KOZHIKODE l friday l august 07, 2026 l `10.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Indian-origin astronaut Anil Menon conducts spacewalk NASA astronauts Anil Menon and Jessica Meir began a spacewalk on Thursday to carry out modifications for a future power upgrade at ISS Duo performs ISS power system upgrades menon’s first spacewalk, Meir’s sixth The spacewalkers spent hours in the vacuum of space, carrying out necessary modifications for future installation of Roll-Out Solar Arrays on the International Space Station. The arrays are expected to provide additional power to support critical station operations, NASA said. This was the 281st spacewalk in support of ISS maintenance and upgrades ■ ■ Menon was born in Minnesota in 1976 to Indian and Ukrainian immigrants. This will be Menon’s first and Meir’s sixth spacewalk Menon was SpaceX’s first flight surgeon, helping to launch its first humans to space during the Demo-2 mission. He joined NASA in 2014 as a space surgeon and began a two-year astronaut training in 2022 6 pm IST When the two astronauts stepped outside THE iss to carry out tasks CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI HC hands 10-yr Recovered from mental illness, but abandoned RI to Tejpal in 2013 rape case The Rehabilitation Gap 175 recovered patients remain institutionalised across Kerala’s major government mental health centres Gives ex-editor 4 weeks to surrender, terms trial court’s decision to acquit him ‘perverse’ trial court’s judgment “perverse” and coloured by prejufive years after a trial court dice against the survivor. The acquitted journalist Tarun Te- case dates back to 2013, when jpal in a 2013 sexual assault Tejpal was accused of sexually case, the Bombay High Court assaulting a junior colleague in on Thursday set aside the deci- an elevator of a high-end hotel sion and sentenced the former in Goa during an event organeditor to 10 years of rigorous ised by the magazine. The Goa imprisonment (RI). The HC Police registered an FIR against also imposed a fine of Tejpal for various of`10.21 lakh on the f en c es, i n clu d in g former editor of Teherape. He was arrested lka magazine and in November 2013 and said the money would released on bail in go the survivor. July 2014. The trial A division bench of commenced in 2017. justices Neela GokhaThe judgment was le and Amit Jamsandpronounced in May ekar pronounced the 2021 by Additional Tejpal to verdict on the appeal Sessions Judge Kshamove SC filed by state of Goa ma Joshi, who acquitTarun Tejpal called in 2022 against the ted Tejpal. himself a “political During the hearing trial court verdict. victim” and pleaded in HC, Solicitor Gen“We have set aside the for leniency, saying eral Tushar Mehta, judgment and order he was 62 years old appearing for the state and convicted Tejpal. and the father of of Goa, argued that We have convicted two girls. He said he the trial court wronghim under Sections would approach SC ly focused on the com376(2)(f) and (k), 354A, to challenge his plainant’s character 354B of Indian Penal conviction instead of the conduct Code (IPC),” it said. of the accused. He While handing down the minimum sentence said the trial court incorrectly of 10 years’ rigorous imprison- relied on the complainant’s lifement, the bench noted that the style, WhatsApp chats, and incident took place 13 years ago ‘normative’ behaviour to infer and Tejpal had not committed consent. Senior advocate Aabad Ponany other criminal offence. The maximum punishment for rape da, representing Tejpal, argued that the acquittal was correct is life imprisonment. The court gave Tejpal four because the complainant’s acweeks to surrender. During the count was inconsistent with hearing, the bench termed the objective evidence. S UDHIR S URYAWA N S HI @ Mumbai EXPRESS READ State govt to launch ‘My Police Station’ project on August 15 T’Puram: Aiming to ensure speedy disposal of complaints, dignified treatment of complainants, and to put an end to custodial violence, the state government will launch the ‘My Police Station’ project on August 15. While ADGP (Law & Order) will be the co-ordinator of the ‘My Police Station’ project. P4 Debate on desilting of rivers resurfaces after Kerala floods T’Puram: As Kerala begins recovering from the recent floods, demands for large-scale desilting of rivers, reservoirs and other water bodies have resurfaced, with many arguing that accumulated silt has reduced their carrying capacity and worsened flooding. P4 FYUGP admissions: Plus-II not mandatory for poly, ITI students T’Puram: Starting next academic year, students who have completed ITI or Polytechnic courses after Class X will no longer be required to pass Plus Two to secure admission to UG degree programmes. P4 Kuthiravattam, Kozhikode Sanctioned capacity 474 beds Over 500 inpatients being treated Recovered patients continuing in