DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA `6.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 Modi Sarkar ki cbc 22201/13/0273/2324 POSTAL REGN. NO. JAIPUR CITY/001/2024-26 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2024, JAIPUR, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES Government of India ● Scan for more information Hamara sankalp Viksit Bharat Guarantee PM Fasal Bima Yojana s becomes safety net for farmers Claims worth ₹1 lakh 54 thousand crore paid to 16.65 crore farmers PROBE INTO KIRU PROJECT IN KISHTWAR CBI searches premises of former J&K Governor Malik in hydel project case Chinese firm hacked Indian immigration data: Post EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 22 INDIA IS one of the targets of China’s intelligence and cybersurveillance and Beijing’s hackers appeared to have successfully breached 95.2 gigabytes of immigration data from the Indian government, an investigation by The Washington Post has revealed. The Post, in a report publishedThursday,saidthatatrove of leaked documents from a “Chinese state-linked hacking group shows that Beijing’s intelligence and military groups are carryingoutlarge-scale,systematic cyber intrusions against foreign governments, companies and infrastructure — exploiting what the hackers claim are vulnerabilities in software systems from companies including Microsoft, Apple and Google”. “The cache — containing more than 570 files, images and chat logs — offers an unprecedented look inside the operations of one of the firms that Chinese government agencies hire for on-demand, mass datacollecting operations,” it said. It said the files — posted to GitHub last week and deemed credible by cybersecurity experts, although the source remains unknown — detail contractstoextractforeigndataover eight years and describe targets CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Agency claims irregularities in Rs 2,200-crore contract award I was whistleblower in scam, raid is to silence critics: Malik from hospital MAHENDER SINGH MANRAL RITU SARIN THE CBI Thursday searched 30 places, including three premises of Jammu and Kashmir’s former Governor Satya Pal Malik in Delhi, Gurugram and UP’s Baghpat, as part of its probe into alleged corruption in the award of a contract for a hydel project in Jammu division’s Kishtwar district. SPEAKING FROM his bed in a New Delhi hospital -- he is being treated for a foot infection -- former Jammu & Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik told TheIndian Expressthat theraids carried out at his residence today by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) were “uncalled for” since he was actually NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 22 NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 22 CBI officials at former J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik’s residence in Delhi’s Som Vihar on Thursday. Amit Mehra Multiple teams from the CBI conducted the searches in eight states and Union Territories. Digital and documentary evidence of huge cash deposits, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE MUMBAI, FEBRUARY 22 At the ‘Heroes of Mumbai’ event, busts of 17 distinguished citizens were unveiled at Kilachand Garden in Girgaon by BJP national president J P Nadda on Thursday. From left: Ramnath Goenka, founder of The Indian Express Group, Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, and social reformer Savitribai Phule. Sankhadeep Banerjee THEBUSTSof17eminentpersonalitieswhocontributedtothedevelopmentofMumbai,including that of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, V D Savarkar, Lata Mangeshkar andRamnathGoenka,founderof The Indian Express Group, were unveiled at Kilachand Garden in Girgaon Thursday. BJP national president J P Nadda unveiled the statues, as partofhonouringiconswhocontributed to the city’s progress. Speakingat theevent,Nadda said, “This park is infused with energy that not only uplifts but also illuminates the mind, fostering an environment of enlightenment. It is imperative for In 2023, first time, India Michael Sandel, political philosopher and professor, is hits target towards eliminating Kala Azar guest at Express Adda today IN A significant step forward towards eliminating Kala Azar — the second deadliest parasitic disease after malaria in the country--Indiahasachievedthe target of reporting less than one case per 10,000 population across all blocks in 2023. Data from the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme showed that there were 595 cases and four deaths of Kala Azar reported nationwide last year compared to 891 cases and three deaths in 2022. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 PAGE 1 ANCHOR E EXPLAINED NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 22 the “whistleblower and complainant” in the Kiru Hydro Electric Power Project case. TheformerGovernorwasadmitted to the hospital four days CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Ramnath Goenka bust among 17 unveiled in Mumbai garden as city honours its illustrious W.H.O. EXPERTS VERIFYING DATA ANONNA DUTT I have hidden the manuscript of my tell-all Kashmir book: Malik Needed: 2yrsoflow ● casecount INDIA HAS missed four deadlines so this is the first but significant step towards eradicating the parasitic disease. India has to keep case count below 1 per 10,000 population in all blocks for two more years. What has helped is spraying, sealing and using ASHA network to track treatment. EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE WORLD CEASEFIRE HOPES RISE AS HAMAS CHIEF IN CAIRO PAGE 14 NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 22 AS ONE of the world’s most influential public intellectuals, Michael J Sandel has engaged with the urgent moral issues of our times, his work taking on contemporary subjects with an eye on history. The political philosopher and Harvard University Professor will be the guest at Express Adda in New Delhi Friday. Having delved into some of the most difficult socio-political questions of our times, he has drawn from various disciplines to pen books such as The the upcoming generation to be cognisant of the invaluable contributions made by these great personalities,shaping the bright future we experience today.” Seeking to serve as a source of inspiration for Mumbaikars, other icons honoured were: Dadasaheb Phalke, Savitribai Phule, Kusumagraj, Homi