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Tirupati . lucknow . cuttack . patna NEARBY Myanmar border shut amid Charges against Anil Deshmukh strains over refugee crisis are serious, says Sharad Pawar Mizoram CM talks to Yangon Minister as Centre checks influx NCP president says Maharashtra CM Thackeray will take a decision on Minister ‘University regrets events Dinakar Peri surrounding resignations’ AIZAWL SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT NEW DELHI NEW DELHI Fadnavis calls Mizoram Chief Minister Zo­ The top functionaries of ramthanga held a virtual Nationalist Congress Party Ashoka University said in a for resignation meeting on Sunday with Fo­ (NCP) president Sharad Pa­ joint statement with Prof- essors Pratap Bhanu Mehta reign Minister of Myanmar war on Sunday said the A day after a letter, allegedly and Arvind Subramanian on Zin Mar Aung amid the on­ charges against senior NCP written by Param Bir Singh, Sunday that they regretted going military crackdown leader and Maharashtra levelled “extortion” charges the events surrounding the following the February Home Minister Anil Desh­ against Maharashtra Home resignations of the two. coup, even as India sealed all mukh, made by former Minister Anil Deshmukh, NEWS Ī PAGE 12 entry points along the bor­ Mumbai Police Commission­ Leader of the Opposition DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD der with the southeast Asian er Param Bir Singh, are “se­ Devendra Fadnavis demand­ ‘Centre punishing AAP neighbour and is closely rious” and any decision re­ ed that Mr. Deshmukh resign monitoring them to prevent garding him will be taken by govt. for backing farmers’ immediately. Ī Page 11 NEW DELHI any Myanmar national from Chief Minister Uddhav DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD Delhi Chief Minister and entering the country. On this side: An Indian policeman and a man on a bridge near Thackeray. national convener of the Aam “Had a fruitful meeting the India-Myanmar border in Mizoram on Saturday. * AP On Saturday, in an e­mail as police chief over “lapses” stated by Mr. Singh last year former IPS officer Julio Ribei­ Aadmi Party Arvind Kejriwal [online] this morning with letter to the Chief Minister, in the probe into the security and neither the Chief Minis­ ro’s help for looking into the said the Centre was punishing Zin Mar Aung, Hon’ble Fo­ eye to the humanitarian cri­ military overthrew the de­ Mr. Singh had alleged that threat outside industrialist ter nor the State Home Mi­ claims made by Param Bir his government for reign Minister, Myanmar. sis unfolding in front of us in mocratically elected govern­ the Home Minister had Mukesh Ambani’s residence. nister was responsible for it. Singh.” supporting the farmers in Our thoughts and prayers our own backyard,” the ment, around 300 Myanma­ asked police officers, includ­ Mr. Pawar suggested an “The allegations against The NCP chief told repor­ their agitation against the are with Myanmar in these Chief Minister said. rese nationals, including ing the suspended officer Sa­ in­depth probe by former the Maharashtra Home Mi­ ters at his official residence three agricultural laws. trying times,” Mr. Zoram­ The letter comes after a many policemen, have chin Vaze, to collect ₹100 Mumbai Police Commission­ nister are serious. Chief Mi­ in Delhi that Mr. Param Bir NORTH Ī PAGE 6 DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD thanga said on Twitter. series of exchanges between crossed into India and crore every month from bars er Julio Ribeiro, whose nister has the full authority Singh did meet him but it He had earlier written a the State and the Central go­ sought refuge. and hotels in the city. “credibility is beyond to take a decision regarding was only “when his transfer Mob attacks man’s house letter to Prime Minister Na­ vernments over the han­ Mr. Pawar, however, ques­ questioning”. an inquiry on these allega­ orders were about to be is­ over interfaith marriage rendra Modi, urging inter­ dling of the refugees. Deep ties tioned the timing of the alle­ He claimed that Mr. Vaze, tions against the Home Mi­ sued by the Maharashtra go­ NEW DELHI vention so that “political re­ Stating that the whole of There is considerable sup­ gations levelled by Mr. Singh, who was suspended for over nister,” Mr. Pawar said, ad­ vernment”. Security has been stepped up fugees” from Myanmar are Myanmar is in turmoil and port and