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- 31 killed as rain, landslips wreak havoc in northeast

- T.N. farmers’ organisations protest against construction of new dam at Mullaperiyar

- SC tells Kejriwal to move CJI for listing bail extension plea

- Court acquits Dera chief in murder case

- Sandeshkhali attack: CBI files chargesheet

- Six killed as heavy rain batters Kerala

- GCC seeks support of various agencies to complete projects

- NGT impleads NHAI in case against dumping of debris along Cooum

- Three persons, including 2 minors, held for sexually assaulting 11-year-old girl

- Temple priest held on charges of raping employee of TV firm

- IIT-M Zanzibar campus to offer M.Tech in ocean structures

- Four murders reported in the city suburbs on Monday night

- Encroachment of canals carrying floodwater, a cause for concern

- Two persons arrested for robbery in Velachery

- Man held for possessing painkillers

- SHRC recommends reprobe of accident, ₹3 lakh relief to victim

- Four persons, including village head, arrested for death of labourer

- Mullaperiyar: Anbumani welcomes delay in expert panel meeting

- Man beaten to death by private hospital staff

- Two policemen in Villupuram transferred for demanding bribe

- Army expo brings together industry, academia, and Defence forces in Coimbatore

- Meal time

- The Hindu wins award for audience engagement

- ‘Over 2.97 lakh tenements built under PM rural housing scheme in T.N. since May 2021’

- Debate continues over Annamalai’s attempt to portray Jayalalithaa as ‘Hindutva leader’

- ‘Indian freedom movement largely missing from history, political science syllabi in State’s universities’

- CB-CID confirms death of woman who was reported missing in Thanjavur in 2017

- Couple arrested for unauthorised handling of Indian rat snake

- TMC(M) to organise training session for counting agents

- ₹1.09 cr. fine collected from owners of vehicles

- Vivekananda memorial to be shut till June 1 due to PM’s visit

- Chennai residents run into new problem: cars parked on streets

- Chennai-Chicago Connect: Wanamaker’s donation made YMCA building possible

- A school caters to women’s empowerment

- A river in the Kongu region, which once fostered a civilisation, has gone dry

- How India’s first integrated business city came up in Chennai after Ford started operations

Rahul Karmakar

GUWAHATI

Mizoram is the worst affected with 27 deaths in four incidents of landslips , more than 30 are feared dead, say officials; parts of Assam, Meghalaya, and Mizoram continue to be without power

Disaster-hit: Rescue teams look for survivors in the debris next to a stone quarry that collapsed near Aizawl in Mizoram. REUTERSSTRINGER

Storms and rain-induced landslips in the aftermath of Cyclone Remal killed at least 31 people and injured several across three northeastern States on Tuesday.

Mizoram is the worst affected with 27 confirmed deaths in four incidents of landslips. Officials in the State said the death toll could be more than 30 as an “uncertain number” of people have been reported missing, some buried under debris.

Assam followed with three storm-related deaths — one each in Kamrup, Kamrup (Metropolitan), and Morigaon districts.

One person died in the East Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya after a wall collapsed in heavy rain.

Disaster management officials in the three States said the rain, accompanied by winds with speeds of up to 60 km per hour, uprooted trees and electric poles, triggered landslips, and disrupted power and Internet services. Some parts of Assam, Meghalaya, and Mizoram continued to be without power since Monday midnight.

Stone quarry collapses

A Mizoram government report collated from the District Disaster Management Authorities said 14 people, including two minors, were killed and one injured when a stone quarry collapsed on National Highway 6 — the State’s lifeline — near Melthum close to capital Aizawl.

Landslips at Hlimen, Salem, Falkawn, Aibawk, Lungsei, and Kelsih in and around Aizawl killed 13 others.

Eight people were reported missing from the site where the stone quarry collapsed. More people were missing elsewhere in the State, officials said.

Aizawl and adjoining areas have been landslip-prone with several areas marked sinking zones.

Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma announced an ex gratia of ₹4 lakh each for the next of kin of the local people who died.

T.N. farmers’ organisations protest against construction of new dam at Mullaperiyar

The Hindu Bureau

MADURAI

Farmers staging a protest near the Tallakulam head post office in Madurai against the construction of the new dam. G. MOORTHY

Members of various farmers’ organisations staged a protest at the Tallakulam head post office in Madurai on Tuesday, condemning the Kerala government’s attempt to construct a new dam across Mullaperiyar.

The protesters belonged to various organisations including the Cumbum Valley Farmers’ Association and the Mullai Periyar Vaigai Irrigation Farmers’ Association.

As they tried to march to the Income Tax office in the city, the police denied permission for it. Protesting against this, the farmers burnt copies of the order issued by the Kerala government for the construction of a new dam across the river.

The farmers urged the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests to deny permission for the new dam, the proposed construction of which went against the Supreme Court’s assurance that the existing dam in Mullaperiyar was safe. Further, they appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to file a case of contempt of court against the Kerala government for not adhering to the order of the top court.

“Apart from this, the Tamil Nadu government should take steps to increase the water level of the Mullaperiyar dam to 152 feet,” a farmers’ representative said.

To prevent any further action by the Kerala government, the Centre should deploy the Central Reserve Police Force at the dam site, the farmers said.

The Tamil Nadu government should take steps to address the issue before it intensifies, they said.

P.R. Pandian, a farmer-leader who headed the protest, said that the construction of a new dam would destroy the livelihood of lakhs of farmers dependent on the river. “We will go to any lengths if the Kerala government does not rescind its order,” he added.

SC tells Kejriwal to move CJI for listing bail extension plea

Krishnadas Rajagopal

New Delhi

Arvind Kejriwal PTI

A Vacation Bench of the Supreme Court declined to list an application filed by Arvind Kejriwal seeking an extension of his interim bail by seven days in a money laundering case linked to the liquor policy ‘scam’.

The Bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and K.V. Viswanathan on Tuesday said it cannot intervene in an application filed in a case already reserved for judgment by another Bench of the court.

A Bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta had reserved judgment on the Delhi Chief Minister’s petition to quash his arrest by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in the case chargesheeted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

While reserving the case for judgment on May 17, Justice Khanna’s Bench had given Mr. Kejriwal the liberty to apply for statutory bail under Section 45 of the PMLA.

On Tuesday, the Vacation Bench told senior advocate A.M. Singhvi, who orally mentioned the application for extension of interim bail for urgent hearing, to approach the Chief Justice of India for “appropriate orders” for listing.

Court acquits Dera chief in murder case

Press Trust of India

Chandigarh

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday acquitted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and four others in a case of murder of the sect’s former manager Ranjit Singh in 2002.

The sect chief, who was also serving a 20-year jail term for raping two of his disciples, is currently lodged in a jail in Rohtak, Haryana.

Ranjit Singh, also a follower of the sect, was shot dead on July 10, 2002, at Khanpur Kolian in Kurukshetra. He was allegedly murdered for his suspected role in the circulation of an anonymous letter, which narrated how women were being sexually exploited by the sect head at the Dera headquarters. In October 2021, a special CBI court in Panchkula sentenced Ram Rahim and four others to life imprisonment.

Sandeshkhali attack: CBI files chargesheet

Devesh K. Pandey

NEW DELHI

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a chargesheet against seven arrested accused, including suspended Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan, in connection with the attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials in Sandeshkhali of West Bengal on January 5.

On March 5, the Calcutta High Court directed the Central agency to conduct an investigation into the incident.

“Investigation in the case revealed that Sheikh Shahjahan was the key conspirator behind the incident... in which ED officials were attacked when they went to conduct a search on his residential and official premises, in a case alleging money laundering related to proceeds of crime generated from the irregularities in procurement, processing/milling/fortification and distribution of ration through PDS scheme,” said the agency on Tuesday.

Various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act have been invoked against the accused, who included Mr. Shahjahan’s brother Sekh Alomgir. Further investigation in the case was under way.

Six killed as heavy rain batters Kerala

The Hindu Bureau

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

People being rescued in boats from flood-hit Moolepadam in Kalamassery, Kochi district. The Hindu

After a brief hiatus, rain triggered by a cyclonic circulation intensified across Kerala, wreaking havoc and causing severe waterlogging in many places.

Kochi recorded around 103 mm of rain in just one hour. Kottayam witnessed a landslip. Six people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents in the State.

GCC seeks support of various agencies to complete projects

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

Projects exceeding their deadline will be reviewed regularly , and follow-up willbe done with contractors to ensure early completion, says City Corporation Commissioner J. Radhakrishnan

J. Radhakrishnan

The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) held talks with officials from various departments, including the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB), Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco), to facilitate coordination in work in order to expedite ongoing projects.

The projects exceeding their deadline will be reviewed regularly, and follow up willbe done with contractors to ensure timely completion, Corporation Commissioner J. Radhakrishnan told officials on Tuesday.

He also insisted that new or ongoing construction work lacking necessary approvals, such as setbacks or floor-level projections, must be halted to prevent risks associated with the proximity to electricity lines.

Officialswere instructedto provide detailed information on the projects undertaken, specifying the departments responsible and the exact stretches involved. They must also indicate timelines for road cut restoration and tentative completion dates, Dr. Radhakrishnan said.

Diversion boards

According to Dr. Radhakrishnan, traffic diversion boards with clear routes and guidance for alternative paths to hospitals, schools, and public transportationmust be installed.

“If the main workis completedand house service connections are pending,partial restoration work should be undertaken to make roads motorable.Access for residents should not be entirely cut offduring construction; appropriate barricading mustbe implementedto ensure accessibility,” he added.

“Officialswere also directedto be sensitive to public complaints and grievances, ensuring that the work causes minimal disruption in daily activities,” he added.

NGT impleads NHAI in case against dumping of debris along Cooum

The Hindu Bureau

Chennai

The case pertains to dumping of debris along the Cooum in Aminjikarai during the construction of Chennai Port-Maduravoyal expressway. FILE PHOTO FILE PHOTO

The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has impleaded the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in a case against dumping of construction debris along the banks of Cooum river.

In a suo motu case taken up based on a news report on dumping of debris along the Cooum in Aminjikarai during the construction of Chennai Port-Maduravoyal expressway, the Bench comprising Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati had earlier directed State authorities, including the Public Works Department, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust, to file their responses. The project includes construction of a new double deck 4-lane elevated corridor connecting Chennai Port with the Chennai-Bengaluru Highway and the industrial corridors at Sriperumbudur and Oragadam, spanning 21 kilometres.

For the project, NHAI has started drilling activities in sections of Cooum, particularly around the western neighbourhoods such as Aminjikarai and Anna Nagar.

On May 22, the government pleader for Tamil Nadu government told the Bench that the NHAI is a necessary party to this proceeding. “Hence, we suo motu implead the National Highways Department as a party to this proceeding,” the Bench said.

The matter has been posted for hearing on July 26.

Three persons, including 2 minors, held for sexually assaulting 11-year-old girl

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

Threepersons — a 51-year-old man and two boys — were arrested by police on charges of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl near Villivakkam for the past six months.

Theassault came to light when the girl complained of severe stomach ache to her aunt who lives in Tiruverkadu. Police said thechild was studying in Class VI. The girl’s parents are daily wagers and hence returned home late, owing to which she could not disclose it immediately to them.

The child toldher aunt that one of her cousins sexually assaulted her.Later, the woman informed the girl’s mother.The girl was taken to a hospital, where the doctors found that she had been subjected to aggravated sexual assault for long.

Following this, the hospital authorities informed the Villivakkam police, who transferred the case to the All Women Police Station. The police then brought all those involved in the offence for inquiry and recorded the girl’s statement.She was also sent for medical examination and psychologicalcounselling.

While one of the two boys was the girl’s cousin, the other was a neighbour — both aged 16. On seeing the girl’s cousin visiting her house frequently, the other boy took advantage of the victim, threatening to disclose the issue to all. A tailor in the locality had also sexually assaulted the child.Police said that the parents, who were alcoholic, did not listen to the child when she attempted to tell them of her ordeal.

All Women Police booked a case under the provisions of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Police said Kumar, 51, had been arrested. He would be remanded in judicial custody after being produced in a court. The two boys would be kept at the Government Observation Home.

Temple priest held on charges of raping employee of TV firm

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

The All Women Police, Virugambakkam on Tuesday, arrested a 37-year-old priest for raping an employee of a television company and criminally intimidating her. The suspect has been identified as Karthik Munusamy, one of the priests in Kalikambal Temple. Following a complaint from the woman, he went absconding. He was caught in Mettupalayam.

Police said Munuswamy got acquainted with the woman, a 32-year-old engineering graduate, as she frequently visited the temple. He got close to her by taking her inside the temple and performing a special pooja. Later, under the pretext of dropping her home, he allegedly went inside her house, made her consume a spiked drink and raped her. He fled the spot before she regained consciousness. The woman, then realised that she had been raped. When she confronted him, he told her that he would get more power after having a physical relationship. He convinced her and tied a ‘thali’. When the complainant knew she was pregnant last February, he allegedly took her to a hospital in Vadapalani and got her to abort the baby. A few days later, he brought home a friend to rape her. Munusamy later verbally and physically abused her, for failing to “cooperate” with his friend, the victim alleged.

IIT-M Zanzibar campus to offer M.Tech in ocean structures

The Indian Institute of Technology - Madras, Zanzibar campus, has launched an M.Tech programme in ocean structures for the academic year 2024-25. The course, with a curriculum tailored to meet industry requirements in oil and gas and maritime sector, is open to candidates of all nationalities. The two-year programme is offered in two streams – offshore and ship structures; and port harbour and coastal structures. Candidates may select the stream based on their CGPA at the end of the first semester. Candidates with a four-year undergraduate degree in civil engineering with a minimum of 60% marks may apply. Applications may be made at admissions.ge.iitm.ac.in/ iitmz-mtechosby June 20.

Marks obtained in the UG will be given 50% weightage and screening test and interview will carry 50% weightage. A personal interview will be conducted for students who qualify in the screening test, both of which will be online. The screening test will be held on June 30 and admission letters will be issued July 15.

Four murders reported in suburbs on Monday night

R. Sivaraman

CHENNAI

One more death, suspected to be a murder, has been reported. The victims are an auto driver in Tambaram, a lorry owner in Chromepet, a daily wager in Kundrathur, an elderly woman in Walajabad and a shop owner in Thirumullaivoyal

After four murders and a death under suspicious circumstances were reported from the suburbs of Chennai, the police have launched a probe to trace the suspects. Getty Images Makhbubakhon Ismatova

At least four murders and one more death suspected to be a murder were reported from the city’s suburbs on Monday night. The victims were an autorickshaw driver in Tambaram, a lorry owner in Chromepet, a daily wager in Kundrathur, an elderly woman in Walajabad and a textile shop owner in Thirumullaivoyal.

In Tambaram police limits, a 26-year-old history-sheeterdrivingan autorickshaw was hacked to death at Tambaram bus stand by five men, including an auto-stand union leader over rivalry in getting rides. Police sources said the deceased has been identified as Karthik Raja, 26, of Erikarai Street, Irumbuliyur who was a history-sheeter. After 2018, he was not involved in any offence. He led a reformed life, got married and drove an autorickshaw for a living.

He had a feud with one Anand, who is an auto-union leader and a DMK functionary.Anand invited him for talks near the Tambaram bus stand. At 11.30 p.m.,Karthik Raja and Anand reached the spot with their friends. While they were holding talks, things went south, a physical quarrel broke out. Anand and his associates hacked Karthik Raja to death with knives and fled the spot.

The Tambaram Police recovered the body and arrested Anand, 40, and four others.

Loan repayment

In Chromepet, a 50-year-old man was hacked to death following a quarrel that erupted over repayment of a loan he had given to one of his friends. The victim has been identified as Thomas, a resident of T.S.Lakshmanan Nagar, Chromepet. He owned a lorry and handled disposal of leather waste. He had lent ₹30,000 to Sabari, one of his friends, recently. As the former pestered the latter for repayment, a quarrel ensued.

On Monday night, Sabari invited Thomas near a temple on Thiruneermalai Salai, to repay the loan. When Thomas reached the spot, Sabari and others attacked him with knives even as they were talking. Thomas collapsed in a pool of blood and died on the spot. The Chromepet Police, after recovering the body, began an investigation and arrested Sabari.

Murder for gain

A 65-year-old woman was found dead due to strangulation in Kattavakkam village near Walajabad in Kancheepuram district. The victim has been identified as Suguna. She was living alone in her house after the demise of her husband while her sons lived in Tiruvallur district. Since she did not come out of the house on Tuesday and the house was locked outside, neighbours who grew suspicious, broke open the door and found her lying dead.

Police suspected that unidentified persons must have entered the house on Monday night and strangled her. Gold jewellery, weighing eight sovereigns, was stolen. Police have launched an investigation to trace the suspects.

Man beaten to death

Another murder was reported from Thirumullaivoyal police limits on Monday night. A 48-year-old man, running a cloth store, was beaten to death by his brother-in-law. The victim has been identified as Gunasekaran, of Ravindran Nagar, Thirumullaivoyal, near Avadi. He visited his father-in-law’s house on Monday evening and scolded his brother-in-law Ganeshan, 52, for being unemployed. Both had a heated exchange of words.

Irked over the rebuke, Ganeshan hit Gunasekaran with a wooden log. Gunasekaran, who was critically injured, died on the spot. Police arrested Ganeshan.

Suspected murder

In Kundrathur police limits, a 30-year-old man died under suspicious circumstances, after he was assaulted on Monday evening by a bike-borne duo near Chembarambakkam lake when they tried to snatch his mobile phone. The victim has been identified as Rajesh, of Arcot, Villupuram district who had come with his family to work in a brick kiln in Therku Malayambakkam near Kundrathur to settle his loans.

On Monday evening, when he had gone to the bank of Chembarambakkam lake to attend nature’s call, two men on a bike waylaid him and attempted to snatch his mobile phone. As he resisted their attempt, they hit him near his eyebrow, using the handle of a knife. He was treated in a private hospital. After returning home, he complained of chest pain and later died at a hospital without responding to the treatment. Police said the cause of death will be known only after receiving the post-mortem report. Police have registereda case of suspicious death and efforts are on to trace the suspects.

Encroachment of canals carrying floodwater, a cause for concern

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

Residents and social activists have expressed concern over the narrowing of the macro canals which help in carrying rainwater and preventing flooding on the arterial GST Road in Chromepet.

Pallavaram Periya Eri, located on the eastern side of GST Road, plays an important role in the prevention of water stagnation on the arterial road during heavy rainfall. The Periya Eri is linked to macro and micro canals but encroachment of the macro canal and dumping of garbage in it leads to flooding of GST Road, near the Thiruneermalai Road junction.

Social activist David Manohar said the canal linking the GST Road to the Periya Eri has shrunk in size in several places owing to encroachments. He said the canal flowing from the GST Road via Station Service Road into the waterbody has been encroached by commercial establishments and houses. He cited several orders of the High Court and the National Green Tribunal to clear the encroachments and rued the failure of the officials of the Water Resources Department and Tambaram Corporation to remove the structures and widen the canal for ensuring free flow of rainwater. The social activists in the locality have also complained about unauthorised discharge of sewage into the lake.There are many water channels around Jamin Pallavaram and some of them have remained undefined courses for years.

Officials of the Water Resources Department said many of them are field channels that conveyed water for irrigation purposes in the past and they travelled along both poromboke and patta lands. While some of these have been provided a defined course now, there are no proper drawings of such channels and hence, encroachments have mushroomed over the years.

The Highways Department has built 5-metre-wide road drains to convey floodwater between Pallavaram Periya Eri and Keelkattalai lake which have reduced the threat of flooding.Drains need to be built to carry surplus water from Putheri lake to Keelkattalai lake thus alleviating flooding in downstream areas, like English Electric Nagar, residents said.

Two persons arrested for robbery in Velachery

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

The city police on Tuesday arrestedtwo persons, including a habitual offender, for committing robberies in Velachery.

Police said S. Manikandan, 28, runs a scrap shop on Orandiamman Koil street in Velachery. On Sunday morning, while Manikandanwas riding his tricycle near Perungudi Railway Station, two unidentified persons intercepted him pretending to ask for an address. They threatened Manikandan, robbed him of ₹2,000 and fled the spot.

Again on Sunday night, another robbery was reported to the Velachery Police. Two persons entered Aroma Ayur Care massage centre operating on 100 Feet Road, under the pretext of enquiring about their services. They assaulted the manager Alfais and supervisor Naiju. Brandishing a knife, they took away ₹5,000 and a mobile phone.

On investigation, the police arrestedM.Kombaiya, 36, of Nanguneri Taluk, Tirunelveli district, a habitual offender and his associate P. Heingio, 22, of Alangudi, Pudukottai district.

During the investigation, it was revealed that the arrested Kombaiya has over 20 criminal cases registered against him for offences.

Man held for possessing painkillers

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

The police on Tuesday arrested a man who was in possession of over 3,000 pain killer tablets in Sembium. Following information about a person selling pain relief tablets illegally, police intensified surveillance at Bunder Garden in Perambur.

The police team arrested Ajith Gunanithi, 24, a resident of Perambur for being in possession of 3,300 nitrazepam, pain relief tablets. Further investigation revealed that the accused, Ajith, was involved in a total of 11 cases, including murder and attempt-to-murder cases.

The search is on for other two people who are absconding in the case.

SHRC recommends reprobe of accident, ₹3 lakh relief to victim

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

The woman lost her hand in the accident . The SHRC also recommends action against the police personnel who investigated the case

The respondents acted in a negligent manner which amounted to a violation of the human rights of the complainant, the SHRC said.

The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) on Tuesday recommended that the Tamil Nadu government direct the Tiruvarur Superintendent of Police to reinvestigate a road accident in which a woman lost her hand in 2019. The final report on the case should be produced before the court concerned in three months, it said.

SHRC member V. Kannadasan also recommended that the State government pay a compensation of ₹3 lakh to the complainant, R. Devi, of Nagapattinam district. The Commission also recommended departmental action against Special Sub-Inspector N.S. Rajagopalan and Sub-Inspectors of Police A. Vignesh and R. Ganapathi – all attached to the Thiruvarur taluk police station at the time – who were involved in the investigation into the case.

According to the complainant, a vehicle rammed her two-wheeler from behind on March 7, 2019. After she fell, a government bus ran over her, inflicting serious injuries on her hand, which had to be amputated. Though the respondents were investigating the case, they did not seize the vehicle in question or take action, and hence the case.

The respondents filed a plea under Regulation 9(g) of the State Human Rights Commission, Tamil Nadu (Procedure) Regulations, 1997, to dismiss the complaint in limine, as a criminal case was pending before the court. But the Commission, after due inquiry, dismissed the plea in March 2022. During the hearing, the respondents denied all the allegations.

Considering the materials on record, the Commission said: “Because of the negligence on the part of the respondents and the failure to investigate the matter in a proper manner, the young woman lost her hand, and because of the act of the respondents, the complainant is not able to file a petition under the Motor Vehicles Act for claiming compensation for the grievous injuries sustained by her in the accident.”

It held that the respondents had not acted in accordance with law, and that they had acted in a negligent manner which amounted to a violation of the human rights of the complainant. Hence, it held that the complainant was entitled to receive a compensation of ₹3 lakh, payable by the Tamil Nadu government.

Four persons, including village head, arrested for death of labourer

The Hindu Bureau

TIRUVANNAMALAI

Four persons were arrested for the death of an agricultural labourer at Kottakkal Pudur village near Chengam town in Tiruvannamalai.

Police said the arrested persons were identified as K. Selvaraj, 58, village head, and his accomplice S. Jeeva, 34, V. Krishnan, 42, and N. Siva, 48. The victim, K. Murugan, 48, was making a living as a farm worker for many years.

On May 17, a group of men led by Selvaraj accused Murugan of stealing goats. Subsequently, the village head imposed a fine of ₹3 lakh on Murugan.

Upset over this, Murugan allegedly attempted to end his life at his house on May 22. He was rushed to the Government Medical College Hospital in Tiruvannamalai where he died last Sunday.

Based on a complaint by M. Valli, 43, Murugan’s wife, Chengam police filed a case against 10 persons and arrested four of them.

(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416. and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.)

Mullaperiyar: Anbumani welcomes delay in expert panel meeting

The Hindu Bureau

Chennai

PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss on Tuesday welcomed the Central government’s decision to put off the central environmental ministry’s expert committee meeting which was scheduled to take place in New Delhi to review and decide on the Kerala government’s application to study the environmental impact of constructing a new dam across the Mullaperiyar.

Dr. Anbumani said that the only way to ensure that there was no debate about the Mullaperiyar issue was to approach the Supreme Court.

“Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has already written a letter to the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change. This is not enough,” he said.

The PMK leader pointed out that the Supreme Court’s ruling on this issue was quite clear, and that the Kerala government’s insistence on building a new dam was wrong.

Dr. Anbumani said that there should be no discussion or debate about the Mullaperiyar dam even if the expert panel were to meet again in future.

Man beaten to death by private hospital staff

The Hindu Bureau

Coimbatore

A man was allegedly beaten to death at a private hospital in Coimbatore.

The deceased was identified as P. Raja, 45, of Gandhi Maa Nagar. The police have secured 12 persons, including three security personnel.

Raja frequently visited the hospital posing as a plumber and indulged in stealing pipes. The security guards caught him in the act.

Raja had reportedly fallen unconscious after getting beaten up by the security guards and other staff. He was admitted to a hospital but died.

Two policemen in Villupuram transferred for demanding bribe

The Hindu Bureau

VILLUPURAM

Two policemen, including a sub-inspector attached to the Highway Patrol, were transferred to the Armed Reserve after a video clip of the duo allegedly demanding a bribe from a lorry driver passing through the Morattandi toll plaza at Gorimedu on Sunday night was circulated widely on social media. SP Deepak Siwach ordered the transfer of sub-inspector Boominathan and constable Abdul Rashid.

Army expo brings together industry, academia, and Defence forces in Coimbatore

The Hindu Bureau

Coimbatore

MSMEs are displaying their engineering capabilities and the Army is exhibiting its requirements at the two-day exhibition that is under way at the CODISSIA Trade Fair Complex in the city

G. Satheesh Reddy (second from right), former chairman of DRDO, and Lieutenant-General Karanbir Singh Brar (third from right), General Officer Commanding, Dakshin Bharat Area, at the Army Expo held in Coimbatore on Tuesday. S. Siva Saravanan

Display of arms and equipment used by the Army, drills by soldiers, band performance in the open theatre, and talks on how MSMEs can supply to Defence forces marked the first day of Army Expo (Southern Star Army Academia and Industry Interface) organised at the CODISSIA Trade Fair Complex in Coimbatore city on Tuesday.

The two-day exhibition has the MSMEs of Coimbatore displaying their engineering capabilities and the Army exhibiting its requirements. Defence exports from the country crossed ₹21,000 crores in 2023-2024, and are expected to touch ₹50,000 crores by 2028-2029, said G. Satheesh Reddy, former Chairman of DRDO and president of the Aeronautical Society of India.

“Ideas (of the Defence startups) should be globally competitive,” he said. In a couple of years there will not be a Defence system without artificial intelligence. Cyber security is also very important now. Coimbatore has a major role to play in this growth of the Defence sector, he added.

