The Editorial Page: Peasants to universities, nothing escaped André Beteille’s lens 8 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2026 JOURNALISm of COURAgE MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 18 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 REG.NO. MCS/067/2018 - 20 RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57 PRESIDENT’S RULE REVOKED AFTER A YEAR Manipur gets a govt: Khemchand is CM with two deputies 106 134 166 72 Happening today lSEYCHELLES PRESIDENT Patrick Herminie will begin his state visit to India, during which he is scheduled to meet President Droupadi Murmu and hold talks with PM Narendra Modi on bilateral, regional and international issues. lTHE FOURTH EDITION of Women's Premier League comes to a close in Baroda with a title clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru, led by Smriti Mandhana, and Delhi Capitals, with Jemimah Rodrigues at the helm for the first time. Match starts at 7.30 pm. lTHE MADRAS HIGH COURT is scheduled to hear a petition by Vedanta regarding the establishment of a green copper facility in Thoothukudi. Vedanta’s Sterlite Copper plant was shut in 2018 over alleged environmental violations. TRACK THESE AND MORE ON www.INDIANExPRESS.COm THE CITY Two Deputy CMs: Kuki-Zo MLA Nemcha Kipgen and Naga leader Losii Dikho Opposition women MPs protest near the treasury benches in Lok Sabha on Wednesday. PTI Cong protest stalls Lok Sabha proceedings, PM reply deferred Deeptiman Tiwary & Jatin Anand New Delhi, February 4 THELOKSabhawasadjourned in dramatic and unusual circumstances Wednesday evening,minutesbeforePrimeMinister Narendra Modi was scheduledtoreplytothedebate on the President’s Address, after Congress MPs marched towards the treasury benches holding a large banner which had the Prime Minister’s photograph and a slogan that read “Jo uchit samjho wo karo”. PARlIAmENT p 11 KHArgE, gOyAL FAcE OFF OvEr INDIA-U.S. DEAL The Congress move, which deepened its standoff with the ruling alliance in the House, camehoursafterBJPMPNishikantDubeytargetedtheNehruGandhi family, leading to an uproar and adjournments. When the House reconvened at 5 pm after an adjournment, Sandhya Ray, who was chairing the proceedings, askedBJPMPPPChaudharyto speak. Congress MPs, joined by other Opposition members, stormed the well of the House, shouting slogans. SP members »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Sukrita Baruah & Jimmy Leivon Guwahati, Imphal, Feb 4 A DAY after the BJP elected him as the leader of the Manipur legislature party, Yumnam Khemchand Singh took oathastheChiefMinisterofthe strife-torn state in a ceremony in Imphal’s Lok Bhavan. Two leaders, one each from the state’s Kuki-Zo and Naga communities, took oath as DeputyChiefMinistersinwhat appears to be an attempt at balance and outreach in the fractured and sensitive state. The two are Nemcha Kipgen, a Kuki-ZoMLAfromtheBJPrepresenting the Kangpokpi constituency, and Losii Dikho, an MLA from NDA ally Naga People’sFrontrepresentingthe Mao constituency. In a first, Kipgen did not travel to Imphal on Wednesday Manipur Governor Ajay Bhalla administers the oath to Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh (right) in Imphal on Wednesday. ANI EDITORIAl PAGE ON NEw cm’S pLATE: cHALLENgES AND HOpE pAgE 8 business as Usual By EP UNNY andtooktheoathvirtuallyfrom Manipur Bhavan in New Delhi via video. She was one of two Kuki-Zoministerswhohadbeen part of N Biren Singh’s cabinet when the conflict in the state broke out, and held on to the position until his resignation. »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Pakboardlikely toinvokekey escapeclause asICCweighs sanctions Venkata Krishna B & Sandeep Dwivedi Chennai, New Delhi, February 4 ANTICIPATING SANCTIONS from the International Cricket Council (ICC) over their lastminute withdrawal from the T20 World Cup game against India in Colombo on February 15, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) might enforce the Force Majeureclauseintheirdefence, The Indian Express has learnt. The clause refers to unforeseeablecircumstancesthatcan prevent a contract from being fulfilled. And in their expected communication to the international body, sources said, the PCB will justify their stand by attaching their government's social media post on February 1 that instructed them to boycott the India game. Sources close to the fastmovingeventsaroundthetournamentthatstartsSaturdaysaid that by insisting on Force Majeure,Pakistanwouldclaimthat thesituationwasextraordinary and beyond their