DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2024, KOLKATA, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES 103-SEAT SURVEY IN OCTOBER SHOWED MAHAYUTI REVIVAL Disquiet in Cong over EVM blame, leaders cite survey that party was losing LS gains 82% of over 57,000 surveyed said Ladki Bahin beneficiary in family... Blaming EVMs suits some: Cong leader MANOJ C G NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 28 THERE IS a disquiet in a section of the Congress over the vocal “blame-the-EVM”campaignthe party leadership has started after its back-to-back defeats in Haryana and Maharashtra, two states where the BJP had sufferedsetbacksinLokSabhapolls just five months ago. Many leaders have told The Indian Express that the Maharashtra defeat shouldn’t havecomeasabigshock—given that internal surveys carried out in the run-up to the November 20 elections in Maharashtra showed that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), of which the Congress is a part, could find it difficulttosustainthegainsmade intheLokSabhaelectionsinJune. These surveys clearly indicated that the Ladki Bahin Yojanaof theEknathShindegov- ernment was gaining traction. Indeed, a survey conducted in as many as 103 seats in October,lessthanfourweeksbefore polling, showed that the MVA was losing the advantage it got in the Lok Sabha elections. According to this survey, accessed by The Indian Express, of the103“strongMVAseats,”MVA was ahead in only 44 as compared to the 54 it was ahead in during the Lok Sabha election. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 J P Nadda, Ajit Pawar, Amit Shah, Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis in New Delhi, Thursday. Express POINTING OUT that there were several instances of desecration of Hindu temples and deities in Bangladesh over the past few months, the Indian government toldParliamentonThursdaythat it was Dhaka’s responsibility to protect the lives and liberty of all its citizens, including minorities. Meanwhile, former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina condemned the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das on sedition charges and demanded his immediate release, saying the government must ensure religious freedom and security of life and property for all communities. Hasina, who was ousted on August 5 after a mass protest againsthergovernment,alsodemanded punishment for those involved in the murder of a lawyer in Chattogram, and said the “unconstitutional” government led by Muhammad Yunus had failed to provide security to common people, according to a statementintheBengalilanguage posted on the party’s X account. EXPLAINED NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 28 E ● “A top leader of the Sanatan religious community has been unjustly arrested, he must be releasedimmediately,”Hasinasaid. She said a temple had been burnt in Chattogram, and recalled that mosques, shrines, churches, monasteries and homes of the Ahmadiyya community were attacked, vandalised, looted and set on fire in the past. In New Delhi, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh told Rajya Sabha: “Severalincidentsof desecration CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Mamata condemns arrest of monk: ‘Our role limited... will back Centre’s decision’ ATRI MITRA West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee KOLKATA, NOVEMBER 28 CONDEMNING THE arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das in Bangladesh, West Bengal Chief MinisterMamataBanerjee on Thursday said that she would support whatever decision the Centre takes on the issue. “Attacks on any religion are condemnable. We always condemn that. I spoke with the ISKCON head of West Bengal twice after the incident. But it is aninternationalmatter.Wecan’t interfere with the Centre’s decision… but we can condemn this attack,” the Chief Minister said in the Assembly during a discussion on the Centre's move to bring a Waqf Amendment Bill. Speaking to mediapersons after returning from Ranchi, PAGE 1 ANCHOR ANANTHAKRISHNAN G WEST BENGAL CM HEMANT SOREN AGAIN JMM leader Hemant Soren took oath as the 14th Chief Minister of Jharkhand in Ranchi on Thursday. This will be his fourth stint as Chief Minister. PTI RELATEDREPORTS,P7 MAMATA SLAMS WAQF BILL: CENTRE TRYING TO SNATCH RIGHTS OF MUSLIMS PAGE 3 Lothal pit collapse: No ASI nod sought, trench dug within prohibited limits BRENDAN DABHI & RITU SHARMA LOTHAL, AHMEDABAD, NOVEMBER 28 BEHIND WEDNESDAY’S tragedy near the Harappan site of Lothal — where a researcher from IIT Delhi was killed when a trench she was working in collapsed on her — are a series of missteps. To begin with, the joint team of IIT Delhi and IIT Gandhinagar, which was carrying out a soil sample survey, hadn’t kept the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in the loop. Two, the dig was carried out within the 100metre prohibited limit of an ASIprotected site. And three, the researchers allegedly got an excavator working on a road BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY Surabhi Verma Relatives of the victim with ASI officials in Lothal. Bhupendra Rana project nearby to dig a 12-footdeep trench without anticipating the high water levels in