“This event (Army Expo) is basically to get the Army, the industry and the academia together to build an ecosystem in south India,” said Lieutenant General Karanbir Singh Brar, General Officer Commanding, Dakshin Bharat Area. The DRDO laboratories, Defence public sector undertakings, startups, the MSMEs and some of the top educational institutions are located in south India.

“There is enough capability. We need to get the system going,” he said. Under the Make In India, the users (Defence forces) explain their requirements to the industry and mentor them so that the product developers reach a stage where the product can be put on field. Technology is impacting wars with communications, drones, machine learning and artificial intelligence, he said. Similar events were held in Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Thiruvananthapuram. “This can become a yearly event,” he added.

Meal time

An egret looking for food at a tank in Ramanathapuram on Tuesday. L. Balachandar

The Hindu Bureau

Chennai

‘Made of Chennai’, a brand campaign by The Hindu, won in the ‘Best in Audience Engagement’ category at the WAN-IFRA 2024 Digital Media Awards Worldwide in Denmark.

The awards ceremony held on May 27 acknowledged excellence and groundbreaking digital innovation across a range of categories that recognise the changing way people receive and engage with news. In the press release by WAN-IFRA, the jury members said: “The campaign is an amazing project connecting people and the city via comprehensive touch points across various media. A testament of how powerful a media platform could be when it’s used in a very creative way!”

Suresh Balakrishna, Chief Revenue Officer of The Hindu Group, said, “The award for ‘Made of Chennai’ highlights the city’s deep affection for The Hindu. I would like to thank WAN-IFRA and applaud their efforts for bringing to the fore some of the best efforts from across the globe.”

‘Made of Chennai’, launched in August 2023, was a 45-day celebration of the city’s ‘birthday’. This initiative successfully created a vibrant community of Chennai enthusiasts, engaging them both online and offline. It honoured the city by showcasing its people, art, culture, and all the elements that make Chennai distinctive.

‘Over 2.97 lakh tenements built under PM rural housing scheme in T.N. since May 2021’

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

As part of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin), over 7.50 lakh tenements have been constructed between 2016-17 and 2021-22, says a statement from the Tamil Nadu government

Shared costs: The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin)has a fund split of 62:38. While 62% is from the State government, the rest is from the Centre. Picture used for representational purposes K.V.S. GIRI

Over 2.97 lakh tenements have been constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) (PMAY-G) in rural areas across the State since May 7, 2021, the Tamil Nadu government said on Tuesday.

Under the PMAY-G, over 7.50 lakh tenements have been constructed between 2016-17 and 2021-22, an official release said. While over 2.89 lakh tenements were constructed between 2016-17 and May 6, 2021, over 2.97 tenements were constructed under the DMK government.

The PMAY-G provides these houses to the rural poor in Tamil Nadu, with a fund sharing pattern of 62:38, where 62% is from the Tamil Nadu government and the remaining from the Union government.

As for Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s announcement to renovate 238 Periyar Ninaivu Samathuvapuram across the State, 149 were taken up in the first phase.

“A sum of ₹194.44 crore has been allocated, and 98% of the work has been completed. For the second phase of renovation, ₹67.01 crore has been allotted, and 99% of the work has been completed,” the release said.

Under the Member of Legislative Assembly Constituency Development Scheme (MLACDS), 26,920 works were taken up for implementation during the past three years, and of them, 16,247 have been completed during these years, the government said.

A fund of ₹3 crore is allocated to each of the 234 Assembly constituencies across the State every year.

About 86.16% of workers who benefitted under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) during the past three years were women, it said. Over 2.87 lakh of them were persons with disabilities, and 29.59% belonged to tribal communities.

Under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)-Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF), ₹1,221 crore was allocated for the implementation of 287 road projects, spanning a length of 550 km, and construction of 342 bridges. Of these, 107 road projects (193 km) and 151 bridges have been completed at a cost of ₹354 crore.

The NABARD-RIDF is financing the implementation of rural infrastructure projects by the State governments (while 80% of it would be loans, 20% would the State grant) such as improving damaged village panchayat and panchayat union roads, upgrading of non-bitumen (BT) roads to BT standards and construction of bridges.

Debate continues over Annamalai’s attempt to portray Jayalalithaa as ‘Hindutva leader’

T. Ramakrishnan

CHENNAI

D. Jayakumar, AIADMK organisation secretary, recalled the measures former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had implemented for the benefit of Muslims and Christians. File photo R. ASHOK

BJP State president K. Annamalai’s reiteration of his description of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa as a “Hindutva leader” has kept alive the debate over her ideological credentials.

It was no secret that when Jayalalithaa was Chief Minister during 1991-96 and 2001-06, many of her decisions had impressed the BJP. Three months after the demolition of Babri Masjid in December 1992, senior leader L.K. Advani, told a press conference in Chennai that the “growth of mutual goodwill and rapport” between his party and the AIADMK was an “offshoot” of her speech at the National Integration Council (NIC) in November 1992, according to a news report of The Hindu dated March 22, 1993.

At the Council’s meeting, held two weeks prior to the demolition, Jayalalithaa wanted the NIC to take a decision on creating a congenial atmosphere for the conduct of “kar seva” in Ayodhya. This speech of hers continued to be discussed in the State for months.

In the Assembly on March 18, 1993, a week after Jayalalithaa announced the parting of ways with the Congress, the then Leader of Opposition S.R. Balasubramoniyan (who later joined the AIADMK and was made a Rajya Sabha MP) said she had favoured the “kar seva” to be performed. Jayalalithaa, however, denied having spoken for the “kar seva” and said she wanted the issues before the Supreme Court to be resolved and conditions created for having a temple.

When S. Thirunavvukkarasar (now in the Congress and then running a party of his own – MGR ADMK), accused the AIADMK of straying from the Dravidian movement, the then Chief Minister reacted sharply and asked in what way her party was moving away from the movement. Ten years later, in an interaction with the media, Jayalalithaa said, “If we cannot build a temple in India for Lord Ram, where else can we build it?”

In fact, in the first two years of her first term as Chief Minister, she held the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR and CE) portfolio just to demonstrate the affinity towards her faith. During 2001-06, the Jayalalithaa regime went in for the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Forcible Conversion of Religion Act, 2002. Subsequently, it had asked Collectors and police to put an end to animal sacrifice in temples by strictly enforcing the Tamil Nadu Animals and Birds Sacrifices Prohibition Act, 1950. After severe opposition, both the laws were abandoned. The ‘annadhanam’ scheme, meant for feeding the poor in temples, was given a lot of attention by her government. However, even when she was an ally of the BJP, the AIADMK’s former general secretary, while releasing her party’s manifesto for the 1998 Lok Sabha poll, asked the national party to put the Ayodhya, Kashi, and Mathura issues on the “backburner or deep freeze” for at least 20 years and prioritise eradication of poverty and unemployment and provision of drinking water and electricity. She also did not consider Ayodhya, Kashi, and Mathura “burning issues,” according to another report of The Hindu dated January 31, 1998.

In a statement, D. Jayakumar, the party’s organisation secretary, and who was in her Cabinet during 1991-96 and 2001-06, recalled the measures the former Chief Minister had implemented for the benefit of Muslims and Christians.

G. Palanithurai, veteran academician, asserts that she had to be viewed within the framework of Dravidian ideals. He points out how Jayalalithaa did a course correction when the move to ban animal sacrifices was resisted. He concurs with the contention that Mr. Annamalai’s description is his latest attempt to woo the AIADMK’s volunteers who are still wedded to the “two leaves” symbol.

‘Indian freedom movement largely missing from history, political science syllabi in State’s universities’

The Hindu Bureau

UDHAGAMANDALAM

Governor R.N. Ravi presenting a certificate to a participant at the valedictory event of the Conference of Vice-Chancellors of State and Private Universitiesin Udhagamandalam on Tuesday. M. SATHYAMOORTHY M. SATHYAMOORTHY

Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi on Tuesday said he was “shocked” and “in disbelief” after reviewing the curricula of history and political science courses in State and private universities in Tamil Nadu. He alleged that the history of the Indian freedom movement was “entirely missing”, except for a few chapters on local leaders.

Delivering the valedictory address at the Conference of Vice-Chancellors of State and Private Universities held at the Raj Bhavan in Udhagamandalam, Mr. Ravi said that while the syllabi of B.A and M.A courses in history and political science was filled with the history of the Dravidian movement “semester after semester,” the Indian freedom movement had been largely ignored, except for references to a few leaders from the south such as Veerapandiya Kattabomman.

“Dravidian history has to be a part of history, but that does not mean that it is the only history,” said Mr. Ravi, stating that Tamil Nadu and South India had “millions” of people who participated in the freedom movement in the 19th and 20th Centuries.

“The impact of the British colonial government on this place (Tamil Nadu) necessitates study...Tens of thousands of people were taken by the British to their colonies in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Fiji, and other places, where they were sold to landowners almost like slaves,” the Governor said.

He added that during the “communal partition of Bengal,” there was a massive agitation in Tamil Nadu against the British, “which finds no mention” in the curricula.

“Incidents such as Jallianwala Bagh happened here, like the Devakottai incident, where the British killed 75 people in one go,” said Mr. Ravi, adding, “If the students do not know about their history, what will be their connection with India?” He said erasing the history of the Indian Independence movement is an insult to the freedom fighters of Tamil Nadu.

“This is very painful, and I am not going to accept that this place was not part of Bharat and not a part of the national movement for Independence in India. It is grossly unfair to the country as a whole,” Mr. Ravi said.

Earlier, Mr. Ravi highlighted the shortage of teaching staff in universities, stating that some had 50% vacancies in teaching positions. On the topic of guest lecturers at these universities, Mr. Ravi said it was far too much to expect them to guide students as they were “poorly paid and randomly appointed.”

Earlier in the day, the Governor garlanded a portrait of nationalist, Vinayak Damodar Sarvakar, on the occasion of his 141st birth anniversary.

CB-CID confirms death of woman who was reported missing in Thanjavur in 2017

S. Vijay Kumar

CHENNAI

Seven years after a hearing and speech impaired woman was reported missing in Thanjavur district, the Crime Branch CID confirmed her death after DNA analysis matched with an unidentified body found in the neighbouring Pudukottai district.

Sources in the agency said the victim, Nishanthi, 29, was a native of Orathanadu. Her husband worked in Chennai. On July 31, 2017, she informed her parents that she was going to Thanjavur on some work but never returned home. Her father M. Palanivel then lodged a complaint with the Orathanadu police.

Preliminary inquiries by the police did not provide any clues that could lead to locating the woman. However, an eyewitness informed police that Nishanthi was seen conversing in a sign language with a man in the local market a day before she went missing. Further probe led the investigators to seize the woman’s SIM card from the man, the sources said.

On interrogation, the suspect admitted that he had an argument with Nishanthi. She later took a bus and threw the SIM card at him while leaving. The suspect died of Covid complications during the pandemic. Without much progress, the case was transferred to the CB-CID for investigation.

Investigators perused the profiles of 1,230 unidentified bodies reported from across the State to check for any similarities with the missing woman. During the course of the probe, the police found that an unidentified body of a woman found in Killanur in Pudukottai district had some features matching with that of Nishanthi.

Forensic analysis

CB-CID officers collected DNA samples of the missing woman’s parents and sent it to the Tamil Nadu Forensic Science Laboratory. The analysis revealed the samples matched with that of the unidentified body. Post-mortem conducted on the spot on the highly decomposed body did not reveal any major injury.

“We have now established with the help of forensic evidence that Nishanthi was the person who was found dead in Pudukottai district. Though no major injury has been recorded in the post-mortem report, the cause of her death remains to be ascertained. Inquiries are on with some of her hearing and speech impaired friends to establish the cause of death,” a senior CB-CID officer said.

Couple arrested for unauthorised handling of Indian rat snake

The Hindu Bureau

COIMBATORE

The Coimbatore Forest Department arrested two pesons on Monday on charges of unauthorised handling of an eight-foot-long Indian rat snake and subsequently posting a video of the incident on social media.

The arrested persons, identified as Abdul Rahman and Uma Maheshwari from Chinnavedampatti, caught the snake without authorisation and shared a video of the incident on social media on May 25. The accused have been charged under Section 9 of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 (WPA), which prohibits hunting and capturing certain animals.

Protected species

The Indian rat snake, listed under Schedule I of the WPA, is a protected species and capturing or handling these snakes without the necessary permits is a violation of the Act. The video drew widespread attention, prompting an investigation by forest officials.

Upon verification, the Coimbatore Forest Department confirmed the illegal activity and registered a case and produced the two before the Judicial Magistrate.

In the video, the duo identified themselves as snake rescuers and encouraged viewers to reach out to them or other rescuers if they encountered snakes.

However, Forest Department officials clarified that the pair had not been authorised by the department to assist in snake rescue and rehabilitation, advising people to contact the department instead. Forest officials later said the arrested people were released on bail.

TMC(M) to organise training session for counting agents

TMC(M) president G.K. Vasan on Tuesday said that the party would conduct training sessions for counting agents this week to create awareness on the dos and don’ts on counting day. Being a constituent of the BJP-led NDA, the TMC(M) contested three seats – Sriperumbudur, Erode and Thoothukudi – in the Lok Sabha election in the State. Mr. Vasan said that he had asked his party’s candidates to organise training sessions for counting agents based on the guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India (EC). “These sessions will help our agents know how to keep a vigil during the counting of votes on June 4. We have also planned to conduct an exercise on the dos and don’ts inside the counting centre. The session will be conducted in coordination with our alliance partners. After the declaration of the results, a meeting will be convened to discuss the results and to conduct membership drives,” he said.

₹1.09 cr. fine collected from owners of vehicles

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

The Tamil Nadu State Transport and Road Safety Commissionerate on Monday organised a special inspection drive across the State and imposed penalty on owners of over 1,050 vehicles for various violations under the Motor Vehicles Act.

A senior official said that based on several complaints, the officials of the Regional Transport Offices and Motor Vehicle Inspectors conducted a mass inspection. During the drive, 5,463 vehicles were inspected, of which 1,054 were found to be in violation of various rules. A total fine of ₹1.09 crore was collected from the owners of these vehicles.

An official said more such mass inspections would be conducted throughout the State in the coming weeks.

Vivekananda memorial to be shut till June 1 due to PM’s visit

The Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanniyakumari will be closed to tourists for three days from May 30 as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to meditate at the site. Security has been stepped up in Kanniyakumari district ahead of his visit. Mr. Modi, who will arrive from Thiruvananthapuram by helicopter at 3.55 p.m. on May 30, will reach the memorial by boat. He will then start his meditation in the ‘Dhyana Mandapam’, and will return to Thiruvananthapuram by helicopter on June 1, after completing his meditation. The Special Protection Group conducted an inspection in Kanniyakumari on Tuesday.

Chennai residents run into new problem: cars parked on streets

R. Sivaraman

Disputes over parking of cars on streets have increased since too many of these are parked on streets abutting houses or apartments, says a police officer. Often, the affected residents call up the police. The problem is acute in core areas like Adyar, T. Nagar, and Mylapore

1 of 2 Poor enforcement: Cars parked on TMS Street at Mylapore. The residents of intersectional and narrow streets are the worst affected. The stakeholders need to be sensitised to the fact that parking space is a private commodity, and the civic body has no obligation to provide it, says an expert.M. SRINATH The Hindu

2 of 2 Innovative technologies may come in handy to make the enforcement foolproof and transparent. The GPS and mobile-enabled devices have revolutionised parking enforcement in the U.S. cities, where no one dares to illegally park on the streets. It enforces parking rules safely. It is an intelligent device that operators can deploy easily and violators can remove the lock themselves once they pay the penalty online or by phone. K.P. Subramanian, former professor, Department of Urban Engineering, Anna University

With rapid urbanisation, the misuse of land, especially public space, has become commonplace. Vehicles, especially cars, are parked on every street, encroaching upon public space, crippling the free movement of pedestrians. Various neighbourhoods are witnessing fights among residents over parking on the streets, and these disputes end up at police stations.

A senior traffic police officer in south Chennai says, “Disputes over parking of cars on roads/streets have increased since too many cars are parked on streets abutting houses or apartments. Often, the affected residents call us up for assistance. On one occasion, a VIP called us up to remove a car parked near his house by a neighbour. When we reached the spot, the neighbour argued with us that the VIP too should not be allowed to park on the street. People think it is their right to park on streets...”

Cars parked on streets throw up many problems to the residents who live in the core areas of the city, such as Adyar, T. Nagar, Mylapore, Mandaveli, Mambalam, and Ashok Nagar, and in the suburbs. The city, which has a population of over 1.5 crore, has 8,52,080 cars on its roads, in addition to those coming in from other places of the State and other States. The city has 39,36,392 two-wheelers, besides 2,03,797 transport vehicles. Almost every family has a car, whether it has a parking facility in the house or not. Many families have more than one car and they park the vehicles on the streets.

Public space misused

Even an early morning walk on the streets in many parts of the city would show how people have been misusing and abusing public space. Vehicles, both private and commercial, are parked on both sides of streets/roads, reducing the carriageway. The situation is worse when there are pavements; vehicles which cannot climb the pavements are parked on the free carriageway. T. Krishna Bhagavat, an advocate and resident of T. Nagar, says, “For instance, if a street has a width of 30 feet, 2 feet is used for pavement and another 5 feet is occupied by the vehicles parked on either side, leaving just enough space for only one vehicle to pass in between. The local bodies lay a road with a certain width for easy mobility for residents by spending public money. For some, it has become habitual to utilise roads and pavements for private benefit, much to the detriment of others,” he says.

“Parking vehicles on the street is a new menace, which haunts many residents. On some occasions, cars or bikes were set on fire to settle scores over parking issues. Poor planning has created the problem. Earlier, stilt parking was not mandatory. Though stilt parking is mandatory now, apartments do not have adequate parking space,” points out social activist David Manohar.

Lack of planning

“For instance, if there are six dwelling units in an apartment, there will be only four or five parking slots. The rest of the space is taken up by facilities such as lift. They also have two-wheelers. So people who have more than one car keep parking on the street. Residents are often clueless about who parked the cars on the street. They get tense when they spot a car blocking their path. There is no planning on the part of the CMDA, and the police do not have enough manpower to handle the issues,” he says.

Call taxis and commercial vehicles are left on streets at Alwarpet and other places, causing hindrance to the residents, a police officer says. K. Shankar of Kalyan Nagar Association says, “Sometimes, they bring a two-wheeler and park it in the place where their car is parked illegally. They take the car and go, as if this were their private area. When they come back, they leave the car and take the two-wheeler. I don’t know what the police will do.”

Vehicles abandoned on the streets are another problem. There are some neighbourhood associations in posh areas that use police influence and put up no-parking or two-zone signs in front of their houses.

Saroj Satyanarayan, a resident of Mandavelipakkam, says, “The residents of these intersectional streets are suffering. Tourist cabs and tempos are parked on our roads without authorisation. We are not able to do anything.”

The traffic police say that whenever they receive a call for assistance to remove vehicles parked illegally on the streets, they go with recovery vehicles and tow away the vehicles. They levy a fine and book cases for obstruction. Towing charges are also being collected. A senior traffic police officer says, “If the owner of a car/bike refuses to take the car or bike, we can impose a fine up to ₹2,000. People should not park their motor vehicles on the streets.”

‘Emulate Mumbai model’

K.P. Subramanian, former professor, Department of Urban Engineering, Anna University, says many families park on local streets 24x7 as if the streets were their rightful parking places. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai had initiated a process to videograph the parking of vehicles on inner streets, assess the parking duration, and send notice to the owners of these vehicles demanding parking charges. That process yielded the expected result. The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) can follow this example.

“Innovative technologies may come in handy to make the enforcement foolproof and transparent. The GPS and mobile-enabled devices have revolutionised parking enforcement in the U.S. cities, where no one dares to illegally park on the streets. It enforces parking rules safely. It is an intelligent device that operators can deploy easily and violators can remove the lock themselves once they pay the penalty online or by phone,” he says.

A drawback of the parking enforcement system in Chennai is the multiplicity of institutions. The Greater Chennai Traffic Police (GCTP) enforce the parking rules and the Corporation is the owner of the roads. Another defect of the system is the absence of an apex authority that can be made accountable for any flaw in the enforcement. Last but not the least, the stakeholders, including government agencies, need to be sensitised to the fact that the parking space is a private commodity, and the GCC or the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Agency (CUMTA) has no obligation to provide it, he says.

Mr. Subramanian says it is the responsibility of the vehicle-owners or the commercial establishments to provide for parking slots. However, such a decision needs political will and professional skill. In the meantime, the State government informed the Madras High Court that the CUMTA had come up with a draft motor vehicle parking policy and it would be finalised after obtaining the opinion of the departments concerned.

Chennai-Chicago Connect: Wanamaker’s donation made YMCA building possible

V. Sriram

1 of 2 Chennai’s own: YMCA Building on NSC Bose Road in Chennai is often described as the city’s first to be clad in sandstone. At right is the architectural plan for the building. V. SriramV. Sriram

2 of 2

Going walkabout in windswept Chicago last week, I paused for a while to admire the Merchandise Mart building, a classic in Art Deco. And turning around, I saw a series of obelisks, each topped with a bust, commemorating pioneers in trade. The names did not strike a chord until I came to John Wanamaker.

Those interested in Madras history will know that it was his donation of $30,000 (and not 40,000 as is often recorded) which made the beautiful YMCA building on NSC Bose Road possible.

Wanamaker was serving as the U.S. Postmaster General when he made that contribution, he having accepted that position during the presidency of Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893). But his association with the YMCA stretched back to his youth. Wikipedia informs that he, born in 1838, joined the YMCA at the age of 19, and became its first Corresponding Secretary. And he remained committed to the cause throughout his life.

Fortune from trade

Outside of this, Wanamaker made his fortune in a chain of departmental stores in the Philadelphia area and there exists a building in that city commemorating him. His tenure as PMG evidently was not without controversy. He died in 1922.

That Chicago-Chennai connect, other than Swami Vivekananda and his address at the Parliament of Religions in 1893, brought to mind some further bits and pieces I had stored away regarding the YMCA building’s construction. In its time, it received considerable attention in the world press. It was one of six YMCA structures made possible by Wanamaker’s munificence, the others being at Calcutta/Kolkata, Kyoto, Seoul, Peking/Beijing, and Moscow. He was induced to donate to the Madras building by the Rev. George Benton Smith, who during his 12 years in India had done much to strengthen the movement here.

The site for the building was made possible by donations received essentially from the U.K. and some from the U.S., with the Madras secretaries, David McConnaughy and Raymond J. Davis, doing much to generate local contributions. The Madras Government extended its support as well. The land, however, had “two tin bazaars on the site whose owners held out for an exorbitant price”. It is reported that faced with this, “the workers gave themselves over to prayer, and within a few weeks came the answer in the shape of a cyclone which knocked down the bazaars, and likewise the price”.

It is recorded that the cost of the foundations was borne by “the young men of Madras”, though regretfully their individual names are not to be found. And then came Wanamaker’s whopping donation which made the superstructure possible. When completed, it was described as the chief “among the fifteen Association-owned buildings” in India.

Indian elements

The edifice, as it stands now, is often described as the city’s first to be clad in sandstone and an example of how Indo-Saracenic came to be influenced by Jaipuri-Jaina architectural elements. The design is attributed to GST Harris, who was the Government Architect at the close of the 19th Century in Madras. But I have in my collection a drawing of the plans of the structure and these are very clearly attributed to the architectural firm of Merrill & Cutler, of Lowell, Massachusetts. The façade, as depicted in it, shows that this was the basic plan that was followed but it’s plain, and rather Moorish design was changed to include a lot of Indian elements, which must have been Harris’ contribution, as was probably the sandstone cladding.

The contractor was the builder baron Dewan Bahadur T. Namberumal Chetty. The present state of the building, however, leaves a lot to be desired.

(V. Sriram is a

writer and historian.)

A school caters to women’s empowerment

Meghna M.

Noble aim: The Lady Willingdon Government Girls Higher Secondary School was founded in 1922 with the sole purpose of empowering girls and women through education.R. RAGU The Hindu

At Lady Willingdon Government Girls Higher Secondary School at Triplicane, the teachers are all praise for their students. “We are truly blessed to teach children who are gentle and very attentive to anything that we teach,” says K. Annamalai, a history teacher.

It was founded in 1922 with the help of Lady Willingdon, wife of the Governor of Madras, Lord Willingdon, with the sole purpose of empowering girls and women through education. In 1915, to improve the livelihood of widows, a school for them, called the Kuppam school, was started, along with a graduate teacher training institute, by Sister R.S. Subbalakshmi. “She was running a Brahmin Widows Hostel when she met Lady Willingdon in the Mylapore Women’s Club and requested for a building for the students. Simultaneously, a Widows Teacher Training Institute was also established by Lord Willingdon to train teachers in teaching. Subbalakshmi was the first principal of the school,” says Mr. Annamalai.

A model school in 2019

The school at the time was catering to students from the fishermen community and the children of widows and migrant workers. In 1978, the school transitioned to higher secondary and in 2019, it was converted into a model school. “This has been one of the few schools in Tamil Nadu to impart education in English since its inception,” he adds.

There was great emphasis on home science, embroidery, art and culture when the school began functioning. Built in a ‘W’ shape, the school is now undergoing restoration in three phases as it was in a dilapidated state about a year ago.

The campus boasts a playground where students have emerged stars in throwball, Kho Kho, and football. This year, a volleyball court and a tennis court will be inaugurated. “Students show a great interest in sports. There are also Silambattam classes,” says principal Hema Priya.

Boosting admission

Though the school has the capacity to accommodate over 4,000 students, it now has only 500. Ms. Hema Priya says efforts are being made to boost admission this year. “We plan to deploy a bus so that students from Kannagi Nagar, Perumbakkam, and nearby areas can come here to study.”

The school also serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks to Class IX, X, XI and XII students as they are not covered by the welfare schemes introduced in the State.

Speaking about opportunities to students, the principal says, “The outlook of students has been improving with greater emphasis on higher education. The awareness among students and parents of the various options in higher education is increasing with other benefits such as the 7.5% reservation in colleges. We hope to continue to empower girls through education and carry on the legacy of Lady Willingdon and Subbalakshmi.”

A river in the Kongu region, which once fostered a civilisation, has gone dry

Avantika Krishna, R. Krishnamoorthy

Kousika originates from Kurudimalai and traverses 52 km after streams from the hills merge with it near the foothills . One of the rivulet tributaries is blocked by brick kilns in Thadagam valley. The river also faces interruptions from encroachments throughout its course in Coimbatore and Tiruppur districts. The river has a catchment of 525 sq. km

1 of 2 Death of a river: Historically, the Kousika had been known to be a perennial river. Only in the last 10 to 12 years has it been drying up in summers, and sometimes even during monsoons. The tanks linked to the river are now largely dry and filled with waste. The photo shows the dry river along Sathyamangalam Road in Coimbatore. S. Siva Saravanan The Hindu

2 of 2 In fact, some years ago, cattle skeletons, including teeth samples, were excavated from its banks, and carbon-dating found them to be around 15,000 years old. This adds evidence to the ancient history of the Kongu region. R. Poongundran, former Assistant Director, Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology

“Mathura menunathi peruki yirukarai vazhiya, Vakaivakai kuthipAyung kurudi malaiyurai MurugA,” goes a verse from The Tiruppugazh, the 15th Century anthology of religious songs sung by Saint Arunagirinathar. Translating to — “By the floods in River Madhuram inundating the banks, with water jumping about in all directions in this place called Kurudimalai...That is Your abode, Oh MurugA!” — the text is one of the earliest literary references to Kurudimalai, the origin of River Madhuram, known today as Kousika. Arunagirinathar’s poetic words imply the dynamic flow of the river, hinting at its historical and cultural significance.

