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Front Page

- Flood-uprooted villagers face leopard attack

- Teen rape survivor fights back after 3-wk nightmare

- `2,000cr prime city land clear ed of encroachers

- INDIA bloc wins 10/13 bypolls in 7 states, TMC gains 3 & Cong 3

- ONE FOR THE WEDDING ALBUM

- K’taka ex-mantri remanded in ED custody till July 18

- Nepal foreign policy set to be ‘neutral’

- 24 years on, Cronje case charge-framing

- Vistara CEO headed back to SIA?

- FORENSICS BRACES FOR BNSS

- PM: 8cr jobs created in last 3-4 yrs; it has silenced those spreading fake narratives

- Khedkar used non-creamy layer cert for med seat too

- Govt gives J&K LG more powers, oppn protests

- 11 Uttarakhand border villages ‘totally empty’

- Italy police sets free 33 Indians from ‘slavery’

Flood-uprooted villagers face leopard attack

Three men seeking refuge in Dibru-Saikhowa National Park in Assam amid heavy floods were attacked by a leopard and admitted to hospital with injuries, reports Kangkan Kalita.

The trio were among 48 villagers forced to relocate to highlands of the park spanning Dibrugarh and Tinsukia. Searching for their buffaloes on a boat on Friday, they disembarked on a highland where the leopard and cubs had also taken shelter. “The leopard most likely perceived us as a threat and attacked us,” said Abash Dang, 26, who was injured. The trio have been discharged after treatment.

FLAP INSIDE

Teen rape survivor fights back after 3-wk nightmare

Ayantika.Pal@timesofindia.com

Ghaziabad: “My only aim now is to become an achiever in life, something people know me for,” a 15-year-old girl told TOI on Saturday as she returned to school after three traumatic weeks. During this period, she was sexually assaulted by a neighbour, closeted herself in at home as the family feared social shame, and saw her name being struck off the school rolls.

The scrapping of her enrolment came with a rebuke from her govt school principal who – unaware of the girl’s reason for absence – told her father on Thursday to get her married if he wasn’t interes- ted in sending her to class. It was mistimed scorn, which the principal realised on Friday when she was informed about the sexual assault.

Principal takes her back, P 5

`2,000cr prime city land clear ed of encroachers

In a major eviction drive against encroachment of public land, Land and Development Office (L&DO) under the housing and urban affairs ministry cleared almost 15 acres of prime land in Khyber Pass in Civil Lines area on Saturday. Sources said the current market value of the large patch of around 32 acres, including the cleared portion, in the area is estimated at over Rs 2,000 crore. The Nazul land (govt land) is owned by L&DO and it was given to the defence ministry in 1935. There were hutments, known as Khyber Pass Hostel, for accommodation of the support staff of defence personnel.

P 5

INDIA bloc wins 10/13 bypolls in 7 states, TMC gains 3 & Cong 3

BJP Wins Two Seats In MP And Himachal

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Opposition INDIA bloc parties secured 10 assembly seats, while BJP won two and an independent candidate clinched one as votes were counted Saturday for bypolls held Wednesday for 13 constituencies in seven states — four in Bengal, three in Himachal Pradesh, two in Uttarakhand, and one each in Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Tamil Nadu.

Trinamool Congress won all four seats in Bengal with huge margins, wresting Bagda, Ranaghat South and Raiganj from BJP and retaining Maniktala, taking its tally to 222 in the 294-seat assembly.

In Himachal, with two wins, Congress returned to 40 seats in the 68-member House — its tally before it was hit by rebellion in Feb when six MLAs joined BJP. It also made a strong comeback in Uttarakhand with two wins, after a crushing defeat in LS polls.

In MP, BJP won Amarwa- ra seat in Congress veteran Kamal Nath’s stronghold of Chhindwara, where it defeated his son in the LS elections.

 Sukhu’s wife wins, P 15

Web of fear woven by BJP broken: Rahul

Congress’s Rahul Gandhi said the bypoll results have shown that the “web of fear and confusion” woven by BJP has been broken. He said farmers, youth, labourers, businessmen and employed people want to destroy dictatorship and stand with INDIA bloc. Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said TMC’s bypoll sweep was a “mandate against NDA”.

P 15

BJP: WB polls rigged, status quo elsewhere

BJP took a dig at INDIA bloc’s “euphoria” over its bypoll victory, saying out of the 13 seats that went to the polls in seven states, nine were not held by BJP. “...Except Bengal, where elections were not free and fair, the results reflect status quo. But the I.N.D.I alliance can claim moral victory,” BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya posted on X.

P15

ONE FOR THE WEDDING ALBUM

PM Narendra Modi with newly-weds Anant Ambani and Radhika and industrialist Mukesh Ambani and his wife, Nita, during the ‘Shubh Aashirwad’ ceremony at Jio World Centre in Mumbai on Saturday

K’taka ex-mantri remanded in ED custody till July 18

Former Congress minister B Nagendra orchestrated the scam in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Limited, where funds up to Rs 94 crore were embezzled, Enforcement Directorate said in its remand application. Arrested late Friday night, Nagendra was produced before a special judge for elected representatives on Saturday, and remanded in six day custody.

P 18

Nepal foreign policy set to be ‘neutral’

Nepal under K P Sharma Oli will follow a “neutral” foreign policy focussed on securing national interests and territorial integrity, while not allowing anyone to use its territory to target any third country, according to Oli’s party CPN (UML). However, Oli will likely press India to address key issues like the border row.

P 13

24 years on, Cronje case charge-framing

A Delhi court has ordered framing of charges of criminal conspiracy and cheating against four people in connection with fixing of cricket matches between India and South Africa in 2000. Evidence pointed to deals struck with the late Hansie Cronje, the court said. An FIR was lodged against them at Chanakya Puri PS.

P8

Vistara CEO headed back to SIA?

Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan could be headed back to Singapore Airlines as the Tata Group is all set to merge Vistara into Air India before the year end, said sources. SIA will have 25.1% stake in the merged AI. The merged Vistara-AI Air India is likely to see AI current management team in most key positions, sources said.

P 17

FORENSICS BRACES FOR BNSS

The new BNSS puts welcome emphasis on forensic investigation, but that is bad news for forensic labs in the country that are groaning under staff shortages and backlogs. Can the existing infra handle the load?

P 19

PM: 8cr jobs created in last 3-4 yrs; it has silenced those spreading fake narratives

Mumbai: PM Modi, who was in Mumbai on Saturday for the groundbreaking of infrastructure works worth Rs 29,400 crore, said that in the last 3-4 years, around 8 crore new jobs had been generated in India and this had silenced those spreading false narratives about the country’s employment situation. This was his first visit to the city after the Lok Sabha polls.

“The country’s people are clever, and the public is recognising this. As soon as the new govt took oath, we took a step towards giving poor proper pucca homes and these included homes to several adivasis and Dalits too. Every infrastructure project leads to job creation, and with increase in its pace, employment generation is also increasing,” said Modi.

RBI’s KLEMS database released on Monday had said that the growth in employment in the country doubled to 6% (provisional) in FY2024, compared to a 3.2% rise seen in FY2023. In absolute terms, the number of jobs increased by approximately 4.7 crore to 64.3 crore in FY2024. In FY2023, the total workforce stood at 59.7 crore. The data also showed that since FY2021, the country added 7.8 crore jobs.

TNN

 Fintech hub, P 17

Direct tax collections till July 11 up 23%

Direct tax collections have increased over 23% to Rs 6,45,239 crore during this financial year up to July 11, driven by a faster rise in personal income tax, CBDT said on Saturday. Net collections were 19.5% higher at over Rs 5.7 lakh crore as refunds soared almost 65% to Rs 70,902 crore during the period.

P12

Khedkar used non-creamy layer cert for med seat too

Swati.Shinde2@timesofindia.com

Pune: Probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, who is at the centre of a controversy over the legitimacy of her certificates, secured MBBS admission into Shrimati Kashibai Navale Medical College in 2007 under the reserved nomadic tribe-3 category furnishing a non-creamy layer certificate, college director Arvind Bhore said Saturday.

Khedkar gained admission through the Association of Management of Unaided Private Medical and Dental Colleges of Maharashtra entrance test, scoring 146 out of 200, said Bhore. AMUPMDC no longer exists after NEET’s introduction. Khedkar’s noncreamy layer certificate was issued by Pathardi sub-divisional office in Ahmednagar in 2007. Her caste and validity certificates were also issued by the same office, according to college records. Bhore mentioned she did not submit any disability certificate at the time of admission.

 ‘Checked docus’, P 17

P 17

Govt gives J&K LG more powers, oppn protests

Ahead of impending J&K elections, the Centre has defined more unambiguously the powers of LG of J&K with regard to matters like police, postings and transfers of officers of all India services, including the IAS and IPS, anti-corruption bureau and grant or denial of prosecution sanction. The opposition, including Congress, PDP and NC, slammed the Centre's move and termed it a step towards “disempowering” the people of J&K.

P12

11 Uttarakhand border villages ‘totally empty’

Uttarakhand’s rural development and migration prevention commission submitted a report to the CM on Friday in which it stated that 11 villages near the China border in the districts of Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Pithoragarh were “completely empty”. The report was submitted following a survey of 137 border villages.

P 18

 Shah for job creation in border villages, P 18

Italy police sets free 33 Indians from ‘slavery’

Italian police said on Saturday they had freed 33 Indian farm labourers from slave-like working conditions in the northern Verona province and seized almost half a million euros ($545,300) from their two alleged abusers. Police said the alleged gang-masters, also from India, brought fellow nationals to Italy on seasonal work permits, asking them to pay 17,000 euros each.

P23

Times Nation

- Direct tax collection till July 11 surges 23% to `6.5 lakh crore

- Girl, 4, raped near shaadi venue, dies

- Conman held for `170cr ponzi scam

- Groom’s 2 kin shot dead over dance tiff

- Sat images signal architectural wealth under Bodh Gaya shrine

- Another BRS MLA joins Cong in T’gana, 9th to leave KCR camp

- Attempt to ‘disempower’ people of J&K: PDP, NC

- Centre grants J&K LG more powers

- Oli’s party pledges ‘neutral’ foreign policy

- Trainee SI held over Raj paper leak, 2 flee

- Win on weaker turfs in bypolls gives Congress reason to smile

- Audio clip of Gehlot’s ‘phone tap’ talks with ex-aide surfaces

- Kamala didn’t speak to Rahul: US veep’s office

- After big LS loss in U’khand, Congress wins big in bypolls

- Web of fear, confusion woven by BJP has now been broken: Rahul

- WB aside, results reflect status quo: BJP dig at ‘euphoric’ INDIA bloc

- Why gun permit shouldn’t be cancelled: Cops to Khedkar mom

- Now, ‘GOI’ tags on Khedkar dad’s campaign cars under lens

- District hosp issued 2 disability certs to IAS trainee: Surgeon

- ‘We had checked docus and found them to be authentic govt records’

- PM: Want Mum to be fintech hub, Maha tourism capital

- Modi urges Indian media to enhance global footprint

- Vistara CEO may be back in Singapore Airlines with AI brass set for key roles in merged entity

- POWER, PRAYERS & BLESSINGS

- Parody a/c behind fake post on Birla: Rathee; Cops say probe on to identify culprits

- Villages on LAC ‘deserted’, Shah bats for jobs growth

- Mantri pitches for co-op boost, green energy use in border villages

- Arrested K’taka ex-mantri ran tribal funds racket: ED

- Tribal youth’s death triggers violence in Tripura, 4 held

Direct tax collection till July 11 surges 23% to `6.5 lakh crore

CBDT Data Shows Faster Rise In Personal Income Tax Boosting Mop-Up

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Direct tax collections have increased over 23% to Rs 6,45,239 crore during this financial year up to July 11, driven by a faster rise in personal income tax, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said on Saturday.

Net collections were 19.5% higher at over Rs 5.7 lakh crore as refunds soared almost 65% to Rs 70,902 crore during the period. On a gross basis, corporate tax collections were 20.4% higher at Rs 2,65,336 crore, while personal income, including securities transaction tax, rose 25.3% to a little under Rs 3.8 lakh crore.

“Corporate profits contin- ue to surge significantly, and these are clearly reflected in the first quarter advance tax collections. A booming stock market has also contributed to higher STT [securities trans- action tax] collections. Strong collections being the backdrop of the upcoming budget indicate the possibility of the govt reigning in the fiscal deficit,” said Rohinton Sidh- wa, partner at Deloitte India.

So far this year, tax collections have remained on track, on both direct and indirect tax fronts, with a bumper dividend from Reserve Bank of India bolstering govt’s receipts. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to stick to her projections on the tax front given that the Indian economy is widely projected to grow over 7% during the current financial year

A higher than budgeted collections will come handy for the Centre which is under pressure to increase spending in crucial areas such as agriculture, health and education as well as maintain the capex for infrastructure sectors.

ROBUST GROWTH

Girl, 4, raped near shaadi venue, dies

A 4-year-old girl attending a wedding with her mother in UP’s Farrukhabad was raped by an unknown person on Friday, The incident took place near the wedding venue, where the girl was found unconscious, bleeding, and with scratches on her body. Due to the severity of injuries, the minor was referred to RML Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Three teams have been deployed to nab the accused, a policeman said.

TNN

Conman held for `170cr ponzi scam

A 44-year-old Mumbai resident was arrested for cheating 500 investors of Rs 170 crore in a Ponzi scheme, reports Mateen Hafeez. The man claimed he was a SEBI-registered agent and had assured people of investing their money in share market, a police officer said. The investors filed a criminal offence after the man stopped paying them the profit that he had promised. He later fled without even repaying the principal amount to them.

Groom’s 2 kin shot dead over dance tiff

A groom’s cousin and his brother-in-law were shot dead by some members of the wedding party from Bihar’s Jamui after a fight during a dance turned violent in Patna’s Danapur Saturday around 1.30am. “Vicky Yadav, Shubham, and Rishabh had an argument over something. They left the function only to return and open fire,” said Vijay Shekhar, a relative of the groom Amit Singh. Amit’s cousin Golden Singh sustained bullet wounds to the head, while Amit’s brother-in-law Sarvendra Kumar Singh received two bullets in the chest. Both men were declared dead at a local hospital.

TNN

Sat images signal architectural wealth under Bodh Gaya shrine

Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya. The study aims to correlate the findings with the description of of Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang, also known as Xuanzang

Patna:A geospatial analysis utilising satellite images and ground surveys has found evidence of the presence of “huge architectural wealth” buried in the Mahabodhi temple complex and its surroundings in Bihar’s Bodh Gaya, officials said on Saturday.

The study has been carried out by Bihar Heritage Development Society, a wing of Art, Culture and Youth Department, in collaboration with Cardiff University in UK.

The Mahabodhi temple complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the four holy areas related to the life of Lord Gautam Buddha. Bodh Gaya is a place where Lord Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment.

“The study has unearthed evidence of the presence of archaeological treasure beneath the soil of the UNESCO World Heritage site and its surrounding areas…It’s a huge architectural wealth that needs further excavation,” the Art, Culture and Youth department’s additional chief secretary Harjot Kaur Bamhrah told a news agency.

The UK-based varsity and BHDS are cooperating in the project, ‘Archaeology on the footsteps of the Chinese traveller Xuanzang’.

Bengaluru-based National Institute of Advanced Studies faculty M B Rajni, one of the project members, studied satellite images of Mahabodhi temple and its surroundings and tried to correlate the findings with the description of ‘Xuanzang’, she said.

“BHDS in association with Cardiff University has been working on the multidisciplinary project on the archaeological trail of the travel of 7th-century Chinese translator monk, Xuanzang, in Bihar. The satellite images from the last several years show an alignment of structures to the north of the temple, buried underground,” said Bamhrah.

Significantly, the images show the shift of the river Niranjana from east to west.

“Let us remember that the Mahabodhi temple is west of the river, and the Sujata Stupa and several other archaeological remains are located east of the river. The monuments and other archaeological remains in the east of the river are now regarded to be independent of the Mahabodhi temple. But the latest finding shows that both the temple and the Sujata stupa along with other archaeological remains stood on the same river bank in the past,” she said.

Bamhrah said this is really “very significant”. “Thus, there is a strong possibility that the monuments and other archaeological remains, now east of the river, were a part of the Mahabodhi complex,” the official said.

BHDS plans to start “research to delimit the boundaries of the Mahabodhi complex in the light of these findings”, Bamhrah said. “Fresh ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey, followed by excavations, will be undertaken to unravel the buried archaeological features shown by satellite images,” she added.

PTI

Another BRS MLA joins Cong in T’gana, 9th to leave KCR camp

Roushan.Ali@timesofindia.com

Hyderabad:In a major boost to Congress’s political and electoral prospects in Greater Hyderabad, BRS MLA from Serilingampally, Arekapudi Gandhi, joined the grand old party along with four corporators Saturday.

He was welcomed into the party by CM A Revanth Reddy. Gandhi is the ninth MLA to leave BRS and third from Greater Hyderabad to join Congress.

Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender was the first BRS MLA from the city to join Congress, followed by Rajendranagar legislator T Prakash Goud.

Both Goud and Gandhi were with TDP before switching to BRS. The buzz in Congress circles is that Revanth Reddy, who was earlier with TDP, is using his old contacts to rope in BRS MLAs who crossed over from TDP, into Congress.

Gandhi said he joined Congress for development of his constituency as the CM had assured him of support. “Former CM KCR treated me with respect and I don’t have any complaints against him,” he added.

Attempt to ‘disempower’ people of J&K: PDP, NC

Srinagar: Political parties in J&K Saturday voiced their strong opposition to Centre’s move to vest more powers to the LG for taking decisions on matters related to police and all-India service officers.

National Conference and PDP said the decision would “disempower” people of J&K.

NC vice-prez Omar Abdullah said the people of J&K deserve better than a “powerless, rubber stamp” CM, who will have to beg the LG to get a peon appointed. “This is why a firm commitment laying out the timeline for restoration of full, undiluted statehood for J&K is a prerequisite for these elections...,” he said.

Former CM and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said Centre wants to further disempower people of J&K by way of this new order. “Govt wants to convert J-K’s assembly, which was once very powerful, into a municipality so that any govt in J-K tomorrow doesn’t have any power to even transfer its own employee or take action against anyone,” Mufti said on X.

PTI

Centre grants J&K LG more powers

Given More Say In Matters Of Police, Postings

Bharti.Jain@timesofindia.com

New Delhi: Ahead of assembly elections in J&K, the Centre has defined more unambiguously the powers of LG of J&K with regard to matters like police, postings and transfers of officers of all-India services including the IAS and IPS, Anti-Corruption Bureau and grant or denial of prosecution sanction.

A notification issued Friday to amend the Transaction of Business of Govt of UT of J&K Rules, 2019, states that no proposal which requires previous concurrence of finance dept with regard to ‘police’, ‘public order’, ‘All India Service’ and ‘Anti-Corruption Bureau’ to exercise the discretion of LG under J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019, shall be concurred or rejected unless it has been placed before LG through the chief secretary. This sub-rule gets added to Section 5(2) of 2019 Transaction of Business Rules, which simply stated that no proposal with which finance dept has not concurred, may be proceeded with, unless a decision to that effect has been taken by the council of ministers and approved by the LG.

Sources said with a state govt and legislative assembly set to be installed after assembly polls, the sub-rule was added to rule out any ambiguity with respect to Section 32 of the Act that allows the J&K legislative assembly to make laws with respect to any of the matters in the State list except ‘police’ and ‘public order’ or the concurrent list. Also Section 53 of the Act empowers LG to exercise his functions in his discretion in matters falling outside the purview of powers conferred on the legislative assembly, related to the allIndia Services and ACB, etc.

“In view of the aforementioned provisions, powers of legislative assembly and functions of LG have been clearly defined and delineated in the Act and same is now reflected in Transaction of Business rules…the notification is to provide better clarity on the processes so as to enable smooth administration of UT of J&K,” a home ministry official told TOISaturday.

Cong slams move with ‘Samvidhaan hatya diwas’ jibe

Congress termed Modi govt’s decision to vest more powers in LG of J&K as “Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas” as it accused governing BJP of continuing with the betrayal of the state-turned-UT, where the SC has mandated that assembly polls be held by Sept 30. AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge said the changes made imply two meanings — either Modi govt wants to delay restoration of statehood to J&K or “even if statehood is restored, it wants to keep the newly elected state govt at the mercy of the LG, by clamping down its executive power”.

TNN

Oli’s party pledges ‘neutral’ foreign policy

‘Won’t Allow Anyone To Use Nepal’s Territory To Target Any 3rd Country’

PM Oli will focus on securing Nepal’s interests and territorial integrity, according to his party CPN (UML)

Sachin.Parashar@timesofindia.com

New Delhi: Nepal under veteran communist leader K P Sharma Oli will follow a “neutral” foreign policy focused on securing national interests and territorial integrity, while not allowing anyone to use its territory to target any third country, according to Oli’s party CPN (UML). However, Oli will likely press India to address outstanding issues like the border dispute and trade imbalance, a top party functionary told TOI.

While the latest round of what has come to be known as Nepal’s own Game of Thrones has again thrown up Oli as the head of govt, India may not necessarily be disquieted by the return of the “pro-China” functionary.

For one, Oli will form a govt with support from India-leaning Nepali Congress (NC), the largest party in House of Representatives with 89 seats. NC and Oli’s party, which has 78 seats, struck a power-sharing agreement that will see the three-time PM assuming office again for 21 months, followed by Congress’ Sher Bahadur Deuba for the remaining period.

Oli’s previous term is remembered for the political row with India over Nepal’s new map that claims territory in Uttarakhand. However, while India’s ties with NC help hedge against unexpected developments in a political environment fraught with rentseeking and individual interests, Oli himself worked as PM to ramp up economic ties with India, by launching largest hydropower project in the country with Indian PM Modi. Modi, too, visited Nepal twice with Oli as his counterpart.

Not having good relations with India is not an option for Nepal, CPN (UML) head of foreign policy dept Rajan Bhattarai told TOI. “We have multi-dimensional ties with India that has an important role to play in realising (Oli’s) ‘Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali’ goal,” he said, while rul- ing out any dramatic shift in Nepal’s approach to India or China.

According to Bhattarai, however, pending issues related to border, trade deficit, water and transit must be addressed. Nepal’s position on dispute over Kalapani area, which is of strategic significance because of its location at India-China-Nepal tri-junction, will remain the same as he said that while Nepal is ready to listen to Indian side and have “open-minded” talks, it’s important to heed “historical facts”. Bhattarai reiterated Nepal’s position that as per the 1816 Treaty of Sugauli, all territories east of the Kali river, including Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulekh, belong to Nepal.

On the row over Nepal’s decision to issue a new map showing disputed areas in Nepal, the official said that Oli govt’s action was in response to India’s new map, issued after reorganisation of J&K, that included Nepal’s territory.

Trainee SI held over Raj paper leak, 2 flee

Another probationer SI undergoing training at Rajasthan Police Academy was arrested by state police’s Special Operations Group for allegedly clearing recruitment exam through unfair means. When an SOG team visited RPA to question three SI probationers — Govind Kumar, Shankar Lal and Dinesh Kumar — a few days ago, Govind and Shankar had fled.

Dinesh, who had secured 119th rank in RPSC SI exam held in 2021, was arrested on Friday, the agency said.

TNN

Win on weaker turfs in bypolls gives Congress reason to smile

Subodh.Ghildiyal@timesofindia.com

New Delhi: After defying doomsday predictions in LS polls, Congress Saturday notched major victories in the assembly bypolls in hill states of Himachal and Uttarakhand which reinforced its rising graph after a decade of slide.

In the 2024 contest, BJP made a clean sweep of the nine seats in the two states in a direct fight with Congress. But within a month, Congress came back to win Badrinath (Lakhpat Singh Butola) and Manglaur (Qazi Nizamuddin) in Uttarakhand, and cornered two of the three seats in Himachal. The significance of the victories is attested to by the fact that Congress suffered a big defeat in the 2022 Uttarakhand polls despite a groundswell in its favour, allowing BJP to buck the state’s “revolving door politics”. Since then, Congress failed to win anything there. Crucially, Badrinath poll was necessitated by the defection of Congress MLA Rajendra Bhandari to BJP during the LS polls.

The HP wins are even sweeter for the Sukhvinder Sukhu-led Congress, which survived a major jolt after six MLAs cross-voted to defeat the party’s RS candidate Abhishek Singhvi in Feb, raising questions about the survival of the state govt. Congress managed to win four of the six assembly bypolls held along with LS polls. The three bypolls on Saturday resulted from the decision of independents to join BJP. The resilience shown by Congress in Himachal is sure to hurt BJP which sensed that bypoll victories could pave the way for another attempt at the Sukhu govt.

In all, Congress is enthused by the fact that it has won on weaker turfs, coupled with the realisation that voters finally appear to be reacting to dayto-day realities instead of being taken in by the rhetoric and personality politics of BJP under Modi. Congress has also won a major bragging point with the victory in the temple town of Badrinath, after SP’s win in Ayodhya (Faizabad) in the LS contest. Observers said voters are chafing at the massive redevelopment project undertaken in Badrinath, which has left locals worried about their livelihoods because of demolition and displacement. Bhandari’s “anti-Brahmin rant” is also said to have alienated BJP’s core voters.

Govt targeting my phone with spyware: Cong neta

Congress general secretary K C Venugopal Saturday accused the Modi govt of targeting his phone with “malicious spyware”, as he shared a screenshot of a message reportedly sent by Apple warning him of mercenary spyware attack.

“Thank you PM Modi for sending your favourite malicious spyware on my phone also. Apple has been kind enough to intimate me about this special present of yours. Let’s be clear, Modi govt is acting in a criminal and unconstitutional manner, going after political opponents and invading their privacy in this manner,” he said.

TNN

Audio clip of Gehlot’s ‘phone tap’ talks with ex-aide surfaces

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Jaipur: An audio clip of a conversation purportedly between former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and his ex-OSD Lokesh Sharma resurfaced on Saturday, stoking the 2020 phone-tapping controversy that had followed a Sachin Pilotled rebellion in the state’s then Congress govt.

In the recordings, a voice purported to be former chief minister is heard asking whether the devices used to share the phone-tapping clips have been destroyed, and whether all incriminating evidence of transfers from laptop to mobile and on to social media groups has been erased. To each question, a voice purported to be Sharma’s is heard replying in the affirmative.

Sharma had claimed publicly earlier this year that Gehlot had given him audio clips related to the phone-tapping case. The clips were allegedly used to implicate Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in Pilot’s rebellion. Sharma also claimed Gehlot directed him to release the clips on social media to “expose” Shekhawat for attempting to destabilise his govt. Some clips were alleged to contain conversations between Shekhawat and former Cong MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma pertaining to horse-trading of MLAs. Another one allegedly featured former minister Vishvendra Singh. After the clips were circulated, Shekhawat had lodged a case against Sharma with Delhi Police and the matter remains under investigation.

Sharma, meanwhile, claimed the clip was authentic and was the same audio played during his presser in April.

In one of the conversations a voice, allegedly Gehlot’s, asks a person whether he “still has the phone with him”. A voice purportedly Sharma’s replies, “It has been damaged.” The question is asked again: “Pakka kiya na?” The answer: “Yes, I damaged the device itself, Saab.” The voice alleged to be Gehlot’s asks for reconfirmation: “200%?”. The replyis: “200%, pura.”

Kamala didn’t speak to Rahul: US veep’s office

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: A day after a news agency reported that US vicepresident Kamala Harris had spoken to Rahul Gandhi, the US politician’s office reportedly denied any such communication.

The news about the telephonic conversation was filed by PTI on Friday, which set the political social media abuzz. The report was also published by all major news outlets. But on Saturday, the agency correspondent in the US tweeted that the office of Harris had dubbed the news as incorrect and asserted that the vice-president did not speak to Rahul Gandhi.

After big LS loss in U’khand, Congress wins big in bypolls

Bags Badrinath, Manglaur Seats; HP CM’s Wife Takes Dehra

Continued from P1

Key wins for Trinamool in Bengal included Supti Pandey in Maniktala and Madhuparna Thakur in Bagda — Bengal’s youngest legislator at 25 years and one month. Madhuparna defeated BJP’s Binay Kumar Biswas by 33,455 votes, while 66-year-old Supti outdid her husband and former minister Sadhan Pandey of BJP by 62,312 votes.

Krishna Kalyani defeated BJP’s Manas Kumar Ghosh by 50,007 votes in Raiganj — giving TMC its first win in the constituency. Mukut Nami Adhikari defeated BJP’s Manoj Kumar Biswas by 39,048 votes in Ranaghat South, which TMC had last won 13 years ago. Both Kalyani and Adhikari had joined TMC after their 2021 assembly wins, but had lost 2024 Lok Sabha polls as Trinamool candidates.

In Himachal, Congress candidate and CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s wife Kamlesh Thakurdefeated BJP’s Hoshiyar Singh by 9,399 votes in Dehra. Kamlesh polled 32,737 votes (57.9%), while Singh got 23,338 votes (41.3%). Congress’s Hardeep Singh Bawa won Nalagarh against BJP’s KL Thakur by 25,618 votes. BJP won the Hamirpur seat by a narrow margin of 1,571 votes with Ashish Sharma polling 27,041 votes against Congress’s Pushpinder Verma’s 25,470 votes.

Wednesday’s bypolls were necessi- tated after three former independent MLAs — Hoshiyar Singh, Ashish Sharma, and KL Thakur — resigned in March and joined BJP.

With these two victories, Congress has increased its tally from 38 to 40 in the 68-seat Vidhan Sabha, while BJP’s total seats have risen from 27 to 28. Before the Feb rebellion, when six of its MLAs left to join BJP, Congress held 40 seats. On June 4, by winning four of the six seats in the bypolls, Congress had bolstered its position from 34 to 38 seats.

In Uttarakhand, after suffering a crushing defeat in the LS polls, where it lost all five seats to BJP, Congress made a strong comeback by winning two assembly bypolls, with its candidates Lakhapat Singh Butola and Qazi Mohammad Nizamuddin taking the Badrinath and Manglaur seats, respectively. Butola won by 5,095 votes, defeating Rajendra Singh Bhandari, who had switched from Congress to BJP just before LS polls. Nizamuddin’s victory was by a slender margin of 422 votes over BJP’s Kartar Singh Bhadana.

In Madhya Pradesh, BJP’s Kamlesh Pratap Shah won the Amarwara seat by 3,027 votes against Congress’s Dheeran Sah Invati. Congress led until the 17th round, but BJP clawed back in the 20th and 21st rounds. BJP was elated as it succeeded in dismantling another strong- hold of Congress stalwart Kamal Nath. In both the 2018 and 2023 assembly elections, Congress won all seven assembly segments in Chhindwara, which the former CM represented in LS for nine terms. For the first time in 44 years, BJP defeated Congress in Chhindwara in an LS election, with Vivek Bunty Sahu defeating Kamal Nath’s son Nakul by over 1.1 lakh votes this year.

DMK retained the Vikravandi assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu, with candidate Anniyur Siva winning by a margin of 67,169 votes. Siva secured 1.2 lakh votes against PMK’s C Anbumani, who polled 56,026 votes. The bypolls, held after the death of DMK MLA N Pugazhenthi, saw 82.4% voter turnout. CM MK Stalin attributed the win to overcoming “slanderous campaigns and lies” from BJP-led alliance over govt’s handling of illicit arrack sales, which claimed 66 lives in Kallakurichi recently.

In Punjab, AAP’s Mohinder Bhagat won the Jalandhar West seat by defeating BJP’s Sheetal Angural by 37,325 votes. The seat fell vacant after Angural resigned as the AAP legislator and joined BJP in March along with AAP MP Sushil Rinku. Bhagat was with BJP before he switched to AAP during LS bypolls of 2023. His father Chunni Lal was a BJP minister and had won the constituency thrice, including when it was Jalandhar South, before delimitation.

Web of fear, confusion woven by BJP has now been broken: Rahul

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Congress member Rahul Gandhi said the byelection results have made it clear that “the web of fear and confusion” woven by BJP has been broken. He said farmers, youth, labourers, businessmen and employed people want to completely destroy dictatorship and stand with the INDIA bloc “for the betterment of their lives and protection of the Constitution. Hail India, Hail Constitution.”

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge dubbed the bypoll results as evidence of “the falling political credibility of PM Modi and Amit Shah.”

Calling the outcome a “tight slap” on the face of BJP, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said the defeat of defectors is a rejection of opportunism, “showcasing the public’s strong disapproval of BJP’s pro-rich, dictatorial politics.”

Especially thanking “devbhoomi” Uttarakhand and HP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the people have realised that politics which “misleads about 100 years in the past and 100 years in the future will not help the country”.

A mandate against NDA, says Mamata

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee described Trinamool’s bypoll sweep in Bengal on Saturday as a “mandate against NDA”, reports Debashis Konar.

Banerjee said: “The trend is very clear. The mandate of the people is not in favour of NDA but in favour of INDIA. ”

Lashing out at BJP’s “agency raj”, Banerjee urged the Centre to review the new criminal laws by using “a provision that allows the new govt to review decisions taken by the previous govt in the last six months of its tenure”.

WB aside, results reflect status quo: BJP dig at ‘euphoric’ INDIA bloc

BJP IT cell chief Malviya pointed out that out of the 13 seats contested on July 10, nine were not previously held by BJP. But the opposition bloc can claim ‘moral victory’, he said

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: BJP took a dig at INDIA bloc’s “euphoria” over its victory in 10 out of the 13 assembly seats for which bypolls were held, saying “except Bengal, where elections were not free and fair, the results reflect the status quo”.

BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya pointed out that out of the 13 seats contested on July 10, nine were not previously held by BJP.

He also highlighted that in Himachal Pradesh, all three seats were earlier held by independents, and in Uttarakhand, Congress held both seats.

Malviya wrote in a post on X: “Let me kill the opposition’s euphoria on the bypoll results. Of the 13 seats that went to poll, nine were not held by BJP! Himachal Pradesh — independents held all three seats. Utta- rakhand — Congress held both seats. Madhya Pradesh — BJP won the seat earlier held by Congress. Bengal — TMC held one. But the elections were rigged, so makes no sense to deliberate. Punjab — AAP retained their seat. Tamil Nadu — DMK held the seat. Therefore, except Bengal, where elections were not free and fair, the results reflect the status quo. But the I.N.D.I Alliance can claim moral victory!” Malviya wrote in a post on X.

Why gun permit shouldn’t be cancelled: Cops to Khedkar mom

Pune:City police on Saturday issued a notice to Manorama Khedkar, mother of probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, asking why her firearm licence should not be cancelled over a rioting and threatening case registered against her on Friday by the Paud police in rural Pune, reports Gitesh Shelke.

A video clip in which Manorama is seen waving a firearm during an argument with some farmers over a land dispute at Dhadawali, in Mulshi, was widely circulated on social media on Friday. Pune Rural police verified the video and confirmed that it was shot during the incident on June 5, 2023. They booked Manorama based on a complaint by a farmer.

Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar said on Saturday, “We checked our records and found that Pune police had issued the firearm licence to Manorama Khedkar in 2000. However, the same was not meant for misuse the way it has been seen in the video. We will take appropriate legal action after receiving her reply to our notice,”

A senior Pune cop told TOI, “We are yet to verify the purpose for which Manorama had sought the firearm licence and on what grounds the same was issued to her.”

