DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA `6.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 WORST AIR QUALITY SINCE 2019, TOP COURT SAYS DON’T LIFT CURBS UNTIL ORDERS Delhi breathes poison AQI at 494, city braces for tough days as weather conditions stay unfavourable ANOTHER 5,000 PERSONNEL TO BE DEPLOYED More Central forces head to Manipur, Shah directs return of order Tensions run high in Jiribam after protester shot dead; sixth body, believed to be from missing family, found SOPHIYA MATHEW NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 18 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 POSTAL REGN. NO. JAIPUR CITY/001/2024-26 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2024, JAIPUR, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES MAHENDER SINGH MANRAL & SUKRITA BARUAH NEW DELHI, JIRIBAM, NOV 18 Students walk to their school on a gloomy Monday morning in Delhi. Praveen Khanna E EXPLAINED DELHI’S AIR, already at toxic levels, turned worse on Monday, turning the city into a gas chamber. The Air Quality Index (AQI) deteriorated from 441 on Sunday to 494, its worst-ever — on aparwith thecity’smost polluted day recorded in 2019. Since2015,whentheCentral Pollution Control Board started maintaining air quality data, the AQI has deteriorated to this level only once before, on November 2, 2019. Now,fiveyearsanddozensof Supreme Court orders later — and despite stringent measures on days when the AQI is in the severe and severe+ zone — Delhi appearstobebacktosquareone. Nudged by the Supreme Court, which on Monday said physical classes in schools should be suspended, the Delhi government announced that classes for Class X and XII students would move online. The administration in Gurgaon and Faridabad also issued orders to suspend physical classes up to Class XII until November 23. The Delhi University declared that classes in all colleges will move online, at least until Saturday. The day started with dense smog, leading to delays for several flights, 15 diversions and 21 ● Why air qualityis ● dipping A COMBINATION of meteorological factors, high emission load from Delhi’s own sources as well as stubble burning has led to a drastic increase in the AQI. With the temperatures dipping, but winds remaining calm, pollutant concentration has only gone up over the past three days. A slight respite is only expected after Thursday, when the wind speed will pick up. SC orders GRAP-4 curbs even if AQI falls below 450, flags delay in action ANANTHAKRISHNAN G NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 18 POINTING TO a delay in implementing strict measures despite theworseningairqualityinDelhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), the Supreme Court Monday directed that curbs under Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to deal with the situation will remaininforceuntilfurtherorders. “We make it clear that until further orders are passed by this court, implementation of Stage 4 will continue even if AQI level drops below 450,” a bench of Justices A S Oka and A G Masih ordered. Directing all NCR governments to strictly implement Stage 4 of GRAP, the court said, “Allstateswillimmediatelyconstitute teams for monitoring implementation of actions which are required to be taken under Stage 4.” The court also asked states in the NCR area to take an immediate call on stopping physical classes of all standards up to 12. “It is the constitutional obligationof thecentralgovernment andstategovernmentstoensure that citizens live pollution free. Therefore, in addition to the actions which are proposed under Stage3and4,allpossibleactions shall be taken at the level of these governments to ensure that the AQI is brought down,” the bench said. The bench, which was hearing a plea seeking directions to enforce measures to check the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 FAREED ZAKARIA AT ADDA BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY AS AUTHORITIES in Manipur grappled with the situation on the ground following a fresh wave of ethnic violence, the Centre decided Monday to send another 50 companies of paramilitaryforces,comprisingmore than 5,000 personnel, to the state to restore order. Union Home Minister Amit Shah,who cancelledhispolitical programmes in poll-bound Maharashtra Sunday to review the Manipur situation, held another meeting Monday with securityofficialsinNorthBlockand directedthatparamilitary forces focus on restoring peace and order in Manipur. HesentCRPF DGAnishDayal Singh, who belongs to the Manipur cadre of the IPS, to Imphal to send a ground assessmentreportandcoordinatewith the forces there, a source said. “Senior officers of the securityforcesarelearnttohavebeen directed to increase the number of securitypersonnelif needbe,” the source said. “Anadditional50companies have been ordered to be rushed to Manipur this week. While 35 units will be drawn from the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Manipur minister Govindas Konthoujam’s residence, which was set on fire, in Bishnupur district, Monday. PTI Centre, state have failed to ensure safety, resolve sincerely: RSS & ABVP DEEPTIMAN TIWARY NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 18 WITH THE situation in Manipur deteriorating, the state unit of the RSS Monday urged the Centreandthestategovernment to “sincerely” resolve the ongoing ethnic conflict at the earliest. The Sangh student wing ABVP went a step further, saying IN MAJOR SHIFT, BIDEN ALLOWS UKRAINE TO USEU.S. ARMSTO STRIKE INSIDE RUSSIA PAGE 10 LIZ MATHEW THE SECOND largest ally of the BJP-led Manipur government, National People’s Party (NPP), Sunday withdrew support to it, citing its failure to “restore normalcy” in the state and expressing “deep concern”. NPP leader and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma speaks to The IndianExpressonthereasonsbehindwithdrawingsupporttothe N Biren Singh government and the way forward. Excerpts: Foreign policy expert, author and CNN news host Fareed Zakaria in conversation with Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express Group, and Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor, at the Express Adda in Mumbai on Monday. Sankhadeep Banerjee Bishnoi’s brother Anmol held in US; FBI and India teams hold talks MAHENDER SINGH MANRAL NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 18 ANMOL