Conservationists in the Kongu region, where the river merges with the Noyyal before joining the Cauvery, say, “Its present predicament does injustice to its beauty described in the text.”

Debate on classification

In fact, according to revenue records, the river is officially called ‘Vannathangarai Odai’. “The debate on its classification as a river has persisted for decades. However, given its historical and archaeological significance, as well as its ongoing contribution to modern irrigation, it deserves recognition as a river,” says Selvaraj, secretary of the Kousika Neerkarangal Trust, which is involved in the watershed development and rejuvenation of the Kousika.

Originating from the Kurudimalai or Kuruthi Hills, which boasts of a peak named after William Lambton, the renowned surveyor of India, this river once traversed 52 km after several streams from the hills merged with it near the foothills. Today, one of the rivulet tributaries is blocked by brick kilns in the Thadagam valley, narrowing its width to 12-20 metres. The river also faces multiple interruptions from encroachments throughout its course in the Annur, Sulur, Sarcarsamakulam, and Periyanaickenpalayam blocks in Coimbatore district and the Avinashi block in Tiruppur district. In total, the river has a catchment of 525 square kilometres.

Excavations in 2011

The Kousika Neerkarangal Trust says the river, which fostered a civilisation about 2,000 years ago, is not even a shadow of what it was. In 2011, a team of students, archaeological professors, and historians conducted excavations and the carbon-dating of artefacts unearthed along the banks suggests the river could be 10,000 years old. This assertion is supported by archaeological findings in Kovilpalayam and Idigarai, dating back to the Iron Age (1500 BCE–500 BCE). These artefacts are displayed at the Coimbatore Government Museum.

“In fact, some years ago, cattle skeletons, including teeth samples, were excavated from its banks, and carbon-dating found them to be around 15,000 years old. This adds evidence to the ancient history of the Kongu region,” says R. Poongundran, former Assistant Director of the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology.

K. Rajan, Professor and Head of the Department of History at Pondicherry University, who has 20 years of experience in archaeological expeditions in Tamil Nadu, states in his research paper, Archaeology of Tamilnadu (Kongu Country), “Megalithic pit, main cist, port hole, subsidiary cist and burial urns were also found.”

One of the first excavators of the riverbanks was Robert Bruce Foote, a British geologist and archaeologist who conducted geological surveys of prehistoric locations in India in the 1860s. “At a time when the British government was looking to set up railway lines in the region, Bruce Foote undertook excavations to ensure that artefacts were not ruined in the process,” says Kumaravel Ramaswamy, secretary of Yaakkai Heritage Trust, which has been documenting the river’s history for several years.

Still linked to tanks

Today, the course of the Kousika continues to retain link with numerous tanks coming under the Athikadavu-Avinashi Irrigation Project, including the Kousika Lake near Kulathupalayam, the Sarkarsamakulam Lake near Kovilpalayam, and the Agrakarasamakulam Lake near Idikarai. However, changes in waterways, low rainfall, sinking groundwater levels, and riverbed encroachment have severely affected its flow, making it nearly non-existent for most of the year. In the Sulur block, the groundwater level is critical, and in the other four blocks, it is overexploited, according to data from the Kousika Neerkarangal Trust, endorsed by the Water Resources Department.

Historically, the river had been known to be perennial. “Only in the last 10 to 12 years has it been drying up in summers, and sometimes even during monsoons. The tanks linked to the river are now largely dry and filled with waste, weed, and debris, which may impact the Athikadavu-Avinashi Irrigation Project. Current efforts focus on rejuvenating these tanks,” says Mr. Selvaraj. While the river has apparently faded out of memory, conservationists in Coimbatore doggedly reflect on its past glory and underscore the need for rejuvenation amid depleting water resources and rapid development. Echoing this, S. Tirumurthi, caretaker of the Kaattu Bannari Amman Temple in the Kuruthi Hills, says, “This year, the district faced severe heatwave and water depletion. In times like this, we ought to leave no stone unturned in our endeavour to revive every waterbody, more importantly the once-popular Vannathangarai Odai.”

How India’s first integrated business city came up in Chennai after Ford started operations

Sangeetha Kandavel

In 1996, it was planned to develop an auto ancillary park to support Ford Motors at Maraimalainagar. Mahindra Group joined hands with IL&FS. TIDCO helped in procuring land and getting approval. Subsequently, Mahindra Group bought the shares of IL&FS, and it was named Mahindra World City, which is spread on 1,550 acres

Unique project: Over 65 transnational companies have opened their facilities in the Mahindra World City. As of the third quarter of the financial year 2024, it has facilitated cumulative SEZ exports worth ₹132,871 crore.

During the Global Investors Meet 2024, industrialist Anand Mahindra said Tamil Nadu was not the choice when Ford started its operations in India in a joint venture with the Mahindra Group. “We were looking for locations in the north. It was the Ford team that told us, ‘Tamil Nadu is the place to be’. And the Ford experience helped me make a personal decision to set up the Mahindra Research Valley here,” the Mahindra Group chairman recalled. And there the seeds were sown for the 1,550-acre Mahindra World City (MWC) in Chennai, India’s first integrated business city and corporate India’s first operating Special Economic Zone (SEZ). And this place also includes a multi-sector Special Economic Zone and a Domestic Tariff Area (DTA).

“Currently, over 65 transnational companies — including BMW, Infosys, Mahindra Research Valley, Fujitec, Pegatron, TSMT, BASF, NTN Bearing, Lear Automotive, TVS Group of companies, and Force Motors — have opened their facilities in the MWC,” says Rajaram Pai, Chief Business Officer, Industrial, Mahindra Lifespace Developers Limited. As of the third quarter of the financial year 2024, MWC has facilitated cumulative SEZ exports worth ₹132,871 crore and generated jobs for over 61,000 persons.

MoU signed

So, how did the MWC come up? According to Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), ideation began in 1996. An MoU was signed between Mahindra and TIDCO. The initial aim was to develop a park for auto ancillary parts units that would support the Ford Motors manufacturing unit at Maraimalainagar.

The Mahindra Group joined hands with IL&FS to develop this park. The proposal was then taken to the government and TIDCO for help in procuring land and getting statutory approval. This was how TIDCO got into it. Subsequently, the entire shares of IL&FS were purchased by the Mahindra Group. When the SEZ policy was announced by the Union government, things changed. “Since SEZ was a new concept and provided many tax holidays which would attract many industries, approval was obtained for developing SEZs in the MWC for information technology, auto ancillary parts, and apparels and fashion accessories to effectively market the area. It was also decided to let out non-SEZ areas in the park and to provide a mix of SEZ and non-SEZ areas to industries of various sectors,” according to information given by TIDCO. Arun Nanda of the Mahindra Group and IAS officers Shaktikanta Das, now the RBI Governor, and Gopalan (then in TIDCO) were the key people involved in this project in its initial stage.

Mahindra World City was inaugurated on September 21, 2002, by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. Infosys Technologies Limited was the anchor client. Infosys was allotted 129 acres and its proposed investment in Phase I was ₹250 crore. Then, the company had said its overall investment would be ₹1,250 crore. Jayalalithaa laid the foundation for the Infosys project in February 2004. During the Global Investors Meet 2024, Mr. Mahindra recalled, “We convinced Narayana Murthy [of InFosys] to come in as one of the first tenants. Thereafter, there was no looking back. All of you know what kind of tenants the MWC has.”

Railway station developed

Another unique thing is a railway project which came up here. The Paranur station was a public-private partnership initiative between the MWC and Southern Railway. It was the first station to be redesigned and maintained by the corporate sector. Earlier, Paranur was the halt station, and the frequency of trains was low. As the industries were mushrooming here, a request was made for developing the station and increasing the frequency of trains. “This was to facilitate several thousand employees working in the MWC to commute from the city to the park easily. The station was inaugurated in December 2007,” a TIDCO official says. “The railways has become a preferred mode of transport for over 40% of the workers residing in Chennai and suburbs,” points out Mr. Pai.

The Mahindra Research Valley at the MWC was the first research and development centre in the world that brought auto and tractor product development under one roof, on a scale that mattered. “The common ground between its systems, simulation, power-train, and material testing provided the basis for immense savings in the R&D infrastructure and synergies. Housing several functional expertise under one roof also ensured the exchange of creative ideas, the robustness of the product, and the best value proposition to the customer,” Mr. Pai says. Apple supplier Pegatron is also housed in the MWC. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin inaugurated the project, which entails a total investment of ₹1,100 crore and offers jobs to roughly 14,000 workers.

Warehouses proposed

Currently, most of the land parcels in the MWC have been allotted. TIDCO has an 11% equity shareholding in this project. It proposes to develop warehouses to meet the growing industrial demand. The MWC is surrounded by 600 acres of the Thirutheri Reserve Forest to the west and 2,200 acres of the perennial Kolavoy Lake to the south and the south-west. The lake serves as a source of freshwater for the MWC, which is India’s first IGBC Platinum (Stage 2) Green Township and first integrated city to have received zero waste to landfill certification.

National

- Six lives lost as rain wreaks havoc in Kerala

- Bonds signed for rural service by MBBS graduates prior to July 2022 illegal: HC

- ‘BRS leaders stopped ex-intelligence officer from coming to India’

- HC reserves order on BRS leader’s plea

- Rajkot fire: Cong. calls for judicial oversight of probe

- Meitei civil society organisations raise questions over ‘targeted attacks’ in Manipur

- Pune car case: Minister, MLA pressured doctors, alleges Cong., wants Fadnavis to quit

- Student beaten to death on law college campus in Patna

- Sandeshkhali attack: CBI files chargesheet

- Bomb threat at Delhi airport a hoax

- 31 killed as rain wreaks havoc in northeast

- SC tells Kejriwal to move CJI for bail extension

- Chinese “allegedly invaded” India in 1962: Mani Shankar Aiyar triggers fresh row

- Court acquits Dera chief in murder case

- India offers $1 million aid to Papua New Guinea

- All eyes on the Santhal region of Jharkhand during last phase

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- Pride aside, development is the poll agenda in Mayurbhanj

- EC orders suspension of Special Secretary to Odisha Chief Minister

- Mizoram MP urges EC to let policemen away on poll duty vote

- Nitish may take a big decision after June 4: RJD

- Shah intensifies attack on Odisha CM, his aide

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Six lives lost as rain wreaks havoc in Kerala

The Hindu Bureau

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Low-lying areas in Kochi inundated as city gets 103 mm of rainfall in an hour , pointing to a cloudburst; seven houses damaged in landslip; night traffic on Wagamon route banned; water released from 2 dams; tourists barred from two hill stations, including Ponmudi; rain alert continues today

Battered city: A flooded road in Kochi on Tuesday. Special ArrangementThe Hindu

After a brief hiatus, rain triggered by a cyclonic circulation over south Tamil Nadu intensified across Kerala, wreaking havoc and causing severe waterlogging in many places.

The rain that pounded Kochi city on Sunday night and Monday morning left low-lying areas near Infopark inundated, throwing life out of gear.

The rain gauge set up at the Cochin University of Science and Technology recorded around 103 mm of rain in just one hour. Rain of 100 mm an hour is classified as a cloudburst event. However, the India Meteorological Department has not confirmed any cloudburst in the State.

The heavy rain pounding various parts of Kottayam since Sunday triggered a landslip in the Bharananganam village, damaging seven houses. No casualty has been reported.

Six people lost their lives in various rain-related incidents in the State.

In Thiruvananthapuram, a fisherman, John, 64, died when a fishing vessel capsized in the Muthalapozhi harbour area. Rajan, 57, from Idukki, died after falling into a river while catching fish.

Three drown in rivers

Ashokan, 56, of Thiruvananthapuram; Sinan, 14, of Kanhangad, and Eldose, 15, from Perumbavoor drowned in rivers. Aravind of Mavelikara, 31, died after being trapped under an uprooted coconut tree.

In the wake of heavy rainfall, the respective district administrations have banned the entry of tourists into hill stations such as Ponmudi in Thiruvananthapuram and Ela Veezha Poonchira in Kottayam. Night traffic along the Erattupetta-Wagamon route has been banned following landslips in some areas.

Four shutters of the Malankara Dam in Idukki and all shutters of the Aruvikkara Dam in the capital have been raised.

The IMD has issued an orange alert for four districts — Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Ernakulam — warning of very heavy rainfall and a yellow alert for four districts — Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Idukki and Thrissur — warning of isolated heavy rain on Wednesday.

Bonds signed for rural service by MBBS before July 2022 illegal: HC

The Hindu Bureau

Bengaluru

Around 440 MBBS graduates of 2021 are not required to undergo one year of compulsory rural service as per the bond signed by them while joining the medical course through government-quota seats in 2015 as the High Court of Karnataka has said the law, enacted in 2012 for mandatory rural service, remained unenforced for 10 years.

“The State appears to have been in deep slumber or having a siesta for 10 years. If the rule itself depicts that it would come into effect on the date of its publication in the official gazette, the rule that just stood on paper before publication was inchoate. On an inchoate rule, the State has sought to impose certain conditions upon students,” the court observed.

The court made it clear that bonds executed for mandatory rural service till the rules were published in the official gazette on July 22, 2022, are illegal as the contracts, singed through the bonds, were executed based on the power available under the rules, which were not in force when the bonds were executed prior to July 2022.

Justice M. Nagaprasanna passed the order recently while partly allowing the petitions filed in 2021 by Sharanya Mohan and other MBBS graduates, who completed the course in 2021. They had questioned the legality of compulsory rural service when the National Medical Commission has not made such a service mandatory.

‘BRS leaders stopped ex-intelligence officer from coming to India’

The Hindu Bureau

HYDERABAD

Congress MLA Yennem Srinivas Reddy alleged that some top leaders of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi were preventing former State Intelligence Bureau chief Prabhakar Rao from returning to India as they feared his revelations in the police questioning would expose them.

Mr. Prabhakar is the main accused in the phone tapping case and he is currently in the U.S. At a press conference here, Mr. Reddy said, “My suggestion to Mr. Prabhakar is to come here and face the probe”.

The inquiry threw up the role of former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, who had allegedly asked the police to arrest BJP general secretary B.L. Santhosh so that he could barter with the BJP to drop cases against his daughter and BRS MLC K. Kavitha, who is an accused in the Delhi liquor policy case .

HC reserves order on BRS leader’s plea

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday reserved its order on bail petition of BRS leader K. Kavitha in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy case.

During the hearing, the CBI and the ED opposed her bail petition, saying she played a key role in the conspiracy behind the “scam” and being an active politician she cannot seek parity with “vulnerable” women.

Rajkot fire: Cong. calls for judicial oversight of probe

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

State govt. ‘not serious’ about taking action in case, says Gujarat Congress chief Shaktisinh Gohil; he urges the Prime Minister to visit Rajkot and meet the families of the victims to share their grief

Rapid fire: Gujarat Congress president Shaktisinh Gohil at a press meet at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday. ANIANI

The Congress on Tuesday demanded an investigation under the supervision of a sitting judge of the Supreme Court or the High Court into the fire at the Rajkot game zone that left more than 30 people dead.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, Gujarat Congress chief Shaktisinh Gohil said the BJP government in the State was “not serious” about taking action in the case. He urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Rajkot and meet the families of the victims to share their grief.

More than 30 people, many of them children, were killed in the fire at the gaming centre on May 25. The State government has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT). The bodies charred beyond recognition are being identified through DNA profiling.

“Prime Minister Modi should take a break from campaigning and meet the families affected by this incident in Rajkot and share their grief,” Mr. Gohil said.

Hitting out at the State government, Mr. Gohil alleged that safety rules such as separate entry and exit routes and distance from residential areas were not followed in the game zone.

“Even after such a horrific accident in Rajkot, the government is not serious. It is the responsibility of the government to protect the lives and property of the people, but today the government itself is playing with it. When top officials themselves had been visiting this game zone, then what is the government trying to prove by suspending the junior official,” Mr. Gohil said.

‘Undue prominence’

The Congress leader said that in Gujarat, the officers who “flatter” the government had been given prominence.

“The situation is such that in Gujarat, good officers are being sidelined and their careers are being ruined. The result is accidents such as the one in Rajkot,” he said.

He also recalled that 22 children had lost their lives at an educational institute in Surat earlier.

“Similarly, 14 children lost their lives when a boat sank in Vadodara. No action was taken in that case either. Many people lost their lives due to the collapse of the bridge in Banaskantha. The company which was building this bridge was blacklisted earlier as well, but as soon as it donated money to the BJP, it got the work of building this bridge,” he alleged.

“There should be a complete investigation under the supervision of a sitting judge of the Supreme Court or High Court,” Mr. Gohil said.

The Congress leader also hailed the Gujarat High Court for coming down heavily on the Rajkot civic body over the game zone fire.

Meitei civil society organisations raise questions over ‘targeted attacks’ in Manipur

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

State of unrest: Tyres and construction material set on fire amid the ethnic violence in Manipur in June 2023. PTI-

Civil society organisations representing the Meitei community on Tuesday raised questions about alleged targeted attacks against the community during the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur.

The Delhi Meitei Coordinating Committee (DMCC), along with allied civil society organisations from the Manipur capital Imphal that included groups of Meira Paibis (women activists), held a press conference at the Press Club of India in New Delhi.

The organisations recalled the attacks on 13 Meitei villages on May 28 last year, hours before Union Home Minister Amit Shah was to visit the State.

The ethnic conflict between the majority Meitei community and the tribal Kuki-Zo communities began on May 3 last year.

More than 220 people have been killed in the conflict so far, thousands injured, and at least 50,000 people internally displaced.

The DMCC, in a statement, said the attacks on the villages in Imphal East and Bishnupur districts began in the early hours of May 28, 2023. Twelve Meitei people, two Kuki-Zo people, and two State forces personnel were killed in the attacks, it said.

Seram Rojesh, convener of the DMCC, said the attacks were carried out even as the Chief of the Army Staff, General Manoj Pande, and the then Eastern Command chief, Lieutenant-General R.P. Kalita, were in Imphal just ahead of Mr. Shah’s visit to the State at the time.

He added that several such attacks had taken places on Meitei villages and outposts of Manipur Police personnel and State forces despite public statements by top Assam Rifles officers promising action.

“Now, Meitei communities are asking if this is not a sign of siding with the Kuki militants, then what else?” the organisations said in the statement.

Such accusations have been made by the warring communities throughout the conflict. While the Kuki-Zo people have alleged that the Manipur Police personnel and State forces were complicit in the attacks against them, the Meitei community has repeatedly accused the Central forces of taking sides in the conflict.

The civil society organisations in Delhi questioned why the violence in the State had been allowed to continue for this long, who should be held responsible for controlling the “civil war” like situation, and why Meiteis had been selectively targeted by both the State and Central governments.

Pune car case: Minister, MLA pressured doctors, alleges Cong., wants Fadnavis to quit

Shoumojit Banerjee

Pune

The Maharashtra Congress on Tuesday demanded the resignation of Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the Pune luxury car crash case while alleging that a Minister and an MLA of the ruling Mahayuti government had ‘pressured’ doctors at the city’s Sassoon Hospital to manipulate the blood samples of the 17-year-old whose reckless driving had resulted in the two deaths.

Speaking to presspersons in Mumbai, State Congress president Nana Patole demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the matter saying that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ought to come clear in a case that is becoming murkier. He alleged that the son of a ruling party MLA was with the accused in the car on the night of the accident on May 19.

“The information that we possess is the second person [along with the accused teenager] was an MLA’s son. Many things are hidden in this case. Who is the Minister and the MLA who pressured Dr. Ajay Taware (head of Sassoon General Hospital’s Forensic Medicine Department) to change the samples of the accused?” Mr. Patole charged.

The Congress’s allegations come a day after the Pune police team investigating the case arrested Dr. Tavare along with Dr. Shrihari Halnor, chief medical officer of Sassoon, along with another staffer Atul Ghatkamble for replacing the blood samples of the accused with that of another person in the aftermath of the accident. The police revealed that the doctors had accepted money from the family of the accused juvenile as bribes for the illegal act.

Mr. Patole said Mr. Fadnavis had reportedly used his own training as a lawyer to save the accused. The State Congress chief targeted NCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who is the Guardian Minister of Pune district, for allegedly ‘shielding’ those involved in the case.

“Illegal pubs are rampant in Pune and Nagpur. After the luxury car crash case, 36 illegal pubs in Pune had to be demolished by authorities. Earlier, in Nagpur, two girls from wealthy families had mowed down two youth in a case of drunken driving. They got bail within 10 hours. In Jalgaon, too, a similar case was reported and an attempt was made to save the accused,” said the State Congress chief.

“CM Shinde must come forward and demand Mr. Fadnavis’s resignation. He must acknowledge how the BJP has tried to destroy the youth by advocating a rampant pub culture,” Mr. Patole said.

Student beaten to death on law college campus in Patna

Amit Bhelari

Patna

A final year student was lynched on a law college campus here by more than 10 unidentified people using hockey sticks, iron rods, bricks and sticks in the Sultanganj police station limits on Monday.

The deceased, Harsh Raj, is an undergraduate student of the Functional English Vocational course in B.N. College. According to the police, as soon as he came out after taking the exams, more than 10 people attacked him near the auditorium of the law college campus in which the 22-year-old student received a major head injury. He was taken to the Patna Medical College and Hospital where he was declared dead.

The deceased was a resident of Vaishali district and was staying in a rented house in the Boring Canal Road locality.

City Superintendent of Police (East), Patna, Bharat Soni on Tuesday said the main accused Chandan Yadav has been arrested.

“We have arrested Chandan Yadav, the main accused in the case. We have also identified the others who were involved in the crime. Continuous searches are being conducted by the Special Investigation Team to catch the absconders. We will not spare anyone in the case,” said Mr. Soni.

Protest march

Several student organisations staged a protest march in Patna against the killing of the student and demanded capital punishment for the culprits.

Requesting anonymity, one of his friends said the possible reason for the lynching could be the decision to contest the Patna University Students’ Union (PUSU) election scheduled later this year. Harsh Raj was very active in the social cause as well and used to run an organisation called the Lok Nayak Yuva Parishad.

Patna University Vice-Chancellor Professor K.C. Sinha expressed grief over the incident and announced cancellation of all the ongoing examinations till further notice.

Sandeshkhali attack: CBI files chargesheet

In April, the CBI seized several arms and ammunition from two premises in Sandeshkhali in the case related to the attack on ED officials.

A few days ago, the ED had attached assets worth ₹14.28 crore belonging to Mr. Shahjahan, his brother, Sekh Sumaia Hafizia Trust (represented by Mr. Alomgir), Abdul Alim Molla, Shib Prasad Hazra and other associates. These included 17 bank accounts with a balance of about ₹3.78 crore and 55 immovable assets, involving 38.90 bighas of land worth ₹10.50 crore.

The ED investigation was based on 13 first information reports (FIR) registered by the West Bengal Police under various provisions of the IPC and the Arms Act against Mr. Shahjahan and others. They were accused of creating an atmosphere of terror by indulging in organised crime of issuing threats of injury, murder, attempt to murder, extortion, land grabbing, and also obtaining illegal monetary gains/benefits.

The ED alleged that Mr. Shahjahan had created a “criminal empire” by indulging in land grabbing, illegal fish farming/trading, cartelisation of contracts, and collection of illegal levies.

Sandeshkhali has been on the boil for the past few months after local women accused Mr. Shahjahan and his associates of land grabbing and sexual abuse.

On March 5, the ED attached properties valued at about ₹12.78 crore linked to Mr. Shahjahan. The total attachments in the case are worth about ₹27 crore, while the “proceeds of crime” are so far estimated to be ₹288.20 crore. All the accused are now in judicial custody.

Bomb hoax at Delhi airport triggers panic

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

A passenger of the IndiGo flight being evacuated through the emergency exit. ANIANI

Panic gripped the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi when a Varanasi-bound flight received a bomb threat on Tuesday morning. After investigation, the police declared that it was a hoax.

In a video that went viral on social media, the pilot of the IndiGo flight was seen sliding out of the aircraft using the emergency slides. An elderly passenger was seen being helped out of the emergency exit by the crew. A total of 176 passengers, who had boarded the flight, were safely evacuated. The police said that they had received information about a piece of paper found inside the toilet of the flight with the words “bomb @5.30 a.m.” written on it. A security inspection with bomb disposal teams followed and the threat was found to be a hoax.

31 killed as rain wreaks havoc in northeast

“We have earmarked ₹15 crore to tackle disasters triggered by the rains induced by the cyclone,” he said.

The State’s Home Minister, K. Sapdanga, said fiscal relief would not be provided to the family members of at least four non-local people who died at the stone quarry. He also said the government ordered the closure of all educational institutions and government offices barring those rendering essential services.

Apart from three deaths, storms in 14 districts of Assam left 17 injured. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, a tree branch fell on a school bus in Sonitpur district’s Dhekiajuli, injuring 12 students. Five others were injured in different incidents in Morigaon.

The Meghalaya State Disaster Management Authority said four persons were injured in a landslide in the East Khasi Hills district.

The India Meteorological Department had issued a red alert for eight districts in Assam, four in Meghalaya, and three in Tripura. The rainfall over the last 48 hours provided respite from heatwave-like conditions across the region last week, with temperatures crossing the 40-degree mark.

SC tells Kejriwal to move CJI for bail extension

“We cannot do anything,” Justice Maheshwari addressed the senior counsel.

Mr. Singhvi submitted that the application was made on medical grounds and did not amount to an abuse of liberty.

In his application seeking an extension of time by a week, Mr. Kejriwal had said he had to undergo a series of medical tests, including a PET-CT scan.

The Bench asked then why the plea was not made before Justice Datta, who was heading a Vacation Bench last week.

The Supreme Court granted Mr. Kejriwal interim bail on May 10 to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. Mr. Kejriwal was ordered to surrender on June 2.

The court had barred Mr. Kejriwal from visiting the Chief Minister’s office or the Delhi Secretariat. He was ordered not to sign any official files unless it was required and necessary for obtaining clearance or approval of the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. He was also prohibited from making any comments with regard to his role in the liquor policy case.

Cong. leader kicks up row by comment on 1962 war

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar triggered another controversy on Tuesday by referring to the 1962 Indo-China war as an “alleged Chinese invasion”.

He made the remarks during a book release event.

Mr. Aiyar was quick to amend his statement and “unreservedly” apologised for “mistakenly” using the word “alleged” for the 1962 event.

At the book launch, Mr. Aiyar said, “In October 1962, the Chinese allegedly invaded India.”

When a member in the audience questioned his usage of the word “allegedly” to qualify the 1962 attack, Mr. Aiyar sought to amend his stance and apologised for using this word.