Manorama’s lawyer, Ravindra Sutar, had said on Friday that the land dispute is pending before the civil court at Shivajinagar in Pune.

TOI tried to call Manorama on her cell phone but the call could not be connected. TOIalso made calls and sent a text message to Puja Khedkar’s father, Dilip Khedkar, to seek his version of the issue but there was no response from him till time of going to press.

SP (Pune Rural) Pankaj Deshmukh told TOI on Saturday, “Our team visited the village to conduct a spot panchanama report and to record statements of witnesses.”

Now, ‘GOI’ tags on Khedkar dad’s campaign cars under lens

Pune: Maharashtra police have launched a probe into two new videos that surfaced Saturday, one of which purportedly shows IAS trainee officer Puja Khedkar’s father Dilip Khedkar on Lok Sabha poll campaign trail in Ahmednagar in a Mitsubishi Pajero with a Govt of India brass plate on the front bumper, report Gitesh Shelke and Nisha Nambiar.

The other video purportedly shows another vehicle, a Toyota Land Cruiser, with a similar plate in Khedkar’s convoy. Dilip, a retired senior Maharashtra govt official, was a VBA candidate from Ahmednagar constituency in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections. Law prohibits use of such brass plates on private vehicles.

The Toyota Land Cruiser, incidentally, is the same vehicle in an older video in which Puja’s mother Manorama is seen to have travelled to Pune’s Mulshi village on June 5, 2023, where she is seen waving a pistol at farmers.

Authorities at Pune regional transport office confirmed the Mitsubishi Pajero seen in the video was registered on Sept 25, 2009, in the name of Thermoverita Engineering Pvt Ltd. The same company also holds the registration for the Audi car which Puja used during her posting at Pune collector’s office with a red and blue beacon light and ‘Maharashtra govt’ plate on it.

The Toyota Land Cruiser was registered on Aug 6, 2019, in the name of Pooja Automobiles, in which Manorama and Dilip are partners, according to their election affidavits.

Pune joint commissioner of police Ranjan Kumar Sharma told TOI: “The two videos have originated from Ahmednagar district and police there are taking necessary action.” Ahmednagar SP Rakesh Ola confirmed the probe.

District hosp issued 2 disability certs to IAS trainee: Surgeon

One committee issued the first certificate to Puja Khedkar (in pic) on April 25, 2018 for low vision, and another issued the second on Jan 19, 2021 for multiple disabilities, district civil surgeon Dr Ghogare said

Nisha.Nambiar@timesofindia.com

Pune: Ahmednagar district civil hospital officials confirmed on Saturday that the hospital had twice issued “persons with disability certificates” twice to probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar — once in 2018 and again in 2021. The certificates were issued by two separate committees.

District civil surgeon Dr Sanjay Ghogare told TOI on Saturday that one committee issued the first disability certificate to Khedkar on April 25, 2018 for low vision, and another issued the second certificate on Jan 19, 2021 for multiple disabilities. He said the second certificate covered both low vision and mental illness (depression).

He said two or three member panels were appointed to verify disability status of the applicant.

Khedkar had submitted a PwBD (persons with benchmark disability) certificate at the time of appearing for her UPSC exam. Disability activists, including Rafiq Khan, sought a probe into the certificates issued to her. Khedkar’s father had earlier said she had all the relevant documents and they would be submitted to the agencies investigating the issue. Repeated attempts by TOI to contact the Khedkar family went in vain.

Ghogare said, “We have been told to submit a detailed report on the certificates to Ahmednagar collector S Salimath by Tuesday. Copies of the certificate, test reports and other probe reports would be there in the files.”

Ahmednagar district collector Salimath said he had asked the district civil hospital to verify if the documents were issued to Khedkar. “A detailed report is expected from the hospital next week,” he said.

Khedkar first courted controversy for allegedly using a beacon and a “Govt of Maharashtra” insignia on her car while she was posted in Pune. She was transferred to Washim on July 8. Centre on Thursday constituted a single-member committee comprising an additional secretary to Govt of India to verify the candidature claims and other details of Khedkar.

Maharashtra commissioner of disability Pravin Kundlik Puri had told Pune commissioner of police (CP) and Pune district collector in writing on Friday to investigate on priority the authenticity of Khedkar’s disability certificates and register a case if they were found to be fake. Puri said on Saturday he would check with the Ahmednagar collector about the documents.

Pune Joint CP Ranjan Kumar Sharma told TOI, “We have received the application and are enquiring about it. Most probably the certificate(s) was issued from Ahmednagar.”

‘We had checked docus and found them to be authentic govt records’

College records indicate Khedkar scored 83% in Class 10 & 74% in Class 12 state board exams. She earned her MBBS degree in 2011-12 after academics and internship at Navale College

Continued from P 1

Probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar is under multiple investigations for submitting a non-creamy layer certificate to UPSC, despite owning properties worth at least Rs 17 crore, including family gifts.

Her selection under the benchmark disabilities category is also under review.

According to Bhore, it was the medical college’s first batch when Khedkar joined.

“Khedkar had also attempted the Maharashtra common entrance test for medical admissions. But her AMUPMDC score was higher than the state CET. She had provided a non-creamy layer certificate of the NT-3 category of the Vanjari community at the time of admission. We checked all the documents at the time of submission and found them to be authentic govt records,” college director Arvind Bhore said.

When TOI contacted Khed- kar, her cellphone was switched off. She also hadn’t responded to text messages till the time of going to press.

College records indicate Khedkar scored 83% in Class 10 and 74% in Class 12 state board exams.

She earned her MBBS degree in 2011-12 after completing academics and internship at Navale College. During her internship, she was stationed at the community medicine department.

“Her conduct was fine and she passed all her semesters with ease while her internship at the hospital was also completed on time,” Bhore said.

PM: Want Mum to be fintech hub, Maha tourism capital

PM Narendra Modi with Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai on Saturday

In the third term, NDA govt will work at thrice the speed. Maharashtra has the power of industry, agriculture, finance sector and this has made Mumbai the finance centre. I want to make Mumbai the fintech capital and Maharashtra the tourism capital of the country, he said.

He said, “Mumbai has completed Coastal Road and Atal Setu and there were attempts to delay it, but today 20,000 cars are using it (Atal Setu) daily. Also, because of it, fuel worth Rs 20-25 lakh is getting saved. With this ap- proach, we are making Mumbai’s transport advanced in every way. Ten years back, there was only an 8km Metro line in Mumbai, but today this has reached 80km. Apart from this, 200km Metro network work is going on,” said Modi.

Modi also launched the Mukhyamantri Yuva Karya Prashikshan Yojana with an outlay of around Rs 5,600 crore. It is an internship programme aimed at addressing youth unemployment by providing opportunities for skill enhancement and industry exposure.

Modi urges Indian media to enhance global footprint

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: PM Narendra Modi on Saturday urged the media to expand its global influence by extending its social media outreach to international languages recognised by the UN. He also sought its cooperation to instill “a sense of duty among citizens” as the country celebrates 75th anniversary of the Constitution.

Modi said role of newspapers is crucial to journey of Viksit Bharat. “Media is not a mute spectator to the happenings in the country. It is also responsible for bringing about change and granting direction. Citizens of a nation who gain confidence in their capabilities begin to achieve new heights of success. This is happening in India today,” he said.

The PM spoke after he inaugurated the B wing of the INS Towers (Indian Newspaper Society) in Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai. The 14-storey structure comprises 1.25 lakh sq-ft of space which houses the offices of several newspapers. INS is an 85-year-old institution that was established in 1939. It has 800 members on its rolls.

The PM unveiled a plaque bearing his name at the entrance. CM Eknath Shinde, deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar and governor Ramesh Bais joined him upon the dais.

Lauding the efforts of INS, Modi said, “INS came into existence well before Independence and its work has benefited many people.”

PM said, “Media makes people aware of their rights and their own capability. It deserves credit for promoting govt’s programmes like Digital India.”

Vistara CEO may be back in Singapore Airlines with AI brass set for key roles in merged entity

Saurabh Sinha TNN

New Delhi: Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan could be headed back to Singapore Airlines (SIA) as Tata Group is all set to merge this full service carrier (FSC) into Air India before the year end, say sources. SIA will have 25.1% stake in the merged AI.

The merged Vistara-AI Air India is likely to see AI current management team in most key positions. However, a senior AI official said the management structure for the merged entity is yet to be finalised.

Kannan, who is among the key players credited with Vistara’s passenger-friendly image, is a SIA veteran who had joined the mega southeast Asian carrier in 2001. Just over a decade back Tata and SIA decided to create a JV FSC in India, Vistara, which started flying in Jan 2015. Kannan was sent on secondment to Vistara in June 2019, when he was chief commercial officer Scoot (SIA LCC) and before that he was SIA VP. “He is like- ly to return to Singapore Airlines now as Vistara sunsets,” say sources.

AI is now facing increasing restiveness from passengers 2.5 years after the Tata takeover on several fronts but especially these two: poor onboard experience on old planes that received no upkeep during Maharaja’s PSU years and a tacky ontime performance. Despite very high fares (especially on international routes, and those too medium to long hauls), passengers are not beginning to feel shortchanged. Vistara was seemingly better of the two Tata Group full service carriers (other being AI) strictly from a passenger perspective and that will be gone before the year end. “While AI turnaround is the most challenging exercise in contemporary aviation, it has to improve quickly otherwise passengers will be doubly unhappy with Vistara being disbanded when AI still had a very long way to go,” said multiple stakeholders of AI.

POWER, PRAYERS & BLESSINGS

Pics: Tejas Kudtarkar

Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh

Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s post-wedding ‘Shubh Aashirwad’ (Divine Blessings) ceremony saw new illustrious guests, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former PMs, political heavyweights, and spiritual leaders from various Vedic Hindu traditions. Star power continued to soar as glamorous artistes, businessmen and sports legends returned to the Jio World Centre at BKC on Saturday.

“This is the final and the most auspicious ceremony and the last wedding in our family,” the groom’s father, Mukesh Ambani, had remarked, reflecting on Friday’s lavish nuptials. “Marriage is the basis of family, community, society, and the larger human family… thus the most essential guarantor of continuity, cohesion, wellbeing, and progress of the human race. Therefore, the matrimony of Anant and Radhika commits them to serve humanity as a whole,” he continued, describing the celebrations “curated” by his wife Nita as a “deeply immersive experience of India’s rich culture and spirit of a traditional Indian wedding,” set against the backdrop of a Varanasi-inspired venue and, of course, a rare assembly of powerful figures at a wedding ceremony that has captured the imagination of observers

Amruta and Devendra Fadnavis

Hollywood stylist

Sania Mirza

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Ranbir Kapoor

Sachin and Anjali Tendulkar

Mukesh Ambani, Pawan Kalyan and N Chandrababu Naidu

Mukesh and Anant Ambani with Akhilesh Yadav

Kim and Khloe Kardashian

Rashmika Mandanna

(From left) Uddhav Thackeray; Lalu Prasad Yadav with Rabri Devi, Tejashwi, Tej Pratap and family; Eknath Shinde

Ram Charan and Upasana Kamineni; Siddharth Roy Kapur and Vidya Balan; Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh; Madhuri Dixit and Shriram Nene

Spiritual leader and educator Jagadguru Rambhadracharya; Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath Swami Avimukteshwaranand and Shankaracharya of Dwarka Peeth Swami Sadananda Saraswati

Parody a/c behind fake post on Birla: Rathee; Cops say probe on to identify culprits

Mumbai: Cyber police on Saturday said they are continuing their investigation to identify those responsible for a social media post alleging that Lok Sabha Speaker MP Om Birla’s daughter Anjali had cleared the UPSC exam without appearing for it, even as YouTuber Dhruv Rathee denied any role in the matter.

Rathee in a post said: “The alleged post was done by some random parody Twitter (X) account. I have nothing to do with this.” Maharashtra nodal cyber police on Wednesday registered an FIR against X handle Dhruv Rathee (parody) @dhruvrahtee under BNS sections for defamation and the Information Technology (IT) Act. Police said they registered the offence on a complaint from a relative of Om Birla.

Meanwhile, the suspect on Saturday uploaded the message on his handle Dhruv Rathee (parody) @dhruvrahtee: “As directed by @MahaCyber1, I have deleted all my posts and comments on Anjali Birla, I will (would) like to apologise as I was unaware about the facts and copied someone else’ tweets and shared it.”

A senior cop said, “We have registered a case and our teams are trying to identify IP address of the X handle.”

TNN

Villages on LAC ‘deserted’, Shah bats for jobs growth

Panel Gives Report To U’khand CM, Suggests Repopulation Measures

Kalyan.Das@timesofindia.com

Dehradun: Uttarakhand’s rural development and migration prevention commission submitted a report to the chief minister on Friday in which it stated that 11 villages near the Indo-China border in the districts of Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Pithoragarh were “completely empty with no residents there”.

The report was submitted following a ground survey of 137 border villages last year during which the 11 identified ones were found to have no residents.

Speaking on the report, vice-chairman of the commission, SS Negi told TOI that four teams of the commission had carried out the ground survey of the villages. “Of the 11 villages, six are in Pithoragarh district — Gumkana, Lum, Khimling, Sagri Dhakdhauna, Sumatu and Poting; three in Chamoli district — Rewal Chak Kurkuti, Fagti and Lamtol; and two in Uttarkashi — Nelang and Jadung. I’d visited the two Uttarkashi villages which have been empty since the 1962 Indo-China war. They were emptied by the Army then as a precautionary measure. Today, they host the Army and ITBP posts, but no residents,” said Negi.

He said that the report submitted by the commission comprises several suggestions for the govt to repopulate them. Negi added: “Some of them include promoting border tourism in those areas by relaxing accessibility norms and providing 200 days’ employment instead of 100 days under the MGNREGA programme in the border villages. We’ve also suggested the govt to develop the places situated near the 51 border villages identified as ‘Vibrant Villages’ by the Centre by considering them as a cluster. Efforts should be made to promote tourism in those villages so that people get livelihood opportunities.”

Mantri pitches for co-op boost, green energy use in border villages

New Delhi: Union home minister Amit Shah, who on Saturday reviewed the implementation of the ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’ (VVP) aimed at accelerated and integrated development of villages bordering China, stressed the need to create job opportunities for their residents, have local agricultural and handicraft products sourced by cooperatives, and maximise use of green energy in them, reports Bharti Jain.

Chairing the meeting on VVP, attended by Union home secretary and ITBP DG, Shah said the Narendra Modi govt is committed to the all-round development of the border villages by increasing their connectivity with the rest of India, thus preventing out-migration by their residents.

Shah, who is also the minister of cooperation, said that Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Army deployed around the border villages should encourage purchase of local agricultural and handicrafts through cooperatives. He underlined that the healthcare facilities of Army and CAPFs should be regularly made available to benefit the residents of nearby villages. He stressed upon maximum use of solar energy & other renewable sources of energy like windmills etc in these villages.

PM Modi prefers to call the border villages as ‘first villages’, a change from the past when they were referred to as ‘last villages’. VVP was launched in Feb last year in a bid to win over the hearts and confidence of border residents, who form the first line of defence against any border transgressions or war. Happy border population makes the base for a stronger information network, was the mantra behind the VVP initiative.

Arrested K’taka ex-mantri ran tribal funds racket: ED

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru: Former Congress minister B Nagendra orchestrated the scam in Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Limited, where funds up to Rs 94 crore were embezzled, Enforcement Directorate said in its remand application.

“On his directions, the accounts of the corporation were transferred from Vasant Nagar branch of Union Bank of India to its MG Road branch. Nagendra held meetings with officials and others at a hotel to pressure them to illegally divert the money,” the application said. Arrested by ED late Friday night, Nagendra was produced before a special judge for elected representatives Saturday, and remand- ed in six-day custody.

The arrest followed a two-day search at multiple locations linked to Nagendra. He had resigned as tribal welfare minister in June after one of his aides was linked to the tribal welfare fund scam. About Rs 94 crore was allegedly transferred during Feb-May from corporation’s bank accounts to multiple mule accounts opened using stolen identities. Officials are now looking for Nagendra’s close associate and Congress MLA from Raichur Rural, Basanagouda Daddal, whom a special investigation team (SIT) had subjected to questioning on Friday. Officials had also grilled his personal assistant Pampanna for allegedly receiving Rs 50 lakh in April last week and Rs 5 lakh in March.

Tribal youth’s death triggers violence in Tripura, 4 held

Agartala: Violence erupted in Gandatwisa subdivision of Tripura’s Dhalai district, with two groups clashing over the death of a youth on Friday night, which left seven policemen injured, reports Biswendu Bhattacharjee.

Prohibitory orders were imposed on Saturday for two days under section 163 of BNSS. A large posse of security personnel has been deployed to maintain peace. Tension escalated the previous night after the death of Parameshwar Reang, 21, who had been thrashed by a group of people in a fair ground on July 7.

Police have arrested four persons involved in the attack on Parameshwar and all of them are in judicial custody.

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Barapullah Phase-III Corridor A Step Closer To Completion

Govt Announces Compensation For Acquiring 2 Land Parcels

The corridor will ensure a faster commute between Noida, east Delhi and south Delhi, and over two lakh vehicles are expected to use it

Atul.Mathur@timesofindia.com

New Delhi: Clearing one more hurdle, Delhi govt’s revenue department has announced compensation amount for the acquisition of 1,169 square metres of land in Nangli Razapur village to pave the way for construction of the east Delhi section of the Barapullah elevated corridor.

According to an order issued by Southeast Delhi’s district magistrate, the landowners will be paid Rs 11.18 lakh as compensation.

Officials said in the third phase, two small land parcels of 709.9 and 459.2 square metres were the only pieces of land that had yet to be acquired to allow 690 metres of missing link over the Yamuna to connect the Barapullah elevated road with Mayur Vihar in the east and Sarai Kale Khan in the west. With that done, officials said they just need to get the permission to fell and transplant 274 trees to complete the construction.

“From the day of receiving the permission to cut trees, we will need six months to complete the construction of the bridge and open it for commuters,” said an official. The construction of the road has been temporarily suspended due to the monsoon as the level of the Yamuna is expected to rise, and the floodplain may also get submerged with more water released from Haryana and subsequently from the Wazirabad barrage.

The work on the 3.5 km long road, which promised to bring the driving time between east and south Delhi to just 20 minutes, started in 2015. Though the deadline to open the road is Oct, officials say that it will have to be extended. The corridor will ensure a faster commute between Noida, east Delhi and south Delhi, and more than two lakh vehicles are expected to use the road every day. The road will make reaching AIIMS from east Delhi easier and quicker. While it will reduce traffic on NH-24, accessing the transport hub from east Delhi and Noida will become more convenient.

According to officials, the approval to acquire the two land parcels was given by LG VK Saxena in Nov last year. Interestingly, it was only after the work began over eight years ago that PWD realised it did not have the ownership of about 8.5 acres of land, which was crucial for the construction of the elevated corridor. While 6 acres of land were acquired over the years, without the remaining patch of around 2.5 acres, PWD could not have built five piers and nearly 690 metres of spans over them.

The requirement for the exact measurement of land was also not certain, and after several field inspections and deliberations, the engineers finalised that they required two land parcels measuring 1,169 sqm for the project.

Water from Munak Canal reaches capital

A breach in Munak Canal led to flooding of Bawana on Thursday

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Delhi water minister Atishi on Saturday said the breach in Munak Canal, which led to flooding in northwest Delhi’s Bawana area and impacted water supply in various parts of the city, had been fixed.

In a post on X, Atishi said the Dwarka water treatment plant, which draws water from thde Canal, would be operational from Saturday evening and that water supply in Dwarka would also resume from night.

According to officials, a breach of about 15 metres was noticed in the left bank of the carrier lined channel (CLC) of Munak Canal in Bawana around 2am on July 11. The Haryana irrigation department, which is in charge of maintenance of the entire ca- nal including in the Delhi territory, was notified of the breach immediately.

Since CLC supplies around 500 cusecs of water every day to Delhi, the breach affected the operations at Dwarka water treatment plant.

Officials said the Haryana irrigation department, in coordination with engineers from Delhi govt, took prompt action and immediately mobilised manpower, machines and technical support system at the breach site. Various Delhi govt departments, National Disaster Response Force and DDA provided assistance to the affected people by rehabilitating them and draining out of water.

While the repair started in the morning of July 11, teams worked round the clock and completed the work (reinforcement and concretising) by midnight of July 12.

“Since a minimum of eight hours were required for curing, the Haryana irrigation department conducted a fitness test at the site on Saturday morning and thereafter released water from Kakroi regulator (40 km upstream from Delhi border) at 11am today (Saturday) in the canal. The water released has since reached Delhi,” said an official.

“While the operation of Dwarka water treatment plant will start functioning from today evening, the scheduled water supply in the command areas of the plant will commence from Sunday morning smoothly,” the official said.

Officials added that the pending work of shifting of a 200 mm air valve along the Dwarka raw water line was also started on July 12 by National Highway Authority of India for the construction of Urban Extension Road –II. “Pumps were deployed to empty the twin 1,500 mm diameter water pipeline. The work of shifting of the air valves was also completed by the NHAI team on Saturday morning,” the official added.

‘CM Has Lost 8.5kg Since March 21’

Kejriwal Suffering From Serious Ailment, Claims AAP; BJP Dismisses ‘Rhetoric’

Lodged in Tihar Jail under judicial custody, Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by Enforcement Directorate on March 21 in a money laundering case linked to the now-rescinded excise policy

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: AAP on Saturday alleged that CM Arvind Kejriwal has lost 8.5kg of weight since his arrest on March 21, indicating that he is suffering from a “serious ailment”.

Addressing a press conference, AAP’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh claimed that Kejriwal’s blood sugar level dropped to below 50 mg/dl at least five times in jail. “The aim of BJP and its govt at Centre is to keep him in jail and play with his life. They are hatching a conspiracy so that he faces some serious health issues,” Singh alleged. “His health condition is such that if he is not brought out of jail soon and provided medical care, any serious incident may happen with him,” he added.

Delhi BJP, however, termed Singh’s claims as “old rhetoric”.

Lodged in Tihar Jail under judicial custody, Kejriwal was arrested by ED on March 21 in a money laundering case linked to the now-rescinded excise policy. He was out on interim bail for 21 days in May to campaign for AAP in general elections. While SC granted him interim bail again on July 12 in the money laundering case, Kejriwal, however, remains in jail since he was arrested by CBI, probing alleged irregularities in formulation and implementation of same excise police, on June 25.

Singh claimed Kejriwal weighed 70 kg when he was arrested and his weight had now reduced to 61.5 kg. He added that the reason for Delhi CM’s constant weight loss was unknown as no tests could have been conducted. Singh said Kejriwal’s family, AAP and his well-wishers we- re concerned about his health condition in jail.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, however, said Singh’s statement on CM’s “jail, bail, and health is nothing but a repeat of rhetoric”.

“Every time AAP functionaries see any hope of Kejriwal getting bail, they start their old rhetoric that BJP wants to keep him in jail and that his health is steadily deteriorating. After getting bail, instead of going for treatment, he indulges in political diatribes. People of Delhi have no trust left in Kejriwal and AAP,” Sachdeva claimed.

BJP’s South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said Singh should stop sensationalising Kejriwal’s health condition. “A panel of AIIMS doctors is taking care of Kejriwal’s health. If he has any issues, doctors should be informed about it. Kejriwal was healthy and actively campaigning when he was out on interim bail. The accusations made by Sanjay Singh are just political,” Bidhuri claimed.

Sonipat encounter under cloud, NHRC may step in

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Mystery shrouds the killing of three alleged henchmen of gangster Himanshu Bhau in a reported faceoff with cops in Sonipat on Friday night. With the previous encounter death of Bhau's alleged aide Ajay already under the scanner, the National Human Rights Commission is likely to look into the circumstances of the latest 'encounter'.

The kin of the deceased are learnt to have described the encounter as 'fake' and are likely to iterate this before a magistrate.

The cops claimed that 43 bullets were exchanged in the 13-minute-long 'encounter' and one bullet grazed the leg of a policeman from Delhi Police’s Crime Branch. The DCP Amit Goel and ACP Umesh Barthwal of Crime Branch also claimed they were each shot but were hit on their bulletproof vests. None of the three alleged gunmen survived and were hit several times by police shooters.

What has made the encounter more suspicious is that in his Instagram post last Saturday, Bhau had mentioned the exact names of his henchmen — Vicky, Ashish and Sunny — claiming they had been detained for “encounter for medals”.

In a similar case in May, a man named Ajay was killed by Delhi Police during a shootout in a Fusion car showroom in west Delhi’s Tilak Nagar. Bhau had claimed at the time on Instagram that police had picked Ajay up from Mount Abu and killed him in cold blood. NHRC is looking into the encounter as well.

In a statement, the Crime Branch said, "We have been continuously working on Himanshu Bhau and his associates to curb their unlawful activity in Delhi-NCR region. On July 12, credible information was received that both the absconding shooters — Ashish and Vicky — would be going to Kharkhoda with another associate in a Kia Seltos car to commit some heinous crime. Immediately, the team swung into action and shared the information with STF, Sonipat. A joint team was formed to track the two accused. The team intercepted the said Kia Seltos on Rohtak-Chinauli road around 8.40pm."

The cops claimed the men started firing on the police party from “inside the car and simultaneously coming out of the vehicle". In self-defence, the police personnel retaliated and fired from their service weapons. Around 19 rounds were fired by the policemen against 24 fired by the said criminals during the exchange of fire. Five automatic pistols belonging to the alleged criminals were recovered from the spot. The Sonipat police control room was informed around 8.53pm about the need for an ambulance to take the injured to hospital, where the men brough were declared dead.

The alleged henchmen — Sunny, Ashish and Vicky — were hit several times by police shooters

Gangster linked to Rajouri Garden shootout arrested

AN OFFICER SAYS In 2021, he (Rakesh) committed another murder in Fatehabad district of Haryana. Since investigating agencies could not arrest him, he was declared a proclaimed offender in 2023

BUSTED: Rakesh in STF’s custody on Saturday

Bagish.Jha@timesofindia.com

Gurgaon: The Haryana STF arrested notorious gangster Rakesh alias Kala Khairampuriya from the IGI airport on Saturday.

Carrying a bounty of Rs 2 lakh on his arrest, Khairampuriya was named in connection with the twin murders and shootouts at a Burger King outlet in Delhi and Gulshan Dhaba in Murthal.

The arrest came a day after three henchmen of USbased gangster Himanshu Bhau were killed in an ‘encounter’ with Haryana STF in Sonipat late on Friday evening. The three, according to cops, were directly involved in the two shootouts.

DIG Simardeep Singh, who heads the STF in the state, said Khairampuriya’s criminal history dated back to 2014, with several cases of robbery, murder and illegal possession of farms registered against him.

In 2018, Khairampuriya was convicted for a murder he committed in Rajasthan’s Hunumangarh three years earlier and sentenced for life. He was, however, released on parole in 2020. The gangster never reported back.

After jumping parole, Khairampuriya changed his location at regular intervals and evaded arrest. “In 2021, he committed another murder in Fatehabad district of Haryana. Since investigating agencies could not arrest him, they declared him a proclaimed offender in 2023,” said Singh.

The same year, Khairampuriya managed to get a passport done on a fake identity and fled the country — first going to the UAE, then to Armenia and finally Thailand.

He forged alliances with gangs run by Bhau and Neeraj Faridpuria from abroad, completing a syndicate jig- saw responsible for carrying out high-profile crimes like killings and extortion across Delhi-NCR.

In Dec 2023, Khairampuriya and the others allegedly orchestrated the murder of a sarpanch of a Sonipat village.

On March 10 this year, the three shooters killed in the Friday encounter gunned down Sunder Malik, a liquor trader from Gohana, after dragging him out of his vehicle.

On June 19, the trio shot dead Aman Joon at the Rajouri Garden outlet of Burger King and fired some 40-50 rounds, causing 45-50 customers to run for cover.

Both attacks are believed to have been carried out by the Bhau gang, of which Khairampuriya was a part.

This June 24, three masked assailants linked to Khairampuriya opened fire outside a Mahindra car showroom in Hisar. Investigation revealed that Khairampuriya had arranged for the guns and coordinated with the shooters in planning the attack. In fact, the gangster claimed responsibility for the shootout on his Instagram account.

“The series of attacks underscored his continued influence on local gangs from abroad,” Singh said.

According to sources, the STF recently unearthed the identity that Khairampuriya had used on his passport to flee the country. After it was confirmed that he was in Thailand, the STF coordinated with the home ministry and got an Interpol notice issued against him. His actual IDs were shared with security agencies in Thailand.

“The arrest of Kala Khairampuriya sends a resolute message regarding Haryana Police’s commitment in controlling crime and maintaining law and order in the state. We have been resolute in pursuing individuals involved in organised crime, anywhere in the world,” said Singh.

`1,000-Crore Prime Land In Civil Lines Freed By L&DO

Central Agency Removes Encroachers Following HC Order

Some of the occupants in Civil Lines’ Khyber Pass had earlier taken the matter to Delhi High Court seeking relief after L&DO had issued a public notice to all occupants on March 1, 2024 to vacate

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: In a major eviction drive against encroachment of public land, the Land and Development Office (L&DO) under the Union housing and urban affairs ministry cleared almost 15 acres of prime land in Khyber Pass in Civil Lines area on Saturday.

Sources said the current market value of the large patch of around 32 acres, including the cleared portion, in the area is estimated at over Rs 2,000 crore. The Nazul land (govt land) is owned by the L&DO and it was given to the defence ministry in 1935. There were hutments, known as Khyber Pass Hostel, for accommodation of the support staff of defence personnel. The cleared portion is worth around Rs 1,000 crore.

Officials said though the eviction was to begin from March 4, it was stopped at the direction of Delhi High Court. After the matter was examined at length by HC and a judgment was passed on July 9 upholding the eviction order, the L&DO carried out the eviction on Saturday.

They added that such valuable land cannot be allowed to be occupied by few individuals for the benefit of few at loss to the govt. The eviction was carried out with support of Delhi Police, Delhi administration, Municipal Corporation of Delhi and Central Public Works Department, sources said.

Some of the occupants had earlier taken the matter to the Delhi High Court seeking relief after the L&DO had issued a public notice to the occupants on March 1, 2024 to vacate. The occupants had claimed that the hostels were allotted to their fathers and grand-fathers about 70 years back and hence they were entitled to resettlement.

Challenging the eviction notice, petitioners had pleaded before the HC that they could not be evicted by following the due process of law as they were inducted by the “Officers of the Armed For- ces” to cater to their needs and they were paying rents.

The high court, in its order, took note that the petitioners did not show any document as to who inducted them and said since this issue requires leading of evidence, the petitioners needed to file suit and lead evidence to show that they were inducted lawfully by persons who were competent to do so.

Relying on the affidavit of the petitioners, which mentioned that no rent has been paid by them after 2001 and, the HC observed that the “petitioners cannot be called as legal occupants of the land in question and are rank trespassers”. It also rejected the argument that the petitioners were inducted lawfully and that they are authorised occupants.

Dismissing the petition, the court said it “does not find any reason” to quash the notice dated March 1, 2024.

26-yr-old killed after he objects to insult of wife by neighbour

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: A 26-year-old man in Rohini was murdered on Friday allegedly by his neighbour.

The deceased, Prashant, lived in Aman Vihar and was allegedly stabbed after he objected to his neighbour’s abusive language towards his wife.

Police received information about the incident on Friday. A team from the local police station rushed to the spot in Ramesh Enclave. “Prashant succumbed to his stab injuries during treatment at a hospital," an officer said.

A senior officer said that a case under Section 103 (murder) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered at Aman Vihar police station.

During the probe, police found that Prashant had an argument with his neighbours after Dev made objectionable remarks towards his wife. Dev has been arrested.

Principal takes rape survivor back after told about assault

Continued from P1

The govt school principal, who was unaware of the girl’s reason for absence, told her father on Thursday to get her married if he wasn’t interested in sending her to class. She later realised her mistake. But word had spread by then. The principal drew heavy criticism on social media as the sexual assault on the girl, the removal of her name from school and her comments to her father conflated into one narrative.

Education department officials stepped in on Friday after they learnt about the police case that the teen’s parents had filed after the June 26 sexual assault. The school had reopened on July 1 after the summer vacations, but she hadn’t shown up. Three other girls hadn’t either. It was seen as unexplained absence, and on July 10, the principal decided to scratch their names from the rolls. According to officials, in all cases of absence from school, a student must write a note to the class teacher or principal with specific reasons for absence. The girl’s father told TOI on Saturday she had not stepped out of home since the June 26 incident because of shock. He also spoke of being worried for her safety because the assailant – a married man – lives in the same colony.

The accused, who had allegedly met her at Swarn Jayanti park several times, is in judicial custody, police said, after being charged with rape and criminal intimidation under sections of BNS and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. He had on June 16 invited her to meet him at a hotel, where he took her to a room and allegedly raped her. “She left for tuition, which generally gets over by 2pm,” the father said. Usually, she is back by 3.30pm but that day, wasn’t home till 6pm. “She looked pale when she returned and did not talk. Next day, I asked her about it and that’s when she told me about the incident,” he said. The episode derailed the family. The girl isolated herself as she tried to cope. The parents wept and worried. Amid this despair, the school de-rostered her. On Friday night, however, the principal was at their door, her manner and demeanor nothing like the voice on the phone that had chided the father.

The principal told TOI she re-enrolled the girl after the district inspector of schools informed her about the sexual assault case and decided to go speak to the girl herself to convince her to continue with her education. “The girls whose names were withdrawn did not inform the school about their absence. We have come across several instances of girls dropping out because their families got them married. I thought she wasn’t coming to school for the same reason,” she said. “It was meant as a warning... Once I knew, I personally met the family. We spoke for around three hours,” she added.

The girl’s father confirmed the principal had met them, underlined the need for her to return to school and extended her support.

Woman touches live wire in waterlogged street, dies

AN OFFICER SAYS After seeing the woman getting electrocuted, the guard rushed inside the hospital and donned rubber boots. He then returned to the scene, but it was too late

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: A 34-year-old woman was electrocuted in northeast Delhi’s Bhajanpura on Saturday. Police suspect that a live wire was lying in the waterlogged street in the area and victim Poonam, unable to see it, came in its contact and died.

Police received information about the electrocution incident, which took place at 7.39 am near a hospital in C Block Yamuna Vihar. "Due to rain, there was waterlogging in the area. A live wire from an electricity pole near the footpath caused her to be electrocuted and fall into the water. She was rushed to the hospital, where the doctors declared her dead on arrival. A case of death by negligence has been registered," said a senior police officer.

After seeing the woman getting electrocuted, the guard rushed inside the hospital and donned rubber boots.

He then returned to the scene and pulled her out from the waterlogged street, but it was too late, the officer said.

The deceased woman, a homemaker, lived with her family in northeast Delhi and her husband runs a general store in the area.

The news of Poonam's death sent shockwaves through her family. Her relatives recounted that she was on her way to a clinic in Yamuna Vihar for a routine check-up when the tragedy struck.

