cmyk
THE ASIAN AGE NATION| 3
www.asianage.com RNI No. 57290/94, Regd No: DL-SW-05/4189/15-17
WINDOWS
India’s Rohit Sharma cele-
brates after scoring 100 runs
with his batting partner
Cheteshwar Pujara on day 3
of the Fourth Test match at
The Oval cricket ground in
London on Saturday. —PTI
NZ unable to keep
attacker locked up,
says PM Ardern
Wellington: The Islamic
State-inspired radical respon-
sible for a supermarket knife
rampage in New Zealand was
watched for five years and
jailed for three before
authorities exhausted all
avenues to keep him
detained, Prime Minister
Jacinda Ardern revealed
Saturday. The 32-year-old Sri
Lankan was only freed in July
and had been under police
surveillance since. On Friday,
he grabbed a knife off a
supermarket shelf in
Auckland and attacked seven
people, leaving three critical-
ly wounded, before he was
shot and killed by the armed
police tasked with tailing
him. — AFP
■ More on Page 6
Acid attack kills 5
stray dogs in MP
Bhopal: Five stray dogs
were killed in an acid attack
in Ujjain city in Madhya
Pradesh, police said on
Saturday. According to the
police, on Friday an uniden-
tified person poured acid
on five street dogs roaming
in a local colony, leaving
them injured grievously.
■ More on Page 3
Congress seeks SC
probe in JEE scam
New Delhi: The Congress on
Saturday demanded a SC-
monitored probe into the
alleged manipulation of JEE
Mains examination after the
CBI arrested seven persons
in this connection. Rahul
Gandhi said the nation owes
the students a fair JEE exam,
but the govt “is better at
providing cover-ups”. — PTI
COUNTERPOINT
WEATHER
Max: 32OC
Min: 27OC
RH: 79%
Rain: 50%
Forecast: Thunderstorm
ASTROGUIDE
Plava: Dakshinayana
Tithi: Shravana Bahula
Trayodasi till 8.19 am
Star: Ashlesha till 6.01 pm
Varjyam: 6.39 am to 8.16 am
Durmuhurtam: 4.45 pm to
5.34 pm
Rahukalam: 4.30 pm to 6 pm
SUNSET TODAY 6.38 PM
SUNRISE TOMORROW 6.01 AM
MOONRISE TOMORROW 5.55 AM
MOONSET TODAY 7.13 PM
Rawat set to table his
report on Punjab crisis
before Cong brass
■ ‘Project to impart Indianised doctrine to Army’s war thinking’
Armed forces may introduce Gita,
Arthashastra into training soon
SRIRAM KARRI
HYDERABAD, SEPT. 4
The Indian Armed forces
are considering introduc-
ing Bhagwad Gita and
K a u t i l y a ’ s
Arthashastra as part of
the curriculum for offi-
cers, Army and Air Force
sources confirmed on
Saturday.
Inspired by Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi’s call, the
Secunderabad-headquar-
tered College of Defence
Management (CDM) has
started research on
ancient Indian texts that
are relevant to modern
warfare and military
statecraft and have rec-
ommended two ancient
scripts – Bhagwad
Gita and Arthashastra.
“Bhagwad Gita is a trea-
sure trove of wisdom and
insight into military doc-
trine, strategies and
morality of war and life.
Mamata to contest Manish and Pramod add
crucial by-election shine to India’s medal haul
on September 30
EC: By-polls in 2 other seats, results on Oct. 3
RAJIB CHOWDHURI
& PRANMOY BRAH-
MACHARI
KOLKATA/BERHAMPORE,
SEPT. 4
Ignoring West Bengal
BJP’s opposition, the
Election Commission
(EC) on Saturday
announced that Assembly
by-polls at Bhowanipore,
where chief minister
Mamata Banerjee will
contest to become an
elected Trinamul
Congress member of the
House, will be held on
September 30.
The EC’s step came after
state chief secretary H.K.
Dwiwedi drew its atten-
tion to “a constitutional
crisis” if the TMC supre-
mo is not able to continue
as the CM without win-
ning elections after head-
ing the government for
six months.
The EC also scheduled
the Assembly polls at
Shamshergunj and
Jangipur seats in
India reports
42,618 new
Covid cases,
330 deaths
AGE CORRESPONDENT
CHENNAI, SEPT. 4
India’s Covid tally rose
by 42,618 in a day to reach
3,29,45,907 while the num-
ber of active cases
touched 4,05,681 follow-
ing an increase for the
fourth consecutive day,
according to the Union
health ministry data
updated on Saturday.
The death toll climbed
to 4,40,225 with 330 more
people succumbing to the
viral disease, showed the
data updated at 8 am.
In a span of 24 hours,
the active caseload rose
by 5,903. The number of
active cases now com-
prise 1.23 per cent of the
total infections, while the
national Covid recovery
rate was recorded at 97.43
per cent, the ministry
said. The daily positivity
rate was recorded 2.50
per cent and the weekly
positivity rate was 2.63
per cent. It has been
below three per cent for
the last 71 days.
■ More on Page 4
NEW DELHI SUNDAY 5 SEPTEMBER 2021
They will give an indige-
nous perspective to our
officers and jawans to
apply in complex modern
warfare,” said a senior
officer based in the Army
headquarters in Delhi.
“Arthashastra is one of
many wonderful texts of
ancient India that brings
insight into the complex
interplay of politics, mili-
tary thinking and intelli-
gence.”
Two senior officers,
speaking on the condition
of anonymity, confirmed
that the broad conceptual
and research work is
ongoing but refused to
give specific details. “It is
an ongoing project. We
cannot confirm either
when this curriculum
will go live, or if it would
be initiated in which
academy or course or for
whom,” they said.
Air Vice Marshal Pawan
Mohey, the commandant
of CDM, when reached
Bodyguard’s death
case: Suvendu
summoned by CID
RAJIB CHOWDHURI
KOLKATA, SEPT 4
West Bengal leader of the
Opposition Suvendu
Adhikari has been sum-
moned by the CID for
questioning in the mur-
der of his security per-
sonnel, Shubhabrata
Chakraborty, almost
three years ago under
mysterious circum-
stances.
Murshidabad of the state,
where polls were earlier
adjourned following two
candidates’ death due to
Covid-19, on the same
day.
The poll results of the
three Assembly seats will
be declared on October 3.
After the announcement
■ Turn to Page 4
Assam: BPF knocks at BJP plans 20-day mega event, 5cr
BJP door after exiting postcards to celebrate Modi b’day
Congress’ Mahajot
MANOJ ANAND
GUWAHATI, SEPT. 4
Bogged down by political
isolation in western
Assam, the Bodoland
People’s Front (BPF) has
extended a hand of friend-
ship to Assam chief min-
ister Himanta Biswa
Sarma in an obvious bid
to return to ruling BJP
fold as an ally after walk-
ing out of the Congress-
led “Mahajot” (Grand
Alliance) which came
into existence just before
the Assembly elections in
March this year.
A few days ago Assam
Congress decided to sever
ties with AIUDF. The exit
of BPF, another big ally,
has come as a major set-
back to the alliance of
Opposition political par-
ties just before bypolls in
six Assembly constituen-
cies in Assam.
BPF general secretary
Prabin Boro told
reporters, “We met the
chief minister on Friday
and submitted a friend-
ship proposal to the BJP.
SPORT| 8
Naomi Osaka plans to take
indefinite break from tennis
after shock US Open exit
Bhagwad Gita is
a treasure trove
of wisdom and insight
into military doctrine,
strategies and morali-
ty of war and life.
They will give an
indigenous perspec-
tive to our officers
and jawans to apply
in complex modern
warfare
—A senior Army
officer
out to, was not willing to
speak to the media.
Lt. Gen. Anil Bhatt,
PVSM, who formerly
served as general officer
commanding (GOC) XV
Corps and director gener-
al of military operations
(DGMO), speaking
with The Asian Age, said
that eventually this rich
training framework must
extend to all levels – from
AGE CORRESPONDENT
CHENNAI, SEPT. 4
It’s getting better, bigger
and shinier. Indian ath-
letes' medal rush at the
Tokyo 2020 Paralympics
continued on Saturday as
they notched up four
medals including two gold
to take the medal tally to
17. Shooter Manish
Narwal reigned supreme
in P4 Mixed 50m Pistol,
while badminton player
Pramod Bhagat's domi-
nant win over Britain's
Daniel Bethell in the final
ensured the Indian
national anthem rever-
berated the Paralympic
venue for the second time
on the penultimate day of
the competition.
While the 19-year-old
Narwal, with a congeni-
tal disorder in his right
hand, shattered a medals, India are cur-
Paralympic record for
gold, Singhraj Adana
bagged a silver to make it
a grand one-two for
India. It was Singhraj’s
second medal at Tokyo as
he had won a bronze in
the 10m air pistol.
We have conveyed to him
that BPF no longer wish-
es to be in the Opposition.
Rather, we are interested
to be with the govern-
ment and work together
for the people. Therefore,
we want to be an ally of
the BJP.”
He further said, “The
chief minister told us that
he wants to have an inclu-
sive government and if
someone wants friend-
ship with BJP, the party
will deliberate on it.
Though he has said noth-
ing directly, we are opti-
mistic.”
However, Assam minis-
ter Pijush Hazarika on
Saturday clarified that
BPF joining the ruling
alliance would not affect
their alliance with United
People’s Party Liberal
(UPPL) which has been
ruling the Bodoland
Territorial Council Area.
“In the larger interest of
the people, the BJP would
like to unite the like
minded forces to protect
and defend the interest of
■ Turn to Page 4
As Pakistan
learnt in 1971, it
was defeated
because it was a sec-
ular Indian Army they
faced... The Indian
Army had a Parsi
chief, a Sikh com-
mander, a Hindu and
a Jewish general... A
religious text like Gita
leaves me a little
unconcerted
—A retired colonel
entry officer level at the
NDA or IMA to higher-
levels of warfare training.
In select armed forces
circles, both serving and
retired, the issue has
started getting discussed,
largely with a welcoming
outlook despite some
doubts outside the Indian
military about the moti-
vation and implications of
the move.
Pramod Bhagat cele-
brates after winning the
badminton final in the
Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
— PTI
Another shuttler Manoj
Sarkar bagged a bronze
after defeating Japan’s
Daisuke Fujihara in the
third place play-off.
With four gold, seven
silver and six bronze
rently placed 26th on the
medal tally, which is a
giant leap from their Rio
2016 performance of four
medals.
Odisha’s Bhagat (33),
who had contracted polio
when he was four years
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, SEPT. 4
The BJP plans
to hold a 20-
day long
nationwide
event — service.”
“Seva aur
Samarpan Abhiyan” — to
celebrate Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s 71st
birthday on September 17.
The event, which includes
blood donation camps,
exhibitions on Mr Modi’s
life, donation of artificial
Biden to declassify secret 9/11 documents
Washington, Sept. 4:
President Joe Biden has
directed the declassifica-
tion of certain documents
related to the September 11,
2001, terrorist attacks, a
supportive gesture to vic-
tims’ families who have
long sought the records in
hopes of implicating the
Saudi government.
The order, coming little
more than a week before
the 20th anniversary of the
attacks, is a significant
TABLOID| 16
Asha Bhosle turns 88,
says she has lost count
of songs and awards
“It is a right move, and
long overdue. The Indian
armed forces largely oper-
ate on war doctrines and
philosophies of the
Western world, like the
Carl von Clausewitz doc-
trines. We even study Sun
Tzu’s Art of War.
This shift in military
thinking, to incorporate
ancient Indian thinking
on state craft, doctrinal
military warfare, disci-
pline of espionage and spy
craft, as well as adminis-
tration and other aspects
should give us a unique
edge,” said a decorated
retired colonel who is one
of the many Kargil
war heroes.
A few retired offices
expressed doubts about
the impact of the move.
“As Pakistan learnt in
1971, it was defeated
because it was a secular
Indian Army they faced.
The Indian Army had a
■ Turn to Page 4
Shooter Manish Narwal
stands proud after win-
ning the P4 Mixed 50m
Pistol event . — PTI
old, is arguably the coun-
try's best para shuttler.
An Asian Para Games
gold medallist, two-time
world champion and the
current world No.1,
Bhagat said it was a
dream come true
moment for him.
“I would like to dedi-
cate this to my parents
and to everyone who sup-
ported me throughout.
I’m glad I could make
India proud,” added
Bhagat.
limbs to Divyangs, will
begin on September 17
and culminate on October
7, the day Mr Modi first
took oath as the chief min-
ister of Gujarat, thus com-
pleting “20 years in public
The party has also
planned to send five crore
postcards from BJP
booths across India to the
Prime Minister congratu-
lating him for his efforts.
A letter in this regard
has been issued by BJP
president J.P. Nadda to
◗ JOE BIDEN said on Friday that he
was making good on a campaign
commitment by ordering the
declassification review and pledged
that his administration will contin-
ue to engage respectfully with
Joe Biden members of this community
moment in a yearslong tus-
sle between the govern-
ment and the families over
what classified information
about the run-up to the
Vol. 28 No. 201 | 16
ISI chief rushes to
Kabul amid Taliban
govt formation
Islamabad, Sept. 4: In a
surprise move, Pakistan’s
powerful intelligence chief
Lieutenant General Faiz
Hameed on Saturday
dashed to Kabul, accord-
ing to media reports here,
amidst the Taliban strug-
gling to finalise and install
an inclusive government
in Afghanistan that would
be acceptable to the inter-
national community.
A delegation of senior
Pakistani officials led by
Inter-Services Intelligence
(ISI) director general
Lieutenant General
Hameed arrived in Kabul
to conduct discussions
with the incoming Taliban
government, the Pa-
kistan Observer newspa-
per reported.
The ISI chief is expected
to meet top Taliban lead-
ers and commanders.
“Issues relating to Pak-
Afghan security, econo-
my, and other matters will
be taken up with the
Taliban leadership,” the
report said, quoting
sources.
According to the Express
Tribune, Lt Gen Hameed
will also meet Pakistan’s
envoy in Kabul to discuss
the matter of repatriation
and transit through
Pakistan of foreign nation-
als and Afghans fleeing
Taliban rule.
“The issue of pending
requests from countries
Kabul: At least 17 killed in
victory gunfire, say reports
Kabul, Sept. 4: At least 17
people were killed in cel-
ebratory gunfire in
Kabul, news agencies
said on Saturday, after
Taliban sources said
their fighters had seized
control of Panjshir, the
last province in
Afghanistan holding out
against the Islamist
group.
Leaders of opposition
to the Taliban have
denied that the province
has fallen. The
Shamshad news agency
said “aerial shooting” in
Kabul on Friday killed 17
people and wounded 41.
Tolo news agency gave a
similar toll.
At least 14 people were
injured in celebratory
firing in Nangarhar
province east of the capi-
tal, said Gulzada Sangar,
spokesman for an area
hospital in the provin-
cial capital of Jalalabad.
the state units.
The party will also hold
events on party ideologue
Deendayal Upadhyaya
anniversary on
September 25 and
Mahatma Gandhi’s birth
anniversary on October 2
when promotional events
for khadi will be held by
party workers.
As part of the birthday
celebration, hoardings
thanking Mr Modi “for
free food grains and vacci-
nation for the poor” will
■ Turn to Page 4
attacks could be made pub-
lic. That conflict was on dis-
play last month when
many relatives, survivors
and first responders came
cmyk
PAGES | `5.00
◗ A delega-
tion of
senior
Pakistani
officials led
Faiz by ISI chief
Hameed Lt Gen
Hameed
arrived in Kabul on
Saturday to conduct
discussions with the
incoming Taliban gov-
ernment, a report said
and international organi-
sations for the repatria-
tion/transit through
Pakistan and the need to
determine the mechanism
through which Pakistan
could allow these, in coor-
dination with the ground
authorities in Afghanistan
will be discussed during
the meeting with the
Taliban officials,” it said,
quoting sources.
The intelligence chief
will spend a day in the
Afghan capital, the Geo
News reported.
Lt Gen Hameed’s visit to
Kabul came as Pakistan’s
Army chief General
Qamar Javed Bajwa met
with British foreign secre-
tary Dominic Raab earlier
in the day and said that
Pakistan will assist in the
formation of an inclusive
administration in
Afghanistan. — PTI
◗ LEADERS OF opposi-
tion to the Taliban have
denied that the province
has fallen. The
Shamshad news agency
said ‘aerial shooting’ in
Kabul on Friday killed 17
people and wounded 41.
Tolo news agency gave
a similar toll. The gun-
fire drew a rebuke from
the main Taliban
spokesman, Zabihullah
Mujahid.
The gunfire drew a
rebuke from the main
Taliban spokesman,
Zabihullah Mujahid.
“Avoid shooting in the
air and thank God
instead,” Mujahid said
in a message on Twitter.
“Bullets can harm civil-
ians, so don’t shoot
unnecessarily.”
— Reuters
■ More on Page 6
Row over separate
namaz room in
J’khand House
Patna: Allotment of a
separate room for
namaz inside
Jharkhand Assembly
premises has triggered
a political row. The
Opposition BJP has
demanded similar
arrangements for other
MLAs to perform
prayers according to
their religion.
Few BJP leaders also
demanded a separate
space for setting up a
Hanuman temple inside
the Assembly.
■ More on Page 4
out against Biden's partici-
pation in 9/11 memorial
events if the documents
remained classified.
President Biden said on
Friday that he was making
good on a campaign com-
mitment by ordering the
declassification review and
pledged that his adminis-
tration will continue to
engage respectfully with
members of this communi-
ty. — AP
■ More on Page 6
 CITY/NATION
THE ASIAN AGE | SUNDAY | 5 SEPTEMBER 2021 | NEW DELHI
SHORT TAKES
Illegal arms factory
busted, 5 arrested,
weapons seized
Ghaziabad: The police have
busted an illegal arms facto-
ry here and seized a huge
cache of weapons and
ammunition, officials said on
Saturday. Five men have
also been arrested, they
said. The illegal arms factory
was being run near the cul-
vert of Shahzadpur village
road of Muradnagar town
here, police said. Senior
superintendent of police,
Pawan Kumar, told reporters
that five pistols of .32 bore,
72 cartridges, 20 half-fur-
nished pistols, 55 barrels of
32 bore, 13 magazines, 250
magazine springs, ten semi-
prepared magazines, 90
side plates, 17 trigger guards
along with manufacturing
instruments and other parts
of pistols have been seized.
The accused have been
identified as Mohammad
Mustafa, a resident of
Bihar’s Munger, Salam and
Kaifi Alam, both from
Muradnagar here, Salman,
and a woman named Asgari
who hails from Meerut. Two
of their accomplices —
Zahiruddin and Faiyyaz —
both from Meerut are
absconding, Kumar said. The
accused told the police that
the factory owner
Zahiruddin, along with his
wife Asgari, partner Faiyyaz,
and nephew Salman, used to
manage raw material for
forging the illegal firearms.
Two days after bringing the
raw materials, they were
going to sell the fully fin-
ished pistols to “anti-social
elements”, according to the
police. The police have also
recovered `1.5 lakh cash
from the accused. The cash
recovered was the proceeds
from the arms’’ sale, and
was kept for equal distribu-
tion and for purchasing raw
material and other imple-
ments, police said. — PTI
3 arrested at IGI
Airport for visa,
passport forgery
New Delhi: Three men were
arrested for allegedly being
involved in passport or visa
forgery case, police said on
Saturday. The accused have
been identified as Mehboob
Khan, a resident of
Muzaffarnagar in UP, Mahesh
Kumar, a resident of
Gurgaon, and Saif Bari, a res-
ident of Jamia Nagar, they
said. According to police, a
total of 99 agents or master-
minds involved in passport
or visa forgery cases arrest-
ed by IGI airport police dur-
ing a special drive in 2020
and 2021. On the intervening
night of August 25 and 26,
four passengers arrived as
deportees from Armenia via
Sharjah. The immigration
staff checked their passports
and found that they depart-
ed from IGI Airport on
August 24 for Armenia, but
they were refused entry at
Yerevan airport on the
ground of holding fake visas.
On the complaint from immi-
gration officials, a case was
registered and all the four
accused were arrested,
police said. “During interro-
gation, they disclosed that
the alleged fake e-visas of
Armenia were arranged by
agent Bari and each of them
paid `1.50 lakh to him. On
their instance, Bari was
arrested,” deputy commis-
sioner of police (Airport)
Vikram Porwal said.
HC refuses bail to
Chhenu gang leader
in murder case
