to step out of her home.