The Editorial Page: Party-state is marching into public universities. There is no one to say no 10 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2025 JOURNALISM of COURAGE AHMEDABAD, LATE CITY, 22 PAGES ₹5.00 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 If USTR SATISfIED WITH OffER, SHOULD SIGN ON DOTTED LINES: GOYAL MINISTRY Of Statistics and Programme Implementation to release Consumer Price Index inflation data for November at 4 pm. Economists expect CPI inflation to have risen to around 0.7% from October’s record-low of 0.25%. This would be the 10th month in a row of inflation being lower than the RBI’s mediumterm target of 4%. ● fORMER TELANGANA Special Intelligence Bureau chief T Prabhakar Rao has been asked by the SC to surrender by 11 am for further investigation in the phone-tapping case. ● ● PRESIDENT DROUPADI Murmu, who is on a visit to Manipur, will pay floral tributes at the Nupi Lan Memorial Complex. Nupi Lan (women's war) refers to two movements in 1904 and 1939 led by women, protesting British economic policies. Amid trade talks, PM speaks to Trump, says will work together Discuss importance of sustaining momentum in bid to enhance trade Ravi Dutta Mishra & Shubhajit Roy New Delhi, December 11 AS THE two-day talks between the Indian and US trade teams in New Delhi drew to a close Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in the evening that he spoke with US President Donald Trump and they reviewed the progress of the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and discussed, among other is- Very warm and engaging conversation with Trump: Modi. FILE administrationimposed50per cent tariffs on India – they last spoke on October 22 when TrumpcalledModitogreethim on Diwali. “We talked about trade... He’s very interested in »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra in Thai police custody in Phuket. ANI Pavneet Singh Chadha & Nirbhay Thakur Panaji, New Delhi, December 11 ● KERALA CM Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the sixth edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale art festival. “The 110-day international exhibition features works by 66 artists/ collectives from 25 countries," Kochi Biennale Foundation said. SAURABH LUTHRA and Gaurav Luthra, who ran the North Goa nightclub Birch by Romeo Lane where a fire killed 25 people on December 6, were detainedinThailandThursday, based on a request from Indian law enforcement agencies. The process to deport the brothers to India has been initiated. Sources in Goa Police said the fugitive brothers were detainedfromahotelinPatongin Phuket Thursday early morning by the Royal Thai Police. The Luthras had boarded a flight from Delhi to Phuket at 36-YR-OLD DIED IN MARCH 2021 Pay Rs 10 lakh to kin of man who died in police custody: NHRC to UP Govt TRACK THESE AND MORE ON WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM Business as Usual By EP UNNY Neetika Jha Noida, December 11 wOrLD sues,theimportanceofsustainingmomentumintheeffortsto enhance bilateral trade. “Had a very warm and engagingconversationwithPresident Trump. We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for globalpeace,stabilityandprosperity,” Modi said on X. This was their third phone conversation since the Trump that,” Trump had said then. Following the phone conversation Thursday, a statementfromthePrimeMinister’s Office said “both leaders reviewed the steady progress in India-USbilateralrelationsand exchanged views on key regional and global developments”. The two leaders, according tothestatement,reiteratedthat India and the US will continue to work closely together to advance global peace, stability and prosperity. Government sources said the leaders expressed satisfaction at the steady Goa club owners who fled hours after deadly blaze held in Thailand PAGE 19 PAk cOURT SENDS Ex-ISI cHIEf TO jAIL fOR 14 yEARS U.S. cLEARS SALE Of TEcH AND SUPPORT fOR f-16 jETS TO PAk THE NATIONAL Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has ordered the Uttar Pradesh government to pay Rs 10 lakh as compensation within four weeks and submit proof of paymenttothe family of Ziauddin, a 36-year-old man who died in March 2021 after he was allegedly tortured in police custody in Ambedkar Nagar. The Commission also criticised the UP police for “deliberatelyconcealingfacts”andfailing to provide a credible explanation for multiple injuries found on the deceased. Initsorderwhichwasmade public Wednesday, the NHRC notedtherewasnodoubtabout the issue that the man was brought by the police to the police station and as per the postmortem report, there were eight injury marks on his body. “However,thereportissilentas to how and when the deceased would have