31032026-TTC-01.qxd 3/31/2026 12:24 AM Page 1 c m y b WHO STOLE THE GOLD: LoP IN AYAPPA TERRITORY NATION /thetribunechd 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 88 | 16 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 NEPAL SC REFUSES INTERIM RELIEF TO EX-PM OLI WORLD tuesday | 31 march 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com SHANDAAR 4 SAAL, BHAGWANT MANN DE NAAL Strong action against Corruption DIPR, Punjab 1069 arrested so far For more information, scan here Trump threatens to wreck civil infra; Iran ~ breaches 95 against $ for first time; Sensex calls Pak talks ploy to sneak in US troops tumbles 1,635 points Will destroy Kharg Island, desalination plants if deal not reached shortly, says Washington Aditya Rangroo Ajay Banerjee New Delhi, March 30 The rupee breached the 95 mark and fell to an all-time intra-day low of 95.22 against the US dollar on Monday before regaining some lost ground to settle at 94.70 after the Iran war escalation jolted global markets, fuelling rupee volatility and risk-off sentiment. The rupee gained initially after the RBI reduced the overnight net open position limit for banks to USD 100 million. But it reversed sharply later, falling towards 95.22 from the opening levels. Since the commencement of the West Asia conflict on February 28, 2026, the rupee has depreciated by 4.1 per cent. Domestic equity markets too ended sharply lower, with the Sensex tanking 1,635.67 points or 2.22 per cent to close at 71,947.55. The Nifty declined 488.20 points or 2.14 per cent to settle at 22,331.40. The major reasons behind the decline of equities were broad-based selling across sectors, lingering global uncertainties, elevated crude oil prices and sustained FII outflows, according to Bajaj Broking Market Commentary. Speaking with The Tribune, INDIAN DIES IN STRIKE ON KUWAIT PLANT Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 30 US President Donald Trump on Monday threatened widespread destruction of Iran’s energy resources and vital infrastructure, including water desalination plants, if a deal to end the war was not reached “shortly”. Iran, meanwhile, dismissed the talks in Pakistan as a “cover to bring more US troops to the region. “Iranian forces are waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever,” said Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf. The conflict that started on February 28 has shown no signs of let-up as Tehran hit a water and electrical plant in Kuwait and an oil refinery in Israel. Separately, Israel and the US launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iran. Trump’s fresh threat came a day after Iran warned the US against sending ground troops, saying they would be “set on fire”. Also, Tehran threatened to launch its own ground invasion of Arab An Indian national was killed in an Iranian strike on a power and water desalination plant in Kuwait. With this, the toll of Indians in the conflict has risen to eight. The ambassador visited the mortuary where the body had been kept. The Embassy expressed its “deepest condolences” at the loss of life. A woman talks on the phone amid a damaged residential neighbourhood after strikes by the US and Israel in Tehran on Monday; and (right) the Kharg Island — home to a terminal through which Iran exports around 90% to 95% of its crude oil — which has emerged as a focus of the month-old conflict. REUTERS Tribune News Service RUPEE DOING FINE, SAYS SITHARAMAN Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said the country’s economic fundamentals were strong, and compared to other emerging market economies, the rupee was “absolutely going fine” against the US dollar. Karan Rijhsinghani, director and head (product and advisory), Atom Privé Financial Services, said the fall today was not a standalone reaction but an extension of the 10–11 per cent correction already underway this month. The decline was led by financial entities such as HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, indicating tightening liquidity conditions and rising funding costs, with short-term rates moving closer to 7 per cent. Moreover, the crude price remaining above USD 110–115 per barrel is now directly impacting margin expectations across consumption and industrial sectors, while mid and small caps have corrected 10–15 per cent, reflecting positioning unwinds and reduced liquidity rather than a change in fundamentals. “From a near-term perspective, volatility is continued on page 7 LeT handler with ISI linksnabbedinDelhi NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police have arrested a suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) handler, Shabbir Ahmed Lone, from the Ghazipur area. He was produced before a court, which sent him to police custody for five days. Terming Lone a “hardcore and highlytrained terrorist”, the police said he had established links with Pakistan’s ISI. BACK PAGE BrigdiesinDehradun roadragecrossfiring DEHRADUN: A routine morning walk turned fatal for a retired Brigadier in Dehradun on Monday after he was caught in a crossfire between occupants of two cars who allegedly opened fire following a dispute over giving way on the road. The deceased was identified as Brig Mukesh Joshi (74). An FIR has been lodged. BACK PAGE countries and mine the Persian Gulf if US troops set foot on its territory. The US President issued the threat through a post on Truth Social. He said the US was in “serious discussions” with a “new and more reasonable regime” to end its war on Iran, but threatened to “oblit- erate” Iran’s strategically crucial Kharg Island if a deal was not reached shortly. “Great progress has been made but if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately opened for business, we will conclude our lovely stay in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their electric generating plants, oil wells and Kharg Island and possibly all desalination plants, which we have purposefully not touched yet,” said Trump. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei Tributes pour in as kin, friends hail Gypsy King’s legacy at prayer meeting Census1st phase fromtomorrow India free of Naxal terror: Shah; Kotak bank’s deputy VP blames Cong leaders for LWE named in ~150-cr scam Deepankar Sharda Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 30 People from all walks of life paid tributes to Hari Singh, the “Gypsy King” and India’s motorsport expert, during a prayer ceremony organised by his family at the Sector 8 gurdwara on Monday. While family members maintained a distance from the media, moist eyes among those present spoke volumes about the legacy left behind by the 59-year-old fatherly figure in the world of motorsport. People offered their condolences to his wife Simran Kaur, daughter Azmat, a pilot with Air India, and son Mivaan. Several politicians, including Preneet Kaur, former Minister of State for External Affairs; Simranjit Singh Mann, former MP; Pawan Bansal, former Railway Minister; and Manpreet Badal, former Punjab Finance Minister, also offered their tributes. Besides, bureaucrats, representatives of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India, councillors Farokh Commissariat and Raj Kapoor, along with Auto Car India Editor Hormazd Sorabjee, president of Northern Motorsports Jayesh Desai, Raj Singh Rathore from Jaipur and several former rally drivers, including Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 30 After a gap of 15 years, the first phase of the Census-2027 is all set to begin from April 1 in some states, where the citizens will have an option for self-enumeration, allowing digital submission of information. A house-listing and housing census will be conducted in the first phase. From May 15-June 13 in Pb Search for Hari Singh was called off eight days after a boat mishap. Nikhil Taneja, Nawaz Sandhu, Koka Rao, Farad Bathana, Karanvir Singh Paddu and Bittu Mann (who was Hari’s navigator in several rally events), also attended the prayer meeting. Jagwant Gill, a close associate of Hari who also spearheaded the search and rescue operations in the Maldives for eight days, also attended the event along with Amanpreet Alhuwalia, known as the second “Gypsy King” after Hari. Rally drivers Sunny Sidhu, Manik Rakhi, Garima Avtar and Gaurav Gill also attended the meeting along with SPS Gharcha, president, Chandigarh Motorsport Association, and other national champions. Hari, who was involved in a fatal speedboat mishap near Felidhoo Island in the Maldives continued on page 7 In Punjab, self-enumeration will begin between April 30 and May 14, while the house-listing and housing census will be held between May 15 and June 13. continued on page 7 on Monday acknowledged Tehran had received a 15-point proposal from the Trump administration, but said there had been no direct negotiations with Washington so far. “We have had only excessive, unreasonable demands via intermediaries,” he said. continued on page 7 Bhartesh Singh Thakur Aditi Tandon and Animesh Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 30 Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday declared India free of Naxal terror even as he laid the blame for decades of Leftwing extremism (LWE) in the country at the doors of Congress leaders from late Indira Gandhi to Rahul Gandhi. Speaking in the Lok Sabha on the eve of March 31, 2026, the government’s deadline for the elimination of the LWE, Shah said Naxal-sympathising Congress leaders had themselves become Naxalites over time. Union Home Minister Amit Shah speaks in the Lok Sabha. PTI He rejected as “false” the narrative that the LWE stemmed from lack of development and was a movement against injustice. “I firmly dismiss the narrative that Naxal- ism stemmed from a lack of development. Naxalism stemmed from the Left ideology which Indira accepted and promoted in the 1970s,” said Shah, alleging that the late PM, who took help from the Left to get VV Giri elected as President in 1969, remained “captive to Naxals for long”. Shah quoted late PM Manmohan Singh’s admission that the LWE was a bigger threat than the terrorism in Kashmir and the Northeast and said, “Yet the Congress did nothing about it. PM Narendra Modi came in 2014 and Naxalism has been eliminated.” continued on page 7 Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 30 As the name of a deputy vicepresident of Kotak Mahindra Bank cropped up in the over Rs 150-crore scam, the bank on Monday agreed to return Rs 127 crore to the Municipal Corporation (MC), Panchkula, whose funds were siphoned off in the fraud. According to submissions made by the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (SV&ACB) before a Panchkula court on Monday, the name of the bank’s deputy vicepresident, Pushpender Singh, appeared as the main accused in the preliminary Bank to return ~127 crore to Panchkula civic body investigation. Pushpender, who is absconding, was branch manager of the Sector 11 branch in Panchkula, where the fraud took place. Relationship manager of the bank Dileep Singh Raghav allegedly told the investigating agency that he could assist it in the arrest of Pushpender as he knew about his addresses. Raghav also told investigating officers that he could provide relevant information about the scam. When he was continued on page 7 Jeet Malhotra — living Le Corbusier legacy beyond Chandigarh Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service Architect Jeet Lal Malhotra at his home in New Delhi. MANAS RANJAN BHUI c m y b New Delhi, March 30 A first-time visitor to veteran architect Jeet Lal Malhotra’s Delhi home is bound to mistake it for a Corbusian cottage perched in the heart of Chandigarh. And it’s not just the facade that gives away the story of Malhotra’s abiding ties with Chandigarh’s French-Swiss architect Le Corbusier. It’s equally the no-glass, nosteel, no-marble and mosaic floor interiors. “My father continues to live the Le Corbusier legacy well beyond Chandigarh, the city he helped build as part of the team that shaped and executed the capital project,” says Meet Malhotra, seated beside the famous architect, now 97. Jeet Malhotra, who was recently honoured by the Chandigarh Administration for his contribution to the City Beautiful, talks sparingly but his frail eyes light up at the very mention of Chandigarh, a city where he created landmark structures such as the cricket stadium, Chandigarh Club, Chandigarh bus stand, PGI Research Block and many government schools. Malhotra shares a warm memory of former English cricket team captain David Gower praising the play of light at the Sector 16 cricket stadium. Of this structure, Gower had said, “It seems more like a sculpture than a building.” As the youngest among architects hired to assist Corbusier, Malhotra became the Chief Architect of Punjab last among peers associated with the capital project. From Chandigarh, he relocated to New Delhi, where he served as the Chief Architect of the New Delhi Municipal Corporation from 1985 to 1987. This stint was his last and he retired and settled in Delhi’s Vasant Vihar. Interestingly, the man who helped design Chandigarh never owned a house there though he designed some landmark private houses for the city’s influencers. Inside his very Corbusian home in Delhi, one can find remnants of the good old Chandigarh capital project days. Malhotra’s wife Indra continued on page 7