DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2025, KOLKATA, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES SINCE 1932 `6.00 (`12 IN NORTH EAST STATES, `20 IN ANDAMAN) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM MONSOON FORECAST MONEY LAUNDERING PROBE Above normal rain likely, says IMD; may spur consumption ED names Sonia & Rahul in National Herald chargesheet; Cong says vendetta MAHENDER SINGH MANRAL & NIRBHAY THAKUR NEW DELHI, APRIL 15 Conditions favourable, 105% of normal rainfall this monsoon, says forecast FORECAST TRACK RECORD MAHENDER SINGH MANRAL NEW DELHI, APRIL 15 Robert Vadra outside the ED office on Tuesday. ANI THE CASE FILE RUMOURS ON WhatsApp groups, fake social media accounts and mass mobilisation came together to form the perfect storm in West Bengal’s Murshidabad, which was rocked by communal violence lastweekinthewakeof the new Waqf law. Followingtheviolence,which claimed three lives, police have blocked 1,093 social media accounts and arrested 221 people. Seniorofficialsfromthestate police and the district administration, as well as residents The Indian Express spoke to, said that several outfits had called rallies to protest against the new law. The first sign of trouble was on April 8, when protesters clashed with police in Umarpur on National Highway 12 and BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY EXPLAINED, PAGE 6 torched two police jeeps. “When the first incident of violence was recorded, police used tear gas and baton charge to control the situation,” an officer said. But April 11 was different. That day, NH-12 became a war zoneof sorts,withmobsburning buses, private vehicles, police jeeps and kiosks in Sajurmore and Dakbunglow areas. Simultaneously, communal vio- GURGAON, APRIL 15 AWOMANemployedwithaprivate airline has alleged that she was sexually assaulted by a hospital staff member at the Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon while she was on a ventilator there earlier this month. Police have registered an FIR CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 based on the woman’s complaint, which was filed Monday. In a statement, the hospital said it was cooperating with the investigation, and all relevant material,includingCCTVfootage, had been handed over to the police. It said “no allegations have beensubstantiatedatthisstage”. According to the FIR, registered at the Sadar Police Station in the presence of a lawyer, the Govt fears trade war may trigger import surge of US farm, Chinese factory goods Identified some countries for intense monitoring, says Commerce Secy RAVI DUTTA MISHRA & AANCHAL MAGAZINE NEW DELHI, APRIL 15 AMID ESCALATING global trade tensions, the Commerce and Industry Ministry is assessing the risks of significant trade diversion from other countries to India and is particularly concerned about the likely surge in imports of US farm produce and factory goods from China, Vietnam and Indonesia into the country, a government official said on Tuesday. “A recent assessment highlighted the risk of merchandise dumping intoIndia due toreciprocal tariffs amid global trade tensions. Rising US costs may promptexportersfromcountries like China, Vietnam, and Indonesia — all facing US trade CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 INSIDE Talks with US to be based on true trade picture: Govt RAVI DUTTA MISHRA & SOUMYARENDRA BARIK SUSPEND BOEING JET DELIVERIES: CHINA TO AIRLINES INDIA, EU WEIGH EARLY TRADE PACT PAGES 12, 13 REPORT, PAGE 3 Woman says sexually assaulted by staff of Medanta while on ventilator, FIR filed ABHIMANYU HAZARIKA quarters on A P J Abdul Kalam Road, which is around a kilometre away. Vadra entered the ED office along with his advocate around 10.45 am. “Nobody is evading anything. I am here today… I am expecting a conclusion. I am CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ■ Tuesday morning revealed the extent of the previous day’s violence in Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district. Efforts to clear the debris commenced promptly on Tuesday morning; and by afternoon, the road near the Sonepur Bazar bridge was cleared, signaling the gradual return to normalcy in the south Bengal town. So far, nine people have been arrested for Monday’s violence. NEW DELHI, APRIL 15 COMMERCE SECRETARY Sunil Barthwal said Tuesday that the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) talks with the US are focused on the exchange of “right facts” and the “true picture” of trade between the two countries. This comes as US President Donald Trumphasconsistentlysoughtto pressurisetradepartners,accusing them of “ripping the US off” on goods