The Editorial Page: In thinking of the good death, what are the lines we ought to draw? 10 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2025 JOURNALISM of COURAgE LUCKNOW, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES ₹6.00 l www.indianexpress.com DA I LY F R O M : A H M E DA B A D , C H A N D I GA R H , D E L H I , J A I P U R , KO L K ATA , L U C K N O W , M U M B A I , N AG P U R , PAT N A , P U N E , VA D O DA R A Happening today lA BREAKfAST MEETING is likely between Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar amid the leadership row. The CM said he invited Shivakumar after the Cong high command asked them to hold a meeting. lA DELHI COURT will take cog- nizance of the ED’s chargesheet in the National Herald case. The judge had reserved the order on November 7. lPOPE LEO will visit Istanbul’s prominent Blue Mosque, his first visit as pope to a Muslim place of worship. He will also attend a Catholic Mass as he continues his West Asia tour. Business as Usual By EP UNNY REfLECTS HARD wORK AND ENTERPRISE Of OUR PEOPLE, SAYS PM GDP growth tops outlook again, records six-quarter high of 8.2% CEA Nageswaran now expects growth to be at least 7% in 2025-26 Siddharth Upasani & Aanchal Magazine New Delhi, November 28 THE ECONOMY continued to expand at a faster-than-anticipated rate in July-September, withGDPgrowthrisingtoasixquarter high of 8.2 per cent on the back of near double-digit growth in the services sector. The manufacturing sector, too, expanded at the fastest pace in six quarters. Economistshadbroadlyexpected that GDP growth would moderate to 7.3 per cent from 7.8percentinApril-June.How- ever, the growth rate unexpectedly rose for the fourth quarter in a row in July-September. “The 8.2% GDP growth in Q2 of 2025-26 is very encouraging. It reflects the impact of our pro-growth policies and reforms. It also reflects the hard work and enterprise of our people. Our government will continue to advance reforms and strengthen Ease of Living for every citizen,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated in a post on X. In a briefing after the data was released, Chief Economic ● ■ DrIvENbYmANufAcTurING,fINANcIAlsErvIcEs Q2 FY25 ■ 7.8 8.2 Q1 FY26 ■ Q2 FY26 (All figures in %) 8.3 8.8 8.7 5.6 7.7 4.1 3.7 3.5 Nominal GDP Agriculture 9.5 7.6 7.2 10.2 7.2 -0.04 -3.10 Mining, quarrying NOTE: GROWTH RATES ARE ON YEAR-ON-YEAR BASIS FOR KEY SECTORS Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran said GDP growth for 202526 as a whole will now be at least 7 per cent. This is an up- 8.4 2.2 -0.40 Real GDP 9.1 Manufacturing Construction SOURCE: MOSPI wardrevisionfromhisprevious forecast of 6.3-6.8 per cent. The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) current growth forecast Financial, Real estate, services for 2025-26 stands at 6.8 per cent. But with second-quarter growthexceedingexpectations »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 RED fORT BLAST TERROR MODULE wOrlD PAGE 12 48 staffers questioned at Al Falah, probe expands to Delhi hospitals Alok Singh New Delhi, November 28 TEN KILLED IN ISRAELI RAID IN SOUTHERN SYRIA KHALEDA ZIA ‘ExTREmELY CRITICAL’: AIDE ExPlAINED PAGE 9 GOOGLE AND NvIDIA’S RIvALRY IN AI CHIPS ALMOST THREE weeks after theblastoutsidetheRedFortin the national capital, investigators have intensified their scrutiny of Faridabad’s Al Falah University, where three of the accused were employed. Officials familiar with the probe told TheIndianExpress that 48 staffmembers,includingabout 30 doctors, have been questioned as agencies attempt to reconstruct Red Fort bomber Umar Nabi’s movements and interactionsinthedaysleading up to the blast. Apart from Nabi, two other members of the now-busted Jaish-e-Mohammed terror module — Pahalgam resident Dr Muzammil Ganai and Lucknow resident Dr Shaheen Shahid Ansari — were working at AlFalah.Theothermembersof the module, who have also been arrested, are Dr Adeel Rather, who was employed at a private hospital in Saharampur, and Kashmir cleric Mufti Irfan Wagay. exclusive FULL REPORT ON WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM Lucknow, November 28 THEUTTARPradeshPlanning Department has directed the heads of all departments against the use of the Aadhaar cardasproofofdateofbirthand asked them to refer to a recent notification issued by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in this regard. The Planning Department, which is the nodal department forimplementingdirectionsrelated to Aadhaar, asked the departments to refer to the letter by UIDAI dated October 31, 2025, which had clarified that “Aadhaar card is not the proof of date of birth”. The development comes amid reports of some departments still considering “Aad- Shubhajit Roy New Delhi, November 28 IN HIS first visit since the Ukraine war began in February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin will undertake a twodayvisittoIndiaonDecember45 for annual summit talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Announcing the visit, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday: “At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President of the Russian Federation H.E. Mr. Vladimir Putin will pay a State visit to India from 04-05 December 2025 for the 23rd IndiaRussia Annual Summit”. The India-Russia bilateral summit at the leaders’ level takes place in each other’s countries every year. Last year, Modi had visited Moscow for the 22nd annual summit; he also went to Kazan, in Russia, for the BRICS leaders summit. Putin last visited India in December 2021. 