The incident further compounded the family's woes, as Poonam's 14-year-old son, a child with special needs, had already been hospitalized in north Delhi for the past 15 days. "His condition significantly worsened upon learning about his mother's sudden demise," a grief-stricken relative said, adding, "He was immediately taken to another hospital, where he remains in critical condition."

Last year, a 35-year-old architect was killed after being electrocuted at New Delhi Railway Station when she touched a pole in a waterlogged area. Sakshi Ahuja, a resident of east Delhi's Preet Vihar, had come to the station with her family to catch the Bhopal Shatabdi train. There was waterlogging outside the railway station. An initial probe suggests that she grabbed the pole to avoid going into the water and got electrocuted.

Rain brings relief in parts of city, may improve air quality further

MONSOON GREEN: Light rain is likely on Sunday and Monday

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Parts of Delhi recorded short spells of intense rain on Saturday afternoon. However, the intensity of the rain is likely to reduce from Sunday for the next six days. There are chances of very light to light rain over the next few days, Met officials said.

Delhiites experienced a sultry day on Saturday, but an intense spell of rain in some parts of the city brought respite. The maximum temperature was 35.6 degrees Celsius, which is near normal, and 1.3 degrees higher than Friday’s temperature. The relative humidity oscillated between 56% and 94%. The minimum temperature was 25 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal.

India Meteorological Department’s data shows that the city received uneven rain on Saturday. Safdarjung, which is the city’s base station, along with Palam and Lodhi Road, witnessed light rain activity, while Ayanagar saw moderate showers. Stations like Ridge, Delhi University, Pitampura, SPS Mayur Vihar, Jafarpur and Najafgarh did not witness any rain till 8.30 pm.

Safdarjung, Palam and Lodhi logged 13.6, 7.8 and 12.4 mm rainfall, respectively, du- ring the period from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm, while Ayanagar received 34.8 mm rainfall.

Rain activity is likely to be subdued from Sunday onwards. “The monsoon trough is north of its normal position at mean sea level. The monsoon activity is currently weak over Haryana, Chan- digarh and Delhi,” said IMD in its bulletin.

“There are chances of very light rain on Sunday and Monday. However, there is a possibility of very light to light rain from Tuesday to July 19. There has been no colour-coded warning for rain over Delhi for the next few days. Heavy rain is unlikely over the next few days,” said a Met official.

Safdarjung has received 72.8 mm rainfall in July so far as against the normal of 209.7 mm. While Ayanagar and Palam had recorded 54.3 and 51.7 mm rainfall in July till now.

The air quality index of the national capital was recorded in the “moderate” category with a reading of 101 at 8 pm. A day earlier, AQI was 107. According to Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, which is the forecasting body under the union ministry of earth sciences, the air quality is likely to remain in the “satisfactory” category on Sunday.

Punjab to NGT: Will manage 19.5MT crop residue this year

Neel.Kamal@timesofindia.com

Bathinda: Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), in its updated action plan submitted before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to tackle crop residue burning, has reiterated it will tackle 19.52 million tonne (MT) of stubble in 2024-25 season after paddy harvesting in Oct-Nov.

PPCB has stated that 15.86 million tonnes of straw was utilised in 2023-24 through various modes under in-situ (in the natural or original position or place) and ex-situ management. With about 32 lakh hectares of area under paddy and basmati in Punjab, over 20 million tonne crop residue is generated in the state.

PPCB member secretary submitted the revised action plan ahead of the hearing on July 12 in a suo moto cognisance by NGT in sustaining crop residue burning in Punjab. NGT, in its order on April 3, directed PPCB to clarify aspects pertaining to its claims of using crop residue under in-situ and ex-situ management in 2023-24 and its targets in 2024-25 by July 12. The tribunal is yet to upload its order over the action plan.

As per the revised action plan for 2024-25, out of the target of using 19.52 MT straw, 12.7 million tonne will be used through in-situ and 5.96 million tonne through ex-situ (which include 3.1 MT in industrial boilers, 1.17 MT in biomass power plant, 0.54MT in compressed bio gas plant, 0.20 MT in bio ethanol plant, 0.77 MT in thermal power plant, 0.18 MT in brick kilns). Out of 3.1 MT in industrial boilers, 2.9 MT will be in the form of bales/chopped form and 0.2 MT in the form of palette/briquette. In thermal plants and brick kilns too, palette/briquette will be consumed. Apart from it, 0.86 MT will be used as fodder.

Delhi govt distributed 7.7 lakh free saplings this year: Rai

New Delhi: Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai organised a ‘Vikas Sabha’ in southwest Delhi’s Bijwasan assembly constituency on Saturday and distributed free saplings among the local people. Rai said mo- re than 7.7 lakh free plants had been distributed by AAP govt this year.

Govt has decided to distribute more than 64 lakh saplings this year. “Pollution always poses a big challenge in Delhi. Under the lea- dership of CM Arvind Kejriwal, we have worked continuously to reduce the pollution level in the city. While the green area in Delhi was 20% in 2013, it increased to 23% in 2021,” Rai said.

TNN

Skin Getting Darker? Cause May Be Worse Than Natural Tanning

Study Links It To Possible Reaction To Chemicals In Dyes & Creams

Consumers should be aware that the term ‘herbal’ does not necessarily guarantee a product’s safety or purity, the author said

Anuja.Jaiswal@timesofindia.com

New Delhi: If you notice some darkening of your skin, particularly on your face or forehead, after using hair dye, vermillion, or fairness cream, you should consult a dermatologist. This alteration in skin colour, which many attribute to sun exposure, may be a sign of pigmented contact dermatitis (PCD), a condition that arises due to an adverse reaction to the chemicals present in these products.

PCD, a variant of allergic contact dermatitis that does not present with eczema, is commonly caused by exposure to various allergens. In India, the most frequent culprits are hair dyes, vermillion and facial cosmetic products.

Doctors who conducted a study to see the outcome of immunosuppressive in patients with PCD said that people who face such an issue often mistakenly believe that their skin has become “tanned”. However, this is not the case. PCD is a distinct condition that differs from the natural tanning process. Dr Surabhi Sinha, assistant professor at Lady Hardinge Medical College, and author of the study said that it is crucial to recognise that this pigmentation is not a result of sun exposure or the body’s natural tanning mechanism. Instead, it is a manifestation of the skin’s sensitivity or allergic response to particular components present in the products being used.

She said the research revealed that one of the immunosuppressants —azathioprine— demonstrated a reliable and notable effectiveness in treating hyperpigmentation in PCD patients.

The azathioprine group achieved the highest reduction in hyperpigmentation, reaching “55.5% at 48 weeks.” In contrast, the other two groups in the study only managed to attain a maxi- mum improvement of around 30%. These findings suggest that azat- hioprine may be a more potent treatment option for people seeking to address hyperpigmentation issues compared to the alternatives investigated in this study.

However, it is crucial to note that the precise length of immunosuppressant therapy cannot be determined with absolute accuracy. These medications are intended to expedite the resolution of the allergic response and function as a complement to allergen avoidance measures. Additionally, immunosuppressants “may cause some initial reduction in the pigmentation.” However, it is essential to recognise that they are not a definitive solution and should be used in conjunction with other treatment strategies for optimal results. Dr Sinha said that studies con- ducted both in India and abroad have identified hair dye as the primary cause of PCD. The main ingredient responsible for this condition is a compound called paraphenylenediamine (PPD), which is a well-known allergen. However, the development of PCD is not immediate; it occurs after prolonged use of hair dyes containing PPD.

“Even products marketed as ‘herbal henna’ may not be entirely natural. Many of these products now contain fragrances, preservatives and PPD, which is derived from hair dye and used to enhance the colour. As a result, even henna-based products can potentially cause PCD if they contain these additional ingredients. Consumers should be aware that the term ‘herbal’ does not necessarily guarantee a product’s safety or purity when it comes to hair dyes and henna products,” she told TOI.

Prof Kabir Sardana from RML Hospital, co-author of the study, said that pigmented contact dermatitis, a frequently encountered yet often misdiagnosed skin condition, is characterised by a gradual darkening of facial skin. “In addition to hair dyes and cosmetics, various preservatives and chemicals commonly used in the formulation of daily-use products, such as creams and moisturisers, have also been implicated in the development of this condition. These substances can trigger an adverse reaction in the skin, leading to the progressive pigmentation observed in affected individuals,” he said.

DDA and MCD intensify tree plantation drives

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: With the commencement of the monsoon season, Delhi Development Authority has intensified its tree planting initiatives, aiming to achieve a significant portion of its target within this month. According to a DDA official, "Till this week, 50,000 trees and 5.5 lakh shrubs have already been planted at various locations across the city. The authority is also taking all possible steps to ensure that the saplings being planted are nurtured sufficiently, so as to achieve optimal survival."

DDA conducted plantation activities in Dwarka on Saturday, while simultaneously carrying out a drive along the Yamuna floodplains.

For the financial year 2024-25, the authority has set a target of growing 11 lakh plants, which includes approximately 94,000 trees and 10 lakh shrubs. As of now, DDA has already achieved near- ly 55% of this target, having planted 605,109 trees and shrubs.

An official stated, "Apart from plantations in public places, we are even spreading awareness among the general public, school children, public representatives etc. to ensure and contribute to their survival. This weekend we did a plantation at sector 19 B Dwarka housing complex. Plantation drives in District Park and Lake, G17, Paschim Vihar were also undertaken."

The authority also organised 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign at District Park Vikaspuri and a similar programme at Jahanpanah City Forest. Additionally, a plantation programme was held at Baansera to foster the connection between people and the Yamuna river. Of the 21,552 acres of green cover in Delhi, 10,490 acres belong to DDA.

Municipal Corporation of Delhi's horticulture department has also taken up the task of greening open areas, gardens, municipal buildings, and areas underneath flyovers.

Excise In Lead, Delhi Sees 16% Growth In Revenue In 3 Mths

Trend Indicates Collection May Cross Budget Projection: Official

Atul.Mathur@timesofindia.com

New Delhi: Riding on robust economic activities, Delhi’s revenue collection registered an increase of nearly 16% in the first quarter of 2024-25 financial year over the corresponding period in 2023-24.

Delhi govt mopped up Rs 15,546 crore between April and June this year through goods and service tax (GST), value-added tax (VAT), stamp and registration fee, state excise, and motor vehicle tax. During the same period in the last fiscal, Delhi govt’s tax revenue collection was recorded at Rs 13,418 crore.

A senior govt official said that going by the current trend, the tax collection in the ongoing financial year was likely to exceed the projection of Rs 58,750 crore made in the budget. In 2023-24, the tax collection was estimated at Rs 53,680 crore, which was an increase of 13% over the 2022-23 earnings.

While GST and VAT are Delhi govt’s mainstay of tax revenue and contribute nearly 70% of the total collection, it is followed by stamp duty on registration of property and other documents, excise on the sale of liquor, and taxes on motor vehicles.

According to officials, the highest increase in the first three months of the current financial year was seen in excise collection, which grew by nearly 20% over last year. While the department earned Rs 1,365 crore through excise duty on liquor — sold through a network of about 670 liquor stores and over 900 hotels, clubs and restaurants — an additional Rs 595 crore was earned through VAT. VAT, however, is combined and calculated with GST for record purposes. The excise revenue in April was recorded at Rs 460 crore, which increased to Rs 462 crore in May but came down marginally to Rs 443 crore in June.

The GST and VAT collection in three months recorded a hike of about 17% over the same period last year, while the registration tax on vehicles went up by 13%. According to officials, the transport department collected Rs 276 crore in April, which came down to Rs 229 crore in May and Rs 227 crore in June. In 2023, govt earned Rs 227 crore in April, Rs 237 crore in May, and Rs 228 crore in June.

Apart from the motor vehicle tax, the main component of revenue that govt earns through the sale of vehicles and their registration, parking fees, addition and deletion of hypothecation from registration certificates, and fitness tax and inspection of commercial vehicles also make significant contributions to revenue under this head.

A senior govt official said the capital provided a conducive atmosphere for trading activities and ease of doing business to entrepreneurs, which got reflected in the ever-increasing GST and VAT collection. “Also, Delhi’s per capita income and gross state domestic product are among the highest in the country. That’s why the registration of new vehicles and sale of properties witness a decent increase,” said an official.

21 companies register under motor vehicle aggregator scheme: Govt

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Delhi transport minister Kailash Gahlot on Saturday said more than 1 lakh vehicles had been onboarded while 21 organisations had applied for the licence as aggregators or delivery service providers since the notification of Delhi Motor Vehicle Aggregator and Delivery Service Provider Scheme in Nov last year.

“The response to the scheme is a testament to the confidence that businesses have in our vision for sustainable and efficient urban mobility. By en- suring the transition to electric vehicles, we are taking a significant step towards reducing pollution and improving the quality of life for Delhi's residents,” Gahlot said in a statement.

“This initiative will not only promote green mobility but also set high standards for servi- ce quality and public safety in the transport sector,” he added.

The scheme applies to aggregators, delivery service providers, and e-commerce entities operating within the NCT of Delhi. It covers those with 25 or more motor vehicles (2W, 3W, and 4W, excluding buses) in their fleet.

Power bills up with heat, least no. of people get subsidy in June in 2 years

Atul.Mathur@timesofindia.com

New Delhi: The record-breaking temperatures in June sent the electricity bills of domestic consumers spiraling this year. Of nearly 60 lakh domestic consumers, only 34.3 lakh could benefit from the power subsidy—16.5 lakh received zero bills, and 17.8 lakh received half bills—in June, which was the lowest in the past two years.

Peak summer, from April to June, is the time of the year when power demand goes up due to the continuous running of air-conditioners, coolers, and fans in households as well as industrial and commercial establishments. The months of May and June were exceptionally hot, with power demand breaking all previous records. While the power department had estimated the peak demand to reach 8,200 megawatts this year, it reached 8,656 MW on June 19, the highest requirement ever in the city. In May-June, Delhi witnessed a long streak of over 30 days when the city’s power demand crossed 7,000 MW every single day. During this period, the demand crossed 8,000 MW on at least 10 occasions.

While this May was the seventh hottest since 1951, with an average maximum temperature of 42 degrees Celsius, this was only the eighth time since 1951 that the mean maximum temperature had stayed above 41 degrees.

Not just the rich, but people with humble backgrounds too were forced to run coolers and ACs continuously, which reflected in their power bills. While there are 60 lakh domestic consumers in Delhi who can avail of power subsidy if the consumption remains less than 400 units a month, nearly 53 lakh were eligible for it in April this year. The number went down to 45.4 lakh in May and further dropped to 34.3 lakh in June. A comparison with the data of domestic consumers eligible for the subsidy in 2022 and 2023 revealed how the electricity bills shot up due to higher consumption this year. In April 2022, 45.1 lakh people got the subsidy – either a full waiver due to less than 200 units of consumption or a 50% discount on burning 201-400 units – which came down to 37.3 lakh in May 2022 and 36.4 lakh in June. In 2023, 48.1 lakh domestic consumers were eligible for subsidy, while the number came down to 44.5 lakh in May and 39.3 lakh in June.

According to the data, more people get zero bills than those getting a 50% waiver in the months of winter as power consumption falls drastically due to less usage of high-powered electrical equipment. The consumption starts increasing from April and peaks in June. In comparison to 2022, when the number of people in both subsidy categories reduced in May and June in comparison to the prece- ding months, the data paints a different picture this year. While the number of customers eligible for a full waiver reduced in April, May, and June in comparison to the preceding months, the consumers eligible for a 50% waiver increased in April and May but suddenly fell drastically in June.

“This means that many of those who were getting full waivers for consuming less than 200 units shifted to the second category by burning a few units extra in April and May. But due to high temperatures in June, the consumption increased suddenly in all households,” said an official.

Soren, wife meet Sunita Kejriwal

New Delhi: Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and his wife Kalpana called on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita on Saturday.

AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh, who was present during the meeting at the Delhi CM’s official residence, said the talks were cordial and the issue of “misuse” of central probe agencies against opposition functionaries was discussed. “He (Hemant Soren) and Kejriwal both were victims of the BJP’s politics of ill will, revenge and efforts to stop opposition functionaries from campaigning in the Lok Sabha polls,” he alleged.

“The Jharkhand CM has extended full support to Kejriwal, his family and AAP in the fight against the atrocities,” Singh added.

AAP posted a video of the meeting on 'X'.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said people of Delhi were least surprised to see the bonhomie between the Soren and Kejriwal families, as both were facing economic offence charges.

TNN

After 24 yrs, court orders framing charges against 4 for match fixing

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Nearly 24 years after being accused of fixing international cricket matches between India and South Africa in 2000, a Delhi court has ordered the framing of charges of criminal conspiracy and cheating against four people.

Additional chief judicial magistrate Neha Priya gave the order against Rajesh Kalra, Krishan Kumar (of T-Series company), Sunil Dara and Sanjeev Chawla. An FIR was lodged against them at the Chanakya Puri police station.

Noting the evidence before it, the court said that the "chain of events, record of conversations, conduct and surrounding circumstances" showed the complicity of Kalra, Kumar and Dara in the deals struck by Chawla with Hansie Cronje (deceased and also an accused) and led to the "inference that they were acting in connivance and were co-participants in the main object of fixing cricket matches for monetary gain."

The court, in its 68-page order passed on July 11, concluded there was sufficient material on record to frame charges against the four under Indian Penal Code sections 420 (cheating) read with 120B (criminal conspiracy) and for the offence under section 120B of the IPC.

Examining the transcripts of call intercepts, it said that these “reveal that during this time, they discussed the team composition for the next upcoming match in a series of matches between South Africa and India (based on the information received by accused Chawla from Cronje); the fixed team scores/ individual scores agreed with accused Hansie Cronje; amount of money to be placed on bets; pooling of money; their odds if the players don't perform as per agreed plan; money transactions during betting/ match fixing, etc.”

The court observed that the maxim that truth is stranger than fiction was more true in the case of cricket than any other sport and the only thing predictable about the game was its unpredictability. "In fact, one of the reasons for such astounding popularity of cricket is the element of uncertainty and the lack of predictability of results, even by the experts. If this aspect of the game is taken out of the equation, and if the spectators know that the result is pre-decided, there would be zero interest in watching the match," it said.

Regarding the argument of the counsel for the accused that match-fixing was not an offence in the country, the court said, "If the alleged acts of match-fixing satisfy the ingredients of the offence under section 420 of the IPC, such acts cannot escape the clutches of the said law only for want of a special law."

Another peacock dies, doubt arises on heatstroke theory

Kushagra.Dixit@timesofindia.com

New Delhi: A fresh peacock death has been reported at the Palam air force station on July 9, making this the death of at least the 28th such bird since June.

Although, Delhi forest department had earlier attributed the deaths to heatstroke, scientists at Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly, who have seen the samples of the dead birds said this reason seemed unlikely. IVRI experts have reasons to believe that the birds died because of some bacterial infection or other issue. The IVRI report diagnosed “pneumonia” after analysing lungs and “hepatosis” from the liver.

The forest department, after the publication of a TOIreport dated June 25, sent some samples for tests to IVRI on June 26. By then, 24 peacocks had died.

“Only two peacock viscera were sent for analysis of which, brain, nostril part and rectum were missing. Thus, the entire analysis could not be done. For virology, samples must be sent to Bhopal where there is a full-fledged certified lab for virology. However, we can rule out bird flu. The analysis has found that the liver and lungs had taken the toll,” an IVRI source said on the condition of anonymity.

The sources added that due to absence of samples of scab and the brain, the assessment was incomplete.

“It is difficult to comment what was the actual reason of death. It could be secondary bacterial infection which could be from eating rotten or poisoned food, insecticide infested food, perhaps. It’s not heatstroke for sure, as conditions in Rajasthan were even worse but deaths were not reported from there. Also, we were not told the scenario, like symptoms or the condition in which the samples were found,” said a scientist, who added that he was unaware of such a large number of peacock deaths anywhere, after which the institute received viscera of two specimens.

According to sources, police got a PCR on July 9 after the carcass of the national bird was found in the air force station. “It was reported to the police. A PCR was dispatched and the bird was buried with honour,” a source said, requesting anonymity.

However, the recent death along with four others have occurred after the heatwave subsided, raising concerns about what killed the birds. The continued loss of peacocks, even during periods of rain and cooler temperatures, suggests that factors other than heatstroke may be responsible.

4 people held for extortion bid

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Four people, including a minor, have been apprehended for allegedly shooting in an extortion bid in north Delhi’s Burari. The investigation has revealed that the suspects received instructions from a jailed criminal for their act.

Police received information about the shooting incident near Kaushik Enclave on July 5. Complainant Rohit Giri, a gym owner, reported that two boys approached him while he was sitting inside his friend's SUV. One of them, carrying a weapon, threatened Giri with dire consequences. Fearing for his safety, Giri raised an alarm. His friend and passers-by chased the suspects, who fired shots into the air while fleeing, a senior officer said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) Manoj Meena formed a team under SHO Ajit Kumar. The investigation revealed the involvement of one suspect, Nikhil, who had previously been arrested with Rohit Rana, alias Moi, in a murder case.

The investigation also revealed that Nikhil was receiving instructions from a jailed criminal over the phone, the DCP said. After firing in Burari, he fled to Meerut and then to Prayagraj. Raids were conducted in Meerut, where Gagandeep was arrested. He had arranged a hideout for the shooters after the incident and had been in contact with the jailed criminal over the phone.

The probe revealed that Nikhil went to Delhi. Following this, raids were conducted in Haryana and Delhi and he was nabbed.

‘Feeling isolated by your mother and sister? Don’t let family define you’

To help readers cope with their anxieties in these stressful times, TOI has launched Talk it Out, a series in which expert counsellors answer your mental health queries. This week’s advice is from counselling psychologist Megha Nad

■ I am a middle-aged homemaker living away from my hometown. My mother and elder sister, who is single, live in a different city in a house built by my late father decades ago. My sister holds a senior position with a govt department and takes every decision regarding my mother’s finances or familial issues. My mother always has been emotionally protective about her because she is devoid of marital life. I never objected to their lifestyle, though my mother has always looked down upon me, never holding me or my husband in due place of respect. Every now and then, they abuse me for not leaving my husband and moving to be my mother’s caregiver. Even if I visit them for two to three months a year, they criticise me in front of other relatives and domestic help. I am kept in total darkness about my mother’s pension, savings and jewellery, and treated as an outsider. All this disturbs my husband and daughter. In agony, I sent my daughter abroad to avoid such toxicities. Last time I went, my sister instigated the domestic help to speak derogatorily against me. The incident left me shattered. When I complained, she labelled me insane and manipulative. Since then, I have stopped communicating with them but am unsure whether to visit any further. Please help.

— Anonymous

I’m so sorry that you’ve been experiencing this. I’m sure these times have been tough for you, and I can only imagine the impact they have had on your emotional well-being. It is difficult to navigate complex family relationships, especially when it’s your immediate family. But the first thing that takes precedence here is your well-being and doing things that can help you alleviate the stress. Building a sup- port system is essential to processing these events, and that support could be from your husband, daughter, friends, or even a therapist. Engage in activities that can help you regain your sense of agency and reinforce your strengths and passions. Remember that your value is not defined by your family’s perceptions or treatment of you. Having said that, boundary setting is important for self-preservation, and I’m sure it must have taken a lot of courage on your end to stop all communication. If you feel safe doing so, consider having an open and honest conversation with your sister and mother about how their actions have affected you. Sometimes, bringing issues into the open can pave the way for understanding and change. However, be prepared for the possibility that they may not respond positively. If you do decide to go and visit them, weigh the potential emotional impact against your need for connection. Keeping a record of incidents and communications can be helpful if you need to explain your situation to a third party or seek further assistance.

■ I’m 20 years old and live with my mother. She is too strict, and doesn’t allow me to talk to boys from my college or go outside except for college or computer class. She drops me daily to class or college and also restricts me from wearing clothes of my choice. She checks my phone too. All these things affect my mental health badly. I am becoming irritable, lonely and helpless. I think too much and cry without reason. I can’t focus on studies properly. Please help.

— Anonymous

It sounds like you are experiencing a great deal of emotional pain due to the restrictions placed on you by your mother. Feeling controlled and unable to express yourself can be incredibly difficult, especially during a time in your life when you are seeking more independence and personal growth. Allow yourself to feel any emotions that are coming up for you without any judgment, try and see if there are any physical sensations that you also experience when actively thinking about this situation and consequently coming up with some soothing techniques that help with the distress. Try to have an open and honest conversation with your mother about how these restrictions are affecting your well-being. Use “I” statements to express your feelings without sounding accusatory. For example, “I feel very isolated and sad because I can’t talk to my friends or go out. It’s affecting my ability to focus on my studies.” Try to find a middle ground that could help you feel more independent while still respecting your mother’s concerns. For e.g. supervised outings with friends or limited phone privacy that gradually increases as trust is built. When it comes to your studies try setting small and achievable goals. This can help build your confidence and give you a sense of accomplishment. You can also consider seeking professional support from your campus counselor in college if there is one. Talking to a counselor on a regular basis could enable you to regulate your emotions and create a safe space for yourself. Remember, your feelings and needs are important. It’s okay to seek help and advocate for yourself.

■ I’m a student, currently preparing for bank exams. My exams are about to start but I don’t know how and when I became the patient of procrastination. I know my exams are about to come, yet I think all day that I’ve enough time and at night when I go to bed I realise I didn’t give my best. Please help me.

— Anonymous

It’s natural to feel the pressure that comes with these competitive exams. It’s important to understand that procrastination is generally a response to stress or fear of failure. It’s not about being lazy; it’s a way your mind copes with anxiety and the perceived difficulty of tasks. Large tasks can seem daunting, leading to avoidance. Break your study sessions into smaller, manageable tasks. You can use the Pomodoro technique, wherein you aim for focused study periods of 25–30 minutes at a time with short breaks in between. Set achievable goals for each study session. This could be completing a certain number of practice questions or reviewing a specific topic. You could also add small rewards for yourself every time you’re actually able to sit through four to five of these focused study periods. It’s also important to identify and minimise distractions in your study environment.

Hiring of experts at FSL gets LG nod

New Delhi: LG VK Saxena has given his approval to hire 165 junior scientific assistants on a contract basis to strengthen Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). These officials will be sent to crime scenes to gather crucial evidence and carry out forensic analysis.

LG directed FSL to finalise recruitment rules for various vacant posts at the earliest and maintain transparency in the hiring process. He also asked the agency to purchase and install the necessary equipment required by scientific officers during investigations.

Officials said the role of FSL under the new criminal laws has become crucial, with scientific probe and analysis of evidence becoming mandatory in all crimes under which the convicts can receive a punishment of seven years or more.

TNN

Man from China arrested for illegal stay

A Chinese national has been arrested for illegally residing in India for four years after his visa expired. The arrest was made in Shakarpur. Police sources received information about the accused on July 9.

TNN

TIMES Special

How City Plans To Formally Tackle Menace Of E-Waste

First E-Waste Eco Park Planned In Narela, Permission Awaited

Priyangi.Agarwal@timesofindia.com

New Delhi: Delhi contributes 9.5% to India’s e-waste, or around 2.3 lakh tonnes. Given that 95% of the e-waste in the city is handled in the informal sector, with repercussions for health and the environment, the country's first official e-waste eco park has been proposed at Holambi Kalan in Narela. A detailed project report with two possible models has been submitted to govt for approval.

In the first integrated model, all activities like collection, processing and refurbishing will be conducted in one place. In the second, the smelting of e-waste is done outside Delhi since the process falls under the 'red' category industry, which is not allowed in the city under the Master Plan for Delhi.

“The detailed project report is pending approval,” said a govt official. Once a model is adopted and the scheme approved, work to set up the e-waste eco park will start, with the completion likely to be around 18 months after the award of a contract.

This focus of the eco park will be to manage e-waste in Delhi by ensuring that all electronic and electrical waste equipment was collected, stored, dismantled and recycled in a scientific and environmentally safe manner. “At the moment, there is a stronghold of the informal sector in this activity. So, the plan is to engage them,” said an environment department official. “It has been proposed that the selected operators in the informal sector be provided infrastructure, training and tools and they should be groomed to become formal recyclers and to reduce the adverse impact on the environment and health due to the polluting technologies used in the unorganised sector for recycling e-waste.”

A study by Toxics Link in 2018, which studies environmental poisoning, estimated that 5,000 units were functioning in the city with over 50,000 workers involved in collection, international and regional trading, dismantling, segregation of components, repairing, refurbishing and metal recovery of e-waste.

“Most of the practices of dismantling are rudimentary and manual. Generally, these processes show low recovery efficiency and do not abate environmental emissions,” the study said. “Furthermore, when it comes to recycling of precious metals, the efficiency of recycling and extraction of metals in the informal sector lags completely. Recycling efficiency of gold, silver, platinum, palladium and lead in the informal sector is 20%-30%. Also, none of these units have health and environment protection measures.”

The e-waste categories to be handled in the proposed site at Holambi Kalan, spread over 10.5 acres, are IT and telecom equipment, consumer electrical and electronics, large and small electrical and electronic equipment, electric and electronic tools, toys and sports equipment, medical devices and laboratory equipment.

The collection channels include the informal sector, large aggregators, bulk consumers like the central and state govt departments, and original producers like industrial companies.

According to the proposal, there will be end-to-end processing of e-waste and zero landfill use will be ensured. The collected e-waste will be segregated and recycled. Rare earth metals and precious metals like copper, silver, gold, aluminium and reusable plastic extracted in the park will be transferred to the mainstream production line.

22-yr-old held for attempt to extort `1cr from jeweller

New Delhi: A 22-year-old man has been arrested from north Delhi’s Chandni Chowk for allegedly trying to extort Rs 1 crore from a jeweller, claiming to represent well-known gangsters. Suspect Vineet Pandey, who earlier resided in the area, confessed that he was desperate for money and had procured the jeweller’s phone numbers for extortion, police said.

In his complaint on July 10, a Karol Bagh-based jeweller claimed that his son had received threatening phone calls from two SIM cards and the caller had demanded Rs 1 crore, a senior police officer said.

"The caller had threatened to kill him and his family if the extortion demand was not fulfilled," the officer said, adding that the display pictures on both SIM cards showed jailed gangsters.

"We learned that at the time of making threats, the locations of both mobile phones were in Punjab, and we traced the caller," the officer said, that Pandey, working as an agricultural labourer near Ludhiana, was nabbed.

TNN

Skeleton found in canal, cops plan DNA test

New Delhi: Delhi Police has recovered a damaged car with a human skeleton in it after water decreased from the Munak Canal on Friday, officials said on Saturday.

The matter came to the fore when a sub-branch of Munak Canal, which supplies water from Haryana to Delhi, breached, and the water level decreased, they said.

The car was recovered on a stretch of the canal falling under the jurisdiction of Samai Pur Badali, a police officer said.

The skeleton is suspected to be belonging to a taxi driver identified as Vinod, who was missing from Budh Vihar in Vijay Vihar since Sept 2020.

Police said they had preserved a sample from the body for the DNA test.

PTI

SWAMPED WITH NEGLIGENCE?

Developed in 2023, the waterbody at Baansera park in Sarai Kale Khan has turned into a swamp due to poor upkeep. Baansera has been touted as ‘the city’s first bamboo-themed park on the Yamuna riverfront’

Badminton, cricket and more: Sports activities resume at Roshanara Club

Roshanara Club is regarded as one of the oldest clubs in India

Vibha.Sharma@timesofindia.com

New Delhi: Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has restarted various sports activities at Roshanara Club in north Delhi, allowing the general public to participate on a pay-and-play basis. The authority has deployed its staff to oversee and manage the facilities, according to officials.

The sports complex offers a wide range of activities, including tennis, basketball, table tennis, cricket, swimming, badminton, squash, futsal and yoga. “These games can be accessed from 6 am to 9pm, except on Monday. While certain activities such as cricket and mini football are more in demand during weekends, recently introduced activities like yoga are also in demand despite the limited sessions called in the morning between 7am and 8:30 am. In May, we added the swimming pool facility and charged only Rs 100 per dip,” said a DDA official.

DDA intends to introduce additional disciplines and coaching sessions in the near future. In the previous month, the authority invited online tenders for the maintenance of its club, which included provisions for game attendants and supervisors. “Only those agencies having successfully completed similar works during the last seven years in any govt department or public sector undertaking were asked to apply so that the quality of services is not compromised,” said the official.

However, due to an ongoing dispute over the club’s operation, which is currently being heard in Delhi High Court, no provision for permanent membership has been initiated yet.

The club, which has been embroiled in a legal dispute, was sealed last year. DDA claimed that the club’s management continued to operate the premises despite the expiration of the lease period. However, the former club management maintained that the sealing was carried out despite a stay order from the court. These developments had affected sports activities at the club.

Founded in 1922, Roshanara Club is situated in the heart of north Delhi and is regarded as one of the oldest clubs in India. The club, which spans 22 acres, has served as a lush retreat for its members for over 90 years. It is also considered the birthplace of Board of Control for Cricket in India. Sir Sobha Singh (1890-1978), a civil contractor and prominent builder of Lutyens’ Delhi, was among its founding members. He was the father of renowned Indian writer Khushwant Singh. Another founding member was Rai Bahadur Amba Prasad, an eminent businessman born around 1860.

Man loses `14L to cyberscam, gets it back

Advitya.Bahl@timesofindia.com

Noida: A 31-year-old man lost Rs 14 lakh to cyber fraudsters who lured him to invest in share trading. Police, however, managed to recover the entire money by tracing the bank accounts where the amount had been transferred and freezing them promptly.

In March this year, Ankit Kumar of Rabupura received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number that offered him tips on share trading. The message also invited him to join a WhatsApp group by clicking on a link. Once he joined, Kumar found around 150 participants in the group, whose administrator promoted a mobile application that promised lucrative returns from investments in shares.

For almost a month, Kumar observed other participants talk highly of the mobile app — how it had helped them garner profits. He then decided to download it, hoping to make money from investments in share trading.

The app, he alleged, instructed him to transfer money to a specific bank account. Through April, Kumar transferred the money in three installments — Rs 5 lakh twice and then Rs 4 lakh — totalling Rs 14 lakh. At one point, the app showed he had made some Rs 50 lakh. But when he tried to withdraw the money, the app asked him to invest Rs 10 lakh again.

“This made me suspicious. I searched the internet, and found that many people had reported the investment scheme that the app promised,” said Kumar, who runs a business in Greater Noida.

Kumar was prompt enough to file a complaint with the home ministry’s portal. He then approached cops at Rabupura police station on May 16. The case was transferred to the cyber cell.

Ashok Kumar, additional DCP, said an FIR was registered under relevant provisions of the IT Act and police teams were deployed to carry out an investigation.

Police secured a court order to freeze the accounts with immediate effect. “We also secured the order to get the money back. On Friday, the full amount of Rs 14 lakh was returned to the complainant,” the ADCP said.

