04082026-TTB-01.qxd 8/4/2026 12:33 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 214 | 14 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HARYANA TN GOVT MOVES SC FOR RELEASE OF ITS SHARE OF CAUVERY WATER NATION /thetribunechd HC SEEKS NIA REPLY ON ANDRABI’S APPEAL IN UAPA CASE J&K RS PASSES MSME BILL TO TACKLE DELAYED PAYMENTS BUSINESS SHARIF’S PARTY SET TO FORM GOVT IN POK AMID VIOLENCE WORLD tuesday | 4 august 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com WFI ex-chief Brij Bhushan, aide cleared in wrestlers’ sexual harassment case Court cites lack of proof, inconsistent testimonies Rahul Gahlawat Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 3 A Delhi court on Monday acquitted former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in a sexual harassment case filed by six women wrestlers on the grounds of lack of evidence and contradictory testimonies of witnesses. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ashwani Panwar of the Rouse Avenue Courts also acquitted former WFI Secretary Vinod Tomar in the high-profile case dating back to 2023. Brij Bhushan, who is a former BJP MP from Kaiserganj in Uttar Pradesh, and Tomar were present in the court when the verdict was pronounced in in-camera proceedings. The allegations that shook the sporting world surfaced when women wrestlers protested at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, accusing then WFI president Brij Bhushan of sexually harassing women wrestlers. continued on page 8 Former WFI president and BJP ex-MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh with supporters on his acquittal in New Delhi on Monday. MUKESH AGGARWAL Phogat: Will appeal against his acquittal NEW DELHI: Olympian Vinesh Phogat on Monday said the women wrestlers who had filed a sexual harassment case against former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan would appeal against his acquittal. “From the very beginning, the entire administration, the government and the system have been engaged in protecting Brij Bhushan,” Phogat posted on X. — TNS PUNJAB CONG CASE THAT SHOOK NATION JAN 18, 2023: Women wrestlers begin protest at Jantar Mantar, demand Brij Bhushan’s arrest APR 25: SC notice to Delhi Police APR 28: Delhi Police register two FIRs against duo, but one filed by a minor closed subsequently JUNE 15: Police file chargesheet JULY 20: Both get regular bail MAY 21, 2024: Charges framed JUNE 1: Trial begins against duo JULY 2, 2026: Court reserves order AUG 3: Court acquits both Brij Bhushan and his aide Tomar States can close CJP Kishor stuns BJP in bastion protest FIRs, says SC Bankipur; Cong takes Datia Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 3 Modifying its earlier order, the Supreme Court on Monday clarified that governments of Delhi and other states can close or withdraw FIRs, in accordance with law, against students who participated in CJP protests over NEET paper leak, except against those facing grave and heinous offences. A Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana also clarified that the term “criminal antecedents” in its July 28 order meant only “grave and heinous offences”. “It is clarified in the July 28 order that the NCT of Delhi and any other state shall be at liberty to close/withdraw FIRs against protesters. The word ‘criminal antecedents’ is to be read as grave and heinous offences,” the Bench said. The clarification came after senior advocates Gopal Sankaranarayanan, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and others, appearing for the petitioners, pointed out that the expression “criminal antecedents” in the court’s July 28 order was being used to keep cases alive even when such antecedents relat- DIPKE CHALLENGES PM ON DEGREE Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke has said he is ready to show his scholarship and loan sanction letters for his US education if PM Narendra Modi makes his degree public. ed to minor offences, such as traffic violations, or participation in earlier protests. Earlier, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that the Centre was committed not to pursue FIRs against protesting students, except those with criminal antecedents, but it was not clear if the cases could be withdrawn or had to be quashed by courts. Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for some of the petitioners, suggested that a former Chief Justice of India could be appointed to oversee the Special Investigation Team (SIT). “There are two options before us. One is to constitute an SIT comprising police officers to conduct the investigation, and the other is to appoint a committee headed by a retired judge,” the Bench said. As advocate Vrinda Grover raised the issue of the use of pellet guns during the Jantar Mantar protest, the Bench continued on page 8 Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 3 Poll strategist and Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor pulled off a stunning electoral debut on Monday by wresting Bihar’s Bankipur seat, which has been a BJP bastion for the past 31 years. Kishor defeated BJP’s Neeraj Kumar by a margin of 19,324 votes in a seat vacated by BJP national president Nitin Nabin after he recently moved to the Rajya Sabha. The Opposition framed the Bankipur outcome as the “beginning of the end of the BJP”, with the party promising to assess the defeat and continued on page 8 edit: bjp jolted Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor greets people following his victory in the Bankipur Assembly