sympathy among pointing out that they were 16 years for his role in a cus­ ding, “I would suggest to in south-east Delhi’s Harijan given asylum and food and “innocent hapless citizens the people of Mizoram over made after he was removed todial death case, was rein­ Uddhav Thackeray to seek CONTINUED ON Ī PAGE 10 Basti after a mob allegedly attacked the house of a man shelter in the country. are being persecuted” by the the situation in Myanmar as for marrying a woman from military regime, who are many have relations across another community. Sensitive issues supposed to be their guar­ the border, a government of­ The tussle between the dians and protectors, Mr. ficial stated, adding that it CITY Ī PAGE 4 Centre warns of COVID­19 spike at Kumbh DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD Centre and the State on the Zoramthanga said the was a very emotive and sen­ issue has created a tough “Myanmar area bordering sitive issue in the State. time for New Delhi and se­ Mizoram is inhibited by Chin India and Myanmar have 10­20 pilgrims test around 50,000 rapid anti­ curity agencies in handling communities, who are ethni­ an arrangement called Free gen tests and 5,000 RT­PCR the situation on the ground, cally our brethren with Movement Regime (FMR), positive daily, says tests, were inadequate, gi­ multiple officials said. whom we have been having which allows locals on both Health Ministry ven the expected number of In the letter dated March close contacts throughout sides to go upto 16 km across pilgrims. 18, Mr. Zoramthanga said the all these years even before the other side and stay up to SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT people residing on both India became independent.” 14 days. NEW DELHI ‘No obstructions’ sides have close linkages. Following the February 1 A Health Ministry team has Mr. Rawat’s predecessor, Tri­ EDUCATION PLUS PAGE 7 Ī “India cannot turn a blind coup when the Myanmar CONTINUED ON Ī PAGE 10 reported that nearly 10 to 20 vendra Singh Rawat, had pilgrims and 10 to 20 locals mandated a negative test as at the ongoing Kumbh Mela part of the Standard Opera­ in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, tion Procedure for pilgrims. are being reported positive However, the CM, follow­ every day. ing a meeting of the State Ca­ Such a positivity rate had Cause for concern: In this photo from earlier in March, binet last week, said while the potential to rapidly turn devotees attend prayers at the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar. * AFP guidelines such as “masking into an “upsurge” in cases, and sanitising” would be fol­ the team said. hand Chief Minister Tirath the festival at Haridwar. lowed, there would no ob­ Singh Rawat has stated that a The Uttarakhand govern­ structions to the “smooth” ‘No test needed’ negative COVID­19 test ment had also been told that movement of people. The report assumes signifi­ wouldn’t be a requirement the daily testing numbers be­ cance given that Uttarak­ for those intending to visit ing reported in Haridwar, CONTINUED ON Ī PAGE 10 HC to consider transfer of Hathras case Anuj Kumar Ghaziabad Responding to an affidavit filed by the elder brother of the Hathras gang rape and murder victim to stay the trial proceedings given the “real and grave risk of a miscarriage of justice”, the Allahabad High Court has asked the District Judge, Hathras, and the Inspector General, CRPF, to look into the allegations and submit a report within 15 days. A two­judge Bench of Justices Rajan Roy and Jas­ preet Singh said on Friday that it would “consider whether trial in question before the Special Judge (SC/ST), Hathras, is re­ quired to be stayed and is to be transferred elsewhere in the exercise of powers un­ der Section 407 of CrPc”. The affidavit submitted by the victim’s brother on March 18 said that on March 5, when he and his counsel, Seema Kushwaha, went to the Special Court of B.D. Bharti in Hathras to record prosecution evidence, an advocate named Tarun Hari Sharma stormed into the courtroom and charged to­ wards him and his counsel, shouting and issuing threats. Mr. Sharma seemed to be under the in­ fluence of alcohol and said that Ms. Kushwaha could not represent the victim’s family. On account of fear for their life and security, the affidavit said, the prosecu­ tion witness could not de­ pose properly. CM A ND-NDE YK EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE