eye THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE On Other Roads NEWDELHI,LATECITY DECEMBER29,2024 Looking back at holidays that led us on unexpected paths and surprising turns 18+4PAGES,`7.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, ` 15SRINAGAR) DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM FOUR-PAGE PULLOUT Farewell, Dr Singh Musk backs H-1B visas, says ‘will go to war’, asks critics to ‘take big step back’ SC raps Punjab over Dallewal health: ‘This is abetment to suicide’ Tesla owner weighs in as a section of Republicans opposes visa programme HUNDREDS LINE CAPITAL ROADS FOR FINAL GLIMPSE NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 28 SHUBHAJIT ROY & AGGAM WALIA NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 28 Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s body is taken from the Congress headquarters to the Nigambodh Ghat for his last rites on Saturday. PTI CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 E EXPLAINED ELON MUSK, the world’s richest man, owner of Tesla, X and SpaceX, and a key ally of US President-elect Donald Trump, waded into the debate around hiring H-1B visa-holders and said he “will go to war” on the issue and asked right-wingers to “take a big step back”. TheH-1Bprogrammeallows businesses in the US to employ skilled foreign nationals. “The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B. Take a big step ● Musk is a key ally of incoming US President Trump Important to India, US TO FIND hard technical skills in the US is difficult, and Indian professionals play a role in plugging this gap. Numbers say it all. In fiscal year 2023, of the 2.65 lakh H-1B visas issued by the US, 72 per cent went to Indian nationals. ANANTHAKRISHNAN G THE SUPREME Court on Saturday again pulled up the Bhagwant Singh Mann-led Punjabgovernmentfornotcomplying with its order to shift to a hospitalprotestingfarmerleader JagjitSinghDallewal,whoisona fast-unto-death at Khanauri on the state’s border with Haryana, and said its actions amount to abetment to commit suicide. “This is abetment to commit suicide,” Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, who was part of a CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 GOVT & POLITICS SPARKSFLYATPMK MEETASANBUMANI DEFIESFATHEROVER NEPHEW’SELEVATION PAGE 11 King, envoys, workers pay tribute Memorial row: Rahul and When the Aussies forgot how to boo: to former PM before state funeral Priyanka lead Cong attack; Nitish’s ‘very special’ ton unites fans SAMAN HUSAIN NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 28 FROM THE King of Bhutan to the Palestinian envoy to the CongressworkerfromRaeBareli whotookabusandtraintoreach Delhi, people came from far and widetobidafinalfarewelltoformer Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Singh’s mortal remains were consigned to the flames at the Nigambodh Ghat Saturday. His wife Gursharan Kaur and their three daughters were present as people paid their last tribute. Dignitaries there included PresidentDroupadiMurmu,Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and Leaders of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. In the morning, Singh’s final journeybeganfromhishouseon Motilal Nehru Marg, stopping at the AICC headquarters on Akbar Road where party workers, dignitaries, including those from other countries, and the general public had gathered to catch a glimpse of the man who fought hardship to get an education, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 A cell phone, a scarf and 11 murders: How Punjab Police tracked down a ‘serial killer’ PAGE 1 ANCHOR JAGDEEP SINGH DEEP MOHALI, DECEMBER 28 AN ORANGE scarf and a mobilephone.That’swhathelped the police track down an alleged serial killer connected with as many as 11 murders in Punjab’s Ropar, Fatehgarh Sahib, and Hoshiarpur — all committed in the last 14 months. Earlier this week, the Punjab Police arrested Ram SwaroopaliasSodhi,aresident of ChauravillageinHoshiarpur in connection with the killing in August of one Maninder Accused Ram Swaroop was arrested earlier this week. Express Singh, a resident of Ropar. But what started out as an investigation into one murder eventuallyevolvedintoamulti-district probe, with the police seeking help from their counterparts in neighbouring districts of Fatehgarh Sahib and CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE WORLD PUTIN SORRY OVER AZERBAIJAN FLIGHT CRASH BUT DOES NOT ACCEPT BLAME PAGE 14 INSIDE PAGE6 ‘Monumental insult to Dr Singh, protocol lacking at funeral’ INTERVIEW:KC VENUGOPAL ‘Calm, never harsh, always respectful... deserves our time’ site shortlisted, says Nadda Space near Kisan Ghat being looked at; Cong proposed it around Indira memorial LALMANI VERMA & MAHENDER SINGH MANRAL NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 28 HOURS AFTER former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s mortal remains were consigned to the flames, the Congress and the government traded fresh charges Saturday over a site for his memorial in the Capital. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and his sister and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra led the Congress attack, saying the government had “insulted” Singh by getting his funeral done at the Nigambodh Ghat cremation ground. Union Minister and BJP president J P Nadda struck back, accusing the Congress of spreading false informationdespite the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EXPRESSINAUSTRALIA SRIRAM VEERA MELBOURNE, DECEMBER 28 “TENSION, TENSION, tension!” That’showNitishKumarReddy’s joyously tearful father, Mutyalu, described the moment to Adam Gilchrist when his son was one short of a most-memorable CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Nitish Reddy celebrates his 100 against Australia at the MCG. On Day 3 of the Test, India were trailing by 116 runs. Reuters