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THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE Jumping KOLKATA,LATECITY Through Loops OCTOBER11,2020 Coding is nowbeing 14PAGES,`5.00 pitched as anew interactive (EXKOLKATA`7,`12INNORTHEASTSTATES&ANDAMAN) playground forchildren DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI,JAIPUR,KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM PAGES 11, 12, 13

JAGAN REDDY COMPLAINS AGAINST JUSTICE NVRAMANA CENTRAL BANK AFFIDAVIT IN SC SUNDAY RBI opposesloan STORY InrarelettertoCJI,AndhraCMlists PAGE 7 moratorium allegationsagainstSC’sJudgeNo.2 extension: Will hit CM refers to Judgedaughters’ land deal; last month, Justice Ramana said Judges victims of gossip credit discipline PICTURE High Court including the roster it wasdeclared the sitefor the Lastmonth, Justice Ramana, SREENIVASJANYALA of afew Honourable Judges”. newcapital of the state. speaking at the launchofabook ABHI HYDERABAD,OCTOBER10 The Chief Minister’s eight- Dated October 6, the letter by former Supreme Courtjudge Says will affect small borrowers, urges BAAKI HAI pageletterrefers to Justice wasreleasedtothe media in Justice RBanumathi, said: “As IN AN unprecedented move, Ramana’s alleged “proximity” to HyderabadSaturdayeveningby judges areself-restrainedfrom courttoliftstayondeclaring NPAs Thepowers-that-be AndhraPradesh Chief Minister TDP leader and former Chief Ajeya Kallam, Principal Advisor speaking out in their ownde- have long eyed the film YSJagan Mohan Reddy haswrit- MinisterNChandrababu Naidu, to the AndhraPradesh Chief fence, they arenow being con- industry, but is there a tentoChief Justice of India SA and an Anti-Corruption Bureau Minister. struedassofttargets forcriti- ANANTHAKRISHNANG plot twist under BJP? Bobde,allegingthatJusticeNV investigation into“questionable TheSunday Express reached cism. This issue is further NEWDELHI,OCTOBER10 Behind the scenes of a Ramana —nextinline to be the transactions of land”involving AndhraCMJagan Mohan out to theSecretaryGeneral of complicated by the proliferation CJI —“has been influencing the twodaughters of Justice Ramana Reddy;Justice NVRamana the Supreme Courtfor com- of social media and technology, THE RESERVE Bank of India has Covid-battered, sittings of the (AndhraPradesh) and others in Amaravati, before ment, but therewas no response. CONTINUEDONPAGE2 told the Supreme Courtthat con- nervous industry tinuation of the loan morato- RBIworry:its rium period beyond the six months already granted mayaf- mandateand fect overallcredit discipline, and bankingsystem small borrowers will eventually Two firms of BSY’s feel the pinch. The central bank has also RBI HAS arguedagainst urgedthe apexcourttoliftits in- extending the loan mora- grandsonget Rs 5cr terim order staying declaration of torium beyond six accountsasnon-performing as- months, and has also sets (NPAs), saying this will have asked the Supreme Court “hugeimplications forthe bank- to liftthe stay imposed from seven Kolkata ing system, apartfromunder- on declaring accountsas mining” its“regulatorymandate”. NPAs beyond August31. In afresh affidavitfiledinthe The RBI is of the viewthis shell companies Supreme Court, whichishearing will have hugeimplica- aplea on the question of charg- tions forthe banking sys- ing interestoninterestfor loan temand also undermine Pvt channelalleged quid proquo for repaymentsduring the morato- itsregulatorymandate. rium period, the RBI said “a long Bengaluru housing project;Karnataka moratorium exceeding six months can also impact credit Amore“durable solution”, CM’s grandson says ‘working loans’ behaviour of borrowers and in- the RBI said, is providedbythe creasethe risks of delinquencies Resolution Framework for postresumptionofscheduled Covid-19related Stress, an- JOHNSONTA payments.Itmay resultinvitiat- nouncedbyitonAugust6, BENGALURU,OCTOBER10 ing the overall credit discipline which“enablesthe lenders to whichwill have adebilitating im- implement aresolution plan in TWOCOMPANIES in whichChief pact on the process of credit cre- respect of personal loans as well MinisterBSYediyurappa’s ation in the economy. It will be as other exposures affected due grandson Shashidhar Mardi be- IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER the small borrowers whichmay to Covid-19, subject to thepre- came adirectorafter theBJP end up bearing the brunt of the scribed conditions, without as- came to powerinKarnataka in Chirag Paswan performedthe lastrites of his father,Ram Vilas Paswan, in Patna on Saturday. Bihar Chief MinisterNitish impact as their access to formal setclassification downgrade. July2019receivedRs5crorefrom Kumar and Union MinisterRaviShankar Prasadwereamong those who attendedthe cremation. PTI REPORT,PAGE5 lendingchannels is criticallyde- The framework,inter alia, sevenKolkatashell companies pendentonthe credit culture”. CONTINUEDONPAGE2 betweenMarch andJuly2020. Thechainoftransactions fig- ureindocumentsfiledwith the EXPRESSNETWORK MHA: FIRs Registrar of Companies (RoC) As Covid fuels personal vehicle use, petrol that were scrutinised by The The firms sharecommon PM ON WIND Sunday Express,and details of addresses:301E, BBGanguly must in bank accountsofthe twofirms Street,and 277, BBGanguly TURBINES: WATER demand in September higherthan 2019 were telecastbyaprivate TV Street in Kolkata. Partha Paul EXTRACTION FROM crimes on channel thatwas takenoff air by AIR ALREADY ON, SAY September 2019.Fuel consump- the stategovernment foreight SCIENTISTS PAGE 6 ENSECONOMICBUREAU REVVING UP tion in India collapsedafter the women, probe days,but is nowonair again. Express, Mardi termedthe money NEWDELHI,OCTOBER10 government announcedana- Last month, PowerTVhad al- as “working loans foraproject” ■Petrol and ■ Diesel demand in 7,160 tionwide lockdown on March 25 in two months leged in aseriesofreports that forwhich“all documentation” INDIA’SPETROL consumption thousand metric tonnes for to combat the spread of the Feb, March, August, September 5,651 5,489 the moneywas part of aquid pro has been provided. He deniedthe My ISOLATION grew forthe firsttime since 4,849 novelcoronavirus. Demand ini- quofor thepromise of obtaining allegations levelled by the TV February in September,with tiallyrecoveredsteadilyfollow- DEEPTIMANTIWARY government clearance forRCCL, channel, saying theyweremade Aweeklywindowintolivesof diesel demand also recovering 2,511 2,1562,3812,450 ing the lifting of the restrictions NEWDELHI,OCTOBER10 aprivate firm, to construct a with “illintentions” and abid to India’snewsmakers,impactof month on month, according to but stalledafter June, when state Rs 660-croregovernmenthous- “tarnish the family”. Mardi, 30, is thepandemiconthem datareleasedbythegovernment’s and local government beganim- IN Afresh advisorytostates ingproject in Bengaluru. the son of Yediyurappa’s daugh- Petroleum Planning and Analysis posing local-levellockdowns. Saturday, the MinistryofHome ▲ ▼ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▼ ▼ The project, whichwas terPadmavathi VY. PAGE 10 Cell. The petrol consumption last 11.25% -16.37% -7.53% 3.29% 6.28% -24.24% -20.73% -5.96% Experts said preference for Affairs has asked them to take awardedtoRCCLinApril 2019 RCCL director Chandrakant month, at 2,450 thousand metric personal meansoftransportto strict action in cases of crimes ▲▼ Ascomparedtocorrespondingmonthin2019 when the Congress-JD(S) coali- Ramalingam did notrespond to ‘Children are home,Iget tonnes (TMT), wasevenhigher avoid infection seems to be be- againstwomen and adhere tion wasinpowerinKarnataka, requests forcomment. However, to spend timewith them’ thanforthecorrespondingperiod hind the petrol sales rising to pre- strictly to guidelinesfor dealing is awaitingthe final work order. he filedapolicecomplaint last SACHIN PILOT in 2019 (2,372 TMT). sumption rose to 5,489 TMT,as pared to August,itwas still 6% Covid levels. “Petrolisonlyused with suchcases,including SpeakingtoTheSunday CONTINUEDONPAGE2 However, while dieselcon- much as 13.2% higher as com- down as compared to CONTINUEDONPAGE2 mandatoryregistration of FIRs and completing probes in two monthsincases of sexual assault. This advisoryhas been issued Citing LAC, US slams China, says Woman who first challenged instant at atime when the UP govern- ment has drawncriticism forits handling of the alleged rape and we turned other cheek too long tripletalaq in Supreme Court joins BJP murder of a19-year-old in a Hathras villageand the events aggression”atthe Indian border said shewantstostart political that inspired me to join the thereafter. SHUBHAJITROY and US SecretaryofState Michael LALMANIVERMA work forthe BJP from Bihar, party.Iwill speak about the BJP TheAllahabadHighCourthas NEWDELHI,OCTOBER10 RPompeo has said that China has DEHRADUN,OCTOBER10 whichisgoing to the polls later government's work forthe mi- askedUPofficialstoappearbefore amassed60,000troopsonIndia's this month. norities, especiallyfor Muslims it Monday,brief it on the statusof IN WHATsetsthe tone forUS northern border. SHAYARA BANO, the firstpeti- Bhagat said Bano will publi- women and other deprivedsec- the investigation and explain the Deputy SecretaryofState Biegun’s visit is expected to tionerinthe case challenging in- cise BJP's ideologies and will tions of the society.Iwill follow sequence of eventsthat ledtothe Stephen Biegun’s visittoIndia setthe stagefor theIndo-US 2+2 stant triple talaq in Supreme have a“very important role”, es- whatever political work the cremation of the victim’s body from Monday, twotop US ad- meeting betweenExternal Court, joinedthe BJP in peciallyamong minority com- party assigns me.” and the family’s complaint about ministration officialshave Affairs MinisterSJaishankar and Dehradun on Saturday in the munity. Banosaid she would also like the manner in whichitwas done. slammedBeijing, invoking itson- Defence MinisterRajnath Singh presence of Uttarakhandparty Banotold TheSunday Express: to contestthe Uttarkhand elec- Initsadvisory, theMHA,while going standoff withIndia.US on the Indian side and Pompeo president Bansi Dhar Bhagat and Shayara Bano wasthe “I would liketostart work from tions –scheduledin2022 –ifof- maintainingthatthegovernment National Security Advisor Robert SJaishankar with Michael and US Defence SecretaryMark other stateunit office-bearers. original petitioner in the there(Bihar) if the party sends feredachance. has,overthe years, takensteps to O’Brien has flaggedCommunist RPompeo in Tokyo. PTI file TEsper later this month. While the party has notde- case. Twitter/UttarakhandBJP me forcanvassing there. Iwill tell BJP statevice-president strengthenlegislative provisions PartyofChina’s (CCP) “territorial CONTINUEDONPAGE2 cidedany role forher yet, Bano the people about BJP's ideologies CONTINUEDONPAGE2 CONTINUEDONPAGE2 Back-stories and chitti tales: Indian Americans on the campaign trail

PAGE 1 communications director for President Lyndon BJohnson ANCHOR Congresswoman Jan signedthe 1965 Immigration Schakowsky.“My grandfather Act, allowing Indians with tech- wasprobably theonlyperson like nical degreestoenter the coun- him in aroom, andwhen I try, Singh says she is nowseeing KARISHMAMEHROTRA movedtoDC, Iwas oftenthe only moreIndian Americans choose SANFRANCISCO,OCTOBER10 RACE FOR Indian American in mostofmy careers in governmentand pol- jobs.Thathas slowlychanged.” itics rather than pursuing the THE YEAR was1949. Introducing THE WHITE The 33-year-old has held sev- moretraditional engineering Jawaharlal Nehru to aNew York HOUSE Sampat Shivangi (left) and eral politicalposts,all with the and medical degrees. gathering,JJSingh, president of SabrinaSingh Amit Jani with Joe Biden Gautham Raghavan ShalabhKumar (right) Democrats—regional commu- Though Indian Americans the India League forAmerica, a nications director forHillary makeuponly1per cent of the private organisation that worked Singhas'The One-Man Lobby'for Clinton’spresidential campaign, US population, theymakeupat to “further Indian causes”inthe India in the US, underlined,it was forthe 4,000 Indians in the US worksasthe firstIndian leastadozen other Indian from her grandfather'sdays of a spokeswoman of the Demo- least2per cent of the roughly US, had calledhim the “rainbow, no mean feat either.Singhand his then to gain citizenship. American press secretaryfor Americans working at Ground “one-man lobby”. cratic National Committee, and 600officials on the campaign reaching from EasttoWest”. organisationwere“largely re- Some sevendecades later Kamala Harris, the Indian-origin Zeroofthe 2020 elections, “He walkedthe veryhalls that nationalspokespersonfor both roster of Democratic presiden- This wasnoHowdy! rallyin sponsible forthe mostsignificant and the community now700- Democratic vice-presidential Sabrina is partofageneration Ihaveworkedin,” Singh told The Senator CoryBooker and Mayor tial candidateJoe Biden and his scale or ambition, yet, as a1951 period of Indianactivity intheUS” times stronger,asSingh's candidate, it's in vastly different that is flexing unprecedented SundayExpress,referring to her MikeBloomberg’s campaigns. running mateHarris. issue of The NewYorker,featuring untilthen,providing alegal route grandaughter Sabrina Singh circumstances.Along with at political muscle, farremoved early days whenshe worked as Half acenturyafter US CONTINUEDONPAGE2 Kolkata WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 2 THE SECOND PAGE THE SUNDAYEXPRESS,OCTOBER11,2020

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RBI opposes quirementsofthe sector subject tion and is nowamember of one eiterating the guidelines and to the prudentialboundaries of Biden's task forces, too, has laiddownnorms forinvestiga- loan specifiedtherein”. In rare letter to CJI, Andhra CM lists been at the receiving end of pro- tion of sexual offences, the MHA It pointedout that the MV gressives' ireoverher pastasso- has asked states formandatory moratorium Kamath Committee recom- ciation with the VHP's US wing. registration of FIRs, action mended“sector specific thresh- allegationsagainst SC’s Judge No. 2 Severalother leadofficials againstofficers who refuse to extension: olds to themandatoryfinancial readilyembrace their ethnic register FIRs in cases of rape and parameters, whichare morelib- identity.Atavirtual Asian certain other crimes against Will hit credit eral than normal lending finan- wherein judges arebecoming The Chief Ministeralleged On September 15,the High electronic, print or social me- American outreachevent, women, to treatthe dying dec- cial benchmarks,that needtobe victims of juicy gossip and slan- that investigationsintoland Courtrestrainedthe media dia, to foistthe office of afor- Biden’s Chief Financial Officer laration of avictim as amatter discipline considered in thefinancialpro- derous social-media posts.” dealings by former state from reporting details of the mer AdvocateGeneral and also Saloni Multani said, “I cannottell of fact, collection of evidence for permitsextensionofthe mora- jections while designing the res- In his letter,the Chief AdvocateGeneral FIR filedbythe Anti- with respect to the other al- youthe expression on my fa- forensic examination and use of torium by amaximum of two olution plans”. Ministerhas mentioned“in- DammalapatiSrinivaswere Corruption Bureauagainstthe leged accusedpersons,’’ said ther’s face to see someone who sexual assault evidence collec- years”. It said the circular of stances of howmatters impor- stayed by the High Court former AdvocateGeneral re- the order by ChiefJustice JK lookslikehim on the ticket.” tion (SAEC) kit, completion of in- Earlier,the Union Finance September 7, 2020 (notifying the tant to Telugu Desam Party though an FIR wasregistered garding land purchase in Maheshwari. At thesame event, Biden’s vestigation in sexual assault Ministry, in itsaffidavit, had told recommendations) provides for have been allocated to afew againsthim by the Anti- Amaravati. The Chief Minister’s letter Digital Chief of StaffMedha Raj, cases in twomonths, use of the the courtthat the government “separatethresholds for26sec- Honourable Judges”, and has Corruption Bureau. “By wayofinterim relief, it refers to this order of the High whoseancestryisfromTamil National Database on Sexual had decidedtowaive intereston tors including power, real estate detailedthis in an annexure. “The complaint of cheating is directed that no coercive Court: “While the Supreme Nadu, drew on thefact that her Offendersfor identifying and interestinrespect of MSMEsand and construction. Even under The letter states “eversince and crime investigation is steps shall be takeninfurther- Courthas been steadfastinen- grandmother’s name has tracking repeat sexual offenders other personal loans up to Rs 2 the powersector,separate the YSRCongress Partygained stayed on the ground that the ance to (the FIR) whichhas suring no prior-restraint on “Kamala” in it. “Hearing chitti among others. croreduring the six-month thresholds have been prescribed powerinMay 2019 and or- moneyinvolvedinthe trans- been registeredafter filing of publication by media, agag or- (aunt) notjustfrommyfamily The Ministry, whichrecently moratorium period. forgeneration, transmission and dered enquiryintoall the deals action is repaidbythe accused. this writ petition againstany of der on the media is passed.” but from the television screen” distributed SAEC kitsamong The RBI said “continuation of distributions sectors. Similarly, made by theregime of N Everyjudicial precedent and the accused. The enquiry, in- He has urgedthe CJI to washer moving moment, she states forbetterinvestigation of temporarymoratorium” be- separatethresholds have been Chandrababu Naidu from June elementaryprinciple of ju- vestigationisalso stayed.Itis “consider initiating suchsteps said. sexual crimes through forensic yond the six month period al- prescribed forresidential and 2014 to May2019, Justice NV risprudence is violated by such further directed that the news as maybeconsidered fitand Other Indian Americans evidence, underlinedthe use of ready allowed“would noteven commercial real estate sectors”. Ramana startedinfluencing orders, with aviewtoprotect in regard to (the FIR, details proper,toensurethat the State working with the Democratic these kits. be in the interestofborrowers. “Sectors suchaspowerand the course of administration of the interests of TDP members,’’ withheld as per courtorder) ... judiciary’s neutrality is main- campaign include assistant "The DirectorateofForensic It maynot be sufficient in ad- real estate were already stressed justice in the state”. the CM stated in hisletter. shall notbemade public in any tained”. campaign manager Shreeya Science Services (DFSS) under dressing deeper cash flowprob- even before the pandemic on ac- Panigrahi; Biden’s speechwriter the MHA has issuedguidelines lems of the borrowers and in fact count of variousfactors pertain VinayReddy;former US forcollection,preservation & exacerbatethe repaymentpres- to sector-specific problems,” the 5.35crore between March 2020 The RoCfilingofthe bank ac- and the BJP headedby China to change. There's nothing Surgeon Generaland Biden- transportation of forensic evi- sures forthe borrowers”. central bank said, adding that and June 2020 from the seven count details forMay 2020 for Yediyurappa came to power. The to be gainedfromlooking the Harris task forcemember Vivek dence in sexual assault cases for “Therefore, amoredurable “the travails of therealsector Kolkata companies.This money, VSSEstateswhen seen in con- Congress party in Karnataka has other wayorturning the other Murthy; and former civil rights Investigation Officers and solution wasneededtorebal- cannotbesolvedthrough bank- records show, wassubsequently junction with the bank state- allegedthat aworkorder to start cheek.We'vebeen doing that for chief at the US Department of Medical Officers. In order to fa- ancethe debt burden of viable ing regulations. The banking transferredtothe Axis Bank ac- mentsreleasedbyPower TVfor the project wasdelayedbythe toolong,” he said. Justice and task forcemember cilitatethe StatePolice, Bureau borrowers, both businesses as regulations of RBI cannot substi- count of VSSEstates.Apartof the sevenKolkatacompanies, BJP as favours were sought by He addedthat Reliance had VanitaGupta. of Police Research and well as individuals, relative to tutethe addressal of structural these transfers areevident in Belgravia Enterprises, VSS those linked to the government. prohibited the use of Huawei’s The onlyIndian American on Development(BPR&D) has is- their cash flowgenerationabil- problemsofthe real sector”. RoCfilings: Estatesand VSSWorks,shows —WITHSANTANU equipment, as an exampleofthe Biden’s transition team, which suedSexual Assault Evidence ities. It waswith this considera- “In anycase, projectsunder ■ First, Rs 1.95 crorewas the movement of the Rs 5crore CHOWDHURYINKOLKATA international community’s lays the groundworkfor apoten- Collection (SAEC) Kitstoevery tion in mind that the Reserve implementation whichare af- transferredfromRemac from March to July2020 pushbackagainstBeijing. tial Biden administration, is State/UT.Itisnecessarytouse Bank has announcedthe fected due to the fallout of Distributors Pvt Ltd, Sakambari through the firms linked to Meanwhile, Pompeo, who Gautham Raghavan, former these SAEC kitsinevery case of Resolution Framework for Covid-19can be restructured Merchants Pvt Ltd and Strategic Shashidhar Mardi. Petrol demand earlier this week metJaishankar chief of stafffor sexual assault reported… Covid-19related Stress under an already existing frame- Vincom Private Ltd through Along with Mardi, Sree is also fortransportation so it has seen in Tokyofor the Quadmeeting, Congresswoman Pramila BPR&D and LNJN National (“Resolution Framework”) on work.This extant frameworkal- NEFT and RTGS between March adirector in Belgravia, whichisa asharp recovery,withpeople in- also hit out at Beijingfor its"bad Jayapal. Jayapal wasatthe cen- InstituteofCriminology and August6,2020,” it said. lows forextensionoftimeline 13,2020 and March 20, 2020 to general enterprise firm. Mardi creasinglyopting forpersonal behaviour". "The Indians are treofaUS Congress resolution Forensic Science (NICFS) have On September 3, the forcompletion of the projectsby Belgravia. Subsequently, Rs 1.5 wasinducted as adirectoron mobility,but diesel is also used seeing 60,000 Chinese soldiers againstthe removalofKashmir’s been regularly conducting Supreme Courthad directed 2years in case of non-infra proj- crorewas transferredfrom August29, 2019,shortlyafter foragricultural and industrial on their northern border, special statehood. Training and Training of Trainers that accountswhichhavenot ects, including real estate proj- BelgraviatoVSS Estates’ Axis Yediyurappa became CM. In RoC purposesbesides transporta- Pompeo said in aTVinterview Besides Ramagiri, among the (ToT)programmes on procedure been declared as NPAs as of ects, and by 4years forinfra- Bank account. filingsupto March 2019,the firm tion, whichhaveseen lowercon- afterhis return from Tokyo. Indian Americans who were un- forcollection,preservation and August31should notbede- structureprojectswithout ■ Then,Rs3.40 crorewas reportedzerorevenue and sumption,” said Abhijit Bora, an- “For decades, the West al- tilrecently associatedwith the handling of forensicevidence for clared so until further orders. downgrading to NPA,”itsaid. transferredfromSakambari losses of Rs 38,458. alystatSharekhan,BNP Paribas. lowedthe Chinese Communist party'selection run is Chicago Police/Prosecutors and Medical The RBI urgedthe courtto The government, the RBI af- Merchantsand four other com- Mardi said: “Theyare work- Boraalso notedthatthe de- Partytowalk all over us. The pre- businessman Shalabh “Shalli” Officers respectively,"the advi- “immediately” liftthis “across fidavit stated,too hadtaken sev- panies, Jagdamba Commosales ing loans foraproject. We have mand fordiesel usuallyfalls dur- vious administration bent a Kumar.Kumar, co-founder of sory stated. the boardstay” because if this is eral measurestoaddresssome Pvt Ltd, GannayakCommodities, providedall documentation for ing the monsoon everyyear,and knee, toooften allowedChinato the Republican Hindu Coalition notdone “it shall have hugeim- of the sectoral problems, includ- NavtechCreation Pvt Ltd and it.” On the Kolkatacompanies that the recovery to 93% of pre- steal our intellectualproperties and once amajor fundraiser for plicationsfor the banking sys- ing creation of aSpecial Window Ragharana Sales Pvt Ltd, to with commonaddresses, he Covid levels was, in fact, “phe- and the millions of jobs that Trump, has sincecooledoff. Woman who tem, apart from undermining” forCompletion of Affordable Belgravia's Axis Bankaccount said: “These arerelated to each nomenal” giventhe economic came along with it,” he said. Another well-known face is its“regulatorymandate”. and Mid-Income Housing between May14, 2020, and June other.Also, Idonot knowmuch scenario. Executives at oilmar- In another interview, Sampat Shivangi, member of first challenged The RBI said it “has takena (SWAMIH Investment Fund) to 26, 2020. Subsequently, asecond about that.” keting companies have said that Pompeo said: "Look,theyhave Trump’s Coalition Advisory balanced view,taking intoac- provide priority debt financing tranche of Rs 3.41crore was Askedabout the allegations theyexpect the diesel demand stacked 60,000 soldiersagainst Boardand aformer Karnataka instant triple count the interestofthe depos- forthe completion of stalled transferredfromBelgravia to of corruption, Mardi said: “First to returntopre-Covidlevels by the Indians in the north.” University student union presi- talaq in Supreme itors, borrowers, real sector enti- housingprojects. VSSEstates on July6,2020. of all, my partner owns the ma- November-December. dent. “The Emergency hap- ties and banks. Financialstability “The recommendations Three of the Kolkatacompa- jority stakeinthe companies. I pened. Iwas being watched,” he Court joinsBJP and economic growth of the were broadlyacceptedbythe nies —RemacDistributors, hold only12per cent. In Back-stories and says,talking of his journeyfrom countrywerealsokeptinmind ReserveBank and accordingly, GannayakCommodities and Belgravia, Idonot have any CitingLAC, US chitti tales: Indian Karnataka to the US, wherehe DevendraBhasin said, “It was while arriving at itspolicy deci- the ReserveBank issuedthe cir- Rajgharana Sales —are located share. My associateisthe owner. got afellowship at Johns her firstday in the party.The sions by the ReserveBank”. culardated September 7, 2020 at 301E, BBGanguly Street, Thereisnolink between me and slams China, Americans on the Hopkins University.“Icame with party will decide some role for It pointed out that as per the notifying the same,” it stated. Room No 4, Kolkata, WB 700012, agovernmentproject. Iamapri- aNehruvian, socialistic mind. her in the coming days.” Resolution proposal, onlythose as per RoCrecords. The other vate individual. Theyhavegot a says we turned campaign trail That’s whyall Indians are Abusiness management borroweraccounts, whichwere four —Strategic Vincom, loan to work on aproject. TheTV other cheek Democrats.That’s howwewere graduate, Bano had met classifiedasstandard,but notin Two firms of NavtechCreation, Sakambari channelhas linked unrelated President Donald Trump’s raised.” Ultimatelysettling in the Uttarakhand BJP leaders in 2018 default formorethan 30 days Merchantsand Jagadamba stufftodefame us.” too long campaign team toohas at least segregated southern stateof as well, but did notjointhe aprty with anylending institution as BSY’s grandson Commosales —are located at He furthersaid: “Belgravia is one listedIndian American — Mississippi, he switchedpoliti- at the time. on March 1, 2020,shall be eligi- 277, BBGangulyStreet, Kolkata, notrelatedtothe family. Iwas Pompeo and Esper,asper KavyaRamagiri, Deputy cal parties and went on to re- Asked what prompted her ble forresolution. It mayinter get Rs 5crfrom WB 700012. inducted as adirectoraround six plan, arelikelytofly down to ExecutiveDirector of Strategic ceive severalappointmentson move now, she said, “Thegov- aliainclude reschedulingofpay- seven Kolkata The firstaddress is located months agobut Idonot have India foran“in-person” meeting Coalitions, who graduatedfrom the boardofkey medical bodies. ernment at the Centrehas done ments, conversion of anyinter- inside acongestedmarket in anyshares. It is a12-13year old with their Indian counterparts Baylor University in 2019 and in- Also close to the President’s great work forMuslim women estaccruedortobeaccruedinto shellcompanies centralKolkata. “Therewere company. Theywereactivetill and meetPrime Minister ternedataconservative familyisfashion designer by making alaw againstthe mal- another credit facility,or, grant- some companies that operated 2013.Theydid notwant to start NarendraModi on October 26- Washington DC think tank. Mrinalini Kumar,co-chair of practice of triple talaq. The NDA ing of moratorium, basedonas- monthagainstPower TVforair- from one of the shops afew anew companysotheyrevived 27,sources told The Sunday Among thoseinthe blue cor- Indian Voices forTrump, whoof- government is doingvarious sessment of income streams of ing purportedsting recordings years ago. But those shops have Belgravia. It is true that it wasin- Express. ner is Amit Jani, head of Asian tenappears in the media relay- other work forsocial and eco- the borrowerfor twoyears. of conversations suggesting cor- shut along time ago,” said active foralmost five years.” The twosides arekeen to American and Pacific Islander ing her storyofbuilding abusi- nomic elevation of minorities. The RBI did notagree with ruption in the clearances forthe RajeevShaw, aworkerinanop- Responding to aspecific wrap up the ministerial meeting (AAPI) Outreachfor the Biden- nessbysimply“runninginto But opposition parties mislead the contentionthat accounts housing project by the tical store. question on the money, he said: before the November 3US Harris campaign team. “My Ralph Lauren” in NewYork. Muslims and createafear psy- whichwerestandardbut over- BangaloreDevelopment At theother address, about “It is all genuine loans with TDS Presidentialpolls,asaconsoli- storyreallyembodies what the chosisabout the BJP through due beyond 30 days as on March Authority (BDA). The channel 100metresaway, therewas no paid and paperwork done. All dation exercise of the pastfour Bidencampaign is about,”he MHA false propaganda.” 1, 2020should also be consid- had also alleged that sign of thefour companies. “I companies have these types of years’ efforts. said in an April 2020 speech. “If to deal with incidentsofsexual Bano had receivedatalaq- ered eligiblefor the Resolution Yediyurappa'sson BY have been herefor averylong transactions.” Earlier this week in Utah, youcometoour headquartersin offences againstwomen, said: nama(divorce) by postwhile as theytoo mayhavebeen im- Vijayendra, 45,and astate gov- time and Ihavenever heardthe Officials said the tender for O'Brien said China has at- Philadelphia, you’ll see alot of "However, even with stringent she wasstayingwith her par- pacted on accountofCovid-19. ernment official had demanded names of these companies,” said the housing project —tobuild temptedto"seize" control of the people justlikemefromthe provisions in lawand severalca- entsinKashipur,Uttarakhand. “This is aclassic fallacy of Rs 17 crorefromRCCL. Devender Jain,who runs aply- one- and three-bedroom flats— Line of ActualControl(LAC) with South Asian community... My pacity-building measuresun- In her petition before the top composition whichpresumes Following the complaint, po- wood shop there. wasfloated in October2017un- India by force, and stressedthat dad wasinvolvedincommunity dertaken, anyfailure of police to court,Bano had arguedthat a thatthe accountspaying on time lice raidedPowerTV'spremises According to the VSSEstates der the then Congress govern- the time has cometoacceptthat organising in Indian politics and adheretothesemandatoryre- “Muslimhusband’sright to ask can be equated with accounts in the city on September 28 and account statement, the Rs 5 ment.The bid by RCCL wasap- meredialogueand agreements that’s partofthe reason Igot into quirementsmay notaugur well fordivorce by utteringtalaq paying with aconsiderable de- the channelwas offair till croredepositedbetween March proved in aboardmeeting of the will notpersuade Beijing. politics here.” forthe delivery of criminal jus- threetimes in arow is com- lay. An accountwhich wasim- October 7. 13 and July 6byBelgravia was BDAonDecember 21,2017. The Incidentally, it wasO’Brien, However, it's this backstory tice in the country, especiallyin pletely unilateral, unguided, ab- pacted by pandemicaswell as The RoCdocumentsshow transferredonJuly27, 2020, to project remained in limbo after according to Bob Woodward’s that found the 30-year-old in a contextofwomensafety. Such soluteand has no rationale. It had apre-existing financial has a that Rs 5crore wastransferred another account -- of apartner- the Congress government fell in latestbook,who had warned bind. Soon afterBidennamed lapses, if noticed, needtobein- cannotbeidentifiedwith different riskprofile as com- through sevenKolkatacompa- ship firm VSSWorks LLP where 2018 and aJD(S)-Congress coali- Trumpabout the Covid-19pan- Jani head of Muslim American vestigated into and stringent ac- Muslim cultureand is notpart paredtoanaccount without nies to Belgravia Enterprises Pvt Mardi's partner SanjaySreeisa tion wasformedinJune 2018. demic in aJanuary28meeting Outreach, severalprogressive tion takenimmediatelyagainst of Muslim law. So it is notpart pre-existing stress and to treat Ltd and VSSEstates Pvt Ltd, director along with arepresen- Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls saying the virus “will be the groups and civil rightsorganisa- the concernedofficers respon- of religion and hence notpartof both borrowers on equal footing whereMardi is adirector.The tative of arealty firm PR in 2019,the coalition issued a biggestnational security threat tionsdemandedhis removalfor sible forthe same." the right to practice or propa- would be grosssuspension of Kolkatacompanies sharecom- Ramakrishnan. letter to RCCL on April 22 that youface in your presidency”. his open supportofPrime "It is requestedthat gate religion and deserves no economic sensibilities,” it said. mon addresses as perfilings VSSEstates Pvt Ltd was year,approving the project and O’Brien, who has been in MinisterNarendra Modiand States/UTsmay suitablyissue in- protection.” Some petitioners had sought with the RoCbut The Sunday startedinNovember 2019 with seeking asecurity deposit of Rs touchwith NSAAjit Dovalsince over his latefather’s role as for- structionstoall concernedtoen- She had movedthe SC in directions to RBItoannounce Express visitedthe locations to Mardi and aUK-basedpartner 33.31crore.After the polls, on the China tensionbegan, said mer president of the Overseas surestrictcompliance with the 2016 seeking aban on practices sector-specific reliefs. find thatnone of them were op- SanjaySreeasits directors. It is June 24,aformal agreement was early this week:"CCP's (Chinese Friends of BJP.Bidenhas report- provisions in the law... It is also suchastalaq-e-biddat and nikah Responding to this, the RBI erating from there. The rent yettofile details of its2019-20 signedbyRCCL and the BDAfor CommunistParty) territorial ag- edly replacedJani as his Muslim requestedtomonitor the cases halala. On August22, 2017,the said “suchprayers deliberately agreementssubmittedbyVSS revenuewith the RoC. An RoCfil- the construction of the project. gression is also apparent on its outreachcoordinator while re- on ITSSO (InvestigationTracking apexcourtset aside the practice obfuscatethe fact that Estatesand Belgravia bear the ing by VSSEstates Pvt Ltd in- As per the agreement, work was Indian border whereChina has taininghim in his AAPI post. Jani System forSexualOffences) to of instant triple talaq,inwhich Resolution Framework gives same Bengaluru address as on cludes acopyofits bank state- to startfromJune 24,2019and attemptedtoseize control of the refusedtocomment forthis ensurethat suitable follow-up Muslim men divorcetheir wives complete discretion to lending June 15,2020. ment forthe period between conclude by December23, 2021. Line of Actual Control by force”. story. action is takenfor the by uttering talaq three times in institutions and borrowers to ar- According to bank state- May25-27, 2020, whichreflects In July, shortlyafter the "The time has come to accept Sonal Shah, who served as chargesheet of the guiltyina quicksuccession. rive at resolution plans which mentsofBelgravia’s Axis Bank abalance of Rs 1.59 croreinthe agreement wassigned, the that dialogue and agreements policy director forMayor Pete timelymanner as required in the FULLREPORTSON aretailoredtothe specificre- account, the firm receivedRs account. coalition government collapsed will notpersuade or compel Buttigieg's run in the 2020 elec- law." www.indianexpress.com

