30082026-TTB-01.qxd 8/30/2026 12:35 AM Page 1 c m y b 123 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 239 | 22 PAGES | ~7.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  DELHI TRUMP HAILS ‘BIGGEST OIL DEAL IN WORLD HISTORY’ WITH VENEZUELA WORLD /thetribunechd NOT A GOOD SIGN IF BAR LOSES RESPECT: SC JUDGE BACK PAGE WIND BENEATH THE WINGS: UNTOLD STORY OF IAF WIVES SPECTRUM NEERAJ CHOPRA PULLS OUT OF ASIAN GAMES AFTER INJURY SPORT sunday | 30 august 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com 167 Indians rescued, 275 untraceable as Nepal flashflood toll mounts to 675 11-member Army team from India starts rescue op at Trishuli hydropower project tunnel Ajay Banerjee INDIA EXCEPTIONALLY GENEROUS, SAYS NEPAL Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 29 The death toll from the flashfloods in Nepal rose to 675 on Saturday while nearly 2,400 people, including 275 Indians, remained missing even as an 11-member Army technical team from India began search and rescue operations to evacuate individuals stranded in inundated Trishuli hydropower project tunnels in the neighbouring country. More than 4,400 people have been rescued or evacuated so far as emergency teams race against time to reach remote settlements cut off after roads and bridges were washed away. Nepalese officials said those rescued included at least 261 foreign tourists who had gone “out of contact”. They comprised 167 Indians, 40 Chinese, eight Ukrainians, four each from Germany and Malta, three from the US and the rest from Turkiye, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Oman, Belgium and Bulgaria. Four Indians were rescued from a hydropower project in Rasuwa while another 120 pilgrims undertaking the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra had crossed into Nepal from China. Fresh rain has compounded the challenges, with emergency teams warning that adverse weather continued on page 6 ■ Nepal Minister Swarnim Wagle has called India ‘exceptionally generous’ for its assistance ■ India has airlifted 57 tonnes of relief material and sent tunnel technical team to Nepal TEA BREAK SAVES FIVE CHHATTISGARH FRIENDS ■ But for a tea break, five friends from Chhattisgarh could have been swept away in Nepal ■ They survived, but had to spend 2 days watching the swollen Trishuli from an elevated spot A woman speaks on a phone as she sits next to a gas cylinder at the site of a flashflood in Devighat in Nuwakot district of Nepal. REUTERS As Lahaul lake expands, experts say no threat for now Dipender Manta Tribune News Service Ghepan lake is located near Sissu village in HP’s Lahaul region. FILE Mandi, August 29 The devastating flashflood in Nepal has brought renewed attention to Ghepan lake above Sissu village in Lahaul and Spiti. The latest government study shows that the lake expanded to nearly 99 hectares by 2019 from 27 hectares in the 1970s, underlining the need for constant monitoring. However, experts and local Punjab tells dept heads to show-cause staff who took mass CL on August 27 Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi. MUKESH AGGARWAL It’sacrime:Rahulfor FIRoverpurification afterKharge’srally Rinku Behera Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 29 Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday slammed the BJP and RSS over the alleged “shuddhikaran” (purification) of the stage following Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s speech in Uttarakhand recently and demanded an FIR under the SC/ST Act. He also accused the BJP of having a “clear difference between its words and actions” on Dalit dignity. Rahul lying, trying to divide people, says BJP Addressing mediapersons here, Gandhi said the incident was not merely an insult to Kharge but a larger issue concerning the rights and dignity of Dalits across the country. “Shuddhikaran is a crime. We demand action against those who purified the stage after Congress president Kharge’s speech,” Gandhi said. He pointed out that 20 days had passed without action and urged PM Narendra Modi and the Uttarakhand Government to ensure that those allegedly involved in the act faced legal action. He alleged that the ritual amounted to the practice of untouchability, which is prohibited under the continued on page 6 Chandigarh, August 29 The Punjab Government has directed all administrative secretaries and heads of departments to issue showcause notices to employees who went on mass casual leave on August 27 in support of their demands, in what was one of the largest employee protests in recent years. The employees will be asked to explain why disciplinary action should not be initiated against them for taking “unauthorised leave”. The directive, issued today, comes as employee unions are set to chalk out their next course of action at a meeting scheduled for Sunday. Employee leaders view the government’s move as an attempt to pressure them into returning Employee unions to meet in Ludhiana today OPPN BACKS EMPLOYEES ■ Punjab