BHUBANESWAR l tuesday l june 02, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late CITY EDITION Ten days before FIFA WC begins, ‘Z’ secure India broadcast rights After weeks of anticipation over whether the marquee event would be aired/streamed in the country, ‘Z’ group bags the rights on Monday The Mexico City Stadium in Mexico City will host the opening game on June 11 | AFP Zee to telecast major FIFA events till 2034 The World Cup, to be co-hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico, will be broadcast live on television by Zee Entertainment through their newly launched Unite8 Sports network, while live streaming will be available on Zee 5 app. The deal covers 39 major FIFA tournaments across men, women and youth events to audiences in India until 2034. ■ 39 deal to be estimated around $30-35 mil ■ While the announcement did not mention the valuation of the deal, it is expected to be anywhere between $30-35 million It is significantly lesser than what FIFA had initially asked for. While 2026 WC has timezone issues, the next edition will happen in Morocco and Spain after the first few games in Argentina and Uruguay | P11 Zee will telecast 39 major fifa events till 2034 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 Custodial torture: Man dies after detention, 3 cops suspended Express News Service @ Berhampur In yet another incident of custodial torture, a 32-year-old daily wage labourer allegedly died after being released from detention at Kabisuryanagar police station in Ganjam district, prompting the state police to initiate disciplinary action against several personnel and order a high-level investigation into the case. An under-training IPS officer was withdrawn from duty while three other officials were placed under suspension on Monday after the death of Susanta Sahu, a resident of Subalya injury marks and village, on Monday . even hot water was He was reportedly poured on him, fampicked up by the poily members claimed. lice on May 25 in conThe victim was renection with an atportedly physicallytack on a police team challenged. during a raid on an As his health deteillegal stone quarry riorated, Susanta in the area and held was first taken to Kain detention till bisuryanagar comSusanta Sahu May 31. munity health centre His wife Mamajini before being shifted Pradhan said Susanta was in to MKCG Medical College and good health when the police Hospital in Berhampur, where picked him up last week but was he was declared dead on handed back to the family on arrival. Sunday evening in a critical Left red-faced, the State Police condition. His body bore visible Headquarters ordered the trans- Additional SP (undertraining) Nitesh Kumar Mishra, who was holding independent charge of Kabisuryanagar police station, was withdrawn from duty, pending inquiry Police sources fer of the entire staff of Kabisuryanagar police station. DGP YB Khurania also directed an inquiry by the Human Rights Protection Cell into the incident. With the incident of police brutality grabbing headlines, IG (Southern Range) Niti Sekhar ordered a preliminary probe. SC refuses plea on online NEET-UG re-test Oman FTA kicks in, opens new doors to GCC, Africa s u c h i t r a k a lya n m o h a n t y THE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and Oman came into force on Monday, providing tariff-free access for a majority of Indian exports and creating a strategic trade corridor to Gulf and African markets through Oman’s ports. Under the accord, Indian exporters will receive immediate zero-duty access on nearly 99% of exports by value, covering 98.08% of Oman’s tariff lines. “This balanced FTA opens doors to our exports to Oman while protecting livelihoods at home. The doors it opens are wide because Oman is a gateway to the wider GCC, East Africa and the Indian Ocean economy through its various ports,” Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said. Oman’s logistics hubs at Sohar, Duqm and Salalah would provide Indian exporters easier access to the broader Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region and East African markets. The pact assumes added significance amid rising geopolitical tensions in West Asia. Unlike most Gulf nations that depend heavily on shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, much of Oman’s coastline lies outside the Strait, along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. Trade experts note that @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Monday refused to grant urgent hearing to a plea filed by Rashtriya Janta Dal MP Sudhakar Singh and others demanding that the re-test of NEET-UG 2026, scheduled for June 21, be conducted in Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode, after observing that the National Testing Agency (NTA) is already under significant pressure. A two-judge bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Aravind Kumar said NTA “is already faced with too many problems” due to the re-conduct of the exam. “They are reholding the exam. The