12 people were killed in the blast near the Red Fort. FILE ‘Don’t accept Aadhaar card as proof of date of birth’: UP govt issues directions to depts Maulshree Seth Will be Russian President’s first visit since Ukraine war began in 2022 Probe agencies reconstruct bomber’s movements in days leading up to blast OnWednesday,theNational highly placed sources, security InvestigationAgencyarresteda agencieshaveinstructedprivate hospitals across ward boy emDelhi to provide ployed at Al Falah ExPrEss records identifyUniversity, identing doctors who ified as Soyab, for earned MBBS deallegedly providgrees in Banglaing logistical supdesh,theUnitedArabEmirates, port to Umar before the attack. Simultaneously,theinvesti- China or Pakistan and are curgation has expanded beyond rently practising in the city. »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 the campus. According to haar card” as the proof of birth, it is learnt. “Deputy Director, UIDAI, Lucknow regional office, in the letter dated October 31, 2025, had informed that Aadhaar CardisnottheproofofBirth.Irrespective of this, some of the departments are still using Aadhaarasproofofbirth.Thus, you are requested to direct all concernedthattheyshouldnot accept Aadhar Card as the proof of Birth,” read the order issued by Amit Singh Singhal, special Secretary Planning, to all the additional chief secretaries,principalsecretariesand secretaries across the state. “This direction had come from UIDAI in the past as well. But now this request has been made again after it came to our »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Putin in India on Dec 4-5 for bilateral summit; defence ties, trade on table »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 PM unveils Ram statue PM Narendra Modi with Goa CM Pramod Sawant after unveiling a 77-foot bronze statue of Lord Ram in South Goa district on Friday. The unveiling was part of the 550th year celebrations of the Shree Samsthan Gokarn Jeevottam Mutt. Earlier in the day, the PM also visited the Sri Krishna Mutt in Karnataka’s Udupi district. PTI PAGE 6 THE BIG PICTURE The teen caught in Kenya doping scandal PAGE 15 NATION PAGE 6 wITH 7 DAYS TO GO, 74% Of S.I.R. fORmS DIGITISED Vladimir Putin last visited India in December 2021. AP E. ExPlAINED Concerns: US tariffs & Russia-China ties Amid the US tariff turmoil, India is in a difficult spot with long-time partner Russia. Energy imports are down but defence sales will likely continue. India and Russia will discuss the situation, at a time Moscow’s ties to Beijing are closer, much to India’s concern. AfTER AfGHAN HELD fOR DC ATTACK Trump vows freeze on migration from ‘3rd world’ nations US directs ‘negative factors’ for 19 high-risk countries; India not on list Yoshita Singh New York, Washington, November 28 US PRESIDENT Donald Trump on Friday said he will “permanentlypause”migrationfromall “third world” countries and deport foreign nationals who are a “securityrisk”,ashisadministration intensified crackdown on immigration in the wake of the killing of a National Guard memberbyanAfghannational. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow said that at Trump’s direction, he has “directed a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern”. The policy guidance is »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 l DEATH OF TEEN BASKETBALL PLAYERS IN HARYANA’S ROHTAK AND BAHADURGARH DISTRICTS 2 lost in basketball court: One family recalls NBA dream, the other those last moments Abhimanyu Hazarika a fallen basketball ring. Thursday was just another day at these sporting venues, just 65 km apart in Haryana, AT THE Lakhan Majra sports with the bustle and shouts manursery near the government sking the horror that unfolded girls’ college in Rohtak, a group here over the past week. On Tuesday, Hardik Rathi, of children were busy practising track and field routines as a 16-year-old national-level player died at the their athletics sportsnurseryaftera coaches looked on. PAGE 1 basketball post with At the Shaheed the hoop and ring Brigadier Hoshiyar collapsed into his SinghstadiuminBahadurgarh, another group of chest as he attempted a dunk. children played tennis-ball Justtwodaysearlier,attheShacricket, their jackets piled over heed Brigadier Hoshiyar Singh Rohtak, Bahadurgarh, November 28 anchor stadium, another basketball pole fell on 15-year-old Aman leading to serious injuries and his death a day later. Boththefallenpoles,visibly rusted,remainonthegroundas grim reminders — even today. The dunk was Hardik's favourite move, his uncle Sunil Rathi said, adding that “he lookeduptoLeBronJamesand wanted to reach his level at the NBA”. According to Sunil, Hardik had fever that morning “but he still went to practice for an upcoming national-level tournament in December in The basketball post that collapsed on Hardik Rathi, 16, in Rohtak district’s Lakhan Mazra village; and (right) the family of Aman, 15, who died in a similar accident, in Bahadurgarh. GAJENDRA YADAV Mumbai”. “He has inspired at least 30 boys from the village to take up sports. Hardik's younger brother Pratik (12) is also a national-level player. He is still not able to process what happened and has gone very quiet,” Sunil said. “It was at my home, close to Hardik's, that we installed a steel basketball hoop on one of thewallsinthecourtyard.Once he began taking up the sport seriously, he would practice dunks at the hoop that has now gone slightly crooked as a result,” the uncle said. Jagbir Singh (64), one of Hardik's first coaches who continued to mentor him, said he was a very “potent” player. “He would practice day and night,upto10hours.Hisfather spentlakhsontrainingbothhis children,andwasveryproudof them. Hardik would dunk reallywell.Hehadagoodjump, and he was also tall (about 6”2’),” the coach said. At the home of Aman, meanwhile, the talk is not about basketball but of those final moments of despair. »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Lucknow