Times Special

- Officially ‘destroyed’ booze bottles surface in Gujarat jail

- In letter to Shah, Manipur tribal outfit demands UT for Kuki-Zos

- Assam flood-hit sheltering in forest attacked by leopard

- Rural job scheme workers dig up gold coins

- India’s CSI: Crime Scene Incapacity

- Meet Kyra, Naina and Zara, the new virtual ‘It girls’ who even get hit on

- Munro, motherhood and a morality tale

- When mum’s mum: The culture of silence around child sexual abuse

- Male rape survivors overlooked by BNS

- ‘Voices of women have been missing from 1984 narrative’

- A Tale Of Varied Perspectives

- PICASSO IN LADIES’ LOO

- AUNT JENNIFER’S TIGERS

- String of SC rulings restricts ED power of arbitrary arrest

- Was JP’s stir anarchical, BJP questions Akhilesh

Officially ‘destroyed’ booze bottles surface in Gujarat jail

HC: Why Have Prohibition When Cops Involved In Bootlegging?

‘It appears that the destruction of seized goods was nothing but an eyewash. Let a departmental inquiry be conducted,’ Gujarat HC said

Saeed.Khan@timesofindia.com

Ahmedabad: Irritated by the reappearance in a Surat jail of officially destroyed liquor bottles, Gujarat high court has questioned the purpose of liquor prohibition in the state when police are involved in illegal activities.

“It appears that the destruction of seized g oods was nothing but an eyewash. Let a departmental inquiry be conducted into the destruction,” HC said and ordered a report within three weeks.

The court stayed until the next hearing on Aug8 any action against three constables — Pinesh Vithani, Lok Rakshak Gulab Karsanbhai, and Gram Rakshak Dal ja- wan Dhavalbha Kiritbhai — booked on the charge of hiding the bottles in the sub-jail.

During a raid in Oct 2021, police recovered 3,221 IMFL bottles in the sub-jail. They found that 1,678 bottles be- longed to a stock of 124,300 that had supposedly been destroyed in Aug2021 following a court order. A police complaint said that because the seized property room at Kamrej police station was too small for the large number of seized goods, they were being kept in a room at the police quarters. The three constables were named as accused.

Vithani moved HC to quash the FIR, claiming he was made a scapegoat for being a low-ranking official. He claimed the goods allegedly recovered from the sub-jail, for which he was implicated, were in fact goods supposedly destroyed under orders of a magistrate, and a panchnama dated Aug 27, 2021 had been drawn up bearing the signature of a police inspector and other authorities. He cited the make, batch numbers, and quantity of the seized liquor, which was supposedly destroyed under a court order.

In letter to Shah, Manipur tribal outfit demands UT for Kuki-Zos

Kangkan.Kalita1@timesofindia.com

Guwahati: In an open letter to home minister Amit Shah Saturday, Manipur-based Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) called for a separate Union territory with a legislature for Kuki-Zo community. Expressing concerns about the alleged high-handedness shown by central agencies in dealing with Kuki-Zo “village volunteers” amid the ongoing ethnic conflict, ITLF stressed the need for a UT under Article 239A of the Constitution.

The letter condemned multiple incidents, particularly in Jiribam’s Phaitol and Mongbung, where central forces allegedly assaulted seven Kuki women and arrested three Kuki village volunteers. It was also alleged that security forces set fire to the house of the general secretary of Kuki Inpi (Jiribam, Noney and Tamenglong), escalating tensions.

“Military operations will not bring peace to Manipur. The nature of the conflict — death, destruction, and radicalisation of Meitei community — means Kuki-Zo community will not be able to live a safe and dignified life...,” it said.

Assam flood-hit sheltering in forest attacked by leopard

A villager shifts his belongings to a safer place from a flood-affected area at Kailabor in Assam’s Nagaon district on Saturday

Kangkan.Kalita1@timesofindia.com

Guwahati: Three residents of Dadhia Mahmora and Dadhia Kuligaon villages were injured in a leopard attack while seeking refuge in Dibru Saikhowa National Park in Assam amidst devastating floods. The trio, among 48 villagers forced to relocate to the highlands of the park spanning Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts, was searching for their buffaloes Friday afternoon.

The injured men were taken to Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh, where they received treatment and were discharged, health officials said on Saturday.

TOIhad earlier reported of potential human-wildlife conflicts as flood-affected villagers took shelter in the park’s highlands. This has led to clashes between displaced humans and wild animals, like buffaloes and elephants, competing for the same elevated land.

Abash Dang, 26, who was injured, said: “Alongside the leopard, there were a few cubs as well. We started our search for buffaloes on a boat and disembarked on a highland. The leopard and the cubs were also seeking shelter there. The leopard most likely perceived us a s a threat and attacked us.”

Dodhia villagers confine their buffaloes to highlands during the monsoon when fields and forests are submerged, but they had let their livestock roam freely this time due to the lack of dry land and fodder.

Santana Medhi, forest range officer of Guijan, said leopard attacks are rare as Dodhia residents have coexisted with the wildlife. “The buffaloes typically roam the park areas during the day. And

all of a sudden, the leopard attacked them. We have not documented the pres- ence of tigers in the vicinity, but there are leopards. There are no human settlements in close proximity to the location where the attack happened,” Medhi said.

Since June 19, when the second wave of floods hit Assam, these families have moved deeper into the park to save their lives, seeking refuge in highlands about 5km from their villages. The flood situation in Assam has shown improvement, with the affected population dropping below 10 lakh for the first time in two weeks. However, one more flood-related death was reported in Dhemaji district, increasing the total fatalities from this season’s floods to 91 since May.

Rural job scheme workers dig up gold coins

A preliminary investigation by the archaeology department in Kerala suggested the antiques were around 200 years old

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kannur: A group of MGNREGS workers digging rainwater harvesting pits in a rubber plantation in Kerala’s Kannur district literally struck gold on Friday when they unearthed a mud pot containing gold and silver coins and ornaments. On Saturday morning, five m ore silver coins and two gold ornaments were recovered from the same spot.

The valuables were found in a private property near Parippai Govt LP School in Chemagai panchayat. A preliminary investigation by the archaeology department as- certained that the antiques were around 200 years old.

Mistaking the pot for a bomb, the labourers initially discarded it fearing an explosion. However, when the small container burst open, they were shocked to find it contained precious treasures — 17 pearl beads, 13 gold medallions, four medallions believed to be part of traditional ornament ‘kashumala’, a pair of earrings and silver coins.

“Seeing the gold and silver items, we were surprised and confused about what to do. We then informed the panchayat president,” said Ashitha, one of the workers. Panchayat authorities promptly informed the cops about the findings. Taliparamba Police reached the spot, took the items into custody and presented them before the Taliparamba first-class magistrate court.

The archaeology department is likely to initiate a detailed investigation into the discovery to check whether there is any treasure trove in the location. The department has also decided to take over the recovery to verify the authenticity of the materials. “The location where the antiques were recovered has no historical importance, hence, the items could be part of a personal collection. However, we can conclude only after an examination,” said an official.

India’s CSI: Crime Scene Incapacity

New criminal laws demand much more forensic investigation. But most forensic labs across the country face crippling staff shortages. Delays in testing evidence were the norm even under the old laws. The problem will likely get far worse. A state-by-state report on the sorry state of India’s forensic investigation capacity

TEAM TOI

This ain’t no CSI. Or even those sleek Indian OTT whodunits. On TV, whether it’s Miami or Mumbai, competent-looking forensic specialists arrive at a crime scene ASAP. They have all the tools, and the training. Results come fast, as do convictions.

Cut to Indian reality. Most states have 60%-plus forensic staff vacancy. Unsurprisingly, police has to wait for months, sometimes more than a year, for forensic testing. That feeds into massive delays in disposal of criminal cases. If this was not grim enough, there are also an alarming number of cases of tampering with evidence, and poor chain-of-custody compliance.

And, it’s all likely to get worse. India’s new criminal code, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), mandates thorough forensic investigation for every crime that carries a jail term of 7 years or more. This is, lawmaking wise, an excellent idea. Forensic capacity-wise, BNSS may take a stretched system close to breaking point. Or, it can further delay investigations and court proceedings. Or, it can incentivise cops to take even more shortcuts. Or, most likely, all three.

THE OVERVIEW

Forensic investigation started during the raj. The first lab was in Chennai (then, Madras), followed by Kolkata (Calcutta), Agra and Mumbai (Bombay).

Post-Independence, the network expanded. Forensic investigation now has a three-tier structure — Central Forensic Science Labs (CFSLs), State FSLs, and Regional FSLs aided by mobile forensic units. There are 117 functional FSLs, of which eight are CFSLs.

This sounds a little inadequate for a vast country but not too bad. But that’s only till you start taking a closer look.

A 2023 report by Project 39A, a centre that researches the criminal justice system, makes for grim reading. Some highlights.

● The report covered 26 FSLs and found 40% staff vacancy. Around 66% of these were scientific posts.

● It said many FSLs have inadequate space, meaning even if they had adequate personnel and equipment, there wouldn’t be enough room for them.

● It also reported a “drastic decline” in DNA profiling.

● Cyber forensics and ballistics were two other areas where pendency was particularly high.

● The report says Central funding of FSLs is “highly inconsistent”.

● For state FSLs, bureaucracy made funding and approvals cumbersome. CFSLs were better situated on this metric.

When you drill down the forensic capacity shortfall to states, the picture becomes clearer. TOI reporters looked at forensic capacity across states, spoke to current and retired officials.

A quick summary: Southern states, except for Telangana, are much better off than most of the rest of India. Three other relative bright spots are Delhi, Chhattisgarh and Assam.

CSI: STATE BY STATE

KARNATAKA: One of the success stories. With 230 scientists, 206 scene-of-crime officers (SOCO) and state-of-the art equipment, the Karnataka FSL is perhaps the best staffed and equipped lab in the country. Well before the new laws came in, SOCO personnel would visit crime scenes along with police and collect evidence.

According to police, the staff strength is almost full and they are looking for a few vacancies to be filled in ‘mobile forensic and audio-video’ units. They have enough to handle the newly introduced laws, senior police officers say.

KERALA: Not in Karnataka’s class, but getting there. There are 168 FSL officers and govt recently sanctioned 28 more posts, out of which 17 have been filled. Recruitment is on for the remaining 11. Police have asked the govt for 98 more posts. There are 18 FSLs.

But the current capacity was good enough to ensure no major case was delayed, say cops. This, despite the number of forensic exhibits doubling from 6,506 in 2018 to 13,273 in 2022. Good forensic capacity has helped solve tough cases, like the rape and murder of a Dalit law student in Perumbavoor in Ernakulam district in 2016. A fluid sample collected by the forensic team from the victim’s body cracked the case.

ANDHRA PRADESH: One step below Karnataka and Kerala in forensic capacity. It has around 500 personnel working in FSLs. But it needs 300 to 400 additional forensic experts, to meet BNSS demands.

FSL joint director (admin) V Eswaramma said forensic labs examine 15,000 to 20,000 cases every year. He expects the number to go up under BNSS. She says FSLs have solved cases of rape, murder, and poisoning when witnesses have turned hostile.

V Suresh Babu, a retired DCP, said the state doesn’t have a sufficient number of forensic teams or testing kits.

TELANGANA: The southern laggard in the forensic capacity league. The state has 66% vacancies. According to a Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPRD) report, there are only 10 scientific officers against 25 sanctioned posts and not a single scientific assistant against 28 sanctioned posts. As for lab assistants, there are 28 posts sanctioned for the RFSLs, but only 10 have been allotted so far.

ADG Shikha Goel said the department is preparing an estimate of manpower, infrastructure and equipment needed to meet the provisions under the new laws.

ASSAM: At 30% staff vacancy, it does better than many big states. And govt says recruitment is on. The directorate of forensic science in Kahilipara, Guwahati, has 11 full-fledged divisions and a DNA testing unit. There are three fully functional regional labs and two more will be ready shortly. Special forensic labs are planned in hilly districts like Karbi Anglong to deal with NDPS cases.

Director of forensic science, Athang Singson, said they have state-of-the-art equipment. Police personnel say they are confident they can meet the BNSS’s forensic investigation demand.

TAMIL NADU: FSLs say staffing is adequate. There are 254 scientific staff members in the forensic department, assisted by 144 technical staff in the roles of laboratory assistants and technicians. There are 103 additional staff for other roles. On equipment, too, TN does better than most. FSLs say they have enough. And the state govt recently sanctioned Rs 10.13 crore for the establishment of a new DNA Division in an RFSL. Govt has also sanctioned Rs 50 lakh to buy a bullet velocity measurement system to aid in ballistics probe.

DELHI: FSL staff vacancy is around 17-18%. There are 500 forensic personnel. 100 posts are unfilled. Recruitment is on, and FSL expects the staff vacancy situation to ease soon.

There are 10 FSL divisions. Cops say all laboratory divisions are well-equipped. To expedite forensic sample processing, an annex building with upgraded laboratories was constructed last year.

Deepa Verma, FSL director, told TOI that forensic teams are now deployed in all 15 police districts. And that these teams received comprehensive training on the new laws and on proper evidence collection procedures at crime scenes.

CHHATTISGARH: Does better than its bigger neighbour, MP. The state has 325 sanctioned FSL posts, 60 are vacant. There are 178 personnel and recruitment is on for 40 vacancies. Approval for more posts is expected, said TL Chandra, joint director, SFSL.

The state has labs in Raipur, Jagdalpur, Durg, Bilaspur and Ambikapur, and is awaiting the Centre’s nod for labs in Raigarh and Rajnandgaon.

There’s no forensic report pending for more than a month, but a spurt in tests is expected with the new law, said Chandra, adding that the lab handles 23,800 exhibits on an average per year.

WEST BENGAL: There are 35 forensic officers. A minimum of 30 more are needed. For forensic assistant and lab assistant levels, staff shortage is 50%. A forensics officer told TOI that they are unable to make immediate crime-scene visits. One arson site was investigated 48 hours after the event — as good as not sending a team. And that’s just one case.

Six months is the usual delay in submitting reports. Even for high profile cases — the recent student death at Jadavpur University due to ragging — the delay can be more than a year. When cops persist, in some cases, reports come in 60-90 days.

Bengal FSL director K Jayaraman is clear: “Without capacity addition, it will be impossible for our small team to manage the volume of work we will soon face.”

UP: Staff shortage at FSLs is at 75%. Four of the 12 labs have “limited capabilities”. Backlog of untested evidence is at 50,000. It was even higher, but a govt effort since 2017 has brought it down to the current number.

Cops say they are trying to prepare for new demands. Every district is to have an FSL. Addl DG-technical services, Naveen Arora, told TOI that 30,000-plus police personnel have been trained in collecting, preserving and documenting forensic evidence.

But who will test the evidence? Cops say they can’t do anything without technicians.

MAHARASHTRA: In 2022, Maharashtra’s main forensic laboratory in Kalina, Mumbai, received 32,109 cases, but only 50% were examined. The bulk of the rest (44%) were carried forward to the next year. This is a regular practice. Of the 47,362 cases examined in 2021, 16,608 were old cases that had been “carried forward”.

“The pendency of cases for forensic examination directly impacts the time taken and quality of investigation of cases,” said a report by Praja, an NGO that had filed an RTI on the issue. There’s 39% vacancy in Kalina FSL. As of March 2023, it had only 260 of the 426 sanctioned staff.

Navi Mumbai DCP (crime) Amit Kale said, “Post-mortem reports of more than 800 cases of accidental deaths were pending at Kalina FSL for two years.”

ODISHA: FSLs have 60% vacancy. Broken down by function, it’s 55% for scientific officers, 65% for assistant scientific officers, and 60% for lab attendants. Of the combined sanctioned strength of 250, there are at least 150 vacancies.

DGP Arun Kumar Sarangi told TOI police have asked for more personnel. Retired SP Santosh Jena said one of Odisha’s problems is that forensic staff there get headhunted by other states with better offers.

JHARKHAND: Negligible, is how officers describe the forensics staff strength in Jharkhand. Each of the 24 districts needs at least four scientists. Even the FSL centre in Ranchi has 40 officers against 66 sanctioned posts, and it receives 40-45 ‘exhibits’ for analysis every day. DG-CID Anurag Gupta said, “The FSL must be strengthened”. FSL director and special secretary (home) T Kandaswamy, said the govt “hopes” to increase personnel strength by at least 20x.

BIHAR: Forensic staff shortage is at 78%. Even under old laws, it needed huge recruitment. The new laws, cops say, is something they can’t even think about.

There are just three functional FSLs — in Patna, Muzaffarpur and Bhagalpur. Nine more are under construction. But each of the 38 districts needs one.

Even the worst crimes don’t get prosecuted quickly: the 2012 acid attack on two Dalit sisters, the 2018 Muzaffarpur shelter home rape case, the 2013 Patna blasts case.

“We don’t have adequate infrastructure to handle cases as per the new crime laws. Most labs lack modern equipment and technology, such as DNA analysis machines. The state FSL has only one cyber expert. This unit is overloaded with work,” acknowledged a top FSL official.

HARYANA: Haryana FSL is battling severe a staff shortage, say officials, especially cyber forensics and DNA technicians. Recruitment of 135 assistant scientific staff is pending. There is a nearly 50% vacancy for lab assistants in FSL Madhuban.

Officials, when asked, give the standard answer: we need more equipment and more personnel.

RAJASTHAN: As many as 159 (36%) of the 439 sanctioned forensics posts are unfilled. SFSL has requested an additional 500 posts to deal with the expected surge in workload with the new laws. It’s still awaiting state govt approval.

Rajasthan FSL director Ajay Sharma says projections show the new laws will mean forensic examination of about 60,000 crime scenes a year.

Recently, Rajasthan HC pulled up the home department for not filing an FSL report in a Pocso case. Without forensics, the court had to grant bail to the accused.

MADHYA PRADESH: MP’s forensics department has 299 sanctioned posts but 47% vacancy. Only 17 officers are assigned for crime-scene examination and they have to cover 53 districts.

CFSL (Bhopal) director Shashikant Shukla told TOI the state needs 876 more trained officers, including scientists, and that 508 posts have been approved. But, as he said, it will take years to get up to adequate capacity.

In most parts of MP, there is typically only one scientific officer responsible for overseeing two or more districts within a particular division. This arrangement significantly delays response times to crime scenes.

MP HC recently took up, suo motu, delays in presenting forensic and DNA reports in criminal cases. A status report submitted by govt said such reports are pending in over 2,500 cases.

WHAT IS FORENSIC INVESTIGATION?

Basically, using scientific methods and techniques to analyse evidence, typically in criminal cases, but sometimes also in civil cases.

A good FSL should be able to do the following: DNA analysis, fingerprint analysis, ballistics (analysing firearms, bullets, and trajectories), toxicology (identifying drugs, poisons, or other substances in body fluids), blood spatter analysis (interpreting blood patterns at crime scenes), trace evidence, which deals with studying tiny particles like fibres, hair, etc, and, last, but also the fastest growing forensic speciality, digital device analysis (desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones).

Digital documents can include emails, server logs, documents in cloud storage, social media posts, messages, websites, locational evidence and voice mail.

LABS ON WHEELS

● Gujarat Forensic Science University recently launched a hi-tech lab-on-wheels.

● It has equipment to process crime scene evidence on the spot.

● Cost per van Rs 64 lakh

● Each van has a DNA sample collection kit, semen detection and collection kit with spot test card, 9 kinds of crime-detection kits, latent fingerprint development kit, explosives detection kit, light source of eight different wavelengths to detect body fluids, latent fingerprints, drugs, gunshot residue and specks of evidence not visible to the naked eye

● Vans are powered by a 5KV generator

● They are GPS-enabled

● Many states have older model mobile forensic units. Upgraded models are being used currently in Delhi, Mumbai, Gandhinagar

● Most states have too few mobile units

● Even better-performing states like Karnataka need 30-35 CSI vans. It has 14 now.

● Kerala has no mobile unit. It needs 19 vans.

● MP, a big state, needs 116 CSI vans

● Odisha has only one and needs 30

● UP has only 8, West Bengal only 5. Telangana doesn’t have a single CSI van

TAMPER PROBLEM

A major issue with forensic investigations is whether the evidence collected, even if it’s processed quickly, is actually authentic. Cases of manipulation are enough to cause concern. Mucking around with evidence can happen at the level of cops or labs. Some prominent cases:

● In the Pune Porsche case, the accused teen’s blood sample was binned. Police arrested two doctors at govt-run Sassoon Hospital who discarded the 17-year-old’s blood sample and switched it with another individual’s.

● An India Today sting-op in Feb 2023 revealed scientists at Varanasi’s FSL offered to manipulate forensic reports for a bribe. The FSL chief demanded Rs 10 lakh to remove all signs of poison from the record in a case the undercover reporters had sought to fudge. The lab head even offered to fudge DNA samples in a Lucknow lab, against cash. In Agra, a scientist was ready to tamper with a viscera report in a dowry death case.

● Forensic probe of a set of video clippings of the Feb 9, 2021, JNU event found two videos were “manipulated” where voices of persons not present in the clips had been added. Of the seven videos sent to the Hyderabad-based Truth Labs, two were found to be tampered with while the rest were authentic.

● In 2019, CBI filed a case against a former deputy director of Delhi’s FSL for tampering with evidence in multiple rape cases.

Reporting by Abhay Singh, Nandita Sengupta, Himanshi Dhawan in Delhi, Malathy Iyer in Mumbai, Sanjay Sahay in Ranchi, Debabrata Mohapatra in Bhubaneshwar, Tamaghna Banerjee in Kolkata, Nitesh Sharma in Jaipur, Mukut Das in Guwahati, A Selvaraj in Chennai, Kshitiz in Patna, Rajiv Kalkod in Bengaluru, Karishma Kotwal in Indore, Rashmi Drolia in Raipur, Sai Kiran KP in Thiruvananthapuram

Meet Kyra, Naina and Zara, the new virtual ‘It girls’ who even get hit on

Whether it’s taking part in pageants, chatting up celebs or becoming the face of brands, India’s rising tribe of AI models is disrupting the influencer industry

RAHUL CHOUDHRY, CREATOR OF ZARA, MISS AI CONTESTANT

Initial cost of creating an AI influencer can be high but think of long-term savings. No travel expenses, no appearance fees — just continuous engagement whenever, wherever. They also let smaller brands tell their stories without breaking the bank

Mohua.Das@timesofindia.com

✔ Gorgeous and stylish? Check.

✔ Available 24/7? Check.

✔ Insta sensation? Check.

✔ Fluent in multiple languages? Check.

✔ Ageless and tireless? Check.

✔ Scandal-free? Check.

✔ No tantrums? Double check.

They tick every box you could dream up for a model or an influencer. They are literally unreal. Their earnings, though, are very real. That’s Kyra, Naina and Zara for you, India’s new breed of hyper-realistic virtual influencers who reside in the multiverse of social media with thousands of followers and brands eager to hitch their products to their digitally powered personas.

Zara Shatavari, conjured up by Noida-based Rahul Choudhry, recently represented India in ‘Miss AI’, a first-of-itskind international beauty pageant for women generated by artificial intelligence who were judged on beauty, tech skills and social influence. The panel of judges included both human and AI-generated influencers.

Though Zara, who championed health and wellbeing, lost to Kenza Layli, a hijab-wearing AI-generated model from Morocco, Choudhry says he knew the pageant would be a game-changer. “It was bound to generate buzz and popularity,” he explains. The idea of Zara came to Choudhry — co-founder of a digital ad agency and a pharma startup — while developing a nutraceutical product. “We needed a relatable, health-conscious and fashion-savvy brand face who could connect emotionally with our audience,” Rahul recalls. “But hiring a celebrity was beyond our budget, while an unknown face didn’t seem wise.”

Then came the eureka moment. “Since we were already using generative AI, I thought why not create our brand ambassador using it? We’d save both money and time.” And thus, Zara Shatavari was born. The last name, Shatavari, comes from a key ingredient in their nutraceutical product.

EVEN HER MANAGER IS VIRTUAL

Kyra, India’s first virtual influencer who is into fashion, travel and fitness, was launched by FUTR Studios, a Bengaluru-based virtual human company after its founder Himanshu Goel stumbled upon AI influencers like Miquela from the US and Imma from Japan and wondered why India did not have one. Kyra was born in 2022 on Instagram. A year later, she even had a virtual manager on LinkedIn called Sravya whose job is to keep Kyra’s follower base growing.

Visual AI tools like Maya and Unreal Engine are used to design the look of these virtual influencers. Their conversations are powered by LLM models that create a personality and make their chat style as real as chatting with a friend. Deepfake, voice cloning, and editing software lend the final touches. But eye-catching visuals alone without a backstory would mean just colourful pixels on a screen. What makes AI influencers stand out is how their creators treat them like characters, with distinct personalities, conversational style and origin tales.

PAP SNAPS AND PODCASTS

Take Naina and Virat for instance. Naina is a 22-year-old from Jhansi who chased her Mumbai dreams to become a social media sensation overnight. Her 3D avatar blurs the line between virtual and real with her daily life updates and celebrity interviews — like a gym session with fitness guru Yasmin Karachiwala or a slang quiz with actor Manoj Bajpayee. She is snapped by paparazzi and hosts a multilingual podcast thanks to AI voice cloning. Virat, on the other hand, is a suave 28-year-old guy from SoBo with tousled hair and laidback charm setting the bar in the luxury lifestyle scene where male influencers are scarce.

“Naina and Virat can dish out fash- ion tips, travel advice, and even life lessons in real-time,” says Abhishek Razdan, their human parent and co-founder of Mumbai-based Avtr Meta Labs. “We blended cultural research, trend analysis and creative brainstorming to develop their personalities.”

Choudhry infused Zara with an air of kindness and Indian values in every interaction — “thanks to tools like ChatGPT that keep her responses natural” when she posts about clubbing with friends, drops wisdom bombs, and celebrates everything from Diwali to India’s T20 win. Kyra can be every young girl’s BFF — serving up fashion and hairstyles that ‘slay’, sharing her playlist, always up for an adventure and knows the best Instagram spots. Being an influencer isn’t just about good-looking posts and hashtags but backing it up with some real gyan. Choudhury makes sure Zara does her homework and cites legit sources. As for Kyra, Goel has tapped NIFT pros and experts.

While Zara, Kyra, or Virat’s faces use deepfake or face swap tools similar to Naina, Razdan’s Avtr Studios uses a virtual double technique. Real people are filmed in real-life situations, then AI technology replaces her face and adds expressions.

NO TANTRUMS, AND A BARGAIN

From sneakers and jewellery to cell phones and ice-cream, this tribe of social media influencers covers it all given that they offer brands the ultimate package — complete control over the influencer’s appearance, personality, and the ability to speak multiple languages and adapt to different cultural contexts. They don’t cancel appointments because of a hangover, grumble about bad hair days or take sick leave.

“The influencer marketing industry faces challenges like influencer unavailability, tantrums, controversies, or just ageing. AI avatars solve all these issues,” adds Razdan.

“Sure, the initial cost to create her can be high but think of long-term savings. No travel expenses, no appearance fees — just continuous engagement whenever, wherever,” says Choudhry, explaining why brands are digging virtual influencers over real people. Most of these creators are aiming at building a universe of AI characters, just like the Marvel and DC universes.

One of the main reasons human influencers became so credible and authentic is that they are relatable, points out communications consultant and advertising industry observer Karthik Srinivasan. “With AI influencers, however, it’s a different story. Brands love AI influencers because they’re incredibly flexible no matter how bizarre the script. They’re more like those nameless models in ads — looking human with advanced tech, but ultimately, not real.”

Srinivasan isn’t convinced that these pixel influencers can create a shift in marketing. “It’s just initial days and people flock to shiny and new things. But over time, people could start seeing them as scripted cartoon characters or digital toys.”

Right now, the likes of Kyra, Zara and Naina clearly identify as virtual influencers, but Srinivasan fears a future where brands and agencies stop disclosing that a virtual influencer is, in fact, virtual. “Then we might be heading into murky waters with potential for deception. Just as the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) requires real humans to disclose if their posts are ads or promotions, the same standard should apply to virtual influencers. Both ASCI and the government need to ensure that these AI-powered endorsements are clearly marked as such.”

Choudhry argues that AI influencers are meant to complement, not replace, human influencers. “AI influencers level the playing field and allow smaller brands to tell their stories without breaking the bank,” he says. Goel agrees, “It’s not an either/or scenario. Virtual influencers can also bring to life impossible and wildly imaginative scenarios. Sky’s the limit.” Literally so — Kyra has already travelled to outer space and starred as an undercover spy for ads.

Zara, Kyra and Naina appear so real that people eerily slide into their DMs. Despite clarifying Zara’s AI origins, Choudhry has seen followers persist with unsettling questions like, ‘Kya aap sach mein robot ho?’ (Are you really a robot?). Even worse, Zara’s inbox regularly fills up with lewd and offensive messages. “I find myself constantly deleting comments and blocking accounts — just like any real woman would,” says Choudhry.

Mrs. Funnybones

Munro, motherhood and a morality tale

Should you refuse to bask in the sun because its callous creator allows legions to die in wars in his name? Humans are strange; we accept flawed gods but expect perfection from our idols

TWINKLE KHANNA

On my 49th birthday, before the family woke up, I was bent over my laptop, like every other morning in the previous month, working on my first-term submission that focused on the disruption of time in Alice Munro’s fiction. There were two reasons I was working on my birthday. One was anxiety as this was a graded submission for my Master’s, and the other was the immense pleasure I got from being immersed in Munro’s landscape of dense narratives about women and their displacement in the world.

Alice Munro’s stories rarely follow chronological order. I had chosen to break down the techniques she used to manipulate time and picked ‘To Reach Japan’, where her chronological disruptions are framed within a train journey. In the story, Greta, a married poet, sneaks away with a young actor, leaving her young daughter alone. When she returns, her daughter is missing and she finally finds her stranded between two railcars, ‘Not crying, not complaining, as if she was just to sit there forever and there was to be no explanation offered to her, no hope.’ A guilty Greta decides to stick to the path of motherhood and put her family ahead of herself. This is again jeopardised at the train station when she meets another man and lets go of her daughter’s hand.

I made small cards with the first line and a short synopsis of each chapter of the story that morning. I groggily placed these cards sequentially the way Munro laid out her chapters and then rearranged them chronologically to see the play of time in the narrative. I noted the way she used epistolary, tense changes, anchoring events as linguistic devices. In a house filled with family and friends, with raucous laughter and bewildering disagreements, I cherished the quiet dawn of my birthday with Alice Munro.

She passed away in May this year, and like the rest of her devoted readers, I mourned the loss of a great writer and my hero.

Two months after her death, her daughter, Andrea Skinner, has written an essay for the Toronto Star about how she had been sexually abused by her stepfather as a young child. In her twenties, she finally wrote a letter to her mother detailing what her stepfather had done to her. In retaliation, the stepfather wrote a series of letters to the family. In the essay, Andrea states, ‘He described my 9-year-old self as a ‘homewrecker,’ who looked towards him for ‘sexual adventure’’.

After this revelation, Alice Munro fled her marital home, but shortly returned to her husband and stayed with him for the rest of his life. Andrea writes, ‘She said that she had been told too late. She loved him too much, and that our misogynistic culture was to blame if I expected her to deny her own needs, sacrifice for her children and make up for the failings of men. She was adamant that whatever had happened was between me and my stepfather. It had nothing to do with her.’

Like her fictional Greta, Munro, despite the guilt and obligations of motherhood, prioritised her own needs and abandoned her daughter.

Motherhood’s greatest covenant revolves around protection. In terms of hierarchy, when it comes to our greatest fears, the death of a child is closely followed by abuse and disease. While one would think that a mother being ambivalent about her child’s abuser is an anomaly, I know of two families who have undergone comparable situations. In one, the mother was deeply conflicted between her daughter and the abuser, and in the other, the mother stayed on with the stepfather, refusing to believe her daughter’s account of the abuse.

Conscience often seems to be like an ocean influenced by the moon. Volatile high tides that embrace the shore in mighty bursts. Low tides that pull back to reveal empty wrappers and broken idols.

In the two scenarios I mentioned, the reasons for maternal apathy could be attributed to torn loyalties, wanting to keep the family intact, fear of social stigma and the mother’s dependence on the men in her family. In Munro’s case, we only have her stories to give us clues. A series of tales about weak women bedazzled by duplicitous men. Another reason could possibly be her upbringing as her fellow Nobel Prize winner, Margaret Atwood, states, ‘One noteworthy thing for me is that Alice was from small-town southwestern Ontario at a time when such things were swept under the carpet as a matter of course.’

The moral failures of Munro’s motherhood, though, cannot be justified. Just the way Picasso’s misogynistic treatment of women that led to two of his lovers killing themselves and two going mad cannot be ignored when talking about his legacy.

It brings us back to a series of ques- tions when we encounter remarkable art created by rotten people. Do we abandon their music, paintings and books? Is it possible to celebrate the art and not the artist? Consider the impact of a piece of art that lifts you onto its shoulders to show you a new horizon, settles into your chest with the warmth of your morning tea or jars you out of complacency like you have brushed against a faulty switchboard. Assuming you are not an atheist, should you also then refuse to bask in the morning sun because its callous creator allows legions to die in wars in his name? Humans are strange creatures; we accept flawed gods but expect perfection from our idols.

In her essay, Andrea states, ‘I wanted this story, my story, to become part of the stories people tell about my mother. I never wanted to see another interview, biography or event that didn’t wrestle with the reality of what had happened to me.’

Munro often used a metaphor to describe her reading process, which could be an analogy to her approach to writing. ‘A story is... more like a house. You go inside and stay there for a while, wandering back and forth and settling where you like and discovering how the room and corridors relate to each other, how the world outside is altered by being viewed from these windows… You can go back again and again, and the house, the story, always contains more than you saw the last time.’

Andrea Skinner has rightfully unlocked a secret room in her mother’s house of words. She stands at its threshold with her story inside each one of Munro’s.

Like in her non-linear fiction, Alice Munro’s death is not the end of her story, but the penultimate paragraph where the present can only be understood by examining the past.

When mum’s mum: The culture of silence around child sexual abuse

Revelations of Munro’s daughter haven’t just knocked the literary hero of a pedestal, but also highlighted how common it is for families to silence the survivor

Himanshi.Dhawan@timesofindia.com

Didi, can you move me to a hostel? I can’t stay at home.” Sukanya, a 13-year-old, popped the question to a social worker who was visiting her govt school in Bengaluru. When the worker asked why, she deflected the queries and then just backtracked from her request altogether. A month later, when the worker went back, Sukanya’s voice had an urgency, “I need to move out of my home now.” She still would not say why. It was only after an hour-long conversation that the truth tumbled out.

“Sukanya was being abused by her father who would slip into her room at night and assault her,” says Kushi Kushalappa, director, support and rehabilitation at NGO Enfold. She resisted but he threatened to falsely accuse her of having an affair with a boy in the neighbourhood. The father, a cab driver and the main earning member of the family, was also a careful person. He had gifted the mother a set of anklets, so he was forewarned about her movement.

The abuse continued for over six months till Sukanya’s father started asking her about her period. It dawned on her that he might be contemplating penetrative sex, and this left her in a panic. She complained to her mother about the father’s behaviour, but to her shock, her mother accused Sukanya of flirting with the neighbour- hood boy and of having loose morals. The implication that Sukanya had ‘asked for it’ is a common way to brush off child sex abuse (CSA) in cases where family members are involved.

It’s the reason why Nobel laureate and writer Alice Munro’s daughter Andrea Robin Skinner’s public admission about being sexually abused by her stepfather Gerald Fremlin when she was nine struck a chord with so many people. Though from a different socio-economic strata, Munro behaved no different from Sukanya’s mom. Skinner said that when she told her mother about the abuse in 1992, Munro “reacted exactly as I had feared she would, as if she had learned of an infidelity”. Munro stayed with Fremlin till his death and blamed Skinner for telling her too late.

