Char Dham Yatra resumes after weather clears in Uttarakhand

NEW DELHI: The Char Dham Yatra, which was temporarily

suspended due to incessant rains in Uttarakhand, resumed in
Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri after the rains stopped
on Thursday. However, roadways in Badrinath are still
blocked and will be reopened after the weather clears. At
least 54 people have died in rain related incidents in the
state. Devotees are leaving for the Char Dham pilgrimage
from Haridwar and Rishikesh in public and private vehicles.
NATION
MUMBAI | FRIDAY | OCTOBER 22, 2021

Bangla violence: Man identified

FLOOD FURY

Rs 7K cr losses: U’khand
ARITRA SINGHA
Kolkata
Hasina has her task cutout as U nion Home Minister
Amit Shah on Thurs-
day conducted an aerial
Soon after Bangladesh po-
lice said they had identified
the person who kept the
global outcry grows louder survey of rain-ravaged ar-
eas of Uttarakhand to as-
sess the damage which the
Quran at the Durga Pandal
on October 13, ISKCON
Kolkata vice-president Rad-
W ith the horrific at-
tacks fully interna-
tionalized, and already a
state government
pegged at Rs 7,000 crore.
has

Talking to reporters at the

haraman Das has demand-
ed strict action against
him.
“The Bangladesh govern-
ment had earlier said that
whoever is the culprit will
be dealt with strongly but
since the culprit is Iqbal
Hossain, I hope that the
government won’t spare
him,” said Radhaman.
Notably, through CCTV
footage, the Bangladesh po-
lice had identified the cul-
prit at Cumilla who had in-
tentionally kept a Quran in
front of Hanuman’s idol
and taken away his mace
and then had spread the
photo on social media. No
sooner did the photo go vi-
ral… that there were inci-
dents of violence and at-
tacks on Hindu minorities
and Durga idols and the
ISKCON temple in noakhali
were vandalized leaving
few dead and several in-
jured.
It may be noted that on Oc-
blot on the global human
rights map, not only
should the Sheikh Hasina
administration in
Bangladesh quickly nab
the ring leaders of the cas-
cading bloodletting, but
also eliminate the root
File picture of the attack causes of the searing vio-
lence that tore through the
city of Cumilla-the epicen-
BREAKING: Prime suspect Iqbal Hossain has ter of the carnage. That
been arrested from Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh may include the institu-
tional cleanup of several
around 11 pm on Thursday. He was seen in state organs, including the
the CCTV footage - placing the Holy Quran at police and the intelligence
services, which the radi-
the Durga puja mandap in Comilla. cals, unfortunately, seem
to have infiltrated.
Protests in NE states
tober 23, ISKCON will take The sheer horror of the
out silent protests across anti-Hindu pogrom during
150 countries to condemn Durga Puja has prodded
AGARTALA: Protests against
the Bangladesh incident. the recent communal violence the United Nations to take
On the other hand, both serious notice of the
in Bangladesh continued in
the BJP and the VHP had Tripura and other northeastern tragedy. The UN Resident
taken out protest rallies Coordinator in Bangladesh
states with the CPI-M and the
across West Bengal to VHP urging the government in Mia Seppo joined the grow-
protest against the attacks Dhaka to protect the lives and ing chorus against commu-
on Hindus in Bangladesh properties of the minorities. nal violence on Monday,
during the festival.
calling upon the govern-
ment to ensure the security
for the country's minority
community.
In a tweet, she wrote: "Re-
cent attacks on Hindus in
Bangladesh fueled by hate
speech on social media are
against the values of the
Constitution and need to
stop. We call upon the gov-
ernment to ensure protec-
tion of minorities and an
impartial probe. We call
upon all to join hands to
strengthen inclusive toler-
ant Bangladesh."
Jollygrant airport here af-
ter returning from the sur-
vey, Shah said that alert-
ness of the central and state
government agencies had
helped contain the damage.
Relief and rescue opera-
tions continued in the
worst-hit Kumaon region
amid efforts to restore con-
nectivity and evacuate peo- Union Home Minister Amit Shah conducts an aerial survey of
ple from vulnerable areas. flood and landslide affected areas of Uttarakhand
Five trekkers found dead, four missing Orange alert in 8
SHIMLA: Five of the eleven missing trekkers, who started Kerala districts
their expedition in Uttarakhand, were found dead in Himachal After a brief interval, heavy
Pradesh's Kinnaur district on Thursday, a senior official said. downpour, accompanied by
While four trekkers are still missing, two have been rescued,
thunderstorms and lightning
Kinnaur Deputy Commissioner Abid Hussain Sadiq said. The battered several parts of
trekkers had left Harshil in adjoining Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi Kerala on Thursday. India
district for Chitkul in Kinnaur district on October 11 but they
Meteorological Department
went missing from October 17 to 19 in Lamkhaga Pass amid (IMD) issued an Orange Alert
inclement weather, he said.
for eight districts of the state
indicating very heavy
Heavy rain submerges houses in Rudrapur
showers.
The IMD, in its latest update,
RUDRAPUR (U’K- put the districts –
HAND): Residents of Pathanamthitta, Kottayam,
Shivpuri town in Idukki, Palakkad,

Sufi body JAIPUR: Ajmer-based All India Sufi
Sajjadadanashin Council on Thursday
condemned the attack on Hindus during
condemns Durga puja celebrations in Bangladesh.
The attack on mandaps, pandals and
outrageous act and is performed by Islam and the teachings of Prophet Rudrapur district of Malappuram, Kozhikode,
those individuals who are the real Mohammad. Islam never justifies Uttarakhand are Wayanad and Kannur – on
enemies of Islam, Nasruddin Chishty, violence in the name of religion, he said. struggling after con- Orange alert.
chairman of the council said in a
statement.
The Council also demanded an unbiased
investigation and strong action against
tinuous heavy rains
which have sub-
A 'Yellow alert', predicting
isolated heavy rainfall, was

Puja violence temples is highly condemnable and

unpardonable. This incident is an
The violence in the name of Islam is a
cowardly act. This is against the spirit of
those involved in provoking communal
violence.
merged their hous-
es, damaged house-
hold goods and left
issued for Kollam, Alappuzha,
Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur,
Ernakulam and Kasaragod
them hungry. districts for the day.

‘Army’s befitting reply to GAURI LANKESH MURDER Suman Yadav a resident said, "On the night of October 18, A Red alert indicates heavy to
our houses got flooded with 5 feet of water. This ruined all extremely heavy rains of over

SC restores KCOCA
our household belongings. More than half of items in our 20 cm in 24 hours, while
shops also were submerged. We are borrowing clothes from Orange alert denotes very

expansionist neighbour’
others. We have lost at least 1 lakh rupees." Their house also heavy rains from 6 cm to 20

charges against accused

developed some cracks due to rain. cm of rains.

AGENCIES / New Delhi have given a befitting reply to Encounter in

Our troops gave a "befitting"
reply to the “expansionist” ac-
tivities of our neighbouring
country and this underlines
the fact that India will never
compromise on its sovereign-
ty and security, Union minis-
ter Nityanand Rai said on
Thursday hinting at the recent
military action along the Sino-
India front in the Himalayas.
Speaking during the Police
Commemoration Day at the
National Police Memorial
(NPM) in Chanakyapuri area
of the national capital, the
Minister of State for Home
Affairs said the India-China
Line of Actual Control (LAC)
guarding force ITBP made a
"vital contribution" during
this action.
“Our troops, few days back,
Huge quantity of
explosive materials
was recovered from
West Bengal's Birbhum
district, police said on
Thursday.
Mamata likely to visit North Bengal
the expansionist activities of OUR BUREAU / New Delhi "Nayak had intimate nexus KOLKATA: In the midst of heavy rains and floods tour because of the by-election
our neighbouring country Srinagar with the brain behind the in several districts of North Bengal, Chief Minister in Bhawanipur where she was a
and neutralised their at- An encounter between security The Supreme Court on entire event being none oth- Mamata Banerjee is likely to make a four-day trip candidate. As per sources in the
tempt successfully.” “This forces and terrorists broke out in Thursday ruled that one of er than Amol Kale and mas- to Siliguri to hold an administrative meeting and CMO, on October 24 Banerjee
gave a message that India the Chanapora area of Srinagar the accused in the 2017 mur- ter arms trainer Rajesh D take stock of the on-ground situation in the flood- would hold a meeting with the
will never compromise on its on Thursday. "Encounter has der of activist Gauri Bangera who are part and hit districts. Though there has been no official Darjeeling district administration
sovereignty and security,” started at Chanapora area of Lankesh will face charges parcel of an organised communication about her visit to North Bengal yet, officials where apart from the flood situation,
the minister said. Srinagar. Police and security under the stringent Kar- crime syndicate and com- sources in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said issues related to development will also be
He did not name the coun- forces are on the job. Further nataka Control of Organ- mitted organised crimes as that Banerjee is likely to go to Siliguri on October discussed. She will also hold administrative
try but his indication was to- details shall follow," tweeted ised Crime Act (KCOCA) such." 24 and return to Kolkata on October 28. The Chief meetings with the officials of the other districts of
wards China and the over an Kashmir Zone Police. The Bench of Justices AM The High Court had Minister had decided to go to North Bengal in the the area at the North Bengal state secretariat,
year military standoff be- Khanwilkar, Dinesh Ma- quashed the order of the first week of September, but she had to cancel her 'Uttar Kanya', on October 25 and 26.
tween the two countries in IED detected heshwari and CT Raviku- Bengaluru Commissioner of
Ladakh and other regions. An improvised explosive device mar restored Police passed
(IED) was detected and defused
by the security forces on
the charges on
an appeal filed
in 2018 and the
supplementary TMC to showcase SPEED NEWS
Thursday in Baramulla district of
Jammu and Kashmir thereby
by Lankesh's
sister, Kavita
chargesheet
filed thereafter. WB devpt in Tripura
averting a major tragedy. Police Lankesh, as- Offences under TRIPURA: TMC will launch a 12-
said troops of 32 Rashtriya Rifles sailing the High Sections 3(1)(i), day program on Friday, ‘Tripurar
recovered an IED from a Court verdict 3(2), 3(3) and Jonnyo Trinamool’ (Trinamool for
passenger shed near Saidpora on April 22 this 3(4) of the Tripura) to spread the message of
village in Rafiabad area of year and assert- KCOCA TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee
Nityanand Rai Baramulla district on Thursday. ing that Nayak against Nayak across Tripura. Addressing a press
was actively in- were, thereby, conference, TMC Rajya Sabha
Ties with India stronger: Maldives volved in pro- Gauri Lankesh
viding shelter
dropped.
During the
MP Sushmita Dev said through
the ‘Tripurar Jonno Trinamool’
NEW DELHI: The relationship between the Maldives and India today to Gauri's killer, prior to and hearings, the apex court programme, TMC leaders will
is "stronger than ever" and New Delhi has been the first and best after the commission of the had observed that though speak about Trinamool Congress
responder to Malé in all times of need, the island nation's Defence offence. benefit could be given to ac- and TMC Supremo Mamata
Minister Mariya Didi has said. The Court set aside the cused prior to the approval Banerjee with the people of the
In a recorded video message played during a defence conclave here High Court judgment and stage, the act of quashing state covering 8 districts, 58
on Thursday, Didi also appreciated India's support to the Maldives in dismissed Mohan Nayak's the chargesheet against Blocks and 20 Urban Local
all areas of development. writ petition. It held that him was "incorrect." Bodies of Tripura. –Our Bureau

