DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA CPI(M) gen secy spanned politics — a leading face of anti-Cong front to key Opposition coalition-builder REG.NO. MCS/067/2018 - 20 RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2024, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES The Communist, pragmatist — and a Comrade to all ● `5.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 PROTESTS OVER RAPE-AND-MURDER OF JUNIOR DOCTOR IapologisetopeopleofBengal, readytoquitforthem:Mamata Junior doctors refuse to join talks: Livestream it, if SC can, why can't state govt NSA AJIT DOVAL MEETS CHINA’S WANG YI Jaishankar: 75% of disengagement problems with China sorted out RAVIK BHATTACHARYA & ATRI MITRA KOLKATA, SEPTEMBER 12 1952 - 2024 MANOJ C G NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 12 THE DIVIDE between pragmatism versus dogmatism, realonmanyoccasions,imaginedandsometimesexaggerated,perhapscapturesthelast two decades of the CPI(M)’s journey.AndSitaramYechury, the affable, soft-spoken and popular Communist leader who passed away Thursday afterbriefhospitalisation,representedonevitalpoleinthat battle. He was 72. He is survived by his wife Seema Chishti, editor of The Wire; his daughter Akhila and son Daanish. A Marxist theoretician, Yechurywasabelieverwhen it came to the Communist ideologybutshowedtherare willingnesstotestthelimitations of its hard boundaries for the imperatives of democractic — and practical — politics. Yechury’s political life, however,cannotbelimitedto the last two decades. Neither can he be framed only as a pragmatic Communist. The CPI(M) general secretary meant much more than that – from the time he emerged asabrightyoungsparkinthe party’s firmament in the 1970s, to the last nearly a decade that he headed the frontline Left party. A firebrand student leader who fought against the Emergency in the 1970s, he joined the CPI(M) when he was a university student, andwasjust32when hewas made a Central Committee CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visits the replica of the East Gate of Sanchi Stupa in Berlin. PTI SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 12 CM Mamata Banerjee said she waited to hold talks for ‘over two hours’ on Thursday. PTI Governor slams CM: Lady Macbeth of Bengal, I will socially boycott her SWEETY KUMARI KOLKATA, SEPTEMBER 12 STATING THAT the state government has “failed in its duty” and not understood “the sentiments of the people and society”, West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose said Thursday that he would “socially boycott” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who he even called “Lady Macbeth of Bengal”. He also said “many State govt failed in its duty, says Governor Bose things are rotten in the State of Bengal”. In a statement, Bose said he was committed to the people protestingtheincidentatRGKar Hospital in Kolkata where a jun- ior doctor was raped and murdered on August 9. “Thereisviolenceinthestate, violence at home, violence on campus, violence in hospital, violence in the city… The silent majority is part of democracy, not silence to the majority. Remember, silence is violence… In solidarity with Bengal’s society, I will socially boycott the Chief Minister. I will not be sharing any public platform with the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 As Hooda curveball ‘Shoot accused or shoot me’: Rape delays Congress list, victim in shock, no statement yet rebels enter poll fray 3 HELD FOR ATTACK ON ARMY OFFICERS, FRIENDS NEAR MHOW 13/09/2024 90 118 ANAND MOHAN J INDORE, SEPTEMBER 12 145 THE MEN who allegedly assaultedtwoyoungArmy officers and raped one of their two women friends near Mhow in Madhya Pradesh in the early hours of Wednesday would roam the area on motorcycles looking for people they could rob, officers investigating the case have told The Indian Express. The men had also threatened to kill the victims if 72 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda at a roadshow in Kurukshetra, Haryana, on Thursday. ANI The Congress released the namesof fourcandidatesaround 2 am, about a couple of hours afNEW DELHI, CHANDIGARH, ter it announced candidates for SEPTEMBER 12 40 seats; named the nominees for two seats later in the ASTHEnominationwinmorning; and fielded dow for the Haryana one more candidate by Assemblyelectionsdrew afternoon. The conto a close on Thursday, stituencyof Bhiwaniwas the Congress rushed to allocated for the CPI(M). field candidates for the Congress insiders DECISION said the reason for this nine seats that were un2024 decidedtillthenightbeHARYANA delay in finalising the fore, giving one conparty’s line-up for the stituency to the CPI(M). Assembly polls was forSeveralpartyleaderswholostout merChief MinisterandLeaderof on tickets entered the fray as theOpposition Bhupinder Singh Independent candidates. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 MANOJ C G & VARINDER BHATIA BAWANKULE’S SON’S AUDI CASE: ALCOHOL PRESENCE IN DRIVER ‘WITHIN PERMISSIBLE LIMIT’: TEST REPORT PAGE 4 theydidnotpaythemRs10lakh, investigators said. Police said they are facing a conundrum as the woman who was allegedly raped has refused to record her statement. The FIR has been filed based on a complaint by one of the Army officers, who stated, “They misbehaved with the woman, and I suspect something wrong was done to her.” “Sheonlykeepstellingusone thing – shoot the accused or shoot me. We understand she is in shock. We are trying our best MAHARASHTRA 3 killed, 4 injured in chemical factory blast Fourth such explosion this year EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE MUMBAI, SEPTEMBER 12 THREE WELDERS were killed while four others sustained burnsinablastatachemicalfactory in Raigad district on Thursday. The police have registered an FIR against the fabricator and others on charges of culpable homicide, and rash and negligent action endangering the lives of others. The blast comes close on the heelsof theexplosioninachemical factory in Dombivli in May, in which 12 people were killed and 64 others were injured, and at least two other such mishaps in January — at Nashik and Thane — in which three persons died and nearly 20 others sustained injuries. Last November, 11 people had died in a blast at a chemical factory in Mahad, Raigad. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 to arrest the men who did this,” said a senior officer who tried multiple times to convince the woman to record her statement. Indore Rural Superintendent of Police Hitika Vasal told The Indian Express, "She is not comfortable registering her statement. We will wait until she recovers. We have arrested three persons – Anil, Pawan and Ritesh. Ritesh was acquitted in a murder case in 2019. The remaining three accused will be arrested soon.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 TWO WEEKS after Indian and Chinese diplomats signalled some progressin negotiationsto resolve the military standoff betweenIndianandChinesetroops along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, External AffairsMinisterSJaishankarsaid Thursday that about 75 per cent of the “disengagement problems” with China have been sorted out but the bigger issue has been the increasing CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 E E X P L A I NE D SITARAM YECHURY THE OVER a month-long standoff between junior doctors and the West Bengal government worsened on Thursday as the protesters refused to join talks, following which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that they wanted her “chair” not justice as she offered to resign “for the sake of the people”. “Ora chair chaite esheche, justicena.Amimanushersharthepadatyag korte raji achi. Ami mukkhomantritto chaina (They are here for the chair, not justice. For the sake of the people, I am ready to resign. I don't want the chief ministership),” Banerjee saidatapressconference.“Iapologisetothepeopleof Bengalwho expectedthattheissuewouldbe resolved today,” she said. Banerjee made the remarks after a delegation of protesting junior doctors reached Nabanna (state secretariat) but refused to join talks, insisting on their demand for live-streaming of proceedings, even as the CM waited inside for “over two hours”. “Wehave no probleminlivestreaming,butthematterissubjudice... We said all discussions will be documented and recorded. We kept three video cameras also. If the Supreme Court gives permission, we will share the recording with them also. When a case is sub-judice, ● Series of meetings JAISHANKAR’S REMARKS came the day NSA Doval was meeting China’s Wang Yi. Civil Aviation Minister Naidu also discussed early resumption of direct flights with his Chinese counterpart. PM Modi and President Xi are likely to meet at the BRICS Summit next month. Naidu: Discussed early resumption of direct flights with the Chinese SUKALP SHARMA NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 12 RESUMPTION OF direct passenger flights between India and Chinawasdiscussedinameeting betweenCivilAviationMinisterK Rammohan Naidu and Song Zhiyong,AdministratoroftheCivil AviationAdministrationofChina. This was disclosed by Naidu Thursday morning in a post on X which was deleted later. “As the Chairman for the 2nd Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Civil Aviation, I have been utilising the platform to engage in sideline meetings with foreign delegations. This morning,alongsideSecretaryShri Vumlunmang Vualnam and other senior officials from my ministry, I had courtesy meeting with Chinese delegation led by EXPRESS NETWORK DOVAL IN RUSSIA, PUTIN PROPOSES BILATERAL WITH PM DURING BRICS PAGE 7 Mr Song Zhiyong to exchange viewsregardingfurtherstrengthening civil aviation cooperation betweenthetwocountries,especially promoting early resumption of scheduled passenger flightsbetweenus,”Naidusaidin the post. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 With Madras HC judge in home loan dispute, SBI wants hearing outside TN ANANTHAKRISHNAN G NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 12 THE STATE Bank of India (SBI) has approached the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) seeking transfer outside Tamil Nadu of a consumer complaint filed against it by Madras High Court judge Justice J Nisha Banu over a home loan repayment dispute. Records reviewed by The IndianExpress showthat theSBI fears it may not receive a proper hearing before the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (DCDRC) in Madurai because it “is under the jurisdiction of the... (Madras) High Court…” The judge’s home in Madurai was partially constructed and demolished allegedlyduetopoorconstruction, records show. The bank hasallegedthatthe judge was yet to fully repay the outstanding amount despite reminders and was linking it to a policy claim on her home that was rejected by The New India Assurance Company. Justice Banu has accused bank officials and the insurance company of collusion to deny her the policy benefits. A bench of NCDRC president Justice A P Sahi and Member Inder Jit Singh issued notice on SBI’s transfer petition on August 2, and fixed it for hearing again on September 23. The SBI counsel, Advocate Jitendra Kumar, pressed for an interim stay of proceedings before the DCDRC in Madurai. But the Commission said, “You might have a reasonable apprehension but not so lightly when it comes to a sitting High Court judge... You have to state many things (like) why do you expect CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Behind rare Shimla communal flare-up, local incident that pushed city to edge PAGE 1 ANCHOR SAURABH PARASHAR SHIMLA, SEPTEMBER 12 BEHIND THE communal tensions that have gripped Shimla — the first such flare-up in the statecapitalinrecenthistory—is a squabble at a barber shop, a mosquebuiltin1960,apprehensions of “outsiders” pouring into the state, and some political wrangling inside the Himachal Pradesh Assembly. Amid calls to demolish the four-storey mosque in Sanjauli district, a Muslim welfare committee that runs the religious structure Thursday submitted a memorandum to Shimla’s municipal corporation commissioner, urging him to seal unauthorised portions. But it was an incident that took place around 8 kilometres away, in the village of Malyana, that first set things in motion. On August 31, local shopkeeper Vikram Singh had an altercation with a barber shop owner, Gulnawaz. Police eventually picked up six persons, including Gulnawaz and two minors, for assaulting Vikram, but the seemingly local incident snowballed as allegations emerged that the accused had taken shelter at the mosque in question. VikasThapta,anofficebearer of Civil Society Sanjauli, which claimstoworkfortheprotection of women rights and is one of several outfits demanding the mosque’s demolition, said, "Muslims have been residing here for ages. There would be quarrels earlier too, but things have changed now… Gulnawaz is not from Shimla – he came herealongtimeagoandmarried a Hindu woman. And over 10 years, he purchased three more Traders called a bandh in Shimla on Thursday to protest against the police action. ANI shops, all being run by his friends. What triggered tensions were reports that after assaulting Vikram, a few of the accused took shelter at that mosque." Vikram, however, told The Indian Express, “Truly speaking, I have no idea how this matter reached the mosque in Sanjauli. It was around 9.15 pm when I was attacked, after I objected to Gulnawaz using abusive language in the market. My shop is near Gulnawaz’s, who goes by the name Kunal in the locality. I called my fellow shopkeepers, including one Yashpal Sharma, who was hit with an iron rod on his head. Sharma is a member of the Beopar Mandal, an umbrella body of traders in Shimla. One of the assailants was arrested the same night, and others surrendered at the police station the next day. What I remember is that some people started saying the assailants had escaped and taken shelter in the mosque.” The first protest around the mosque was on September 3 – two days after the assault. The next day, BJP MLA from Chopal, Balbir Singh Verma, listed the communal tension in the area as a subject of discussion under Rule 62 in the Vidhan Sabha, wherethemonsoonsessionwas underway. Thoughthematterwaslisted by the BJP MLA, it was Congress minister Anirudh Singh who received rousing applause – including from the BJP – when he spoke about the need to defend the rights of people of the state. He demanded measures to register people coming from other states, and said that if the mosque is proved to be illegal, it will be demolished. Anirudh also highlighted howalitigationpertainingtothe mosque has been pending in the court of Shimla Municipal Corporation Commissioner since 2010. Malyana, where the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2