17082026-TTC-01.qxd 8/17/2026 12:18 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 226 | 14 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 MAMATA AIDE ASISH FOUND HANGING IN TMC OFFICE NATION /thetribunechd SITUATION IN PoK VINDICATES STATEHOOD DEMAND: OMAR J&K UKRAINE KILLS 6 IN MAJOR DRONE ATTACK ON RUSSIA WORLD NOW, B’LURU VARSITY STUDENTS OPPOSE CJI, BCI CHIEF VISIT BACK PAGE monday | 17 august 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com ‘dimagi Naxal’ remark, govt Hasina presser clouds Day after PM’sMaoist backers, not Oppn says aimed at Rahman’s visit: Dhaka Proud of tag given by PM Modi, says P Chidambaram Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service Wants former PM extradited, Hadi ‘killers’ handed over Ujwal Jalali Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 16 Bangladesh on Sunday said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s proposed bilateral visit to India had been “vitiated” by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s August 5 press interaction in New Delhi, virtually confirming what The Tribune had exclusively reported in its August 14 edition — that Dhaka had made Rahman’s visit to India conditional upon action by New Delhi on Hasina’s extradition. Bangladesh Foreign Ministry spokesperson AKM Shahidul Karim said officials of the two countries had been in touch for several weeks over Rahman’s possible visit, but the August 5 interaction had disrupted the process. “However, this process was vitiated by the open press interaction in New Delhi on August 5 by Hasina, who has been convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal of committing crimes against humanity,” Karim said. “We have made our position clear on this matter,” he said, adding that Dhaka believed a PMTarique Rahman; &(below) The Tribune report published on Aug 14. “propitious environment” needed to be created for the visit. Karim said Bangladesh had asked India to “expeditiously” act on its request for the extradition of Hasina and other fugitive criminals, besides handing over to Bangladesh those accused of killing Sharif Osman Hadi, in accordance with the bilateral extradition treaty. Hadi, a Bangladeshi political activist, became a prominent figure in youth-led movements after the July uprising. He died six days after being shot in Dhaka in December last year. continued on page 7 New Delhi, August 16 A day after PM Narendra Modi’s “dimagi Naxals” reference in his 80th Independence Day address triggered a political storm, with the Congress and Cockroach Janta Party decrying it as an attempt to stigmatise dissent, the government clarified on Sunday that he was not referring to opposition leaders. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the reference was not meant for those who professed faith in the Constitution but for those who harboured separatist sentiments. “PM Narendra Modi didn’t call opposition leaders ‘dimagi Naxals’,” Rijiju said after former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said he was proud to be a “dimagi” Naxal. Rijiju listed three categories of people while explaining the PM’s reference. “Only following are ‘dimagi’ Naxals: Who support Maoists and reject the Constitution. Who stand with separatists & support Article 370. Who want to cut ‘chicken’s neck’ to separate the North-East from India,” Rijiju said as the government intervened to clarify the Shekhar Singh Tribune News Service Chandigarh’s architectural and ecological character to remain intact meant an environment where judges, the Bar, staff and citizens could participate in the process of justice with dignity and efficiency. The assertions are significant as the High Court has repeatedly flagged the crippling impact of infrastructure shortage. Despite a sanctioned strength of 85 judges, only 69 courtrooms are functional as of now. “This dissuades the High Court from working at full strength,” the High Court had earlier observed, urging the Administration “to take a pragmatic view and allow the court to expand in terms of infrastructure by giving approval to the holistic plan, be it restrictively.” In a detailed order passed on December 5, 2025, the Bench had described the shortage of space as “extreme”, tracing the expansion plan back to 2014. Though the detailed project report was approved in principle in July 2020, the project remained stalled over heritage objections even as pendency and judges’ strength steadily rose. The court at that time also recorded that Registry staff were working in cramped and poorly ventilated rooms, with files and records lying on the floor. Initially, the holistic development plan was prepared for “ground plus two levels” over 2.90 lakh square feet for setting up, among other things, judicial and general branches, courtrooms, lawyers’ chambers and a parking for 3,500 to 4,000 four-wheelers. continued on page 7 Congress MP Sonia Gandhi gestures during the rendition of Vande Mataram at an I-Day event at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi. PTI Shekhar Singh Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service Tribune News Service ■ Those who stand with separatists & support Article 370 ■ Those who want to cut ‘chicken’s neck’ to separate North-East phrase in the wake of the widespread debate it had triggered. The Prime Minister had on