DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2025, AHMEDABAD, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES `5.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 REMARKS RATTLE ISLAMABAD Kashmir will be solved when part stolen by Pak returns: Jaishankar BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY On China, says want relationship that respects interests, works for both TRUMP DELAYS TARIFFS ON MOST GOODS FROM MEXICO FOR A MONTH IT’S OVER FOR YOU: TRUMP ISSUES ‘LAST WARNING’ TO HAMAS PAGE 15 PM IN UTTARAKHAND Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a visit to Harsil, in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, on Thursday. The PM made a strong pitch for round-the-year tourism in the state. PTI PAGE 2 Manmohan Singh’s Rajasthan HC stays demolition of family gives nod for houses of rape accused in Beawar his memorial site at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal HAMZA KHAN JAIPUR, MARCH 6 Sent formal acceptance to Govt after visit to site, says daughter Upinder Singh THE RAJASTHAN High Court Thursday stayed the demolition of homes of the Beawar rape accused while pulling up the state government for being “hellbent” on demolition. Hearing a bunch of petitions by the families of the accused who face demolition of their homes, a Bench of Justice Mahendra Kumar Goyal said that Syed Saadat Ali, the counsel for the petitioners, has submit- ted that upon the receipt of a showcause notice dated February 20, seeking to demolish their construction, the petitioners filed their response well in time. However, “the respondents are hell-bent to demolish their construction without taking a decision on their response,” the court said. The Rajasthan government through the Local Self Government department, the Additional Chief Secretary for Home department, the Beawar District Collector, the Superintendentof Policeandthe local Municipality have been made a party to the case. Additional Advocate General G S Gill and Manoj Kumar appeared on their behalf. Ali said he told the court, “All those who have been made an accused are arrested and that notices have been pasted on their homes. But the homes do not belong to the accused but to their grandfather, father, uncle, etc. Not a single home is owned by the accused. So that was our argument, that these properties CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Punjab pastor named in sexual harassment case, is on the run A 900 sq m plot at the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal complex has been chosen for Manmohan Singh’s memorial. Anil Sharma RITU SARIN NEW DELHI, MARCH 6 THE FAMILY of late Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has given the government its written approval for his memorialona900sqmplotinthemiddle of the complex of samadhis called the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal near Delhi’s Raj Ghat. Following a visit to the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal by members of the family last week, Gursharan Kaur, the former PrimeMinister’swife,islearntto have sent a formal acceptance letter to the government. Last week, Singh’s daughters Upinder Singh and Daman Singh, along with their spouses, surveyed the plot. The Indian Express has learnt that as of date there are only two empty plots left in the samadhi complex. One was offered to the familyofformerPresidentPranab Mukherjee in January this year. Theotherplot,measuring900sq m, located towards the centre of theRashtriyaSmritiSthal,wasoffered to Singh’s family. UpinderSinghconfirmedthe development to The Indian Express andsaidaformalacceptance has been sent by them. “The land is to be allotted to a Trustandwewillshortlysetthat up.Thestipulationisthatwecan apply for a one-time grant of up toRs25lakhfortheconstruction of the memorial,” she said. The Rashtriya Smriti Sthal complex consists of 9 samadhi spots which are meant to have a similar architectural design for the cenotaph. SourcesinSingh’sfamilysaid the plot chosen by the government — and now approved by the family — has the samadhi of former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar in front; that of former President R Venkataraman behind it; and those of former Presidents Giani Zail Singh and PranabMukherjeeoneitherside. In 2013, when Singh was Prime Minister, the Union Cabinet approved the proposal for creation of a “common” memorial ground near Raj Ghat – ironically,hisfamilyhasnowapproved what could be the last or among the last vacant pieces of land there. The Cabinet decision, dated May 16, 2013, had, however, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ANJU AGNIHOTRI CHABA JALANDHAR, MARCH 6 A SELF-PROFESSED miracle healer,asubjectof manymemes, and a preacher who claims to preside over 260 churches worldwide — Pastor Bajinder Singh is many things to many people. For the Punjab police, however, he is