23082026-TTC-01.qxd 8/23/2026 12:28 AM Page 1 c m y b 123 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 232 | 20 PAGES | ~7.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 US SLAPS 50% TARIFFS ON CANADA AS TRADE TALKS COLLAPSE WORLD /thetribunechd NIA RAIDS TWO SITES IN ANANTNAG IN TERROR CASE J&K A MAN OF CONVICTION: REMEMBERING POET RAHI M REZA SPECTRUM OPPOSE PATRIARCHY, FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS, RAHUL URGES WOMEN BACK PAGE sunday | 23 august 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Newborndies,2hurt in MP hospital fire CHHINDWARA: A newborn died and two others suffered burn injuries after a warmer machine allegedly caught fire in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of a district hospital in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara in the wee hours of Saturday, officials said. The injured babies were referred to Jabalpur for further treatment. — PTI 2 students die by suicide at IIT, IIM NEW DELHI/SOLAN: A 31-year-old MSc Physics student at the IIT, Delhi, died after allegedly jumping from the sixth floor of a campus building on Saturday, the police said. In another incident, a 19-year-old BMS student at the IIM in Paonta Sahib died by hanging himself from the ceiling fan in his hostel room. — PTI/TNS No bail for woman Pulwama accused BJP forms special team for Gen Z outreach; Nabin, Smriti key faces Plans drive against Cong’s ‘2-stanza’ Vande Mataram move ahead of polls ‘Sin to talk about him’: Channi as Sajjan praise puts Pb Cong in a spot Sukhpreet Singh Slams Rohtak MP for Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 22 tributes to 1984 A divide has emerged within anti-Sikh riots’ convict the Congress over the legacy of ex-MP Sajjan Kumar, with former Punjab Chief Minis- son”, holding him responsiter Charanjit Singh Channi ble for the killing of Sikhs calling it a “sin to talk about in Delhi. Channi said the him”. Sajjan, who was serv- suffering of families affecting life sentence in cases ed by the 1984 riots could related to the 1984 anti-Sikh not be forgotten. riots, died at a Del“Even after all these hi hospital on years, the people who Thursday. lost their loved ones The controversy continue to carry erupted after Condeep trauma in their gress' Rohtak MP hearts,” he said. LatDeepender Singh er in a post on X, Hooda described Channi said, “... it is Sajjan as a “role a sin to talk about model” and his him... a dark Charanjit Singh Channi death as an reminder of an “irreparable loss” to the individual who disgraced country’s political land- humanity and justice.” scape. The remarks have put “If anyone calls this person a the Punjab Congress leader- role model, they should mind ship in a difficult position, their tongue and think what with its leaders seeking to they are saying,” he said. draw a clear line between Punjab Congress presiHooda's comments and their dent Amrinder Singh Raja own position on the 1984 vio- Warring too sought to dislence and the victims. tance the state unit from Channi, during his visit to the MP’s remarks. “What Ludhiana, took a sharply Rohtak MP Deepender different stand from the Hooda said may be his perRohtak MP and described sonal view,” Warring said. continued on page 6 Sajjan as an “inhuman per- New Delhi, August 22 The ruling BJP on Saturday firmed up its political and electoral strategy, placing Gen Z outreach and a national-level push for Vande Mataram at the centre. In the first meeting of the newly appointed national office-bearers, the party finalised a plan for active youth engagement, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent nudge to MPs and ministers to step up their social media presence. To this end, the BJP set up a team to expand youth engagement, with party chief Nitin Nabin, general secretaries Vinod Tawde and Smriti Irani, Gujarat Deputy CM Harsh Sanghvi and Chhattisgarh Minister OP Chowdhary as members. The group will factor in youth concerns and consider policy responses. Two more initiatives the BJP announced for youth today were the “National Innovation Challenge” to promote research and “Sewa Mein Mera Yogdan”, a campaign to encourage young- BJP national general secretary Smriti Irani with national vice-presidents Manpreet Singh Badal and Vasundhara Raje, and others, during an induction meeting chaired by party chief Nitin Nabin in New Delhi on Saturday. ANI Sainisecuritylapse: 18copssuspended, noticestotwoDCPs Gurugram, August 22 A day after a security lapse during Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini’s visit to Gurugram, 18 police personnel, including the Civil Lines SHO and the security in-charge of the zone concerned, were suspended with immediate effect. Taking serious note of the lapse during the VIP visit, Police Commissioner Sibash Kabiraj issued show-cause notices to two DCPs for alleged negligence. The suspended police personnel include Inspector Bijender Kumar, SHO, Civil Lines police station; ASI Amit, security incharge, West District; and 16 other police personnel of various ranks. On Friday, during the CM’s visit to Gurugram, Congress workers showed black flags and attempted to block his convoy, prompting the police to arrest eight of them. INSIDE A special NIA court in Jammu and Kashmir has rejected the bail application of south Kashmir resident Insha Jan, alias Insha Tariq, an accused in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack conspiracy, observing that sufficient material