New Delhi: The Delhi High
Court has refused to grant
bail to an alleged gang-
leader arrested in a case of
murder stemming from
inter-gang rivalry.
Dismissing the bail applica-
tion of Irfan, Justice Rajnish
Bhatnagar said his past
record was “very disturbing
and dangerous” and his
release at this stage would
be fatal to all the other
pending cases where wit-
nesses were turning hostile
one after the other. “One
cannot lose sight of the fact
that the petitioner is
involved in 25 cases of
heinous nature and he is
claimed by the prosecution
to be the leader of infamous
Chhenu gang. “Fourteen
cases against the petitioner
are still pending trial and the
release of the petitioner at
this stage, may hamper the
trial of those pending
cases,” said the judge in his
order dated September 2.
The court rejected the peti-
tioner’s argument that he
was not present at the spot
of the alleged murder.
— PTI
■ New Education Policy will lead to job cuts, say teachers’ bodies
Central varsity teachers to protest
against NEP on Teachers’ Day today
SUPRIYA SINGH
NEW DELHI, SEPT. 4
Teachers of the Central
Universities across the
country have decided to
observe Teachers’ Day as
a protest day against the
new education policy.
Addressing a conference
here on Saturday, the
Joint Federation for
Movement on Education
(JFME), which has repre-
sentatives from the
Federation of Central
Universities Teachers’
Associations (FEDCUTA)
and the All India
Federation of College and
University Teachers’
Organisations (AIFUC-
TO), said that there is not
much to celebrate as the
NEP 2020 will lead to a
reduced role for teachers
and a job cut.
“On September 5, teach-
ers and students across
City BJP to launch massive outreach
programme for next year’s MCD polls
New Delhi, Sept. 4: The
Delhi BJP will kick-start
its campaign for the next
year’s MCD polls by
launching a massive out-
reach programme later
this month and connect-
ing with voters across the
city through 11,000 small
and medium public meet-
ings.
The party has already
strengthened nearly
14,000 booth level units by
forming 21-member exec-
utive committees which
will play a crucial role in
reaching out to each
household starting from
September 15, said Delhi
BJP general secretary
Harsh Malhotra on
Saturday.
The BJP, which has been
ruling the three munici-
pal corporations since
2007, is going to the elec-
tions with an upbeat AAP
trying to unseat it.
“The outreach pro-
gramme will be based on
Website editor
held for obscene
content against
Dutee Chand
AGE CORRESPONDENT
BHUBANESWAR, SEPT. 4
The Odisha
police on
Saturday
arrested two
persons,
including
editor of a Dutee
local news Chand
portal, on the
charge of defaming and
maligning the image of
ace sprinter Dutee Chand
by publishing “defamato-
ry and obscene contents.
On Friday, the Mahila
police station in
Bhubaneswar had
detained the editor,
Sudhansu Rout and one
of his employees Smruti
Ranjan Behera, following
a complaint filed by
Dutee.
“Based on the com-
plaint of Dutee Chand, a
case has been registered
against Sudhansu Rout.
He was arrested after
questioning in connec-
tion with the case,”
Bhubaneswar deputy
commissioner of police
Umashankar Das said.
The Mahila police sta-
tion officials had on
Friday searched the news
portal office and seized
computers along with
other elements being
used for publishing news
against Dutee.
Dutee had lodged a com-
plaint against two jour-
nalists Rout and his
reporter Smruti Ranjan
Behera, and a social
activist Pradeep Pradhan
alleging that they had
published objectionable
content against her prior
to the Tokyo Olympics,
which had an adverse
impact on her perform-
ance. She had also filed a
`5-crore defamation case
in civil court in
Bhubaneswar in this
regard.
“I had been mentally
harassed and had to face
a character assassina-
tion. This kind of slur
had an adverse impact on
my performance during
the Tokyo Olympics,”
Dutee said.
University teachers from 12 states display banners dur-
ing a protest to demand sustainability plan for young
and highly qualified teachers at Mandi House in New
Delhi on Saturday.
the country under the
banner of the JFME,
which includes the
Federation of Central
Universities, will protest
against the dismantling
of public funded educa-
tion and take forward the
campaign to make civil
society aware of the ram-
ifications of NEP 2020 for
◗ THE OUTREACH pro-
gramme will also focus on
people from different sec-
tions of the society as well
as regions of the country
settled in Delhi through the
party’s dedicated ‘morchas’
and cells
two-way communication
between our workers and
the residents in their
neighbourhood. We have
prepared a list of talking
points that focus on high-
lighting tangible benefits
to the people through var-
ious schemes of the
Narendra Modi govern-
ment,” said Mr Malhotra.
The outreach pro-
gramme will also focus on
people from different sec-
tions of the society as well
as regions of the country
settled in Delhi through
the party’s dedicated
‘morchas’ and cells,
including those for
Himachal Pradesh,
`1Kcr irregularities in execution
of PMAY houses in Odisha: BJP
AKSHAYA KUMAR SAHOO
BHUBANESWAR, SEPT. 4
Ahead of the by-polls in
the Pipili Assembly con-
stituency in Odisha, the
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) on Saturday made
its intention quite clear
that it would pursue the
alleged irregularities in
the allotment of the
Pradhan Mantri Awas
Yojana (PMAY) houses a
major poll plank.
The lawmakers of the
saffron party utilised the
state Assembly forum to
rake up the PMAY issue
and demanded clarifica-
tions from the treasury
bench on actions it had
taken to punish the
politicians and officers
involved in the nefarious
activities.
There have been huge
irregularities in the exe-
cution of the PMAY
scheme. The total volume
of corruption in the pro-
gramme will be over
`1,000 crore.
Though a team of inves-
tigators from the Union
government has found
prima facie evidence of
corruption and recom-
Only 5% houses covered by Delhi govt’s 24x7 water supply pilot project
New Delhi, Sept. 4: Eight
years after the Delhi gov-
ernment started a pilot
project to ensure 24x7
water supply in Malviya
Nagar and Vasant Vihar,
only five per cent of the
households have been
covered, according to offi-
cial data.
The reason is that not
enough water is available
to cater to the entire proj-
ect area. However, the
Delhi government, which
has set an ambitious tar-
get of providing 24x7
water supply to every
household in the city by
2024, has been working on
several water augmenta-
tion projects which will
come to fruition in the
next three years.
The Delhi Jal Board
(DJB) had started the
pilot project in Malviya
— PTI
the people of this coun-
try,” office-bearers of the
JFME said.
“The immediate task to
improve the state of edu-
cation is to increase pub-
lic spending and hire
teachers on a permanent
basis as more and more
students, especially
women, minority, and
Uttarakhand, Purvanchal,
minorities, Sikhs, traders,
professionals, women,
scheduled castes, and
backward classes among
others, he said.
“We are targeting to
hold at least 11,000 meet-
ings in one month
through our organisation.
These will be small meet-
ings with 10-50 persons
from the public in each
locality and street of the
city,” he said.
The block executive
committee members will
also serve as ‘Panna
Pramukh,’ meaning they
will have the responsibili-
ty to cover the households
in their area’s voter list.
In the last municipal
corporation polls in Delhi,
the BJP registered an
impressive victory
returning to power in the
three corporations by
winning a total 181 of the
272 wards.
The closest rival of the
mended strict actions
against the officials, the
state government
appears in no mood to
punish them, the BJP leg-
islators alleged in the
House.
With 22 members in the
147-member Odisha
Legislative Assembly, the
BJP is the largest opposi-
tion party followed by
Congress, which has nine
lawmakers.
BJP chief whip Mohan
Majhi, during the zero
hour, raised the issue of
the PMAY irregularities
and urged Speaker Dr
Surjya Narayan Patro to
direct the government to
furnish a reply on the
actions taken by it as per
the recommendations of
the Central team recom-
mendations.
As Mr Majhi’s observa-
tion on the PMAY created
commotion in the House
with the ruling BJD law-
makers protesting it, the
BJP legislators left the
House and staged a dhar-
na in front of Mahatma
Gandhi’s statue in the
Assembly premises.
In fact, a Central team
comprising top officers of
Nagar and Vasant Vihar
in partnership with pri-
vate companies in
January 2013. The dead-
line for completing the
work was December 2014.
There are 50,000 house-
holds in Malviya Nagar
and 8,000 in Vasant Vihar.
Now, around eight-and-a-
half years later, the pilot
project has covered 783
houses in two small pock-
ets—Navjeevan Vihar and
Geetanjali Enclave—in
Malviya Nagar and 2,156
houses in West End
Colony, Anand Niketan,
and Shanti Niketan of
Vasant Vihar, according
to data accessed by a news
agency.
An official told the news
agency that there isn’t
enough water available to
ensure 24x7 supply in the
entire project area.
◗ ADDRESSING A confer-
ence here on Saturday, the
Joint Federation for
Movement on Education
(JFME), which has repre-
sentatives from the
Federation of Central
Universities Teachers’
Associations (FEDCUTA)
and the All India Federation
of College and University
Teachers’ Organisations
(AIFUCTO), said that there
is not much to celebrate as
the NEP 2020 will lead to a
reduced role for teachers
and a job cut
dalit bahujan students,
were aspiring to be a part
of formal education,” the
teachers said, adding that
they would fight the new
education policy with all
the might at its com-
mand.
Like farm laws and
party, AAP, managed to
win only 49 while
Congress was victorious
in 31 wards in the elec-
tions.
The AAP, which defeated
the BJP hands down in
the Assembly polls in
2020, is leaving no stone
unturned to come to
power at the civic bodies.
Leaders of the ruling
party in Delhi are holding
frequent press confer-
ences to attack the BJP on
issues of alleged corrup-
tion and mismanagement
in the functioning of the
municipal corporations.
Mr Malhotra said that
while the BJP will focus on
highlighting the pro-peo-
ple schemes of the party’s
government at the Centre
and how the MCDs have
done a good job in the city,
exposing the failures of
the Arvind Kejriwal gov-
ernment will also be
raised during the outreach
meetings. — PTI
the Union rural develop-
ment ministry had visit-
ed several villages in
Odisha earlier this year
and found clinching evi-
dence of irregularities.
The team, in its report
submitted to the Centre
and Odisha chief secre-
tary, mentioned about the
complicity of state gov-
ernment officials in the
entire scam.
Later, in a letter to
Odisha chief secretary
Suresh Kumar
Mohapatra, the Union
rural development min-
istry asked him to file
police cases against the
errant officials and sub-
mit an action-taken
report to the Centre. The
ministry also asked the
chief secretary to widely
publicise in social media
the actions taken against
the errant officers.
Though the state gov-
ernment maintains that
it has submitted the
action-taken report to the
Centre, it is yet to make
any statement on the
floor of the House.
The Pipili by-polls
will be held on
September 30.
◗ ON AN average, each
household in Delhi gets
around four hours of water
supply per day. The DJB
supplies around 935 million
gallons of water per day
(MGD) against the demand
of 1,140 MGD.
“The infrastructure for
24x7 water supply is
ready in most of the
areas, but more water is
required for its imple-
mentation,” he said.
On an average, each
household in Delhi gets
around four hours of
water supply per day.
The DJB supplies
around 935 million gal-
lons of water per day
(MGD) against the
demand of 1,140 MGD.
“The utility has been
simultaneously working
changes in the labour
laws, NEP 2020 too was
passed without tabling or
discussion in the
Parliament. Later, the
same pattern was repli-
cated by the vice chancel-
lors for pushing NEP rec-
ommendations in their
respective universities
without a serious discus-
sion on its implications,
they alleged.
Representatives of the
FEDCUTA Secretariat,
including Prof. Xavier
Mao and Prof. Prasenjit
Biswas from NEHU, Prof.
Ram Sewak Dubey from
Allahabad University,
Prof. Milap C. Sharma
and Prof. Moushumi Basu
from JNU, Prof. Shikha
Kapur from Jamia Millia
Islamia, and Dr Rajib Ray,
Dr Rajinder Singh, and
Dr Abha Dev Habib from
DU, addressed the press
conference.
26-year-old stabbed to
death over petty issue
Victim allegedly asked accused not to talk loudly in e-rickshaw
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, SEPT. 4
A 26-year-old man was
stabbed to death allegedly
by two persons after he
asked them to not make
loud noises while they
were in an e-rickshaw,
police said on Saturday.
Both the accused per-
sons have been arrested,
they said.
The accused have been
identified as Lav Kumar
(21), a resident of Mohan
Garden, Sainik Enclave,
and Deepak (23), a resi-
dent of Faridkot in
Punjab, police said.
On Friday, a PCR call
was received at Ranhola
police station around
11.30 pm regarding mur-
der at main Gandhi
chowk, Mohan Garden,
police said.
Thereafter, police
reached the spot and
found a man was lying on
the ground in a pool of
blood. The injured was
immediately shifted to
the DDU hospital where
he was declared dead, a
senior police officer said.
The Deceased was iden-
tified as Dalip, a resident
of Roorkee in
Uttarakhand. He was
residing at Tilak enclave
part-1, Mohan Garden,
Uttam Nagar with his
India keen on strategic ties with West
despite US debacle in Afghanistan
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, SEPT. 4
With external affairs
minister (EAM) S.
Jaishankar engaging the
European Union (EU)
during his visit to Europe
and foreign secretary
Harsh Vardhan Shringla
holding bilateral talks in
Washington, India con-
tinues to strengthen
strategic ties with the
West despite the
American debacle in
Afghanistan.
MEA spokesperson
Arindam Bagchi tweeted
on Saturday: “Foreign
S e c r e t a r y
@harshvshringla had a
very useful exchange
on multiple water aug-
mentation projects which
will yield results over the
next few years,” another
official said.
The DJB plans to dis-
charge treated effluent of
high quality at Palla and
lift it at Wazirabad for
further treatment. This
project, the first-ever of
its kind in India, will give
an additional 95 MGD of
water by December 2024.
The national capital will
get another 50 MGD of
water from Himachal
Pradesh by December
2022.
By October next year,
the utility will start draw-
ing 25 MGD from the
reservoirs created in the
Yamuna floodplains to
retain excess water in the
monsoon season.
Around 200 MGD of
Delhi govt to celebrate
Teachers’ Day as
‘Abhar Diwas’: Sisodia
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, SEPT. 4
The Delhi government
will celebrate Teachers’
Day on Sunday as ‘Abhar
Diwas’ and award 122
teachers who discharged
their duties diligently
during the Covid pandem-
ic, Deputy Manish Sisodia
said on Saturday. Besides,
the new ‘Face of DoE’
(Directorate of
Education) awards will be
given to two teachers —
Raj Kumar and Suman
Arora.
Also, two special awards
will be given to Bharti
Kalra and Rani Bhardwaj
who during the pandemic
provided tablet devices to
the students and support-
ed them in various ways
so that they can continue
with their studies, the
deputy CM said.
He said that of the 1,108
applications received for
the Delhi government’s
teachers’ awards, 122 have
been finalised by a panel.
◗ POLICE MET one eyewit-
ness Gopal who said that
he works as a watchman at
Jayswal Vatika, Uttam
Nagar. Around 11 pm, he
was standing at Gandhi
Chowk where he saw that
one person with golden
hair was beating the vic-
tim, deputy commissioner
of police (outer) Parvinder
Singh said
maternal aunt and
worked as salesmen in a
mall in Dwarka, police
said.
Dalip received three
stab injuries on chest,
waist and thigh, police
said.
Police met one eyewit-
ness Gopal who said that
he works as a watchman
at Jayswal Vatika, Uttam
Nagar. Around 11 pm, he
was standing at Gandhi
Chowk where he saw that
one person with golden
hair was beating the vic-
tim, deputy commission-
er of police (outer)
Parvinder Singh said.
Meanwhile, the other
person standing there
took a knife and stabbed
him a few times. When
the injured fell down, the
assailants tried to escape,
however, Gopal tried to
stop them and managed
with Jon Finer, Principal
Deputy NSA @WHNSC
on further consolidating
the strategic partnership.
They reviewed regional
developments, including
the situation in
Afghanistan and Indo-
Pacific region.”
The Indian Embassy in
Washington also tweeted:
“Foreign Secretary
@harshvshringla met
(Under
Defense
Secretary
for
of
Policy)
@DOD_Policy Colin Kahl
and discussed ways to
advance strategic and
defense partnerships”.
Meanwhile EAM
Jaishankar addressed the
informal meeting of the
EU Foreign Affairs
groundwater will be
extracted from areas with
high water tables such as
Roata in Najafgarh in
Southwest Delhi.
According to estimates,
Delhi will have 1,305 MGD
of water available to meet
the demand of its resi-
dents by March 2025.
“The ongoing water aug-
mentation projects will
culminate in phases over
the next three years. The
infrastructure for 24x7
water supply will also be
ready by that time,” the
official explained.
“The projects have been
expedited under the
Arvind Kejriwal govern-
ment. Not much had been
done earlier on this
front,” he added.
Besides Malviya Nagar
and Vasant Vihar, the
DJB has been providing
pg 2
Delhi deputy CM Manish
Sisodia addresses the
media on Saturday. — PTI
Sisodia, who also holds
the education portfolio,
said earlier the number of
awards were 103 and this
year it has been
increased.
The eligibility criteria
have been relaxed to bring
guest teachers and private
tutors under considera-
tion for awards. The norm
of 15 years of teaching
experience to be consid-
ered for awards has been
relaxed to three years, he
said.
The recipients will be
presented with the
awards at a ceremony on
Teachers’ Day on Sunday.
to caught hold one of the
accused near the spot, the
DCP said.
A case was registered
under sections 302 (mur-
der) and 34 (common
intension) of the Indian
Penal Code at Ranhola
police station, they said.
The apprehended
accused identified as Lav
Kumar. He disclosed that
he and his friend Deepak
were coming back to
Mohan Garden from a
birthday party in
Dwarka, Singh said.
They boarded an e-rick-
shaw in which another
person was also sitting
who was regularly inter-
rupting them not to make
loud noises and using foul
language, police said.
An argument broke out
when all of them got
down at Gandhi chowk
and the accused stabbed
the victim. When the
accused realised that
Dalip has fallen down,
they tried to run away,
but one of them was
caught near the spot,
police said.
During investigation,
the CCTV footages of the
nearby areas were
checked and co-accused
Deepak was also nabbed.
The knife used in the
crime has been recov-
ered, they said.
Council earlier on Friday
which was attended by
EU foreign ministers, a
format known as the
Gymnich meeting during
which the situation in
Afghanistan, the scenario
in the Indo-Pacific region
apart from India-EU ties
were discussed. He had
been invited to attend the
meeting by the EU
Presidency Slovenia
which he visited.
“Addressed the
#Gymnich meeting of EU
Foreign Ministers in
Bled, Slovenia. Lively dis-
cussion on Indo-Pacific,
Afghanistan and India-
EU ties,” the EAM had
tweeted late on Friday
night.
24x7 water supply to two
colonies — Ranaji
Enclave and Vipin
Garden — in Nangloi
area. The trial in Nangloi
started in October last
year.
The 24x7 water supply
projects in the three areas
will cover 12 per cent of
the city’s population.
Another such project is
being implemented in the
command areas of
Wazirabad and
Chandrawal water treat-
ment plants. It will cover
11 per cent of the capital’s
population and will be
completed in 2024.
In Delhi, where lakhs of
people rely on illegal
borewells and private
tankers, 42 per cent of
water gets stolen or
leaked.
— PTI
 NATION
THE ASIAN AGE | SUNDAY | 5 SEPTEMBER 2021 | NEW DELHI
pg 3

