27062024-TTC-01.qxd 6/27/2024 12:44 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 144 NO. 177 | 16 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 ASSANGE WELCOMED HOME IN AUSTRALIA AFTER US DEAL WORLD /thetribunechd HC BAR ASSOCIATION EX-CHIEF SENT TO POLICE CUSTODY J&K SENSEX, NIFTY SETTLE AT NEW ALL-TIME HIGH LEVELS BUSINESS CHINA ADDS 90 NUKES, PUTS WARHEADS ON ‘HIGH OP ALERT’ BACK PAGE thursday | 27 june 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Om re-elected Speaker, his words on Emergency trigger Cong protest After ED, CBI arrests Kejri in Delhi excise policy ‘scam’ First day in chair witnesses House adjournment following resolution on 1975 Emergency Samad Hoque Aditi Tandon New Delhi, June 26 In rising trouble for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the CBI on Wednesday arrested him in a corruption case linked to the alleged excise policy scam. His close aide and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and AAP MP Sanjay Singh are co-accused in the case. The Enforcement Directorate had arrested him in a money laundering case linked to the ‘scam’ on March 21. Special Judge Amitabh Rawat sent the AAP national convener to three-day CBI custody after the agency’s counsel DP Singh submitted that his custody was needed to confront him with certain documents which the agency had. DP Singh said Kejriwal had put the entire onus on Sisodia for the ‘scam’, claiming he had no idea about the excise NEW BENCHMARKS Birla presided over a golden era in Lok Sabha’s history… a number of historic decisions were taken during his previous term. Hope he will continue to set new benchmarks. Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 26 The very first working day of the 18th Lok Sabha saw protests and sloganeering by Congress MPs after the ruling NDA’s Om Birla, who won the Speaker’s election, in his maiden move as the presiding officer piloted a resolution condemning the 1975 Emergency. “That this House strongly condemns the decision to impose the Emergency in 1975 and lauds the resolve of those who resisted it... June 25, 1975 will be remembered in Indian history as a black chapter. On this day, then PM Indira Gandhi imposed the emergency, dealing a severe blow to the Constitution drafted by Dr BR Ambedkar. In a country known as the Mother of Democracy, Indira Gandhi ❝ Narendra Modi, PM OPPN MUST HAVE ITS SAY Question is not how efficiently House runs, but how many voices of India will be heard in House. I am sure that you will allow us to raise the voice of people. Rahul Gandhi, LOP ❝ PM Modi greets Om Birla after his election as the LS Speaker in New Delhi on Wednesday. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju are also seen. TRIBUNE PHOTO unleashed dictatorship and took decisions to concentrate powers in one person,” stated the resolution, which the House adopted amid Amid oust-Sukhbir call, key SAD panel rallies behind him “tanashahi nahi chalegi” slogans by Congress MPs, who protested in aisles, but stopped short of storming the well. The Speaker asked every- one to observe a two-minute silence soon thereafter, which caught the Opposition off guard, with all MPs, including those of INDIA bloc members TMC, Samajwadi Party, NCP Sharadchandra Pawar and Shiv Sena UBT, continued on page 10 edit: Rahul as LOP Chief Minister denies shifting onus on Sisodia in case Tribune News Service Dry run for Amarnath Yatra Chandigarh, June 26 Even as rebel Akali leaders upped the ante against the party leadership and decided to hand over the reins of the party to a non-controversial and Panthic face, the SAD Working Committee on Wednesday rallied behind incumbent chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and warned the rebels against a conspiracy to divide the party. Nearly 60 of 87 members of the committee met here and showed full faith in Sukhbir’s leadership. On Tuesday, about 60 senior leaders, who revolted against the SAD chief, held a meeting near Jalandhar. Sukhbir’s wife and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal too came out in his support and claimed the party was intact. She alleged the rebels ■ Day after facing revolt, SAD Advani admitted to AIIMS, stable New Delhi, June 26 Former Deputy PM LK Advani (96) was on Wednesday admitted to AIIMS, New Delhi, and is learnt to be under the supervision of doctors in the geriatric department. The former BJP chief was conferred the Bharat Ratna on April 1 by President Droupadi Murmu, who presented the honour to him at his residence. “Advani has been admitted to AIIMS. He is stable and under observation,” sources said. — TNS Amid a rise in terror incidents, a dry run for the Amarnath Yatra being conducted on the Jammu-Srinagar highway on Wednesday. ANI 3 heavily armed terrorists shot dead in Doda, hunt on for fourth Militants suspected to be involved in recent attacks in district Arjun Sharma Jammu, June 26 Three terrorists, heavily armed with M-4 and AK-47 rifles, were killed in a gunfight that lasted for more than six hours in a forest area in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district on Wednesday. The terrorists are suspected to be Pakistan nationals and affiliated with the Jaish-eMohammad (JeM) terror outfit. A policeman was also injured in the gunfight that broke out in Bajaad village in the Gandoh area around 9.50 SKILLED IN MILITARY-STYLE COMBAT ■ Terrorists were trained in mili- tary-style combat. ■ Knew how to position them- selves during gunfight ■ The automatic rifles used by them had steel-core bullets ■ Ultras were communicating with each other during encounter while holding their positions < A terrorist’s bag found inside < the hideout in Doda district. am amid a cordon-and-search operation launched by the police, Army and the CRPF following twin terrorist attacks in the hill district on June 11 and 12, police officials said. After the twin attacks, the continued on page 10 Two ultras sighted, search ops on in Gurdaspur, P’kot GURDASPUR/PATHANKOT: The border areas of Pathankot, Gurdaspur and Batala in Punjab were put on a high alert as the police and the BSF launched a joint search operation following speculation that two suspected terrorists were roaming near the International Border. Late Tuesday night, the Pathankot police got a call from a villager of Kot Bhathian, claiming that two men, carrying bags filled with arms, entered his house. Before leaving, they threatened