20112020-TTB-01.qxd 11/19/2020 11:54 PM Page 1 13 chandigarh | gurugram | jalandhar | bathinda | vol.140 no.321 | 12 pages | ~5.00 | regd.no.chd/0006/2018-2020 established in 1881 OZ FORCES ‘UNLAWFULLY KILLED’ 39 IN AF WORLD /thetribunechd SEBI MOVES SC, DEMANDS $8.4 BILLION FROM SAHARA BUSINESS PM: TIME TO TAKE INDIAN TECH SOLUTIONS TO WORLD BACK PAGE /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com friday, november 20,2020 Terror plot foiled, 4 JeM terrorists killed in Jammu Kashmir-bound truck carrying militants intercepted near Nagrota| 2 cops injured in 3-hour gun battle | Huge arms haul Tribune News Service New Delhi, November 19 Four suspected Jaish-eMohammed terrorists were killed and two policemen injured in a gun battle on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway after a truck carrying freshly infiltrated militants was intercepted near Nagrota today, officials said. When the truck was intercepted by a joint team of police and CRPF personnel, the terrorists on board resorted to firing. The terrorists had come to execute a “big plan”, which has been foiled, Inspector General of Police, Jammu, Mukesh Singh, said. The IGP , Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, said the four terrorists were on their way to the Kashmir valley to disturb the District Development Council polls scheduled later this month, as Pakistan has been trying to derail the political process. Briefing media on the MEA SLAMS PAK ON INFILTRATION BIDS The infiltration of terrorists & induction of arms to fuel terror activities continue unabated. This is not possible without the support of Pakistan forces. PLANNED TO DERAIL DDC POLLS: POLICE ❝ ■ The four terrorists were on their way to the Kashmir valley to disturb the upcoming District Development Council (DDC) polls, said the IGP Kashmir , ■ It seems the terrorists infiltrated from across the IB in the Jammu region before boarding a Kashmir-bound truck Anurag Srivastava, MEA SPOKESPERSON AK RIFLES, GRENADES AMONG ARMS SEIZED ■ A huge cache of arms and explosive material, including 11 AK rifles, 24 magazines, 29 grenades, 6 UBGLs and electronic circuits, was recovered ■ The arms haul indicates the militants were suicide bombers and belonged to the JeM, the J&K Police said encounter, the Jammu IGP said when the truck was stopped for checking at Ban toll plaza in the Nagrota area at 5 am, its driver left the vehicle and fled. CRPF and Security personnel at the encounter site in Nagrota. PTI police personnel moved to search the vehicle and came under fire from the terrorists hiding in the truck. The militants were asked to surrender but they ignored the announcement, the IGP said, adding that other security forces also joined in, leading to a fierce gun battle in which terrorists lobbed grenades. After a three-hour operation, the security forces managed to kill the four terrorists, but in the process two policemen sustained nonfatal injuries, the IGP said. The truck, loaded with rice sacks, caught fire during the encounter. The bodies of the terrorists were found in a cavity inside the truck. Lauding the success of the security forces, J&K Lt Gov- ernor Manoj Sinha said, “No outside force can derail us from our mission of peace and progress.” He visited the two injured policemen in a hospital in Jammu. Pak court gives Saeed 10-yr jail in 2 more cases Lahore, November 19 Mumbai terror attack mastermind and Jamaat-udDawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed was on Thursday sentenced to 10 years in jail by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan in two more terror financing cases. Saeed, a UN designated terrorist on whom the US put a $10 million bounty, was arrested on July 17 last year in terror financing cases. He was sentenced to 11 years in jail by an anti-terrorism court in February this year in two terror financing cases. The 70-year-old JuD chief is lodged at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail. “The Anti-Terrorism Court sentenced four JuD leaders in two more cases,” said a court official. — PTI Your slumber cost No mask to invite ~2,000 fine Farmers gear up for lives, HC raps govt in Delhi; testing hiked to 27K Nov 26 ‘Delhi Chalo’ New Delhi, November 19 The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the AAP government if it could explain to those who had lost their near and dear ones to Covid-19 in the last 18 days why the administration did not take steps when cases were spiralling in the national capital. The HC, which asked the government to look at the situation with a “magnifying glass”, observed the crematoriums were “overflowing” and “funeral pyres burning through the night”. Pulling up the Delhi Government, a Bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad asked why it waited till the court intervened to take steps such as capping at Asks why court had to intervene to initiate steps to tackle Covid 50 the number of people attending a wedding. “You saw from November 1 which way the wind was blowing. But you turn turtle now because we asked you some questions. The bell should have rung loud and clear when the numbers were spiralling. Why