09092026-TT-01.qxd 9/8/2026 11:23 PM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 249 | 14 PAGES | ~6.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HIMACHAL PRADESH LADAKH L-G SAXENA GETS ADDL CHARGE AS SINHA GOES ON LEAVE J&K /thetribunechd IRAN-BACKED HOUTHIS HIT 4 SAUDI CITIES, 73 INJURED WORLD NSE IPO LIKELY TO OPEN INDIA, LANKA SET TO BOOST ON SEPT 18, CAN RAISE DEFENCE TIES DURING ~30,000 CR BUSINESS RAJNATH’S VISIT BACK PAGE wednesday | 9 september 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Modi-Putin bilateral on Sept 11; India, China hold second LAC flag Su-57 sale, tech transfer on table meet in two days Both sides to look at expanding defence, nuclear powercooperation OpentoIndiarole inendingUkraine war,saysRussia Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service Along with millions of readers and admirers, The Tribune pays homage to its founder, Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, who passed into eternity on this day 128 years ago. 2arrestedwithgun FIR filed in Haldwani aheadofPM’sevent purification row DELHI: NEW DELHI: The Mumbai police on Tuesday arrested two persons for carrying fake PMO ID cards and a gun, with a local court remanding both to police custody. A local court remanded the accused, Rohan Parikh (24) and Dilip Kunde (49), to police custody till September 11. INSIDE NEW An FIR has been registered in connection with the “shuddhikaran” (purification) of Haldwani’s Ramlila Maidan following Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s rally on August 8. The case was registered at the Kotwali police station on the complaint of a Congress worker. INSIDE New Delhi, September 8 The sale of the fifth-generation Sukhoi-57 stealth jet to India and nuclear energy will be on the agenda when Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi hold their bilateral meeting on Friday. “The issue of selling those machines to India is on the agenda,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov while taking questions from Indian journalists at an online media briefing on Tuesday. The Indian side wanted a transfer of technology for local production of the jet and this was a subject of ongoing additional discussions, Peskov said at the briefing, which was hosted by Russian state-run news outlet Sputnik. Explaining the issue of technology transfer, Peskov said, “Every country wants to keep new technology to itself. However, given our advanced strategic partnership with India, we will discuss the possibilities of sharing these technologies with our Indian partners, should these become available.” Ujwal Jalali Tribune News Service PM Modi met President Putin on the sidelines of recent SCO Summit. FILE KREMLIN VOWS TO SEND BACK ENLISTED INDIANS n The Kremlin has said it is making a list of Indians still serving with the Russian army and promised to send them back, as India pressed Moscow to release the remaining personnel at the earliest n “Work is underway to compile a list of Indian citizens currently on the battlefield, and they will be sent back as soon as they are identified,” Peskov told Indian journalists in a virtual interaction INSIDE The Sukhoi-57 is a fifthgeneration jet. While the US and its NATO allies rely on the F-35, China has developed its own fifth-generation jets — the J-35 and the J-20 — and is now on track to provide the J-35 to Pakistan. The Russian Sukhoi-57 is the choice of the IAF as a “stopgap” measure till India’s Pbmanendslifeafterdrugposer to minister; Oppn flags‘misrule’ SC totakeupDelhi building collapse casetomorrow,hints at pan-India action Rivals playing dirty politics: AAP| 5 booked for abetment Satya Prakash Aman Sood New Delhi, September 8 Taking cognisance of the Satya Niketan building collapse in Delhi that has claimed seven lives and left several others injured, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said it will take up the matter on September 10. Tribune News Service Rejects Centre’s plea to let HC hear it RAVI KUMAR Patiala, September 8 The alleged suicide of a Dalit man who had purportedly questioned a Punjab minister over the state’s drug problem triggered a political storm on Tuesday, with opposition parties accusing the AAP government of failing to curb the menace and attempting to silence dissent. Gulzar Singh, 47, of Dirba in Sangrur district, died last night after allegedGulzar Singh ly consuming poison a day after he confronted the minister at an official event about the sale of drugs in the state and alleged that his own son was buying chitta. After the incident, two videos of Gulzar Singh went viral in which he purportedly claimed he had consumed pesticide and held the village sarpanch, some other villagers and the minister responsible for his death. His family later alleged that local continued on page 8 Punjab Congress chief Raja Warring and party workers facewater cannons during a protest against the AAP government in Chandigarh on Tuesday. Staff strike disrupts work; govt invokes ‘no-pay’ rule Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 