Kushalappa, whose NGO helped Sukanya file a FIR against her father in 2018 and move to a safe space, says children fear they won’t be believed by adults. “Very often, the perpetrator has created a stellar reputation amongst other family members so that people end up disbelieving the survivor.” Even at 13, Sukanya knew that outing her father would have consequences for her family and that she would be cut off from them. She also came under immense pressure to withdraw the court case. Just like Sukanya’s family was dependent on the father’s income, many others could be economically and socially dependent on the perpetrator. Children are also taught to respect elders and authority figures and often that leaves them with feelings of guilt, shame and hinders them from fully expressing themselves.

BEWARE OF KIN

Alankaar Sharma, who teaches social work at the University of Wollongong, Australia, conducted a study on sex abuse on boys and men in India. He says that many people still believe that strangers are the biggest threat when research shows that most children are abused by people who are known to them and have power over them. A 2007 govt study found that one in two children had faced one or more forms of sexual abuse. In 95% of cases the abuser is someone close to the child like a family member or relative, according to NCRB data. Sharma says children and even adult survivors often feel vulnerable or anxious about disclosing abuse when the perpetrator is someone they know and care for. “Other people in survivors’ lives like immediate or extended family members, friends, teachers may also contribute to this silencing of survivors by doubting or disbelieving them, or asking them to ‘forgive, forget, and move on’ to not upset the relational or social bonds between themselves and the perpetrators.” Patriarchal and harmful questions such as ‘why didn’t the victim say no’, ‘how could the abuse have hap- pened without the victim wanting it’, ‘what did they do to invite the perpetrator’s attention’, and ‘why didn’t they disclose sooner if they were so uncomfortable with it,’ contribute in major ways to keeping CSA under wraps, he says. Boys worry about the added pressure of appearing unmanly. In his study published in The British Journal of Social Work, Sharma spoke to abuse survivors such as 30-year-old John, who was first abused when he was six. He was assaulted by a relative at a family wedding after which he complained of pain in the rectal area. When asked further, John told his mother that he had been abused by an uncle at the wedding. He even named him. “She said, ‘Are you sure?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I am sure.’…So she said, ‘Okay, now go and do your homework, we’ll talk about it later.’ That was the only response. And the later never happened.”

WARNING SIGNS

Psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty says there are warning signs that people could be alert to. For instance, two Mumbai-based children, six and nine, refused to allow their father to touch them or bathe them as he usually did. It was later found that he was abusing them. Even vague signs in a child, like insomnia, being averse to touch, averse to eating bananas or anything creamy, irritability, anger against the family could be signs of sexual abuse, he says. One child he counseled would wear long-sleeved clothes even during the summer while another was acing exams but always tearful and unhappy. “Schools and teachers should be in a state of heightened sensitivity.”

POCSO HURDLES

India enacted the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) in 2012 which provides for a survivor-centric approach, and though it has increased reporting of cases (child rape cases are up 96% from 2016 to 2022, as per a CRY analysis), there are still many hurdles. “Our laws are geared towards stranger abuse,” says Persis Sidhva, child rights lawyer and director at Rati Foundation. Most cases are covered up even before a FIR is registered, and those that go to court can also end up being thrown out when the survivor turns hostile under pressure or coercion. There are challenges like jail-like living conditions of children’s remand homes and problems with accessing child-friendly provisions like interim compensation.

But most urgently, there is a need to create a culture that promotes open communication around personal safety and sexual abuse and validates children’s emotions and experiences, says Manjeer Mukherjee, sociologist and senior director with NGO Arpan. “Establishing safe spaces where children can discuss their concerns without fear of judgement is necessary. Building a support network of adults who understand that keeping children safe is the responsibility of every adult is key. In essence, a paradigm shift is required to move from a culture of silence and disbelief to one of support and proactive engagement,” she says.

All survivor names have been changed to protect identity

Male rape survivors overlooked by BNS

The lack of legal mechanisms sends the message that it is okay to sexually violate men and queer people —TRIPTI TANDON | LAWYERS COLLECTIVE

SCREEN TRAUMA: TV series ‘Baby Reindeer’ highlights sexual violence against men

Ketaki.Desai@timesofindia.com

One of the stomach-churning scenes in Netflix’s much talked about show ‘Baby Reindeer’ is when a bisexual man is sexually assaulted and raped. It’s tough to watch but for male survivors of sexual crimes in India, the reality is even harder. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which has replaced the IPC, no longer recognises sexual crimes against men due to the removal of Section 377. As for transgender people, they now must rely solely on the Transgender Act 2019, which has significantly lower penalties than the rape law for women. The rape law, under both IPC and BNS, defines the perpetrator as a man and the victim as a woman.

Lawyer Tripti Tandon, deputy director of Lawyers Collective, says the idea that men are not sexually assaulted is simply untrue. “Section 377 has been used by men for cases of assault for years now. The legislation cannot wish away the thousands who have done so.” She points out that sections like hurt and grievous hurt may be applied, but these do not address the sexual nature of the crime.

LGBTQ activist Harish Iyer says that when he came forward about being a survivor in the late nineties, he was pretty much alone. “But now, many more have spoken up, so the same excuses no longer apply.” Plus, even if one argues that there are a small number of men this happens to, that is not reason enough for it to not be classified as a crime, he adds.

Arvind Narrain, founding member of the Alternative Law Forum and co-editor of ‘Law Like Love: Queer Perspectives on Law’, says, “If you look at the caseload under 377, what we found is that the large majority are cases of non-consensual sex. It functioned as a tool of intimidation and harassment, for sure. But a lot of the abuse was underground.”

Trans people also at risk

Narrain points out that sexual violence is a huge issue among the trans community. “If you only address it under the trans act of 2019 where the penalty is much lower, it indicates a difference in how you view two sets of bodies — one with higher rights and one with lesser rights. It’s discriminatory,” he says.

Muskan Tibrewala, assistant director, Law and Marginalisation Clinic at the Centre for Justice, Law and Society, says that not only is the penalty lower, it is also bailable and non-cognisable. “So, that means that the police do not immediately have to file an FIR. Even if they apprehend the offender, they can immediately get bail from the police or magistrate. This of course puts victims at risk.”

The only possible exception is in the case of trans women. “If they get an ID card that says they are a woman, they may be able to register a case under Section 375,” says Tibrewala, adding that it would be left to the police’s discretion.

Queer people robbed of recourse

Narrain argues that while 377 was inadequate and ripe for misuse, leaving no recourse at all is a step backwards. Which is precisely why, he adds, many queer groups had, during the drafting process, requested the rape law be made neutral with respect to the victim.

Tandon says that the lack of legal mechanisms in these cases sends out the wrong message — “that it is okay to sexually violate men and queer people”. She’s seen many cases of gay men reaching out after someone they’ve met on a dating app ended up being violent or filmed them without their consent and blackmailed them. “Even when 377 existed, it was hard to make a complaint. The police station is not a queer-friendly space,” she says. Tibrewala notes there are cases where men are laughed out of police stations while reporting assault. But now, even the flawed recourse is gone.

Used for marital rape too

That is not the only purpose 377 served — for one, it could be used in the sexual abuse of animals. It was used by women as well — specifically in cases of marital rape. Tandon says, “Unlike 375, which had the explicit exception of not applying in cases where between married couples, 377 did not have this exception. So, women were able to register FIRs using this, though that depended on the specific court and their interpretation.”

Iyer says, “We don’t even need a new law, all we need to do is change ‘woman’ to ‘person’ in the BNS.” Narrain puts it simply: “The state has a responsibility to protect all persons against sexual violence, irrespective of gender identity and sexual orientation. That is a constitutional obligation, and one that has been failed.”

‘Voices of women have been missing from 1984 narrative’

Forty years after the anti-Sikh massacres of 1984 in the wake of Operation Blue Star, women survivors of the tragedy continue to fight silent battles for justice. Human rights advocate Sanam Sutirath Wazir, who spent a decade researching the tragic events, talks to Sharmila Ganesan Ram about the cost of ignoring the Kaurs

Wazir

■ Who are ‘The Kaurs of 1984’, who your book is named after?

‘The Kaurs of 1984’ refers to Sikh women who tragically became the first casualties in the conflict. They are also victims and survivors whose lives were devastated by state machinations and the complicity of authorities in perpetrating violence. For Kaurs, Operation Blue Star and the Delhi massacres of 1984 were not mere historical occurrences but deeply personal and traumatic experiences. Among them are daughters who were their fathers’ favourites, pursuing education and dreams, only to witness their fathers being brutally killed. Before the violence erupted, they had trusted implicitly in the protective mantle of their country’s institutions. However, the brutal events shattered this faith. After the massacres, a haunting question lingered in the minds of many: Were they truly recognised as Indian citizens, and why did every institution seem to abandon them in their hour of need?

■ Why did you choose to focus on the impact on women in particular?

For many, particularly within the Sikh community and those directly impacted by the events, 1984 epitomises a profound sense of injustice, trauma, and a loss of trust in institutions. During my childhood in J & K, the Chittisinghpura massacres (when 35 Sikh villagers were shot dead in March 2000) and the ongoing impunity in Kashmir were pivotal moments. Witnessing such atrocities and observing the lack of accountability for these crimes fuelled my determination to advocate for justice. In 2014, I was re- searching the 1984 Anti-Sikh massacres for Amnesty International. A few months into my field work, I realised that a crucial perspective on this bloodied epoch in Indian history was missing. The voices of the women were silent in the existing narrative. Through this book, I wanted to highlight their stories, their struggles for justice, and their enduring quest for recognition of their experiences in the face of historical injustices.

■ From minors who survived rape to those who watched loved ones burn to death, the narratives of the women featured in the book are often disturbing. As a male interviewer, what was your toughest moment?

Every interview was emotionally draining. I would come back with tears in my eyes, struck by the incredible strength these people displayed. One of the most difficult nights during this process occurred in East Hampstead, London. Despite the late hour, I called my mother in India and poured my heart out to her. She emphasised the importance of portraying what had happened to the Kaurs in their own words and reminded me that my gender should not hinder me from sharing their stories.

■ You write about Nirpreet, a woman who became a militant in the wake of 1984. What made her pick up the gun?

Nirpreet was profoundly affected by her father’s tragic death; she witnessed the horrifying incident where he was burnt alive and saw his killers. The distress was further compounded by the shocking revelation that these perpetrators were endorsed with party tickets to contest elections. This unsettling situation in Delhi uprooted them, leading to frequent relocations and persistent fear. Eventually settling in Punjab, Nirpreet responded by pursuing an alternative path to seek justice, a decision she firmly stands by today without any feelings of regret.

■ The 2015 Amnesty International report you wrote stated that for the death of 3,000 people in Delhi alone, less than one percent had been convicted. Has this changed?

Despite the passage of time, the number of convictions and closed cases remains notably low. The 2020 report from the Justice Dhingra Committee, submitted to the Supreme Court and accepted by the Centre, underscores deficiencies in the timely submission of findings by the police, government, and prosecution to the courts. Particularly troubling was the committee’s revelation that the then SHO of Kalyanpuri allegedly assisted rioters during attacks on Sikhs. Furthermore, delays in filing reports by Delhi govt and police reportedly led to the loss of crucial case records. Additionally, in the Pul Bangash case, the CBI has filed a chargesheet against Jagdish Tytler. The central probe agency presented statements from four eyewitnesses before special judge Rakesh Sayal, indicating that Tytler was present at the location where three individuals were killed during the riots. He faces charges including rioting and murder.

■ What would closure look like?

For the victims, there can be no reconciliation without justice. They need acknowledgment, healing, and restoration for the multi-generational impact of the violence they have endured. For 40 years, they have lived in a quagmire, where hopes of justice have been pulled down by the incessant delay in meting out justice. They are seeking — as the elusive state calls it — ‘closure’, to help them go on with their lives. Not that they seek to forget what transpired, or stop grieving, but for four decades, they have remained frozen in an unbearably horrific moment, and wish to find closure through the punishment of the perpetrators of 1984.

THE SPEAKING TREE

A Tale Of Varied Perspectives

Behind beautiful appearances, there is a deeper purpose. The true value of objects should not be measured by their usefulness but by their role in the larger scheme of things, writes SUDHAMAHI REGUNATHAN

It was the month of June. Mist was playing hide and seek with the rhododendron bushes. The flowers in these bushes were ruby red and dancing with the wind. Standing against the stark, snowy background, they looked picturesque. In this month, they were in full bloom. The bushes twined and intertwined forming narrow and romantic tunnels under their not-very-tall branches. The tunnel with mystery was thus created and extended for miles. On the higher reaches of Arunachal Pradesh, above the land of the Sherdukpens and the Monpas, the fragrance of these rhododendron bushes intoxicated all those who passed by. And generally, very few passed by except for a few ghorawallas and fewer travellers. The rhododendrons were always a pleasurable sight for them to behold. Many songs and folk tales were associated with them.

One such is told about a ghorawalla who was walking past and admiring the beautiful red flowers. Ghorawallas are those who walk their yaks and ponies, running errands or carrying loads.

He admired the red bushes for some time and then said, “It is so sad that you bloom alone, hidden away from innumerous admirers. I would have loved to pluck you and offer you at the feet of the Buddha in Gaya. Or if not so far away, at least take you with love and care to the gompa, temple, in my village where I could have offered you. I would have taken you to the Lord in both cases. Or, if none of that, I would have loved to take you to my beloved and offer you to her. She would have been ecstatic to see such beautiful flowers. But alas, I can do none of those. You have to bloom unseen, unknown, unsung and alone.”

The rhododendron bush was hearing all that the ghorawalla was saying and replied, “Don’t feel bad for me. So what if my branches, leaves and flowers have poison in them? It is because I have poison that you have not plucked every part of me and ravaged my bushes. That is why I am intact and you and others like you are able to admire me. Or else you would have seen a broken bush with no leaves or flowers. The poison is my protection. You know my leaves also turn red often. They are beautiful too."

“Ah!” exclaimed the ghorawalla, “but you are of no use to anyone. What is the use of just being pretty?”

“My dear,” whispered the rho- dodendron, “you did not think me worthy enough to be plucked for your sweetheart, nor do you deem it fit to take me to your gompa? Of course you did not even consider taking me to Gaya. But I feed the bees that live here and make their home in hives close by. The bees still suck my nectar and take it to the Lord in the form of honey. Your sweetheart cannot take me as honey but takes me as a medicine when she is unwell. My sweetness reaches everyone. I am still loved by the Buddha…so do not worry about me nor lament on your inability to take me to the world.”

With a fresh gust of wind, the red rhododendrons seemed to laugh and sway happily.

The ghorawalla kneeled to the beauty which was also aware of her reasons for existence. It had awaken something within him. He, like the rhododendron bush, had to find his purpose. Behind that lonely and beautiful appearance, there was a deeper purpose. The ghorawalla understood that he should not assess from the perspective of how useful anything is to him, but look at the larger scheme of things.

PICASSO IN LADIES’ LOO

A women-only exhibition in Tasmania, Australia made waves recently when a court ruled that men must be admitted as well. This led to the exhibit, called The Ladies Lounge, to shut down. Now, the Museum of Old and New Art has protested this decision in a rather unique way, by hanging two Picasso paintings in the women’s loo. Sorry, boys.

IT’S LIT

AUNT JENNIFER’S TIGERS

BY ADRIENNE RICH

Aunt Jennifer’s tigers prance across a screen, Bright topaz denizens of a world of green. They do not fear the men beneath the tree; They pace in sleek chivalric certainty.

Aunt Jennifer’s finger fluttering through her wool Find even the ivory needle hard to pull. The massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand.

When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by. The tigers in the panel that she made Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.

String of SC rulings restricts ED power of arbitrary arrest

Kejriwal Order Latest Bid To Make PMLA Clauses Statute-Compliant

INFUSING TRANSPARENCY

AmitAnand.Choudhary@timesofindia.com

New Delhi: Supreme Court’s judgment on Delhi CM and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal’s petition is the latest in the series of verdicts by the apex court to read down or read into the provisions of PMLA to infuse accountability, fairness and transparency in money-laundering probes by Enforcement Directorate and to protect the rights of citizens from arbitrary arrest.

Though the apex has upheld several stringent provisions of PMLA, including ED’s power to arrest, conduct search and seizure, and impose stringent twin bail conditions, it has interpreted the provisions in a way to make them compliant with constitutional provisions.

A three-judge in July 2022 in Vijay Madanlal Choudhary case had examined threadbare the law and upheld the stringent regime prescribed for money-laundering offences and vast powers enjoyed by ED, giving the agency the goahead to arrest people and con- duct search and seizure even when no complaint had been filed, making statements made before the agency admissible in court while, also, putting the burden on the accused to prove his innocence.

Power to arrest is covered under Section 19 of PMLA. It says, if an authorised ED officer has, on the basis of material in his possession, reason to believe (the r eason for such belief to be recorded in writing) that any person has been guilty of an offence punishable under this Act, he may arrest such person and shall, as soon as may be, inform him of the grounds for such arrest.

Elaborating the provision, SC in 2022 had said that if a person was “sufficiently informed” of the grounds of his arrest, then it amounts to compliance of Article 22 of the Constitution on protection against arrest but the court did not enumerate on what is “sufficiently informed”. Interestingly, within a month after the judgement, SC decided to re-examine the verdict which is still pending.

After 2022 verdict, several high courts held that if an accused was orally told by a ED officer about the grounds of arrest, then the arrest would be valid. But the apex court has set aside the HCs’ interpretation and ruled that grounds and reasons of arrest had to be provided to an accused at the time of arrest.

SC in Oct 2023 in Pankaj Bansal case held the communication of the grounds of arrest must be made to the arrestee in writing to ensure compliance with Article 22 of the Constitution. It held that a written record of the grounds of arrest is necessary to enable the person to prepare an effective defence if he chooses to apply for bail.

Granting bail to Prabir Purkashatya for non-compliance of Section 19(1), the court said Right to Life and Personal Liberty, being the most sacrosanct Fundamental Right, cannot be compromised.

In the V Senthil Balaji case, SC held that the ED officer can only arrest once they record “reasons to believe” in writing, that the person being arrested is guilty of the offence punishable under the the PML Act.

Agreeing with decisions in the Pankaj Bansal and Prabir Purkayastha cases, SC, while granting interim bail to Delhi CM, said, “Power to arrest a person without a warrant from the court and without instituting a criminal case is a drastic and extreme power. Therefore, the legislature has prescribed safeguards in the form of exacting conditions as to how and when the power is exercisable. The conditions are salutary and serve as a check against the exercise of an otherwise harsh and pernicious power.”

Was JP’s stir anarchical, BJP questions Akhilesh

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Senior BJP functionary Sudhanshu Trivedi criticised the opposition Saturday, questioning whether the movement led by Jayaprakash Narayan was considered anarchical. He addressed Akhilesh Yadav, asking “I want to ask Akhilesh whether his father Mulayam Singh was a part of anarchy?” Trivedi’s comments were in response to opposition objections to the NDA govt’s announcement to observe June 25 as ‘Constitution Murder Day.’

Trivedi highlighted that during the Emergency, the fun- damental rightswere suspended, and people could not seek legal recourse if detained by the police. He noted that anyone criticising Indira Gandhi’s govt risked imprisonment.

On BJP allegedly targeting opposition leaders, Trivedi compared Nehru’s governance style to Hitler’s. He argued that during the Congress regime, true oppression of freedom of expression occurred, citing instances such as poet Majrooh Sultanpuri’s two-year impriso nment for criticising Nehru and banning of Kishore Kumar’s songs on AIR after he refused to participate in a Congress event.

All That Matters

- Remarkable that French players like Mbappe spoke out against Le Pen

- The deeper message and geopolitics behind the Modi-Putin bonhomie

- INBOX

- Love, lies, and the law: Dilemma of criminalising false promise to marry

- How Republican worldview will shape US-India ties if Trump wins

- No Viksit Bharat without overhaul of education

FOR THE RECORD

Remarkable that French players like Mbappe spoke out against Le Pen

Bestselling writer and Financial Times columnist Simon Kuper has a new podcast as well as a memoir of Paris, the city he moved to 22 years ago to escape pricey London. In an interview with Neelam Raaj, he spoke about political ‘wolves’ and footballing heroes

■ You’ve spent decades in Paris, so let’s start with the French election verdict. The wolf, as you called the far right, failed to turn the doorknob this time but the threat is far from over, is it?

The far-right threat might actually be over — I’m not sure. The scenario that everyone talks about is that French anger keeps rising, and the far-right vote with it, and eventually Marine Le Pen (the wolf) is elected president, perhaps in 2027. That might happen. But I see another scenario. There’s a French tradition of voters talking radical but acting conservative. They expect the elitist guy in handmade suits to win, they quietly want it to happen, and then they can spend five years railing against him. Look at the polls last week. The far-right were predicted to win. They finished third. I suspect a lot of their so-called supporters don’t really want them to win.

■ ‘Politico’ ran this headline: Marine Le Pen: 0. Kylian Mbappe: 1. Did he really impact the vote? You’ve also met him. To borrow from the name of your podcast ‘Heroes & Humans of Football’, tell us about the human rather than the hero?

It’s impossible to say whether an athlete or anyone else speaking out moved the vote in any way. But it was remarkable that several French players, not just Mbappe, took the risk of speaking out against France’s biggest party. That really impressed me. I can’t remember leading footballers taking a communal partisan political stand like that — or not since Zinedine Zidane and other French internationals spoke out against Marine Le Pen’s father Jean-Marie Le Pen in the 2002 French elections.

Our podcast is called Heroes & Humans, because we try to understand these heroes as human beings. I interviewed Mbappe when he was 22, and he was one of the most intelligent, well-spoken footballers I’ve ever met. Really clever guy, learned fluent English and Spanish, his parents made sure he passed the French high-school exams, his mum’s dream for him was to go to the country’s top business school. It wasn’t a dream for him to become a top pro. There’s a question we always ask at the end of the podcast: “What would he have been if he couldn’t play football?” I decided: if Mbappe hadn’t been a footballer, he’d have been a wonderful teacher in a school in the Paris suburbs. He and his mum are now actually trying to found a school.

■ Coming back to your podcast co-hosted with journalist Mehreen Khan, what is the story you most enjoyed telling?

I grew up in Holland. My dad got a job there in 1976, so we moved there from London when I was an impressionable seven-year-old, during the golden age of Dutch football. That’s where I fell for football, and my hero is Johan Cruyff. He wasn’t just a brilliant footballer. He was the most brilliant thinker about football there probably has ever been. He’s the guy who in the late 1960s, at what was then semi-pro Ajax in Amsterdam-East, essentially invented the pressing football of the 2020s, the game played now by Manchester City and Liverpool. He later coached Pep Guardiola at Barcelona and was Pep’s greatest influence. He’s the spiritual father of the leading coach of our generation. So, our podcast on Cruyff was the one that means most to me. We released it last week because July 7 was exactly 50 years since Cruyff’s brilliant Dutch team somehow lost the 1974 World Cup final to West Germany. It’s a wonderful story, featuring the German tabloid headline just before the final, ‘Cruyff, Champagne and Naked Girls.’ That headline almost destroyed his marriage, and it destroyed his play in the final.

Years later I met Cruyff, and it was lovely until we fell out horribly. If anyone has had a worse experience with their childhood hero, I can’t bear to hear it.

■ Your book ‘Chums’ highlighted the hold of ‘Oxford Brahmins’ on power. Keir Starmer’s cabinet is being described as the most diverse ever since most members went to state schools. Is that stranglehold loosening?

The Conservative Party is traditionally more public-school than Labour. I do think the hereditary toffs have taken a setback that might prove lasting, because Boris Johnson, the Etonian who embodied the lazy unserious entitlement of their class, was such a disastrous and mendacious PM. The Conservatives have left Britain in a dreadful state after 14 years in power. So yes, I think the public schoolboys have had their day in power for a while. I describe in ‘Chums’ how Oxford and Cambridge have changed their admissions system to make it harder for lazy but polished public schoolboys like Johnson to get in. On the other hand, the Etonian is an eternal feature of the British power structure, and I don’t think he’s just going to vanish forever.

■ You’ve published a memoir on Paris. Despite its problems, you’re quite upbeat about the city. Can you explain why?

It’s mostly because Paris is at the start of a dramatic transformation — probably its biggest since Baron Haussmann began building the modern city in the 1850s. The thing about Paris is that the gorgeous city — the picture-postcard place of the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Left Bank etc — has always been cut off from the suburbs. But the suburbs have gradually grown, and now they have about 5x as many inhabitants as the city itself: nearly 10 million versus 2 million inside Paris. People in the suburbs tend (though not always) to be poorer, and the suburbs are much less white than the city. Now, for the first time in history, the city planners are connecting Paris with the suburbs by building 68 new metro stations and laying countless bike lanes. I think that by the early 2030s, Paris and its suburbs will be one cohesive metropolis. That will be a revolutionary change.

■ It’s the day of the Euro final, so we have to ask who were you rooting for in the tournament?

I’m a British and now a French dual citizen, but I always root for Holland. But this was a mediocre Dutch team. The Spanish team is the best and most beautiful in the tournament.

BY INVITATION

The deeper message and geopolitics behind the Modi-Putin bonhomie

ZORAWAR DAULET SINGH

Defying predictions of a stagnating relationship, PM Narendra Modi and Russian president Vladimir Putin have once again shown the world the bonhomie they share. Putin added a charming touch by conveying his remarks through a competent Hindi translator, which seemed to visibly please the PM. ‘Sukh-dukh ka saathi’ or all-weather friend is how Modi described Russia. The Modi visit has restored the nearly quarter-century-old ritual of annual summitry that had been interrupted since 2020 by Covid and then the Ukraine war in 2022.

Geopolitics has always been at the heart of the India-Russia relationship. A radical and menacing China in the 1960s and the Sino-American rapprochement in the 1970s had led Delhi and Moscow to develop a comprehensive strategic partnership. Today, alignments have shifted and are more complex. Russia and China have come closer, in large part to counterbalance an unpredictable and hostile US.

But is Russia really becoming a junior partner to China, as mainstream commentaries suggest? This is simply untrue. Russia has single-handedly and successfully resisted the mighty NATO alliance in Ukraine as well as absorbed the shock of nearly 16,000 western economic sanctions. According to World Bank data released in June, Russia is the fourth largest economy in the world after China, US, and India (GDP based on purchasing power parity).

Russia is too proud, too independent and too militarily powerful to ever submit to China. Its grand strategy is to balance the US, shape a stable balance of power in Eurasia and Asia, and proactively collaborate with the Global South in developing a more sustainable multipolar world. India, for its part, has committed itself to comprehensively deepen economic interdependence with Russia so the latter has another major Asian economy as an option to diversify its commercial ties with China.

How will Washington and Beijing look at this summit? Many have already declared Modi’s folly in undermining the partnership with the US and failing to make a dent in the Sino-Russian relationship. Again, this sweeping narrative is based on half-truths and devoid of context. It also fails to recognise Indian geostrategic interests.

First, a more transactional relationship with the US has been evident for some time. If two decades ago, it was conventional wisdom to assert that the US held the keys to India’s emergence as a great economic, political and military power, this assumption is no longer obvious today. In recent years, Washington has made it apparent that it sees India more as a useful instrument in a future confrontation with China than as a major power with legitimate interests and aspirations. This approach has unsettled Indian strategists who worry not just about the US being unable to back up the tough talk on China should a serious clash erupt in the Himalayas, but that India might find itself drawn into a deadly Sino-American military conflict in the Western Pacific. This is a key reason for India to hedge its bets and broaden its geopolitical horizon towards the non-western world. Rejuvenated ties with Moscow will ensure Washington takes India more seriously as an independent player.

As for China, its growing ties with Russia have been premised on an acute realisation that a sequel to the Ukraine experiment — using a willing proxy — could occur on its eastern doorstep in the Taiwan Straits. Beijing might even wish for a protracted conflict in Ukraine so the US finds itself bogged down in areas away from the Western Pacific. China, therefore, is unlikely to weaken its Russia link in a hurry. The only realistic way to influence the Sino-Russian entente, is if the collective West abandons its disastrous confrontation and negotiates a new European security architecture that accommodates core Russian interests. However, the prevailing politics in the US leaves little room for optimism.

The irony of this summit is that Beijing views the upswing in India-Russia relations as general- ly conducive to regional and continental stability. This is because Delhi’s latest assertion of its geopolitical independence makes it less receptive to a US Cold War approach to Asia while simultaneously providing it with the reassurance that a military superpower like Russia has a sympathetic ear to core Indian interests in the subcontinent. While Russia will not interfere or publicly take sides in the India-China border dispute, it has its own strategic reasons to encourage both its key partners in Asia to deal with their differences in a mature framework. Russia has already played such a constructive role in the aftermath of the 2020 Ladakh border crisis.

India-Russia relations are still vital because they act as a geopolitical stabilizer while also providing immense leverage to Delhi during this period of great change. The messaging from Modi’s visit should be seen in this light — it is an emphatic vote for a multipolar world and India’s continued march forward to major power status.■

Daulet Singh is author of ‘Power & Diplomacy: India’s foreign policies during the Cold War’

INBOX

Email your letters to the editor at sunday.times@timesofindia.com with ‘Sunday Mailbox’ in the subject line. Please mention your name and city

India’s sorry status in world of football

Apropos of ‘Euro has the...’ (ATM, July 7), Euro 2024 knockout stages demonstrated how football brings small nations together and proves larger populations do not always equal better results. Small countries like Slovenia, Slovakia, Georgia and Turkiye were par excellence. Despite its billion plus population, India is yet to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. Lack of infrastructure and usual cultural propensities keep India back in most sports. Also, most sports administrators are busy protecting their own interests.

— Gregory Fernandes, Mumbai

Agility in foreign policy

In response to ‘A Trump Second...’ (ATM, July 7), I have another perspective. As a significant global player, India should not be overly concerned with the specific policies of any single US administration. Instead, it should remain agile and assess the evolving geopolitical landscape, making decisions based on national interests. Our nation’s market size, defence capabilities, and economic growth indices enable us to adapt and thrive despite external political shifts.

— Arun Chattopadhyay, Chennai

Matter of experience

In ‘Biden is old...’ (ATM, July 7) Shobhaa De has aptly brought forth her viewpoint that aging does not necessarily imply decline in mental acuity or physical agility. It is not a cage that stifles and slows you but a journey of maximising experience and wisdom.

— Julie Kathait, Noida

BY INVITATION

Love, lies, and the law: Dilemma of criminalising false promise to marry

MIHIKA PODDAR

On July 1, three new laws replacing erstwhile criminal laws came into force. This includes the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023 (BNS) which replaces the IPC. The revised code reduces the number of sections from 511 to 358 and adds 21 new offences. One such new offence that is being hotly debated is section 69 of the BNS that criminalises ‘sexual intercourse by employing deceitful means, etc’.

Among other forms of deceptive sex, section 69 explicitly recognises as a separate offence when a person “making promise to marry to a woman without any intention of fulfilling the same, has sexual intercourse with her”. This is punishable with fine and imprisonment up to ten years.

The law is notorious for censuring sexuality outside of marriage, especially for women. Criminalisation of such false promise to marry (FPM) cases is a pertinent example. While there is a bigger debate to be had on criminalisation of deceptive sex per se, such treatment of marriage-related deception raises particular problems.

Notably, this is not a new offence — this was initially recognised by the judiciary as rape, reasoning that consent given under a misconception is invalid and, therefore, amounts to rape. This was criticised as extending the definition of rape too far and prohibiting socially sanctioned sex outside of marriage. Recognising some of these issues, courts had increasingly started using the offence of cheating to classify such offences instead of rape. This is not a perfect solution, as cheating (S415) falls under ‘property offences’, reminiscent of the ‘propertification’ of women’s bodies.

Now that BNS has recognised deceptive sex as a separate offence, it is likely that its operationalisation will be influenced by the judicial discourse so far. In adjudicating these cases, courts have considered two factors — first, whether the woman’s consent was based on the FPM; and second, whether the promise was merely one which could not be fulfilled (i.e. not rape) or was false to begin with. In principle then, one cannot be penalised if a relationship breaks up or another reason prevents the promise of marriage from being fulfilled, as long as the promise was sincere when being made. However, evidentiary challenges surrounding establishing intent remain.

Aside from this, it still raises problems of crimi- nalising FPM as a sexual offence per se. On one hand, criminalisation of deceit recognises the locational experiences of women, where pre-marital sexual relations can have serious sociocultural ramifications. Caste and class realities also increase the likelihood of such exploitation. Moreover, if the purpose of law relating to sexual offences is preserving sexual autonomy, engaging in deceptive sex — as Yale professor Jed Rubenfeld has argued, (although exclusively in the context of rape) — should be criminalised. Fraud is fatal to consent, not just force.

On the other hand, FPM cases raise particular challenges by tethering women’s sexual agency to marriage. One can sympathise with the woman who has been deceived into having intercourse, but labelling FPM cases in particular as sexual offences, as Professor Nivedita Menon argued in her book, holds sex as legitimate only within the framework of marriage. This is evident in a system where marital rape is not criminalised, courts deem couples engaging in premarital sex to be married, and describe all sex outside of marriage as immoral. Notably, courts have excluded married women from being capable of falling for a FPM, not factoring divorce or re-marriage as realistic possibilities. This creates an implicit assumption in the law of consent being embedded within marriage, undoing feminist struggles to free one from the other. The law consequently ends up reifying social norms on honour, patriarchal controls on young women’s sexuality, and stigma around premarital sex. In practice, too, court have been seen to use FPM cases as a tool to promote a heteronormative, intra-caste, intracommunal construct of marriage. These concerns can be said to go against the spirit of equality and sexual autonomy, values protected under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.

The debate highlights the complexities of navigating legal frameworks in a society where traditional norms intersect with evolving concepts of autonomy and gender equality. While section 69 of BNS fixes some problems with the erstwhile judicial criminalisation by creating a separate legislative offence, it leaves some bigger questions open: Should sexual consent be contingent upon a promise to marry? And does it warrant recognising the correlation between promises of marriage and sexual consent as legitimate grounds for prosecution?

It also remains to be seen how courts will interpret and apply this new provision, and whether it will stand any potential constitutional challenges.■

Poddar is a DPhil candidate in law at University of Oxford

KNOTTY ISSUE: False promise to marry cases tether women’s sexual agency to marriage

RIGHT & WRONG

How Republican worldview will shape US-India ties if Trump wins

SWAPAN DASGUPTA

Whereas democracy involves a consideration of multiple views, the intervention of an all-powerful establishment subverts the level playing field with its own hierarchy and prejudices. Last week, even before tactical voting gazumped the National Rally and made France ungovernable, the country’s establishment had deemed its leadership not fit for purpose. Marine Le Pen of the far right has had to fight two parallel battles: a political war against cosmopolitan sensibilities and a social struggle to be regarded as ‘respectable’. The first depends on French voters, but the second is determined by the elite establishment of France.

