08102022-TTB-01.qxd 10/8/2022 12:02 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 142 NO. 278 | 24 PAGES | ~7.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2021-2023 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HARYANA HARMANPREET FIH PLAYER OF THE YEAR, 2ND TIME IN A ROW SPORT /thetribunechd US, UK HOLD DRILL IN PERSIAN GULF AFTER IRAN SEIZURES WORLD CENTRE INVITES BIDS FOR PRIVATISATION OF IDBI BANK BUSINESS saturday | 8 october 2022 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Peace Nobel for rights activists rebuke to Putin All five accused on bail, cops yet to file challan Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 7 There has been an endless wait for justice for the families of 12 Udhampur infants who died in early 2020 after consuming a cough syrup contaminated with diethylene glycol, manufactured by Himachal Pradesh-based Digital Vision Pharma located in Kala Amb. Not only did the cough syrup kill 12 kids, it disabled many others, who continue to bear the brunt of the killer chemical. With the same adulterant back in the news with the WHO potentially linking the death of 66 Gambian children to contaminated cough syrups manufactured by Sonepat-based Maiden Pharma, the wheels of justice in the Udhampur infant death case are hardly even turning. The J&K Police had on March 4, 2020, constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the tragic child deaths in Udhampur’s Ramnagar in January that year. The Udhampur police order (The Tribune has ISTOCK Spurious syrup: 12 kids died in Udhampur in Jan 2020 Aditi Tandon 306 substandard drugs on list, 85 produced in HP Ambika Sharma Tribune News Service MANDATE WAS FOR DAY-TO-DAY PROBE ■ SIT was formed on March 4, 2020, with the mandate for day-to-day probe, to be concluded in a month ■ All accused out on bail; Udhampur SSP says chargesheet to be filed in a week or two ■ SIT chief says charges against all five accused established 3 FIRS IN CASE ■ FIR dated March 2, 2020, at police station, Ramnagar, Udhampur | FIR dated March 2, 2020, at Kala Amb police station, Himachal Pradesh | FIR dated March 5, 2020, at Mahesh Nagar station, Ambala accessed a copy) on the SIT signed by then SSP Rajiv Pandey clearly mandated a time-bound inquiry into the Solan, October 7 The quality of drugs manufactured in the state has once again come under the scanner with propofol injections manufactured by Nixi Laboratories, Kala Amb, reportedly causing five deaths at the PGI, Chandigarh. This is not the first case where drugs manufactured in the state have proved fatal. In February 2020, 12 infants had died after consuming the Coldbest-PC syrup at Udhampur. The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) issues monthly alerts on substandard drugs nationally. An analysis of its figures for this year shows that of the 10,062 samples continued on page 11 FIR registered at Ramnagar against five accused under Sections 304 and 274 of the continued on page 11 CDS Gen Anil Chauhan, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Gen Manoj Pande and Admiral R Hari Kumar lay a wreath at the National War Memorial in New Delhi on the eve of the 90th Air Force Day on Friday. PTI Action in all cases: MEA on Govt asks CJI to Braverman’s overstay claim name successor New Delhi, October 7 The MEA and the Indian High Commission in London have rebutted Indian-origin UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s claim that the Migration and Mobility Partnership (MMP) had not “worked very well”. The High Commission said India had initiated “action in all cases” raised with it under the agreement. “As part of our wider discussions under Migration and Mobility, the Government of India is committed to working with the government of UK to facilitate the return of Indian citizens who have overstayed their visa period in the UK,” the Haryana panchayat poll in 10 dists on Oct 30 & Nov 2 Security personnel stand guard during an ED raid in New Delhi. PTI ED raids 35 locations in Delhi excise policy scam New Delhi, October 7 The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today launched fresh raids in connection with its probe under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at 35 locations across Delhi, Punjab and Telangana in a case linked to alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, officials said. KEJRI SAYS ‘NOTHING FOUND’ Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, while reacting to the ED action, said hundreds of raids by central agencies to find evidence against his deputy Manish Sisodia had yielded nothing. “Hundreds of sleuths of the ED and the CBI are being wasted for dirty politics,” he said. The searches were carried out at 35 locations in Delhi, Punjab and some places in continued on page 18 Ex-MLA’spremises searchedinPunjab Chandigarh, October 7 The ED conducted raids in Faridkot, Ludhiana and Mansa on Friday in connection with the money laundering probe into the Delhi excise policy scam. Searches were held at various locations linked to leading liquor baron Deep Malhotra whose company had bid for liquor vends in three groups in Delhi. Led by a woman officer, an ED team reached the residence of the former Shiromani Akali Dal MLA, Deep Malhotra, in Faridkot at about 8 am. While no member of the Malhotra family was present at the time of the ED’s raid, the agency conducted the search in the continued on page 18 Chandigarh, October 7 The first phase of polling for panchayati raj institutions (PRIs), gram panchayats, panchayat samitis and zila parishads in Haryana will be held on October 30 and November 2. Announcing this here today, State Election Commissioner Dhanpat Singh said while elections to the