SHORT TAKES Rawat set to table his report on

MP: 5 STRAY DOGS
KILLED WITH ACID,
CASE REGISTERED
AGE CORRESPONDENT
BHOPAL, SEPT. 4
Five stray dogs were killed
in an acid attack in Ujjain
city in Madhya Pradesh,
police said on Saturday.
According to the local city
superintendent of police
Vandana Chouhan, an
unidentified person poured
acid on the five street dogs
roaming in a local colony,
leaving them injured griev-
ously. The incident took
place on Friday. An NGO
working for animals carried
the five dogs to a veterinary
hospital for treatment.
Punjab crisis before Cong brass
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, SEPT. 4
As the infighting in the
Punjab unit of Congress
continues, general secre-
tary incharge of the party
Harish Tawat will be sub-
mitting a report to the
Congress high command
on the prevailing situation.
Mr Rawat has just returned
from the state after meeting
with all the stake holders.
In a candid admission, he
had claimed that all is not
Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana with Union law minister Kiren Rijiju during his well in the state and it
felicitation function in New Delhi on Saturday. The function was organised by the Bar would be incorrect to
Council of India. Speaking on the occasion, he said that lakhs of people in India assume that it can be busi-
remain bereft of quality legal advice due to high corporate prices. — PTI ness as usual for the party
Rawat Captain Sidhu
if it wants to win the
upcoming Assembly elec-
tions.
Insiders claim that the
report will contain factual
information about how cer-
tain leaders and MLAs are
publicly speaking against
the state government. Also,
it will include a status
report of the activities that
the Punjab government
had to carry out as per the
agreement that
reached by the stakehold-
was
ers.
The report may also rec-
ommend some strict action
against leaders who are not
adhering to the party line.
Several ministers in the
state had openly wanted
that the chief minister
should be replaced.
However, they were politely
snubbed by the general sec-
retary. Inspite of this, cer-
tain statements are being
made that have perturbed
several leaders.
The recent pre-poll sur-
veys in Punjab have also
become a cause of concern.
According to the survey, the
Congress in the upcoming
will be the number two
party while the Aam Aadmi
Party will be the number
one party in the upcoming
Assembly polls. The
Congress presently wants to
douse the fires amongst the
warring factions. But even
after several rounds of
meetings and parleys, a
peaceful resolution has not
been arrived at.
The trouble in the state
unit began about three
months back when Navjot
Singh Sidhu, the current
state unit chief, opened a
front against Amarinder.

TMC inducts third ■ Adhikari’s security aide was killed 3 yrs ago Assembly, Lok Sabha
However, all the five stray
dogs died. The NGO later
buried them. Police regis-

BJP MLA in 1 week, CID calls Suvendu for grilling bypolls in MP delayed
tered a case under section
428 (committing mischief for
killing) of Indian Penal Code,
and prevention of cruelty to

more exodus likely in his security staff’s murder due to rains & corona
animals act.

