DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, PATNA, VADODARA ● REG.NO. MCS/067/2018 - 20 RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE SATURDAY, AUGUST 9, 2025, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES `5.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 LOOK FORWARD TO HOSTING PUTIN LATER THIS YEAR: PM 09/08/2025 72 100 122 ModiandPutindiscussdeepeningties amidrowoverTrumptariffonRussiaoil BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY Xi and Putin too hold talks, China welcomes Modi’s likely visit to SCO summit in Tianjin No govt directive on Russian oil, free to scout for alternatives if not feasible: HPCL DIVYA A & SHUBHAJIT ROY 64 SUKALP SHARMA AMID THE tension in ties with the US after President Donald Trump doubled the tariff on Indiaoveritspurchaseof Russian oil, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation Friday during which they discussed“thelatestdevelopments on Ukraine” and “reaffirmed our commitment to further deepen the India-Russia Special and PrivilegedStrategicPartnership”. Modi said he looked forward to hosting Putin in India later this year. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who travelled to Moscow this week and met Putin, had also said that the President would be visiting India. The Kremlin, meanwhile, issued a statement indicating a likely meeting between Putin and Trump next week over the war in Ukraine. TheModi-Putinconversation tookplacethreedaysafterRussia criticised Trump’s tariff action and backed India’s right to choose its trading partners. “Sovereign countries have the right to choose their own trading partners,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. PUBLIC SECTOR refiner Hindustan Petroleum Corporation has cut down on processing Russian oil as it has lost much of its price advantage over competing crude grades, and not because of geopolitical considerationsoranysignalfrom thegovernment,accordingtothe company’s chairman and managing director Vikas Kaushal. Inapost-earningsanalystcall, Kaushal said while HPCL has not received any directive so far from the government on import of Russian crude, the refiner is free to look at alternatives if it were to completely stop buying Russian crude in the future due to any sanctions-related reason. Russian crude’s share in crudeoilprocessedbyHPCLcontracted significantly to 13.2 per cent in the quarter ended June 30, primarily due to lower discounts hitting the competitivenessof Moscow’sbarrels,according to the HPCL chairman. Accordingtoarecentreportby brokerage firm Nomura, the implied discount on Russian crude oil for Indian refiners was estimatedtohavedeclinedtoaround $2.2 per barrel in 2024-25 from over $12 per barrel in 2022-23. NEW DELHI, AUGUST 8 Asif Qureshi was stabbed to death PRAGYNESH NEW DELHI, AUGUST 8 A BUSINESSMAN and cousin of Bollywood actor Huma Qureshi was stabbed to death during an altercationwithneighboursover a two-wheeler parked outside his home in southeast Delhi, the police said. According to police, Asif Qureshi (42) was stabbed with a “punch needle”, a tool used in embroidery, allegedly by Gautam during the altercation that also involved the main accused’sbrotherUjjwalaround10 pm on Thursday at Bazaar Lane in Bhogal. DCP (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said, “Asif requested Ujjwal to move his scooter, but the accused did not pay any heed. When Asif asked again, Ujjwal got aggressive, and started hurling abuses and threatening the victim. Seconds later, he started beating Asif while calling out to his younger brother,Gautam,tocomedownstairs and kill him (Asif).” Both the accused have been arrested, the DCP said. Asif was a meat supplier for localrestaurants.Hisfatheristhe brotherof Huma’sfatherSaleem Qureshi who is the founder of Saleem’s restaurant. Asif's brotherJavedrunstheAlQuresh eatery, founded by their father, in Nizamuddin. Huma’s father demanded CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 INSIDE CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 RAVI DUTTA MISHRA NEW DELHI, AUGUST 8 NEGOTIATIONSBETWEENIndia andtheUSforatradeagreement have hit a pause, a government official told The Indian Express Friday. This comes two days after US President Donald Trump escalated trade tensions betweenthetwocountriesbydoubling tariffs on India to 50 per cent, the highest globally. “Formal talks for a trade agreement have paused, pend- ingapoliticalresolution.Thediscussion is no longer in the realm of commercial negotiations. The arrivalof theUStradeteamisuncertain, as no formal communication has been received from the US side,” the official said. The pause in talks, after months of discussion, comes after New Delhi decided to dig in itsheelsovermarketaccessinthe agricultural sector. Allowing geneticallymodified(GM)products isagainstIndia’sprinciple,agovernmentofficialsaidlastmonth. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 E ● Delhi and Beijing’s firm stand INDIA AND China have taken firm positions on their purchase of Russian oil, saying it is in the national interest of each. This has angered the West, especially the US which has added another 25% tariff on India, raising it to a total of 50%. ALOKDESHPANDE MANISH KUMAR PATHAK MUMBAI, AUGUST 8 IN A major crackdown on illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), the police on Thursday deported 112 people — 92 from Mumbai, and 20 from MiraBhayander and Thane. As per documents accessed by The Indian Express, while the immigrants were taken to Pune on Wednesday, they were later transported to the AssamBangladesh border in a special Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft on Thursday, where they were handed over to the security forces of Bangladesh. With the deportation of 92 immigrants from Mumbai on Thursday, the total number of deportations from the city alone has climbed to 719 this year, said a senior police officer. By comparison, a total of 152 Bangladeshi nationals were CONTINUEDONPAGE2 MUMBAI,AUGUST8 TAKING NOTE of law and order issues created by “private individuals” over the transportation of legally allowed animals, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar has asked the police top brass to direct district police heads to prevent such persons from inspecting vehicles transporting livestock. Pawar’s instruction followed a meeting between him and a delegation of the Qureshi com- Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar munityWednesday,wherestate DGP Rashmi Shukla and Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, among other officials, were present. “The Qureshi community is traditionally associated with the meat trade and is a part of Maharashtra’sagriculture-based economy.Therefore,noinjustice EXPRESS INVESTIGATION: TELANGANA SNOOPING - PART 3 Day after BRS lost power, ‘CCTVs switched off for 1 hr, snooping hard disks destroyed’ HYDERABAD, AUGUST 8 PAGE 10 Trade talks hit pause, arrival in India of US negotiators uncertain CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Apex court deletes its remarks against Allahabad HC judge after CJI intervenes Didn’t intend to embarrass, wanted to ensure dignity of judiciary: Bench ANANTHAKRISHNAN G NEW DELHI, AUGUST 8 THE SUPREME Court Friday recalled parts of its August 4 order directing that a judge of the AllahabadHighCourtshouldnot beassignedanycriminalcasefor hearinguntilhisretirement,saying “our intention was not to causeembarrassmentorcastaspersions” on the judge. The August 4 order criticised the judge for permitting criminal prosecution in what the top court said was essentially a civil dispute. The bench of Justices J B PardiwalaandRMahadevansaid after the August 4 order, it had “received an undated letter from... the Chief Justice of India (B R Gavai) requesting us to reconsiderthedirectionsissuedby us in paras 25 and 26 respectively of our order” and in view of this, asked the Registry to renotify the primary matter to consider the request. Thebenchsaiditwasdeleting theparagraphsconcernedindeference to the request of the CJI. Recalling the paragraphs of its order, the bench said, “We would not even think of doing so. However, when matters cross a threshold and the dignity of the institution is imperilled, it becomes the constitutional responsibility of this court to intervene even when acting under its appellate jurisdiction under Article 136 of the Constitution.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 112 illegal Bangladeshi Stop cow vigilantes from checking Govt withdraws I-T livestock vehicles, Ajit tells police Bill, revised version nationals deported from Mumbai MMR NIKHILAHENRY TAMIL NADU STICKS TO TWO-LANGUAGE FORMULA IN POLICY Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting of the Security Council, Friday. The Kremlin indicated a likely meeting between Putin and US President Donald Trump next week. PTI EXPLAINED Actor Huma Qureshi’s cousin killed over parking dispute, two arrested NEW DELHI, AUGUST 8 ON THE night of December 4, 2023, for the one hour between 8.34pmand9.34pm,CCTVcamerasatTelangana’spremierintelligence organisation, the Special IntelligenceBranch(SIB),wereallegedly turned off, a probe by Hyderabad police has revealed. During this time, 62 hard disks were allegedly destroyed — cut, GOVT & POLITICS HAND OVER PROBE TO CBI: UNION MINISTER PAGE 7 ground to bits and thrown into a river — in an anteroom at the Hyderabad office, investigators probingtheTelanganaillegalsurveillance case have told The Indian Express. As reported by The Indian Express, the state police is currently probing allegations that fivetoppoliceandintelligenceofficers and a TV channel operator indulgedinillegalsurveillanceof 600 individuals — using the state’s anti-Naxal surveillance mechanisms—tobenefittheBRS. Those allegedly snooped on includedpoliticians,partyworkers, bureaucrats, businessmen, a sitting High Court judge, as well astheirspouses,driversandeven childhood friends, it is learnt. On Friday, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and