the soil. The four researchers – two CONTINUEDONPAGE2 ‘Spurious’ drugs: Panel gives clean chit year after L-G sought CBI probe NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 28 CHINA SUSPENDS TOP MILITARY OFFICIAL PAGE 12 from IIT-Delhi and two from IITGandhinagar – were at the site on Wednesday morning to collect soil samples as part of their ongoingresearchintotheimpact of climate change on the Indus Valley civilisation when the trench collapsed, burying Surabhi Verma, a 23-year old PhD student from IIT-Delhi, and her Associate Professor Yama Dixit,whowasleadingthestudy. While Verma could not be rescued on time, Professor Dixit was pulled out by the first responders. While Verma and Prof Dixit are from the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences (CAS) at DELHI GOVT HOSPITALS, MOHALLA CLINICS ANKITA UPADHYAY CONTINUEDONPAGE2 PAGE 5 CJI likely to hear; Masjid panel says keep survey report sealed CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 where she attended Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s swearing-in ceremony, the TMC chief said that Das’s arrest in Bangladeshwas“shocking”.“We are sad, shocked. None of us are endorsing the incident. Our role is very limited. Because we are different countries. This can be donebytheGovernmentof India talking to the Government of Bangladesh...Regardingexternal RELATED REPORTS Supreme Court to hear petition today against Sambhal mosque survey THEMANAGEMENTCommittee of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal has approached the Supreme Court challenging the order of the Civil Judge (Senior Division) allowing survey of the Mughal-era mosque which Hindus claim was built by destroying a Hindu temple. AbenchofChiefJusticeSanjiv KhannaandJusticeSanjayKumar is likely to hear on Friday the Special Leave Petition which, amongothers,seeksex-parteadinterim stay on the operation of theNovember19trialcourtorder. Damage in ties THE ARREST of a Hindu monk and denial of bail has prompted New Delhi to once again express concern about the safety of Hindus in Bangladesh. Earlier, PM Modi too had spoken to Mohammad Yunus and raised the issue of attacks on temples and protection of minorities. ‘HOT HASTE…THREATENS NATION’S FABRIC’ NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 28 Bangla responsibility to protect minorities, India underlines; Hasina calls for Hindu monk release SHUBHAJIT ROY & DAMINI NATH `6.00 (`12 IN NORTH EAST STATES, `17 IN ANDAMAN) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 NEARLY A year after LieutenantGovernor (L-G) V K Saxena recommended a CBI probe into the procurement and supply of allegedly“spurious”and“substandard” drugs in Delhi’s government hospitals and mohalla clinics, an internal inquiry committeeof theDirectorateGeneral of Health Services (DGHS) has found “no wrongdoing” under the provision of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, on the part of Central Procurement Agency (CPA) and DGHS officials, government officials, vendors and firms. As per a report submitted by Rajiv Bhargava, Assistant Drug Controller, Drugs Control Department, to the DGHS committee,teamsfromtheVigilance and Drug Control Departments had visited government hospi- talsacrossDelhibetweenJuly24 and 26 this year to collect 43 samples, which were sent to government and private laboratories for testing. The report states that these drug samples were not found to be “substandard” or “spurious”, as alleged in a complaint to the Delhi government’s Vigilance Department. A Delhi Health Department official told The Indian Express, “The DGHS report shows that CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Behind faultline: Murder in 1976, breakdown of trust, role of a mahant DEEPTIMAN TIWARY SAMBHAL, NOVEMBER 28 SITTINGUNDERdimlightsinthe main foyer of the Kaila Devi Temple, Mahant Rishiraj Giri reads out a poem: “Paanch sadi se jama rakt jab sholay ban kar khaulega, Babar bhi tab kabr se uth kar Harihar, Harihar bolega (When the frozen blood of five centuries comes to a boil, even Babarwillrisefromhisgraveand chant ‘Harihar, Harihar’).” Giri’s followers, mostly from theYadavcommunity,nodinappreciation. His Uttar Pradesh Police security detail joins in. It is at this temple, around 25 Mahant Rishiraj Giri km from Sambhal city, that the November 19 court petition claiming Hindu right over the city’s Jama Masjid was conceived. According to Hari Shankar Jain, petitioner no. 1 in the case, Giri approached him over a year ago saying there had once been a Harihar Temple where the mosque stands today. “The Mahant gave me some CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Defacing signboard, Trump havan: Meet Ajmer petitioner HAMZA KHAN Hindu Sena president Vishnu Gupta JAIPUR, NOVEMBER 28 HINDU SENA president Vishnu Gupta,whosepetitionaskingfor a survey of the Ajmer Sharif Dargah was admitted by a local courtonWednesday,runsanorganisation that has in the past been linked to the defacement of signboards in the national capital, holding a havan for Donald Trump’s victory, the assault of Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan, and the targetingof AIMIMchief Asaduddin Owaisi’s Delhi residence. On Wednesday, the court