Cong slams derogatory Bear enters Sikkim Raj Bhavan, has a feast Policemen near IAF's Mirage-2000 aircraft that crashed after a
technical malfunction, in Bhind, on Thursday –PTI

comments against Gehlot The animal was

captured after
AGENCIES
Gangtok
night to keep the bear at
bay and as soon as the day
broke, an operation was
(DFO) Dechen Lachungpa.
The bear would be re-
leased in the Pangalakha
IAF aircraft Mirage 2000 crashes
in MP, pilot ejected safely
AGENCIES / Jaipur A Himalayan black bear being tranquilised started to capture it, they Wildlife sanctuary, offi- BHOPAL: A Mirage 2000 aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF)

The Congress on Thursday

reacted sharply to the recent
comments of Union minister
S P Singh Bhagel against
Chief Minister Ashok
Gehlot, saying indecency has
no place in democracy and
civilized society.
Addressing a public meet-
ing on Wednesday in
Kharsan area in Udaipur's
Congress recasts
central control room
Fex-MP
ormer AICC general
secretary and Karnataka's
BK Hariprasad (67) is
back in the reckoning, finding
place in various bodies set up
by the Congress at the AICC
level. His latest entry is in a 9-
member AICC Central Control
was rescued from the Raj
Bhavan complex in Gang-
tok on Thursday after a
gruelling operation that
lasted for hours, officials
said.
The bear was first spotted
by the Raj Bhavan staff
around midnight, following
which the Forest Depart-
ment was informed, they
said. The bear ate some
chickens at the staff quar-
ters of the complex, lead-
ing to more panic among
the people, officials said.
Forest officials patrolled
the complex the entire
added.
The animal was captured
around 12 pm after being
tranquilised, officials
said.
“The bear was hiding un-
der a culvert. We had to
shoot it twice as we
missed the first shot,” said
Divisional Forest Officer
cials said.
The Himalayan black
crashed in Madhya Pradesh's Bhind district on Thursday. The
incident occurred at Mankabagh village near Barauli area of
bear is enlisted as a highly
endangered species, they
Bhind, which is around 500 km from state capital Bhopal. The
aircraft was being flown by lieutenant Abhilash. A video taken by
said.
Last year, a Himalayan
black bear had strayed
a local shows pilot gliding down smoothly with the help of a
parachute. However, he received minor injuries. Soon after the
crash, the plane caught fire, however, the pilot was ejected safely
into the BSNL building with minor injuries, said a police official in Bhind district.
near MG Marg and in-
jured a staff. Kidnapping: Kerala Abusing cops: FIR
CPI-M leader booked against activists

After a lull… Sidhu, Captain back to baiting

Vallabhnagar assembly con-
stituency where a bypoll is
scheduled, Baghel, who is the
Union Minister of State for
Law and Justice, called
Gehlot a liar and went on to
question the parentage of
those who do not stick to
their words.
Baghel also said that Gehlot
was born on the day when a
thousand liars had died.
Room set up to follow up and
coordinate the sustained
agitation programmes of the
party. Others in the Control
Room are: Manish Chtrath, J
D Seelam, Dr Udit Raj,
Gurdeep Singh Sappal, Dr
Ragini Nayak, Dr Vineet
Punia, Naveen Sharma and Dr
Harsh Vardhan Shyam.
–Our Bureau
GAJINDER SINGH signed an MoU with the
Chandigarh Mukesh Ambani-controlled
Reliance Retail, entailing
The man, who many hold an initial investment of Rs
responsible for the political 500 crore to be scaled to Rs
turmoil in Punjab, is back 3,000 crore later.
at his favourite pastime The agreement proposed
again. setting up of 52 rural hubs
After maintaining a dis- and 250 sub-hubs across 18
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A
23-year old woman,
daughter of a senior CPI(M)
leader here, has accused her
parents of forcefully having
taken away her new-born
child from her soon after its
birth a year ago and
approached the police
seeking to get the baby back.
Anupama S Chandran,
daughter of CPI(M) local
committee member PS
HUBBALLI: The Karnataka
Police have filed FIR against
Bajrang Dal leader and 100
activists of Hindu outfits for
allegedly abusing an IPS
officer on duty while staging
protest against religious
conversions in Hubballi,
police sources said on
Thursday. The police have
booked Bajrang Dal leader
Ashok Anvekar and others on
charges of abusing K.

Lakhimpur case: One month suspension

for Yadav for visiting BJP worker’s house
NEW DELHI: The Samyukta
Kisan Morcha on Thursday
suspended social activist
Yogendra Yadav for a month
for visiting the family of a BJP
worker who was killed in the
October 3 Lakhimpur Kheri
violence. Yadav has been a
member of the outfit's core
committee. A senior farmer
leader said the decision was
taken at a general body
meeting of the SKM, which
has been spearheading the
nationwide protest against the
Centre's farm laws.
"In its meeting, the SKM
suspended Yogendra Yadav for
a month as he had visited the
family of a BJP worker who
had died in Uttar Pradesh's
Lakhimpur Kheri," he said.
Meanwhile, A local court on
Thursday granted police three-
day custody of the four
accused in the October 3
violence here in which eight
people, including four farmers,
were killed.
The court sent Sumit Jaiswal,
Satya Prakash Tripathi alias
Satyam, Nandan Singh Bishta
and Shishu Pal to police
remand.
creet silence and lying “po-
litically” low for some
days, Punjab Congress
president Navjot Singh Sid-
hu on Thursday termed
ousted chief minister
Amarinder Singh as the
“architect” of the contro-
versial farm laws.
Not to be left behind,
Amarinder, in reply, lam-
basted Sidhu, calling him
“a fraud and cheat” who
was clueless about Punjab.
“The Architect of 3 Black
Laws … Who brought Am-
bani to Punjab’s Kisani …
Who destroyed Punjab’s
Farmers, Small traders and
Labour for benefiting 1-2
Big Corporates !!,” Sidhu
had said in a tweet.
Sidhu’s reaction came a
day after Amarinder’s inter-
view to some TV channels
and websites blaming Sidhu
for his removal as chief
minister and announcing
his intention to float a party
with the BJP as an ally, pro-
vided a solution is found
ending the farmer-Centre
impasse over the con-
tentious farm laws.
“What a fraud and cheat
you are @sherryontopp !
You’re trying to pass off
my 15-year-old crop diversi-
fication initiative as con-
nected with #FarmLaws,
against which I’m still
fighting and with which
I’ve linked my own politi-
cal future!” one of
Amarinder’s tweets on his
media advisers handle
reads.
“It’s obvious @sherryon-
topp you’re clueless about
Punjab’s & its farmers’ in-
terests. You clearly don’t
know the difference be-
tween diversification &
what the #FarmLaws are all
about. And yet you dream of
leading Punjab. How dread-
ful if that ever happens!”
another tweet states.
Interestingly, the Punjab
government had, in 2006,
under Amarinder Singh,
districts of Punjab to facili-
tate Sidhu’s reaction came
a day after Amarinder an-
nounced on various TV
channels to float a party
and indicated a pre-al-
liance with the BJP, subject
to a favourable solution to
the farmers’ agitation.
Besides the cultivation of
fresh vegetables, training of
farmers, facilitate micro ir-
rigation to contain the
dwindling water table in
the state, expand dairy
farming, education projects
for the primary and middle
education and entertain-
ment hubs for the rural
population, the project
aimed to cover 12,400 vil-
lages in Punjab under the
Reliance Rural Hubs model.
Jayachandran, alleged that Ramarajan, Deputy
though she had lodged a Commissioner of Police (Law
complaint with the police and Order) while protesting
several times since April,
they were reluctant to
on October 17. Ramarajan has
filed a complaint in this
register a case against the regard along with other
family members. police officers.
3 sisters drown in pond in UP’s Bahraich
BAHRAICH: Three sisters, including an infant, drowned in a pond
in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich district, police said on Thursday. The
incident took place in Nandoliya village under Kaiserganj police
station area on Wednesday evening, they said. Superintendent of
Police (SP) Sujata Singh told reporters that one Saira Bano had
taken her cattle for grazing near the pond in Nandoliya. She was
accompanied by her four children – sons Kaif (8) and Mohammad
Faiz (3), and daughters Masrum (7 months) and Qashrum (4). Kaif
entered the pond while watching fish and started drowning.
Hearing his cries for help, Bano entered the pond holding Masrum
in her arms and her other two children followed her. Though Bano
managed to save Kaif, the other three children drowned, she
added.
Large crowd gathers as Taj Mahal reopens for night viewing
AGRA (UTTAR PRADESH): On the occasion of Sharad Purnima, the Taj
Mahal, which is made of white marble and shines during moon night, was
reopened for visitors at night. Talking to ANI, Dr Raj Kumar Patel,
Superintending Archaeologist said, "Taj Mahal, which is made up of white
marble and shines during moon night, especially on Sharad Purnima and
to witness Taj Mahal at that time for any tourist is a unique experience." He
further said that all the tickets to Taj mahal on Wednesday were sold out
on the occasion of Sharad Purnima.
NATION
MUMBAI | FRIDAY | OCTOBER 22, 2021

IN THE COURTYARD
Team India responding
to adversity with SC physical hearings in a big way after Diwali
Our Bureau / New Delhi days. This is the first time since objected to the restrictions

achievement Chief Justice of India NV

Ramana on Thursday declared
Special article by PM Modi on India that the Supreme Court may
ramp up the physical hearings
achieving 1 billion vaccination milestone after the Diwali break, falling
in the first week of November,
March 2020 that the Supreme
Court is insisting on the physical
presence of lawyers for cases, a
sure sign of the top court' s plan
to slowly open up physical
hearing. The Bar is, however,
sharply divided as many find
place by the October 7 SOP on
the number of lawyers allowed
inside court rooms. "It is
impossible to have only one
lawyer inside the courtroom
when volumes of cases and
files are so much," Sibal argued.