Bhabha, JRD Tata, Jagannath ShankarSheth,AnnabhauSathe, Balasaheb Thackeray, Dhirubhai Ambani, Seth Moti Shah, Babu Genu, Ashok Kumar Jain and SachinTendulkar.Italsoincludes a representational bust of the Koli community. A statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was also unveiled. Initiated by Maharashtra CabinetMinisterMangalPrabhat X reveals Govt asked it to block certain handles; most were backing farm protest SOUMYARENDRA BARIK NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 22 BILLIONAIREELONMusk’ssocial media company X (formerly Twitter) has said it has received orders from the Indian government to block certain accounts and links, failing which the platformanditsemployeescouldface potentialpenaltiesincludingsignificantfinesandimprisonment. TheIndianExpresshaslearnt that amajorityof theseaccounts were tweeting in support of the ongoingfarmers’protests.Earlier this month, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, had ordered blocking of hundreds of accounts and links on various socialmediaplatforms–Facebook, X, and Instagram. This marks a new flashpoint in the tensions escalating between thesocialmediaplatform andtheIndiangovernment,with the former having sued the Centre overcontent blocking ordersin2022. Theruling last year, however, went against the company. In an early morning post on BY UNNY Michael J Sandel Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good, and What Money Can’t Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets. His Harvard course, ‘Justice’, launched at the university more than 20 years ago, has involved thousands of students and was released as a free online course in 2009. Still viewed by millions around the world, it has a CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Thursday,X’sgovernmentaffairs handlesaidwhileitwascomplying with New Delhi’s blocking orders, it “disagrees” with its actions. “Due to legal restrictions, we are unable to publish the executive orders, but we believe that making them public is essential fortransparency.Thislackof disclosure can lead to a lack of accountability and arbitrary decision-making,” it said in the post. “The Indian government has issued executive orders requiring X to act on specific accounts and posts, subject to potential penalties including significant finesandimprisonment,”Xsaid. “In compliance with the orders, we will withhold these accounts and posts in India alone; however,wedisagreewiththese actions and maintain that CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 A road blocked by protesting farmers near Ladowal toll plaza in Ludhiana on Thursday. Gurmeet Singh As anger grows over youth’s death, outfit that led 2020-21 farm protest is back in fray KANCHAN VASDEV & RAAKHI JAGGA CHANDIGARH, FEBRUARY 22 BUSINESS AS USUAL X owner Elon Musk THE DEATH of Shubhkaran Singh,a22-year-oldfarmerfrom Bathinda’s Ballo village, cast a shadowoveranychanceof aresolution between protesting farmers and the Centre, as demands gathered pace to declare him a “martyr”. Shubhkarandiedof aninjury to the back of his neck while protestingatKhanauriborderon Wednesday, prompting farm leaderstosuspendtalkswiththe Centre. Hisbodyhasbeenlyingatthe hospital since Wednesday, with farmoutfitsnotallowingthepolicetogetanautopsyconducted. BhartiKisanUnion(Sidhupur) president Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee convener Sarvan Singh Pandher led the demand for the state government to declare Singh a “martyr”, and appealed to people to hoist black flagsatoptheirhomes,shopsand vehicles as a mark of protest against his “murder”. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), which had led the 202021 farm laws agitation on the Delhi border, also demanded that an FIR under murder CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Jadavpur univ ragging death and father’s lonely battle for justice SWEETY KUMARI KOLKATA, FEBRUARY 22 CLUTCHING A cellphone, its shattered screen lighting up occasionallytorevealhisson’sphotograph, and a bag of case documents, the 56-year-old walks into the courtroom of the Calcutta High Court. He doesn’t sitonanyof thebenches,instead shuffles along to the far end, within earshot of the judges, craning his neck to listen every time the Bench passes on a direction to the lawyers. Six months after his 17-yearold son died by suicide at Jadavpur University after being allegedlyraggedby seniors,he is a broken father, but is determined not to give up. “I can’t sleep properly, eat properly, my life is surrounded by lawyers, courts and papers. But I am not tired.IwillkeepcomingbackuntilIgetjustice,”hesays,hishands clasped and his eyes clouded with tears. What was the Jadavpur ragging case? On the night of August 9, 2023, the 17-year-old fell to his death from a balcony of one of the hostel buildings in Jadavpur University.Apoliceinvestigation revealedthatminutesearlier,the boy was “disrobed, bullied and abused with homosexual slurs”. Accordingtothepoliceinvestigation, around 9 pm on August 9, the boy was summoned from his room to another room on a floor of the hostelbuildingbyhis Illustration: Suvajit Dey seniors, who then asked him to walk down the corridor. While he was walking, he was allegedly disrobed. In a bid to escape, the boy had run from one room to the other and tried to lock himself in one of these, but couldn’t as his seniors chased him. This continued until 11 pm. According to the investigators, the boy fell from a balcony of the building around 11.45 pm. The Kolkata Police arrested 12 accused, six of them students Jaipur at the university and the others former students who had continued to occupy the hostels. Police filed a case and charged the 12 accused under sections of the Protection of Children from SexualOffencesAct(POCSO)and Section 305 of the IPC related to abetment to suicide of a minor, among other charges. “We have evidence that he was sexually abused, forced to strip and the charges have been framed accordingly,” a police officer said. ‘My wife is mentally broken’ On February 19 this year, the High Court assembled to hear a bail petition filed by one of the accused. But with the court pointing out that the accused cannot be released on bail when the investigation is at a preliminary stage, the defence side withdrew the application. Minutes after the hearing concluded, the 56-year-old, wearing a stained T-shirt and trousers, sat down at a roadside CONTINUED ON PAGE 2