Oz ‘shows interest’ RAJIB CHOWDHURI October 13 morning in

in C’garh scheme
AGE CORRESPONDENT
RAIPUR, SEPT. 4
Australia has evinced interest
in a scheme launched by
Chhattisgarh government
which encourages women
self help groups to manufac-
ture vermi-compost from
cow dung. Australian
Consulate General Rowan
Ainsworth, who was currently
on a two-day tour to
Chhattisgarh, visited a
“Gothan” (cattle shelter
home) in Navagaon under
Abhanpur block in Raipur
district late on Friday
evening and watched keenly
the process of making ver-
min-compost from cow dung
by the local women self help
group, a press release issued
by Chhattisgarh government
said. She was very much
impressed with the income
generating scheme and said
that by using this manure,
the land of Australia can be
made more fertile, the press
release said. She gathered
information on income-ori-
ented activities carried out
by the women’s groups.
AGE CORRESPONDENT
KOLKATA, SEPT. 4
On a day the Election
Commission announced
assembly by-poll at
Bhowanipore and polls at
two other seats in West
Bengal, the ruling
Trinamul Congress
inducted fourth BJP
MLA, Soumen Roy, to its
fold.
Mr Roy, who was earlier
in the TMC and quit it
before the Assembly
Election, is a first-time
legislator from the BJP
from Kaliagunge in Malda
of North Bengal. He is
also the third BJP MLA to
have defected in a come-
back to the TMC in a
week.
With his switch, the total
number of BJP MLAs has
gone down to 71 in the
state.
Picking up the TMC flag
from party secretary gen-
eral Partha Chatterjee,
Mr Roy said, “I was with
the TMC since my student
life. Now I have made a
comeback. It was my fault
to quit the party before
the polls
though I got a
ticket from
the BJP and
won. I apolo-
gise to TMC
Soumen for spending
Roy the time
meanwhile
with the BJP. My mind
has always been with the
TMC. I want to work
under chief minister
Mamata Banerjee who
returned to power for the
third consecutive time
with a record 213 seats.”
He added, “BJP’s culture
does not suit our state. It
is playing the politics of
division which the people
of Bengal do not accept.”
On leader of the opposi-
tion Suvendu Adhikari’s
distance with BJP MLAs,
Mr Roy revealed, “I heard
that he does not attend
their calls. But I never
maintained touch with
him. There are many like
me who is going to make
something big soon.”
Mr Chatterjee said, “I
thank Mr Roy for making
the right decision at the
right time.”
KOLKATA, SEPT. 4
For the first time, West
Bengal leader of the
Opposition, Suvendu
Adhikari, has been sum-
moned by the criminal
investigation depart-
ment (CID) of the state
police for his questioning
in the murder of his
security personnel,
S h u b h a b r a t a
Chakraborty, almost
three years ago under
mysterious circum-
stances.
The Nandigram BJP
MLA has been directed to
appear at the CID head-
quarters in Bhawani
Bhavan of South Kolkata
at 11 am on September 6,
the day when chief min-
ister Mamata Banerjee’s
MP nephew, Abhishek
Banerjee, has also been
asked by the
Enforcement Directorate
to appear at its New
Delhi headquarters for
his questioning in the
coal smuggling scam.
A CID team earlier
inspected Mr Adhikari’s
residence at Shantikunja
2018 at the ward no 15 in a
police barrack in Contai
of the same district amid
suspicion of a suicide
attempt.
Chakraborty suc-
cumbed to his injuries at
a private hospital in
Kolkata a day later. On
July 7 this year his wife
Suvendu Adhikari Suparna however
accused Mr Adhikari of
in East Midnapore and masterminding his mur-
questioned his family der in a complaint at
members including his Contai police station
brother Dibyendu where an FIR under sec-
Adhikari who is an MP of tions 302 (murder) and
Haldia and other cops. 120B (criminal conspira-
Chakraborty, who cy) of the Indian Penal
worked at the state Code was later initiated.
police, was posted as per- She also claimed that
sonal security officer of Mr Adhikari’s aide
Mr Adhikari when he Rakhal Bera was
was in the Trinamul involved in the conspira-
Congress, represented cy. The case of Sub-
the same Assembly seat, Inspector Shubhabrata
Nandigram, and was also Chakraborty’s death was
a cabinet colleague of the handed over to the CID in
TMC supremo. July this year.
The deceased cop was As a part of the investi-
from Mahishadal in East gation, a four-member
Midnapore which is also CID team had raided
the home turf of Mr Suvendhu Adhikari’s
Adhikari. He apparently residence in Purba
shot himself from his Medinipur in July this
service revolver on year.
RABINDRA NATH
CHOUDHURY
BHOPAL, SEPT. 4
By-elections to three
assembly and one Lok
Sabha constituencies in
Madhya Pradesh have been
deferred following requests
by the state government,
official sources said here
on Saturday.
The state government has
informed the election com-
mission that it was not in a
position to hold by-elec-
tions to three vacant assem-
bly seats and one vacant LS
seat in the state due to the
emergency situation
caused by rains and coron-
avirus pandemic in the
state.
The election commission
which on Saturday
declared to hold by-elec-
tions to two assembly seats
in West Bengal and one
assembly constituency in
Odisha on September 30
has deferred by-elections to
three vacant assembly
seats and one vacant LS
seat in Madhya Pradesh.
The assembly constituen-
cies in Madhya Pradesh,
Raigaon, Prithvipur and
Jabbat, have fallen vacant
following the death of sit-
ting MLAs Jugal Kishore
Bagdi (BJP), Brijesh Singh
Rathore (Congress) and
Kalavati Bhuria (Congress)
from these constituencies
respectively.
Similarly, the Khandwa
Lok Sabha seat fell vacant
following the death of sit-
ting BJP MP Nand Kumar
Singh Chouhan.
The Election Commission
had held a meeting with
State officials on
Wednesday. The Chief
Secretaries of Andhra
Pradesh, Assam, Bihar,
Haryana, Himachal
Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,
Meghalaya, Rajasthan,
Telangana, Uttarakhand,
Uttar Pradesh and the
adviser of the Union
Territory of Dadra and
Nagar Haveli and Daman &
Diu informed it of the flood-
related constraints, festi-
vals and the Covid-19 situa-
tion, the statement said.
“They suggested that it
would be advisable to have
by-elections after the festi-
val season ends,” it added.
 NATION
THE ASIAN AGE | SUNDAY | 5 SEPTEMBER 2021 | NEW DELHI
SHORT TAKES
Karnataka decides to
ban online gambling
Bengaluru: The Karnataka
Cabinet on Saturday decided
to impose a ban on online
gambling or betting. However,
lottery and horse racing have
not been prohibited. "We are
amending the Karnataka Police
Act, with an intention to put an
end to online gambling, on the
basis of the high court direc-
tions. The cabinet has
approved the amendments, it
will be placed before the
Assembly," law and parliamen-
tary affairs minister J.C.
Madhuswamy said. He said
that the government has
decided to ban online gam-
bling. "The draft Bill defines
online games as, games
involving all forms of wager-
ing or betting including in the
form of tokens valued in terms
of the money paid before or
after the issue of it or elec-
tronic means and virtual cur-
rency, also electronic transfer
of currency in connection with
any game of chance," the min-
ister said. — PTI
29,682 new Covid-19
cases found in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala
continued to report a high
number of Covid-19 infec-
tions, with 29,682 cases and
142 deaths on Saturday, while
the Total Positivity Rate saw a
slight dip. The numbers took
the total affected in the state
to 41,81,137 and the fatality
count to 21,422. The TPR
stood at 17.54 per cent, as
compared to 17.91 on Friday.
The state has been consis-
tently posting high numbers
over the past few days,
accounting for a bulk of the
infections reported nation-
wide. Among the districts,
Thrissur reported the highest
number of cases — 3,474, fol-
lowed by Ernakulam with
3,456 and Malappuram with
3,166. Meanwhile, 25,910 peo-
ple recuperated from the dis-
ease on Saturday, taking the
total cured in the state to
39,09,096. Chief minister
Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters
that 1,69,237 samples were
tested in 24 hours. — PTI
MVA is Shiv Sena’s
government: Raut
Pune: Though the ruling
Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in
Maharashtra is a coalition, it
is primarily the Shiv Sena's
government, party MP
Sanjay Raut said here on
Saturday. The government is
made up of three parties
including the NCP and
Congress, but it "belongs to
the party who has the chief
minister's post," he said,
addressing Sena workers.
"This is our government
because this is Uddhav
Thackeray government.
Everybody is ours, but Shiv
Sena is above all. Every
party needs Shiv Sena," Raut
added. Sena president
Uddhav Thackeray was one
of the "top five chief minis-
ters in the country" and not
a single BJP chief minister
figures in this list, he
claimed. — PTI
UNION MINISTER
ATHAWALE BATS FOR
ONE-CHILD NORM
Ahmedabad: Union social
justice minister Ramdas
Athawale on Saturday said
his party supports one-child
policy as the population
growth in the country needs
to be controlled for ensuring
development. Asked about a
recent remark of Gujarat
deputy Chief Minister Nitin
Patel that people
would be able to talk
about Constitution
and secularism only
so long as Hindus are
in majority, he said
there was no possi-
bility of Hindu popu-
lation dwindling. "I do not
think there is any question of
Hindu population declining.
Hindus remain Hindu and
Muslims remain Muslim.
Hardly one or two Hindus or
Muslims convert. The
Constitution gives people
the right to do what they
like, but nobody can force
any person to covert," Mr
Athawale said, speaking to
reporters here. There would
not be much change in the
proportion of Hindus and
Muslims in the population,
he said, adding that "it is
not the case that the popu-
lation of Muslims has risen
sharply in all these years".
"There is a need to control
the population for the
development of the country,
irrespective of whether it is
the population of Hindus or
Muslims," said the Union
minister, who heads the
Republican Party of India
(Athawale group), a con-
stituent of the National
Democratic Alliance. — PTI
BJP slams Javed Accused in Dabholkar’s murder
for comparing should be tried under UAPA: CBI
RSS with Taliban ‘Killers tried to incite terror in the mind of the society by killing Dabholakar’
SONU SHRIVASTAVA
MUMBAI, SEPT. 4
The Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) on Saturday
slammed lyricist and film
writer Javed Akhtar for
comparing the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh
with the Taliban. The
BJP sought an apology
from Mr Akhtar and
asked him to withdraw
his statement. The party
also threatened to not
allow Mr Akhtar and his
family members’ movies
till he apologised.
In an interview on
Friday, Mr Akhtar had
said that the Taliban are
barbaric, their actions
are reprehensible, but
those supporting the RSS,
VHP and Bajrang Dal are
all the same. He had also
said that India is a secu-
lar nation, its population
is largely secular, but that
there are those who sup-
port organisations like
the RSS and VHP and peo-
ple like Golwalkar, etc,
have the same ideology
that of the Nazis.
The film writer’s state-
ment did not go down well
Artisan gives final shape to Ganeshas
An artisan gives finishing touches to idols of Lord Ganesh ahead of the ‘Ganesh
Chaturthi’ festival at Kumartuli, northern Kolkata, on Saturday.
■ Indian humanitarian assistance includes oxygen concentrators
India sends Covid relief to Lanka, East Asia
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, SEPT. 4
India is sending Covid-
related assistance includ-
ing Oxygen supplies to
both its neighbourhood in
South Asia and South-
east Asia, underlining
New Delhi’s role as a first-
responder providing
humanitarian relief in
the region. With India
having borne the brunt of
the Covid second wave
this summer, New Delhi is
now sending relief mate-
rial including Oxygen
supplies to the neighbour-
hood including Sri Lanka,
Nepal and Bangladesh
Assam: BPF exits
Cong alliance,
looks to BJP
■ Continued from Page 1
Assam,” he said.
For close to 20 years,
Bodoland People’s Front
(BPF) had been the
biggest political outfit in
Bodoland Territorial
Council Area of western
Assam. In December
2020, the United People’s
Party Liberal (UPPL)
with the help of BJP
managed to wrest con-
trol of Bodoland
Territorial Council
(BTC), which was under
BPF control for 17 years.
The BPF also received
a major political setback
in Assembly polls this
year with UPPL-led by
Pramod Boro winning
six of the 12 seats in the
BTC area. The BPF,
which had won all the 12
seats in the past three
elections, had to be con-
tent with just four while
the BJP made its pres-
ence felt by winning two
seats.
The BPF was also part
of the BJP-led coalition
in the state and had
three ministers in the
previous BJP-led
alliance government in
the state. The party part-
ed ways with BJP in the
BTC polls in December
and in the Assembly
elections it joined the
Congress-led alliance.
The BJP joined hands
with UPPL.
with the
M u m b a i
BJP’s youth
wing as close
to 100 youth
wing work-
ers have
Javed landed out-
Akhtar side former’s
home to
protest against his state-
ment.
Tajindersingh Tiwana,
Mumbai president of
BJP’s youth wing, said,
“Our party workers
protested against Mr
Akhtar’s statement that
was deplorable and igno-
rant. The police have
detained 11 party workers
for the protests and later
all of them were
released.”
During the protests, the
party workers also raised
a slogan against the film
writer and asked him to
withdraw his statement
and apologise to the RSS.
The protest was led by
North West Zilla presi-
dent of BJP youth wing,
Sachin Bhilare.
According to Mr Bhilare,
Mr Akhtar has lost his
mental balance.
(South Asia) and
Indonesia, Thailand and
Vietnam (south-east
Asia).
New Delhi had initially
supplied Covid vaccines
to much of the neighbour-
hood and beyond from
January to April this year
but that dried up when
the brunt of the second
wave of the Pandemic hit
India this April and May.
India then immediately
began focusing only on
vaccinating its 1.3 billion
population but New Delhi
is now providing relief
material including
Oxygen to the neighbour-
hood in much the same
Students of Saraswati Vidya Mandir felicitate teachers on the eve of Teacher’s Day
celebrations in Bhopal on Saturday. — PTI
BJP plans...
■ Continued from Page 1
also be put up and party
leaders will distribute
food grains under PM
Garib Kalyan Ann
scheme. In a letter, party
members have been told
to hold special exhibitions
dedicated to the life of the
Prime Minister. Virtual
events can be attended on
the NaMo App.
In UP, where Assembly
elections are scheduled
early next year, BJP
workers will hold a cam-
paign to clean river
Ganga at 71 sites. The
party will also hold spe-
cial programmes for
orphans as part of the
campaign.
BHAGWAN PARAB
MUMBAI, SEPT. 4
The Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) has
demanded that the five
accused in the 2013 mur-
der case of rationalist Dr
Narendra Dabholkar
should be tried under the
Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act (UAPA)
Narendra Dabholkar
for creating “terror among
a section of people.”
The arguments over CBI lawyer Prakash
framing of charges Suryawanshi argued that
against the five accused the accused have commit-
arrested in connection ted an act of terrorism and
with Dr Dabholkar’s mur- sought an order for fram-
der started before a special ing of charges against
court in Pune. All the them under relevant sec-
accused are allegedly tions of the Indian Penal
linked to the radical outfit Code (IPC), Arms Act and
Sanatan Sanstha. They the Unlawful Activities
include ENT surgeon Dr Prevention Act (UAPA).
Virendrasinh Tawde, the Mr Suryavanshi cited the
two alleged assailants investigation and submit-
Sachin Andure
Sharad Kalaskar, Mumbai-
and ted before special UAPA
judge S.R. Navander that
based lawyer Sanjeev
Punalekar and his aide
Mr Dabholkar’s murder
was part of a larger con-
Vikram Bhave. Of these, spiracy to create terror in
Tawade, Andure and the society and, hence, it
Kalaskar are currently in must be seen as an act of
jail while Punalekar and terrorism.
Bhave are out on bail. “The definition of sec-
During the proceedings, tion 15 of the UAPA is to
Row over separate namaz
room in in J’khand House
NAYEAR AZAD
PATNA, SEPT. 4
The allotment of a sepa-
rate room for namaz
(prayer)
Jharkhand
inside
Assembly
premises has triggered a
political row in the state.
In an order issued on
September 2nd by the
Jharkhand Assembly sec-
retariat it is stated that
“room number TW 348
has been allotted to offer
Namaz”.
The Opposition, BJP,
however, feels that the
Assembly secretariat has
acted on the state govern-
ment’s direction in allo-
cating a separate space
inside the Assembly
premises for the purpose.
— PTI
◗ NEW DELHI HAD initial- Oxygen from #Vizag and
ly supplied Covid vac- #Chennai reached the
shores of #colombo.
cines to much of the @MFA_SriLanka”. Onn
neighbourhood and August 25, it had tweeted,
beyond from January to “And the supply contin-
April this year but that ues!!! With the arrival of
dried up when the brunt 100 tons of Oxygen from
of the second wave of the #Haldia today, a total of
Pandemic hit India this 280 tons came from #India
April and May to #SriLanka within one
week. More expected in
way in which foreign the days and weeks ahead.
nations had provided @MFA_SriLanka”.
Oxygen supplies to India External affairs minis-
this Summer. ter (EAM) Jaishankar on
The Indian embassy in Saturday tweeted, “INS
Colombo tweeted on (Naval ship) Airavat deliv-
Saturday, “Lifeline from ers oxygen concentrators
#India to #SriLanka!! in Thailand. Standing
Close to 150 tons of with a maritime neigh-
Assam courts to open
physically from Sept. 6
Guwahati, Sept. 4: The Duara. The advocates
Gauhati high ccourt and who have taken both
subordinate courts will doses of the COVID-19
physically open from vaccine shall be allowed
September six and advo- entry inside the premises
cates with both doses of of the high court and they
Covid-19 vaccines will be have been asked to sub-
issued cards for entering mit supporting certifi-
the premises, the authori- cates through e-mail for
ties concerned getting the entry cards.
announced on Saturday. The advocates who have
Cases shall, however, be taken the first Covid-19
continued to be heard in vaccine dose on or after
hybrid mode at the high May 15, 2021, shall be
court's principal seat in allowed to enter the prem-
Guwahati, according to ises on production of vac-
an order issued by its cination certificate.
Registrar General Raktim — PTI
◗ LAWYER SURYAVANSHI
cited the investigation
and submitted before
special UAPA judge
S.R. Navander that Mr
Dabholkar’s murder
was part of a larger con-
spiracy to create terror
in the society and, hence,
it must be seen as an act
of terrorism
strike terror in the mind of
the society or section of
people in the society.
Firearms were used to
murder Dr Dabholkar to
strike terror among a sec-
tion of people, here the
members of the
M a h a r a s h t r a
A n d h a s h r a d d h a
Nirmulan Samiti (founded
by Dabholkar), so section
16 of UAPA is attracted in
the case,” he said.
However, defence lawyer
Virendra Ichalkaranjikar
opposed the prosecution’s
plea by pointing out the
various alleged contradic-
tions in the Dabholkar
murder investigation. He
argued that the CBI hold-
ing two sets of shooters
A large section in the
Opposition also believes
that the Jharkhand gov-
ernment is trying to
divert public attention
from important issues by
such decisions.
Reacting strongly to the
decision, BJP demanded
similar arrangements for
other MLAs to perform
prayers according to
their religion.
“When they can offer
namaz in a separate
room, then why can’t we
recite Hanuman Chalisa?
We urge the Assembly
speaker to allot at least
five rooms or a hall for
Hindus also to pray
inside the premises,” BJP
MLA Biranchi Narayan
told reporters.
bour & BIMSTEC part-
ner.” Oxygen supplies had
also been delivered earlier
to Indonesia and Vietnam.
New Delhi had earlier
tweeted, “INS Airavat
reaches Vietnam with
Oxygen supplies. Indo-
Pacific approach in prac-
tice. ... INS Airavat arrives
in Indonesia with Oxygen
tanks. Act East in action
once again. Applaud the
actions of Indian Navy.”
Apart from Sri Lanka in
the immediate neighbour-
hood, Nepal and
Bangladesh were also
among those who
received Oxygen supplies
from India.
Mamata to contest
crucial by-poll
on September 30
■ Continued from Page 1
of the poll dates, Ms
Banerjee cancelled her
North Bengal tour which
was supposed to start from
Sunday. According to the
EC, Mr Dwiwedi, who
informed it that the Covid-
19 situation was fully
under control, no impact of
the flood situation on the
poll-bound Assembly con-
stituencies and the state
being fully geared to hold
the election, “also cited
that under Article 164(4) of
the Constitution of India, a
minister who is not a mem-
ber of the legislature of the
state for a period of six con-
secutive months shall at
the expiration of that peri-
od cease to be a minister
and there will be a consti-
tutional crisis and vacuum
in the top executive posts
in the government unless
elections are held immedi-
ately.”
It added, “He also
informed that in view of
administrative exigencies
and public interest and to
avoid vacuum in the state,
bye-elections for
Bhabanipur, Kolkata, from
where Ms Mamata
Banerjee, chief minister,
intends to contest elections
responsible for the murder
and coming out with con-
flicting theories had no
evidentiary value under
the Evidence Act.
After hearing from the
CBI as well as defence
lawyer, Mr Navander post-
ed the matter for an order
on September 7. Once the
order is passed, the long-
awaited trial in Dabholkar
murder case will com-
mence.
Mr Dabholkar was shot
dead by two men while he
was on a morning walk
on the V.R. Shinde bridge
near Omkareshwar temple
in Pune, on August 20,
2013.
Triggered by his murder,
the pending Anti-
Superstition and Black
Magic Ordinance was
promulgated in the state of
Maharashtra, four days
later. In 2014, he was
posthumously awarded
the Padma Shri for social
work.
He also criticised extrav-
agant marriage cere-
monies and arranged for
his own children to be
married in simple cere-
monies.
India logs 42,618
new Covid cases
& 330 causalties
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, SEPT. 4
India’s Covid-19 infection
tally rose by 42,618 in a day to
reach 3,29,45,907 while the
number of active cases
touched 4,05,681 following an
increase for the fourth con-
secutive day, according to the
Union health ministry data
updated on Saturday.
The death toll climbed to
4,40,225 with 330 more people
succumbing to the viral dis-
ease, showed the data updat-
ed at 8 am.
In a span of 24 hours, the
active caseload rose by 5,903.
The number of active cases
now comprise 1.23 per cent of
the total infections, while the
national Covid-19 recovery
rate was recorded at 97.43 per
cent, the ministry said.
The daily positivity rate
was recorded 2.50 per cent
and the weekly positivity
rate was 2.63 per cent. It has
been below three per cent for
the last 71 days.
India's Covid-19 tally had
crossed the 20-lakh mark on
August 7 last year, 30 lakh on
August 23, 40 lakh on
September 5 and 50 lakh on
September 16. It went past 60
lakh on September 28, 70
lakh on October 11, crossed
80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh
on November 20 and sur-
passed the one-crore mark
on December 19.
India crossed the grim
milestone of two crore on
May 4 this year and three
crore on June 23.
may be conducted... consid-
ering the constitutional
exigency and special
request from the state of
West Bengal, it has decided
to hold bye-elections in 159-
Bhabanipur AC.”
TMC secretary general
Partha Chatterjee said,
“The EC, to the best of its
wisdom, decided to hold
the Assembly by-polls at
Bhowanipore and polls at
two other seats. Our party
supremo will win at
Bhowanipore with a record
margin. Other Assembly
constituencies will also be
taken up by the EC.”
In Murshidabad, leader
of the Opposition Suvendu
Adhikari, who defeated Ms
Banerjee at Nandigram but
opposed early Assembly
by-polls, claimed, “The
announcement of dates
shows the EC does not
work on the BJP’s instruc-
tions... But why has only a
by-poll been declared apart
from polls at
Shamshergunj and
Jangipur? What about the
other vacant seats? The
state chief secretary’s
argument of ‘a constitu-
tional crisis’ proves that no
other TMC MLA is fit to be
the CM.”
pg 4
Mumbai first
in India to
administer
1 crore jabs
BHAGWAN PARAB
MUMBAI, SEPT. 4
Despite the
Maharashtra govern-
ment’s claim that the
Centre has not provided
the state with adequate
Covid vaccines, Mumbai
on Saturday became the
first district in the coun-
try to reach the mile-
stone of administering
over one crore vaccine
doses.
Nearly 28 lakh
Mumbaikars have been
fully vaccinated.
The Brihanmumbai
Municipal Corporation
(BMC), in a tweet,
informed citizens about
the milestone on
Saturday.
“Mumbai becomes the
first district in entire
India to administer 1
crore+ doses of Covid-19
vaccines! Get vaccinated
to bring covid down to
ZERO!” said the tweet.
According to data on
the CoWIN portal,
Mumbai has inoculated
1,00,63,497 beneficiaries.
Out of these, 72,75,134
have received the first
dose, while 27,88,363
have got both doses.
◗ IN A SPAN of 24 hours,
the active caseload rose by
5,903. The number of active
cases now comprise 1.23
per cent of the total infec-
tions, while the national
Covid-19 recovery rate was
recorded at 97.43 per cent
68 crore Indians
vaccinated so far,
says Union govt
New Delhi: The cumulative
number of Covid-19 vaccine
doses administered in the
country has crossed 68 crore
with more than 62.25 lakh
jabs administered Saturday,
the health ministry said.
The daily tally is expected
to increase further as the 7
pm provisional report gets
updated with the compila-
tion of the final numbers for
the day by late night, the
ministry said.
Cumulatively, 26,99,02,315
first doses have been admin-
istered to individuals in the
18-44 age group across states
and union territories and
3,35,98,191 second doses in
the same age group since the
start of phase-3 of the vacci-
nation drive on May 1,
according to the data.
The ministry further said
that cumulatively
52,38,12,268 first doses have
been administered while
15,99,16,790 second doses
have been given. — PTI
Armed forces
may add
Gita and
Arthashastra
to training
■ Continued from Page
1
Parsi chief in Field
Marshal Sam
Manekshaw, a Sikh
army commander in
J.S. Aurora, a Hindu
general who captured
Dhaka in Sagat Singh, a
Jewish general who
steered the famous sur-
render of Pakistan in
J.F.R. Jacob.
Arthashastra is fine,
but a religious text like
Gita leaves me a little
unconcerted,” said a
retired colonel, who
also served in impart-
ing training to young
officers.
Lt. Gen. Bhatt dis-
missed the fears, say-
ing, “The secularism
and humanity of the
Indian Army, both
before Independence
and after, is one of cul-
ture, mutual respect,
ability to comprehend
diversity in thought
and faith. We are strong
because we respect
everyone and we are
proud of it. This is
Eastern thinking and
philosophy we are
bringing in to further
strengthen our forces.”
 EDIT
THE ASIAN AGE | SUNDAY | 5 SEPTEMBER 2021 | NEW DELHI
pg 5

Subhani LETTERS
IDOL-MAKERS’ DISTRESS
It is not unknown that
5 SEPTEMBER 2021 business and people’s
livelihoods have been
hit badly due to the
pandemic. Ganesh idol-
Shreya Sen-Handley makers in Mumbai are
reeling under the effect.
Off the beaten track Business is down for
the second consecutive
year and families who
have been in the busi-

Square up in Kabul, ness for over 50 years

are struggling to afford
a single square meal.