byelection in Patna on Monday. PTI POST-CJP STIR, BJP LOSES 2 BYPOLLS, WINS ONE In Bankipur, Bihar, Jan Suraaj’s Prashant Kishor won against BJP’s Neeraj Kumar. In Datia, Madhya Pradesh, Congress’ Ghanshyam Tiwari won against BJP’s Ashutosh Tiwari, while in Manjalpur, Gujarat, BJP’s Satendrabhai Patel defeated Congress’ Bhikabhai Rabari. Dubey seeks Zuckerberg apology as Parl panel grills Meta over PM video removal Rinku Behera & Animesh Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 3 Meta officials on Monday faced tough questions from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology over the removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s video from Facebook. Committee chairman and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey demanded an apology from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, holding the company accountable for the incident. According to sources, Meta officials offered to apologise, stating that the video was removed due to a technical glitch. However, BJP MPs questioned how content related to the PM could be taken down and sought clarity on those responsible for the lapse. The members maintained that the issue continued on page 8 HC draws curtain on Haryana JBT job row WhatsApp puts severalaccounts under review Saurabh Malik New Delhi, August 3 Instant messaging platform WhatsApp on Monday placed several accounts, including some in India, under review for up to 24 hours and temporarily disabled access to app features, prompting affected users to raise concerns on social media. Responding to queries, a WhatsApp spokesperson said the company continuously works to prevent misuse of its platform. “We are always working to stay ahead of those trying to abuse our service and ban accounts to help keep other users safe. Sometimes we get this wrong and if we do, we try to fix it as quickly as possible to get people back to chatting,” the spokesperson said. The issue came to light around 8 pm IST when users reported being unable to access certain features without receiving any prior warning from the Meta-owned messaging service. Affected users were shown a notification stating: “Account in review. Date requested: Aug 3, 2026. Your account activity and device info is being checked to make sure it follows our Terms of Service. We will notify you of the result, typically within 24 hours.” — PTI Tribune News Service Amid the ongoing Punjab Congress tussle, hoardings of AICC general secretary Bhupesh Baghel dressed as a British officer with a “Go Back Baghel” slogan have purportedly been put up by former CM Charanjit Singh Channi’s supporters in Muktsar. The display draws an apparent analogy to the Freedom struggle’s “Simon Go Back” campaign. INSIDE Encroachments along drains worsened Mandi flashflood impact: Study Navneet Rathore Tribune News Service Shimla, August 3 Widespread encroachments and unregulated constructions on floodplains have been identified as major factors behind the devastating flashflood that struck Thunag village in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district in 2025, claiming 15 lives and leaving hundreds homeless. The observation is part of an assessment conducted by the Centre for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience at Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla. Led by the centre’s Deputy Director, Mahesh Sharma, the study combined field surveys with analysis of high-resolution satellite images. The researchers found that structures located immediately adjacent to the floodplains suffered disproportionately greater damage irrespective of their construction type whereas buildings situated only a short distance uphill remained largely unaffected. Though extreme rainfall was the primary trigger, it couldn’t 15 persons were killed, hundreds left homeless in Thunag in 2025 be solely blamed for the disaster, said Sharma. “Neighbouring areas that received nearly the same amount of rainfall suffered substantially less damage, indicating that geomorphic factors amplified the flashflood severity. Our findings are consistent with recent studies showing that flashflood hazards are caused by the interaction of climatic extremes, catchment morphology and human-induced changes within the river’s corridors under changing environmental conditions,” he said. Sharma said Thunag’s steep terrain — located at an elevation ranging from 1,859 metres to 2,600 metres — was another factor that worsened the disaster. A building-level analysis showed that proximity to hydraulically constrained stretches (where water flow is restricted) was a stronger predictor of damage than structural continued on page 8 Chandigarh, August 3 Nearly 12 years after a single judge showed the door to over 2,800 JBT teachers, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has drawn the curtain on the recruitment dispute. The Haryana Government will retain the currently serving teachers. It will also offer prospective appointments to 160 writ petitioners based strictly on academic merit. In all, 3,206 JBT teachers were appointed by the Om Parkash Chautala-led government. Thirteen years later, Justice K Kannan had then ruled that the published selection list was not genuine and did not contain the names of “all candidates who were meritorious”. The Bench had asserted that the selection was vitiated “though not fully”, and also rejected the argument that the selection of candidates after 13 years could not be interfered with. Acting on appeals filed against the