BISHNOI, 25, younger brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, was detained in California by the US Immigration Department last week. The Indian Express has learnt thatofficialsoftheFBI’sNewDelhi officemetIndiansecurityofficials anddiscussedthepossibilityofhis deportation/extradition. Sources said the US PAGE 1 ANCHOR Anmol Bishnoi fled to the US on May 15, 2022 Immigration Department found that one of Anmol’s travel documents was forged. “AnmolfledtotheUSonMay 15, 2022 after making a fake passport in the name of one Bhanu. But he was exposed after theUSImmigrationDepartment found that one of the reference letters of a company, attached to his travel documents, was forged,” a source said. Following his detention last Thursday, three FBI officials Fridaymetseniorofficialsof multiple Indian agencies, headed by a senior official of the CBI, to discussAnmol’scasestatus,asource CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Why has the NPP accused the THE EXPRESS INTERVIEW CONRAD SANGMA NPP LEADER & MEGHALAYA CM BJP government of failure in Manipur? The Manipur issue is a complicated issue and, because of historical reasons, things there As campaign ends, Rahul targets PM, BJP: ‘Real poll issue Adani, Dharavi’ Thestategoestothepolls on Wednesday. MUMBAI, NOV 18 Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the CONGRESS LEADER Lok Sabha, drew a link Rahul Gandhi on between the BJP's alMonday targeted Prime DECISION leged proximity to in2024 MinisterNarendraModi dustrialist Gautam MAHARASHTRA over his “ek hain toh safe Adani and the projects hain (together, we are allottedtohiscompany, safe)” poll slogan as the includingtheDharaviredevelopMaharashtra Assembly election mentprojectinMumbai.Hitting campaigndrewtoaclosewithpo- back,therulingpartysaidAdani’s litical parties making a last- growth began when minute push to convince voters. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Sangma: No effective step possible in Manipur without change of guard NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 18 THE WORLD “the state and Central governments have failed to ensure safety and normalcy in Manipur”. It also said that authoritiesbe held accountable for their failure to protect lives. The Manipur Prant of the RSS, in a statement to the press, said, “It is unfortunate that 19 months of violence in Manipur starting from May 3, 2023 has have always been complicated. Obviously,things thathappened in the past have complicated it further. In this violence and law andordersituationlastingabout a year-and-a-half, multiple factors have led to the current situation.Certainactionsandcertain non-actions have aggravated it… of course, you cannot have thecorrectsolutionatthatpoint. It’s very easy to look back and say, ‘You should have done this’. Some efforts were there, but somehow things kept slipping. Nowwehavereachedapoint where things are really out of control. We continue to see law CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 DECISION 2024 ALOK DESHPANDE ● Nagpur South West seat contest: No cakewalk but ‘aayega toh Deva bhau hi’ ● Jharkhand: Poll promises flash in pan, it is always dark in ‘coal capital’ Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at a press conference in Mumbai on Monday. Ganesh Shirsekar PAGES 6 ‘Ragging’ death: Village to medical college, 18-yr-old’s dream cut short RITU SHARMA JESADA (SURENDRANAGAR), NOVEMBER 18 AN INCONSOLABLE mother and a sister who had to be rushed to a hospitaldueto low bloodpressure — similar heartbreaking scenes were witnessed at the Methaniya house on Monday morninginJesada,oneof thelast villages along the Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. An eerie silence gripped the house as relatives gathered to mourn the death of 18-year-old Anil Methaniya, a first-year student at Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society (GMERS) Medical College at Dharpur in Patan. Anil had joinedthecollegeonOctober14, barely a month before his death. Thestudent—whohadscored 550 in NEET without taking any coaching classes — died after he was allegedly ragged by his seniors in his hostel on the interveningnightofNovember16-17.Anil reportedlyfellunconsciouslateon November 16, after he was made to stand for nearly four hours. Besidesbeingbookedforcul- pablehomicidenotamountingto murder, 15 of Anil’s seniors have been suspended by the medical college following a report by its anti-ragging committee. Inspector P J Solanki of Balisana police station told The IndianExpress,“All15second-year students have been arrested.” BackattheMethaniyahouse, the family says Anil was the only student from Jesada, a small village with an estimated population of 5,000 in Dhrangadhra taluka of Surendranagar, who had cracked the tough all-India pre-medical entrance exam. At the home of Anil Methaniya in Gujarat’s Jesada village on Monday. Ritu Sharma The youngest among three siblings, Anil was the only son of Natwarbhai, 56, a farmer, and Gitaben, 53, a home-maker. Anil’selderSheetal,whogotmarriedin2019,completedhergraduation in science and education, while Nidhi is a physiotherapist. “Anil was very excited about Nidhi’s February wedding. He hadpromisedtohelpwithallthe preparations,” says Sheetal, 28. After he finished his primary educationfromaprivateschoolin Dhrangadhra,20kmfromJesada, Anil’s father shifted him to the Vivekananda Science Academy Jaipur Sadhana Vidyalaya in Halvad, nearly 50 km from the village. In Class 9 and 10, Anil lived with his sister Sheetal and brother-in-law Hirenbhai in Dhrangadhra. “He stayed with us for nearly two years. In all that time, he never asked for anything. However, we knew that he was fondoftravellingandlovedpizza. His last trip was to Shimla — the schooltookhimthereinClass11,” says Hirenbhai. While in Class 10, Anil had made up his mind that he wanted to become a doctor, says Gautam Methaniya, 23, his cousin who is an IT professional based in Ahmedabad. “He was a brilliant student. He did not take any coaching classes but he still managed to crack NEET. He scored 550 in NEET and 90.57 percentile in GUJCET (Gujarat Common Entrance Test),” says Gautam. Anil’s father says his hardworking son had just one dream — “to make his family proud”. Natwarbhai says, “If fulfilling his dreamwouldhaverequiredmeto sell my land, I would have done it in a heartbeat. He was absolutely CONTINUED ON PAGE 2