DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2024, LUCKNOW, LATE CITY, 14 PAGES WORST AIR QUALITY SINCE 2019, TOP COURT SAYS DON’T LIFT CURBS UNTIL ORDERS Delhi breathes poison AQIat494,citybracesfortoughdaysas weatherconditionsstayunfavourable NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 18 DELHI'S AIR, already at toxic levels, turned worse on Monday, turning the city into a gas chamber. The Air Quality Index (AQI) deteriorated from 441 on Sunday to 494, its worst-ever — on a par with the city’s most polluted day recorded in 2019. Since 2015, when the Central Pollution Control Board started maintaining air quality data, the AQI has deteriorated to this level only once before, on November 2, 2019. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 E EXPLAINED SOPHIYA MATHEW Why air quality is ● dipping A COMBINATION of meteorological factors, high emission load from Delhi’s own sources as well as stubble-burning has led to a drastic AQI increase. With temperatures dipping but winds remaining calm, pollutant concentration has only gone up over the past three days. SC for GRAP-4 curbs even if AQI below 450, flags delay in action NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 18 POINTING TO a delay in implementing strict measures despite theworseningairqualityinDelhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), the Supreme Court Monday directed that curbs under Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to deal with the situation will remaininforceuntilfurtherorders. “We make it clear that until further orders are passed by this CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 IMPHAL, SILCHAR, NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 18 The Monday morning gloom in Delhi. Praveen Khanna FAREED ZAKARIA AT ADDA WORLD Foreign policy expert, author and CNN news host Fareed Zakaria in conversation with Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express Group, and Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor, at the Express Adda in Mumbai on Monday. Sankhadeep Banerjee UTTAR PRADESH CAMPAIGN CLOSES FOR ASSEMBLY BYPOLLS: BJP TAKES A HARDLINE RIDE, SP EYES PDA GAIN PROPERTY OF ABSCONDING WIFE OF SP MLA BEG SEIZED PAGE 3 MANISH SAHU LUCKNOW, NOVEMBER 18 AN INQUIRY committee led by Director General (Medical Education) Kinjal Singh on Monday reached Jhansi's Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College where 10 newborn babies were killed after the institution's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) caught fire on Friday (November 15) night. Also, two of the 39 rescued children have died even as officials concerned attributed the deaths to illness. Thestategovernmenthadon Saturdayformedthefour-membercommitteetoinvestigatethe MAHENDER SINGH MANRAL NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 18 PAGE 1 ANCHOR HOURS AFTER the Centre ordered an additional 70 companies of paramilitary forces to Manipur in the wake of a new wave of killings and protests there, the state’s ruling alliance MLAs, at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister N Biren Singh, passed a resolution Monday, urging the Centre to “review the imposition of AFSPA” in six police stations areas of the valley. The MLAs demanded “mass operationsagainstKukimilitants responsible for” the November 11 abduction and killing of six Meitei women and children from Jiribam, and to declare theman“unlawfulorganisation” within seven days. The resolution stated that if these were “not implemented within the specified period, the NDAlegislatorswilldecidethefuture course of action in consultationwiththepeopleof thestate”. It also stated that legal action would be taken against people who had vandalised the homes of legislators during the protests. The Centre had reimposed the Disturbed Areas status under the Armed Forces (Special CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Manipur minister Govindas Konthoujam’s residence, which was set on fire, in Bishnupur district, Monday. PTI Centre, state have failed to ensure safety, resolve sincerely: RSS & ABVP DEEPTIMAN TIWARY NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 18 WITH THE situation in Manipur deteriorating, the state unit of the RSS Monday urged the Centreandthestategovernment to “sincerely” resolve the ongoing