In the US, judging by the standards of capitalist achievement, Donald Trump should have been in the same club as Wall Street bankers, Silicon Valley techies and Texan oil barons. Unfortunately, when it came to politics, the regulators of American sensibilities cast him aside as a brash interloper and, worse, the star attraction in what Hillary Clinton called a “basket of deplorables”. Even four years in the White House haven’t made America’s old establishment acknowledge him as human. With a big question mark before President Biden’s ability to bat for another four years, the movement to prevent Trump from reclaiming the White House has become absolutely frenetic.

As I discovered during a visit to Washington DC just prior to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, the understanding of the impulses driving Trump Republicans are clouded in prejudice and blind hate. The situation reminded me of the Western journalist who lamented a week before the counting of votes for India’s 2014 general election that she hadn’t ever spoken to either a BJP functionary or even a Narendra Modi supporter. In her mind, the political Hindu resided in hell.

Three days at this year’s National Conservatism conference provided an exposure to the different strands of thought that make up the NatCon worldview. If Trump wins, some of these could have a bearing on India-US ties.

First, the American conservative focus on God, religion and family as the basis of America’s Judeo-Christian nationhood has some commonality with the Hindu nationalist projection of Bharat as a civilisational state. To this can be added the pride of place accorded to nationalism — a contentious term in liberal circles — as a legitimate principle of statecraft.

This nation-first approach has profound implications. If the uniqueness and validity of national cultures are acknowledged as legitimate, India, which has been at the receiving end of vilification by evangelical propaganda, may have an opportunity to exploit the contradictions between America’s national Christianity and the universalist ‘harvesting souls’ approach of many churches. It is Hindu society’s disavowal of religious conversions that has stood in the way of any understanding between the two conservative traditions. If national conservatism sets the new Republican tone, this could change.

Second, while there is abiding faith in America’s ‘manifest destiny’, there is receding commitment to pushing ‘truth, justice and the American way’ down the throats of other societies. The disastrous consequences of forcing Western democratic norms on countries such as Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan are now being acknowledged. American conservatives are openly repudiating the universalism of the Fukuyama-inspired Republicans of a previous era.

Thirdly, the growing appeal of a realist foreign policy in the Trump ecosystem suggests that the US will be loath to commit resources to areas of secondary concern. If China is deemed the biggest challenge to US interests, involvements such as NATO and the Ukraine war could well be scaled down. Of course, this resource-dependant view of the national interest will be fiercely contested by the State Department and CIA. In the short term, US foreign policy could become quite incoherent, although India’s position as a frontline state in the China game would carry its own logic.

Fourthly, with economic nationalism acquiring respectability, there is likely to be less attachment to the norms set by the World Trade Organisation. Although there is unlikely to be any unilateral repudiation of free trade and global markets, we are likely to see the growing importance of bilateral trade deals. The return of manufacturing to the US is an article of faith for its conservatives and market economics is not among the ecosystem’s principal attachments.

Finally, a Trump presidency will insist on a sharp reduction in unskilled immigration to the US and even harsh measures against illegals already in the country. This could mean unending fights with the judiciary and other socio-political tensions.

Among the major lessons US conservatives appear to have learnt from earlier defeats, including the Tory debacle, is that it does not pay to talk Right and act Left. The extent to which there is an activist groundswell against the consensus politics of traditional Republicans would indicate that the abrasiveness of the Trump ecosystem isn’t one of style alone. Raw anger plays a big role.■

NEW TRUMP PLAYBOOK: Tory debacle has shown that it does not pay to talk Right and act Left

SWAMINOMICS

No Viksit Bharat without overhaul of education

SWAMINATHAN S ANKLESARIA AIYAR

Prime Minister Modi’s Viksit Bharat vision of India becoming a high-income country by 2047 is ambitious. It implies that Indians will become educated and skilled enough to merit high incomes by global standards.

However, the 2023 Annual Survey of Education Report is dismal. About a quarter of all youth (14-18 years) cannot read a class 2 text fluently in their regional language. Only 43% can solve simple division sums. ASER is a rural survey, and hopefully urban schools are better, but the bulk of the population is rural.

India has some world-class schools and colleges producing world-class graduates. But below this veneer, education is rotten. In a country of 1.4 billion, even a thin layer amounts to millions of people, who have achieved eminence in India and abroad. But govt schools in states are mostly pathetic. ASER reports show hardly any improvement in the last ten years.

By contrast, the Centre’s Kendriya Vidyalayas are good schools. They are designed for children of civil servants, and this elite has the clout to ensure quality education.

I helped my driver’s two children, Saurabh and Lovely Khatri, get into a Kendriya Vidyalaya through the minister’s discretionary quota. After graduation and college, Saurabh was hired by TCS and is currently shifting to a new IT company. Lovely works in Cognizant, another top IT company. In one giant leap, they have moved from the bottom to top of the social ladder. That needs repetition a million-fold for India to become a high-income country.

But education is a state subject, and state govt schools are usually terrible. Their entire ecosystem is faulty. Teachers are absent or not teaching in half the schools, according to a well-known survey. In rural schools, many children come for mid-day meals rather than food for thought. Single-teacher schools with dozens of students of different grades cannot produce decent results.

Many teachers are politically oriented and connected to political parties, and this can ruin discipline. State govts use teachers not only for teaching but for managing elections, censuses, and other tasks (one teacher was asked to be a stand-in pujari at a temple). Teachers’ unions are powerful and resist any change. Many teachers, in both schools and colleges, say their careers depend on political connections more than the results of their students.

When an entire ecosystem is rotten, change is difficult. Breaking the mould meets huge resistance. What is the way forward?

The best approach is to start with a few Shandaar Kendras — centres of excellence— in substandard states and expand those in stages. That can gradually create a new ecosystem to displace the old. The effort will take decades, so an immediate start is needed.

One feasible solution, Modiji, is to start Shandaar Kendras as joint ventures between Kendriya Vidyalayas and state schools. These can be funded jointly by the centre and states, in the proportion of say 70:30. These Kendras should be protected from political interference. Some teachers can be permanent employees, but others should be staff from state schools who will work in the excellent schools for five years and then revert to the state system to try and spread the new ecosystem. Many can later man new Shandaar Kendras as the project expands. This will not meet the resistance that a total overhaul would, so it is politically non-disruptive.

Many states may oppose what they see as the Centre encroaching on their turf, despite the sweetener of majority funding by the Centre. So, we also need alternative ideas for non-intrusive reform.

Modiji, the simplest non-confrontationist path lies in your own hands. RSS runs over 12,000 Vidya Bharati schools with 3.4 million students. These schools focus on promoting knowledge of and pride in Hindu traditions. But it also admits Muslim and Christian children, of whom one topped the class 10 exam in Assam in 2016.

Most of these are elementary schools up to class 5. Surely, in search of Viksit Bharat, your top priority should be to upgrade Vidya Bharati schools to the level of Kendriya Vidyalayas. This means upgrading all class 5 schools to class 12 level and producing graduates who will get admission to the top colleges.

You will face no political interference for captive schools, and no shortage of funds. Industrialists will happily fund such excellent ventures.

RSS also runs some intermediate schools and regular colleges. These too need to be upgraded, striving ultimately for equivalence with St Stephen’s College, Delhi, or Presidency College, Kolkata. This will take decades. But by pushing your own schools and colleges to excellence, you can create a new educational ecosystem that will rub off on the states.■

NEW MODEL: Instead of crumbling govt schools like this one in Patna, we need a few Shandaar Kendras, centres of excellence to create a new ecosystem

Times Global

- GOP convention in Milwaukee next wk to seal Trump 2024 run

- Musk donates to Don; Meta lifts restrictions

- Taiwan steps up alert as Beijing tests missile unit

- Israel raids for Hamas military chief in humanitarian zone kill at least 90

- Freed in fake marriage case, but Imran to remain in jail

- Pak reaches $7bn aid deal with IMF

- AROUND THE WORLD

- Italian police free 33 Indian farm labourers from ‘slavery’

- China blasts US after Biden signs bill enhancing support for Tibet

- Oli meets ally; new Nepal govt likely to be sworn in Monday

- Ray Kurzweil says humanity well on course to merge with AI

- Boeing begins flying 777-9 in path to certification

- A labour crunch awaits Starmer plan to spur UK housebuilding

- ‘Rust’ case against Baldwin dismissed

GOP convention in Milwaukee next wk to seal Trump 2024 run

Ex-Prez Tempers His Outbursts For Wider Appeal

Denise Morrisey shops for campaign items supporting Donald Trump at the Patriotic Shop in the Baird Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Friday, three days before the start of Republican National Convention

Republicans are set to gather in Milwaukee to select Donald Trump as their presidential nominee at the party’s four-day convention starting on Monday.

The Republican National Convention (RNC) comes as Democrats are engulfed in turmoil, with President Joe Biden facing calls to drop out of the race after a disastrous debate performance against Trump raised questions about his mental acuity.

Political conventions are a stage for party delegates to select their presidential nominees and to adopt a party platform. Drawing large television and online audiences, next week’s convention is likely to fire up core Republican supporters ahead of the November election.

Trump’s campaign has outlined themes for each day of the convention that riff on his red-hat rallying cry: “Make America Great Again.” Over 50,000 people are expected to attend. That includes some 2,429 “delegates” — a mix of politicians and grassroots activists — who will vote for the candidate who won their state’s nominating contest earlier this year. In almost every part of America, that’s Trump.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump, famed for his unpredictable and inflammatory outbursts, is opting for selfcensorship in a bid to expand his electorate to more moderate voters ahead of the US presidential election. The 78-year-old billionaire appears to be dialing back his rhetoric on key issues such as immigration and abortion — a tactic that analysts say is buoyed by his confidence in the loyalty of his conservative base ahead of November’s vote.

Trump, who will officially become the Republican presidential nominee at the party’s convention next week, has also denounced a controversial document called “Project 2025.” The 900-page text — seen as a governing roadmap and drafted by a conservative think tank with some of Trump’s close allies — was subject to harsh criticism for its calls for mass deportations of migrants and a weakening of federal agencies.

AFP, AP

Biden’s press conference gets 25m viewers

President Joe Biden’s press conference on Thursday, when he directly addressed questions about his mental acuity, drew an audience of at least 25.1 million viewers — a big turnout for what’s usually a less-newsworthy event.

The telecast attracted 24.2 million viewers on eight cable and broadcast networks, according to Nielsen. When smaller outfits like NewsNation and Newsmax are added, the total is higher. The conference was framed as a make-or-break moment for the Biden campaign following the president’s poor performance in a debate on June 27 with Donald Trump, the Republican candidate.

The conference drew half as many viewers as the debate, which attracted over 51 million, but came close to other events, such as two Biden previous State of the Union addresses that each pulled in over 27 million. Fox News said it led the coverage with an audience of 5.67 million; ABC had 4.97 million; and CBS 3.6 million.

BLOOMBERG

Musk donates to Don; Meta lifts restrictions

Billionaire Elon Musk has donated to a super political action committee working to elect Donald Trump to the White House, a major gambit by the world’s richest person to make his imprint on the US political landscape.

Musk has contributed to a low-profile group called America PAC, according to people familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity to detail his plans. It’s unclear how much Musk has given, but the people characterized the figu- re as a sizable amount. The PAC is next required to disclose its list of donors on July 15.

The move highlights the growing influence of a technology mogul who tops the Bloomberg Billionaires Index with a net worth of $263.6 billion and his shift from a self described political independent — who said he preferred to stay out of politics — into a figure who regularly uses his X social-media platform to espouse right-leaning views and assail Democrats. Musk has yet to publicly endorse a candidate in the 2024 race.

Separately, Ken Griffin and Paul Singer, Republican billionaires who have criticized Trump, met with the former president to discuss donating to his campaign, said people familiar with the discussions.

Meanwhile, Meta said Friday it was lifting restrictions on US presidential candidate Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, ending measures put in place after his supporters violently stormed the US Capitol in 2021. It said that “former President Trump, as the nominee of the Republican Party, will no longer be subject to the heightened suspension penalties.” Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts were suspended indefinitely a day after his supporters attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. His accounts were reinstated in Feb 2023 but with a threat of penalties for future breaches, an additional restriction that Meta lifted on Friday.

BLOOMBERG, AFP

Taiwan steps up alert as Beijing tests missile unit

Taipei: Taiwan’s defence ministry said Saturday it was monitoring “waves of test-firing” by China’s missile unit in a region more than 1,600km from the self-ruled island and that its air force stepped up its alertness. China views the democratic island as a breakaway province that should be reunified with the mainland. The ministry had detected “multiple waves of test-firing operations” by China’s Rocket Force in Inner Mongolia on Saturday. It is not immediately clear if the tests were part of China’s recent ramping up of its military activities around the island.

AP

Israel raids for Hamas military chief in humanitarian zone kill at least 90

Palestinian children in shock after an Israel bombardment on a refugee camp in Al-Mawasi, Khan Younis, southern Gaza, Saturday

Cairo/Gaza/Jerusalem: An Israeli airstrike killed at least 90 Palestinians in a designated humanitarian zone in Gaza on Saturday, the enclave’s health ministry said, in an attack that Israel said targeted Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif. It was unclear whether Deif was killed. “We are still checking and verifying the results of the strike,” an Israeli military official told reporters.

The militant Islamist group Hamas said in a statement that Israeli claims it had targeted leaders of the group were false and aimed at justifying the attack, which was the deadliest Israeli attack in Gaza in weeks.

Displaced people sheltering in the area said their tents were torn down by the force of the strike, describing bodies and body parts strewn on the ground.

“I couldn’t even tell where I was or what was happening,” said Sheikh Youssef, a resident of Gaza City who is currently displaced in the Al-Mawasi area. “I left the tent and looked around, all the tents were knocked down, body parts, bodies everywhere, elderly women thrown on the floor, young children in pieces,” he said.

The Israeli military said the strike against Deif also targeted Rafa Salama, the commander of Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade, describing them as two of the master- minds of the Oct 7 attack on southern Israel that triggered the nine-month war in Gaza.

Deif has survived seven Israeli assassination attempts, the most recent in 2021 and has topped Israel’s most wanted list for decades.

Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant was holding special consultations, his office said, in light of “developments in Gaza”. It was uncle- ar how the strike would affect ceasefire talks underway in Doha and Cairo.

Al-Mawasi is a designated humanitarian area that the Israeli army has repeatedly urged Palestinians to head to after issuing evacuation orders from other areas. Reuters footage showed ambulances racing towards the area amidst clouds of smoke and dust. Displaced people, including women and children, were fleeing in panic, some holding belongings in their hands.

The Israeli military published an aerial photo of the site, which Reuters was not immediately able to verify, where it said “terrorists hid among civilians”.

Many of those wounded in the strike, including women and children, were taken to the nearby Nasser Hospital, which hospital officials said had been overwhelmed and was “no longer able to function” due to the intensity of the Israeli offensive and an acute shortage of medical supplies.

REUTERS

Freed in fake marriage case, but Imran to remain in jail

Omer Farooq Khan TNN

Islamabad: A Pakistan district and sessions court acquitted former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, on Saturday in a case of unlawful marriage. This was the last case keeping Khan in prison but he will not walk free as the authorities immediately issued fresh orders for his arrest in three other cases.

The additional sessions judge directed authorities to immediately release Khan and his wife if they are not wanted in any other case.

Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), said, “Mr Khan has been arrested in three more cases.” The three cases are linked to violence against the military and other state installations after his brief arrest in May 2023. The party warned that keeping Khan, 71, in jail after Saturday’s decision would lead to political crisis.

Pak reaches $7bn aid deal with IMF

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said it reached a new $7 billion loan deal with Pakistan in a bid to bolster its faltering economy. Islamabad agreed to conduct further unpopular reforms, including widening the nation’s chronically low tax base.

AFP

AROUND THE WORLD

WORLD’S 1ST HYDROGEN POWERED COMMERCIAL FERRY BEGINS SERVICE: The MV Sea Change, the first commercial passenger ferry powered by hydrogen fuel cells, is seen on the water, Friday, in San Francisco. The 21-metre catamaran will transport up to 75 passengers along the waterfront between Pier 41 and the downtown San Francisco ferry terminal starting July 19. The service will be free for six months while it’s being run as part of a pilot programme. Sea Change can travel about 300 nautical miles and operate for 16 hours before it needs to refuel. The fuel cells produce electricity by combining oxygen and hydrogen in an electrochemical reaction that emits water as a byproduct. AP

Man gets 226 yrs in jail for killing 2 Alaskan women

A man who killed two Alaska Native women and was heard while videotaping the torture death of one say that in his movies “everybody always dies” was sentenced on Friday to 226 years in prison. Brian Steven Smith received 99-year sentences each for the deaths of Kathleen Henry, 30, and Veronica Abouchuk, who was 52 when her family reported her missing in February 2019, seven months after they last saw her. Smith, a native of South Africa who became a naturalised US citizen shortly before torturing and killing Henry at an Anchorage hotel in September 2019, showed no emotion during sentencing. Smith was arrested in 2019 when a sex worker stole his cellphone from his truck and found the gruesome footage of Henry's torture and murder. Smith eventually confessed to killing Henry and Abouchuk, whose body had been found earlier but was misidentified.

‘Smoking laptop’ prompts evacuation: A smoking laptop in a passenger’s bag prompted an evacuation on an American Airlines flight headed to Miami from San Francisco International Airport Friday, according to the airline. One person sustained minor injuries while exiting that required transport to a hospital, the airline said.

Suspect held with bodies in suitcases at UK bridge: UK police on Saturday arrested a man after two suitcases believed to contain the remains of two men were dumped on a famous bridge. The suitcases were discovered Wednesday after police got a report of a man behaving suspiciously on the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol.

Italian police free 33 Indian farm labourers from ‘slavery’

Rome: Italian police said on Saturday they had freed 33 Indian farm labourers from slave-like working conditions in the northern Verona province and seized almost $545,300 from their two alleged abusers. Labour exploitation is in the spotlight in Italy following an accident in June in which an Indian fruit picker died after his arm was severed by machinery.

In the latest case, police said the alleged gang-masters, also from India, brought fellow nationals to Italy on seasonal work permits, asking them to pay 17,000 euros ($18,564) each and promising them a better future.

The migrants were given farm jobs, working seven days a week and 10-12 hours a day for just 4 euros per hour, which was entirely docked from them until they settled all their debts, police said, describing the migrants’ treatment as “slavery”.

Some were asked to continue working for free to pay an additional 13,000 euros for a permanent work permit “which, in reality, would have never been given to them,” the police statement said.

The alleged abusers were charged with crimes connected to slavery and labour exploitation, while the victims will be offered protection, work opportunities and legal residency papers, the police said.

REUTERS

China blasts US after Biden signs bill enhancing support for Tibet

US PLACES VISA CURBS ON SOME CHINESE OFFICIALS: The Biden administration Friday imposed visa restrictions on some Chinese officials for “repression of marginalized religious and ethnic communities,” without identifying the officials or giving details. Beijing sanctioned six US firms for involvement in an arms sale to Taiwan –– their China-based assets would be frozen and some executives denied entry. BLOOMBERG

China expressed strong opposition on Saturday to a US law signed by President Joe Biden that presses Beijing to resolve a dispute over Tibet’s demands for greater autonomy, vowing to “firmly defend” its interests.

Biden signed into law on Friday the Tibet Dispute Act, which seeks to push Beijing to hold talks with Tibetan leaders, stalled since 2010, to secure a negotiated agreement on the Himalayan region and spur China to address the Tibetan people’s aspirations on their historical, cultural, religious and linguistic identity.

The law “grossly interferes in China’s domestic affairs, undermines China’s interests, and sends a severely wrong signal to the ‘Tibet independence’ forces,” China’s foreign ministry said. “The US must not implement the Act.”

Although Washington recognises Tibet as a part of China, the law appears to question that position, analysts say.

REUTERS

Oli meets ally; new Nepal govt likely to be sworn in Monday

Kathmandu: K P Sharma Oli, set to become Nepal’s new Prime Minister, on Saturday held consultations with his alliance partner Nepali Congress in preparing the list of ministers to be inducted into the new coalition govt that is likely to be sworn in on Monday.

President Ram Chandra Paudel is expected to appoint Oli, 72, as the new prime minister of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) -Nepali Congress (NC) coalition on Sunday. “However, the President is likely to administer the oath to the new PM and other members of the cabinet on Monday morning,” said sources close to the NC and UML. A small cabinet is likely to be announced on Monday before the oath-taking ceremony begins.

Amid political turmoil in the Himalayan nation, CPNUML chairman Oli, 72, is set to become prime minister once again after incumbent Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ on Friday failed to win a trust vote in Parliament.

Out of a total of 21 ministries, the Nepali Congress will get nine and the UML eight plus the post of Prime Minister, a source close to Oli said. “Key positions such as home, foreign, finance and energy will be divided between NC and UML. Nepali Congress is likely to get the portfolio of home while finance will go to the UML,” the source said.

PTI

Body of Indian swept away in mudslide found

Kathmandu: Rescuers in Nepal on Saturday recovered the body of a 40-year-old Indian national working in this country, the first from two buses that were swept by a mudslide into a rain-swollen river with more than 50 passengers a day earlier. The two buses carrying 54 passengers, including seven Indians, went missing in the Trishuli River in the landslides at the Simaltal area along the Narayanghat-Mugling road in Chitwan district on Friday. Three people swam to safety later. The first body from the buses has been recovered from 50 km from the accident site. The deceased was identified as Rishi Pal Shahi from India, police said. Other missing Indians are Santosh Thakur, Surendra Sah, Adit Miyaan, Sunil, Shahnawaj Alam, and Ansari.

PTI

Ray Kurzweil says humanity well on course to merge with AI

‘S’ FOR SINGULARITY: Kurzweil

Sitting near a window inside Boston’s Four Seasons Hotel, Ray Kurzweil held up a sheet of paper showing the steady growth in the amount of raw computer power that a dollar could buy over the last 85 years. A neon green line rose steadily across the page, climbing like fireworks in the night sky.

That diagonal line, he said, showed why humanity was just 20 years away from the Singularity, a long hypothesized moment when people will merge with artificial intelligence and augment themselves with millions of times more computational power than their biological brains now provide. “If you create something that is thousands of times — or millions of times — more powerful than the brain, we can’t anticipate what it is going to do,” he said, wearing multi coloured su- spenders and a Mickey Mouse watch he bought at Disney World in the early 1980s.

Kurzweil, a renowned inventor and futurist who built a career on predictions that defy conventional wisdom, made the same claim in his 2005 book, “The Singularity Is Near.” After the arrival of AI technologies like ChatGPT and recent efforts to implant computer chips inside people’s heads, he believes the time is right to restate his claim. Last week, he published a sequel: “The Singularity Is Nearer.”

Now that Kurzweil is 76 years old and is moving a lot slower than he used to, his predictions carry an added edge. He has long said he plans to experience the Singularity, merge with AI and, in this way, live indefinitely. But if the Singularity arrives in 2045, as he claims it will, there is no guarantee he will be alive to see it. “Even a healthy 20-year-old could die tomorrow,” he said.

But his prediction is not quite as outlandish as it seemed in 2005. The success of the chatbot ChatGPT and similar technologies has encouraged many to make extravagant predictions about the future of AI and how it will alter the course of humanity.

Many skeptics warn that extravagant predictions about artificial intelligence may crumble as the industry struggles with the limits of the raw materials needed to build AI, including electrical power, digital data, mathematics and computing capacity.

The big leap, of course, is imagining how human consciousness would merge with a machine, and people like Kurzweil struggle to explain how exactly this would happen.

Born in New York City, Kurzweil began program- ming computers as a teenager, when computers were roomsize machines. In 1965, as a 17-year-old, he appeared on the CBS television show “I’ve Got a Secret,” performing a piano piece composed by a computer that he designed.

While still a student at Martin Van Buren High School in Queens, he exchanged letters with Marvin Minsky, one of the computer scientists who founded the field of artificial intelligence at a conference in the mid-1950s. He soon enrolled at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study under Minsky.

AI began to rapidly improve in the 2010s as a group of researchers at the University of Toronto explored a technology called a neural network. This mathematical system could learn skills by analysing vast amounts of data. By analysing thousands of cat photos, it could learn to identify a cat.

Geoffrey Hinton, the University of Toronto professor who helped develop neural network technology and may be more responsible for its success than any other researcher, once dismissed Kurzweil’s prediction that machines would exceed human intelligence before the end of this decade. Now, he believes it was insightful. “His prediction no longer looks so silly,” said Hinton, who until recently worked at Google, where Kurzweil has led a research team since 2012.

Hinton is among the AI researchers who believe that the technologies driving chatbots like ChatGPT could become dangerous — perhaps even destroy humanity.

But Kurzweil is optimistic. He has long predicted that advances in AI and nanotechnology, which could alter the microscopic mechanisms that control the way our bodies behave and the diseases that afflict them, will push back against the inevitability of death. Soon, he said, these technologies will extend lives at a faster rate than people age, eventually reaching an “escape velocity” that allows people to extend their lives indefinitely. “By the early 2030s, we won’t die because of aging,” he said.

NYT

Boeing begins flying 777-9 in path to certification

Boeing has started conducting flight trials of its 777-9 aircraft with US regulators on board, achieving a milestone toward certifying its jumbo airliner after years of setbacks. The company announced that it took the initial test flight late Friday with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) personnel. Achieving socalled Type Inspection Authorization marks the start of certification flight testing. The FAA declined to comment, but noted “safety always drives the timeline.” “Generally this kind of thorough process takes many months,” the regulator said in a statement.

BLOOMBERG

A labour crunch awaits Starmer plan to spur UK housebuilding

Vacancies per job are still above pre-Covid levels in areas like gas, construction, electricity, education

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s promise to “get Britain building again” will quickly face a shortage of skilled workers in the very industries he’s hoping will power the turnaround –– the UK is facing a supply crunch of builders, solar-panel installers and engineers, raising questions about who will carry out PM’s mission to expand clean power and build 1.5 million homes in five years.

While the Labour Party has pledged to expand training in key sectors, the scale of the shortages suggest they will slow early efforts to ramp up activity in those sectors.

The UK needs 400,000 workers to meet its net zero targets, 30% more than the oil and-gas sector staff available to fill those roles, according to a PwC analysis. Construction workforce too has declined about 14% in five years.

Green jobs cover a wide range of sectors associated with industries that will help shift the economy away from fossil fuels. Those include wind and solar installations, heat pumps, carbon capture and storage, battery technologies. More broadly defined it can also include project developers and people who manage planning permission.

UK businesses in these sectors warn they’re already struggling to find staff as they were particularly badly hit by a mix of Brexit, higher inactivity rates, and a lack of training opportunities.

BLOOMBERG

‘Rust’ case against Baldwin dismissed

Actor Alec Baldwin reacts after the judge threw out the involuntary manslaughter case

A judge in New Mexico dismissed the case against Alec Baldwin on Friday after finding that the state had withheld evidence that could have shed light on how live rounds got onto a film set where the cinematographer was fatally shot.

The dismissal was with prejudice, meaning that the prosecution of Baldwin is over. If he had been convicted of involuntary manslaughter, Baldwin would have faced up to 18 months in prison. “There is no way for the court to right this wrong,” Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said in court as Baldwin wept. Baldwin was rehearsing with a gun on the “Rust” film set in 2021 when it fired a live round, killing Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer. Baldwin was told the gun was “cold,” with no live ammunition.

NYT

Times Sport

- Djokovic says Kyrgios hinted at a return at the US Open

- BARBORA IN DREAM LAND

- Dutch rower makes it to Paris Oly 2 yrs after nearly losing her life in a crash

- Raja bags silver in La Plagne Open

- Novak Djokovic eyes Court’s record on Centre Court

- GALLERY

- JAISWAL & GILL TURN IT ON

- ICC members raise concerns over ‘mismanaged’ T20 WC

- Delhi Capitals part ways with Ponting

- LAST DANCE

- Argentina seek ‘triple crown’ but Colombia aim for upset in final

- CLASSIC CLASHES

- KEY BATTLES

- Shubhankar makes cut at Scottish Open

Djokovic says Kyrgios hinted at a return at the US Open

London: No one knows for sure when 2022 Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios will return to competition after nearly two years away from the tour because of injuries. But perhaps Kyrgios dropped a hint to Novak Djokovic while the two were practising this week at the All England Club.

“He hit a really good serve, and he said, Well, I might come back a t the US Open.' So I don’t know if he was joking about it or not,” Djokovic said after winning his semifinal on Friday. “But let me tell you, he's hitting the ball as good as ever, really.”

Kyrgios, a 29-year-old Australian, lost to Djokovic in the Wimbledon final two years ago, before knee and wrist problems sidelined him. Kyrgios has played just one official singles match since October 2022. He has been doing TV commentary during Wimbledon. The US Open starts in late Aug.

“Yeah, I think that the return is near, but it's hard to say, really, because (it's) one thing ... really practising for like an hour or two, but completely something different when you are out there on the tour playing in a tournament where you have to come back every single day — maybe for four, five, six days in a row," Djokovic said. "I guess he will also not know if his wrist will react well until he actually plays a tournament.”

AP

BARBORA IN DREAM LAND

Krejcikova Beats Paolini To Win Wimbledon In Ode To Her Idol & Mentor Jana Novotna

WALK OF FAME: Barbora Krejcikova celebrates her win on Saturday

Prajwal.Hegde@timesofindia.com

London: Barbora Krejcikova blew a kiss at the blue sky, in the direction of her mentor perhaps, the 1998 Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna.

After nearly two-hours on Centre Court, sealing a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 win over tennis’ tall story Jasmine Paolini, the 28-year-old Czech, whose play sparked the grass with 28-winners, laid bare the turning point of her tennis journey.

A little over a decade ago, Krejcikova, a top-ranked junior, knocked on Novotna’s door. She had written a letter to the legend, narrating her dilemma. Should she pursue tennis and turn pro or should she go with academics?

“Going to Jana, knocking on her door, giving her the letter, changed my life,” she said, awash in the light of the evening sun, holding the glittering Venus Rosewater Dish. “In that period, when I finished juniors, I didn’t know what I should do, Jana told me I have the potential and that I should definitely turn pro. Before she passed away, she told me to go and win a Grand Slam, I achieved that (2021), it was an unbelievable moment for me.”

“I never really dreamed that I would win the same trophy as Jana did in 1998,” she said. “Here I am, standing with it. It’s an amazing moment.”

Krejcikova, who closed out the match on her third Championship point, is richer by £2.7 million.

“I think nobody really believes it. That I got to the final and won Wimbledon. I mean, I still cannot believe it. It’s unbelievable. I mean just two weeks ago I started here. I had a very tough first match, 3-hours and 15-minutes (against Veronika Kudermetova). And I wasn’t really in good shape before that because I was injured and ill and I didn’t really have a good beginning of the season. It’s unbelievable now to be standing here, I have worked extremely hard for it .”

Krejcikova, who came into the tournament, ranked 32 in the world, will return to the top-10 of the rankings on Monday.

“It’s unreal what just happened. It’s definitely the best day of my tennis career and also the best day of my life,” she said. “I mean it’s super diffi- cult to explain what I’m feeling right now.”

When Krejcikova left the court, carrying the Venus Rosewater Dish, she stopped before the Honors Board, where her name was already up. Deborah Jevans, a former pro, and chair of The All England Lawn Tennis Club, pointed out Novotna’s name. That’s when the dam burst, Krejcikova sobbed, as much for the loss of her mentor, who succumbed to cancer in 2017, as for her own journey.

Paolini, a second successive runner-up finish in majors, went toe-to-toe with Krejcikova in the decider, but fumbled in the seventh game, giving it away with a double fault. “I’m a little bit sad today,” Paolini said. “I try to keep smiling because I have to remember that today is still a good day. I did a final, I was watching Wimbledon on TV as a kid, watching the finals, cheering for Roger Federer, but to be here right now, is crazy.”

Dutch rower makes it to Paris Oly 2 yrs after nearly losing her life in a crash

(File photo): From left, Marloes Oldenburg, Hermine Drenth, Tinka Offereins and Benthe Boonstra celebrate taking second place in the women’s Four Final at the 2024 World Rowing Cup in Rotsee in May

Two years ago, doctors were by the hospital bed of Dutch rower Marloes Oldenburg asking if she wanted to donate her organs in case the risky surgery they were about to perform on her didn’t go well. She had just been airlifted to a hospital with her back broken into multiple places following a nasty bicycle crash during a trip to celebrate the silver medals she had won at the world championships a week earlier.

Doctors didn’t know if Oldenburg would survive, or even walk again, so rowing wasn’t really a priority at the time. About 12 weeks later, Oldenburg was back training. And in less than a month, she will be rowing again at the Paris Olympics — still carrying the pins that were inserted under the skin of her neck, and still unable to turn her head sideways because of the surgery that saved her life and changed her perspective on sports.

“It sounds a bit weird when you are 36, but I’m really happy I’m alive. If you’ve been so close to death, you have to appreciate a lot,” she said. “My goal really changed. Beforehand, it was: ‘I need to go to the Olympics, I need to get a medal.’ And now it’s more like: ‘I’m going to the Olympics. How cool!’"

Oldenburg had to learn how to swim again before getting back in a boat, but quickly got up to speed and will arrive in France as one of the medal favorites with the Dutch team in the coxless four event. “It went really fast,” she said. “ My teammates picked me up, they supported me. After six months we got bronze at the European (championships). And after 10 months, we became world champions. It was insane."

Oldenburg landed on top of her head after her bicycle flipped over while she went across a tiny bridge on a mountain biking route in the Netherlands. She broke the first vertebrae and damaged a main artery in the neck during the fall.

AP

Raja bags silver in La Plagne Open

La Plagne: Indian Grandmaster Raja Rithvik bagged the silver medal while compatriot Panneerselvam Iniyan took home the bronze in the La Plagne Open here. Rithvik clinched silver through tiebreaker after he was tied for second place with other players such as Iniyan, GM Prraneeth Vuppala, and IM Dhulipalla Bala Chandra Prasad.

All of them had logged seven points from nine matches in the event held here between July 6 and 12. Iniyan was seeded sixth in the competition. French GM Jules Moussard secured gold.

PTI

Novak Djokovic eyes Court’s record on Centre Court

7-Time Champ Ready To Spoil Spaniard Alcaraz’s Plans For Super Sunday

ALCARAZ

Prajwal.Hegde@timesofindia.com

London: When Novak Djokovic steps on Centre Court on Sunday afternoon it will be 38 days since his right knee went under the knife in a Paris hospital.

At the time, the reasoning behind the express decision appeared to be the Olympic Games. Wimbledon may not have been on his radar at first, but then The Championships was never really off the seven-time champion’s mind either. Playing at SW19 this fortnight, is the miracle on a knee sleeve.

The 37-year-old will take on the effervescent Carlos Alcaraz in what will be the Serbian’s 37th Grand Slam final and the tenth here at Church Road. It’s a rematch of last year’s final, with Djokovic looking for a historic 25th major title and Alcaraz a second Wimbledon crown and fourth major.

“I’m aware that Roger (Federer) holds eight Wimbledons. I hold seven. History is on the line. Also, the potential 25th Grand Slam,” said Djokovic, owning the moment. “It is great motivation, but at the same time, it’s a lot of pressure. Every time I step on the court now, even though I’m 37 and competing with the 21-year-olds, I still expect myself to win, and people expect me to win.”

