08102026-TTC-01.qxd 10/8/2026 12:52 AM 13 PREZ VISITS ATAL TUNNEL, HADIMBA TEMPLE HP /thetribunechd LUCKNOW: An IndiGo aircraft operating flight 6E925 from Patna to Lucknow was found to have sustained damage to its nose section after landing at the Lucknow airport on Wednesday, with all 104 passengers on board safe. Officials said the possibility of the aircraft encountering lightning during bad weather conditions was being examined. — PTI Acted on over 5 mn child abuse content pieces in India: Meta NEW DELHI:Meta on Wednesday disclosed that it acted on 5.3 million pieces of child sexual exploitation content in India in the first half of 2026. The company said it had deployed new AI tools to check ads that led users to child abuse material. More than 98 per cent of the content on Facebook and Instagram in India was found and addressed before anyone reported it, Meta said. — PTI 3 killed, 8 injured as building collapses in Delhi’s Seemapuri DELHI: Three persons, including two children and a 21year-old pregnant woman, were killed and at least eight persons, including a three-year-old child, were injured after a four-storey building collapsed in Delhi’s Seemapuri area on Wednesday. Authorities are suspecting that cracks that appeared in the building following an earthquake on Tuesday may have led to the incident. INSIDE KAGAN, SOAI WIN NOBEL IN CHEMISTRY BACK PAGE CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 278 | 14 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 thursday | 8 october 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com IndiGo flight struck by ‘lightning’, lands safely at Lucknow NEW Page 1 Rahul, Priyanka detained again on 2nd day of street showdown for CEC ouster Oppn MPs try to reach Jantar Mantar after ‘unity’ lunch Shekhar Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 7 A second straight day of Opposition protests over alleged “vote chori” and the demand for CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation turned central Delhi into political battleground on Wednesday, with Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several INDIA bloc MPs detained as the police stopped their buses from reaching Jantar Mantar. As a prolonged standoff unfolded near Janpath, MPs climbed atop buses waving the Tricolour, leaders sat on the road and Priyanka lay down at the Shangri-La-Meridian roundabout clutching a copy of the Constitution before being forcibly removed by women police personnel. The protest began after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hosted INDIA bloc leaders for lunch at an eatery on Janpath. The leaders then boarded buses for Jantar Mantar, where they had planned a sit-in. Before leaving, Rahul said around 300 Opposition MPs had sought to meet the Election Commissioners a day earlier but were prevented from doing so. He then said the Opposition would now go continued on page 8 RBI’s1st rate hike since 2023 to push up EMIs Inflation, crude prices behind decision Aditya Rangroo Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 7 The Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday raised the repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.50 per cent, its first increase since February 2023, a move that is set to push up loan EMIs, and shifted its policy stance from “neutral” to “calibrated tightening”. This signals that rate cuts are unlikely in the near term and further hikes may be considered amid mounting inflationary pressures, a weak rupee and elevated crude oil prices. The six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the RBI voted unanimously to raise the repo rate. The decision to change the policy stance was taken with a 4:2 majority. The hike in the repo rate, the first in the tenure of Gov- KEY POLICY SIGNALS ■ Rate cuts are unlikely in the near term and further hikes may be considered ■ Length of the rate increase cycle to depend on real growth inflation trends ■ Governor says MDR small fee, won’t have major impact on UPI volumes ernor Sanjay Malhotra, who assumed office in December 2024, comes as key global central banks raise rates due to pressure from high oil prices following the West Asia crisis, weak currencies and the impact of El Nino. Malhotra said additional rate reductions were not being considered in the short term. “The length and scope of the rate increase cycle will depend on the real growth inflation continued on page 8 PM Narendra Modi offers prayers at the Sree Vinayaka Mandir at Sarojini Nagar in New Delhi on completion of 25 years in public office. PTI Modi’s ‘we will do it’ call marks 25-yr milestone New Delhi, October 7 At a time of massive Opposition-led offensive over the allegations of irregularities in the Election Commission’s voter roll revision process, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday declared his resolve to pursue the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047, saying no amount of “distraction or obstruction” would deter him or 140 crore Indians from achieving the target. Addressing a public event in Delhi to mark 25 years in office, first as Gujarat Chief Minister (2001 to 2014) and then as PM (2014 to now), Modi issued a “We will do it” continued on page 8 Gandhi siblings face FIRfor ‘No summons received’: Mann’s OSD forcibly entering Akashvani Ghuman fails to show up before CBI Jailed MP Amritpal allowed video call with grandmother Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Deepender Hooda and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, and others at a protest in New Delhi. PTI Rahul Gahlawat Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 7 The Delhi Police on Wednesday registered an FIR against Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and their supporters for allegedly forcibly entering Akashvani Bhawan during the Opposition’s march against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar FIRs LIKE MEDALS I have 45 FIRs against me. My target is 100… Every FIR against me is a medal for me. Rahul Gandhi, LoP ❝ NO VOTE THEFT, OPPN HAS LOST WISDOM: BJP BACK PAGE on Tuesday. The case was registered at the Parliament continued on page 8 c m y b Ruchika M Khanna & Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 7 A day after the CBI searched the camp office of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and registered a case against his OSD, Rajbir Singh Ghuman, the latter did not appear before the agency today, with officials in Moves special CBI court after FIR ‘made public’ the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) saying no summons were received. “He did not get any summons,” a senior functionary in the CMO told The Tribune. Ghuman and five others Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service have been booked by the CBI in connection with a case relating to allegations of corruption and influence-peddling. Sources in the CBI, however, said Ghuman was summoned at the CBI office here at 2.30 pm today. The CBI has not announced any arrest in the case so far. Meanwhile, a second search continued on page 8 Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 7 An Additional Sessions Judge has allowed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh to speak to his ailing grandmother through a 10-minute video call. Additional Sessions Judge Barinder Singh passed the order while hearing a petition continued on page 8