facility - 80 Aranattukara, Thrissur 361 sanctioned beds Peroorkada, T’Puram 507 sanctioned beds Over 600 inpatients 55 await social reintegration Recovered yet continuing in facility - 40 P o o j a N a i r @ Kozhikode The middle-aged patient had recovered well enough to be discharged. Months of treatment at the Government Mental Health Centre in Kuthirav a t t a m , Ko z h i ko d e, h a d restored stability and hospital , staff repeatedly contacted the family to take the person home. No one came. Days turned into weeks, hope gave way to silence, and the emotional rejection eventually triggered a severe relapse. The patient, who was ready to begin life again, was forced back into intensive psychiatric care. Mental-health professionals say this is no longer an isolated tragedy Across Kerala, govern. ment psychiatric institutions are increasingly housing people who have already recovered medically, but because they have been abandoned by their families or admitted under false identities, have nowhere else to go. The numbers reveal the scale of the crisis. More than 175 patients who have made a recovery continue to remain institutionalised across Kerala’s major government mental health centres despite being medically fit for discharge. Around 80 persons speak On protest: legitimate form of dialogue. Purpose is to build consensus, not create divisions Edu sector spending: support demand to raise it to 6% of GDP Gen Z: seeks logical answers to queries with warmth and respect Social media ban: not the solution to its harmful effects Tech misuse: don’t trust social media content without verification MU K E S H RA N JA N @ New Delhi The controversial Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, will be taken up for discussion and passage in Parliament on August 12, but its provisions will not apply retrospectively Mizo, ram Chief Minister Lalduhoma said on Thursday after meeting Union home minister Amit Shah. Lalduhoma, accompanied by a delegation of church leaders from Mizoram, met Shah in Parliament to press for changes to several contentious provisions of the bill, which seeks to tighten oversight of foreignfunded organisations. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Lalduhoma said: “We raised six issues. He assured us that this bill will not have retrospective effect. On the remaining concerns, he said he would respond in writing.” Passage by Aug 13 Lalduhoma said Shah informed the delegation that the bill would be debated in Parliament on August 12. The government is expected to seek its passage before the Monsoon session concludes on August 13 At a separate meeting with Shah, a delegation of church functionaries led by DMK MP P Wilson submitted a memorandum seeking withdrawal of the FCRA Amendment Bill 2026 in entirety . Alternatively, the memorandum demanded “the reference of the FCRA Amendment Bill 2026, together with a comprehensive review of the work- ing of the Principal Act, to a Joint Parliamentary Committee and the repeal of the existing Section 15 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, so that no provision for the vesting of foreign contribution or of assets survives in any form”. Introduced in the Lok Sabha in March 25, the bill proposes sweeping changes to the FCRA, which governs the receipt and utilisation of foreign donations by individuals, associations and companies. The most contentious provision of the bill empowers a government-designated authority to take custody of foreign funds and assets created through such contributions if the FCRA registration and organisation is cancelled, surrendered or ceases to exist. S u d h i r S u r ya w a ns h i @ Mumbai Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday described protests as a form of dialogue that should be used to evolve consensus rather than creating divisions in society . Addressing a gathering of about 2,000 students here, he said Gen Z and Gen Alpha are the most honest of generations. He said people of his generation, when they were young, follow the directions of elders, but today’s generation has strong opinions and needs logical answers. Addressing a wide array of questions, Bhagwat said if people’s voice is not heard in a democracy, they could use protest as a medium to talk to power. “Protest is a way of dialogue. In a democracy there are many , ways to arrive at a consensus. It is true that there is a need to do a lot of reform in Indian education. If there is no dialogue, then protests happen. I will not say Gen Z should not protest, but there are ways to protest. If Gen Z is upset, then we need to pay attention. The recent agitation took place because of lack of attention. Their issues can be sorted out through dialogue,” Bhagwat said. He also emphasised that Gen Z is not anti-national; instead they are the future of the country. “I have not called anyone anti-national. In fact, today’s