25092026-TTC-01.qxd 9/25/2026 1:00 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 10 NO. 265 | 14 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 ‘MAWAN DHIYAN’ SCHEME CHALLENGED IN HIGH COURT PUNJAB /thetribunechd LEH SHUTS DOWN TO MARK FIRST ANNIV OF SEPT 24 VIOLENCE J&K SENSEX DIPS 1,247 PTS US, CHINA AGREE TO AMID HIGH BOND YIELD, EXTEND TRADE TRUCE CRUDE SURGE BUSINESS BY 2 MONTHS WORLD friday | 25 september 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com 9dieinNoidabusfire; warningsignignored NEW DELHI: Nine passengers were killed after a sleeper bus caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida late Wednesday night. The driver and conductor, who were smoking in the cabin and allegedly ignored complaints by passengers about the burning smell, have been arrested. An FIR has been registered at Jewar police station. — TNS Srinivasuluretained as BJP’s Pb gen secy NEW DELHI: BJP chief Nitin Nabin has named RSS heads to steer the party organisation in 22 battleground states. Manthri Srinivasulu, who originally belongs to Telangana, has been retained as BJP state general secretary organisation for election-bound Punjab. He will also look after Chandigarh. BACK PAGE CBI nabs Mahadev betting app kingpin NEW DELHI: The CBI has arrest- ed alleged kingpin in the Mahadev Online Betting App case, Abhishek Kumar, who was on the run, after he arrived from Dubai at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, officials said. The app is alleged to have generated proceeds of crime worth Rs 80,000 crore since 2019. — TNS Poll panel rift wide open, Oppn plans fresh move to oust CEC Gained nothing in BJP, but won’t rejoin Congress, says Capt April notice by 73 MPs against Gyanesh still pending in Rajya Sabha Jupinderjit Singh Jantar Mantar 2.0 ifGyaneshdoesn’t quit in 48 hrs: CJP Shekhar Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 24 The INDIA bloc is getting ready for a third parliamentary attempt to remove Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with Opposition parties working on a fresh notice to be submitted in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, most likely next week. The move follows reports that the other two Election Commissioners had repeatedly objected to decisions related to electoral rolls and the special intensive revision (SIR). Sources said the notice was being drafted and would be vetted by legal experts before being submitted in both Houses. INDIA bloc constituents are working together on the move, which sources described as a collective Opposition effort to bring a motion seeking Kumar’s removal. A notice submitted by 73 Opposition MPs in the Rajya Sabha on April 24 is still pending. However, the Opposition has decided to submit a fresh notice in light of the latest reports and developments continued on page 8 Manikant Mishra Tribune News Service Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addresses a press conference at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi on Thursday. MANAS RANJAN BHUI Turn approver, Modi-Shah will face probe: Rahul to CEC Shekhar Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 24 Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday asked Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign and “turn approver”, while alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were at the top of a “conspiracy to steal elections” and would eventually face investigation. In one of his strongest attacks on the Election Commission and the government, Gandhi claimed there was enough information to establish with “100 per cent certainty” that elections, including the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and Assembly elections, were being “rigged”. He warned that the responsible “deshdrohis” (anti-nationals) continued on page 8 New Delhi, September 24 Amid the escalating controversy over voter lists, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Thursday demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and threatened a nationwide agitation, including ‘Jantar Mantar 2.0’, if he failed to step down within 48 hours. It also sought an independent inquiry into the manner in which electoral-roll decisions are processed through the Election Commission’s centralised technology platform. Addressing a press conference here, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and co-conveners Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka alleged that the centralisation of electoral-roll functions had created a system in which a voter may be found eligible by a constituency-level Electoral continued on page 8 Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 24 Former Punjab Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Capt Amarinder Singh has said he has gained virtually “nothing” in his four years with the BJP but has no , plans to rejoin the Congress. He also said his days of contesting elections were “effectively over”. In a wide-ranging The Tribune Newsroom interview ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, the 84year-old BJP leader was blunt about his time in the saffron party, which he joined in September 2022. “As for what I’ve gained in four years, nothing really. If you join a party, you expect to be consulted, especially when you have spent close to 60 years understanding Punjab,” he said. “I’m not claiming to have all the answers about Punjab, but I do know this state,” he added. Asked if he regretted the decision, he said, “No, I don’t regret it.” On whether he would stay with the BJP