kind of pressure they have. We will post (this matter) after vacation,” Justice Narasimha said while declining urgent listing and hearing of the plea. Petitioner Singh and others, had sought a direction to shift the NEET-UG re-test from the existing penand-paper format to CBT mode, citing concerns over transparency and integrity. The court refused to pass any interim order directing the change in mode and posted the matter for hearing on July 27, after the summer vacation. The NEET-UG 2026 exam was originally conducted on May 3. However, the NTA cancelled it on May 12 amid allegations of a p ap e r l e a k a n d o t h e r irregularities. Meanwhile, top officials from NTA told a parliamentary standing committee on Monday that the agency’s focus for now was to hold the June 21 NEETUG re-test properly in pen-paper format. Responding to concer ns about the potential for hacking in computer-based tests, the NTA responded that a special committee has been formed to examine this issue. Myanmar will not let its territory to be used against India Myanmar President U Min Aung Hlaing has assured India that his country’s territory will not be allowed to be used for activities that threaten India’s security during wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where the two leaders reviewed bilateral ties and discussed cooperation in various areas. This marks a key outcome of President Hlang’s first official visit to India since assuming office earlier this year | P7 P u s h p i ta D e y @ New Delhi major ports such as Salalah and Duqm remain accessible even if traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted. “This allows Oman to continue functioning as a reliable trade and energy gateway during periods of regional conflict or instability,” said Ajay Srivastava, founder, the Global Trade Research Initiative. Pankaj Khimji, advisor for Foreign Trade and International Cooperation at Oman’s Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, said the country is willing to align its petrochemical and fertiliser exports with India’s needs. “India remains a major importer of the petrochemicals that Oman manufactures, and we can more than happily serve that requirement,” he said. The FTA is expected to benefit labour-intensive sectors including gems and jewellery, textiles, leather, footwear, marine products, engineering goods, processed food and pharmaceuticals. India has offered tariff liberalisation on 77.79% of tariff lines, covering 94.81% of imports from Oman by value, while retaining safeguards for sensitive sectors. “We have agreed with the Omani side that for investments made by Indian companies, Indian workers will be given preferential ability to serve, subject to local requirements,” Goyal said. Piyush Goyal: Most parts of India-US pact finalised Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday said India and the US have finalised most elements of the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement. The talks will take place in New Delhi from June 2-4. “...mostly everything is finalised. As you know, US ambassador said 99% of things have been finalised. Discussions are on about small issues, commas and full stops.” Factory output expands at slower pace in April India’s industrial production or IIP expanded at a slower pace of 4.9% in April due to tepid growth in the energy sector amid the West Asia crisis, according to official data released on Monday. The IIP’s growth rate was 3.2% in March 2026. This is the first data released after the revision of the base year to 2022-23 from 201112, rejigging index elements | P10 Gross GST collections grew 3.2% in May Gross GST collections rose 3.2% to over `1.94 lakh crore in May on higher supplies of goods and services, as well as collection from imports, government data showed on Monday. Net GST revenues went up 3.3% to `1.67 lakh crore. Gross GST collection was `1.88 lakh crore in May 2025. The govt has budgeted to mop up `10.19 lakh crore from GST in the current fiscal | P10 Based on its outcome, additional SP (under-training) Nitesh Kumar Mishra, who was holding independent charge of Kabisuryanagar police station, was withdrawn from duty and attached to the district police headquarters in Ganjam, pending inquiry . SI Sameer Rout, ASI Baikuntha Jena and constable Suman Sahu were placed under suspension. A home guard was disengaged, while all staff of the police station were transferred. “If the inquiry establishes that any police personnel assaulted Susanta in custody strict action will be tak, en against those responsible,” Continued on P5 the IG said.  