Several BJP leaders, since Mr. Aiyar’s comments, has attacked the Congress which in turn has distanced itself from Mr. Aiyar’s statement.

Court acquits Dera chief in murder case

According to the CBI chargesheet earlier, the Dera chief believed that Ranjit Singh was behind the circulation of the anonymous letter and hatched a conspiracy to kill him. The CBI court had held Ram Rahim guilty of hatching a criminal conspiracy with his co-accused.

The Dera chief’s lawyer, Jitender Khurana said a Division Bench of Justices Sureshwar Thakur and Lalit Batra pronounced the decision on Tuesday on the appeals filed by Ram Rahim and four others.

In 2017, Ram Rahim was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for raping two disciples, after which he was lodged in Rohtak’s Sunaria jail.

The Dera chief and three others were also convicted in 2019 for the murder of a journalist more than 16 years ago.

India offers $1-million aid to Papua New Guinea

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

The Government of India has granted $1 million as immediate assistance for Papua New Guinea, which has been hit by a devastating flood and landslip that has so far killed 2,000 people.

“As a close friend and partner under the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) and as a gesture of solidarity with the friendly people of Papua New Guinea, Government of India extends an immediate relief assistance of $1 million to support relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts,” said the Ministry of External Affairs in a press statement.

All eyes on the Santhal region of Jharkhand during last phase

Amit Bhelari

PATNA

Godda, Rajmahal and Dumka Lok Sabha constituencies will go to the polls on June 1 ; JMM founder Shibu Soren’s daughter-in-law Sita Soren is in the fray as a candidate of the BJP, which won two of the three seats in the 2019 election

In the last phase of polling for the Lok Sabha election, all eyes have now shifted to the Santhal region in Jharkhand where voting will take place for the Lok Sabha constituencies of Dumka, Rajmahal and Godda.

Sixteen of the 18 constituencies in six districts — Deoghar, Godda, Sahebganj, Pakur, Dumka and Jamtara — are bracketed as Santhal Pargana. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be trying to retain its two seats.

The party won Godda and Dumka seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, whereas it lost Rajmahal seat to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 12 out of 14 Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand, but later that year, the BJP won just four Assembly seats out of 18 in Santhal Pargana in the Assembly election.

Prestige battle

The BJP’s prestige is at stake as JMM founder Shibu Soren’s eldest daughter-in-law, Sita Soren, who quit the party a month before the Lok Sabha election and joined the BJP, is contesting as the saffron party candidate from Dumka.

Dumka consists of six Assembly segments — Jamtara, Sikaripara, Nala, Dumka, Jama and Sarath. This seat is associated with the JMM as Mr. Soren has represented it six times after winning it for the first time in 1989.

At present, this seat is represented by Sunil Soren, who has been dropped by the BJP for this election.

Basant Soren, the younger brother of the former Chief Minister of Jharkhand Hemant Soren, who is in jail in an alleged land scam case, is the legislator from Dumka. JMM MLA from the Nala segment Rabindra Nath Mahato is the Speaker of the Assembly and this gives the party an edge.

Nalin Soren, seven-time MLA of the Sikaripara Assembly seat, is up against Ms. Sita Soren. This seat is also important for the BJP because its State president Babulal Marandi has represented this segment twice.

In Godda, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey is locked in a direct contest against Congress candidate Pradeep Yadav.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Mr. Dubey got the lead in all six Assembly segments — Jarmundi, Madhupur, Deoghar, Poreyahat, Godda and Mahagama. In the previous Lok Sabha election, Mr. Yadav had contested the seat on Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) ticket.

Mr. Dubey is a three-term MP and first won the seat in 2009.

The Godda seat has a sizeable number of Muslim voters followed by Brahmins, Yadavs, and tribal people. Out of the six Assembly segments, four are occupied by the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc, while the BJP has two in Deoghar and Godda.

Independent candidate

Abhishek Jha, grandson of former Bihar Chief Minister Vinodanand Jha, is also in the fray as an Independent candidate and may dent Brahmin votes that could otherwise go to Mr. Dubey because he has a good hold among the members of the Panda community.

Mr. Dubey is seeking votes claiming that upon his request, an airport and a unit of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) was constructed in Deoghar, apart from the extension of a railway line.

On the other hand, the Rajmahal seat, reserved for the Scheduled Tribes (ST), is now occupied by the JMM where the party has fielded sitting MP Vijay Hansdak, who is up against BJP candidate Tala Marandi. It has turned into a triangular contest after Lobin Hembrom, a rebel JMM MLA who represents the Borio Assembly seat, jumped into the contest as an Independent candidate.

Two more candidates for the seat have raised serious questions over the fate of the JMM’s fortunes in the Rajmahal constituency, which has six Assembly segments — Borio, Barhait, Litipara, Pakur, Maheshpur, and Rajmahal.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has fielded Gopen Soren as its candidate whereas the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has fielded Paul Soren, who could dent the Muslim vote bank.

The JMM is also facing difficulties after the arrest of the Congress MLA from Pakur and Minister in the Jharkhand government Alamgir Alam. Mr. Alam had a sway over the the Muslim vote bank.

Close electoral contest on the cards in Odisha’s six Lok Sabha constituencies

Satyasundar Barik

BHUBANESWAR

1 of 2 Battle royale: Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a public meeting in Bhadrak on Tuesday, right, Odisha Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik during a meeting in Kendrapara on Monday. PTI

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The four-phase election in Odisha has entered the final stage with six Lok Sabha seats, mostly in the coastal region, going to the polls on June 1.

The Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur Lok Sabha constituencies and 42 Assembly seats may witness a close contest this time.

While 66 candidates are in the fray for the Lok Sabha election, 394 are contesting the Assembly election. In total, 99,43,370 electors will exercise their voting right.

Former Union Ministers Srikant Jena and Pratap Sarangi, BJP national vice-president Baijayant Panda and senior Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Rajashree Mallick are involved in intense campaigning to win their respective seats.

In the Assembly election, BJP State president Manmohan Samal, former Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik, State Ministers Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, Pratap Deb and Pritiranjan Ghadai and Speaker of the Odisha Assembly Pramila Mallick are in the fray.

Sensing an opportunity to better the BJP’s dismal performance in the State in 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and other senior BJP leaders are criss-crossing the coastal region to give one last push to the party’s campaign.

This phase is crucial for the BJD, which achieved a sweeping victory in the Assembly election in 2019 and secured a majority in the State Assembly. Facing an anti-incumbency sentiment after being in power for 25 years, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, along with his aide V. K. Pandian, has intensified the campaign by touring various parts of the constituencies.

The Balasore Lok Sabha constituency is set to witness a triangular contest with the Congress’s Srikant Jena, the BJP’s Pratap Sarangi and the BJD’s Lekhashree Samantsinghar mounting fierce campaigns.

The electoral fight in Mayurbhanj constituency is expected to be tough for the BJP. The party is facing a herculean task to repeat its 2019 success when it won the Mayurbhanj and the six Assembly constituencies in its limits.

Pride aside, development is the poll agenda in Mayurbhanj

Satyasundar Barik

RAIRANGPUR (ODISHA)

Voicing concerns: A villager carrying drinking water collected from a public tap at Pahadpur village in Odisha. BISWARANJAN ROUT

A well-laid concrete road, an eye-care centre, an under-construction stadium, a skill training centre, 5G Internet connectivity and streetlights give Pahadpur in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha an urban feel. The once nondescript village is the home of the in-laws of President Droupadi Murmu.

In contrast, Surath Nagar, a village 30 km away, does not have an all-weather road connecting the National Highway. The pathway, local people say, symbolises how the tribal community is torn between the pride of seeing Ms. Murmu as the President and the struggle for development.

Naba Charan Majhi, a close associate of Ms. Murmu, has been fielded by the BJP from the Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha constituency, while State Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Sudam Marndi is the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) candidate. They are being challenged by Anjali Murmu, daughter of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha patriarch Shibu Soren.

Ms. Murmu has been one of the most talked about poll themes in her home district Mayurbhanj, which will vote on June 1.

In 2022, the BJP-led government went all out during the Presidential election. The party positioned itself as a champion of tribal rights and the move was expected to benefit the party in the closely contested elections in Odisha. However, the euphoria had long been replaced by a chorus for practical needs.

“Although the government swiftly electrified Uparbeda, Ms. Murmu’s village, within hours of her nomination in 2022, the broader approach to development in this tribal heartland remains uneven. While Ms. Murmu’s in-law’s village may have an urban look, the tribal population in this forested district continues to lag in most development indices,” said Paresh Chandra Soren, a resident of Nischintpur in the Kusumi block.

In Surath Nagar, Sibnath Sirka said he has spent two decades pursuing officials to lay a concrete road connecting his village to the highway. In Pahadpur, Muniram Murmu, a construction worker, said he faces challenges in getting access to livelihood needs. “The President belongs to our own clan. No doubt our village has improved. But our agricultural lands remain unirrigated,” he said.

In 2019, Mayurbhanj sent six BJP MLAs to the Odisha Legislative Assembly. While people take pride in Ms. Murmu being the President, voters are scrutinising the performance of BJP MLAs. They said they would vote for candidates who would get their work done.

The Mayurbhanj seat is currently being held by Bisheswar Tudu, the Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs. Though the BJP holds the Lok Sabha seat and six Assembly constituencies, the BJD dominates the three-tier panchayati raj system.

Whatever the political equation, tribals in Mayurbhanj have become more assertive. As Bhagaban Hembram, a voter, put it, “Leaders always talk about the subsidised rice being provided to the tribal communities. We are not destined to live our lives consuming free rice. We aspire to be able to afford rice priced at ₹100 a kg. When that becomes a reality, it will signify true development and empowerment for tribals.”

EC orders suspension of Special Secretary to Odisha Chief Minister

The Hindu Bureau

BHUBANESWAR

The Election Commission has placed D.S. Kutey, Special Secretary to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, under suspension, and directed Ashish Kumar Singh, Inspector-General of Police (CM Security) to undergo medical examination over charges of influencing the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the State.

The two senior IPS officers were among a few key bureaucrats overseeing official operation of Odisha Chief Minister. The decision has been taken on basis of information forwarded by the Chief Electoral Officer of Odisha who indicated that the two officers were directly exerting “undue influence” on conduct of election work.

“This was further corroborated by various other inputs received from the field from time to time,” the EC said in its order.

“Mr. Kutey should be placed under suspension under relevant service rules for unduly interfering in conduct of election. His headquarter is fixed at the Office of Resident Commissioner Odisha, New Delhi where he will report by 3 p.m. on May 29,” the order says.

The shifting of Mr. Kutey is seen as significant step as the BJP had alleged that he was directly involved in election management for the Biju Janata Dal.

Mr. Singh, who has been on medical leave since May 4, should present himself for detailed medical exam, no later than May 30, the order said.

According to order, the Odisha CEO would ensure that the Director of AIIMS, Bhubaneshwar constituted a special medical board to ascertain the illness and treatment being undergone.

“Report on this shall reach the commission latest by May 31,” it said.

Mizoram MP urges EC to let policemen away on poll duty vote

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

A Mizoram MP has written to the Election Commission (EC) seeking its intervention to allow 1,047 police personnel from the State to vote as they were away on election-related duties in other States. The polling for the lone Lok Sabha seat in the State was held on April 19.

K. Vanlalvena, Rajya Sabha member, said in a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner that currently 15 companies of the Mizoram Armed Police comprising 1,047 personnel were on election duty in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. He said the State police nodal officer had requested the Chief Electoral Officer, Mizoram to make arrangements for voting, but they were informed that the request could not be processed for “technical reasons.”

“Whatever the technical reasons may be, the fact of the matter is that 1,047 citizens of India have been denied their legitimate right to exercise their franchise. Such disenfranchisement of legitimate voters is totally unconstitutional. It is indeed unfortunate and ironic that this injustice has been served upon these Mizoram police personnel due to their deployment on election duty. Denial of voting opportunity to a voter simply on technical grounds is totally unacceptable,” he said.

Nitish may take a big decision after June 4: RJD

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav made the remark in Patna. ANI

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday said that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar could take another “big decision after June 4 to save his party”.

“After June 4, our uncle can take any big decision. He can do anything to save his party and the politics of backward classes”, Mr. Yadav told presspersons in Patna, hinting that Mr. Kumar might take a U-turn after the Lok Sabha election results are declared on June 4.

Mr. Kumar, however at a meeting in Nalanda, said that he would not go anywhere from the National Democratic Alliance now.

In January, Mr. Kumar came out of the mahagathbandhan alliance with the Congress and the RJD. He later joined hands with the BJP-led NDA.

Shah intensifies attack on Odisha CM, his aide

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday intensified his tirade against Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and his close aide V.K. Pandian raking up the issue of “Odia Asmita” (Odia Pride) again.

“The people of Odisha valiantly fought against Emperor Asoka for their pride, sacrificing many lives, yet they never bowed down. However, the current Odisha Chief Minister is attempting to impose a Tamil Chief Minister on us. We have endured much under your [Mr. Patnaik’s] leadership, but we cannot accept this bureaucrat in your name,” Mr. Shah said, addressing a public meeting at Chandbali.

“I assure you that if the BJP gets a majority, we will ensure a son or daughter of the soil becomes the next [Chief Minister],” he said.

Thakur targets Priyanka at Himachal rally

Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Tuesday accused Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra of being silent on harassment of women in States ruled by her party and its allies. At election meetings in Hamirpur, he alleged that Ms. Vadra had come to Himachal Pradesh to deceive people.PTI

Battle for the heart of the ‘eternal city’

Mayank Kumar

VARANASI

All eyes turn to Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh in the final phase of the election as Prime Minister Narendra Modi targets a third straight term as MP for the seat which he chose as a launchpad to national politics in 2014; Congress’s Ajay Rai takes ‘migrant’ narrative to counter the PM’s popularity

1 of 2 Grand finale: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with senior BJP leaders after filing his nomination from Varanasi on May 14 and, right, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav with other INDIA leaders at a rally in Varanasi on Tuesday.Getty images/PTI

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For Sudhir Maurya, it was the third consecutive Lok Sabha election campaign trip to Varanasi in the past 10 years.

Mr. Maurya, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker from Prayagraj, said: “I am dedicating my two weeks to make sure the margin of victory crosses those of the previous two elections and Kashi creates a record not only in U.P. but in entire India.”

He was among thousands of saffron party leaders and workers who thronged the holy city of Varanasi, also known as Kashi, considered by many as Hinduism’s holiest city.

Varanasi is one of the most important among the total of 543 Lok Sabha constituencies with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi aiming for a third consecutive victory since choosing it as a launchpad in 2014 as the Prime Ministerial candidate of the BJP. The constituency is going to the polls on June 1 in the final phase. The BJP is eyeing a record margin of victory with workers and leaders from different parts of Uttar Pradesh and some from other parts of India campaigning extensively for Mr. Modi with karyakartas (workers) in their door-to-door outreach highlighting what they describe as an unprecedented transformation of Kashi and asking voters to send a positive message in the likely third term of Mr. Modi.

The pamphlets circulated by the BJP workers highlight initiatives such as the recent unveiling of a ropeway project that will revolutionise travel within the city, inauguration of the Banas Kashi Sankul milk processing unit, various infrastructure work at UPSIDA Agro Park, a silk fabric printing common facility and the foundation stone for a National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT). “The city has been transformed; Modiji promised to further change the face of the entire region of Purvanchal in the next five years whose epicentre is Varanasi,” said Mahendra Pandey, a local BJP leader. In 2019, Mr. Modi polled 6,74,664 votes, which is roughly 63% of the total votes polled, as his nearest rival Shalini Yadav of the Samajwadi Party (SP) secured 1,95,159 votes.

Ajay Rai, the present Opposition INDIA bloc candidate who contested as a Congress candidate then, polled 1,52,548 votes. In 2014, he came third polling 75,614 votes.

Local roots

Mr. Rai, who is also the Uttar Pradesh Congress president, is continuously campaigning in the constituency this time, highlighting his local roots while pushing the ‘migrant’ or ‘outsider’ narrative, claiming that only if the ‘outsider’ is shown the door would the ‘Ganga-Jamuni culture of Kashi’ be saved. He said that this time, the people have made up their mind to remove the ‘outsider’.

“Every Kashi resident now has only one slogan — remove the migrant, save Kashi,” reads a hoarding of the Congress at Bhojubeer Chauraha. “Modiji writes letters to 2,000 people of Varanasi asking for votes. When thousands of people died during the coronavirus period, why did Modiji not send a letter of condolence,” asked Mr. Rai in one of his public meetings.

“In the Assi Ghat, the carcass of a cow is openly floating in the Ganga. There is no one to take care of it. Did Maa Ganga call him here to see such days,” added the Congress candidate in another meeting. Mr. Rai, a five-time MLA, claims that only a son of the soil can understand the needs of Varanasi.

Uphill task

Facing an uphill task, the Congress candidate got many top Opposition leaders including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and SP president Akhilesh Yadav to hold a joint meeting and former Congress U.P. in-charge Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Mainpuri MP Dimple Yadav to hold roadshows, with all the leaders alleging that the transformation has brought destruction in Varanasi with old heritage buildings lost forever.

In Varanasi, Muslims constitute roughly 14% of the electorate, Brahmins are considered to be around 10%, the Yadav community is nearly 8%, and the Bhumihar community from which Mr. Rai hails is believed to be around 5%.

Modi and Mamata battle it out in Kolkata in the last phase of polls

Shiv Sahay Singh

Kolkata

West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee dances with artists during a roadshow in Kolkata on Tuesday.PTI

Two days before the conclusion of the campaign for the Lok Sabha election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minster Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday held roadshows in Kolkata and adjoining areas.

While the Prime Minster rode an open vehicle for about three kilometres from the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in the Shyambazar area to the ancestral house of Swami Vivekananda in Shimla Street, the West Bengal Chief Minister walked nearly nine kilometres in support of the Trinamool Congress candidates in Dum Dum and Kolkata.

Thousands of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters gathered on both sides of roads in Kolkata North when the convoy of the Prime Minister along with the BJP candidate from the constituency, Tapas Roy, and party leaders Suvendu Adhikari and Sukanta Majumdar passed through the area. The route was almost similar to the procession taken out by a section of Hindu monks on May 24, targeting Ms. Banerjee for her remarks directed at a section of them.

“The court has exposed the treachery of the Trinamool Congress with the OBCs. The party snatched the rights of OBC youth to support its appeasement politics and ‘vote jihad’,” the Prime Minister said at a public meeting at Barasat, referring to an order passed by the Calcutta High Court setting aside reservation for 77 castes of Muslims in the OBC category.

Ms. Banerjee had said that her government would challenge the order before higher courts.

Mr. Modi, while pointing out at the remarks of Trinamool leaders, said that the party was trying to “stifle the voice of the judiciary”. Mr. Modi heaped praises on party’s Sandeshkhali BJP candidate Rekha Patra, lauded her courage to stand against the Trinamool, and said that she made an excellent speech at the rally.

‘Corrupt ecosystem’

At a rally in Jadavpur, Mr. Modi accused the Trinamool of promoting a corrupt ecosystem. “The Trinamool and good governance have no relation. You won’t find good governance in Bengal even under a microscope,” he said.

The Chief Minister said that in the next few days, Mr. Modi would become a “former PM”. At an election rally at Behala, she accused Mr. Modi of “spreading lies” about the rescue efforts following Cyclone Remal. It was her government that came to the rescue of the people in the coastal areas, she added.

(set by Hypatia)

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3 of 4

4 of 4 Scan to play

Across

7 Leave, hide and cry - that's disgusting (8)

9 Stoppage of work in Bihar taluk (6)

10 Extremely unyielding lady's discontented and nasty (4)

11 Soldiers unable to switch position before junction in barracks (10)

12 Jerks in movies (6)

14 Destroy data if in revolt (8)

15 Senior support staff? (7,6)

18 Extremely healthy female always has an allergic reaction (3-5)

20 Determine appropriate commission to lie for Spooner (3,3)

21 Dropping a Tesla, carelessly top up later with representative in filling station (6,4)

22 Cross a smuggler (4)

23 Long snake concerned about biting first person (6)

24 Revolutionary design in Wordle's somewhat overwhelming (8)

Down

1 Roll with girl at old woman's house (8)

2 Dodge love for acting in drama (4)

3 Doctors question boy left by sponsors (6)

4 Electrical instrument tripping hot toaster (8)

5 Particular about one's afternoon dress, at first sight (5,5)

6 Fellow appeared to leave leader flattered (6)

8 Thin gun for a spot of shooting? (7,6)

13 State of wind in a frolic close to sea (10)

16 At home, veterans basically loved building complex (8)

17 Air surrounding mountain in capital city (8)

19 One discriminating argued in site from time to time (6)

20 Is this device producing hypnosis (6)

22 Mendicant or noble Karmapa, basically! (4)

Election Commission releases absolute number of votes polled in Phase 6

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

Women after casting their votes for the sixth phase of the election in Nuh district in Haryana on May 25.SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday came out with the absolute number of votes polled in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha election and the final turnout, which it pegged at 63.37%.

The absolute number of voters was released just three days after the voting for the sixth phase took place on May 25, while the numbers for the first five phases were released by the poll body 36 days after the first phase.

The highest turnout for the sixth phase was recorded in West Bengal at 82.71%, while the lowest of 55.4% was recorded in Jammu and Kashmir. However, the turnout for J&K was the highest in 30 years.

The total number of votes polled was 7,05,44,933 in 58 constituencies as against the total registered electors of 11,13,16,606, the EC said in a statement.

The EC had shared the absolute polling figures for the first time on May 25, a day after the Supreme Court refused to direct the poll body to disclose details of Form 17 C, which contains this data at the booth level and is handed out to all the polling agents of the candidates.

In an affidavit filed before the top court last week, the commission expressed concern that there was a “design, a pattern” that was at play in the petitioners’ approach. In its statement on May 25, the EC reiterated this. “The commission notes the pattern of false narratives and mischievous design to vitiate electoral process”, it said adding any alteration in the number of the votes polled was not possible.

Good and bad qualities

The coexistence of good and bad qualities is inherent in all human beings. Not all will ever be with either good or bad alone. Lanka Sri Jeyaraj said in a discourse that a person is called righteous when his good qualities outnumber the bad ones, and vice versa, a person is called impious. We should not allow evil attributes to develop and dominate in us.

Dhritharashtra’s wife, Gandhari, possessed all qualities and kept her eyes closed for her husband’s sake. But on hearing the news of Kunthi Devi giving birth to a child, she became nervous and thought she could not give birth to a son yet. She became impatient and jealous.

Parimel Azhagar explains jealousy as a person who cannot tolerate seeing the progress, development, and prosperity of others.

Thiruvalluvar says the Goddess of good fortune (Mahalakshmi) cannot bear the sight of envious people, whom she will return over to her elder sister, the Goddess of misfortune (Moodevi) — (Avvithu Azhukkaru-Kural 167).

Karna was known for his charitable qualities. Duryodhana decided to plunge into war, relying only on Karna. But he refused to participate in the war as long as the grandsire Bhishma donned the role of generalissimo. Duryodhana was known for all evil qualities.

Former Haryana CM accuses Congress of bogus voting

Former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal on Tuesday accused the Congress of indulging in bogus voting at few places in the State during the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha election on May 25. At a press conference here after his party’s review meeting a day earlier, Mr. Lal alleged that the Congress workers at some places were found indulging in bogus voting, especially in the Rohtak and Sirsa Lok Sabha constituencies, and efforts were made to prevent it strictly. He said the authorities were informed “verbally”, but the time to challenge it had lapsed. “Bogus voting is something that needs to be dealt with on the spot,” he said.

Modi to meditate at Vivekananda memorial

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meditate at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanniyakumari following the end of campaigning for the Lok Sabha election on Thursday.

Sources at the Prime Minister’s Office said Mr. Modi will arrive at the rock memorial — which was the place where Swami Vivekananda is said to have meditated and was visited by the vision of “Bharat Mata” — on May 30, the day campaigning for the last phase of the election ends. Sources said Mr. Modi’s choice included a message of affection for Tamil Nadu, where he has invested heavily his political capital during this election.

The visit is reminiscent of his visit to Kedarnath at the end of the 2019 election, and to Pratapgarh at the end of the 2014 polls.

Rahul speaks to Dalit victim’s kin in Sagar; CM to visit today

Two days after a 23-year-old Dalit victim of sexual harassment died after falling from an ambulance in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar, her brother said on Tuesday that the family had lost everything but would continue its fight for justice. His 18-year-old brother was beaten to death in August 2023 by some men when he did not agree to “settle” a harassment case filed against them by his sister. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi spoke to the victim’s family over the phone on Tuesday and promised his party’s support. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will visit the family on Wednesday.

Edit

- The Constitution, a surprise entrant in poll battlefield

- Still no sign of the language of equity and inclusion

- Turnout conundrum

- letters to the editor

- The last lap

- Many U.S. adults question worth of a college degree: survey

- The question of Palestine’s UN membership

- Walking the tightrope on the liquor policy

- U.S. plans review of programmes of aid to India

- The prickly pear pest

- On fire safety regulations in India

- How Manthan’s depiction of class, caste and gender hierarchies remain relevant

- World Menstrual Hygiene Day is observed every year on May 28. A quiz on the subject

- Know your English

The Constitution, a surprise entrant in poll battlefield

1 of 2 Yamini Aiyar is a public policy scholar

2 of 2 Neelanjan Sircar is Senior Fellow, Centre for Policy Research

The Chakkipat neighbourhood of Agra in Uttar Pradesh was adorned with flags of B.R. Ambedkar with the tagline kalam ka badshah (master of the pen), an allusion to the seminal role of Ambedkar in drafting the Constitution of India. We spoke to a group of young Jatav men, once a core vote bank of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). As the BSP’s graph has trended downward, these men had voted for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2019 general election, but they will not support the BJP this time. The reason, the Constitution — “Dr. Ambedkar means everything to us. We don’t think it’s too easy to change the Constitution, but we believe the BJP wants to change the Constitution.”

The rhetoric of electoral dominance

Why has the Constitution emerged as an explicit site of contestation in this election? The proximate trigger was the BJP’s declaration of “400 paar” (a reference to its assertion of winning 400 seats) and remarks, by some leaders, early in the campaign, that total electoral domination in this election would empower the BJP to change the Constitution. Opposition leaders were quick to mobilise. BSP leader Mayawati’s nephew and former BSP national coordinator Akash Anand gave rousing speeches. Indeed, days after Ms. Mayawati sacked Akash Anand, the Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav took to X (formerly Twitter) to publicly remark that even traditional voters of the BSP are voting for the INDIA bloc to save the Constitution. The Congress’s Rahul Gandhi has taken to symbolically waving a copy of the Constitution at his campaign rallies. The Opposition has declared this election to be a battle for “saving the constitution” and it is having resonance on the ground.

Scholars make an important distinction between constitutional principles and ordinary laws. Constitutional principles frame fundamental rights and are of a “higher order” that every citizen must obey. Ordinary laws, on the other hand, are rules, often guided by constitutional principles, that govern society. Ordinary laws, in India, regularly police our spaces. They discriminate and are used coercively by the state in ways that undermine freedoms and disempower citizens. Laws that police who you can marry, whether you can use the Internet and what you can eat are some illustrations of this. However, these laws can also be challenged and changed. Constitutional values provide the basis for challenging discriminatory law.

