BHUBANESWAR l saturday l march 23, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l LATE CITY EDITION Many feared dead as gunmen open fire at moscow concert Massive blaze speards through building Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed there were deaths in what he called a “terrible tragedy”, but no further details were given. According to an eyewitness, attackers opened fire upon entering the Crocus City Hall building and threw a grenade, which caused a massive blaze that quickly spread through the building in western Moscow Several gunmen in camouflaged outfits burst into a big concert hall in Moscow on Friday and fired automatic weapons at the crowd video shows people shot at point-blank ■ ■ The attack took place as crowds gathered for a concert of Picnic, a famed Russian rock band. Videos posted online showed four men armed with assault rifles shooting people at point-blank range The US State Department has issued a warning to American citizens in Moscow to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours 6,000 the number of people the concert hall can accommodate 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 ED gets custody of Delhi CM for It’s official. No alliance 6 days in money laundering case between BJP, BJD in Odisha Kejriwal kingpin of Will fight all seats to fulfil people’s aspirations: Samal Will win 3/4th seats in state under Naveen: Das B i j o y P r a d h a n @ Bhubaneswar h e m a n t K u m a r R o u t @ Bhubaneswar DRAWING the curtains on the pre-poll alliance Immediately after BJP’s announcement drama with the BJD in Odisha, state BJP presithat the party will go solo in the elections, dent Manmohan Samal on Friday said that his the BJD asserted that it will win more than party will contest the upcoming simultaneous three fourth seats in the state. elections to Assembly and Lok Sabha alone. BJD organisational secretary Pranab PraThe state BJP president, who has not been seen kash Das said BJD will contest in all 147 asto be too inclined to the alliance, said that his parsembly segments and all 21 Lok Sabha conty will fight from all the 21 Lok Sabha and 147 Asstituencies and win more than three fourth sembly seats to fulfil the aspirations of the people seats under the leadership of Naveen PatThe BJP will fight naik. “With the blessings of Lord Jaganof the state. “The BJP will fight alone from all the 21 Lok alone from all the natha and the faith of people of Odisha, BJD Sabha and 147 Assembly seats under the vision- 21 Lok Sabha and has been serving the state and transforming 147 Assembly ary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi it like never before in every sector. BJD will seats under the to fulfil the hopes, wishes and aspirations of 4.5 continue to take decisions keeping people of visionary crore people of Odisha and to build a developed the state in the forefront always and their leadership of India and developed Odisha,” Samal said. welfare in true spirit of cooperative federalPrime Minister Narendra Modi The state BJP chief made this announcement ism and statesmanship required for nation on X clarifying that it would not be possible for building,” he posted on X. Manmohan Samal, the BJP to align with the BJD government on Much ahead of the announcement of elecState BJP chief many issues involving Odia identity and Odisha tion schedules, the BJD government had unpride. veiled a battery of schemes for the welfare Immediately afterwards, Union Minister Dharof people from various sections, including mendra Pradhan also immediately reposted the farmers, tribals, women, youths, students, tweet of Samal both in Odia and Hindi as the parsalaried employees, teachers and contracty sent out the message that it is finally ready to tual staff with an objective to make Odisha take the fight to the BJD camp. a developed state by 2036 when the state will While thanking Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik be celebrating its 100 years of formation. for extending support to the NDA government at New Odisha and “#NewOdisha and #EmpoweredOdisha Centre on issues of national importance in the will be our goal and we are on track to Empowered last 10 years, Samal, however, pointed out that achieve this under the leadership of our Odisha will be various welfare schemes of Modi government leader Shri Naveen Patnaik,” Das posted. our goal and we are on track to were not reaching the ground in Odisha. The party seems to have got wind of the achieve this “Many welfare schemes of Modi government failure of alliance talks at least a week back under the are not reaching the ground in Odisha due to as it intensified the consultations with its which the poor sisters and brothers of the state leadership of our leaders and potential candidates for differleader Shri are not getting their benefits. We do not agree Naveen Patnaik ent Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies. with the state government on many issues conThe short-listed candidates were also indicerning Odia identity, Odisha pride and interests Pranab Prakash Das, cated to remain prepared for the elections. BJD org secy of the people of the state,” he said. BJD started reviewing its poll preparedExplaining the need for going alone, Samal said ness since Monday and it has so far completstates where there are double-engine governments are making ed formalities for selection of candidates in 11 rapid progress on all fronts and have effectively delivered all Lok Sabha constituencies and 77 Assembly welfare schemes at the doorsteps of the people. seats. On Friday, party leaders from Bargarh, The state BJP chief, had told mediapersons this morning Balangir and Kalahandi brain-stormed to finalthat “the obscure sky is getting clear of clouds and a clear ise candidates for the three Lok Sabha constitupicture will emerge at the right time.” encies and 21 Assembly segments. season 17: grand opening Music director AR Rahman (3rd right), performing alongside singers during Opening Ceremony of 2024 IPL on Friday | ashwin prasath chennai high: Mustafizur rahman’s four wickets help csk post 6-wicket win in inaugural match against rcb Mustafizur makes a mark Return of Rishabh Mustafizurmakes a mark Rahman (4/29) made the franchise, Rahman (4/29) did not Almost a year-and-a-half since suffering a car accident, In his first game foran impact as he instantly ran through the RCB top-order. A late impact helped RCB to 173/6. through take long to make anfightbackas he instantly ran CSK had a the Rishabh Pant is all set to make a comeback in competitive