Kolkata WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THESUNDAY EXPRESS,OCTOBER11,2020 3 WEST BENGAL

3RD RALLY IN AWEEK Worried about Covid surge Trinamool after Durga Puja, doctorsurge women’s CM to stop pandal gatherings wing rallies against Thisindicates asignificant rise in The platform is planning to ATRIMITRA caseload,the organisation said. writeanother letter to everypo- KOLKATA,OCTOBER10 “Wewould like to request litical organisation in the state, Hathras rape you[Banerjee]totakenecessary alerting them about the prevail- WITH PEOPLE in Kolkatacrowd- steps to stop gatherings at Puja ing situation. “Wewill writeto ing marketsbeforeDurga Puja pandals. And people stepping out everypolitical organisation in PRESSTRUSTOFINDIA and major political parties hav- of their homes mustmandatorily thestate,expressing our con- KOLKATA,OCTOBER10 ing takentothe streetsoverthe wear masks. We believe,atthis cern.Since theyhavemajor so- pastfew weeks, some doctors moment, these arethe twomajor cial reach, we willrequestthem THE TRINAMOOL Congress and healthexperts areappre- protocols peoplemustfollow,” to approachcommon people women’s wing held arallyinthe hensive aboutasurge in Covid- the outfit wrote in theletter. and tell them to maintain health city on Saturday,continuing its 19 cases afterthe festival. The platform’s joint convener, protocols during Durga Puja. We protests againstthe murder and The warningcomes amid a PunyabrataGoon,said, “Wesaw will also requestthem to main- alleged gangrape of aDalit rise in the state’s active caseload that the number of infections in tain healthprotocols at their pro- woman in UP's Hathras district, in recent weeks, and adecline in West Bengal went up after grammes,” said Goon. andanalleged increase in atroc- therecovery rate in the pastfew Mahalayaand Vishwakarma Dr Abhijit Chowdhury, who ities againstwomen in BJP-ruled days. Puja. It is an alarming signal. We is also amember of the stategov- states.. On October 7, adoctors’ or- have also seen howthe situation ernment’s advisoryboard, Hundredsofwomen partici- ganisation namedJoint Platform deteriorated afterpriority was agreedthat public gatherings patedinthe rally, with manycar- of Doctors wrotetoChief giventoemotions to organise during Puja would be disastrous. Congress MP Adhir Chowdhury addresses arallyinKolkataonSaturday. Partha Paul rying posters that read, “The MinisterMamataBanerjee, cit- Onam festival, neglecting health “If we donotlearnfromKerala Dalit Woman is our Daughter”. ing the case spikes in Kerala and protocols, in Kerala. Not only fes- andMaharashtra,whattheywere The TMC workers also shouted Maharashtra afterOnam and tivals, political gatherings also in- facing afterOnam and Ganesh ADHIR TARGETS TMC GOVT AND BJP slogans. Ganesh Chaturthi.Asteep rise crease the chances of spreading Chaturthi,thenthatwillnodoubt This wasthe thirdsuch had been recordedinSpain fol- moreCovid infections.” worsen the situation. It is notan protestbythe TMC women’s cell lowing International Women's The doctors remindedthe unscientific explanation. So, in this week.Ithad organisedpro- Daycelebrations and afootball Chief MinisterthatGanesh time of festival, we should main- cessions on the issue on Tuesday match, said the doctors. The re- Chaturthi wasalow-key affair in tainthehealthprotocols,”hesaid. Conghitsthestreetsagainst and Thursdayinother parts of the cent surge in Bengal had oc- Maharashtrathis year,while The stateadministration said city. curredafter Mahalaya and Garba has been cancelledin adequatemeasures were being On Saturday, theprotesters Vishwakarma Puja, theyadded. Gujarat. “In our state, too, Eid and takentoensureeveryone’ssafety. walked from HazraCrossing to The doctors urgedBanerjee Muharramwereobserved in- “People have to followthe proto- pricerise&Covidsituation Esplanade, covering about three to implement strict measures to doors. If we do notlearn from cols while going out. We have to kilometres. prevent public gatherings dur- these instances, and take precau- be alert. The statehas takenall The president of Trinamool ing Durga Puja, warning that fail- tionarymeasures to maintain formsofprecautionarymeasures. advantageofthe pandemic. Mahila Congress, Chandrima uretodosomight “lead to a healthprotocols during this Theyshouldalwaysbecarefuland EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE CompanieslikeCESC in Kolkata Bhattacharya said, “Wewant to NED tsunami of infections”. With the Durga Puja, it can besuicidal. The wear masks. But if people do not KOLKATA,OCTOBER10 RevivingBengal arereaping the benefits. Due to registerour protests againstthe letter,theyattachedthe three- situation maygoout of hand followthem,therewillalwaysbe Congress hugeelectricity bills, all industries atrocities againstDalitsand dayrolling averageofdaily leading to atsunami of cases,” the achance of afurther spikein WESTBENGALCongresschief E aregoingaway from West Bengal. women in BJP-ruledstateslike ● Covid-19infections in Kolkata. doctors’ outfitsaidinits letter. cases,”saidaseniorhealthofficial. Adhir Chowdhury, who is also EXPLAI Inflationisrising, commodity Uttar Pradesh and Madhya the party’s leader in the Lok prices arealso rising. The middle Pradesh.” Sabha, on Saturdayled aprotest ADHIR CHOWDHURYisaknown staunchcritic of Mamata class and lower-middle class are Bhattacharya,who is also a rallyinKolkata againstprice rise, Banerjee.Followinghis elevationinthe stateCongress, it was in deep trouble.The state govern- ministerinthe MamataBanerjee the poor stateofhealth infra- expected that theparty would become morevocal against ment is nottaking anyaction.We government,accusedthe BJP- structureinBengal, and the the government. It is near certain that the Congress will con- arebeing forced to startamove- ruledstatesofcreating division Trinamool Congress govern- test next year’s Assemblyelections in alliance withthe Left. ment againstthis,” he added. among upper and lowercastes ment’s policies. With Adhir aiming to revive the party and establish it as the The Congress leader alsoheld and dividing the society. The rallystarted from Bidhan thirdbig forceinthe state,the Congress will be looking to hit meetings with the party’s legisla- Similar protestswereorgan- Bhavan, the party headquarters thestreets morefrequently. tors to plantheir courseof action. isedbythe party’s women ac- in Entally, to Esplanade. A Theyalso discussedhow the seat- tivists in differentdistrictsear- Congress delegation then sub- sharing talkswith the LeftFront lier this week. mitted adeputation to Governor out that the Covid-19pandemic about howhospital bedswill be fornextyear’sAssembly elections Chief Ministerand party Jagdeep Dhankhar. wasworsening in the state, and increased. The main Opposition should beapproached. On Friday, supremo MamataBanerjee had “Now,noone is talkingabout claimedthat the stateadminis- party is also notsaying anything Chowdhuryhad visited Bidhan walked in thefirstsuchprotest the common people. The ruling tration wasunder-reporting to the government about this. So, Bhavanfor discussions with sen- by TMC on October 3and had hit party andthe Opposition [BJP] deaths. we decidedtojoin the move- ior leaders suchasAbdul Mannan out at BJP calling it the “biggest arejustasserting their power. So “Neither the statenor the ment,” he added. and Pradip Bhattacharya. pandemic in the country”. The we decidedtodaywewill give central government has anycon- Chowdhurysaid his party had “He is doing his best to revive protestprogramme waslauched deputation to the Governor trol over the Covid situation. The always steppedforward to voice the Congress in the state,and afteraTMC delegation of MPs about the demands of the peo- government has no idea what people’s demands. “The state honestlytrying to build asolid ledbyDerek O’Brienwas pre- Peoplethrong amarketinKolkata’s Esplanade area on Friday. Partha Paul ple,” Chowdhurysaid. will happenifCovid growsafter government has been increasing coalition with the Leftparties,” vented from meeting the rape The Congress leader pointed Durga Puja. Theyare notworried the price of electricity by taking said asenior party leader. victim’s kin by the UP police.

ACTIVE COVID-19 CASESNEAR 30K ‘MANHANDLING’ OF SIKHBODYGUARD MANISH SHUKLA MURDER Third straight day of record Had it been roundcap, would Afternephew’s arrest cases, recovery rate drops further cops have disrespected: Dilip in fraud case, BJP MP ActorSoumitraChatterjee stillin‘high-risk zone’: Doctor says CID targeting him dig at the BJP following Ghosh's STATECOUNT tioninMaldacontinuedtoworsen, EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE It is because statement and said the latter be- EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE withitsactivecaseloadjumpingto KOLKATA,OCTOBER10 he is aSikh lievesincommunal politics. The fraudperpetrated on the KOLKATA,OCTOBER10 TOTAL CASES 791. It nowtrails onlyDarjeeling, that such StateUrbanDevelopment EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE Bhatparabank is worthRs11.6 whichhas 817patients. MEDINIPUR MP and BJP state action has MinisterFirhad Hakim said, “I KOLKATA,OCTOBER10 crore, according to investigators. WESTBENGALonSaturdayre- 291194 Accordingtothe statehealth president Dilip Ghosh targeted been taken: have been beaten up by thepo- The police have arrested five portedarecordincrease in INCREASE DEATHS department, 42,855 testswere West BengalPolice over alleged Dilip Ghosh lice at political programmes dur- BJP MP ArjunSingh on Saturday people, including Sanjit Singh, Covid-19cases forthe third conductedin24hours whilethe manhandling of aSikh body- ing the Leftregime. No one asked alleged that thestate Criminal till date. He wasproducedinalo- straight dayas3,591infections 3591 5563 test positivity rate kept inching guardofaBJP leader in Howrah whether Ihad acap or atilak.By Investigation Department (CID) cal courtonSaturdayafternoon. pushedupthe total case count 2,55,838RECOVERED backtowards 8per cent. It was saying that had he been wearing dragged away in suchadisre- highlighting round caps, the BJP wasconspiring to target him in “Thereisanongoing investi- to 2,91,194. The active caseload up to 7.98 per cent on Saturday. a“round cap”, then police would spectful manner.Wecondemn is showing itstrue nature. They the Manish Shukla murder case. gation of abank fraud. Theac- is up to 29,793. 36,50,989 SAMPLES Meanwhile, doctors at apri- nothaveshown suchdisrespect. suchactsofthe policeand chal- believe in this kind of commu- The BarrackporeMP’scom- cusedSanjit Singh has been As aresult of these additions TESTED TILL OCTOBER 10 vate hospital heresaid that actor Balwinder Singh wasal- lengethem.Iftherewould have nal politics.” ment came aday afterhis calledfor interrogation. But he to thecaseload,the discharge SoumitraChatterjee, who is un- legedly beaten up, manhandled been around cap on the head, West Bengal PoliceonFriday nephewSanjit Singh alias Pappu did notappear.Finallyhecame rate hastaken ahit this week.On dergoing treatment forCovid-19, and his turban removedina would the police have arrested tweeted, “The concernedperson wasarrestedinconnection with forinterrogation. We have found Saturday, it droppedto87.86 per whichaccounted foralmost wasstill in the “high-risk zone”. scuffle during the Nabanna him in suchaway? Could they wascarrying firearms in yester- the BhatparaCooperative Bank some evidence that linkshim di- cent from 87.9 per cent the day three quarters of the infections Adoctor treating the 85- Abhiyan. Policeseizedalicensed have shown suchdisrespect? It day's protest. The Pagri had fallen fraudcase. rectlytothe case and therefore before.Accordingtothe state and 32 fatalities. While the cap- year-old actor said he was“quite handgun from him from the is shameful.Itisbecause he is a offautomatically in the scuffle “The CID is trying to hatcha have arrested him,” said asenior healthbulletin, in whichfigures ital nowhas 6,513 active cases, restless and in asemi-conscious spot. Sikhthat suchaction has been that ensued,without anyat- conspiracy againstme. In Manish policeofficialatthe Barrackpore areupdated till 9am, 62 people the district to itsnorth is second stage”. His oxygen saturation Meanwhile, West Bengal taken. Earlier,wehaveseenthat tempttodosobyour officer (vis- Shuklamurdercasetheyare try- commiserate. succumbed to the disease, tak- with 6,382 patients. was"brought to normal",the Police issuedastatement on so- aparticular community had ible in the video attached). It is ing to target me. Theywant to get Meanwhile,the CID is plan- ing the toll to 5,563. The districtsofPurba and doctor added. cialmedia saying that the turban beaten up policemen in Howrah, neverour intention to hurtthe to me in connection withthe ning to send ateam to ajail in Justover58per cent of the Paschim Medinipur recorded “His sodium levelhas been had automaticallyfallenoff dur- and later police conducted a sentimentsofany community.” murderofour party leader. Bihar’s Nalandadistricttoques- latestcases and 48 deaths were four fatalities, and sawtheir ac- corrected but hispotassium level ing the scuffle and it wasnever peace march there. This is unde- It added, “WestBengal Police Shuklawas murderedby miscre- tion criminal Subodh Singh, who reportedfromthe South Bengal tive cases rise. While Purba is lowand is being corrected. their intention to hurtthe senti- mocratic and aproof of politics respectsall religions. The officer antsbackedbyTMC andwith the is suspected to have master- pandemic hotspotcomprising Medinipur nowhas 1,259 pa- Chatterjee is very drowsy,se- mentsofany community. of appeasement.” specificallyasked him to puthis help of thepolice,” Singh told re- mindedShukla’s murder from Kolkata, itsthree neighbouring tients, its adjoining district has verely disoriented andrestless. Addressing mediapersons, He added, “TMC can hold any Pagri backbeforethe arrest.The porters in Barrackpore. jail. The departmentplans to ap- districts, and Hooghly. Of these 953 active cases. In Nadia, an- Hisoxygensaturation levelhas Ghosh said, “Balwinder Singh is rallyorprogramme. But when attached photo has been clicked “It is TMC leaders who are proachthe local courttoseek his five,onlyHooghlydid notreport other South Bengal district been brought to normal and he the bodyguardofour leader BJP carries out apolitical pro- rightbeforehewas escortedto behind the brutal murder of custody. anydeath while the infection wherethe situation is of concern, does nothaveafever but he is Priyanshu Pandey. He was gramme,weare stopped,beaten the Police Station. We remain Shukla. We have no trustonCID. Shukla, who wasalocal continuedtowreak havocin the active caseload rose to 1,100. still in the high-risk zone,” said beaten up, manhandled, his pa- up and then arrested.” committed to our duty to uphold Thereshould be aCBI probeinto councillor and the BJP MP’s close Kolkataand North24Parganas, Up in NorthBengal,the situa- the doctor. gri wastaken offand was Meanwhile, the TMC took a lawand order in the state.” it. Then onlytruthwill be un- aide, wasshotdead on the night earthed,” he added. of October 5. Twodays later,his The MP claimedhis nephew family metGovernor Jagdeep wasarrestedbecause of the Dhankharand demandedaCBI Trinamool Congress’s vendetta probeintothe killing. The gov- IMMERSION CEREMONYONOCT 29 againsthim. “It is vendettapoli- ernment, however, gave the case tics. Theyare trying to malign me to the CID, whichhas arrested For DurgaPuja, Kolkata Police to be out in force from Oct 19 and my familyusing police.” three people.

ernment has allotted October 29 protocols arefollowedand also sageofvisitors while maintain- theywant, we can do that for been banned and the organises EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE foridol immersions. that those on the streetsare not ing social distancing norms and them. In NorthKolkata, several have been directed to hold inau- KOLKATA,OCTOBER10 The decisions were takenat inconvenienced.The Puja com- wearing masks.Besides, watch pujas areorganised in lanes and guration and awardceremonies ameeting held at the statecapi- mittees arecooperating with us. towers, drones will be usedto bylanes. So, we have to extra through online initiatives. TO CONTROL crowds and main- tal's Netaji Indoor Stadium on We have already startednaka keep atrack on the crowd. careful. We will notallowover- The organisers have also tain Covid health protocols, Fridayand wasattendedbythe checking in various pointsand According to KolkataPolice, crowding in pandals,” said an of- been asked to ensurethat dur- KolkataPolice will manthe city KolkataPolice, Fire Services arekeeping vigil at markets, as manyas2,509 pujas were or- ficer-in-charge of aNorth ing rituals onlysmall groups of streetsfromOctober 19,which Department, KolkataMunicipal shopping areasand malls ganisedlastyear in Kolkataitself. Kolkatapolice station. people arepresent near the is the thirdday of Durga Puja or Corporation and puja organisers. wherefestive shopping is on,” So, it will be achallenging task to Through guidelines, Puja or- pandals. Organisers will ask "tritiya". Pujaorganisers have al- Recently, anumberofmeetings, saidaseniorofficer of Kolkata managecrowd this year amid ganisers have been already told visitors to bring their ownflow- ready been told to strictlyabide includingone presidedbyChief Police who waspresent in the the pandemic. to have open spacious pandals ers during ‘pushpanjali’ and by thestate government's guide- MinisterMamataBanerjee, were meeting. “It will be achallenge forus. with separateentryand exit avoid crowdinginstalls near lines, whichinclude open pan- held. Apartfrommanningthe So far, we have thecooperation points. Theyhavebeen asked to pandals. dals, ban on cultural pro- “Our forcewill be on the streets, Kolkata Police officers of Puja committees and have provide with ample sanitisers This year,the stategovern- grammes, and mandatoryuse of streetsofKolkatafrom'tritiya'. will also keep awatchonPuja asked them to submit adetailed and also thermal guns if possi- ment has already cancelledthe masksand sanitisers. Thegov- We will ensurethat all Covid pandals ensuring smooth pas- plan of crowdmanagement. If ble. Cultural programmeshave much-hypedPuja carnival.

Kolkata WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 4 EXPRESS NETWORK THE SUNDAYEXPRESS,OCTOBER11,2020

Record DU ARRESTED BY NIA IN ELGAARPARISHAD CASE cut-offs: 100% DUstudentkilledoverfriendship: 83-yr-oldpriestworked for for three coursesinLSR WantedtocrackIAS,saysfamily tribals, took on govtpolicies,

SUKRITABARUAH and ‘even the Church’ &ARANYASHANKAR JIGNASASINHA NEWDELHI,OCTOBER10 NEWDELHI,OCTOBER10 Organisation forHumanRights. ABHISHEKANGAD Ramesh Jerai, 61,anactivistwho DELHI UNIVERSITYset anew ad- AFEW days before he waskilled, Rahul Rajput; RANCHI,OCTOBER10 worked with him, said Swamy mission cut-offrecord with its 18-year-old Delhi Universitystu- (left)His firstanalysed the Panchayats firstlistSaturdayafter theLady dent Rahul Rajput rushedhome family TWODAYSbeforehis arrest, (ExtensiontoScheduled Areas) ShriRam College forWomen de- with his 21-year-old friend, who Amit Mehra Father Stan Swamy, 83,a Act,1996–PESAAct–whichgives cidedona100%cut-offfor three had metwith aminor accident. Jharkhand-basedJesuit priest, rightstogramsabhas. “Stan courses, and 30 courses across At his modesthouse in human rightsactivistand writer Swamystarted doing campaigns colleges had cut-offs over 99%. NorthwestDelhi’s Adarsh Nagar, waskeptontop of the books. “He who wasarrestedbyNIA on forPESAand startedforming Last year,the highestcut-off Rajput’s mother quicklyput a wastaking tuitions to fund the Thursdayinthe Bhima Koregaon gram sabhas, informing the au- across all colleges was99% for bandaid on the woman’s hand. booksheneededtopreparefor case, had in avideo statement Stan Swamy thorities. He made tribals aware admission to the BA (Honours) "Aftershe left, Itold him to con- IAS.Weweresoproud of our spoken abouthis work on dis- of their rights,” Jeraisaid. Political Science programme in centrateonhis studies.Ididn’t son,” said Sanjeev, ataxi driver. placement, land alienation, rights He said one of Swamy's main Hindu College. This time, the have aproblem with the rela- n’t have aproblem with her reli- claimedRajuNagar,the boy's Rajput’s younger sister, who of gram sabhas and of Adivasis in Swamy, who is originallyfrom workswas collectionofdataof highestcut-offhas reached100% tionship but Ithought he wasfar gion... In our colony, Hindus and uncle. is in class XI, is at their aunt’s jail, among other issues. Trichy in Tamil Nadu, coming to the displacement of tribalpeo- in LSRfor admissiontothree tooyoung forit," said Rajput's Muslims live together.Ihad a On Saturday, when The home.Itwas duringthe lock- He said he challengedthe“in- work in Jharkhand,human rights ple due to mining, townships, in- courses —BA(Honours) Political mother Renuka (38). problem that theyweretoo Indian Express went to the down that Rajput startedtaking discriminate”arrestsofthousands activistXavier Dias recalledthat dustries, dams, among others. Science, BA (Honours) On Wednesday, thewoman's young. Iwantedhim to concen- woman’s house, her family English tuitionsofyoungerchil- of young Adivasis and Moolvasis Swamystudiedinthe Philippines, Dias said Swamy’s disagree- Psychology and BA (Honours) twobrothers —Mohd. Rajand trateonhis studies.” members refusedtotalk.On dren, afterthe doors of the by callingthem ‘Maoists’, as they wherehewas acquainted witha ment did notremainlimitedto Economics. Lastyear,the college ManwarHussain—and their It wasatacoaching centre Thursday, the woman was Freedom English Academywere “question and resist unjustland- series of protestsanddemonstra- the establishment. “He wasvery hada98%cut-offfor Economics, three minor friends allegedly twoyears agothat the twobe- movedtoashelter home. “She is shut. alienation and displacement”. tions againstthe administration muchindisagreement with 98%for Political Science and beat up Rajput on the road over came friends. Both wanted to an adult and didn’t want to stay Barring the fewtimes that This, he said, could be the main in the1970s. He said Swamy, dur- even the Church.Hewas de- 98.75% forPsychology. the friendship theyshared.Late improvetheir English language in her house... We didn’t ques- the woman came to his house, reasonwhyhewastargetedinthe ing further studies, made friends pressedthat the Church sided LSRCollegeprincipalSuman at night, Rajput died in ahospital skills, and Freedom English tionher decisionand movedher Rajput mostlymet her at tea Bhima-Koregaon case. with Brazilian Catholic with the elites. He said big insti- Sharmasaid that in the history of aruptured spleen.Police have Academynearby wasthe an- to ashelter home,” said asenior stallsneartheir colony. “I knew Swamy's arrest has ledto Archbishop Helder Camara. tutions run by Jesuitstaught in of the college, the cut-offhad uppeddeployment in the area to swer.“We knowtheyhave police officer. theywerefriends but Ididn't widespread protests in Dias said: “Camarahad said, English medium, leaving behind nevertouched100%inevenone keep tempers in check. known eachother foryears. She At Rajput’s home, his father knowhow serious it wastillIgot Jharkhand, wherehehas been ‘When Iask whytheyare poor, the poor who did notunder- subject, letalone three. “This has On Saturday, six policemen would sometimes come home Sanjeev (42)showedhis son’s acall from the woman recently. basedfor over twodecades. theycall me acommunist’…. stand the language. He de- happenedfor the firsttime. The guardedthe locality.The too... during the lockdown. That’s booksmeant forpreparation of She said theywanted to getmar- Various civil society groups and Swamy’s early influences were mandedthat schools run by cut-offs foradmissions arede- woman’s brothers have been ar- whythe night he wasbeing civilservices exams. ried. Iasked her to stay away activists have criticisedthis ar- people like this... He wanted to Jesuitsshould be converted to cidedbythe collegebasedon rested and the juvenilesappre- thrashed, she wasthere, andI Themat wherethe children from my son... Ididn'tsay this be- rest.Inastatement,the Ranchi be withthe proletariat… He Hindi medium so that the com- analysis of the profile and dataof hended. VijayantaArya, DCP recognisedher.She has recently satinfront of Rajput layempty, cause Ihad aproblem with the Catholic Church said it was“dis- startedliving in aJamshedpur mon peoplemay benefit.” applicants. In addition, several (Northwest), confirmedthatthe come home too. She tried to stop and acolourfulhand-drawn religion, but because they tressedand troubled” at the way labour colony, and then in Das also saidthat Swamyalso other local factors likelimited woman’s familyopposedher the men who were beating him... posterofhis “FreeFlying shouldn't be thinking about get- he wasarrestedand calledfor his Chaibasa.” told his “bosses in the Church” number of seatsavailable in the friendship withRajput. Then she rantowards me and Coaching Centre- Class XI- ting marriedatthis age,” said immediaterelease. In Chaibasa, Dias said, Swamy about various social movements collegeindifferent courses and Rajput’s mother said, “I did- told me theywereher brothers,” XII….Special Classes- English” Rajput's mother Renuka. On anon-tribal person like worked withthe Jharkhandi takingplaceinJharkhand. pastexperience aretaken into account. Accordingly, forthis year,100%cut-off has been fixed Not allowed to sit on chair, hoist forsome courses in the firstlist,” HATHRAS WOMAN’S DEATH shesaid. Askedifany DU college hadeverdeclared a100%cut-off Tricolour: TN Dalit panchayat chief in three subjects, DU Dean Centre issues (Admissions) Shobha Bagai said, ting on the floor at ameeting cidedtolodgeacomplaint now Cops say ‘activist’ at teen home, "Not that Iamaware of." PRESSTRUSTOFINDIA while others were sitting on when his ill-treatment intensi- notificationfor She said the reason forsky- CUDDALORE(TAMILNADU), chairs, prompting authorities to fied.Onlythe vice-president rocketing cut-offs washigh OCTOBER10 swing intoaction. hoistedthe national flag and she MP doctor says went to help CBI to take over scores in the school boardexam- DistrictCollector Chandra wasnot allowedtodoso(during inations. "DU cut-offisbasedon ADALITpanchayatpresident in Sekhar Sakhamuri and important occasions),shealleged. Hathrasprobe the input of the school boards. If Tamil Nadu’s Cuddaloredistrict Cuddalore SP MSreeAbhinav Acase has been registered IRAMSIDDIQUE they aregiving suchhigh marks, wasallegedly humiliated by the went to thevillageand held an against the duo under theSC/ BHOPAL,OCTOBER10 we have no other option but to panchayatvice-president, who enquiryonSaturday. Abhinav Act. “Wewill take astatement PRESSTRUSTOFINDIA raise the cut-offs.It's high time didnotallowherto sitonachairat said Rajeswari has namedpan- from her,investigateand appro- A40-YEAR-OLD Jabapur-based NEWDELHI,OCTOBER10 that we start looking at our edu- meetingsorhoistthenationalflag. chayat vice presidentMohan Raj priateactionwillbetaken,” SP doctor came forwardtosay cationsystemand the waywe The alleged incident,which and secretarySinduja in her Abhinav told reporters. Saturdaythat were therewas no THE CENTRAL government has have been evaluatingour stu- occurredonJuly17, came to light complaint. Police areonthe lookout for secrecy regarding her move- issuedanotification forthe CBI dents. In NEP,acommon en- afteraphotograph emergedofS When askedwhyshe had not Mohan Raj, while Sinduja has mentsafter media landedupat to take over probeintothe al- trance test is proposedevenfor Rajeswari,president of Therku complainedearlier,Rajeswari been suspended.Toaquestion, her doorstep, following reports leged gangrape and death of a university admissions, so Ihope Thittai villageunder Mel saidsheinitiallytoleratedthevice the SP said therewould be no that the Uttar Pradesh govern- woman in Hathras, officials said it's implemented," she said. Buvanagiri PanchayatUnion, sit- president's behaviour,but de- threat to her life. ment waslookingintothe pres- Saturday. ence of awoman at the home of The notification has been the Dalit teenager who diedfol- markedtoasuitablebranchof 42% drop in rape lowing assault and alleged gan- the premier agency,and probe grape in Hathras recently. teams will be dispatchedtothe cases in 4yrs, In the evening,Inspector crime scene along withforensic General, AligarhRange,Piyush Policekeep vigilatLudhiana’sChauraBazar afterDalit experts immediatelyafter the claims UP govt Mordia clarifiedthat theydidn't organisations calledfor aPunjabbandh to protestthe registration of an FIR, theysaid. have anyplanstoquestion the Hathraswoman’sdeath. GurmeetSingh Besides the alleged gang- woman. rape case, the UP government EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE He added, "When Ihad gone has sought aprobe by the CBI LUCKNOW,OCTOBER10 to the victim's house, the Hathras districthas been under anydocuments, from thepost- intothe FIR related to the alleged woman waspresent. The vic- tight security. mortemreport to the forensic criminal conspiracy to spread The Uttar Pradesh government tim's sister-in-lawtold us she The doctoraddedthat she first findings. Ibegan speaking to the casteconflict, instigating vio- on Saturdayclaimedthat rape wastheir relative and had come noticedpolice interestwhen she authorities," she says,adding lence, incidentsofvicious prop- cases in the statedroppedby from Jabalpur.The woman wasleaving on October 6, with that the officials were notcom- aganda by sectionsofmedia and Government of India 42.24per cent till September this claimedtobeasocial worker." twovans following her.“They fortable with her questions. She political interests,theysaid. year comparedto the correspon- Additional Director General, asked what Ihad been doing and said shealso gave thefamilya Department of Atomic Energy ding period in 2016 while inci- Lawand Order,Prashant Kumar took pictures of me and my doc- cheque. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mysore dentsofwomenbeing kid- refusedtospeak on the matter. uments. Ilostmycool asIwas not Thedoctorsaidthatwhileshe ED to move courtnext nappedfell by 39 per cent in the Amember of the teenager's doing anycrime,” she said. hadinitially bookedareturnticket week to question INVITATIONFOR (Committal) EXPRESSION OF same period. familysaid theyweretired of the The doctor said she had gone forOctober 5, shestayedbackon INTEREST FROM PROSPECTIVE BIDDERSFOR ''IMPORTANT'' Claiming to strictlypursue allegations, including that she to Hathras movedbythe the family's insistence.She said journalist,3others Whilstcareistaken priorto cases of crimes againstwomen, wasnot rapedand that theybeat teenager's plight, hoping to ex- she livedwith them fortwo days, PRELIMINARYPRE-QUALIFICATION acceptance of advertising copy,itisnot possible toverify the government in apress state- her,leading to her death. tend moral and financial sup- andwhenquestionedbyofficials, Lucknow: The ED has decidedto its contents. The Indian ment said that five persons were “Therewerealot of people port, and that she had a10-year- gave them herAadhaar cardde- approachaMathuracourtseeking Chief Engineer(SMF), BARC, Mysore, on behalf of President of Express(P) Limitedcannot be held responsiblefor such sentencedtodeath and another who came to our home. We did- old son she had leftathome. She tails and mobile number. permission to question aDelhi- India invites Expression of Interest(EOI) from reputed,qualified, contents,nor for any loss or 193wereconvictedforlifeunder n'tinviteanyonefromJabalpur... saidshe feared the Hathras fam- The UP Police's handling of basedjournalistand threeothers damageincurred as aresult of experienced and financially sound bidders for the following. transactionswith companies, theYogi Adityanath administra- We don'tknowwhichwoman ily's fate mightend up likethe the Hathras case, including arrestedforanallegedconspiracy Ref No. BARC/SMFC/CHK/WS/EOI/01 associationsorindividuals tion. Earlier basedonthe NCRB came. At our house, onlyour rel- Unnao rape victim'swhose claims that aforensic report behind their visit to Hathras. advertising in itsnewspapers datafor 2018,the Uttar Pradesh ativesare staying,” the family whole familywas targeted. showedthe woman wasnot It is conducting apreliminary Name of the Work Operation of BARC workshop &supply or Publications.Wetherefore recommend thatreaders government hadclaimedto member said. “AfterIsaw howwomenre- raped, itshurriedcremation of inquiryintothe allegation that of components at SMF, Challakere, make necessary inquiries beforesendingany moniesor record the highest convictionrate The Jabalpur doctor,who said porters were voicing the family's her body in the middle of the funds were transferredfor a Karnataka for five years. This involves entering into anyagreements in casesof crimesagainstwomen she earlier worked in the concern,Igot the couragetogo night, itsbarricading of her vil- website, ‘Justice forHatrasvic- with advertisers or otherwise procurement of raw material, acting on an advertisement in and cybercrime in the country. Forensics Department of the thereand contribute, whatever lage, and itsallegations that the tim’, allegedly created to incite manufacturing &inspection of specified anymanner whatsoever. city's Netaji Subhas Chandra little Icould," she said, adding, protests over herdeath were people and disturb lawand or- components, further, packaging & Bose Medical College, told The "Thereisnorule to stop an ordi- partofaconspiracy,has been der in Hathras. Mathurapolice Officeofthe Member Secretary, Sunday Express everyone from narypersonfromwanting to underthe spotlight. had arrested journalistSiddique delivering them to BARC SMF Site Stores; RajasthanMedicare ReliefSociety police officialstothe administra- help someone else." The Allahabad High Court, Kappan, secretaryofthe Kerala also, managing the Workshop Facility for tion were awareofher identity The doctor said she boarded that hadtaken suo motu cog- Union of Working Journalist, Sir Padampat Mother &Child Health Institute, J.L.N. Marg, Jaipur SMF at Ullarthi project site, Challakere, when she wasatHathras, and atrain from Jabalpur to Agra on nizance of the matter,istohold Campus Front of India office- No...... /Store/SPMCHI/RMRS/2020/7282-85 Jaipur dated 7.10.2020 Chitradurga District, Karnataka. thatshe had furnishedher de- October 3, and reachedthe ahearing on it on Monday. bearers Atiq-ur-Rahman and E-TENDER NOTICE tails when asked. woman's home the next day. “I --WITHIMPUTSFROM Masood Ahmed, and driver Approximate Estimated Rs. 30 Crore (Rupees Thirty Crores only) Tenders are invited rate contract for supply of Drugs &Medicines and other item for The woman's villagein realisedthe familydid nothave ENSLUCKNOW,DELHI Alam in Mathuralastweek.ENS Cost BPL, JSSY,BSBY &other free category patientsonthe basis of maximum discount Period of Completion 60 Months (Sixty Months) on retial price Tender Document will be available on the net. The tender notice and other details can be downloaded from the website http://eproc.rajasthan.gov.in. Work Description The work involves deployment of No separate hardcopy will be given from this office. requisite manpower to our Workshop at Bidding Schedule 1. Estimated Cost Rs. 1.50 Crore (Rupees one crore fifty SMF, BARC, Chitradurga; procurement lacs only) of raw material, use it for manufacturing 2. Tender Fees Rs. 400.00 (Rupees Four Hundred only) &inspection of specified components; 3. RISL Processing Fees Rs. 1000.00 (Rupees One Thousand only) supply the finished &packed components 4. Earnest Money Rs. 1.50 Lacs (Rupees one Lacs fifty to SMF, BARC Stores, Chitradurga for five thousand only) years on monthly basis; also, managing 5. Publishing in newspaper Date &Time 09.10.2020 6. Publishing in e-Tender Dated &Time 09.10.2020 up to 2.00 PM the Workshop Facility at SMF Site, 7. Document download start date &Time 09.10.2020 from 2.00 PM Challakere for five years duration. 8. Document Download end time &date 28.10.2020 till 4.00 PM EOI processing fee Rs. 5900 (non-refundable) in the form 9. Bid submission start date &Time 09.10.2020 from 2.00 PM 10. Bid submission end date &time 28.10.2020 till 4.00 PM of DD from any scheduled/Nationilized 11. Last Date of Submition Fee/Tender 27.10.2020 from 4.00 PM bank drawn in favour of ‘Pay &Accounts Fee/EMD 12. Tender opening date &venue 29.10.2020 At 2.00 PM at Office, Officer’, RMP, Mysore. SPMCHI, Jaipur EOI Tender Document 12/10/2020 (11.00 hrs) to Note- Download period 11/11/2020(1500 hrs.) 1. Earnest money and tender fees (in the form of Bankers Cheque/ Demand Draft in favourofMember Secretary RMRS, SPMCHI, Jaipur, payable at Jaipur) and Due date of Submission 26/11/2020 (1500 /upto1500 hrs) RISL processing fees by way of bankersCheque/ Demand Draftinfavour of MD, RISL to be submitted physically at the office of RMRS, Sir Padampat Mother & of EOI Child Health Institute, J.L.N. Marg Jaipur till or before of 27.10.2020at4.00 PM. Interested tenderers may please refer detailed Expression of 2. Bidders who wishtoparticipate in this tenderwill have to register on http://eproc.rajasthan.gov.in. Interest (EOI) for eligibility criteria and other details, which can 3. To participate in online tender,bidders will have to procure digital signature be downloaded from web site www.tenderwizard.com/dae and certificate (DSC) as per information Technology Act. 2000. The Member Secretary Rajasthan Medicare Relief Society,Sir Padampat Mother & www.barc.gov.in Child Health Institute, Jaipur reserves the right to reject all/any application received Chief Engineer from the firm without assigning and reason thereof. NIB -SMS2021A0160 Bhabha Atomic Research Centre UBN -SMS2021GLOB00328 Sd/- For &onbehalf of President of India DIPR/C/8048/2020 Member Secretary