Historian Rohit De’s book, A People’s Constitution, offers a powerful account of how ordinary citizens have mobilised around constitutional principles throughout independent India’s history to secure rights. Challenging social and economic deprivation and preserving equality of status are at the heart of India’s constitutional project. As former Chief Justice of India Y.V. Chandrachud powerfully notes, in the Minerva Mills case, the Constitution provides us “the obligation of securing to the people liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship; equality of status and of opportunity and the assurance that the dignity of the individual will at all costs be preserved”. It is when these very constitutional values are challenged that the Constitution rather than law enters the domain of mass politics.

A young BJP supporter from the Pasi community makes this clear. “I am happy with Narendra Modi….. But I absolutely don’t want a Hindu rashtra.” When we ask him what Hindu rashtra means, he responds in one word: bhedbhav (discrimination). A young Yadav farmer on the outskirts of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh concurs, “The constitution matters because it protects us... it gave us reservations. Humein Samvidhaan bachana hai (the Constitution must be protected).”

An interplay in north India

The interplay between the Constitution and political mobilisation has fundamentally shaped the trajectory of democratic politics in North India. Reservations found place in the Constitution primarily as compensatory provisions to redress historical disadvantage emerging in the 1990s as the primary mobilisational tool for asserting representational claims of lower caste groups in the 1990s. The Modi juggernaut, with its ability to forge a cross-caste coalition, appeared to have shifted the arc by forging a cross-caste, Hindu coalition. For much of this decade, the logic of caste-based mobilisation seemed to have receded in the background, allowing the BJP, to introduce and pass the 103rd Amendment to the Constitution mandating 10% reservations for economically weaker sections (EWS) amongst unreserved (read upper caste) categories, to muted opposition.

The reemergence of the grammar of the Constitution, rights and reservation in the 2024 election must not be misread as harking back to the Mandal politics of yore. There is something far more significant at play here. The rhetoric of “changing the Constitution” challenges the very principles upon which this country was founded. And it is this that is causing dissonance among voters with the BJP’s logic of cross-caste political mobilisation. The Yadav voter we spoke to articulated this clearly: “The Constitution protects our fundamental rights. It ensures equality between castes and communities.”

The fact that the ordinary Indian is worried about the Constitution is of far greater political significance than the question of who wins the election. Against the backdrop of total dominance that the BJP projected at the start of the electoral campaign, the concerns over the Constitution, expressed by the ordinary voters, are constitutive of growing anxieties over democratic erosion. And it constrains the democratic legitimacy of the government even if the BJP comes to power again, as projected.

A mirror to contradictions

But the constitutional discourse, as it is emerging, also mirrors the deep contradictions that have shaped contemporary politics in India. It is instructive that even as Dalit voters speak of the Constitution and rights, the constitutional principle of “secularism” and religious equality was a concern expressed primarily by Muslim voters, who spoke repeatedly against “Hindu-Muslim” politics. Secularism, via the Constitution, found voice during the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act back in early 2020, but only among Muslims.

Arguably, the heightened polarised rhetoric adopted by the Prime Minister in recent weeks is a response to the re-emergence of caste coalitions with the Constitution as the centre-piece. Hindu voters are not blind to the communal nature of this rhetoric. However, this is not their primary concern. Their preoccupation is primarily with caste-based discrimination and reservations. The silence around the constitutional aspiration of secularism remains conspicuous against the backdrop of the deeply poisonous and divisive Hindu-Muslim rhetoric that has dominated this election.

If the 2024 election is indeed a battle for the Constitution, then the silences tell us as much about the critical fault lines that our polity has to confront, as it does of the possibilities of a more substantive politics of rights and equality.

Still no sign of the language of equity and inclusion

The general election 2024 is almost nearing its end. Yet, when the Election Commission of India (ECI) made the announcement for the election in March, the long video televised and propagated on social media, stood out for one detail — the absence of sign language interpreters. This is a small, but significant, example of the ways in which everyday life in India excludes Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) citizens.

India’s push for equity in education, health care, and rights cannot succeed without dismantling ableist barriers that exclude DHH people.

Consider the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Deafness, to prevent and treat hearing impairment and provide medical rehabilitation. While it is well-structured, it does not focus on the quality of life. It discusses theoretical aspects of screening procedures and hearing aid prescription, but does not mention the Indian Sign Language (ISL) which is an integral form of deaf communication. The Social Justice Ministry set up the ISL Research and Training Centre in 2015 officially, but ISL is still not recognised as an official language. Despite the National Education Policy 2020 recommending the standardised teaching of ISL across schools, its use in education systems remains sparse even in schools for the deaf.

Sign language versus oralism

The Indian education system still focuses on “oralism”, where deaf people are taught to use their voices and lip read, instead of using their hands to communicate.

Most educators in deaf schools are not trained in ISL. Instead of creating better access and remediating marginalisation, the current deaf education system focuses on “rehabilitation”, asking the deaf to adjust to their surroundings instead of removing social barriers. An exclusive focus on oralism has been criticised for creating an isolatory social structure for deaf people in an inherently ableist world. On the other hand, integrating sign language has been found to help deaf children in cognitive development and prevent linguistic deprivation; over 70 countries recognise national sign languages legally, which makes education and critical information truly accessible to deaf citizens.

Our ableism is reflected in how invisible the deaf are in India.

A headcount in India

In the 2011 Census, there were five million hearing-impaired people in India. The National Association of the Deaf counts 18 million. The World Health Organization estimates nearly 63 million Indians to have significant hearing impairment. However, they rarely find inclusion in our lives. Only 5% of deaf children find themselves in school, and it often takes them much longer to graduate, thanks to an oralist course structure.

Despite government initiatives to employ the deaf, they often struggle to secure employment. Protests erupted in 2020 due to recruitment favouring those with less than 40% hearing impairment. Multiple petitions to recognise ISL have been stonewalled, citing the adequacy of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, (RPDA) 2016 for preserving and advancing the language. This failure, despite several protests, is a covert yet overt act of marginalisation.

What does everyday life look like for deaf people? Public transport announcements, TV shows, directions within public structures, and even calling helplines are made insurmountable tasks due to a lack of accessibility. Minuscule everyday things taken for granted by others become wars won after years of litigation and advocacy. Although Doordarshan pioneered a weekly news segment in ISL in 1987, its precedent has not been taken up by private news channels. While films, Indian Premier League 2024 cricket matches and OTT shows have come up with accessible options, we have a lot of slack to pick up.

Opportunities for the deaf community remain limited to housekeeping jobs, wait staff, and data entry operators. The private sector has programmes in place for accessibility and inclusion with captioning and interpreter services. However, the government sector has made little progress. Several state- and national-level protests have been mounted by the deaf over the years. Their demands for accessible education and better employment have been met with lathi charge or lackadaisical promises. Despite the RPDA, policy changes mean little in the face of such lethargy in implementation.

The deaf community faces challenges and additional discrimination with access to health care as most hospitals in India lack interpreters. Complications increase for mental health-care access to the deaf community due to a lack of training in language interpretation. The Mental Healthcare Act of 2017 promises mental health care for all, but it is not effectively implemented, with only 250 certified sign language interpreters and no clear data on ISL-trained mental health professionals.

What needs to be done

The present situation demands diverging from ableism towards accessibility. ISL should be recognised as a language officially, and its use must be naturalised in schools and colleges, for hearing and DHH students alike. It should be taught by DHH individuals, further buffeting their employment opportunities. The hearing population should be able to practise ISL in everyday situations to achieve fluency in the language.

Health-care systems must be updated so that the deaf population has easy and accessible communication at all levels. DHH patients benefit from receiving care from language-concordant physicians. However, the regulatory medical, dental, and nursing commissions impose significant barriers on DHH individuals aspiring to health-care professions. Inclusivity will not only make the health-care workforce more diverse and inclusive but will also mainstream ISL interpreters.

Deaf programming should be par for the course across media channels. Channels with English language programming often have accessible subtitles. However, Hindi and other regional languages do not have ISL interpretation or subtitles. Government event announcements should have live ISL interpreters, a common feature in several countries. One can hope that with timely interventions in the right direction, we may witness real-time ISL interpretations in the next election mandated by the ECI.

Finally, more issues exist than are highlighted in this article. The authorities concerned should pay heed to the DHH community and its needs.

Turnout conundrum

The low voting percentage in many States is a cause for concern

With just one phase left in the general election 2024, a stocktaking exercise on voter participation across the country reveals a significant dampening in turnout in this set of elections in comparison to the 2019 and even the 2014 general elections. There are State and regional level variations — voters in the east, northeast and many in the south typically voted higher than those in west, central and north India. Yet, barring some exceptions such as Telangana and Karnataka, where voter turnout registered a small increase from 62.8% to 65.7% and 68.8% to 70.6% among others, there has been a general decline in voting across States in 2024. As an analysis in The Hindu revealed, not only was there a dip in turnout in percentage terms, but there was also a decline in voter turnout in absolute terms in 132 of the 485 constituencies that went to polls in the first six phases. The high number of seats that encountered a dip in voter participation is unprecedented since the latest delimitation that was conducted prior to the 2009 general election. A closer look at the numbers shows that there was a significant bump in the total electorate (eligible voters above the age of 18 years) in 2014, and slight increases in 2019 and 2024. But it was only in 2024 that voter turnout dropped dramatically in many constituencies.

This drop in turnout can possibly be explained by political factors. Was there lower enthusiasm to vote in States which did not feature a strong contest among the parties in the fray? Does this explain the relatively low turnout in Gujarat (60.1%, a 4.4 point drop from 2019), where the Bharatiya Janata Party is in a dominant position or Kerala (71.3%, 6.6 point drop) where both the main rivals, the Left and the Congress along with their allies, are part of the INDIA bloc nationally? Has inter-State migration been a factor which possibly explains the low turnout in the northern and central States? Bihar, for example, has seen a significant gender gap, with women voters far outnumbering men in participation in percentage terms. Have the heatwave conditions contributed to electors deciding to stay at home? These are questions that deserve a closer look at data and the Election Commission of India must play a role in answering some of them. India has always enjoyed a higher degree of participation relative to other electoral democracies and a significant drop, as seen this year, is cause for concern. Voter apathy over the longer term can undermine the democratic process itself. People get the government they deserve when they vote, and the government they do not deserve when they do not vote.

A moment for introspection

Every once in a while, a case comes up which questions our collective conscience, our justice system (or the lack of it) and rampant corruption at all levels. The Pune car crash case has brought out the extent to which our system goes to protect the guilty if they are influential. The unimaginable dereliction of duty at all levels, from police officers to even doctors, has shocked the nation. Even more sad is the extent to which the parents of the accused are going all out to protect their child. This case should be an eye-opener to review the law regarding juvenile offences. Minors are no longer minors given the gravity of the offences they commit. So, even the punishment should be in accordance with the crime, with no concession for age.

Sharada Sivaram,

Ernakulam, Kochi, Kerala

Safety norms

There are established fire safety norms while constructing hospitals, malls, cinemas, apartments and other structures. But these are often violated by builders to save money. Government authorities accept bribes and permit irregularities. It has become a habit to raise a hue and cry only when such tragedies occur but turn a blind eye later. Structures must have proper fire and electricity safety devices, which must be checked.

Kshirasagara Balaji Rao,

Hyderabad

Cranking up

Slowly, but certainly, Indian cinema is catching up with the best in the world arena and securing an armful of awards at Cannes.

The win for All we imagine as Light is a pointer. The most enthusing aspect is that young women are behind the history-creating success stories. The Elephant Whisperers was just the beginning.

Ayyasseri Raveendranath,

Aranmula, Kerala

The last lap

Rafael Nadal’s spirit no longer seems able to power his body

For a good part of the last two decades, everything at the French Open seemed like a prelude to one man’s crowning moment on the concluding Sunday of the tournament. The year 2024, however, has turned out differently for Rafael Nadal, who had clinched the singles title on 14 of his 18 prior visits, as he made an emotional first-round exit on Monday, losing to fourth seed Alexander Zverev in straight sets. It was only the fourth time in 116 matches that the Spaniard had lost on Parisian clay, and the moment, more than any in recent times, had a valedictory feel to it. Ever since he suffered a hip injury at the 2023 Australian Open and missed the rest of the season, Nadal’s tennis future has been a huge question mark. The 22-time Major champion has not been very optimistic himself, for he perhaps knows that at nearly 38, and with an injury ravaged body that has allowed him to play just 12 times this year, the end is near. Yet, that has not stopped him from taking to the court with childlike enthusiasm. He played in Barcelona, Madrid and Rome — places where he has collectively secured 27 trophies — soaking in the fans’ adulation in what has come to resemble a much-deserved victory lap.

To be sure, Nadal has not closed the door on returning to his favourite stomping grounds on the red dirt in 2025. His immediate target is the 2024 Paris Olympics, whose tennis event will be held at Roland-Garros in late July-early August. But there is little doubt that the ground he once guarded with an iron fist is fertile for an almighty jostle to anoint a new king. World No.1 Novak Djokovic, the 24-time Major and three-time French Open champion, would have been the obvious favourite if his form had not nose-dived. He is without a title this season and has revamped his entire support staff to jump-start his year. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are both coming in after recovering from injuries. Alexander Zverev, who won the Rome Masters, seems dialled in but will have to deal with a domestic abuse trial in parallel. Casper Ruud, who won Barcelona and Geneva recently, will hope to go all the way after two straight runner-up finishes at Roland-Garros. Among women, three-time champion Iga Swiatek is the overwhelming favourite, and is expected to be challenged by Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff. For India, the singles challenge ended prematurely with Sumit Nagal’s loss, but Rohan Bopanna and Yuki Bhambri will aim to fly the flag high with their respective doubles partners.

Many U.S. adults question worth of a college degree: survey

The Hindu Data Team

Student debt is mounting and the wages of non-degree holders are increasing

A recent report by the Pew Research Center sheds light on the evolving debate in the U.S. regarding the value of a college degree. As economic conditions are changing and the costs of higher education are rising, public opinion on the necessity and benefits of a college degree has become increasingly divided.

The report highlights a significant improvement in economic outcomes for young adults without a college degree. Over the past decade, the employment rates and median incomes of this group have seen a notable increase, narrowing the gap with their degree-holding peers. This trend is reshaping perceptions of the necessity of a college education for achieving economic stability.

At the same time, the cost of attending college continues to escalate. Tuition fees have surged, leading to greater financial burdens on students and their families. The increasing student debt has led many to question whether the long-term financial obligations of a college degree are justified by the potential economic benefits. This financial strain is a critical factor in the growing scepticism about the value of a degree.

Approximately half the respondents in the survey believe that a college education is worth the investment, citing better job prospects and higher earning potential (Chart 1). However, a significant portion remains sceptical, pointing to successful careers attained without a college education as evidence that a degree is not always necessary for professional success.

The report identifies differences in opinion based on political affiliation and educational background. Democrats and people with higher levels of education are more likely to view college as essential for achieving success (Chart 2). On the other hand, Republicans and those without a college degree are more inclined to question its value.

The evolving labour market also plays a critical role in shaping public attitudes toward college education. The increasing availability of well-paying jobs that do not require a college degree is influencing how people view the necessity of a degree. The growth of industries such as technology and skilled trades is providing alternative pathways to financial stability and career advancement, making college education seem less indispensable for some.

Chart 3 shows the median annual earnings of U.S. men aged 25-34, working full-time. Since 2014, earnings have risen for young men with some college education as well as for those with a high school diploma. Chart 4 shows the same for young U.S. women. In the past 10 years, the earnings of women with a degree as well as the earnings of those without have risen.

The COVID-19 pandemic further complicated perceptions of higher education. The shift to online learning during the pandemic, coupled with the economic downturn, has led many to reconsider the traditional college experience. Some respondents express concerns about the quality and value of online education compared to in-person learning. The pandemic has highlighted the need for flexibility and adaptability in higher education, as students and institutions navigated various challenges.

The report suggests that the future of higher education may involve more flexible pathways. Alternatives to traditional four-year college programmes, such as vocational training, apprenticeships, and certification programmes, are gaining traction as viable options for career development. These are more affordable and targeted ways of gaining the skills needed for the workforce and reflect a shift in how education and employment are connected.

The question of Palestine’s UN membership

C.S.R. Murthy is former Professor of International Organization at JNU, New Delhi. He is the author of ‘India in the United Nations: Interplay of Interests and Principles’

Israel’s war on Gaza has raised several ethical, political, and diplomatic questions. One diplomatic development that has attracted a lot of interest is Palestine’s renewed application for membership of the United Nations (UN). Ironically, its quest is stuck at the UN Security Council (UNSC) due mainly to the geopolitical calculations of the U.S., which argued that membership should follow and not precede a negotiated solution to the long-standing conflict.

This is not the first time that Palestine has attempted to obtain UN membership. In 2011 too, its request was opposed by the veto-bearing U.S. in the UNSC. Since then, Palestine enjoys only non-member observer status.

This year, in April, after the UNSC failed to agree on Palestine’s request because of the lone veto cast by the U.S. in its capacity as a permanent member, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) stepped in to voice support to the Palestinian application. On May 10, the UNGA overwhelmingly adopted a resolution affirming Palestine’s eligibility to assume full membership in the UN. It also urged the UNSC to favourably consider Palestine’s request.

Norms and politics

The UN requires membership seekers to be “peace loving” states and to be able and willing, in its judgment, to carry out the obligations of the Charter. While the criteria were liberally interpreted, the procedural threshold laid down for admission turned out to be decisive and difficult, and was dictated by the political exigencies of the five permanent members (P5) in the UNSC at any given time. As such, membership applications require recommendation without the express opposition of any of the P5 before the UNGA accepts the admission request. In other words, the UNSC’s recommendation is ruled out if any of the P5 casts a negative vote by exercising their veto power, whereas no such veto power applies in the UNGA except that the decision should be cleared by a two-thirds majority.

When Cold War politics stalled numerous admission requests in the UNSC in early years, the UNGA sought the World Court’s opinion on whether the UNGA had the power to admit states in the absence of the UNSC’s recommendation. The Court ruled in 1948 that the UNSC’s recommendation is a prerequisite for the UNGA to exercise its power. Subsequently, the deadlock in the UNSC was broken to recommend all pending applications. This marked successive decades of steady increase of the total membership from the 51 founding members to 193 today. It would not be off the mark to note that membership of the UN is invariably viewed as a sought-after confirmation of sovereign statehood of the countries which gained independence from foreign rule or occupation.

The example of Mongolia is comparable to Palestine’s plea. When Mongolia’s membership application was stuck in the UNSC, the UNGA intervened with a resolution similar to what was done in the Palestine case, suggesting that Mongolia deserves a favourable recommendation by the UNSC. Eventually Mongolia became a member in 1961.

India’s approach

India joined 142 member countries in supporting the UNGA in the May 2024 resolution favouring Palestine’s case for membership. India opined that membership status could enhance the prospect of a two-state solution to the protracted Israel-Palestine conflict. Notably, India’s position to the membership question is now entirely in line with the approach articulated during the Nehruvian era — that UN membership should be open to all state applicants without discrimination. In fact, there is not a single instance of India opposing any country’s membership so far. India supported Pakistan’s admission to the UN in 1947 and also representation of the People’s Republic of China’s in 1971, despite a prolonged border conflicts with the latter.

While it is true that the U.S. or the former USSR/Russian Federation stood in the way of many applicants’ prospects of becoming UN members, China is not free from blame either. After being seated in the UNSC in 1971, the People’s Republic of China vetoed newly liberated Bangladesh’s membership application.

What is the way forward?

Clearly Palestine cannot assume full membership bypassing the UNSC and the U.S. China and Russia are apprehensive that such bypassing could become a precedent for the admission of Taiwan or Kosovo later. In a less likely scenario, the U.S. might refrain from casting yet again its veto or abstain from voting, as an expression of displeasure with Israel for ignoring its advice to cease attacks against Gazan civilians, thereby paving the way for the UNGA’s approval of Palestine’s membership. Israel might protest and quit the UN. If the UNSC stalemate continues, the UNGA could possibly consider keeping Israel out of its deliberations. Such a bold tactical move, which is short of Israel’s suspension or expulsion that would be impractical without the UNSC’s recommendation, has precedents. South Africa in the apartheid era and the Serb Republic of Yugoslavia during the brutal ethnic cleansing era were barred from participating in the UNGA.

Apart from these theoretical options, accretion of participatory privileges to Palestine, just short of the power to vote in the UNGA and eligibility to be elected to other major principal organs of the UN, from September would signal that might cannot become right in this age.

Walking the tightrope on the liquor policy

G. Anand

The LDF government would do well to forge a political and social consensus first

A leaked voice message from a WhatsApp group of members of the Federation of Kerala Hotels Association (FKHA), a powerful and rich lobby of bar owners in Kerala, has sparked a controversy in the State.

The voice note, recorded by an FKHA office bearer, purportedly urged bar owners to pool money to influence the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s upcoming liquor policy. The message surfaced days after the Kerala Tourism Department held a routine online meeting of stakeholders, including hotel, resort, and houseboat owners.

The Leader of the Opposition, V.D. Satheesan, who belongs to the Congress, accused the government of dangling the prospect of lifting dry days and extending bar timings in exchange for sizeable backhanders from the liquor lobby. He alleged that the FKHA had sought ₹2.5 lakh each from its 801 members to raise ₹20 crore for the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist). Mr. Satheesan said corruption, and not statecraft or public good, informed the LDF’s policymaking. He also demanded the resignation of Excise Minister M.B. Rajesh and Tourism Minister Mohammad Riyaz, who, he alleged, were at the centre of the plot.

Youth Congress workers marched to Mr. Rajesh’s official residence holding a cash counting machine and demanded his resignation. The same machine was used by the LDF in 2016 as a metaphor for liquor policy-related “corruption” in the United Democratic Front (UDF) government led by Oommen Chandy. The LDF’s agitation then cost two UDF ministers their Cabinet berths, though the consequent anti-corruption inquiry came to nought.

The current controversy has therefore evoked a sense of political déjà vu. The UDF is all set to launch anti-government protests, would be reminiscent of the restive days of 2016.

Denying the accusations, the State government says it perceives a political plot to undermine the public’s trust in the LDF’s policymaking. The police have opened a probe to establish the motive for the FKHA’s fundraising bid.

The FKHA has stated that it sought to raise funds from members to build an office in Thiruvananthapuram and not to bribe the government.

CPI(M) State Secretary M.V. Govindan has said that tweaking the liquor policy was not on the LDF’s agenda. “Neither the government nor the party has broached the subject. The UDF is towing a conspiracist line,” he said.

Kerala has one of the highest per capita alcohol consumption rates in the country. The liquor policy has always been a politically turbulent and socially sensitive subject. On the one hand, the Church and Muslim social organisations have always called for a puritanical liquor policy aimed at whittling alcohol availability and putting the State on a path to total prohibition.

On the other, the hospitality industry has demanded a more liberal approach. The software industry has long complained that the lack of socialising venues with alcohol in Kerala makes the State a disappointing job destination for techies. The government’s recent decision to allow the sale of legal alcohol in designated areas in Information Technology parks has drawn criticism from powerful prohibitionist groups.

In order to balance the demands of the two groups, the government has so far walked a tightrope.

Kerala has grappled with the problem of alcohol abuse for years. Experts have attributed the State’s relatively high suicide rate, domestic violence, street crimes, and divorce rate to substance abuse and addiction. Nevertheless, unreasonably restricting the availability of legal liquor for political reasons, like prohibition, has a proven history of failure globally. Kerala has been no exception. In 1997, for instance, the Congress government banned the sale of arrack. This spawned a liquor mafia that smuggled in spirit from neighbouring States.

The government can also ill afford to ignore fiscal realities. Tourism is a significant revenue earner for Kerala. The hospitality industry has argued that the “unreasonable restrictions” on liquor sales and bar timings have pushed MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) to other “tourist-friendly” destinations like Sri Lanka and Goa. The LDF government would do well to forge a political and social consensus before attempting to tweak the current liquor policy, if at all.

U.S. plans review of programmes of aid to India

Washington, May 28: There are now indications that the United States, whose initial reaction to the Indian nuclear test was mild compared to the much harsher criticism voiced in the news media and sections of the Congress, is now engaged in deciding what, if any, further action it should take.

Reports purporting to originate from official sources here now suggest that the U.S. Administration has called for a high-level inter-agency review of all aid programmes to India (No food or economic aid has gone to India since 1971, though the aid budget includes a nominal sum of $75 millions for the next fiscal year. The International Development Association is another source from which India obtains U.S. money, but the U.S. Congress has yet to approve the contribution for this multilateral agency). The New York Times in fact quotes one U.S. official as saying that “If there is no cost to India for doing this (conducting a nuclear test), other countries too will go ahead.” The implication of this remark, if it is true, is that if India does not stop further tests, the U.S. will cut off all forms of aid to India.

The initial U.S. reaction to the Indian test was carefully worded by the Secretary of State, Dr. Kissinger, who was at that time in West Asia. It merely said that the U.S. was opposed to all nuclear proliferation because of the impact it would have on world stability. Despite Pakistan’s efforts, the Central Treaty Organisation’s communique issued here last week also bore the mark of the absent Kissinger’s call for restraint.

But since then, a traditionally friendly country like Canada, acting with unaccustomed sharpness, had suspended all aid to India’s atomic programme, and placed under review all other forms of aid.

The prickly pear pest

Lands with approximately 40,000,000 acres in Queensland and about 6,000,000 in New South Wales, are invaded by prickly pear. Cockmeal insects have been imported from Ceylon and Northern India to check the plague. Various methods have been adopted to control the plants spread including its use as cattle fodder — as material for paper pulp making and alcohol production.

On fire safety regulations in India

G. Ananthakrishnan

What happened at the Rajkot gaming centre and at the New Born Baby Care Hospital in New Delhi? What are the various laws and guidelines which stipulate rules around fire safety in buildings? How have courts responded to negligence over public safety?

In ruins: A view of the burned down TRP Game Zone in Rajkot. ANIANI

The story so far:

A deadly fire at a gaming centre in Rajkot, Gujarat on May 25 killed at least 32 people, bringing focus back on the safety of public buildings and venues. The TRP Game Zone carnage unfolded in the evening, as fire spread inside the structure built with a metal frame and sheets, trapping the victims including several children. Two inquiries have been set up to go into the disaster, one a Special Investigation Team (SIT) by the State government and another by the Rajkot police. The Gujarat High Court suo motu took up the incident and made critical observations on the functioning of the State administration, following which the Police Commissioner, Raju Bhargava, Additional Commissioner Vidhi Choudhary, and Municipal Commissioner Anand Patel were transferred. Rajkot municipal officials including town planning officers responsible for the prevention of illegal constructions were suspended, and four people including the operator of the game zone, Dhaval Thakkar, were arrested.

What was the other incident?

On May 25, seven babies died in a fire in a hospital for newborns in Vivek Vihar, Delhi, leading to the arrest of Naveen Khichi, owner of the New Born Baby Care Hospital, along with the doctor on duty. Preliminary reports suggested that a large number of oxygen cylinders stored in the facility aggravated the impact of the blaze. In both incidents, the focus is on fire certification by the authorities, issue of No Objection Certificates (NOC), and the failure of authorities to take cognisance of illegalities that were happening in full public view.

