SAMBALPUR l tuesday l february 24, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l CITY EDITION President Droupadi Murmu pays tributes to C Rajagopalachari at Rashtrapati Bhavan. His bust replaced British architect Edwin Lutyens’ statue there | PIB CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI 1st counter-terror IAF grounds its entire Tejas fleet policy to cut fund, arms, safe havens Launches technical review to find out how an Mk1 overshot the Guj runway during takeoff J A V A R I A R ANA @ New Delhi M UK E S H R AN J AN @ New Delhi The government on Monday announced the country’s first counter-terror policy, ‘Prahaar’, which addresses evolving threats through prevention, coordinated response and capacity building while adhering to the rule of law. The document released by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) noted that instability in India’s immediate neighbourhood has often created ungoverned spaces, adding that a “few countries in the region have sometimes used terrorism as an instrument of state policy”. However, the MHA said India does not associate terrorism with any religion. “India does not link terrorism to any specific religion, ethnicity nationality or civilization,” , it said while emphasising that the country has always denounced terrorism “unambiguously and unequivocally” and that its policy is guided by a principled approach of ‘zero tolerance’ against terror. The strategy flows from India’s commitment to stand by the victims of terrorism. It is predicated on prevention of terror attacks, swift and proportionate responses, aggregation of internal capacities through a whole-of-government approach, ensuring human rights and rule-of-law-based processes, attenuating conditions that enable terrorism, aligning and shaping global efforts to counter terror, and strengthening recovery and resilience through a whole-ofsociety approach. The policy envisages enhanced cooperation among agencies, periodic legal reforms and further capacity building of state counter-terror units so as to deny terrorists access to funds, weapons and safe havens, while investing in technology and partnerships to counter future threats. Framework on global terrorism India will keep working on a comprehensive framework on international terrorism while pursuing ‘Prahaar’, which aims to criminalise all terrorist acts and deny access to funds, weapons and safe havens to the terrorists, their financiers and supporters THE Indian Air Force (IAF) has grounded its entire Tejas fleet as a precautionary measure following a runway incident earlier this month, even as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Monday described the episode as a “minor technical incident”. According to defence sources, the IAF has initiated a comprehensive technical review across critical systems to determine the cause of the incident. There has been no official statement from the IAF so far on either the incident or the temporary grounding. It also remains unclear whether the airframe of the jet New policy that skidded off the runway will be written off. It is reliably learnt that the grounding comes after an incident in early February at Naliya Air Base in Gujarat, where a Tejas MK1 overshot the runway during take off. Sources said the jet slid into a nearby mud patch softened by prior rainfall while still in the acceleration phase of take-off. The pilot sustained injuries but is reported to be safe. HAL sought to downplay it, stating that there had been no HAL is yet to complete delivery of the IAF’s Tejas Mk-1 order. Of the 40 aircraft contracted, only 38 have been delivered so far. The delays extend to the larger Tejas Mk-1A programme as well, where deliveries of 180 aircraft are running over two years behind schedule incident involving the LCA Tejas beyond a “minor technical issue” on the ground. It further added that Tejas MK1 continues to maintain one of the world’s best safety records among contemporary fighter aircraft. However, if the crash is confirmed, this would mark the third loss involving the Tejas MK1. The first loss of a seriesproduction jet occurred in March 2024, when a fighter crashed near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, shortly after participating in the tri-services exercise Bharat Shakti. The second incident took place in November last year at the Dubai Airshow, where Wing Commander Namansh Syal was killed while in an aerobatic display . Tejas is a single-engine fighter jet that is designed to undertake operating in high-threat air environments. It capabilities include air defence and maritime reconnaissance. Today’s Match 7pm: England vs Pakistan (Pallekele) Man killed over child theft suspicion Don warns of more tariffs S u k a n ta S a h u @ Baripada There is a need to associate legal experts at every stage of investigation, right from the registration of the first information report to its culmination in prosecution Mk1, Mk1-A deliveries behind schedule A 40-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death by a group of villagers who suspected him to be a child thief, in Mayurbhanj district on Monday . The incident took place in Dengasole village under Moroda police station. The village is inhabited by a particularly vulnerable tribal group. The deceased is yet to be identified. Preliminary investigation suggested he could be mentally-challenged. Police have registered a murder case and begun investigation into the incident. The incident took place when four unidentified persons reached the village at around 12 noon on the day Initially locals . , did not take notice of the strangers. However, when one of them was found holding a child, they became suspicious and charged towards them. Seeing the villagers, three of the group managed to flee but the fourth was caught. Police sources said, suspecting him to be a child stealer, the locals beat him mercilessly with sticks which left the victim critically injured. Moroda police reached the village and rescued the man. He was rushed to Kishantandi hospital for treatment where he succumbed during treatment at around 4 pm. Inspector-in-charge of Moroda police station Sumeet Soren said the deceased was around 40 years of age and seemed mentally-challenged. “He could not speak clear Odia. We believe he could be either from West Bengal or Jharkhand. A murder case has been registered and investigation is underway” he said. for those ‘playing games’ p u s h pi ta d e y @ New Delhi JUST days after the US Supreme Court struck down the tariff regime imposed by his administration, US President Donald Trump threatened to levy significantly higher tariffs, or take tougher measures, against countries that try to “play games” with the ruling. In a social media post on Monday, Trump said, “Any country that wants to ‘play games’ with the ridiculous Supreme Court decision, especially those that have ‘Ripped Off ’ the USA for years, and even decades, will be met with a much higher tariff, and worse, than that which they just recently agreed to.” The remarks came after the European Parliament decided on Monday to postpone for a second time a vote on the European Union’s trade deal with the US. The delay follows Trump’s imposition of a new blanket 15% import tariff and discussions within the EU on slowing the ratification process of the proposed trade pact.