13072026-TTC-01.qxd 7/13/2026 12:56 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 192 | 12 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 14 NATIONS REAFFIRM 2016 SCS RULING, CHINA PUSHES BACK WORLD 1ST BULLET TRAIN TO BELLINGHAM BRACE VERSUS START OPS NEXT YEAR, NORWAY TAKES ENGLAND SAYS VAISHNAW NATION TO FIFA WC SEMIS SPORT monday | 13 july 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com NURPUR: A pall of gloom descended over Sarela village in Takoli-Ghirthan gram panchayat of Kangra’s Fatehpur subdivision on Sunday after the body of engineer Vikram Rana (58), who had been missing since a massive landslide struck a tunnel construction site in Kerala's Wayanad district on July 7, was recovered. INSIDE Twisha’s skin tissue found on gym belt NEW DELHI: The final forensic report in the Twisha Sharma case concluded that a gym belt could have been used in the incident as it found the presence of the victim’s skin tissue on it. The AIIMS board said the ligature material on the belt with a metal ring at the end matched the victim’s injury pattern. — TNS Delivery boy held for harassing woman BENGALURU: A delivery person working with Flipkart was arrested for allegedly flashing at a woman after forcing his way into her house. The accused, identified as Vijay Mallikarjun Kamat, was arrested and a case was lodged against him. Flipkart said it was deeply disturbed by the incident. — PTI JPC for suspension, not removal, of PM, CMs post 30-day jail Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 12 A joint parliamentary committee (JPC) examining the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill has recommended replacing the provision for automatic “removal” of a Prime Minister, Chief Minister or Minister after 30 consecutive days in judicial custody with “suspension”, though the immediate consequence in both cases would be that the public functionary demits office. Most opposition parties have criticised the provisions of the Bill, calling it “malicious” in its intent. Many of them had even refused to join the joint panel. Introduced last August, the Bill seeks to automatically remove the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers or Ministers or on the 31st day of detention if they don’t step down on their continued on page 8 Indian missing, 10 rescued as ship attacked off Oman Central Vista now ‘KartavyaBhawan Area’,saysKhattar Deeply worrisome: Delhi| US, Iran launch fresh strikes New Delhi, July 12 Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said the Central Vista redevelopment area should be referred to as the “Kartavya Bhawan Complex” or “Kartavya Bhawan Area”, and that the name “Central Vista” should no longer be used. Speaking at the foundation day of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), the minister said the new nomenclature should be reflected in all official documents and references. “Until now, we have been repeatedly referring to it as ‘Central Vista’. From now on, please call it the ‘Kartavya Bhawan Complex’ or ‘Kartavya Bhawan Area’. The name Central Vista has now been changed. Going forward, it should not be referred to by that name,” the minister said. The minister said the entire precinct — comprising multiple Kartavya Bhawans, Kartavya Path and any future government buildings in the zone — would be known as the Kartavya Bhawan Area. Declaring that the CPWD had shed its image as a “corruption department”, Khattar said the organisation had embraced transparency, technology and accountability. Manikant Mishra Tribune News Service Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 12 An Indian national is missing at sea while 10 others have been rescued from a merchant vessel — GFS Galaxy — that was hit by Iran while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Immediately after the attack on the commercial vessel, tensions escalated as the US and Iran launched missile strikes on each other’s military facilities in West Asia, triggering fears of a return to full-scale war. The US military struck more than 140 targets in Iran, with explosions reported in the southern port cities of Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Chabahar, Bandar-e Deyr, Jask and Asaluyeh. This was the third wave of attacks in the past week. Iran has responded and made claims of attacks on US bases in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman by launching missiles and suicide drones. Responding to the attack on the ill-fated commercial vessel — GFS Galaxy — the Ministry of External Affairs issued an official statement on Sunday, condemning the attack that HORMUZ SHUT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE: TEHRAN Iran on Sunday said it closed the Strait of Hormuz after a vessel travelled on an unapproved route and was struck. “A vessel that had jeopardised maritime security by switching off its systems was struck and brought to a halt,” the Iran Navy said in a statement, without giving details about the ship. The Strait, the IRGC said, was closed “until further notice” and until “the end of US interference in this region.” occurred off the coast of Oman. The MEA said, “We condemn the attack on GFS Galaxy...Of the 11 Indian nationals on board, 10 have been rescued, while one is reportedly missing”. The MEA thanked the Omani authorities for help in the rescue. Earlier on Sunday, the US Central Command said its forces began launching the third round of strikes this week against Iran. The US said its forces hit approximately 140 Iranian military targets with precision munitions launched by land and sea- based fighter aircraft, drones and naval vessels. The targets included Iranian missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, ammunition storage facilities, communication networks and coastal