14082026-TTB-01.qxd 8/14/2026 12:02 AM 13 IRAN COUNTERS US CLAIMS ON HORMUZ WORLD /thetribunechd Page 1 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 224 | 20 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  DELHI friday | 14 august 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Sukhbir injured in sword attack at Nanded gurdwara; accused nabbed Second attempt on SAD chief’s life after 2024 Golden Temple firing PM dials Harsimrat, enquires about SAD president’s health Mohit Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 13 Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal was injured in a kirpan attack by a Nihang at a gurdwara on the outskirts of Nanded in Maharashtra on Thursday. The former Punjab Deputy CM, who earlier escaped an attempt on his life at the Golden Temple entrance in December 2024, sustained an injury in his right arm and was rushed to a private hospital, where he received two-three stitches on the arm. A video showed the SAD chief walking inside the hospital with a cloth wrapped around his arm. A security man accompanying Badal sustained injuries while trying to save him. The incident took place around 2 pm. Sukhbir, his MP wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal, daughters and a son-in-law continued on page 6 Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service Punjab’s former Deputy CM and SAD president Sukhbir Badal arrives at a hospital after being attacked at a gurdwara in Nanded on Thursday. ANI AKALI LEADER FACING HEAT OVER PANTHIC ISSUES The attack on Badal comes amid longstanding Panthic anger over the Dera Sacha Sauda pardon row and the 2015 sacrilege incidents at Bargari, followed by police firing on protesters at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura. The Akali leadership has also faced allegations of excessive influence over Sikh religious institutions. New Delhi, August 13 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday dialled Bathinda Lok Sabha MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal and enquired about the health of her husband Sukhbir Singh Badal. Sources said the PM spoke to Harsimrat at length about the developments in Nanded and asked if she needed any help. PM Modi also asked if the SAD president was sound and safe. This is the second engagement in a week between the PM and the top leadership of the Akali Dal. Recently, the PM had met Sukhbir in the Parliament House complex, raising speculation about the future of continued on page 6 Pb draft poll roll out, 20.6L names struck AI flight scare spurs pilots’ drug tests CHANDIGARH: Tribune News Service The draft electoral rolls for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections were published on Thursday, showing a sharp fall of 20.66 lakh names. The voter list has dropped from 2.14 crore in June 2026 to around 1.93 crore after the special intensive revision. INSIDE Shekhar Singh New Delhi, August 13 Air India has ordered mandatory drug testing of all pilots across the group, including Air India and Air India Express, as scrutiny intensifies over the Phuket-Delhi flight incident in which the pilot-in-command Probe into turbulence incident underway; report in 10-15 days tested positive for drugs. The fresh testing began on Thursday and will cover all group pilots, with the airline saying the move goes beyond exist- CHINA STOPPED PATROLLING NEAR LAC: CONG NATION ing regulatory requirements and is aimed at reinforcing safety and passenger confidence. In a communication to pilots, Air India said the screening would cover substances and medications not permitted under prevailing regulations. The tests will be continued on page 6 Extradite Hasina: Dhaka sets pre-condition for Rahman visit THE TRIBUNE EXCLUSIVE Jyoti Malhotra clearly a consequence of the press conference by Hasina and her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Delhi on August 5, marking two years of her asylum in India. She and her son took questions from the assembled media, but Hasina’s tone was especially aggressive. She vowed to return to Dhaka in December even though she said “they may even kill me”. The extent to which Rahman and his Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led government is upset with Hasina trying to hijack the relationship is clear from the fact that Dhaka continued on page 6 NEW DELHI:The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a plea filed by a Rajya Sabha MP challenging the alleged deployment of facial recognition technology and other biometric surveillance measures by the Delhi Police during the recent student protest at Jantar Mantar here. — PTI Chandigarh, August 13 Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will not be attending the BRICS summit or visiting India at all until Delhi extradites former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Dhaka, The Tribune has learnt. Rahman conveyed this message to India’s High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi when they met in Dhaka on August 10, diplomatic sources said, on the eve of Trivedi’s departure for Delhi, casting a new gloom on bilateral ties the two neighbours have tried hard to resurrect since Hasina fled Dhaka for Delhi two years ago. Dhaka’s new hardline is Tata Trusts to set up selection panel to pick new chairman LS logs19% output, RS 39% as session ends; only 1 of 12 Bills passed debated Aditya Rangroo Animesh Singh Tribune News Service Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 13 Tata Trusts on Thursday said it will establish a selection committee to find the next chairman of Tata Sons. Chairman N Chandrasekaran had yesterday decided not to seek reappointment after the expiry of his present term on February 20, 2027. According to the Tata Sons Articles of Association, the trustees of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT) have decided to start the process “as soon as possible”. The decision came after Chandrasekaran informed the continued on page 6 New Delhi, August 13 The monsoon session, which was adjourned sine die on Thursday, witnessed a poor productivity of 19 per cent in the Lok Sabha while the Rajya Sabha saw a productivity of 39 per cent. The session was a near washout as sustained protests by the Congress-led Opposition seeking Home Minister Amit Shah’s response on the police action against agitating students, paralysed the functioning of both Houses. Speaker Om Birla, who usually provides a detailed Today’s issue is of 20 pages, including four-page Delhi Tribune. c m y b Was invited to attend BRICS summit SC admits plea on facial recognition Tarique Rahman, B’desh PM Oppn boycotts Speaker’s tea party LOP KHARGE RAISES ‘SHUDDHIKARAN’ IN RS n LoP Mallikarjun Kharge raised the Haldwani ‘shuddhikaran’ ceremony issue in the RS n He said people linked to the BJP held the ceremony to ‘purify’ the stage where he had delivered his speech productivity analysis of the session, adjourned the House sine die immediately after the customary rendering of Vande Mataram, within minutes of the House con- J’khand cops file FIR over Aug 10 march RANCHI: The police have regis- tered an FIR in connection with the August 10 march of students to the Jharkhand Assembly over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations, but no protester has been named in the case so far, a police officer said. BACK PAGE vening for the day. Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were present in the House. They, however, were not present in the Rajya Sabha when it was adjourned sine die after the passage of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026. The confrontational mood of the House also reflected in the Speaker’s customary tea party held after the session, which was boycotted by INDIA bloc parties, including the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the Trinamool Congress. continued on page 6