I
ndia completed the vaccination of 100 crore doses on
21st October 2021, in just about 9 months since start-
ing vaccination. This has been a tremendous jour-
ney in dealing with Covid-
19, especially when we recall
how things stood in early
2020. Humanity was dealing
with such a pandemic after
100 years and no one knew
much about the virus. We re-
member how unpredictable
the situation appeared then,
as the Court will resume work
from November 8.
"After Diwali, we may start it on
a larger scale," he said,
responding to senior advocates
Rakesh Dwivedi and Ranjit
Kumar thanking him for
resuming physical hearing of
cases in limited manner on
Wednesdays and Thursdays
Parliament building illuminated with lights as India crossed the 1 billion Covid-19 vaccination during the non-miscellaneous
milestone, on Thursday.
virtues in the video-conference-
based hearing since they can
argue from the comforts of their
home or office instead of
making appearance in the
courtrooms.
Only on Wednesday, Solicitor
General Tushar Mehta and
senior advocate Kapil Sibal
opposed the mandatory
physical hearings. They
The CJI then said he will take a
call after discussing this issue
with other judges. Supreme
Court Bar Association (SCBA)
has been pressing for physical
hearings on all five days of the
week and it was its pressure
that led to the top court having
virtual and hybrid hearings on 3
days and physical hearings on
Wednesdays and Thursdays.

OUTSTANDING
as we were faced by an un-
known and invisible enemy
mutating rapidly.
Faceless I-T assessment Delhi police: Need 4 more mths
Narendra Modi The journey from anxiety scheme of Centre to probe Shivinder Singh case

JAB JOB!
to assurance has happened
Prime Minister and our nation has emerged draws legal ire AGENCIES / New Delhi
stronger, thanks to the world’s largest vaccination
drive. The faceless assessment scheme of the The Supreme Court was apprised by the Delhi
It has been a truly bhagirath effort involving multiple Central government is finding itself on the Police Economic Offences Wing on Thursday that
sections of society. To get a sense of the scale, assume wrong side of the law with unhappy it requires four more months to complete the

PM visits Delhi hosp to

that each vaccination took just 2 minutes for a health- assessees dragging the Income-Tax probe in the case in which former Fortis
care worker. At this rate, it took around 41 lakh man-
days or approximately 11 thousand man-years of effort
Tharoor says govt Department to the courts and multiple
judicial pronouncements flaying it.
Healthcare promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh is
accused of allegedly misappropriating about Rs
deserves credit
mark 100 cr milestone
to reach this landmark. Recently, the Bombay High Court issued a 2,400 crore from Religare Finvest Ltd (RFL) fund.
For any effort to attain and sustain speed and scale, warning to an Assessing Officer even as it set A Bench of Chief Justice NV Ramana and Justices
the trust of all stakeholders is crucial. One of the rea- NEW DELHI: Senior Con- aside the IT notice and directed the order to Surya Kant and Hima Kohli asked the Delhi police
sons for the success of the campaign was the trust that gress leader Shashi Tharoor be circulated “right from the Revenue how much time it will take to complete the
people developed in the vaccine and the process fol- on Thursday said credit Secretary to everybody in the Finance investigation and it cannot be an "unending story".
lowed, despite various efforts to create mistrust and AGENCIES / New Delhi tweet, the Prime Minister should be given to the gov- Ministry”. Delhi police said it needs four months to complete
panic. said, "India scripts history. ernment for achieving the “If such orders are continued to be passed, the investigation if unforeseen circumstances do
There are some among us who only trust foreign PM Narendra Modi on We are witnessing the tri- 100-crore Covid vaccine dose this Court will be constrained to impose not hit the ongoing probe. The Bench has now
brands, even for simple everyday necessities. However, Thursday visited Ram umph of Indian science, en- landmark in the country, substantial costs on the concerned Assessing listed Singh's bail plea for hearing on Monday.
when it came to something as crucial as the Covid-19 Manohar Lohia Hospital terprise and collective spirit drawing a sharp response Officer to be recovered from his/her salary Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi,
vaccine, the people of India unanimously trusted here to express gratitude to of 130 crore Indians. from party colleague Pawan and also direct the department to place such appearing for Singh, told the bench that his client
‘Made in India’ vaccines. This is a significant paradigm doctors, nurses and others "Congrats India on crossing Khera, who asserted that giv- judicial orders in the career records of such has been in jail for the last two years and his
shift. who helped India cross the 100 crore vaccinations. Grati- ing credit is an "insult" to Assessing Officer,” said a division bench of custody is not required for the investigation as two
India’s vaccine drive is an example of what India can 100 crore Covid vaccination- tude to our doctors, nurses millions of families that "suf- the Bombay High Court in a matter pertaining charge sheets have already been filed. Singh
achieve if the citizens and the government come to- mark. Modi visited the vacci- and all those who worked to fered due to the mismanage- to an assessee who was given just two days’ challenged in the apex court the June 14 order of
gether with a common goal in the spirit of ‘Jan Bhagi- nation centre at the hospital achieve this feat. #Vaccine- ment" of the pandemic. India time to respond to a notice-cum-draft Delhi High Court which cancelled his bail granted
dari’. When India started its vaccination programme, and interacted with the Century" Congratulating the achieved a major milestone assessment order. by the trial court in a money laundering case.
there were many people who doubted the capabilities of health workers. He also gave nation on this historic mo- in its vaccination pro-
130 crore Indians. Some said India would take 3-4 years. a thumbs up to the health ment, the Union Health Min- gramme against Covid as the

SC denies bail to Surat

Some others said people will not come forward to get workers at the hospital. ister Mansukh said in a cumulative vaccine doses ad-
vaccinated. There were those who said there will be India on Thursday achieved tweet, "Congratulation India! ministered in the country QUICK LOOK
gross mismanagement and chaos in the vaccination the major milestone of one Under the visionary Prime surpassed the 100-crore mark

lawyer for links with ISIS

process. Some even said that India will not be able to billion vaccination under the Minister Narendra Modi, it on Thursday. INTERIM STAY ON PONDY CIVIC
manage supply chains. But just like the ‘Janata Curfew’ mass vaccination drive. In a has been achieved". POLLS EXTENDED TILL NOV11
and subsequent lockdowns, the people of India showed Slugfest between TMC-BJP Chennai: The Madras High Court
how spectacular the results can be, if they are made KOLKATA: While BJP is cel- on Thursday extended till
trusted partners. ebrating a successful 100 Our Bureau / New Delhi Wednesday ordered speeding November 11, the operation of
When everyone takes ownership, nothing is impossi- crore vaccination drive, TMC up of the trial, noting that the its earlier order which directed
ble. Our healthcare workers traversed hills and crossed spokesperson and state gen- The Supreme Court has denied accused has been in jail since the Puducherry government and
rivers across difficult geographies to vaccinate people. eral secretary Kunal Ghosh bail to Surat lawyer Ubed October 25, 2017, but even the State Election Commission to
Our youth, social workers, healthcare workers, social slammed the Central govern- Ahmed since allegations of his charges have not been framed keep in abeyance all further
and religious leaders, all deserve credit for the fact that ment and said that they took links with terrorist outfit ISIS against him. proceedings in the matter of
India faces minimal vaccine hesitancy when compared nine months to vaccinate were 'serious,' but ordered the "Taking into consideration the conducting civic polls in the
to even developed nations. people. Meanwhile, BJP na- conclusion of his trial in one fact that the petitioner is Union Territory.
There was a lot of pressure from different interest tional vice president Dilip year. reported to be in custody since
groups to give preferential treatment to them in vacci- Ghosh congratulated PM The Bench headed by Chief October 25, 2017, and long ABSCONDER OR PROCLAIMED
nation. But the Government ensured that, like our oth- Modi for vaccinating a huge Justice NV Ramana on pendency of the trial, we direct OFFENDER IS NOT ENTITLED TO
er schemes, there is no VIP culture in the vaccination population and claimed the ANTICIPATORY BAIL: SC
drive either. scenario in West Bengal is New Delhi: An accused who has
In early 2020, when Covid-19 was rampaging across the ‘disappointing.’ —FPJ Bureau Woman's easy virtue can't be reason to been declared an absconder or
world, it was clear to us that this pandemic will have to proclaimed offender is not
India logs 18,454 absolve rape accused: Kerala HC
be eventually fought with the help of vaccines. We start-
ed preparing early. We constituted expert groups and
started preparing a roadmap right from April 2020. fresh cases 100 monuments to be lit up AGENCIES / KOCHI
entitled to anticipatory bail, the
Supreme Court said on Thursday
while setting aside an order of
Till today, only a handful of countries have developed AGENCIES / New Delhi AGENCIES Sikri Agra, Ramappa Tem- A woman or girl being of easy virtue or Patna High Court in a cheating
their own vaccines. More than 180 countries are de- New Delhi ple, Hampi, Dholavira (Gu- habituated to sexual intercourse cannot be case. A bench of Justices MR
pendent on an extremely limited pool of producers and A total of 18,454 new Covid jarat), ancient Leh Palace; reasons to absolve someone of rape, Shah and AS Bopanna said the
dozens of nations are still waiting for the supply of vac- cases and 160 deaths were The Archaeological Survey Currency Building and Met- especially a father who is expected to be High Court committed an error in
cines, even as India has crossed 100 crore doses! Imag- reported in the country in the of India (ASI) will light up calf Hall in Kolkata; Khaju- the "fortress and refuge" of his daughter, granting bail ignoring the
ine the situation if India did not have its own vaccine. last 24 hours, said the Ministry 100 of its heritage monu- raho temples (MP), and Gol- the Kerala High Court has said convicting a man for repeatedly proceedings under Sections 82
How would have India secured enough vaccines for of Health and Family Welfare ments in colours of the na- conda Fort in Hyderabad are raping his daughter which also resulted in her becoming pregnant. and 83 of Criminal Procedure
such a large population and how many years would that (MoHFW) on Thursday. tional flag to mark the 100 among the 100 monuments, The high court noted that when a father rapes his daughter, it was Code (CrPC). Under section 82, a
have taken? It is here that credit should be given to In- The active caseload remained crore Covid vaccination which will be illuminated in worse than a gamekeeper becoming a poacher or a treasury guard court can publish a proclamation
dian scientists and entrepreneurs for rising to the occa- below the two lakh mark with milestone achieved by the tricolour, the officials said. becoming a robber. requiring the accused to appear if
sion. It is due to their talent and hard-work that India is 1,78,831 active cases which country, officials said on This will be a tribute to the warrant issued against him
truly Aatmanirbhar when it comes to vaccines. Our account for less than one per Thursday. health professionals, front- Lawyers desirous of sharing important judgements, with a word cannot be executed. According to
vaccine manufacturers, by scaling up to meet the de- cent of the total cases. Currently, Seventeen UNESCO World line workers, scientists, vac- count of up to 200, can send them to presley.thomas@fpj.co.in. section 83 of CrPC, after issuing
mands of such a large population, have shown that they the active cases account for 0.52 Heritage Sites including the cine manufacturers and the Newspieces that meet all the requisite criteria, as per the such a proclamation, the court
are second to none. per cent of the total 3,41,27,450 Red Fort, Qutub Minar, Hu- citizens of the country who editor’s discretion, will be published in The Free Press Journal. may also order attachment of the
In a nation where governments used to be known as a Covid cases reported in the mayun Tomb, Tughlaqabad bravely fought the pandemic, proclaimed offender's properties.
roadblock impeding forward movement, our govern- country so far. Fort, Purana Qila, Fatehpur they said.
ment has instead been an accelerator and enabler of