look forward in rage

Ganesh Chaturthi starts
on the fourth day of the
Hindu lunisolar calendar

T
his last month has been about anger. With the religious-funda- month Bhadrapada. It
mentalist, super-regressive and monstrously-misogynistic Taliban will be held on
snatching power in Afghanistan, they are poised to return to per-
secuting minorities and women. We watched with trepidation as a
September 10 this year.
few courageous Afghan women took to the streets within hours of the The state government
Taliban’s conquest, knowing, as we do, that their voices raised in right- has restricted the
eous anger will be quickly and violently suppressed. height of the idols in
We also watched Jane Eyre on BBC, as an introduction to the text for our
secondary school children. More than the love story or gothic horror tale
it’s made out to be, it’s an account of the anger of women, and how often
it’s silenced. Little orphan Jane is despised and neglected, her resultant
anger used against her as proof of her non-conformance, leading to her
banishment. Her predecessor in the Rochester home, Bertha’s anger at her
Shun J&K peace bait, public celebrations to
four feet. I urge all to
come forward and
donate groceries to
fate also condemns her to a shadowy life in captivity.
The anger of women is often equated with irresponsibility, instability or
madness. “That time of the month” is thrown in our faces when we’re
angered by malpractices. Victorian women expressing their unhappiness
at the many injustices against them were imprisoned in mental asylums,
disinherited, tortured, and left to die. Even now, if we don’t want to be
don’t talk to Taliban Ultimately, the ments — as some TV
idol-makers and their
families. We want to
ensure that no one
goes hungry.
Bhagwan Thadani
branded irascible or irrational, we’re advised to swallow our anger. Smile channels are doing — Mumbai
and placate. Taliban, by its very has the sole intention to
If the anger of women isn’t welcome, nor is that of any marginalised Pavan K. Varma nature, will actively accentuate the commu-
group anywhere. Minorities are compelled to accept indignities smilingly.
The Simpsons’ Apu, the stereotypical waggle-headed Indian in the West,
encourage jihadi
groups to use
nal divide. Such attempts
have to stop and be called LOVE FOR OFFICE
humiliating himself to ‘curry’ favour, proved himself more than a cartoon Islamic terrorism out. COMPARE AND CONTRAST! In
when he was temporarily retired after anger at his misrepresentation.
Lower castes, other creeds and women in India know well the backlash
Chanakya’s View beyond its
Fourthly, please don’t
neglect our security
Japan, one Prime Minister volun-
tarily quit over health issues. His
that follows ‘transgressions’ into privileged spheres. The anger of Blacks territories. India will needs, especially in successor reportedly intends to
in Apartheid-riven South Africa, or in the US before Civil Rights gains, be a target. We Jammu & Kashmir. We step down due to his supposed

A
was brutally stamped out. The global oppressed, standing up to their tor- s the events in ing or revaluation, some shouldn’t be need to reinforce our inability to control the spread of
mentors to ask for redress, is met with disproportionate, even violent pun- Afghanistan reassessment of its basic unsure about this. security and intelligence the coronavirus pandemic in the
ishment. Even now. roll out, and a tenets. Its core ideology apparatus, because soon- Land of the Rising Sun. But what
Yet history and culture celebrate plethora of remains the same. er rather than later the we find in India? The Prime
‘angry young men’; their lashing out experts em- However, the Taliban is Everything that the Tali- fallout of the Taliban will Minister’s chair in some cases is
magnanimously viewed as virility and erge from the woodwork aware that the entire ban stands for is anti- be increased terrorism allowed to last for the lifetime of
masculine prowess. The Hindi film with opinions on what to world is watching it, and thetical to what our on our borders. The gov- the incumbent. Each and every
industry is almost entirely built on do and not to do, there evaluating how it Republic stands for. ernment must act to fur- politician, irrespective of his
this premise, as are many of are four don’ts that I behaves. Thus, it will Ultimately, the Taliban, ther its dialogue process stature, nurtures a strong undying
Hollywood ‘s offerings. They encour- believe we need to follow. make some noises to pro- by its very nature, will in Kashmir, restore desire to grab the highest political
age domestic violence and recently, Firstly, please don’t ject a more civilised form actively encourage jiha- statehood to J&K, and office in the largest democracy of
mass shootings targeting women by romanticise the Taliban. of government, but this di groups to use Islamic conduct peaceful democ- the world; come what may.
disgruntled men called ‘incels’. The attempt by some to is cosmetic and merely a terrorism beyond its ter- ratic elections there. A Arun Malankar
Despite that, the anger of men believe that the Taliban tactical ruse to buy time ritories. India will be a disturbed Kashmir Mumbai
remains more acceptable than that of are freedom fighters is and confuse outside target. We should not be would provide a fertile
The demand of women of
women, especially women of colour.
Jane Eyre’s Bertha was thought to be colour to be fairly treated
arrant rubbish. A con-
glomerate of primitive
observers.
Secondly, please don’t
unsure or ambivalent
about this. Thus, for us
ground for terrorism
emanating from the SPIRIT TRIUMPHS
mixed-race. The stereotype of the loud, is not just punished by tribes and clans with a do anything to legitimise to overlook what the Pakistan-Afghanistan KUDOS TO SHOOTER Avani
angry, unreasonable woman of colour the Western world but by medieval mindset and the Taliban. There is a Taliban regime stands axis. We must put our Lekhara (Rajasthan) for winning
is a powerful part of everyday racism their own kind, which is driven by a fanatical ide- vocal school of foreign for, or to attempt to co- house in order, and the gold medal in 10m air rifle
in the west, to which Serena Williams ology have come to policy experts in India opt it, or to moderate it, strengthen our security standing SH-1 and bronze medal in
what Afghan women are or even to deflect it from interaction — and per-
and millions of others can attest. Yet, power to implement who want us to engage 50m rifle-3P SH-1. Congrats to
the demand of women of colour to be facing today their worldview. It is with the Taliban. These its avowed goals, is an suasion — with all those shooter Manish Narwal. Winning
fairly treated is not just punished by true that they have done are the incorrigible exercise in futility. Our countries which, like us, multiple medals, Singhraj Adhana
the Western world but by their own kind, which is what Afghan women this by defeating two activists in the area of approach must be to have a vested interest in has illumined the name of a
are facing today. world powers — the USA diplomacy, forever inse- remain aloof, make no clamping down on nation. Likewise, hats off to
The irony of my dark-skinned, middle-aged female existence is that and Russia — but their cure that India is being suo motu initiative to Islamic terrorism. Praveen Kumar who won silver in
though I’m constantly told to make myself scarce, I cannot help but express victory was not so much marginalised from diplo- engage with it, except for Clarity in foreign poli- men's high jump T-64 and
my generally justified rage. Because I’m yet another kind of minority, one as to win freedom or to matic forums, looking the immediate purpose cy is an elusive commod- Harvinder of Kaithal (Haryana)
without a filter: atypical or neurodivergent. Hypocrisy is nearly impossi- rid their country of out- perpetually for a “role” of safely evacuating our ity. Very often, countries who won bronze in men's individ-
ble. But the punishment for this stepping out of line onto pompous main- side invaders as to for India in the yet citizens, and only res- take an ad hoc approach, ual recurve archery. This spectac-
stream toes is invariably disproportionate. Ostracisation, loss of work and impose an atavistic ide- unfolding and unpre- pond if the Taliban itself reacting from one event ular performance of Indian para-
reputation are the usual recompense for those like me who are unable to ology on the people of dictable conundrum of seeks to reach out to us, to another, without an athletes is a triumph of the human
muzzle themselves. So I found myself a literal forest to hide away in Afghanistan. Afghanistan. Such and that too after very overall strategy to deal spirit and another sign that the
instead, but if you can still hear me, then I haven’t given up yet. There is also the view activists are highly careful consideration. with emergent situa- day is not far when Indian sports
Calamitous recent events like the coronavirus pandemic has made crys- of some observers that enthused if a meeting Thirdly, please don’t tions. Countries like will come of age.
tal-clear the world must change, and that this has to include the sharing of the Taliban this time with some Afghan func- stereotype all Muslims in China, Russia, Iran, and Yugal Kishore Sharma
resources with those who have always been denied their due. Even to around would be differ- tionary takes place; they the image of the Taliban. the US, which have their Faridabad
anger. But we all know the marginalised won’t be invited to take their ent. It would be less are euphoric if anyone in It is important to stress own compulsions to deal
rightful place at the table with the privileged anytime soon. So it’s rage we
must rehabilitate. To lift the lid off the centuries-old repressed fury of the
extremist, less violative
of human rights, less
the still emerging
Afghan leadership reas-
this because there is an
insidious attempt by
with the Taliban, can do
so, and face up to the GOOD OLD SUNDAY
oppressed, we must destigmatise anger first. opposed to freedom of sures India that some sections of our poli- inevitable risks of such SUNDAYS USED to carry a differ-
Minorities are muzzled partly because assertive differences of opinion expression, less antithet- Afghanistan will not ty to misuse the Taliban an interaction. We have ent feeling altogether. We were
are seen as destabilising to majority beliefs and lifestyle. But this routine ical to democracy, less meddle in India’s affairs to tarnish all Muslims. A none, accept to safeguard allowed to be outdoors playing for
suppression also comes from the fact that anger’s not valued, except in violent, less repressive to through the export of ter- great deal of fearmonger- our own interests. Those as long as we wanted to. We would
‘macho’ men. Would we cast it in such a negative light, be so keen to snuff women, and less influ- rorism; they are eager ing is deliberately afoot, interests are both exter- invent new games. We would be
it out, if we could see its power for good? enced by the mindless for some “engagement” and the purpose is to con- nal and domestic. Let us sitting in our classes on Saturday
Behind every successful pacific political movement, there’s controlled, implementation of the somehow. vey to Hindus that deal with them with as just when the thought of an excit-
empowering anger. Justified anger against wrongdoing once expressed, worst interpretation of The danger is that in Islamic terror is at our much strategic clear- ing Sunday ahead passed through
listened to and addressed, dissipates, allowing intelligent, effective action the Sharia. The fact is the pursuit of this doorstep with the headedness as possible. our minds. After 2010, we entered a
to be taken. Astutely channelled anger that renounces vendettas or vio- that there is no Taliban “engagement” India will Muslims of India com- different world altogether, leaving
lence, can make the right dent in the right place, without collateral dam- 2.0. The Taliban can dis- do precisely what the plicit. This is pernicious The writer, an author behind actual joys and falling into
age, but with the almighty wallop the world needs to wake up and sort guise its colours, it can- Taliban wants to obtain and mischievous. The and a former diplomat, a quicksand created by technology.
itself. not change them. It may from us: legitimacy. majority of all Indians — is in politics Now we are neck-deep in this
As much a novice at clear-sighted anger management as the next person, appear to change its including Hindus and quicksand, counting our days till
probably more, all I know is we must stop making a virtue of hypocrisy stripes to win some Muslims — are repulsed we are totally gulped by it. Yet we
and pretentious, pointless etiquette. Even more of browbeaten silence! If international legitimacy The danger is that by what the Taliban There is an have an antidote to this disease
we’re ever to bring balance back to the world, making room in the circle of but essentially it will stands for. They are fully and that’s a Sunday. Let’s all try to
plenty for the marginalised, we have to facilitate the articulation of dis- remain the same
in the pursuit of aware that it is not rep- insidious attempt wake up early at least every
tress, taking care never again to self-stifle either. “To thine own self be Taliban that subjugates this ‘engagement’ resentative of main- by some sections of Sunday and ditch our gadgets for
true”, remember? women, rides rough India will do stream Islam, and that our polity to misuse the day. We can read a book, cook
So, do look back and forward in anger, whatever pop culture might say. shod over democratic precisely what the its fanaticism needs to be the Taliban to something, plant a sapling, mop
Shrug off the socially imposed Madam Butterfly effect, flaming terrifying- rights, and is motivated Taliban wants to robustly opposed. A few tarnish all Muslims. the house or play a round of chess.
ly into Maa Kali instead. Square up to a discriminating world, speak up, by a fanatical version of obtain from us: Muslims may have spo- Noopur Baruah
Islam. The reason for ken up in praise for the
A great deal of
and repeat. Tezpur, Assam
this is that there is no legitimacy. What Taliban’s achievement of fearmongering is
Shreya Sen-Handley is the author of the recently published Strange: evidence of any rethink they stand for is ousting the Americans, deliberately afoot. Every Monday the best letter of
Stories, the award-winning Memoirs of My Body, and a forthcoming book within the Taliban, antithetical to what but to disproportionately This is pernicious the week wins `500. Email:
of travel misadventures. Her Twitter and Insta handle is @shreyasenhan. some ideological churn- we stand for. highlight such state- and mischievous. asianage.letters@gmail.com.

Anita
T
he Congress is abuzz with Chhattisgarh chief minister two. More recently, Rajasthan gov- president in the state unit a year him charge of a new department
speculation about plans to Bhupesh Baghel during these talks ernor Kalraj Mishra was in later. The young Patel leader is titled election planning and
Katyal extricate party general sec-
retary Priyanka Gandhi
that he move to Delhi and take
charge of Uttar Pradesh affairs as
Lucknow where he attended a meet-
ing of the Vidvut Samaj (compris-
putting his case before senior party
leaders, promising to consolidate
strategy. However, senior party
leaders have expressed their
Political Vadra from the charge of Uttar
Pradesh which she is currently
party general secretary. However, a
clear picture will emerge in the
ing members of the Brahmin com-
munity) in a clear bid to reach out
the Patidar votes for the Congress.
However, he is not taking any
reservations about entrusting
such key responsibilities to
Gup-Shup handling. The party
Priyanka’s credibility and reputa-
fears coming weeks when the Uttar
Pradesh poll campaign picks up
to this caste segment with an eye on
next year’s Assembly election. The
chances because the old timers in
the party are battling hard to deny
outsiders and non-political players.
Mr Kishor may have had a success-
tion will take a hit as it is becoming speed. Congress insiders maintain Brahmins in Uttar Pradesh are him the coveted post as they feel ful run in other political parties
increasingly clear that the it could be business-as-usual if the upset with the Yogi government for their rightful claims may be over- like the Janata Dal (United),
Congress is unlikely to make a much-speculated alliance with the giving preferential treatment to the looked in favour of a relative new- Trinamul Congress and DMK, but

Will Baghel be mark in next year’s Assembly elec-

tions. This will be seen as
Priyanka’s failure and the party
Samajwadi Party comes through,
failing which Priyanka may slow
down as far as Uttar Pradesh is
Thakurs. While Kalraj Mishra was
deployed in his home state,
Maharashtra governor Bhagat
comer. Mr Patel is said to be in
touch with the Aam Aadmi Party
which is planning a serious foray
he did not fare too well in the
Congress in the past. Mr Kishor
was taken in to manage the party’s

in charge of UP obviously wants to avoid such a sit-

uation. It is, therefore, no coinci-
concerned. Singh Koshiyari has undertaken
several trips to poll-bound
into Gujarat after it made a sur-
prise splash in the last local body
Uttar Pradesh campaign in the 2017
Assembly polls and it was at his

T
dence that she is no longer confined he Bharatiya Janata Party is Uttarakhand, his home state. elections. prodding that the Congress sealed
to Uttar Pradesh and has been putting its governors to good an alliance with the Samajwadi

polls instead of involved in handling the crises in

the party’s various state units in
recent months. Whether it was
use for its political agenda
both in the BJP and Opposition-
ruled states. West Bengal governor
L
obbying for the post of the
next president of the Gujarat
Pradesh Congress Committee
C
ongress leaders have held a
series of meetings to take a
call on the role poll strategist
Party but this proved to be a disas-
ter. Those resisting his entry to the
Congress never fail to remind the

Priyanka?
Rajasthan, Punjab and, more
recently, Chhattisgarh, Priyanka
was present during the discussions
with the warring state leaders.
Apparently, it was suggested to
Jagdeep Dhankhar played an active
role in needling state chief minister
Mamata Banerjee before and after
the assembly polls, resulting in a
regular war of words between the
is on in full swing. Among those
who are making a pitch for this post
is Hardik Patel, the rebel Patidar
leader who joined the Congress in
2019 and was appointed working
Prashant Kishor can play if he joins leadership about his past record in
the party. Several suggestions are the party.
on the table. The most feasible, so
far, is to bring in Mr Kishor as Anita Katyal is a Delhi-based
party general secretary and give journalist

