31072026-CT-01.qxd 7/31/2026 12:41 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune MAN GETS 5-YR JAIL TERM FOR SEXUALLY ASSAULTING MINOR CITY RECORDS LOWEST FOREST LAND DIVERSION IN COUNTRY TRAILER OF NITESH TIWARI’S RAMAYANA: PART 1 RELEASED A Panchkula POCSO court sentences a 56-year-old man to five-year jail for sexually assaulting a minor girl. P2 Minister informs Rajya Sabha that city diverted 0.29 hectares of forest land from April 2021 to March 2026. P3 Ramayana: Part 1 trailer unveils the grand battle between Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama & Yash as Ravana. P4 » » GENERALLY CLOUDY MAX 34°C | MIN 24°C YESTERDAY MAX 34.2°C | MIN 24.1°C SUNSET FRIDAY 7.18 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 5.40 AM » FRIDAY | 31 JULY 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Day after Waris Punjab De protest march, MLA Ayali, others booked Evening of devotion 16UTcopswerehurtinclashasprotesters breached barricades Tribune News Service Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Mohali MLA Kulwant Singh and Dera Bassi legislator Kuljeet Singh Randhawa during a religious musical evening, ‘Ik Shaam Bhagwan Shiv De Naam’, at Dasehra Ground in Sector 79, Mohali, on Thursday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR Draft voter list of P’kula, Kalka to be out today AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 43 PANCHKULA 41 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD WHAT’S ON APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 24 and 46 Mohali: Sector 68 and Phase 5 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com POWER SHUTDOWN CHANDIGARH 9 am to 11.30 am: Parts of Sector 37 10 am to 1 pm: Parts of Sectors 61 and 62, and Kajheri village 10 am to 3 pm: Parts of marble market in Dhanas Panel seeks report from Mohali DC, MC Commissioner Gaurav Kanthwal Tribune News Service Mohali, July 30 Two days after a six-year-old boy drowned in Badhmajra, the Punjab State and Chandigarh Human Rights Commission has sought a report on the incident from the MC Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner of Mohali. BOY’S DEATH DUE TO DROWNING The commission took suo motu cognisance of a report titled “Boy drowns in rainwater-filled pit in Mohali” published in Chandigarh Tribune on July 29, and asked the officials to furnish a report before the next date of hearing, which is September 18. Virat, son of a migrant labourer, had drowned after falling into a rainwater-filled pit near a park under construction in the Jujhar Nagar area of Badhmajra on Tuesday afternoon. His father, Harikesh, was at work when the incident occurred. Following the rain, a deep pit had filled with water. Virat and five other children reportedly went there to bathe. Virat slipped into the deeper section of the pit and drowned. Tribune News Service Panchkula, July 30 The draft voter list for the two Assembly constituencies in Panchkula district will be published on July 31, with claims and objections to be accepted until August 30 Deputy Commissionercum-District Election Officer Satpal Sharma on Thursday said the publication was part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)-2026 of photo electoral rolls being carried out across Haryana on the direc- SIR: Claims, objections can be filed till Aug 30 tions of the Election Commission of India, with July 1, 2026, as the qualifying date. According to the preliminary rolls, 01-Kalka Assembly constituency has 1,65,497 registered voters and 02Panchkula 1,64,023, he said. The lists would be published at all publication centres and polling stations in both constituencies on July 31. Sharma said residents could inspect the draft list with the booth-level officer (BLO), electoral registration officer (ERO) or assistant electoral registration officer (AERO) at their respective polling stations, or at the District Election Officer’s office in Panchkula. The draft rolls can also be viewed online at ceoharyana.gov.in. A meeting with representatives of political parties would be held at 11.30 am on July 31 to brief them on the process and raise public awareness, he said. Claims and objections for adding, deleting or correcting entries in the voter list can be submitted through Forms 6, 7 and 8 between July 31 and August 30, at the offices of the BLO, ERO or AERO concerned, or the District Election Officer, Panchkula. The Deputy Commissioner appealed to voters in both constituencies to cooperate fully with BLOs during the intensive revision drive to ensure the electoral rolls are accurate and up to date. Chandigarh, July 30 The UT police have registered an FIR against Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) leader and Dakha MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali and others in connection with Wednesday’s