has nearly 4 lakh govt employees, who constitute a significant vote bank ■ BJP state chief Kewal Dhillon condemned the notices and extended support to the staff ■ PPCC chief Raja Warring said the notices would prove the ‘last nail in AAP govt’s coffin’ to the negotiating table at a time when unions were weighing the possibility of intensifying their agitation. “Our leave was not unauthorised. They are free to issue notices and we will give them reply. All issues will be discussed by leaders of more than 60 unions at a meeting in Ludhiana on Sunday morning,” Sahil Sharma, a prominent union leader, told The Tribune. The latest direction follows an order issued by the Personnel Department last evening, asking all heads of departments to prepare lists of employees who had proceeded on “unauthorised leave”. Sources said complete lists had not yet been submitted to the department. The protesting employees have been demanding the release of their pending dearness allowance (DA), restoration of the Old Pension Scheme and the resolution of other pending service-related issues. The call for the mass casual leave was given by the Joint Action Committee of Employees and Pensioners continued on page 6 authorities have ruled out any immediate threat from the glacial lake, even as they stress the need for long-term preparedness. Former Chief Conservator of Forests Bhupender Rana, who has spent nearly 35 years studying high-altitude lakes, glaciers and mountain passes, said the Nepal floods should not automatically be linked to every glacial lake in Himachal Pradesh. continued on page 6 China removes General who led Galwan clash from top advisory body Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 29 Two top military commanders have been removed from China’s military commission, while a former commander of Beijing’s India-facing Western Theatre Command, General Zhao Zongqi, has been stripped of his membership in the Communist Party’s political advisory body. The development comes just two weeks ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit in India, to which Chinese President Xi Jinping has been invited. General Zhao had led the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) theatre command during the 73-day stand-off with India at Doklam in 2017 and the armed clash at Galwan in 2020 that led to the death of 20 Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of PLA personnel. General Zhao has been stripped of the membership of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). State-run news agency Xinhua quoted the CPPCC as saying “it also approved the decision to remove General Zhao from his positions as a member of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee and Vice Chairman of the Committee on Ethnic and Religious Affairs, and to revoke his TASHKENT OUTREACH Two other commanders ousted from military commission FSSAIbansEverest, LaljeeGodhoohing saleoverpoorquality NEW DELHI: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Saturday banned Everest Food Products Pvt Ltd and Laljee Godhoo from selling hing powder, which it found to be substandard. The food regulator said the samples of compounded asafoetida (hing powder) of Everest were also found to be “misbranded”. BACK PAGE Mamata booked over violation of HC orderonTMCPevent NEW DELHI: The Kolkata police General Zhao Zongqi membership of the CPPCC”. General Zhao had overseen the entire contested IndiaChina border — the Line of Actual Control (LAC) — as the first commander of the Western Theatre Command, which was created during the PLA’s reforms in 2016. After holding the key command during major geopolitical flashpoints, General Zhao officially handed over the charge to Gen Zhang Xudong in late 2020 after passing his standard retirement age. Alongside Zhao’s removal, news agency Reuters reported that China has also removed two senior military officers from its supreme military command body, the state Central Military Commission (CMC), following continued on page 6 have registered a suo motu FIR against former West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee for alleged violation of Calcutta High Court-imposed conditions for holding a TMCP foundation day event here, a senior officer said on Saturday. INSIDE UGC-NET re-exam for 3 subjects on September 9-10 NEW DELHI: The National Test- ing Agency (NTA) will re-conduct the UGC-NET June 2026 examinations for English, commerce and sociology on September 9 and 10. The NTA had announced the re-exam after candidates complained about factual, typographical and translation errors, as well as repeated question. —TNS Nabin pulls up 3 BJP MPs for visiting Sajjan’s home Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service PM Narendra Modi with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at Yangi Uzbekistan Park in Tashkent on Saturday. He will hold delegation-level talks with President Mirziyoyev during his two-day official visit. ANI New Delhi, August 29 BJP president Nitin