15122025-TTB-01.qxd 12/15/2025 12:01 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 145 NO. 345 | 12 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HARYANA CONGRESS TARGETS POLL PANEL IN RALLY AGAINST ‘VOTE THEFT’ NATION /thetribunechd PANEL: WANGCHUK’S INSTITUTE SHOULD GET UGC RECOGNITION J&K ZELENSKYY WILLING MESSI KOLKATA EVENT TO DROP BID FOR NATO ORGANISER SENT TO MEMBERSHIP WORLD 14-DAY CUSTODY BACK PAGE monday | 15 december 2025 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com BJP picks 45-year-old Bihar minister Nabin as nat’l working prez Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service A combo of videograbs shows a man approaching a gunman from behind, grappling him before seizing the gun and pointing it at him during the shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney. 11 killed in Sydney beach terror attack Two assailants open fire at Jewish event | One attacker shot dead, another critical Ujwal Jalali Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 14 Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach was the scene of a horrific terrorist attack on Sunday as two armed assailants opened fire on a crowd gathered to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah, killing at least 11 persons and injuring 29 others, including police officers, authorities said. The attack, which unfolded near the venue of “Chanukah by the Sea” event attended by more than 1,000 people, has been officially declared a terrorist act targeted at Sydney’s Jewish community. The New South Wales Police said the shooters, clad SUPPORT FIGHT AGAINST TERROR Strongly condemn the ghastly terrorist attack. We stand in solidarity with the people of Australia in this hour of grief. India has zero tolerance towards terrorism and supports the fight against all forms and manifestations of terrorism. Narendra Modi, PM ❝ in dark clothing, fired indiscriminately from a footbridge overlooking the Bondi Park playground and surrounding beach area shortly after 6.45 pm (local time), sending panicked families and beachgoers fleeing amid screams and chaos. One of the gunmen was BYSTANDER TACKLES SHOOTER ■ A bystander captured on video tackling and disarming an armed man during the attack at Bondi Beach has been hailed as a hero ■ Footage shows a fruit shop owner, Ahmed al Ahmed (43), tackling the shooter, wrenching the rifle from him before pointing it back at him ■ PM Anthony Albanese praised the actions of Australians who ran towards danger to help others. ‘These people are heroes,” he said shot dead by responding officers, while the second is stated to be in a critical condition. Investigators also reported the discovery and removal of a suspected improvised explosive device linked to the suspects. Eyewitnesses described scenes of “absolute chaos” as shots rang out for several minutes. Emergency services treated numerous wounded at the scene before transporting them to hospitals across Sydney. Videos shared on social media show people ducking behind tables, fleeing into cafes and trying to shield children as gunfire echoed across the beach. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the attack as an act of “evil antisemitism” designed to strike “at the heart of our nation”. He emphasised that the assault targeted Jewish Australians celebrating their faith and vowed that “there is no place for hate, violence and terrorism in our nation”. “An act of evil, antisemitism and terrorism has struck the heart of our nation. An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian, and every Australian tonight, like me, is devastated by this attack continued on page 8 Just 48% turnout in Punjab rural body polls amid stray incidents of violence Ruchika M Khanna Repoll ordered in 16 booths | Results on Dec 17 Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 14 Less than 50 per cent voters exercised their franchise in the zila parishad and panchayat samiti elections held today amid an incident of booth capturing, a presiding officer running away with a ballot box and stray incidents of violence. This is the lowest turnout in the rural body polls held in recent times. In 2018, 58.1 per cent voters had turned up to cast their ballot, while 63 per cent voters had exercised their franchise in the 2013 polls. In the past three elections, the voting percentage has been on the decline. In each SLIDING TREND OVER THE YEARS YEAR TURNOUT 2008 68% 63% 58.10% 48% 2013 2018 2025 <