30012025-TTB-03.qxd 1/30/2025 12:49 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 9 NO. 29 | 14 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 20L US GOVT WORKERS OFFERED INCENTIVES TO QUIT WORLD /thetribunechd RAJOURI DEATHS MAY HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY TOXINS: ICMR J&K MOODY’S ANALYTICS FOR POLICY SHIFT TO BOOST GDP BUSINESS PARL PANEL ADOPTS WAQF BILL AMID OPPN DISSENT BACK PAGE thursday | 30 january 2025 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Pre-dawn tragedy in Prayagraj as lakhs of pilgrims rush for holy dip on Mauni Amavasya 30 dead in Maha Kumbh stampede 60 hurt |Yogi govt orders judicial probe |Suspends VIP privileges Ripudaman’s killer gets life terminCanada Ottawa, January 29 A Canadian court has sentenced a 24-year-old man to life imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to the killing of Ripudaman Singh Malik, a suspect in the 1985 Air India bombing who was later acquitted, according to local media reports. Deceased was acquitted in 1985 AI bombing case A British Columbia Supreme Court judge on Tuesday sentenced Tanner Fox to life with no parole for 20 years for killing Malik, the CBC news reported. On July 15, 2022, Malik was shot while he was sitting in his car in Surrey, British Columbia. Malik and co-accused continued on page 8 Nine Indians killed in Saudi road accident NEW DELHI: At least nine Indian nationals were killed in a road accident near Jizan in western Saudi Arabia, the Indian consulate in Jeddah said on Wednesday. Taking to microblogging site-X, the Indian mission wrote, “We deeply mourn the tragic loss of nine Indian nationals in a road accident near Jizan. Our heartfelt condolences to the families affected.” — TNS Tribune News Service NewDelhi, January29 A day after President Donald Trump criticised India, China and Brazil for imposing “high tariffs” on American goods, New Delhi is learnt to be considering lowering duties on some high-end US products, including Harley-Davidson motorcycles, electronic items and special steel. Currently, India imposes over 100 per cent duty on 20 US items. Sources said the Centre could, in its upcoming Budget, announce tariff cuts on some of these imports. Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 29 At least 30 persons were killed and 60 injured in a pre-dawn stampede near the Sangam Ghat in Prayagraj’s Maha Kumbh area after swelling crowds breached barricades in a rush for the holy dip on Mauni Amavasya, the ongoing festival’s most auspicious day. The tragedy led the Uttar Pradesh administration to suspend all VIP privileges on Wednesday and announce that no VIP protocol would be followed on any other bathing festival days. The three remaining holy bath days are — February 3 (Basant Panchami Snan), February 12 (Maghi Purnima Snan) and February 26 (the concluding Maha Shivaratri Snan). PM Narendra Modi expressed condolences at the loss of lives and hoped for early recovery of those injured. He spoke to UP CM multiple times throughout the day and monitored relief and rescue work. “Crores of devotees have thronged the Maha Kumbh on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya. Smooth movement was interrupted for some time, but now for hours pilgrims are taking the holy dip and effective arrangements have resumed,” the PM said before commencing his address at a Delhi election rally. After a daylong silence on casualties, the UP Government this evening put the toll continued on page 8 edit: maha kumbh tragedy After US warning, India may slash duties on some high-end goods 100% DUTY ON 20 AMERICAN ITEMS ■ India imposes around 100% duty on 20 US items ■ Trump has long been seek- ing cut in tariff on HarleyDavidson bikes ■ Harley had shut its India operations in 2020 amid dwindling sales and high duty Devotees attempt to leave through a pontoon after a stampede broke out on Mauni Amavasya at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj on Wednesday. PTI Witnesses say crowd swelled as routes to Mismanagement: Oppn ghats were shut, many jumped barricades slams Centre, UP Govt Tribune News Service NEWDELHI, January29 The pre-dawn stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela occurred near the arena for ascetics on the Akhara Marg, which is used by the ascetics to go in a procession to the river. The stampede occurred when several devotees tried to jump the barricades put up to manage the crowds during the ascetics’ holy dip, officials said. Some witnesses spoke of routes to the water being closed, bringing the large crowd to a standstill. This resulted in some people collapsing due to suffocation, while others began pushing, pulling, and climbing over them in an effort to escape. Others spoke of a huge push from the back that left them wedged between barricades on the one side and police personnel wielding batons on the other. An official at a hospital where some of the injured were rushed said several victims had fractures and broken bones, and some of continued on page 8 COPS REGULATING ENTRY INTO CITY ■ Additional security, including Kin of victims mourn outside a hospital mortuary in Prayagraj. PTI a special police unit trained to manage crisis situations, has been deployed ■ The police are also regulating entry into the city to control the crowd ■ The authorities also streamlined the rituals on Wednesday, facilitating dips for devotees first, with ascetics taking out their processions on a smaller scale than planned New Delhi, January 29 Opposition parties hit out at the Centre and the UP Government over Wednesday’s stampede at the Maha Kumbh, with Congress MP Rahul Gandhi blaming the administration’s focus on VIP movement for the disaster. Rahul said the authorities must shift their focus to the needs of ordinary devotees. “VIP culture should be curbed, and the government should make better arrange- ments to meet the needs of common devotees,” he said. “Half-baked arrangements, VIP movement, paying more attention to self-promotion than management and mismanagement is what is responsible for this. Despite spending thousands of crores of rupees, such arrangements are condemnable,” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who