Saturday said while India had successfully eliminated armed Naxals, it must be cautious of “dimagi Naxals”, who provide intellectual fodder to left-wing extremism. The PM also called upon citizens to identify and isolate dimagi naxals — a phrase different from “urban Naxals”, which he has used in the past. Reacting to the PM’s remarks, CJP spokesperson Saurav Das Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 16 The Punjab and Haryana High Court is set for a major expansion, with around 10 lakh square feet of additional space expected to be added to the court building under its holistic development plan to accommodate more courtrooms, offices, Registry branches, the Bar and public amenities. The expansion plan comes against the backdrop of a significant increase in the court’s workload and the consequent pressure on its existing infrastructure. Addressing the Independence Day celebrations at the High Court, Acting Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra said the court had originally been conceived for a limited number of judges and courtrooms, but its requirements had expanded substantially over the years. “It is in this context that the court has conceptualised and introduced the holistic development plan,” Justice Mishra said. The plan envisages adding about 10 lakh square feet to the court building, while a similar area is likely to be made available for parking. The expansion is being planned with the objective of meeting the institution’s growing requirements without compromising Chandigarh’s distinctive architectural and ecological character. “This will ensure that infrastructure does not remain an impediment when the demands of justice call for it. This is being done while preserving Chandigarh’s architectural and ecological character and its UNESCO heritage tag,” the ACJ said. Justice Mishra added that infrastructure for a court BJP rejig on cards as Nabin finalises team RIJIJU LISTS 3 CATEGORIES COVERED BY MODI ■ Those who support Maoists and reject the Constitution Ujwal Jalali/Shekhar Singh/Surya Pillai Tribune News Service Pistol goes off during airport check, 2 hurt Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation during the 80th Independence Day celebrations at Red Fort in New Delhi. PTI Pb & Hry HC set for ComplaintslodgedagainstSonia 10 lakh sq ft expansion overVandeMataram‘disruption’ to tackle infra crunch CongsaysBJP’sbidtodivertattentionfrom‘realissues’ Saurabh Malik said, “‘Dimagi’ Naxal or whatever is not going to work, Prime Minister. How could you loosely brand educated young people Naxalis etc? Just because they question your government? Sheer arrogance! Sheer incompetence at resolving their problems! Bells are ringing. The awakening is here!” The BJP and RSS have long spoken of Maoist sympathisers being the real oxygen for armed left-wing extremism across India’s heartlands. continued on page 7 New Delhi, August 16 The Congress on Sunday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his “dimagi Naxal” remark. Senior leader P Chidambaram said he was “proud” to be called one, while party general secretary Jairam Ramesh questioned whether demanding a caste census and social justice was enough to earn the label. Chidambaram’s response came a day after Modi, in his Independence Day address, warned against what he described as “dimagi Naxals”. Chidambaram responded: “I am proud to be a dimagi Naxal.” Ramesh said those who questioned the government were routinely given labels, pointing to the Congress’ demand for a caste census. He said the government had resisted the demand for years before announcing it would be conducted. Ramesh asked whether seeking social justice could be treated as “dimagi Naxal” politics, arguing that the label was being used against those challenging the government. New Delhi, August 16 The political row over the recitation of Vande Mataram at the Congress headquarters here on Independence Day escalated sharply on Sunday, with BJP leaders filing a police complaint against Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi in Karnataka, while Home Minister Amit Shah accused her of insulting the national song. A similar complaint has been filed by an advocate with the IP Estate police station in Delhi. The Congress hit back at Shah, with senior leader Jairam Ramesh accusing him of using the controversy to divert attention from what he described as the government’s “massive failures” and attacking his political record and ideological background. continued on page 7 New Delhi, August 16 A licensed pistol went off accidentally during mandatory security checks at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi on Sunday morning, injuring two security screeners and triggering a probe into the handling of firearms at the airport. The incident occurred around 9.30 am when a passenger, identified as Kamlesh Kedarnath Rai, a resident of Azamgarh, arrived with his wife to board Air India Express flight IX-1810 to Mumbai. Rai had declared his licensed 7.62-mm pistol and 21 live cartridges for carriage as required under the prescribed procedure, officials said. The passenger was escorted to the designated screening area, where the firearm and ammunition were being checked. continued on page 7 New Delhi, August 16 The ruling BJP is all set to revamp its organisation, with national president