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THESUNDAY EXPRESS,OCTOBER11,2020 5 GOVT &POLITICS SomeBJPMLAs Teary-eyed, thousands bid Paswan farewell

forcoronation; Chirag's turn has On the sidelines, manysup- SANTOSHSINGH come),” the sloganwent. porters discussed howPaswan campinDelhi, PATNA,OCTOBER10 It took nearly threehours for had been the greatestDalit leader the proceedings to be com- sinceJagjivanRam; some also CARRYING Anewspaper witha pleted, and the crowddid notap- said the lateleader couldhaveex- pictureofformerUnionminis- pear to thin one bit during the panded hisreachbeyondthe seekremoval terand Lok Janshakti Partypatri- time. Paswan community.Mostpeo- arch,lateRam Vilas Paswan, In ashowoffamilysolidarity, ple, however, were unanimous Shivji Paswan, 70,who had come Chirag and three cousins, includ- on Paswan being the voice of from Muzaffarpur district, asked ing party MP from Samastipur DalitsinBihar in the sameman- ofTripuraCM severalpolicemen to allowhim a Prince Raj, jointly offeredfireto ner as Lalu Prasad gave voice to lastglimpse of “myleader”. the funeral pyre.Chirag fell down the Other BackwardClasses Turnedawayeachtime, given aftermaking afew circles of the (OBCs) and the Extremely the security bandobast, the sep- funeral pyre and regainedcon- Backward Classes(EBCs). LIZMATHEW tuagenarianstarted sobbing. A sciousness afterawhile.His Earlier in the day, BJP MP NEWDELHI,OCTOBER10 fewpolice personnel took note mother ReenaPaswanbroke from Patliputra, RamKripal and made him sit afew yards down severaltimes, as Chirag Yadav, paid homage to Paswan AT LEASTseven BJP TripuraMLAs Biplab from the funeralpyre. Armypersonnel paytributeasavehicle carryingthe body of and his cousins consoledher. at his SK Puri residence and arecampinginthenationalcapital Kumar Deb This wasnot aone-offscene formerUnion ministerRam Vilas Paswan arrivesat Paswan wascremated with calledthe lateleader his “elder to meet the party’s national lead- at Janardhan GhatinDigha, be- JanardhanGhat, near Patna, forthe funeral; Chirag Paswan full statehonours. Bihar Chief brother,who always blessedme, ershipanddemandtheremovalof sideJPSetuoverthe Ganganear (right) with his mother before the cremation. PTI MinisterNitish Kumar,Deputy irrespective of some political dif- Chief MinisterBiplab Kumar Deb, Hesaidtheyhavetoldthelead- Patna, as thousands of people, CM Sushil Kumar Modi, Union ferences”. calling him dictatorial, inexperi- ershipthatDebmustbereplacedif teary-eyed and eager to getalast minister and Lok Sabha MP from RLSP leader Upendra encedand unpopular. theBJPwantstocontinueinpower glimpse of their belovedleader, manyhad walked from Hajipur, termittentlyshouting slogans wasbrought in amassive proces- Patna Sahib Ravi Shankar Prasad, Kushwaha said,“Paswan-ji al- LedbySudip RoyBarman, the inthestateforthelongterm.“What assembledfor thecremation. across the Ganga, and the con- suchas“Gunje dharti aasman, sionfromthe Paswan residence and Leader of Opposition ways spokeabout taking up the MLAsclaimto have thesupportof is happening in Tripuraistotal dic- Paswan haddiedataDelhi stituency that sent Paswan to the RamVilasPaswan (fromearth to at Patna's SK Puri. Manyofthem Tejashwi Prasad Yadavwere cause of the poor...it washis atleasttwo moreamongtheBJP’s tatorship. The Chief Ministerdoes hospital on Thursday. Lok Sabha eight times since 1977. sky,thereisonlyone sound –of expressedsolidaritywithChirag among toppoliticalleaders at mantra.” 36 legislators in the House of 60 nottrustany of his MLAs, he him- Hundredsofpeople had The crowdtook everypossible RamVilas Paswan)”. Paswan, the late leader's son and the funeral. Some political workers also (eightIPFTMLAsalsosupportthe selfholdscharge of morethan two come from Samastipur,Khagaria vantageposition to catcha Thousands had gathered at LJP chief. “Rajtilak ki karotaiyari, Chiragreachedout to all sen- came from Uttar Pradesh and Deb government). dozendepartments. From rick- and Muzaffarpurdistricts, and glimpse of the proceedings, in- Digha ghat even before the body ab aa gayi Chirag ki baari (prepare ior leaderswith foldedhands. Jharkhand to bid him farewell. ApartfromBarman,theMLAs shawpuller to vegetable/fish ven- in Delhi reportedlyinclude dors to industrialists,everyone in SushantaChoudhary, Ashish the stateresentshim.” Naddato Saha, Ashish Das, DiwaChandra Choudhary reiterated that ‘Farmers fighting for Rankhal, Burb Mohan Tripura, theyhavenocomplaints against address public Parimal Deb Barma and Ram the BJP or itsleadership at the PrasadPal.“Birendra Kishore Deb Centre.“We arecommittedto the meeting in right cause... put MSP BurnamandBiplabGhosharealso BJP ideology and loyaltoPM with us,” Choudharyclaimed, NarendraModi,” he said. addingthatthetwocouldn’tbein ChoudharyandBarmanwere Gaya today conditioninlaw’ Delhi as theyhad Covid. amongthesevenformerCongress NewDelhi: BJP president JP Leaderscloseto Debaswellas leaderswhojoinedtheBJPin2017. Nadda will address an election ATWO-TIMEChief Ministerand BJP leaders in Tripurasaid there Sources closetoDeb pointed out rallyinGayaonSundayinwhat three-time MP,Congress leader wasnodangertothestategovern- that Barman had been removed will be the firstpublic meeting BHUPINDER SINGH HOODA,73, ment. “The government is very as ministerafter the Lok Sabha by asenior leader of the is currentlythe Leaderof safeand Ican assureyou that electionswhensomeleadershad party ahead of the Bihar OppositioninHaryana. With the sevenoreight MLAs cannottop- alleged that he hadworked Assemblypolls. stageset forthe Baroda bypoll, plethe government,” TripuraBJP againstthe BJP’s interests. BJP Hooda spoketoSUKHBIR presidentManikSahasaid.Onthe However, many party leaders spokesperson SIWACH on arangeofissues, in- grievancesof theMLAs,hesaid:“I saidBarman, brought to the BJP Sanjay cluding the farmers’ agitation have notheard theircomplaints… by national secretary Sunil Mayukh said againstthe controversial farm In the BJP,wedonot discuss such Deodhar,was notentirelywith- Nadda will be laws.Excerpts: issues outsidethe party.” out supportinthe stateunit. on aday-long Asource closetothe CM said Choudharywarnedthatatthis DECISION trip to the BJP blames youfor current RamPrasadPal,anRSSleader,was rate,theCommunistscouldreturn 2020 state, wherehe BIHAR POLLS ON TABLE farmers agitation in THEEXPRESS notlikelytogowith the MLAs. to power. “Biplab Deb is preparing BIHAR will also visit Haryana? What do yousay? BJPsourcessaidgeneralsecre- the ground… If the BJP leadership the famous Prime MinisterNarendraModi, BJP president JPNaddaand Home Minister Amit Shah Actually, the agitation is be- INTERVIEW tary (Organisation) BLSantosh is keen to keep Tripurawith them, Hanuman Mandir in Patna and during the BJP’s Central Election Committee meeting to discuss thelistofcandidates for ing run by farmers and Congress hadmetBarmanandconveyedto theyshould replace Deb with the JP Niwas, whereJayaprakash Biharpolls, in NewDelhi. Theparty has already named29candidates. Thiswas thesecond is supporting them. Being in the WITH him thatachangeatthe topwas someoneelse.Hedoesnothavethe Narayanlived,beforeaddressing meetingchaired by Nadda to finalise nomineesfor the Biharpolls. Union ministerRajnath opposition, it’sour duty to sup- BHUPINDER unlikely, andthat theparty does- experiencetorule,northepolitical the public meeting in Gaya. Singh wasalso present at the meeting. PTI portthe people who arefighting SINGH HOODA n’tmakesuchdecisionsunlessini- acumen.Heismostinexperienced Nadda will later speak at a fortheir rights. Likewise, the FORMER HARYANA CHIEF MINISTER tiated by the PM.Deb is believed andfeelsinsecureabouteveryone.” meeting of party leaders and farmers arealsofightingfor the to have the confidence of Modi. Choudharysaid the BJP lead- workers at Patna in whichdis- right cause because the three TherebelMLAshavesoughtan ership could conduct asurvey on trict presidents, MPs, assembly COP SUSPENDED AFTER ATTACK ON CHHATTISGARH JOURNALISTS farm laws willruin the farmers, What do yousay about the audience with BJP president JP the CM’s popularity to confirm election candidates and other arhtiyas(commission agentsat Pipli episode? Nadda and Home MinisterAmit this. “I am sure98of100 people senior leaders will be present. mandis) and labourers.The laws In democracy,every section Shah.“Wewillalsoseekameeting willsay he should be removed.” The firstphase of the three- SIT formed after panel points will alsoaffect those who get of societyhas the right to fightfor with the PM. The PM cannotbe One of the issues the MLAs phase polls in the stateissched- food under the Public their rightsbut farmers were kept inthedarkonwhat’shappen- have raisedisthe lackofahealth uledfor October 28. Distribution Supply(PDS) sys- lathichargedinPipli ing in Tripura,” Choudhary said. ministerinthestatedespiteCovid. PTI to ‘inaction’ by police, Cong tem. These laws will benefit only (Kurukshetra). Therewerecon- those who have deep pockets, tradictions in thegovernment... wasnot contacted at all. “They whoresignedafter theincident. likeaggregators and exporters. Aministersays there wasno UP: 5% quota for GARGIVERMA spoketoSatish Yadavonphone, The accusedinclude Kanker lathicharge but theCMsays it Division, partition RAIPUR,OCTOBER10 citing Covid-19 as areason to not ward councilor ShadabKhan,ex- What’s your demand now? wasinself-defence. What’s the ex-servicemen meetus. If their reporthas made councilor JitendraSinghThakur, Thegovernment shouldbring truth? SIXTEEN DAYS afterKanker- thegovernmentact,thenwhyan- journalist Ganesh Tiwari and the afourth lawtomakeaprovision in oppn DNA: Yogi in ‘Group-B’ basedjournalists Kamal Shukla, other SIT? The action theyhave local Congress MLA’s aideAbdul that if anybody purchases crops BJP says Congress is opposing Jeevananda Haldar and Satish takenistoo little toolate,”he said. GaffarMemon. at less than the MSP,hewould be those farm provisions which admin jobs Yadavwereattackedatapolice Kanker police station in- Shukla,whohasbeenonafast- punished. So thatnodistress-sale it proposedearlier. EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE station in Bastardivision, the charge Mordhwaj Deshmukh unto-death foreight days despite takesplace. Ihad donethat in Comment? LUCKNOW,OCTOBER10 BastarIGonSaturdaysuspended wassuspendedbyBastarIGP being hospitaliseddue to deterio- 2007 when the rules on contract Congress neverproposed Yogi EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE the police station in-charge and Sundarraj on the directions of rating health, had been reporting farming were introducedduring these things. Iwas chairman of SLAMMINGTHEOppositionwith- Adityanath LUCKNOW,OCTOBER10 also formedathree-member SIT Chief MinisterBhupesh Baghel. on illegal sand mining and the al- our government in Haryana. the Working Group on out namingany party,Uttar ledbyasub-inspectorfromthe "Following thefactual reportof legedinvolvementof someCong- Theserulessay the agreedcon- Agriculture Production during Pradesh Chief MinisterYogi THE UTTAR Pradesh govern- same police station to investi- the journalists'panel,anSIT has ressleadersinsuchactivitiesinthe tract rate shall notbelessthan of the UPAgovernment, whichrec- Adityanath on Saturdaywarned “divide people and conspire”. ment on Saturdayapproved gate the matter,following direc- been setupbyBastarIGtoinves- district. He had also been report- the MSP of the preceding year.So, ommendedthatMSP should be peopleofthe statetobeaware of Deoria, along with six other five per centhorizontal reser- tions from the stategovernment. tigatethe incident. ingirregularitiesinthedistrictand the interests of thefarmerswere effectively ensuredandprocure- “divisive elements” in thestate Assemblysegments,isgoingto the vation forretired military per- The decision came afterasix- The CM has instructed theIG localcivic body in Kanker.During protected.This is what we want ment arrangementsmustbeput who have “division, partitionand bypollsonNovember 3. Six of sonnel in “Group-B” statead- member journalists’panel setup forimmediate action," read a thetenureoftheerstwhileBJPgov- today. Theyshould put this condi- in placebyall states in respect of discrimination in their DNA”. theseseatswerewonby theBJPin ministration jobs. by the Chhattisgarhgovernment statement issuedbythe state ernment,Shukla had formeda tion in the law. all commoditiesrelatedtofood He also said the SP and the 2017 elections, and one by the SP. Chief MinisterYogi submitted itsreportonSaturday. government. committeeforsafetyofjournalists Take theexample of wheat. security... We had recommended BSP,between them, were in Adityanath said, “Thereare Adityanath said the move was In itsreport, the panel said Meanwhile, journalistsfrom persecuted by the government. ItsMSP wasincreasedbyabout MSP forpulses,oil seeds,vegeta- powerinthe statefor 15 years but some people who have division intendedtoraise themorale of that the journalists were attacked acrossChhattisgarhare expected Meanwhile, 25 journalists 15 per cent everyyear.But the bles should also be fixedbythe leftonlycorruption and anarchy andpartitionintheirDNA.They do militarypersonnel and their by amob outside the Kanker po- to gather in Raipur on Sundayto from across India have written BJP government has (increased) Government of India. But they in the name of achievement. notlikeanything whole –they families. The stateCabinetap- lice station despiteacurfew and registertheir protestagainstthe to CM Bhupesh Baghel, demand- the MSP hardlyby3-5 percent (BJP) have brought potatoes and Addressing avirtual meeting want to cut down everything and proved an amendment to the the Congress’s decision to act attack, responding to acall by ingamagisterial probe. They also whereas the costofproduction onions out from the listofessen- of BJP office-bearers from booth, divide on the basis of caste,faith, Uttar Pradesh Public Service againstonlyone of the accused Shukla, theeditor of Bhumkal demandedthe Protection of is increasing. In our time,diesel tial commodities and nowthese division and sector levels in placeandreligion.Itisintheirtem- (Reservation forPhysically will notsendout agoodmessage. Samachar daily, who wasal- Mediapersons Act, alegislation wascheapestbecauseofthe can be hoarded, while the poor DeoriaAssemblyconstituency, perament;apartoftheir DNA.” Handicapped, Dependentsof The panelhas also recom- legedly assaultedand threatened promised by the Congressbefore lowVAT.Therewas no taxon need potatoes andonion. Adityanath said that some peo- StateBJP president Swatantra Freedom Fighters and Ex- mendedaddition of chargesin with fire-arms at the Kotwali po- it came to powerinthe state. fertilisers and agriculture in- Farmers’ produce will be pur- ple onlythink about their family DevSingh,who wasalsopresent, Servicemen)Act, 1993, to the FIR filedbyShuklaand Yadav. lice station in Kanker on FULLREPORTON puts. So, the costofproduction chasedatlow cost but it willbe- wheninpower, andafter electoral exhortedparty workers to work provide the reservation to Shukla, however, hascriti- September 26 by amob,allegedly www.indianexpress.com waslow during our regime in comecostlywhen the demand defeat, tryeverything possible to on thedevelopmentmodel. ex-servicemen. cisedthe report, claiming that he incitedby afew Congress leaders comparison to today. will increase. Posters near Chineseembassy in DelhionTaiwan Muslims most happy National Day trigger Beijing-Taipeiwar of words in India, says Bhagwat VIVEKDESHPANDE vidual or anymovetrying to cre- Chinas" or "One-China, one loving people. But it lookslike NAGPUR,OCTOBER10 Mohan SHUBHAJITROY ate“twoChinas” or “One China, ED Someback Taiwan", whichviolates this communist #China is hopingto Bhagwat NEWDELHI,OCTOBER10 one Taiwan” whichviolates looking position.” march intothe subcontinent by RASHTRIYASwayamsevakSangh India's One-China policy. PLAIN E furtherEast Taiwan Foreignministry’s imposing censorship. #Taiwan’s (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat has ● AS POSTERS on Taiwan National The government, or the EX Twitter handle put out apost Indian friends will have onere- saidthatMuslimsaremosthappy India wascreated,given thekind Daycame up near the Chinese Indian mission in Taipei, did not quoting Taiwan Foreign minister ply: GET LOST!JW.” in India despitefollowing areli- of atmospherethat existedthen, embassy in Chanakyapuri, the issue anystatement on the issue. INDIA FOLLOWSaOne- JosephWu: “Hats offtofriends In responsetoquestions on gion thatis“notfromhere”. Hindustancould well have said diplomatic enclave in the na- India follows aOne-China policy. China policy, andthere from around the worldthis year, the Chinese embassy’s note to Bhagwat’s remarks came ‘now, thereisPakistanfor tional capital, lateFriday,Taiwan Reacting to the develop- has notbeen anydepar- India in particular,for celebrat- Indian media, Ministryof whilehewasspeakingto pro-RSS Muslims and Hindu writ willrun and China had aface-off once ment,Taiwan’smission in turefromthe position so ing Taiwan National Day. With External Affairs spokesperson publication Vivek.When asked here’. But our Constitutiondidn’t again on Saturday. India stated:“TECC (Taipei far. But tension with China your support, Taiwan will defi- Anurag Srivastava had said on howMuslims and Christians saythis... This is our nature.” Taiwan’s mission in New Economicand Cultural Centre –the latestbeingthe on- nitelybemoreresilient in meet- ThursdaythatIndia has afree couldbebrought in tune with Askedif therewouldbe anag- Delhi said that it is “deeplygrate- in India) is deeplygrateful to goingone alongthe LACin ing challenges, especiallythose media that reports on issues as “our thinkinglooking to theideal itation in the futurefor Kashiand ful to many Indian friends” for manyIndian friends fortheir Ladakh –has prompted "GetLost" types. JW” it sees fit. of Ramtemple”, the RSS chief Mathuratemples, Bhagwat said, their vibrant support on its109th vibrant supportonthe 109th The posters were issuedby manyinthe strategic This wasareference to Wu's Earlier,inits email the replied: “Whichcountry’s “Wedon’t knowbecauseweare National Day, and that Taiwan NationalDay of the ROC Delhi BJP leader Tajinder Pal community to advocate tweetonWednesday, postedby Chinese embassyhad sent a“re- Muslimsare happiest? India’s notthe ones to agitate.Wedidn’t looksforward to working closely Taiwan. Taiwan looksforward Singh Bagga. Express stronger ties with Taiwan. the Taiwan Foreign Ministry, in minder" that “thereisonlyone Muslims.Isthereany othercoun- startthe Ramjanmabhoomiagi- with India to harnesschallenges to workingcloselywithIndia whichhehad reacted sharplyto China in the world, and the trywhereareligionnot originat- tation... We got attachedtoitin posedbythe pandemic. to harnessthe challenges the Chineseembassy’s state- Government of thePeople’s ingtherehas remained in power some specific situation... Idon’t The Chineseembassy re- posedbythe pandemic and to Chinese embassy spokesper- the Indian government.China ment to theIndian media: “India Republic of China is the sole le- and is stillthere? ... Despitea have anyideawhatHindusociety spondedsharply, saying that enhance our cooperation on son Ji Rong said, “One-Chinapol- firmlyopposes anyindividual or is the largest democracy on Earth gitimategovernment represent- bloody history,Muslims arestill will do. All Ican sayisthatwewill Beijing firmlyopposes anyindi- globalsupply chains.” icy is along-standing position of anymovetrying to create"two with avibrant press &freedom- ing the whole of China”. here,Christians arehere. When notstart the agitation.” Kolkata WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 6 EXPRESS NETWORK THESUNDAYEXPRESS,OCTOBER11,2020 4militantskilled Scientists: Water extraction from air MP: Junior doctor dies not implausible, already taking place by suicide, family says in2gunfightsin was ragged over caste likeacompressor,orapump. clean waterfromair.Itisalmost AMITABHSINHA Hyderabad-basedIICT And forextracting water, the completely distilledwater.Itdoes- PUNE,OCTOBER10 has developed kind of systems that areused, it n’t have anysaltorminerals, so it OBC certificatebut Bhargavtook Kashmir:Police is again basicallyanetwork of doesn’thave thetaste we areused EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE admission in general category.” PRIME MINISTER Narendra technology for membranes that air has to pass to.Itrequiresalittlebitof process- BHOPAL,OCTOBER10 The familysaid he had at- Modi’s suggestion to aDanish ‘atmospheric water through, it condenses,and the ing.But it is being done. temptedattempted suicide ear- wind energy companytoex- generation’ that has wateriscollected by drip. “And notjustinIndia, but in The familyofajunior doctor lier as well—on July24, by con- EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE ARMYFOILSBIDTO plorethe possibility of extract- “Theair needs to pass at a manyother parts of the world.” who diedbysuicide lastweek suming pills—but wasadmitted SRINAGAR,OCTOBER10 SMUGGLEWEAPONS ing waterand oxygen from air by been deployedat highrate, and thewind turbine “Of course,” he said, “water has alleged that he wasragged to the hospital. Soon after, they using wind turbineswereideas severalplaces can aid that process.... These we generatefromair is likelyto at the Netaji Subhash Chandra said, he went on a40-day leave. FOUR MILITANTS, including at Srinagar: The Armyhas foiled that were notjustscientifically things arealready being tried. be alittle more expensive than Medical collegeinMadhya But afterhereturnedtocollege least onePakistani national, were an attempt by Pakistanto sound but arealready under im- We have to makethe processes waterthat is available normally. Pradesh’sJabalpur because of his in Augustthe ragging persisted, killedintwo separate gunfights push in arms and ammuni- plementation at various places, energy-efficient process,” he said moreefficient,” he said. Idonot have the exact estimates, caste and financialstatus. theyalleged. with securityforcesinsouth tion across the LoC in Keran scientists have said. in aseries tweets. In fact, the Hyderabad-based but it is notexorbitant.” BhargavDevangan, 29, was “He had notsleptwell for14 Kashmir over a24-hour period. sector of Jammu and Extraction of waterfromair Ashutosh Sharma,Secretary, Indian InstituteofChemical Sharmasaid even the higher pursuing apost-graduate course days at astretch as someone Policesaid one of the slain mili- Kashmir and recovereda is already being done in several Department of Science and Technology (IICT) has developed costswouldbeacceptable in lo- in orthopaedics at the state-run would come and kickand punch tantswas the operational head of cache, including four AK-74 places, including in India,using Technology,said separating oxy- atechnologywithprivate-sector cationswherewater is notread- institute. He wasfoundhanging him wheneverhewould fall the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). rifles, officials said on different technologies, although genfromair is also astandardin- companycalledMaithri ilyavailable. “Thereare water- in his hostelroom on October 1. asleep. His complaint to the col- The firstencounter took place Saturday. An Armyofficial notwindmills. dustrial process, and several Aquatechfor ‘atmosphericwa- scarce places wherethese His brother wrotetothe Jabalpur lege’s anti-ragging committee in Kulgam district.LateonFriday, said theyArmynoticedtwo- But Sandeep Verma, companies engagedinsepara- tergeneration’ thathas been de- technologies arerelevant even SP on Saturdayalleging that the borenoresults,” said Prahlad. ajointteam of forces cordoned three men transporting Secretary, Science and tion of gases routinelydothis. ployedatseveral places. This now. Thehigher costs aremuch collegeadministration wasre- On October 1, concernedthat offChingamvillage in thedistrict some items in atubetiedtoa Engineering Research Board, “Some membranes areusedfor technology does notinvolve moreacceptable at certain sponsiblefor his death Bhargavwas notpicking up calls, afterinputsabout the presence rope across Kishenganga said wind turbineshavethe right separation. Some molecules wind turbines. places compared to other loca- In itscomplaint to the Garha the familyasked afriend to of militants. As the joint team riverinKupwaradistrict. The design set-up forharvesting wa- would go through, others would “Wind turbines arejustan- tions,” he said. police, Bhargav’s familyhas al- checkonhim. The friend found were zeroinginonthe target, troops reachedthe location terfrommoisture-laden air,and not. That’s howyou can separate other technology alternative that Shekhar Mande, director leged that he wasconstantly his room bolted from inside, and militantsopened fire. and recoveredfour AK-74ri- even this idea wasbeing tried oxygen as well,” he said. can be explored,isalready being general, CSIR, said current tech- ragged by five of hisseniors over afterbreaking it open, sawhim Twomilitantswerekilledin fles, eight magazines and 240 out at severalplaces. The chal- In this process, wind turbines explored.But otherwise, thereis nologiesobviouslyneedim- his caste soon afterhetook ad- hanging inside. the retaliatoryfire. Police have rounds of live ammunition lenge, he said, is to convert the could be usedmainlyasasource no scientific implausibilityintry- provement, and that effort needs mission on July1. Additional SP Gopal Khandel identifiedthe killedmilitantsas concealedintwo bags. The ideas intoimplementation. of clean energy,Sharma said. ing to extract wateroroxygen to be focused. “Technologies His elder brother Prahlad said the police is investigating Tariq Ahmad Mir of Zangalpora area has been cordonedoff “Parameters suchasdesign “But in the extraction of wa- from air,”IICT director Dr S needtobeimprovedsothatthey said: “Soon afterjoining college, the matter.The staffand the sen- Divsar Kulgam and Sameer Bhai and asearch is under innovation, performance opti- ter, wind turbinescan have an Chandrasekhar said. “Atavery aremoreenergy-efficient and Bhargavstarted complaining to iors of the medical instituteare alias Usman, aPakistani national. progress, the official said. PTI mization, and right temperature additional role,” he said. “The simplelevel,wheredoyougetrain less costly. These arenot mature us over the phone about such nowbeing questioned, he Policesaid the killed militants gradients, can help extract wa- downstream of awind turbine is from? The technology we have technologies, and that is where actsofragging; he said he was added.NoFIR has been regis- were associated withthe Jaish- terfromair through apassive, throwing alot of air,soitworks developedprovidesextremely the challengelies,” he said. madetofeelinferior.Wehavean teredbythe policeyet. e-Mohammad (JeM) and were According to police,Zahid, “partofgroupsresponsible for who joinedthe militant ranksin SET AFIRE IN LAND ROW carrying outterroristattacks”. 2017,was the LeT operational Odisha: Day TRP ‘FRAUD’ The secondencounter oc- commander.Theysaid the slain TRACKING INDIA’S COVID CURVE curredonSaturdayafternoon. A militantshad a“history of terror after birthday Rajasthan priest joint team of J&K Police, the Army crimerecords” andwerein- CASES: RECOVERED:59,88,822 Republic CEO among and paramilitaryforces cordoned volved in “planning and execut- bash, BJP MP’s 222 cremated after offPulwama’s Dadooravillageaf- ing severalterrorattacks on se- DAYSSINCE 69,79,423 DEATHS:1,07,416 PANDEMIC terspecific inputsabout the pres- curity establishments”. BEGAN TESTS: 8,57,98,698 | DOUBLING RATE: 66.62** 6summoned by cops govt speaks to ence of militants. As the joint The militant arrested from office sealed team of forces were zeroinginon the encounter sitewas identified summons, and were present family, locals the target,the trappedmilitants as Firdous Ahmad Tak,aresident SAGARRAJPUT therefor more than eight hours. openedfire,triggeringagunfight. of DharaPosta Doda in Jammu EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE MUMBAI,OCTOBER10 Republic’s Sundaram and “Inthe ensuing encounter,02 region. Police said theyrecovered BHUBANESWAR,OCTOBER10 Singh wrotetoMumbai police EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE terrorists were killedwhile the weapons from his possession. MUMBAI POLICE crime branch stating that theyare out of JAIPUR,OCTOBER10 thirdone wasarrestedalive,” The policehavenot handed THE OFFICE of Bhubaneswar MP on Saturdayissuedsummons to Mumbai. The accountant of Fakt Policesaid in astatement.Police over the bodies of theslain mili- AparajitaSarangi wassealedon KEYSTATES TOTAL SURGEIN 7-DAYAVG DOUBLING six morepeople, including the Marathi also claimedheisares- BABU LALVaishnav, the priest have identifiedone of the slain tantstotheir families, citingthe Fridayfor violating Covid-19 TOWATCH CASES 24HOURS GROWTH* TIME** Chief Executive Officer and two ident of Indore and asked for who diedofinjuries on Thursday militantsasZahid Nazir Bhat alias Covid-19 pandemic. “Keepingin norms afteravideo emergedof Chief Operating Officers of time to appear before them. afterhewas allegedly setonfire Zahid Tiger, aresident of viewthe prevailing pandemic theBJP leadercelebrating her ■ Maharashtra 15,06,018 12,134 0.88% 81.90 Republic Media Networkaswell In his letter,Sundaramsaidhe over alanddisputeinKarauli dis- Drubgam villageinPulwama. and to ensurethe safety of peo- October 8birthdaywithnearly ■ Andhra 7,44,864 5,145 0.75% 95.70 as the CEO of Hansa Research is currentlynot in Mumbai and trict, wascremated on Saturday Police said that the identityofthe ple from inherent risk of con- 100women in attendance. Group and another employeeof would be available in Mumbai afterauthorities spoketofamily ■ Tamil Nadu 6,46,128 5,185 0.85% 84.53 second militant is being ascer- tracting the infection, the dead TheOdisha Home Minister the company, to appear before onlyafter October 14-15. The let- membersandlocalresidentswho tained. “However, as per the reli- bodies of the killedterrorists shall hasalso writtentoUnionMinister ■ Delhi 3,03,693 2,860 0.88% 82.03 them on Sunday in the ongoing terfurther read, “I wish to bring hadearlierrefusedtocrematethe able sources, he is believedtobe besent to Handwarafor burial af- of Statefor Home NityanandaRai, ■ Kerala 2,68,100 9,250 3.31% 21.77 investigation intoanalleged to your notice that awrit petition body unless the governmentful- aPakistani national,” the state- tercompletion of all medico-le- apprisinghim of Sarangi’sviolat- ‘fakeTRP scam’. under Article 32 has been filed filledtheirdemands. ment said. galformalities,” police said. ing Covid-19norms. *Compounded Daily Growth Rate overlast 7days**Calculated over7-daygrowth On Friday, aday afterthe ar- before the Hon’ble Supreme TheOppositionBJPiscitingthe Bhubaneswar Municipal CASEFATALITYRATIO POSITIVITYRATE DAILYIN,DAILYOUT rest of four persons, the police CourtofIndia (Provisional appli- crime as the latestincident in Corporation (BMC) and police had summonedRepublic cation number 7848/2020) in re- what the party calls adeteriorat- 7DAYSEARLIER: 7DAYSEARLIER: DETECTED TODAY personnel sealedSarangi’s office Media’sChief FinancialOfficer S lation to the above referred mat- inglaw and ordersituationinthe Army still importing cold for15days. 1.56 8.32 73,272 Sundaram, distribution head terand we have requestedfor an state. On Friday, BJPRajya Sabha Deputy Zonal Commissioner NOW: NOW: RECOVERED TODAY: GhanshyamSingh, twoadvertis- early hearing and it is likelytobe MP Kirodi Lal Meena and the weather gear: Vice-Chief Rabi NarayanJethy,who ledthe 1.54 8.13 82,753 ing agenciesand the accountants listedbynextweek.Given that party’sMPfromKarauli-Dholpur, team said, “...there wasalarge Deaths as aratio of Positives against Becoming sick vs of BoxCinemas and Fakt the matter is to belistedsoon be- Manoj Rajoria, were amongthe deployeddue to the ongoing gathering and manypeople positivecases (in %); number tested recovering; more Marathi. fore the SupremeCourt, Irequest saffron party leaders who joined KRISHNKAUSHIK standoffwith China. were notseen wearing masksor indicator of progress (in%); indicator of recoveries for 14 days However, onlythe advertis- youtonot proceedany further the familymembers in adharna in averting deaths thespread of disease may signal the peak NEWDELHI,OCTOBER10 Speaking about the require- maintaining social distancing ing agencies executives, Sam withthe investigations so faras inBuknavillage.Athree-member DataasonOctober9,releasedbyUnionMinistryofHealth,ICMRandstates.Oftendailynumbersinclude mentsfor armedforces’ protec- duringthe celebration. All those datafrompreviousdays.Assuch,trendsbasedondailynumbersareindicative,notdefinitive Balsara, head of Madison, and Republic TV and itsemployees committee of the partyalso met ArmyVice Chief Lt Gen SKSaini tion at an event organised by the who were present will be tested Shashi Sinha, CEO of IPG Media areconcerned. We will join the the familyonSaturday. Saturdaysaid India is still import- Centre forJoint WarfareStudies, forCovid-19 andthe building Brands, arrivedatthe police investigations subject to the or- The impasse over the de- ing cold-weatherequipment, Lt Gen Saini said special clothing will be sanitised. We have asked headquarters in response to the ders of the Supreme Court.” mands of the familycontinued “mainlydue to lackofviable in- and mountaineering equipment foralistofthoseinattendance AIIB, World Bank-fundedproject to throughout Saturdaybeforeau- digenous solutions”. He pushed areamong the aspectsthat need at the celebration by Friday.” thoritieswere ableto negotiatean forcollaborative effortsinthe de- to be highlighted as “a large Meanwhile, in his letter to invest $1.5 bn in India’s Covid fight Punjab ex-DGP booked in agreement withVaishnav's fam- fence sector “tofulfill our vision number of ourtroops arede- Union ministerRai, Odisha ilymembers. of Atmanirbhar Bharat”. ployedinsuper high altitude ar- Home Minister Dibyashankar virus, aHealth Ministrystate- 2015 Faridkot firing case “Ifwesit withthe body for Saini said specialclothing and eas wherethe temperature Mishra wrote: “I would nothave EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE ment said Saturday. moredays,thenitwillbesaidthat mountaineering gear areamong touches -50degreesCelsius”. broughtthis to your noticehad NEWDELHI,OCTOBER10 “Theprojectwillinvolve the Amritsar: Moretrouble piledup on October 14,2015. Both inci- politics is being done over adead importantelementsforprotection However, the Vice Chief of this been the firstoccasion construction, expansion, rehabil- forformer Punjab DGPSumedh dentswerepartofpolice action body.Therefore, it has been de- of the forces as the countryhas a the Armysaid that “weare still wherethe Honourable MP has APROJECT financedbyAsian itation and/or operation of Singh Sainiwith aSpecial againstSikh protesters, who cidedtocrematethebody.Achild large number of troops in ex- importing cold-weather equip- blatantlyviolated Covidguide- Infrastructure Investment Bank healthcare facilities in response Investigation Team (SIT) thatis were on dharna againstsacri- from the aggrieved familywill be tremelyhighaltitude areas. ment, mainlydue to the lack of lines. Despiterepeated advi- and WorldBank willpump in $1.5 to COVID-19amongstother activ- probing the Kotkapurapolice legeofGuru Granth Sahib. providedajob on contractual ba- The remarks come at atime viable indigenous solutions”and sories,warnings andbookingin billion over the next four years to ities,such as, procurement of hos- firing of 2015,naming him as an The case in whichSaini was sis, ahouse will be built (for the when the Armyispreparing to pushedfor a“collaborative effort at least three cases.. .thereisno help India's healthcaresystem pital equipment, personal protec- accusedinrelated case regis- namedFriday, names six others family) and the government will meetthe requirementsofaddi- that needs to be put in this field improvement in behaviour.” tackle the Covid-19pandemic. tion equipment (PPE), testing of teredin2018. —ex-IGP Paramraj Umranangal, paythemacompensationof Rs10 tional troops foraharsh winter to fulfillour vision of Sarangi accusedthe ruling BJD in The “India COVID-19 patients,” adetaileddocument re- The move comes days after then SSP Charanjit Sharma, lakh,” Meena told reporters on in Ladakh, wheretheyhavebeen Atmanirbhar Bharat". the stateof“vindictive politics”. Emergency Response and leasedbythe ministrystates. Saini wasnamedasanaccused KotakpuraDSP Baljit Singh, Saturday. HealthSystemStrengthening The project has components in the Behbal Kalan police then SHOKotakpura Gurdeep KarauliAdditionalSP,Prakash Project” will involve multiple dealing with emergency Covid- firing case. Singh Pandher, then ADCP Chand, said, “So far, we have ar- components that aim to “sup- 19 response, shoring up the Twoincidentsofpolice fir- Ludhiana Paramjit Singh Pannu rested themain accusedKailash Ambulancedriver who ferried port the acceleration and scale healthcare system andstrength- ing were reportedfromBehbal and then KotakpuraMLA Meenaandhave detainedanother 200 bodies of Covid patients dies up of the GOI response” to the ening pandemic research. Kalan and KotakpurainFaridkot MantarSinghBrar. ENS person.”