ethnic conflict at the earliest. The Sangh student wing ABVP went a step further, saying “the state and Central governments have failed to ensure safety and normalcy in Manipur”. It also said that authorities be held accountable for their failure to protect lives. The Manipur Prant of the RSS, in a statement to the press, said, “It is unfortunate that 19 months of violence in Manipur starting from May 3, 2023 has CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Govt probe panel in Jhansi hospital where Sangma: No effective step possible 10 newborns died in fire, CCTV footage key in Manipur without change of guard The footage of the CCTV cameras installed at the NICU is critical to the probe, said an official. PTI File fire and tasked it with identifyingthecauseof theblazeanddetermine whether there was any negligence. Kinjal Singh, who visited the NICUward,wasaccompaniedby Bishnoi’s brother Anmol held in US; FBI and India teams hold talks ANMOL BISHNOI, 25, younger brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, was detained in California by the US Immigration Department last week. The Indian Express has learnt thatofficialsoftheFBI’sNewDelhi officemetIndiansecurityofficials anddiscussedthepossibilityofhis deportation/extradition. Sources said the US Biren, MLAs to Centre: Go after Kuki militants, review AFSPA order JIMMY LEIVON, SUKRITA BARUAH & MAHENDER SINGH MANRAL BY UNNY PAGE 10 MORECENTRALFORCESONWAYTOMANIPUR CM-led meeting warns: If demands not met, NDA MLAs and people will decide future course of action ANANTHAKRISHNAN G BUSINESS AS USUAL BIDEN ALLOWS UKRAINE TO USE US MISSILES TO STRIKE INSIDE RUSSIA SHIPMENT FROM PAK ARRIVES IN DHAKA, POINTS TO SHIFT IN RELATIONSHIP `6.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 Anmol Bishnoi fled to the US on May 15, 2022 Immigration Department found that one of Anmol’s travel documents was forged. “AnmolfledtotheUSonMay 15, 2022 after making a fake passport in the name of one Bhanu. But he was exposed after theUSImmigrationDepartment found that one of the reference letters of a company, attached to his travel documents, was forged,” a source said. Following his detention last Thursday, three FBI officials Fridaymetseniorofficialsof multiple Indian agencies, headed by a senior official of the CBI, to discussAnmol’scasestatus,asource CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 officials of the departments of fireandhealth,aswellasthedistrict administration. Thefootageof theCCTVcameras installed at the NICU ward is critical to the probe as it will help establish if there was any negligence on part of the hospital staff, an official said. Theinquiryteamwillalsosee what precautions should be taken to ensure such incident does not occur in future. Also, a meeting was held in the evening in which senior official of the medical college, policeandfiredepartmentsandthe administration were present. Three more inquiries have beenorderedintothefireincident —bytheHealthDepartment,police and district administration, and a magisterial probe. A status report of the incident has been submitted to the government by the district administration. LIZ MATHEW NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 18 THE SECOND largest ally of the BJP-led Manipur government, National People’s Party (NPP), Sunday withdrew support to it, citing its failure to “restore normalcy” in the state and expressing “deep concern”. NPP leader and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma speaks to The IndianExpressonthereasonsbehindwithdrawingsupporttothe N Biren Singh government and the way forward. Excerpts: Why has the NPP accused the THE EXPRESS INTERVIEW CONRAD SANGMA NPP LEADER & MEGHALAYA CM BJP government of failure in Manipur? The Manipur issue is a complicated issue and, because of historical reasons, things there have always been complicated. Obviously,thingsthathappened in the past have complicated it further. In this violence and law andordersituationlastingabout a year-and-a-half, multiple factors have led to the current situation.Certainactionsandcertain non-actions have aggravated it… of course, you cannot have thecorrectsolutionatthatpoint. It’s very easy to look back and say, ‘You should have done this’. Some efforts were there, but somehow things kept slipping. Nowwehavereachedapoint