30072026-CT-01.qxd 7/30/2026 12:27 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune RESOLVE 5 LONG-PENDING CITY ISSUES: MP TO GOVT REFEREES CONTINUE TO GIVE DRESS CODE THE GO-BY ADITI RAO HYDARI, VAANI KAPOOR DAZZLE AT ICW Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari raises the issues under Rule 377 in the Lok Sabha. P3 In the recently held inter-school football meet, referees were seen not following the dress code. P3 Aditi and Siddharth close Jayanti Reddy’s show, while Vaani turns showstopper for Dolly J. P4 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 49 PANCHKULA 41 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD WHAT’S ON APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 34, 56 and Ram Darbar Mohali: Sec 88 and Phase 8 Please send information about events in Tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com POWER SHUTDOWN CHANDIGARH 8 am to 11 am: Parts of Manimajra, Mauli Complex, Mauli Jagran 9 am to 12 noon: Sector 30-B 10 am to 2 pm: Sector 2, 35-C,19C, Indira Colony, Subhash Nagar 3 pm to 5 pm: Sector 33-C 2 drug peddlers held with heroin Chandigarh, July 29 The police have arrested two drug peddlers in separate operations and recovered a total of 30.74 grams of heroin. In the first case, the Sector 31 police arrested Ayush, alias Shera (25), a resident of Rajiv Colony, Panchkula, with 12.44 grams of heroin near the BSF headquarters area in Ram Darbar. Police records show that Ayush has three previous criminal cases against him, including one under the NDPS Act, besides cases under the Gambling Act and the Arms Act. In another operation, a Mauli Jagran police team arrested Bittu Kumar, a resident of Hallomajra, with 18.30 grams of heroin. The accused was produced before a court and remanded in police custody. Further investigation is under way in both cases. — TNS PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 35.1°C | MIN 24°C SUNSET THURSDAY 7.18 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 5.40 AM » THURSDAY | 30 JULY 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Amritpal’s supporters breach barricades Several cops hurt in clash with protesters; schoolchildren, office-goers remain stranded in traffic jams for hours Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 29 The city witnessed a clash and hours of traffic disruption on Wednesday after Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) supporters, seeking the release of jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, broke through police barricades at the Mohali border and attempted to march to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s residence here. The police deployed water cannons and established a heavy security cordon around the CM’s house. A large number of party workers, carrying posters of Amritpal Singh and “Bandi Singhs” (Sikh prisoners), who were accompanied by Nihangs, marched from Gurdwara Amb Sahib in Mohali towards Chandigarh. The police had erected barricades at the Chandigarh-Mohali border near Burail Jail to stop them. When the protesters attempted to break through, the police resorted to water cannons, triggering a clash in which several policemen were injured, said Chandigarh SSP Kanwardeep Kaur. A few protesters also climbed atop the vehicle and turned the water cannon away from the crowd as police personnel looked on. The SSP said the protesters were stopped at Gaushala Chowk and warned that they could not proceed as orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita had been imposed in the area. “However, they broke the barricades. Some of them were carrying swords and other dangerous weapons,” she said. The police exercised “complete restraint” and repeatedly appealed to the outfit’s leaders to restrain their supporters even as they were stopped at multiple points along the route, she added. Traffic disrupted for hours The march and the subse- The police use a water cannon on Amritpal’s supporters on the Sector 45-50 road in Chandigarh on Wednesday; and (right) protesters climb atop the water cannon vehicle. TRIBUNE PHOTOS: VICKY Residents flay Chandigarh Police for ‘mindless barricading’ in sectors Gaurav Kanthwal Tribune News Service Vehicles stranded in a traffic jam at Sector 19 in Chandigarh on Wednesday. quent clash forced the Chandigarh Police to impose diversions and restrictions on several key stretches between Chandigarh and Mohali through the day. Traffic remained restricted and diverted from the Chandigarh-Mohali border (behind Burail Jail) up to the Sector 50/51 chowk, and further from the Sector 50/51 rotary to the Sector 4445-50-51 chowk (Gaushala Chowk) along Sarovar Path. Similar restrictions were Rain spell continues enforced on the stretch from the Gaushala Chowk on Vikas Marg, covering the Sector 43/44 and Sector 45/46 light points. The prolonged diversions left school buses, private vehicles and office-goers stranded in traffic jams for hours. Commuters struggled to navigate the shifting barricades through the day. Bid to defuse the situation Chandigarh Inspector General of Police