sustained the said injury marks, more particu- larly, no justification about the nature of injuries while he was in custody of the police,” it stated. The order came after the Commission dismissed the state government’s reply to a show-cause notice and upheld itsearlierfindingthatZiauddin had died in police custody. “In absence of any material before this commission, this commission cannot come to a conclusive conclusion that the death of the deceased did not occur while in the police custody and now to save the skin, the police have given such a report to cover the mischief done by it while endorsing the reply byDeputySecretary,HomeDepartment, Government of UP,” the order stated. According to the complaint filed by Ziauddin’s brother, Shahabuddin, his brother was picked up by a police SWAT team headed by Sub-Inspector DevendraPalonMarch25,2021 while he was on his way to a relative’shome.Hourslater,the »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 KARNATAKA HOME Minister G Parameshwara said Thursday that the Congress government was taking “decisive action” in drug-related offences andwaspreparedtotakestrong steps, including bulldozing the homes of drug peddlers. Responding to a question by MLC K Abdul Jabbar during the Winter Session of the Karnataka Legislature here, Parameshwarasaid,“Alotofforeign nationals, many of them from African countries, have been caught smuggling and peddling drugs. We don't know howtheybringitinorsupplyit. We are monitoring their movements and have also identified the landlords who have rented houses to these people. We are prepared to go to the extent of bulldozing even the homes wherethedrugpeddlersliveon rent.” Theministersaidabout300 foreign nationals arrested for peddling drugs had been deported in the last two years. While for the past several years, the Opposition has criticised BJP-led governments in various states over “bulldozer justice”, this is one of the first »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 REVISION Of ELECTORAL ROLLS Poll panel extends SIR deadline in five states and one UT Damini Nath New Delhi, December 11 Remembering Dharmendra Actor-BJP MP Hema Malini held a prayer meeting in New Delhi on Thursday in memory of her husband, Dharmendra, who died last month. Also seen are daughters Esha Deol, Ahana Deol. ANIL SHARMA PAGE 14 Now, Cong Govt in Karnataka warns PLEA fOR PASSIVE EUTHANASIA ‘Have to do something’: SC wants board of bulldozer action in drug cases to examine man comatose for 13 years Kiran Parashar Belagavi, December 11 5.30 am on December 7, hours after the midnight incident. According to the Goa police investigation, the duo booked the tickets at 1.17 am on December 7 to flee the country, within 90 minutes of the blaze. The technical fire safety incident report of the Fire Department found that information regarding a fire outbreak at the premises was received by the firecontrolroomat11.45pmon December 6. Police said the Luthrabrotherswereattending aweddinginDelhionthenight of the incident, when a club staff member informed them about the blaze. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said Saurabh and Express News Service New Delhi, December 11 THE SUPREME Court has asked the Director of AIIMS, New Delhi, to set up a secondarymedicalboardtoexaminea 32-year-old man who has been in a vegetative state for the last 13 years so that the court can take a decision on his father’s plea to allow passive euthanasia for his son. A Bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan asked for the report to be submitted by December 17, and fixed the next hearing for December 18. “We will have to do something now. We can’t allow him to live like this. That’s for sure,” Justice Pardiwala said Thursday. On November 26, the court had asked the Noida Sector 39 district hospital to constitute a primary medical board to examine the patient, Harish Rana, to decide on his father Ashok Rana’s plea for permission to withdraw the »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 FOR THE second time since Octoberwhenitannouncedthe schedule for the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, the Election Commission Thursday extended the deadline for electors in five states — Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and UttarPradesh—andtheUnion Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands to submit enumeration forms in the ongoing exercise by three to 14 days. Thursday was scheduled to be the last day of enumeration of electors in the SIR for eight states and three UTs, while Kerala had earlier been given an extension until December 18. The draft electoral roll for all states and UTs, except for Kerala, was scheduled to be