he , said, “What’s the option? I can’t go to the Akali Dal, and I don’t think the Congress Jain, Sisodia steered parallel GMADA power centre, says ED; AAP cries foul Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 24 The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday claimed that senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Satyender Jain and Manish Sisodia regularly held unofficial meetings with Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) officials to discuss master plans, land acquisition and property auctions. Hours after concluding a nearly 50-hour search-andsurveillance operation at the GMADA office in Mohali, the ED claimed that crucial meetings concerning fresh auctions, land acquisition and compensation matters were conducted informally under Jain’s directions. AAP however, dismissed the , allegations as politically moti- The ED team leaves the GMADA office in Mohali with the seized material. PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR vated, asserting that neither Jain nor Sisodia was involved in GMADA’s functioning. The party also questioned the continued on page 8 Tribune News Service Gurugram, September 24 The millennial city’s yearround struggle with waterlogging, poor sanitation and other civic problems appears to stem from a severe staff crunch in the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), particularly in its engineering wing. Despite being Haryana’s richest civic body, the MCG has 78 per cent of its field-level junior engineer (JE) posts lying vacant. Official data shows that only 32 of the 147 sanctioned JE posts are filled. Responsible for inspecting drains, supervising contractors and verifying work on the ground, these engineers serve an estimated population of nearly 18 lakh, translating to just one JE for more than 56,000 residents. The shortage is equally severe among assistant engineers, with 36 of the 51 sanc- Several parts of Gurugram regularly face waterlogging. FILE tioned posts vacant, leaving more than 70 per cent of positions unfilled. Together, assistant and junior engineers account for 151 of the corporation’s 156 vacancies, almost all of them in divisional field offices. While the post of Chief Engineer is occupied, only one of the two Superintending Engineer posts and four of the 10 Executive Engineer posts are currently filled. Overall, the engineering division has just 55 employees against 211 sanctioned posts under a notification issued on August 7, 2026, leaving 156 positions, or nearly 74 per cent, vacant. Successive MCG commissioners have highlighted the workforce shortage to the state government and sought recruitment to match the needs of the rapidly expanding city. However, approvals and postings have BJP DOESN’T KNOW PB, NEEDS AKALI SUPPORT TO FORM GOVT PAGE 9 would take me back either. They’re in a mess of their own right now and need to sort themselves out first.” On the 2027 contest, he said it was unclear which party held the advantage at present. Criticising the AAP he , said it “has forgotten that it is in government” and “has no credibility left”. The Akali continued on page 8 Bhartesh Singh Thakur Tribune News Service India won a silver medal in the mixed 4x400m relay while Seema Kumari grabbed a landmark bronze in women’s 10,000m final at the Asian Games. HISTORIC FIRSTS Anantjeet Singh Naruka and Parinaaz Dhaliwal (above) secured first-ever medal, a bronze, in mixed shooting team event. Rowers Satnam Singh and Salman Khan bagged maiden bronze in the men’s double sculls competition. Wushu player Roshibina Devi collected her second successive silver and overall third medal at the games, taking India’s tally to 17. 78% JE posts vacant, G’gram in civic mess In world’s 1st, AI agent Sumedha Sharma THE TRIBUNE NEWSROOM Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 24 Dismissed AIG Raj Jit Singh, who had been absconding for over three years after his termination in a drugtrafficking and police-smuggler nexus case, was arrested by the Raj Jit Singh Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) in Patiala on Thursday morning, ending one of Punjab’s longest-running manhunts. DGP Gaurav Yadav confirmed to The Tribune that Raj Jit had been formally arrested even as no official statement has been released. The former AIG was arrested from Patiala’s Darshan Nagar. The development follows a September 10 order by a Supreme Court Bench, directing Raj Jit to surrender after his legal team offered that he could give himself up in connection with a special leave petition seeking to transfer the probe out of Punjab. The “sudden” arrest comes ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, where the ruling AAP is highlighting its record in combating drug abuse in the state. The Opposition has repeatedly asked why AAP had not acted continued on page 8 Cash, gold, dancers: IAS officers received favours from bankers CHANDIGARH: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accused the ED of conducting an “illegal raid” despite there being no FIR or predicate offence against GMADA. It said the CBI FIR cited by the ED related to an alleged bank fraud involving Tirupati Infra Projects and had no connection with GMADA or Punjab. In a statement, the party said its leaders had no role in GMADA’s functioning. “Reports claiming that Sisodia and Jain held meetings with GMADA officials are false, baseless and politically motivated. Their role in Punjab is purely political, and they have no involvement whatsoever in GMADA’s day-to-day functioning or projects,” it