generation is the most honest. We can trust them blindly Children . are the gift of God,” Bhagwat said. Why then were they caned and fired at with pellet guns at Jantar Mantar during a protest march? Bhagwat said he was not aware about cause of the violence. Top gun IAF gets its first woman fighter combat leader JA V ARIA RA N A @ New Delhi Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth has become the first woman to clear the Fighter Combat Leader (FCL), the toughest course for fighter pilots in the Indian Air Force (IAF). She successfully completed FCL at the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) in Gwalior last week. FCL is among the most prestigious badges for fighter pilots. Only a small fraction of IAF’s aircrew, about 1%, get picked for the fivemonth rigorous programme, which trains the selected pilots in es recorded during admission were found to be false or incomplete. Elderly patients, homeless individuals and migrant workers whose relatives cannot be traced are among the most vulnerable. The consequences extend far beyond individual suffering. Recovered patients occupying long-term hospital beds are placing enormous pressure on psychiatric institutions that are already operating beyond capacity The Kuthiravattam fa. cility has a sanctioned capacity of 474 beds, but accommodates more than 500 inpatients, while treating nearly 3,000 outpatients every month.  ● More on P4 FCRA bill to have prospective effect, Ferry to flight: Water Metro debate on Aug 12: Shah to Mizo CM link to Kochi airport on cards Protests lawful form of dialogue to build consensus, says RSS chief Bhagwat are awaiting rehabilitation or family acceptance in Kozhikode. There are 55 similar cases at the Mental Health Centre in Thiruvananthapuram and around 40 in Thrissur. Mentalhealth advocates believe the actual number across long-term psychiatric institutions is significantly higher. Psychiatrists argue that Kerala is facing a rehabilitation crisis rather than a treatment crisis. For many patients, the hospital has become a permanent address. Families who admitted them never returned. Contact numbers stopped working. Address- advanced air combat tactics and turns them into the specialists who set the template for how frontline squadrons fight. Graduates return to their units as in-house authorities on weapons employment and combat manoeuvring. Reaching that level closes a loop Sqn Ldr Kanth helped open a decade ago. In June 2016, Kanth, Avani Chaturvedi, and Mohana Singh, were commissioned as the IAF’s first women fighter pilots, after the government opened the combat stream to women on an experimental basis. In May 2019, Kanth became the first Indian woman cleared to fly fighter combat missions by day , then on the MiG-21 Bi- TACDE: Training the best to become better TACDE is a crucial unit of the IAF that trains top-tier fighter pilots to push their limits. Beyond running the FCL, the unit develops the tactical procedures and standard operating manuals used across the force, and puts newly inducted aircraft, radars and weapons through rigorous evaluation son, before converting to the Su-30 MKI. She has since featured in a Republic Day parade tableau and was conferred the Nari Shakti Puraskar in 2020. Sqn Ldr Kanth, who hails from Darbhanga in Bihar and has trained as an engineer before joining IAF, is part of a cohort that keeps posting firsts. Sqn Ldr Mohana Singh, commissioned alongside her, went on to become the first woman to fly the indigen o u s Te j a s i n a frontline squadron. V a r s h a S o m a r a j @ Kochi Imagine stepping off a boat, walking into the air port through a check-in facility and , boarding a flight without ever getting caught in road traffic. That is the vision taking shape in what could become India’s first airport connected by a Water Metro service. Drawing inspiration from Hong Kong’s airport ferry model, the Kochi Water Metro is developing a proposal to connect a Water Metro terminal near the Aluva Metro station with the Kochi international airport. The proposed journey would cover 7.5km in just 12 minutes using smaller, high-speed electric boats travelling at around 20 knots. “Prima facie, it is technically feasible. The challenge is flooding, so we have to identify the exact location carefully,” Kochi Metro Rail Limited on a boat to the airport The proposed route will begin near Aluva Metro station, where passengers will access the Water Metro terminal through a skywalk connecting the two stations Boats will then travel through the Periyar before entering Chengalthodu and reach the rear side of the airport. CIAL plans to create a check-in area there for Water Metro passengers (KMRL) managing director Loknath Behera told TNIE. A hydrological study which , will be completed this week, will determine whether the ambitious project is environmentally feasible.  ● More on P4