EDITOR: KAUSHIK MITTER, PRINTER & PUBLISHER: K. SUDHAKAR; THE ASIAN AGE office is located at: New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru National Youth Centre, 219 Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New Delhi-110002. Phone: (011) 23211124;
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 WORLD
THE ASIAN AGE | SUNDAY | 5 SEPTEMBER 2021 | NEW DELHI
SHORT
THAI PM PRAYUTH
TAKES
WINS VOTE AMID
RUMOURS
Bangkok: Thai Prime Minister
Prayuth Chan-ocha has won a
confidence vote in Parliament
after a frenzy of speculation
over the makeup of the ruling
coalition. Rumours his own
political allies might try to
unseat him had recently over-
shadowed harsh criticism from
the opposition about his gov-
ernment’s Coronavirus respon-
se. Thai media were instead
abuzz with rumours that the
secretary-general of the mili-
tary-backed ruling party was
leading the effort to unseat
Prayuth and to add the main
opposition party to the coali-
tion. Prayuth won 264 votes in
the House of Representatives
against 208 no confidence votes
Saturday.
FB MISTAKENLY
LABELS BLACK
MEN ‘PRIMATES’
San Francisco: Facebook on
Friday said it disabled its topic
recommendation feature after
it mistook Black men for “pri-
mates” in video at the social
network.
A Facebook spokesperson
called it a “clearly unaccept-
able error” and said the recom-
mendation software involve
was taken offline. “We apolo-
gise to anyone who may have
seen these offensive recom-
mendations,” Facebook said.
“We disabled the entire topic
recommendation feature as
soon as we realised this was
happening so we could investi-
gate the cause and prevent this
from happening again.” Facial
recognition software has been
blasted by civil rights advocat-
es who point out problems with
accuracy, particularly it comes
to people who are not white.
Facebook users in recent
days who watched a British
tabloid video featuring Black
men were show an auto-gener-
ated prompt asking if they
would like to “keep seeing
videos about Primates,”
according to the New York
Times.
VENEZUELA GOVT,
OPPN RESUME
TALKS IN MEXICO
Mexico City: Venezuela’s gov-
ernment and opposition retur-
ned to the negotiating table in
Mexico City on Friday, with
President Nicolas Maduro’s
rivals demanding guarantees
of free and fair elections in
return for sanctions relief.
The main opposition alliance
announced this week that it
would end a three-year election
boycott and take part in may-
oral and gubernatorial polls in
November.
The move came after the two
sides last month began negoti-
ations mediated by Norway
and hosted by Mexico in a bid
to solve the political crisis that
has marked Maduro’s eight-
year rule.
“Our aim is to reach an agree-
ment that resolves the conflict
through a free and fair presi-
dential and parliamentary elec-
tion, with guarantees,” opposi-
tion leader Juan Guaido said in
a video posted on social media.
“We all know that today there
are no conditions for a free and
fair electoral process in
Venezuela. That’s why we’re in
Mexico. We’re fighting to
achieve these conditions,” he
said.
SENIOR LEBANESE
TEAM IN SYRIA
TO TALK FUEL
Damascus: A senior Lebanese
government delegation arrived
in Syria on Saturday for talks
expected to focus on the crip-
pling fuel crisis that has paral-
ysed Lebanon.
It marked the highest official
visit since Syria’s civil war
began more than a decade ago.
Lebanon is expecting a ship-
ment of fuel from Iran, which
local media said is to be deliv-
ered at a major Syrian port and
transported by land.
The leader of the Iran-backed
Lebanese militant Hezbollah
group has arranged with allies
in Tehran to ship the fuel to
Lebanon to help ease the small
country’s fuel shortages.
The delivery would violate
US sanctions on Iran imposed
by former President Donald Tr-
ump, who pulled Washington
out of a nuclear deal between
Iran and world powers in 2018.
There is no date yet for the
fuel arrival but the shipment to
Lebanon is seen as a test of US
sanctions and many in Leban-
on fear it could trigger penal-
ties. US officials have warned
against Lebanon using Iranian
oil and have offered assistance
to deal with the economic cris-
is, the biggest threat to Lebane-
se stability in decades. Visiting
US officials said they were in
talks with Lebanese, Egyptian
and Jordanian officials.
Rescue groups say US tally Philippines lifts
travel ban on
misses hundreds left in Af India, 9 others
Biden admin’s estimate of 200 American citizens remaining is too low
San Diego, Sept. 4:
Veteran-led rescue grou-
ps say the Biden admin-
istration’s estimate that
no more than 200 US cit-
izens were left behind in
Afghanistan is too low
and also overlooks hun-
dreds of other people
they consider to be
equally American: Per-
manent legal residents
with green cards.
Some groups say they
continue to be contacted
by American citizens in
Afghanistan who did not
register with the US
Embassy before it closed
and by others not includ-
ed in previous counts
because they expressed
misgivings about leav-
ing loved ones behind.
As for green card hold-
ers, they have lived in
the US for years, paid
taxes, become part of th-
eir communities and oft-
en have children who
are US citizens. Yet the
administration says it
does not have an estima-
te on the number of such
permanent residents
who are in Afghanistan
and desperately trying
to escape Taliban rule.
The fear is that nobody
is looking for them, said
Howard Shen, spokesm-
an for the Cajon Valley
Union School District in
the San Diego area that
is in contact with one
such family who says
they cannot get out.
They are thousands of
miles away under an
oppressive regime and
we’re leaving them behi-
nd, he said. That’s not
right. Stung by the US
military’s chaotic and
deadly retreat, President
Biden has promised that
evacuation efforts will
continue for the 100 to
200 American citizens
who want to leave, most
of whom he said are
dual citizens.
And Secretary of State
Antony Blinken has said
that extends to green
card holders and Afgha-
ns who supported the US
government during the
20-year war.
It’s unclear how that
will work without an
active US military pres-
ence in the country and
the Taliban-controlled
Kabul airport, a major
way out of the country,
now closed.
But an undersecretary
of state said this past
week that all American
citizens and permanent
residents who could not
get evacuation flights or
were otherwise stranded
had been contacted and
told to expect further
details about routes out
once those have been
arranged.
Three school districts
in California say they
know of more than 30
children enrolled in
their schools who have
not been able to return.
— AP
Biden: Declassify 9/11 documents
Washington, Sept. 4: Pre-
sident Joe Biden has dir-
ected the declassification
of certain documents re-
lated to the September 11,
2001, terrorist attacks, a
supportive gesture to vict-
ims’ families who have
long sought the records in
hopes of implicating the
Saudi government.
The order, coming little
more than a week before
the 20th anniversary of
the attacks, is a significant
moment in a yearslong
tussle between the govern-
ment and the families over
UNDER | WATCH
NZ unable to keep attacker locked up, says Ardern
Wellington, Sept. 4: The
Islamic State-inspired rad-
ical responsible for a sup-
ermarket knife rampage
in New Zealand was watc-
hed for five years and jai-
led for three before author-
ities exhausted all avenues
to keep him detained,
Prime Minister Jacinda
Ardern revealed Saturday.
The 32-year-old Sri
Lankan was only freed in
July and had been under
police surveillance since.
On Friday, he grabbed a
knife off a supermarket
A Taliban fighter walks in front of people sitting along a road outside a bank while waiting to withdraw money at
Shar-e-Naw neighbourhood in Kabul on Saturday.
US presses Pakistan to
combat terrorist groups
Islamabad, Sept. 4: The
Biden administration is
quietly pressing Pakistan
to cooperate on combating
dreaded terrorist groups
such as the ISIS-K and Al
Qaeda following the Tali-
ban takeover of Afghanis-
tan, according to a set of
leaked documents and di-
plomatic cables to a prom-
inent US media outlet.
The Dawn newspaper on
Saturday carried a report
quoting a news report pu-
blished on Friday by the
U.S. MAY ADMIT
MORE THAN 50K
AFGHANS
Washington, Sept. 4: At
least 50,000 Afghans are
expected to be admitted
into the United States
following the fall of
Kabul as part of an
“enduring commitment”
to help people who aided
the American war effort
and others who are part-
icularly vulnerable und-
er Taliban rule, the sec-
retary of homeland sec-
urity said on Friday.
Exactly how many
more will come and how
long it will take remain
open questions, DHS Se-
cretary Alejandro Mayo-
rkas said as he outlined
the effort. “Our commit-
ment is an enduring
one,” he said. — AP
what classified informa-
tion about the run-up to
the attacks could be made
public. That conflict was
on display last month
when many relatives, sur-
vivors and first responde-
rs came out against Bid-
en’s participation in 9/11
memorial events if the
documents remained clas-
sified.
Biden said on Friday
that he was making good
on a campaign commitm-
ent by ordering the declas-
sification review and pled-
ged that his administrati-
Measures already underway to strengthen the country’s terrorism suppression laws
shelf in Auckland and
attacked seven people,
leaving three critically
wounded, before he was
shot and killed by the
armed police tasked with
tailing him.
Court suppression orde-
rs meant Ardern could not
explain why the terrorist
had not been deported, but
she said measures were al-
ready underway to stren-
gthen New Zealand’s ter-
rorism suppression laws.
The man, who arrived in
New Zealand on a student
Politico on a slew of diplo-
matic messages exchang-
ed between Washington
and Islamabad recently af-
ter the Taliban insurgents
seized power in neighbou-
ring Afghanistan.
The messages show that
“the Biden administra-
tion is quietly pressing
Pakistan to cooperate on
fighting terrorist groups
such as ISIS-Khorasan
and Al Qaeda in the wake
of the Taliban takeover of
Afghanistan,” the
All communities
in govt: Blinken
Washington, Sept. 4: The
United States and the
international community
expects the Taliban to
form an inclusive govern-
ment with representa-
tions from different com-
munities and interests,
Secretary of State Antony
Blinken said on Friday.
As we’ve said and as
countries around the wor-
ld have said, there is an
expectation that any gove-
rnment that emerges now
will have some real inclu-
sivity, and that it will
have non-Talibs in it who
are representative of diff-
erent communities and
different interests in Afg-
hanistan, Blinken said at
on “will continue to enga-
ge respectfully with mem-
bers of this community.”
“The significant events
in question occurred two
decades ago or longer, and
they concern a tragic
moment that continues to
resonate in American his-
tory and in the lives of so
many Americans,” the
executive order states.
“It is therefore critical to
ensure that the United
States Government maxi-
mises transparency, relyi-
ng on classification only
when narrowly tailored
● NEW ZEALAND officials confirmed on Saturday that
32-year-old Ahamed Aathil Mohamed Samsudeen was
the supermarket attacker.
visa in 2011, came to the
attention of police in 2016
after expressing sympathy
on Facebook for terrorist
attacks.
He was arrested in 2018
on charges of possessing a
knife and objectionable
material and was consid-
ered to be planning a “lone
wolf ” knife attack.
While in custody, he was
Politico, which obtained
the sensitive but unclassi-
fied cables and other writ-
ten materials, reported.
In response, Pakistan
“has hinted that Islamab-
ad deserves more public
recognition of its role in
helping people who are
now fleeing Afghanistan,
even as it has downplayed
fears of what Taliban rule
of the country could
mean,” according to the
report.
— PTI
a news conference.
The Taliban is expected
to soon announce the for-
mation of a new govern-
ment after the takeover of
the country last month.
“We will see what, in
fact, emerges, but I have
to tell you that as impor-
tant as what the govern-
ment looks like is, more
important still is what
any government does,
Blinken said.
And that’s what we’re
really looking at. We’re
looking at what actions,
what policies any new
Afghan government pur-
sues. That’s what matters
the most, he said.
— PTI
and necessary.”
The order directs the Ju-
stice Department and oth-
er executive branch agen-
cies to begin a declassifi-
cation review, and requi-
res that declassified docu-
ments be released over the
next six months.
Brett Eagleson, whose
father, Bruce, was among
the World Trade Center vi-
ctims and who is an advo-
cate for other victims’ rel-
atives, commended the ac-
tion as a “critical first
step.” He said the families
would be closely watching
further charged with assa-
ulting guards, but attemp-
ts to have him charged un-
der New Zealand’s Terror-
ism Suppression Act were
unsuccessful.
Although the man was
found guilty on some cha-
rges, by then he had spent
three years in prison on
remand and “all avenues
to continue his detention
— AFP
17 KILLED IN
CELEBRATORY
TALIBAN FIRE
Istanbul, Sept. 4: At least
17 people were killed in
celebratory gunfire in
Kabul, news agencies
said on Saturday, after
Taliban sources said
their fighters had seized
control of Panjshir, the
last province in Afghan-
istan holding out agai-
nst the Islamist group.
Leaders of opposition
to the Taliban have
denied that the province
has fallen. The Shamsh-
ad news agency said
“aerial shooting” in
Kabul on Friday killed
17 people and wounded
41. Tolo news agency
gave a similar toll.
At least 14 people were
injured in celebratory
firing in Nangarhar pro-
vince east of the capital,
said Gulzada Sangar,
spokesman for an area
hospital in the provin-
cial capital of Jalalabad.
The gunfire drew a
rebuke from the main
Taliban spokesman, Za-
bihullah Mujahid.
“Avoid shooting in the
air and thank God
instead,” Mujahid said
in a message on Twitter.
“Bullets can harm civil-
ians, so don’t shoot
unnecessarily.”
— Reuters
Avoid shooting in the
air and thank God
instead. Bullets can harm
civilians, so don’t shoot
unnecessarily
— ZABIHULLAH MUJAHID
Taliban spokesman
the process to make sure
that the Justice Depart-
ment follows through and
acts "in good faith.”
“The first test will be on
9/11, and the world will be
watching. We look forward
to thanking President
Biden in person next week
as he joins us at Ground
Zero to honour those who
died or were injured 20
years ago,” Eagleson said.
Still, the practical impact
of the executive order and
any new documents it
might yield was not imme-
diately clear. — AP
had been exhausted,”
Ardern said, although
“risk mitigations were
already underway”.
Ardern added that chan-
ges to New Zealand’s coun-
ter-terrorism legislation
were expected to be appr-
oved by parliament before
the end of the month.
“In late August, officials
including the commission-
er of police raised the pos-
sibility of expediting the
amendments,” she said.
Many details about Frid-
ay’s attacker, including his
Manila, Sept. 4: The
Philippines on Saturday
decided to welcome trave-
llers from India and nine
other countries from
September 6, according to
a Presidential Palace
announcement.
The announcement
came even as the country
recorded its second high-
est number of Covid-19
cases with 20,310 infectio-
ns on Friday, pushing the
national tally to 2.04 mil-
lion, The Manila Times
newspaper reported.
President Rodrigo Dute-
rte approved the recom-
mendation of the Inter-
Agency Task Force
(IATF) to lift the current
travel restrictions on
India and nine other cou-
ntries starting September
6, Presidential Palace
spokesperson Harry
Roque was quoted as say-
ing by the newspaper.
The other countries are
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri
Lanka, Nepal, the United
Arab Emirates, Oman,
Thailand, Malaysia and
Indonesia, the official
said. International travel-
ers coming from the 10
countries shall, however,
comply with the appropri-
ate entry, testing and
quarantine protocols, de-
pending on their appro-
ved ‘listing’, Roque said.
To recall, the Philippine
government, in a
Coronavirus update on
August 13, had extended
its travel ban on India and
nine other countries until
August 31.
The presidential spokes-
person said the IATF app-
roved the adoption of
“Yellow” and “Red” clas-
sifications, in addition to
the “Green List” countr-
ies/jurisdictions/territo-
ries.
“This is based on their
respective incidence rates
and case counts as prima-
ry criteria, and testing
data as secondary crite-
ria.
“The incidence rate is
the cumulative new cases
over the past 28 days per
100,000 population while
case counts are cumula-
tive new cases over the
past 28 days,” Roque
added.
Positivity rate remained
at 27.4 per cent, meaning
that out of the 67,759
tests, 18,566 tested posi-
tive for the Coronavirus,
the report added.
Meanwhile, India’s Cov-
id-19 infection tally rose
by 42,618 in a day to reach
3,29,45,907 while the num-
ber of active cases touch-
ed 4,05,681 following an
increase for the fourth
consecutive day, accord-
ing to the country’s Union
Health Ministry data on
Spain wants US
tourists’ vax proof
Madrid, Sept. 4: Spain is
tweaking its travel entry
rules from next week to
require vaccination cer-
tificates from US tourists,
adjusting to recent Euro-
pean Union advice on str-
icter rules due to growing
anxiety over Coronavirus
contagion in the US.
The European Council’s
decision earlier this week
to remove the US from a
safe list of countries for
nonessential travel also
came amid unanswered
calls from European offi-
cials for “reciprocity” in
travel rules.
Despite the EU’s move to
open its borders to US cit-
izens in June, the US did-
n’t allow EU tourists in.
Spain, a major tourism
name, were suppressed in
an earlier court ruling.
Although this was lifted
by a judge late Friday ni-
ght, his family have been
given at least 24 hours to
appeal “the release of cer-
tain information”, Ardern
said. “So while I can prov-
ide details concerning the
individual’s criminal his-
tory, there are issues relat-
ing to his immigration sta-
tus, and actions taken by
Immigration New Zealand
in particular, which I can-
not share just yet.”
pg 6
NZ HAS FIRST
VIRUS DEATH IN
OVER 6 MONTHS
Wellington, Sept. 4: New
Zealand reported its first
Coronavirus death in
more than six months on
Saturday, while the nu-
mber of new cases conti-
nued to trend downward.
Health authorities said
the woman who died was
in her 90s and had under-
lying health problems.
Authorities reported 20
new community cases, all
in the largest city of
Auckland. New Zealand
remains in lockdown as it
tries to eliminate an out-
break of the Delta varia-
nt that began last month.
— AP
EFFORTS TO END
USE OF PARASITE
DRUG IVERMECTIN
Washington, Sept. 4:
Health experts and medi-
cal groups are pushing to
stamp out the growing
use of a decades-old para-
site drug to treat Covid-
19, warning that it can
cause harmful side effec-
ts and that there’s little
evidence it helps.
With a fourth wave of
infections, more Americ-
ans are turning to iverm-
ectin, a cheap drug used
to kill worms and other
parasites in humans and
animals.
Federal health officials
have seen a surge in pre-
scriptions this summer,
accompanied by worryi-
ng increases in reported
overdoses. The drug was
even given to inmates at a
jail in northwest Arkans-
as for Covid-19, despite
federal warnings against
that use.
On Wednesday, podcast-
er Joe Rogan, who has
been dismissive of the
Covid-19 vaccine, annou-
nced he had tested posi-
tive for the virus and was
taking the medication.
Ivermectin has been
promoted by Republican
lawmakers, conservative
talk show hosts and some
doctors, amplified via
social media to millions
of Americans who
remain resistant to get-
ting vaccinated.
— AP
Saturday.
The death toll climbed
to 4,40,225 with 330 more
people succumbing to the
viral disease, it added.
— PTI
destination, is among a
handful of EU countries
that has announced steps
to adjust its entry rules to
the Council’s recommen-
dation. The country pub-
lished Friday the new
guidelines on its official
gazette, also removing
Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon,
Montenegro and North
Macedonia from the safe
list. Under the rules, US
tourists will no longer be
admitted from Monday,
Sept. 6, unless they can
show proof of being fully
vaccinated at least 14 days
before their trip.
Unvaccinated children
under 12 travelling with
vaccinated adults are also
allowed in the country.
— AP
Police commissioner
Andrew Coster said there
had been nothing unusual
about the man’s actions in
the lead up to the attack,
and he had appeared to be
doing normal grocery
shopping.
Because he had a “high
level of paranoia” around
surveillance, Coster said
the police kept their dista-
nce, and it took more than
two minutes to reach the
man and shoot him after
he started his frenzied
stabbing spree. — AFP
 MOVIES+MEDIA
THE ASIAN AGE | SUNDAY | 5 SEPTEMBER 2021 | NEW DELHI
pg 7

