26062026-TTB-01.qxd 6/26/2026 12:09 AM 13 APPLE RAISES MACBOOK, iPAD PRICES BUSINESS /thetribunechd Page 1 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 175 | 18 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  DELHI friday | 26 june 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com PUNJAB CM PURPORTED VIDEO Video vs video: Mann claims mask used to impersonate him Gaurav Kanthwal Tribune News Service Residents and rescue workers search through the rubble of a building that collapsed in an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela. AP/PTI 188 dead, thousands missing as two quakes rock Venezuela 7.2, 7.5-magnitude tremors strongest to hit nation in over a century Caracas, June 25 Rescue teams on Thursday raced to the areas hardest hit by a pair of powerful earthquakes that rocked Venezuela, killing at least 188 people, injuring nearly 1,000 and trapping probably thousands others beneath collapsed buildings. Wednesday evening’s 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes were among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century and could be felt throughout the region. The country’s main airport was damaged and closed, while buildings were evacuated in places as far away as Brazil’s Amazon, about 1,700 km from Venezuela’s capital Caracas. Television broadcasts showed rescue workers using power tools to work MaheshDixittohead Intelligence Bureau NEW DELHI: Senior IPS officer Mahesh Dixit will be the new chief of Intelligence Bureau. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet chaired by PM Modi cleared his appointment. Serving as Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau, Dixit, a 1993-batch IPS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, will take over from Tapan Kumar Deka. — TNS Govt set to resume B’desh tourist visas NEW DELHI: Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi on Thursday announced that tourist visas for Bangladesh nationals would resume on June 28 from five visa centres, including Dhaka. In a related development, Trivedi has been granted the status equivalent to that of a Union Cabinet minister. BACK PAGE READY TO EXTEND ALL HELP, SAYS MODI PM Narendra Modi expressed grief over the devastation caused by the earthquakes in Venezuela, and said India stands ready to extend all possible assistance to the country. “On behalf of the people of India, I extend our heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Venezuela,” the PM said. Mohali, June 25 Facing criticism from opposition parties over a purported video of a blasphemous act, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday again denied he was in the clip and claimed that the “impostor in the footage was wearing a mask resembling his face”. Mann, who had distanced himself from the video on Wednesday as well, called it a “conspiracy” by the Opposition to defame him and his government. During an earlier appearance at the Akal Takht, the CM had described the video “AI-generated”. Playing out the video during a press conference in Mohali, the CM said, “The actor in the video is wearing a prosthetic mask. But the scar visible on my throat is absent on his. Our height and physique also don’t match. He deliberately wore sunglasses to conceal his eyes as otherwise his true identity would have been revealed.” Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann shows a purported video of Canada-based Jagman Samra (R) holding his mask, at a press conference in Mohali. CCTV ‘SHOWS’ 2 PB COPS AT GURUGRAM HOTEL The Gurugram police have obtained CCTV footage of two Punjab Police officers visiting a hotel in the city to allegedly arrange the “fabricated” forensic report of a controversial video linked to CM Mann and are preparing to summon them for questioning, officials said. BOARDS DISPLAY TAKHT EDICT AT GURDWARAS The SGPC has issued a directive to the state’s historic gurdwaras to put up hoardings to publicise the edict issued by the Akal Takht regarding CM Mann. Some gurdwaras in Amritsar and Jalandhar have displayed flex boards carrying a photograph of the Takht edict. Mann claimed that Canadabased Jagman Samra, whom he called a “blackmailer” and a “drug addict”, had shot the video in a hotel room in Abbotsford. “The mask was delivered to Samra in a car and he can be seen holding it. It was later placed on another individual’s face to shoot a video. I have not visited continued on page 10 Emergency now part of Class IX NCERT textbook Aksheev Thakur Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 25 Marking the 50th anniversary of the Emergency imposed in 1975, the NCERT has introduced a detailed section on the period in its revised Class IX social science textbook, ‘Understanding Society: India and Beyond (Part 1)’, describing it as one of the most significant challenges faced by Indian democracy. Right thing done: Pradhan June 25 is observed as “Emergency Day”, commemorating the night in 1975 when then President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed proclaimed a National Emergency under Article 352 of the Constitution on grounds of “internal disturbance”, following the recommendation of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has included the 21-month Emergency period, which lasted from continued on page 10 Aditya Rangroo Tribune News Service EPICENTRE OF THE TWO EARTHQUAKES CARACAS VENEZUELA COLOMBIA their way into piles of rubble where buildings once stood. Panicked residents were sent pouring into the streets, and after the quakes many peo- ple walked among the debris searching for the missing among collapsed buildings and toppled electric poles. Acting President Delcy Rodriguez said the authorities were shifting rescue teams from other parts of the country to La Guaira, which continued on page 10 Army CO, 40 soldiers storm police station, ‘assault’ cops in Kishtwar Adil Akhzer Srinagar, June 25 A Commanding Officer of the Army and around 30-40 other personnel have been booked after they allegedly stormed a police station, assaulted police personnel and damaged government property in Jammu’s Kishtwar. Jammu-based defence spokesperson Lt Col Suneel Bartwal said the matter was “under examination through appropriate institutional mechanisms”. Sources said the trouble began when the driver of a private vehicle associated with the Army allegedly got into an altercation with the driver of a pilot vehicle of the Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner, who was on his way to an official function. As the Army driver alleged- FIR lodged; row erupts after vehicle impounded ly misbehaved, the vehicle was taken to the nearby police station. The sources said although the vehicle was later allowed to leave, the situation escalated when the Army personnel later stormed the police station. According to the FIR, a copy of which was accessed by The Tribune, “a criminal conspiracy and violent assault” took place at Atholi police station. The FIR states that under the “direct command” of N Arun Gandhi, Commanding Officer 17 RR, a group of 30-40 Army personnel, led by Major Vikas Sharma, launched a “preplanned attack”. “Armed with lathis, iron Passport has never been proof of citizenship, says govt amid row Ujwal Jalali New Delhi, June 25 The government has restored liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supplies to commercial consumers such as hotels and other businesses to levels prevailing prior to the West Asia crisis, and lifted sector-specific restrictions imposed in the wake of the conflict. Further, the supply of bulk LPG, which had been suspended in the wake of the crisis, has been relaxed by 50 per cent of the pre-crisis consumption levels, providing significant relief to commercial and industrial consumers. The restoration follows the recent improvement in the LPG supply situation. To augment domestic LPG production during the crisis, the government had issued orders under the Essential Commodities Act requiring C3 (propane)/C4 (butane) streams to be utilised exclusively for LPG production, diverting them from petrochemical and other downstream uses. Taking note of the improved domestic LPG production and the projected availability of imported supplies, the government has also decided to reduce the diversion of C3/C4 streams to the LPG pool. The enhanced allocation of these streams for non-LPG uses will be implemented while ensuring that the domestic LPG availability remains unaffected and aggregate indigenous production is maintained at not less than 40 TMT per day. Tribune News Service Commercial LPG supplies restored asWAcrisiseases rods, and arms and ammunition, the group stormed the police station by climbing over the main gate and the boundary wall. Their intention was to cause fatal injuries and kill the police personnel on duty,” the FIR states. It further alleges that during the scuffle, the Army personnel tore the uniform of the SHO and physically assaulted Atholi SDPO Vijay Kumar Bhagat. Several other police personnel on duty also sustained injuries during the assault, it adds. The FIR also states that the Army personnel also assaulted the ARTO, Kishtwar, and his personal security officers, who were present at the police station. “The attackers also caused extensive damage to government and public continued on page 10 Paris auction halted, Centre steps FIR against 8 in Ram in to bring UT heritage chairs back Temple donation row THE TRIBUNE EXCLUSIVE Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 25 In a significant step towards protecting Chandigarh’s modernist heritage, India has formally begun the process of bringing back two Pierre Jeanneret-designed chairs — stolen from Panjab University and PGIMER — after the Ministry of External Affairs and the Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO jointly stalled their Paris auc- WANT TARIFF EDGE OVER RIVALS: GOYAL BACK PAGE tion on Wednesday. Additionally, deliberations have been initiated with the French Government seeking physical custody of both pieces. Sources in the MEA told The Tribune that all efforts were being made to secure the return of the two chairs to India and hand them back to Chandigarh, where they rightfully belonged. “We have achieved the first breakthrough in stalling the auction, which was itself a historic first. Now we are hopeful of winning our second battle — the repatriation of our stolen heritage furniture back to India,” a senior MEA official said, adding that certain processes and continued on page 10 edit: cheer for chairs Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 25 An FIR was registered on Thursday against eight individuals on the charges of embezzlement, fraud, criminal conspiracy and breach of trust in connection with missing donations at the Ram Temple. The move comes amid an ongoing probe into the matter by a special investigation team (SIT), which submitted a preliminary report of its findings to the Uttar Pradesh Government two days ago. Today’s issue is of 18 pages, including four-page Delhi Tribune. c m y b Sources said the FIR did not name senior Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust members Champat Rai and Anil Mishra. They said Lavkush Mishra and Anukalp Mishra, against whom the FIR has been lodged, were among those involved in counting the cash and valuables received as donations at the temple. Avinash Shukla, Karunesh Pandey, Manish Yadav, Rama Shankar Mishra and Subhash Srivastava were the other accused named in the FIR. continued on page 10 New Delhi, June 25 Amid a political row over the government’s recent assertion that a passport is not proof of citizenship, top government sources on Thursday said the position was neither new nor a policy change, maintaining that Indian law has never treated a passport as conclusive evidence of citizenship. The clarification came a day after remarks made during Passport Seva Divas triggered debate and opposition criticism, with some leaders PASSPORT FEE HIKED The government has increased the application fee for an ordinary fresh passport or reissue of a passport containing 36 pages from ~1,500 to ~2,500. For a passport containing 60 pages, the application fee has been revised from ~2,000 to ~3,500. questioning the rationale behind describing a passport as a travel document rather than proof of citizenship. Senior government sources told The Tribune that “it was not decided yesterday that the passport is not proof of citizenship” and stressed that “it was not even decided in the last 12 years”. According to the sources, a passport has never been treated as proof of citizenship under the legal framework governing its issuance. The sources pointed to provisions of the Passport Act, 1967, which allow the government to issue passports and travel documents even to persons who are not Indian citizens under specific circumstances. continued on page 10 edit: passport row