What fire regulations govern safety?

The Union of India’s position on fire safety is that the Model Building Bye-Laws, 2016 and its component Chapter 11 on “Fire Protection and Fire Safety Requirements” provides the necessary framework for State governments, which bear responsibility for fire safety under law. Ensuring adherence to fire safety norms and standards laid down in Part 4 of the National Building Code (NBC) and incorporating mandatory provisions in the process is left to the States.

A structure such as the Rajkot game zone would fall under assembly buildings of the bye-laws, since it is a venue without permanent seating arrangements where 300 or more persons would gather. The definition of assembly buildings is broad under the regulations. They include any building or part of a building where “not less than 50 gather for amusement, recreation, social, religious, patriotic, civil, travel and similar purposes, for example, theatres, motion picture houses, assembly halls, museums, skating, rinks, gymnasiums, restaurants, places of worship, dance halls, club rooms, passenger stations and terminals of air, surface and marine public transportation services, recreation piers and stadia.” Hospitals, custodial and penal or mental health institutions are institutional buildings, while educational, business, industry and specialised uses are covered separately.

During the pandemic, amidst a spate of fires, the Health Ministry circulated guidelines on September 28, 2020, stipulating third party accreditation for fire safety and putting a fire response plan in place. Chapter 11 of the Bye-Laws clearly lays down fire safety and infrastructure requirements for buildings which are 49 feet in height or more, and those with low occupancies in various categories, for issue of NOC.

In addition, Gujarat’s Comprehensive Development Control Regulations 2017 also make it mandatory to get the Chief Fire Officer’s opinion even for a temporary structure. The same regulations stipulate that all structures for whatever use must meet fire prevention and safety provisions specified by the Fire Authority, in terms of the Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2013. In the case of the Rajkot game zone, it was built apparently as a non-standard structure to evade regulatory requirements, and the inquiry would reveal whether it was qualified to be used as an assembly building offering leisure and entertainment services.

How have the courts viewed neglect of fire safety?

Among the most high-profile deadly fire accidents that have led to the loss of life, the Uphaar cinema tragedy of 1997 in Delhi resulted in the conviction of the owners of the venue, Sushil Ansal and Gopal Ansal among others for negligence and tampering of evidence. The death of 59 people who were trapped in the balcony of the hall because of illegally installed seats and a blocked exit resulted in a protracted legal battle, with the families of the victims forming an association to seek justice. The Uphaar case was prosecuted with the charge of causing death by negligence (IPC 304A), hurt or grievous hurt by rash or negligent act (337, 338) by the owners of the cinema, and culpable homicide (304) and other sections in the case of theatre staff and public agency employees, such as the electricity authority. A transformer of the electricity authority that was placed without sanction and allowed without safeguards was thought to have triggered the inferno. The owners had to directly bear responsibility for the wilful structural deviations.

Essentially, the court held the owners of the property, employees and staff from the electricity agency liable for the devastating toll in the Uphaar tragedy for violating the law and later for payment of compensation. On June 13 last year, the anniversary of the blaze, the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy blamed the judiciary for allowing the Ansal brothers to walk out of jail on a reduced sentence.

In the wake of the Rajkot fire, the Gujarat High Court taking suo motu cognisance has led to scrutiny of the enforcement of fire and building laws on the one hand, and the identification of several unauthorised venues in the State hosting leisure and entertainment services. The court was told by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation that a recent law, the Gujarat Regularisation of Unauthorised Development Act, 2022 (in force since Jan 2, 2023) was used by an unauthorised game zone to apply for regularisation.

Gujarat has witnessed more than one terrible fire in recent years. The 2019 fire in a tuition centre in Surat’s Takshashila Arcade killed over 20 students and led to calls for tightening of fire safety in public buildings. After Rajkot, the Gujarat High Court took note of the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before it, and noted that “insult [had been] added to injury” because its earlier orders had not been complied with by the State government.

What can be done to get the law enforced?

The suo motu notice issued by the Gujarat High Court extends its directions on fire safety and calls for a government report on action to comply with the Comprehensive Development Control Regulations, fire NOCs, periodic checks under the Fire Safety Act and issue of licences under various Acts. Earlier, the State government had informed the court that 163 hospitals and 348 schools in municipality jurisdictions did not have a valid fire NOC. It cited practical difficulties and lack of trained manpower and infrastructure to achieve full compliance.

Given that there were 241 fires in commercial buildings and 42 in government buildings in 2022, killing a total of 257 people (NCRB data), tightening the implementation of the provisions of the building code and the Model Building Bye-Laws is imperative. Full accountability by the State and enforcement agencies is vital. Temporary and ramshackle structures allowed to come up in urban and rural areas, attracting unwary leisure seekers, run the risk of setting off deadly fires. They need to be tightly regulated for safety.

The writer is a Chennai-based journalist.

How

Anuj Kumar

Restored by the Film Heritage Foundation with 4K technology, Shyam Benegal’s ‘Manthan’ made a splash at the Cannes Film Festival. Ahead of its theatrical re-release, a look at how the landmark film speaks to today’s agrarian economy

Smita Patil and Girish Karnad in Manthan. Special ArrangementAlbert Francis J@Chennai

A fictionalised account of how India’s dairy movement took root, Manthan combines social drama and commentary to deliberate on the difficult process of deepening democracy. Almost five decades after it made it to theatres, the title reflects the churning of caste and class that is going on in our participatory democratic process even when we have entered the much-publicised Amrit Kaal of our freedom from the colonial yoke.

A product of the times, when parallel cinema was building a bridge between art and commercial movies, director Shyam Benegal refuses to decorate his cinema with false hopes and sermons. He posits an outsider into the stark reality of rural life and through him taps into the spirit, ignorance, and enterprise of village folks.

Like the innovative idea of crowdfunding, Mr. Benegal proposes that social progress and profit can coexist on the same page. On the surface, it is inspired by eminent dairy engineer and social entrepreneur Verghese Kurien’s remarkable experiment but a deeper look reveals the fissures of caste, class, and corruption that are still stopping India from becoming one big cooperative society.

The narrative

The film gives the idealism of youth a chance to blossom. Early in the film, when protagonist Dr. Manohar Rao (Girish Karnad) reaches Sanganva village to build a dairy cooperative, the local businessman Ganga Prasad Mishra (Amrish Puri) who buys milk from villagers for his private dairy crosses his path. Mishra takes pride in building the economy of the village. Rao doesn’t contest his claim but adds that it is time to move on to a more equitable system where the arbitrariness of the pricing and the milking of caste and class hierarchies to satiate one person’s greed is done away with. This means reducing the role of the middlemen who make the villagers dependent by doling out loans to them in their time of need and then deciding the prices according to their interests. This pernicious cycle of exploitation still exists, albeit in different forms, as we discovered during the farmers agitation. Trains that go through Punjab are getting inordinately delayed because a section of farmers are still protesting.

Manthan sparks this train of thought because economic exploitation marked by systemic challenges continues to haunt the agrarian economy and collective action and advocacy for the empowerment of the underprivileged are seen with suspicion both by the system as well as a section of the community.

Interestingly, as the locals arrive to receive the suited-booted vet who had gotten down from the train, the first sentence we hear is, “Maaf kijiye, gaadi time par aa gayi” (excuse us, the train has arrived on time). Made during the time of Emergency, the film retains its independent voice and makes a sharp comment on the dark period for democracy when it is said that trains had suddenly started running on time. The train sequence segues into a harsher reality where the vet, after alighting from a train, refuses to board an overloaded horse carriage.

Entrepreneurship and caste

Vijay Tendulkar’s screenplay and Kaifi Azmi’s dialogues tear open the class and caste structures that make the democratic process difficult to realise at the grassroots. Rao’s insistence on equality threatens to disrupt the existing power structures in the village. The cooperative is formed but the swaggering Sarpanch (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) still insists that Dalits form a separate line while selling their milk. Rao’s educated wife Shanta also has a casteist outlook and shows little interest in her spouse’s battle against injustice.

Unpaved roads, lack of basic health facilities and gender hierarchies are seen alongside lopsided development shown through Govind Nihalani’s long shots of the farm and huts with thatched roofs, and the familiar village sounds created by Vanraj Bhatia — all of which disrupt stereotypes of village life. Preeti Sagar’s “Mero Gaam Kaatha Parey” kept Manthan alive in memory when Hindi cinema had moved on to western shores for inspiration.

The film’s heart is on the left but doesn’t give a blank cheque to bookish idealism and keeps questioning the motives and gaze of the urban outsider in the rural milieu. Rao’s motives are not only probed by the smarmy Mishra whose milk business is expected to take a hit because of the cooperative but also by Rao’s well-meaning friend Deshmukh (Mohan Agashe) who is not as emotionally invested in the task as Rao is.

Tendulkar creates an interesting contrast between the playful city guy played by Anant Nag and the committed urban that Karnad essays with his innate grace and poise in perhaps his most convincing and heart-moving performance. Both develop a soft corner for the village girls, or the honour of the community one could say, but their motives are different.

Bindu played by Smita Patil is a complex character played with irresistible conviction. She seems to be yearning for freedom from the shackles of patriarchy but hasn’t developed the confidence and the vocabulary to take the next step. Rao, too, is in two minds. Mr Benegal has beautifully portrayed the unsaid between the two. Their silences and simplicity haunt us long after the credits roll and question the fundamentals of feminism and fidelity.

Naseeruddin Shah’s Bhola represents the anguished Dalit, who has almost lost his voice because of feudal structures and doubts the concerns of the doctor until Rao shows him the possibility of a level playing field through the power of vote.

Eventually, when Bhola addresses his community to say ‘soch vichari se vote dalna’ (think before you vote), it rings a bell.

The actor who believes in method once told this journalist that he lived in a hut, learnt to make cow dung cakes, and milk a buffalo. He would carry buckets full of milk and serve the unit members to get the physicality of the character right.

The power of crowdfunding

In 2016, in an interview with this journalist, Mr Benegal, while underlining that the common Indian has always supported good cinema, said that in Manthan the source of funding was much more organised and publicised but it was not the only time he worked with the money of common people to tell their story to a larger audience.

In Antarnaad (1991) which was based on the Swadhayay movement or self-reliance, the fishing communities of Maharashtra collected money and approached Mr Benegal. Before that in Susman (1987), handloom cooperatives contributed to bringing Mr Benegal’s vision of the plight of weavers to life. The tragic irony of the weaver later found its way into Prakash Raj’s Kanchivaram (2007) as well.

Before the Film Heritage Foundation came into the picture with 4K technology, Manthan was digitally restored in 2011 by Pixion and Cameo Restoration Sound, and that ‘restored version’ is available on YouTube.

However, the poor prints of Susman and Antarnaad are waiting for an Amul to have a new lease of life.

World Menstrual Hygiene Day is observed every year on May 28. A quiz on the subject

Ramya Kannan

Visual question: Which hormone is primarily responsible for triggering menstruation? Its chemical formula/structure is illustrated above.

Question 1

Cold, winter weather can exacerbate the painful symptoms women feel during periods. What is the reason?

Question 2

On an average, how much blood does a woman’s body lose during a period?

Question 3

The withdrawal of testosterone in adult males can cause nervousness, irritability, lethargy and depression. Often referred to as ‘man periods’, what is the condition called?

Question 4

What is the word we know that defines and marks the end of a woman’s reproductive years?

Question 5

In 1946, a production house that you may quite not associate with the subject made a movie, The Story of Menstruation. It was a basic explanation of the purpose and process of menstruation, told largely with illustrations, and naturally, avoiding the subject of sex. Can you guess the name of the production company?

Questions and Answers to the previous day’s daily quiz: 1. The only player to have won two editions of the World Cup as captain. Ans: Daren Sammy

2. The players to have won the Cup as wicket-keeper captains. Ans: M.S. Dhoni in 2007 and Jos Buttler in 2022

3. This country was involved in two tied matches in the 2012 edition. Ans: New Zealand

4. This country has reached the semi-finals six times. Ans: Pakistan

5. The common link between Dirk Nannes, Roelof van der Merwe, David Wiese and Mark Chapman with respect to T20 World Cup history. Ans: They have played for two different countries

6. The only bowler from a non-test playing nation to pick up five wickets in an innings. Ans: Ahsan Malik for The Netherlands

7. This person has stood as an on-field umpire in the most number of matches. Ans: Aleem Dar (45 matches)

Visual: Identify the players and the feat that connects them. Ans: Rohit Sharma and Shakib Al Hasan are the only players to have played in all eight editions and are in their respective teams for the ninth edition too

Early Birds: Prashant Nain| Abhay Krishan

Know your English

K. Subrahmanian

1 of 2

2 of 2

“Disinterested, uninterested.”

‘Disinterested’ means ‘not influenced by one’s own advantage, impartial’.

You can go to him for advice. He looks at every problem objectively. He gives disinterested advice.

‘Uninterested’ means ‘not interested’.

He’s selfish. He is uninterested in others.

In American colloquial English, ‘disinterested’ is used in the sense of ‘uninterested’. In Britain, discriminating writers and speakers maintain the distinction between the two words. When a person is interested in something, he shows his ‘desire to learn or know something or his involvement in something’.

I am interested in old coins.

I am interested in his welfare.

When you are interested, you show interest in something or somebody. When you say that something is interesting, you mean that something is holding your attention, something is arousing your curiosity. When you say ‘I am interesting,’ you are paying a compliment to yourself. When you say ‘I am interested,’ you are showing an interest in something or somebody. There are some who say that they are interesting when they mean that they are interested. Others would say that you are an interesting person if, for example, you are deeply interested in a variety of things.”

“Low-down (N. C. Chagla, Bombay)”

“ ‘Low-down’ as an adjective means ‘abject, mean, dishonourable.’

He is noted for his low-down tricks.

‘Low-down’ as a noun means ‘relevant information.’

The journalist wanted to get the low-down on the minister’s dismissal.

You try to get to the bottom of a thing to find out all about it; you go deep down.”

“The present continuous or progressive tense.”

“In colloquial English, the progressive is used with ‘hope,’ ‘want,’ ‘wonder’ to express tentativeness, politeness. ‘I hope you will come’ means that the speaker’s expectations are high. ‘I am hoping you will come’ is polite and less demanding. The tone is rather deferential.

I am wondering if you can come tomorrow.

Are you wanting any assistance, sir? Can I help you?

The progressive of ‘go’ is used to denote a future action.

I am going to Bombay next week.

She is not going to contest the election.

The present progressive is also used to denote events that are likely to take place in the future.

He is taking me to a movie next week.

I am buying her a present for her birthday next Sunday.

The progressive is also used to denote a change of state taking place over a period.

He is getting old.

Our industries are improving.

The difference between (a) ‘He is friendly’ and (b) ‘He is being friendly’ is that (a) says that the person is by nature friendly; (b) suggests that the person appears to be friendly at the time of speaking. It is not his nature to be friendly all the time. He shows a friendly attitude at the moment.”

Published in The Hindu on March 3, 1992.

Business

- ‘Credit growth to slow to 14% on risk weights, softer GDP’

- Cybersecurity provider Check Point ramps up India presence

- ‘Elgi eyes slot in top 3 air compressor firms’

- LIC eyes stake buys in health insurers for a segment foray

- ‘Google, Amazon oppose antitrust bill’

- NMDC raises iron ore prices, to pay dividend

- TCS, IIT Bombay to work on advanced chip-sensing tool

- RBI unveils Pravaah portal for approvals

- 3M India Q4 net rises 27% to ₹173 cr., logs 5% sales uptick

- Sugar exports said to hinge on monsoon, cane sowing

- NCLAT backs 93% haircut by Adani Goodhomes for Radius

- ‘In ’24, global public cloud end user spend to cross $675 bn’

‘Credit growth to slow to 14% on risk weights, softer GDP’

The Hindu Bureau

MUMBAI

CRISIL sees a 200 basis points easing in bank credit expansion in FY25 from 16% pace last year due to a high base, revision in risk weights and a slowing in the economic growth momentum

Bank credit growth in FY25 is expected to moderate 200 basis points (bps) to 14% from an estimated 16% in FY24 due to a high base effect, a revision in risk weights and a slower pace of gross domestic product (GDP) growth, CRISIL Ratings said in a report.

‘Capex tailwind’

However, a revival in private corporate capital expenditure, especially towards the second half of the current year could provide a tailwind, the rating agency said.

Stating that the fundamental drivers of credit demand were broadly intact, it said the pace of deposit growth could keep a check on credit growth, even though the differential between the two had reduced over the past year.

“Within the expected overall bank credit growth of 14% in fiscal 2025, the largest segment, corporate credit (45% of bank credit) should see growth remaining steady at 13%, while retail (28% of bank credit), the second-largest segment, is expected to grow the fastest at 16%,” CRISIL said, adding growth in credit to MSMEs would slow down on a high base.

Cybersecurity provider Check Point ramps up India presence

Mini Tejaswi

Bengaluru

Check Point, a Tel Aviv- headquartered provider of cloud-based cybersecurity on Tuesday, said it was ramping up it’s India operations as the country is rapidly evolving into a cybersecurity market driven by increasingly sophisticated cyberthreats.

Bengaluru office

The Israeli cybersecurity firm announced the opening of its new office in Bengaluru - a 42,700 sq. ft. facility expected to foster global innovation, collaboration, and productivity.

Check Point said, the facility features a customer experience centre and AI Demo Zones, where customers can test cutting-edge security solutions tailored to their industry requirements.

“India is a strategic market for us in terms of talent and market potential. With the digitalisation pace and ever-evolving cyberthreat landscape, the region represents unprecedented business growth opportunities,” said Sundar Balasubramanian, India and SAARC MD, Check Point Software Technologies.

Check Point will operate from Chennai as well by next month, the firm said.

‘Steep rise in attacks’

According to Data Security Council of India (DSCI), the Indian cybersecurity market would be 5% of the global market by 2028. Check Point said, each Indian firm faced 2,807 cyberattacks every week in Q1 of FY24, demonstrating a 33% rise year-on-year, surpassing the global average rise of 28%.

This was the second highest in APAC, necessitating advanced solutions, said Mr. Balasubramanian.

‘Elgi eyes slot in top 3 air compressor firms’

M. Soundariya Preetha

COIMBATORE

Jairam Varadaraj SIVA SARAVANAN S

Elgi Equipments aims to be among the top three global air compressor manufacturers in terms of revenue by 2035-36, said its MD Jairam Varadaraj in an interaction on Tuesday.

Elgi’s FY24 consolidated sales was ₹3,218 crore. Its net profit rose year-on-year (YoY) to ₹311.9 crore from ₹293.3 crore.

Mr. Varadaraj said the U.S. operations suffered losses in the first two quarters of FY24 but business grew in all markets. In India, business increased last year across sectors like construction, mining, and after market.

The firm plans a capex of ₹254.7 crore and this is to consolidate its operations at one location in Coimbatore. This is part of investments that will happen in phases for four to five years. “We are expanding our global support centre, which is primarily spare parts supplies for the whole world and one assembly line (to Kinathukadavu) which is now sitting in Singanallur (in Coimbatore),” he added.

LIC eyes stake buys in health insurers for a segment foray

The Hindu Bureau

HYDERABAD

State-owned Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) is mulling a foray into the fast-growing health insurance segment through the inorganic route of acquiring stake in standalone health insurers.

Rules out merger

“We will definitely explore possibilities to have some stake in some standalone health insurance companies,” Chairperson Siddhartha Mohanty said, ruling out mergers with non-life public sector insurers for the foray.

Driving the interest of the life insurance behemoth, which is not entirely new to the health insurance space given it deals in fixed benefit health covers, is the report of a Parliamentary Committee recommending issue of composite licence for an insurer to undertake life, general or health insurance under one entity.

Amendments to law

Given such a possibility, once the relevant law and rules were amended, LIC had “done some work internally to occupy some space in health insurance,” Mr. Mohanty said on an investor call, hinting this would be the only segment of interest in the general insurance business for LIC.

The five standalone health insurers reported a more than 26% increase in gross direct premium to ₹33,115.95 crore (₹26,243.85 crore) in FY24.

‘Google, Amazon oppose antitrust bill’

Reuters

NEW DELHI

A U.S. lobby group representing tech giants Google, Amazon and Apple has asked India to rethink its proposed EU-like competition law, arguing regulations against data use and preferential treatment of partners could raise user costs, a letter shows.

Citing increasing market power of a few big digital companies in India, a government panel in February proposed imposing obligations on them under a new antitrust law, which will complement existing regulations whose enforcement the panel said is “time-consuming”.

India’s “Digital Competition Bill” is on the lines of EU’s Digital Markets Act 2022. It will apply to big firms, including those with a global turnover of more than $30 billion and at least 10 million local users.

NMDC raises iron-ore prices, Q4 net slumps

The Hindu Bureau

HYDERABAD

State-owned mining major NMDC increased iron-ore prices by ₹250 per tonne for the lump-ore variety and by ₹350 for a similar quantity of fines with effect from May 28.

Post the revision, lump ore costs ₹6,450 per tonne and fines ₹5,610, India’s largest iron-ore producer said in a filing on Tuesday.

It is for the second month in a row NMDC had increased the prices.

Meanwhile, NMDC reported consolidated net profit for the quarter ended March slumped almost 38% to ₹1,415.62 crore on a more than 18% rise in total income to ₹6,908.37 crore.

For FY24, consolidated net profit rose a tad to ₹5,571.25 crore on a 23% rise in total income to ₹22,678.73 crore. NMDC declared a final dividend of ₹1.50 per share for FY24.

TCS, IIT Bombay to work on advanced chip-sensing tool

Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (TCS) said it had entered into a tie up with Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-Bombay) to develop what it called India’s first Quantum Diamond Microchip Imager. “This advanced sensing tool will hold the potential to unlock new levels of precision in the examination of semiconductor chips, reduce chip failures and improve the energy efficiency of electronic devices,” the company said in a statement.

RBI unveils Pravaah portal for approvals

The Hindu Bureau

MUMBAI

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das on Tuesday unveiled three major initiatives of the Reserve Bank of India, namely the Pravaah portal, Retail Direct Mobile App and a FinTech Repository.

The Pravaah portal will make it convenient for any individual or entity to apply online for various regulatory approvals in a seamless manner, the RBI said.

The Retail Direct Mobile App will provide retail investors ease of transacting in G-Secs, it added. The Fintech Repository will contain information on data of Indian FinTech firms.

3M India Q4 net rises 27% to ₹173 cr., logs 5% sales uptick

The Hindu Bureau

Bengaluru

3M India reported fourth-quarter net profit climbed 27% to ₹173 crore, from ₹136 crore in the year-earlier period, buoyed by strong growth in its healthcare, transportation and electronics segments.

Full year (FY24) profit rose to ₹583 crore, from ₹451 crore, the company said in a statement.

Revenue from operations in Q4 saw an almost 5% uptick to ₹1,095 crore.

The healthcare unit’s business includes surgical supplies, while transportation and electronics units feature products such as auto parts and cables.

Sugar exports said to hinge on monsoon, cane sowing

Press Trust of India

New Delhi

India may allow sugar exports after assessing the final sugarcane sowing and output in the 2024-25 season, as the world’s biggest producer after Brazil is expecting a lower sugar output of 30 million tonne next season, sources said.

For the current 2023-24 season ending September, sugar production has reached 31.5 million tonne so far, with the final output likely to touch 31.8 million tonnes as mills in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka wrap up crushing, the sources added. Last year, India produced 32.8 million tonne.

NCLAT backs 93% haircut by Adani Goodhomes for Radius

NCLAT upheld orders approving Adani Goodhomes’ resolution plan for realty firm Radius Estate with a 93% haircut for creditors. A two-member bench rejected the petitions by two dissenting financial creditors, saying it was “commercial wisdom” of the Committee of Creditors (CoC), which approved the payout to different creditors. According to reports, Adani Goodhomes had proposed to pay about ₹76 crore as against total claims of ₹1,700 crore. PTI

‘In ’24, global public cloud end user spend to cross $675 bn’

Worldwide end-user spending on public cloud services is likely to grow 20.4% to $675.4 billion in 2024, up from $561 billion in 2023, according to the latest forecast from Gartner Inc. This growth is being driven by generative AI (GenAI) and application modernisation, the research firm said. All segments of the cloud market are expected to see growth in 2024. In India, end-user spending on such services is forecast to grow 30% to total $11.7 billion in 2024.

Foreign

- Latest Israeli strikes on Rafah kill 37, days after attack on tent camps

- Ground reality

- Taiwan’s legislature passes Bills curtailing the powers of President

- ‘Poland should not rule out sending troops to Ukraine’

- Norway, Ireland and Spain recognise Palestinian state

- Houthi role suspected as missile hits vessel in Red Sea off Yemen

- Six persons arrested under Hong Kong's new security law

- Georgia parliament adopts 'foreign influence' law despite protests

- Pakistan ‘violated’ 1999 agreement signed with India: Nawaz Sharif

- Iraqi cleric Sadr demands closure of U.S. embassy after Rafah strike

- China cites concerns about Israel’s Rafah strikes

Latest Israeli strikes on Rafah kill 37, days after attack on tent camps

Agence France-Presse, Associated Press

Rafah

Sunday evening’s strike on camps had left at least 45 Palestinians dead and hundreds of civilians with shrapnel and burns; Netanyahu said the attack was a mistake, but vowed to continue the war; ‘There is no safe place in Gaza,’ says UN chief

On the go: Palestinians flee from the southern Gaza city of Rafah during an Israeli ground and air offensive in the city on Tuesday.APJehad Alshrafi

Israeli shelling and air strikes killed at least 37 people, most of them sheltering in tents, outside the southern Gaza city of Rafah overnight and on Tuesday — pummelling the same area where strikes triggered a deadly fire days earlier in a camp for displaced Palestinians — according to witnesses, emergency workers and hospital officials.

Shelling late on Monday and early on Tuesday hit Rafah’s western Tel al-Sultan district, killing at least 16 persons, the Palestinian Civil Defence and the Palestinian Red Crescent said. Seven of the dead were in tents next to a UN facility about about 200 m from the site of Sunday night’s strike and fire.

On Tuesday afternoon, an Israeli drone strike hit tents near a field hospital by the Mediterranean coast west of Rafah, killing at least 21 people, including 13 women, the Gaza Health Ministry said.

It came as Israeli tanks penetrated the heart of Rafah, according to Palestinian officials, despite widespread condemnation over an air strike on a crowded camp in the southern Gaza city that killed 45 and injured many just two days earlier.

Israeli tanks were “stationed on the al-Awda roundabout in the centre of the city of Rafah,” a witness said. A Palestinian security source confirmed tanks were in the centre of Rafah where Israeli troops launched a controversial assault earlier this month.

Sunday evening’s camp strike, which Gaza medics said also left hundreds of civilians with shrapnel and burn wounds, drew condemnation from world leaders. The sight of the charred carnage, blackened corpses and children being rushed to hospitals led UN chief Antonio Guterres to declare that “there is no safe place in Gaza. This horror must stop.” Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the strike a “tragic accident” but also vowed to push on with the military campaign to destroy Hamas.

