19092026-TT-01.qxd 9/18/2026 BUFFETT STEPS DOWN AS BERKSHIRE CHAIR BUSINESS /thetribunechd 10:59 PM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 259 | 20 PAGES | ~7.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HIMACHAL PRADESH saturday | 19 september 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Punjab employee logjam ends, govt to pay 8% DA Will cost ~250 cr | Breakthrough after CM-union meet Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav with the family members of ASI Harjit Singh, who was shot in Amritsar on Friday. Punjab ASI shot in 4th targeted attack on cops of Tarn Taran, who was in his early 50s. Posted with the Gate Amritsar, September 18 Hakima police, he was on duty Two unidentified bikers shot near the grain market when dead a Punjab Police two youths allegedly Assistant Sub-Inspecopened fire on him. tor (ASI) at the BhagPunjab Director Gentanwala grain market eral of Police (DGP) here in the early hours Gaurav Yadav said preof Friday, marking the liminary investigations fourth targeted attack revealed that Harjit Harjit Singh on police personnel in Singh had left for duty the state this year. around 9.30 pm on Thursday. The deceased was identified CCTV footage analysed by the continued on page 6 as ASI Harjit Singh, a resident Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Koli, let off in Nithari case, dies by suicide NEW DELHI: Surendra Koli, the man at the centre of the sensational Nithari killings who was subsequently acquitted in all 13 cases, was found hanging in his tea stall in Haridwar on Friday. The Nithari case gained national attention in 2006 when skeletal remains were discovered in the drainage near a bungalow owned by businessman Moninder Singh Pandher in Noida. INSIDE RAJNATH FLAGS DEFENCE PROJECT DELAY BACK PAGE Chandigarh, September 18 The Punjab Government has announced a Rs 250-crore bonanza for its four lakh employees and 3.5 lakh pensioners by agreeing to release two dearness allowance (DA) instalments totalling 8 per cent. The decision has ended the month-long agitation by employees, with the DA rising from 42 per cent to 50 per cent. The enhanced DA would reflect in September salary payable in October, said Punjab minister and Aam Aadmi Party’s state president Aman Arora after a 90-minute-long meeting between employee union leaders and a government delegation led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. No decision was taken on Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann being offered sweets after a meeting with representatives of government staff and pensioners in Chandigarh. ANI the payment of pending DA arrears, while other demands would be discussed at the next meeting with the CM, scheduled within a fortnight, said sources. “Employee unions have decided to postpone their agitation planned for the weekend. continued on page 6 95 km in 63 mins, night sortie: Hry donor saves 4 lives Manikant Mishra,Vijay Mohan & Ravinder Saini Tribune News Service New Delhi/Chandigarh/ Rohtak, September 18 The organs of a brain-dead road accident victim from Rohtak were transported in a swift operation via road and air routes on Thursday, giving four critically ill patients a fresh chance at life. While the heart and liver were sent to Delhi via a 95-km green corridor in just Organs rushed to Delhi, Chandimandir from Rohtak after migrant worker’s family consented to donation 63 minutes, one kidney was retained at the PGIMS, Rohtak, and another flown by an Army helicopter to Chandimandir during a night sortie. The life-saving chain began after Munna Das, 40, a migrant worker from Bihar, was declared brain-dead at the PGIMS on Thursday. He had suffered severe head injuries in a road accident near Ranbir Chowk, Rohtak, on September 12. After counselling, his family consented to organ donation despite their loss. The organs were allocated through the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organi- c m y b sation (NOTTO), Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation, North, and State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation, Haryana. “One kidney was allocated to the PGIMS, Rohtak, while the second kidney was sent to Army Hospital, Chandimandir. The liver and heart were allocated to hospitals in Delhi,” said Dr HK Aggarwal, Vice-Chancellor, University of continued on page 6 Nestlé India faces FSSAI action over infant food claims Manikant Mishra Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 18 The apex food regulator has opened three separate adjudication cases against Nestlé India over false claims related to infant nutrition products, putting the spotlight not only on how baby foods are marketed to parents but also on whether products sold in the market meet prescribed nutritional standards. Nestlé India, however, rejected the concerns, saying its products and labels comply with applicable regulations and that the claims cited by the regulator are factual and scientifically supported. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said it examined Nestlé’s infant nutrition products and their promotional material available on e-commerce platforms. The scrutiny covered NAN Excella Pro continued on page 6 Nilekani panel NEET report in two weeks NEW DELHI: The Centre on Fri- day told the Supreme Court that the Nandan Nilekani-led high-powered panel constituted to suggest structural reforms in NEET is likely to submit its first interim report in two weeks. The court asked the Joint Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training, who is assisting the committee, to file an affidavit on the steps taken so far. BACK PAGE NANDIGRAM BYPOLL Hours after Mamata backing, Cong’s pick arrested in 2007 case Rinku Behera Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 18 Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday announced that her faction of the Trinamool Congress would support the Congress candidate in the Nandigram Assembly bypoll, after its nominee, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, withdrew her candidature from the prestigious seat following a meeting with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. Hours after Mamata announced her support, the Congress candidate, Milan Pradhan, was arrested by the West Bengal Police in connection with an old case. Congress general secretary KC Venugopal alleged that a 19year-old case was being used against the party candidate. He described the action as an attempt to intimidate the Opposition and said the Congress would still contest the election. “Democracy is on ventilator in West Bengal. This is the BJP’s latest effort to ensure an ‘Opposition-mukt Bharat’, successfully converting our great constitutional democracy into a banana republic. Using a dormant case from 2007 to arrest our candidate, minutes after Mamata extended support, is a sign that the BJP will go to any extent to hijack democracy,” Venugopal said. Earlier, addressing the Didi’s nominee quits race after meeting CM; TMC factions get new symbols IN NATION’S INTEREST Decision to back the Congress taken in greater interest of the nation. ❝ Mamata Banerjee, FORMER BENGAL CM INTIMIDATION: CONG Congress general secretary KC Venugopal slammed the BJP, saying ‘democracy in on ventilator in Bengal’. He said a 2007 case was being used against the party candidate to intimidate the Opposition. media at her Kalighat residence in Kolkata, Mamata said the decision to back the Congress in Nandigram was taken “in the greater interest of the nation” and to strengthen the INDIA bloc. “In Nandigram, we are extending our support to the Congress. We are doing this in the greater interest of the nation and to strengthen the continued on page 6