NEET: SC asks Centre if it would

progress. The government partnered with the vaccine

Cong demands probe into MLA casts doubts

makers right from day one and gave them support in the
form of institutional assistance, scientific research,
on land allotment
revisit `8L criteria for EWS
funding, as well as accelerated regulatory processes. All
ministries of the government came together to facili-

lathi charge on its workers

tate the vaccine makers and remove any bottlenecks as to forensic varsity
a result of our ‘whole of Government’ approach.
In a country of the scale of India, it is not enough to AGENCIES / New Delhi ment and the Department of PANAJI: A forensic universi-
just produce. Focus has to be on last-mile delivery and Personnel and Training ty whose foundation stone
seamless logistics. To understand the challenges in-
volved, imagine the journey taken by one vial of vac-
Supreme Court on Thursday
asked the Centre whether it
(DOPT) and formulated ques-
tions to be answered by the Wants suspension of officer who gave orders was laid by Union Home
Minister Amit Shah last
cines. From a plant in Pune or Hyderabad, the vial is would like to revisit the limit Centre in a week. week, has come under the
sent to a hub in any of the states, from where it is trans- of Rs 8 lakh annual income The bench said, "Tell us if THE GOAN NETWORK he along with other office charge on protestors,” spotlight, after an opposition
ported to the district hub. From there, it reaches a vac- fixed for determining the you want to revisit the crite- Old Goa bearers had gone to pay a vis- Chodankar informed, adding MLA on Thursday alleged
cination centre. This entails the deployment of thou- Economically Weaker Sec- ria or not". it to Shahida Begum, who that the voice of people won’t that the state government
sands of trips taken by flights and trains. During this tions (EWS) category for It added, "We may stay the GPCC President Girish was injured in the lathi be silenced by such lathi has allocated double the size
entire journey, the temperature has to be maintained in reservation in NEET admis- government notification fix- Chodankar demanded that charge. charge. GPCC Vice President of the land parcel to a Gu-
a particular range, which is centrally monitored. For sions for medical courses. ing rupees eight lakh criteria the government order an in- Speaking to reporters, Sankalp Amonkar also de- jarat-based university, than
this, over 1 lakh cold-chain equipment was utilised. The top court clarified that for determining the EWS and quiry into the lathi charge by Chodankar condemned the manded a probe into the what was assured by CM
States were given advance notice of the delivery sched- it is not embarking into the you can keep filing the affi- the police on their workers government for using police lathi-charge on Pramod Sawant on
ule of the vaccines so that they could plan their drives policy domain but is only try- davits". The top court was during the ‘Mashal Rally’ on to silence opposition. their workers. GOAN DIARY the floor of the
better and vaccines reached them on the pre-decided ing to ascertain whether con- hearing a batch of pleas chal- Wednesday. “We demand that the gov- Congress leader Varad house on Tuesday.
days. This has been an unprecedented effort in the his- stitutional principles have lenging the Centre and Med- Chodankar has also de- ernment immediately order Mardolkar said the police Independent MLA Prasad
tory of independent India. been adhered or not. ical Counselling Committee manded the suspension of an investigation into the should be ashamed for hav- Gaonkar also questioned the
All these efforts were complemented by a robust tech A bench of Justices DY (MCC) July 29 notice provid- the police officer who gave lathi charge on our workers ing lathi charged women state government’s decision
platform in CoWIN. It ensured that the vaccine drive Chandrachud, Vikram Nath, ing 27% reservation for OBC the lathi charge orders. and also suspend the officer whom they are supposed to to conduct a foundation
was equitable, scalable, trackable, and transparent. and BV Nagarathna was an- and 10% for EWS category in He made the demands who gave the orders,” protect. stone laying ceremony by
This ensured that there was no scope for favouritism or noyed as no affidavits were the National Eligibility cum while speaking to reporters Chodankar said. “In 40 days, this is the sec- Shah, even when the govern-
jumping the queue. filed by the Ministry of So- Entrance Test (NEET) admis- outside a private hospital in “When Congress was rul- ond lathi charge on Congress ment land allocation proce-
It also ensured that a poor worker could take the first cial Justice and Empower- sions for medical courses. Corlim on Thursday, where ing, we never ordered lathi workers,” Mardolkar said. dure was yet to be completed.
dose in his village and the second dose of the same vac-
cine in the city where he works, after the required time
interval. In addition to a real-time dashboard to boost
transparency, the QR-coded certificates ensured verifi-
ability. There are hardly any examples of such efforts
not only in India but also the world.
No timeline set for liquor ban: Excise Minister Lakhma Mamata to visit
Goa on Oct 28
‘Uncle’ held for raping minor
In my Independence Day Address in 2015, I had said AVDHESH MALLICK / Raipur dia at Congress Headquarters ing questions about the gov- OUR BUREAU / Kolkata
that our country is moving ahead because of ‘Team In- Rajiv Bhawan on Thursday. ernment. Instead, it started
dia’ and this ‘Team India’ is a big team of our 130 crore Chhattisgarh’s excise Minis- He said, the government online home delivery of West Bengal Chief Minister
people. People’s participation is the biggest strength of ter Kawasi Lakhma finally has constituted a committee liquor in the state and set a RAIPUR: The police arrest- lonely place and then raped Mamata
democracy. If we run the country through the partici- spoke on the issue of liquor headed by Senior-most MLA new sales target. ed a 36-year-old man for rap- her. The accused threatened Banerjee will
pation of 130 crore Indians, our country will be moving ban in the state and said his Satyanarayana Sharma to Recently, a report published ing a minor in the pretext of her of life consequences and visit Goa on
ahead 130 crore steps every moment. Our vaccination government will not take any study impacts of liquor ban in FPJ said that the govern- teaching her car driving. sexually assaulted her sev- October 28
drive has yet again showed the power of this ‘Team In- abrupt steps as the Central and put forward its recom- ment's company, which was The accused who carried eral times. One day, while and return on
dia’. India’s success in its vaccination drive has also government has taken in the assigned to take care of out the heinous act of sexu- the victim was sharing her November 1.
demonstrated to the whole world that ‘democracy can demonetisation case. CHHATTISGARH DIARY liquor sales in the state also al assault was known to the incident with her friend, her According to
deliver’. Before taking any action in mendations on how to imple- threatened its employees of victim and her family, a po- mother got aware of the in- TMC sources,
I am optimistic that the success achieved in the this context, his government ment liquor ban in the state punishment if they failed to lice officer said. cident and filed a complaint several heavyweight leaders
world’s largest vaccination drive will further spur our has to look after the interests effectively. meet the set sales target. The accused, who is a con- in Khamtarai police station, would join the TMC in her
youth, our innovators and all levels of government to of tribals. Tribals use liquor However, after the constitu- Baghel government is contin- tractor, promised her family the police officer said. After presence. “Mamata is likely
set new benchmarks of public service delivery which in many of their festivals, tion of the committee, sever- uously targeted by BJP, other that he will provide her car the FIR was lodged , the ac- to attend organizational
will be a model not only for our country, but also for the even offering it to their al years passed but the com- opposition parties and anti- driving lessons and one day cused Paras Chandrakar, of meetings in Goa… and she
world. deities. Lakhma was answer- mittee had not put forward liquor activists for allegedly he took her in the car to a Arang, was arrested. will also open a new office
ing the questions of the me- any recommendations, rais- ditching public on the issue. there,” said party sources.
Heroin worth Rs 4 crore seized, two arrested in Assam
DIPHU: Two persons were arrested and heroin worth Rs 4
crore was seized from their possession in Assam's Karbi
Anglong district on Thursday, police said. During a regular
vehicle-checking drive at Laharijan, police seized 584 gm of
heroin packed in 48 soap boxes from two persons travelling
in a Guwahati-bound bus coming from Manipur.
NATION
MUMBAI | FRIDAY | OCTOBER 22, 2021

