DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA ● REG.NO. MCS/067/2018 - 20 RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 2024, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES `5.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 CAMPAIGN ENDS TOMORROW TMCthrottling judiciaryinWest Bengal,favours votejihadi:PM Says infiltrators a threat to Jharkhand Adivasis, security of their daughters People collect drinking water from a tanker at Sanjay Camp in New Delhi on Tuesday. Gajendra Yadav Heat nears 50°C, water crisis hits Delhi; Govt warns against wastage EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, MAY 28 Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a roadshow in Kolkata on Tuesday. Partha Paul SANTANU CHOWDHURY & ABHISHEK ANGAD KOLKATA, DUMKA, MAY 28 STEPPINGUPhisattackonBJPrivalsinthecountdowntotheseventh and last phase of the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister NarendraModiTuesdayaccused the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC of “throttling the judiciary in Bengal” and of favouring the “vote jihadi”. InDumkainJharkhand,Modi targeted the Opposition INDIA bloc, saying the Adivasi population, especially in the Santhal Parganadivisionof thestate,was on the decline while that of the “ghuspetiyon” (infiltrators) was WASHING CARS using a hose or letting water tanks overflow may soon lead to challan for excess use of water, Delhi Water Minister Atishi said Tuesday, BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY VIJAY KUMAR YADAV MUMBAI, MAY 28 THE GOVERNMENT Railway Police (GRP) in Manmad and Bhusawal have closed two criminal cases against five madrasa teachers arrested in May 2023 PUNE PORSCHE CRASH SUSHANT KULKARNI PUNE, MAY 28 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, MAY 28 ON A day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a roadshow in Kolkata, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, too, held two roadshows in the city on Tuesday — one before the PM's event, and the second almost simultaneously. Addressing a rally in South Kolkata Lok Sabha constituency, Banerjeeclaimedthatthe“directionof thewindischanging”and Modi would “become ex-PM in only a few more days”. She also accused Modi of CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 A DAY after two doctors and a staffer of the state-run Sassoon General Hospital were arrested forallegedlyswitchingtheblood sample of the minor who is accusedof drivingthePorschethat ran over two engineers early on May 19, police officers said Tuesday that one of them, Dr AjayTaware,theheadof thehospital's Forensic Medicine Department, exchanged 14 phone calls with the minor's father in two hours prior to the sample collection. On Monday, seeking remand of Dr Taware and the two others, Dr Ajay Taware was arrested on Monday police had told a local court that they found that the accused had taken bribes to change the minor's blood sample. According to the police probe, the minor's sample was discarded in a dustbin and anotherperson'sbloodsamplewas sentinitsplaceforteststodetect presence of alcohol. After arresting them, police searched premises linked to CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Racket busted: Babies ‘bought’ in Delhi & Pune, sold in Andhra & Telangana 29/05/2024 124 152 189 76 SREENIVAS JANYALA HYDERABAD, MAY 28 THE RACHAKONDA Police Commissionerate in Telangana has busted an inter-state child trafficking racket and rescued 11 babiesfromagang,whichwould allegedly ‘buy’ infants from the poor and the homeless in Delhi andPuneand‘sell’themtochildless couples in Telangana and AndhraPradeshforanywherebetweenRs1.8lakhandRs5.5lakh. While three people have been arrested, a manhunt is underway to pick up eight others. Rachakonda Police Commissioner Dr Tarun Joshi said that on May 22, they receivedacomplaintregardingthe ‘sale’ of a baby girl under the jurisdiction of Medipally police station on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Thepolicemovedswiftlyand arrestedtwowomen,ShobaRani and M Swapna, and a man named Shaik Saleem, who were allegedlytryingtosealthedealto sell the infant. On interrogation, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Her husband’s ‘messenger’, Mrs Mann at centre stage in Punjab CM’s constituency DIVYA GOYAL GOPAL DHURI (SANGRUR), MAY 28 THE BLAZING sun has set but the heat lingers in the summer evening. In the DECISION Muslim-majority 2024 Dugni village of Dhuri in Sangrur district,ParveenBegum,thewife ofthesarpanch,isbusyarranging flower petals and garlands. The flag of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) flutters outside the house. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 5 madrasa teachers clear of charges after being jailed for ‘trafficking’ kids Police: 14 calls between doctor held for switching sample, father of accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during a roadshow in Kolkata on Tuesday. PTI solved soon, Delhi will approach the Supreme Court. In the first clear indication of a serious water crisis in Delhi, which is largely dependent on neighbours Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to meet its soaring water demands, Atishi appealed to DELHI'S WATER requirement is 1,290 million gallons daily (MGD), according to the 2022-23 economic survey. While 64% of the water requirement is met through Haryana, 26.5% is met through Uttar Pradesh. GRP says FIRs were lodged due to a ‘misunderstanding’ CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Mamata: Wind direction changing... Modi will be ex-PM in a few days even as the city continued to experience severe heat conditions withthemaximumtemperature rising up to 49.9 degrees Celsius at some places. The minister also accused Haryana of not releasing Delhi's share of water since May 1 and said that if the issue is not re- Dependent on Haryana, UP CM Bhagwant Mann’s wife Dr Gurpreet Kaur (right) and sister Manpreet Kaur campaign in a village in Sangrur. Gurmeet Singh A few metres away, under a tent pitched for a nukkad meeting, a crowd that is getting restless istold that DrGurpreet Kaur, thewifeof PunjabChief Minister Bhagwant Mann, will reach anytime now. While several young women say they are here just for a selfie with her, Muksaan Khan, 23, a postgraduate working as a chemist,says:“CMsirorGurpreet madam,itmeansthesame.If we can speak to her, it means the message has reached the CM.” Minutes later, a cavalcade consisting of SUVs and security CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 and jailed for four weeks on chargesof trafficking59children fromBihartoMaharashtra, allegedly for child labour. GRP officers said the cases were closed inMarchthisyearaftertheyconcluded that the FIRs were lodged due to a “misunderstanding”. Director General (DG) Railways, Maharashtra Pradnya Saravade, too, confirmed the developmenttoTheIndianExpress. According to the case, on May 30, 2023, 59 children from Bihar’s Araria district of 8 to 17 age group were travelling in a train to Pune and Sangli to study CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 POLLING PHASES 1 TO 6 94 seats see dip in vote count; overall turnout down by 1.5 pc points ANJISHNU DAS & DAMINI NATH NEW DELHI, MAY 28 THE LOK Sabha elections so far have seen a 1.55 percentagepoint decrease in turnout compared to 2019, with 65% of the constituencies seeing a dip in turnoutinpercentagepointsand 20% of them witnessing a decrease in absolute numbers of voters as well. The six phases of polling so far have recorded an overall turnout of 65.63% — 1.55 percentage points down from 67.18% in the same seats in 2019, according to Election Commission data released Tuesday. While polling is complete in CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 2024 vs 2019 2024* 65.63% 2019** 67.18% * Phase 1-6 turnout ** Turnout in the same seats ■ Turnout decrease in 301 seats *** ■ Decrease in absolute no. of voters in 94 seats Biggest dips in turnout (in % points) Nagaland -24.84 Sidhi, MP -12.90 Mathura, UP -11.33 Khajuraho, MP -11.25 Rewa, MP -10.68 *** Not including 5 in J&K, 14 in Assam because of delimitation