control. “This is their last resort since they don’t have any other reason to not play India,” an official said. After the Pakistan government’s unprecedented intervention on Sunday, the ICC released a statement reminding the PCB of the potential consequences. While the world body »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 p3 IIT bOmbAy STUDENT DIES AFTEr FALLINg FrOm HOSTEL TErrAcE Energy and critical Mumbai Police oppose UK doctor’s KALA GHODA FESTIVAL plea over posts against BJP leaders Teltumbde book minerals in focus event dropped after as Jaishankar holds online backlash talks in Washington Mamata’sday inSC:‘Bengal bulldozed...SIR Meets Rubio and Bessent; leaders hail fordeletion’ trade pact, economic opportunities Ananthakrishnan G & Apurva Vishwanath New Delhi, February 4 ON WEDNESDAY, lawyers and mediapersons jostled for space in the Supreme Court’s Courtroom 1, and the corridor outside, to witness an unusual hearing — a sitting Chief Minister making submissions beforetheapexcourt,challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal. Making short interventions, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee — who had filed a writ petition in her personalcapacityunderArticle 32 of the Constitution for violation of fundamental rights — alleged that the Election Commission was “targeting” her state and “bulldozing” its people. Prior to appearing before a bench headed by Chief Justice ofIndiaSuryaKant,Banerjeesat quietly for about three hours, waiting for her turn in the crowded visitors’ gallery in Courtroom 1. Her day in court »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Omkar Gokhale ruled out. In an affidavit filed before the High Court, the police said further investigation was required into why Patil, while residing outside India, allegedly posted objectionable content against BJP leaders on social media. “At this stage, the possibility of such acts forming part of a larger, organised effort to malign constitutional authority and disturb public order Mumbai, February 4 THE MUMBAI Police have opposed a plea filed by UK-based doctor and YouTuber Sangram Patil challenging an FIR and Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against him, telling the Bombay High Court that the investigation is still at a critical stage andthatthepossibilityofanorganised effort to malign constitutional authority cannot be Sangram Patil »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ANTHROPIC’S CLAUDE COWORK Tech stocks see sharp fall as US start-up’s new AI tool triggers fears External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington on Tuesday. ANI Shubhajit Roy New Delhi, February 4 A DAY after India and the US announced a trade deal, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent in Washington DC. Welcoming the trade pact, they focused on “energysecurity”intheirmeetings that took place early Wednesday India time. The energy issue, mentioned in social media posts on the talks by both Jaishankar and the US State Department spokesperson, is important given that President Donald Trump has said India will stop buyingRussianoil,andinstead look at US and Venezuelan oil to meet its energy needs. India has not commented on the announcement regarding oil, but its purchase of Russian oil has been on the decline ever since the punitive 25 per cent US tariff kicked in. In a post on X, Jaishankar said he was “delighted to meet” Rubio.Hesaidtheyhad“awide »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Nifty IT index plunges nearly 6%, biggest single-day fall since Covid Soumyarendra Barik, Akash Mandal & George Mathew New Delhi, Mumbai, February 4 INDIAN IT stocks saw a steep crash on Wednesday, mirroring a sharp selloff on Wall Street, raising questions about the fu- l worst-hitITstocks onwednesday STOCK Infosys TCS Coforge LTIMindtree Persistent Systems fAll 7.37% 6.99% 6.02% 5.84% 4.76% ture of the software industry in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) age. The Nifty IT index plunged nearly6%,thebiggestsingle-day fallsinceCovid,whenitslid9.6% onMarch23,2020.All10constituents of the sectoral index E. ExPlAINED behind the fall The crash in Indian IT stocks was triggered by Anthropic's AI automation tools. The start-up’s Claude agent can now perform tasks like contract review and data analysis directly, bypassing traditional software platforms. This sparked fears that AI might replace, rather than assist, software companies, threatening Indian IT firms’ core business. »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Organisers