FROM PAGE 1
1 BN KUDOS BUT MILES...
Also, despite the 100-crore feat, India
maintains a stoic 'no' on Covid booster
shots. More than 15 countries worldwide
have begun issuing third doses to older
citizens, including in Israel and in European
Union nations such as France, Italy and
Germany. ‘‘But as of now, we do not have a
recommendation for a booster bump-up
dose," Dr Paul told reporters during a recent
health ministry briefing, adding however
that the government would “continue to
watch this space very carefully."
Incidentally, Covid-19 infections jumped to
18,454 in the last 24 hours ending at 8 am
on Thursday, which showed a 26% hike
over the previous day, while the active
caseload slightly jumped to 1,73,831, which
is 733 more than the previous day.
Nonetheless, the daily infections are below
20,000 for the 13th day while the active
cases at 0.52% of the total infections are
the lowest since March 2020.
The countrywide Covid fatalities fell to 160
on Thursday, as against 197 a day earlier,
with Kerala topping at 62 and Maharashtra
21. The recovery rate at 98.15% is the
highest since March 2020. As against 34.13
million infections, the recoveries stood at
44.49 million. The daily positivity rate at
1.48% is less than 3% for the last 52 days,
whereas the weekly positivity rate at 1.34%
is less than 3% for the last 118 days.
From the Qutub Minar in Delhi to Golconda
Fort in Hyderabad, a total of 100 heritage
monuments were illuminated in the colours
of the national flag to mark the vaccination
milestone.
VK Paul, NITI Aayog member and chief of
the government's vaccine panel, said it was
remarkable that they had touched the one
billion dose mark in just over nine months
since the vaccination program started in
India.
Stressing the need for consistency, he
pointed out that even though the first dose
has been given to over 75 percent of adults,
25 percent remain unvaccinated.
WHO's Regional Director, South-East Asia,
Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, said that this
"extraordinary feat" was not possible in a
short span without "strong political
leadership, inter-sectoral convergence,
dedicated efforts of the entire health &
frontline workforce."
To celebrate the record, the government
made announcements over loudspeakers on
trains, planes, and ships.
The milestone comes months after a huge
spike in cases in April and May, when more
than 400,000 infections and 4,000 deaths
were reported per day and the country's
health infrastructure was overwhelmed.
SRK’S JAIL YATRA
However, we have removed the SIM cards
from all the mobiles and will submit these to
the superiors. We have restarted ‘mulaqat’
from Thursday, where only two blood
relatives are allowed to meet,” said N B
Vayachal, superintendent, Arthur Road jail.
Vayachal confirmed Khan’s visit, saying he
was only allowed a 20-minute meeting with
his son, as per the jail manual.
Last week, Aryan Khan spoke to his parents
through a video call arranged by the jail
authorities.
NCB raises more stardust
A 22-member team headed by Wankhede
on October 2 conducted a clandestine mid-
sea raid on information that drugs were
being used in a party on a cruise liner.
During the raid, they arrested Aryan Khan,
along with Munmun Dhamecha, Arbaaz
Merchantt, Vikrant Chhokar, Mohak Jaiswal,
Ishmeet Singh Chadha, Gomit Chopra and
Nupur Satija. The NCB had seized 13 grams
of cocaine, 21 grams of charas, 22 pills of
MDMA, 5 grams of MD and Rs 1.33 lakh in
cash during the raid.
The agency has so far arrested 20 persons,
including two Nigerian nationals in the said
case.
Smartphone, scooty for...
On Thursday morning, Priyanka tweeted
that she had met a few girl students who
informed her about the need for smart
phones. Priyanka has asked the manifesto
committee headed by senior leader Salman
Khursheed to work on the issues which are
most relevant to the people. It is expected
that in the coming days more such promises
would be made by the Congress.
The party has also decided to press for re-
introducing kerosene oil in the public
distribution system (PDS). According to
Priyanka, cooking gas is no longer
affordable and the government, in turn, has
stopped giving kerosene under PDS.
What's legal about a chat?
The senior counsel further added, “Court
cannot rely on such chats alone as it would
have to be backed up with substantial
evidence. Like for instance, in a drugs case,
there is a chat between an accused with
someone for procuring etc. the prosecution
should then establish the transaction too
and cannot highlight the chats alone."
Hingorani emphasised the fact that the
prosecution has to establish the actual
transaction based on these chats. He said,
“Thus, such chats cannot be the sole basis
to convict someone.”
Explaining the NCB case against Aryan,
Hingorani said, “In fact, in criminal law, the
prosecuting agency should first investigate
and probe the prima facie offence and then
arrest the person but in this case, the
agency has taken an altogether different
approach.” Meanwhile, senior counsel
Prasad Dhakephalkar of the Bombay High
Court said that whether such chats could be
relied on or not would have to be decided
at the time of trial. “Firstly, under the IT Act,
the chats need to be certified. And then
further, whether such chats can be relied on
to prosecute someone will have to be
decided at the time of trial during evidence
stage,” Dhakephalkar said. “The concerned
court will have to look into the nature of
such chats as to whether it indicates
personal consumption or was for procuring
and distribution etc. All this can be taken
into account during trial,” he added.
No blood tests, no...
Wanting to differentiate Sahu’s case from
that of Aryan, whose bail the court rejected
on Wednesday mostly on the basis of
WhatsApp chats that showed links with
suppliers and peddlers, she argued, “Here,
there is a distinguishing feature. There are
no incriminating WhatsApp chats.”
Calling the case ‘built-up’ and that of
‘malicious prosecution’, she told the court
that Sahu had been arrested only on
October 4, two days after the alleged drug
bust on October 2. She said all the
recoveries made from the co-accused were
independent recoveries and had no
connection with Sahu. “Independent
recoveries cannot be foisted on him just
because he was present on the ship. More
than 1,200 persons on the ship,” the
advocate argued.
The only material against him is the
statement to NCB officers under Sec 67 of
the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic
Substances (NDPS) Act, she told the court
and pointed out that these had already
been retracted.
She said further that charges of conspiracy
could not be mechanically invoked when
consumption was also not proved.
On Thursday, the court also heard the bail
pleas of accused Manish Rajgarhia and
Aachit Kumar in the same case. The NCB
will be making its arguments on Friday.
Wankhede-Malik row...
2020 and after this, he has not submitted
any application for Ex-India leave to Dubai.
As per the approval of Competent Authority
vice NCB order No A-50/2/2-21-Acctss/146
dated July 27, 2021, the office has availed
Ex-India leave along with his family to
Maldives.”
Jain said, “After joining the NCB, there was
no application from him (Sameer
Wankhede) for going to Dubai. He sought
permission for going to the Maldives with
his family.”
Wankhede refuted Malik’s allegations of
being in Dubai during the lockdown in
December 2020. “Those are photos from
Mumbai. I was in Mumbai. Nobody can
hinder the truth. Find out where I was, get
data from the airport. Get everything
verified through my passport and visa,”
Wankhede clarified.
“I’ve never been to Dubai, whenever he’s
stating I did. There are mechanisms to
check where a person is. So, it’s completely
false. I’ve never been to Dubai with my
sister - during the date and time he’s
mentioning. So, it’s false and completely
condemnable,” he added.
However, Malik shot back saying, “Sameer
Wankhede has accepted the fact that he
had visited the Maldives but denies having
visited Dubai. In a tweet, to which were
attached purported photos of Wankhede
and his sister Jasmeen, he said, “Here is the
proof of his visit to Dubai with his sister.
Sameer Wankhede was at Grand Hyatt
Hotel in Dubai on 10th December, 2020. His
lie stands exposed.”
Malik further alleged that Wankhede was
specifically brought into the agency by the
Central government after the death of actor
Sushant Singh Rajput last year. He also
claimed that Rajput’s girlfriend Rhea
Chakraborty was implicated in a ‘fake case’
by the NCB.
“After Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide,
Sameer Wankhede was transferred to the
NCB and Rhea Chakraborty was arrested
immediately,” said Malik.
However, NCP deputy DG Jain said
Wankhede, IRS, was inducted as zonal
director, Mumbai, on August 31, 2020, on a
loan basis for six months.
Malik declared that he would soon “expose
Wankhede with full proof on all the fake
cases with which he’s trying to instil fear in
Bollywood,” for which he would pay a
heavy price. “Within six months, he will
lose his job and within a year, he will be
jailed. I am collecting evidence against
him,” he said.
Wankhede responded, “My best wishes are
with him. I am just a government employee.
He is a minister. If he wants to put me in jail
for serving the country, for working
honestly and eliminating the drugs menace,
then I welcome it.”
Hinting at legal action against Malik,
Wankhede said, “I will take permission from
my agency before opting for any legal
action against Nawab Malik.”
Malik countered that he would definitely
take legal action, as the law in the country
said he was free to do so. “I too have a
right to take the legal route. Definitely, the
thing will be presented on the appropriate
forum and it will definitely be happening in
future,” the NCP minister added.
Malik’s statements elicited an angry
reaction from the opposition Maharashtra
Navnirman Sena (MNS)’s film wing chief
Ameya Khopkar, who cautioned the NCP
leader “to keep off and stop dragging” his
party colleague (Jasmeen Wankhede) into
his politics.
Jasmeen Wankhede also hit back, asking
whether “Malik is a judge,” and said she
was accountable to her family and friends
and the NCP leader had no business to
publicise her private trip.
Firecracker ad bursts in...
The letter dated October 14 said Muslims
blocking busy roads and performing Namaz
is a recurring sight in many Indian cities;
and, at the same time, so is the sight of
ambulances and firefighter vehicles struck in
traffic, causing "grave losses".
The MP from Uttara Kannada also said that
every day, "loud noise is emitted from mikes
arranged on the top of mosques in our
country when Azan is given. That sound is
beyond the permissible limits. On Fridays, it is
prolonged for some more time. It is causing
great inconvenience to people suffering from
different ailments and taking rest, people
working in different establishments and
teachers teaching in classrooms. Actually, this
list of sufferers is very long and only a few
are mentioned here." "As you are very keen
and sensitive towards the problems faced
by the general public and you also belong
to the Hindu community, I am sure you can
feel the discrimination done to the Hindus
for centuries," the MP said. Nowadays, a
group of "Anti-Hindu actors" always hurt the
Hindu sentiments; whereas, they never try
to expose the wrongdoings of their
community, he pointed out. "Therefore, I
kindly request you to take cognisance of
this particular incident where your
company's advertisement has created an
unrest among the Hindus," Hegde
concluded in his letter. He hoped that Ceat
Tyres will respect the Hindu sentiment and
will not hurt it directly or indirectly by any
means.

Was told I will get `300-cr bribe if I clear deals: Malik

NEW DELHI: Former
Jammu and Kashmir Gov-
ernor Satya Pal Malik has
claimed that he was told
he would get Rs 300-crore
bribe if he cleared two
files belonging to "Am-
bani" and an "RSS-affiliat-
ed man" during his tenure
but he cancelled the deals,
and praised Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi for
supporting his decision by
saying there is no need to
compromise on corrup-
tion.
"I was informed by secre-
taries in both the depart-
ments that there is a scan-
dal involved and I can-
celled the deals,” he said.

NEW INDIA CO-OPERATIVE BANK LTD.

