DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2024, AHMEDABAD, LATE CITY, 24 PAGES BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY `6.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 ‘DEEPLY HONOURED’ ON SIDELINES OF LAOS SUMMIT Noel Tata is new Tata Trusts chairman: ‘Will carry on legacy’ Had brief exchange with Modi, pointed to work that needs to be done: Trudeau No substantive talks, Canada must act on anti-India activities: Govt sources DIVYA A EXPLAINED NOBEL PEACE PRIZE GOES TO JAPAN’S NIHON HIDANKYO PAGE 20 INSIDE OMAR STAKES CLAIM TO FORM GOVT, OATH LIKELY ON OCT 16 EXPRESS TRAIN RAMS INTO GOODS TRAIN IN TAMIL NADU PAGES 14 & 16 Ratan Tata’s half-brother, married into Mistry family, maintains low profile NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 11 PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi met his Canadian counterpartJustineTrudeauonthesidelines of the East Asia Summit in Vientiane,Laos,onFriday—their second meeting since Trudeau alleged India’s involvement in the killing of a Canada-based Khalistan separatist. Trudeau, who made the meeting public, described it as a “brief exchange”, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC News). “I emphasised that there is work that we need to do,” CBC News quoted him as saying. “I won’t go into details about what we talked about but what I’ve said many times is that the safety of Canadians and upholding the rule of law is one of the fundamental responsibilities of any Canadian government and that's what I’ll stay focused on,” CONTINUEDONPAGE7 TRIAL RUN An Indian Air Force aircraft makes a successful test landing at the Navi Mumbai International Airport Friday. The airport is scheduled to begin operations from March 2025. Amit Chakravarty PM Narendra Modi, Canada’s PM Justin Trudeau with Thailand’s PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra in Vientiane, Laos. PTI, Reuters NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 11 AS THE conflict in West Asia drawsinIran,LebanonandSyria, Iranian Ambassador to India Iraj Elahi talks about how India can play a more active role towards a ceasefire and the humanitarian challenge on both sides. Edited excerpts from an interview to The Indian Express: When the Israel-Hamas conflict started last October 7, there were apprehensions it may escalate. One year down the line, it’s coming true. In the beginning, the tension THE EXPRESS INTERVIEW IRAJ ELAHI IRAN’S AMBASSADOR TO INDIA GOVT & POLITICS INDIA: SITUATION DETERIORATING P 14 NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 11 EXPRESSING “DEEP concern” over the reported theft of a crown gifted by Prime Minister NarendraModitoJeshoreshwari Kali temple in Bangladesh, India onFridayaskedDhakato“investigate” the matter. In a post on X, the Indian PAGE 1 ANCHOR PM Modi gifted the crown during his visit in 2021. PTI HighCommissioninDhakasaid: “We have seen reports of theft of the crown gifted by PM Modi to Jeshoreshwari Kali Temple (Satkhira)in2021duringhisvisit Trump targets India on high tariffs, vows to reciprocate was very limited. Hamas launched an operation, which Israel called a terrorist act. Some countries supported that, while some other countries like Iran, Syria, Lebanon and Iran called it resistance...itwasalimitedoperation against Israel but Israel triedtochangeittoanexcusefor its strategic plan. What would that be? To eradicate Hamas from Gaza, to push Gazan people out of their homeland, towards the south, and to occupy all of Gaza. At the same time, it increased its pressure on West Bank citizens, even destroying the CONTINUEDONPAGE2 toBangladesh...Weexpressdeep concern and urge Govt of Bangladesh to investigate theft, recover the crown and take action against the perpetrators.” According to local media reports, the gold-plated crown offered to Goddess Kali was stolen onThursdayafternoon.Thetheft was noticed by cleaning staff who entered the temple after CONTINUEDONPAGE2 MUMBAI, OCTOBER 11 Mahadev betting app ‘kingpin’ held in Dubai on Interpol notice JAYPRAKASH S NAIDU Former US President Donald Trump PAGE 14 Crown gifted by Modi to Bangladesh temple stolen, India seeks probe DIVYA A NOEL NAVAL Tata was Friday named the successor of Ratan Tata at Tata Trusts, the majority owner of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata group. He will now guide the $165 billion conglomerate at a time when the group faces several challengesgloballyanddomestically. In a statement issued on Friday, Tata Trusts said, “The trustees of various Trusts that comprisetheTataTrustsmetata jointmeetingheldinMumbaitoday.Theycondoledthedemiseof