protest march, in which 16 police personnel were injured. Confirming the police action, SSP Kanwardeep Kaur said no arrests had been made so far and the investigation was underway. According to the police, about 4,200 to 4,300 supporters of the party assembled at Gurdwara Amb Sahib in Mohali’s Phase 8 around 8.30 am, with a call to march towards the Punjab Chief Minister’s residence. The march, which included a number of motorcycle-borne supporters carrying swords, spears and axes, reached Gaushala Chowk (Sector 44/45-50/51 Chowk) around 1.05 pm, where the UT police had set up barricades. The police said the protesters were warned before they breached the barricades, with some climbing onto a police water cannon vehicle, and tried to proceed towards the CM’s residence. The FIR mentioned that 16 police personnel, including the driver of the water cannon vehicle, ASI Gurjeet Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) workers try to breach barricades. FILE Singh, and three women staff, were injured during the resulting scuffle. The injured have been treated and discharged from hospital. Despite barricading at multiple points, some protesters bypassed the cordons in small groups and reached the road separating Sectors 2 and 3, while others moved towards the official residence of the Haryana Chief Minister. The main procession was stopped at Hira Singh Chowk, where OSD to the Punjab CM Navraj Singh Brar received a memorandum from the protesters, states the FIR. The case has been registered at the Sector 49 police station under Sections 191(2), 191(3), 190, 324(3), 324(4), 121(1), 132 and 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with provisions of the Arms Act and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. The police alleged that protesters breached barricades, obstructed police personnel on duty, used criminal force against police personnel and attempted to proceed towards a high-security area despite repeated warnings. Those named in the FIR include Ayali, Kabal Singh Bhullar, Iman Singh Khara, Lakha Sidhana and Bhana Sidhu. The protest was held to press for the release of jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh and the Bandi Singhs (Sikh prisoners) whom party leaders say remain in custody despite completion of their sentences. MCHousemeettoday, MC may rope in Sec 17 traders’ likely to be stormy affair body to run multi-level parking Cong to raise 20K litre free water issue Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 30 The MC General House meeting scheduled for Friday is likely to be a stormy affair. Besides matters pertaining to the city, councillors from the opposition parties are likely to raise the issue of paper leak and recent police action against students protesting at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. The councillors are also likely to flag the delay in completion of the projects passed in the previous House meetings. City Congress president HS Lucky said during a preHouse meeting on Thursday, it was decided that the party would once again raise the demand for 20,000 litres of free water per household. The Congress leader pointed out that the MC House had already passed the proposal twice. Despite these resolutions, the UT Administration failed to implement the decision, reflecting a blatant disregard for both the democratic mandate of the elected House and the aspirations of the people, said Lucky. He said MP Manish Tewari joined the meeting through videoconferencing and gave suggestions. Lucky said councillors had been asked to raise the issue of the alleged atrocities on protesting students at Jantar Mantar, adding that the issue of paper leak would also be raised during the House meeting. Among other issues that Congress councillors would raise were urban development, sanitation, drinking water supply, sewerage, roads, Continued on page 2 Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 30 In a major shift from the existing system, the Municipal Corporation is considering running paid parking sites, including the multi-level parking in Sector 17, through the respective Market Welfare Associations (MWAs). MC Joint Commissioner Inderjeet held a detailed discussion on the proposed participatory model for the operation and management of select paid parking sites with representatives of various MWAs. The meeting was attended by SDE (Parking), Superintendent Grade-I, junior engineers of the civic body’s parking branch, and the presidents of MWAs of Sectors 7, 8, 9 and 20. During the meeting, the Joint Commissioner outlined the MC proposal to involve Plans to hand over select paid facilities to market welfare associations MWAs in the management of designated paid parking sites with the objective of improving operations, ensuring better maintenance, enhancing public