(Multistate Scheduled Bank)
Corporate Office : New India Bhawan, A.V. Nagwekar Marg, Prabhadevi,
Mumbai – 400025.
SYMBOLIC POSSESSION NOTICE [UNDER RULE 8(1)] SARFAESI ACT-2002. PUBLIC NOTICE
(for immovable property) IN THE BOMBAY CITY CIVIL
COURT AT MUMBAI
WHEREAS the undersigned being the Authorised officer of the New India Co-
operative Bank Ltd. under Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets GUARDIAN PETITION NO. 69 OF
2021
and Enforcement of Security Interest (Second) Act 2002 (Act 54 of 2002) and in
exercise of powers conferred under Section 13 (12) read with rule 9 of the Security IN THE MATTER OF RIGHT OF
Interest (Enforcement)Rules,2002 issued Demand Notice dated 05.06.2021 PERSONS WITH
DISABILITIES ACT, 2016.
calling upon the Borrower, Mr. Rajendra Laxman Mahadik and Mrs. Pallavi
AND
Rajendra Mahadik, Co-Borrower to repay the amount mentioned in the Notice IN THE MATTER OF
being Rs.25,26,047.48 (Rupees Twenty Five Lakh Twenty Six Thousand Forty APPOINTMENT O F
Seven & Paise Forty Eight only) under Housing Loan together with future interest GUARDIAN OF SHAHEEN
@11%p.a and penal interest @2% p.a w.e.f 01.04.2021 compounded with monthly MANSOOR ARSIWALLA W/O
rest till the date of payment within 60 days from the date of receipt of the Notice. MANSOOR RAJBALLY
Mr. Rajendra Laxman Mahadik , Borrower and Mrs. Pallavr Rajendra Mahadik, Co- ARSIWALLA, WIFE OF THE
Borrower having failed to repay the amount, notice is hereby given to the PETITIONER.
Borrower/Sureties/Mortgagors and the public in general that the undersigned has MANSOOR RAJBALLY
taken possession of property/Assets described herein below in exercise of powers ARSIWALLA
AGED : 75 YEARS, OCCUPATION :
conferred on him under Section 13(4) of the said Act read with rules on 20.10.2021.
RETIRED, INDIAN INHABITANT
The Borrower/Sureties/Mortgagors in particular and the public in general is hereby RESIDING AT B-502, SUNMIST
cautioned not to deal with the property and any dealings with the property will be CHS LTD., SHERLEY RAJAN
subject to the charge of New India Co-operative Bank Ltd. for the amount of ROAD, RIZVI COMPLEX, BANDRA
Rs.25,26,047.48 inclusive of interest upto 31.03.2021 with future interest @11% (WEST), MUMBAI-400 050.
w.e.f. 01.04.2021, costs and charges thereon. ....PETITIONER
Description of the Property Notice is hereby given that the
above memioned above-mentioned
Flat No.B/102, 1st Floor,Building No.1 Plot No.A, Sector-12, Panchsheel Garden Petition for being appointed as a
CHSL, Mahavir Nagar, Near National Dairy,Kandivali (West), Mumbai- 400 067 guardian of the Person of MRS.
admeasuring 645.25 sq.ft. Carpet Area. SHAHEEN MANSOOR
sd- ARSIWALLA, who has been
Place: Mumbai Authorised Officer, diagnosed with progressive
Date : 20.10.2021. NEW INDIA CO-OPERATIVE BANK LTD. Alzheimers disease for managing
the pei-son and property and selling
the property owned by Mrs.
Shaheen Mansoor Arsiwalla.
Details of the property are as under
:
(a) B502, Sunmist CHS Ltd.,
Sherley Rajan Road, Rizvi
Comples, Bandra (West),
Mumbai-400 050-Joint owner
with Petitioner.
(b) Flat No. 602, Santa Claara
(Project California), NIBM/Undri
Road, Kondhwa. Pune-411060-
Joint owner with Petitioner.
(c) Besides the above, she is an
heir to her mother's estate which
includes right title and interest in
immovable property namely
Adore Building 37, Rebello
Road. Bandra (W), Mumbai-400
050, and to the movable assets
in Banks and other investments.
Any party having any objection
should inform the undersigned.
In writing before HIS HON'BLE
LORDSHIP J. G. B. Gurao C.R. NO.
17 ON OR BEFORE 12/11/2021
with reasons justifying the same,
after winch such objection, if any,
deemed to have been waived.
Given under my hand and seal of
this Hon'ble Court.
Dated 17th day of August 2021.
Sd/-
Deputy Registrar
City Civil Court at Bombay
Sd/-
Sealer
 EDIT
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: There is no greater tyranny than that which
is perpetrated under the shield of the law and in the name of justice.

— MONTESQUIEU MUMBAI | FRIDAY | OCTOBER 22, 2021

Secularism is the obverse of our

SINCE 1928

right to life throughout Asia

FOUNDER EDITOR: S SADANAND

Time to step up
anti-Covid vax drive rage of families whose members questions of law of national im-

I
ndia has achieved a milestone by administering 100 crore have been butchered in pogroms. portance and clog the docket of the
anti-Covid-19 vaccine doses since the vaccination drive was
launched on January 16. With this, 21 per cent of the tar-
LEGAL This is why we must view the at-
tacks on the Hindu minority in
apex court.
There can be no doubt that the
geted population has been fully vaccinated. This is certainly a
commendable achievement, given the fact that it was only since
EAGLE Bangladesh with the same trepida-
tion as when our Muslim brothers
anti-Hindu riots in Bangladesh is
an aberration rather than the
May 1 that vaccination was made available to all those who are �Olav Albuquerque are attacked in India. Unlike the norm because the secular, linguis-
above 18. When it was started, only Covid warriors or frontline modern version of secularism in tic identity of the Bengali lan-
health workers were given the jabs. Later, more and more sec- India which declares Hindutva to guage has been the foundation

S
tions of the people were brought within the ambit of the pro- ecularism is an integral facet
gramme. Otherwise, the 100-crore mark could have been at- of the Bangladeshi and Indi-
tained at least a few months ago. India has become the second an Constitutions which both
country after China to have administered 100 crore jabs. guarantee non-citizens and mi-
However great the achievement is, India has to go a long way norities their right to life and lib-
before it can claim credit for surmounting the Covid problem. To erty. This is vital in view of the at-
claim that the country is safe, at least 80-90 per cent of the adult tacks on the minority Hindus in
population should have been vaccinated twice. To reach that lev- Bangladesh, which killed at least
el, the vaccination programme needs to be stepped up, plugging six persons and caused untold
all the loopholes. One redeeming aspect of the programme is that damage to property in that country
the Central and state governments have been able to ensure that during the recent Durga Puja cele-
up to 220 million people can be administered the vaccine in a brations there.
month. Nonetheless, India’s 100 crore jabs are only one-sixth of The riots erupted due to rumours
the total 660 crores administered all over the world. Globally, 48 of blasphemy being spread to
per cent of the population has received at least one jab. cause friction between the majori-
In comparison, China, which is the only other country with a
population of more than 100 crore, had by mid-September ful-
ty and minority communities, us-
ing religion as a flashpoint. For re-
ly vaccinated 75 percent of its population. Till India reaches ligion is always used by scoundrels
that kind of figure, it cannot sit and relax. In other words, vigil as a roundel in the guise of nation-
has to be maintained at all cost. True, things are becoming nor- alism, to promote irrationalism.
mal in most states. Once Deepavali is over, most states may like Bangladesh’s equivalent of the
to have the schools and colleges reopened fully for offline class- right to life enshrined in Article 21
es. However, it is too early to rule out a third wave of Covid-19. of the Indian Constitution is their
The nation was taken aback by the second wave for which it Article 32 which declares “Every-
was not at all prepared. one has the right to life, liberty and
In case the third wave happens, we, as a nation, are better pre- security of their person.”
pared to face it. There are more hospital beds, ventilators and There is hardly any difference be-
oxygen tanks than was the case earlier. Also, a larger number tween the two Articles because we
of the people have higher levels of immunity, either because of were one nation before Partition
vaccination or because of having once contracted Covid-19. created two in 1947, which split
The medical fraternity also knows how to tackle the disease, into three in 1971. This disproved
not just symptom-wise, as was the case earlier. All this gives the adage that Hindus and Mus-
confidence to the people that they can overcome the third wave lims are two separate nations. For
even if, God forbid, it becomes a reality. It is in this context that politicians like Jinnah use religion
the relevance of Covid protocols like use of sanitisers and as an opiate for their gullible fol-
maintaining of safe distancing assumes importance. Other- lowers to promise them salvation,
wise, the lighting up of 100 monuments under the Archaeolog- leading to their damnation.
ical Survey of India (ASI) on Thursday to commemorate the In both Bangladesh and India, the
100 crore jabs will lose much of its meaning. right to life and liberty for minori-
ties and deprived groups like Hin-
be a way of life, secularism in
Bangladesh is stated to be ‘neutral-
ity of religion’. The greatness of
Hinduism eclipses Hindutva just
as the greatness of Islam eclipses
the more radical Wahhabism.
Article 41 of the Bangladesh Con-
stitution permits proselytising or
conversions from one religion to
another subject to law, public or-
der, and morality, perhaps copied
from our own Article 25, which
curtails the right of our citizens to
practise, profess and propagate
the religion of their choice to the
provisos of public order, morality
and health.
Although Bangladesh emerged
as a secular country when it was
created in 1971, in 1977, secularism
was removed from the constitution
by a martial law directive during
the military dictatorship of Zia-ur-
Rahman. In 1988, the Bangladesh
Parliament declared Islam as the
state religion during the presiden-
cy of Hussain Muhammad Ershad.
After the restoration of parlia-
mentary democracy in 1990, the
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)
and the Awami League govern-
ments retained Islam as the state re-
ligion. But in 2010, the Bangladesh
Supreme Court declared that re-
moving secularism from the Con-
stitution in 1977 was illegal because
it was done by an unconstitutional
martial law regime.
The Bangladesh Supreme Court
ordered that secularism should be
In both Bangladesh and India, the right to life
and liberty for minorities and deprived groups is
more of an academic debate in courtrooms and
seminars than rigidly enforced in both countries
nation. Whether India and
Bangladesh are secular countries
in reality is the subject of an aca-
demic debate.
What is relevant is that religion
cannot be the glue which binds di-
verse peoples together anywhere
in the world. The late Justice Ver-
ma’s bracketing of Hindutva with
the greatness of Hinduism in 1995,
which declared that being a ‘way of
life’ within India, there was no
problem with religion being in-
voked during elections, gave a
tremendous fillip to resurgent po-
litical forces which wanted to ex-
ploit religion.
The late judge lamented his
words were allegedly being twist-
ed out-of-context. The 44th Chief
Bangladesh appear strategically-
timed, with terrorists killing Hin-
dus in Kashmir.
Nearly all of those killed were
those who came from impover-
ished states to eke out their liveli-
hood in Kashmir, making a mock-
ery of their right to life and liberty
guaranteed by the Indian state un-
der Article 21. Just as the killing of
Hindus in Bangladesh made a
mockery of that country’s Article
32 which in India at least, is the
soul of our fundamental rights.
After all, it is this Article 32 of
our own Constitution which guar-
antees all citizens the right to ap-
proach the Indian Supreme Court
to enforce our fundamental rights.
But today, our Article 32 has been
stone of Bangladesh, which pro-
fesses to be a secular Muslim-ma-
jority nation. Just as India profess-
es to be an avowedly secular Hin-
du-majority nation.
But a powerful Islamist strand,
a leftover of pre-Partition Mus-
lim politics in this subcontinent
has survived through organisa-
tions such as the Jamaat-e-Islami
in alliance with military dicta-
tors and pro-Pakistan forces to in-
cite discord in Bangladesh, re-
ducing the right to life and liber-
ty of the Hindu minority in that
country to a charade.
The rise of the Al-Qaeda and the
ISIS groups within Islam has given
an impetus to fanatical forces with-
in Bangladesh, just as it has in Pak-
istan because religion has always
been used as an opiate of the mass-
es to slaughter minorities. This is
why Karl Marx was right when he
said religion is the opium of the
masses. And this is why Chinese
toddlers are taught to shun reli-
gion and look up to scientists as
their idols.
And so, despite over 30 judg-
ments of our Supreme Court de-
claring the right to life and liberty
guaranteed by Article 21 to be an
integral part of the basic structure
of our Constitution, the right to
life and liberty guaranteed by the
Bangladesh Constitution under
Article 32 and upheld by their
Supreme Court is chimerical. This
is because when religion is mixed