BJP leader Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who is allegedly among those surveilled, deposed before Hyderabad police in connection CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 will be allowed to be done to the traders of this community and the farmers who transport animals,” Pawar said at the meeting as per an official statement from the Deputy CM’s office. In a memorandum of demands submitted to Pawar, the Qureshi community delegation demanded a ban on illegal gau rakshaks(cowvigilantes),protection for transporting legally allowed animals, withdrawal of false cases, and a reduction in restrictions on transport licences. The delegation, while raising the issue of “harassment” of to be tabled Monday CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha, Friday. PTI BIG PICTURE PAGE 13 Because he loves to bowl MohammadSiraj,whose scrambledbowlingledIndia toafamousseries-levelling wininEngland AANCHAL MAGAZINE & LIZ MATHEW NEW DELHI, AUGUST 8 WEEKSAFTERthesubmissionof areportbytheSelectCommittee of Parliament on July 21, Finance MinisterNirmalaSitharamanon Friday withdrew the new Income-Tax Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha. A “fresh Bill”, incorporating changes recommended by thecommitteeaswellasamendments suggested by “other sources”, is likely to be introducedonAugust11,sourcessaid. TheneedtowithdrawtheBill arose as it was felt that the new legislationhadsomedraftinger- rors, going beyond the changes recommended by the 31-membercommitteeheadedbysenior BJP leader Baijayant Panda. The changes to the Bill have already been cleared by the Cabinet. “OncetheBillisintroducedin Lok Sabha, it will be taken up for consideration and passage. AlthoughtheGovernmentwants to discuss the Bill in both the Houses, it depends on the Opposition whether it wants to have the discussions on such a Bill that has far reaching effects,” said a ruling party leader who waspartoftheSelectCommittee. TheMonsoonsessionhaswitnessed multiple adjournments CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Year after R G Kar, protest leaders mired in legal, professional troubles PAGE 1 ANCHOR SWEETY KUMARI & ATRI MITRA KOLKATA, AUGUST 8 A YEAR on from the rape and murder of their colleague inside R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, the junior doctorswholedtheagitationfor justice and reform have faced legal, professional and financial troubles — with the latest police summonsdeliveredtothemearlier this week. The protests following the August 9, 2024, incident had led to a wave of support for the doctors from across West Bengal and the country. However, prominentleadersof theprotest, such as doctors Aniket Mahato, Ashfaqulla Naiya, Kinjal Nanda, and Debashis Halder, have had to deal with FIRs, court battles, and transfers. Following their initial hospital allocations, Mahato, Naiya, and Halder were transferred to new facilities. Mahato was transferred to Raigunj Government Medical College and Hospital in Uttar Dinajpur, Naiya to Deben Mahato Government Medical College, and Hospital in Purulia, and Halder to Gazole Rural Hospital in Malda. Thethreedoctorschallenged thesetransfersincourt,claiming they were punitive and retaliatory and that they were being punished for their roles in the protests. They said the transfers occurred just three months after their original postings in February, which had placed Aniket Mahato and Ashfaqulla Naiya, prominent figures in the junior doctors’ protests, now face FIRs and transfers. File Halder in Howrah, Mahato in Hooghly, and Naiya in Kolkata. Thecaseagainstthetransfers are pending at the Calcutta High Court.Thegovernmenthasdenied the claim that the transfers were relatedtotheRGKarprotestsand saidtheywereroutinemoves. Aniket Mahato said that he hasnotjoinedhisposting,which is in a remote part of North Dinajpur, and with the case pending in court, he has not received a salary for months. The doctors have also had FIRsfiledagainsttheminconnection with the protests, including those under charges of unlawful assembly and “causing grievous hurt to police personnel”. Earlier this year, Ashfaqulla Naiya’s residence was searched by police following a complaint regarding his degree. A few days after that, the West Bengal Medical Council wrote to the R G Kar principal asking if Kinjal Nandahadtakenpermissionbefore he acted in films. The body also sought details about Nanda’s service record, including his allowance, working hours, among other details. Mahato said, “Legally, we are fightingthenotices.Overthelast year, we have faced many difficulties. I haven’t been able to practise medicine. I am sitting idle, not drawing a salary. Since April,Ihavebeenoff duty… This has also affected me mentally.” “Wehadnointentiontojump into politics. But I am firm that I willcontinuemyfightagainstinjustice.Myfamilyhasneverpressured me, but they have been concerned,” Mahato said. The agitation demanding justiceforthejuniordoctor,who was raped and murdered, and CONTINUED ON PAGE 2