Mr Ratan N Tata, Chairman, Tata Trusts, and recalled his yeoman services not only to the Tata Groupbutalsotonationbuilding. Inseparatemeetingsheldimmediately thereafter, it was unanimously decided to appoint Mr. Noel Naval Tata as the Chairman of the various Trusts that constitute the Tata Trusts and also designate him as Chairman, Tata Trusts. His appointment comes into effect immediately.” Noel Naval Tata, 67, is the son of Naval Tata and Simone Tata (nee Simone Dunoyer), and is married to Cyrus Mistry’s sister Aloo Mistry. MORE REPORTS ‘India can be more active, convince Israel for ceasefire, de-escalation’ DIVYA A GEORGE MATHEW RAVI DUTTA MISHRA NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 11 AFTER CALLING India a “tariff king” and a “trade abuser” in the run-up to the US presidential elections, Republican nominee and former president Donald Trump has now vowed to introduceareciprocaltaxagainstIndia if elected to office next month. Speaking in Detroit, Trump said the US is liberal when it comes to tariffs, but countries like China, Brazil and India impose high tariffs. He said India imposes the highest tariffs and American businesses have cited high tariffs as a challenge in the Indian market. “Perhapsthemostimportant element of my plan to make Americaextraordinarilywealthy again is reciprocity. It’s a word CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 GUJARAT MONTH AFTER HELICOPTER CRASH, MISSING COAST GUARD PILOT’S BODY FOUND IN SEA HOURS AFTER HER DEATH AT HOSPITAL IN AHMEDABAD, RAJASTHAN WOMAN DIAGNOSED WITH CONGO FEVER PAGES 3 & 4 RAIPUR, OCTOBER 11 SAURABH CHANDRAKAR, the alleged kingpin in the Mahadev app gambling platform case, has beenarrested, The Indian Express has learnt. The arrest followed an Interpol red notice to law enforcement agencies worldwide tolocateandprovisionallyarrest Chandrakar. The CBI had taken over the case in August. Enforcement Directorate’s counsel Saurabh Kumar Pandey said the process to arrest ChandrakarbeganonSeptember 4, when a special court in Raipur Saurabh Chandrakar; Raipur court issued arrest warrant on Sept 4 issued a non-bailable warrant against him and Ravi Uppal, another promoter of the app. “This warrant was used to issue a red corner notice based on whichhe(Chandrakar)hasbeen arrested. Yesterday (Thursday), weapproachedthespecialcourt again to receive the necessary documents to complete the extradition process. Now, this CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Post-mortem examination report of Surat gangrape accused, who died in custody, points to physical injuries KAMAAL SAIYED SURAT, OCTOBER 11 THE POST-MORTEM examination conducted on a Surat gangrape accused, who died in police custody on Thursday, has revealed injury marks on his legs, back and other body parts, The Indian Express has learnt. Meanwhile, an inquiry has been initiated into the death of the accused, Shivshanker Chaurasia.Heisamongthethree persons accused in the case of rape of a 17-year-old minor girl in Surat. OnFriday,apanelof fourdoctors of the Forensic Medicine Department (FMD) of New Civil Hospital (NCH) carried out the post-mortem to find injury marks on both his legs, thighs, ankle area, and the back. Earlier, the diagnostic report from the Primary Health Centre where Chaurasia was taken on Thursday morning said that he had hurt himself after he fell down while running away from police personnel who were chasing him. Talking to The Indian Express, Head of FMD, NCH Surat, Dr Chandresh Tailor said, “We have not yet come to any conclusion about the cause of the death but we have observed that the lumen of coronary artery got narrowed which may have caused the heart attack and resulted in the death. The viscera samples have been taken from the body and sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for further tests.” He further said, “There were seven to eight injury marks on different parts of both the legs. Besides, there are abrasions and bruises on both calves, thighs and back portion of Chaurasia.” Entire post-mortem examinationwasvideographed,asthis is a custodial death case, he said. SuratDistrictSuperintendent of policeHiteshJoyserhadsetup an inquiry into Chaurasia's death. I Z Patel, Deputy Superintendent of police, Surat Rural, police headquarters, who has been assigned the task, earlier told The Indian Express, “I willcheckhowtheincidenthappened and also collect medical reports of the cause of the death alongwithotherdetails.Itwould take around 60 days to prepare the entire report, which will be handed over to the superintendent of police.” CONTINUEDONPAGE2 Noel Naval Tata, 67 His brief is to protect legacy NOEL TATA may lack the stature of Ratan Tata in India’s industrial landscape, but he has proved his mettle by running companies such as Trent and Tata International. He has strong familial ties too. He is now expected to guide the $165 billion group . Tata group insiders say Noel maintains a low profile and is rarely seen at public events or corporate summits. Unlike his brother, Noel is not part of any policy-makingforumof thegovernment or regulatory bodies. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Vadodara gangrape case: Civic body cuts water, power connection at homes of accused EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE VADODARA, OCTOBER 11 OVER 72 hours after serving a noticetotwoVadodaragangrape case accused for “illegal construction” at their homes, the TownDevelopmentOfficeof the VadodaraMunicipalCorporation (VMC) disconnected utilities such as power, electricity, and drainage at their houses on Friday, officials said. BJP corporators Nitin Donga and Umesh Brahmabhatt were present at the spot as various teams of the three departments arrived to cut the connections. Donga said, “The three-day notice period of the VMC has come to an end today and so, CONTINUEDONPAGE2 Maharashtra Ladki Bahin scheme throws a curveball for farmers PARTHA SARATHI BISWAS LATUR, OCTOBER 11 YASHODA GAVIT’S calendar is full till December-end. The 43year-old from Nagzari village in Maharashtra’s Latur district has her hands full as an agricultural labourer, beginning with harvesting of soyabean this month. It will be followed by planting of sugarcane in NovemberDecember, for which she had “advancebooking”fromfarmers in Latur and the neighbouring Dharashiv (formerly Osmanabad) district. “There’s no time for rest,” says Gavit. But it isn’t just a bumper kharif crop and equally bright prospects for the upcoming rabi (winter-spring) season, on the back of above-normal monsoonrains,thatisthesource of her happiness. Gavit has also received Rs 6,000 in four monthly instalments under the Maharashtra government’s Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana (MMLBY). This scheme, launched by the ruling Eknath Shinde-ledMahayuticoalitionin July, provides a direct benefit transferof Rs1,500permonthto women aged 21-65 years from families with annual income below Rs 2.5 lakh. For farm labourers like Gavit, the money from MMLBY, announced just months before Assembly elections, is a bonus over and above the rain god’s bounty that has created plenty of harvesting and planting work demand. Butthenewschemeissomething that Mujahid Ali is not happy about. For the last one week, this farmer from Sonala village in Buldhana district’s Sangrampur taluka has been going out in search of labourers to harvest his cotton that will be ready for its first picking by the Mujahid Ali, a farmer from Buldhana district, is looking for labourers to harvest his cotton. Partha Sarathi Biswas middle of this month. “Right now, I am not getting confirmationfromanybody.The bollshavefullyformedandsome have even burst. My kapas (raw un-ginned cotton) yields are going to be good, but all that will come to naught if there’s no one to harvest it,” says the 37-yearold,whocultivatesthefibrecrop in 18 acres. Like Ali, several farmers across Maharashtra’s cotton and soyabean-growing belts of Vidarbha and Marathwada are blaming MMLBY for what they claim is one of the reasons for an unprecedented labour shortage, which has even put the brakes on harvesting. “The women who have already started getting the money are not interested in coming to our fields. The ones who are yet togetthemoneyarebusyorganising documents and going to the Nagrik Suvidha Kendra (Common Services Centre) to avail of the scheme’s benefits,” says Ali. Ramesh Patil, a farmer from Latur, agrees there is a paucity of labour in his area. “Labour is short in supply and we had to make arrangements from other districts,” he says, adding that the Ladki Bahin scheme has pushed up the labour cost. InAkola,LalitPatil,leaderof a farm union called Shetkari Sanghatana, says they had to bring labour from Baitul and other areas of Madhya Pradesh. “Labour in Maharashtra is extremely short in supply and this year the condition is really bad,” he says. Patil mentions how most women who pick cotton are now busy collecting documents to get the direct cash transfer. “The ones who have got the money are either asking for higher rates which farmers would not be able to afford, or plainly refusing to come to work on the fields.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Ahmedabad