currently an accused in a sexual harassment casewhoisyettoturnhimself in. On February 28, Singh (42) was booked based on a complaint filed by a 22-year-old woman at the Kapurthala City police station. The head of the Church of Glory and Wisdom, EXPRESS NETWORK Pastor Bajinder Singh claims to have a global following headquartered in Jalandhar's Tajpur village, Singh has been booked under sections of sexual harassment, stalking and criminal intimidation. The woman claims she first started visiting SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, MARCH 6 EXTERNAL AFFAIRS Minister S Jaishankar has said the Kashmir issue will be “solved” once the “stolen part of Kashmir which is under illegal Pakistani occupation” returns to India. Speaking late Wednesday at Chatham House, the Londonbased think tank, Jaishankar, responding to a question on “solving” issues in Kashmir, said: “On Kashmir, actually we have done, I think, a good job, solving most of it. Removing Article 370 was step number one, restoring growth and economic activity andsocialjusticeinKashmirwas step number two, and holding elections with a very high turnoutwasstepnumberthree.” “I think the part we are waiting for is the return of the stolen part of Kashmir which is under illegal Pakistani occupation; when that is done, I assure you Kashmir will be solved.” This is in line with what has E ● Unanimity at home JAISHANKAR’S REMARKS echo the unanimous resolution by both Houses of Parliament on February 22, 1994 that J&K (and Ladakh) is an integral part of India, and that Pakistan must vacate the parts under its illegal occupation. Successive governments have stuck to this resolution, warning Pakistan to desist from its acts of terror. been said about Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) by BJP ministersinthepastincludingUnion Home Minister Amit Shah who, inMaylastyear,said,“PoKispart of India and we will take it.” Jaishankar’s remarks drew a CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 SURAT, MARCH 6 DAYS AFTER Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s last visit to Gujarat ended, he is scheduled toarriveinthestateonFridayfor two days during which he will holdatleasttwopublicmeetings and a road show in Surat and Navsari, according to a statement from the state govern- Who’s stopping you? Reclaim PoK, also part with China: Omar to Govt J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the Assembly on Thursday. PTI ARUN SHARMA JAMMU, MARCH 6 REFERRING TO External Affairs MinisterSJaishankar’srecentremarks on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday asked who was stopping the Centre from reclaiming PoK. Jaishankar, while answering a Pakistani journalist’s question at an event in London on Wednesday, had said the Kashmir issue would be solved whenthe“stolenpartofKashmir, which is under illegal Pakistani occupation,” is returned. At the J&K Assembly on Thursday,Abdullahasked,“Who stopped you (from reclaiming PoK)?” “Chaliye, ek hissa Pakistan ke pass hai. Humne kabhi kaha ki mat lao (One part is with Pakistan. Did we ever say don’t reclaim it)?” he asked. “Reclaim CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 34-yr-old man’s partially-eaten body found in Amreli, lion attack suspected BRENDAN DABHI AHMEDABAD, MARCH 6 TWO DAYS after a lioness mauled a Gir Somanth-based farmer to death, the forest department officials on Thursday found a partially-eaten body of a man, suspected to have been killed in a wild big cat attack, in Amreli district’s Savarkundla taluka. The officials found the pug marks of a lion at the incident spot. During the previous Tuesdayincident,thelionesshad draggedthefarmer’sbodytothe border of Amreli where it sat on it, refusing to let it go. The authorities had to intervene to retrieve the body. Accordingtoofficials,thevictim found on Thursday was identified as 34-year-old Nazim Qureshiafternoon.Hisbodywas found in Gir-East Division of the Junagadh Wildlife Circle, which encompasses the last natural habitat of the Asiatic Lion. “In the afternoon we got the news that this man was found dead and the lower part of his body was suspected to have been consumed by an animal,” said Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF) Vikas Yadav. “We don’t know the exact cause of thedeathandhavesentthebody for a post-mortem examination,” said Yadav. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 PM Modi to visit Gujarat again today, to take part in ‘Lakhpati Didi’ event on International Women’s Day KAMAL SAIYED TAHAWWUR RANA SEEKS STAY ON EXTRADITION: ‘WILL BE TORTURED’ TEN INDIANS TRACED TO WEST BANK, BACK IN ISRAEL PAGE 12 his church when she was 16-17 and was sexually harassed for years. Since her complaint, police have formed a Special Investigation Team, the state Women's Commission has sought a response from Singh, and a Mohali court has issued non-bailable warrants in a separate rape case. A senior police officer said that while the charges are bailable, bail can only be granted oncehesurrendersorisarrested. According to police sources, the pastor is believed to be in Nepal. Investigating Officer Rajvinder Kaur confirmed that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar with Bronwen Maddox, Director and CEO of Chatham House, in London. PTI EXPLAINED THE WORLD PAGE 1 ANCHOR ● Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier visited the state from March 1 to 3. PTI ment.Modiwasinthestatefrom March 1 to 3 when he came to Saurashtra, visited the Reliance Industries’ established Vantara animal rescue centre in Jamnagar and presided over the meeting of the National Board for Wild Life. Accordingtothegovernment statement, on Friday the PM is scheduled to land in Surat to address the beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) on Nilgiri Grounds in Surat’s Limbayat before which he will do a 3-km road show. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will also be present at the event, news agency PTI reported. Modi will spend Friday night in Surat and on Saturday, he will address the ‘Lakhpati Didi Sammelan’ to mark the International Women’s Day CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 GUJARAT MAJORITY OF BJP’S PICKS FOR CITY, DISTRICT UNIT CHIEFS HAVE RSS ROOTS SUV PLUNGES INTO CANAL, 2 DEAD PAGES 3, 4 ‘World’s most expensive cow’: Booming in Brazil, dwindling in India NIKHILA HENRY GUNTUR, MARCH 6 A SMALL group of veterinary interns stand huddled together at the opening of Shed No 9 in a cattle farm on the outskirts of Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. Minutes later, a calf tumbles out of her mother and there are cheers all around. The group is witnessing the birth of a purebred Ongole calf attheLivestockResearchStation, LAMFarm,inGuntur–oneof the few government-run farms in the country dedicated to the conservation of the indigenous cattle breed. Asthecowlicksheroffspring, helping it to its feet, Dr M Mutha Rao, the officer in charge of the LAM Farm, tells The Indian Express, “This calf was born out of IVF-embryo transfer technology. With similar breeding techniques, we have been maintaining the purity of the breed over the past 30 years and eight generations of cattle.” Whileithassofarbeenalong andlonelyfightattheLAMFarm to conserve the Ongoles, one of the53indigenouscattlevarieties in the country, the breed is having its moment under the Brazilian sun as “the most ex- pensive cattle in the world”. In February, an Ongole purebred cow, Viatina-19, was sold for a whopping 4.38 million USD (25.7 million Brazilian Real or INR 40 crore) in Brazil’s Minas Gerais. It’s a breed that thrives in Brazil — about 80 per cent of the country’s 226 million cattle are Ongoles. In Brazil, the world’s top beef exporter where the cattle industryisaprimarydriverof itseconomy, the Ongoles are raised for their meat. As the country attemptstocapturenewermarkets, Brazilian breeders are racing to raise bigger, meatier supercows such as the Viatina-19. LAM Farm Ongole cattle at the Livestock Research Station in Guntur The snowy-white, muscular Viatina-19, weighing 1,100 kg, was bought at an auction by three breeders -- Casa Branca Agropastoril, Agropecuária Napemo,andNeloreHRO--who will now use her to breed cattle with superior characteristics based on her genetic traits. However, back in India, the originalhomeof theOngoles,the breed is facing the threat of extinction, its numbers halving from 15 lakh in 1944 to 6.34 lakh in the 2019 Livestock Census. In a country where the population of indigenouscattlehasdropped by nine per cent between 2007 and 2012 and six per cent be- tween 2012 and 2019, the fate of the Ongole breed is somewhat predictable. The price of the cattle, too, is relatively low in India – Rs 1 lakh a cow and Rs 10 to 15 lakh for a prized bull. Despite government efforts to promote conservation and rearing of desi breeds through schemes such as the Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM), launched in 2014, farmers prefer exotic and crossbred cattle that yield more milk when compared to the indigenous varieties. This is reflected in the 29.5 per cent jump in the population of exotic and crossbred cattle – from 39.73 million in 2012 to 51.47 million in 2019. On the need to conserve the indigenous breeds, Mutha Rao says, “They are the most farmerfriendly cattle. Their yield and characteristics suit our climate, soil and farmers. They are superior to several crossbred animals in more ways than one, including disease resistance and strength.” The Ongoles, he adds, arealso known fortheirheattolerance and ability to survive on low fodder. Rao says they focus on the Ongoles at the LAM farm becausethebreedis"India’spride". "Itisthisindigenouscattlewhich CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Ahmedabad