21092022-TTC-01.qxd 9/21/2022 12:39 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 142 NO. 261 | 16 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2021-2023 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 FIRST MULTIPLEX INAUGURATED IN SRINAGAR J&K PAK PM IN TROUBLE FOR CONSULTING NAWAZ ON NEW ARMY CHIEF WORLD /thetribunechd CENTRAL BANK OF INDIA OFF RBI’S PCA WATCHLIST BUSINESS INDIA, EGYPT SIGN PACT TO BOOST DEFENCE RELATIONS BACK PAGE wednesday | 21 september 2022 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Army to shed colonial baggage, to review unit names, uniform Aussies take first T20I Says it’s time to move away from archaic, ineffective practices | Meet today Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service Australian team celebrates the wicket of Virat Kohli during the first T20I cricket match in Mohali on Tuesday. Chasing a 209-run target, Australia beat India by four wickets in 19.2 overs. PTI INSIDE Top court upholds Haryana Sikh Gurdwara (Mgmt) Act Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 20 The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the validity of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara (Management) Act, 2014, under which a separate committee was formed to manage the affairs of gurdwaras in the state. “Since the affairs of the Sikh minority in the state are to be managed by the Sikhs alone, it cannot be said to be violative of any of the fundamental rights conferred under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution,” said a Bench led by Justice Hemant Gupta, dismissing two petitions filed eight years ago seeking quashing of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Act, 2014. The Bench, which also included Justice Vikram Nath, noted that the Haryana NOT VIOLATIVE OF ARTICLES 25, 26 Since the affairs of ❝Sikh minority in the the state are to be managed by the Sikhs alone, the Act cannot be said to be violative of any of the fundamental rights conferred under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution. Bench Act was similar to the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, having similar provisions of constituting a committee to manage gurdwara affairs under continued on page 12 IN BRIEF Demolish illegal construction at Rane’s house: HC MUMBAI: The Bombay HC on Tuesday directed the Mumbai civic body to demolish the unauthorised construction at Union Minister Narayan Rane's bungalow over building law violations. BACK PAGE World Bank approves $150 million loan for Punjab WASHINGTON: The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors on Tues- day approved a loan of $150 million to Punjab to help it better manage its financial resources and improve access to public services. INSIDE Faesal moves SC to withdraw plea on Article 370 NEW DELHI: IAS officer Shah Faesal has moved the Supreme Court seeking withdrawal of his name from the list of petitioners who have challenged the Presidential Order to scrap Article 370. INSIDE AAP takes lead, out with first list of four for HP poll Tribune News Service Shimla, September 20 The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was the first to get off the block in Himachal Pradesh as it today announced the first list of four candidates for the Assembly elections, slated towards the end of the year. The list comprises Rajan Sushant from Fatehpur (Kangra district), Manish Thakur Paonta Sahib (Sirmaur), Umakant Dogra Nagrota (Kangra) and Sudershan Jaspa Lahaul-Spiti. Rajan re-joined AAP recently after quitting the party six years ago. In 2020, he had floated his own outfit, ‘Hamari Party Himachal Party’. With a political career spanning over four decades, mostly with the BJP Rajan , has been a four-term MLA and one-time MP . Manish, who joined AAP in March, too has significant political experience as he was the Youth Congress national secre- OFF THE BLOCK Seat Candidate Fatehpur Rajan Sushant Paonta Sahib Manish Thakur Nagrota Umakant Dogra Lahaul-Spiti Sudershan Jaspa tary and its state president. Jaspa is a social worker and remained a zila parishad member from 2015-20. “He joined AAP following the party’s landslide victory in Punjab,” AAP said in a statement. Umakant too was a social worker and had been raising issues of public interest for long, AAP said in a statement. “Other parties are still trying to figure out their candidates and we have already released the first list,” said AAP spokesperson Gaurav Sharma. He said AAP was ready to contest all 68 Assembly seats. “The ticket have been given to honest people to form an honest government in the state,” the party said. Will file review petition: SGPC Amritsar, September 20 Terming the ruling as “antiPanthic”, the SGPC has decided to file a review petition. Its executive passed a resolution in this regard on Tuesday. SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami alleged there was an attempt to divide the Sikhs and they would oppose it. Akal Takht officiating Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh said, “Those at the helm of the country’s affairs were successful in splitting the Sikhs’ ‘mini parliament’ once again under the garb of law and by misdirecting community members.” New Delhi, September 20 The Army is looking to shed its colonial past vis-a-vis its uniform, ceremonies and names of regiments and buildings dating back to preIndependence times. In an internal discussion tomorrow, the Adjutant General of the Army will review the prevailing customs, old