Pushpendra 2 engineers suspended day after scholar’s death at PU Tribune News Service Rain lashes Chandigarh on Wednesday evening. TRIBUNE PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR Kumar and police personnel attempted to engage the protesters in a dialogue but failed to persuade them to turn back, even as the outfit’s leaders appealed to supporters to halt their march. The march proceeded only after Amritpal’s father Tarsem Singh and party leader Manpreet Singh Ayali submitted a memorandum to the Officer on Special Duty to the Punjab Chief Minister, continued on page 2 Chandigarh, July 29 Residents of Sectors 44, 45, 46, 51 and 63 had a harrowing time with many internal roads in these sectors being barricaded, effectively isolating the sectors from one another. “Either the Chandigarh Police was ill-prepared or it did not have the will to stop the protesters. In the end, all barricades prevented residents of Sector 44, 45, 46, 51 and 63 from accessing roads, while protesters walked freely. In Sector 51, schoolchildren were dropped 1 km away near the Sector 50 sports complex from where their parents picked them up on foot,” said Dr Prem Lal, a resident of Sector 51. Earlier in Mohali, traffic around Phase VII to Gurdwara Amb Sahib came to a grinding halt from 11 am to 1 pm during the protest. In Sector 51, the police had Chandigarh, July 29 Panjab University suspended an Executive Engineer and a Sub-Divisional Engineer of its Works Department a day after a 28-yearold PhD scholar was electrocuted during rain on the campus. The UT police registered a case of causing death by negligence in connection with the incident. Jyoti, a research scholar in the Department of Microbiology, died on Tuesday while walking from her hostel to her department. With parts of the campus waterlogged after rain, she had taken an c m y b unpaved path and allegedly came into contact with electric current that may have leaked from a nearby junction box. She was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival. An FIR has been registered at the Sector 11 police station, and further investigation is under way. The incident triggered protests, with students raising slogans against the university administration and staging a dharna outside the ViceChancellor’s office. They demanded a time-bound inquiry, compensation for the victim’s family and measures to prevent similar incidents. Following a meeting with Jyoti’s family late on Tuesday night, the university announced financial assistance of Rs 16 lakh — Rs 5 lakh from the Vice-Chancellor’s discretionary fund and Rs 11 lakh through the office of the Dean Student Welfare. It also offered employment to her brother, who holds an ITI (Electrical) qualification, as an electrician in the university in accordance with Punjab Government norms. University authorities expressed solidarity with the bereaved family. Following the post-mortem examination, Jyoti’s body was handed over to her relatives. Schoolchildren pass by a barricade in Sector 51, Chandigarh. put barricades at all entry and exit roads, leaving a narrow outlet near the MC filling station. Confusion prevailed on the road outside the Burail Model Jail where barricades were erected in the middle of the road. “What is the point in putting up barricades, barbed wire, anti-riot vehicles and water cannons on the UT side of Mohali-Chandigarh border when you cannot stop the protesters?” asked Sohan Kapoor, a Sector 44 resident. In WhatsApp groups, residents criticised the Chandigarh Traffic Police for “mindless management”. The traffic lights were either switched off or rendered non-functional on the stretch from the Sector 50/51 Chowk to Gaushala Chowk, at the Sector 44/45 light point, Sector 43/44/51/52 Chowk, the Sector 43/44 and Sector 45/46 traffic lights. Mayor Joshi calls for more child-friendly parks in city Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 29 In a significant step towards strengthening urban infrastructure and improving civic amenities, the Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) of the Municipal Corporation (MC), under the chairmanship of Mayor Saurabh Joshi, approved a series of development projects and policy initiatives at its meeting held today. The committee approved the redevelopment of the basketball and volleyball courts in parks in Ward No. 23 at an estimated cost of Rs 15.31 lakh. The project is aimed at upgrading sports infrastructure by providing improved playing surfaces and allied facilities, encouraging greater participation of youth in outdoor sports. During the meeting, Joshi stressed that children’s play areas should be developed in parks across all sectors in a phased manner to promote healthy recreational opportunities. He also directed the engineering and horticulture wings to install globe lights and ensure adequate illumination in parks wherever required at the earliest. Among other proposals approved were plantation of well grown ornamental plants and grassing in the green belt of Sector 35-C at an estimated cost of Rs 5.35 lakh; strengthening continued on page 2