Single Bench judgment, the Division Bench of Justice Harsimran Singh Sethi and Justice Amarinder Singh Grewal Serving teachers to stay, 160 petitioners to get jobs made it clear that the outcome flowed entirely from the state government’s stand accepted by all parties and not from any adjudication by the court on the merits of the controversy. The Bench was assisted in the matter by senior advocates Puneet Bali and Gurminder Singh, among others. The Bench observed: “The present order has been passed solely in view of the stand taken by the respondent state. Nothing contained in this order shall be construed as an expression of opinion on the merits of the issues raised in the present appeals by this court.” The court noted that “there is no adjudication of the issue by this Bench in the appeal”. It then modified the single judge’s January 8, 2014, judgment to align with the Haryana Government’s July 28 communication. Recording the state’s submissions, the Bench noted that the “competent authority” had continued on page 8 Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann addresses mediapersons at the Vidhan Sabha in Chandigarh. RAVI KUMAR Punjab House passes resolution against Centre over paper leaks Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 3 The Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Monday unanimously passed a censure resolution against the BJP-led Centre over recurring examination paper leaks, alleged recruitment irregularities and the reported crackdown on student protests across the country. The move, seen as part of the AAP government’s outreach to young voters ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, also hailed Gen Z for bringing an “arrogant government and ruler” to its knees. The resolution, moved by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, transformed the Assembly into a platform for attacking the Centre on an issue the ruling party believes resonates strongly with youth appearing for competitive examinations, unemployed and government job aspirants. The House condemned “the excessive use of force, arbitrary detention and criminal prosecution of peacefully protesting students and citizens, including educationistinnovator Sonam Wangchuk, for exercising their democrat- ic right to peaceful protest”. The members, barring Congress and BJP MLAs who had left the House when the resolution was moved, expressed unwavering solidarity with the students and called for withdrawal of all criminal proceedings against them. Participating in the debate, members condemned the “frequent examination scandals and recruitment failures”, while criticising the alleged use of pellet guns and tear gas shells against students protesting the NEET paper leak in Delhi. continued on page 8 Delhi girl faces rape threats, online abuse after viral video at CJPprotest ManikantMishra Tribune News Service NewDelhi, August3 When Shraddha Singh, a 23year-old content creator, headed to Jantar Mantar to join the July 20 students' protest over examination paper leaks, she had no idea her life was going to change forever. But it did. All because a reel she shot with Rapid Action Force personnel in the background garnered nearly 2 million views within minutes and triggered a wave of vicious trolling, with many accusing her of insulting the security forces. Though Shraddha deleted the video and later issued an apology, the backlash hasn't stopped. "It has, in fact, turned into something far more sinister. My inbox and social media timelines are flooded with rape and death threats. So much so that I find it difficult to travel alone without covering my face," Shraddha told The Tribune. She claimed to have counted over 34,000 threatening messages on Meta and X. Terrified by the episode, she said she would never join a protest again. c m y b Content creator Shraddha Singh "People have been using extremely filthy language. They even targeted my mother, who lives in Bhopal. They found out where I live and have been sending rape threats and messages saying they would kill me if they saw me. I am so scared that I wear a mask whenever I step out. I just want to avoid being recognised," she said. Shraddha recalled that she had shot the reel as a meme, with no intention of offending anyone. "By July 26 or 27, I realised the outrage against me had taken on a life of its own. That was when I understood this was no longer normal trolling. I had become a target,” she said. Most of the abuse, she claimed, came from anonymous accounts hiding behind fake identities. Even logging off social media did little to shield her from the backlash. "I am a yoga instructor and have over a lakh online followers. But ever since the video went viral, I have lost over 20,000 online clients and almost all my offline clients," she said. She now feared losing even her rented accommodation. "My landlords have called me for a meeting tomorrow. Going by how people judged me after the video went viral, I don't know what to expect," she said, visibly anxious. For days after the episode, Shraddha did not step out of home. “Even a short trip outside now feels like a carefully planned exercise to avoid being recognised," she said, questioning why only women participants were being singled out. Shraddha said her fear had become so real that she no longer ventured out alone. “I always ask one of my friends to accompany me because I feel safer that way," she said, adding that while nobody initially contacted her, people from the government and the CJP later reached out.