More women in power

dus in Bangladesh or migrants and replaced in the Bangladesh consti- Justice of India, J S Khehar, who reduced to a chimera, with 80 per with politics, the right to life
Dalits within India is more of an tution, thereby emulating Indira declared that what religion he pro- cent of Special Leave Petitions dis- throughout this subcontinent
academic debate in courtrooms Gandhi’s 42nd amendment to the fessed was his private affair, missed on Mondays and Fridays stands negated.

must for better polity and seminars than rigidly enforced

in both countries. Leaders of both
nations mouth platitudes after
Preamble of our own Constitution,
introducing the words ‘socialist,
secular’ and the appendage ‘in-
negated the concept of religion be-
ing exploited for political gain. Po-
litical analysts have said spurts of
with one-line orders called non-
speaking orders because they do
not give reasons for the dismissal.
The writer holds a PhD in law and is a
senior journalist-cum-advocate of the

C
ongress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has stirred a communal riots to assuage the out- tegrity’ to the word ‘unity’ of the anti-Hindu violence in For these petitions do not raise Bombay high court
hornets’ nest when she declared that the Congress
would give 40 per cent seats to women in the elections in
UP in 2022. Nobody believes that her party is in a position to BRINGING UP FATHER / Frank Jonson DENNIS THE MENACE
wrest power, either on its own or in alliance with any other
party or parties. The Congress is at best a bit player. Last time,
the grand old party could win only seven seats in a House of
more than 400. However, it is the idea inherent in her proposal
that is of greater significance. It would not be difficult for her
to allott 160 seats for women in UP but that is not the case with
other parties like the BJP, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahu-
jan Samaj Party which are the key players in the state.
Nobody in his senses would dispute the fact that women are
underrepresented in politics, especially positions of authori-
ty. They have proven equal to men in almost all walks of life.
Indian women have been enjoying the right to vote ever since
adult suffrage was adopted as the basis of elections since the
first one in 1952. Women constitute roughly 50 per cent of the
population. Even when women like Indira Gandhi, Mayawati,
Mamata Banerjee and Jayalalithaa became leaders of their
parties, they could not ensure a better representation for BLONDIE / Dean Young & Mile Gersher
women in the state assemblies and Parliament. Ministerial
representation is given to women, more as a token than as
their right. In Arvind Kejriwal’s Cabinet, there is not even a
single woman minister.
It was against this background that the idea of reserving 33
per cent seats for women was mooted. It was successfully tried
out in panchayats and municipalities but when it came to Par-
liament and Assemblies, political leaders found ingenious
ways to defeat the proposal. True, it has its drawbacks but it
sought to address a problem that needed an urgent solution.
Between giving reservation and giving 40 per cent seats, the
latter has a lot more to commend itself. There will be a revolu-
tion of sorts if all parties give women 40 per cent seats. It will
bring more women into politics and it will, in due course,
change the way in which politics is conducted in the country.
There will be more women in power like there are nine women GUIDING LIGHT
out of 14 district collectors in Kerala!
Handling death
FPJ archiveS JULY 31, 1963 — Swami Brahmavidananda Saraswati

D
uring these pandemic times, all of us have
faced the death of someone known to us. As hu-
man beings, it is natural for us to mourn and
one needs to do what is psychologically necessary to
grieve and heal from the pain. At the same time, a
spiritual seeker has an advantage. Firstly, the practi-
cal recognition that all who are born have to die and
all those who are dead are going to be born again.
This idea of rebirth and many lives is a great solace
if nothing else, to the human mind. Birth is not the
beginning and death is not the end. There is a lot that
has happened before our birth and there is a lot more
that will happen after our death. We are going to live
many lifetimes in our search for fulfillment and mok-
sha. Even though death is inevitable and sometimes
it all seems pointless, it is not pointless. Secondly, we
are offered a chance by being sent here, to confront
the ups and downs of life and to grow psychological-
ly and spiritually so that we can discover the fulfil-
ment that we are after.
Once we recognise this, although there are many
lifetimes, death seems to give a poignancy to this life-
time itself. We know that we have limited time here
and we have to make the best use of that time avail-
able, not merely to build up relationships, make
money, etc., but to grow as human beings – to think
clearly, feel deeply and act decisively. We learn to
deal with gain and loss, victory and defeat, and take
it all in our stride.
Of course, the final step of spirituality would be to
discover oneself as completely free from birth and
death. Birth and death are experiences that one goes
through. One neither has birth nor death – this teach-
ing is at the core of Vedanta. One who discovers this
in this lifetime itself is considered a wise person.
He/she would have gone through lifetimes of growth
earlier. The more spiritual one is, the easier it is to
handle loss and death.
(The writer is the founder of Aarsha Vidya
Foundation. You can write to him at
aarshavidyaf@gmail.com)

(Spiritual organisations keen to be featured in this space contact : features@fpj.co.in)

Unite to face new threat, PM alerts nation
THE FPJ NEWS SERVICE / NEW DELHI, JULY 30: Prime Minister
Nehru today called on the nation to remain alert and united,
following fresh alarming reports about massive concentration and
deployment of Chinese forces along the entire Sino-Indian border.
He also cautioned the people against sinking into a sense of
complacency and falling victims to internal dissension. Unity was
essential to defend ‘‘defend our country and democracy’’ against
external aggression, he said.
The Prime Minister was addressing a function organised by the
All-india Sikhs’ Federation to observe the 124th death anniversary
of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Letters to the editor should be sent to: The Free Press Journal, Free Press House, Free Press Journal Marg, 215 Nariman Point, Mumbai. 400021; Fax: 69028020, e-mail: mail@fpj.co.in; Type letter, leave space, write your views and name. Letters may be edited for clarity and space.
ONE FLEW OVER THE NEST #100CroreVaccineDoses
India crosses one billion vaccine doses. Commendable. Grateful to all
the healthcare workers who have toiled over the past few months.
Pramesh CS@cspramesh
This is huge... 1,000,000,000 DOSES! ONE BILLION 100 CRORE COVID-19
VACCINE DOSES More than combined population of entire Europe.
Kasa Kai Pune@KasaKaiPune
India achieves the historic milestone of administering one billion
#Covid-19 vaccine doses. Having gone through the devastating second
wave in May this year, it is indeed a moment of triumph for us.
Shraddha Nand Bhatnagar@bauan_bhatnagar
What a milestone! One billion #COVID19 vaccine doses administered in
the country. All praise to unsung heroes who produced these many
doses & those who administered these.
Ajay Kaul@AjayKauljourno
FRIDAY'S SWIPE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Kudos to Sheikh Hasina
Ref.: ‘A test of fire for Sheikh Hasina’ (October 21). Religious beliefs and
religion ought to be a purely individual affair, unfortunately many parts of
south Asia are seeing disturbances because of religion and politics play and
assuming toxic character. Most condemnable are the horrifying incidents in
certain areas of Bangladesh during Durga Puja. While Sheikh Hasina may
have her political compulsions, she is the only leader who has dealt with the
problem with a stern hand and deserves kudos. We must remember that by
and large Bangladesh since inception has remained secular, though it follows
Islam. However, other political formations have not yet reconciled to the
formation of their country and friendship with India. Be that as it may, it
becomes imperative for the government of both countries to protect
minorities on both sides, without which there cannot be peace and
tranquillity and continuation of friendship.
Parthasarathy Sen
 REG. NO. MCS/048/2018-20; RNI NO. 1541/1957/M.P.C.S. OFFICE MUMBAI-400001
MUMBAI | FRIDAY | OCTOBER 22, 2021
www.freepressjournal.in

It took me 17 years
and 114 days to
❝ become an overnight
success
� LIONEL MESSI

10 months into mammoth vax drive

������������������������
I
ndia has vaccinated over 1 bln of highest Covid-19 vaccination rates.
its citizens with at least the first The government had opened up the
dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, after vaccination drive for all adults aged 18
beginning the mammoth nationwide or above on May 1, amid a severe sec-
vaccination drive over 10 months ago. ond wave of the pandemic. However,
In a post on Twitter today, Prime Min- the pace of vaccination in the country
ister Narendra Modi thanked health- had been marred by a number of fac-
care and other essential workers. “In- tors such as supply shortage, vaccine
dia scripts history. We’re witnessing hesitancy, and tensions between states
the triumph of Indian science, enter- and the Centre over supply of vac-
prise and collective spirit of 130 crore cines. So far, nearly 75% of the popu-
Indians. Congrats India on crossing lation aged above 18 years has re-
100 crore vaccinations,” he said. India ceived only the first dose, and the rest
is now one of the countries with the have taken both the doses.

PM visits hospital Fighter makes vertical landing China testing

hypersonic
P rime Minister Narendra Modi, on Thursday, visit-
ed the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Delhi to ex- A n F-35B fifth generation fighter aircraft made a verti-
cal landing on the British Royal Navy aircraft carrier missiles
press gratitude to doctors, nurses and others who
helped India cross the 100-crore Covid-19 vaccination-
mark. Modi visited the
HMS Queen Elizabeth in Arabian Sea near Mumbai. The
warship is in Indian
waters for a joint ex-
C
new
hina conducted not
one, but two tests of
hypersonic
vaccination centre at the ercise of Indian and weapons in July and Au-
hospital and interacted UK forces. A video gust, the Financial
with the health workers. tweeted by ANI Times newspaper has
He also gave a thumbs up showed the fighter reported, raising more
to the health workers at plane lowering itself concerns in the United
the hospital. Health min- vertically on the States about the grow-
ister Mansukh Man- warship's runaway
daviya will release a song and an audiovisual film to before a touchdown. The F-35B fifth generation aircraft can
celebrate the landmark milestone of administering conduct air-to-surface, electronic warfare, intelligence gath-
100 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses. ering and air-to-air missions simultaneously.

ing military capabilities

��������������������������� of its geopolitical rival.
Beijing launched a rock-

90% want to get vaccinated et that employed a "frac-

tional orbital bombard-
ment" system to propel

I ndia is the most pro-vaccine country in the world as 98 per

cent of its eligible population want to get vaccinated against
Covid-19, according to the IANS-CVoter
times, 90 per cent or more wanted to get vaccinated. While In-
dia is intensely pro-vaccine, vaccine hesitancy is higher in Eu-
rope by 5 times and in the US by 10 times,
a nuclear-capable "hy-
personic glide vehicle"
around the Earth for the
Vaccine Tracker. The data comes on a day compared to India. Only 2 per cent have first time on July 27.
when India reached the milestone of 100 said they do not want to get vaccinated, More than two weeks
crore vaccinations. CVoter Founder Yash- according to the tracker. Vaccine hesitan- later on August 13, Chi-
want Deshmukh said that India is the most cy was 12-13 per cent a year ago, which has na conducted a second
pro-vaccine country in the world and at all come down to only 2 per cent now. hypersonic test.
� ������ FREE PRESS
MUMBAI | FRIDAY | OCTOBER 22, 2021
Sela Tunnel's strategic worth
ONE FOR INSPIRATION T he completion of the all-weather 12-km Sela tunnel,
an engineering marvel, is all set to give a big boost