convenience and encouraging greater stakeholder participation in civic services. Chandigarh Beopar Mandal president Sanjiv Chadha, who attended the meeting, said the proposal would be placed before the executive committees of the associations for detailed deliberations. The presidents of the MWAs concerned said after holding discussions with their respective committees, formal representations containing their views and suggestions would be submitted to the MC. The Joint Commissioner said all representations received from the MWAs would be duly examined before taking any further decision regarding the proposed management model for the paid parking sites. Constructed at a cost of around Rs 48 crores, the city’s first multi-level parking in Sector 17 is not being utilised fully. Occupancy records show that 40% of the facility remains underutilised. Visitors instead park their vehicles along the adjoining roads and pavements. The parking is also not generating much revenue to the MC. Constructed on 4.78 acres 11 years ago, the fourlevel facility has the capacity to accommodate around 760 cars across three basement levels and 240 two-wheelers on the surface parking. Lachami, a 55-year-old female elephant, being fed at Chhatbir Zoo. Ailing female elephant rescued from Barnala to be nursed at Chhatbir Tribune News Service SCnoticetoCMMann,AAPleadersonpleaagainstquashingofFIR 2020 RIOTING CASE Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 30 The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notice to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and other AAP leaders on the Chandigarh Administration’s petition challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order quashing a 2020 rioting case against them. The case was registered in connection with a protest against electricity tariff hike in the Union Territory. A Bench of Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana asked Mann and AAP leaders Harpal Singh Cheema, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, Baljinder Kaur, Aman Arora and others to respond to the Chandigarh Administration’s petition after Additional Solicitor General SV Raju submitted that the High Court passed a “totally perverse order”. “An unlawful assembly indulged in violence and injuries were caused to police officers. Prima facie the offence was made out. The Judge says it can’t be unlawful assembly as there was no order under Section 144. Unheard of! Even if he (Mann) was not involved in any overt act, any act by a member of the assembly is attributable to him,” the ASG submitted. On July 16, the Bench had said it was not inclined to entertain the Chandigarh Administration’s petition challenging the High Court order quashing the case. On July 21, a SC Bench had said there was no allegation c m y b that Chief Minister Mann and other AAP leaders had “exhorted” a crowd protesting against the hike in electricity tariff in Chandigarh. On a complaint of a woman constable, the Chandigarh Police had lodged the case on January 10, 2020, against Mann, AAP leaders Aman Arora and Harpal Singh Cheema (now ministers), Baljinder Kaur, Manjit Singh Bilaspur, Sarvjeet Kaur and others. The complainant had alleged that many workers of the party, led by these leaders, pushed and attacked the policemen while they were stopped from moving towards the official residence of the then Chief Minister. She alleged that on being instigated by the leaders, the workers started pushing the police force and tried to break the barricades. Water cannons were used to disperse them but the workers allegedly started pelting stones at the police force. She alleged many cops were injured in the attack. The Punjab and Haryana Continued on page 2 Chandigarh, July 30 A 55-year-old female elephant, Lachami, suffering from severe health issues, including partial blindness, was rescued by the Forest Department from Barnala and brought to Chhatbir Zoo in Mohali district. Giving details, Chhatbir Zoo Range Officer Harpal Singh said forest officials had located the elephant at Handiaya Chowk in Barnala and seized it before arranging for a veterinary check-up. Investigations revealed that the elephant was owned by Ludhiana resident Jai Ram. It was transported from Ludhi- ana to Barnala without obtaining a mandatory permission from the Chief Wildlife Warden, violating the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. A team of elephant experts found Lachami dehydrated and malnourished, recommending immediate medical attention. Chief Wildlife Warden Basanta Raj Kumar ordered her transfer to Chhatbir Zoo, where she is receiving specialised care. The police have registered an FIR against Jai Ram and three others under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The elephant is reported to be recovering at Chhatbir Zoo.