8 Thousands of Punjab Government employees in Chandigarh and Mohali observed a pen-down strike while those in districts proceeded on mass casual leave on Tuesday, crippling public services to a large extent. The government responded by invoking the “no work, Tribune News Service Employeesextendprotest till Friday as talks fail no pay” rule against protesting employees. After talks between officials and representatives of the Sanjha Mullazam Manch failed in the afternoon, ministerial staff posted at the Punjab Civil Secretariat, Mini continued on page 8 A Bench led by Justice A Amanullah turned down Solicitor General Tushar Mehta’s request to allow the issue to be dealt with by the Delhi High Court which was seized of a PIL on the instant case. “We already have something in mind. It has to be on a pan-India basis. We may get it (PIL pending in Delhi HC) transferred here (to SC). We will take it up the day after tomorrow,” the Bench said. Terming the incident as “horrific”, Mehta tried to convince the Bench that it needed to be handled independently and that the High Court had taken it up in right earnest. “It is a horrific incident. continued on page 8 BAPS Eiffel visit sparks row over women staff snub Ujwal Jalali COURTESY: X Tribune News Service Mahant Swami Maharaj in Paris. New Delhi, September 8 The Eiffel Tower was temporarily closed on September 7 after employees protested against the alleged sidelining of female staff during a private visit by a Hindu religious delegation linked to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS). The incident took place on September 5 when around 100 members of the delegation visited the monument. Union representatives alleged that female employ- Monument shut after protest | Matter between entities: MEA ees were asked to leave their workstations as the group passed, with male colleagues taking their places. The issue was subsequently raised with the management, prompting a staff meeting and the temporary closure of the Eiffel Tower. As per media reports, Union representative Diane Davoine said employees wanted assurances that such an incident would not be repeated. The controversy also reached India, with the Ministry of External Affairs saying it was aware of the inauguration of the BAPS temple in the Paris region but distanced itself from the Eiffel Tower dispute. “We are aware of the opening of a temple of the BAPS in the Paris area. As to the particular issue pertaining to the tower, this is a matter purely between the entities concerned,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said an continued on page 8 c m y b own indigenous fifth-generation jet — the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft — is ready in a decade from now. Sources said over the past eight months, the IAF and the Ministry of Defence discussed acquiring approximately 80 to 100 Sukhoi-57 jets. Asked about India seeking a greater continued on page 8 New Delhi, September 8 Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin that the time had come to move from an “endless war” to an “end of war”, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar travelled to Kyiv offering India’s help to end the conflict, Moscow has signalled that it is open to New Delhi playing a role in the emerging diplomatic push to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday said Russia welcomed India’s willingness to contribute to efforts to settle the conflict, providing a significant opening for New Delhi as fresh negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine and the US gather momentum. “We do want the solution of the Ukrainian conflict by peaceful means and Russia is continued on page 8 Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 8 Senior military commanders from India and China held two flag meetings in as many days along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de-facto boundary between the two countries, in Arunachal Pradesh. The first meeting was held on Sunday between Corps Commander-level officers at the border personnel meeting point at Wacha, north of Kibithoo in Anjaw district. The second meeting took place on Monday at Damai on the Chinese side of the Xi likely to visit for BRICS Summit on Sept 12-13 LAC, said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal at a media briefing in New Delhi on Tuesday. As per protocol, the MEA and its Chinese counterparts describe the interaction as a “senior highest military commander-level” flag meeting. The term “flag meeting” is used when commanders discuss operational issues on maintaining peace and continued on page 8 Accountability must, G’gram not ‘urban failure story’: Saini Sumedha Sharma Tribune News Service Gurugram, September 8 Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini says accountability has been the hallmark of his two years in office, emphasising that government schemes must produce results on the ground and that officials must answer for failures in implementation. continued on page 8 FULL INTERVIEW INSIDE