issued notices to the Ministry of Minority Affairs, the Archaeological Survey of India, and the Ajmer Dargah Committee, and listedthematterforDecember20. Gupta, 40, was born in Etah, Uttar Pradesh, and moved to Delhi at a young age. He joined the Shiv Sena’s youth wing as a student, and became part of the Bajrang Dal in 2008. In 2011, he and some others founded the Hindu Sena, an organisation that he claims has “lakhs of members” now, with unitsin“almostallpartsof India”. On its website, the Hindu Sena says it “aims to oppose the Islamisation in any form, Sharia law implementation, love jihad CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 4 doctors booked for ‘failing to diagnose’ genetic disorders SHAJU PHILIP THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, NOVEMBER 28 POLICE IN Kerala’s Alappuzha have registered a case against fourdoctorsfortheirallegedfailuretodiagnosegeneticdisorders of a newborn before the baby’s birth. The case was registered on November 26, based on a complaintfromthenewborn’sfather. Two of the accused were identified as Pushpa and Sherli, both doctors with the Women and Children Hospital, Alappuzha. The two others were unnamed doctors with private diagnostic laboratories – Midas Health Care and Scanning LaboratoryandShankar'sHealth Scans and Diagnostic. The FIR was registered under BNS sections 125 and 125b, which deal with rash and negligent acts that endanger human life or personal safety. The Health Department has ordered a departmental inquiry by the Additional Director of Health Services into the allegation that the doctors had failed todiagnosethegeneticdisorders while the baby was in the womb and disclose it to the parents. Addressing the media on Thursday, the mother of the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 17 yrs after woman informer’s ‘custodial death’, kin still fight for justice CHANDAN HAYGUNDE (BURUDGAON) AHILYANAGAR, NOVEMBER 28 WHEN HIS mother Suman Gajanan Kale, a 50-year-old socialactivistfromthePardhitribe, didn’t return home hours after she was allegedly picked by the police in Burudgaon village in Maharashtra’sAhilyanagar(then Ahmednagar) district in May 2007, Saheba, then 22, set off towards the local police superintendent'sofficeto ask what happened. What he eventually discovered was shocking — Suman had died in police cus- tody, allegedly after being tortured. Seventeen years later, the wheels of justice continue to turn slowly. Charges in the case have yet to be framed and trial has yet to begin. After years of pushing, Suman’s family finally saw some progress last month, when the Maharashtra government appointed advocate Prakash Salsingikar as special public prosecutor (SPP). ButwhentheSPPwenttothe Ahmednagar court for a hearing on November 19, he found that there wasn’t a single policeman from the state’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) – the unit probing the case -there to assist him. On their part, both district police and the CID claim that the activist died by suicide after consuming poison — although the latter maintains that it was custodial ‘torture’ that prompted her to take that action. But Suman’s family denies the claim, saying they were now fighting in two fronts — a legal battle against the cops accused of causing her death and the “apathy” of the CID, which they claim is delaying trial in the case. Once considered huntergatherers, the Pardhi tribe, to Suman Ganjan Kale’s son Saheba holds up photos of 'Atmasamarpan Melava’, in which Suman is seen being felicitated by police officers. Chandan Haygunde whichSumanandherfamilybelonged, had been notified as a ‘criminal tribe’ under the CriminalTribesAct(CTA)of 1871 under colonial rule. In 1949, the government of the newly independent India repealed the CTA and in 1952, denotified several ‘criminal tribes’, including the Pardhis, but the stigma stuck, with the community being amongthemostmarginalisedin the country. Backinhisgreyingtwo-room house, Suman’s brother Girish Chavan holds up an old photo of Sumanbeingfelicitatedbyasenior police officer. The photo is already fading, with parts of it, in- cluding half of Suman’s face, peeling and discoloured. The photo is from an 'Atmasamarpan Melava’ – or a surrenderrally–ChavantellsThe Indian Express. Keen on helping the tribe shed its ‘criminal tag’, Suman had helped several from the tribe “give up” their life of crime and surrender before the police, even earning accolades for her work. “She felt bad when innocent people were picked up by the police and started helping cops arrest only those who were actually involved in crimes. This is how she became a police informer,” says Chavan. What happened that day According to Saheba, his mother was picked up on the morning of May 12, 2007. She kept asking what she had done wrong, he says. When he went to the local SP office the next day, he allegedly found that his mother had been detained in connection with a dacoity case. “I came to know that police detained my mother illegally on the basis of a false statement given by a woman (they identified as) Astari Chavan, arrested in a dacoity case… Soon, we were told she had taken poison CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Kolkata