existed on record to presume that the allegations against her were prima facie true. INSIDE BJP leader RP Singh with SAD president Sukhbir Badal. COURTESY: X ‘SAD must stay flexible’: BJP’s RP Singh calls on Sukhbir amid tie-up buzz Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 22 In further signs of the firming up of a possible pre-poll alliance in Punjab, BJP’s state core committee member RP Singh met Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal in New Delhi today. RP Singh called on Sukhbir at the latter’s residence in Sultanpur to check on his health. The SAD chief has been recuperating at his Delhi farmhouse since the attack on him in Nanded, Maharashtra. The meeting took place just after top SAD leaders Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia signalled a pact with the BJP , with the latter saying that the people of Punjab “wanted the two parties to reunite”. Speaking to The Tribune, RP Singh said he shared concerns over the current law and order situation in the border state and the need to regroup for the sake of Punjab’s development. “The current situation in Punjab is precarious. The 2027 Assembly elections are about saving the state,” he said. Asked about a possible alliance between the two parties that parted ways in Sep- tember 2020 amid the controversy over the contentious three farm laws, RP Singh signalled “positive movement”. “The Shiromani Akali Dal must stay flexible, and not be rigid… Give and take is key,” he said, commenting on what it would take for the alliance talks to be successful. BJP sources said the SADBJP alliance was discussed on the eve of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well, but it failed to take shape after the Shiromani Akali Dal flexed its muscles on the number of seats to contest. However, things appear different this time with the BJP continuing to officially claim it would contest all 117 Assembly seats. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have already said during their Punjab visits that the BJP would no longer play the role of SAD’s “chhota bhai” (junior partner) in the alliance. Making a pro-alliance pitch, SAD general secretary Majithia on Friday cited the “successes” of the erstwhile Akali-BJP coalition in Punjab and the Centre, and echoed his sister and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Badal’s remarks on the issue. sters to participate in national initiatives such as cleanliness and fitness and posting of related social media reels. The party said it would arrange a platform to host reels. The meeting passed a resolution condemning the August 19 Congress Working Committee decision to sing only two stanzas of the national song. It invoked Mahatma Gandhi to frame Vande Mataram as an “anti-imperialist cry” that represents the national consciousness. Ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur, Goa and Uttarakhand, the BJP will mount a pan-India offensive against the Congress on the issue of Vande Mataram. Talking about the resolution passed today, Nabin said Waterbillssettorise as Hry introduces 5% annual hike SRINAGAR: ~5-cr bribe claim over rape case baseless: Two injured in stabbing CM Mann’s wife sends notice to ex-judge at Canadian gurdwara Chandigarh, August22 Haryana’s Urban Local Bodies Department is set to revise the water tariff across municipal areas, introducing a 5 per cent annual increase and bringing rates at par with those charged by the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran. Under the revised tariff, metered domestic consumers in municipal areas will be charged Rs 3 per kilolitre (KL) for consumption of up to 10 KL. However, families owning plots of up to 500 sq yards with metered connections will be exempt from these charges. Also, Rs 6 per KL will be charged for usage between 10 KL and 20 KL, and Rs 9.50 per KL for usage between 20 KL and 30 KL in metered connections. For usage above 30 KL, Rs 12 per KL will be charged. The last tariff revision came into effect on September 1, 2018, but was withdrawn ahead of the Assembly elections. INSIDE Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 22 Amid a political controversy over allegations that Dr Gurpreet Kaur Mann, wife of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, had sought Rs 5 crore to allegedly scuttle a rape case, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today dismissed the allegations as “baseless and politically motivated”. It accused the Opposition of resorting to personal attacks as it had “no answer” to the Mann government’s performance. Dr Gurpreet Kaur has issued a legal notice to Justice Ranjit Singh (retd), who had first levelled the allegations. Separately, CM Mann met Governor Gulab Chand Kataria at the latter’s residence this afternoon. The meeting lasted around 15-20 minutes. “It was a private meeting,” said an official in the Chief Minister’s Office. The allegations against Dr the party would “expose the Congress for truncating the national song and mobilise people especially the youth on the issue”. “The BJP strongly condemns the decision taken by the CWC to reaffirm its 1937 resolution and restrict the singing of Vande Mataram to its first two stanzas at Congress continued on page 6 NHRC takes note, seeks report from CS, DGP Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and wife Dr Gurpreet Kaur. FILE Gurpreet Kaur were levelled earlier this week by the former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge based on a petition filed in the court. Justice Ranjit Singh had alleged that a relative of Dr Mann had sought bribe on her behalf to scuttle a rape case. Though the allegations remain unsubstantiated, the National Human Rights Commission has taken cognisance of the complaint and sought an action taken report from the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police within two weeks. Immediately after the NHRC direction became public, officials in the CMO issued a statement saying that Dr Gurpreet Kaur had served a legal notice on Justice Ranjit Singh, demanding an apology within 24 hours and warning of legal proceedings if he failed to comply. She dismissed all allegations levelled against her and attributed political motives to them, saying that the former judge was a close relative of sitting Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira. As the issue took political overtones, with Opposition leaders seeking CM Mann’s response and asking him to recommend a CBI probe, AAP deputed its media incharge Baltej Singh Pannu and Moga MLA Amandeep Kaur for firefighting. continued on page 6 Mohit Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 22 The Edmonton police arrested a 27-year-old man after he allegedly stabbed two men, including a priest, with a screwdriver at the Nanaksar Gurdwara in this western Canadian town early Friday morning. Canadian PM Mark Carney condemned the incident, calling the attack “appalling”. He expressed his concerns for the injured and the wider community shaken by the incident. “No one should ever feel unsafe in their place of worship. I want to thank the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) for their swift response,” Carney said. Initial reports suggested that it was an attempt of sacrilege and a Sikh scripture may have been desecrated in the incident. However, temple officials maintained that no sacred texts were damaged during the attack. The EPS investigative response team has taken over Kangra girl, father ace LLB exam, securefirst & third ranks Ravinder Sood Palampur, August 22 A father-daughter duo from Alampur in Kangra district has set an inspiring example by completing their threeyear Bachelor of Laws (LLB) course together and securing top positions in the Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) examination. Anshika Rana topped the LLB examination while her father, Praveen Rana, secured the third position. Both pursued their law degree together at the HPU Regional Centre in Dharamsala from 2023 to June 2026. Anshika had enrolled as a regular student whereas her father completed the course through the correspondence mode. The university declared the results of the sixth and final semester recently. In the overall result, 23-yearold Anshika emerged as the university topper, while Praveen secured the third position, making their achievement particularly noteworthy. Praveen, who is serving as an Inspector at the Himachal Pradesh Police Training Centre in Daroh, decided to resume his studies after crossing the age of 50. Despite his demanding duties in the police department, he continued his law studies and regularly devoted time to academics. The father-daughter duo attended classes together and encouraged each other throughout the three-year course. Their determination and academic performance Praveen Rana, an inspector, studied via correspondence, while his daughter, Anshika, was a regular student at HPU Regional Centre, Dharamsala. have drawn appreciation from family members, friends and residents of the area alike. Today’s issue is of 20 pages, including six-page Spectrum. c m y b Anshika said that studying alongside her father was a memorable experience. “We motivated each other during the course and celebrated each other’s achievements,” she said. For Praveen, pursuing an LLB degree after the age of 50 was a challenge, but he remained determined to complete it. Along with his professional responsibilities, he managed to take out time for studies. Elated by the achievement, Praveen said age should never become a barrier to education. “If a person has the determination to learn and a clear goal, a new beginning can be made at any stage of life,” he said. An educationist dubbed the success as an example of perseverance, mutual encouragement and the importance of continuing to learn irrespective of age or professional responsibilities. Suspect freed from prison a day ago, held Nanaksar Gurdwara in northeast Edmonton, Canada. AP/PTI the case and is working with the hate crimes unit to determine whether the attack was hate-motivated. Charges are pending against the suspect. According to details shared by EPS chief Warren Drieche, the incident could have been far worse. “We are thankful that this morning’s event did continued on page 6 IAFChieffortheatre commands,says shunforeignmodels New Delhi, August 22 The Indian Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, on Saturday said the IAF was “not against” carving out geographically defined operational joint commands for the armed forces. He, however, cautioned against implementing a “pre-baked” model “picked up” from another country. The IAF Chief’s remarks are the first official statement since former Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, before demitting office in May this year, submitted a collective proposal on behalf of the three services to carve out such “joint commands”, referred to by the military as “theatre commands”. BACK PAGE