20082026-TTC-01.qxd 8/20/2026 12:38 AM Page 1 13 INDIA BEAT PAK IN HOCKEY WORLD CUP SPORT /thetribunechd NEW DELHI: At least nine persons, including Bangladeshis, were killed and six others injured in a fire at a five-storey building in Kolkata. West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari has ordered a comprehensive probe into the circumstances surrounding the blaze. INSIDE Arrestwarrantagainst TMC’s Mahua Moitra for skippingsummons NADIA (WB): A court in West Bengal’s Nadia district on Wednesday ordered the issuance of an arrest warrant against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra for her failure to appear in the court in a hate speech case despite repeated summons. INSIDE NHRCnoticetoPunjab for ‘not holding’ I-Day eventsin govtschools DELHI: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought a detailed report from the Punjab Government over allegations that Independence Day celebrations were not held at some government schools in rural, remote and border areas. INSIDE NEW thursday | 20 august 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Bangladeshis among 9 killed, 6 injured in Kolkata building fire Modi assures B’desh PM of ‘honourable reception’ Remarks amid uncertainty over Delhi visit in Sept Ujwal Jalali Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 19 Amid continued uncertainty over Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s possible visit to India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured that Rahman would receive an “honourable reception” whenever he visits the country. India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi said Modi told him that he and Rahman “need to meet” and asked him to convey an assurance to the Bangladesh Prime Minister about the reception he would receive in India. The envoy’s remarks on Tuesday came as uncertainty looms over Rahman’s proposed visit to New Delhi for the BRICS summit on September 12-13 amid fresh strains in bilateral ties over Dhaka’s demand for the extradition of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Speaking at a business CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 Narendra Modi Tarique Rahman Qaida offshoot behind Delhi blast tries to set up B’desh cells Ujwal Jalali Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 19 The latest report of the UN Security Council’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team has flagged attempts by Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) to establish cells in Bangladesh. The 38th report of the monitoring team also noted that the November 2025 Red Fort attack in Delhi had been officially attributed to AQIS. Meanwhile, India has said that terrorism and security threats should concern all countries and called for collective efforts to combat the menace. The comments by the Ministry of External Affairs came amid growing scrutiny over the security situation in Bangladesh and the reported expansion of extremist networks in the neighbouring country. “Terrorism and security matters are something that should concern everybody because it is a common CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 Modi aide Paatil likely to lead Pb poll team Move signals push to expand BJP footprint in state ahead of 2027 elections Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 19 With an eye on the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, the ruling BJP is putting together a high-level team of strategists with a proven track record of delivering poll victories. A day after appointing Satish Poonia as Punjab BJP in-charge, the party is likely to CR Paatil, Jal Shakti Minister name Jal Shakti Minister Chandrakant Raghunath Paatil, 71, as election in- charge for the state. Paatil, the most trusted aide of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a former president of the Gujarat BJP has a proven , track record of delivering election wins for the party. Sources told The Tribune that Paatil was known for strong micromanagement and organisational skills, which would prove handy for the BJP in Punjab, where the party was still expanding and hoped to make an impact in the Assembly elections. The move to consider Paatil’s name as poll in-charge for Punjab underscores the high political significance PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah attach to the state, where alliance equations with CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 Industrialist, son held in Ludhiana bogusbillingcase Days after ED raids, PSIEC board flags lapses in Mohali land sale, orders probe LUDHIANA: Tribune News Service The Directorate General of GST Intelligence has reportedly arrested AllIndia Furnace Association president KK Garg and his son in an alleged bogus billing scam. Sources said the case pertained to the 2020-21 financial year and involved alleged GST evasion of Rs 10-15 crore. The development has triggered panic among industrialists in Ludhiana and Mandi Gobindgarh, particularly those associated with the steel and furnace industry. INSIDE Ruchika M Khanna Chandigarh, August 19 Days after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) started an investigation into the “questionable” allotment of a commercial plot at Focal Point, Mohali, by the Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation (PSIEC) to a Patiala-based entity, the Board of Directors of the corporation has decided to set up a fact-finding inquiry committee comprising officers from other departments. The ED, during search CONDITIONS VIOLATED There were irregularities in the allotment of the site. The conditions of allotment were changed afterwards to extend undue benefits to the allottee. Dalvir Singh, PSIEC CHAIRPERSON ❝ operations at the PSIEC office between August 4 and 6, had alleged that the terms and conditions for the allotment of 2.112-acre plot for Rs 33.33 crore to Iconic Space Creators, were changed from those mentioned in the rules during the auction process to benefit the allottee. The ED had also said that one of the partners of the company had purchased a fancy vehicle registration number that was being used by the Executive Director of the corporation. The issue relates to the allotment of this site to the company in 