08092026-TT-01.qxd 9/7/2026 11:22 PM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 248 | 14 PAGES | ~6.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HIMACHAL PRADESH FAR-RIGHT PARTY’S STATE POLL WIN STUNS GERMAN CHANCELLOR WORLD /thetribunechd MEDICAL INTERNS ON 48-HR HUNGER STRIKE OVER STIPEND J&K ALTERNATIVE-FUEL PVS PM IN GUJARAT, MAHA TODAY; TO LAUNCH ~35,000-CR LEAD AS AUTO SALES PROJECTS BACK PAGE HIT 24.23L BUSINESS tuesday | 8 september 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com HC says MC, DU can’t escape blame as Delhi hostel owner among 3 held; toll 7 ‘Won’t be browbeaten’: New CJ Mishra amid Pb DA row Five top civic body officials suspended | Court orders probe, flags unsafe PG culture Tribune News Service Govt mulls safety audit of 50-yr-old DDA buildings Shekhar Singh & Rahul Gahlawat Tribune News Service 5studentsbooked forragging,assault atDagshaischool SOLAN: A viral video highlighting the alleged assault of junior students by a section of senior students in the hostel of Dagshai Public School has led to the registration of an FIR against five students. According to Solan SP Sai Dattatreya Varma, an FIR has been registered against the five students on a joint complaint of parents. “The accused allegedly subjected juniors to ragging, intimidation and physical assault,” the SP said. INSIDE Frequent power cuts hit industry, farmers in Punjab PATIALA:Frequent power cuts in Punjab are disrupting industrial and agricultural operations and causing financial losses. Consumers have raised concerns over both scheduled and unscheduled outages. The disruptions come at a time when electricity demand remains high amid a weak monsoon. A reduced coal supply and depleted coal stocks have further aggravated the power situation in the state. INSIDE Manipur musician beaten to death outside Delhi flat NEW DELHI: A 54-year-old musician, Chongtham Vikram, belonging to the Meitei community of Manipur, was bludgeoned to death allegedly by eight persons working on a dhaba and a delivery executive after he objected to shouting and nuisance being caused by the accused outside his flat in Kilokari village area of southeast Delhi. The police have arrested seven men and apprehended one juvenile in the case. — TNS New Delhi, September 7 Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs and Power Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday said the Centre is considering a plan to conduct safety audit of all Delhi Development Authority (DDA) buildings over 50 years old, in the wake of the Satya Niketan building collapse that claimed seven lives. BACK PAGE MANAS RANJAN BHUI New Delhi, September 7 The Delhi High Court on Monday came down heavily on the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Delhi University (DU) over the Satya Niketan PG building collapse. “You can’t escape responsibility,” the court told the authorities, as the police arrested three members of the building owner’s family. The death toll in the collapse has risen to seven. The MCD suspended five officials — Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kumar and four engineers — from its South Zone, where the incident took place. Expressing anguish over the tragedy involving students, a Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia said accountability did not end with the building owners and extended to the MCD and DU. It also flagged the “very pathetic” state of hostel facilities for students coming to Delhi for higher education. “Fifty young students who are at the threshold of their lives... Majority of them are perhaps still lying under the debris. continued on page 8 A rescue operation underway at the site of the collapsed building at Satya Niketan in New Delhi on Monday. ‘Will make you proud one day’: Student killed in collapse had promised his dad Manikant Mishra Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 7 For Akshat Singh Yadav and Arpit Jai, Delhi was supposed to be a city of possibilities, a place to study, build a career and turn dreams into reality. Instead, the Satya Niketan building collapse on Sunday brought their lives to a sudden end, leaving two families in Madhya Pradesh shattered as they returned home with only memories of their sons whose journeys had barely begun. Akshat (17), a second-year student of Delhi University’s Pannalal Girdharlal Dayanand Anglo-Vedic College, had prom- 300-km range Sukhoi missiles on list as MoD approves ~1.10L cr buy Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 7 The Ministry of Defence on Monday okayed a new longrange, 300-plus km missile for the Sukhoi 30-MKI fighter jets. It also cleared a secure communication system for the IAF’s fleet of jets, transport planes and helicopters. The ministry also approved the purchase of additional helicopters for the Army, in addition to specialised vehicles designed to operate in nuclear or biological warfare contaminated areas. The decisions were taken by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The DAC accorded the Acceptance