HYDERABAD l monday l october 12, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late cITY EDITION Flash flood strikes Nepal again, weeks after deadly disaster A flash flood in the Budhi Gandaki River swept away houses and bridges and damaged three hydropower projects in Gorkha district on Sunday Two women among five persons missing Nepalese authorities rescued more than 80 people, including nine foreign nationals, with the help of four helicopters. Five people, including two women, remain missing. Locals said they fled their homes after hearing loud roaring sounds from the streams around 4 am. Over 40 houses were completely damaged while 27 suffered partial damage, authorities said ■ 700 Failure of temporary dam blamed ■ The flood may have been caused by the failure of a temporary dam created by a landslide near Chumchet in Gorkha district, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development said The disaster struck roughly a month and a half after the devastating Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river floods on August 26 | P9 Security personnel have been mobilised for relief work 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 SC says peaceful protesters cannot be illegally detained SUCHITR A K A LYA N MOH A N TY @ New Delhi In an unusual special sitting on Sunday a spe, cial bench of the Supreme Court said there can be no illegal detention of those peacefully gathering and that barricades in the national capital must be reviewed immediately based on lawand-order and traffic requirements. The court also held that Metro services and railway facilities shall function normally until and unless they need to be regulated keeping in mind reasonable restrictions envisaged under Article 19 (2). Further, internet facilities should be restored and lawyers and journalists must not be obstructed from discharging professional duties, the court ordered. The court observed that petitioners had prima facie made out a case of contempt against the Centre and Delhi authorities for violating the court’s October 9 directions against “complete prohibition” of transport services. The two-judge Bench of Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana sought a response from Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Chairperson D Thara in the next hearing on October 13. “Free movement of people in the city shall be ensured subject to law and order situation and/ or traffic regulations... There shall be no illegal detention, particularly in cases of peaceful unarmed assemblage of people beyond the area where Section 163 BNSS is in operation,” the court ordered the Centre and Delhi Police. On being informed that a notice board had been put up in the court premises mentioning that Section 163 BNSS had been invoked in and around the precincts of the SC, the bench ordered it removed. The interim directions came on a contempt plea and a habeas corpus petition filed by lawyer Shailendra Mani Tripathi and senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy respectively The SC issued notices in . both cases, and sought a compliance report in the contempt plea. The court accepted the government’s assurance that Metro services would be normalised unless public order situation arose. CJI declines to meet INDIA bloc leaders CJI Surya Kant on Sunday declined INDIA bloc’s request for a meeting to discuss alleged electoral irregularities as the issue is sub judice and told the leaders they should approach the court through a proper petition if they seek judicial intervention. LoP Rahul Gandhi has called for a march to the apex court on Monday | P7 Police personnel physically remove protesters in Connaught Place, New Delhi on Sunday | Parveen Negi India rejects UN’s ‘interference’ India on Sunday rejected as “unacceptable interference” concerns raised by the United Nations Human Rights Office over detention of protesters, saying authorities had acted in accordance with the law. In a video, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Constitution guaranteed the right to peaceful assembly, which was safeguarded by the country’s institutions, an independent judiciary and a free media Dream big, pursue ideas sans fear: PM S u b a s h i n i V i j aya k u m a r @ Chennai PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked students to dream big, think differently and pursue their ideas without fear, saying young people could help find solutions to the challenges facing India and the world. Addressing students at a school here, he urged them to contribute to the goal of build- PM Modi at the event on Sunday | Shiba Prasad Sahu ing a Viksit Bharat by 2047. His appeal came amid protests by student groups demanding removal of the CEC. However, he did not refer to the protests in his speech. Stating that the world is looking for solution providers, the PM said the students have the potential to provide these solutions. He urged the students to make the most of opportunities available to them.  @ Hyderabad An IndiGo flight from Delhi to Chennai was diverted to Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) on Sunday after an electronic device in a passenger’s baggage reportedly caught fire mid-air. No injuries were reported. According to a release, Flight 6E6115 took off from Delhi at 1.30 pm and was scheduled to land in Chennai at 4 pm. It was diverted and landed at Hyderabad around 3 pm. IndiGo said smoke was detected coming from a passenger’s baggage in the overhead bin. When the cabin crew opened the bin, they found the electronic device, reportedly a power bank, on fire. The crew and passengers responded promptly and brought the situation under control, preventing the fire from spreading to other bags. “In line with established protocols, the pilots diverted the N’bad man says he is injured, fellow resident killed in Ukraine strike E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Nizamabad A Hyderabad native, Mohammed Yusuf, 46, was among 13 people killed in an alleged Houthi attack on the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday His wife and . three children were also injured. The family had travelled from Hyderabad to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah. Saturday’s attack left more than 300 people injured, marking a sharp escalation in the conflict involving Iran-backed Yemeni rebels and Saudi Arabia. The incident occur red when Yusuf and his family were waiting at Riyadh airport to travel to Madinah. Yusuf sustained fatal injuries, while his wife, daughter and two sons were injured. Md Yusuf Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expressed grief over Yusuf ’s death. “My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family The Embassy will extend all . possible assistance,” he said in a post on X. Reacting to Yusuf ’s death, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said in a post on X that the Hyderabad native had succumbed to his injuries. “His son is undergoing knee surgery, while another son is in the hospital and three of his toes have been cut off. His daughter and wife are safe. His aunt, who was with them, sustained head injuries but is out of danger. I am in touch with Yusuf ’s brother-in-law in Riyadh,” he said.  continued on p5 A Ukrainian missile attack near the border with Russia has reportedly left a man from the erstwhile Nizamabad district dead, two men missing and another grievously injured. The incident came to light after the injured man, Sirisu Ashok of Pedda Walgoat village in Sirikonda mandal, sent a voice message to his family. According to the voice message, four men from the erstwhile Nizamabad district had been stranded in Russia after joining the Russian Army and being deployed near the Ukraine border. The other three were identified as Meghawath Prakash of Dammannapet village in Dharpally mandal, Bhukya Ravinder of Munipally tanda in Jakranpally mandal and Afzal Khan of Tadkol village in Banswada mandal. Ashok said Afzal had died. However, the death has not been confirmed by his family or officials. Ashok claimed he could not provide details about the whereabouts of the other two men or confirm whether they had reached the border or returned to Hyderabad. He further said they had collected `4 lakh and were trying to arrange their return. Describing his condition as critical, Ashok appealed for help, saying he was unable to fully convey the severity of his injuries and the distressing circumstances they were facing. Their families have urged the Nizamabad Rural MLA to ask the chief minister to intervene. They also met Nizamabad MP Arvind Dharmapuri and requested help. @ Hyderabad/Dubai/Riyadh CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke before being released on Sunday along with Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das | PTI CJP leaders say protests won’t stop till cec quits u d ayan k i s h o r e & an u p v e r m a @ New Delhi HOURS after being released from detention on Sunday, Cockroach Janta Party leaders vowed to intensify their agitation demanding removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, as around 200 protesters were detained and New Delhi remained under a thick security blanket. Following the Supreme Court order after a special hearing earlier in the morning, police partially relaxed the clampdown, including opening of Metro stations and resumption of internet services. The hide-and-seek continued between protesters and security personnel, who kept doing flag marches and chasing protesters away, who regrouped to resume the agitation. CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were released on Sunday morning on the condition that they would not “breach peace” for Police file a year. YouTuber Dhruv Rath- 20 FIRs ee, after he was released in the morning, claimed he was Police claimed not detained, but “kidnapped” that it registered 20 FIRs in by police. CJP co-convener Ranka connection with said he and other leaders Saturday’s would approach Delhi Police protest. The FIRs on Monday to seek a date for included charges holding a fresh protest at related to assault on police and Jantar Mantar. At a press conference held obstruction of at Press Club of India, Das al- duty, among leged the government had other offences. turned the state against its On detentions, own citizens and the CJP’s police said agitation would continue. “preventive “Protests will happen not just arrests” were in Delhi but in the whole made following country This will not stop till “all procedures”. . Gyanesh resigns,” he said. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said he had not signed any bond barring him and other CJP leaders from staging further protests. “I have not signed any bond. We will take to the streets again... We are not afraid of your dictatorship; we will end your dictatorship,” Dipke told reporters at Nagpur airport, before proceeding to Hingoli in Maharashtra to attend the last rites of his grandmother. CPM Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas was injured after Delhi Police allegedly manhandled him in Connaught Place. Brittas said security personnel nearly choked him despite his attempts to identify himself as an MP. He was later admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. Among others detained were CPI leader Annie Raja and members of SFI, AISF and AISA, including Neha Bora and Aishe Ghosh. Reporters Sans Frontieres said “at least 16 journalists were brutally detained”. Power bank catches fire mid-air, IndiGo flight diverted to Hyderabad E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e Hyderabadi among 13 killed in Houthi strike on Riyadh airport E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e & A g en c i e s In spl sitting, court orders restoration of metro, internet, finds prima facie case for contempt Revanth urges Goans to vote for Cong, likens BJP to Ravana E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Sunday likened the BJP to Ravana and the Congress to Rama, urging people in Goa to defeat the BJP and vote for the Congress. Addressing the concluding meeting of the ‘Goem Rakhnno’ Yatra, he said the BJP had turned Goa into a hub for drugs and accused the saffron party of allowing the state’s land and image to be compromised. The padayatra began in Panaji on September 22, ahead of the Goa Assembly elections expected in early 2027. Questioning the BJP’s claims of working towards a ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’, Revanth asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had failed to curb the drug trade in Goa. “Is this a good image for Goa? You have to decide,” he said, asking why Goa CM Pramod Sawant had not acted against drug peddlers despite the BJP being in power in both Goa and at the Centre. Pointing to the measures employed by the Telangana government to curb drug use and sale, Revanth said the Chief A Revanth Reddy speaks to party leaders and functionaries during the ‘Goem Rakhnno’ Yatra in Cuncolim, Goa, on Sunday Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah advocate a ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’. Why, then, have they been unable to implement it in Goa? Is this a good image for Goa? You have to decide. The BJP is in power both in Goa and at the Centre. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has the authority to act. Why, then, is the BJP not stopping the drug trade in Goa? – A Revanth Reddy, CM state had formed the EAGLE Force and deployed it in a covert operation to eradicate drugs. The chief minister also alleged that valuable land in Goa was being alienated. Recounting a conversation with some residents, he said they had referred to Sawant as “Property Sawant”. “If the BJP is elected for a third term, it will not leave any land in Goa and will sell it to others,” he alleged, accusing the party of allowing pollution to worsen, damaging Goa’s image and letting the drug trade flourish. Asking people to vote for the Congress, Revanth warned that votes for regional parties, Independents or individual candidates would ultimately benefit the BJP .  continued on P4 5-year-old girl found dead, guard prime suspect C h ee r a m Kan i s h k a Ya d a v @ Hyderabad Passengers attempt to retrieve their belongings from the fire-hit overhead bin in an IndiGo flight on Sunday flight and landed safely at RGIA,” IndiGo said. The airline arranged an alternative flight for the passengers, which took off from Hyderabad at around 5.45 pm. Officials are investigating the exact cause of the fire. A five-year-old girl playing near the clubhouse of a gated community in Kowkoor went missing on Saturday evening. Hours later, her family received ransom calls demanding `20 lakh. By midnight, police had found her body in a water-filled sump inside the premises and identified the security guard as the primary suspect. The girl, Aurelia Fernandes Moses, a pre-primary student at St Pious X School in Alwal, was murdered by the 21-year-old watchman, Vikram, who later demanded `20 lakh from her family after claiming to have kidnapped her, police said. Aurelia Fernandes Moses The incident occurred at Villa Orchids gated community, within the limits of Bolarum police station. According to police, Aurelia was playing near the clubhouse of the gated community with her elder brother around 7.10 pm when she went missing. Her brother had moved a little farther away while riding his bicycle when Vikram allegedly took the girl to a secluded spot inside the premises. Vikram strangled the child, tied her hands and legs to a rock and threw her into the water-filled sump, police said. Her body was recovered from the sump during a search of the premises. Accused called girl’s dad, grandad with ransom demand After the murder, Vikram reportedly travelled towards Secunderabad and called the girl’s grandfather around 9.45 pm. He allegedly claimed to have kidnapped Aurelia and de- manded `20 lakh. He is also said to have made a similar call to her father, Milton Fernandes Moses, a research scientist at Seedworks International in Gowdavally, Medchal-Malkajgiri district. The family approached Bolarum police and lodged a complaint. Police launched a search operation and checked the gated community’s premises before finding the child’s body around midnight. The body was sent for postmortem early on Sunday and later handed over to the family . Police have registered a case and launched a manhunt for Vikram. They are investigating the circumstances surrounding the murder and the alleged ransom demand.