cricket on steady chase and an unbeaten 66-run partnership between S Dube Saturday. Declared fit as a keeper-batter, Pant will lead DC in their first RCB top-order. and R Jadeja saw teamn.o) and Anuj Rawat’s Dinesh Karthik (38 home game against Punjab Kings | p11 (48) late boundaries took RCB to a respectable total e nd o f a n e r a BJD veteran & ex-minister Damodar Rout no more E x p r e ss N e ws S e r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar Veteran BJD leader and former minister Damodar Rout passed away at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar on Friday morning. He was 81. A seven-time MLA, Rout was suffering from chronic kidney disease and had suffered a brain stroke while being shifted to the private hospital from Capital Hospital following respiratory issues on March 18. His condition deteriorated and he was almost brain dead on Thursday . His son and Paradip MLA Sambit Routray said the former minister breathed his last at around 5.30 am. His body was taken to his constituencies Paradip and Balikuda-Erasama from where he contested before being cremated at Swagadwar in Puri. Rout is survived by his son and daughter Pritinanda Routray who is , a corporator in Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation. His wife Snehalata had pre-deceased him in 2019. The popular leader had quit his job as a veterinary doctor to join politics in the 1970s. He was among some prominent leaders mentored by former chief minister Biju Patnaik. He was one of the founding members of BJD that was formed after the demise of Patnaik in 1997. Rout was first elected to Odisha Legislative Assembly from Balikuda-Erasama in 1977 on a Janata Dal ticket. He won from the same seat in 1980 as a member of Janata Dal (Secular) and again in 1990 on Janata Dal ticket. He was an MLA from BJD in 2000, 2004, 2009 and 2014. He won five times from Erasama and twice from Paradip. Rout was a minister on several occasions in the Nilamani Routray, Biju Patnaik and Naveen Patnaik governments. He held portfolios of Information and Public Relations, Panchayati Raj, Women and Child Development, Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, Co-operation, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Culture, Health and Family , We l f a r e, M S M E a n d P u b l i c Enterprises. The witty politician had also quoted controversy several times and was expelled from BJD for alleged anti-party activities in 2017. He was also earlier axed from the cabinet in 2011 for making casteist remarks against some BJD leaders from the scheduled caste community and a senior official at a meeting. He was again dropped from the cabinet for remarks against the Brahmin community during a meeting in CONTINUED ON P5 Malkangiri. S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi Arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal got no relief from a local court here on Friday as it remanded him for six days in the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) custody, till March 28 in the Delhi excise policy scam. Three other leaders of his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) — Satyendar Jain, Manish Sisodia, and Sanjay Singh — are already under ED arrest in the same case. “The accused, Arvind Kejriwal, be remanded to six day ED custody, till March 28,” Special Judge PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) Kaveri Baweja, said in her order. Kejriwal was produced in the Rouse Avenue court around 2 pm amid heavy security The ED . sought his custody for 10 days, claiming he had to be interrogated in a “detailed and sustained manner” in the excise case. The court’s order is a big blow for Kejriwal as he was preparing to hit the campaign trail in the general elections to increase his party’s footprint. Earlier in the day , he withdrew a plea from the Supreme Court he had filed the previous day challenging his arrest. , Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Kejriwal, said he was withdrawing his plea from the SC and would argue the case in the lower court where he would be produced by the ED. As for the ED, it alleged in the Rouse Avenue court that Kejriwal is the kingpin of the Delhi liquor scam. “The CM demands kickbacks from South Group. It is a serious crime,” Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S V Raju told the court. The probe agency said that huge cash amounts were handed over to various people. The proceeds of crime in the case were used in the Goa polls, it added. Vehemently opposing the arguments, Singhvi said the power of arrest was not equal to the need to arrest. “If the ED has proof, then why custody? No necessity of his arrest. The ED has to show the necessity of his arrest. Why did you need custodial interrogation?” he questioned. excise scam, says ED U J W AL J ALALI @ New Delhi The Enforcement Directorate on Friday told the Rouse Avenue court here that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was intrinsically involved in the entire conspiracy to frame Delhi’s new excise policy in such a way that certain private persons were favoured in a quid pro quo to get kickbacks. The ED alleged that the proceeds of the crime — as much as `45 crore — were used in the election campaign of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for Goa. Explaining Kejriwal’s role in the case, the ED said he is the ultimate in-charge of AAP and was directly involved in the formulation of the excise policy . “This policy was being drafted considering the favours to be granted to the South Group and was formed in collusion with Vijay Nair, Manish Sisodia, and members-representatives of the South Group,” the ED said in its remand application. The ED said Kejriwal’s role in the formulation of the policy was evident from the statement of C Arvind, the then Secretary of former deputy CM Manish Sisodia, and Butchibabu Gorantla, CA of K Kavitha. Arvind revealed that he was handed over the draft Group of Ministers (GoM) report by Sisodia at Kejriwal’s residence where former minister Satyendar Jain was also present. The document mentioned that wholesale licence should be given to private players and profit margin was fixed at 12%. As per ED, these points were never discussed in GoM meetings. Arvind prepared a draft and handed it over to Sisodia. Later it was submitted before the cabinet. As for Butchibabu, Whatsapp messages from his phone revealed certain provisions of the excise policy two days before it was finalised by the council of ministers.
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