1/5/2026 HALT ARBITRARY SIR IN WB: MAMATA TO CEC NATION /thetribunechd 12:30 AM Page 1 13 monday | 5 january 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Matter of deep concern: MEA walks tightrope on Venezuela Maduro kept in notorious NY prison |UNSC to hold meeting today Ujwal Jalali INTERIM PREZ DEFIANT Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 4 India on Sunday expressed “deep concern” over the recent developments in Venezuela but stopped short of condemning the US military action that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, who were taken to New York to face drug trafficking-related charges. Maduro is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, one of the most troubled federal jails in the US. The UN Security Council is set to convene an emergency meeting in New York on Monday following a formal request by Venezuela to discuss the US military action and the capture of Maduro and his wife. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs continued on page 8 Edit: Trump’s gamble ■ “There is only one president in Venezuela, and his name is Nicolas Maduro,” said Delcy Rodriguez, who took over Venezuela’s interim presidency, in a defiant message to the US ■ Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has urged global leaders to support the release of political leaders arrested during the Maduro regime DIALOGUE WAY OUT India reaffirms its support to the well-being and safety of the people of Venezuela. We call upon all concerned to address issues peacefully through dialogue, ensuring peace and stability of the region. ❝ A videograb shows Venezuela deposed Prez Nicolas Maduro being taken to the US Drug Enforcement Administration office in New York. REUTERS Ministry of External Affairs Dera chief gets 40-day parole, 15th since ’17 Tribune News Service Rohtak/Sirsa, January 4 Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is serving a 20-year jail term for raping two of his disciples and is currently lodged in the Sunariyan jail in Rohak, has once again been granted a INDIA NOW LARGEST RICE PRODUCER BACK PAGE CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 5 | 12 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 40-day parole. This will be his 15th parole/furlough since his conviction in 2017. A senior official said the dera chief would be released tomorrow. He would stay at the dera headquarters in Sirsa during the parole period. Gurmeet Ram Rahim has on many occasions in the past stayed at the dera’s Barnawa ashram in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh. Sources say the fresh parole comes ahead of the birth anniversary of Satnam Singh, the second guru of the dera, on January 25, which draws followers from far-off places to Sirsa every year. The dera chief has been attending the event for the past three to four years, say the sources. He was last released on a 40-day parole in August 2025, reportedly for continued on page 8 B’desh won’t visit India for T20 WC, ask ICCto shift games out Tribune News Service BIZMAN’S KILLING: 3 HELD New Delhi, January 4 The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Sunday formally requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) to relocate all Bangladesh matches in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup-2026 to venues outside India, citing safety and security concerns. The tournament is scheduled to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from March 26. The move comes just a day after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) released Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL squad following instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). At an emergency meeting of Three persons were arrested on Sunday in connection with the hacking and burning to death of a Hindu businessman in Bangladesh, media reports said. Khokon Chandra Das (50) was assaulted in Shariatpur district on Wednesday night and died on Saturday. its board of directors on Sunday, the BCB reviewed the recent developments, including rising diplomatic tensions with India. The board expressed “deep concern over the overall circumstances surrounding the participation of the Bangladesh national team in matches scheduled to be played in India”. After a thorough assessment and on the advice of the AAPsarpanchshot dead at wedding resort in Amritsar amritsar, january 4 A day after a Congress worker was gunned down in Moga, an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sarpanch was shot dead in broad daylight during a wedding ceremony at a resort in Amritsar on Sunday. The victim has been identified as Jarmal Singh, the sarpanch of Valtoha Sandhua village in Tarn Taran. The police said two armed assailants shot the victim in the head, killing him on the spot. Ruling AAP’s Khem Karan MLA Sarwan Singh Dhun was also present at the function when the incident took place. DCP Jagjit Singh Walia said the CCTV cameras installed at the resort were being scanned to identify the murderers. This was the fourth murderous bid on Jarmal Singh. INSIDE Bangladesh government, the BCB resolved that the national team will not travel to India under the present conditions, citing the need to safeguard the safety and well-being of players, officials and other stakeholders. The strained relations between the two neighbours have been exacerbated by continued violence against minorities in Bangladesh, including the brutal killings of four Hindu men in separate incidents in recent weeks. These incidents triggered outrage in India and reportedly prompted the BCCI to instruct KKR to release Rahman from their IPL squad. Rahman was acquired by KKR for Rs 9.20 crore in last month’s IPL auction. No last rites till agents held: Kin of man killed in Russia Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, January 4 A day after his body arrived in India, the family of Mandeep Kumar, the Goraya man who died fighting on the warfront in the Russia-Ukraine war, has refused to carry out his last rites, saying the cremation won’t take place until the agents responsible for illegally sending him to Russia and recruiting him in the Russian army are arrested. At least eight agents were booked by the Goraya police last July, but none of them, according to Mandeep’s c m y b MALKIAT SINGH 05012026-TTC-01.qxd Mother of Mandeep Kumar (inset) grieves as the body was brought to his Goraya home from Russia. brother, Jagdeep Kumar, have been arrested so far. Jagdeep told The Tribune that his family paid the agents more than Rs 35 lakh to send his brother to Italy. A differently-abled man, Mandeep, who had gone to Armenia in search of a job in 2023, was promised by Bholath-based travel agents back home that they would send him to Italy. Mandeep reached Moscow and was sent onwards to St Petersburg and deeper into the country en route to Italy via Finland. He and a few others were abandoned at a petrol pump without food and drink. Mandeep soon found himself recruited into the Russian army, Jagdeep said. Mandeep’s desperate calls for help, Jagdeep told this reporter, plunged him into a continued on page 8