01072026-TTC-01.qxd 01-08-2026 00:45 13 TRUMP: DEAL REACHED TO DISARM HAMAS WORLD /thetribunechd Page 1 MODI, UK COUNTERPART HOLD TALKS BACK PAGE CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 10 NO. 211 | 24 PAGES | ~7.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 saturday | 1 august 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Still Haven’t Submitted Your Enumeration Form? Submit your Enumeration Form to your BLO within the stipulated timeline to ensure your name is included in the Draft Electoral Roll. #SIRPunjab2026 #SIRP j b2026 Follow Us @TheCEOPunjab www.ceopunjab.gov.in Ex-AAP councillor Tahir, 4 others get life term for IB officer’s murder Convicts to move Delhi HC |Cops to seek death penalty HC puts police on notice, seeks reply Rahul Gahlawat on Khalid’s bail plea New Delhi, July 31 Tribune News Service A Delhi court on Friday sentenced former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and four others to rigorous life imprisonment in connection with the murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 riots in northeast Delhi. Additional Sessions Judge Parveen Singh announced the quantum of sentence for Tahir Hussain, Nazim, Kasim, Javed and Anas. The judgment was pronounced in the presence of Hussain and other convicts amid tight security. The courtroom was packed with lawyers and senior Delhi Police officials, including the Crime Branch’s Joint Commissioner and the DCP . The court also imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on Hussain and Rs 25,000 each on the other four convicts. Earlier Shekhar Singh Tribune News Service Former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain being taken away after sentencing by the Karkardooma court in the IB officer murder case, in New Delhi. ANI NOT ‘RAREST OF RARE’ CASE, RULES COURT ■ FEB 25, 2000: IB officer Ankit Sharma goes missing after stepping out of home during riots in North-East Delhi ■ FEB 26: His body found in Khajuri Khas drain; father files FIR, names ex-AAP councillor Tahir Hussain & others ■ JUNE 3: Crime Branch files chargesheet in Karkardooma court against 10, including Tahir ■ MARCH 24, 2023: Court frames charges against Tahir & 10 others ■ JULY 13, 2026:Tahir & four others convicted in the murder case ■ JULY 31: All given life term, court says not ‘rarest of rare’ case during the hearing, the Delhi Police had sought the death penalty for all five convicts, saying they had “fallen to the level of animals” while relentlessly assaulting the victim. Special Public Prosecutor continued on page 6 New Delhi, July 31 The legal battle over former JNU scholar Umar Khalid’s continued incarceration in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case returned to the Delhi High Court on Friday, with the court issuing a notice to the Delhi Police on his third regular bail plea and a connected application seeking interim bail. A Division Bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Vikas Mahajan sought the Delhi Police’s response and listed the matter for hearing on August 27, when the bail plea of co-accused Sharjeel Imam is also scheduled to be taken up. The High Court also issued a notice on Khalid’s interim bail application, which relies on the pending question before the Supreme Court on continued on page 6 c m y b Last Date: 3rd August 2 2026 Issued in public interest by Chief Electoral Officer,Punjab c KartarpurCorridortoremainshut over security concerns, says govt Ujwal Jalali Migrant labourer from Chhattisgarh killed, another hurt in J&K terror attack Tribune News Service Adil Akhzer New Delhi, July 31 The government on Friday said that the Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor will continue to remain closed, citing the prevailing security situation in the aftermath of the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, even as it acknowledged receiving representations from Sikh groups and organisations seeking its early reopening. Responding to a question by Punjab MPs Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said the “extant security scenario compels Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor to remain closed”. The visa-free corridor connecting Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab with Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan, was closed with effect from May 7, 2025, following the Pahalgam terror attack and the sharp deterioration in India-Pakistan relations. Srinagar, July 31 A migrant worker was killed and another injured after suspected militants opened fire in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Friday evening, officials said. Police sources said the two workers were attacked in the Kellam area of Kulgam. The deceased was identified as Deepak Ratray (24) and the injured labourer as Bopinder (28). Both hailed from Chhattisgarh. “One of them died, while the other is undergoing surgery,” a senior police officer said. Sources said the militants opened indiscriminate fire on the workers employed at a brick kiln, leaving both critically injured. Officials said the injured labourer was initially shifted to the Government Medical College in Anantnag and was later referred to Srinagar for specialised treatment. This is the second militant attack in Kashmir this month. continued on page 6 FILE The minister said the Centre had received representations from Sikh groups and organisations regarding the reopening of the corridor, which holds immense religious significance for the community. However, he indicated that security considerations continued to outweigh calls for its reopening. The Centre also recalled that India and Pakistan had signed the Kartarpur Corridor Agreement on October 24, 2019, to facilitate visa-free access for Indian pilgrims to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, fulfilling a longstanding demand of devotees and operationalising the corri- dor ahead of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. The agreement was extended for another five years in October 2024. The government did not indicate any timeline for reopening the corridor or any fresh diplomatic engagement with Pakistan on the issue, suggesting that restoration of the pilgrimage route would depend on improvement in the overall security environment. Last year, the Centre had permitted Sikh jathas to visit Pakistan for Guru Nanak Dev’s Prakash Purab even as the Kartarpur Corridor remained closed.