ASHNABUTANI ‘LIFE MORE IMPORTANT…IFWESURVIVE PANDEMIC,WILL EARN MORE FOR KIN’ NEWDELHI,OCTOBER10 FOROVER six months,AarifKhan In lastvillage before China, no Unlock 5.0 sleptinanambulanceparking lot 28 km from his home in north- eastDelhi’s Seelampur,staying in says Pitambar. touchwith his wifeand fourchil- LALMANIVERMA ED Lockdown “Tourism and agricultureare dren on thephone. Khan wason DEHRADUN,OCTOBER10 justafter majorsourcesof income...Butwe call 24X7,ferrying patientsof PLAIN E localsreturn areready to face financialloss by ● Covid-19aswell as carrying its “OUTSIDERSARE notallowedin EX stopping tourists because lifeis victims to their lastrites. On Khan(secondfromleft) wasoncall24X7. Express thevillage.Inconveniencesregret- moreimportant.If we survive the Saturday morning, the48-year- ted”, reads adisplay boardnear a THE LOCKDOWN has pandemic, we will earn more for old ambulance driversuccumbed barricadeput up by villagers out- been in effect since May our families.Few families run to the disease at Hindu Rao metwhen he came over to pick "These have been extraordi- side Mana, nearly 55 km away when villagers returnedto homestays herebuttheytoohave Hospital. up something, likeclothes...Iused narytimes,and even though he from the Sino-Indian border.A Mana aftersix months of kept businessclosed,”says thevil- Employedwith the Shaheed to go to checkonhimsometimes. wasadriver, Khanoften helped group of tourists from Uttar their annual migration. lagepradhan. Bhagat Singh Sewa Dal, that pro- We were always worriedabout with the lastrites too. Woh Pradesh tries to enterthe village Everyyear,all 400families Amit Singh, one of the potato vides free emergency services in him. But he neverbotheredabout Muslim thapar Hinduon ke bhi inUttarakhand’sChamolidistrict, in the villagemigrateto growersinthevillage,says,“Since NCR, Khan wouldoften pitchin Covid, he just wantedto do his job daah-sanskaar karaatatha (He but Anil Kala (31), aresident ap- areas at loweraltitudes Icannotput up astall to sell my with moneyfor the lastrites if a well," saidAadil, the younger of wasaMuslim but he helpedout pointed to guardthe barricade, when the Badrinath produce, Ihavecontacted afew familywas in need, or help with Khan's sons, adding that the last even with cremations of pointstothe board. Thetourists shrine is shut aroundmid- people outside who come once a the rituals if adeceased’s near time Khancame home, he wasal- Hindus)... He wasverydedicated showtheir Covid-negative re- November with the be- week and buy produce in bulk. ones were notaround, his col- ready sick. to his work," said JitenderSingh ports, but areforcedtoreturn as ginning of snowfall—tem- Buttheirvehiclesaresanitisedbe- leagues say. Khan's other son, Asif, said, "I Shunty,the founder of the Kalarequests themto “comenext perature in theareadips fore entry,”hesays,addingthathe "He ensured everyone gota didn't even gettosay goodbye to ShaheedBhagat Singh Sewa Dal, year”. The entrance to the village. Lalmani Verma up to minus 17 degrees hassufferedlossesdueto thelock- farewell but his ownfamily him... Howwill we survive with- adding that Khan worked 12-14 Situated along the Alaknanda Celsius. Theyreturn after down in the village. couldn't give him that.Theysaw out him?" hours aday,responding to calls river, Mana houses severalloca- shrine is reopenedand the Kala, who usedtosell chai- his body from afar forafewmin- Khan,who earned Rs 16,000 even as lateas3am. tions linked to the epic month, with asubsequent in- notbeallowed,”readstheresolu- Char Dham yatrabegins in pakoda in the villageduringthe utes," said Jitender Kumar,adding amonth,was thesoleearning Khanwas also around when Mahabharat and is knownasthe crease in rush outside Mana, the tion, signedmostlybywomen April-May. touristseasonbeforebecoming that Khan would have ferried member of the family. Their Shunty and his familytested lastvillagebeforethe China bor- local gram panchayatunani- from the village. the desginated barricade guard, close to 200bodies since March. monthlyhouse rent is Rs 9,000. positive forthe virus. So, when derinUttarakhand.Pilgrimscom- mouslydecidedtocontinue the “Our concern increased says fewtourists came to Mana On October 3, Khan fell sick Aadil said his brother and he did Khangot infectedand took a ing to Badrinathdrive another 3 lockdown. when former Union minister han PitambarSingh Molpha. whentheCharDhamyatrabegan and got aCovid-19testdone, oddjobs once in awhile, but work turn forthe worse, he triedtore- km on the NH-58 to visitthe vil- Residentsofthevillage,which UmaBharti tested Covid-posi- Partof the ancient trade route inJuly withsomerestrictions.“But whichcame positive.Hedied had peteredout lately. turn the kindness. However, the lage,whichthePandavassuppos- isyettoreportaCovidcase,arede- tive days aftershe visited between India and Tibet, Mana when the government liftedre- within aday of getting admitted "Pariwaar ke liyedukhkapa- deterioration wassudden. "Aarif edly walked past“en routeto pendentontourism andasmall Badrinath... We aretakingpre- hashistoricallybeenanenterpris- strictions, hundredsoftourists to hospital. haad toot gaya hai (It is ahuge did nothaveany other health heaven”. potato crop.“Thegovernmenthas cautions also because the near- ing village that traded barley, startedcoming heredaily.Some Khan’ssonAadil, 22,saidthey blowfor the family)," said Kumar, conditions but he washaving When the Uttarakhand gov- announcedUnlock-5but Mana esthospital is 3kmawayin buckwheatandrock saltforgoats of them threaten me when Istop had seen him onlyduring his brief who waspresentatKhan’s fu- trouble breathing forthe lastfew ernment liftedcurbs on move- villagecommunity decides that Badrinath. We have informed and yaks with the Tibetans.That them from entering. Theyreturn visitshome since March 21."We neral. days," he said. ment of tourists earlier this tourists comingfromoutsidewill the local authorities,” says prad- stoppedafterthe1962Chinawar, aftertakingselfies at gates.”

Kolkata WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THESUNDAY EXPRESS,OCTOBER11,2020 7 SUNDAY STORY

NOCTOBER 2, Karan Johar announcedonTwitter that he and some other filmmakers were plan- O ning to make“content about the valour,values and cultureof India” to mark75yearsofIndependence, tagging and thanking Prime Minister NarendraModi forhis “guidance”. Justdaysearlier,Joharhad made an- Annushorribilis other announcement on Twitter,after one of his employees wasarrestedaspartof an offshootinvestigation arising out of the IF 2019 WASBollywood’s best inflating Sushant SinghRajput deathcase. year,with collections in excess of He declared he had neverconsumed Rs 4,000crore, and the liberating drugs, and that he did notknowthe ar- digitalspace, this year will go rested person. He also threatenedlegal ac- down as itsworst. If the pandemic- tion against“slanderous” statements. inducedlockdown deliveredthe The employeeisnow one of 20 held— firstgut punch, the tentacles of the four areout on bail,includingRajput’s Sushant Singh Rajputdeath inves- friend Rhea Chakraborty —aspartofthe tigation have hoveredonsome of Narcotics Control Bureau(NCB) probeinto itsbig names. With three central “the citadel of drugs in Bollywood”. agencies partofthe probe, the Johar’s October 2nd tweetwas hash- message, manyfear,isclear. tagged #ChangeWithin, aslogan that first startedcirculating within the film indus- trylastyear,when the government kicked the mid-’90s, Balasaheb's elder son offthe 150th birth anniversaryof Bindhumadhavhad turnedfilm producer. Mahatma Gandhi. LastOctober,itap- Daughter-in-lawSmita Thackerayserved peared at the end of avideo on Gandhi by as president of the Indian Motion Picture Rajkumar Hirani (whose Munnabhai se- Producers’ Association from 2001 to 2003. ries wasinspired by the Mahatma). The The Sena’s ties with Bollywood, how- slogan wasalso the theme of ameetingof ever,havebeen transactional rather than Bollywood’s crème de la crème —includ- ideological. So Bal Thackeray could attack ing Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Shabana Azmi and AKHangal forwanting Kangana Ranaut and Sonam Kapoor — better relations with Pakistan, but never with the PM in Delhi in the thirdweek of said awordagainstSanjayDutt, namedin October 2019,wheretheythanked the the 1993 Mumbai blasts.Dilip Kumar chance to participatein“nation building”. himself went on to become great friends Ayear later,Bollywood is battered by with Balasaheb, till theyfell out again, over Covid-19, with work at almost acomplete the Nishan-e-Pakistanhonour to the thes- standstill. But the Rajput case hangsover pian. Shah Rukh’s My Name is Khan faced it as alargershadow. protestsafter he spokeabout including This is notthe firsttime the film indus- Pakistani cricketers in the IPL, while tryhas dealt with blunt instruments of the Salman Khan’s TigerZinda Hai came un- government —frombans during the der itsspotlight forleaving very few Emergency to theCensors, and from screens forMarathi releases. Income TaxtoCustoms. However, it is the Says Raut:“Balasaheb had very good firsttime that it finds itself the target of relationships with all...RajeshKhanna, multiple agencies —the CBI, Enforcement DevAnand, AmitabhBachchan.” In one Directorate,and NCB—at the same time. famous case, anotedyesteryear actor And the firsttime public sentimentsare be- asked him to helpafter his daughter ingwhippedupagainstsomeof their most starteddating amarriedmusician. popular stars, by TVchannels to politicians. In the Rajput case too, the Sena has It mayalso be the firsttime that said thereisnofoul play,and accusedthe Bollywood itself is so sharplydivided, on BJP of politicising his death. largely“pro-government” and “anti-gov- ernment” lines. One of the moreoutspo- ■ ■ ■ kenones in the latter corner,Anurag Kashyap, is facing sexual assault charges, The BJP doesn’tshy away from any with the alleged victim on Wednesday suchpolitical aspirations when it comes to getting an audience with Union Minister Bollywood. The Modi reign has coincided of Statefor Home GKishan Reddy. with movies uncannilyalignedwith its Insiders talk of asense of siege, aques- politics — PM NarendraModi starring tion hanging in the air:“Who’s next?” Oberoi (on October 10,the producer an- “It’s an attackonall fronts. Then you nouncedhewould re-release the film knowthat anything, the CensorBoard, when theatres open next week); The everything, is going to work towards Tashkent Files by Agnihotri on Lal Bahadur pushingyou down,” says afilmmaker Bollywood has spent the better part of this year looking over itsshouldersasthe Shastri’s death; The Accidental Prime with severalhitsunder his belt. “Weall Minister showing Manmohan Singh in a have slip-ups, especiallywhen making Sushant SinghRajput probeadvances,and expands. The powers-that-behavelong eyed poor light;and Uri: The Surgical Strike. films. Crores go through banks... some ac- 2017 sawAkshayKumar’s Toilet: Ek Prem counting mistake.That’s what they’ll use.” the tinseltown, but is thereaplottwistunder BJP? NIRUPAMA SUBRAMANIAN &ALAKA SAHANI Katha, dedicatedtoSwachhBharat. At that meeting with the PM almost go behindthe scenesofaCovid-battered,nervousindustry In the social mediatirade in the wake of exactlyayear ago, an actorsaid aboutthe Rajput’s death, one object of insinuations #ChangeWithin initiative.“Asardikhega has been ShivSenaheirapparentAaditya aapko, eik saal, do saal mein (You will see Thackeray,and his B-townfriendships. An theimpact, in one or twoyears)”. No one youdon’t take sides, youare safehas been ring to “long-standing political, cultural One suchmeeting took place in ultimately. “The industryhas been very unnervedAadityaput out astatement that knewthen it would turn out likethis. broken. “That pretense that we arefriends and ideological associations” with veteran September 2017,three months before the secular in general. The workforce, musi- he had no connection with the Rajput case. with all... all those who claimedtheyare names.“The demand foraCBI probewas Ardh Kumbh in Varanasi. An organisation cians, artistes, is an assortment of all kinds TheSenaseesthe entire episode, inclu- ■ ■ ■ apolitical arebeing targeted... Theyallow made by Rajput’s father.When the drug calledthe Naimisharanya Foundation or- of talent from various backgrounds.Even ding the BJP’s questioning of the Mumbai themselvestobeusedall around. That mal- angle wasunearthed, the NCBhad to step ganisedanevent forthe RSS attendedby though making the cut is difficult, it is a Police investigation intoRajput’s death, as But,few want to articulate the con- leability has ledustowhereweare today.” in. Allegations regarding Rajput’s bank ac- senior Sangh leader BhaiyyajiJoshi, Uttar place forequal opportunities.” an attempt to destabilise itsgovernment, cerns openly. With the tremors from the Another filmmaker fumes that big countsled to theEDprobing the matter... Pradesh ChiefMinisterYogiAdityanath, Veteranactor ShabanaAzmi questions and tarnish the Thackeray name. Rajput case being felt from Bihar to Delhi names are“justwaiting foranopportu- Whywould the BJP use asad incident like then MaharashtraCMDevendraFadnavis thenepotismcharge levelledatBollywood “MaybeifMaharashtrahad continued to Mumbai, fewerwant to go on record. nity,‘to proveourselvesmoreloyal to the the death of an actor to seek votes?” and film industrynames suchasSubhash following Rajput’s death—the firstone, as to be with the BJP,thiswould nothave Afilmmaker,who says he “dodged”in- king’, getaCBFC or NSD posting”. The BJP’s cultural mentor,the RSS, ad- Ghai, Madhur Bhandarkar,Sonu Nigam, shepointsout,followedbymurder, money- happened the wayithas.Itwould have vitations forthat meeting with Modi as mitsithas an “interest” in Bollywood. Kailash Kher and Himesh Reshammiya. It laundering, and nowdrug allegations. been done moreslowly, like earlier, well as forafunction in Mumbai to meet ■ ■ ■ “Whatever the industrymakes, they wasbilledasanexchangeofideason “Shah Rukh, Ranveer Singh, Vidya Balan, pullingthem in, entertaining them, alit- Amit Shah ,pointsto“so, so manylayers” makefor thepeople of India, and the RSS Indianness, a“Sanskritik Kumbh”. Padukone, Anushka Sharma, Nawazuddin tle bit of pressure,” says the filmmaker. to what is going on. “It’s happening as part Aflashbackto2014.The Modi govern- is interestedinwhateverisbeing done for Siddiqui,RajkummarRao,Khurrana...have of discrediting Maharashtra, attemptsto ment’s firstappointments to film bodies the peopleofIndia. But we do nothave ■ ■ ■ norootsintheindustrybutareamongstour ■ ■ ■ bring down the ShivSena-Congress-NCP were both controversial —Gajendra Chau- anyintention to control it,” says Pramod mostsuccessfulstars,”she tells The Sunday coalition, forthe Bihar polls, and to dis- han, the YudhisthiraofMahabharat TVse- Bapat, the RSS in-charge of media rela- But thereisalso confidence in the in- Express. As forthe drugs charge,Azmi says, With Johar’s tweetasignal to those tract youfromother crises in the country.” ries, wasmade director of the FTII, while tions in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa. dustrythat a“takeover of Bollywood” by “Drug addicts? Film stars have neverbeen outside as well as withinthat Bollywood The filmmaker says it’s also happen- PahlajNihalani, with among other films Bapatadds, “Vidyaaur kala (knowl- anyone party is impossible —itismade as physicallyfit as they aretoday.” has no stomachfor afight, thecriticism ing “because afive-year programme of Har Har Modi, Ghar Ghar Modi behind him, edge andthe arts)are meant to open the up of just toomanymoving parts forany- ShivSena MP SanjayRaut, who had a that the industry’s biggestare notthe bold- trying to rein in Bollywood has notshown wasappointed Censor Boardhead. As mind. No onecan control it.” However, he one to hope to bringeveryone to heel. social media altercation withRanaut (one esthas got louder.However, afilmmaker muchresults”.“There’s no stronger plat- both choices ranintouproar,did the Modi says,“It is ourexpectation, andofthe peo- Says the filmmaker who duckedthe of themostvocal proponents of thenepo- defends: “Right now, howdoesanyone form in this countrythan mainstream cin- government realise the lackoftop ple, that if youare going out intothe world Modi invitations: “It’s notevenreallyan tism claims), dismisses talk of anyparty speak? There’s awitchhunt on... The other ema... And this has been the rule book of Bollywood names by itsside? as an Indian film, it should carry the fra- industry. It’s just abunchofindividuals capturing the industry. “Bollywood does thing is, what usedtogivecitizensacer- the rightwing down the ages.” The situation hasnot changed much, grance of Indian values.” He insiststhat making films wheretheycan. Producers, notbelong to anyparty.Some actors be- tain courage,that whatever happens, the Bollywood wastaken abackbythe at- despitesome recognisable names like while the Sangh supports such films, it directors and actors areonly5%, 95%com- come candidates of aparty... go with the media will protect us, whereisittoday? tention the Modi government lavishedon Kangana Ranaut, and the twoViveks could notensurethese aremade. prise technicians and workers.” party of thePrime Minister. During the Themedia is part of thelynch mob.” them in end-2018,2019. The firstsuch (Oberoi and Agnihotri, who both make Thereisnocommunal agenda to this, As forcommunal dog whistles, those Emergency,SanjayGandhi attemptedto The filmmaker pointstoan“open let- meeting wasinDecember 2018 in morenews off-screen than on) attaching says Bapat. “Thisisabsent in our wayof “justwon’twork”.“Salman, Shah Rukh take over Bollywood but failed,” he says. ter” by the Producers’ Guild of India on Mumbai, with Modi, and AkshayKumar, themselvestothe government’s coat-tails. thinking. An actor’s religion doesnot and Aamir have genuine fans, and it’s not September 4, decrying the “relentless at- AjayDevgn, Johar,Siddharth RoyKapur, AkshayKumarhas lent his name to many speak about his relationship with India.” on the basis of religion,” he says. ■ ■ ■ tacks” on the film industry. “It wasavery Ronnie Screwvala and Prasoon Joshi in at- of Modi’s projects,and the PM gave arare Bopat also acknowledgesinformal in- Rashid Kidwai, journalistand author important statement, averywell-worded tendance. Theybrought up concernssuch interviewtohim ahead of the 2019 polls. teractions with the industry. “Wemeet of Neta Abhineta —BollywoodStarPower in However, if thereisany party that is statement. Did anybody reportit?” as the highestGST slab on ticket prices. “Fact of the matter is, youcannotman- people, speaktothem, theyalso meetus.” IndianPolitics, says it is talent that counts quiteentrenchedinthe industry, it is the Azmi also says Bollywood is being Then, in January2019, Johar along with ufacturesuperstars and youcannotman- ShivSena. Bal Thackeray’s association usedtodistract from the real crises facing small-time producerMahaveer Jain flew ufacturehits. Or Modi’s biopic (in 2019, with it beganbeforehefoundedthe party, the country. “LikeUrmilaMatondkar said, aset of young B-townAlisters in achar- with Oberoi in the lead) would have been through father ‘Prabodhankar’ Thackeray, if the industryisasawful as is being pro- teredplane to meetModi in Delhi. This the highestgrossing film... Theyneedthe who worked briefly as apublicistwith jected,why did the PM ask it to makefilms time the discussion wason“nation-build- stars, the big directors,” afilmmaker says. Homi Wadia’s film companyinthe 1940s. on Mahatma Gandhi’s ideology?” ing”.Ranveer Singh, whosewifeDeepika According to this filmmaker,the His brother Shreekant is amusic director. Thefilmmakerpointsout thateven Padukone is amongthose questionedby “armtwisting” is notjusttoget the big In 1968,when the party mounted its stars likeAamirand Shah Rukh were tar- the NCB, capturedthat famous selfie of the namesover to theirside, butalso to ensure earliest‘Marathi manoos’ campaign,ittar- getedafter theyspokeupabout intoler- PM surroundedbybeaming stars. It was acertain kind of cinema. He pointstothe getedTamil films as well as Hindi movies ance. “WhyisAamir choosing to keep four months before theelection, and spree of recent films with the villain a shotinthe south. One of the early targets quiet? He knows that if speaks, nobody’s Johar’s Instagram postofthe same selfie Muslim invader.The latestpush is to cor- wasDilip Kumar’s Aadmi. Butitprovedto going to be standing by him. Fewpeople gushedpraise forthe PM,and at being in- ner the “liberal voices” that remain. “They be the startofasymbiotic relationship. tweeting in supportmakes no difference.” vitedtocontributetoanational project. arenot falling in line with the BJP/RSS nar- Until then, sayinsiders, film produc- Mehtasays social media has had are- Thefilmmaker says whenthe Modi in- rative.Sothis is the firstdirect onslaught... ers had to look up to mafia ganglords such ductive effect. “If Sushant’s death had vitecame, people were scaredtosay no, They’redoing it intelligently, because as Karim Lala to sort outproblemsarising been debated with greater nuance, politi- but pointsout that going did nothelp. “A (those targeted)can’t saypublicly, ‘Guys, from large amountsofmoneypassing cians could nothaveusedittodivert us lotofthe people beinghit nowwereapart it’s justajoint’. Bharatiyasanskritimein toh hands —especiallyatthat time of licence from other issues. But we arenot open to of thatselfie... Youcan’t pickupthe phone nahinhosakta hai (This doesn’t happen at raj. The ShivSena made it moreorganised, nuance... The government has realisedwe and tell Modiji,Iwasinthe selfie, whyis leastinso-calledIndian tradition).” to the extent that itsmen could paralyse want ayes or no. We don’t want amaybe.” my wife being targeted.” ashooting if their demands were notmet. However, Azmi believes, none of this Among the vocal ones is Hansal ■ ■ ■ In 1970,the party formedawing called dims Bollywood shinefor the hundreds Mehta, whose criticallyacclaimedfilms the Chitrapat Shakha, to ensurethat headedtoitwith stars in their eyes. “Not include Shahid, on the lawyer of the Though the ‘Justice forSushant Singh’ Marathi films got propertheatres forex- achance.The fact is we have neverwit- Mumbai riots accused who waskilled. He posters arepartofits Bihar campaign, the hibition. It also stated adistribution arm nessedthe inflowoftalent we seetoday... attributes the fear to thefilmindustry’s BJP distances itself from the drug and forMarathi films. These days,ithas sev- people from small towns, theatre.” instinctof“self-preservation”. “Wedon’t other chargesbeingthrownatthe film in- eral unions in the film industry, and has One of them, what nowseems along, ownanything.Wemakeafilmand it’s dustry. “The BJPhas no aim to rule (Top) The selfie takenbyRanveer Singhand tweetedbyKaran Johar in Jan 2019; over the years built arelationship with the long time ago, wasRajput. gone. Thereisanoverarchinginsecurity.” Bollywood,” says Maharashtra BJP general (above)Chakraborty before her arrest and Padukone at the NCBoffice. Express industrybosses as well —production INPUTSBYZEESHANSHAIKH,VISHWAS However, Mehta adds, the belief that if secretaryShrikant Bharatiya, while refer- houses, financiers, directors and stars. By WAGHMODE,SHUBHANGIKHAPRE Kolkata WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 8 OPINION THE SUNDAY EXPRESS,OCTOBER11,2020

Across Fifth THEAISLE COLUMN TAVLEENSINGH Impunity,thynameisUttarPradesh Twitter@tavleen_singh

AYOUNG girldiedonSeptember 29, were in Uttar Pradesh. Manycases of systemic gaps forwhichweall need to ■ TheUPgovernment soughtaCBI 2020, at Safdarjung Hospital, New rape areregisteredascrimes, investi- work together”. inquiryintending to replacethe SIT.At Delhi. In her statement givenon gatedand tried. Givenaconviction rate of the sametime,diabolically andvenge- India’s September 22 to amagistrate, the girl about28per cent, manyaccusedare con- ■ The Principal, Jawaharlal Nehru fully, the UP PoliceregisteredFIRs had saidshe wasassaulted and raped victed.Thereisabuzz forafew days af- Medical College, admittedthat the hos- against“unknown persons” forconspir- on September 14,and namedfour men terthe crime, but it soon dies down. pital did notconduct aforensicexami- acy,instigating caste conflict and sedi- illiberal PCHIDAMBARAM belonging to her village in district Some cases become ‘events’;the Hathras nation because, “as she and her mother tion.Recently, ajournalistwas arrested Website:pchidambaram.in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh.Whenshe died, case is one forgoodreasons. didn’t sayanything about sexual assault, and charged. Twitter@Pchidambaram_IN the police hurriedlytook the body to the we didn’t examineher”. democracy village and cremated it at about 2.30 am on September 30. PANDEMIC INFECTS ■ The district magistrate(Collector) WHY INJUSTICE The girlbelonged to apoor Dalit fam- ALL along with the SP took the decisionto PREVA ILS THE MOST disturbing development of ily. Relativesofthe four men who were cremate the body in thenightwithout the pastsix years has been that the na- arrested described the family as neechi The Hathras case is an example thefamily present. TheSPsaid, “I have In astate wherethe administration is tureofIndian democracy has been de- kaum (lowlife) “whom theywon’t touch whereeveryone from the SHO of been told it is notunusual to conduct last tightlycontrolledbythe Chief Minister, liberatelychangedfromliberal to illib- with abarge pole”.Thereare thousands Chandpa Police Station to thedistrict su- rites during the night in this belt.....The Shri Adityanath, is it possible that each eral. The worldhas noticedand this ugly of such Hathras villages in India. These perintendent of police (SP) to the point is that thereisnoHindu way.” of the above actions (with the exception changeisregularly discussedinthe villageshaveafew Dalit families; the Principal,Jawaharlal Nehru Medical of the SHO’s) wasnot within the knowl- western media. But, mostIndians have Dalits ownlittle or no land, usuallylive Collegeand Hospital, Aligarhtothe dis- ■ The DM wascaptured on video edge of the CM at that time or soon notbecause the changehas happened in asegregatedhabitation, do low-status trict magistrate(DM) to the ranking po- telling the familythatthe media will be thereafter? insidiously. and low-paid jobs, and aredependent on lice officer in charge of lawand order gone in aday or twobut “onlywewill be The assault wasonSeptember 14; It continuestohappeninsidiously. Everyinjustice owesits the other dominantcaste groups. The (ADGP) to thechief ministerofthe state herewith you”. The brother of the vic- the firststatement of the CM wason So, when news firstcameofthe teenage victim’s father owns twobuffaloes and (CM) seems to have been infected by a tim said the DM also asked thefamilyif September 30 afterhehad constituted girlfromrural Hathras dying ahorrible origin to the sense of two bighas of land,and worksasapart- virus called Impunity.Itisasifapan- theywould getcompensation if the girl an SIT.Meanwhile, the keyplayers death, and of her body being burnedin impunitythat is entrenched time sanitation worker in aneighbour- demic has sweptacross the officialdom had diedout of coronavirus. continued to strut on the stageas thedead of night withoutlastrites or the in the system: my poweris ing school. in UP.Consider the wordsand actions of thoughnothing untowardhad presence of her family, it caused wide- my sword; my epaulette Emboldenedbygreat social reform- thekey players: ■ The ADGP(Law&Order)of thestate occurred. spread shame and horror. ers like Mahatma Phule, ‘Periyar’EV assertedthat the victim had notbeen Everyinjustice owes itsorigin to the By lastweek the storyhad changed. above my breastpocket(IAS, Ramasamy, Babasaheb Ambedkar and ■ The SHO sawthe condition of the rapedbecause, accordingtothe forensic senseofimpunity that is entrenchedin The same famous TVanchors who wept IPS, Dr) is my shield; my others, Dalits have politicallyorganised victim, heardher mother and brother, report, therewerenotraces of semenand the system: my powerismysword; my forher theweekbeforebegan to raise caste folk will fight forme; themselvesinafewstates; but their sta- registeredacase of assault and attempt the tears on the vagina were old and had epauletteabove my breastpocket(IAS, questions about whether she had been my government and the tus is onlyslightlybetter. to murder,and referred the victim to a healed. (He should read Section 375, IPC, IPS, Dr)ismyshield; my caste folk will rapedatall. Shesaid shewas and that hospital in Aligarh, but did not ask fora and the lawonthe subject.) fight forme; my government and the rul- should be evidence enoughwhen (if?) ruling partywill not admit medical examination. He did noteven ing party will notadmit anylapse or heralleged rapists arebrought to trial. anylapseorcomplicity, and ARAMPANT CRIME suspect sexualassault. ■ The officialdom of Uttar Pradesh complicity,and so on. Governmentstol- But, already her tragic storyhas been so on.Governments tolerate Rape is awidelyprevalent crime in lockeddownthe village,imposedaban eratethe sense of impunity as long as of- forgottenasthe Uttar Pradesh govern- the sense of impunityaslong India.According to datamaintainedby ■ The SP explained the failuretocon- under Section 144ofthe CrPC on the ficialdom does notdefy the writ of the ment spins afantastical tale about ji- the NCRB, therewere32,033 incidents duct amedicalexamination within72 roads to district Hathras, and barredthe government. hadistconspiracies and an ‘international as officialdom does not defy of rape againstwomen (excluding hours,asrequiredunder theinstruc- entryofthe media and political repre- Nowyou know whyinjustice pre- plot’ to malign the fair imageofour most the writ of the government POCSOcases) in 2019,ofwhich3,065 tions, with the words“Thereare some sentatives. vails: impunity triumphs over justice. populous state. Yogi Adityanath who hassofar not expressedone word of sympathyfor the dead girlorher familyappeared on na- tional television to confirm this suppos- then Gujarat CM, had made it clearthat he History edly malevolent plot. Did yousee the had no role in Singh’s expulsion from the Thefirst polls, firstrift, faces of the people who went to Hathras, inside party.One surmisefor Raje’ssurprisingin- he said, theywerethe same faces we TRACK transigence,eventhough Singh wasanold HEADLINE sawinthose protests againstthe friend, wasthat she wanted her son ANKITADWIVEDIJOHRI firstrush: Bihar,1952 Citizenship(Amendment) Act(CAA). COOMIKAPOOR DushyantappointedministerattheCentre These people aredetermined to spread if the BJP won. She sawSingh as competi- [email protected] hatred between communities and tion to her son. Another speculation is that castes because they do notwant Uttar asoothsayerhad predicted the 2014 elec- Pradesh to benefitfromthe ‘progress tionwouldthrow upahungParliamentand AS BIHAR preparesfor polls in the midstof and development’ that he claims he has DANGEROUS LIAISONS Raje couldemerge as adarkhorse forlead- apandemic, the rules of the game, from brought.Itdid nottakelong forthose‘in- ership givenher good equations with campaigningtovoting,arebeingrewritten, dependent’ TV channels who have be- CHIRAGPASWANisnot so mucharebel as Naveen Patnaik and Chandrababu Naidu. with the stateexpectedto setthe template comevehicles of government propa- apawninthe BJP’s two-faced poll strategy Singh wasseenasapotentialrival. forfuturepolls.Nearly70yearsago,when ganda to startspreading what they in Bihar.Paswan, fighting forafewmore the firstLok Sabhaand Vidhan Sabha elec- called‘the truth about Hathras’. tickets, neverdreamt that the BJP would tions took place in independent India in In the fogofconspiracies, money permittheLJPto contestover100seats.The WRONG TARGET 1951-52, asimilarpolitical resetwas in the laundering and jihadists,what has been firsthint of theBJP’s ambitions to be senior TheSPandfourpoliceofficershandling worksacrossIndia, including Bihar. forgottenalready is the brutal wayin partyinthealliancewithNitishKumarwas theHathrascasehavebeensuspendedand Politicians belting outparty promises whichthe teenager from the Hathras vil- at avirtual conference afortnight back if the fall-out continues the next casualty settocatchy tunes,bigleaderscampaigning lagedied. Asimilar game of smokeand whengeneral secretaryBhupendra Yadav couldbeUPDGPHiteshAwasthi.Butthere’s on cycles,women travellingin‘veiled’ bul- mirrors wasusedtocrush dissident observedthattheBJPinvariablyplayedsec- another Awasthi whose role warrants lockcarts to reachthe polling stations, and voices that rose againstthat discrimina- ondfiddleinBihar.InPatna,duringseatdis- scrutiny. The all-powerful UP’s Additional boothswithballotboxesindifferentcolours tory amendment to the citizenship law cussions, Yadavand DevendraFadnavis Chief Secretary(Home), Awanish Kumar and markedwith party symbols to help a in the early months of this year.Muslims were upsetafter the JD(U)’s Lalan Singh re- Awasthi,whoseordersarefollowedblindly. largely unlettered populationspottheir ShriKrishna Sinha (left), Bihar’s firstCM, and AnugrahSinha, the firstDyCM. GoI across India protested outofreal fear markedbluntlythat if the BJP wasdissatis- DuringAwasthi’stenureoflittleoverayear, candidate —the 1952 Bihar election, held that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act fied,itcouldcontest onitsown.TheBJPbe- theUPpolicehasbeenregularly inthenews, in the afterglowofIndia’sIndependence, wasgoing to be followedbyaNational lievesNitish’s popularity has plummeted whetheritisthefollow-upof therapecases wasboth“euphoric” and “challenging”. issue in Bihar 1952”. Among the manychallenges then, says RegisterofCitizens. It does notmatter if afterthe migrant crisis,unlikeNarendra in Shahjahanpur and Unnao or Vikas “The 1952 polls setsome ground rules. “IntheyearsafterIndependence, ledby Tiwari, wastoget thewomen to vote. their fears were right or wrong, what Modi’s.However, itstillneedsNitish’sback- Dubey’s gang gunning down eight police- Peoplewere unsure aboutcampaigning,is- farm labourers and the OBC community, “Women in Bihar those days didn’t write mattersisthat theyspokeindissident ward caste vote, justasthe JD(U) relies on men.Thepolicesubsequently“eliminated” sues...The Congress party washugelypop- demandforabolitionof thezamindari sys- their surnames. That made it very hardto voices and this is something that cannot theBJP’sforwardcaste support.Theperilsof Dubey andhismen.No onehasquestioned ular because of the freedom struggle. They tempeaked.The Bhumihar zamindars identify them at polling stations,” he says. be allowedinanilliberal democracy. being toocleverbyhalf is that Nitish, asea- Awasthi(IAS)asto whyaDubeygangmem- startedtheir campaign by launching slo- supportedit but the Rajput-Kayastha lobby But, he recalls, “When the dayfor vot- In Uttar Pradesh,the protests were soneddefector,could jumptothe RJD. berwas at the wedding of his daughter last gans around itselection symbol, apair of opposedit. This ledtofriction among ingarrived,womenwouldmaketheirway crushed under Yogi’s jackbootand in Nitish compelledthe BJP to announce his November.Awasthi’swifeisawell-known bullocks,” says former IPS officer and ex- Krishna Sinha, who wasfromthe to thepollingboothsinbullockcarts,singing Delhi when riots happenedbetween name as the CM candidate, but he cannot singer who tweets regularly in favour of Congress MP Nikhil Kumar.The 79-year- Bhumihar community,Anugrah Sinha, a songsalltheway...Theelectionswerelikea Hindus and Muslims (for thefirsttime forcethe LJP nottocarry posters of the late Modi. AfterHathras, some in the UP police old’s grandfather Dr Anugrah Narayan Rajput,and RajendraPrasad, aKayastha. festival.Iwasaround10-11yearsoldthen.” in decades), theywereblamedonaji- RamVilasPaswanwithModi.The BJP de- arebecomingresentfuloverbeing fre- Sinhawas the firstdeputy CM of Bihar, and AfterRajendraPrasadmovedon to assume Whileinthelateryearsboothcapturing hadistplotbythe Popular Front of India niesthatitsmembersarestrategicallyshift- quentlymade scapegoatsbythe IAS inner hisfatherSNSinhawasthestate’s19thCM. the President’s office, the riftcontinued, and violence became common, in 1952, (PFI). This PFI is indeedaghastlygroup ing to Paswan’s party in some seats. circle. He was, however, removedfromthe “The atmospherewas euphoric. India with the party being dividedintotwo fac- says Singh of TISS Patna, “the firstCEC of violent jihadists,but who allowed it postofAdditional ChiefSecretaryof wasfree.Peoplefromeverysectionof soci- tions. Once, AbdulKalamAzad had to come SukumarSendidagoodjob”.“Bihar’sliter- to become so powerful? InformationDepartmentearlierthismonth. etywerewith the Congress. Jawaharlal down from Delhi to sortissues,” says Prof acyratewas abysmal (13.4%)and so, likein Itsalleged involvement in riots in TRAGIC DEATHS Nehru wasanationalhero,”says Congress PushpendraKumar Singh of the Tata the rest of the country, theECput up ballot Delhi andBengaluru is believable, but RamVilas Paswan’s death adds one leader Shakeel Ahmad whose father,the InstituteofSocial Sciences, Patna. boxesindifferent colours to help people what could it have to do with Hathras? moretothe listofministers in Modi’s JINNAH SET TREND lateShakoor Ahmad, had wonfrom TheonlychallengetotheCongresscame identify their candidate. The pollingagent, The ‘international conspiracy’against Cabinetwho have passedaway. Gopinath Pakistan’s lackofdemocratic tradition Khajauliseatin1952.“Partitionhadscarred fromtheSocialistParty(SP),aCongressfac- usuallyalocal who kneweveryone, could Yogi Aditynathistoo ludicrous to dis- Munde waskilledinanaccident within a is blamedonarmy. But it wasMuhammad IndianMuslims,but theCongress partyre- tionthatbrokeawayinthe1930sunderthe challengesomebody if he thoughthewas cuss. What is worthdiscussing is the weekof takingofficein2014.MoSAnilDave Ali Jinnah who firstplanted seeds forthe assuredthem.InBihar,100percentof them leadershipofstalwartssuchasJayaprakash an imposter.The presiding officer took afi- growing paranoia about supposedinter- diedofaheartattackin2017. Arun Jaitley, authoritarianrule.Insteadof strengthening were with Nehru,” he says. Narayan and RamManohar Lohia. nal call.The ballot paper also had to be national interference in India’s internal Sushma Swaraj and Manohar Parrikar constitutionalism in the newnation, he in- While the Congress wasconfident of a “Theyspokefor thepeasants. They foldedinaparticular waytobecounted.” affairs. Notsince IndiraGandhi spotted passedawaylastyear,althoughParrikarhad sistedonbeinggovernor-general, acere- victory, within the party’sstate unit there spokeout againstthe Tatas. While they Polling forthe state’s 330Assembly the ‘foreign hand’ in everything from resignedhis ministerial post. Lastmonth, monial post. He then passedamendments wasaclash between itstwo stalwarts. were notthe sole voice of the OBCsor seatstookplaceonMarch 26,1952,andthe famine and floods to povertyand poli- MoS SureshAngadi wasavictimofCovid. to control the executive.Heperpetuated a “Shri Babu (ShriKrishnaSinha) was Dalits, theyhad their support. In Sahpur, voterturnoutwas 42.6%.With 239seats, tics has therebeen so muchparanoia in vice-regal system whichgavegovernor- known as Bihar Kesari and my grandfather from wheremyfather Ramanand Tiwari theCongresswonthepollsandShriKrishna the air.ManyNGOs andhuman rights generalandprovincialgovernorsveto pow- wascalledBihar Vibhuti. Youcannotcall wonin1952onanSPticket, manyDalits SinhabecameCM.TheSocialistPartycame bodies have hadtopacktheir bags in NOTHING PERSONAL ers on manyissues, to thedetriment of the them rivals, buttheywerebothverybig voted forhim,” recalls senior RJD leader adistant second with23seats. (Source ECI) India and leave or suspend their activi- Oneof thefirsttocallonJaswantSingh’s parliamentarysystem.Interestingly,except mass leaders,” says Kumar. Alongwith Shivanand Tiwari, 77. Recallingthetimesthen,theCongress’s ties because ‘foreign funding’ is treated familyafterhisdeathwasVasundharaRaje. in Sindh, all Pakistani governorswere RajendraPrasad, India’s firstpresident, the ButBiharhadn’tyetdiscoveredcaste as Ahmad says,“There wasalot of respect as criminal. Curiously, theformer Rajasthan chief min- Englishmenandsowere chiefsofthearmy, three men were regarded among the ar- an election tool, says Kumar.“When JP and among leaders foreachother.One of the Allthesethingspoint to India’s tran- isterwas believedtoberesponsible for navy and air force, as wasJinnah’s financial chitectsofmodernBihar. Lohiasaid‘backward’intheirspeeches,they storiesfromthattimeishow, despitebeing sitionfromaliberal democracy to an il- Singh beingdenied theBJP ticket from the adviser.ThisunexploredfacetoftheQuaid- The position of the three leadersand meantthepooracrossallcastes.Sometime theCM, Shri Babu gave Anugrah Sinha the liberal one, but who is going to makethis BarmerLokSabhaseatandleftnostoneun- e-Azam is broughtout in Pakistani scholar their communitiesonthe abolition of the in the 1960s, backwardcame to be associ- responsibilityofselecting the Cabinet. an issue? On the national stagethe only turnedtoensurehis defeat in 2014.Modi, IshtiaqAhmed’srecentbiographyofJinnah. zamindarisystemwas“thebiggestelection ated withcertain castesinBihar,” he says. Thesethingsdon’thappen now.” opposition party is the Congress and its leader,Rahul Gandhi,confineshimself to personal attacks on the Prime My ISOLATION Minister.Lastweek,hecalled himacow- ardinatrulyoffensivetone,absurdly AWEEKLY WINDOW INTO LIVES OF INDIA’S NEWSMAKERS AND THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC ON THEM claiming thatiftherewereaCongress government, ‘China would have been thrown out in 15 minutes’.Narendra ‘Children arehome,Iget to spend moretime with them’ Modi’s China policy has been adisaster, but it needs to be analysed without schoolyard name-calling. What precautions areyou taking? Credited withworking at the frame. Ihavebeentryingto restrictdailyin- ousdistrictsthrough Zoom and Facebook. This is true alsoofthe reforms in Iwear my mask allthe time andfre- grassroots to return the Congressto teractions but it is challenging. It’s notasubstitutefor meeting peoplebut, agricultural policy,but hereagain our quentlywash and sanitise my hands. I in some ways,ithelps in interactions. main opposition leader has simply also sanitise things that Iuse suchasmo- powerinRajasthan, Sachin Pilot, Have youhad to stayawayfromfamily? made those old chargesabout how bile phones, keypads etc. Itry to ensure 43, remainsone of the party’stallest Actually, Iget to seethemmorenow be- Howdoyou keep your mind offthe Modi’s reforms will help onlyhis ‘hand- social distancing, although it’s notalways leadersinthe state,and one of its cause Iamtravelling less. Since schools are pandemic? ful of richfriends’. Rahul is rightwhen possible. most recognisable faces outside. closed,Iget to spendmoretime with my Slowly thesituation is changing into he says that the media has been bullied children. something that we mustlearntolivewith, intosubmission. But,why add recklessly Have yougot tested forCovid-19? Since apublic rebellion sawhim atleasttillthevaccinesare out... It’snotthat that if the press had real freedom, Modi’s Yes. stripped offhis post of deputychief Do youtakeany specific precautions Iactively do thingstokeepmymind off government would fall in days. minister and PCC chief, Pilotis while youtravel? Covid.It’s all aroundand youcan’tavoid it. The mostimportant issue of allisthis What kind of gloves, mask do youuse? Apartfromthe mask,Ialso use aface We alsohave to remindourselvestobecare- frightening transition from liberal to il- Iuse the N95 as well as handmade back at work in the state,amongthe shield occasionallywhen Ianticipatethat ful...For example,the number of times we liberal democracy and it is unfortunate masks manufacturedbywomen living in people.Hesayshehas been careful therewill be alot of peoplearound me. washedour hands in March-April was that the Congress party has said almost rural parts of the state. in the pandemic but “when you muchmore. It has come down now. We nothing about it. have to take apicture,social Howmuchtime do youspend in front mustkeep our guardup. If dissidence continues to be delib- At work,what precautions do youtake? of ascreen? eratelyconfusedwith sedition. If every Imaintain distance, tryand ensure that distancing goes foratoss” Thesedays,alot.Whetheritisparty-re- What is the firstthing youwant to do dissident is arrested under harsh pre- peoplearoundmealsosanitisetheirhands. latedwork orothermatters,Iregularly hold when the pandemic is past? ventive detentionlaws. If poetsand Butwhenpeoplewantto take photographs videomeetings.Onmy birthday, Iappealed Iwould love to greetpeople by shaking writers aretreated as traitors, it will not withyou,socialdistancingcango foratoss. INTERVIEWBYDEEP MUKHERJEE to everyone to notcome to Jaipur and in- hands...Iwanttotravel, watchamovie, get be long before illiberalism becomes Forpictures youhavetobeinthe same Illustration: Suvajit Dey stead Iinteractedwithpeopleacrossvari- out of the city. normal.

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THESUNDAY EXPRESS,OCTOBER11,2020 Crude Wa tch OIL PRICES SLIP OVER 1% NewYork: Oil prices slipped more than 1per cent on Fridayafter an oil worker strikeinNorway ended, whichshould boost crude output even 9 ECONOMY as Hurricane DeltaforcedUSenergy firms to cut production. Brent futures fell 49 cents, or 1.1per cent,tosettle at $42.85 abarrel. REUTERS

