04052026-TTB-03.qxd 5/4/2026 12:07 AM Page 1 c m y b 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 122 | 16 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  DELHI AKAL TAKHT SUMMONS SPEAKER OVER LAW ON SACRILEGE PUNJAB /thetribunechd APEX COURT ALLOWS APPOINTMENT OF ReT CANDIDATES J&K PROTESTS MARK THIRD NITI AAYOG BACKS FIXED ANNIV OF VIOLENCE 5-YEAR TERM FOR IN MANIPUR NATION MAYORS BACK PAGE monday | 4 may 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Counting today; TMC, DMK look to retain power, BJP eyes upset I’m one of six sexual abuse victims: Vinesh targets Brij Results across 5 states/UT|West Bengal remains key battleground Vinayak Padmadeo Animesh Singh New Delhi, May 3 Olympian wrestler Vinesh Phogat has come out in the open and said she was one of the six victims who had lodged sexual harassment complaints against former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. In a social media post on Sunday, Vinesh, who will be competing in the 2026 Senior Open Ranking Tournament to be held in Nandini Nagar, Gonda, a stronghold of Singh, also raised concerns about the neutrality of refereeing during the competition scheduled from May 10 to 12. “The tournament is being held where Brij Bhushan Singh lives. He has a private college there. It is impossible to think that wrestlers will get a fair chance to excel there. Which referee will officiate which bout, how many points will be awarded, who will sit as mat chairman, who will win, who will lose — everything can be controlled by his people, and the sports ministry is watching as mute spectators,” Vinesh said in her post on X. Raising doubts about refereeing on Singh’s turf, the wrestler, who was disqualified Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 3 The fate of prominent ruling regional parties, including the TMC and DMK, will be decided today as the counting of votes takes place in four states — West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Kerala — and a UT, Puducherry, after a highvoltage contest. The BJP looks to unseat Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress in the highstakes West Bengal as well as MK Stalin-led DMK in Tamil Nadu, while the Congress-led UDF attempts to make a comeback by removing the ruling LDF in Kerala. The results will determine the fate of a total of 823 seats, with politically volatile West Bengal expected to be the most keenly watched. Assam, Kerala and Puducherry went to the polls on April 9, Tamil Nadu on April 23 and West Bengal in two phases on April 23 and April 29. West Bengal recorded the highest voter turnout, crossing 92 per cent, while Assam saw strong participation of 85.38 per cent electors. Tamil Nadu recorded Security men patrol on the eve of counting of votes for the West Bengal Assembly polls in Howrah on Sunday. PTI a turnout of 84.69 per cent, followed by Kerala at 79.63 per cent. Puducherry also saw a high turnout of 89.87 per cent. In West Bengal, which witnessed a violent and vitriolic campaign marked by clashes between TMC and BJP supporters and the deployment of nearly 2.5 lakh paramilitary personnel, the EC has ordered repolling at all 285 polling stations in the Falta Assembly constituency. As a result, Raghav among four MPs get time from Prez ahead of Mann meet tomorrow Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 3 Just before Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann meets President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday, Raghav Chadha, the leader of the seven-member Rajya Sabha MPs’ group that recently parted ways from the Aam Aadmi Party and merged with the BJP , has also been granted audience by the President. While Mann has been asked to meet the President at noon on Tuesday, Raghav, along with three other MPs, has been granted audience at 10.40 am, it is learnt. Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal and Rajinder Gupta are expected to accompany Raghav. Mann wants to request the President “to protect the mandate of the people of Punjab” and seek recall of the six AAP Rajya Sabha MPs, including Raghav, who merged their group with the BJP last week. On the other hand, Raghav wants to seek Murmu’s intervention against the alleged “political vendetta” by Punjab’s AAP government against the MPs. Ever since the seven-member group of MPs switched over to the BJP the Punjab , Police first withdrew security of cricketer-turned-MP Harbhajan Singh; the PPCB conducted raids on the premises of Gupta’s factory; and two FIRs have purportedly been registered against Pathak. “Raghav had sought time from the President to apprise her of the alleged misuse of the Punjab Government’s state machinery for political vendetta and targeted action against MPs who recently quit AAP and merged with the BJP said his close aide. ,” counting will be held for 293 seats. Repolling in Falta will be held on May 21, while the result for that constituency will be declared on May 24. The TMC is facing an aggressive BJP whose cam, paign was led by Home Minister Amit Shah, who remained camped in Kolkata for nearly a month. Banerjee, in power since 2011, is seeking a fourth term. In Tamil Nadu, the ruling DMK is seeking a second term, while the AIADMK is aiming for a revival. The BJP has sought to expand