panchayat samitis and zila parishads would be held on October 30, polling for the gram panchayat would be held on November 2. Elections in 10 districts — Bhiwani, Fatehabad, Jhajjar, Jind, Kaithal, Mahendragarh, Nuh, Panchkula, Panipat and Yamunanagar — FIRST PHASE ■ PRI polls in 10 dists in first phase; Panchayat samiti, zila parishad poll on Oct 30 ■ Elections to gram panchayats on November 2 ■ Election results for gram panchayats on November 2 ■ Polling: 7 am to 6 pm would be held in the first phase, he said. Saying that that the model code of conduct had come into force in the rural areas continued on page 11 IN BRIEF Juvenile among 2 held for Mohali RPG attack NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police have apprehended two terror accused, including a juvenile, in connection with the May 9 RPG attack at the Punjab Police headquarters in Mohali. INSIDE 3 missing, toll in U’khand avalanche rises to 26 NEW DELHI: The toll in the Uttarakhand avalanche has risen to 26, while three persons are still missing, the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) in Uttarkashi said on Friday. BACK PAGE RBI to launch digital rupee, pilot project soon Mumbai: The RBI on Friday said it would soon start the pilot launch of e-rupee for specific use cases with a view to bolstering India’s digital economy, making payment systems more efficient. INSIDE ‘Deep Sidhu disliked Amritpal, blocked his phone’ Jupinderjit Singh Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 7 As the security agencies remain on tenterhooks on developments surrounding the emergence of a new hardline leader, Amritpal Singh, the family of the late actor and activist, Deep Sidhu, has called for an investigation into his antecedents. Mandeep Sidhu, Ludhianabased younger brother of Deep Sidhu and advocate, BROTHER SAYS PROBE HIS ANTECEDENTS An impression is being given that Deep Sidhu had groomed Amritpal and our family is a party to the decision to appoint Amritpal as the head of Waris Punjab De. This is totally untrue. Mandeep Singh Sidhu, BROTHER ❝ said Amritpal’s appointment as head of Waris Punjab De, which was founded by his brother, was illegal. “An impression is being given that Deep Sidhu had groomed Amritpal and our family is a party to the decision to appoint Amritpal as the head. However, this is not true. In fact, Deep never talked about Amritpal and seemed he disliked him. He had blocked Amritpal’s ABSTENTION FROM XINJIANG VOTE IN LINE WITH LONG-HELD POSITION: MEA BACK PAGE phone for 15 days in January and February,” he said. Mandeep said the screenshots of the blocked number have been shared on social media. “My brother’s phone is with me. I have the evidence,” he said. Mandeep said Deep had laid down his life for Punjab and had founded Waris Punjab De after much study and research. “It has been hijacked. We need an inquiry continued on page 18 UK Home Secy wanted FTAwith India reworked High Commission said. The MEA stressed all negotiations meant give and take.While not willing to get into compulsions of UK’s domestic perspective, it maintained that India was fulfilling its commitment “but still awaits demonstrable progress” from the UK side on certain commitments undertaken under the MMP signed last year by Braverman’s continued on page 18 edit: braverman’s bravado New Delhi, October 7 A month before the retirement of Chief Justice of India UU Lalit, the government on Friday initiated the process for appointment of a new CJI as Law Minister Kiren Rijiju formally requested him to recommend the name of his successor. Justice Lalit, the 49th CJI, is due to retire on November 8 and his successor will be administered the oath of office by the President on November 9. He is expected to recommend the name of Justice Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, for appointment as the 50th CJI. continued on page 11 Kyiv, October 7 Human rights activists from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, a strong rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose invasion of Ukraine has outraged the international community, and to the Belarusian President, his authoritarian ally. The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2022 prize to imprisoned Belarus activist Ales Bialiatski, Russian group Memorial and Ukraine’s Centre for Civil Liberties. Berit Reiss-Andersen of the Norwegian Nobel Committee said the panel wanted to honour “three outstanding champions” of human rights, democracy and peaceful coexistence. Belarus’ Foreign Ministry denounced the Nobel Committee for honouring Bialiatski, with its spokesman calling its choices in recent years “politicised.” Asked whether the Nobel Committee was intentionally rebuking Putin, Reiss-Andersen said the prize was not against anybody but for something. The prize comes amid the largest war in Europe since World War II. Bialiatski was one of the leaders of the democracy movement in Belarus in the mid-1980s, who BELARUS ACTIVIST ALES BIALIATSKI Founded NGO Viasna Human Rights Centre; detained in 2020 against the re-election of Belarus’ President, he is in jail without trial and faces up to 12 years in prison, if convicted UKRAINE CENTRE FOR CIVIL LIBERTIES Founded in 2007 to promote human rights & democracy; post Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, the group has worked to document war crimes against civilians in Ukraine MEMORIAL, RUSSIA Founded in 1987 to ensure the victims of communist repression are remembered, it has continued to compile info on human rights abuses and track the fate of political prisoners in Russia founded NGO Viasna Human Rights Centre. Detained in 2020 against the re-election of Belarus’ President continued on page 18