29012026-TT-01.qxd 1/28/2026 11:20 PM Page 1 c m y b 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 28 | 14 PAGES | ~6.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HIMACHAL PRADESH DISCUSS N-DEAL OR NEXT ATTACK WILL BE WORSE: TRUMP TO IRAN WORLD /thetribunechd PATHANMAJRA’S FAMILY EVICTED FROM GOVT HOUSE PUNJAB HC TO HEAR PLEA ON DEATH PENALTY FOR YASIN ON APRIL 22 J&K ED ATTACHES ~1,900-CR ASSETS OF ANIL AMBANI’S RELIANCE GROUP BUSINESS thursday | 29 january 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Maha Dy CM Ajit Pawar dies in air crash BUDGET SESSION COMMENCES Two pilots among four others killed | NCP leader’s funeral today | Three-day state mourning announced Mamata seeks SC-guided probe; Sharad says don’t politicise accident Shekhar Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 28 Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar died on Wednesday morning after the aircraft carrying him crashed and caught fire while landing at Baramati in Pune district, officials said. The 66-year-old Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader was travelling from Mumbai to his hometown for election meetings when the Learjet 45 went down near the runway, killing all five people on board. Pawar had left Mumbai early in the morning to campaign in Baramati, where he was scheduled to address four public meetings ahead of the February 5 zila parishad elections. The aircraft took off from Mumbai at 8.10 am. According to flight radar data, it disappeared from tracking around 8.45 am. Officials of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said there were five people on board, including two crew members — pilot in command and co-pilot. All occupants suffered fatal injuries. Eyewitnesses living near the airfield described scenes of panic and devastation. A woman said the aircraft continued on page 8 Tribune News Service The plane carrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar (left) in flames after it crashed during landing at Baramati in Pune. PTI CHIEF MINISTERS, CDS AMONG VIPs LOST IN AVIATION TRAGEDIES JUNE 12, 2025: Gujarat exCM Vijay Rupani was among 241 persons killed when a London-bound flight crashed minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad DEC 8, 2021: First Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, along with his wife and 11 others, died when a military helicopter crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu APRIL 30, 2011: Arunachal CM Dorjee Khandu died after his helicopter vanished over mountains of Tawang; wreckage found days later SEPT 2, 2009: Andhra Pradesh CM YS Rajasekhara Reddy was killed when his helicopter went down in Nallamala forests amid heavy rain and low visibility MARCH 3, 2005: Haryana ministers OP Jindal and Surender Singh died when their helicopter crashed near Saharanpur in UP MARCH 3, 2002: Lok Sabha Speaker GMC Balayogi died in a helicopter crash in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. Probe indicated adverse weather resulted in mishap SEPT 30, 2001: Senior Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia was killed after a private plane crashed near Mainpuri in UP reportedly due to engine failure JUNE 23, 1980: Sanjay Gandhi and his co-pilot died when their plane nose-dived and crashed after hitting a tree during a low-altitude manoeuvre in Delhi New Delhi, January 28 Hours after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and other Opposition leaders demanded a Supreme Courtmonitored investigation into the death of Ajit Pawar, uncle of the late Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Maratha leader Sharad Pawar urged everyone not to politicise the matter. Ajit Pawar and four others were killed when the chartered plane they were travelling in crashed near Baramati on Wednesday morning. In a statement, the Trinamool Congress said the West Bengal Chief Minister “expressed deep anguish over the tragic and untimely passing of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a devastating plane crash”. “In this moment of national grief, she conveyed her heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family, colleagues and admirers across the continued on page 8 Panic as Chd, Hry schools receive bomb threat mail SC agrees to hear plea against UGC’s Fraud: SC on Hry converts new anti-discrimination regulations seekingPGminorityquota Tribune News Service Satya Prakash Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January28 Several schools in Chandigarh and Haryana, especially in Karnal, Kaithal and Gurugram, received bomb threat emails on Wednesday, triggering panic among school managements, students and parents. However, after extensive searches, the threats were found to be fake. In Chandigarh, 20 private and 10 government schools received emails, which were reportedly sent after 6 am. As the school staff checked emails upon arrival, they alerted the police, informed parents and got the premises evacuated. Similar emails were received by 26 private schools in Gurugram, 18 in Karnal and one in Kaithal. The police immediately sanitised the schools and found no explosives. Gurlal Brar murder accused shot dead MOHALI: Two bike-borne assailants shot dead an accused in the 2020 Gurlal Brar murder case outside the District Judicial Complex in Mohali on Wednesday. Gurwinder Singh, out on bail in an NDPS Act case, was coming out of the court when one of the assailants opened fire from a point-blank range near his car. INSIDE SC panel for Manipur gets extension till July DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday extended till July 31 the tenure of the apex court-appointed Justice Gita Mittal committee set up to oversee relief and rehabilitation of the victims of ethnic violence in Manipur. CJI Surya Kant-led Bench extended the panel's term after it was informed that its tenure ended in July last year. — TNS NEW New Delhi, January 28 The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to list for hearing a petition challenging the University Grants Commission’s controversial Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Regulations, 2026, which restricted castebased discrimination grievance mechanisms to the SC, ST and OBC categories. “We know what’s happening. Make sure defects are cured. We will list it,” a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant told the counsel representing petitioner Rahul Diwan and others after he mentioned the matter for urgent listing. “There are certain provisions in the regulations that have the effect of promoting discrimination against people belonging to the general Will never open up dairy sector: Govt on EU deal Aditya Rangroo Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 28 A day after India and the European Union announced the conclusion of negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA), the government said the dairy sector would never be opened up to free trade till the time the BJP-led NDA dispensation was in power. Under the agreement with the EU, India had fully protected sensitive products such as dairy, rice, wheat, pulses, tea and coffee by not granting any import duty concessions to the EU, said Darpan Jain, India’s chief negotiator for the deal, today. He