its footprint by aligning with the AIADMK. The state has 234 Assembly seats. With polling held in a single phase, Tamil Nadu recorded one of its highest voter turnouts, exceeding 84.80 per cent. The AIADMK, led by Edappadi K Palaniswami, is seeking a continued on page 8 Flags fairness, safety concerns ahead of wrestling event Tribune News Service Wrestler-turned-MLA Vinesh Phogat from the 2024 Paris Olympics, said some wrestlers could be targeted during weigh-ins or in competition. “I have doubts whether the weigh-in will be done correctly. Will the wrestlers get fair results on the mat? Three years ago, we raised our voices against sexual harassment. Six women wrestlers registered complaints and witnesses are deposing. The Supreme Court guidelines mandate that victims cannot be identified, but I am being forced to say this because of certain compulsions...I am one of the six victims who filed complaints against Brij Bhushan,” Phogat said. “You can imagine me having to go to his place where every individual represents him and to go there for a competition. As an athlete, there is a lot of UNITED AGAINST DRUGS pressure on us to perform, and I cannot guarantee that I can give my 100 per cent there. It is very tough for a girl to perform under these circumstances. Even today, Brij Bhushan says he has power over the wrestling federation. He has installed his own people there. He has said that openly, but the government or the sports ministry refuses to act. If I go to the competition with my team and well-wishers and we face any untoward incident, then the Government of India will be held responsible,” she stated. This is not the first time Vinesh has questioned the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) over the Gonda tournament. Earlier this week, she claimed that the WFI was trying to block her registration for the event. Meanwhile, WFI president Sanjay Singh dismissed her concerns and said he would personally ensure her safety. “No one gets special treatment from the referees. We have a panel of good and honest referees. As per her claim that she may be harmed, I will personally ensure that nothing happens to her during the tournament,” Singh told The Tribune. NEW DELHI: A devastating fire ripped through a residential building in east Delhi’s Vivek Vihar in the early hours of Sunday, leaving nine persons from two families, including a toddler, dead, with an air-conditioner blast suspected to have triggered the blaze, officials said. TNS India’sfirstprivatesat mission,Drishti,takes wingwithSpaceXhelp DELHI: India’s private space ecosystem reached a major milestone with the successful launch of GalaxEye’s Mission Drishti, which features the world’s first OptoSAR satellite and India’s largest privately built satellite. The mission was launched aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from California. BACK PAGE NEW Passenger jumps off plane after opening emergency exit, held NEW DELHI: A passenger onboard an Air Arabia flight from Sharjah was taken into custody in the early hours of Sunday after he opened an emergency exit and jumped off the aircraft while it was taxiing at Chennai International Airport. Officials are questioning the passenger. PTI India snubs Nepal for objecting to Kailash Yatra through Lipulekh OPPOSING CLAIMS Tribune News Service ■ CM Mann wants to request the President “to protect the mandate of the people of Punjab” and seek recall of six AAP Rajya Sabha MPs, including Raghav Chadha, who merged their group with the BJP last week ■ On the other hand, Raghav wants to seek Murmu’s intervention against the alleged “political vendetta” by Punjab’s AAP government against the parliamentarians Barring Swati Maliwal, other six who switched party — Pathak, Vikramjit Singh Sahney, Harbhajan Singh, Gupta, Mittal and Raghav — were elected from Punjab, with MLAs from the state having elected them unanimously in 2022. Only Gupta was elected in 2025, when Sanjeev Arora gave up his Rajya Sabha berth. Meanwhile, AAP is preparing to take around 80 MLAs to Delhi, who will wait outside the Rashtrapati Bhawan, when Mann goes to meet the President. Mann had sought time for a delegation of AAP MLAs that he was to lead, but was granted audience alone. Over the past 10 days, rattled by the defections in Punjab, AAP called a special Vidhan Sabha session last week. CM Mann had then tabled and won a confidence motion. The motion was brought in after Raghav claimed that 63 of 94 MLAs of the party in Punjab were in touch with him. When the motion was tabled, 88 AAP MLAs had attended the session. Only four were absent, after seeking leave of absence, while two of the MLAs are in jail, after being charged of different offences. 