��������������
to the Indian Army's capabilities at the Line of Actual
Control in Arunachal Pradesh. The Sela tunnel will
play a crucial
role in bolster-
ing national
security with

O
nce there was a the lake. He said with a sneer to the crane, the movement
peacock who "What a colourless of troops and
was ob- and ugly bird you heavy guns
sessed with himself. are! You don't taking place
He often boasted have beauti- throughout the year. Situated at an altitude of 13,800
about his beau- ful and feet, the Sela tunnel is the only tunnel in India that is be-
ty to anyone colourful ing constructed at such an altitude.
who cared to listen. feathers like
Every day, he walked mine". The
to the banks of a crane
large lake and
looked at his own re-
replied, "Of
course! I
IAF ready for 'long haul'
flections in the wa-
ters and said "Oh!
What a beautiful bird
don't have beau-
tiful feathers. But,
my feathers can
T he situation that developed in eastern Ladakh last year re-
quired acclimatisation of a large number of IAF personnel
and stretching of equipment to the limits, but the force is
I am! Look at my colour- make me fly "much better prepared" now in case there is a "long haul", Chief
ful tail". One day, across the lake. Can of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari said on
the peacock saw a your feathers make you fly?" There was no Thursday. In an interaction at a defence conclave in New Delhi,
crane on the banks of reply from the peacock. he said it was a matter of concern that the depleting number of
fighters is continuous, whereas the induction is some way off.

China can't name Dalai Lama

A bbot of Tawang Monastery Gyangbung
Tulku Rinpoche said on Thursday that Chi-
na had no right to decide the 15th Dalai Lama as
the current Dalai Lama can decide it and Indian
support is essential for it. "It is doing the rounds
that China wants to decide the 15th Dalai Lama.
They have no right. It is just up to the present
Dalai Lama to decide on the successor," he said.

When rain ravaged Kerala

'Welcome back'
S upreme Court judges said on Thursday they are happy to
see lawyers appearing before the court for physical hear-
ing. Justice DY Chan-
drachud told lawyers
in the courtroom: "We
are happy to see you
all." He said that it
was not a pleasant ex-
perience to look into
the screen every day in the backdrop of an empty courtroom.
Ham radio played saviour
C
ommunication turns out to
be a major challenge when
natural calamities strike.
During heavy floods, there are
chances that the power supply will
be down for days, which will affect
the communication systems in-
cluding the mobile phones,"
Sarachandran C S, a former mer-

Curbs on flights to stay chant navy officer-turned-ham ra-

dio operator told PTI. He is one of

T he government is unlikely to lift the restrictions on inter-

national flights immediately, a senior civil aviation min-
istry official has indicated,
saying current frequencies
under air bubble arrange-
ments are adequate to meet
the demand. Scheduled in-
ternational passenger
flights to and from India re-
main suspended since March last year amid the coronavirus
pandemic. India has air bubble arrangements with more than
25 countries for operating international flights.
the ten operators hired by the
Thrissur administration to handle
emergency communication in case of
any untoward incidents.
All the operators have the Amateur
Station Individual Operator licence is-
sued by the Union government. All the
Taluks offices in Thrissur district are
currently equipped with radio facilities
so that even when all other communi-
cation systems are down, emergency
services can be contacted and details
can be shared. The services of ham ra-
dio operators were utilised during the
2018 August deluge when the whole
state was ravaged. Ham radio and its
operations are considered as the "King
of all hobbies" and amateur radio, as it
is otherwise known, is internationally
accepted as a means of emergency com-
munication.
 'CAN'T BLOCK ROADS' FREE PRESS

T he Supreme Court said on Thursday that farm-

ers have the right to protest but roads cannot be
MUMBAI | FRIDAY | OCTOBER 22, 2021 ������ �
blocked indefinitely. This comes while hearing a Pannu happy with 'strong women' stereotype

��������������������
plea against the blockade of roads between Del-
hi and Noida due to farm-
ers' protests against the
three agriculture laws. A

��������������������
Bench headed by justice
Sanjay Kishan Kaul asked
farmers unions to file their
response in two weeks.
"You may have the right to
agitate in any manner but A ctor Taapsee
Pannu says
ting into a box,
the 34-year-old ac-
roads shouldn’t
blocked," the court
be
1billion jabs: she is fine with
critics feeling that
tor said she won't
play a "weak"
said. Wishes pour in she is getting type- character just to

W ishes poured in for India from the

World Health Organisation and the
leadership of Israel, the US and Sri Lanka, after it
cast as an artiste
playing
strong
only
female
please the crit-
ics."If this is a
stereotyping, that
scripted history on Thursday characters as she every film of
with the cumulative Covid-19 prefers these roles mine is going to
vaccine doses administered over "vulnerable" have a strong
in the country surpassing women who have woman character
the 100-crore milestone. Tak- no agency. Over who is going to
ing to Twitter, WHO Direc- the years, Pannu stand up for her-
tor-General Tedros Adhanom has headlined several critically-lauded self, I am perfectly fine with that stereotyp-
Ghebreyesus congratulated Prime Minister Narendra projects, playing strong-headed characters ing. That's one stereotype I don't mind."I
Modi, scientists, health workers and people of India in films like "Manmarziyaan", "Saand Ki will not portray a meek, weak, just pure
on their "efforts to protect the vulnerable populations Aankh", " Thappad", "Haseen Dillruba" and vulnerable character who has no strength
and achieve vaccine equity targets". her latest "Rashmi Rocket". While a section of her own only to satisfy the critical opin-
had voiced their concern that Pannu is get- ion of a few. I don't care," Pannu said.

IMA hails Modi

'Feel proud when QUICK NEWS’
���������������������
T he Indian Medical crore mark on Thurs-

called Bihari' � ������������������������

Association (IMA) day. When many coun- �����������������������������
hailed Prime Minister tries including western ���������������������������
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healthcare ing more �����������������������������
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workers as than 2.5 �������������������������������
the country per cent ���������������������������
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achieved a Covid-19 �����������������������������
major milestone in its mortality rate, India ��������������������
vaccination programme kept the mortality un-
against Covid-19 with der 1.4 per cent ����������������������
total administered dos-
es surpassing the 100-
throughout the pan-
demic, the IMA said. � ������������������������������
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Ola on expansion spree P resident Ram Nath
Kovind said on Thurs-
longed to Bihar. I am taking
forward his inheritance. It
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M obility platform Ola on Thursday said it plans to

hire 10,000 people, as it eyes a leadership posi-
tion with $2 billion gross merchandise value (GMV)
day he feels proud and ex-
alted whenever anyone
calls him 'Bihari'. "Rajen-
is my honour and privilege
to take forward his legacy,"
he said at Patna. The Pres-
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for its vehicle com- dra Prasad, the first presi- ident is on a three-day visit �����������������������������
merce platform Ola dent of the country, be- to Bihar.
Cars over the next 12
months. Over the
next two months,
$ 1 trillion for solar energy
Ola Cars will be op-
erational in 30 cities
and expand to 100
T he fourth General Assembly of multilateral body Interna-
tional Solar Alliance (ISA) concluded on Thursday with a
promise to achieve USD 1 trillion global investments in solar en-
cities by next year, it ergy by 2030. The fourth General Assembly of the ISA was held
said in a statement. Ola Cars claimed it has sold 5,000 virtually between October 18 and October 21. It was presided
pre-owned cars in its first full month of operation. over by Union New and Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh,
who is also the president of the ISA General Assembly.
 FREE PRESS
� ������ MUMBAI | FRIDAY | OCTOBER 22, 2021

�����������������

�����������������
S ocial media was flooded
with reactions from fans
and celebrities slamming pa-
Road Jail. The actor left after
a brief meeting with his son.
The 'insensitive' reporting by
parazzi for mobbing Shah the media during the super-
Rukh Khan as he arrived to star's visit angered fans and
meet son Aryan at the Arthur the film and TV fraternity.
Road Jail
on Thurs-
day
morning.
SRK, on
Wednes-
day, paid
a visit to
his son
Aryan,
who is
lodged in
Arthur

'It'll be dogfight' 'Khazana' to aid the ailing

Pakistan batting consultant Matthew Hayden on Thursday said that the T20
World Cup clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan will be a 'dogfight',
and one team would not run
E minent singers Pankaj Udhas, Ta-
lat Aziz and Rekha Bhardwaj have
joined their hands
Festival of Ghazals', founded by Ud-
has, is a free musical concert, which
will be held on Fri-
away with the game. India will for a two-day online day and Saturday.
open its T20 World Cup cam- ghazal festival to The festival will be
paign against Pakistan on Octo- raise funds for can- streamed virtually
ber 24 in Dubai. "One side is not cer and thalassemia on Hungama
going to run away with the game patients, the organ- across the world,
here. It's a dogfight. The condi- isers announced Pankaj Udhas
tions and margins for error will Thursday. The an- YouTube and Face-
be very little," he said. nual 'Khazana - A book channels.

�����������������

������������������� �������������������������� �����������������������

A clinical Bangladesh hammered Papua
New Guinea by 84 runs in the 9th
match of ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 at Al
Amerat Cricket Ground on Thursday. Riding
on a quickfire fifty
by skipper Mah-
mudullah and a vi-
tal knock by Shak-
ib Al Hasan,
Bangladesh posted
a total of 181/7 in
20 overs. Liton
Das (29) and Afif Hossain (21) also made valu-
able contributions with the bat. With this
win, Bangladesh are now officially through to
the Super-12 of the tournament.
T he Women's National Boxing Champi-
onships got off to a blistering start on
Thursday, with Delhi's Hemlata defeating her
S ports Authority of India has announced
the appointment of the new Chief Execu-
tive Officer (CEO) of Target Olympic Podium
opponent PS Mantasaha Kumari from Assam Scheme (TOPS), Commodore PK Garg, at the
4-0 in the 50kg Mission Olympic
category. Hemla- Cell meeting held on
ta gave Mantasa- Thursday. Com-
ha no chance modore Garg was
whatsoever as she the High-Perform-
connected her ance Director with
jabs to precision Sports Authority of
and won the contest on a unanimous basis at India till June 2021
Hisar (Haryana). Another highlight of the and is an Arjuna
Day 1 was the flawless performance from Ma- Awardee recipient (1990) in Sailing and Major
harashtra's Aarya Kulkarni, who outclassed Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Awardee in 1993-94.
Yape Bamang of Arunachal Pradesh 5-0. He joined Indian Navy in 1984.

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