surveillance locations. It said this was done after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces blatantly attacked GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel was unable to continue the journey due to a fire on board and engine room damage, it said. Unease among BJPOppn leaders , over Bittu’s militancy-era X posts Kalia, Pargat warn him against reopening Punjab’s old wounds Sanjeev Bariana & Rajmeet Singh Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 12 Video clips of dead, cleanshaven men from Punjab’s dark days of militancy on the X feed of Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu are being viewed with grave concern by both his fellow BJP leaders as well as Opposition leaders in the state. Speaking to The Tribune, senior BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia advocated restraint. “Punjab needs to remember that even during the darkest hours of terrorism, the state never witnessed communal clashes, even during the peak of the 1984 riots. That is why the videos posted by fellow party leader Ravneet Bittu on his X handle are not in the right direction. We need to bury our painful past and move ahead.” Kalia was reacting to an archival documentary clip on the aftermath of a blast in Punjab targeting the minority community that was shared on Bittu’s X handle. “We lived as pehredars (guards) during those dark days. So even now, instead of providing fodder for a possible repeat of the past, we Ravneet Singh Bittu. FILE need to learn from our mistakes for a harmonious future. Selective videos and pictures do not tell the whole truth,” he added. Asked why he was uploading videos and clips of dead people from the militancy era that clearly identified the community they belonged to, Bittu refused to comment. “The government has no role in allowing or stopping the screening of the ‘Satluj’ movie,” he told The Tribune Punjab Congress leaders, both MLAs and MPs, said they were disturbed by the uploads and questioned how they were being allowed and how they had got past X’s strict content norms. Congress MLA from Jalandhar Cantt Pargat Singh said, “The BJP is hell- Will seek extradition Hang those guilty of temple theft: Kejriwal of Bishnoi, Nagra: US Launches nationwide signature campaign; BJP brands him a ‘hypocrite’ ‘Deeply pained’: Anshita Mehra Washington, July 12 The US will seek extradition of Lawrence Bishnoi, accused of ordering the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada and several other crimes, an official said Sunday. The US Department of Justice will also seek extradition of Gurinderjit Singh Nagra, for his involvement in a $4,00,000 extortion case in the US, alleging that he worked in concert with the Bishnoi and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gangs to target families based in the US. Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was killed in Surrey in British Columbia, Canada, on June 18, 2023. An official in the US Attorney’s Office replied in affirmative in response to questions on extradition of Bishnoi and Nagra but did not elaborate. “Yes. Beyond that, we have no additional comment,” Ciaran McEvoy, Public Affairs Lawrence Bishnoi Gurinderjit Nagra Officer, US Attorney’s Office, California, said. In a joint operation earlier this week, law enforcement agencies in the US, Canada and Europe arrested 24 persons, 11 of them in California, connected with three Indiabased transnational organised crime groups charged with a litany of criminal acts. In total, the US Department of Justice charged 37 people in the indictment as part of its ‘Operation Hardball’. The US has also charged Bishnoi’s aide Goldy Brar with ordering Nijjar’s assassination. The FBI has announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to Brar’s arrest. — PTI New Delhi, July 12 Launching a blistering attack on those responsible for alleged theft of donations at Ayodhya’s Ram Temple, AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday urged all devotees of Lord Ram to take a vow not to rest until the “perpetrators are hanged”. Addressing a gathering at Rohini here, where he launched a nationwide signature campaign over the alleged theft of donations, Kejriwal said, “Ram devotees must take a vow from today that they will not rest until those who committed the theft are hanged.” He maintained that the campaign was not an AAP initiative but a movement for all devotees, irrespective of political affiliation. “The entire system is engaged in protecting dacoits and thieves,” he said, calling on devotees to join the continued on page 8 RSSurgesTrustto preventrecurrence Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal holds a mace during an event organised over the Ram Temple row in New Delhi. Party leader Manish Sisodia is also seen. New Delhi, July 12 Amid the Ram Mandir donation row, an RSS gathering led by Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat today expressed “deep pain” over the alleged theft and urged the Ram Mandir Trust to ensure such incidents are not repeated. At the end of a two-day meeting of RSS regional ‘pracharaks’ (outreach and communication leaders) in Karnataka’s Belagavi, a Sangh statement said everyone expressed pain at the donation row and expressed confidence that the ongoing special investigation team (SIT) probe reaches a decisive conclusion. “The Sangh expects Ram Mandir continued on page 8 Missing land records of 14 Pb villages stall NH project Hry blacklists 1,107 pvt Lalit Mohan Tribune News Service Ropar, July 12 Missing revenue records of 14 villages in Nangal subdivision have emerged as a major hurdle in the proposed four-laning of the Kiratpur Sahib-Nangal stretch of National Highway-503. The project was approved by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) last year. State