Vol. 67 No. 155 | SATURDAY | MARCH 30, 2024 | 33 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only Quality at Value www.freepressjournal.in MEMBER: AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATION JANUARY TO DECEMBER 2023 EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Nashik, Konkan, Indore, Bhopal, E-paper Check out our verdict on films and OTT releases REVIEWS THIS WEEK THE FP BULLETIN COMPLAINT TO EC AGAINST CM’S SON T he BJP on Friday lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's son Yathindra for his remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Yathindra was addressing a public event in Chamarajanagara on Thursday when he lamented ‘‘how the BJP has run the government in the last 10 years.’’ He used obnoxious words for Amit Shah and raked up old charges against PM Modi. GAMBHIR, KOHLI HUG & MAKE UP B engaluru superstar batter Virat Kohli and Kolkata’s team mentor Gautam Gambhir seem to have ended their spat – a spill-over from last season -- as they shook hands during their clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Gambhir and Kohli shared a warm hug and shook hands during the strategic time-out in the first innings. Kohli had smashed his 52nd IPL halfcentury by then. They were both involved in an ugly onfield spat in IPL 2023 during Bengaluru’s league-stage match against Lucknow. It was a throwback to a 2013 incident when Gambhir was captain of Kolkata and Kohli was leading Bengaluru; the two were involved in a heated argument, had pushed each and had to be separated by their teammates. PAK MULLS OVER TRADE REVIVAL I n quick succession, official voices are emerging from Pakistan on resumption of trade with India. Within a week, first Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and now the Pakistan Foreign Office have talked about a proposal for resuming trade with India. Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch confirmed that the Foreign Office was reviewing such a proposal. EDIT EMPLOYMENT – THE GRIM TRUTH The National Investigation Agency (NIA) probing the March one Bengaluru cafe blast has announced a cash reward of Rs10 lakh each for providing information about two key suspects in the case -- Mussavir Hussain Shazeb and Abdul Matheen Taha. The federal agency had arrested the co-conspirator of the blast, Muzammil Shareef, two days ago. “Whoever provides information leading to the ar- India’s foreign exchange reserves rise by $140 mn to $642.63 bn. 0 OUR BUREAU / NEW DELHI In what is being perceived as an act of political vendetta, the Congress on Friday said it had received fresh notices from the income-tax department, asking it to cough up Rs 1,823.08 crore, and accused the ruling BJP of indulging in "tax terrorism" to financially cripple the opposition party ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. (The fresh tax notice is for the assessment years 2017-18 to 2020-21, and includes penalty and interest.) The Congress is already strapped for funds after Income Tax authorities imposed a penalty of Rs 200 crore and froze its accounts. The party has not received any relief from the High Court in the case and is likely to move the Supreme Court. Back to the wall, a livid Rahul Gandhi on Friday pledged the Congress will CPI GETS I-T NOTICES, TOO N take exemplary action against those who have destroyed democracy -- "when the government changes." ‘‘ nd the action will be taken A in such a manner that no one will have the courage to do all this again. This is my guarantee," Gandhi said in a post on the microblogging platform X. Gandhi alleged central departments such as the income tax are working at the behest of the BJP . Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters along with Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, party treasurer Ajay Maken alleged that the BJP is in serious violation of income-tax laws and said the I-T department should raise a demand of more than Rs 4,600 crore from the saffron party for such violations. CONTD. ON NATION ew Delhi: The Communist Party of India, too, has received a notice from the income-tax department, asking it to pay "dues" of Rs 11 crore for using an old PAN card while filing tax returns during the last few years, sources said on Friday. They said the Left party is consulting its lawyers to challenge the notice of the tax authorities. The sources said the "dues" to be paid to the I-T department include penalties and interest. Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale has also claimed that he has received no less than 11 I-T notices in the last 72 hours. PTI / UNITED NATIONS A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said we very much "hope" that in India and any country that is having elections, people's "political and civil rights" are "protected" and everyone is able to vote in a "free and fair" atmosphere. Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric made these remarks on Thursday while he was responding to a question on the "political unrest" in India ahead of the upcoming national elections in the wake of the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the freezing of the opposition Congress Party's bank accounts. "What we very much hope that in India, as in any country that is having elections, that everyone's rights are protected, including political Sunrise : 06:35 am Sunset : 06:52 pm and civil rights, and everyone is able to vote in an atmosphere that is free and fair," Dujarric said at the daily press briefing Thursday . The response from the United Nations comes a day after the US also reacted to a similar question on Kejriwal's arrest and freezing of the Congress party's bank accounts. On Wednesday hours , after India summoned a senior US diplomat to protest remarks on Kejriwal's arrest, Washington reiterated that it encourages fair, transparent, timely legal processes. On the US diplomat being summoned in Delhi, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said "I'm not going to talk about any private diplomatic conversations. But of course what we have said publicly is what I just said from here, that we encourage fair, transparent, timely legal processes. CONTD. ON NATION Probe into Ansari death HC doubles compensation for kin of dead driver after ‘slow poison’ din BISWAJEET BANERJEE / BANDA A chief judicial magistrate's court in Uttar Pradesh's Banda has initiated a judicial inquiry into the demise of gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari and a comprehensive probe report will be submitted within a month. Ansari died on Thursday , March 28, in a hospital in Banda after he suffered a cardiac arrest. However, his family claimed that Ansari, while he was in jail, was being given ‘slow poison’, leading to his demise. The death has stirred a storm of controversy and some fingers have pointed at the involvement of another former legislator and Mukhtar’s sworn enemy Brijesh Singh. Ansari's family members claim he was poisoned to prevent him from testifying against Singh in court. According to Afzal Ansari, Mukhtar's brother, "40 days ago he was given poison in his food. Again, ten days ago, poison was administered in his meal." He asserts that the poisoning was intended to impede Mukhtar's appearance in the MPMLA Court Ghazipur, where his testimony against Brijesh Singh was crucial. Mafia don-turned-politician Brijesh Singh was released from Varanasi Central jail in 2022 on bail in a criminal case for an alleged attack on Ansari in 2001. This was the last of the several criminal cases Brajesh Singh was facing in which the trial is yet to start. Ansari's son Umar has approached the court in the mat- rest of the suspects shall be rewarded Rs10 lakh each,” NIA said on Friday about Shazeb and Taha. According to the NIA, Shazeb had planted the low intensity IED at Rameshwaram cafe in Brookfield in Bengaluru, while Tahahad meticulously planned the attack. Both are 30 years old and belong to Shivamogga district. The 6.2 feet tall and fair Shazeb is also known as Md Juned Hussain and Mohammed Juned Sayed, the agency said, adding that he is using a driving licence issued in the name of Mohammed Juned Sayed. Shazeb prefers to wear jeans, T-shirts and often uses a wig and a fake beard; he also wears masks and caps. Taha is 5.5 feet tall and of medium built and also uses names such as Vignesh and Sumit, NIA said, adding that he has been using Aadhaar cards and driving licences issued in the assumed Hindu names. Taha is bald in front and has little hair on the back of his head, it said. ter. In a petition filed by Mukhtar's advocate in the High Court and the Supreme Court, it is alleged that he was poisoned twice at meal time in Banda jail, suggesting a concerted effort by the government administration to eliminate him. Expressing concern over the disregard for legal procedures during Mukhtar's incarceration, his advocate Saubhagya Mishra lamented, "Law was not followed when Mukhtar was in jail. His son Umar and other family members were not even allowed to meet or talk to him." The advocate further highlighted the perceived threat to Mukhtar's life and the lack of adequate safety measures. The sequence of events leading to Mukhtar's demise paints a grim picture. It was on March 20 that accusations of poisoning were made; this was followed by the suspension of three jail officials on March 24. The ensuing days witnessed Mukhtar's deteriorating health, culminating in his sudden demise on March 28. CONTD. ON NATION URVI MAHAJANI / MUMBAI If a truck’s brake lights or tail lights are not working and it is rear-ended by a car, it would be considered solely the negligence of the truck driver which caused the accident and the vehicle driver is not liable for any negligence contributing to the collision, the Bombay High Court has held. The high court not only set aside an order of the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) which had held the deceased car driver 50 per cent responsible for the accident but enhanced the compensation awarded to the kin of the deceased car driver, nearly doubling the amount to Rs 29.40 lakh. “Driving a 70-foot-long trailer without any brake light or tail lamps is a grievous negli- gence, but these facts are not considered by the Tribunal and it has fixed 50% contributory negligence on the deceased, which is erroneous. Hence, I hold that the accident occurred due to the sole negligence of the driver of the offending trailer,” Justice Shivkumar Dige noted. According to the claimants, on January 12, 2006, around 8.30pm, Ravindra Divate was The Indian Navy on Friday was engaged in an operation to rescue a “hijacked” Iranian fishing vessel, which has reportedly been boarded by nine armed pirates, and its crew at sea. KERALA BISHOPS’ MESSAGE PRE-POLL DAMPENER FOR BJP Devotees observe Good Friday in Madurai The prospects of the BJP weaning away the Christian vote in Kerala don’t look too bright if one were to go strictly by the message emitted by the bishops on the occasion of Friday . There is an atmosphere of fear in society and Christian institutions are under grave threat, people were told in messages emanating from arch- bishops and heads of the various sections of the Christian community This came as an . unpleasant surprise