2020 at Rs 32,600 per square yard, which was allegedly far below the historic prices of plots in its vicinity. CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 Kashmir ‘important part of India’: Gor hints at review of travel advisory by US Adil Akhzer Srinagar, August 19 Describing Kashmir as an “important part of India”, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who arrived here on Wednesday on his maiden visit since assuming charge earlier this year, hinted that the US would re-evaluate its travel advisory for Kashmir. Gor held a meeting with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. He will head for Ladakh on Thursday. After meeting Omar, Gor told reporters that Kashmir was an important part of India. “We just had a very good meeting and we have some follow-ups that we hope to take back to Washington and back to Delhi… we Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 19 Where the daakiya cannot go, a drone can. In a transformative move, India Post has launched an ambitious pilot project to test the feasibility of last-mile delivery to the country’s most remote and inaccessible corners. The first drone run was held this week in Assam as part of a planned network aimed at making postal connectivity faster in places where conventional road transport can be slow or difficult. The initiative is being developed in partnership with Skye Air Mobility, a drone delivery and tech firm founded in 2019 and based in Gurugram. It specialises in autonomous last-mile and hyper-local deliveries and postal services using drones and AI traffic management. 150 routes identified in remote Himachal, Assam India Post officials told The Tribune that the department planned to operate 40 drone routes in Assam, with the wider network expected to cover around 150 routes across Assam and Himachal Pradesh. “The idea is simple. Instead of depending entirely on roads to move postal bags through difficult terrain, drones can carry them directly along designated routes. For people residing far from major roads, this could cut travel time and make the movement of postal bags Today’s issue is of 20 pages, including four-page Jalandhar Tribune. c m y b CM Omar Abdullah with US Ambassador Sergio Gor in Srinagar. PTI RATTLED PAK SUMMONS US CHARGE D’AFFAIRES look forward to moving this relationship forward,” he said. He said the US “puts out travel warnings and re-evaluates these from time to time”. “I cannot make any big announcements here today, but it is something we’re going to look at,” Gor said. Noting that New Delhi and the J&K Government had “taken some incredible steps to make the area safer”, Gor said the US would evaluate whether to downgrade its current travel warning to the “beautiful area”. “I think a lot of Americans will enjoy visiting and experiencing the beauty and opportunities that exist here,” he said. At present, the US maintains a “do not travel” advisory for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It asks its citizens not to travel to this area except for visits to the Ladakh region and its capital Leh due to “terrorism and civil unrest”. Gor took a “shikara” ride at the Dal Lake for about an hour. CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 NCERT revamps textbook team, includes at least 4 with RSS links Amid Punjab Cong rift, Channi skips CWC meet, cites MA exam Aksheev Thakur Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 19 Amid efforts to end the internal leadership feud ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s absence from the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting in New Delhi has created a buzz in party circles. Though Channi’s detrac- New Delhi, August 19 The NCERT has reconstituted its textbook development team for Class XI and XII political science, with at least four of the members—Yadunath Deshpande, Prashant Divekar, Vandana Mishra and Ravi Rameshchandra Shukla— having direct or indirect links with the RSS. The 20-member team has been given the mandate to “integrate cultural rootedness, Indian knowledge systems and inclusion”. It has been asked to develop the Class XI textbook by November and the Class XII textbook by July next year. The team will be led by political analyst Sandeep Shastri, who is also a vicepresident of Karnataka-based deemed university Nitte. Among the members of the textbook development team are at least four academics and educationists with direct or indirect documented backgrounds in the RSS-affiliated ABVP and the BJP . According to Deshpande’s LinkedIn profile, he is a senior consultant with the Ministry of Education and is also associated with the ABVP in Mumbai. He remained a political consultant for the CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 SEE ON NATION PAGE LIST STEPS TAKEN FOR NEET REFORMS, SC TELLS GOVT TN GOVT REVOKES STUDENT PROTEST ORDER IN 24 HOURS Daakiyato drone: India Post pilots plan for last-mile delivery Manikant Mishra IMRAN MEETS WIFE, SISTER AFTER 9 MONTHS WORLD CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 10 NO. 229 | 20 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 more predictable,” an official said. The first drone run in Assam marks more than a change in how postal bags are transported. “Our focus is not on speed alone as the drone network is also intended to make the movement of postal bags more reliable and easier to track,” the official said. The shift will, however, also pose challenges, particularly of CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 Rajmeet Singh tors link his repeated absence from main party events to the high command’s snub to the antiAmrinder Singh Raja Warring camp for showing displeasure over the latter being retained as the PPCC chief, the former Chief Minister was reportedly busy preparing for his final fourthsemester examination in Master’s in Public Administration at Panjab University. For the past few weeks, he has been appearing for the fourth-semester examinations at the university. Amid the ongoing tussle between the Warring and Channi camps, the former Chief Minister was also absent during Rahul Gandhi’s speech on the paper leak issue in Parliament. Sources close to Channi stated that prior notification regarding CONTINUED ON PAGE 11