Israel’s offensive has killed at least 36,096 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Ground reality

An aircraft flies by as a man collects trash at Paranaque in the Philippines’s Metro Manila. Inadequate garbage collection services, lack of disposal and recycling facilities, and grinding poverty have been blamed for the growing problem of plastic waste across the Philippines. AFPJAM STA ROSA

Taiwan’s legislature passes Bills curtailing the powers of President

Associated Press

TAIPEI

Lai Ching-te

Taiwan’s Opposition-controlled legislature passed changes on Tuesday that are seen as favouring China and diminishing the power of the island’s President, sparking protests by thousands of people.

The changes pushed by the Opposition Nationalist Party and its allies would give the legislature greater power to control budgets, including defence spending that the party has blocked in what many see as a concession to China.

It remains unclear whether the package of Bills will become law. The Executive Yuan, the executive branch of government headed by the Premier, may veto legislation or pass it on to the President, who has to proclaim Bills into law within 10 days. If the Executive Yuan or the President does not comply, the Bills will not become law.

People protest

Thousands of people gathered outside the legislature to protest the changes. The legislative chamber was festooned with banners promoting both sides in the dispute, while arguments on the floor broke into shouting and pushing matches.

The Nationalists, also known as the KMT, officially back unification with China, from which Taiwan separated during a civil war in 1949. They took control of the legislature with a single-seat majority after elections in January, while the presidency went to Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party, which favours Taiwan’s de facto independence from China.

DPP legislators accused deputies from the KMT and the minority Taiwan People’s Party of undermining Taiwan’s democracy by expanding the legislature’s oversight of the executive branch. They denounced the legislation as creating a “black box” for what the KMT has portrayed as reforms.

‘Poland should not rule out sending troops to Ukraine’

Agence France-Presse

Warsaw

Radoslaw Sikorski

Poland should not rule out sending ground troops into Ukraine to help fight Russia, the government said on Tuesday, in the latest sign of divisions between Kyiv’s Western backers on the issue.

In February, French President Emmanuel Macron created uproar among fellow members of the U.S.-led NATO defence alliance when he refused to rule out the despatch of Western troops to Ukraine.

But with Ukraine ceding ground in the face of a Russian offensive in the east, there are signs others among Kyiv’s allies, including Poland, have begun to reconsider the idea.

Questioned on the prospect of sending Polish troops to fight in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said Warsaw should “not rule out any option”.

“Let (Russian President Vladimir) Putin guess what we are going to do,” he said in an interview with three European newspapers, including Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza.

Norway, Ireland and Spain recognise Palestinian state

Associated Press

BARCELONA

Spain, Norway and Ireland formally recognised a Palestinian state on Tuesday in a coordinated effort by the three Western European nations to add international pressure on Israel to soften its devastating response to last year’s Hamas-led attack. Tel Aviv slammed the diplomatic move that will have no immediate impact on its grinding war in Gaza.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told his nation in a televised address from Madrid that “this is a historic decision that has a single goal, and that is to help Israelis and Palestinians achieve peace."

Ireland and Norway soon joined Spain in formalising a decision they had jointly announced the previous week.

While some 140 countries have recognised a Palestinian state none of the major Western powers has done so. Still, the adherence of three European countries to the group represents a victory for Palestinian efforts in the world of public opinion.

Houthi role suspected as missile hits vessel in Red Sea off Yemen

Associated Press

Dubai

A missile attack damaged a ship on Tuesday in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen, with a private security firm saying radio traffic suggested the vessel took on water after being struck.

No group immediately claimed responsibility, but suspicion immediately fell on Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who have launched a number of attacks targeting ships over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The attack happened off the port city of Hodeida in the southern Red Sea, near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center. The vessel “sustained damage” in the assault and later reported an “impact in the water in close proximity to the vessel”. “The crew are reported safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call,” the center said.

Six held under Hong Kong security law for ‘posting messages’ online

APLouise Delmotte

The Hong Kong police arrested six persons on Tuesday under the city’s new security law for “posting messages with seditious intention” online on a Facebook page about commemorating Beijing’s deadly 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Officials arrested five women and one man as part of the incident. afp

Georgia parliament adopts ‘foreign influence’ law despite protests

APZurab Tsertsvadze

Georgia’s parliament voted on Tuesday to adopt a divisive “foreign influence” law targeting NGOs and the media despite protests. The law, which critics have compared to repressive Russian legislation, forces groups receiving at least 20% of funding from abroad to register as “organisations pursuing interests of a foreign power.” afp

Pakistan ‘violated’ 1999 agreement signed with India: Nawaz Sharif

REUTERSFAISAL MAHMOOD

Former Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday admitted that Islamabad had “violated” an agreement with India signed by him and then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999, in a reference to the Kargil misadventure by General Pervez Musharraf. Mr. Sharif was speaking at a meet of the PML-N general council. pti

Iraqi cleric Sadr demands closure of U.S. embassy after Rafah strike

REUTERSREUTERS TV

Influential Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr renewed his calls to close the U.S. embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday after an Israeli strike killed dozens of civilians in a camp in Gaza. Mr. Sadr condemned the Israeli strike and Washington’s “shameless” support for the “genocide” he charged was under way in Gaza. afp

China cites concerns about Israel’s Rafah strikes

Agence France-Presse

Beijing

China expressed on Tuesday “grave concern” over Israel’s military operations in Rafah, where an Israeli strike killed dozens in a displaced persons camp. China “expresses its grave concern over the ongoing Israeli military operations in Rafah”, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

Beijing urged “all parties to protect civilians and civilian facilities”. It also said it “strongly urges Israel to listen to the appeals of the international community and to stop its attacks on Rafah”.

Beijing has been calling for an immediate ceasefire since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in last October.

Sports

- South Africa has the firepower to pass the Group D test

- Sabalenka powers into second round

- ‘I am privileged to take India’s 1.4 billion people to the Hall of Fame’

- It’s an irony that India won T20 WC before the IPL, says Atherton

- India is the strongest side even with injuries, says Morgan

- You gave me incredible emotions: Cornet tells fans after bowing out

- French player hits spectator with a ball, escapes disqualification

- TOP RESULTS

- Confident of a good show by India in Paris: Anju

- Praggnanandhaa and Humpy post victories

- Around THE CITY

- Satwik-Chirag pair bows out in first round

- Nishant outclasses Otgonbaatar

- India round of MotoGP c’ship moved to 2025

- Tyson recovering after falling ill during a flight

- De Bruyne to lead Belgium team at the Euro 2024

- Pole vaulter Braz gets 16-month ban for doping

- Shrivalli gets the better of Lee in the first round

- Bharath hits century

- U-20 100m world record holder Asinga banned for four years

- Goushika wins u-13 title at HCL Indian Open jr. squash

- India dominates in South Asian youth TT c’ships

- LiVE TELECAST

- Serving it smart is the way forward for aspiring Indian tennis players

South Africa has the firepower to pass the Group D test

Ashwin Achal

Bengaluru

The challenge will come from former champion Sri Lanka ; Bangladesh enters the tournament on a low after suffering a series loss to USA; Netherlands, Nepal will be keen on making an upset or two

Protean fire: With the pitches expected to turn, especially in the second half of the tournament, tweakers Shamsi and Maharaj will come into play in a big way.FILE PHOTO: K.R. DEEPAKDEEPAK KR

In The Hindu’s countdown to the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup which commences in the West Indies and USA on June 2, we take a look at the teams in Group D.

SOUTH AFRICA: A second-string South African side was blanked 0-3 in the T20I series against West Indies a few days ago. The arrival of powerful reinforcements — Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Tristan Stubbs, to name a few — gives the T20 World Cup squad far greater depth. Quinton de Kock, who has retired from ODI and Test cricket, is a familiar face at the top of the order. The poor form of de Kock and lead pacer Anrich Nortje, however, is cause for concern.

Key player: Tristan Stubbs:With a strike rate of 190.90 and an average of 54 for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024, Stubbs excelled as a specialist finisher.

The squad: Aiden Markram (Capt.), Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Tristan Stubbs.

SRI LANKA: Sri Lanka has won all three of its T20I series held this year, albeit against weaker teams (Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Zimbabwe). The team is led by experienced all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga, who missed the IPL due to an injury. In Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana, the Lankans have two quality spinners primed to exploit slow pitches in the West Indies.

SL will hope that death-over bowling specialist Matheesha Pathirana recovers quickly from a hamstring strain.

Key player: Kusal Mendis: The 29-year-old opener will be entrusted with giving SL a flying start. His role is especially crucial given that the batting line-up lacks big hitters.

The squad: Wanindu Hasaranga (Capt.), Charith Asalanka, Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Matheesha Pathirana, Nuwan Thushara, and Dilshan Madushanka.

BANGLADESH: The Tigers had a major slip in the build up to the T20 World Cup, losing 1-2 to World No. 19 United States of America in a T20I series last week. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and coach Chandika Hathurusinghe rely on the same set of players to come good in this mega event.

The unit’s lack of power-hitters is out of sync with modern T20 best practices. A warm-up match against India on June 1 serves as the last chance to get the house in order.

Key player: Mustafizur Rahman: A career-best six for 10 against USA proved that the left-arm seamer remains a valuable T20 asset. Mustafizur’s ability to deliver yorkers is particularly useful in the death overs.

The squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Capt.), Taskin Ahmed, Litton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Shakib Al Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mahmud Ullah Riyad, Jaker Ali Anik, Tanvir Islam, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, and Tanzim Hasan Sakib.

NETHERLANDS: Known to consistently punch above its weight, Netherlands earned its spot in this tournament by virtue of finishing in the top-eight of the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. That campaign included a 13-run win over South Africa in the Super 12 phase, which effectively knocked the Proteas out of the competition.

Netherlands will miss the services of former SA international Roelof van der Merwe and batter Colin Ackermann, both of whom have chosen English county commitments over National duty.

Key player: Max O’Dowd: The Auckland-born opener is the standout batter. In the recent Tri-Nation T20I series involving Ireland, Netherlands, and Scotland, O’Dowd finished as the highest run-scorer.

The squad: Scott Edwards (Capt.), Aryan Dutt, Bas de Leede, Kyle Klein, Logan van Beek, Max O’Dowd, Michael Levitt, Paul van Meekeren, Saqib Zulfiqar, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Teja Nidamanuru, Tim Pringle, Vikramjit Singh, Viv Kingma, and Wesley Barresi.

NEPAL: Nepal qualified for the 2024 T20 WC by entering the final of the ICC’s Asia region qualifiers in November last year. Nepal had previously appeared in the 2014 ICC World Twenty20. Apart from the recent five-match T20 leg against West Indies A, Nepal has not got the chance to test its mettle against quality oppositions.

Key player: Rohit Paudel: Facing a West Indies A attack which included Obed McCoy, Oshane Thomas, and Roston Chase, captain Paudel showed his class with scores of 112, 71 n.o. and 82.

The squad: Rohit Paudel (Capt.), Aasif Sheikh, Anil Kumar Sah, Kushal Bhurtel, Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Lalit Rajbanshi, K.C. Karan, Gulshan Jha, Sompal Kami, G.C. Pratis, Sundeep Jora, Abinash Bohara, Sagar Dhakal, and Kamal Singh Airee.

Sabalenka powers into second round

Agence France-Presse

PARIS

1 of 2 Dominant: Sabalenka lost just three games in her opener. AFP

2 of 2

Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka overpowered Russian teenager Erika Andreeva 6-1, 6-2 in just 68 minutes under the roof on Court Philippe Chatrier to enter the second round at a rainswept Roland-Garros on Tuesday.

World No. 2 Sabalenka fired 27 winners past the 100th-ranked Andreeva and broke serve five times in a dominant display.

“I’m trying to do well on clay, it is tough conditions but I enjoy playing here,” said Sabalenka.

The Belarusian has made at least the last four at her past six Grand Slams and is expected to be Iga Swiatek’s toughest rival in the Pole’s bid for a fourth French Open title.

Heavy rain had caused play on the outside, uncovered courts to be delayed by five hours.

In men’s singles, two-time runner-up Casper Ruud cruised to a 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Felipe Meligeni Alves.

Ruud was beaten in straight sets by Novak Djokovic in last year’s final following a one-sided loss to Rafael Nadal in the 2022 showpiece. He had also lost the 2022 US Open final to Carlos Alcaraz.

Frenchwoman Alize Cornet’s career ended with a straight-sets defeat by Zheng Qinwen in her record-extending 69th consecutive Grand Slam appearance. Cornet was no match for China’s Australian Open runner-up Zheng, losing 6-2, 6-1. She made her debut at Roland Garros as a 15-year-old in 2005 and had not missed a Grand Slam tournament since the 2006 US Open.

Cornet reached a career-high ranking of 11th in 2009 and enjoyed a surprise run to the 2022 Australian Open quarterfinals.

Over on Court Suzanne Lenglen, Elena Rybakina powered into the second round with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Belgian Greet Minnen.

‘I am privileged to take India’s 1.4 billion people to the Hall of Fame’

N. Sudarshan

Chennai

Legacy: Paes said a Grand Slam title meant more than aspiring for a singles top-10 ranking.B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM B

Leander Paes’ storied career is dotted with many historic highs. But his induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame class of 2024 in the player category may well be one of the crowning glories.

At a fireside chat hosted by Sportstar at The Hindu’s Chennai headquarters, Paes, who was in conversation with Suresh Balakrishna, The Hindu’s Chief Revenue Officer, said it was a “humbling moment.”

“Today I am so privileged, to take not just me but India’s 1.4 billion people [to the Hall of Fame],” Paes said. “I grew up in a middle-class family whose passion was for sports. And it just shows that with hard work and belief, anybody can become a champion.”

Atlanta bronze

Paes may have won 18 Majors (eight in doubles and 10 in mixed doubles), but his stock was built on the singles bronze at Atlanta 1996, India’s first individual Olympic medal since wrestler Khashaba Jadhav’s bronze at 1952 Helsinki.

“I was very process oriented,” said Paes, who competed in a record seven Olympics. “Every Sunday after Church, I used to polish my father’s [Olympic] medal. My parents had hundreds of trophies but this one [the Olympic medal] attracted me. I wanted one of my own.

“I was smart enough to know that I couldn’t do it alone. My two sisters brought me up; there were some amazing coaches, and all those doubles and mixed doubles partners. They should all be in the Hall of Fame.”

In the first decade of his career, Paes was adept at singles too. He won his lone ATP Tour title, on grass in 1998 at Newport, which incidentally hosts the Hall of Fame festivities.

“Singles results helped my belief. [But I had to decide] will it inspire the kids if I am in singles top-10 or if I am a Grand Slam champion. Before us [himself and Mahesh Bhupathi] nobody had won a Major. That’s [my] legacy.

“To be No.1 and see the [Indian] flag flying high is pretty cool. Twenty Slams [including two in juniors] and World No. 1 meant more than being in the singles top-10.”

Paes also paid tribute to 22-time Major and 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal, who lost in the first round at Roland-Garros on Monday, in what increasingly seems like his final bow in Paris.

Changing of guard

“It does feel like the changing of the guard,” Paes said. “[Carlos] Alcaraz, if he can stay healthy, can be the next king and has the ability to win 20-plus Slams. I played with Nadal in doubles at Paris Bercy [Masters].

“To see a 14-time champion be unseeded and lose in the first round, I understand that [feeling] all too well. We all came in when the sun was shining and we played through a long sunset.”

It’s an irony that India won T20 WC before the IPL, says Atherton

Getty Images

Michael Atherton said it is ironical that the only time India won the T20 World Cup was before the IPL came into being. “It’s also an irony, because everyone talks about the IPL and how it has improved India’s T20 cricket. The irony is that the only time it has won is pre IPL,” Atherton told Sky Sports.

India is the strongest side even with injuries, says Morgan

PTI

India is a strong contender to win the T20 World Cup, says Eoin Morgan. “The strongest side even with injuries throughout the tournament is India. Its strength and depth is absolutely incredible. It is favourite for me; the quality it has on paper, if it produces it I think it can beat anybody,” Morgan said on Sky Sports.

You gave me incredible emotions: Cornet tells fans after bowing out

AFPANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT

Alize Cornet was given a standing ovation after playing the final match of her long tennis career in the first round of the French Open in Paris on Tuesday. She lost 2-6, 1-6 to No. 7 seed Zheng Qinwen. “You gave me incredible emotions. It’s tough to realise that it’s the last time I’m feeling this,” the 34-year-old Frenchwoman said.

French player hits spectator with a ball, escapes disqualification

APAndy Wong

French tennis player Terence Atmane apologised on Tuesday for hitting a spectator with a ball at the French Open. Atmane angrily struck a ball and accidentally hit a woman spectator in the leg. He wasn’t disqualified but received a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct. Atmane lost to Sebastian Ofner in five sets.

First round: Men: 28-Etcheverry (Arg) bt Cazaux (Fra) 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4; 7-Ruud (Nor) bt Alves (Bra) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3; 12-Fritz (USA) bt Coria (Arg) 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-1; 11-De Minaur (Aus) bt Michelsen (USA) 6-1, 6-0, 6-2.

Women: 7-Qinwen (Chn) bt Cornet (Fra) 6-2, 6-1; 4-Rybakina (Kaz) bt Minnen (Bel) 6-2, 6-3; 2-Sabalenka (Blr) bt Andreeva (Rus) 6-1, 6-2.

Monday: Men: 30-Musetti (Ita) bt Galan (Col) 6-3, 6-3, 7-5; 23-Cerundolo (Arg) bt Hanfmann (Ger) 6-3, 6-3, 6-4; 14-Paul (USA) bt Cachin (Arg) 6-2, 6-3, 6-1; 5-Medvedev (Rus) bt Koepfer (Ger) 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3; Arnaldi (Ita) bt 29-Fils (Fra) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2; 20-Baez (Arg) bt Heide (Bra) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.

Women: Cocciaretto (Ita) bt 13-Haddad Maia (Bra) 3-6, 6-4, 6-1; 31-Fernandez (Can) bt Ponchet (Fra) 6-2, 6-0; Gracheva (Fra) bt 6-Sakkari (Gre) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Confident of a good show by India in Paris: Anju

Uthra Ganesan

New Delhi

The Athletics Federation of India senior vice-president says preparations are going well ahead of the Olympics ; adds that injuries are part and parcel of the game

No alarm: There is little cause for concern over Neeraj’s injury.K.R. DEEPAKDEEPAK KR

A precautionary pull-out by Neeraj Chopra from competition, ineligible race walkers having to qualify again and qualifying nerves for some prominent hopefuls have all managed to temper India’s athletics hopes at the Paris Olympics. Still, there is little cause for concern, according to Anju Bobby George.

The former World Championship medallist and long jump legend is confident that India will put up a good show come July.

“The preparations are going well and the federation is ensuring everything is right. Except for injuries to 1-2 athletes like (Murali) Sreeshankar, the schedule for training and competitions is well planned. We can expect a good show regarding the finalists and medallists,” Anju, now a senior vice-president at the Athletics Federation of India told The Hindu.

After two back-to-back competitions in tough conditions, Neeraj was expected to participate at the Ostrava Golden Spike meet but pulled out with discomfort in his adductor muscles. While it is not serious, it did create alarm among fans, more so given the unfortunate knee injury and surgery that forced Sreeshankar to end his season prematurely last month.

Difficult

“It’s difficult to accept being out of competition for an athlete with injury because they put everything on the line for four years for that one moment,” Anju admitted.

“Sreeshankar was one of our great hopes, he was doing consistently well all through last year. But these things happen.

“I was in a similar situation in 2000 where despite being the first athlete to qualify for the Olympics, I was sitting at home with injury.

“It takes a while to realise what happened. It may take 9-12 months for him to return to full training but he is a great talent and a fighter. He will bounce back and he is yet to achieve his full potential,” she added.

Away from the elite athletes, Anju continues to live her dream of winning an Olympic medal, through her trainees at the Anju Bobby George Foundation and is confident of eventual success.

“Shaili Singh is the most prominent, but there are others in line too like Poorva, Kusuma, and Rachitha, getting better every day. The main challenge is to get their technique right – which means they have to first unlearn what they know,” she explained.

Praggnanandhaa and Humpy post victories

Sports Bureau

1 of 2 Right moves: Praggnanandhaa defeated Firouzja while Humpy put it across Cramling.File Photos-

2 of 2

R. Praggnanandhaa and Koneru Humpy posted victories on the opening day of the Norway Chess tournament at Stavanger on Monday.

The other Indian in the fray, R. Vaishali, however, suffered a loss at the hands of the women’s World champion Ju Wenjun of China.

The male World champion from China, Ding Liren, though, could not begin his campaign on the right note.

He drew with former World champion Magnus Carslen in the classical game quickly, in just 14 moves, but in the Armageddon game that followed he could not force a win; he had to, as he was playing with white.

Carslen needed only a draw, which he got in 65 moves.

In fact, the day’s all the six classical games — three each in the open and women’s sections — were drawn. Thus Armageddon had to be played to identify the winner.

Praggnanandhaa won his Armageddon against France’s Alireza Firouzja, as did Hikaru Nakamura, with black, against Fabiano Caruana in an all-American encounter.

In the women’s event, Humpy, with black, drew her Armageddon game with veteran Swede Pia Cramling.

China’s Lei Tingjie won in the Armageddon game with black against Anna Muzychuk of Ukraine.

The results: Open: R. Praggnanandhaa 1.5 bt Alireza Firouzja (Fra) 1; Ding Liren (Chn) 1 lost to Magnus Carlsen (Swe) 1.5; Fabiano Caruana (USA) 1 lost to Hikaru Nakamura (USA) 1.5.

Women: Pia Cramling (Swe) 1 lost to Koneru Humpy 1.5; Wenjun Ju (Chn) 1.5 bt R. Vaishali 1; Anna Muzychuk (Ukr) 1 lost to Lei Tingjie (Chn) 1.5.

Champion: The triumphant IOB men’s volleyball team

IOB men claim volleyball title

IOB won the Sri Rama Swamy memorial State-level invitational men’s volleyball tournament, organised by Aqua Pump Sports Club in Coimbatore recently.

IOB showcased its dominance throughout the league stages, securing convincing victories over all the opponents including Tamil Nadu Police, Aqua Pump SC, Chennai Customs and Indian Bank.

Darshan emerges victorious

Darshan Veeraraghavan (72 Gross) won the open category event at the Madras Gymkhana Club (Golf Annexe) monthly medal stroke play event held recently. Jayavelan Thangappan (79 Gross) finished runner-up.

Other results: Gold Category: 1. Pramod Modgil (71 Nett); 2. Dhananjaya Das (71 Nett)ˆ.

Silver Category: 1. Arun P. Sowdas (69 Nett); 2. S. Jayaprakash (71 Nett).

Bronze Category: 1. Pradeep Swaminathan (65 Nett); Senior Category: 1. S. Lakshmi (65 Nett).

Satwik-Chirag pair bows out in first round

Press Trust of India

SINGAPORE

Early exit: Chirag and Satwiksairaj could not get going on Tuesday.File photo

World No. 1 Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty crashed out of the Singapore Open after suffering a shock defeat against Denmark’s World No. 34 Daniel Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard in the opening round here on Tuesday.

Satwik and Chiraglost 20-22, 18-21 to Daniel and Mads in a 47-minute clash of the Super 750 badminton tournament.

Aakarshi Kashyap and Priyanshu Rajawat also failed to cross the opening hurdle in singles.

The results (first round): Men: Lee Cheuk Yiu (HK) bt Priyanshu Rajawat 23-21, 21-19.

Women: Pornpicha Choeikeewong (Tha) bt Aakarshi Kashyap 21-7, 21-15. Doubles: Chang Ching Hui & Yang Ching Tun (Tpe) bt Rutuparna & Swetaparna Panda 21-12, 12-21, 21-13. Mixed doubles: Lee CHun Hei Reginald & Ng Tsz Yau (HK) bt Ashith Surya & Amrutha Pramuthesh 21-8, 21-17.

Nishant outclasses Otgonbaatar

Press Trust of India

Bangkok

Nishant Dev out-punched Mongolia’s Otgonbaatar Byamba-Erdeneto in just over two minutes to progress to the 71kg pre-quarterfinals while Abhinash Jamwal was knocked out by Colombia’s Jose Manuel Viafara Fory in the 63.5kg category of the second Boxing World Olympic Qualifiers on Tuesday.

Later Sachin Siwach registered a convincing win 5-0 over Frederik Jensen of Denmark in the 57kg category.

Dev began with a flurry of punches against Otgonbaatar to force a standing count in the frst minute.

A combination of a jab and cross hook led to another standing count and the Referee Stopped the Contest (RSC) with 58 seconds still left to play in Round 1.

Earlier, Jamwal fought back after losing a close first round. He clearly dominated the third and final round forcing a tie on points from all five judges.

The judges were asked to weigh the performance again and decide on the winner.

The results: Pre-quarterfinals: 71kg: Nishant Dev bt Otgonbaatar Byamba-Erdeneto (Mon) RSC Round-1. 63.5kg: Jose Manuel Viafara Fory (Col) bt Abhinash Jamwal 5-0. 57kg: Sachin Siwach bt Frederik Jensen (Den) 5-0.

India round of MotoGP c’ship moved to 2025

Press Trust of India

New Delhi

The India round of the MotoGP championship will not not take place on the scheduled date in September and instead has been moved to March 2025, local promoters of the race said on Tuesday.

Reports claiming that the race promoters had not cleared all their dues with rights holders Dorna after the inaugural round last year had led to uncertainty over the second edition scheduled from September 20-22.

However, after Tuesday’s meeting involving all stakeholders — Dorna, and, co-promoters Fairstreet Sports and Uttar Pradesh government — it was decided to shift the round to a yet to be decided date in March.

“It was mutually decided to shift the race to March next year. We are looking at first or second week of March. All the stakeholders including Dorna agreed that the September weather is not conducive for the race and it is tough on the riders and marshals as experienced last year,” Fairstreet Sports CEO Pushkar Nath Srivastava said.

“All payments were being made in between and whatever is left will be paid by next month,” he said.

Tyson recovering after falling ill during a flight

Mike Tyson was recovering on Monday after falling ill a day earlier during a flight from Miami to Los Angeles, his representatives said. The 58-year-old boxing legend “became nauseous and dizzy due to an ulcer flare up 30 minutes before landing” on Sunday, his publicist’s office said in a statement. “Thankfully, Mr. Tyson is doing great,” the statement said. “He is appreciative to the medical staff that were there to help him.” Tyson is preparing to fight the 27-year-old social media star-turned-boxer Jake Paul this summer at the 80,000-seat home of the Dallas Cowboys. Netflix will carry the fight live, a first for the streaming platform.

De Bruyne to lead Belgium team at the Euro 2024

Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne will lead a rejuvenated Belgium side at the European Championship next month.

The squad: Goalkeepers: Matz Sels, Koen Casteels, Thomas Kaminski; Defenders: Wout Faes, Timothy Castagne, Arthur Theate, Jan Vertonghen, Axel Witsel, Zeno Debast, Thomas Meunier, Maxim De Cuyper; Midfielders: Aster Vranckx, Youri Tielemans, Orel Mangala, Kevin De Bruyne, Arthur Vermeeren, Amadou Onana; Forwards: Romelu Lukaku, Charles De Ketelaere, Jérémy Doku, Lois Openda, Leandro Trossard, Johan Bakayoko, Dodi Lukebakio, Yannick Carrasco.