OUR CRITIC’S RATING Outstanding ★★★★★ | Great ★★★★ | Good ★★★ | Okay ★★ | Poor ★ | Truly Terrible TT

Desi Game of Thrones with dadi,

behen and a king with a nose pin
The Empire on what is clearly a nose to rival Hrithik
Roshan’s pride-of-all-Punjabi-mummyji’s
CAST: Kunal Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Dino sharp nose. I desire a poster of just his
Morea, Drashti Dhami, Rahul Dev, Aayam nose.
Mehta
DIRECTOR: Mitakshara Kumar
RATING: ★★★
But Kunal Kapoor’s personality seems
overcast by some deep sorrow. He also for-
gets to act sometimes and limps about
with low-energy in scenes that require
A strenuously woke
Streaming on Disney+Hotstar
heft and bombast.
While his own slightly sulky
demeanour matches that of Babur here,
Cinderella for
SUPARNA SHARMA
this interiority, though intriguing, is
never really explored or articulated.
Though he broods a lot and is often the #MeToo era
A
s far as men wearing retires to write Baburnama in quiet soli-
chunky silver jewellery, tude, his sulk remains a mystery. JOCELYN NOVECK
assortment of hip hairdos Kunal’s Babur feels like too decent a

and smokey kholed eyes
go, The Empire sashays its
way with aplomb to the VIP
lounge of an androgynous Mughal
Garden in flowy long frocks.
As far as entertainment goes, The
Empire is an enactment of any ghar-ghar
ki kahani in Game of Thrones costumes
on Sanjay Leela Bhansali sets. There’s
compelling intrigue about gharelu syap-
pas where a dadi, behen and a simmer-
ing sauteli maa play a far bigger role than
all the army generals and wise wazirs. All
varieties of tall, proud men in furry coats
and proud turbans are repeatedly made
to stand and listen to women about what
they must and must not do. Power
before prem, sitting on the throne boosts
your testosterone is the general message
that has to be repeated again and again
for the men to get it.
But as far as history goes, The
Empire skirts all the chapters that could
have led to FIRs, court cases and the
Bharatiya Janata Party demanding a ban.
There is no Rana Sanga, nor any mention
tiny. Though a bit dim at times when it
comes to statecraft, he is also, often,
reluctant to fight. But when he does, he
fights well. Upon victory, however, he is
not given to boasting about the number of
dead bodies. Instead, he nurses guilt
about all the killing-shilling.
At times this contradiction and com-
plexity is not very coherent, but I liked
the attempt to humanise Babur because,
in these fraught times, I pray to the God of
and disdain, Babur first loses Farghana,
then conquers Samarkand only to aban-
don it. He returns to Farghana, but again
finds himself in a spot where he has to
make a humiliating deal with Shaibani to
save himself and others.
Shamed and rendered homeless, he and
his entourage go hither thither in search
of a sultanat.
This forms the crux of the story
entwined with the bhai-behen ka
character who doesn’t quite fit this game
of takht and taj, and the series itself
seems to get bored of him after a while.
Thus, the sudden goodbye.
Dino Morea brings his A-game to the
role of the brutal and macho Shaybani
Khan. He is riveting in some scenes and
toys very nicely with unpredictability.
Shabana Azmi’s Shah Begum repeated-
ly raises the temperature and tension in
the series. She has to often drop every-
thing she is doing to scold, rouse and
hold together a cast of silly men who
would rather waste their time strolling
about in their fancy, many-layered dress-
es.
I found Aayam Mehta, who plays
Khanzama’s chief minion, Aitbaar,
equally menacing. He conjures up dark-
ness in an unforgettable way.
Drashti Dhami is stunning in a very
Balika Vadhu way. She carries chunky
jewellery and pyaar with grace. Her eyes,
however, are always brimming with
trembling tears.
T
heir love declared, their fairytale kiss accomplished,
Cinderella has an urgent request for her Prince. Can
she get a lift to her business meeting?
And so, as princes are wont to do, he scoops his new love
off her feet to carry her to his horse. But, like, she’s in a
rush. “No, I can walk, it’s faster,” she chirps. “But thanks!”
It’s a throwaway moment but perhaps a nice example of
both the assets and flaws of this new, decidedly woke, pop-
music infused “Cinderella” for the #MeToo era, written and
directed by Kay Cannon (and co-produced by James Corden,
who doubles as a mouse). A feminist recasting of the famil-
iar story is welcome, of course, but the screenplay focuses so
insistently on its female-empowering message that it feels at
times like we’re just getting hit over the head with it.
Thankfully there are also moments, like this, that are res-
cued by playful chemistry between our appealing leads:
ebullient pop singer Camila Cabello as Cinderella, and new-
comer Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Robert. Supporting
roles are given a playful workout by pros like Pierce
Brosnan as the king — going all in for the comedy — and a
touching but underused Minnie Driver as his stifled queen.
There’s also a reliably eye-popping turn by Billy Porter as
the fabulous (“Fab G”) fairy godmother, but alas, it’s only
one scene plus a bit of narration. As always, Porter knows
how to make an entrance, but for the most effective use of a
star here, look to

of the fort of Chanderi falling
after jauhar, but Babur, the descendant
of Timur and Genghis Khan who fought
his way to reach Hindustan and then
kick-started the Mughal dynasty, is not
shown as a marauding barbarian. There
are no temples, no masjids. Just a sullen
badshah in search of a kingdom. I liked
that a lot.
Small Mercies.
Story wise, there is nothing new here. In
fact, it’s all quite silly, predictable and
filmy.
Babur and his decent family led by the
always livid Shah Begum (Shabana Azmi)
have to fight an evil, powerful man,
Shaibani Khan (Dino Morea), who covets
their home, ie Farghana, and
beautiful behen, ie, Khanzada (Drashti
D
pyaar where blood trumps all, including a espite the sometimes faux Urdu, Idina Menzel, who
man with long hair and a sexy top knot. the silly songs, and the camera lends texture to the
The journey to the inevitable end and
Humayun is complicated by shifting loy-
insinuating more drama than the
actors and dialogue, I loved the theatrical
usually
“evil”
one-note
stepmother.
Cinderella
alties, lies, pregnancies, at least two majesty of The Empire. The sets — simu- And, of course her
CAST: Camila Cabello, Idina
Menzel, Minnie Driver, Nicholas
ladies speaking Urdu with heavily lated and real — are stunning, even clarion singing voice Galitzine, Billy Porter, Pierce Brosnan
Anglicised accents, behen developing a though, inexplicably, aalishan kaleen are — which we can
mild case of Stockholm Syndrome and often hung all around, as if Babur & Co. objectively say is the
DIRECTOR: Kay Cannon
Babur spending most of his time in self- will get a kapde ka danda and start beat- finest in the land. RATING: ★★reaming on
flagellation even though he rules over ing the dust out of them. The most obvious Streaming Amazon Prime

B
ased on Alex Rutherford’s Empire Dhami). Babur and his small army are no Kabul and is en route to Hindustan. The Empire often conjures up and uses problem in updating
of the Moghul book, The Empire, match for Shaibani nor is Babur adept at the mood, scale, grandeur and style of “Cinderella” for a

directed by a woman, casts a gentle,
almost maternal eye on Babur. He is a
sweet, courteous, honourable man who is
both a victim and the master of his des-
the ways of the world.
Despite a rather daunting general by his
side, Wazir Khan (Rahul Dev), and
a dadi who can burn men with her stare
K
unal Kapoor is sweet and has a very
pretty nose. His Babur is a king
with crazy curls and the daintiest
nose pin. He carries just a hint of bling
both — Game of Thrones and Sanjay
Leela Bhansali. Thankfully, its politics —
gender and religious — is comforting and
credible.
2021 audience is, of
course, its premise
that for a woman, marrying well is the only goal; Life is
lived through your man, whether you’re Cinderella, step-
mom Vivian (Menzel), stepsisters Malvolia and Narissa
(Maddie Baillio and Charlotte Spencer) or even the queen

An inquiry into undemocratic structures within homes and outside (Driver).

AGE CORRESPONDENT everywhere. And we began
to look closely at the sys-
days I have a backup name
and use it when I think my
Cannon addresses this by having Cinderella — she calls her-
self Ella here, because why define a girl by the cinders on her
face? — dream not of marriage but of business success, as a
designer. In an early number, the servant girl comes face to
face with her imagined future self, and she’s no royalty — she’s

W
e live in a time
and age when
debates are raging
over zero tolerance for
free speech and whether
India is rapidly trans-
forming into a fascist
state. Critiques of the
administration are trolled
relentlessly on social
media and the ideological
differences have driven a
wedge among families
and friends.
'Rat', a digital perform-
ance by Third Space
Collective, explores the
changing national sce-
nario, relationships and
freedom of expression.
The show, 'Rat' takes one
back to Nazi Germany and
subtly tries to draw a chill-
ing analogy. It tries to
expose the media, which
has become a mouthpiece
of the establishment. The
Third Space Collective
states:" 'Rat' is an inquiry
into how these pre-existing
undemocratic structures
within our homes inform
and enable oppressive
structures to thrive outside
of them."
The play heavily draws
from Bertolt Brecht's radi-
cal text-'Fear and Misery of
The Third Reich'. The
director, Dhwani Vij
writes-"Brecht was a good
starting point, allowing us
to look closely at the unde-
mocratic structures pres-
ent in our homes, and
realise that this would be
the seed of our project."
She went on to say-"For
suddenly, the home was
tems of oppression within
our own lived spaces - our
kitchens, our bedrooms,
our terraces - and under-
stand how they nurtured
oppressive structures out-
side." The symbolism used
by the creators of the play
is powerful and at the same
time chilling. The intrigue
at the end leaves the audi-
ence thinking and perhaps
questioning the space and
relationship within the
four walls of the home. The
play also introduces "break
rooms' between perform-
ances, where the charac-
ters introspect on their
relationships at home and
outside. A girl of a particu-
lar community says-"These
original name might create
problems for me." A boy
who wants to go to
Shaheen Bagh protests is
called by one of his family
members a "Naxalite" and
he retorts back by calling
her a "bhakt." The break-
rooms show the discord
and fear prevailing at
home and outside.
The play, 'Rat' is devised
by Abhishek Basak,
Dhwani Vij, Ishu Kumar,
Jyoti Rana, Nagina Sheikh,
Tanishq Pant and Vrinda
Misra. Third Space
Collective is a group of
practitioners in Delhi
attempting to create as a
response to the time one
lives in.
the owner of “Dresses By Ella.”
But that’s a dream too far. In this kingdom, women don’t run
businesses. Everyone says this, especially Vivian, who, we
learn, once also dreamed of being more than a wife. We get a
sense early on that Vivian’s cruelty — less cartoonish than in
other versions — stems from deep personal disappointment,
and that her fierce desire to marry off her daughters is born
of bitter pragmatism.
This nuance serves the film’s message well, but the charac-
terizations can be confusing. It’s rather jarring to go from a
moment where Vivian seems to genuinely care about Ella to
where she viciously hurls ink at the dress she’s spent weeks
designing. It’s also hard to pin down the stepsisters — are
they nasty, or not? In any case they get only kindness from
Ella. When one asks her if she looks pretty, Ella says yes, but
adds: “What matters is how YOU feel when you look in the
mirror.”
The plot moves briskly forward, narrated in part by the
Town Rapper, who announces the ball where Robert will
choose a bride. A smitten Robert has already met Ella in dis-
guise, and convinces her to attend the ball so she can meet
wealthy potential clients. —AP