COMPENSATION ISSUE TO TAKE CENTRE STAGE AT GST COUNCIL MEET TOMORROW India’s Covid vaccinestrials: Newideatobreakdeadlock:Borrowing Contenders &race to the finishline With various Covid-19vaccine candidates getting closer to conducting latestage human trials, and some newerentrants intoIndia’s vaccine race, The SundayExpress takes policyneednotbeuniformforallstates stockofeachcandidateand howclose we aretothe finish line PRABHA RAGHAVAN COMPANY:SERUM ditureinthe wake of the exacer- States suchasBihar have al- INSTITUTEOFINDIA AANCHALMAGAZINE bationofeconomic slowdown readystatedthat those states, Candidate: Covishield NEWDELHI,OCTOBER10 due to Covid-19 pandemic,espe- whichhavemade theirchoice (developedbyUniversityof ciallycommitted expenditure in among the twoborrowing op- OxfordandAstraZeneca) ASTHECentreandthestateslook theformof salariesandpensions, tionsproposedbythe Centre, Type of vaccine: Non- to resolve the deadlockoverthe there’sareluctanceto putthesup- should notbemade to suffer. replicatingviralvector compensation shortfall issue un- port in vote. The concern is that OpposingstatessuchasWest (chimpanzeeadenovirus) der the Goodsand Services Tax despiteborrowingforcompensa- Bengal, Kerala, Chhattisgarhand Number of volunteers: (GST) regime, the upcoming tion,thestatesmaystillfallbehind Punjabhavevoicedtheirconcerns 1,600 meeting of GSTCouncil on in meeting their expenditurere- about their dissent notbeing Status of trial: Currentlyin Commuters at abus stop in KolkataonSaturday. AP Mondayislikelytosee arangeof quirements, whichcouldhave takennote of in theCouncil, and phase3 factorsinfluencingafinaldecision repercussionsonthepoliticalcap- Centre pushing forthe majority onthecontentiousissueof resort- ital base as astate goes in forelec- view. Theopposing states have TRIALSITES companyreviseitsproposaland ResearchCentre-NorthGoa ing to borrowings to tide over the tionsincoming years. also notruledout avote or alegal NewDelhi: AllIndiaInstitute conductphase2/3humantrials. Tamil Nadu: SRMHospital shortfall. While there’s adivided Avotingontheissue,however, routetochallengetheoptions,but ofMedicalSciences andResearchCentre- houseoverputting the issueto isbeingseenbysomeasamethod theywill firstexhaustall other Rajasthan: AllIndiaInstituteof COMPANY:BHARAT Kancheepuram vote, with non-BJP-ruledstates Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharamanafter the 42nd GST to quicklyresolve the compensa- possibleoptionswithintheambit MedicalSciences-Jodhpur BIOTECH likelytopushfor it even as the Councilmeeting, in New Delhi, lastMonday. PTI file tionstalematebetweenthestates of the Council. Maharashtra: BJMedical Candidate: Covaxin COMPANY:ZYDUSCADILA Centreisexpected to oppose any andtheCentre.“Oneadvantageof The GSTCouncil will on CollegeandSassoonGeneral Type of vaccine: Wholevirion Candidate: ZyCov-D move towardsgoingforavote,un- voting couldbethat it breaksthe Mondaydiscussthesingleagenda Hospital-Pune,amongothers inactivatedvaccine Type of vaccine: PlasmidDNA derscoringthatthe issue of bor- pendently. This would be outside sonsbeingconsidered,apartfrom deadlock.Evenif astate hastaken item of compensation, in ameet- AndhraPradesh: Andhra Number of volunteers: Number of volunteers: rowings areoutside the jurisdic- the ambit of Article 279A of the the non-jurisdiction of Council ahardstand, sinceadecision will ingwhichwillnotbecountedasa MedicalCollege- 1,125 1,048 tion of Council. Thereisalso an Constitution (provision forGST over borrowing,includethe mat- emerge outof voting,itcanstrate- fresh meeting but as acontinua- Visakhapatnam Status of trial: Phase2 Status of trial:Phase2ongoing. emerging viewahead of the Council and itsmandate) since tertakingapoliticalhue.That’sbe- gically resign to the decision.The tion of the 42nd meeting held a Tamil Nadu: Instituteof ongoing.Theexpertcommittee meetingthat anypolicy decision borrowings aregovernedby cause some states areofthe view Councilwilltake thefinaldecision week earlier on October 5. CommunityMedicine-Chennai, lookingintotheapplicationhas TRIALSITES takenbyindividual states on this Article293(provisionforstate bor- that voting on the issuewillget nowandtherewillbemanyother TheCentre hadinAugustpro- SriRamchandraInstituteof directedthefirmtosubmit Maharashtra: VIMSHospital- issue of borrowingsneednot be rowings),”aseniorgovernmentof- termedasastate’s politicalaffir- factors that will guide the deci- posedtwo options to states: bor- HigherEducationandResearch safetyandimmunogenicitydata Nagpur uniform forall states across the ficial involved in the exercise said. mation on the issue, adecision sion,” the senior government of- rowRs97,000 crore(on account -Chennai fromthesecondphaseofthis Gujarat: BAPSPramukh country, unlikeotherGST-related Though moststatesacknowl- whichwill have alasting impact ficialsaid. of GSTimplementation) from a Uttar Pradesh: ICMR- trial“forconsideration”. SwamiHospital-Surat,GCS decisions. edge the urgent requirement for onstatefinancesoverthenextfew Also,there’sscepticism about specialwindowfacilitatedbythe RegionalMedicalResearch MedicalCollege,Hospitaland “Thereneednot be auniform pending compensation funds to years. This is especiallyso, given the timelinessofother proposed RBIorthecomplete shortfallof Rs Centre-Gorakhpur TRIALSITES(FORONGOING ResearchCentre-Ahmedabad, policy forthis borrowing, unlike plan their expenditureplans for that the compensation cess is set options of adisputeresolution 2.35lakhcrore (including Rs 1.38 Karnataka: JSSAcademyof PHASE2TRIALS) amongothers GST-related issueswhereunifor- thesecondhalf of thefiscal,many to be extendedbeyondthe five- mechanism or apanel of minis- lakh croredue to Covid) from the HigherEducationandResearch Bihar: AllIndiaInstituteof Karnataka: JeevanRekha mity across the countryisre- states, including some of the BJP- yeartransitionperiodendingJune ters, whichare onlyexpected to market.The amountsunder the -Mysore MedicalSciences-Patna Hospital-Belgaum quired.Soonestate’sopinionneed ruledones,are also learnttohave 2022 foratleast3-4 years. elongatetheprocessof resolution, twooptions have sincebeenre- Chandigarh: PostGraduate NewDelhi: AllIndiaInstituteof Rajasthan: MaharajaAgrasen notbeimposedontheother,every expressedreluctance to partici- At atime when states are twoseniorstate governmentoffi- visedtoRs1.10lakhcrore and InstitueofMedicalEducation MedicalSciences SuperspecialityHospital-Jaipur statecan take thedecision inde- pate inavote ontheissue.Therea- strugglingto managetheirexpen- cialssaid. Rs 1.8lakh crore, respectively. andResearch-Chandigarh Maharashtra: Gillukar Uttar Pradesh: Prakhar Bihar: RajendraMemorial MultispecialtyHospital-Nagpur Hospital-Kanpur,RanaHospital ResearchInstituteofMedical Odisha: InstituteofMedical -Gorakhpur BRIEFLY Sciences-Patna SciencesandSUMHospital- ‘Consumer confidence at all-time low in Jajapur COMPANY:BIOLOGICALE COMPANY:DRREDDY’S Karnataka: JeevanRekha Candidate: RBDVaccine ‘Worstisover, Candidate: SputnikV Hospital-Belgaum (jointlydevelopedwiththe recoveryfaster Sept, set to improve in next 12 months’ (developedbytheGamaleya AndhraPradesh: KingGeorge BaylorCollegeofMedicine) ResearchInstitute) Hospital-Visakhapatnam Type of vaccine: thanexpected’ Type of vaccine: Non- Telangana: Nizam’sInstitute Recombinantproteinvaccine otherRBIsurvey saidhouseholds’ previousquarter. Respondentsin- replicatingviralvector(human ofMedicalSciences- Status of trial: They’ve NewDelhi: HDFC Ltd vice ENSECONOMICBUREAU INDEXFALLSTO medianinflationexpectationsre- dicated frail sentimentsonem- adenovirus) Hyderabad requestedpermissionto chairman and CEO Keki MUMBAI,OCTOBER10 49.9INSEPTEMBER mainedelevatedfor both three ployment and external demand Status of trial: Companyhas Haryana: PGIMS-Rohtak conductphase1/2trialsin MistryonSaturdaysaid the months and oneyear ahead peri- conditions. “Overall financial sit- soughtpermissiontoconduct Uttar Pradesh: Prakhar approximately400participants “worst is behind us” and the CONSUMERCONFIDENCE re- ods. Their perception of current uation wasassessedtohaveim- phase3trialsinIndia.Theexpert Hospital-Kanpur,RanaHospital around4-5sites.Theexpert ■ The consumer economicrecoveryhasbeen mainedatanall-time lowlevel in inflationandexpectationforinfla- proved.Respondentsmaintained committeestudyingitsrequest andTraumaCentre-Gorakhpur committeehasrecommended confidence index faster than expected.He, September with the general eco- tion over the next three months negative sentimentsonselling hasrecommendedthatthe Goa: RedkarHospitaland somechanges. declinedto49.9 in however, saidthat interest nomic situation worsening dur- were,however,ashade lower pricesand profit margins in Q2 of September as against rateshavebottomedout. ingthemonth,accordingto asur- thanthatinthepreviousroundof 2020-21,thoughpessimismmod- 53.8inJuly. veybythe ReserveBank of India. thesurvey.Morehouseholds ex- erated,” it said. However, thesituationissettoim- pectgeneral inflation to increase According to another survey Govttofacilitate proveinthe next 12 months, the over the three months and one- on the economic growth, real renewalofforeign survey said. The survey wasconducted year ahead periods, but the share gross domesticproduct (GDP) is RIL-Future Retail deal runs into The consumerconfidencein- duringAugust29–September10, of respondentsexpecting higher likelytocontractby 9.1percentin drivinglicence dexdeclinedto49.9inSeptember, 2020 in 13 majorcities. food inflation over the next quar- 2020- 21 but it is expected to re- as against53.8inJuly. However, Perceptions and expectations on terdeclined in comparison with covernextyear,when it is ex- legal trouble: What are the issues? NewDelhi: The government the indexhas improved from general economicsituation, em- that in July2020. pected to grow by 8.2 per cent. on Saturdaysaid it will initi- 105.4to 115.9onaone-yearahead ployment scenario, overall price TheRBI’ssurveyonthemanu- “Real private final consump- by thegroup to cut down on the abledittoexercise the option of atestepstofacilitaterenewal expectationsbasis,indicatingare- situation and ownincome and facturingsectorsays expectations tion expenditure (PFCE)isas- AASHISHARYAN same. Beforethe Augustsale to acquiring all or partofFuture of International Driving covery in theconsumer confi- spending were obtainedfrom forthe thirdquarterof2020-21 sessedtocontractby11.0percent NEWDELHI,OCTOBER10 Reliance,Biyanihadbeenwooing Coupon’s promoter, Future PermitforcitizenswhoseIDP dence leveloverthe next 12 5,364households across these showfurther improvements in during 2020-21, followedbyan severalbusiness groups to sell Retail’s shareholding in the com- has expired while theyare months. cities, it said. production, capacity utilisation expansion of 8.5 per cent in the KISHOREBIYANI-LED Future shares in severalcompanies of pany, within 3-10yearsofthe abroad. Adraft notification According to the RBI’scon- “Morerespondents reported and order books.“Goingforward, next year.Real gross fixedcapital Retail’sRs24,713 croredealto sell FutureGroupinanattempt to cut agreement. has been issuedbythe Road sumerconfidencesurvey, thecur- curtailmentinbothoverallandes- respondents polledsome recov- formation (GFCF) is projectedto its retail, wholesale, logistics and down on the debt,but had not AfterFuture’sagreementwith Transportand Highways rentsituationindex(CSI)recorded sentialspending during the past eryinexternal demand situation recordalarge decline of 21.0 per warehousing unitstoMukesh seen muchsuccess. Reliance, Amazon said that the Ministryinthis regard. PTI itsthirdsuccessive all-timelow, as one year,when compared with and job landscape. Overall finan- cent in 2020-21. It is expected to Ambani’s Reliance Retail and dealwasaviolationof anon-com- therespondentsperceivedfurther thelastsurvey round.Consumers cialsituationandavailabilityof fi- grow by 10.0 per centin2021-22, Fashion Style, has run intolegal WhyisAmazonobjecting to pete clauseandaright-of-first-re- worsening in general economic expect improvementsingeneral nance portrayed optimism,” the the RBI survey said. troublewith Amazon, which the Future-Reliance deal? fusal pact it had signedwith the Malaysia situationand employment sce- economicsituation,employment survey said. The survey said forecasters claimsits“contractualrights”have Lastyear,Biyani’sFuture Retail FutureGroup. The deal also re- Airlinesin nario during the lastone year. conditions and income scenario Meanwhile, manufacturing have assignedhighestprobability been violated. had signedanother quired FutureGroup to inform Householdswere,however,more during the coming year,” it said. companies assessedupturn in to real GDP growth lying below(- deal with global e- Amazonbeforeentering into any direstraits confident forthe year ahead: The Discretionaryspending,however, production, capacity utilisation )9.0percentin2020-21.For2021- What is the Future- commercegiant saleagreementwiththirdparties. futureexpectations index(FEI) is expected to remain lowinthe and order books duringthe sec- 22, highestprobability has been Reliance deal? Amazon.Aspartofthe On itspart, the FutureGroup Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia improved forthe second succes- near future,the RBI survey said. ond quarterof2020-21fromthe assignedtoGDP growth lying in InAugustthisyear, deal, Amazonhad ac- has said that it had notsold any Airlines will have to shut sive survey round,thesurvey said. On the inflation outlook,an- unprecedentedcontractioninthe thewiderangeof7.0-8.4percent. FutureGroup entered quired 49 per cent stakeinthe company,and was downif itslessorsdecidenot intoanagreement stakeinFuture merelysellingits assets,and had to back itslatestrestructur- withReliance Retail, a Coupons,thepromoter thereforenot violated anyterms ing plan, the chief executive subsidiaryofthe umbrella firm of FutureRetail in adeal of the contract. of the airline’s parent group Vedanta delistingoffer fails, shares to be returned Reliance IndustriesLtd (RIL) worthnearly Rs 2,000crore. wasquotedassaying. group, to sellits retail, wholesale, As apartofthe deal, while What happens now? 266per centpremium over the Regulations,” Vedantasaid in a offeris125.47crore shares,which logistics andwarehousing to the FutureRetailwould be able to Both Amazon andBiyani’s ENSECONOMICBUREAU floor price of Rs 87.25 per share. stockexchange filing. islessthantheminimumnumber latter. place itsproductsonAmazon’s FutureGrouphave shownthewill- SouthSudan MUMBAI,OCTOBER10 “Inconnectionwiththeafore- “All equity sharestenderedin of offershares required to be ac- As partofthe deal, Future online market place, the twohad ingness to optfor an arbitration to tochange said delisting offer, we have been thedelistingofferwillbereturned ceptedbythe acquirers in order Retail will sell itssupermarket alsoagreedthattheFutureRetails be decidedinaninternational ar- THE MEGAdelisting offerofAnil informedbyVedantaResources to the respectivepublic share- forthe delisting offertobesuc- chain Big Bazaar,premium food productswould also be apartof bitrationcentre.Whilereportssay currency Agarwal-controlledVedantaLtd Ltd and itsindirect subsidiaries holders in accordance with cessful,”the companysaid. supplyunit Foodhall and fashion Amazon’s newplan, whichin- thatthetwocompaniescouldset- has failedand the companyhas namely, VedantaHoldings Regulation 19(2)(a)ofthe Accordingly, the acquirers and clothes supermartBrand tendedtodeliverproductsinse- tle on going to the Singapore Juba: SouthSudan has agr- decidedtoreturnthesharesto the Mauritius Ltd and Vedanta Delisting Regulations,” it said. will notacquireany equity shares Factory’sretail as well as whole- lect cities within twohours of a InternationalArbitrationCentre,it eedtochangethe country’s shareholders. Holdings MauritiusIILtd (collec- Shares can be delistedonlywhen tendered by the shareholders in sale unitstoReliance Retail. The customer ordering them. Future is yettobefinalised.Asthe two currencyinorderto improve What upsetthe Vedantaplan tively to be referred as acquirers) thepromotergets at least90per the offerand the equity shares of Futuregroupwasunderimmense Retailshasmorethan1,500stores companiesopttogoforarbitration, the economy, agovernment isthedecisionby LIC,whichholds that the delisting offerisdeemed cent of thestake. “The total num- thecompanywill continue to re- pressure from itslenders,led by panIndia. it remains unclear it the Future- spokesmansaid. REUTERS 6.37percentinVedanta,to submit to have failedinterms of berofOffer Shares validlyten- main listedonthe stockex- StateBank of India, to manageits The deal had also given Reliance deal maygothrough in all itsshares at aprice of Rs 320, a Regulation 19(1) of the Delisting dered by the shareholders in the changes, it said. debt, and the deal is seenasabid Amazona‘call’ option,whichen- the event of this legal tussle. With no subscriber churn, Forex reserves Pelosi, Mnuchin failtoreach Covid stimulus deal Bharti Airtel, Vi unlikely to hit record high said. mark. Republican President REUTERS It wasthe thirdstraightdayof Donald Trump, who initially of $545.6 billion WASHINGTON,OCTOBER10 talksbetween Pelosi and withdrew from the negotiations match Jio post-paidoffers Mnuchin this week.Optimism this week onlytoregain interest does notsuggestany subscriber US HOUSE Speaker Nancy Pelosi over apossible agreement lifted inforgingabipartisanaccord, said ENSECONOMICBUREAU churninthe post-paid segment ENSECONOMICBUREAU and TreasurySecretarySteven US stockprices and setthe stage he wasopen to alargerdeal.”I NEWDELHI,OCTOBER10 withrivalsbundlingfreesubscrip- NEWDELHI,OCTOBER10 Mnuchin failedonFridaytoreach forthe second straight weekly would liketosee abigger stimu- tion of OTTs likeNetflix intotheir agreement on aCOVID-19stim- market gain on Wall Street. lus package, frankly, than either BHARTIAIRTELandVodafoneIdea plans.Therewassomespeculation THECOUNTRY’Sforeignexchange ulus package, while the top But SenateMajority Leader the Democrats or theRepublicans (Vi)mightbefacingtoughcompe- of atariffwar with Reliance Jio reserves rose by $3.618 billion to SenateRepublican voiceddoubt MitchMcConnell, the top areoffering,” he said in an inter- tition from Reliance Jio, but they whenitcame out withahostof reachalife-time high of $545.638 thatCongress would act before Republican in Congress, said he viewwith conservative radiotalk areunlikelytoreworktheir post- post-paidplansonSeptember22. billionintheweekendedOctober the Nov. 3election. US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (left)and Treasury Secretary doubted lawmakerswould pass showhostRushLimbaugh. paid tariffplans anytime soon by Jio,whichearlierhadonlyone 2, 2020,the ReserveBank of India Mnuchin floated anew $1.8 Steven Mnuchin. The latter floated anew $1.8 tn proposal. File apackagebeforethe election, In an MSNBC interview, Pelosi either lowering rates, offering post-paid plan (Rs 199per (RBI) datashowed. trillion proposal in a30-minute thoughhe hasnotdirectlypartic- emphasized the needfor aid for moredata,orbundlingthemwith month), unveiledplans starting In the previousweekended Fridayafternoon phone conver- ipated in thetalks.”The proxim- stateand local governments to free subscription of OTTs like from Rs 399 and going up to Rs September 25, the reserves had sation, according to the White said on Twitter. tion wantedto keep spending be- ity to the election and the differ- help paysalaries forpolice, Netflix to matchoffers by Jio. 1,499. All plans come bundled declinedby$3.017 billion to House. But Pelosi aide Drew The newWhiteHouse pack- low$2trillionbut waseager to ences of opinion overwhat is healthcare workersand other first Thereare validreasonsforthe withNetflix(mobile-only,single- $542.021billion. During the re- Hamill said the offerlackeda agewas higher than an earlier enact afresh round of direct pay- neededatthis particular juncture responders.Thathas proven to be operators to have adoptedsucha deviceplan), Amazon Prime, portingweek,theincreaseinforex broad plan to contain the pan- $1.6 trillion Mnuchin offerand mentstoAmericanindividualsas areprettyvast,” McConnelltolda amajor dividing line throughout stance,apartfromavoidinganun- Disney-Hotstar, and Jio kitty wasonaccountofrise in for- demic. Talkswill continue, he closer to the $2.2 trillion that the well as aid to smallbusinesses news conference in his home months of negotiations.Thepan- necessary tariffwar that mayad- TV/Saavn/Cinema. The post-paid eigncurrencyassets,amajorcom- said.”Weare still awaiting lan- Democratic-controlledHouse of and airlines.”Wewanttothink stateofKentucky. demic has infected at least7.6 versely impact theirrealisations. marketiswortharoundRs22,000 ponentof theoverallreserves.FCA guagefromthe administration as Representativespassedlastweek. that the Speaker is operating in SenateRepublicans have million people in the United Datarelatingto post-paidusers croreinrevenueterms,asperesti- increasedby$3.104billion to negotiations on the overall fund- WhiteHouse spokeswoman good faith and we can have some warnedthat theymight notsup- States and killedmorethan of BhartiAirteland Vodafone Idea mates by Jefferies. FE $503.046 billion. WITHPTI ing amount continue,” Hamill AlyssaFarahsaidthe administra- progressin the nearfuture,” Farah portapackagenear the $2 trillion 212,000. Kolkata WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THESUNDAY EXPRESS,OCTOBER11,2020 10 THE WORLD

TOPOFTHE QUESTIONS STILL LINGER ABOUT PRESIDENT’S HEALTH WORLD Pak Opp parties Debatecancelled,Trumpreturnsto come out openly campaigningwithWhiteHouseevent against military Accuse it of rigging2018polls; Army Govt’stop infectious disease expertFauci labels WhiteHouse event twoweeksago a‘superspreader’ chief says actions guidedbyConstitution Lilian Gonçalves-Ho Kang You, head of the the militaryhospital wherehe He said of the Barrett event, “I of rigged elections as baseless. advisorycommittee ZEKEMILLER,JONATHAN receivedexperimental treat- wasnot surprisedtosee asuper- PRESSTRUSTOFINDIA AfterSharif, PPP chairman LEMIRE&JILLCOLVIN mentsfor thecoronavirus. spreader event giventhe circum- KARACHI,ISLAMABAD, BilawalBhuttoZardari on Friday WASHINGTON,OCTOBER10 Twoweeksafter his Rose stances.” That means “crowded, OCTOBER10 accusedthe militaryofrigging THE NETHERLANDS Garden event that has been la- congregate setting, notwearing the 2018 elections. Returnlooted LOOKINGTOshove hiscam- belledbythe government’s top masks. It is notsurprising to see FORTHE firsttime, Pakistan’s Bilawalwarnedthatanyinter- paign backontrack,USPresident infectious-disease expert Dr an outbreak,” he said. twomajor Opposition parties ference in the coming legislative arttoformer Donald Trumpand his team laid AnthonyFauci as a“super- Trumpisnow making the have come out openlyagainst assemblyelections in Gilgit- out an aggressivereturntopolit- spreader” forthe virus, Trumpis rounds of friendlyconservative the country’s powerful military, Baltistanwould lead to astrong colonies,panel ical activities, including abig planning to convene another media, callingintoFox News accusing it of rigging the 2018 reaction from hisparty,including tellsgovernment WhiteHouse event on Saturday large crowdoutside the White hostSean Hannity on Thursday elections that brought Imran asiegeofIslamabadandasit-inin and arally in Florida on Monday, House on Saturdayfor what his night and spending twohours Khan’s PakistanTehreek-e- the city.“Suchthings were never THE NETHERLANDS aweek afterhis hospitalisation Trump’s newplans forreturning to campaigninginvolve abig administration calls “a peaceful live on airwithradio host Rush Insaaf party to power. witnessedevenindictatorshipsof should return lootedart to foravirus that has killed more White House event Saturdayand aFlorida rallyMonday. Reuters protestfor law&order.” More Limbaugh on Fridayinwhat his In the past, political leaders General Ziaand Gen Musharraf,” itsformer colonies: That’s than 210,000 Americans. thantwo dozenpeople linked to campaign billedas a“radio rally.” have only indirectlypointedto Bilawalwas quoted as saying by the official recommenda- As questions linger about his the WhiteHousehavecon- Holding courtonhis reelec- the involvement of the military the Dawn newspaper. tion of an advisory com- health —and rivalJoe Biden steps Trump’s Covid-19diagnosis. tracted Covid-19since the presi- tion battle, his fight againstthe establishment in the country’s “I wonder howyou deploy a mittee to theDutchgov- uphisowncampaigning—Trump Trumpsaid the Commission dent’s Sept26event announcing coronavirus and revivednegoti- political affairs, but this is the soldier inside and another out- ernment. Afterayear of plannedtoleave the Washington on Presidential Debates waspro- JudgeAmy ConeyBarrett as his ations with Democratstopass an firsttime that the leadersofthe side the polling station. That was research,including inter- areaforthefirsttimesincehewas tecting Biden from having to take nominee to the SupremeCourt. economic stimulus bill, Trump twomain Opposition parties — so strange. Even if you(military views with people in for- hospitalized.Heisalso increasing on the President in person. But Trumpwill address the wasmaking adirect appeal to his the PakistanPeoples Party(PPP) establishment) have done some- merDutchcoloniessuchas hisradioandTVappearanceswith Biden’s team said the one de- Saturday group,expectedto beat base of loyalsupporters, whom and the PakistanMuslim League thing wrongornot,you would Indonesia, Suriname and conservative interviewers,hoping manding protection wasTrump. RACE FOR leastseveralhundredsupporters, he needs to turn out to the polls Nawaz(PML-N) —haveopenly be blamedeither way. This severalCaribbean islands, to make up forlosttime with just “It’s shameful that Donald from theWhite House balcony. in droves. He following with a criticisedthe military. should nothappen,” he said. thecommitteereleasedits over three weeksuntil Election Trumpduckedthe only debate THE WHITE Trump’s Mondayrally in tapedappearance on Tucker Formerprime ministerand PakistanArmychief General reportinAmsterdam on Dayand millions already voting. in whichthe voters gettoask the Sanford, Florida,was originally Carlson’sFox News.Inthatinter- PML-N supremo NawazSharif, Qamar JavedBajwa said on Wednesday. Humanrights However, next Thursday’s questions —but it’s no surprise,” HOUSE scheduledtobeheld on October view, Trumpwas asked if he was who is in London since Saturdaysaid that allthe mili- activistLilian Gonçalves- town hall-style Trump-Biden said Biden spokesperson 2, theday afterhetestedpositive. retested forCovid-19.“Ihave November lastyear andfacing tary’s actions were guidedbythe Ho Kang You, wholed the debate wasofficially cancelled, Andrew Bates. “Everyone knows time as Vice President Biden.” Announcementofthe new been retested,and Ihaven’t even anumber of corruption cases, Constitution and were in the committee, said that the afew days afterTrumpbacked that Donald Trumplikes to bully The Presidenthas notbeen event came as Fauci cautioned found out numbers or anything firedthe firstsalvo at theinau- “national interest”. Addressinga government should ac- away when the sponsoring com- reporters, but obviouslyhedoes- seeninpublic —otherthan in the WhiteHouse again to avoid yet. But I’vebeen retested,and I gural meeting of the Pakistan passing out parade of cadets at knowledge theinjusticesof mission switcheditfromface- n’t have thegutstoanswer for WhiteHouse-producedvideos large-scale gatheringsofpeople knowI’m at either the bottom of DemocraticMovement, an al- the PakistanMilitaryAcademy colonialism andbewilling to-face to virtual following his recordtovoters at the same —since his return days agofrom withoutmasks. the scale or free,” he said. AP liance formedbyOpposition (PMA) Kakul, Gen Bajwasaid the to return objectswithout parties lastmonth to oust Prime Armywould continue to support conditions. NYT Minister Khan. thegovernment and “defend our Queen’s honours Sharif allegedthatthemilitary democratic values to thehilt”. riggedthe2018elections to bring On September 20, the leaders list: Indian-origin Prime Minister Khan to power. of 11 majorOppositionparties HONGKONG He said interfering in politics formedthe PakistanDemocratic 9arrestedover tycoon brothers, in uniformamounts to treason Movement (PDM) to launcha under the country’s Constitution. three-phasedanti-government protesters’ prof, ‘Skipping His allegations sparkedanan- movement under an “action gryresponse from Khan,who plan” starting with countrywide escapebyboat Sikh’ get nods said Sharif was“playing avery publicmeetings,protestdemon- THE HONGKong police KyrgyzstanPresident dangerous game” by humiliating strations and rallies before a“de- said on Saturdaythat they SooronbaiJeenbekov the militaryand intelligenceserv- cisive long march”towards had arrested nine people ADITIKHANNA ices. Hedismissedthe allegations Islamabad in January2021. PTI accusedofhelping a LONDON,OCTOBER10 group of protesters, who Kyrgyzstan bans were laterinterceptedby APAIRof Indian-originbillionaire the mainland Chinese au- rallies, imposes brothers, aleading Oxford Minutes after ceasefire thorities, flee the city in curfew in bid Universityacademic andaseptu- Augustbyspeedboat.The agenarian fundraiserfondlyre- takes effect, Armenia & arrestsseemedintended ferredto astheSkipping Sikh,lead to send amessagetoany- to end turmoil the “mostethnicallydiverse” one who might consider Queen’s BirthdayHonoursListre- Azerbaijanaccuse each helping other antigovern- VLADIMIRISACHENKOV leasedonSaturday. ment protesters escape MOSCOW,OCTOBER10 Zuber and Mohsin Issa, who Hong Kong,where anxi- recentlyhit the headlines with otherofbreakingit etyabout Beijing’s tight- AUTHORITIESINKyrgyzstanon their multi-million-pound ac- At the militaryparade in Pyongyang, NorthKorea, on Saturday. Reuters ening grip has intensified Saturdayarrestedaformer presi- quisition of the UK’ssupermar- since it imposedasweep- dent,bannedralliesandimposed ketchain Asda, have both been ing national security law acurfewinthe CentralAsian na- honoured with CBEs forservices NAILIABAGIROVA& on the Chinese territory tion’s capital, seeking to end a North Koreaunveils ‘monster’ to businessand charity. NVARDHOVHANNISYAN in June. NYT week of turmoil sparkedbyadis- Thebrothers from Blackburn, BAKU,YEREVAN,OCTOBER10 puted parliamentaryelection. whoseparentsmoved to the UK RUSSIA The declaration of the 9amto from Gujarat in the 1970s, own AZERBAIJAN AND Armeniaac- 5pmcurfew in Bishkek followed new ICBM at military parade the EuroGarages chain of petrol cusedeachother of swiftlyvio- Copscrackdown President Sooronbai Jeenbekov’s stations as partoftheir EG Group lating the terms of aceasefirein decree on Fridayannouncing a business. Theyare joinedby Nagorno-Karabakh on Saturday,

onlong-running ED stateofemergency in the cityun- HYONHEESHIN Yadvinder SinghMalhi,Professor raising questions about how Buildings destroyed by anti-govtprotest til Oct 21.Healso orderedthe mil- &JOSHSMITH Looking of Ecosystem Scienceatthe meaningful the truce, brokered shellinginStepanakert, the

SEOUL,OCTOBER10 PLAIN University of Oxford,who re- by Russia, would turn out to be. separatistregion of Nagorno- POLICEINRussia’sFarEast itarytodeploytroops to thecap- E inward ● brokeupalong-running ital to enforcethe measure. EX ceivesaCBE (Commander of the The ceasefire, clinchedafter Karabakh. AP anti-Kremlin protestwith Convoys of militarytrucks NORTH KOREA unveiledprevi- MostExcellentOrder of the marathon talksinMoscowad- forceSaturday,detaining were seen drivingintothe city. ouslyunseen intercontinental NORTH KOREAN leaders have British Empire)for his services to vocatedbyPresident Vladimir 25 people according to lo- Jeenbekov has facedcalls to ballistic missiles at an unprece- long celebrated theirmilitary ecosystem science. Malhi had Putin, wasmeant to haltfight- territory. Both sides have consis- calauthorities,inresponse step down from thousands of dented predawnmilitaryparade What appears to be anew capability,especiallythe nu- been appointed Trusteeofthe ing to allowethnic Armenian tentlydeniedeachothers’ asser- to whattheycalledanille- protesters who stormedgovern- on Saturdaythat showcasedthe intercontinental ballistic clear arsenal, as asource of Natural History Museumin forces in Nagorno-Karabakh tions about militaryactivity. galattempt to erectprotest ment buildings anight afterpro- country’s long-rangeweapons missile seen at theparade. AP their legitimacyand power. London earlier this year. and Azeri forces to swap prison- In astatement whichsug- tentsinacentralsquare. government parties reportedly forthe firsttime in twoyears. This year’s showcase of power- The listincludesnumerous ersand wardead. gested the ceasefirewas not Thedemonstrations,inthe sweptparliamentaryseatsin Analysts saidthe missile, ful newweapons comes aftera British Indians including Rajinder But within minutes of the completelydeadhowever, Azeri cityofKhabarovsk, have Sunday’s vote. The demonstra- whichwas shownonatrans- peared to be anew submarine- difficult time forNorth Singh Harzall. The 74-year-old truce taking effect from midday, PresidentIlham Aliyev said the been goingonfor the last tors also freedformer President portervehicle with 11 axles, launchedballistic missile. Koreans, with widespread “Skipping Sikh” receivedanMBE both sides accusedeachother of warring parties were nowen- three months against Almazbek Atambayev, who was would be one of the largest road- Ahead of the parade, which flooding and Covid-enforced (Member of the Order of the breaking it. gagedintrying to find apolitical PresidentVladimirPutin’s sentenced to 11 years in prison mobile intercontinentalballistic washeld to markthe 75th an- border closures worseningthe BritishEmpire)forhisinspirational TheArmeniandefence min- settlement. handling of aregional po- in June on chargesofcorruption missiles (ICBMs) in the worldif niversaryofthefoundingof itsrul- country’s economic crisis, healthand fitness videos during istryaccusedAzerbaijan of The Moscowceasefiretalks liticalcrisis.Videoshowed and abuse of office that he and it becomes operational. ing Workers’ Party, officials in leading to severe food short- lockdown.Harzall,whohasraised shelling asettlement inside were the firstdiplomatic contact police hauling protesters hissupporters described as apo- “Thismissileisamonster,”said South Koreasaid Kim Jong Un ages. Apartfrombeing ames- nearly £14,000 forthe National Armenia, while ethnic Armenian between the twosince fighting away and dismantling litical vendettabyJeenbekov. MelissaHanham,deputydirector mayusetheeventto unveilanew sagetothe rest of the world, HealthService, is joinedbyLavina forces in Karabakh alleged that over the enclave eruptedonSept tentsasawoman Atambayevwas arrested of the Open Nuclear Network. strategic weapon. AseniorUSof- Kim hopes this displayofmili- Mehta,whoalsoreceivedanMBE Azeri forces had launchedanew 27,killinghundredsofpeople.The screamed“What country again on Saturdayonchargesof Also displayedwerethe ficialcalledthedisplayoftheICBM tary might will alsoshowhis forservices to health and fitness offensive five minutes afterthe enclave is internationally-recog- do youlivein?” REUTERS organizing riots,the State Hwasong-15, whichisthe disappointingandurgedthegov- people that the regime re- duringCovid-19forherencourag- truce took hold. nisedaspartofAzerbaijan butis Security Committee said in a longest-rangemissileevertested ernmenttonegotiatetoachieve mains powerful and adept. ingpeopleto stay active duringthe Azerbaijan said enemyforces populated andgovernedbyeth- statement. AP by NorthKorea, and what ap- denuclearisation. REUTERS lockdown. PTI in Karabakh were shellingAzeri nic Armenians. REUTERS

THE MICHIGAN GOVERNOR HAS REPEATEDLY ENGAGED IN HEATED BATTLES WITH DONALD TRUMP Plot to kidnap Whitmer ads anew twistinfightfor keybattlegroundstate

It wasafamiliar move fora and “rather than saythank you, Leader MikeShirkey attendeda of us should stand againstthat.” der 50%, while his campaign has THOMASBEAUMONT governor who has repeatedly she calls me awhitesuprema- demonstration to advocatefor As aformer Senateminority signaledworryaboutcarryingthe &CLAIREGALOFARO engagedinheatedpublic battles cist”, reminding voters in the lifting Whitmer’s restrictions on leader and lead negotiator for stateasecond time, campaign OCTOBER10 with the president that mayonly stateofthe President’s defence statebusinesses. Democratsunder Republican aides have said privately. hurthim in apivotal stateagainst of far-right groups. Whitmer’s remarks were Governor RickSnyder,Whitmer Trumpwon Michigan by less GRETCHEN WHITMER knew Democrat Joe Biden. While she Some RepublicansonFriday aimedatappealing to Michigan “is notgoing to shyawayfroma than apercentagepoint in 2016, she’d have thespotlight Thursday. risked politicizingthe moment, worriedTrump’s reaction would Republicansunhappywith the fight,” said John Anzalone, apoll- and mustwin it again, along with And she decidednot to wasteit. the governorsaid Fridaythat she hurthimin astate he’s trying des- stateoftheir party. She quoted ster and aide during her 2018 Wisconsin or Pennsylvania and Hours afterthe FBI revealed didn’t thinktwiceaboutcalling peratelytowin on Nov. 3. And President Ronald Reagan’s 1981 campaign forgovernor.“That’s a everyother statehecarriedthen, agroup of anti-government vig- out the President. Michigan Republicans critical of address to the NAACPinwhich big partofher personality.” to getthe 270ElectoralCollege ilantes had plotted to kidnap her, “I am raising twodaughters Trumpexpresseddisbelief at he condemnedAmericans “who Fighting backhas been good votes he needs to win reelection. the Democratic governor of whoIwant to be bold, too, you stateGOP leaders’failuretocall still hold pervertednotions politics forthe governor. Whitmer put major restric- Michigan addressedher state— know, andtospeak truth to out, or even mildlychide, Trump. about what Americaisall about”. Whitmer’sapprovalratinghas tions on personal movement and and the nation —with amessage power,”Whitmer said in an “I’m astoundedinthe last24 Whitmer said Fridayshe been runningwell ahead of theeconomytostopthespreadof thatdidn’tmince wordsabout Associated Pressinterview. hours no newRepublican has Michigan governorGretchen Whitmer. Reuters pulledthe quote to highlightthat Trump’sinthestate.Amajorityin the virus,though manyofthose whom she blamedfor the Whitmer’s speechhad the come out and renounced “being agoodAmerican leader Michiganapprove of herperform- limitshavebeenliftedsincespring. threat:USPresident Donald expected impact. Rather than Trump’s rhetoric,” said Jeff isn’t apartisanthing.It’sabout ance, ameasurethat has in- Thegovernorhasexchangedbarbs Trumpwas complicit for“giving express concern forher safetyor Timmer,aonetime Republican Trump’s election.“Nobodyhas Thursdayoffering “thoughtsand recognising that there’s no room creasedsteadilywithherhandling withTrumponsocialmedia,with comforttothose who spread health, Trumpsaid she had strategistwho has distanced dared sticktheir head out.” prayers” to the governor and her forhateand prejudice and vio- of the pandemic.Meanwhile, the President declaring in April, fear and hatred anddivision”. “doneaterrible job as governor” himself from the party since Afterissuing astatement family, GOP SenateMajority lence in America... And everyone Trump’s has been stuckwell un- “LIBERATEMICHIGAN!” AP Kolkata OCTOBER11, 2020 | WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM | PAGE 11 THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE

SPOTLIGHT BOOKS AHard ActtoFollow ● Manbeena Sandhu on her biographyofMa Anand Sheelaand aride into the Orange world Theincredible journey of BarryJohn, aman ● Before Midnight’s Children: Extract from Coventry, England,who became amentor from economist Devaki Jain’s candid to generations of Indiantheatre professionals eye memoir The BrassNotebook

JUMPING THROUGH LOOPS Once the realm of socially awkward nerds, coding is now being pitchedas anew interactive playground for children.But is it really the must-have life skill of the future?

Amrita Dutta

HE DIGITAL native that she is, eight-year-old Hirranya Rajani,withher experienceof building an app and multiple skirmishes with peskybugs, T takesnotime to break it down. “Coding is like, say, your friend comes home and asksfor aglass of water. Youare busy.She doesn’t knowyour house, and you have to tell her howtogoabout it, step by step. Tell her wherethe glass of wateriskept, which waytoturn till she gets there...Coding is like that,communicating with your computer and telling it whattodo, and howtodoit,”she says. In 2015,the BBC micro:bit, atiny, pocket- Foroverayear,Hirranyahas been learn- sizeprogrammablecomputer wasdistributed ing the elementsofthe languageonthe ed- free to thousands of schoolchildren in the UK tech coding platform, WhiteHat Jr,that helps in the hopeof eventually solvingtheshortage herdojustthat. To her,loops, conditional state- of skilledtechworkers in the UK. On the mi- mentsand variables arenot bitsofanarcane crobit.orgwebsite, children use attractive in- languagebut apartofanewtoolkit.Hirranya’s terfaces likedrag-and-dropblocks to write mother KavitaRajani,an electronics engineer code.“It is averyvisual wayofcoding. Once who introducedhertocodingbeforeenrolling youcode in blocks,you can go to another tab herinWhiteHat Jr,believes hertraining is a andsee thecorresponding Java Script/Python “necessity of the time”. “She definitelysees it code,” says Choudhury. as acareer.This way, she is becoming someone Likethe Hour of Code, anon-profit cam- useful forthe industry,”she says. paigntodrawmoreAmerican studentsinto ILLUSTRATION:SUVAJITDEY Once the dimly-lit realm of sociallyawk- computer science, the BBC’s campaign was ward nerdshappytospend hours in front of aimedatimmersinganewgenerationinto computers, coding is being pitchedasanew the shallow endoftechnology,hoping they estaccompaniesthese proposals…[they] ●●● Theynudged studentstowards owning their interactive playground forchildren as young learn nottobeafraidofthe water, even if they lament the needtooutsource coding ...and imaginationthe old-fashionedway,creating as six. But it’s notall play. The sights, in fact, do notbecome swimmers.The effortsbuilt importsoftwareengineers from India ...But ‘Learning to code, once you fantastic characters on pen and paper —which areset onwork,which,even if faraway, is pre- on the work of researchers at the MIT Media these technical jobs represent less than three wasthen usedtocreatestories on Scratch. The dicted to be disrupted by automation and ar- Lab, who in 2007 had developedScratch,an per cent of the workforce,” he argued. know the basics, is very capacityto close theloop,from ideato execu- tificial intelligence (AI). “Coding will become appthat teaches children (8-16) howtocode. Choudhury, too, remains sceptical about tion, is the magic of coding, says Srivastava. an essential languagefor all children, and not Bitsofcode arerepresented by colourful coding as amagic tool. “My personal opinion easy. If you push achild into Both warn against pushingchildren intoarace. justthose who do computer science,” says blocks that have to be snappedinplace on a is it is quiteoverhyped. Learning acomputer “Ifyour childisnot interested, shewilldefi- AnandPrakash, co-founderof Vedantu,aned- screen likeajigsawpuzzle.“Children canstart language, once youknowthe basics, is very it, it can trigger aphobia,’ nitelyget by,” says Srivastava. tech startupwhich startedliveone-on-one by simply tinkeringwiththe bricks,snapping easy.Ifachild is pushedintoittoo early, it Manyeducators fear that ed-techcoding coding classes forchildren in Maythis year. them together in different sequences and might trigger afear,muchlikethe phobia of says Monojit Choudhury of startups arereplicating the frenzy of India’s The barrage of shinyads that followuson combinations to seewhat happens. Thereis math,” he says.What he would recommend, infamous IIT-JEE coaching factories. “Coding our screens makefar moreimmodestclaims none of theobscuresyntax or punctuation of instead, is nudging children towardsahabit Microsoft Research Lab is notthe answer to lifeand willnot makeyou —from sharpening left-brain skills to switch- traditional programminglanguages,” wrote of “computationalthinking”.“It’saboutbeing ●●● aSteve Jobs. When tech giants fuel suchun- ing on achild’s creativity or turning her into Mitchel Resnickand his team in a2009paper, attentive to howthings happen, howtothink realisticexpectations, it is farmoredangerous Bill Gates. The leader of the packisKaran Scratch:Programming forAll. stepwise. It’s actuallyall around us —evenin than institutes who can influence 500people Bajaj’s WhiteHat Jr,whichwas foundedin Sureenough, in afew weeksafter getting howyou bakeacake,” says Choudhury. computational thinking to solve tasksasvar- at most,” says AbhishekGupta,co-founder of 2018 andsoldinAugusttoed-techgiant BYJU’s his hands on amicro:bit, Medhajit waslearn- Now, what could baking acakehavetodo iedasimagining yourself as atour guide and NavGurukul, ahigher-educationalternative in a$300million deal.Bajaj,who congratu- ingonhis own, toggling between the website withalgorithms?Writingarecipe, saypro- devisingaHyderabad itinerary, analysingthe thatrunsone-year-longcoding bootcamps in lates himself on “creatingacategory”, says, andthe device,tocreateeasygames andlight grammers, involves breakingdown ataskinto problem of gender inequality in sports news Bengaluru and Pune forstudentsfrommar- “Kidswho code early startthinking of them- sensors. “Childrenfind it interestingbecause small steps, arranging them intothe right se- reporting, and creating apidgin language. “We ginalisedcommunities. selvesaspeople who can create. In the future, it is tangible, almost likeyou arebuilding quence or algorithm (think of what would don’t want them all of them to become com- The tradeoffs arenot insignificant.“All youcan either be acreator or aconsumer of apps,” says Choudhury. happen if youwhisked butter and flour,and puter engineers,” says Loganathan. child psychologists sayweshould reduce technology.Ifyou areacreator,you areset for Forall theevangelism of catching them addedsugar later) so that others can followit screentime forchildren. That blocks,Legoand apowerfullife,” says Bajaj. About four million young— Apple CEO TimCook is on record to reachthesame result.“Codinghasnotcome ■ ■ ■ puzzles remain thebestway to develop a children triedout the classes on WhiteHat Jr, asking that coding be made compulsoryin down from Mars.Itinvolvesbasic logic and child’scognitive powers has been provedover and1.2lakh currentlylearncoding ontheplat- American public schools —thereexists a reasoning, all of whichiscovered in aregular Themachines arecoming, we have been and over again,” says Gupta. form. “65 per cent of our studentsare outside strong critique of theapproachinthe West.In CATCH THEM scientificcurriculum,”says Arvind Gupta, ed- told. Jobs of todaywill disappear in the future. The unknowability of the futureispre- India’s top15cities,”says Bajaj. The classes are 2017,LarryCuban, professoremeritusof edu- YOUNG ucator and inventor known to advocatethat Howwill the children cope? “By being profi- ciselywhat should stop parentsfromforcing notcheap (48classes costRs35,000in abegin- cation at StanfordUniversity,calledsuchat- Hirranya Rajani, 8, children learn by working with their hands. cient at multiple things and knowing howto children intonarrowskills. Choudhury of ner’s module.) “Unlikeinother co-curricular tempts anew “vocationalism”,whichnarrows Coding, sayexperts,isanarrowerform of cross boundaries. Adesigner has to be atech- MicrosoftResearch lab pointstoGPT-3,alan- has completed things, aspirational parentssee aclearpath- the purpose of education intocreating new skill, embeddedinalarger, immenselymore nologistand vice-versa,” says Madhumita guagegenerator developedinaSan Francisco waytothe futureincoding,” says Prakash. The workers forachanging economyrather than 112-plus coding exciting domainofthought.“Programming is Nandi Srivastava, an arteducator andanMFA artificial intelligence research lab, whichre- National Education Policy,too, recommends well-roundedhumans or responsible citizens. classes on justmechanics,” says Professor Ramesh in design and technology from Parsons School cently“wrote”an opedfor TheGuardian. GPT- introducing coding in school, though onlyto “The strong smell of Silicon Valleyself-inter- WhiteHat Jr Loganathan of the International Instituteof of Design, NewYork. The vaccine forthe dis- 3can createanything thatis akin to alanguage, older children (Class VI and above). Information Technology (IIIT), Hyderabad. ruption of the futurecannotcome onlyfrom including code. “Howtowrite aconditional OneofIndia’s premierinstitutes of com- learning aprogramming language. “The ap- statement, howtowritealoop will be doable ■ ■ ■ puter science,IIITstartedasummerworkshop proachistomakeittrans-disciplinaryand not by AI eventually,”says Choudhury. But AI will forchildren in ClassesVII-Xon “computational tech-heavy.The ‘why’ that wasmissing from struggle with what humans can do: “Decide If coding is the newliteracy,why would thinking” in 2014.“We were certain we didn’t an older pedagogy is also missing now,”says what needs to be done. Design asystemand younot want your child to read and write? But want anythingto do with programming.As it Shilpa Sharma, science teacher at Ascent determine if it is scalable,” he adds. Monojit Choudhury,principal researcher at is, ourstudents aretoo focussedon mathsand International School, Mumbai. In ameeting with various stakeholders MicrosoftResearch Lab, India, wasreluctant engineering in their school years,” says Justaschildrenlearn to readandwritebet- held lastyear,Choudhurywas askedif school to initiatehis son Medhajit, 9, intoprogram- Loganathan. Aghastatasystem that was“cre- terwhen theyconnect it to theirlifeexperi- curriculums shouldchangetotackle the chal- ming. “As parents, we wanted him to be ating zombies and exam-takingmachines”, encesand see it as away of self-expression, lengeofAI. “My answer wasthatwedon’t drawntonature,birdsandinsects. Buthe was Loganathan and hiscolleagues wantedto prod that “why”might fall intoplace when it be- knowwhether it is AI or biotechnology or very curious aboutdigital devices,” says the studentstowards “a problem-solving ap- comes away to tell their ownstories.Acouple quantum computing that will be important Bengaluru-basedscientist. Medhajit’spersist- proachthatcanbeusedinthe analysis of aso- of months ago, Sharma and Srivastava de- in 15 years. Our best betisnot to focus on one ence, however, ledChoudhurytoagree to cial problem or music or economics.” signedaworkshop in whichchildren created technology.When youare preparing forafu- teachhis son the basics of Python. “I washop- In itsfifth edition lastyear,the workshop art, stories and games to express some of the ture nooneknows about, youshould prepare ing he would give it up if we did it the hard wasrolledout as apilotinaNavodaya tumult of livingthrough apandemic. “Coding foreverything. Makethe children flexible, way,”hesays.But Medhajit’sgrasp wasquick, Vidyalaya in Gopanpally, Hyderabad, to in- is writingaset of instructions to realise acre- teachthem to take on challenges, solve prob- his interestunflagging, and Choudhuryended clude amorediversecommunityof students. ative vision. First, youneedtobeable to have lems and adapttonew technologies. Often, up buying him amicro:bit. Eighty studentsofClass VIII usedelementsof that vision and imagination,” says Srivastava. this is notananswer manyare happywith.” Kolkata EYE,THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE

OCTOBER 11, 2020 SPOTLIGHT 12 AHard ActtoFollow DOWN IN How a young man from Yorkshire ended up as a mentor for generations of theatre professionals. JUNGLELAND The incredible journey of Barry John

Dipanita Nath by John Hodgson, oneofthe pioneers of the- RanjitLal atreeducation in UK, whom he metasastu- dent of drama, English literatureand artatthe Ranjit Lalisanauthor, N1968, 22-year-old Barry John from now-closedBrettonHallCollege in Yorkshire. environmentalist and central England’s Black Country, an “He would neveranswer our questions but birdwatcher area cloaked in sootand smokefrom say, ‘Justfind out’. Whatisimportantisthe factories and mines, arrivedinIndia homework youdotobring out acharacter Iandbegantocreatetheatrethatwould whoisnot you. This is difficult to explain to free the minds of children. “People were not people who cannotimagine anything other usedto theideathatchildren have voicesand than atraditional approach,” says John. opinions. Iwas working from my heart, rather This would also become John’s approach When than my head, in fighting forthe right of chil- when he worked withchildren in India.For drento maketheir ownchoices insteadof be- instance, at NSD, wherehetaught from 1977 ing told what to do, when to do or howtodo,” to 1980,studentswould beworking on scenes he says overphonefrom Dharamshala, where through the day, saying their lines or arrang- Fear Stalks he has been living in retirement since 2015. ing the lightsbut John would give no instruc- John has turnedseveral generationsof tions. “Barry could getyou thinking and let teenagersintotheatre practitionersand his youarriveatsolutions on your own. The first We nurse phobias about many once-unorthodox methods have been playIdid with him was Toba TekSingh.He adoptedbythe TheatreinEducation pro- would give us afreehand and wait forusto creatures, but who should really gramme at the National School of Drama arrive at theplaywith our ownideas instead (NSD) in Delhi. In August, he washonoured of making it easy forus,” says RoystenAbel, be afraid of whom? withthe Lifetime Achievement Awardatthe among the pathbreaking directors of India, 15th MahindraExcellence in TheatreAwards. who joinedNSD as astudent in 1980. hen facedwith danger,every living crea- “The entirespace preparedus, though we did What brought John to India wasanews- tureresponds in twoways, onlyone of notrealise it at the time,tolook at lifediffer- paper advertisement looking forinstructors whichcan be used at atime —fight or ently. It made us understandthatifyou have to train teachers. It had been put out by the Wflight. Usually, when the threat is smaller an idea or apassion you governmentsofKerala, and weaker,the creaturewill fight and vanquish it. At shouldpursue it because Tamil Nadu, Karnataka times, the threat is on apar with it and the animal has to that is what givesyou hap- and AndhraPradesh, who decide whether it’s worth getting injured in a“do-or-die” piness,” says Vidyun had pooledtheir resources fight, or to simply retreat and live to fight (a weaker en- Singh, choreographer and to createaprojecttoim- emy) another day. Sometimes, of course,tempers short- director,programmes, provethe quality of circuit and afight to the death commences: usuallyno India Habitat Centre in English languageteaching one comes offaclear winner.The loser maylose itslife Delhi at apaneldiscussion in 1968.John,who was and the winner limpaway, ready to be takenonbyan- during the online META teaching at acollege in a other challenger,whichitis, now, in no condition to do. awards ceremony. coal-mining villagein Severalyears ago, Iwitnessedacatfight on my porch. Theatreisruledby Yorkshire, whereneither Afteryowling hideously at each other,their tails lashing strict hierarchies, with the teachers norstudents un- likelariats, the catsflung themselvesonone another in a director usuallyatthe top. derstood his styleofteach- flurry of clawsand teeth. One had itsfacelooking likea John preferredtolet chil- ing, jumpedatthe chance. cheese grater had been usedonit, the other had itsbelly dren and young adultscre- “I am very consciousthat gouged viciously.Noamount of stamping one’s feet (they ateplays on their own my lifeisthe work of were virtuallyatmyfeet) had anyeffect. Eventually, one without instructions from chance. Youcannotplan to slunk away underthe carand the other retreated,both ●●● him.This had interesting end up on the otherside of still yowling hideously. results, likewhenabike theworld to do theatre. It We humans arenostrangers to these responses. It is, roareddown thehallowed Theatre is ruled by wasinsane but Ihavezero indeed, prudent to be wary of big wild animals suchas halls of Delhi University’s regrets,” he says. tigers, elephantsand rhinos. But experts saythat our first St Stephen’sCollege as part strict hierarchies. The firstcouple of response when confronted by them —toturn tail and flee of the 1972 student pro- years in India —when he —isabsolutelythe wrong thing to do because it triggers duction of TheDisorderly John preferred to let wasteaching English in the chase response in the animals. And, one wayoran- Women (1969), which children andyoung Coimbatore, Mysuru and other,theywill catchyou. So, stand up and waveyour John had been invited to Bengaluru —brought him arms and yell at the bear that has justreared up roaring direct.Afew of the per- adults create plays on in contact with folk theatre and wait until the rhino is almostupon youbeforedodg- formers from this play, in- and local groups. “The ingtoone side and neverturn your backonabig cat. cluding television pro- their own without rootsoftheatreinIndiaare Some claim that theywerebornwith afear of snakes. ducer Siddhartha Basu, in the folk forms of the ru- I’m notsurethis is the case, because children who arenot joinedhim the next year to instructionsfrom him ralareas. It concerns me told that snakes can be dangerous will cheerfullyhandle form the TheatreAction that this form is languish- them. Our response to snakes is usually(and sadly) to go Group (TAG). Theydis- ●●● ing, if notdying duringthe on the offensive:tofetch astickand beat them to death mantledWilliam pandemic,”hesays. and find out later whether theywerevenomous or not. Shakespeare’s Macbeth andgaveitanoccult In 1970,John came to Delhi to join Yatrik, We nursephobias of hundredsofthings: spiders, interpretation,with chanting and movements. agroup that includedformidable performers “This wasadeparturefromwhat wasbeing suchasJoy Michael. At thetime, the city was done at that time. We were experimenting active in experimental Hindi and English lan- with form, improvising, thinkingand learn- guage productions and welcomedJohn’spio- ing about the voice and body that went be- neeringtechnique.Hewas soon teaching yond speech in away that wasnew,” said Basu drama at Jesus and MaryCollege, and direct- during the panel discussion. ing student productions at St Stephen’s, Hindu Born in 1946 in Coventry, John beganper- College, Miranda House and Lady Shri Ram forming early.Heenjoyedschool,wherehe College, among others. Ebrahim Alkazi, the vi- TEACHINGLIFE that“audiencecould feelas coldasthe kids do don’t rush intoacting in theatre,” he says. sang in achoir, learnt to playmusical instru- sionarydirector of NSD, calledhim to conduct (Clockwise from top) during the winter days whentheyhaveto John bowedout of theatrewhen he turned mentsand acted in plays.His parentshad no aworkshop with the studentsand BV Karanth, sleep outside”. 70.Dharamshala is his home now, where, in a Barry John; stills interestinartand neverattendedasingle per- who succeededAlkaziasdirector,NSD, made Today, an older generation knows John as house overlooking the hills, he sitsathis desk formance, he says.Fromthe ageof13, he him amemberofthe faculty in 1977.Along from Suno Re Kissa alegendarydirector andteacherof theatrebut everyday and writes afew pages of his auto- worked multiplejobs, including delivering the way, John learnedHindi. AfterMiraNair’s and Ali Baba and the forthe newcrop, he is the man behind the biography. The bulk of it will chartthe evolu- newspapers. “I neverasked my parentsfor film Salaam Bombay! (1988), forwhichhehe 40 Thieves by the Barry John Acting Studio in Mumbai, which tion of children’s theatreinIndia since the RANJITLAL pocketmoneybut bought all my clothes and held workshops forthe actors, he directed a Theatre Action primes hopefuls forBollywood. “What most 1970s. “Theysay of Socrates, what did he ITSYBITSYTERROR paid forall my expenses to learn to be inde- group of children from theNew Delhirailway Group (TAG); John actors want is to join films or TV.Toget to do teach? Nothing. He justasked questions. We Our fear of creepy crawliesisusually irrational pendent and to qualify to do what Iwanted stationinaplaybased on theirlives, titled in 1980 aplaytakes time.You have to laythe founda- needtostoplecturing our young people and with my life,”hesays. JeevankiGadi.The playwas staged at Triveni tion forchildren to have confidence and ac- allow themto think so that theycan work out John’s approachtotheatrewas influenced KalaSangamon afoggy Decemberevening so quireperformance skills to some level. You abetterworld,” he says. cockroaches, scorpions, bees, wasps and other tiny creepy-crawlies. Some of these arefor good reason —for example, allergy to beestings —but mostare irrational. While Iwonderwhy people arescared of spiders, Icannot toleratecentipedes in the shower. Firstresponse: flight, peace in theregion.And, then,theinternetre- followedbyfull-on attackwith atoiletbrush. These guys spondedinexpected patterns. can bite, but theywon’t kill youbyalong shot. Double-tap to Kill The same jokes came forward. The same We have causedmorefear than we have experienced. polarised conversations were rehearsed. The True, we areafraid of large wild animals, but theyare hatecomplexofthe internetwas reanimated moreafraid of us, because we aretheir mostdangerous How social media erases information by overproducing to repeatlies, discredit witnesses, intimidate enemy. Mostflee on our appearance, and with good rea- voices, and dismiss the pain of the woman son. We leveltheir forests, setfiretovastswathesofhabi- it and depleting it of all intensity who firstdiedabiological deathand then tat, spray poisons on the fields theylivein. Field biologists wasmade to die again, repeatedly, in judicial wanting to study wild animals have to spend years just out worrying about whereitisstored, who processes and social media narrations. trying to win their trustbeforetheycan begin useful stores it, who accesses it, and what happens People shouted and sworeateachother. work.Eveninprotected areas, animals areprick-eared DIGITAL when —without our knowledge,consent, and Newspaper headlinesthat looked likethey and nervous when we showup, melting away intothe agency —that information livesuptoits at- hadnot changed since the lastdecade were forest the moment we step outofour vehicles. Whydo tribute: It is always available to anybody who paradedagain. Old information, whichisso youthink it’s so difficult to seetigers in national parks? NATIVE wantsit. However, that way, the storyofBig tired that it has retired,was repackaged as We reallyare the harbingers of terror:ananimal in Data, surveillance, and the big bad GAFA newnews. distress is convincedthat we’reabout to kill it and strug- (Google, Apple, Facebook,Amazon) lies. The digital space is essentiallyaspace of gles maniacallywhen we trytohelp it. Leopards trapped Today, Iamstill grappling with what hap- erasurebydead information. It seems to be a in wells will spit and snarland fight viciouslyevery inchof pens,inthe ageofincessant dataretrievaland particular condition of the digital space that the waywhen they’rerescued. Even orphanedcubs turn NishantShah algorithmic datamining,toinformation that GETTYIMAGES it takesupspecific information patterns and intospitfires when we take them in our arms and pacify ●●● exists,but can no longer be retrieved.What mines them fordetails, stores all the different and bottle-feedthem. In his classic book, ThePeregrine Nishant Shah is a happenstoinformation thatleavestracesin parameters, creates overwhelming streams (1967), JA Bakerchillingly spellsout the fear we instill in professorofnew media our memories, markson our bodies, scars on The digital space is essentially aspace of of circulation,makes archives of ever-grow- animals: “Nopain, no death, is moreterribletoawild and theco-founderof ourrelationships, and creases on our social ing intensity,and then makes thatinforma- creature thanits fear of man… Apoisonedcrow, gaping The Centrefor Internet fabric, but can no longer be accessed? Iam erasure by dead information tion dead.Not death by silenceordestruction, and helplesslyfloundering in the grass, bright yellow &Society,Bengaluru noteventalking about information that was but merelybyoverproducing it,givingitex- foam bubbling from itsthroat, will dash itself up again ●●● neverproduced —the negative space of the traordinaryvisibility,depleting all intensity, and again on to the descending wall of air,ifyou tryto plateoffoodthat wasnot made intoan stoppedworking, and has justbeen declared and then, flattening it as an individual case catchit. Arabbit, inflated and foul with myxomatosis WHATDOyou dowithdeadinformation?Not Instagram picture, the half-writtenstatus dead on arrivalbypeople who call themselves rather than the symptomofalargerproblem. will…feel the vibration of your footstep and will look for information that is no longer valid. Notinfor- messagethat wasnever postedonFacebook, professional geniuses.Thoughthatis astoryof Ironically, the machine builtforpattern recog- youwith bulging, sightless eyes…We arethe killers. We mation that is no longer relevant. Notinfor- the tweetthat wasalmostscribbledinyour obsolescence and loss and, perhaps, thankful nition refuses to identifythe patterns of gen- stink of death. We carry it with us. It sticks to us likefrost. mationthat hasfallen outof fashion.Butinfor- mindbut nevermade it to thekeyboard. erasurewith time, that also needs to be told. dered information being erasedand dimin- We cannottear it away.” mationthathasbecometruly and profoundly Therein lies the tale of reticence, humandis- The question remains because, once again, ishedbythe same actors surprisingusby We stink of death: notdeath brought about by our dead—scrambledinanirreversibleglitch,cor- cretion, and the fierce struggle to keep things my digitaltimeline explodes with the indigna- doing the same things eachtime. need to survive,but needless death from trophyhunting ruptonfickle storagedevices, residing in for- private,personal and, perhaps,precious. tion, political mudslinging, performative ac- By the time this writing is out, the atten- and mindless butchery, drivengreed and nothing else. matsthat nobody reads, written in machine No,the question at hand is information tion, and non-performing justice system, as tion of the news cycle will have shifted, and Very fewanimals kill beyond their immediateneeds –a languagesthatare longsinceforgotten. What that exists,can beseen in an index, is available we bear fruitless witness to another national the worldwill have movedon. The informa- herdofdeer will relax and graze when it knows the tiger do youdowith information that is inaccessi- in itsphysical storage, but is no longer read- reportfrom#Hathras on ayoung Dalit tion about the #Hathras case will be another passing by has just fed, and is notinterestedinthem. ble, illegible, and notintelligible? able. Likealibrarybook thateverybody knows woman allegedly gang-raped, abused,and information stream thatisarchived. The in- We reallybetterbecareful because natureisstriking These might sound likethought-experi- exists,and whenyou go to the shelves, you killed, and her body reducedtoanicon, an im- ternet willnot connect it to theumpteen cases back. The enemyisinvisible, proliferating crazilyand can ment questions in an agewhereweare ledto canseeit,but cannotretrieve it. And Iask this, age, afactoid, upon whichpolitical wars and thatwehavedigitallydramatisedoverthelast kill awfullyindays.Sneeze and youfreeze with terror,and believe thateverything hasaninfinitebackup notbecauseIhavesuddenlydiscoveredthat Twitter drama arebeing staged.Inall the tur- decades. We willallbesurprisedagain, when there’s nowheretoflee. Quitesimply, we’regetting adose and that storageisunlimited.The notion that the novelIhad written at the ageof21, and moil, #FakeNews emergedasatrend, this oldinformation will surfaceagain, when an- of our ownmedicine. “informationwill always beavailable” has led whichwas going to makemefamous, is now time, with the government and itsapparatus other body,markedbygender,sexuality,and us to produce an endlessamount of datawith- backeduponahard-drive that has long since claiming aconspiracy theorytodestabilise caste,will resurface on ahashtag.

Kolkata EYE,THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE

13 BOOKS OCTOBER 11, 2020

EXPRESS EDITORS The First RECOMMEND Darkness, Surrender Revealed The riveting story of the First Amendment to the Constitution Theessential Louise Glück readinglist—four Malini Bhattacharjee works by this year’sNobel Laureate for Literature HE STORYofIndian politics is one of continuities morethan ruptures —contrarytothe popular imagination, bolsteredbyargumentsbyseveral AFTER ITScontroversial selection of Peter Tmainstream political analysts that the period e r 20 N el r Handk fo the 19 ob Prize fo since 2014 has pavedthe wayfor anew regime that has Literature, theSwedishAcademyreturned jeopardiseddemocracy and tarnishedthe “idea of India”. on course this year with a Laureate who Singh’s book,whichnarratesthe storyofthe passageof met with all-round approval: Louise the FirstAmendment to the Indian Constitution by the Glück’smasteryatlayingbaretheinnerlife Jawaharlal Nehru government in June 1951,provides an of the individual has long been acknowl- important interruption to this narrative. edged. Here's a list of four collections that The book drawsattention to the enormous impact of give a glimpse of Glück’s poetic genius: this legislation on the fundamental rightsofthe citizen. Some of the major modifications introducedincludedin- The House on creasedrestrictionsonthe freedom of speechand expres- Marshland (1975) sion in the name of “public order”, the “interests of these- curity of the state” and “relations with foreign states”. The PHOTOS:HARPERCOLLINS Glück’s second book of poetry, which Actalso enabledcaste-basedreservations by restricting came sevenyears afterher debut volume, Article 15 from applying to government provisions forthe Firstborn,isconsidered to be theone that advancement of backwardclasses; it circumscribed the announcedthe arrivalofapowerful new right to property and validated zamindari abolition by al- voice in American poetry. Oneofthe po- lowing the statetoacquireproperty without paying equi- The CodeofOrange emsin thecollection, Gretel In Darkness,in table compensation and ensuring that anylaw providing particular,drew bothcensureand acclaim forsuchacquisition could notbedeemedvoidevenifitvi- forits exploration of the theme of familial olated the right to property.The final nail in the coffinwas and culturaltrauma, told from the per- the introduction of the Ninth Schedule, wherelawscould ManbeenaSandhu on her biographyofMaAnand Sheela, spective of Gretel, one of the protagonists be parkedtomakethem immune to judicial challenge from the Grimm Brothers’s fairytale. even if theyviolated the fundamental rights. Singh foregrounds the discussion by drawing atten- why she chosetowrite on Osho’s flamboyant former secretaryand Wild Iris (1992) tion to the political climateofthe years soon after Time and mortality yoke this collection of Independence and the “build- catchingaride into the Orange world 54 poemsthat won up” to the passageofthe Glückthe Pulitzer Prize amendment. Thereisade- in 1993. Written in tailedanalysis of howthe gov- Devyani Onial place and time.Mawas (or, rather, still is) head three segments, Wild ernment’s imposition of poli- over heels in love with Bhagwan. So muchso, Irisspeaksinthe voices cies relating to press that at timesher emotion inthe pastmay have of the flowers, the gar- censorship,enabling caste- HE WAS16when she accompa- colouredthe reality to appear different than dener and an omnis- basedreservations in educa- niedher father to meetgodman what it actuallywas. It happens to all of us. But cientgodfigure. In each tional institutions and re-dis- Rajneesh in Baroda, the beginning in her case, she mayhavegoneastepfurther, segment, Glückcreates tribution of land were of acomplex relationship thaten- or maybe100steps further,than an ordinary acyclical world, much challenged by the affected Sdured untilshe fledhis ashram in human being in pursuing her love and her goal likethe seasons, seeking answers to spir- stakeholders in courts.Inall theUSin1985. From setting up acommune of upholding the entity of the ashram. itual and intellectual questions. cases relating to press censor- in awild outpost of Oregon andunsettling a SIXTEENSTORMY Averno (2006) DAYS:THESTORY ship, mostnotably Brij conservative local communityalong the way, Besides Wild Wild Country,thereisalso OFTHEFIRST Bhushan vState of Delhi (1950) the flamboyant Ma AnandSheela (born Ma Sheela’s memoir, Don't Kill Him! The While announcing the Prize, the Swedish AMENDMENTTO and Romesh Thappar vThe Sheela AmbalalPatel) waspersonal secretary Story of My LifeWithBhagwan Rajneesh Academytook particular note of Glück’s THECONSTITUTION StateofMadras (1950), the ju- to Osho, as Rajneeshlater came to be called, (2012). What made youfeel the needfor a Averno,acollection in whichshe reworks OFINDIA diciarystruckdownstatutes andthe face of the movement till her falling biography on her? ancient Greek and Roman mythologies to whichimposedrestrictions on out with him,whichended in a39-month Even afterreadinghermemoirandwatch- explorethemes of old age, grief, and, of BY TRIPURDAMAN free speech. In Champakam prisonspellfor aseries of charges, including ing the series, Iwas notsatisfied. Justlikeme, course, her forte—familial relationships SINGH Dorairajan vState of Madras immigration fraud, wiretapping and poison- Ifelt therewould bemanywho had questions. andthedissolutionof emotionalbonds.In Penguin Random (1951), the Madras High Court, ing.Inthis interview, Manbeena Sandhu InNothingto Lose,Ihaveansweredthoseques- Averno,Glücktakes up the storyof House and, later,the Supreme Court speakson what ledher to document the story tions,filledinthe vibrant colours, theintricate Persephone, daughter of Zeus, king of gods, 288 pages; `599 declared theGovernment of an unconventional lifeand the innerworld details, followedthe timelines and have cov- and Demeter, goddess of earth, who was Orderproviding caste-based of acontroversial cult.Excerpts: ered the gaps, as muchaspossible. Through abductedby Hades,the ruler of the under- reservations to be unconstitutional. this book,the reader will walk through the world. Even thoughthe poettellsthe story With elections looming ahead and mostofhis new Your biographyofMaAnand Sheela Orangeworld,along with Ma Sheela. He will from various perspectives,she insists it schemes being thwartedbythe courts,Nehru wascon- comesafter having followedthe Osho POWER POINTS be able to peep intoher heartand her mind; “should be read /asanargument between vincedthat the legal process of testing legislation against movementfor twodecades. When did (Top) Sandhu (in white) with Ma Anand Sheela; Osho and Ma Sheela and hear the conversations and witness the themother and thelover”. The 18 poems in the Constitution wasdelaying his party’s social reform youknowthat youwanted to write actions that took place behind closeddoors. the collection arethematicallylinked and agenda. He introducedthe FirstAmendment Bill to the on her? form arichtapestryofvoicesoffiguresthat Parliament on May12. Aftertwo weeksofstormydiscus- As soon as Iwas introducedtoOsho’s What wasyour firstmeetinglike? Howdoyou assess herfeelings for recur in the Greek myth. sions, it waspassedonJune 2. work,Igot introduced to Sheelaaswell. Not Ifirstmet Ma Sheela in May2019in Osho now? Thereare fascinating accountsofthe parliamentaryde- throughtheGuru’sbooksortalks,but through Switzerland. Prior to meeting her, Ihad, over She still has photographs of him at her Faithful and Virtuous bates that ragedbetween Nehru and stalwarts likeSP his sannyasins. In my opinion,MaSheela and the phone,expressedmydesiretowriteher home.Sheexplains her39-monthprisonterm Night (2014) Mookerji, HN Kunzru and Hussain Imam that the author Rajneesh areinseparable. Ihaven’t heardone story. But shewas notconvinced justbya as simplyher guru dakshina.She is still dearly eloquentlydescribes as the “firstbattle of Indian liberal- storyofRajneesh without the mention of voice at the other end of the line and wanted in love withher Bhagwan.Hispictures hangin In her essay‘Disruption, Hesitation, ism”. These highlighthow despiteprotestsbypublic lumi- Sheela. As Igot seepedintothe movement, in- to see me in person. Ifirstsaw her at the air- the livingroom of her carehome and her bed- Silence’ (1994, Proofsand Theories), Glück naries, including incumbent governors, jurists andeven formation aboutSheela startedpouring from port. IstayedinSwitzerland forabout10 room is full of images of Bhagwan and Sheela writes: “I do notthinkthatmoreinfor- senior Congress members, the governmentremained un- all directions. Afew of Guru’s disciples loved days,and, during those days,Ispent six to in love.One gets thrownbackintime as one mation always makes aricher poem.Iam deterred.The final chapterdwells on the aftermath of the her,afew despisedher but none could ignore eight hours eachday in her company. Before steps in her bedroom. Suddenly, Bhagwan, attracted to ellipsis, to the unsaid, to sug- amendment,the mostimportant being that it setaprece- her.She seemedintriguing. Right offthe bat, I meeting Ma Sheela, Iwas alittle intimidated Sheela and the Orangeworld come alive. gestion,toeloquent, deliberatesilence. dent foramending the Constitution to either overturn ju- knewthat Iwantedto meether,knowher and by the personality thatIhad seen and heard The unsaid, forme, exerts great power: dicial pronouncementsortosuit governmentagenda. writeabout her.Eventhough the information of. She wasverydifferent from what I, and From running asprawling commune to oftenIwish an entire The book makes it evident that the FirstAmendment of her whereaboutswas noteasy to access,the theworld, perceivesher to be —she wassoft NOTHINGTO running carehomes in Switzerland at poem could be made providedthe DNAofaHobbesian stateinpostcolonial desiretocapture her life storykeptgetting and full of emotion. LOSE:THE age70, it’s been along journey. in this vocabulary.” India and laid the foundation of the Nehruvian state. It stronger overthe years. AUTHORISED Her lifeisverydifferent now, it is purelya Among her remark- BIOGRAPHYOF also lays barethe schisms within the Congress party,the Howopen wasshe with sharing the MAANAND lifeofservicededicated to thoseinneed. But able experimentswith pressureappliedonthe president’s office to bend to the It wasChapman andMaclainWay’s unsavouryepisodes of her lifewith you? SHEELA she still is the queenofher kingdom. She has form, Faithfuland will of the government, and the ways in whichthe judici- Netflixdocumentary Wild Wild Country The unsavouryepisodes were rather in- astaff of over 30people who areconstantlyat Virtuous Night is also arywas subordinated by the executive.Mostimportantly, (2018) thatdreweveryone’s attention to teresting to talk about. She could sense my BY MANBEENA her beck and call and anumber of chauffeurs notable forthe power the storyalso blurs the dichotomies that political analysts Ma Sheela. She was, in manyways,the hesitationand would rather cometomyres- SANDHU to drive her and her patientsaround. of suggestion that slip into: the liberal Nehruvian vision of India versus the anti-heroofthe series. When youmet her cuebyansweringmostopenlyand candidly. HarperCollins hangs heavy over the RSS’s authoritarian one, between progressive andreac- last year,how muchofthat tough-talk- She is very bold that way. India In interviews from those heady Oregon collection.Asshe writesinAfterword,a tionarypolitics. It leavesuswondering whythis storywas ing, controversy-courting woman did 332 pages days,she is supremelydismissive and de- poemfromthe collection, “Reading what nevertold before;isitamerecoincidence or apartofa yousee? Did she ever express remorse about some `599 liberately provocative.What wasthe most Ihavejust written, Inow believe/ Istopped deliberatepolitical project? The book maintains adigni- Other than catching aglimpse or twoof of the things that she wasaccusedof? provocative thingshe said to you? precipitously,sothatmystory seems to fied restraint in answering this question. that old time ‘Sheela’ in her sharp eyes, brisk Ma Sheelamaintainsthat she has dedi- Honestly, nothing! Ihad once jokingly have been/slightlydistorted,ending, as it gait and quickwit,Icouldn’t see muchof catedher lifetoBhagwan(Osho) andshe asked her to say‘tough titties’for me and she did,not abruptly/ but in akind of artificial MaliniBhattacharjeeisassistantprofessor,AzimPremji that controversy-courting woman that the served him the best wayshe possiblycould. laughedand said, ‘Oh Manbeena, those kinds mistofthe sort/sprayed ontostagestoallow University,Bengaluru worldknows heras. Time doesn’t stand still, Yes, therewas insurmountable pressurethat of wordsare onlyfor thoseshrewdjournalists fordifficult setchanges”. Thebookwon the it movesonand with time we evolve and she wasreeling under and she made her who deserveevery bit of it and who needto National Book Awardfor Poetry in the US change; so has Ma Sheela. judgementsaccording to the demands of be setstraight, notfor aperson likeyou.’ the sameyear.

the assassination of Gandhi, the givenhim an appointment, iron- EXCERPT assassins had been in his drawing ically forJanuary29, 1948 —the room, angrywith him forrestrict- daybeforehewas assassinated, ing the activities of the Rashtriya January30. The Before SwayamsevakSangh or RSS, and My father recalls howGandhi also fornot including itsparty asked himtostayonafter the membersinhis cabinet.Theyhad meeting, and pointing to afew abusedGandhiandamongstoth- people who were agitating out- ers, my father,for supportingthe side his chamber,said: ‘You see Midnight’s Children Muslims and made death threats thosepoor people standing there? againstGandhi and my father. Theyare from Bannu. Theyhave Myfather’stermasthedewan come all the waytosee me. One In acandid memoir,aneconomist combines the of Gwalior endedwith theinte- THEBRASS of them wasquite angrywith me gration of the States intothe NOTEBOOK:A today. He told me, “Gandhiji,you personal and the political to give avivid account of Republic of India. AChamber of MEMOIR should die.” Isaid Iwill notdie un- Princeshad been formed, man- BY DEVAKI JAIN tilmyinnervoice says Ishould. anation stepping into Independence dated with the task of forging an Speaking Tiger Anddoyou know, Sreenivasan, COURTESY: SPEAKINGTIGER agreement with the princes to 232 pages what hesaid?’ Gandhijiraisedhis Devaki Jain we threw ourselvesintothe work of anew CIRCLE OF LIFE wasliving in the city of Gwalior in north India, jointheRepublic.Hewas engaged `599 hand in acharacteristic gesture and free India. Iwould saythat we experi- Devaki Jain with her wheremyfather wasthe dewan of the as the member secretaryofthis and said, ‘He said “My inner voice encedanIndia whichwestill fantasize about, Gwalior State—the chiefminister, in today’s chamber.That task wasalso done, says youshould die.”’ husbandLakshmi ILIKE to call myself and those of us who were and whichalso shaped ourpoliticspro- parlance. We,his family, were somewhat so he wasgettingready to return to Mysore Thus, the very next daywhen my father young adultsinIndia in the 1950s, the before foundly. Iwouldgofurther and suggestthat Jain at their Jorbagh screenedfromthe turmoil, the agonies as well State. He wascommended forhaving done heardthat Gandhi wasshotdead, he wasdev- midnight’s children. UnlikeSalman Rushdie’s we gotdeeplyattachedtosomeideas,ideolo- residence in 1976 as celebrationsthat were going on,especially the job successfully. astated.HisconversationwithGandhi onthat protagonists who were bornatthe verymid- gies and aspirations that were born of that in NewDelhi. But likeanew arrow, the assas- Gandhihad heardfromSardar Vallabhbhai eveningwas full of portent and lefthim and night hour of August15, 1947,the moment experience that we arenot able to shed, even sinationofMahatma Gandhipiercedthrough Patel, then the home minister, that my father allofus, his family, notonlydeeplyshocked, that India wasdeclaredfree from Britishrule, today, in oureighties. our household. had done well withthat task and perhaps but politicised. Iwas born in 1933 and wasateenager at the Iwas 14 yearsold when India declared As my father has written in his memoir, Of wantedto commend him foranother govern- time of Independence, and ayoungadult as Independence on the 15th of August, 1947.I the Raj, Maharajas andMe,afewdays priorto mentposting. So he had sentfor my father and ReproducedwithpermissionfromSpeakingTiger

Kolkata THESUNDAY EXPRESS,OCTOBER11,2020 KKR’S NARINE REPORTED FOR SUSPECT ACTION KKRspinner Sunil Narinehas been reported forbowling with a"Suspected Illegal 14 Bowling Action"duringhis side’sIPL matchagainstKings XI Punjab at AbuDhabi on SPORT Saturday, said an IPL release. Based on the on-field umpires' report,Narine hasbeen placed on the 'warninglist'. Another report will hand him asuspension from bowling. New kid off the blocks

Teenaged Polish star wins FrenchOpen without concedingaset,breaksmultiple records on waytoher maidenSlam

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PARIS,OCTOBER10 Nadal vDjokovic56: At

WITH THE poise of aveteran and the shotsof achampion, 19-year-oldIga Swiatek picked stake in Sunday’s final, JimmyButler (right) scored 35 the perfect place forher firsttour-leveltitle: points, grabbed 12 rebounds, the FrenchOpen. had 11 assists. USATODAY Sports Unseededand ranked merely54th, more than meetsthe eye Swiatek grabbed thelastsix games to beat SofiaKenin6-4,6-1inthefinalatRolandGarros on Saturday, becoming the firstPolish tennis playertowin aGrand Slam singles trophy. SHAHIDJUDGE Butler pours When she smackedone lastforehand winner MUMBAI,OCTOBER10 to thecornerto endthings,Swiatekplacedher cold water on right hand over her mouth then crouched, OVER THE years,promotional television ad- shaking herhead. vertisements forthe FrenchOpen have had "It's crazy.Two years ago, Iwon ajunior asimilartheme.There’d be the face of a Lakers’ party GrandSlam,andrightnow I'mhere.Itfeelslike weeping Martina Hingis, frustrated images such ashort time," Swiatek said, her voice of Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, and even a THE BANNERs were ready to be un- cracking. "I'm just overwhelmed." forlorn expression from the stoic and great furled,confetti wasonthe vergeof Hardtobelieve?Maybe.Thiswas,afterall, PeteSampras. being showered, the Larry O’Brien only her seventh majortournament; she'd The caption would suggest: forall their championshiptrophywas shown neverbeen pastthe fourth round. achievementsand success,it’sonlythe before the game –the NBAwas gear- But the wayshe playedthese twoweeks crownatRoland Garrosthat eludedthem. ing up foraLakers celebration. But made this outcome less of asurprise. And then the picturewould switchtothat JimmyButlerproducedaseason- Swiatek is the firstwoman to triumph in of Rafael Nadal,beaming as he holds aloft saving performance forMiami Heat, Paris withoutceding aset sinceJustine Henin his firstCoupe des Mousquetaires, then the who stunnedLakers 111-108 in in 2007.She lostonly28gamesacross seven second, then third… and finallythe 12th. AgainstNovak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal Game 5ofthe 2020 NBAFinals at matches,too. On Sunday, that unbreakable Spanish leads by 17-7 on clayand by 6-1 at DisneyWorld, Orlando. Sheisthe firstteen to win the women'sti- wall on the Parisian redbrickdustwill be Roland Garros. AP tleatthe FrenchOpen sinceIva Majoliin1997. gunning forhis 13th French Open title, To be likeKobe AndSwiatekdiditwithvictoriesoversuchop- againsthis biggestrival, WorldNo1Novak The Lakers came out in their spe- ponentsas2018championSimonaHalepand Djokovic. cial commemorative Black Mamba 2019 runner-up Marketa Vondrousova,both It will be the 56th match-up between the The Serb, ayear youngerthan 34- jerseys –ajerseyinwhichtheywere by scoresof6-1,6-2. toptwo seeds —the mostplayedtie in the year-old Nadal, has 17 Majortitles undefeated in the NBApostseason. So it made sense that Swiatek would be history of the sport. The 16th time theyface AnthonyDavis waswearing Kobe’s abletoget pastKenin,a21-year-oldAmerican eachother at aGrand Slam, andthe ninth to his name. Nadal has 19,and shoes. LeBron James was17of18 who wastrying to claim her second major ti- time in aMajor final (theysharea4-4 Swiss maestroRoger Federer, whenitcame to closing out agame to tle of 2020 afterwinning the Australian Open record). This is also the thirdtime the face- end aplayoff series. The messagewas in February. offfor the title at the FrenchOpen. now39, is currentlyon20. loud and clear –this wasthe night LA "Agreattournament.Agreatmatch,"Kenin IgaSwiatek,19, is the firstteentowin thewomen's title at the FrenchOpen But this match, forall that has transpired were goingtowin the title forKobe told Swiatek during the trophyceremony. since IvaMajoli in 1997. Reuters in this curtailedyear,will be aboutmuch Bryant. Kenin was16-1 in Grand Slam matches until morethan justdeciding who wins the 2020 Slam when winning elsewherehas been a But the league is littered with Saturday. But she dealt withaleg issue in the FrenchOpen title. Thereishistory at stake, toughtask. players forwhom Bryant wasnoth- second setand showed frustration by kicking and the resultcouldhaveasignificant bear- He’s wonthe RolandGarrostitle with- ing shortofagod. The mostKobe-es- herred-white-and-blueracket afterlostpoints. ingonthe ‘GreatestofAll Time’ debate. out dropping aset threetimes –tying him queplayerinthis serieshas notbeen And thentherewas this:She ranintothe When all is said and done, and the Big 3 with BjornBorgand American RichardSears aLaker.Instead,ithas been Jimmy composedSwiatek,who onlyrecentlycom- Her top-spin, anew high hang up their racquets,Djokovic might well (who playedinthe 1880s) forthe mostnum- Butler,whose tireless effort wasan pletedher high school studies, listens to be the one holding the all-time recordfor berofSlams without losing aset. embodiment of what Bryant stood for. “Welcometo theJungle”by Guns N'Rosesbe- the mostnumber of Grand Slam titles in the On Sundayhehas the chance to break Butlerplayedfor 47 minutes and 22 fore walkingoncourt,travelswithasportspsy- for women’stennis men’s game. that record.But he’ll have to beat oneofonly secondsout of apossible48. In an chologistand meditates duringchangeovers, The Serb, ayear younger than 34-year- twoplayers who have ever defeated himat elimination game, he scored 35 breathing slowly with her eyes closed. ON SATURDAy,Iga Swiatek became the hand. The net-clearance on her ground- old Nadal, has 17 Major titles to his name. the French Open –the other being Robin points, grabbed 12 rebounds, had 11 "I wasjustmentally consistent,:Swiatek ninth first-time women's singles cham- strokesishigh and the ball flies fewfeet Nadal has 19,and Swiss maestroRoger Soderling. assists and five steals in his second said. ?I felt liketodaywas reallystressful for pion in thelast14Grand Slams. Against over the netbut still drops in because to Federer,now 39, is currentlyon20. triple-double of these NBAFinals. me, so it waskind of hard.? This weekend is Sophie Kenin in the FrenchOpen final, the spin. Agemay be on Djokovic’s side in this era Chasing the Swiss the culminationofanunusualtwo weeks, to Swiatek showedwhatshe has shown of tennis whereanew guardoftalented Awin forNadal will tie him with Whydid the Lakers lose? saythe least. throughout the tournament:pureclay- Direction players has startedtoconstantlypush the Federer’s recordof20Slams. Djokovic will Lebron James(40 points, 13 re- The tournament waspostponedform courttennis.At19, sheisthe youngest The heavy topspin means the ball unshakable veteranchampions. go up to 18 if he wins. But should the Serb bounds, 7assists)and AnthonyDavis May-June to September-October because of winneratRoland Garrossince Rafael jumps upon hittingthe clay, even with But the 33-year-old also has agame win, he will remove that oneasterisk from (28 points, 12 rebounds, 3steals, 3 thecoronaviruspandemic;therecentlyrising Nadal in 2005. And she has borroweda heavier balls and colder conditionsdur- suited forall surfaces. Adefensivebase- his career that hasbeensomething even blocks)wereacombined68points number of COVID-19 cases in France ledthe couple of pages from her favouritetennis ing this year's FrenchOpen. And higher liner –byfar the best retrieverinthe game Federer hasn’t managed to do:beat Nadal from 24/36 shooting. The rest of the governmentto limitthenumberof spectators player's playbook,namely bounce means the ball is usually -who has become muchmoreaggressive in the final of the FrenchOpen. Lakers were amiserly 14/46 on all allowedonthe grounds to 1,000 each day. tons of topspinand alethal out of that ideal waist-high in his approachoverthe years, Djokovic It will also makehim the onlyplayerin shots.It’s easy to blame DannyGreen Some topwomen, including 2019 champion forehand. striking zone forgroundstrokes. can decimateopponentsonhard, grass the Open Eratohavewon allfourGrand formissing awide-open three in the AshBartyandthree-timemajorchampNaomi Kenin —who at 5'7 is twoinches and claycourts. Slams at least twice. lastseconds of the game. But Lakers’ Osaka didn'tenter the event;23-timeSlam Topspin shorterthan Swiatek —was He’s won11hardcourtGrand Slams So far, in this pandemic-hit season, entiresupporting castfalteredaround winner Serena Williams withdrew before the The averageRPM (revo- forced to either step intothe ball (eight at the Australian Open and three at Djokovic has a36-1 win-loss record. And their twogiantsatsome inexcusable second round withaninjury. lutions per minute) Swiatek to catch it on the rise, or hang the US Open), five titlesatWimbledonand he’s arguablythe onlyperson who can top-

EXPLAINED E● momentsofthe game. The temperature wasinthe mid-50s (low putsonher winners is in the backtohit it while it dropped. the 2016 FrenchOpen. With suchprofi- pleNadal offhis Parisian perch.But that teens Celsius), with aslightbreeze, and the mid-2400s, on par with ciency,therewon’tbeany surprise to see won’t be easy,and Djokovic knows that. Robinson comes good hundredsoffans scattered in CourtPhilippe men's semifinalistDiegoSchwartzman. Rallies him rake in multiple Slams in asingle cal- “I hopefullywill be abletoplaymybest In aloaded2018NBA Draft, Chatrier were mostlysubdued?other thana She has averaged the highesttopspin win- Swiatek uses the heavy-topspin endar year forthe next fewseasons, which tennis, becausethat's what's going to be DuncanRobinson went undrafted. group that would shout out Swiatek'sfirst ners on the women's side at close to strokestoexploit angles and createawk- will push him aheadofNadal and Federer. neededinorder to have ashotatthe trophy,” Twoyearslater he is in the middleof name,stretching it out overseveral seconds 3200rpm. On Saturday,her peak RPM ward trajectories, making her opponents he said afterhis semi-final win over Stefanos an NBAFinals series. Robinson eachtimetosoundlike?Eeeeeeeeeee-gah.? crossedintothe Nadal territoryat3453; run from side-to-side. And the longerthe Djokovic on aroll Tsitsipas. droppedseven three-pointers on the At thechangeoverafter the thirdgame of Kenin's best effort was2064. rallies go,the moreeffectivethe tactic is. The Serb recentlysurpassedNadal for “But look,Iam in position to be close to Lakers in a26-point performance, to the second set, Kenin wasvisited by atrainer the mostnumber of ATPMasters 1000titles, the trophy. I'm in the lastmatchofthe tour- be theable supporting casttoJimmy and went offthe courtfor amedicaltimeout, Grip Forehand winning his 36th at Rome twoweeksbefore nament, playing againstthe biggestrival, the Butler.The startofthis series sawhim then returned withher leftthigh wrapped. The whippy motion works, butalot of It's an aggressive mix of speedand the FrenchOpen.He’s also closinginon biggestobstacle and challengethat youcan struggletoget hisact together,but Keninsaidafter herfourth-roundmatch Swiatek's topspin is generated from the spin. Swiatek can drive and curlthe spin- Federer’s recordof310 weeksasthe World have.This is whatitcomes down to.” Butler and Adebayo operatinginthe Mondaythat she had slippedand maybe grip. She uses the extreme Western fore- ning forehand down the line or cross- No 1–Djokovic is currentlyon288. Beforetherewas aRonaldo-Messi, there paint hasallowedthe shooterand his pulledsomething during practice the daybe- hand grip, placingher palm under the rac- courtwithease. And the speedonher av- Nadal meanwhile has been virtuallyun- wasthe Nadal-Federer rivalry. Djokovic quickrelease to flourish over the past fore.While Keninwas gone,Swiatek triedto quet whichallows her to brush up and erageforehand this tournament was conquerableatthe FrenchOpen.Twelve of joinedthe mix afew years later,but wascon- twogames. In amust-win Game 5, stay warmby pullingonawhitejacketandhit- over the ball, causing it to spin forward 118kph, higherthanthe women's average his19titleshavecomeonthe Parisian clay, sidered,and perhaps still considered by Robinsonwas 8-15 from the field and tingsomeserves,earningapplausefromspec- rapidly. Themotion creates greater top- of 111.Toput that in perspective, the av- and he’s neverlostinthe final at Roland some sections of fans, as the third-wheel. 7-13fromthree-point range. tators. When playresumed,Swiatek needed spin with hugepower.And Swiatek's eragespeedonthe men's side has been Garros. In the 13 years on tour that he’s won But if he wins on Sunday, he’ll be in the SHASHANKNAIR only12moreminutes to wrap up thevictory, game is built around that topspin fore- 122kph. GAURAVBHATT aMajor,seven seasons have seenhim win driver’s seat, poisedtoend alldebates about finishing witha25-10edgeinwinners. justthe FrenchOpen. It’s been his go-to who is the greatestofall time. Kings crumble as Narine Kohli’sbrillianceexposes predictableCSK wins athriller for Kolkata Kohli’sability to makelateadjustments thatwasnot to beasheholedoutto long-offin SYNOPSIS stoodout.Therewasanunusualbitof premed- the sameover. Butbythe time he strode into Kohli’s masterly knock, which itation thatmadeDwayne Bravobowlwider. themiddle,thematchhadalreadyslippedout Narine who concededjusttwo runs. included atributetoAB, rattles But Kohli draggedhis body wider to getinline of CSK’s grip. PRESSTRUSTOFINDIA Needing 20 runs in the lasttwo overs, lethargic and confused CSK withthe ball,crouchedand swivelled, to get Yetagain, Chennai loststeam in the mid- ABUDHABI,OCTOBER10 KXIP losttwo wicketsinthe space of three the stroke squarer of the wicketkeeper. dle overs. Agreed thatthe surfacewas two- balls, includingthat of Rahul, in the penulti- Apartfromthatstroke,theknockwaschar- paced and Bangalore’s bowlers probed nig- SUNIL NARINE AND Prasidh Krishna dis- mateoverbowledbypacer Prasidh Krishna. acteristic Kohli, in whichhemade T20batting gardly lines, but their batsmen were equally playedice-cool temperamentatthe death as KXIP needed14runsfromthe lastover SANDIPG look grosslyuncomplicated andrisk-free. For culpableoflethargy, unabletobreaktheshack- KolkataKnight Riders pulledoff astunning and six of the final delivery to take thematch OCTOBER11 the quality of stroke-play,and itsintrinsic or- les in the midst of adot-ball onslaught. two-run victoryoveraself destructiveKings to SuperOverbut Glenn Maxwell couldonly thodoxy,itcould pass offasahigh-calibre ODI From the sixth to the12th over,theyeked XI Punjab in an IPL game on Saturday. scoreaboundary forKXIPtolosethe match THE SEASON seems to be drifting away from innings.Thegameof greatsisframe-workedto out onlythree boundaries, managing just37 Dinesh Karthik's side pulledoff yetan- by tworuns. Chennai Super Kings. Theywould put it down suit everyformat. runs in the span. That’s passable if theyhad a other Houdini Actafter they were seemingly Earlier,Rahul and Agarwal, the toptwo to profligacy in the death overs and stutter in Untiltheveryend,thetempoof themaster- high-scoring powerplay,but Chennai had down and out when KXIP opening pair KL run gettersinthis IPL, avoidedtaking undue the firsthalf of their owninnings. Or justthe piece wasODI-ish,asKohli would tigerishly managedjust 26runsinthefirstsixovers.The Rahul (74) and Mayank Agawal (56) had put risk while gettingthe odd boundaries to keep reality that ViratKohliblewthem over with run the singles and twos, jam the occasional RCBskipperVirat Kohli consumedjust lackofintensitywas appalling. on 115runsin14.2 overs while chasing 165. the asking rate under control. Theywere47 amasterly unbeaten 90, that setupa37-run boundaryand ensurethatthe run rate in- 52 balls to reachhis unbeaten 90. PTI Leavingitlateisaformulathathasworked It looked likeitwould be onlyamatter of fornoloss afterpowerplaywith Pat victory. creasedincrementally. forthem in the past,but withDhoni aforce on time when KXIP would wrap up the match Cummins bowling three of the firstsix overs. Whenthedeathoversringedin,hespelled the wane and the newgenerationrefusing to and snap their four-matchlosing streak. Rahul wasdroppedbyAndre Russelloff Kohli pays AB tribute doomforthebowlers.HepillagedSamCurran balls. At onestage, especially in the 11th over comeof age,thetemplate seemsoutdated.Age But in the end, KXIP made amess towards the bowling of Prasidh Krishna in the second It took the 47th delivery he encountered forabrace of sixes in the 18th over,whichcost whenBangalorelostDevdutt Padikkal and de hascaughtupwiththem,literallyandsymbol- the end of their run chase to suffertheir sixth over when he wasontwo.Russellhurthim- on the day, and the firstball of the20thover, 24 runs. Thesecond of the sixes wasapiece of Villiers in the space of five deliveries, even 150 ically. defeat from sevenmatches and fifthonthe self while fielding afterafew overs but re- forVirat Kohlito attempt somethingblatantly improvisationalgenius.Thedeliverywasslid- seemedadistantscore.ButKohliensuredthey BRIEF SCORES: RoyalChallengers trot while KKRnotched up their fourth win turned in the 11th over onlytoleave the field T20-ish.Hescoopedaboundaryoverfine-leg, ingaway withtheangle,butKohlimadeacou- setatargetof170.Thescoopwasjustthecherry Bangalore169/4(Kohli90*,Padikkal33,Thakur in sixmatches. KXIP will nowneedamath- again in the 13th over. andinthe process endedupwithhis backon pleof stridesdownthetrackandwristeditover on topofthe cake. 2-40) beat Chennai Super Kings 132for 8 ematical miracle to qualify. BRIEF SCORES: Kolkata KnightRiders the ground. He flashedasheepish smile to- square-leg. (Rayudu40, Jagadeesan 33,Morris 3-19, The Mohali-basedoutfit needed22from 164for 6(Karthik 58, Gill 57,Arshdeep 1-25, wardsthe RoyalChallengers Bangaloredug- Theartofpacinganinningscouldnothave Lethargicand confused Sundar 2-16) by 37 runs. the final three overs but the matchturnedon Bishnoi1-25) beat Kings XI Punjab (Rahul 74, out, his eyes perhaps searching forABde beenmoreexceptional—theRCBskipperwas Athunderousflatsixoverlong-ontriggered SRH vs Rajasthan 3:30pm itshead in the 18th over.Nicholas Pooran (16) Agarwal56, Krishna 3-29, Narine 2-28) by Villiers, who is moreaccustomedtounfurling 34 off30balls at one stage, and endedupon anticipationof MSDhonirollingbacktheyears Mumbai vs Delhi 7:30pm giftedhis wicketinthe over bowled by tworuns thisstroke.Itmighthave beenhistributetoAB. 90from52balls,thusscoring56off thelast22 and lifting CSK from the brink of adefeat. But On Star Sports and Hotstar

R.N.I. No.WBENG/2005/20788 VOL. XV No.79 Printed by V.Srinivasan and PublishedbyV.Srinivasan on behalf of The Indian Express (P) Limited andPrinted at Saraswati Print FactoryPvt.Ltd,789, Chowbhaga (West), Kolkata-700105and PublishedatThe Indian Express (P)Ltd JL No.29 &30, N.H.-6, Mouza - Prasastha &Ankurhati,P.O. -Salap, P.S.-Domjur,Howrah-711 409. Ph: (033)66043800Fax: (033) 66043825 &66043847.Chairman of the Board:Viveck Goenka, Chief Editor :Raj Kamal Jha, Editor :Unni Rajen Shanker,Editor (Kolkata): Rakesh Sinha* (*Responsible forselection of news underthe PRB Act)Copyright :The Indian Express (P) Limited.All rights reserved.Reproduction in anymanner,electronic or otherwise,inwhole or in part,without prior writtenpermission is prohibited. The Indian Express(R)

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