DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2024, LUCKNOW, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES BY UNNY BJP ally, UP minister hints at bulldozer ‘misuse’ behind LS poll setback NISHAD Party chief Sanjay Nishad MAULSHREE SETH LUCKNOW, JULY 16 IN THE continuing soul-searching within the Uttar Pradesh BJP and its partners over the NDA’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls, ally Sanjay Nishad hasraisedtheissueof “misuseof bulldozer against the poor”. A minister in the Yogi Adityanath government and chief of theNISHADParty,Sanjay Nishad told media persons on Monday:“Garibkoujadengetoh woh hamein ujadega rajneeti mein (Uproot the poor, and they will uproot us in politics).” Nishad’s comments follow statements by other leaders of the BJP and its allies expressing unhappiness over the state CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ENCOUNTER IN FOREST AREA OF JAMMU’S DODA DISTRICT Captain among four Army personnel killed in J&K gunfight, search ops on Behind surge: Reduced troops, intel networks Second attack in a week; ground forces assisted by helicopter, drone surveillance AMRITA NAYAK DUTTA & NAVEED IQBAL NEW DELHI, SRINAGAR, JULY 16 ARUN SHARMA JAMMU, JULY 16 FOUR ARMY personnel, including a Captain, were killed in an encounter with a group of militants late Monday night inside Koti forests in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir. The Army identified the four as Captain Brijesh Thapa, Naik D Rajesh,SepoyBijendraandSepoy Ajay Kumar Singh — all from Rashtriya Rifles — and said they had “laid down their lives in the line of duty, while undertaking a counter terrorist operation in Doda in order to ensure peace in CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 J&K L-G Manoj Sinha pays tribute to the Army personnel in Jammu, Tuesday. PTI He always wanted to join Army: Captain’s kin RAVIK BHATTACHARYA KOLKATA, JULY 16 THE GRIEVING family of Captain Brijesh Thapa (27), the Army officerkilledintheencounterwith militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda, expressed their pride in him, with his father saying that he was “intelligent and disciplined”, and his mother recalling that he had wanted to join the Army since childhood. Captain Thapa’s father, Colonel Buwanesh Thapa (retd), said he too served in Kashmir during his time in the Armed Forces, and called on the government to “identify and curtail the support base of militants” in J&K. Brijesh Thapa was among four soldiers killed on Monday in an encounter that broke out aftermilitantshidingintheDesa CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE LATEST encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district has once again laid bare the gaps in the security infrastructure of a belt that saw long stretches of peace until recent years. Since 2021, areassouthof thePir ● Panjal range, including Poonch, Rajouri and Jammu, have seen a surge in high-intensity terror targeting security forces and civilians. In January, former Army Chief General Manoj Pande E EXPLAINED BUSINESS AS USUAL `6.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 IN CONVERSATION ChesslegendViswanathan Anand,wifeAruna andtop playerArjunErigaisiwith AnantGoenka,Executive Director,The IndianExpress Group,andAmitKamath, AssistantEditor,The Indian Express, attheExpressAdda inChennaion Tuesday. Abhinav Saha PLAN TO HOLD BOARD EXAMS TWICE A YEAR On Govt table: CBSE’s second board exam for Class 12 in June ABHINAYA HARIGOVIND NEW DELHI, JULY 16 IN KEEPING with the plan to conduct board exams twice a year, as recommended by the NationalCurriculumFramework for School Education (NCFSE), the Government is considering scheduling a second Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) exam for Class 12 students in June from 2026, The Indian Express has learnt. Currently, a Class 12 student appearsfortheCBSEboardexam in February-March. After the resultsaredeclaredinMay,shehas the option to improve her performanceinonesubjectthrough “supplementary exams” held in July. Students who have not cleared their papers and whose results have been declared as “compartment” can also sit for the “supplementary exams”. This year, for instance, “supplementary exams” for Class 12 were held on July 15. However, the new National EducationPolicy,2020,envisages moving away from high-stakes exams and proposes biannual boardexamstoprovidestudents with more opportunities. In line withthis,theEducationMinistry has asked the CBSE to prepare a proposal for holding two board exams per year, to be implemented from 2026. Although the government is yet to decide the final shape and formof thetwo-boardexamsystem, one option on the table is CONTINUED ON PAGE 2