of Necessity — in-principle administrative approval — to various acquisition proposals at an estimated cost of about Rs 1.10 lakh crore, the ministry said in a statement. “For the IAF approval was , granted to various proposals to enhance the war-fighting capabilities of fighter jets, transport aircraft and helicopters,” it added. Sources said the first phase of the upgrade involved modifying the Sukhoi jets to integrate them with Russian ‘RVV-BD’ air-toair missiles, which could strike targets up to 300 km away at speeds exceeding ‘5 Mach’. This integration significantly enhances the jet’s potency, as it carries the 300-plus km range Brahmos missile for ground strikes and the ‘RVVBD’ missile for neutralising enemy aircraft and longrange UAVs. The IAF has 260-plus Sukhoi jets. These played a key role during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. The move comes a week ahead of the arrival of Russian President Vladimir Putin for the BRICS leaders’ summit in New Delhi. The second part of the IAF upgrade involves adding next-generation communication equipment called the Software continued on page 8 ised to make his father proud one day. “His last words were, ‘Dad I will make you proud’,” said his father Manta Singh Yadav, outside AIIMS-Delhi, where he had come to collect his son’s body on Monday. Like Akshat, Arpit, barely 18, had just returned to Delhi after continued on page 8 CJP seeks probe into PG ‘mafia’, ~1 cr for victims New Delhi, September 7 A day after the building collapse in Delhi’s Satya Niketan, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) demanded accountability from the authorities, including a probe into the alleged nexus involving the PG “mafia”, structural safety audits and compensation of up to Rs 1 crore for the families of the victims. — TNS Mann skips oath, day after objecting to appointment Saurabh Malik Chandigarh, September 7 Less than two hours after taking oath as the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra on Monday set the tone for his tenure while hearing the contentious dearness allowance (DA) case by asserting that the court would not be browbeaten by any tactics and would be guided by the rule of law and its oath to the Constitution. Acting Chief Justice of the High Court since June 1, Justice Mishra was administered the oath by Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria as the full-time Chief Justice. While Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini attended the ceremony, Punjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann was conspicuous by his absence. The oath came a day after the Punjab Cabinet passed a resolution objecting to Justice Mishra’s appointment. It appealed to the President, the PM and the Punjab Governor that the oath should not be administered to Justice Mishra until the state gave its consent. Meanwhile, the assertion in the DA case came after the Division Bench of Chief Justice Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor took exception to the continued on page 8 PROTEST OVER, FARMERS HEAD HOME Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria and Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra after taking oath as the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Punjab ministerial staff to protest today over DA dues Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 7 The work at all Punjab Government offices is expected to come to a halt on Tuesday as thousands of ministerial staff will stage a protest over their demands. Industries Minister and Punjab AAP chief Aman Arora called the strike “illegal”, saying the the DA matter was sub judice. “The government will take action as per law if the public faces inconvenience. We appeal to employees not to become political Tribune News Service The government promised to convene a special Assembly session in a month to pass resolutions on issues to be taken up with the Centre. PARDEEP TEWARI Rural LPG refill wait cut from 45 to 25 days Aditya Rangroo Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 7 The Centre on Monday announced that household LPG users in rural areas will now be able to book refill cylinders every 25 days instead of the previous 45 days, bringing the booking interval on a par with that for urban consumers. Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Interval brought on par with urban areas Tourism Suresh Gopi said the refill booking period was 45 days in rural areas due to pressure on LPG supplies in view of the US-Iran conflict. In a post on X, Gopi wrote, “In view of an improvement in the current LPG supply situation and a significant reduction in refill backlog, the government has relaxed this restriction.” He also posted a copy of the letter the Petroleum Ministry sent to oil marketing companies instructing them to make the modification. The supply disruption pushed up the prices of domestic LPG in India by Rs 60 per cylinder in March and by another Rs 29 in June. New Delhi, September 7 Rejecting a six-month extension sought by the high-powered committee (HPC) working on the definition and measures for protection of the Aravalli hills, the Supreme Court on Monday set a November 30 deadline for the panel to submit its final report. Making it clear that no further extension would be granted, a Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana warned the HPC that in case the deadline was not met, it would reconstitute the committee. “Let the panel work day and night to submit a report on the Aravalli issue. If they are unable to do that in two months, we will reconstitute the whole panel,” the CJI said. “The committee has basically asked for an adjournment till my retirement… If they are not capable, we will Drones disrupt 7 Amritsar flights, cops probe kabaddi filming link Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 7 Seven flights bound for Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport here were diverted on Sunday night after suspected drone activity was reported near the airport. The police are investigating whether drones used for videography during a kabaddi tournament at a stadium between Ballagan and Jhanjoti villages could be linked to the incident. A case has been registered against unidentified persons at the Raja Sansi police station. SP (Operations) Gagandeep Singh Ghumman said a preliminary investigation found that a kabaddi tournament was held in the area, but it had ended in the evening. The police are also examining other possibilities, including the use of drones during a marriage function. According to the airport authorities, the IAF informed them about suspected drone activity over the airfield around 9.40 pm on Sunday. Following the alert, the Air Traffic Control, Amritsar, acti- Tournament was being held near Ram Das Jee airport Amritsar airport authorities diverted flights as per protocol. FILE vated the Joint Action Committee (JAC) under the prescribed standard operating procedure. c m y b Airport Director Anirudh Sharma said the JAC was activated immediately after the information was received. As there was a possibility of an incoming aircraft coming in contact with a drone, the airspace was temporarily closed and landing operations were suspended. Normal operations at the airport resumed around 11.15 pm, he said. Seven flights, including domestic and international services, were diverted during the disruption. Malaysia Airlines’ flight MH-118 from Kuala Lumpur was diverted to Delhi. IndiGo flights 6E-5028 from Mumbai and 6E-2045 from Del- tools as the government is committed to their welfare. We have already addressed 60 per cent DA demand of 85,000 employees and are willing to ensure salary parity with the Centre for others,” the minister said. Though the government tried to break away a section of employees by announcing enhanced dearness allowance continued on page 8 ‘Waiting for me to retire’: CJI bins Aravalli panel’s 6-month extension plea Satya Prakash The Samyukt Kisan Morcha on Monday ended its protest at the Mohali-Chandigarh border after the Punjab Government agreed to its demands . Govt calls strike ‘illegal’ , says will act if public faces inconvenience hi were diverted to Chandigarh. Air India flights AI-479 and AI855, operating from Delhi to Amritsar, were turned back to Delhi. IndiGo flight 6E-1428 and Air India Express flight IX-120, both from Sharjah to Amritsar, were also diverted to Delhi. The incident triggered an immediate security response, with the Central Industrial Security Force, the Punjab Police and other central security agencies put on alert. A complaint was also submitted to the Amritsar rural police. Raja Sansi SHO Gurpreet Singh continued on page 8 Sets Nov 30 deadline for report on protecting hills WILL RECONSTITUTE IT “The committee has basically asked for an adjournment till my retirement… If they are not capable, we will reconstitute it,” remarked CJI Surya Kant, who will demit office on February 9, 2027 reconstitute it,” remarked CJI Kant, who will demit office on February 9, 2027. The Bench posted the suo motu case initiated by it on the definition and demarcation of the Aravalli range for further hearing on December 2. The top court-appointed HPC had asked the top court to extend the deadline for submission of its final report by six months, saying it needed more time for a “comprehensive and defensible” assessment of the Aravalli range. The top court had, in November 2025, approved an elevation-linked definition continued on page 8 BypolltoNandigram, 5otherseatsonOct6 New Delhi, September 7 The Election Commission on Monday announced bypolls to five Assembly seats in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, including the politically significant Nandigram seat vacated by West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari after he chose to retain Bhabanipur, where he defeated former CM Mamata Banerjee. Polling for the five Assembly seats and the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency in Assam will be held on October 6, with counting on October 9. INSIDE