DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA ● REG.NO. MCS/067/2018 - 20 RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2024, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES `5.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 INDIA, POLAND ANNOUNCE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP, SOCIAL SECURITY PACT 88 116 142 PMinKyivtoday:Deepconcern,offerall cooperationinreturningpeaceviatalks India can play constructive role in resolving BRIJ BHUSHAN CASE Russia-Ukraine Women war: Polish PM 64 wrestlers say police cover withdrawn, court steps in NIRBHAY THAKUR NEW DELHI, AUGUST 22 WOMEN WRESTLERS who have alleged sexual assault by Brij BhushanSharanSingh,thenaBJP MP and chief of the Wrestling Federationof India,approacheda Delhi court Thursday, saying their police security cover had been withdrawn a day before oneof themwastotestifyagainst Singh in the trial court. The Rouse Avenue court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Priyanka Rajpoot directedDCP,NewDelhitotakeinterim measures to ensure the wrestler’s safety. It directed the DCP to file a detailed report regardingthereasonsforthewithdrawal of security of the wrestlers on the next date of hearing (Friday). “In the meantime, as an interim measure to ensure the safety of complainant/victimno. 4 (as per list of witnesses), the DCP concerned is directed to make immediate and appropriate arrangements for her security until her deposition is complete and until further orders from this Court,” it said. In a post on X, the DCP, New Delhi, said, “The security provided to the wrestlers hasn’t been withdrawn; it was decided to request Haryana Police to NEW DELHI, AUGUST 22 AHEADOFhisvisittoKyiv,Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed “deep concern” over the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and said India was ready to extend “all possible cooperation” to restore peace and stability through “dialogue and diplomacy”. Modi made the remarks after his meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw,whereIndiaandPoland upgraded their ties to a “strategic partnership” and agreed on a socialsecurityagreementtopromote the mobility of skilled workers. After concluding his visit to Warsaw, Modi travelled to Kyiv on Thursday night; he is scheduledto meetUkraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday. “The ongoing conflicts in BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY CISF personnel deployed at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Thursday. Partha Paul Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk in Warsaw, Thursday. Reuters EXPLAINED DIPLOMACY WHY MODIVISITTO KYIV IS SIGNIFICANT PAGE 13 Ukraine and West Asia are a matter of deep concern for all of us. India firmly believes that no problem can be solved on the battlefield. The loss of innocent livesinanycrisishasbecomethe biggest challenge for the entire humanity. We support dialogue and diplomacy for the early restoration of peace and stability. For this, India is ready to provide all possible cooperation along with its friendly countries,” Modi said in Warsaw. Tusk underlined that India can play an “essential and very ANANTHAKRISHNAN G constructive role”. “We began withaclarificationonvery emotional issues. PM Modi confirmed his willingness that he is ready for a peaceful, rightful and immediate end to war. We believe that India can play an CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 J&K polls: NC and Congress seal alliance, but a few seats in Kashmir still a hurdle NAVEED IQBAL SRINAGAR, AUGUST 22 PMO PROPOSAL IN 2013 In its last lap, UPA II had proposed lateral entry at level of Joint Secy through UPSC NDA floated selection panels outside UPSC, did rethink after DoPT note THE CONGRESS and National Conference (NC) Thursday announced an alliance for all 90 seats in Jammu and Kashmir for the coming Assembly elections. The announcement by NC president Farooq Abdullah came after Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called on the NC leadership at Farooq’s residence in Srinagar, where they held a meeting lasting over an hour. “Our alliance is on track. We have discussed seats as well, it is final. By evening, we will sign this, and it is for all 90 seats,” Farooq said, adding that the commonprogramme of the two parties was “to fight elections to defeatthedivisiveforcesthatexist in the country”. The NC chief also expressed the hope that statehood would In 2013, the UPSC agreed ‘to make selection according to its mandate’. File by UPSC based on their CVs and an interview/limited competitive test,” records show. The sixth Pay Commission had recommended the identification of some posts requiring technical or specialised knowledge not “encadred” in any of CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 