trade, but overlooking theadvantagesthatAmericaenjoys in the services sector. “When we engage with the US team, all the facts are on the table, and the negotiations are based on the right facts and the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 96 98 96 94 91 2022 2021 2024 106% 88 2023 93 2020 ORDER PROBE BY SITTING HC JUDGE, SAYS CPM YOGI: MAMATA GAVE RIOTERS FREE HAND, LATHI IS THE ONLY SOLUTION PAGE 3 DAYAFTERCLASHES, BHANGARLIMPSBACK 108% 99 97 2019 FULL COVERAGE 97 110 Seasonalrainfallcategory: <90%:Deficient; 90-96%:Belownormal; 96-104%:Normal; 104-110%:Abovenormal; >110%:Excess Source : IMD ANJALI MARAR & AMITABH SINHA BENGALURU, NEW DELHI, APRIL 15 THE INDIA Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast 105 per cent of the long-period average or normal rainfall in the upcoming June-September monsoon season. If the forecast holds good, this will be the second consecutive year of ‘above normal’ rainfall. Initsfirstlong-rangeforecast for the season, IMD said all the maindriversof Indianmonsoon, including El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, Indian woman had come to Gurgaon for training and was staying at a hotel. She fell ill after almost drowning while swimming, and was admitted to a hospital for treatment. On April 5, her husband shifted her to Medanta for further care. The woman has alleged that onApril6,whileshewasonaventilator, a hospital staff member E EXPLAINED SHAMSHERGUNJ, APRIL 15 95 2018 RAVIK BHATTACHARYA Normal Range 2017 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 lencespiralledinvillagessuch as Shamshergunj,DhulianandSuti. While father and son Harogobindo Mondol and ChandanMondolwerehackedto death in Jafrabad after being dragged out of their home by a mob,inSurjarmore,threeyouths sustained bullet injuries when police fired to control the situation. One of the youths, Ejaz Ahmed, succumbed a day later. According to district officials and police personnel, in the runup to the violence, social media and WhatsApp groups had been abuzz with misinformation and provocative messages. “Messages meant to provoke — like land, religious places and even burial grounds would be taken away — were circulated. An impression was given that people’s right to worship will be hampered,” said a senior police ■ Actualrainfall 2016 as part of the money laundering probe against Associated Journals Limited (AJL), which publishes the National Herald Before violence in Murshidabad, warning signs on social media 112% 108% 104% 100% 96% 92% 88% 84% 80% 2015 Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi are majority shareholders of Young Indian, which is under ED scanner. PTI file Haryana land deal: ED questions Vadra, he says agencies being misused THEENFORCEMENTDirectorate (ED) Tuesday questioned Robert Vadra, businessman and husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, for around six hours in connection with a money laundering case linked to a land deal in Shikohpur, Haryana. The agency asked him to join the probeagainat11amWednesday. Vadra, 56, was earlier summoned by the agency on April 8 but he did not appear, following which a second summons was servedTuesday.“Recently,wegot somenewfactsduringourinvestigation and wanted to confront himwiththesefacts.AfterheappearedbeforetheED,theagency recordedhisstatementunderthe Preventionof MoneyLaundering Act (PMLA),” a source said. Hoursafterreceivinganotice Tuesday morning, Vadra along with his supporters, walked down from his residence at Sujan Singh Park to the ED head- ■ Predictedrainfall Security forces patrol Dhulian area in Murshidabad district of West Bengal, Tuesday. Partha Paul 2014 THEENFORCEMENTDirectorate (ED) has filed a chargesheet against seven persons, including Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi andRahulGandhi,inconnection withitsmoneylaunderingprobe in the National Herald case. Callingit“politicsof vendetta and intimidation”, the Congress said it would hold protests outside ED offices on Wednesday. While the chargesheet was filed in a special PMLA court on April 9, Special Judge Vishal Gogne on Tuesday examined it on the point of cognizance and posted the matter for April 25. Last week, the ED had served notices to take possession of immovable assets worth Rs 661 crore — in Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow — that it had attached Why it lifts ● sentiments GOOD MONSOON rains are likely to sustain lower retail inflation, particularly food inflation. This along with lower crude oil prices is likely to aid consumption which has remained lacklustre for several quarters. Ocean Dipole (IOD), and snowcover around the North Pole, were favourable. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 GOVT & POLITICS AMID FACEOFF WITH CENTRE, STALIN SETS UP PANEL ON STATES’ AUTONOMY HEMANT IS NEW JMM PRESIDENT PAGES 7, 5 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Urdu isn’t alien, born in this land, says SC, clears its use in signboard Languageisn’treligion,belongstoapeople:SCinAkolacase ANANTHAKRISHNAN G NEW DELHI, APRIL 15 UPHOLDING THE use of Urdu on the signboard of a municipal councilbuildinginMaharashtra, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said language is culture and must not become a cause for dividingpeople,andUrdu“isthe finestspecimenof Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb, or the Hindustani tehzeeb”. The bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and K Vinod Chandran refused to interfere with the Bombay High Court’s findingthattheuseof Urduisnot prohibited under the Maharashtra Local Authorities (OfficialLanguages)Act,2022,or in any provision of law. A former councillor had filed a petition challenging the use of Urdu on the signboard of the PaturMunicipalCouncilbuilding in Akola district of Maharashtra. “Our misconceptions, perhapsevenourprejudicesagainst a language, have to be courageously and truthfully tested against the reality, which is this great diversity of our nation: our strength can never be our weakness. Let us make friends with Urdu and every language,” the SC said. Thecourtsaiditisa“misconception that Urdu is alien to India”, adding that “it is a language which was born in this land”. Writingforthebench,Justice Dhuliaelaboratedonthebench’s views on Urdu and languages in general. “Language is not religion. Language does not even represent religion. Language belongs to a community, to a region, to a people; and not to a CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Dharmender, Sunny & a spin: Bobby aka Digvesh Rathi, IPL’s latest star PAGE 1 ANCHOR NIHAL KOSHIE NEW DELHI, APRIL 15 DHARMENDER, AN assistant at a shop selling building materials, named his first two sons — what else, Sunny and Bobby. Later,hehadathirdone.Pleased, he called him Happy. Earlier this month, in his modest house, in oneof themanybuildingsstanding cheek by jowl in a bylane of Saboli in Northeast Delhi, Dharmender’s life turned into a feel-good sports movie. Bobby,whotheworldknows as Digvesh Rathi, has been this IPL season’s breakout spinner. Picked by Lucknow SuperGiants for Rs 30 lakh, the 25-year-old mystery spinner got the Player of the Match award for his figures of 1/21 in a high-scoring game against Mumbai Indians, in just his fourth game of his debut IPL season. That night, when Bobby was being interviewed, Dharmender shed tears, older brother Sunny had a lump in his throat and mother Manju was in the puja room. The family has been with Digveshthroughhismanystrug- gles and made sacrifices too. BrotherSunny,aformerleft-arm spinner, was equally good at cricket. But Dharmender couldn’t afford two cricketers in the family, so Sunny dropped out. Sunny now works as a police constable at the Mandoli Prison Complex. It’s Sunday, Sunny’s weekly off and he is happy to talk about his brother’s skills and struggles. “He’s here because of his sheer hard work. Digvesh had no godfather,wehadnomoneyorinfluence. We were advised to move out of Delhi. Par bhag kyun jaye (Butwhywouldwerunaway)?,” Sunny tells The Indian Express. (Left) Digvesh Rathi; (above) brother Sunny with father Dharmender, mother Manju at their Delhi home. Nihal Koshie Dharmender says he always believed his son would make it. “Even when he suffered setbacks, he was passionate about thegame,”hesayswhilegivinga quick tour of the small trophy cabinet in the living room. Digvesh’smotherManjusays she is happy to leave everything to God. “I didn’t watch when he played his first game... When he calls,IonlytellDigveshnottoget carried away by success. And I check if he has slept and eaten well,” she says. Sunny narrates the story of how Digvesh, the batsman with a Virender Sehwag-like cover drive when he was 13, took to bowling.Thosedays,hesays,the brothers trained on their own at the Poorvi Delhi Khel Parisar in East Delhi’s Tahirpur, where battingslotswerelimitedandindemand. “When it was Digvesh’s turn to bat, most of the good bowlers were disinterested in bowling because he wasn’t a known name. When he played good strokes against them, their ego was hurt too. Players brought their own cricket balls, sotheydidn’twanttowasteiton him. I would bowl to him for hoursbutfacingonlyonebowler limits a batsman,” Sunny says. Inspired by West Indies CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Kolkata