for the BJP which was expecting the , support of the community following the various meetings held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with senior bishops. The archbishops referred to the situation in Manipur and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and called these developments as dangerous. “If a LAST WORD WE DON’T NEED A TUTORIAL: VP FPJ NEWS SERVICE / NEW DELHI I ndia is a unique democracy and does not need lessons on the rule of law, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Friday after Germany , the US and the UN commented on the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. “India is a democracy with a robust judicial system. This can’t be compromised by any individual or any group. India does not need lessons from anyone on rule of law,” Dhankhar said. “Equality before law is the new norm” in India, the Vice-President said. If truck’s brake lights or tail lights are not working & there’s an accident, onus on truck driver alone, says court INDIA POLICING GULF OF ADEN SHANKAR RAJ / THIRUVANANTHAPURAM 0 34 c. 27 c. ON CRUTCHES, CONGRESS UN turn to sermonise GETS KICK IN`1823 crore in taxes on elections THE PANTS Party told to cough up Reward of `10 lakh each for clue to 2 blast suspects RAJASHEKARA S / BENGALURU FOREX KITTY RISES FOR 5TH WEEK IN A ROW deprived person or anyone else feels helpless and is forced to live in fear, it only shows the failure of the government,” said a bishop in reference to the Manipur incident and attack on churches. This stand taken by the heads of the Christian communities may sway the outcome in the Lok Sabha elections, polling for which will be held in less than a month in Kerala. CONTD. ON NATION proceeding towards Sanaswadi from Shikrapur on the Nagar-Pune highway in his car. On the way a trailer truck , which was also proceeding towards Pune without any parking or brake lights, stopped in the middle of the road. In the absence of brake lights, the car rammed into the trailer and the driver died of multiple injuries. CONTD. ON NATION China offers Pak help to rein in terror IANS / ISLAMABAD After five Chinese nationals were killed in a suicide blast in Besham in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, Beijing has offered help to Islamabad to contain terrorism. Chinese contractors have halted construction on two dam projects in Pakistan after a suicide bomber killed five Chinese engineers and a Pakistani driver, an official told AFP on Friday The com. panies have demanded that Pakistan comes up with new security plans before reopening the sites where around 1,250 Chinese nationals are working, the official said. “The Chinese military is willing to work with the Pakistani side to enhance the capability of the two countries to tackle various security risks and challenges, including terrorist attacks and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability said ," Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson of the China Ministry of National Defense. CONTD. ON NATION TAILPIECE Bihar’s ‘gamcha’ to beat summer heat in campaigning Outrage over global award to photo DHEERAJ KUMAR / PATNA ‘Bihar gamchas-topis’ are likely to turn out to be important dressing accessories for leaders and workers hitting the campaign trail in various states in scorching summer. State's weavers, particularly those from Bhagalpur (known as Silk City of Bihar) are enthusiastic over growing demands of ‘gamcha and topis’. Former Bihar Weavers Welfare Committee member Aleem Ansari said over 3,000 weavers were engaged in weaving ‘gamchas’ in Bhagalpur as a single person was weaving 24 gamchas on average in a day, earning Rs200-300 daily With . other family members also involved, a single family is earning over Rs1,000 a day Weavers are get. ting orders from Rajasthan, UP, MP, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Several states ordered to weave 20 lakh saffron ‘gamchas’, he informed, adding maximum orders are being received from West Bengal. From Bhagalpur, four lakh ‘gamchas’ will be supplied to West Bengal while 2.5 lakh ‘gamchas’ to Jharkhand. There is already 30 per cent more demand for ‘Bhagalpur gamcha’ in comparison to the last year's. For women leaders and workers, Bhagalpuri suits and dupattas are also being weaved in huge numbers in different colours in view of the election. Similarly, weavers have received orders to supply 10 lakh each green ‘gamchas and topis’ to leaders and workers in Bihar. While a ‘gamcha’ is priced at Rs100-120, a ‘topi’ costs anywhere between Rs80-120, informed a shopkeeper sitting at his shop on the state capital's Beerchand Patel Marg. A number of party offices including those of BJP, JD(U) and RJD are located on Beerchand Patel Marg. NEW YORK A sickening image of Hamas terrorists parading a slain woman’s nearly naked body through the streets of Gaza has been awarded a prestigious photo-of-the-year prize — sparking fierce outrage from those who slammed the win as “an outrageous desecration of Jewish life,” reports New York Post. The grim photo featuring Shani Louk’s body was among a collection of 20 images that helped the Associated Press secure first place in one of the Pictures of the Year International award categories earlier this month. The awards, which are run by the Donald W . Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism, are self-described as the world’s oldest photojournalism competition. Shani Louk, a 23-year-old German Israeli tattoo artist, was among the scores of innocent music festival-goers taken hostage when Hamas terrorists carried out their deadly OcCONTD. ON NATION tober 7 onslaught.