said the country had also safeguarded sensitive segments, including beef and poultry, fish and seafood, cheese, maize, corn, fruits and vegetables, nuts, edible oils, spices and tobacco. This is not the first time India has protected its dairy sector. This segment has stayed protected in all eight FTAs India has concluded under the NDA dispensation and in other agreements concluded under erstwhile governments. “Until the NDA under Prime Minister Narendra classes,” the petitioner’s counsel submitted. This is the second petition in the top court against the UGC’s equity rules, which have triggered protests by students from the general category in various parts of the country. The regulations have been challenged for excluding general category students from complaining under its continued on page 8 Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 28 As upper-caste converts to Buddhism in Haryana sought to take advantage of the minority quota for admission to a minority-run medical college, the Supreme Court on Wednesday termed it a “new type of fraud” and asked the Chief Secretary to submit a report in two weeks explaining the procedure for issuing minority certificates. “Wow! This is a new type of fraud,” a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said while hearing a petition filed by Nikhil Kumar Punia and another person, both residents of Hisar in Haryana. They had sought admission to a postgraduate medical course under the Buddhist minority quota at Subharti Medical College, Meerut in continued on page 8 President Droupadi Murmu arrives at the Parliament complex to address both Houses on the first day of the Budget session. PTI Prez calls for unity on national issues, Oppn slams her on G RAM G Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 28 President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday described India as a bridge in a conflict-ridden world and said even warring nations valued its word on key matters, while calling for unity on national issues. Marking the commencement of the Budget session of Parliament with her address to the joint session of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha today, Murmu hailed India’s “balanced, impartial, nationfirst” foreign policy while flagging Operation Sindoor as a “responsible and wise response to terror”. In a speech interrupted by Congress MPs, including leaders of opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi when she mentioned the Viksit Bharat-G RAM G law, the President urged all to bury differences for national interest. “Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru ji, Babasaheb, Sardar Patel, JP Majestic Dhauladhars PM to inaugurate Halwara airport virtually on Feb 1 TALKS ON PACT WITH US ‘PROGRESSING WELL’ A day after India and the European Union announced the conclusion of a free trade agreement (FTA), the much-delayed India-US trade deal is close to being fructified and is “progressing well”. Top government sources said “robust negotiations are ongoing” and that the India-US deal has made very significant progress. BACK PAGE EDGE TO INDIA IN FTA WITH EU, SAYS US The US has offered its first official reaction to the newly concluded India-European Union FTA with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer calling it a clear strategic gain for India. Greer said India appeared to have benefited substantially from the deal, arguing that New Delhi “comes out on top” by securing greater access to European markets and possibly labour mobility provisions. BACK PAGE Modi is in power, the dairy sector will not be opened up. In the agriculture sector, we see country-to-country and FTA-to-FTA. We also do not open up sensitive items of agriculture. If there are agricultural products that we are continued on page 8 ji, Lohia ji, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, Atal ji, all shared the belief that differences of opinion on issues are natural in democracy, but there are certain subjects which are beyond all differences,” Murmu said. She urged political unity on the goals of Viksit Bharat, national security, self-reliance, swadeshi and cleanliness. “On matters concerning the nation, parliamentarians must stand united. This is the spirit of our Constitution,” she said to applause from treasury benches led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Earlier, when she entered the Lok Sabha chamber and later when she lauded the new rural livelihood law, Congress MPs raised “Take back SIR “; “Take back VB-G RAM G Act” slogans. Murmu had to pause for some seconds—a moment ministers Kiren Rijiju (parliamentary affairs) and JP Nadda (leader of house in Rajya Sabha) continued on page 8 The mighty Dhauladhars make for a beautiful view after a fresh spell of snowfall in Dharamsala on Wednesday. Normal life remained affected across Himachal Pradesh as heavy snow forced the closure of 889 roads, including four national highways. PHOTO: KAMAL JEET Ludhiana, January 28 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually inaugurate the Halwara airport on February 1, bringing to an end a long wait marked by repeated delays. Sources said CM Bhagwant Mann had convened a meeting in Chandigarh on Wednesday to review the final preparations. The project in Ludhiana has missed over a dozen deadlines since the work began. Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain had earlier announced that operational flights would commence from March 2026. INSIDE Punjab civic bodies paying ~10 lakh waste penalty daily Balwant Garg Tribune News Service Faridkot, January 28 All 166 urban local bodies (ULBs) in Punjab, including municipal councils and municipal corporations, are collectively paying a daily penalty of around Rs 10 lakh for failing to comply with solid waste management and legacy waste remediation norms. The penalties are being paid as environmental compensa- Fail to comply with disposal norms: RTI MAXIMUM DUES ON LUDHIANA, AMRITSAR MCs The Ludhiana and Amritsar Municipal Corporations have accumulated the highest environmental compensation dues of ~6 crore each, followed by the Jalandhar MC at ~3 crore. tion to the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), according to information obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The fines have been imposed for c m y b continued violation of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, and for non-compliance with repeated directions issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT). Official documents reveal that most civic bodies have failed to prepare or submit proposals for scientific processing and disposal of solid waste since April 1, 2020, despite repeated reminders and notices. Under the NGT-approved framework, each ULB is liable to pay environmental compensation based on its population. Municipalities with a population above 10 lakh are required to pay Rs 10 lakh per month, those with a population between 5 lakh and 10 lakh are charged Rs 5 lakh per month, while other ULBs are required to pay Rs 1 lakh per month. On an average, the PPCB has been imposing penalties of nearly Rs 3 crore per month on ULBs across the state for non-compliance since July 1, 2020. Between continued on page 8