where things are really out of control. We continue to see law CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 As campaign ends, Rahul targets PM, BJP: ‘Real poll issue Adani, Dharavi’ Thestategoestothepolls on Wednesday. Gandhi, the Leader MUMBAI, NOV 18 of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, drew a link CONGRESS LEADER between the BJP's alRahul Gandhi on DECISION leged proximity to inMonday targeted Prime 2024 dustrialist Gautam MinisterNarendraModi MAHARASHTRA Adani and the projects over his “ek hain toh safe allottedtohiscompany, hain (together, we are safe)” poll slogan as the includingtheDharaviredevelopMaharashtra Assembly election mentprojectinMumbai.Hitting campaigndrewtoaclosewithpo- back,therulingpartysaidAdani’s began when litical parties making a last- growth CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 minute push to convince voters. DECISION 2024 ALOK DESHPANDE ● Nagpur South West seat contest: No cakewalk but ‘aayega toh Deva bhau hi’ ● Jharkhand: Poll promises flash in pan, it is always dark in ‘coal capital’ Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at a press conference in Mumbai on Monday. Ganesh Shirsekar PAGE 7 ‘Ragging’ death: Village to medical college, 18-yr-old’s dream cut short RITU SHARMA JESADA (SURENDRANAGAR), NOVEMBER 18 AN INCONSOLABLE mother and a sister who had to be rushed to a hospital due to low blood pressure — similar heartbreaking scenes were witnessed at the Methaniya house on Monday morninginJesada,oneof thelast villages along the Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. An eerie silence gripped the house as relatives gathered to mourn the death of 18-year-old Anil Methaniya, a first-year student at Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society (GMERS) Medical College at Dharpur in Patan. Anil had joinedthecollegeonOctober14, barely a month before his death. Thestudent—whohadscored 550 in NEET without taking any coaching classes — died after he was allegedly ragged by his seniors in his hostel on the interveningnightofNovember16-17.Anil reportedlyfellunconsciouslateon November 16, after he was made to stand for nearly four hours. Besidesbeingbookedforcul- pablehomicidenotamountingto murder, 15 of Anil’s seniors have been suspended by the medical college following a report by its anti-ragging committee. Inspector P J Solanki of Balisana police station told The IndianExpress,“All15second-year students have been arrested.” BackattheMethaniyahouse, the family says Anil was the only student from Jesada, a small village with an estimated population of 5,000 in Dhrangadhra taluka of Surendranagar, who had cracked the tough all-India pre-medical entrance exam. At the home of Anil Methaniya in Gujarat’s Jesada village on Monday. Ritu Sharma The youngest among three siblings, Anil was the only son of Natwarbhai, 56, a farmer, and Gitaben, 53, a home-maker. Anil’selderSheetal,whogotmarriedin2019,completedhergraduation in science and education, while Nidhi is a physiotherapist. “Anil was very excited about Nidhi’s February wedding. He hadpromisedtohelpwithallthe preparations,” says Sheetal, 28. After he finished his primary educationfromaprivateschoolin Dhrangadhra,20kmfromJesada, Anil’s father shifted him to the Vivekananda Science Academy Sadhana Vidyalaya in Halvad, nearly 50 km from the village. In Class 9 and 10, Anil lived with his sister Sheetal and brother-in-law Hirenbhai in Dhrangadhra. “He stayed with us for nearly two years. In all that time, he never asked for anything. However, we knew that he was fondoftravellingandlovedpizza. His last trip was to Shimla — the schooltookhimthereinClass11,” says Hirenbhai. While in Class 10, Anil had made up his mind that he wanted to become a doctor, says Gautam Methaniya, 23, his cousin who is an IT professional based in Ahmedabad. “He was a brilliant student. He did not take any coaching classes but he still managed to crack NEET. He scored 550 in NEET and 90.57 percentile in GUJCET (Gujarat Common Entrance Test),” says Gautam. Anil’s father says his hardworking son had just one dream — “to make his family proud”. Natwarbhai says, “If fulfilling his dreamwouldhaverequiredmeto sell my land, I would have done it in a heartbeat. He was absolutely CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Lucknow