Djokovic, who reached the semifinals at the Australian Open and the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, is in his first final of the year. “This year hasn’t been that successful for me. It’s probably the weakest results in the first six months I’ve had in many years. I had to really try to find a way, also I had to regroup from the injury,” he said. “There have been seasons where I wasn’t playing at a desired level, but then I would win Wimbledon and then things would change. Wimbledon brings the best out of me and motivates me to really always show up and perform the best I can.”

It is the grass on which his game grows. Djokovic, who has been meticulously following medical guidance in his return to competition, wasn’t sure he would play Wimbledon until three-four days before the start of The Championships. Lorenzo Musetti, who finished on the wrong side of the scoreline against the world No.2 in the semifinals, said it was the best Djokovic had played against him in their seven meet- ings.

Alcaraz, who trails the Serbian 2-3 in head-to-head clashes, having lost both matches he played against Djokovic after Wimbledon last year, knows what to expect in the final. “I know how it’s going to feel playing against Djokovic,” the 21-year-old Spaniard said. “I know what I have to do. I’m sure he knows what he has to do to beat me. It’s going to be an interesting one.”

Djokovic applauded Alcaraz’ coming of age on grass so early, given that it’s not a surface Spanish players grow up on. “I see a lot of similarities between me and him in terms of ability to adapt and adjust to the surface. He has the skills to play well on any surface,” Djokovic said, adding, “he’s a complete player.”

“I think he’s going to win many Grand Slams in his career,” Djokovic said of Alcaraz. “I hope he’s going to give me this one in two days… After that I’ll cheer for him.”

MEN’S FINAL FACE-OFF

NOVAK DJOKOVIC VS CARLOS ALCARAZ

HEAD-TO-HEAD:

Djokovic leads 3-2

In their last match, on Nov 18, 2023, Djokovic won 6-3, 6-2.

In 136 total games (not matches or sets) against one another, Djokovic has won 77, while Alcaraz has won 59.

DJOKOVIC

GALLERY

PCB’s no to Naseem to feature in The Hundred

Lahore: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided not to grant pacer Naseem Shah the No Objection Certificate (NOC) to play in The Hundred under workload management, sources told Geo News. The sources informed Geo News that after reviewing the application submitted by the Pakistan cricketer, the decision to deny the NOC has been taken as a preventive measure.

Jhulan joins Trinbago Knight Riders as mentor ahead of women’s CPL: Former India pacer Jhulan Goswami has joined Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) as a mentor ahead of the women's Caribbean Premier League. She will be seen in the role of mentor to a team led by star allrounder Deandra Dottin, who captained TKR Women to the championship title in the inaugural season of WCPL in 2021.

Australia’s Hull races to world record in rarely-contested 2000m: Jessica Hull of Australia blazed to a world record in the women’s 2000 metres at the Monaco Diamond League meet on Friday, making a stunning statement ahead of the Paris Olympics as trackside fireworks exploded during her final powerful strides.

Anahat, Tiana enter 3rd round of World Junior squash: Young Anahat Singh has stormed into the girls’ third round of the World Junior Squash Championships in Houston. The 16-year-old women’s national champion, seeded 5/8, on Friday eased past South African Dene Van Zyl 11-3 11-2 11-6 in the second round following a first-round bye. Tiana Parasrampuria (17/32) also advanced to the third round with a 14-12 11-5 11-5 win over Emma Merson of New Zealand.

Helios fancied: Helios should win the Be Safe Cup at the Bangalore races on Sunday. Selections: 1st race: Amazing Stride 1, Nyx 2, Ranquelino 3. 2nd race: Super Kind 1, Lauterbrunnen 2, Sand Castles 3. 3rd race: Jade 1, Galahad 2, Golden Peaks 3. 4th race: General Patton 1, Measure of Time 2, Oxytocin 3. 5th race: Jersey King 1, Invincible 2.

AGENCIES/TNN

ACTION TODAY

CRICKET: India vs Zimbabwe, 5th T20I, 4 pm (Sony Sports);

CYCLING: Tour De France, Stage 15, 7.30 pm (Eurosport)

FOOTBALL: Euro 2024, Final, 12.30 am Monday (Sony Sports);

TENNIS: Wimbledon, Men's Final, 6.30 pm (Star Sports)

JAISWAL & GILL TURN IT ON

Opening Pair Knocks Off 153-Run Target As India Clinch Series In 4th T20I

DOMINANT: Yashasvi Jaiswal en route his unbeaten 93 off 53 on Saturday

Harare: Yashasvi Jaiswal’s flair was complemented by skipper Shubman Gill’s poise as young Indian team cantered to a 10-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the fourth T20 International, taking an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.

This is the second time that India beat Zimbabwe by 10 wickets after a similar-margin win at the same venue in 2016. Jaiswal and Gill’s approach was in complete contrast as the Mumbai southpaw went hammer and tongs during his unbeaten 93-run knock while the skipper (58 not out) was ready to play the second fiddle in a chase of 153 which was completed in 15.2 overs.

The target was made to look way easier than it should have been on a track that had good bounce and carry.

Jaiswal, who had to sit out during the T20 World Cup campaign hardly looked rusty, playing shots all around the wicket. The thumping bowler’s back-drive off rival skipper Sikandar Raza was delightful and equally stylish was the pick-up pull off Richard Ngarava for a six.

The lack of pace in Zimbabwean attack on a good wicket became home team’s undoing as the dominant Jaiswal had reached his half-century with nine boundaries when the skipper was yet to reach 15.

There was no way that Zimbabwe could have stopped the run-feast as towards the end, the bigger interest was whether the two flag bearers of Indian batting into the next decade could reach their individual milestones of half-century and century.

It was Gill, who got his fifty and that didn’t leave Jaiswal with enough runs to complete his hundred.

Earlier India’s part-time bowlers Shivam Dube and Abhishek Sharma performed commendably in the middle overs to restrict Zimbabwe to a manageable 152 for seven after being put into bat by Gill.

Raza smashed 46 off 28 balls but India’s fifth bowler Abhishek (1/20 in 3 overs) and sixth option Dube (1/11 in 2 overs) produced a decent effort to keep the proceedings under control.

They removed the dangerous-looking opening duo of Wesley Madhevere (25 off 24 balls) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (32 off 31 balls) to put brakes in the middle overs.

However Raza with three sixes and two fours was the reason that Zimbabwe reached 150-plus target with almost all the Indian bowlers, save leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, entering their names in the wickets column. Medium fast bowler Tushar Deshpande (1/30 in 3 overs) was handed a debut cap but in his first spell he flattered to deceive, either pitching it too full or bowling too short.

More often than not he drifted on the pads allowing both openers Madhevere and Marumani to pick up easy boundaries.

Deshpande would feel good that he could get rid of Raza with a slower delivery in the slog overs to prevent Zimbabwe from surpassing 170 which would have been par on this track.

Zimbabwe’s best opening stand for the series in the first three games was 9 but Madhevere and Marumani added 63 in a solid stand even if it was not exactly spectacular. PTI

Brief scores: India 156/0 (Jaiswal 93*, Gill 58*) beat Zimbabwe 152/7 (Raza 46, Marumani 32, Khaleel 2-32, Dube 1-11) by ten wickets

ICC members raise concerns over ‘mismanaged’ T20 WC

Arani.Basu@timesofindia.com

New Delhi: The International Cricket Council (ICC) is going to audit the recently-concluded T20 World Cup at its next board meeting in Colombo next week. TOI has learnt that the board members have expressed disappointment over how the tournament was organized in USA and West Indies. Amidst these concerns, ICC’s head of events Chris Tetley tendered his resignation on Friday.

Sources said that some member boards have written to ICC about the huge expenses incurred during the USA leg of the tournament. There are questions also over why New York, which organized a temporary stadium for the tournament, had become the central venue for the marquee matches in the first half of the tournament.

“The auditing is still on. There are assumptions that ICC may have incurred losses in ticketing as well in the USA leg. The tournament looked mismanaged. The performance of the New York stadium wasn’t up to the mark,” an ICC source told TOI. “The board will discuss how the organizing committee may have overshot the allocated budget. It was always going to be a herculean task to take mainstream cricket to USA. The ICC team has worked hard to conduct the tournament but expenses need to be checked at the same time,” the source added.

As far Tetley’s resignation, sources said that Tetley had discussing it with ICC bosses for a year. “There are back-to-back ICC events which started with the ODI World Cup last year. Tetley and another executive were asked to stay on for a while to oversee a smooth transition. They may be asked to stay on till the Women’s T20 World Cup in Oct or the Champions Trophy in Feb. That call will be taken in ICC’s board meeting,” the source said.

Delhi Capitals part ways with Ponting

New Delhi: Delhi Capitals on Saturday parted ways with head coach Ricky Ponting after seven unsuccessful years in their quest for an elusive IPL silverware, the franchise announced on social media.

While it is still early days, there is every possibility that Sourav Ganguly, the current Team Director of DC, could double up as the head coach next season.

“As you move on as our head coach, we are finding it incredibly difficult to put it down in words. The four things that you told us about in every huddle -care, commitment, attitude and effort, they sum up our seven years together,” DC posted on their official ‘X’ handle.

While the franchise waxed eloquent in that emotional post about their long association with the Australian, it is learnt that Ponting was told in no uncertain terms that his performance hasn’t pleased the management after being given seven years -unheard of at franchise level without results.

Ponting, a two-time World Cup winning captain of Australia, came on board in 2019 and while the team reached its maiden final in 2021, the performance in the following years have not matched that early promise.

PTI

THE FINAL SPAIN VS ENGLAND

LAST DANCE

One is the best team swinging towards sweet success. The other’s a survivor, limping to the end with resilience...

Berlin: Spain go into Sunday’s Euro 2024 final as slight favourites over England after not only being the most attractive team to watch at the tournament but having won every match they have played.

The Spaniards have emerged as a team that can quickly adapt their strategy to their opponents without giving up their direct attacking game in favour of a results-based performance.

They outsmarted France in the semifinals despite falling a goal behind and it took them just five minutes to score twice to take the lead with their relentless pressing game and vertical passing that forced the French to resort to long balls.

With Rodri as their midfield dynamo, the battle in the centre of the pitch is expected to play a key role in the outcome. “We have Rodri, who is a perfect computer, he administers everything, the emotions, all the moments in a magisterial way that’s a great help for everyone,” said Spain coach Luis De la Fuente England will have to wrestle possession from Spain, who also have the outstanding Fabian Ruiz in midfield, a player who for many is already the player of the tournament.

With lightning wingers Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal ripping up defences and able to score and provide assists, England’s fullbacks will have their hands full.

Yamal turned 17 on Saturday. “I’ve told my mum that if we win I don’t want any presents, I just want to celebrate in Madrid with my mates,” Lamine, as he prefers to be called, said in an interview with Spain’s Marca outlet on Saturday. He has been highly influential for Spain in Germany as the player with most assists (3), key passes (16) and clear chances created (6).

A second successive Euro final for England and coach Gareth Southgate is no mean feat even though they had to endure weeks of criticism, especially in the group phase, for lacklustre performances and with little punching power up front. England’s defence, however, has remained solid and with the pace of John Stones and Kyle Walker, when they do get exposed, they have proved adept at scrambling recoveries.

The 74.9km Declan Rice has covered in 10 hours of football is more than any other player at Euro 2024 and underlines his contribution, with England looking to Rice to drive the team forward from his role in the centre, setting the tempo and bringing a physicality to the game that might unsettle Spain. “On Sunday, all of us will run through brick walls, do anything to win this game. Whether that’s in 90 minutes, 120, we’ll give it absolutely everything. That’s all we can ask of each other,” said Rice.

REUTERS

SPAIN: Unai Simon (23); Dani Carvajal (2), Nacho (4), Aymeric Laporte (14), Marc Cucurella (24); Rodri (16), Fabian Ruiz (8); Lamine Yamal (19), Dani Olmo (10), Nico Williams (17); Alvaro Morata (7)

ENGLAND: Jordan Pickford (1); Kyle Walker (2), John Stones (5), Marc Guehi (6); Bukayo Saka (7), Kobbie Mainoo (26), Declan Rice (4), Luke Shaw (3); Jude Bellingham (10), Phil Foden (11); Harry Kane (9)

STEADY SOUTHGATE

Appointed: Nov 30, 2016

After reaching a Euro final as well as a World Cup quarter-final and semi-final in his three previous major tournaments in charge, Southgate will be desperate for this to be fourth time lucky. The former centre-back will seek to get the best out of the vast amount of talent at his disposal in the title match in Berlin. England have won their group in both Euro campaigns under Southgate – as many times as they had topped their pool in their previous 8 appearances.

DIRECTOR DE LA FUENTE

Appointed: Dec 8, 2022

A likeable Basque who won the Spanish Liga as a fullback with Athletic Club, the Spain boss has the winning habit. He led Spanish national teams to Euro glory at age-group levels – Under-19s in 2015 and U21s in 2019 – and his senior team beat Italy and Croatia in winning the UEFA Nations League last summer, then ousted the same opponents again in Group B. De la Fuente has generated a stand-out atmosphere, mentality and playing style since arriving in Germany; basically, his squad love playing for him.

LAST COMPETITIVE FIXTURE

Sunday’s final will be the first meeting of the teams since late 2018, when they came together in the group stage of the inaugural UEFA Nations League. Spain won 2-1 at Wembley in September, but England gained revenge with a 3-2 success in the return in Seville just over a month later.

PENALTY SHOOTOUT RECORD

● Spain’s competitive shootout record is now W7, L6

● England’s record in 11 competitive penalty shootouts is W4, L7, with 3 wins in the last four

Argentina seek ‘triple crown’ but Colombia aim for upset in final

Messi’s Albiceleste also looking for 16th Copa America title

Miami: Argentina can become the first South American team to win the ‘triple crown’ of three straight major tournament titles if they can overcome a formidable Colombia in Sunday’s Copa America final.

Inspired by Lionel Messi, Argentina followed up their 2021 Copa America title with the World Cup triumph a year later and have advanced with little drama to this weekend’s showpiece with the Colombians.

Spain are the only other team in international football to have won a World Cup in between two straight continental titles when they clinched Euro wins in 2008 and 2012 either side of the 2010 World Cup. As well as achieving that landmark for the squad coached by Lionel Scaloni, a win would also give the ‘Albiceleste’ a record 16th Copa America title -they are currently tied with Uruguay on 15 Copa wins.

But Colombia have an impressive streak of their own, heading into what should be a fiery and passionate night at Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.

Colombia are unbeaten in 28 matches, a record for the team, and have arguably had the tougher route to the final. While Argentina took care of business against surprise package Canada in their semi, enjoying a comfortable 2-0 win in New Jersey, Colombia had to battle past Uruguay on Wednesday in Charlotte, winning 1-0 despite being down to ten men for the entire second half.

In many ways, Sunday’s is the perfect final for the tournament.

Few would dispute that the two best teams in this year’s 16-nation competition will fight for the title and there should be an electric atmosphere with both sides able to draw on support from large communities in Miami.

Argentina, ranked number one in the world by FIFA and with a team that has been together for several years, are favourites, but few expect a one-sided game. “Scaloni knows them all by heart. Argentina today have a solidity that is foolproof and they have the added bonus of having the best player in the world, which is why they are the big favourites,” said former Chile and Inter Milan striker Ivan Zamorano, who is covering the tournament is a television pundit.

But former Colombia star midfielder Carlos Valderrama believes a surprise could be on the cards. “I see Colombia winning on Sunday,” he said. “The team is unbeaten, is playing well in the Copa, with James (Rodriguez) as the best player in the tournament, so we can dream,” he added.

Colombia’s sole Copa America title came in 2001.

AFP

COLOMBIA’S DIAZ (L) AND RODRIGUEZ

CLASSIC CLASHES

Spain and England meet in the Euro 2024 final in Berlin on Sunday in what will be a rare encounter between the nations at a major tournament. Some notable past clashes:

World Cup 1950:

Esp 1 Eng 0

The first competitive meeting of Spain and England came at the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, at which they were drawn together in the same group. Both teams had won their opening match. However, while Spain then got the better of Chile, England suffered one of their most humiliating ever defeats, losing 1-0 to the USA. The clash between Spain and England in Rio de Janeiro on July 2 was therefore crucial, with the latter having to win. Spain came out on top 1-0 thanks to a goal by legendary forward Telmo Zarra. England went out, while Spain advanced to the four-team final round in which they drew with eventual champions Uruguay before losing 6-1 to Brazil and 3-1 to Sweden.

World Cup 1982:

ESP 0 Eng 0

Their encounter at the 1982 World Cup found themselves together in the second group stage, in a three-team pool alongside West Germany. The Germans had drawn with England and beaten Spain, results which meant the host nation were already eliminated from their own competition before taking on Ron Greenwood’s English side in Madrid. The match ended in a 0-0 draw, an outcome which meant England were knocked out without losing a game. West Germany were eventually defeated in the final by Italy.

Euro 1996:

ESP 0 (4) Eng 0 (2)

This matchup at Euro 96 led to one of the most iconic moments in English football history. The game at Wembley ended 0-0 after extra time, meaning a penalty shoot-out. Fernando Hierro blasted Spain’s first kick off the bar. England converted four out of four, with Stuart Pearce who had missed in their 1990 World Cup semi-final shoot-out loss to West Germany among their scorers. David Seaman’s save from Miguel Angel Nadal, uncle of tennis star Rafael, allowed England to win the shoot-out 4-2 and advance to the semis, where this time they lost on penalties to Germany with current manager Gareth Southgate missing the decisive kick.

AFP

KEY BATTLES

KANE VS LAPORTE

England skipper Harry Kane, the Bayern Munich striker, who scored 44 goals in 45 games at club level in his first season in Germany, has struggled to carry that form into the tournament. Despite appearing sluggish, Kane has still managed to score three goals to put him in a share of the lead for the Golden Boot. He also has a good record against Aymeric Laporte, who he regularly came up against during their time together in the Premier League when the Spaniard played for Man City.

SPANISH WIDTH VS ENGLISH DEFENCE

Spain’s two kings of the wing, Lamine Yamal who turned 17 on Saturday and Nico Williams have helped form the tournament’s most swashbuckling attack. TUp against them, if Gareth Southgate deploys his wing-back system, will likely be Luke Shaw on England’s left and Bukayo Saka on the right. Shaw has only just returned from a five-month injury lay-off while Saka is a natural attacker, although he has earned rave reviews for his diligent defending. Kyle Walker will need to assist.

SAKA VS CUCURELLA

It’s a good job for England’s sake Saka has seemingly limitless energy because he is also a vital component of their attack. The Arsenal winger will face off with Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella, who has been one of Spain’s revelations of the tournament despite his struggles in London over the past couple of seasons. Cucurella’s hope will be to drive him back by linking up with Williams, keeping Saka pinned in his own territory.

RODRI VS BELLINGHAM & FODEN

The next winner of the Ballon d’Or could be decided by which of Rodri or Jude Bellingham emerges victorious. A lynchpin for both Spain and Manchester City, Rodri has remarkably lost just one game in his last 79 matches for club and country. Bellingham, though, has already been on the winning side against Rodri this year when Real Madrid knocked City out of the Champions League on penalties. In his first season in Spain, Bellingham went on to lift the European Cup and La Liga, and could add the Euros just days after his 21st birthday. The toll of a long season has shown in Bellingham’s performances at times, but he kept England in the tournament. Foden was superb against the Netherlands and was unlucky not to cap a stellar performance with a goal. He knows Citymate Rodri too well and vice versa.

Shubhankar makes cut at Scottish Open

North Berwick: India’s Shubhankar Sharma squeezed inside the cut line at the Scottish Open, landing an eagle in his second round for a 2-under 68 here. Shubhankar is currently tied 63rd with a total of 3-under, where the cut fell. He had carded a 1-under 69 in the first round. Indian American Sahith Theegala, who is also getting ready for next week's Open, shot 66 despite a double bogey on Par-4 18th on his card. With 66-65 he was 9-under for a tied fifth and just three behind Swedish youngster, Ludvig Aberg, who is growing into a top star. Aberg carded a second consecutive round of 64 to take a one shot lead into the weekend.

Aditi makes cut, Diksha exits at Evian: Aditi Ashok assured herself of the cut but fellow Indian Diksha Dagar withdrew before the truncated second round on medical grounds at the Amundi Evian Championship in Evian Les Bains. Play was suspended on the day due to lightning in the area. The officials met twice to see if resumption was possible but the storm continued to intensify with heavy rain, thunder and lightning. Aditi added 1-under 70 to her first round 71 and was 1-under for 36 holes and T-44th up from overnight T-52. The second round is yet to finish.

Atwal makes cut on Kaulig Championship: Indian golfer Arjun Atwal (74-71) has made the cut in the Kaulig Companies Championship golf being played here at the Firestone Country Club. Atwal’s 1-over 71 in the second round, which included two birdies and three bogeys. He shot 4-over 74 in the first and at 5-over 145 to be tied-49th. The Kaulig meet is one of the majors on the Champions Tour for seniors above 50.

Randhawa tied 5th in Swiss Seniors golf, Jeev is T-19: India’s Jyoti Randhawa was tied fifth with 4-under 66, while Jeev Milkha Singh (68) was T-19th at Swiss Seniors Open on the Legends Tour in Europe for over 50-year-old golfers. The Indian duo has been playing well this season with Randhawa in his rookie season after winning Q-School for seniors. Randhawa had five birdies and one bogey, while Jeev had four birdies and two bogeys.

AGENCIES

Delhi Times

- The Great Indian Wedding

- THE STAGE IS SET FOR INDIA’S BEST DANCER

- BUZZ STOP

- Excited to feel this atmosphere: Rohit Sharma @ Wimbledon

- GET READY FOR A SPORTY ALL-NIGHTERGET

- Shehnaaz in the recreated version of Sajna Ve Sajna

- New smartphone with powerful AI features launched in Delhi

- Misconception that stage acting has to be 10 times larger than life: Naseer

- Aloo tikki: The perfect treat to indulge in this monsoon

- I want to go beyond playing British characters: Jason Shah

- ‘Rudraksh offers a divine solution for human problems’

- HOW TO: Monsoon-proof your curtains and furniture

- DID YOU KNOW?

- ‘Thirty students from Ladakh graduate in an initiative to empower border communities’

- ‘Robotic knee replacement helps regain mobility faster’

- Ramgarh Shekhawati: A hidden gem

- Man inﬂates 28 balloons in 3 mins using his nose

- A galaxy of stars in attendance

- MONSOON KITCHEN TIPS: STORE RIGHT AND EAT WELL

- UK’s ugliest dog joins stars on red carpet

- Producers ﬁle defamation suit against Rebel Wilson

- Baked sweet potatoes, zucchini: French fries with a healthy twist

- YOUR POV

- Sip unique cocktails at these must-visit bars

- Eddie ties the knot with model Paige Butcher

- Jenna is grateful to Winona for guiding her

- Hollywood glamour at Wimbledon

- All emotions are dialed up to 100: Tanuj on fatherhood

- When Rahul met Vidya on a ﬂight

The Great Indian Wedding

After months of pre-wedding celebrations, Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant finally tied the knot on Friday evening in a grand ceremony in Mumbai. The celebrations saw some of the biggest names from the world of Indian entertainment, business, fashion, sports, politics, along with several international celebrities in attendance.

The stunningly decorated venue resembled the city of Varanasi and beautifully blended with the theme of the wedding – India: An Eternal And Enduring Civilisation.

FAMILY BONDS: (Right) Nita Ambani’s mehendi featured the names of all her kids and grandkids; (below) Akash and Shloka with their children Prithvi and Veda, Anant, Mukesh and Nita Ambani, Isha and Anand Piramal

SITAARON KI BARAAT: A galaxy of stars attended the wedding – from international celebs like Kim and Khloe Kardashian, John Cena and Law Roach to Indian stars like Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan, the Bachchans, Rajinikanth, Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, RanbirKapoor, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Katrina Kaif, Vicky Kaushal, Ram Charan, MS Dhoni, Shahid and Mira Kapoor and Karan Johar

P8

THE STAGE IS SET FOR INDIA’S BEST DANCER

Terence Lewis, Karisma Kapoor and Geeta Kapur

Nothing beats the adrenaline rush that comes with dancing. It makes you feel happy, excited, energised and elated. Inviting viewers to experience the emotions this art form evokes, ‘Jab Dil Kare Dance Kar’ is the mantra for Sony Entertainment Television’s homegrown dance reality show, India’s Best Dancer 4.

Karisma Kapoor, who made the nation dance to her tunes, has joined the show as the new ‘Entertainment Specialist’ on the ENT Judges Panel. Bringing beauty, grace and extensive expertise to the show, her presence promises to elevate the competition alongside Geeta Kapur, who will look for ‘Newness,’ and Terence Lewis, who will rate the contestants on their ‘Technique’.

India’s Best Dancer Season 4, hosted by Jay Bhanushali and ex-contestant Aniket Chauhan, is set to deliver a captivating mix of stunning performances and expert critiques while underscoring the transformative power of dance. Don’t miss watching this new season that will entertain and inspire every Saturday and Sunday at 8 pm on Sony Entertainment Television.

BUZZ STOP

MONEY SORTED: MONEY SORTED: DIVYANKA GIVES DIVYANKA GIVES UPDATE ON ROBBERYUPDATE ON ROBBERY

Days after Divyanka Tripathi and Vivek Dahiya lost their passports and cash to a robbery in Florence, Divyanka shared an update. “Currently, our money situation is kind of sorted... We’ll be heading towards the embassy in another city today to get the emergency certificate sorted,” she wrote in an IG post on Friday.

Excited to feel this atmosphere: Rohit Sharma @ Wimbledon

Basking in his recent T20 World Cup glory, Rohit Sharma joined the league of celebrity attendees at the Wimbledon semi-final clash between Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz on Friday. “I’m just excited to feel this atmosphere,” Rohit said on his first visit to Centre Court

P12

GET READY FOR A SPORTY ALL-NIGHTERGET

Wimbledon, Euro Cup and Copa America finals: What’s your pick this Sunday?

Shourya Jha

This weekend promises to be a sports marathon again with the Wimbledon Men’s Finals, the Euro Cup final, and the Copa America final lined up back-toback. Whether you’re a tennis enthusiast, a football fanatic, or simply love the thrill of competition, this is the ultimate Sunday night and Monday dawn that you won’t want to miss.

Centre court glory

Wimbledon Men’s Finals (Sunday, 6.30pm)

The centre court is set for a Battle of Titans. Will this be a rematch of last year’s epic final between Djokovic and Alcaraz, where the latter took home the winner’s trophy? Or will Djokovic take his tally of Wimbledon wins to 8?

Championsof Europe

Euro Cup Finals (Monday, 12:30am)

It’s Spain vs England in a battle for European glory. Spain’s been on fire throughout the tournament, dismantling France 2-1 in the semis. England’s road has been tougher but they clawed their way back into game, marching to the finals with a 2-1 victory over Netherlands in the semis.

South American supremacy

Copa America (Monday, 5:30am)

Which South American team will walk away victorious? Argentina, led by Messi will look to defend their title, whereas Colombia, led by James Rodriguez, would like to make the most of their offensive skill and defensive solidity. With no official broadcaster in India, fans will have to stay tuned to updates on social media.

Shehnaaz in the recreated version of Sajna Ve Sajna

We wanted someone who hasn’t performed many special numbers to bring freshness to the recreated version (of Sajna Ve Sajna), and Shehnaaz was the perfect fit — Raaj Shaandilyaa, director

Shehnaaz Gill; (inset) a still from the Chameli song

Shehnaaz Gill, last seen in Thank You for Coming, has been brought on board for a special number in Triptii Dimri and Rajkummar Rao’s Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video. She will dance to the recreated version of Sajna Ve Sajna from Chameli (2003). The actress-singer finished shooting the song a couple of days ago.

Director Raaj Shaandilyaa says, “We wanted someone who has not performed many special numbers to bring freshness to the recreated version, and Shehnaaz has done complete justice to it. Rajkummar will also make a brief appearance in it. I make films with family audiences in mind, and Shehnaaz is a perfect choice for the song because they love her. The redux version comes at a crucial juncture in the movie and takes the narrative forward.” The film will include a few more recreated versions of popular songs.

— Neha Maheshwri

LAUNCH PAD

New smartphone with powerful AI features launched in Delhi

The experience zone

Gear up for an enhanced smartphone user experience. At a grand event in Delhi on Friday, OPPO India introduced its Gen-AI-driven OPPO Reno12 5G Series. With robust durability and sleek aesthetics, the brand says that it is poised to become your everyday AI companion.

Speaking at the launch Peter Dohyung Lee, Head of Product Strategy, OPPO, said, “The Reno12 series marks a milestone for the brand as we pledge to accelerate AI phone adoption. The series, showcases the brand’s advanced GenAI capabilities, futuristic fluid design, and unparalleled energy efficiency, reflecting our commitment to cutting-edge technology. We envision that AI will make mobile devices more personalised and intuitive to not only enhance smartphone capabilities but also transform the way users interact with their devices.”

A representative from the brand said, “To simplify photo editing and achieve pro-grade results, the new series employs artificial intelligence-based features such as AI Best Face, AI Eraser 2.0, AI Studio, AI Clear Face, and AI Smart Image Matting 2.0. The series offers SGS for Premium Performance 5 Stars Multi-scene protection. It also introduces a Quad-Micro Curved Infinite View screen with Corning Gorilla Glass for enhanced durability.” Designed as an everyday AI companion, the phone enhances user productivity with the built-in AI Toolbox. “It utilizes tools like AI Writer, AI Summary, and AI Speak, designed to make tedious tasks easier and quicker. OPPO’s proprietary AI LinkBoost technology with TÜV Rheinland certification ensures enhanced connectivity and user experience. The series is powered by the 4nm MediaTek Dimensity 7300-Energy SoC that delivers high performance and features a large 5000mAh battery with 80W SUPERVOOC™ fast charging, promising four years of battery durability. Check out the device to upscale your everyday smartphone experience,” says the team.

Peter Dohyung Lee

Arun Prabhudesai checks out the phone

A close-up shot of the new phone

Misconception that stage acting has to be 10 times larger than life: Naseer

It is wrong that, at a distance, you don’t understand what the actor is trying to do on stage. If what he is doing is true, you will get it even from the distance

Naseeruddin Shah

Naseeruddin Shah is one of those rare actors who returned to the stage after making a mark in cinema. Talking about how the craft of acting is perceived in films and on stage, at a recent event, he said, “Filmi people have one word – attitude – and theatre people have one word – filmi. It means bad acting. It’s a nonsensical belief of theatre that stage acting has to be done 10 times larger than life if you have to reach the person in the last row. If you are aiming at the person in the last row, what about the person in the first row? He is going to go deaf! You have to find a technique where everybody receives the emotional content.”

He elaborated, “I can justify this. The first time I watched Dr Shriram Lagoo on the stage – and I can say that he is the greatest actor in the world I’ve seen on the stage – I was sitting on the balcony in the last row and could hear every word he said. I didn’t need to go into close-up. It is wrong that, at a distance, you don’t understand what the actor is trying to do. If what he is doing is true, you will get it even from the distance.”

— Debarati S Sen

Aloo tikki: The perfect treat to indulge in this monsoon

As the monsoon clouds gather, imagine this – the cool monsoon breeze outside your window, a cosy corner in your home and a plate of steaming hot Amul Aloo Tikki. During monsoon, savouring warm, fried food is sure to tantalise your taste buds. The brand’s aloo tikki is a blend of mashed potatoes and traditional Indian spices. Deep-fried to golden perfection, it can be served with tangy ketchup.

This ready-to-make snack is made with the finest potatoes from north Gujarat. Known for its delicious taste and natural goodness, it is free from artificial flavours and colours. Each tikki is a delectable treat and perfectly sized to delight your palate. The crispy layer on the outside and the soft, flavourful inside make every mouthful a delicious experience.

As the aroma of select condiments and spices fills the air, enjoy the simple pleasure of comfort food that warms your heart. Turn rainy days into a delightful experience with a plate of aloo tikkis and let the monsoon be an excuse to indulge in this tasty treat.

Known for its delicious taste and natural goodness, it is free from artificial flavours and colours. Each tikki is a delectable treat and perfectly sized to delight your palate. The crispy layer on the outside and the soft, flavourful inside make every mouthful a delicious experience.

I want to go beyond playing British characters: Jason Shah

India has always been a part of me. I was born in Mumbai and brought up here. I speak Hindi well and hope to bag good roles across mediums

Jason Shah

Jason Shah has been a part of showbiz for almost eight years now, but he has mostly played a British officer from the pre-Independence era in Hindi movies or TV shows. Ask him about his choice of roles and the actor says, “I guess it has got to do with my looks. Of course, I want to convey to directors that I can play varied characters. Most of my friends from America tell me, ‘You’re wasting time in India. You could have done so much work here.’ But India has always been a part of me. I was born and raised here.”

Jason’s mother is British while his father is a Gujarati from Kachchh. “I was born in Mumbai and brought up here and I speak Hindi well. I hope to bag good roles across mediums and go beyond just playing British characters,” says Jason, who was recently seen in Heeramandi.

The actor, who was a part of Bigg Boss 10 as a wild-card entry a few years ago, shares, “I never really wanted to do Bigg Boss. It was a last-minute decision. I fell ill and was literally carried to the hospital. After that, I wasn’t comfortable going back on the show.” — Vinay MR Mishra

‘Rudraksh offers a divine solution for human problems’

12 mukhi rudraksh

It is believed that wearing rudraksh helps reduce problems in life. A representative from Rudrashaktii’s management team says, “We believe that If there is a problem, there has to be a solution. In fact, the anecdote of the very origin of rudraksh says that they have originated from the teardrops of the Lord Shiva with the purpose of minimising human miseries.”

The representative adds, “Rudraksh is the most precious gift from Mother Nature, with the divine blessings of Lord Shiva. ‘Rudra’ meaning Lord Shiva and ‘aksh’ meaning teardrops. Rudraksh has been worn for thousands of years hence it is believed to be one of the most time-tested solution available even in the present age. There is a lot of curiosity among people about rudraksh. However, due to lack of awareness there are also a lot of myths about it.”

The team further adds, “Rudr aksh suggested on the basis of date of birth is found to be very effective. What differentiates one individual from the other is his destiny, which is reflected in his or her date of birth. Our 16 years of enriched experience in offering solutions to individuals by suggesting a suitable rudraksh combination has benefited thousands of people around the country. The recommendation based on the date of birth is free. To find more about rudraksh benefits, visit our exhibition cum sale.”

Address: Lok Kala Manch, 20, Lodhi Road, Behind Saibaba Mandir, Gokalpuri, Lodhi Colony,

Date: 13 to 17 July

Timing: 11am to 8pm

Website: www.rudrashaktii.com

Contact: 9833479693

Disclaimer: The views/suggestions/opinions expressed in the article are the sole responsibility of the experts.

Gaurishankar rudraksh

HOW TO: Monsoon-proof your curtains and furniture

USE WATERPROOF LININGS

Consider using curtain liners or backing made from waterproof materials. These can be attached to your existing curtains to provide an extra layer of protection.

TIEBACKS AND HOOKS

Use tiebacks or hooks to keep the curtains away from direct contact with windows during heavy rains.

ENSURE VENTILATION

Ensure proper ventilation in rooms where furniture is placed to reduce humidity levels. Use dehumidifiers if necessary to maintain optimal humidity levels indoors.

ELEVATE FURNITURE

If possible, raise furniture off the ground to prevent water from pooling underneath during heavy rains.

APPLY PROTECTIVE COATINGS

For wooden furniture, apply a water-resistant sealant or varnish. This adds a protective layer that repels water.

DID YOU KNOW?

Processed cheese was invented in Switzerland, not the US

We may think of processed cheese as an American invention, but turns out the Swiss came up with the idea. Walter Gerber and Fritz Stettler invented processed cheese in Switzerland in 1911 to improve its shelf-life, according to Michigan Dairy Review.

‘Thirty students from Ladakh graduate in an initiative to empower border communities’

A group picture from the graduation day

An initiative aimed at empowering local communities and bolstering India’s border regions has met with success. M3M Foundation has announced the graduation of 30 Ladakhi students from its Kaushal Sambhal program.

A representative from the brand’s management team said, “The initiative equipped students from the villages of Sumoor and Panamic blocks with comprehensive training in Sea Buckthorn processing techniques and entrepreneurship. These graduates are now poised to pursue self-reliance within their communities, leveraging their newfound skills to create consumer goods that will benefit end-users. The initiation of this remarkable program five years ago was made possible with the support of DRDO and SIDBI, who integrated the concept into the #SwalambanLEAP program.”

Dr Payal Kanodia, Chairperson and Trustee of M3M Foundation, said, “The generous support of all partners has been instrumental in the success of this initiative. As a Kettle Bell World Champion and sports enthusiast, I made a personal commitment to support and empower the region of Ladakh in Leh. The journey has begun with strengthening the livelihoods of local communities, but my vision is to grow the region from strength to strength, establishing a more conducive ecosystem for livelihood, sports, culture, and more.”

Disclaimer: The views/suggestions/opinions expressed in the article are the sole responsibility of the experts.

Dr Payal Kanodia

‘Robotic knee replacement helps regain mobility faster’

Dr Ramneek Mahajan, Senior Director & Head Joint Replacement Unit (Knee & Hip), Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital, Saket

It is possible for people suffering from debilitating knee pain to have an improved quality of life. About automatic MAKO robotic technology in joint replacement surgery, Dr Ramneek Mahajan said, “People who have undergone this procedure at our hospital have exhibited enhanced functional outcomes. They resumed their daily activities and returned to work sooner thus contributing to higher satisfaction ratings than traditional surgery.”

The doctor added, “By using this technology, the robotic trained surgeon is able to preserve healthy bone and soft tissue, resulting in a more natural-feeling knee post-recovery. Many patients are up and moving right away with the help of a physical therapist at the hospital. In a knee replacement surgery, the right fit is critical for eliminating pain and restoring the ability to participate in activities the patient loves. Robotic technology adds an extra layer of personalisation and unparalleled precision, allowing for customised implant placement tailored to each patient’s unique anatomy as every patient is different.”

About the benefits of robotic surgery, Dr Mahajan explained, “The specialized 3D images help the surgeon more accurately plan the optimal type and placement of the artificial joint components. MAKO robotic is CT image based system which help surgeon to match the shape of bone and implant hence obtaining a perfect match. Also, when surgeon is using a robotic arm, there is a patient anatomical defined haptic safe area which prevents saw interfering with soft tissues around the knee joint and hence enhancing safety quotient of the robotic system.”

About robotic surgery being less intrusive, Dr Mahajan said, “Through smaller incisions, it reduces the likelihood that patients will experience pain from ligament and soft tissue releases around the knee. Patients often experience reduced recovery periods as well as an increased chance of restoring freedom of movement and complete mobility.”

Regarding the personalised adjustments that the technology allows, the doctor said, “Automated systems enable surgeons to create a personalised treatment plan based on the individual’s specific anatomy thereby giving a more natural feeling post-surgery. The robotic arm used during the surgery allows for more precise implant placement, leading to better implant alignment, fewer complications and better long-term outcomes. The risk of implant loosening, instability or dislocation over time is reduced as the implants are aligned carefully and accurately.”

He added that the technology also helps lower long-term medical costs. He explained, “Patients generally experience fewer complications, resulting in fewer hospital visits. Patients recover more swiftly, allowing for earlier return to work.”

Disclaimer: The views/suggestions/opinions expressed in the article are the sole responsibility of the experts.

Ramgarh Shekhawati: A hidden gem

Looking to go for a unique experience this monsoon? The town of Ramgarh Shekhawati offers much more than you can expect

Rakesh.Malik2@timesgroup.com

Planning a trip this monsoon season? Want to experience Rajasthan in a unique way? Well connected by road and rail from most parts of Rajasthan and Haryana, Ramgarh Shekhawati, located in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan, has fast emerged as the true hidden gem in terms of attracting travellers. It is a small town in the Sikar District of Rajasthan, this town is famous for its fresco paintings, old templets frescos (Chhatris) and mansions (Havelis) built by the Marwari community. There is no doubt saying that Ramgarh is one of the most decorated towns of entire Shekhawati region. Although this township was under Sikar rule in the past, the development of art and sculpture was spearheaded by the Marwaris only. Ramgarh Shekhawati is gradually emerging as a promising tourism destination, attracting travellers seeking unique cultural experiences and off-the-beatenpath adventures.

ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE

Ramgarh Shekhawati is renowned for its stunning havelis adorned with intricate frescoes and murals. These artworks depict the rich cultural and historical heritage of the region, offering a glimpse into the opulent lifestyle of the bygone era.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

The town has a rich history dating back to the 17th century when it served as an important trading post on the ancient caravan routes. Many of its havelis and forts were built by wealthy merchants, showcasing their prosperity and influence during that period. A town with eight centres of Sanskrit learning, patronage of the arts, architecture, building technologies, Vastu and Ayurveda, and great Vedic knowledge. It was also known as the ‘Doosra Kashi’! Kashi is another name for Varanasi, implying that this was one of the greatest learning centres of the world.

CULTURAL EXPERIENCE

One can immerse themselves in the vibrant culture of Rajasthan through various cultural performances, folk music, and dance shows organised in the town.

OFF-THE-BEATENPATH DESTINATION

Unlike popular tourist destinations in Rajasthan like Jaipur and Udaipur, Ramgarh Shekhawati offers a more authentic and less crowded experience. Travellers can explore its narrow lanes, bustling bazaars, and ancient temples at their own pace, without the tourist rush.

ADVENTURE ACTIVITIES

The surrounding countryside offers opportunities for outdoor adventures such as camel safaris, horseback

riding, and nature walks. These activities allow visitors to explore the picturesque landscapes and rural life of Rajasthan.

LOCAL CUISINE

Indulge in the delicious Rajasthani cuisine featuring spicy curries, delectable sweets, and savoury snacks. With popular sweet shops to local pansari (general grocery) shops, they offer a world of delicacies and long forgotten ingredients.

FESTIVALS AND EVENTS

Throughout the year, Ramgarh Shekhawa- ti hosts various cultural festivals and events celebrating the region's heritage and traditions.

These festivities are marked by colourful processions, traditional performances, and lively celebrations, offering visitors a chance to partake in the local festivities.

LOOK AROUND

Ramgarh Shekhawati has number of havelis built by various Marwari families. The major ones are Ruia’s Haveli, Poddar’s Haveli, Prahladka’s Haveli, Khemka’s Haveli, Sanwalka’s Haveli, Khetan’s Haveli, and Mohar Haveli. There are few havelis that are now converted into tourist hotels

Bizarre

Man inflates 28 balloons in 3 mins using his nose

Serial record breaker David Rush earned his 173rd concurrently-held Guinness World Records title by using his nose to inflate 28 balloons in three minutes. Rush already held the one minute version of the record, but the three minute version took him 42 attempts to achieve.

A galaxy of stars in attendance

Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan entered the venue holding hands

Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding had the who’s who of Indian showbiz in attendance, along with international stars

John Cena does his signature move for the paps

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas

Alia Bhatt wore a 160-year-old Ashavali weave pure silk and real zari sari

Salman Khan

Celebrity stylist Law Roach took the wedding theme very seriously and paired his ensemble with the Schiaparelli toe boots

(Left) Anil Kapoor, Rajinikanth, and (right) Sanjay Dutt danced their heart out at the baraat

Karan Johar

Ajay Devgn

Satyan Gajwani, Vice Chairman, Times Internet, and Anant Goenka, Executive Director, Indian Express

(Above) Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Akash Ambani; (right) Deepika wore a historical bazuband from the Sikh empire as a choker

Author and life coach Jay Shetty

The groom’s car had a trend-setting floral cover that was much talked about

Many celebs from the groom’s squad like (left) Arjun Kapoor and (right) Ananya Panday had a separate baraat look

TIMES FOODIE

MONSOON KITCHEN TIPS: STORE RIGHT AND EAT WELL

High risk of food and water contamination leads to gastrointestinal infections. The digestive tract gets sluggish, leading to bloating, acidity, indigestion, nausea, stomach aches and a constant feeling of fullness. Follow strict hygiene measures to avoid this. Eat fermented foods – Dr Rakesh Sringeri, senior consultant, gastroenterology & hepatology

When dining out, try to avoid chaat, juices, cold sandwiches, salads, raita, dosa, half-cooked meat and ice creams as these are easily susceptible to spoilage if proper food safety standards are not practised. Keep a check on your vitamin D levels – Edwina Raj, head of clinical nutrition & dietetics at Aster CMI Hospital, Bengaluru

Across the Indian coastal belt, there’s a long-standing tradition of fermenting food. Sun-drying and pickling are some of the earliest forms of food storage – Sibendu Das, a Kolkata-based food researcher

Nandini Ganguly

Monsoon may be a welcome guest in our lives, but moisture, humidity and foodborne illnesses are the unwanted companions it brings along. Companions that invade your kitchen, leading to food turning notso-savoury, salt clumping, and snacks and spices getting soggy, mouldy, or insect-infected. To keep these at bay, here’s a guide that will help you get the best out of food through the rainy season.

In regions with high humidity

● Opt for yoghurt and fruits with cooling properties to regulate body temperature

● Consider well-ventilated kitchen cabinets to reduce moisture

● Line shelves or containers with paper towels or a clean cloth to absorb excess moisture

● Store cooked food in covered containers to prevent exposure to humidity, contaminants

● Consume fruits and veggies immediately after cutting

How to store

● Store dry foods like grains, pulses, flour, and light snacks in airtight containers

● Keep food away from areas prone to high humidity, like windows and sinks

● Ensure your fridge is set to the correct temperature

● Clean your fridge frequently to prevent mould, mildew buildup

● Refrigerate cooked food immediately once it cools

● Refrigerate cooked food on upper and uncooked food on lower shelves

● Consume leftovers within a day or two

● Natural desiccants like dried neem leaves and uncooked rice can be placed in small pouches in containers with pulses, salt and sugar to extend shelf life

● Store dry fruits in ziplocked packets in the freezer

● the first in, first out (FIFO) method and use older items before the new ones

Maintain a balanced diet

● Consume freshly cooked food

● Avoid foods rich in saturated fats

● Hydrate well

● Consume a diet rich in fibre and add fermented food like curd, kefir and barley to fight pathogens harbouring in the gut

● Include whole grain, pulses, legumes, ginger, garlic, pepper and turmeric

● Incorporate oranges, amla, guava, papaya, lemons, bell peppers, cabbage, tomatoes for a dose of vitamin C, and get your protein intake from beans, sprouts, peas, eggs, mushrooms, nuts

Indian cuisine has a diverse range of traditional culinary practices and ingredients associated with different seasons and regions. For example, colocasia or taro leaves, are a star monsoon ingredient that finds a place in many Indian dishes, including West Bengal’s kochur shaak Ilish-er matha diye (taro leaves cooked with the head of hilsa fish), coastal Karnataka’s pathrode (a layered colocasia leaves dish with a spiced rice and lentil paste) and Assam’s tenga (a sour stew). Regional dishes like kanji, dishes cooked with fiddlehead fern, phodshi chi bhaji – a wild green leafy vegetable etc, are also worth a try.

Seasonal and fresh produce should be on top of your grocery shopping list this season

Pathrode, a layered colocasia leaves dish

Make oranges a part of your diet

UK’s ugliest dog joins stars on red carpet

Peggy the pugese with Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman

Britain’s ugliest dog – Peggy the pugese – is making her film debut as Dogpool, alongside Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. The pug and Chinese crested cross was photographed with the actors during a promotional event in London recently, sporting her superhero costume.

Peggy is the much-loved pet of Holly Middleton, from Leven in East Yorkshire, who entered her in the UK’s ugliest dog contest after adopting her when she was decided to cast her in his latest film just six months old.

Shortly after winning the competition last year, Ms Middleton described Peggy as “beautiful both inside and out”.

Reynolds spotted the dog and decided to cast her in his latest film because she felt “like the animal manifestation” of Deadpool’s alter ego Wade Wilson. He told Empire Magazine in May that Peggy’s role had started as a “tiny little afterthought”, before growing into a “staple” of the movie. Agencies

Ryan spotted the dog and decided to cast her in his latest film

Producers file defamation suit against Rebel Wilson

Rebel claims The Deb producers purposefully withheld the movie from Toronto International Film Festival

Rebel Wilson is being sued for defamation by the producers of her directorial debut, The Deb, after she alleged they embezzled funds from the movie and had inappropriate behaviour on set.

In court documents obtained by Page Six, producers Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden said they were taking legal action against the Pitch Perfect star to hold her “accountable for her attempts to bully” them into meeting her “unreasonable demands by spreading vicious lies without regard for the irreparable damage her reckless words would cause” them.

On Wednesday, Wilson posted a video on Insta and accused the producers of “embezzling funds” from the project, as well as “absolute viciousness and retaliatory behaviour”. Agencies

Baked sweet potatoes, zucchini: French fries with a healthy twist

For a healthy twist, add protein-rich edamame pods. Steamed or boiled and sprinkled over fries, they provide a colourful, crunchy topping. A touch of sea salt enhances their satisfying flavour – Chef Rohit Hari

Homemade feta and parsley fries can be a healthier alternative to traditional French fries

Indulge in the satisfying crunch of fries while opting for healthier alternatives. From sweet potatoes to zucchini, these nutritious options cater to every taste. Expert chefs share their tips and healthy toppings, including proteinrich edamame and earthy sautéed mushrooms, to elevate your fry game. To add a healthy twist, prepare delightful dips like avocado lime and baba ganoush to complement your fries.

– Compiled by Aditi Pancholi

DIPS FOR YOUR FRIES

Avocado lime dip Mashed avocado blended with lime juice, cilantro, garlic, and a pinch of salt.

Tzatziki sauce Greek yoghurt mixed with grated cucumber, garlic, dill, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt.

Cilantro lime dip Greek yoghurt blended with fresh cilantro, lime juice, garlic, and a pinch of salt.

Baba ganoush Blended roasted eggplant, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil.

– Inputs by chef Umesh Karande

TIPS TO ADD A HEALTHY TOUCH TO YOUR FRENCH FRIES

Bake instead of frying: Opt for baking your fries instead of deep-frying. This reduces the amount of oil used and lowers the calorie content. Air fryer: Use an air fryer to achieve crispy fries with minimal oil. Season with fresh herbs: Use herbs and spices like rosemary, thyme, paprika, and garlic powder instead of salt to add flavour without extra sodium. Use olive oil: If you must use oil, choose a healthier option like olive oil, which contains beneficial monounsaturated fats. Add veggies: Mix in vegetables like carrots or zucchini cut into fry shapes for variety and extra nutrients.

Zucchini sticks are a healthy snack option

Baked sweet potato wedges with avocado and hummus

Baked fries

Air fry potato chips

YOUR POV

Here’s what your point of view was to our POV

Stop before you pop that celeb-endorsed pill

Refer: July 12, 2024 edition

Stop before you pop that celebendorsed pill: In literature, suspension of disbelief refers to the reader’s willingness to overlook critical thinking...

Celebs should stick to what they are best at, be it sports or entertainment. As a large part of the population follows them blindly, they can be truly influential in spreading a good cause like casting a vote or following a healthy exercise routine. But suggesting medication for a health problem is very irresponsible behaviour on their part. Nowadays Google already has created a lot of problems as far as self-medication is concerned and now if people from non-medical fields start suggesting medicines, this can have disastrous results.

People should also use their own discretion and intellect before putting blind faith in their favourite celebrities. It’s your health & life and if something goes wrong, it will be you and your family who will get affected, not the celeb! So it’s always better to consult a doctor in case of any health problems instead of googling or taking advice from non-medics.

– Sweety Singhal

The way products are marketed in today’s world is misleading. As Indians are leading a better lifestyle and college-going students are getting richer, people are becoming victims of consumerism. Advertising is only a means of selling products but what we consume should be our decision. Becoming fans of celebrities leads people towards making uninformed decisions. There is no genuine information regarding which health products are good for us and we consume them in the name of fitness. Life will be better if we eat simple and natural food.

– Deepali Rao

It is not a magic pill medicine encouraged by a celeb, the same magic one creates onscreen and resultantly one’s followers. There is a difference between blind following and following after proper analysis. Celebs are also normal human beings and they too can go wrong. However, the message is to stop and think for a while before taking up anything a celeb endorses and promotes. In the end it is results which matter, responsibility for the same rests on us and no one else.

– Sandeep Chaudhury

There’s no magic in our monsoons anymore

Refer: July 10, 2024 edition

There’s no magic in our monsoons anymore:

What road were Raj Kapoor and Nargis walking down, singing Pyar Hua Iqrar Hua…

All these have now remained only nostalgic sweet memories as most of these things took place around 60 years back. At that time India’s population was around 60 crore which has now shot upto 149 crore.

Compare the India that existed then in the movies of that time and the present India and one can see these vast differences. Economic reforms liberalisation accelerated the developments & old India is lost forever except in old movies & museums. Gone are those days justifying the adage “Only change is constant.

– Hemanth D Pai

Monsoon magic is still there provided you don’t go out with your partner. If you dare, you will be united forever with him/her in the ditch thanks to our Nagar sevaks. Better stay at home and enjoy listening to Bollywood songs like zindagi bhar nahi bhulegi woh barsat ki raat etc.

– G H Gurjarpadhye

Magic of the rains would never fade. The waterlogged roads, overflowing gutters, traffic jams notwithstanding. Malvika Sanghvi, in one of her columns eons ago, had written that Mumbai during rains is like Paris in springtime. I totally agree with it. The pitter-patter of the first rains just uplifts our mood, makes our hearts soar with joy. Shubha Mudgal’s Ghata Sawan Ki and Kagaz Ki Kashti start buzzing in my head. It evokes poetry in my heart.

– Sumita Ghose

One of my fondest memories of childhood is the petrichor as we sat in the sheltered courtyard of my grandparents’ house in Dehradun, watching the first sharp shower of the season, listening to the pitter-patter of raindrops on the corrugated tin roof as “rainy” film songs played on the radio, while mixed vegetable pakoras were sent from the kitchen. It was as magical as a visit to Disneyland. Alas, such an experience must be rare, if at all possible, in the present. Now, foul smells, slushy roads, needless honking from rushing vehicles this is in our fate!

– Deepak Bhatia

Agree? Disagree? Got a POV idea? Write to us at: pov@timesofindia.com

Sip unique cocktails at these must-visit bars

Planning a night out this weekend? Here are some places in the capital that are offering the best cocktails and drinks to make it a happening night

Experience great food with classic drinks at Bulach

Offering beer, food and drinks, Umang Tewari brings one of Delhi’s go-to bars, Bulach.

As per the brand’s management team, the bar that is nestled in the Qutub institutional area, “not only stocks some of the best spirits but also stirs some of the best cocktails.” The outlet offers some classic drinks like Bouleverdier of Bulach, American Espresso Martini, My Style Hanky Panky and more. The menu is vast and right from flavour to presentation, cocktails at the bar are the most look forward cocktails for.

Address: Qutub Hotel, Shaheed Jeet Singh Marg, NCERT Campus, Qutub Institutional Area

Contact: 9811494913

Signature cocktails at Ivoryy Cocktail Garden

With gazebos and sofas placed under trees, surrounded by lush greenery and the musical call of birds, Ivoryy Cocktail Garden embodies the prestigious and rare ivory elephant tusk, exuding a natural and majestic aura, says the team behind it. A must-try here is celebrity chef Akshat Parihar’s signature cocktail Sundowner Smooch – a refreshing orange blend infused with collective ratios of liquors with a hint of bitter citrus zest crowned with in-house curated citrus orange caviar.

Address: T540, Panchshila Park, Malviya Nagar Road

Timings: 12 noon 1am

Contact: 9289070222

Fresh craft beer at Flow Brew & Dine

Featuring stylish decor, soft lighting, and an energetic vibe, Flow Brew & Dine offers an ideal ambiance for both casual hangouts and special occasions. The menu offers an array of dishes crafted from fresh, locallysourced ingredients. The highlight is their fresh craft beer, with six distinct styles brewed on-site, a Champagne-like apple cider, and rare honey mead. The outlet is currently serving a seasonal special Alphonso mango beer, Mangoramaa.

Address: 2nd Floor, Commons, Dlf Avenue, Saket

Contact: 9899199141 and 41092685

Cocktail menu with a fusion of elegance and innovation at BIRA 91 Taproom

One of the go-to destinations for craft beer aficionados, BIRA 91 Taproom, has unveiled its exclusive cocktail menu – a fusion of classic elegance and innovative flair. Curated by sommelier Magandeep Singh, the menu boasts of an unparalleled expertise, featuring select ingredients and a sensory adventure. As per the outlet’s management team, “Each drink is crafted with precision and passion, reflecting his mastery and dedication to the art of mixology. The outlet is a must-visit destination for anyone seeking the ultimate cocktail adventure.”

Timing: 11am to 1am

Contact: 1141010658, 93113 20663

Website: www.bira91.com/taproom

Enjoy an authentic Greek experience at 1022

With its countryside vibe and gram-worthy interiors, 1022 embodies the essence of Greek architecture through its Venetian features like arches, louvred windows and an all white colour scheme. The outlet offers comfort food which is hearty and flavoursome. But what sets it apart are its great cocktails. A captivating curation of handcrafted cocktails, like 1022 botanical spritzer, Munnar Collin, Lebong sour, Malli Martini etc. A special section is dedicated to signatures which are an ode to country classics like euro Asian mule and famous personalities like Columbus, Edward Veron etc

Address: 5 DDA Market, Sri Aurbindo Marg

Contact: 9811028844 and 9811038844

Make your own cocktails at LIV Bar

A go-to place for cocktail lovers in the capital, LIV Bar, lets guests to interact with mixologists and learn the art of making cocktails. The bar allows you to choose your spirits, fruits, quantity, combinations, flavours and make your own cocktail – a concept that became a hit five years ago. Other than the cocktails, the bar is equipped with the finest spitits from across the globe.

Address: Worldmark 1, Lower Ground Floor , R3, Aerocity

Contact: 9599029642

Relish craft cocktails and drinks at The Chatter House

One of Delhi’s first gastro-pubs, The Chatter House has two themed locations: a Britishthemed pub in Nehru Place and an Irish-themed pub in Khan Market. While the Nehru Place location features classic British decor, the Khan Market venue exuding Irish vibes.

The outlet uses fresh herbs infused with various spirits to create distinctive drinks. The menu offers an array of delicious pub grub. “The outlet in Nehru Place also offers 1+1 on their entire alcohol menu from 4pm to 9pm everyday. Whether for a casual night out or a special event, it promises an authentic gastro-pub experience,” says the team.

Contact : 93107 90778 (Nehru Place) and 9999046974 (Khan Market)

Eddie ties the knot with model Paige Butcher

Eddie Murphy and Paige Butcher had a secret Caribbean wedding on July 9

Eddie Murphy wed his long-time partner, model Paige Butcher in a secret Caribbean wedding ceremony. The Beverly Hills Cop actor had proposed to Paige back in September 2018 after being together since 2012 when they met while working on a film.

According to People, which shared the first photos of the duo from their wedding, the marriage took place on July 9, in the presence of the couple's immediate family members and close friends at Anguilla. While Paige wore a lace corseted gown, Murphy was seen in a white suit for the occasion. The couple has two children together, daughter Izzy Oona aged nine years old, and son Max Charles who just turned six. The actor has eight other children. Agencies

Jenna is grateful to Winona for guiding her

Jenna Ortega

Jenna Ortega, who began acting at the age 9, revealed that her actress Winona Ryder has been a guiding light for her. “She definitely helped me feel less alone,” Ortega shared with a fashion magazine. “Being able to talk to someone who had witnessed that firsthand, maybe even more, was a great source of comfort for me.”

Winona Ryder

Hollywood glamour at Wimbledon

Homeland star Damian Lewis looked suave in a pale blue suit

Multiple celebs were spotted at the two semifinal matches between Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti, and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Russia’s Daniil Medvedev

Greta Gerwig Greta Gerwig kept things kept things cool in a grey cool in a grey oversized oversized suitsuit

Hugh Grant looked dapper in a navy suit

Margot Robbie, who was at the semis with husband Tom Ackerley, happily flaunted her baby bump in a white polka dot dress. They attended the match between Djokovic and Musetti

McMafia McMafia actor actor James Norton James Norton and and Bohemian Bohemian RhapsodyRhapsody star star Rami Malek Rami Malek share a light share a light moment at the moment at the Royal BoxRoyal Box

Stanley Tucci attended the match between Alcaraz and Medvedev

All emotions are dialed up to 100: Tanuj on fatherhood

Tanya and I were very clear that we wanted a child soon. So I think the moment we got married, we were like, let’s get to work now!

Tanuj Tanuj Virwani with Virwani with his wife his wife Tanya Jacob Tanya Jacob in a picture in a picture the actor the actor shared on his shared on his Instagram Instagram accountaccount

Tanuj Virwani and Tanya Jacob, who got married on December 25, 2023, are expecting their first child. The couple announced the pregnancy on Thursday. He said, “Tanya and I go back a really long way. She is 32 and I am turning 38 this year. We were very clear that we wanted a child soon. So, I think the moment we got married, we were like, let’s get to work now!”

The actor revealed that they found out about the pregnancy a few months ago. “We felt now was the right time to share the news and even if we didn’t announce it, people would have known because of the bump,” he said, adding that the baby is due in September.

Virwani enjoyed pampering his wife during her pregnancy. “It’s a magical

time and no matter how much people tell you how married life would be, when you go through that journey yourself, it’s beautiful. And all the emotions right now are dialed up to 100. We are really happy,” he shared.

TNN

When Rahul met Vidya on a flight

Rahul Bose and Vidya Balan

Sharing a picture with Vidya Balan on social media, Rahul Bose, who bumped into the actress on a flight recently, wrote, “It’s been a-15 year friendship. In the interim, we’ve worked together, met sundry times. You haven’t changed in the slightest. The same readiness to laugh, the delight in doing what you love – acting, the dedication to your craft, the kindness and grace towards all (sic).”

Table of Contents

TOI Print Edition Jul 14, 2024

Front Page

Flood-uprooted villagers face leopard attack

Teen rape survivor fights back after 3-wk nightmare

`2,000cr prime city land clear ed of encroachers

INDIA bloc wins 10/13 bypolls in 7 states, TMC gains 3 & Cong 3

ONE FOR THE WEDDING ALBUM

K’taka ex-mantri remanded in ED custody till July 18

Nepal foreign policy set to be ‘neutral’

24 years on, Cronje case charge-framing

Vistara CEO headed back to SIA?

FORENSICS BRACES FOR BNSS

PM: 8cr jobs created in last 3-4 yrs; it has silenced those spreading fake narratives

Khedkar used non-creamy layer cert for med seat too

Govt gives J&K LG more powers, oppn protests

11 Uttarakhand border villages ‘totally empty’

Italy police sets free 33 Indians from ‘slavery’

Times Nation

Direct tax collection till July 11 surges 23% to `6.5 lakh crore

Girl, 4, raped near shaadi venue, dies

Conman held for `170cr ponzi scam

Groom’s 2 kin shot dead over dance tiff

Sat images signal architectural wealth under Bodh Gaya shrine

Another BRS MLA joins Cong in T’gana, 9th to leave KCR camp

Attempt to ‘disempower’ people of J&K: PDP, NC

Centre grants J&K LG more powers

Oli’s party pledges ‘neutral’ foreign policy

Trainee SI held over Raj paper leak, 2 flee

Win on weaker turfs in bypolls gives Congress reason to smile

Audio clip of Gehlot’s ‘phone tap’ talks with ex-aide surfaces

Kamala didn’t speak to Rahul: US veep’s office

After big LS loss in U’khand, Congress wins big in bypolls

Web of fear, confusion woven by BJP has now been broken: Rahul

WB aside, results reflect status quo: BJP dig at ‘euphoric’ INDIA bloc

Why gun permit shouldn’t be cancelled: Cops to Khedkar mom

Now, ‘GOI’ tags on Khedkar dad’s campaign cars under lens

District hosp issued 2 disability certs to IAS trainee: Surgeon

‘We had checked docus and found them to be authentic govt records’

PM: Want Mum to be fintech hub, Maha tourism capital

Modi urges Indian media to enhance global footprint

Vistara CEO may be back in Singapore Airlines with AI brass set for key roles in merged entity

POWER, PRAYERS & BLESSINGS

Parody a/c behind fake post on Birla: Rathee; Cops say probe on to identify culprits

Villages on LAC ‘deserted’, Shah bats for jobs growth

Mantri pitches for co-op boost, green energy use in border villages

Arrested K’taka ex-mantri ran tribal funds racket: ED

Tribal youth’s death triggers violence in Tripura, 4 held

Times City

Barapullah Phase-III Corridor A Step Closer To Completion

Water from Munak Canal reaches capital

‘CM Has Lost 8.5kg Since March 21’

Sonipat encounter under cloud, NHRC may step in

Gangster linked to Rajouri Garden shootout arrested

`1,000-Crore Prime Land In Civil Lines Freed By L&DO

26-yr-old killed after he objects to insult of wife by neighbour

Principal takes rape survivor back after told about assault

Woman touches live wire in waterlogged street, dies

Rain brings relief in parts of city, may improve air quality further

Punjab to NGT: Will manage 19.5MT crop residue this year

Delhi govt distributed 7.7 lakh free saplings this year: Rai

Skin Getting Darker? Cause May Be Worse Than Natural Tanning

DDA and MCD intensify tree plantation drives

Excise In Lead, Delhi Sees 16% Growth In Revenue In 3 Mths

21 companies register under motor vehicle aggregator scheme: Govt

Power bills up with heat, least no. of people get subsidy in June in 2 years

Soren, wife meet Sunita Kejriwal

After 24 yrs, court orders framing charges against 4 for match fixing

Another peacock dies, doubt arises on heatstroke theory

4 people held for extortion bid

‘Feeling isolated by your mother and sister? Don’t let family define you’

Hiring of experts at FSL gets LG nod

Man from China arrested for illegal stay

How City Plans To Formally Tackle Menace Of E-Waste

22-yr-old held for attempt to extort `1cr from jeweller

Skeleton found in canal, cops plan DNA test

SWAMPED WITH NEGLIGENCE?

Badminton, cricket and more: Sports activities resume at Roshanara Club

Man loses `14L to cyberscam, gets it back

Times Special

Officially ‘destroyed’ booze bottles surface in Gujarat jail

In letter to Shah, Manipur tribal outfit demands UT for Kuki-Zos

Assam flood-hit sheltering in forest attacked by leopard

Rural job scheme workers dig up gold coins

India’s CSI: Crime Scene Incapacity

Meet Kyra, Naina and Zara, the new virtual ‘It girls’ who even get hit on

Munro, motherhood and a morality tale

When mum’s mum: The culture of silence around child sexual abuse

Male rape survivors overlooked by BNS

‘Voices of women have been missing from 1984 narrative’

A Tale Of Varied Perspectives

PICASSO IN LADIES’ LOO

AUNT JENNIFER’S TIGERS

String of SC rulings restricts ED power of arbitrary arrest

Was JP’s stir anarchical, BJP questions Akhilesh

All That Matters

Remarkable that French players like Mbappe spoke out against Le Pen

The deeper message and geopolitics behind the Modi-Putin bonhomie

INBOX

Love, lies, and the law: Dilemma of criminalising false promise to marry

How Republican worldview will shape US-India ties if Trump wins

No Viksit Bharat without overhaul of education

Times Global

GOP convention in Milwaukee next wk to seal Trump 2024 run

Musk donates to Don; Meta lifts restrictions

Taiwan steps up alert as Beijing tests missile unit

Israel raids for Hamas military chief in humanitarian zone kill at least 90

Freed in fake marriage case, but Imran to remain in jail

Pak reaches $7bn aid deal with IMF

AROUND THE WORLD

Italian police free 33 Indian farm labourers from ‘slavery’

China blasts US after Biden signs bill enhancing support for Tibet

Oli meets ally; new Nepal govt likely to be sworn in Monday

Ray Kurzweil says humanity well on course to merge with AI

Boeing begins flying 777-9 in path to certification

A labour crunch awaits Starmer plan to spur UK housebuilding

‘Rust’ case against Baldwin dismissed

Times Sport

Djokovic says Kyrgios hinted at a return at the US Open

BARBORA IN DREAM LAND

Dutch rower makes it to Paris Oly 2 yrs after nearly losing her life in a crash

Raja bags silver in La Plagne Open

Novak Djokovic eyes Court’s record on Centre Court

GALLERY

JAISWAL & GILL TURN IT ON

ICC members raise concerns over ‘mismanaged’ T20 WC

Delhi Capitals part ways with Ponting

LAST DANCE

Argentina seek ‘triple crown’ but Colombia aim for upset in final

CLASSIC CLASHES

KEY BATTLES

Shubhankar makes cut at Scottish Open

Delhi Times

The Great Indian Wedding

THE STAGE IS SET FOR INDIA’S BEST DANCER

BUZZ STOP

Excited to feel this atmosphere: Rohit Sharma @ Wimbledon

GET READY FOR A SPORTY ALL-NIGHTERGET

Shehnaaz in the recreated version of Sajna Ve Sajna

New smartphone with powerful AI features launched in Delhi

Misconception that stage acting has to be 10 times larger than life: Naseer

Aloo tikki: The perfect treat to indulge in this monsoon

I want to go beyond playing British characters: Jason Shah

‘Rudraksh offers a divine solution for human problems’

HOW TO: Monsoon-proof your curtains and furniture

DID YOU KNOW?

‘Thirty students from Ladakh graduate in an initiative to empower border communities’

‘Robotic knee replacement helps regain mobility faster’

Ramgarh Shekhawati: A hidden gem

Man inﬂates 28 balloons in 3 mins using his nose

A galaxy of stars in attendance

MONSOON KITCHEN TIPS: STORE RIGHT AND EAT WELL

UK’s ugliest dog joins stars on red carpet

Producers ﬁle defamation suit against Rebel Wilson

Baked sweet potatoes, zucchini: French fries with a healthy twist

YOUR POV

Sip unique cocktails at these must-visit bars

Eddie ties the knot with model Paige Butcher

Jenna is grateful to Winona for guiding her

Hollywood glamour at Wimbledon

All emotions are dialed up to 100: Tanuj on fatherhood

When Rahul met Vidya on a ﬂight