practices, regulations and policies. Several veterans, however, have reacted strongly over the agenda note that is doing the rounds on social media platforms. Army sources said the mere circulation of the agenda note did not mean that all suggestions would be carried out. The matter would be debated threadbare before WHAT ALL IS UP FOR REVISION ■ Uniforms & accoutrements like lanyard (shoulder cord) ■ Names of infantry regiments like Sikh, Gorkha, Jat, Rajput ■ Ceremonies like Beating the Retreat to mark end of R-Day ■ Names of roads, institutes, parks after British commanders ■ Battle honours awarded by British to rein in Indian states ARMY DAY PARADE WON’T BE IN CAPITAL ■ For the first time, the Army Day Parade (January 15) to move out of Delhi ■ Next year’s parade is likely to be held in the Southern Command area ■ Army Day is celebrated to mark the appointment of India’s first commander-inchief after Independence 2 LAC FRICTION POINTS REMAIN: GEN PANDE Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Tuesday said two friction points still remained along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. Speaking at an event, he said, “I am sure we will be able to find a solution.” any changes are executed. The agenda note for the review meeting says “it’s time to move away from archaic and ineffective prac- tices”. Army uniforms and accoutrements are being considered for the review, the sources said, adding that it wasn’t clear if the lanyard (the cord around the shoulder) would stay or not. The note also lists “names of units” for a review. Infantry regiments like Sikh, Gorkha, Jat, Punjab, Dogra, Rajput and Assam were all named by the British. Last year while addressing the Combined Commanders Conference, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid emphasis on the indigenisation of doctrines, procedures and customs in the armed forces. He had advised the three services to “rid themselves of legacy systems and practices that have outlived their utility and relevance”. Units, establishments and institutes of colonial past are also on the review list, so are the names of buildings, roads continued on page 12 Poll-centric ways won’t help: PM in Guj Politicking hots up | Nadda slams vote bank politics | Kejri hits back Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 20 PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked mayors of BJPruled urban bodies to plan a holistic development of cities and said the elected representatives should not think just in terms of winning polls as cities “cannot be developed with an election-centric approach”. Though the PM didn’t DECENTRALISE PLANNING decentralise ❝ Needastoeverything planning cannot be done from Delhi. Narendra Modi, PM and developing satellite or tier2 and tier-3 cities to make them centres of economic activity to ease pressure on bigger cities. He said, “Urbanisation will happen and the population in cities will go up. Mayors need to ensure their cities have economic opportunities. It is important to ensure that planning is decentralised as everything cannot be done from Delhi.” continued on page 12 GUJARATI FILM INDIA’S ENTRY FOR OSCARS New Delhi: Gujarati coming-ofage drama “Chhello Show” is India’s official entry for the 95th Academy Awards, the Film Federation of India announced on Tuesday. Titled “Last Film Show” in English, the movie, directed by Pan Nalin, will release countrywide on October 1. PTI SpiceJet sends 80 pilots on leave without salary New Delhi, September 20 Budget carrier SpiceJet on Tuesday said it has asked some of its pilots to go on threemonth leave without pay in order to rationalise its cost. While the exact number of pilots affected by the step has not been spelt out by the airline, it is said to be about 80. The SpiceJet fleet consists of 87 aircraft. However, only 50 per cent of the fleet can be used at this juncture in view of the cap on its operations imposed by a DGCA order issued in the interest of safety. — TNS name anyone, the remark was seen as an extension of his “revadi culture” comment and aimed at AAP convener Arvind Kejrwal who has been promising “free- bies” to voters during his rallies in poll-bound Gujarat. Addressing BJP mayors’ national conference in Gandhinagar, the PM called for creating economic opportunities Cong likely toget non-Gandhi chief after 25 yrs as Rahul sticks to stand Punjab orders VB probe against former Speaker Aditi Tandon Jupinderjit Singh Fourth suspect was also in touch with girl Tribune News Service Tribune News Service INSIDE Tribune News Service SITARAM KESRI WAS LAST CHANDIGARH UNIVERSITY New Delhi, September 20 After 25 years, the Congress appears to be veering towards a non-Gandhi chief with indications that the “favoured” candidate Rahul Gandhi would most likely opt out of the race even though party units in state after state are resolving for him to be the next president. Rahul’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ itinerary does not show him returning to Delhi anytime until September 30 even as anyone desirous of contesting the October 17 Congress presidential poll must compulsorily visit the AICC headquarters to file nominations, as per election rules. The nominations start from September 24 until 30. Asked if this was an indication of Rahul staying away ■ Late Sitaram Kesri was the last Scindia to probe deplaning row Indian-US lawmaker successfully tackles hate cases Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 20 An Indian-origin man has been arrested by the New York police in connection with the August 16 vandalism of a Mahatma Gandhi statue on the premises of Tulsi Mandir in South Richmond Hill. The man, Sukhpal Singh (27), of Little Neck Road, is being charged with criminal mischief. He allegedly provided one of the getaway cars caught on surveillance footage, according to the Queens district attorney’s office. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. New Delhi, September 20 In an indication that the BJP was looking to politically exploit the controversy over the alleged deplaning of a “drunk” Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann from a Delhibound Lufthansa flight at Frankfurt on Saturday, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia today said he would get the issue looked into. continued on page 12 non-Gandhi president ■ Defeated rivals Sharad Pawar and Rajesh Pilot in 1997 ■ AICC formally elected Sonia as president on April 6, 1998 ■ She is longest-serving chief with a break in 2017-19 when Rahul took over ■ Last election held in 2000 when late Jitendra Prasad challenged Sonia and lost CALCULATED MOVE? ■ Insiders say the move could help Rahul focus on expansion ■ Will also deflect BJP’s constant criticism of the Gandhis ■ May also blunt PM Modi’s constant attack on nepotism HARYANA UNIT TOO ROOTS FOR RAHUL AS CHIEF Like several other states, Haryana PCC delegates passed a resolution insisting on Rahul Gandhi as Congress president. They urged him to file nomination papers for the post. INSIDE from the process, a Congress insider said, “This can be read any which way. It is also true that Rahul can go to Delhi anytime he wants. The Congress wants him to lead. Let us see what he decides. Whatever happens, he will contin- ue to exercise moral authority over the Congress like no other leader. Mahatma Gandhi never held any position but had complete moral authority over the party.” Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, continued on page 12 Chandigarh, September 20 Punjab Mining Minister Harjot Singh Bains has directed the Vigilance Bureau (VB) to probe the alleged involvement of then Vidhan Sabha Speaker and senior Congress leader Rana KP Singh in illegal mining by “misusing” his position. POLITICAL VENDETTA, ALLEGES RANA KP A committee of senior department officials will conduct a parallel inquiry in a time-bound manner. Bains claimed the CBI had in July last year asked the state Chief Secretary to probe the former Speaker’s role, but the matter was suppressed as his party was in power. In a letter to the VB, the minister said, “Preliminary investigations continued on page 12 Mohali, September 20 The mobile phones of the three suspects in the Chandigarh University video “leak” case have been sent to the Punjab Police’s cyber cell for forensic examination with the police calling these as the “main piece of evidence”. The case involves the alleged recording of objectionable videos of girl students by a co-hosteller in the common washroom and “forwarding these to her male friends”. The police said the probe was still in verification stage and they were investigating the role of the suspects. Sources said the fourth suspect, whose role cropped up in the investigation on Monday, was in the friend circle of arrested youths Sunny FIRST CONVICTION IN LEICESTER CLASHES JENIFER RAJKUMAR The Leicester police in the UK have made 47 arrests for a series of violent incidents involving men from the South Asian community since the Asia Cup T-20 match between India and Pakistan on August 28. In the first sentencing, 20-year-old Amos Noronha was sentenced to 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession of an offensive weapon during the clashes. Indian-American New York Assembly woman Jenifer Rajkumar is being credited with successfully pursuing two incidents of hate crime directed at the Gandhi statue outside the Tulsi Mandir. Jenifer, however, did not call for harsh punishment against the apprehended perpetrator in keeping with Gandhi’s philosophy that an “eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”. Maintaining that anti-Hindu hate crime has been on the rise in the US, Jenifer, the first Indian-American elected official in New York state, had been persistently seek- ing that the perpetrators be “apprehended swiftly”. In the first incident in early August, Gandhi’s statue was toppled over. In the more serious incident on August 16, six men described as a “pack of vandals” by the police arrived in two cars past midnight. They VIDEO ‘LEAK’ Two youths to be taken to Shimla to recover ‘more evidence’ Mehta and Rankaj Verma. He was also in touch with the girl and the duo exchanged videos and chats, they said. Amid speculations about the surfacing of 12 videos allegedly recorded by the suspect girl and the fourth suspect being identified as ‘Mohit’, SIT head ADGP Gurpreet Kaur Deo said, “It’s incorrect…. I am not going into the details of the investigation.” SIT in-charge SP Rupinder Kaur Bhatti said they had not detained or continued on page 12 smashed the life-sized statue to pieces using a sledgehammer and also spray-painted “dog” in Hindi on the road outside the 111th Street temple, said the New York Police Department (NYPD). The second incident took place days after the NYPD chief had visited the Tulsi Mandir and the Sikh Cultural Society in South Richmond Hill. Jenifer was backed by the Hindus for Human Rights, which had said, “Whether the attackers are Gandhi-haters, we denounce the attack on a Hindu temple”. — TNS