did we have to shake you out of your slumber?” the Bench asked. It said the government ought to reduce reliance on rapid antigen testing and focus on RTPCR method for more accurate testing. — PTI Varavara Rao shifted to hospital from jail Punjab CM’s son appears before ED JALANDHAR: Raninder Singh, the son of Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh, appeared before the ED on Thursday in a FEMA violation case. Raninder arrived at the ED office at 11 am and left after about six hours. TNS Mewalal Choudhary 3 days after oath, Bihar minister quits over graft New Delhi, November 19 Nitish Kumar’s new term as the Bihar CM took off to a rather shaky start with a minister in his Cabinet resigning just three days after taking oath. Education Minister Mewalal Choudhary resigned after RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav flagged a three-year-old corruption case to question his induction into the Cabinet. Choudhary said: “The charge has not been proved. I am the informer in the case, not the culprit.” — TNS Ex-councillor jumps into canal PANIPAT: Senior BJP leader and former councillor Harish Sharma jumped into the Delhi parallel canal near Binjhol village on Thursday morning under suspicious circumstances. His friend Rajesh Sharma, president of the Depot Holder Association, too jumped into the canal to save him. Both are COVID-19CASES INDIA COUNT 89,12,907 TOTAL RECOVERED DEATHS RECOVERED 83,35,109 FRESH FATALITIES 474 TOTAL DEATHS 1,30,993 WORLD 5,61,17,594 3,91,05,330 13,46,750 of the steps taken by his government to contain the virus spread. Kejriwal appealed to the people not to celebrate Chhath at public places in the city. The BJP and Congress objected to restrictions on the celebrations and asked the government to allow it with required precautions. — TNS edit: delhi’s covid crisis MBBS QUOTA FOR WARDS OF FRONTLINE WARRIORS The government has reserved five Central pool MBBS seats for the wards of deceased Covid warriors ANY ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE FOR COVID, SC ASKS GOVT Noting that everybody can't be allowed to prescribe drugs, the SC asked the Centre to file an affidavit on the manner and extent of use of alternative medicines for Covid patients OXFORD SHOTS EFFECTIVE FOR OLDER ADULTS TOO Oxford vaccine has reported a robust immune response in healthy adults, older people NIGHT CURFEW IN AHMEDABAD AS CASES SPIKE US House ‘snubs’ China on Tibet IN BRIEF MUMBAI: Poet-activist Varavara Rao, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, has been shifted from the Taloja Jail in Raigad district to Mumbai’s Nanavati Hospital following a directive by the Bombay High Court, a jail official said on Thursday. PTI New Delhi, November 19 The Delhi Government on Thursday hiked the fine for not wearing a mask in public from Rs 500 to Rs 2,000 in view of a Covid surge in the city. The government also decided to increase the number of daily RT-PCR tests from 18,000 to 27,000. After an all-party meeting, CM Arvind Kejriwal said the government had decided to reserve 80 per cent of ICU beds in private hospitals for Covid patients. The hospitals had also been asked to postpone non-critical surgeries and increase non-ICU Covid beds from 50 per cent to 60 per cent, he said. The CM met Lt Governor Anil Baijal and apprised him feared drowned. The family of the ex-councillor claimed that Harish was upset after the police registered a case against him and others for allegedly selling firecrackers on Diwali. Home Minister Anil Vij has formed a three-member committee to conduct probe into the incident. INSIDE Washington, November 19 A bipartisan resolution recognising the cultural and religious significance of an autonomous Tibet and seeking peaceful solutions to the conflict has been passed by the US House of Representatives. The resolution recognised the significance of Tibet’s Resolutions accuse Beijing of rights violation in Tibet, Hong Kong autonomy and the contribution of the Dalai Lama to promote peace. Another resolution condemned rights violations in Hong Kong. "Today, the House sent a strong message with the passage of resolutions calling for an end to China’s rights abuses. The House on a bipartisan basis will always fight for freedom of religion and culture in Tibet autonomous region and for the rule of law in Hong Kong," Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. — PTI New Delhi, November 19 Even as Punjab farm unions today announced that thousands of protesters would participate in the “Delhi Chalo” march on November 26, the Supreme Court today restored a PIL against the Centre’s three farm laws that it had dismissed earlier. The Supreme Court restored the petition after the petitioner, advocate ML Sharma contended that Parliament didn’t have the legislative competence to make laws on agriculture as it was a state subject under the Constitution’s Seventh Schedule . “We will restore and keep the matter for admission after two weeks,” said the Bench after Sharma submitted that he couldn’t argue his case on the last date of hearing. A Bench led by CJI SA Bobde had on October 12 dismissed Sharma’s PIL even