DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE MONDAY, JULY 15, 2024, AHMEDABAD, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES `5.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 FBI PROBES SHOOTING, QUESTIONS ON HOW SHOOTER REACHED SO CLOSE ‘SICK, NO PLACE FOR THIS VIOLENCE,’ SAYS BIDEN AS HE SPEAKS TO TRUMP FOUR MONTHS TO POLLS, ATTACK DEEPENS POLITICAL FAULTLINES United Shock of America ‘Fight,’ says injured Donald Trump after he survives assassination bid THE SITE OF THE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION USA BUTLER Pennsylvania LOCATION OF SUSPECTED GUNMAN Law enforcement snipers on roof Rally attendee who was shot The roof was less than 150 metres from where Trump was speaking, a distance from which a marksman could hit a human-sized target Bleachers STAGE WHERE TRUMP WAS SPEAKING The New York Times; satellite image by GoogleEarth God alone stopped unthinkable from happening: Trump Secret Service kills gunman; one rally attendee dead, two critical BUTLER (PENNSYLVANIA), JULY 14 Donald Trump, with blood on his face, raises his fist as Secret Service agents escort him away from the rally stage in Butler, Pennsylvania after the assassination attempt on Saturday. Evan Vucci/AP Shooter, 20, on rooftop barely 150 m away, used father’s gun THE EDITORIAL PAGE TAKING AIM AT DEMOCRACY Both Republicans and Democrats should pull their bases from the brink, the world is watching Bomb-making materials found in his vehicle, home UNMADEINAMERICA BY AMITABH MATTOO PAGE 8 MICHAEL BIESECKER & ALANNA DURKIN RICHER WASHINGTON, JULY 14 LAW ENFORCEMENT officials were working Sunday to learn more about the 20-year-old Pennsylvania man who they say tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a campaignrallyandtodetermine MORE INSIDE WORLD The body of suspect Thomas Crooks on a roof near the stage what drove him to open fire, killing one spectator. Authorities identified Thomas Matthew Crooks of AFTER ANNOUNCING SAMVIDHAAN HATYA DIWAS Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the shooterwhofiredfromarooftop outsidetherallyvenueinnearby CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 SHOOTING UPENDS WHITE HOUSE RACE, PLUNGES U.S. INTO UNCERTAINTY FULL COVERAGE PM: No place for violence in politics; condemn in strongest terms, says Rahul EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, JULY 14 PRIMEMINISTERNarendraModi Sunday joined a host of world leadersincondemningtheassassination attempt on former US president Donald Trump, saying violence has no place in politics and democracies. “Deeplyconcernedbytheattack on my friend, former President Donald Trump. Strongly condemn the incident. Violence has no place in politics BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 A highway rescue act, a turtle with Govt to mark 75 yrs patched-up shell — and now a wait of Constitution in PAGE 1 ANCHOR bid to counter Opp Extensive campaign being planned DIVYA A NEW DELHI, JULY 14 WITH THE Opposition’s “Save the Constitution” poll narrative having damaged the BJP’s prospects in several seats across the country during the Lok Sabha elections, the Union government is set to embark on an extensive campaign to celebrate 75 years of the Constitution, The Indian Express has learnt. The government Friday announced that from next year June 25, the day Emergency was declared in 1975, would be observed as “Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas”. “Thisyearmarksthe75years of the Constituent Assembly adopting the Constitution of India.Theideaistocreateawareness about what the Constitution stands for, the Assembly debates, and how the government has taken steps to strengthen it,” a source told The Indian Express. The nodal ministry for the campaign will be the Ministry of Culture that in 2022-’23 led a similarcampaign,namedAzaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, to mark 75 years of Independence. While the latest campaign’s details are being chalked out, government CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ON THE heels of an apparent attempt to kill him, former US President Donald Trump called Sunday for unity and resilience asshockedleadersacrossthepolitical divide recoiled from the shooting that left him wounded but “fine” and the gunman and a rally-goer dead. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee said the upper part of his right ear was piercedintheshooting.Hisaides said he was in “great spirits” and doing well. “I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet rippingthroughtheskin,”Trump wrote on his social media site. “Much bleeding took place.” In a subsequent post Sunday, he said “it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening”. “In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show ourTrue CharacterasAmericans,remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win,” his post said. The FBI early Sunday identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel “LOOK, SHE'S burrowing deeper into the mud… she's preparing to lay eggs soon. Turtles bury theireggsdeepinthemud,"says Vikendra Sharma in a highpitched whisper, barely able to conceal his excitement. For the last few days, the turtle, lying in a large green tub in Sharma’s foyer, has been recuperating from a recent accident that left it shattered. As Sharma gently moves the foliage, letting in a stream of light, the turtle pulls back into its shell. Around 12:30 pm on July 8, Sharma, a former physics teacher, was on his way home to A CENTRAL Reserve Police Force (CRPF) man was killed and two Manipur police personnel were injured when they were “ambushed”Sunday,aroundsixkilometres from the centre of Jiribam town. Police and the Manipur government said “suspected Kuki militants” were behind the ambush. The CRPF jawan who was shot dead was identified as Ajay Kumar Jha (43), a native of Bihar. His body was taken for postmortem to the Silchar Medical College and Hospital. His killing comes around three months af- GUWAHATI, IMPHAL, JULY 14 Budaun from a gau raksha sammelan in Moradabad when he gotacallaboutaturtleindistress on the highway between Budaun and Bareilly. The caller had found an Indian Flapshell turtle (Lissemys punctata), a speciesthat'scategorisedas'vulnerable' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) red list of wildlife species. The turtle's shell had cracked open, leaving a gaping wound in the area right around its neck — it didn't look like it would make it alive. What followed were a CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE ATTACK drew new attention to concerns about political violence in a deeply polarised US less than four months before the presidential election. It could alter the tenor and security posture at the Republican National Convention, which begins Monday in Milwaukee.Organisers said the convention would proceed as planned. Park, Pennsylvania, as it pressed its investigation. An FBI official saidinvestigatorshadnotyetdeterminedamotive.SecretService agents fatally shot Crooks. Thegunmanattackedfroman elevated position outside the rally venueatafarmshowinButler,the agencysaid.Oneattendee—identifiedasCoreyComperatore,aformerfirechieffromthearea—was killedandtwospectatorswerecritically wounded, authorities said. Theinjuredpersonsweremen. Authorities said Crooks was not carrying identification so they were using DNA and other methods to confirm his identity. Law enforcement recovered an CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Ambush in Manipur’s Jiribam: CRPF man killed, 2 police personnel injured UPASIKA SINGHAL Former physics teacher Vikendra Sharma who rescued the turtle; and (right) a post-surgery X-ray of the turtle that shows its eggs. Tashi Tobgyal, Express Fears of violence as ● polls near ROLE OF KUKI MILITANTS SUSPECTED SUKRITA BARUAH & JIMMY LEIVON NEW DELHI, JULY 14 E EXPLAINED JULIE CARR SMYTH, JILL COLVIN, COLLEEN LONG & MICHAEL BALSAMO ter two CRPF personnel were killed in a blast at a CRPF outpost in Bishnupur district. Thetwowoundedpolicepersonnel received pellet injuries and are reported to be stable. Jirbam district has been tense sincetheoutbreakofviolenceand arson there on June 6 this year. According to police, the area where the incident took place, between Sejang Kuki village and Mongbung Meitei village, had been tense following heavy firing on Thursday, after which policehadrecoveredarmsandammunition. Jiribam Superintendent of PolicePradipSinghsaidateamof CRPFandpolicehadbeensentto Mongbung on Sunday morning to“checkthedeploymentthere”. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Ahmedabad