publishedonDecember16.Kerala’s draft roll will be published on December 23. In a statement, the EC said it had revised the schedule “basedontherequestsreceived from the Chief Electoral Officers of the 6 states/UT”. However, in another statement Thursday, EC data showed that in five of the six states/UT, enumeration work »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 l Theschedule n Enumeration form submission deadline n Draft roll publication date STATES/UTs Goa, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Dec 11 Dec 16 Rajasthan and West Bengal Tamil Nadu, Gujarat Dec 14 Dec 19 Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Dec 18 Dec 23 Andaman & Nicobar, Kerala Uttar Pradesh E. Dec 26 Dec 31 ExPLAINED What voter has to do Electors have to trace themselves or any adult relative to the roll of the last intensive revision done in the early 2000s. Those unable to provide the extract will get a notice after the draft roll is published. They will be asked to submit documents to establish eligibility. l SIx MOTHS AFTER BOEING PLANE CRASH THAT KILLED 260 IN AHMEDABAD ‘How did it happen? Who is at fault?’: Painstaking wait for AI crash victims’ families Ritu Sharma & Parimal Dabhi Ahmedabad, December 11 THE ONE question that nags 46-year-old Madan Singh Rajpurohit is Why did the plane flying his newly-married eldest daughter Khushbu to London crash? It is a question bothering several other families who lost their dear ones exactly six months ago when the Boeing 787 flight carrying 242 on board to London’s Gatwick crashed, killing all but one person. Rajpurohit, a native of ArabavillagenearJodhpur,Ra- jasthan, also worries about his wife's fluctuating blood pressuresincetheirdaughter'stragic death. His son-in-law Vipul Singh has taken legal recourse in London seeking justice and answers,butRajpurohitdoesn't have much idea about the case. “I cannot explain... We are stillupset.Whatfeelingonehas when a family member suddenly vanishes?...There PAGE 1 will be compensation, but that’s not enough… Bas yeh tasalli honi chahiyekikaisehua,kyonhua, kiski galti se hua, yeh janana zaroori hai (There should be anchor satisfactoryanswerstohowthis happened? Why did it happen? By whose mistake did it happen? That is important to know),” Rajpurohit, who runs a sweets shop in Haryana, tells The Indian Express. Khushbu was going to her in-laws’placeinLondonforthe first time after her marriage in January on the plane that crashed in Ahmedabad, killing 241 on board and 19 on the ground. On June 12, he was in Ahmedabad to drop Khushbu atAhmedabadairport.“Iwould have booked a ticket from Delhi. I have some friends as well at Delhi airport. But, our son-in-law had booked a flight Khushbu was the eldest of his four children three daughters and a son. Loss brings family back to homeland The June 12 plane crash in Ahmedabad killed 241 on board and 19 on the ground; one person on board had a miraculous escape. FILE ticket from Ahmedabad... Maybe that was our destiny. Afterdroppingher,Ihadhardly touched the Mehsana highway and got the news of the plane crash and took a U-turn to return to the Ahmedabad airport,” Rajpurohit recalls. The family of a young budding cricketer Dirth Patel, 24, oneofthe260victimsoftheAir India 171 flight that crashed shortly after take off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad on June 12, are still settling down in their lives that had changed “360 degree” followingthatfatefulday.KrutikPatel and his wife were all prepared to receive his younger brother Dirth, a gold medalist in Masters in Artificial Intelligence. Dirth had got a job as a research associate at his alma mater, the University of HuddersfieldinWestYorkshire,and he was supposed to join on January 6, 2026. Dropping all plans to settle down in London as a unified family, Krutik and his wife, who quit her IT job in London, returnedtotheirnative,KapadvanjinKhedadistrictofGujarat two months back. Krutik is left withaRs15lakheducationloan to pay up for his brother, who died in the air crash. “Dirth had taken an education loan of Rs 15 lakh from a privatebankinSeptember2023 against which we are still paying an EMI of Rs 22,000. Despite repeated requests to the bank, we were offered a maximumof10percentdiscounton the principal amount. While most of the banks have waived off the loans of the victims, we are running from pillar to post to get some relief,” Krutik tells The Indian Express. Heproudlyremembershow DirthplayedfortheLeedsModernians Cricket Club after completing his masters in January this year. “He was in India to visit our parents and was very excited to take up the job at the »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 MORE STORIES PAGE 4 Ahmedabad