15022021-TT-01.qxd 2/14/2021 10:51 PM Page 1 13 chandigarh | gurugram | jalandhar | bathinda | vol.141 no.45 | 12 pages | ~5.00 | regd.no.chd/0006/2021-2023 established in 1881  himachal pradesh BRITAIN QUESTIONS WHO’S CHINA PROBE MISSION FINDINGS WORLD /thetribunechd LET’S FOCUS ON PROVIDING AFFORDABLE FOOD TO ALL INFOCUS SHEER SURRENDER: ANTONY ON PULLBACK BACK PAGE /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com monday | 15 february 2021 Terror plot foiled on Pulwama 71% cast ballot amid clashes One hurt in Patti firing I Repoll likely in Samana, Patran anniv, student among 4 held Tribune News Service PROUD OF OUR FORCES ❝ We pay homage to all martyrs. We are proud of our security forces. Their bravery will continue to inspire generations Narendra Modi, PRIME MINISTER CRPF men pay tribute to the martyrs of Pulwama attack on its second anniversary, in Pulwama on Sunday. PTI Jammu, February 14 A terrorist plan to set off an explosion at a crowded place here on the second anniversary of the Pulwama attack was scuttled with the recovery of a powerful IED from a nursing student, who was arrested with three others, the police said today. Mukesh Singh, IGP Jammu, , said six pistols and 15 IEDs were seized in Samba district in another operation. Flanked by DGP Dilbag Singh, he said a youth carrying a bag was found roaming in the vicinity of the local bus stand. When searched, he was found carrying nearly 7 kg of IED. HOMAGE BY FARMERS IN TIKRI He identified him as Suhail Bashir Shah, a resident of Newa village in Pulwama, who was pursuing nursing course in a college in Chandigarh and was assigned the task of planting the IED in Jammu by his Pak-based handler affiliated with Al-Badr. “He was given four targets, Ragunath temple, bus stand, railway station and Lakhdata bazar. He was to take a flight to Srinagar on completing his job,” the officer said. Athar Shakeel Khan, an overground worker, who was to receive him in Srinagar, was arrested. “Suhail’s fellow student from Kashmir, Qazi Wasim, was picked up from Chandigarh while their another associate, Abid Nabi, was arrested in Srinagar,” the officer added. — PTI Did not forgive, will not forget... Indebted, we stand with families of our valiant bravehearts. CRPF Ultras using pupils, says J&K DGP JAMMU: Following the arrest of a top terrorist who had made a video of National Security Adviser Ajit Doval’s office, it has come to light that Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad was planning a strike in Delhi, J&K police chief Dilbag Singh said. He said terrorists in Kashmir had begun procuring arms from Bihar and were using Kashmiri students studying in Punjab for smuggling these arms into the Valley. INSIDE Now on, FASTag or pay hefty penalty Activist held for sharing Greta toolkit New Delhi, February 14 FASTag will be mandatory from February 15 midnight and any vehicle not fitted with it will be charged double the toll at toll plazas. A government order said all lanes at electronic toll plazas on NHs will be declared “FASTag lanes” with effect from February 15 midnight. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said the aim was to promote fee payment through digital mode, reduce waiting time and fuel consumption and provide for a seamless passage. — TNS ROSE CAMPAIGN IN US IN BRIEF Bihar poll: SC notice to CEC on contempt plea NEW DELHI: The SC has issued notices to the CEC and leaders of various parties on a contempt plea highlighting alleged failure to publish criminal antecedents of candidates in Bihar polls. BACK PAGE N-power capacity to treble by 2031: Govt NEW DELHI: Even as the IndoUS nuclear pact is yet to result in new projects, the Centre is working on an indigenous N-power programme to raise the capacity by three times. BACK PAGE Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 14 A Delhi court on Sunday remanded a Bengalurubased student, Disha Ravi, to five-day police custody after the Delhi Police arrested her yesterday for allegedly editing the controversial farmer protest toolkit posted on Twitter by climate campaigner Greta Thunberg. “I have only edited two lines of the toolkit to express sup- ■ On Valentine’s Day, about 25 Indian diaspora outfits in US launched a rose campaign to support the farmers’ agitation ■ The initiative entailed tweeting or sending a rose to PM Modi through Indian missions RELEASE DISHA: KISAN MORCHA port for the agitating farmers,” said Ravi, a climate activist, breaking down in the courtroom where cops sought Dems fail to muster numbers Senate acquits Trump Washington, February 14 The US Senate has acquitted a defiant Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial in just over a year after the Democrats failed once again to muster enough votes to convict the former president on a charge of inciting the deadly insurrection at the Capitol on January 