9 die after suspected AC blast sparks blaze in east Delhi building People take part in a mega anti-drug ‘padyatra’ as part of L-G’s ‘Nasha Mukt Jammu Kashmir Abhiyaan’ at Lal Chowk, Srinagar, on Sunday. ANI Army officer suspended over Pb custodial death Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 3 The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has suspended an Army officer in connection with the alleged custodial death of Border Security Force (BSF) constable Jaswinder Singh here over a month ago. Jaswinder had Was on deputation with NCB been arrested by the agency in a drug-related case. Major Amit Kumar, who is posted as Assistant Director with the NCB, was transferred immediately after sus- pension, said a senior NCB official while confirming the development. Major Kumar is the second NCB official to be suspended in the case. Earlier, the bureau had suspended investigating officer Akash Rai, posted in Jammu. A departmental probe was also initiated against him. The autopsy of Jaswinder had revealed as many as 34 injuries, including on his private parts. His family members have been alleging custodial torture since his mysterious death in NCB custody on March 20. Jaswinder was picked up by the NCB in a drug-related continued on page 8 New Delhi, May 3 Nepal has formally objected to the proposed Kailash Mansarovar Yatra via Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand and lodged a diplomatic protest to both India and China. It claimed that Lipulekh and its surrounding areas were its territory. Rejecting Nepal’s contention, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Sunday night said it was unilateral “artificial enlargement” of territorial claim and was “untenable”. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “As regards territorial claims, India has consistently maintained that such claims are neither justified nor based on historical facts and evidence. Such unilateral artificial enlargement of territorial claims is untenable.” In its protest, the Nepal foreign ministry had said, “The government remains clear and firm that as per the 1816 Sugauli Treaty, Limpiyadhura, Lip- ‘Artificial enlargement’ of territorial claim untenable: MEA ulekh and Kalapani are integral parts of Nepal.” Nepal also signalled that it remained open to a diplomatic resolution. “In keeping with the spirit of close and friendly relations, Nepal remains committed to resolving the boundary issue through historical facts, evidence and diplomatic dialogue,” it said. The MEA said, with regards to claims related to border issues made by the Nepal foreign ministry in the context of the Manasarovar yatra, India’s position in this regard had been consistent and clear. “Lipulekh Pass has been a long-standing route for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra since 1954 and the yatra through this route has been going on for decades. This is not a new development.”The MEA said India remained open to a constructive continued on page 8 46 yrs after soldier goes missing, AFT grants widow pension Vijay Mohan Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 3 Nearly 46 years after a soldier was reported missing with no clues to his whereabouts and was later declared a deserter, the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) has ruled that he should be presumed dead and his widow be given pension, along with arrears from 1993, the date she first approached the authorities for benefits. The soldier, Om Prakash Pradeshi from Himachal Pradesh, was enrolled in the Corps of Military Police (CMP) in September 1969. He went missing in November 1980 and the Army declared him a deserter and dismissed him from service in December 1983, after the stipulated three-year period. Consequently, he or his next of kin were not granted pension. The Tribunal’s Chandigarh Bench, comprising Justice Umesh Chandra Sharma and Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, held that there was no evidence to suggest that Army or, on its directions, the civil REMOVES DESERTER TAG ■ Soldier Om Prakash Pradeshi from HP joins Corps of Military Police in September 1969; goes missing in November 1980 ■ Army declares him deserter and dismisses him from service in December 1983; he is presumed dead after November 1987 ■ Applicant claims family pension and other benefits in March 1993; AFT removes deserter tag, allows pension with arrears authorities ever tried to search the individual as to whether he was alive or not and whether he was seen by anyone just before his disappearance. Also, there was no evidence that the individual was alive and living or work- Today’s issue is of 16 pages, including four-page Delhi Tribune. c m y b ing elsewhere or he voluntarily abandoned his service. Observing that after seven years from the date of his disappearance, the presumption of death would arise under Section 108 of the Indian Evidence Act and there was not an iota of evidence that the individual was ever seen alive within 30 years, the prescribed period under the Act, the Bench said it could be inferred that he was no more. The Bench also rejected the claim of the respondents that Pradeshi was alive and he had voluntarily deserted the service. “In such a condition, the burden of proving that he is alive is shifted to the respondents who affirm that he is alive,” the Bench said. Ruling that the court was of the considered view that it could not be proved that the individual had the intent to desert or he was alive and even then he did not join the service, the Bench inferred that due to circumstances that were beyond his control, he could not join the service. Hence, he couldn’t be said to be deserter. Holding that accordingly, the order of the court of inquiry declaring him deserter and on its basis, the order of dismissal from the continued on page 8