Nabin on Saturday summoned three MPs who had visited the family home of anti-Sikh riots convict late Sajjan Kumar to condole his demise. The BJP was in the eye of a storm over the development, given the party’s strong political offensive against Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda after the latter had praised Kumar, only to regret his remarks later. Nabin today said the party’s Lok Sabha MPs from Delhi Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, Yogender Chandolia and Kamaljeet Sehrawat should not have gone to the residence of Kumar given the BJP’s “steadfast support to the victims of 1984 anti-Sikh riots, which left over 2,700 dead.” Bidhuri, Chandolia, Sehrawat asked to explain conduct NOW, BJP MLAs AT MEET Amid row, Delhi BJP MLAs Surya Prakash Khatri and Raj Kumar Chauhan, and ex-MLA Dharam Dev Solanki on Saturday joined a condolence meet for Sajjan. INSIDE VISIT PAINFUL: DHILLON Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon has termed the visit by three BJP MPs to Sajjan Kumar’s house as “extremely painful and unfortunate”. Kumar was the only highprofile Congress leader, a former MP to be convicted in , cases relating to the killing of Sikhs and was serving a life sentence at Tihar Jail continued on page 6 ‘3rd bid’ on life of Attari sarpanch fighting drug mafia Those who want no Muslims in Bharat Pawan K Jaiswar 426 KG HEROIN SEIZED IN AMRITSAR Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 29 As Punjab battles cross-border drug smuggling and widespread substance abuse, a panchayat representative from the Attari border belt in Amritsar has alleged that he and one of his supporters were attacked by associates of peddlers whose activities he had been openly exposing as part of his anti-drug campaign. Harpreet Singh, the sarpanch of Attari village, claimed it was the third attempt on his life by those involved in the illegal drug trade. Talking to The Tribune, Harpreet alleged that he had lost faith in the police and the district administration as no Since January, the Amritsar (City) and (Rural) police, Counter Intelligence and the State Special Operations Cell have seized 426 kg of heroin and 17 kg of ICE smuggled from Pakistan in Amritsar. KHANNA LEADS WITH 338 ARRESTS Harpreet Singh In the ongoing campaign against drugs, the Khanna police have outperformed the other 24 police districts by arresting 338 peddlers in August. Bathinda is second with 294 arrests. concrete action had been taken on the complaints he lodged following the previous two attempts on his life. Attari DSP Yadwinder Singh said he would look into Harpreet’s allegations and the status of the previous complaints he claimed to have filed. In a video uploaded on his Instagram account, the sarpanch named several persons allegedly involved in the open sale of drugs and their smuggling from Pakistan. “I am being targeted because I have long been raising my voice against drug abuse and the open sale of narcotics in the village. Despite their threats, I will continue my efforts to prevent youngsters from falling prey to substance abuse,” he said. Amritsar (Rural) SSP Kanwalpreet Singh Chahal, however, said he was unaware of the video and the allegations. He said the sarpanch had never met him earlier and that he would examine the video before taking appropriate action. “There is zero tolerance towards drug smuggling and substance abuse. Anyone found involved in the illegal trade will be taken to task,” the SSP said. Harpreet alleged that drug continued on page 6 Today’s issue is of 22 pages, including six-page Spectrum and four page Delhi Tribune. c m y b are not Hindus: RSS chief in New York Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 29 RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday advocated the unity of humankind and said Hindutva was not about exclusion but about acceptance of diversity while celebrating and preserving unity. Addressing the “One World One Humanity” event in New York, Bhagwat referred to India as Bharat and said, “Hindutva is not about exclusion. If any Hindu thinks there should be no Muslim in Bharat, he will not remain Hindu. We believe every human being has dignity. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in NY. There is no difference between human beings.” The RSS chief added that differences decorate nature and have to be accepted. “Reality is we are one and illusions of differences will disappear because truth is one and humanity is one,” he said. Challenging the widely prevalent perception that the RSS was against the minorities, Bhagwat said: “After 2018, we started a dialogue with Muslims and Christians of Bharat. Step by step we are going ahead. Dialogue is the first step and service is another. We serve everywhere, we serve equally,” said Bhagwat. He cited the Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision on November 12, 1996, involving a Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747 and a Kazakhstan Airlines continued on page 6