him with dire consequences in case he informed the police. INSIDE Kapil Dev set for new innings, dons PGTI president’s cap Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 26 Some say Kapil Dev is the greatest of all time (GOAT) of Indian cricket. He even pipped Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar for the Indian Cricketer of the Century award by Wisden in 2002. While his greatness among Indian fans was never in question, the 1983 World Cup winning cricket captain Kapil Dev has added another chapter to his glorious career. The former all-rounder, who has a decent handi- cap in golf and regularly takes part in amateur events, has now been unanimously elected as the new president of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI). This appointment has not come out of the blue for the 1983 World Cup winning captain as he has already been a vice-president and board member of the body for the past three years and has a better understanding of how the body works. Kapil Dev had been sounded out to take over as the new chief a few months ago and policy. However, the Delhi CM, who also addressed the court in person, rebutted the CBI’s charge. “I have never testified that Manish Sisodia is guilty. Sisodia is innocent… AAP is innocent… I am inno- Tribune News Service SAD NOT TO BACK ITS BYPOLL CANDIDATE were mere “stooges” of the BJP which was trying to , divide the Akali Dal. Her brother Bikram Singh Majithia, a former minister, continued to maintain silence over the developments in the party. He has not come in support of Sukhbir so far. Similarly, Dakha MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali, who was among continued on page 10 AAP national convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday withdrew from the Supreme Court his petition challenging an interim order of the Delhi High Court staying a trial court order granting him bail in a money-laundering case linked to the excise policy ‘scam’. cent. Their (CBI’s) aim is to malign us (AAP leaders) through the media... All their claims are false,” Kejriwal said, adding the CBI was trying to create a sensation in the continued on page 10 Aksheev Thakur BJP stooges trying to split party: Harsimrat on Wednesday withdrew support to Surjit Kaur, its candidate for Jalandhar West bypoll ■ Party withdrew support as Surjit was picked by rebel SAD leaders. She will, however, contest on party symbol INSIDE AAP CONVENER WITHDRAWS PLEA FROM SC CBI gets custody of 2 in NEET paper leak case Jupinderjit Singh Tribune News Service CM Arvind Kejriwal being produced in a court in New Delhi. PTI WILL GIVE MY BEST honour ❝ It’s an the PGTIto be chosen as president by players. I promise to do my best, as I always have. I will be able to spend more time with the sport. — Kapil Dev the appointment was made formal after he was voted unanimously at a board meeting held on Tuesday. “It is an honour to become the president of the PGTI, an organisation with which I have now been associated for quite a few years. It is a players’ body, and I am great friends with all of them and with whom I often play. And now it is the sport where I spend most of my time,” Kapil Dev said in a statement on Wednesday. “I have been a vice-president and I am on the board, so it is an honour to be chosen by players to be the president. I promise to do my best, as I always have. What gives me even greater pleasure is that I will be able to spend more time with the sport,” he said. It is learnt that the new chief already has plans to c m y b bring a few prestigious tour events to India, work for which has already started. PGTI CEO Uttam Singh Mundy said Kapil Dev’s appointment would help the body scale greater heights. “We are honoured to have Indian sports icon Kapil Dev take over as the PGTI president. We are confident that the PGTI will scale greater heights under Kapil Dev’s astute leadership as his name has been synonymous with excellence in sports. We wish Kapil Dev all the success,” he said. New Delhi, June 26 The Special CBI Court in Patna on Wednesday sent Baldev Kumar, alias Chintu, and Mukesh Kumar, both accused in the NEET-UG paper leak case, into CBI custody. They were part of an organised network of Sanjeev Mukhiya, the alleged mastermind who is still at large. The CBI had sought the custody of the two accused on Tuesday who were arrested by the Bihar police. On the basis of investigations carried out by the Bihar police, CBI officials visited various locations in Patna, including Learn Play School and Boys Hostel at Khemnichak where the candidates had stayed and were given access to the paper. The agency visited the residence of Sikandar Yadavendu, a government employee, who “contacted” candidates who could cough up large sums of money for getting Probe widens, Kolkata, Maha cases under lens A protest against the NTA over NEET irregularities in Delhi. PTI the question paper. Incidents of misconduct were reported from Maharashtra and Kolkata too. The Kolkata police have arrested a person for taking money from a student’s parents, promising a place on the NEET merit list. A court in Latur remanded a schoolteacher in police custody till July 2 over irregularities in the exam. HP fails to take note of Agniveer’s death Rajiv Mahajan Nurpur, June 26 A month after Nurpur’s Agniveer Kartik Chambial (21) died in an encounter in J&K, the HP Government has failed to take any cognisance of his martrydom, leaving his parents — retired Naib Subedar Kuldeep Singh and Sunita Kumari — shattered. Kartik belonged to Baan village under the Nagni gram panchayat in Nurpur. He was martyred on May 27 in an encounter between the Army and terrorists in the Uri sector of Jammu & Kashmir. According to information, a team of Army personnel brought the mortal remains of the martyr to his native village on May 28. During the last rites, no guard of honour was given to the martyr and no representative of the state No info received: SDM The parents of martyr Kartik Chambial with his photograph. 1ST HP AGNIVEER MARTYR first ❝ My son was theattain Agniveer from HP to martyrdom, but no official attended his funeral. Kuldeep Singh, RETIRED NAIB SUBEDAR government or the administration was present. A visit to the village revealed that the continued on page 10
The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising four eminent persons as trustees.
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