Pole vaulter Braz gets 16-month ban for doping

Reuters

MONACO

Braz.File PhotoINA FASSBENDER

The 2016 Olympic pole vault champion Thiago Braz has been banned for 16 months after he was found to have violated anti-doping regulations, the AIU said in a statement on Tuesday. The 30-year-old Brazilian, who also took bronze in Tokyo in 2021, will miss the Paris Olympics. Braz has filed an appeal with the CAS.

Shrivalli gets the better of Lee in the first round

Shrivalli Bhamidipaty beat Ya-Hsuan Lee of Taiwan 7-6(7), 6-2 in the first round of the $25,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament in Changwon, Korea, on Tuesday.

Other results: $82,000 Challenger, Little Rock, USA: First round: Brandon Holt (USA) bt S. Mukund 6-0, 3-6, 6-2.

$25,000 ITF men, La Nucia, Spain: Doubles: Pre-quarterfinals: Siddhant Banthia & Eric Vanshelboim (Ukr) bt Darius Pop (Rou) & Martins Rocens (Lat) 6-3, 6-4.

$15,000 ITF men, Bol, Croatia: First round: Luka Mikrut (Cro) bt Yuvan Nandal 6-3, 6-3.

$15,000 ITF men, Monastir: Doubles: Pre-quarterfinals: Jordan Chiu (USA) & Rohan Mehra bt Casper Nicolle & Kyle Rae (GBR) 6-1, 6-3.

Bharath hits century

Sports Bureau

Bharath (Chengalpattu, 111).

M. Bharath (111) helped Chengalpattu reach 339 for three at stumps at Nagapattinam after Deepesh (four for 17) skittled out the hosts for just 35.

The scores (pre-quarterfinals, day one): At Salem: Kancheepuram 249 in 80.4 overs (Sashwanth Vijay 54, A. Sharvin 89, Yuvan Raj 4/38, R. Laxman Rahul 4/71) vs Salem 25/1 in 10 overs.

At Nagapattinam: Nagapattinam 35 in 31.5 overs (D. Deepesh 4/17) vs Chengalpattu 339/3 in 65 overs (M. Bharath 111, S. Akash 79, K. Farhaan 48 batting, Prem 43 batting).

U-20 100m world record holder Asinga banned for four years

Issam Asinga, who set the under-20 100m world record, has been banned for four years and had his record stripped after anti-doping officials ruled against his claim that his positive test for a performance-enhancer came from eating “recovery gummies”. The Athletics Integrity Unit announced the penalties on Monday for Asinga, who ran an u-20 100m record of 9.89 seconds in the South American championships last summer. Asinga plans to appeal the decision to the CAS. Any ruling before the Paris Games later this summer appears unlikely.

Goushika wins u-13 title at HCL Indian Open jr. squash

Tamil Nadu’s M. Goushika defeated Statemate Diva Parasrampuria 11-5, 7-11, 11-13, 12-10, 11-7 in the final to win the girls’ under-13 title in the HCL Indian junior squash open in Indore on Monday. In the boys’ final, compatriot Dhruv Bopana lost to Karnataka’s Shresht Iyer 8-11, 11-9, 10-12, 9-11.

India dominates in South Asian youth TT c’ships

India dominated the South Asian youth table tennis championships at Kandy (Sri Lanka) on Monday. India defeated Sri Lanka 3-0 in the u-19 team final and, in the under-15 summit clash, the India boys and girls’ teams emerged triumphant, thumping Sri Lanka 3-1 and 3-0 respectively.

Badminton: Singapore Open, Sports 18-1 JioCinema, 9 a.m.

Roland Garros: Sony Sports Ten 2, 5 (SD & HD) & LIV, 2.30 p.m. onwards

Serving it smart is the way forward for aspiring Indian tennis players

Kamesh Srinivasan

Coach Gary O’Brien, who has more than 30 years of experience, talks about things to do in order to achieve success and excellence on the professional Tour

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5 of 6 I had a plan in place for what I was going to do on court every day for 365 days. I still have those sheets written in pencil which I share with coaches at the courses I run. The paper is parched and 32 years old O’Brien

6 of 6 The grass is always greener in your neighbour’s garden. Our Indian coaches are as good, maybe even better than the foreign ones. There is nothing wrong with the Indian coaching system, up to a level, after which the players need to transit

Tennis is a lovely game. Most enjoy it, by playing or watching the very best in action, especially at the Grand Slams.

As the action at Roland Garros unfolded on Sunday, India had two of its best, Rohan Bopanna and Sumit Nagal, trying to represent it in the best possible way.

While Bopanna is self-made, even though many coaches and experts have guided him over the years, Nagal has primarily been groomed by the multiple Slam champion Mahesh Bhupathi.

While Bopanna’s game is a classic blend of timing and technique, Nagal is more physical as he runs around the court like a hare, unleashing his explosive forehand to find his way forward in a very highly competitive game.

Bopanna has clarity of mind and a very subtle understanding of the game that has seen him rise to No. 1 in the doubles world.

Over the years, there is a general perception that Indians mature late in sports. But none would have expected the Indians to mature so brilliantly. At 43, even as Bopanna keeps clarifying that it is not age 43, but Level-43, he redefined the understanding of the game by winning the Australian Open men’s doubles title.

Into Level-44, Bopanna is looking around to have the best partner for the Paris Olympics as he is eligible to have his choice since he is a top-10 player.

The love for the game drives players to being disciplined and follow a work ethic — traits that will help a player find his or her way into the sport. However, the world is driven by commerce. Money is the attraction that draws aspirants to many fields and makes them pursue it with passion, irrespective of competence.

Pot of gold

Tennis offers a pot of gold, but it is not easy to reach. And understandably so. The men’s and women’s singles champions will get €2.4 million this time at Roland Garros. However, what is immediately attractive for everyone is the fact that the first-round loser is assured of €73,000 (₹65.81 lakh).

Yet, it is a lot of money for losing. Though Nagal has the potential to burst into the top-50 rankings — he lost to Karen Khachanov in the first round in Paris — why is it that there only one Indian in that league? There is a big population and enough people playing the game across the country to have a better representation.

The easiest conclusion is that in India, there’s no system to generate a battery of world-class players. The truth is that there are so many variables in tennis that it is not easy to master, with or without a system. There is so much competition around the world, especially Europe and USA, that it is hard to scale the slippery ranking ladder.

At the lower levels is the maximum struggle. but it is rewarding when one enters the top-200. Otherwise, players end up only spending on the game even though they may have ventured into the professional circuit with the belief to earn good money.

There are no dearth of good coaches, high-quality academies and experts for nurturing the physical aspect, and get the players mentally ready. Some of the players have the resources to camp in Europe and USA for long, and learn the game in the best possible way. Still, most find the path so complicated that only the rich manage to pursue the game and it becomes increasingly unaffordable for the rest. For the young aspirants who may have the talent and hunger to excel, there are not many public courts. But that is a different topic.

In such a scenario, it was refreshing to get a call from coach Gary O’Brien and know about his book Serve it Smart. Curious to find out what it offered, the book was completed in quick time, not just because it was thin but it was unique and had many gems to offer.

Keeping a low profile

The quality in the work of a relatively unknown coach, who generally keeps a low profile and preserves his energy for his wards on the court, put things in perspective.

It was exciting to find the coach summarise his experience of more than 30 years and offer the essence to the world, making the book priceless.

Knowledge is available in abundance thanks to the internet and the ocean of social media, but this was significantly relevant in the Indian context.

Was he so bored with coaching that O’Brien chose to write a book and be done with the game? The truth is the opposite. He still has the enthusiasm and energy to teach the game.

“If I had a chance to turn back the clock and restart a career, I would choose to be a tennis coach all over again. I love the job and it has given me so many opportunities to mould myself as a human being too. By God’s grace, hard work and the support of my family, I have had a great career so far,” said O’Brien, reflecting on his journey as a coach.

He has done various stints in many centres, at home and abroad. O’Brien was trained to last long as a coach, thanks to the foundation laid by Dr. Vece Paes, who was part of the hockey medal-winning team at the Munich Olympics in 1972.

O’Brien’s career as a coach with Dr. Paes, at Paes en Sport, started in the summer of 1992.

“Dr. Paes called me and asked if I would like to start coaching. It was a lovely idea and I jumped at it immediately. The next morning I met him at his residence, and he had many books and manuals on the table. He asked me to read them and prepare three sets of programmes (52 weeks each) for beginners, intermediate and advanced players. It was an overwhelming task which left a lifelong impression and put me on the track of what I was destined to do,” recalled O’Brien.

It took him three weeks, working for nine hours a day, to get the three sets of programmes ready.

“I had a plan in place for what I was going to do on court every day for 365 days. I still have those sheets written in pencil which I share with coaches at the courses I run. The paper is parched and 32 years old,” said O’Brien, emphasising the wealth of experience.

“When I took it to Dr. Paes, he responded by saying that he didn’t want to read it, but it was my Holy Bible and that I should use it well. I worked with Dr. Paes for 10 years. I learnt everything in those enjoyable years... hard work, passion, attention to detail, striving for perfection, paper work, administration, running events and tournaments, attending workshops, everything. Sitting besides Dr. Paes was an honour and an opportunity to become the best person and the best coach I could ever be,” said O’Brien.

He was also lucky to have a very close look at the way Dr. Paes influenced the growth of his son Leander into a world-class athlete, winning an improbable Olympic medal in singles, multiple Grand Slam titles in doubles and mixed doubles, becoming world No. 1, and beating some of the very best in Davis Cup and on the professional Tour.

“Dr. Paes, without a doubt, is the best tennis parent I have ever seen. He did a marvellous job of shaping Leander’s career. I saw the hard work, the sleepless nights, the insanity of raising funds... father and son were a great team,” said O’Brien.

He was naturally floored by Leander’s talent and attitude. “Leander was supremely talented, the best the sport has seen. He is a role model, any Indian player’s dream and when you are with Leander, it is just Leander. What a fantastic guy!” gushed O’Brien.

When he was at the helm of the young National team in 2001, he saw the blossoming of Sania Mirza.

“Sania was just 15 and already No. 35 in the ITF junior world rankings. That forehand was a trademark even then,” he recalled.

When Leander and Dr. Paes took the young Sunil Kumar, the left-handed prodigy from Punjab who won the National men’s title at the age of 16, O’Brien was able to spot the talent. It was not just Sunil, but a bunch of other promising young players like Amanjot Singh, Vinod Sewa, Chandrashekar Mohanty and Rupesh Roy who were part of the elite programme at Paes en Sport.

“Sunil was in a class of his own and had the talent for a great future. Unfortunately, the financial commitments were too much for Sewa and Rupesh were also very talented, but the financial constraints restricted their growth,” felt O’Brien.

Big pool of good coaches

He is thrilled to see the growth in the Indian coaching scene, thanks to many education programmes both at the National and international levels. O’Brien does believe that there is a big pool of good coaches in the country.

Still, there is no dearth of talented young players going to Europe and USA, investing a fortune to grow as professional players.

“The grass is always greener in your neighbour’s garden. Our Indian coaches are as good, maybe even better than the foreign ones. There is nothing wrong with the Indian coaching system, up to a level, after which the players need to transit. If you want to be a top player, you have to spend some time in Europe. That is the epicentre,” he said.

O’Brien did have stints in Australia, USA and Bangladesh, but chose to stay in India.

“I wanted to see and experience what it was all about. Getting there, I realised we did the same things back home. Parents and trainees need to trust the coaches. I always felt that my services would benefit Indian tennis,” he said.

O’Brien has three sons — Kemp (23), Wyatt (19) and Heath (16).

“Wyatt is a tennis player and is now playing the pro circuit. We have a goal to get him into the Davis Cup squad by 22. To be a tennis parent is not easy. In my book, I have very clearly laid the pathway for parents. Become a Dr. Paes. Stay away from areas that are not your forte, create a healthy atmosphere at home. They are kids. There is a life beyond tennis. One of the greatest challenges of my life is to be a dad and coach. I worked hard at it. We worked hard at it as a family,” he said.

When asked about the prescription for Indian tennis, O’Brien was honest and forthright.

“We need indoor facilities. We have brutal summers going straight into monsoon. We lose about four to five months of quality time. The rest of the world has made that transition to indoor facilities. Another important aspect is that players need to be exposed to a variety of competitive formats. We play too many junior tournaments with not much transition into the pro circuit,” he said.

O’Brien is associated with many tennis centres in Delhi, Gurugram, Kolkata and Puri.

“We are setting up a state-of-the-art residential tennis academy in Puri. I am also in the process of launching my own coaches’ education programme,” he revealed.

It will not be fair to reveal the gems of O’Brien’s book as it is necessary to go through the work and extract the best out of it.

If he had to capsule his more than three-decade experience, what would be his suggestions to the young players?

“Have the courage to share your thoughts and goals with your parents and coaches. Communicate what they need and desire, If the voice in one’s head is not theirs, it is not their dream that they are living. Make sure about enjoying what one does. The goals should be realistic and achievable. Winning and losing is for the spectators... when you are on court, always give 100%. Keep a diary, record everything — thoughts, emotions, content of practice sessions, drills, performance and daily goals,” said O’Brien, quite delighted to share his knowledge.

His biggest advice, of course, is to “Serve it smart”.

Science

- An altered protein and fussy neurons conspire to cause microcephaly

- BIG SHOT

- Gravity: shaping celestial bodies

An altered protein and fussy neurons conspire to cause microcephaly

D.P. Kasbekar

The SASS6 gene and its variants have been implicated in a developmental process that leads to microcephaly. A new study has found that if one copy of this gene is non-functional, the other retains some function. So if both copies are non-functional, a human embryo dies before it becomes a foetus

1 of 2 Animage of chromosomes (blue) attached to a spindle (green) in a dividing cell. Shweta Tyagi and Avishek Kataria/CDFD Shweta Tyagi and Avishek Kataria/CDFD

2 of 2 Most children with microcephaly have a small brain, poor motor function, poor speech, and abnormal facial features, and are intellectually disabled

Microcephaly isa condition in which a baby’s head is much smaller than normal. Most children with microcephaly also have a small brain, poor motor function, poor speech, and abnormal facial features, and are intellectually disabled.

Researchers believe the roots of the condition lie in the peak phase of brain development in the embryo — when the cells that eventually become neurons fail to divide normally. Clinicians can diagnose microcephaly before the baby is born using foetal ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging.

The SASS6 gene

In particular, since 2014, a gene called SASS6 and its variants have been implicated in this developmental process. On March 19, researchers at the Affiliated Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital of Nantong University, China, presented “the genetic findings of members of a nonconsanguineous Chinese couple with a history of microcephaly and foetal growth restriction during their first pregnancy”.

The team’s findings reinforced the SASS6 gene’s role in causing microcephaly. But more importantly, the team also found that if one copy of the SASS6 gene was non-functional, the other retained at least some function. The implication was that if both copies are non-functional, the human embryo dies before it becomes a foetus.

“[Our] findings confirm the pivotal role of SASS6 in microcephaly pathogenesis and reveal an expanded view of the phenotype and mutation spectrum associated with this gene,” the researchers wrote in their paper, published in the American Journal of Medical Genetics.

Similarly, in a February 2024 study, researchers at the University of Cologne, Germany, reported that they modified mouse embryo-derived cells to remove all functional SASS6 genes. These genes contain instructions for cells to make structures called centrioles. But even after the genes were removed, the cells were able to make passable, if also abnormal, centrioles.

The problem arose when the cells were nudged to develop into neurons: at this point, all the centrioles made without using the gene’s recipe disappeared, and the cells couldn’t differentiate into neurons.

Consanguinity and genetic risk

According to Ashwin Dalal, a paediatrician turned medical geneticist at the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad, 70% or more of cases of congenital microcephaly seen in the clinic come from consanguineous marriages. These are marriages between closely related individuals, such as between uncle and niece or between first cousins.

Consanguinity increases the risk of an individual inheriting a mutated copy of a gene from both parents. The risk is greater if the mutated gene is rarer in the general population.

Microcephaly is caused by mutations in 30 genes. Cells use 10 of these genes to encode proteins that are required to assemble the centrioles and for their subsequent function. When a cell divides, its centrioles help form another structure called the spindle.

During cell division, the old and new cells need to take a series of careful steps. The spindle is like the handrail along this staircase, helping the cells form and maintain their structure. For example, once the old cell makes two copies of its chromosomes, each copy sticks to the centre of the spindle, which is an elongated structure. From there, the spindle moves each copy to its two ends. Each of these ends then becomes the nucleus of a new cell.

If a cell creates centriole proteins from mutated genes, however, cell division is affected as well.

The Ile62Thr mutation

In 2004, researchers discovered the SASS6 genein the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans. They also found that the protein that cells made using this gene was conserved across animals, meaning natural selection allowed this protein to exist in all members of the animal kingdom.

When the researchers suppressed the SASS6 gene in C. elegans embryos, they found that the cells failed to assemble new centrioles, resulting in arrested development.

In 2014, other researchers studied a consanguineous Pakistani family of which four members had microcephaly. All the affected individuals were found to carry a mutated version of the human SASS6 gene on both their copies of chromosome 1: one inherited from the father and the other from the mother.

The SASS6 gene encodes a protein that has 657 amino acids. This protein assembles new centrioles during the cell division process. In the study of the Pakistani family, the researchers were able to describe the mutation correlated with microcephaly: the amino acid isoleucine at position 62 had been replaced by threonine. Thus its name: Ile62Thr.

Last year, researchers at the University of Tulsa, in the U.S., introduced the Ile62Thr mutation into the C. elegans SASS6 gene. Their experiment, reported in the journal Genetics, revealed that this change didn’t detectably impair centriole assembly and function in C. elegans. But when the worm’s genome had another mutation that affected a different centriolar protein, the Ile62Thr mutation significantly increased centriole replication failure and embryo death.

Evidently, a protein made using a SASS6 gene with the Ile62Thr mutation is functional enough to allow individuals with other unaffected organs to be born and grow into adulthood. In C. elegans, it becomes deadlier when the second mutation is also present.

At the same time, humans with just the Ile62Thr mutation don’t escape unscathed: the mutation’s mild impairment of centriole function still dysregulates cell division enough to cause microcephaly.

Scientists conducted three studies since then, including the March study, and found six more SASS6 gene variants.

Neurons are finicky

As the February 2024 paper indicated, different cell types have different tolerances to a range of deficits in centriole composition and function.

In particular, the cells fated to become neurons are finicky and have the least tolerance for imperfect centrioles.

This is why, while an individual with a slightly defective SASS6 gene can survive to birth and adulthood, he/she also suffers serious brain and head deficits and intellectual disability.

(D.P. Kasbekar is a retired scientist)

This image provided by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory shows a solar flare, right, on May 14, captured in the extreme ultraviolet light portion of the spectrum colorised in red and yellow. An international team of mathematicians and scientists reported on May 22that the Sun’s magnetic field originates much closer to the surface than previously thought. NASA/AP

Gravity: shaping celestial bodies

Karthik Vinod

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2 of 2 An artist’s illustration of a protoplanetary disc around a star. Planets form when gravity causes parts of the disc to clump together and coalesce. NASA

Q: Why are planets formed in a spherical shape?

- Hemant Sardesai

A: The short answer is gravity. This ‘force’, by virtue of the large masses of planets and stars, forces them into a spherical shape.

Part of the answer is also geometry: a sphere is the most compact three-dimensional shape. To be more accurate, for a given volume, a sphere is the shape with the lowest surface area.

If stars and planets had any other shape, gravity would force them to become spherical.

Bodies that are less massive also experience less of a ‘force’ due to gravity and thus will be less compelled to enter into a spherical shape. The electromagnetic forces between the atoms in these bodies will be able to better resist gravity’s attempts to sculpt it.

This is why comets, most asteroids, and even us humans aren’t spherical.

But let’s get even more accurate: nothing in the universe is truly spherical. Stars and planets are actually oblate spheroids. Since they both rotate around a central axis, they create a centrifugal force that pushes mass outwards. So the oblate spheroid shape is a sphere that appears to bulge at the equator.

As a result, gravity is weakest at the equator and strongest at the poles. This is why, on the earth, objects fall to the ground down a teeny-tiny bit faster at the poles than at the equator.

(Karthik Vinod is interning with The Hindu)

Table of Contents

The Hindu May 29, 2024

Regional

31 killed as rain, landslips wreak havoc in northeast

T.N. farmers’ organisations protest against construction of new dam at Mullaperiyar

SC tells Kejriwal to move CJI for listing bail extension plea

Court acquits Dera chief in murder case

Sandeshkhali attack: CBI files chargesheet

Six killed as heavy rain batters Kerala

GCC seeks support of various agencies to complete projects

NGT impleads NHAI in case against dumping of debris along Cooum

Three persons, including 2 minors, held for sexually assaulting 11-year-old girl

Temple priest held on charges of raping employee of TV firm

IIT-M Zanzibar campus to offer M.Tech in ocean structures

Four murders reported in the city suburbs on Monday night

Encroachment of canals carrying floodwater, a cause for concern

Two persons arrested for robbery in Velachery

Man held for possessing painkillers

SHRC recommends reprobe of accident, ₹3 lakh relief to victim

Four persons, including village head, arrested for death of labourer

Mullaperiyar: Anbumani welcomes delay in expert panel meeting

Man beaten to death by private hospital staff

Two policemen in Villupuram transferred for demanding bribe

Army expo brings together industry, academia, and Defence forces in Coimbatore

Meal time

The Hindu wins award for audience engagement

‘Over 2.97 lakh tenements built under PM rural housing scheme in T.N. since May 2021’

Debate continues over Annamalai’s attempt to portray Jayalalithaa as ‘Hindutva leader’

‘Indian freedom movement largely missing from history, political science syllabi in State’s universities’

CB-CID confirms death of woman who was reported missing in Thanjavur in 2017

Couple arrested for unauthorised handling of Indian rat snake

TMC(M) to organise training session for counting agents

₹1.09 cr. fine collected from owners of vehicles

Vivekananda memorial to be shut till June 1 due to PM’s visit

Chennai residents run into new problem: cars parked on streets

Chennai-Chicago Connect: Wanamaker’s donation made YMCA building possible

A school caters to women’s empowerment

A river in the Kongu region, which once fostered a civilisation, has gone dry

How India’s first integrated business city came up in Chennai after Ford started operations

National

Six lives lost as rain wreaks havoc in Kerala

Bonds signed for rural service by MBBS graduates prior to July 2022 illegal: HC

‘BRS leaders stopped ex-intelligence officer from coming to India’

HC reserves order on BRS leader’s plea

Rajkot fire: Cong. calls for judicial oversight of probe

Meitei civil society organisations raise questions over ‘targeted attacks’ in Manipur

Pune car case: Minister, MLA pressured doctors, alleges Cong., wants Fadnavis to quit

Student beaten to death on law college campus in Patna

Sandeshkhali attack: CBI files chargesheet

Bomb threat at Delhi airport a hoax

31 killed as rain wreaks havoc in northeast

SC tells Kejriwal to move CJI for bail extension

Chinese “allegedly invaded” India in 1962: Mani Shankar Aiyar triggers fresh row

Court acquits Dera chief in murder case

India offers $1 million aid to Papua New Guinea

All eyes on the Santhal region of Jharkhand during last phase

Close electoral contest on the cards in Odisha’s six Lok Sabha constituencies

Pride aside, development is the poll agenda in Mayurbhanj

EC orders suspension of Special Secretary to Odisha Chief Minister

Mizoram MP urges EC to let policemen away on poll duty vote

Nitish may take a big decision after June 4: RJD

Shah intensifies attack on Odisha CM, his aide

Thakur targets Priyanka at Himachal rally

Battle for the heart of the ‘eternal city’

Modi and Mamata battle it out in Kolkata in the last phase of polls

14187

Election Commission releases absolute number of votes polled in Phase 6

Good and bad qualities

Former Haryana CM accuses Congress of bogus voting

Modi to meditate at Vivekananda memorial

Rahul speaks to kin of Dalit victim in Sagar, promises help

Edit

The Constitution, a surprise entrant in poll battlefield

Still no sign of the language of equity and inclusion

Turnout conundrum

letters to the editor

The last lap

Many U.S. adults question worth of a college degree: survey

The question of Palestine’s UN membership

Walking the tightrope on the liquor policy

U.S. plans review of programmes of aid to India

The prickly pear pest

On fire safety regulations in India

How Manthan’s depiction of class, caste and gender hierarchies remain relevant

World Menstrual Hygiene Day is observed every year on May 28. A quiz on the subject

Know your English

Business

‘Credit growth to slow to 14% on risk weights, softer GDP’

Cybersecurity provider Check Point ramps up India presence

‘Elgi eyes slot in top 3 air compressor firms’

LIC eyes stake buys in health insurers for a segment foray

‘Google, Amazon oppose antitrust bill’

NMDC raises iron ore prices, to pay dividend

TCS, IIT Bombay to work on advanced chip-sensing tool

RBI unveils Pravaah portal for approvals

3M India Q4 net rises 27% to ₹173 cr., logs 5% sales uptick

Sugar exports said to hinge on monsoon, cane sowing

NCLAT backs 93% haircut by Adani Goodhomes for Radius

‘In ’24, global public cloud end user spend to cross $675 bn’

Foreign

Latest Israeli strikes on Rafah kill 37, days after attack on tent camps

Ground reality

Taiwan’s legislature passes Bills curtailing the powers of President

‘Poland should not rule out sending troops to Ukraine’

Norway, Ireland and Spain recognise Palestinian state

Houthi role suspected as missile hits vessel in Red Sea off Yemen

Six persons arrested under Hong Kong's new security law

Georgia parliament adopts 'foreign influence' law despite protests

Pakistan ‘violated’ 1999 agreement signed with India: Nawaz Sharif

Iraqi cleric Sadr demands closure of U.S. embassy after Rafah strike

China cites concerns about Israel’s Rafah strikes

Sports

South Africa has the firepower to pass the Group D test

Sabalenka powers into second round

‘I am privileged to take India’s 1.4 billion people to the Hall of Fame’

It’s an irony that India won T20 WC before the IPL, says Atherton

India is the strongest side even with injuries, says Morgan

You gave me incredible emotions: Cornet tells fans after bowing out

French player hits spectator with a ball, escapes disqualification

TOP RESULTS

Confident of a good show by India in Paris: Anju

Praggnanandhaa and Humpy post victories

Around THE CITY

Satwik-Chirag pair bows out in first round

Nishant outclasses Otgonbaatar

India round of MotoGP c’ship moved to 2025

Tyson recovering after falling ill during a flight

De Bruyne to lead Belgium team at the Euro 2024

Pole vaulter Braz gets 16-month ban for doping

Shrivalli gets the better of Lee in the first round

Bharath hits century

U-20 100m world record holder Asinga banned for four years

Goushika wins u-13 title at HCL Indian Open jr. squash

India dominates in South Asian youth TT c’ships

LiVE TELECAST

Serving it smart is the way forward for aspiring Indian tennis players

Science

An altered protein and fussy neurons conspire to cause microcephaly

BIG SHOT

Gravity: shaping celestial bodies