Major Political churn Annamalai Roach party may quit BJP, plans Sat launch party spectacle S u b a s h i n i V i j aya k u m a r @ Chennai U D AYA N KISHORE @ New Delhi Former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai, who left for New Delhi on Monday , is likely to resign from the party according to , sources. He is expected to meet BJP national president Nitin Nabin and Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his visit. Speaking briefly to reporters at the Chennai airport on Monday An, namalai said he would speak “freely” in two days. Sources indicated that he is considering launching a new political outfit and might even contest upcoming Assembly by-elections, which is expected to be held within six months. Tensions between AnK Annamalai namalai and the BJP leadership came to the fore after the party revived its alliance with the AIADMK ahead of the 2026 Assembly election. Annamalai was also replaced by Nainar Nagenthran as the state BJP president, a move many within the party saw as necessary to preserve the alliance and maintain cordial ties with the AIADMK. While the BJP’s decision-making process remains largely centralised, Annamalai is believed to have sought greater autonomy to shape the party’s growth strategy in the state. However, despite these differences, he eventually campaigned for the BJP-led alliance during the election, though he chose not to contest. Delhi’s political climate heated up a tad on Monday after Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke announced his return to India from Boston on June 6, issuing an ‘Delhi airport chalo’ call to his followers to lead a protest demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over exam related lapses. In a video message on X and Instagram, he urged people to meet him at the airport, from where, “together we will go to the Parliament Police Station and seek permission to protest peacefully at the Jantar Mantar”. He added that over eight lakh people Abhijeet Dipke had signed a petition demanding Pradhan’s exit. Dipke’s movement built around cockroaches, memes and satire sprung up after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on May 15 likened roaches to a section of the unemployed youth. Though the CJI later clarified that his remarks were directed at those with fake law degrees, the social media buzz refused to die down. Within days, the CPJ’s Instagram account had over 22 million followers, surpassing both the Congress and the BJP’s accounts on the platform by a huge margin. On May 29, the Delhi High Court denied interim relief on Dipke’s plea to unblock the CPJ’s X account, saying the matter had “farreaching consequences”. Kota factory, churns out JEE Advanced toppers, yet again Bhavesh Patra state topper in IIT-BBS zone S Lalitha & Rajesh Asnani Sudarsan Maharana Kota kept up its reputation for churning out JEE Advanced toppers in factory mode yet again, with the first three ranks secured by candidates from coaching centres there. Of the top 10, at least six received coaching in the city . Shubham Kumar from Bihar, who went to Allen Career Institute in Kota, is the all-India topper with a score of 330 out of 360 marks. Kabeer Chhillar from Gurugram is second with 329 marks, and Jatin Chahar from Rajasthan is third with 319 marks. Kabeer and Jatin, too, got coached in Kota. “I feel absolutely wonderful. I came to Kota after completing my 11th standard,” Shubham said. “I never attempted to rote-memorise topics. Instead, I always concentrated on strengthening my basics and concepts,” he added. Sharing his success tips, Kabeer said, “I broke down my studies into small, manageable targets, created concise notes, and cultivated the habit of regular revision.” Female topper Arohi Deshpande, too, has a Kota footprint. With a score of 280, she ranks 77 overall. “My whole family shifted from Pune to Over 5,000 students from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Bhubaneswar region qualified the JEE (Advanced) 2026 examination, results of which were announced by IIT-Roorkee on Monday . Bhavesh Patra emerged as the state topper, securing All India Rank (AIR) 29. A student of city-based Cohen Inter national School, Bhavesh had earlier scored a 100 per- Bhavesh Patra centile, securing state rank-1 and all-India rank-13 in JEE (main) 2026 season-II. Bhavesh attributed his success to two years of consistent hard work and focused preparation. “I am very happy with the results. This is an outcome of the efforts I put in during the last two years. I used to study for around 10 hours every day and would sleep only after completing my daily targets,” he Continued on P5 said.  @ New Delhi/Jaipur @ Bhubaneswar Students celebrate in Kota after the results were announced; (inset) topper Shubham Kumar | Express 6 of top 10 from same institute Kota-based Allen Career Institute on Monday claimed that six of the top 10 rank holders in the JEE (Advanced) 2026 results were its students. The institute said 24 of its students featured in the top 50 rank Kota,” she said. “I regularly appeared for tests and analysed mistakes after each iteration,” she added. In all, 56,880 candidates qualified in the 2026 JEE Advanced. As many as 1,79,694 candidates appeared for the exam, which was held on May 17. Of the top 10 candidates, five are from the Delhi zone, three from the Madras zone and two from the Bombay zone. The pass percentage at 31.65% is the highest in the last four years.