Afghan media brace for what’s next under Taliban rule

A
fghanistan’s most popular pri-
vate television network has vol-
untarily replaced its risque
Turkish soap operas and music shows
with tamer programs tailored to the
country’s new Taliban rulers, who
have issued vague directives that
media must not contradict Islamic
laws or harm the national interest.
Still, independent Afghan news sta-
tions are keeping female presenters
on the air and testing the limits of
media freedom under the group,
whose militants have killed journal-
ists in the past but have promised an
open, inclusive system since coming
to power in August.
As the world watches intently for
clues on how the Taliban will govern,
their treatment of the media will be a
key indicator, along with their poli-
cies toward women. When they ruled
Afghanistan between 1996-2001, they
enforced a harsh interpretation of
Islam, barring girls and women from
schools and public life, and brutally
suppressing dissent.
Since then, Afghanistan has seen a
proliferation of media outlets, and
women made some strides within the
restrictions of the deeply conserva-
tive society.
In a first sign the Taliban are trying
to soften their extremist reputation,
one of its officials unexpectedly
walked into the studios of the private-
ly owned Tolo News just two days
after taking control of Kabul in mid-
August. He sat down for an interview
with the female anchor, Behishta
Arghand.
The 22-year-old anchor told The
Associated Press that she was nerv-
ous when she saw him enter the stu-
dio, but his behavior and how he
answered questions helped put her at
ease a bit.
“I just said to myself this is a good
CNN’s chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward described life inside
Afghanistan’s capital Kabul after the Taliban takeover.
time to show for all the world, Afghan
women don’t want to go back. They
want... to go forward,” she said.
Arghand fled the country after the
interview, unwilling to take any
chances about the Taliban’s promises
of greater openness. She is temporar-
ily in a compound in Qatar for Afghan
refugees.
She is among hundreds of journal-
ists — many seen as the best in their
field — who left the country after the
Taliban takeover, part of an exodus of
more than 100,000 Afghans.
Yet her interview with the Taliban
official marked a notable shift from
the militants’ first time in power
when women had to cover themselves
from head to toe and were stoned to
death in public for adultery and other
alleged offenses.
This time, the Taliban shared video
of girls going to school in the
provinces. They also have held news
conferences after taking control of
Kabul, fielding questions from local
and international media.
Saad Mohseni, the CEO and chair-
man of Moby Group, which owns Tolo
News, said he believes the Taliban are
tolerating the media because they
understand they have to win hearts
and minds, convince the political
establishment to play a role and con-
solidate their rule.
“The media is important to them,
but what they do to the media in a
month or two months’ time remains
File photo of Danish Siddiqui of Delhi, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer
from Reuters who was killed covering clashes between the Taliban and Afghan
security forces in July this year.
to be seen,” he said from Dubai, where
Moby Group has an office.
Although the U.S. and its allies
failed to create a stable democracy in
Afghanistan, they did succeed in cre-
ating a thriving press, said Steven
Butler, Asia program coordinator for
the Committee to Protect Journalists.
The U.S. government spent huge sums
of money on the project as the foun-
dation of democracy, he noted on
CPJ’s website.
Initial U.S. grants helped launch
Tolo, which began as a radio station
in 2003 and rapidly expanded to televi-
sion. The Pashto- and Dari-language
broadcaster employs 500 people and is
the most-viewed private network in
Afghanistan.
Known for its news and entertain-
ment programming, Tolo decided on
its own to remove music shows and
soap operas from the airwaves
because “we didn’t think that they’d
be acceptable to the new regime,”
Mohseni said. The romance dramas
have been replaced by a Turkish TV
series set in the Ottoman era, with
more modestly dressed actresses.
Afghanistan’s state broadcaster RTA
pulled its female presenters off the air
until further notice. The independent
female-run Zan TV has ceased show-
ing new programming.
The privately run Ariana news
channel, however, has kept its female
anchors on the air. Tolo had a female
host on its breakfast show Thursday
and the network has one female news
anchor and several female reporters.
Since taking control, there have
been reports of Taliban beating and
threatening journalists. In one known
case, the German broadcaster
Deutsche Welle said Taliban militants
going door to door in a hunt for one of
its journalists shot and killed a mem-
ber of his family and seriously
injured another.
“We have to make sure that Afghan
journalism stays alive because people
will need it,” said Bilal Sarwary, a
longtime journalist in Afghanistan
whose work has appeared on the BBC,
among others.
Although he also has left
Afghanistan with his family, he said a
generation of citizen journalists are
more empowered than ever.
“If we can’t go (back), it does not
mean we will give up on Afghanistan.
We will work on Afghanistan from
wherever we are. ... Global connectivi-
ty is the new normal,” Sarwary said.
Meanwhile, the Taliban are allow-
ing journalists to enter Afghanistan
from Pakistan and allowing media
outlets to continue operating in
Kabul, albeit under ominous guide-
lines. They have stipulated that news
reports must not contradict Islamic
values and should not challenge the
national interest.
Such vague rules are typical for
authoritarian states across the
Middle East and Central Asia, where
they have been used to silence and
prosecute journalists. In order to
operate, local media may have to
practice self-censorship to avoid
repercussions.
Afghanistan has long been danger-
ous for journalists. CPJ says 53 jour-
nalists have been killed in
Afghanistan since 2001 and 33 of
them since 2018. —AP
 GAMES
THE ASIAN AGE | SUNDAY | 5 SEPTEMBER 2021 | NEW DELHI
SHORT TAKES
Max beats Hami
for Dutch pole
Zandvoort, The Netherlands:
Dutch driver Max Verstappen
sent his Orange Army of fans
into raptures after taking a bril-
liant pole position for the
Netherlands Grand Prix on
Sunday.
The Red Bull driver’s final lap
was just good enough to beat
Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton
by .04 seconds and his team-
mate Valtteri Bottas by .034.
Verstappen’s orange-clad fans
stood and roared Saturday
when he went past the main
grandstand area and sealed his
season-leading seventh pole of
the season — four more than F1
record holder Hamilton.
“Unbelievable, we were just fly-
ing today. It’s an amazing feel-
ing to get pole position here.
The crowd is incredible,”
Verstappen said.
Verstappen led Bottas by .3
seconds and Hamilton by .35
after their first runs. They all
improved on their second stints
and Verstappen did enough for
his 10th career pole.
“Pole position, home Grand
Prix. Really proud of you,” Red
Bull team principal Christian
Horner said. — AP
Raikkonen out of
race, with Covid
Zandvoort, The Netherlands:
Alfa Romeo driver Kimi
Raikkonen has tested positive
for the Coronavirus and will be
replaced by Robert Kubica for
the Netherlands Grand Prix.
The 41-year-old Raikkonen, who
is retiring from Formula One at
the end of the season, tested
positive following on-site test-
ing at the Zandvoort track.
In accordance with COVID-19
protocols he will take no fur-
ther part in this event. All con-
tacts have been declared,” F1
said in a statement on Saturday.
Alfa Romeo said that 2007 F1
champion Raikkonen was show-
ing no symptoms. He has imme-
diately entered isolation in his
hotel, the team said in a state-
ment on Saturday.
There is no further impact
expected for the team for the
remainder of this event.
The 36-year-old Kubica has not
raced since the season-ending
Abu Dhabi GP in 2019. It will be
his 98th start and first for Alfa
Romeo, where he is a reserve
driver. — AP
Oscar has Covid,
pulls out of fight
Los Angeles: Oscar De La
Hoya’s return to the ring will
have to wait after the fighter
said he tested positive for
Covid-19.
The 48-year-old De La Hoya
was scheduled to fight on
September 11 against former
MMA fighter Vitor Belfort in a
pay-per-view event at Staples
Center in Los Angeles. It would
have been his first fight since
being stopped by Manny
Pacquiao in 2008.
The former boxing champion
posted a video online Friday of
himself in a hospital bed, saying
he caught the virus despite
being fully vaccinated.
I am currently in the hospital
getting treatment and am con-
fident I will be back in the ring
before the year is up,” De La
Hoya said.
De La Hoya, who has been a
boxing promoter since retiring,
was to have fought the 44-
year-old Belfort at 185 pounds,
40 pounds heavier than he was
for his loss to Pacquiao. — AP
Oldest First Class
cricketer is dead
BY BIPIN DANI
India’s oldest First Class crick-
eter Raghunath Ramachandra
Chandorkar is no more. At the
age of 101, he passed away on
Friday at Kamaldham
Vrudhashram, a home for the
aged in Ambarnath (E), in
Thane District of Maharashtra.
“His death was due to his old
age,” his grandson Shravan
Hardikar, who is the commis-
sioner of the Pimpri Chinchwad
Municipal Corporation, said.
Chandorkar was only the third
Indian first-class cricketer to
reach a century of life. The
other two were Prof Deodhar
and Vasant Raiji.
Interestingly, the cricket frater-
nity had believed Chandorkar
was born in 1922 until cricket
statistician Prakash Dahatonde
managed to get the former’s
passport copy page displaying
his correct date of birth as 21
November, 1920.
Published by K. Sudhakar for and on
behalf of Deccan Chronicle Holdings
Limited at Jawaharlal Nehru National
Youth Centre, 219 Deen Dayal Upadhyay
Marg, New Delhi 110 002. and Printed by
him at BFL Infotech Limited, C – 9,
Sector – III, Noida – 201301.
Editor – Kaushik Mitter,
RNI Registration number 57290/94, Price
in Nepal - Nep.Rs. 20.00
per copy.
Left: Shuttler Pramod Bhagat leaps into the arms of his coach after winning gold at the Tokyo Paralympics on Saturday. Right: Shooters Singhraj
Adana (left) and Manish Narwal pose on the podium after winning silver and gold medals respectively.
DOUBLE GOLD
Shooters, shuttlers do India proud on four-medal day
Tokyo, Sept. 4: Shooter
Manish Narwal smashed a
Games record while shut-
tler Pramod Bhagat yet
again asserted
supremacy with his gold-
his
winning performance as
India’s tally swelled to 17
after a four-medal show on
a memorable penultimate
day at the Tokyo
Paralympics on Saturday.
The 19-year-old Narwal
shot a total of 218.2, a
Paralympic record, for
gold in P4 Mixed 50m
Pistol SH1 event while
Bhagat humbled Great
Britain’s Daniel Bethell in
the men’s singles SL3
class final for a historic
yellow metal.
India now have four
gold, seven silver and six
bronze medals to be
placed 26th with one day
left in the Games.
India had won just four
medals in the last edition
in Rio while the total
count from the 1972 edi-
tion when the country
competed for the first time
till these Tokyo Games
was 12.
More medals are in store
for India on the final day
on with shuttlers Suhas
Yathiraj and Krishna
Nagar sailing into the
men’s singles finals of SL4
class and SH6 class respec-
tively.
Tarun Dhillon too stayed
in contention for a bronze
after losing his semifinals
while the duo of Bhagat
and Palak Kohli will also
feature in the third-place
play-off in the mixed SL3-
SL5 class.
Narwal smashed the
Paralympic record to
clinch India’s third gold of
the current edition of the
Games while compatriot
Singhraj Adana bagged
Leylah Fernandez of Canada celebrates beating Naomi
Osaka of Japan in their US Open women’s singles third
round match at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis
Center in New York on Friday.
Manoj Sarkar in action during the bronze medal match
at the Tokyo Paralympics on Saturday.
the silver to make it a sen-
sational one-two finish for
the country. Narwal, who
holds the world record in
the category, claimed the
yellow metal in P4 Mixed
50m Pistol SH1 event in
his debut Games.
Narwal had a keen inter-
est in sports from child-
hood and grew up wanting
to become a football play-
er. Unfortunately, he could
not fulfil his footballing
dreams due to a congeni-
tal ailment in his right
hand.
— AFP
His wrestler father
Dilbagh tried doing any-
thing to make sure that
his son’s deformity did not
hold him back.
In 2016, on the sugges-
tion of a family friend,
Dilbagh took Narwal to a
nearby shooting range at
Ballabhgarh run by coach
Rakesh Thakur. That
changed Narwal’s life and
he instantly developed a
keen interest in the sport
and started doing practice
regularly.
At that time he did not
Osaka ousted; Tsitsipas toppled
New York, Sept. 4:
Defending champion
Naomi Osaka of Japan and
Greek third seed Stefanos
Tsitsipas were both ousted
from the US Open by 18-
year-olds in epic stunners
on Friday.
Four-time Grand Slam
champion Osaka was
shocked by Canadian left-
hander Leylah Fernandez
5-7, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 after
Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz
upset French Open runner-
up Tsitsipas 6-3, 4-6, 7-6
(7/2), 0-6, 7-6 (7/5).
“Honestly the Alcaraz
match gave me motivation
and gave me the energy to
do the same,” Fernandez
said, adding, “I saw his
match and I saw the way he
won and I’m like ‘I’m going
to do that next now.’”
Shock followed shock as
defending champion
Osaka, in a tearful news
conference after the loss,
announced she was taking
a break from playing ten-
nis. “I honestly don’t know
when I’m going to play my
next tennis match. I think
I’m going to take a break
from playing for a while,”
Osaka said, wiping away
tears.
know about Paralympic
Games but his talent was
spotted by coach Jai
Prakash Nautiyal. Narwal
won gold medal in P1 and
silver in P4 in 2018 Asian
Para Games in Jakarta.
The 39-year-old Adana,
who competes with polio-
impaired lower limbs, cre-
ated a piece of history as
he joins the elite list of
Indians who have won
multiple medals in the
same edition of the
Games.
He had won the bronze
in the P1 men’s 10m air
pistol SH1 event on
Tuesday.
Shooter Avani Lekhara,
who won a gold and
bronze in the ongoing
Games and Joginder
Singh Sodhi, who fetched
one silver and two bronze
medals in the 1984
Paralympics, are the other
two Indians who have
achieved the feat.
With badminton making
its debut at the
Paralympics this year,
world champion and pre-
tournament favourite
Bhagat became the first
Indian to win a gold medal
in the sport.
Bhagat claimed the his-
toric gold in the men’s sin-
gles SL3 class by beating
Great Britain’s Daniel
Bethell 21-14, 21-17 in a
thrilling final that lasted
45 minutes while Manoj
Sarkar bagged a bronze
after defeating Japan’s
Daisuke Fujihara 22-20, 21-
13 in the third place play-
off. “This is very special to
me, it’s my dream come
true. Bethell really pushed
me but I just kept my calm
and played to my
strengths,” said Bhagat
after wining India’s fourth
gold at the Games. — PTI
SANIA-RAM BOW OUT OF
MIXED DOUBLES EVENT
New York, Sept. 4: The Indo-American pair of Sania
Mirza and Rajeev Ram made a first round exit from
the US Open mixed doubles event after losing to
Dayana Yastremska from Ukraine and Australia’s
Max Purcell. Unseeded Sania and Ram lost 3-6, 6-3, 7-
10 to their opponents in 61 minutes on Friday night.
Sania and Ram could convert only one of the three
break chances that came their way while the winners
converted the only breakpoint they got in the match.
With this defeat, Sania’s campaign folded at the last
Grand Slam of the season as she had already crashed
out of the women’s doubles event after losing the first
round with American partner Coco Vandeweghe.
Osaka, who had won her
prior 16 Grand Slam
matches, was foiled in a
bid for her third US Open
crown in four years and
the first back-to-back titles
since Serena Williams in
2014.
Alcaraz is the youngest
man in the US Open fourth
round since 17-year-old
American Michael Chang
in 1989 and at any Slam
since Ukraine’s Andrei
Medvedev in the 1992
AVANI IS FLAG
BEARER FOR
CLOSING SHOW
Tokyo, Sept. 4: Shooter
Avani Lekhara will be the
flag bearer of country’s
contingent during the
closing ceremony of the
Tokyo Paralympics, here
on Sunday.
The 19-year-old trail-
blazer Lekhara had won a
gold in R-2 women’s 10m
Air Rifle Standing SH1
event on Monday before
claiming the 50m Rifle 3
Position SH1 bronze on
Friday.
“Avani will be the flag
bearer and there will be
11 participants from the
Indian contingent during
the closing ceremony,” an
official of the Paralympic
Committee of India (PCI)
said.
Lekhara, who was paral-
ysed below the waist after
a car accident in 2012, is
the only Indian woman to
win multiple medals in a
single edition of the
Games. Before Lekhara,
Joginder Singh Sodhi
whad won a silver and
two bronze medals in the
1984 Paralympics.
Another shooter
Singhraj Adana joined
the exclusive club on
Saturday when he added a
silver in P4 Mixed 50m
Pistol SH1 event to the
bronze in the P1 men’s
10m air pistol SH1 event
he won on Tuesday.
Shot-putter Tek Chand
was India’s flag-bearer for
the Paralympics opening
ceremony on August 24.
— PTI
— PTI
French Open.
Osaka had a major melt-
down on court during the
final moments of the sec-
ond set after she was
unable to hold serve for the
victory.
Osaka, who hadn’t played
since Monday thanks to a
second-round walkover,
took the first set in 37 min-
utes on her sixth ace. But
Osaka was broken in the
12th game of the second
set, an errant forehand
pg 8
FOURTH | TEST
Rohit puts India
on top with ton
London, Sept. 4: Rohit loosener from Robinson,
Sharma’s first overseas top-edging a pull straight
century swung the momen- to Chris Woakes at long
tum of an oscillating leg.
fourth Test India’s way That was from the first
despite a late double inter- delivery with the new ball.
vention by England pace- Off the sixth, Cheteshwar
man Ollie Robinson on the Pujara got an inside edge
third day at the Oval. off a much more incisive
Bad light disappointingly delivery and it careered off
brought an early end to his thigh pad and was
play on Saturday, with caught by Ali at gully.
India closing on 270-3 and Given not out on the field,
with a lead of 171 runs. a review confirmed the
The tourists hauled them- inside edge and the atmos-
selves back in front — just phere immediately
about — on the back of 127 changed inside the Oval.
by Sharma, the classy That left India on 237-3
right-handed opener whose and with two new batsmen
shot-making all around the in the middle. The game
ground lit up a sometimes- was back on.
gloomy day in south Virat Kohli (22) and
London. Ravindra Jadeja (9), who
The way he brought up was again sent in up the
three figures — with a order, held firm and put on
cleanly struck, straight six 33 for the fourth wicket
off spinner Moeen Ali — until bad light forced
was classic Sharma, end- England to bowl only spin,
ing his eight-year wait for or go off.
a hundred outside India. After an over each of Joe
By that stage, India had Root and Ali, Root had
turned the game on its enough and put the ball in
head after starting the day
on 43-0, trailing by 56 runs
the hands of Woakes, a
seamer — automatically
after England eked out a
99-run lead after the first
resulting in the players
walking off the field with
innings. about an hour left to play.
However, just as it looked They didn’t return.
like England was being India have the edge but a
batted out of the game, couple of early wickets on
Robinson was handed the the fourth day will change
new ball and he took two that.
wickets in the first over The series is locked at 1-1
with it. with one more Test to
Ending a second-wicket come, at Old Trafford start-
partnership of 153 runs, ing next week. Things
Sharma was early on a couldn’t be closer. — AP
Rohit Sharma (left) celebrates his century alongside
teammate Cheteshwar Pujara on the third day of the
fourth Test against England at The Oval cricket ground in
London on Saturday. — AP
SCORECARD
India 1st innings: 191
England 1st Innings: 290
India 2nd Innings (o/n 43/0): Rohit Sharma c Woakes b
Robinson 127, K. L. Rahul c Bairstow b Anderson 46,
Cheteshwar Pujara c Ali b Robinson 61, Virat Kohli batting
22, Ravindra Jadeja batting 9. Extras (lb-3, nb-2) 5. Total
(for 3 wickets in 92 overs) 270.
FoW: 1-83, 2-236, 3-237.
Bowling: James Anderson 23-8-49-1, Ollie Robinson 21-4-
67-2, Chris Woakes 19-5-43-0, Craig Overton 10-0-38-0,
Moeen Ali 15-0-63-0, Joe Root 4-1-7-0.
sending her to a tie-break-
THE RESULTS
er. That began a sequence
of repeated racquet smash-
ing by Osaka as she was ■ Men’s singles third round:
humbled in the tie-break to
force a third set.
Fernandez, the daughter
Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) bt
Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE x3) 6-3,
4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 0-6, 7-6 (7/5);
Frances Tiafoe (USA) bt Andrey
of an Ecuadoran father Rublev (RUS x5) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6
and Filipino-Canadian (8/6), 4-6, 6-1; Flix Auger-
mother who turns 19 on Aliassime (CAN x12) bt Roberto
Monday, hit a forehand Bautista (ESP x18) 6-3, 6-4, 4-6,
winner to break Osaka to 3-6, 6-3; Peter Gojowczyk
start the third set. (GER) bt Henri Laaksonen (SUI)
Osaka saved two break 3-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-4; Botic van de
Zandschulp (NED) bt Facundo
points to hold in the third Bagnis (ARG) 3-6, 6-0, 6-2, 6-2;
game and from there both Diego Schwartzman (ARG x11)
held to the finish, which bt Alex Molcan (SVK) 6-4, 6-3,
came after two hours and 6-3; Daniel Evans (GBR x24) bt
four minutes, sending Alexei Popyrin (AUS) 4-6, 3-6,
Fernandez against 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/1); Daniil
German 16th seed Medvedev (RUS x2) bt Pablo
Andjar (ESP) 6-0, 6-4, 6-3.
Angelique Kerber in her
first Grand Slam fourth ■ Women’s singles third round:
round appearance. Leylah Fernandez (CAN) bt
Naomi Osaka (JPN x3) 5-7, 7-6
Fernandez, who won her (7/2), 6-4; Elina Svitolina (UKR
first WTA title in March at x5) bt Darya Kasatkina (RUS
Monterrey, had never beat- x25) 6-4, 6-2; Simona Halep
en so high-ranked a rival (ROM x12) bt Elena Rybakina
as third-rated Osaka and (KAZ x19) 7-6 (13/11), 4-6, 6-3;
the same was true for Angelique Kerber (GER x16) bt
Alcaraz when he sent Sloane Stephens (USA) 5-7, 6-2,
home the men’s world 6-3; Garbie Muguruza (ESP x9)
bt Victoria Azarenka (BLR x18)
number three.
6-4, 3-6, 6-2; Elise Mertens
Alcaraz became the (BEL x15) bt Ons Jabeur (TUN
youngest man to beat a top- x20) 6-3, 7-5; Aryna Sabalenka
3 player at the US Open (BLR x2) bt Danielle Collins
since the rankings began (USA x26) 6-3, 6-3.
in 1973. — AFP