said. — TNS ❝ Jupinderjit Singh ~657-CR IDFC-AU BANK SCAM AAP calls raids illegal, denies roleof leaders Rajmeet Singh CONG, SAD IN MESS Can’t go to the SAD and don’t think the Cong would take me back. They’re in a mess of their own. What’s the option. Capt Amarinder Singh, EX-CM On run for 3 years, ex-AIG Raj Jit held indrugnexuscase failed to keep pace. The impact was evident during the monsoon season. The MCG’s roster identifies 155 waterlogging hotspots, averaging nearly five for every serving JE. On August 24, heavy rain inundated key stretches, including NH-8 and Sheetla Mata Road, prompting the district disaster management authority to advise offices to allow employees to work from home. Sanitation services face similar challenges, compounded by recurring strikes by sanitation workers over issues such as wages, regularisation and workplace safety. These protests frequently leave garbage uncollected for days. Between January and August, the MCG spent Rs 173 crore on sanitation-related works, including garbage collection, road sweeping, manpower deployment, vehicles and stray animal continued on page 8 c m y b hacks Oz health portal Sydney, September 24 Australia said on Wednesday that an AI agent developed by OpenAI breached a government health data portal in June, gaining unauthorised access to public and nonpublic files, in what could be the first known instance of an AI agent hacking a government website. The breach marks one of the high-profile incidents of AI agents accessing external systems outside the US, and could fuel concerns about developers’ ability to contain the technology. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the OpenAI agent gained unauthorised access to the medical statistics portal of a government agency responsible for nonsensitive health data and statistics, including public medical spending. Fuels worry over ability of firms to contain tech “Evidence currently available suggests there is no broader compromise to the... network. Nonetheless, this situation is obviously unacceptable,” Albanese said during a media briefing in New York, where he is attending the UN General Assembly. He said investigations continue and Australia has expressed its “extreme concern about this incident” directly to OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman. In a statement, OpenAI said it “identified activity involving several Australian government websites and services as our models attempted to look up answers ... our models took actions we did not intend.” — Reuters Chandigarh, September 24 Haryana IAS officers took cash, gold coins and accepted the services of escorts from accused bankers at IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank, who allegedly extended them these favours so they could siphon off Rs 504-crore public funds from bank accounts of eight Haryana departments, the CBI has found. Including the accounts of two departments of the Chandigarh Administration, the total alleged fraud stands at Rs 657 crore. The CBI investigation revealed that 2000-batch IAS officer Pankaj Agarwal allegedly received gratification in the form of dance parties, sexual favours, liquor and luxury hotel stays, the entire cost of which was allegedly borne by Ribhav Rishi, former bank manager at IDFC First Bank and mastermind of the scam. In two departments where he served consecutively as the administrative head, two accounts were opened in IDFC First Bank, through which Rs 60.54 crore was allegedly siphoned off. The CBI found that of the 10 dance parties at Jade Manor, Zirakpur, four were organised at Agarwal’s request on November 1 and 9, and December 13, 2025, and another on January 16 this year. At these parties, seven or eight women dancers were brought from Delhi along with some women artistes. On each occasion, currency notes worth Rs 15 to 20 lakh, in denominations of Rs 20, Rs 50 and Rs 100, were showered on the dancers, sources said. Rishi’s female friend, who organised these parties, told the CBI that Agarwal used to demand specific dance groups, currency notes for showering on dancers and room service of foreign artistes. Liquor and cash were delivered at Jade Manor by Rishi’s employees. The parties reportedly continued till 4 am. An escort told the CBI that she was paid Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 on two occasions when she stayed in a room that Agarwal visited. She was called again at Hotel Novotel, Chandigarh, on December 24, 2025. However, she could not meet him as she had other engagements. The room had been booked in her name and in the name of Naresh Kumar, another accused who worked in the Development and Panchayats Department, Haryana. The CBI has traced a message from Naresh Kumar, in which he was trying to arrange the woman for Agarwal: “Boss ka man bhi hai us me.” Another escort at Hotel Wyndham, Mohali, was arranged on January 10, 2026. She was called from Delhi. Both Naresh Kumar and Agarwal spent time with her. She was paid Rs 75,000. Also, a room was booked for Agarwal at Hotel Andaz, Delhi, on October 8 and 9, 2025. Not just that, Rishi also paid a bill of Rs 19,399 for his wife Ritu Jain’s party at Hotel Novotel on October 1, 2025. The CBI investigation revealed that four or five days before Diwali in 2025, 1991batch IAS officer Vineet Garg, who was then the Chairman of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), received two gold coins, each weighing 50 gm, at his Sector 7 residence, Chandigarh. The gold coins were arranged by Sawan Jewellers, which was continued on page 8