OMKAR GOKHALE MUMBAI, AUGUST 22 EXPRESSING SHOCK over the Badlapur school sexual abuse case involving two four-year-old girls, the Bombay High Court Thursday slammed the local police for dereliction of duty, questioned the school authorities for not reporting the incident on time, and asked, “If the school is not a safe place, then what is the use of speaking about the right THE CBI, which is probing the allegedrapeandmurderof ajunior doctor at the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, toldtheSupremeCourtThursday that “our investigation itself is a challenge…becausethesceneof offence” has been “altered”. The probe into the August 9 incident,whichsparkedprotests by doctors in several parts of the country, was transferred from Kolkata Police to the CBI on August 13 by the Calcutta High Court which voiced its displeasure over the handling of the case and said there appeared to be “no significant progress” in the police investigation. A day later, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Internship portal in the works, will match opportunity with youth skill sets Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi with National Conference leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah in Srinagar, Thursday. PTI be restored soon to J&K, headed by a government that holds all the required powers. Earlierintheday,Gandhisaid the alliance would be formed “while maintaining the respect of Congress party workers”. Addressing a workers’ meeting in Srinagar alongside Kharge, Gandhi said Congress workers had “dedicated their whole lives to protecting the Congress ideology and carrying forward the party’s line of thinking. I am CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ‘If schools aren’t safe, what’s the use of speaking about right to education’: HC raps police, govt NEW DELHI, AUGUST 22 NEW DELHI, AUGUST 22 amobtargeteddoctorsholdinga protest at night and vandalised sections of the hospital. On Thursday, the Supreme Court, while resuming its proceedings in the matter after taking suo motu cognizance of the incident, again questioned the delay by Kolkata Police in lodginganFIRontheallegedrapeand murder of the junior doctor, and the wisdom of the state government in appointing the then principal, Sandip Kumar Ghosh, toanotherhospitalimmediately afterhisresignationfromtheRG KarMedicalCollegeandHospital. After Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the West Bengal government and Kolkata Police, maintained that the police had followed “to the tee” GUIDELINES IN TWO WEEKS SEXUAL ASSAULT OF MINOR GIRLS IN BADLAPUR SCHOOL JAY MAZOOMDAAR PAGE 1 ANCHOR SC questions FIR delay, state wisdom in giving hospital principal a new post DIVYA A CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 FOR ALL the protestations by the Congress over the lateral entry ad issued by the NDA government, and now withdrawn, one fact went unnoticed. Acting on a recommendation of the sixth Central Pay Commission (CPC), the Manmohan Singh PMO, in January 2011, had proposed to open up to 10% of posts at the Joint Secretary level for “lateral inductionfromprivatesector/academics etc,” show records reviewed by The Indian Express. To that effect, a note by the Department of Personnel and Training(DoPT)saidthatthe lateral entrants “would be selected Scene of offence altered, our probe itself a challenge: CBI to CJI bench to education...?” The court also slammed the policemachineryfornotworking “unlessthereisapublicoutburst”. A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and PrithvirajKChavanwashearinga suo motu plea initiated by it takingcognisanceof newsreportsof the alleged sexual assault of two four-year-oldchildrenbyacleaning staff member at a school in Thanedistrict’sBadlapurandthe “delay” in police action. “Since this is a suo motu PIL INSIDE CALLFORSHAKTI BILL: WHYTHEWAIT STATEGOVT SEES POLLS,POLITICSIN OUTRAGE PAGE 4 onalargerissue,thesecurityand safetyof girlscannotbecompromised. Unless there is a strong public outburst (protest), the machinery does not work,” the bench said. The court questioned the Badlapur police as to why the statements of the victims and their families were not recorded on time as per procedure and why no speedy action was taken against the school authorities. The court asked if offences were invoked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against the school where the alleged incident occurred. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Ministry in discussions with top 500 companies to finalise the scheme AANCHAL MAGAZINE NEW DELHI, AUGUST 22 A NEW PORTAL is in the works to enable youths to apply for internshipsdirectlywiththecountry’s top 500 companies under a special package announced in the Budget. The portal would facilitateacertainmatchingof skill sets of the applicants with the type of internship opportunities provided by the companies. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) will announce the guidelines for the internship scheme over the next two weeks, following which the portal will be made active for the prospective applicants, officials involved in the exercise said. “Theideaisnottouploadany existing database of the country'syouthontheportal,because some may not want to opt for this internship scheme. Instead, the companies will list out their internship opportunities and these will get matched with the E E X P L A I NE D 23/08/2024 KOLKATA RAPE-MURDER CASE Anew apprentice ● scheme THE UPCOMING guidelines and the new portal will help operationalise the ambitious scheme that seeks to provide internships to 1 crore youth over the next five years. The government is keen to ensure that those at the margins, especially those less skilled and less employable, are able to make the most of this internship scheme. information provided by the applicants, enabling a free flow of information on the portal,” a senior government official told The Indian Express. The portal is expected to be functional after the guidelines CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 For women in Kerala film industry, the ‘heavy cost’ of speaking up NIKHILA HENRY NEW DELHI, AUGUST 22 WORKING AN “ordinary job” — iswhata32-year-oldwomanactor has been doing for the past two years, after her deposition beforethethree-memberJustice K Hema Committee which looked into the working condition of women in the Kerala film industry.Withsixyearsof acting experience, she says the industryhasshutitsdoorsonhersince she spoke up. The Hema Committee, formed in 2017, had submitted its report to the Kerala state government in 2019. While successive governments held back the report arguing that its release might“compromisetheprivacy” of those who testified before the committee,thecontentswerefinally revealed, five years later, followingtheinterventionof the Kerala High Court. The court ordered for the release of the report with certain redactions. “I felt happy,” says the 32year-old. “At least my struggle has not gone wasted.” The actor says she was ostracised for reporting a colleague’s sexual advances. “Ever since I reported the incident, I was systematically deprived of work in the industry. The depositionbeforethecommitteeonly worsened the boycott, to the point that I had to leave the film industry,” she told The Indian Express. When asked if anyone tried to bring her back, she says, “I was told there’s no market for me as an actor”. Similar has been the experience of several women artistes and technicians who have been associated with the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), a groupingofwomeninthefilmindustry who came together in the BINA PAUL: Veteran film editor and a founding member of WCC ANJALI MENON: Screenwriter, director,WCC founding member aftermathof therapeof aleading woman actor in Kochi in 2017. Many of them say they were PADMAPRIYA JANAKIRAMAN: Lead actor who is a part of both AMMA and WCC SAJITHA MADATHIL: Actor and a founding member of WCC treated as “troublemakers” and denied work as they openly spoke about the need to make the Malayalam film industry a betterworkingspaceforwomen and other deprived groups. “It has been a tough journey. Inthecollectivewehaveallfaced the accusation that we talk too much, that we are stirring up trouble and that we are creating problems when there are none,” says Bina Paul, senior editor in theMalayalamfilmindustryand a founding member of the WCC. Paul says the struggle of the loose collective of women has been for an equitable working space. “I do not want to be knownas awoman editor alone. I am a film editor. There should be a space for all of us (women) to be looked at as any other professional,” she says, adding the Malayalam film industry, which is known for some path-breaking films in the recent past, has a long way to go when it comes to gender justice. TheHemaCommitteereport atteststothis—itlistsoutatleast 17 broad issues that plague the Malayalamfilmindustry.Thereport reads, “We find that generally women in cinema face a lot of issues, including sexual demands made to women for the very entry into cinema and for getting chance to work in cin- ema…sexualharassment,abuse, assault against women at workplace, transportation, places of accommodation etc…Torture of women if they express their resentment or unwillingness to sexual demands.” The report adds that there is a prevalence of “unauthorised banning of individuals working in cinema in different categories…Silencing of womenunder threat of ban from work in cinema…” Accordingto thereport, 32of 40 WCC members had filled out the questionnaire which was CONTINUED ON PAGE 2