Nitin Nabin said to have finalised his new team. The organisational overhaul could be announced as early as Monday or during this week. The focus, sources say, will be on inducting next-generation leaders with a significant representation to youth and women. This transition to a younger team, leaders say, had long been on the cards after the BJP elevated Nabin, 46, as its youngest ever chief in the party’s 46-year history. The BJP was established on April 6, 1980, and Nabin was elected its 12th president on January 19 this year. Nabin’s election was widely expected to be followed by a comprehensive generational shift in the BJP’s overall Retestof3UGC-NET papers over errors Aksheev Thakur Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 16 The National Testing Agency (NTA) will re-conduct the UGC-NET in English, commerce and sociology after a committee constituted by it found multiple factual, typographical and translation errors in the three papers. NTA conducted the UGCNET from 22 to 30 June across 87 subjects, for the award of Junior Research Fellowship, eligibility for assistant professor and admission to PhD programmes. In respect of three subjects, namely English, commerce and sociology, NTA had received several complaints on multiple errors in these papers. Accordingly, NTA formed a committee to enquire into the matter. Candidates claimed the sociology paper had several spelling, grammar and translation continued on page 7 CABINET REVAMP SOON An overhaul of the party structure is expected to be followed by a Cabinet reshuffle by PM Narendra Modi. organisation. This shift, coming close on the heels of the Cockroach Janta Party-led student protests, may well be seen as a response of the ruling party to the recent anxieties displayed by Gen Z. It remains to be seen if Dharmendra Pradhan, whose ouster was the top outcome of the CJP movement, will be accommodated in the party organisation by Nabin. Several senior leaders are expected to be moved from the Union Council of Ministers to the BJP organisation. A revamp of the party structure will be followed by a Cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. continued on page 7 Khanna police turn to facial recognition to track down criminals Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 16 In a significant first for Punjab, the Khanna police have successfully installed a facial recognition system (FRS) to strengthen surveillance and improve the identification of suspects. This system has been developed on the lines of the advanced setup recently deployed by the Delhi Police at Jantar Mantar to identify history-sheeters and wanted criminals. The use of the technology is being seen as a major step towards modernising policing and making it more effective. The Khanna police conducted the trial run of this technology during the security arrangements made for the state-level function held at Isru village in memory of Goa’s freedom hero Shaheed Karnail Singh. The system was installed in a high-tech van from which live scanning was conducted. Even CCTV cameras were also installed at the venue. The system, the brainchild of Khanna Senior Superintendent of Police Darpan Ahluwalia, was developed inhouse by the cyber and technical wing of the Khanna police. Speaking to The Tribune, SSP Ahluwalia said the biggest highlight of the security arrangements at Isru this year was the deployment of the facial recognition system, marking its first use in Punjab during a security operation. Through the technology, arrangements were made to c m y b Trial successful; pan-Punjab implementation likely Khanna SSP Darpan Ahluwalia monitors the facial recognition system during a trial run at a state-level function at Isru village. identify suspects and wanted criminals using CCTV footage and live camera feeds. The SSP said after a photograph and related details of a wanted person were uploaded to the FRS, the system generated a unique 512-dimensional facial embedding. It then continuously scans faces captured through dedicated CCTV cameras and live feeds. If a potential match is detected, the system immediately issues an alert displaying the individual’s name, match percentage, location, and the date and time of detection. Every alert is automatically logged on the dashboard, enabling police officers to verify and investigate further. “Our high-tech van had also identified one snatcher roaming near the venue at Isru after receiving alert in the system. He was immediately detained,” said Ahluwalia. Cabinet Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond, who attended the state-level function, also appreciated the security arrangements of the Khanna police. “The use of modern technology alongside traditional security measures by the Khanna police during the state-level function at Isru demonstrates the district police administration’s commitment to adopting new technologies for law and order and public security. The force is making continuous efforts in this direction and is succeeding,” said Sond. The Khanna police chief said the initiative was also brought to the notice of Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav, who appreciated it and sought a presentation before the Technical Services Wing of the Punjab Police. If the wing finds the system technically viable, it could be implemented across Punjab.