as it issued notices to the Centre on several other petitions against the farm laws that have triggered protests in various parts of the country, particularly Punjab. Dr Darshan Pal of the Joint Kisan Morcha said on the occasion of the Constitution Day (November 26), the country would witness the beginning of a historic struggle of SC restores petition against Centre’s three agriculture laws Farming farmers ❝sacred toandThe SAD are us. will stand by farmers and follow their leadership. We want no credit. Our support is unconditional. Sukhbir Badal, SAD NO AGENDA, SUPPORT TO FARMERS UNCONDITIONAL INTERVIEW INSIDE farmers. “The movement has reached a decisive phase. Farmers from across the country are arriving in Delhi… We have the support of over 500 farmer unions,” he claimed. Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, meanwhile, urged the Centre to “show magnanimity and not link the restoration of freight services with the movement of passenger trains”. He said the Centre should back the state’s efforts towards ending the agitation, which had grave repercussions for Punjab and the nation. — TNS Special Sikh jatha to Pakistan on Gurpurb: MEA New Delhi, November 19 India will send a special Sikh jatha to Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib (Nov 27- Dec 1) on the occasion of the 551st birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava announced here on Thursday. However, there is no move yet to reopen the Kartarpur Corridor, he indicated. The visit of a truncated jatha will be as per the 1974 bilateral protocol between India and Pakistan. There is, no confirmation yet from the Pakistan side. Pakistan had in June unilaterally reopened the Kartarpur Corridor to commemorate Maharaja Ranjit Singh`s death anniversary, but India had rejected the offer owing to the pandemic. Officials say it has been over a year but Pakistan is yet to construct a bridge over the Budhi Ravi channel. — TNS Virus scare, Hry issues HC: Cannot marry In HP, women targeted fresh norms for schools first cousin, it’s illegal in 60% cyber crimes Tribune News Service Chandigarh, November 19 After a number of students tested positive for Covid following the reopening of schools in Haryana, the Directorate of School Education today issued fresh instructions to district-level education officers. According to the guidelines, a daily record of temperature of every teacher and student will be maintained. Details of those having abnormal temperature will be shared with the nodal officer of the Health Department. The officials have also been told to send details of students or staff who under- CM TO RECONSIDER REGULAR CLASSES Schools were closed ❝thepastsevenoreight for months. The rising number of cases in schools is a serious issue. We will rethink continuing regular classes. ML Khattar, CM TRIAL COVAXIN DOSE FOR VIJ TODAY go Covid test to the directorate on a daily basis. Subsequently, the test reports will also be shared with the authorities concerned. Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service Chandigarh, November 19 The Punjab and Haryana High Court has made it clear that first cousins cannot marry. The Bench also ruled that a youth’s claims of marrying his first cousin, with whom he was in a live-in relationship, were by itself illegal. “The submission in the present petition that they will perform marriage as and when the girl attains the age of 18 is per se illegal,” Justice Arvind Singh Sangwan ruled. The assertion came after the youth moved the High Court against the State of Punjab for grant of anticipatory bail in a case registered for kidnapping and another ‘PROHIBITED SAPINDA’ ■ The youth and the girl fell in prohibited ‘sapinda’ under Hindu Marriage Act, state counsel told the court ■ The duo, as such, could not marry each other, he argued ■ There was no question of their being in a live-in relationship, which was per se immoral and not acceptable in society, he added offence on August 18 under Sections 363 and 366-A of the IPC at Khanna City-2 police station in Ludhiana district. His counsel told Justice Sangwan’s Bench that the petitioner had also filed a continued on back page Bhanu P Lohumi Tribune News Service Shimla, November 19 In HP sexual offence cases , exceed those of fraud. On an average, 60 per cent cyber crimes reported in the past three years are against women. About 60-90 cyber complaints are received every week, most of these regarding fake profiles, virtual stalking, sexually explicit material, blackmail by morphed photos and fake chatting. As per the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), women in Himachal were the victims in 53 per cent cyber crime cases in 2017, in 75 per cent cases in 2018 and in 60 per cent cases in 2019. “While cases of theft and burglary FAKE PROFILES, IDs 60-90 cyber complaints received every week, mostly regarding fake IDs, virtual stalking & blackmail by morphed photographs are down, cyber crime is on the rise as it is easier to dupe people in the virtual world,” explained DGP Sanjay Kundu, who has asked the state government to sanction cyber police stations in nine police districts.