Education and Local Bodies Minister Harjot Singh Bains has repeatedly hailed the approval of the project, stating that it would improve connectivity and reduce accidents on the congested highway. However, official sources told The Tribune that the The number of accidents on the Nangal-Kiratpur Sahib National Highway has been on the rise over the years. issuance of the land acquisition notification for the project had been delayed because the original revenue records of 14 villages falling within the proposed alignment were missing. Senior revenue officials said the department was now con- bent on disturbing the hardearned peace of Punjab. He (Bittu) is purely working on a political agenda of polarising voters. The timing of releasing and then banning the movie ahead of the elections raises several questions,” he told The Tribune. Former Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar said, “The issue that Bittu is referring to is very sensitive. I would like to go through all the details and will address the media shortly.” Current BJP president Kewal Dhillon refused to comment on the issue. “I can only say that the period in question during the Congress rule was among the most unfortunate the state ever witnessed,” he said. However, senior BJP leader and former national vicepresident of the party, Laxmi Kanta Chawla, who hails from Amritsar, did not hold back. “Showing the black history of Punjab selectively is not good for Punjab and Punjabis. Bittu should refrain from posting such videos. If he is keen to show the reality to future generations, he should quote from ‘The Kashmir Files’ and ‘The Kerala Story’ and get a continued on page 8 3 publishers held overJ&K bookswith ‘separatist’content Our Correspondent Tribune News Service ANI HP engineer’s body found in Wayanad FILE /thetribunechd IF NOT DELHI, SHOULD WE PROTEST IN US FOR STATEHOOD: CM J&K sidering issuing the land acquisition notification for the remaining villages by excluding the 14 villages. The proposal, however, would require the approval of the NHAI. Nangal SDM Sachin Pathak admitted that the land acquisition for the four- laning project had been stalled due to non-availability of revenue records of 14 villages from the region. “Efforts are being made to resolve the impasse,” he said. Although the highway project received approval last year, work is yet to commence due c m y b to unresolved land ownership issues. The existing two-lane road carries heavy traffic and has witnessed a rising number of accidents over the years, making its expansion a longstanding demand of residents. The issue has also affected other projects, including the proposed Judicial Court Complex at Nangal. Though the district administration has registered an FIR over missing land records, no further action has been taken. In a recent public notice, the Nangal tehsildar informed residents that the land acquisition process for the court complex had commenced but ownership records relating to khasra numbers 401, 402 and 403 at Nikku Nangal village were unavailable. The notice asked continued on page 8 schools for RTE breach Ravinder Saini Tribune News Service Rohtak, July 12 The Haryana Education Department has blocked 1,107 private schools on the Management Information System (MIS) for the 2026-27 academic session following violation of Right to Education (RTE) norms. Sources said admissions would be suspended and physical verification of the schools concerned conducted to assess the basic infrastructure, compliance with recognition requirements and other prescribed standards. If irregularities were found, further action would be taken against them. The data categorises the ADVISORY ON DROPPING TRADITIONAL NECKTIES The Haryana child rights commission has issued an advisory directing all schools to do away with traditional neckties and replace these with a safer alternative to ensure children’s safety. The move comes after a sevenyear-old child died recently after his tie allegedly tightened around the neck in Bhiwani district. blacklisted schools into three groups. A total of 145 schools were blocked despite receiving approval from the District Elementary Education Officer (DEEO) due to non-extension of temporary recognition. continued on page 8 Jammu, July 12 Days after some books in Jammu and Kashmir sparked controversy for allegedly glorifying separatism, the counter-intelligence wing of the J&K Police on Sunday arrested three publishers. An investigation was launched after social and political groups raised objections to the content of books distributed under the Samagra Shiksha programme. The counterintelligence wing recently conducted raids at Jammu and some places linked to the publishers in Delhi. One arrested in Jammu, two others from Delhi The three arrested publishers are Inderpaul of Oberoi Book Service, Jammu, and Amardeep Singh and Girish Arora of Noida-based Dominant Publishers. Previously, both Oberoi Book Service and Dominant Publishers had been blacklisted by the government. Counter-intelligence teams conducted raids on their premises on July 6. The arrests are part of a broader investigation into the publication and distribution of books deemed to contain “highly inappropriate content”. Investigators were scrutinising the publishers’ roles in printing and distributing the material, officials said. The books in question are titled ‘Personalities and Legends of J&K’, authored by Hilal Ahmad and Santosh Meena and published by Oberoi Book Service, and ‘Great Personalities of Jammu and Kashmir’, authored by Sushant Giri and published by Delhi-based Anurag Prakashan. On July 4, the counter-intelligence unit registered an FIR under Sections 49 (abetment), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), 152 (endangering the continued on page 8