is also Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, posted on X. Samajwadi Party president continued on page 8 In November last year, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal had indicated that India may be “open to Trump’s longstanding request to lower tariff on Harley-Davidson motorcycles”. He had said India wasn’t currently producing such heavy bikes, creating little domestic competition. While the Centre has been cautious about reducing tariffs on imports, Goyal had said such requests “could be revisited” in terms of specific products such as HarleyDavidson bikes where there was no domestic equivalent. At an event in Florida, the US President called out India, China and Brazil for being “tremendous tariff makers”. Trump, who took charge as the President for the second continued on page 8 ISRO scripts history with 100th launch Sonepat court summons Kejri over ‘Yamuna poisoning’claim Shubhadeep Choudhury Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 29 The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday achieved a significant milestone with its 100th launch from Sriharikota. A GSLV-F15 rocket lifted off from the space centre at 6.23 am carrying the NVS-02 satellite to replace the IRNSS-1E satellite. “Mission Success! The GSLV-F15/NVS-02 mission has been successfully accomplished. India reaches new heights in space navigation,” ISRO posted on X. Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh congratulated the space agency for “achieving the milestone”. continued on page 8 Places navigation satellite NVS-02 in orbit Pradeep Sharma Tribune News Service ISRO’s GSLV-F15, carrying navigation satellite NVS-02, lifts off from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. PTI Chandigarh, January 29 A Sonepat court today summoned former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal on February 17 on a plea against his remarks accusing the BJP government in Haryana of “poisoning” Yamuna river. Acting on the petition filed by the Haryana Government through the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), Chief Judicial Magistrate Neha Goyal sought a reply from Kejriwal and asked him to appear in person before the court on February 17. “If he (Kejriwal) does not EXTREMELY POISONOUS, DELHI EX-CM TELLS EC ■ Ex-CM Kejriwal on Wednesday responded to the EC notice over his claim Haryana was ‘mixing poison’ in Yamuna ■ AAP chief claimed raw water received from Haryana recently was ‘extremely poisonous’ ■ Kejriwal said due to ‘extreme ammonia level, Delhi treatment plants were unable to process it down to safe level’ DRINK SAME WATER, WHY WILL HRY KILL ME: PM SLAMS AAP appear before the court on the next date of hearing, it is deemed that he has nothing to say in the matter and further proceedings shall be Major dismissed, gets three-year RI for loan fraud with soldier VijayMohan Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January29 A summary general court martial (SGCM) has cashiered a Major from service and sentenced him to three-year rigorous imprisonment on charges of inducing a soldier to procure a bank loan and diverting a part of the amount. The matter had come to light when the officer, belonging to the Rajputana Rifles, was posted with the Rashtriya Rifles in Jammu and Kashmir. The soldier from whom he had asked for money was his buddy. He was tried on three counts under Sections 45, 52 and 63 of the Army Act for behaving in a manner unbecoming of his position and character expected of him, intent to defraud and acts prejudicial to good order and military discipline, respectively. According to the chargesheet, between Janu- TRIED ON THREE COUNTS The Major was tried on three counts under Sections 45, 52 & 63 of the Army Act for behaving in a manner unbecoming of his position and character expected of him, intent to defraud and acts prejudicial to good order and military discipline, respectively. ary and May 2021, he had induced a soldier from his battalion to take a loan from the State Bank of India (SBI) in order to utilise the loan amount himself. He got a loan of Rs 11.39 lakh processed in the sol- dier’s name from the SBI without his knowledge and had thereafter, in contravention of Army regulations, “inappropriately borrowed” the aforesaid amount from the solder citing urgent domestic requirement and c m y b transferred Rs 3.03 lakh to his bank account. The officer had pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against him. The SGCM, however, convicted him on all three counts. “During the course of the trial, the officer’s bank accounts and financial transactions also came to light, which revealed that he had been receiving varying amounts from a large number of persons, including women. In addition, there were also large credits into his account from the Controller of Defence Accounts, that seemed unusual,” Brig DK Ahluwalia (retd), the prosecution counsel in the case, said. The general court martial, presided over by Col R Balla, had commenced in October 2024 and concluded this week. The court’s findings and sentence are subject to confirmation by the convening authority. conducted in accordance with the law,” the court said. The complaint was filed by Ashish Kaushik, Executive Engineer of the Rai Water Works in Sonepat. He alleged that Kejriwal spread misinformation and caused panic among the residents of Delhi and Haryana with his “Yamuna poisoned” remark. The petitioner demanded that Kejriwal be summoned, prosecuted and punished under the provisions of Section 54 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, along with Sections 353 (public mischief) and 356 (defamation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. continued on page 8 ‘No definitive link’ betweenNijjarkilling, India: Canada report OTTAWA: A Canadian commission report has said there was “no definitive link” with a “foreign state” in the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. In September 2023, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had claimed said they had credible evidence that agents of the Indian Government were involved in the murder of Nijjar in British Columbia. BACK PAGE