27102026-TTC-01.qxd 10/27/2026 12:37 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 297 | 12 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 KHARGE’S REMARKS ON PM REFLECT CONG DOWNFALL, SAYS RAJNATH >> NATION /thetribunechd 30 SHOPS DESTROYED IN BLAZE NEAR JAMMU RLY STATION >> J&K ANTHROPIC FILES IPO; TO PUT AI BOOM TO THE TEST >> BUSINESS BIBI TOUTS TRUMP ENDORSEMENT ON EVE OF VOTE >> WORLD tuesday | 27 october 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com DAC clears ~2.12L cr buy list for warships, drones, artillery guns SIR rollout unanimous, Form 6 not amended: EC in SC affidavit Nod at Rajnath-chaired meet; 82% of hardware to be sourced locally New Delhi, October 26 In the eye of the storm over alleged large-scale irregularities and deletion of 13 crore voters during the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the Election Commission on Monday unanimously denied before the Supreme Court any wrongdoing in its decisions. Refuting the petitioners’ allegations, the poll panel submitted that all three orders concerning the SIR— dated June 24, 2025, October 27, 2025, and May 14, 2026— were unanimous and that it never released or authorised the release of any internal note or file to the media. In an affidavit filed in response to petitions filed by one Rakesh Kumar Singh seeking suspension of the SIR exercise pending final adjudication of the issue by the top court and restraining Gyanesh Kumar from functioning as the Chief Election Commissioner, the commission said the petition “was not maintainable as it was solely based on news reports”. The poll panel asserted that contrary to various claims, Form 6 had not been amended by it as it could be amended only by the Centre. However, it VSHORADS will be used to engage new-generation, small-size aerial threats, while the counter-UAS will improve the survivability of tanks on the modern battlefield. The surveillance and drone systems will enhance the Army’s surveillance and targeting capabilities,” it said. For the Navy, approval was granted for the procurement of an active offboard decoy system (AODS) and four next-generation destroyers, with each warship weighing more than 10,000 tonnes and being built using modern techniques. The AODS will strengthen the credibility of the anti-missile defence, especially against modern anti-ship missiles of adversaries. The platforms, which will be indigenously designed and constructed, will have modern warfare capabilities. For the IAF the DAC , okayed air defence systems and a mobile X-band Doppler weather radar system, aimed at improving its air defence and war-fighting capabilities. The radar system will provide high-resolution and localised weather surveillance in forward areas. Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service 2 cousins shot, 2 hurt as gunmen open fire in Moga Balwant Garg Tribune News Service Moga, October 26 Two cousins were shot dead and two others seriously injured after unidentified assailants opened fire in Moga’s Angadpura locality late on Sunday evening, in an attack the police suspect was linked to an old gang rivalry. Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav visited the spot on Monday and met the bereaved family. The police have registered a case and rounded up five relatives of the suspects for questioning. The deceased were identified as Gagan Jindal (35) and Sahil Jindal (44). The injured, Raghav Jindal and Somnath Jindal, are undergoing treatment at a local hospital. According to the police, several men were sitting outside a shop when a black Mahindra Scorpio with tinted windows pulled up. Its occupants allegedly opened continued on page 8 Five shot dead at Guwahati hotel near police HQs guwahati, October 26 Five persons were shot dead at a hotel in Guwahati on Monday night in a dispute between the owner of the property and its leaseholder, the police said. The incident took place at Hotel Bilas Inn, opposite Bora Service, around 2 km from the Assam Police headquarters. “Six persons sustained gunshot wounds, of whom five succumbed to the injuries,” Guwahati Police Commissioner Partha Sarathi Mahanta said after visiting the spot. He said the accused, the leaseholder of the property, was apprehended within one hour of the incident. — PTI LIGHT MULTI-ROLE HELICOPTERS FOR IAF, ARMY ■ Separate requirements cleared ■ The helicopter, according to for a new light multi-role helicopter for the IAF and the Army ■ Will be used for surveillance, combat, rescue, humanitarian assistance & disaster relief sources, is expected to be a twin-engine platform ■ However, the DAC’s major focus was on the procurement of combat drones of the council’s deliberations was on drones, which played a significant role during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. The DAC approved a counterunmanned aerial system (UAS) to tackle enemy drones. For offensive missions, it cleared a UAS known in military parlance as a ‘brick long range’ system. The ‘brick’ framework refers to modular, rugged and highly compact components or payloads. The DAC also approved the procurement of a surveillance UAV, an integrated UAV system capable of carrying out both surveillance and strike missions, and a Kamikaze (self-destruct) drone. The Army’s requirement for a very short-range air defence system (VSHORADS) and highmobility vehicles (HMVs) has also been approved. The Ministry of Defence said the HMVs would boost operational capability, logistics support and mobility in challenging terrain. “The China says it abides bypactsasIndiaflags patrol deviations Ujwal Jalali Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 26 China on Monday defended its border patrols as “normal” activities to safeguard its territorial sovereignty, urging India to work with it to maintain peace along the disputed boundary amid differences over patrolling patterns. “China strictly abides by the relevant agreements and common understandings reached between the two countries, and conducts normal border patrol and control activities to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and stability in the border areas,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular press conference. Responding to a question citing India’s assertion that the border situation gets disturbed when Chinese forces deviate from established patrolling patterns, Guo said the two countries maintained communication through diplomatic and military channels. “We hope that India will work with China in the same direction by jointly implementing the common under- Tribune News Service Oppn has been demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation RAHUL’S PLEA IN SC TODAY A Bench led by CJI Surya Kant will on Tuesday take up petitions filed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and others seeking to halt SIR process and restrain Gyanesh Kumar from functioning as the CEC. acknowledged that the manner in which the declaration was displayed on the online application platform could give the impression that Form 6 had been amended. To address the issue, from October 21, 2026, the online application process had been divided into two separate components: Form 6 and the SIR declaration, in line with the procedure followed for physical applications, it said. The declaration was introduced to facilitate the mapping of applicants with earlier electoral rolls and that the BRAZIL STAYS LEFT changes did not amount to an amendment of the statutory form, it clarified. The Supreme Court had earlier said that it did not adjudicate upon the new Form 6 while hearing cases related to the SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar, which was upheld by it on May 27. A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant will on Tuesday take up the petition filed by Rakesh Kumar and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders, including AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi, against Gyanesh Kumar. Filed by Deputy Election Commissioner Bhanu Prakash Yeturu, the affidavit stated that it had been approved unanimously by the CEC and Election Commissioners Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. Denying the petitioner’s allegations that CEC Kumar unilaterally took SIR-related decisions despite objections from two other Election Commissioners, the commission said files go first to one Election Commissioner, then to the other and finally to the CEC. A suggestion, observation or query by any Election Commissioner during this continued on page 8 NEW DELHI: Microsoft on Mon- day announced a voluntary exit programme for employees in India, US, UK and Canada, offering financial support and career planning resources to those opting to leave the company. Microsoft has about 23,000 employees in India. Globally, 60,000 employees are eligible for exit. BACK PAGE Lakhimpur accused allowed tovisithome NEW DELHI:The Supreme Court on Monday allowed Ashish Mishra, an accused in the 2021 Lakhimpur violence case and son of former Union Minister Ajay Mishra, to travel to his hometown to celebrate Diwali with his family members. The SC also remarked that the trial in the case has to be concluded in time. INSIDE CentrepermitsE100 for flex-fuel vehicles NEW DELHI: The Road Transport Ministry has notified changes to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989, allowing flex-fuel vehicles that can run on E85 and E100 (nearly pure ethanol). The ministry said the fuel beyond E20 (20% ethanol-blended petrol) and up to E100 was only for vehicles designed to use it and not for other vehicles. BACK PAGE UPcourtacquitsRahul in ’18 defamation case Rinku Behera Tribune News Service standings reached between the two sides and maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas with concrete actions,” he said. The remarks came days after the Ministry of External Affairs said the situation along the India-China border got disturbed from time to time when Chinese forces diverged from established patrolling patterns. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made the statement on Friday while responding to remarks by Indo-Tibetan Border Police Director General Shatrujeet Kapur, who had said face-offs between Indian and Chinese forces continued at several locations in Arunachal Pradesh. “As we have noted in the past, the situation in the India-China border areas gets disturbed from time to time when Chinese forces diverge from established patrolling patterns,” Jaiswal had said. Asked about the specific locations mentioned by the ITBP chief, Jaiswal referred the query to the Ministry of Defence. Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a Trump critic, defied odds to win a historic fourth term, putting the brakes on a wave of right-wing wins in Latin America. Hailing the victory, PM Narendra Modi said he looked forward to working closely with him to further deepen the strategic partnership between the two sides. REUTERS Bulgarian paraglider pilot killed in Dharamsala crash, UK flyer rescued Tribune News Service Dharamsala, October 26 A 47-year-old Bulgarian paraglider pilot was killed and a 63-year-old British pilot rescued after a crash near Rising Star Peak overlooking the Yol area of Dharamsala. The two pilots had taken off from BirBilling on Sunday, but their flight ended in an accident near Rising Star Peak, reportedly due to strong winds. The deceased was identified as Maksim Valentinovich Gavrilichenko, a Bulgarian national, while the rescued pilot, Stephen Antony Purdie, is a British citizen. Gavrilichenko’s body was recovered on Monday morn- ing after an overnight search operation involving the police, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the local Him Sansar rescue team. Kangra Superintendent of Police Kulbhushan Verma said legal formalities were being completed and the circumstances leading to the accident continued on page 8 New Delhi, October 26 A special MP-MLA court in Sultanpur, UP on Monday , acquitted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case over remarks he made against then BJP president Amit Shah in 2018. The court of Additional Civil Judge Shubham Verma found the Congress leader not guilty in the case. Rahul, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Raebareli MP appeared , before the court for the pronouncement of the verdict. The case relates to alleged objectionable remarks made by Rahul against Shah at a rally in Bengaluru ahead of the Karnataka elections in 2018. BJP leader Vijay Mishra, a former chairman of the District Cooperative Bank in Sultanpur, filed a defamation case against Rahul on August 4, 2018. In 2023, the Congress leader appeared before the court and secured bail. Mishra had sought legal proceedings against Rahul under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which deal with criminal defamation. According to the complaint, Rahul had referred to Amit Shah as a “murder accused” Rahul Gandhi Cong leader had referred to Shah as ‘murder accused’ while questioning the party’s claims of honesty and integrity. Rahul had allegedly said people often forgot the BJP president had been accused of murder, criticising the party for promoting honesty and decency while having a leader facing such allegations. The complaint led to the defamation proceedings against Rahul. Meanwhile, the Congress welcomed the court’s ruling, asserting that the statement was not defamatory. Senior party leader KC Venugopal said: “The Hon’ble Court has clearly held that there is nothing defamatory about continued on page 8 Patients bear the brunt as Punjab chemists stop sale of habit-forming drugs Lalit Mohan,Aman Sood, Rishika Kriti & PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service VISHAL KUMAR New Delhi, October 26 The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), the apex decision-making body of the Ministry of Defence, on Monday cleared proposals worth about Rs 2.12 lakh crore for procurement of new UAVs, artillery guns, next-generation warships and a new class of helicopters for the armed forces. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired a meeting of the DAC and accorded ‘Acceptance of Necessity’ (AoN), or an in-principle approval, required for procurement proposals. Nearly 82 per cent of the approved acquisitions will be sourced from the Indian industry. For the Army, approval was accorded for the procurement of a self-propelled tracked gun system. The force has been operating the K9 Vajra artillery gun, which moves on tank-like tracks and is designed for operations across rugged terrain. The DAC also cleared separate requirements for a new light multi-role helicopter (LMRH) for the Air Force and the Army. A major focus Satya Prakash Microsoft offers exit packageto60Kstaff A poster by a chemist announces non-availability of habit-forming drugs. Ropar/Patiala/Jalandhar/ Amritsar, October 26 Patients suffering from diabetes, neuropathic pain and other chronic ailments, including psychiatric conditions, are facing difficulties accessing essential medicines, as chemists across Punjab have decided to stop the sale of psychotropic or habit-forming drugs. In Ropar district, chemists were seen packing psychotropic drug stocks available with c m y b them in boxes today and turning back even patients who had prescription from doctors. The Punjab Chemists Association decided to suspend sales amid the ongoing crackdown by the police and health authorities against habit-forming drugs after the Jhota murder case. Karan Chaudhary, a chemist and stockist from Nangal, said pregabalin, the drug in question following the Jhota murder case, was a medicine, not an illicit drug. It was the most effective drug for diabetic neuropathic patients and was being extensively recommended by doctors. “However, since chemists across the state are being targeted, we have decided to suspend the sale of the drug,” he said. The situation has reportedly extended beyond pregabalin, with some chemists reluctant to sell insulin injections, syringes, disposable needles and other medicines, even when patients produce prescriptions. The uncertainty has left patients dependent on regular medication worried about the availability of essential supplies. When The Tribune team in Patiala tried to purchase needles and syringes on a prescription for a diabetic patient, most chemists reportedly refused, citing fears of police scrutiny. “I don’t want to get into trouble selling this. It is better that you get it directly from your doctor. The police are on the prowl, and who knows whether a sting operation is being conducted,” said one of the chemists. “After the rampant use of ‘chitta’ and the resulting police action, some youths are now turning to ‘ghoda’ or ‘prega’ — short for pregabalin,” a chemist near Government Rajindra Hospital said. The term “ghoda” is reportedly used locally to refer to various capsule-based formulations associated with misuse. Chemists said the district administration had previously imposed restrictions on the sale of pregabalin tablets and capsules in strengths exceeding 75 mg. continued on page 8