6. The Senate voted 57-43 on Saturday to convict Trump on a single impeachment count – incitement of insurrection. But that majority of all 50 Democrats in the upper chamber of the US Congress, joined by seven Republicans, fell 10 votes short of the 67 needed for a conviction, two-thirds of the 100-member Senate. DEMOCRACY IS FRAGILE ❝ This sad chapter in our history has reminded us that democracy is fragile. That it must always be defended. Joe Biden, US PRESIDENT The Senate acquitted the 74-year-old Republican leader of inciting insurrection at the US Capitol after he urged hundreds of his supporters to continued on page 9 her weeklong police remand. The Delhi Police cyber cell arrested Ravi from Bengaluru on Saturday alleging her to be part of a larger “proKhalistan” agenda. They alleged she had edited the Greta Thunberg toolkit. The police had in the aftermath of Republic Day violence in Delhi registered cases against “pro-Khalistan” creators (read people, including Thunberg) of the “toolkit” continued on page 9 Omar: Locked up at home, new model of democracy Srinagar, February 14 National Conference leader Omar Abdullah today claimed he and his family, including father and MP Farooq Abdullah, had been put under house arrest. However, the police said the movement of protected persons was “discouraged” on Sunday due to adverse inputs on the second anniversary of the Pulwama attack. “This is new J&K… We get locked up in our homes with no explanation. It’s bad enough they’ve locked my father (a sitting MP) & me in our home, they’ve locked my sister & her kids in their home as well,” he tweeted. PAGE 9 13 more bodies found, 6 inTapovan tunnel Tribune News Service Joshimath, February 14 Thirteen bodies were recovered on Sunday from the flashflood-ravaged hydel project sites at Tapovan and Raini in Chamoli district, taking the toll in the calamity to 51, even as search and rescue operations were intensified. Officials said rescuers managed to reach 140 metre inside the 180-metre-long main tunnel and retrieved Rescue op intensified at hydel project site Army personnel build a bridge near Raini village in Chamoli. PTI six bodies from there. The remaining seven bodies were found along the Rishi Ganga near Raini village. “These are the first bodies to be recovered from the tunnel where muck-clearing and drilling operations have been underway for the past seven days,” an official said, adding that of the 51 bodies found so far, 24 had been identified. Rescue teams are still battling against odds to reach continued on page 9 Chandigarh, February 14 Violence marred the highstake civic body polls to Punjab’s eight municipal corporations and 109 municipal councils and nagar panchayats on Sunday that saw a high voter turnout of 71 per cent. Mansa reported the highest polling percentage at 82.99 per cent, followed by Bathinda at 79 per cent and Sangrur 77.39 per cent. In Patti (Amritsar), an AAP worker received a bullet injury while in Sultanpur Lodhi, unidentified persons opened fire to scare away the voters. Nine persons were injured in a clash between Congress and SAD supporters in Ropar. There were skirmishes and stone-pelting incidents over allegations of booth-capturing in Muktsar, Malout, Samana, Patran, Rajpura, Moga, Fatehgarh Churian, Mukerian, Dinangar, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Abohar, Jalalabad, Dhuri and Bhikhiwind. The outcome of the civic polls, held ahead of the crucial 2022 Assembly elections, will reflect the voter mood in urban and semi-urban areas. Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Sunil Jakhar alleged SAD workers attacked Congress workers in Muktsar. Shiromani Akali ASHWIN BREAKS BHAJJI RECORD 266 WICKETS Supporters of rival parties clash in Samana on Sunday amid reports of booth-capturing. TRIBUNE PHOTO: RAJESH SACHAR HIGHEST LOWEST MANSA PB CIVIC POLL MOHALI 83% 60% DISTRICT-WISE POLL PERCENTAGE Mansa Bathinda Sangrur F’garh Sahib Pathankot Ferozepur Ropar Jalandhar Fazilka Barnala 82.99 79 77.39 75.78 75.37 74.01 73.80 73.29 72.40 71.99 Amritsar Faridkot Dal (SAD) leader Dr DS Cheema accused the Congress of blatantly misusing government machinery to “capture” booths and of unleashing violence on the Opposition to intimidate vot- 71.20 71.03 Ludhiana 70.33 Patiala 70.09 Gurdaspur 70 Nawanshahr 69.71 Moga 69.50 Muktsar 68.65 Hoshiarpur 66.68 Kapurthala 64.34 Tarn Taran 63.12 Mohali 60.08 ers. “No concrete steps were taken to ensure free and fair elections. Akali supporters were attacked with sharpweapons at several places,” he claimed. The counting will be held on February 17. S PINNER Ravichandran Ashwin is now the second highest wicket-taker in Tests played in India He got past Harbhajan’s 265 wickets by dismissing Stokes in the second Test against England in Chennai on Sunday Anil Kumble is the leading wicket-taker with 350 scalps