cite police request Heena Khandelwal Mumbai, February 4 A BOOK discussion featuring activist and academic Anand Teltumbde at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (KGAF) was cancelled on Tuesday night, allegedly following directions from the Mumbai Police, soon after details of the event were made public. Titled ‘Incarcerated Tales from Behind Bars’, the session wastofeatureTeltumbdealong with writer Neeta Kolhatkar, and was to be moderated by ScrolleditorNareshFernandes. It was listed on the festival programme for Thursday night at 8 pm. Festival director Brinda Miller declined to comment on the cancellation but said it was “unforeseen and unfortunate” and that “the safety of KGAF comes first”. Sources in the Mumbai Police said that while permission had been granted for the Kala Ghoda festival overall, details of the individual guests at the several events being held had not been screened. The particular event invite had a Anand Teltumbde. FILE bannerofMaharashtragovernmentandMumbaiPolicewhile the guest was someone who had been arrested by the state police,whichwasnotappropriate.Thiswascommunicatedto the festival authorities following which the event was cancelled, the source said. The source added that no notice had been given and the issue wascommunicatedinformally. However, an email sent by the organisers on Tuesday night,acopyofwhichhasbeen seenbyTheIndianExpress,informed the speakers that the discussionhadbeencancelled, citingarequestfromthepolice. The event description on the KGAF website said: “What does it mean to lose one’s »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 l AFTER MAJOR GENERAL V K SINGH’S BOOK WAS PUBLISHED IN 2007, HE WAS BOOKED UNDER THE OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT Not just Naravane: 19-yr-old case shadows ex-officer’s book on R&AW ‘secrets’ Ritu Sarin try, which has placed it “under review” for over a year. The General is not alone. TRIGGERING A political fire- ThereareotherseniorArmyofstorm, the Government has as- ficers who have risked publishserted in Parliament that ing tell-all books after their reLeader of Oppositirement. And paid a PAGE 1 tion Rahul Gandhi heavy price for it. cannotreadexcerpts Consider this: It from ex-Army Chief has been 19 years General M M Naravane’s mem- since the Government filed a oirs in the Lok Sabha since the case against Major General V K book is yet to be published. Singh,whoretiredin2002,over What it did not say was that the his book India’sExternalIntelautobiography, Four Stars of ligence — Secrets of Research Destiny,hasbeenblockedfrom andAnalysisWing(ManasPubpublication by its own admin- lications). istration in the Defence MinisSoon after the book was New Delhi, February 4 anchor Major General V K Singh, 81, at his home. RENUKA PURI; (right) Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi holds a copy of former Army chief General M M Naravane’s unpublished memoir at Parliament, Wednesday. PTI published in 2007, a case was filed by the CBI under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) against MajGenSingh,whohadserved a four-year stint on deputation withR&AWtill2004,including post-retirementextensions.His houseinGurugramwasraided, andhiscomputer,passportand diaries impounded. Today, Maj Gen Singh, now 81, remains on bail while the OSA trial against him “hasn’t even begun” in earnest. Last month, his plea for obtaining copies of documents on the basis of which he was being prosecuted reached the Su- preme Court. Speaking to The Indian Express, Maj Gen Singh, who was with the Corps of Signals, said he was “very clear” that there was no gag order on retired Army officers or written instructions that they had to submit their book manuscripts for vetting to the Defence. Asked about General Naravane’s book, he said, “It is the first time I am hearing that it is the publisher that has sent the manuscript for clearance to the Defence Ministry. If at all, as a precaution,itistheretiredArmy officer and not the publisher who should ask for the review.” ExcerptsfromGeneralNaravane’s memoir were published by news agency Press Trust of IndiaonDecember18,2023,and thepublisherPenguinRandom House had planned a launch in January 2024. According to Maj Gen Singh, Section 21 of the 1954 Army Rules — any personnel publishing a book should not do so “without the prior sanction of the Central Government” — was relevant to only serving defence personnel. Besides, he said, the Central Civil »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2