KOCHI l thursday l march 25, 2021 l `7.00 l PAGES 18 l LATE city EDITION CCI to probe ‘exploitative’ privacy policy of whatsapp The Competition Commission of India on Wednesday directed its investigation arm to conduct a probe into WhatsApp’s privacy policy Investigation to be concluded in 2 months The move came after the fair trade regulator prima facie found the firm has contravened competition law provisions through its “exploitative and exclusionary conduct” in the garb of policy update. The CCI directed its investigation arm, the director general (DG), to complete the probe into WhatsApp’s updated privacy policy and submit a report within 60 days ■ CCI Disclose To what extent is data shared ■ The Commission said users, as owners of their personalised data, are entitled to know the extent, scope and purpose of sharing of such information by WhatsApp with other Facebook companies WhatsApp claims the update does not expand its ability to share data with Facebook but offers transparency about data usage Observations are preliminary and won’t impact the merits of the case CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ WARANGAL ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Shah vows to act tough on nun attackers Jhansi Incident pushes BJP on backfoot in poll-bound state, CM writes to union home min, Oppn leader wants PM to intervene WITH the attack on nuns in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi triggering an outrage across the country the BJP rushed to control damage , on Wednesday The incident came as a ma. jor setback for the BJP in poll-bound Kerala as it threatened to spoil the efforts made by the party to win the support of the Christian community . Gauging public resentment, Home Minister Amit Shah, who was on a campaign trail in Kerala, promised that stringent action would be taken against the culprits. The nuns were heckled by a group of Bajrang Dal workers alleging forced conversion and were detained briefly by the Railway police on Friday . Participating in the election convention of BJP candidate Alphons Kannanthanam in Kanjirappilly Shah said: “Alphons Kan, nanthanam has expressed concern over the Jhansi incident. The BJP is ruling Uttar Pradesh and I assure you that the people who attacked the nuns will be brought before law and there should not be any doubt on it.” CM Pinarayi Vijayan shot off a letter to Shah seeking strict action against the culprits who harassed the nuns. “Such incidents will tarnish the image of the nation and its ancient tradition of religious tolerance,” he said. Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala also condemned the incident and wrote to the prime minister demanding action against the people who attacked the nuns. “The incident points to the threat faced by minorities under BJP rule. It amounts to denial of fundamental rights. No body should be allowed to destroy the communal harmony and secular fabric of the nation, he said. BJP state general secretary George Kurian wrote letters to Shah and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath. ABVP members, say UP police While it was initially reported that Bajrang Dal activists had harassed nuns and postulants, a statement issued by the police identified them as members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). nat’l para athletics meet in darkness Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan shoots off a letter to Amit Shah seeking strict action against the culprits who harassed the nuns 18 pages, including 4 pages of KOCHI Express E x p r e s s N e w s SeR v i c e @T’Puram/Kottayam Opposition 2 leader Ramesh Chennithala also condemns the incident and writes to the prime minister BJP state general secretary George Kurian writes to Shah and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath seeking an inquiry into the incident 3 The nuns were heckled by a group of Bajrang Dal workers alleging forced conversion and were detained briefly by the Railway police on Friday 4 The BJP is ruling UP and I assure you that the people who attacked the nuns will be brought before law and there should not be any doubt on it Amit Shah Union Home Minister Amit Shah waves to the crowd in Kanjikode during a road show organised by the NDA on Wednesday. He is flanked by NDA candidates C Krishnakumar (Malampuzha), left, and E Sreedharan (Palakkad) | Express NDA promises law on Sabarimala, love jihad E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ T’Puram A LEGISLATION to protect beliefs and customs of Sabarimala temple, law against love jihad, raising monthly welfare pension to `3,500 and ensuring employment for at least one person in a household are the highlights of the BJP-led NDA’s election manifesto, which was released here on Wednesday . NDA has also promised freeing temples from political interference and giving believers a greater role in their administrative process. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar released the manifesto in the presence of NDA leaders. Other highlights of the manifesto are: Housing, water and electricity for all; providing petrol and diesel in the range of `60-`65 per litre; monthly aid of `5,000 for ailing breadwinner of a family and up to six free gas cylinders for all BPL families. Free laptops for high school students, providing five acres of agricultural land to landless SC/ST families and ensuring minimum wages in all job sectors also figure prominently in the election manifesto. The NDA has also promised online monitoring and social auditing of government expenses. A development-oriented performance appraisal system for ministers and elected representatives has also been promised. Abolition of pension for personal staff of ministers and reducing administrative expenses by 30% are the other promises on the administration ● More on P5 front.  In-house inquiry dismissed, ball set rolling for Ramana to be next CJI E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi Justice N V Ramana The call of convention As per convention, the CJI recommends the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court as his successor. The law minister puts it before the prime minister who advises the President on such appointments With just a month left for his retirement, Chief Justice of India S A Bobde has recommended the name of Justice N V Ramana as his successor. Parallelly, an in-house inquiry against Justice Ramana following a complaint by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy on allegedly manipulating the Andhra Pradesh High Court’s roster to lean towards the Telugu Desam Party and its founder N Chandrababu Naidu, was dismissed, paving the way for his appoint- ment as the new CJI. A bland statement issued by the Supreme Court said: “A complaint dated 6th October, 2020 sent by the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh to the Supreme Court was dealt with under the In-House Procedure and the same, on due consideration, stands dismissed. It be noted that all the matters dealt with under the In-House Procedure being strictly confidential in nature, are not liable to be made public.” Among other allegations in Jagan’s letter to CJI Bobde was his role in Amaravati scam. political pulse Thumbs-up for development in Assam, but a big no for price rise I f upgrading of national highways and construction of roads in the rural belts of Assam could win an election, then the ruling BJP should race to power, leaving in its wake a Congress-led alliance and a large number of smaller, ethnonationalist political parties. From Tinsukia in the eastern tip of the state to Nagaon in middle Assam and beyond, dumper trucks, JCBs, bulldozers and road rollers work through the day, forcing traffic to weave left and right at regular intervals. While rural roads are being metalled, the national highways are being four-laned. There is no agenda behind our demands. But if anyone thinks that they can intimidate us, they live in a fool’s paradise G Sukumaran Nair, NSS Pinarayi doubts NSS’ Sabari outbursts. Don’t intimidate, says Nair 1 A s h i m S u n a m @ Bengaluru IF a last minute change of venue sounded extreme enough, para-atheletes at the ongoing National Para Athletics Championships were in for a rude shock on Wednesday night. For shot put was conducted with help from mobile phone lights and car headlights at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. The Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) didn’t respond to calls but the videos doing the rounds painted a sorry picture about sport in India. This incident under the Bengaluru lights was the latest in a series of snafus the PCI has seemingly entangled itself in since March 21. First, they shifted the competition from Chennai to Bengaluru leaving some athletes stranded. Even if they couldn’t be blamed for that as TN government denied permission due to rising covid cases, the first day itself has eyebrow-raising episodes play itself out. First, de­ ciding to organising a para meet at a venue not friendly to whe­ lchairs. e Then, there were multiple reports of Covid-19 breaches, a fact acknowledged by Sports AuthoriP13 ty of India.  Pinarayi Vijayan, CM CALL FOR ACTION E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kochi An opinion has been growing in the state why the Nair Service Society has been responding in a peculiar way. Assam Polls H K h o g en S i n g h @ Dibrugarh/Nagaon (Assam) “The BJP has done a lot of development work, it has made roads, toilets and houses,” said Sanjib Bora, an owner of a shack restaurant next to the national highway in Chabua, Tinsukia. “People here will support the BJP for this.” Bora’s sentiment was endorsed by Dhanesh Pegu, also a roadside dhaba owner in Dhe- maji district next to the recently-opened Bogibeel bridge, the longest one on the Brahmaputra river. “Modi ne bahut kaam kiya hain (Narendra Modi has done a lot of work),” he said. “Take the Bogibeel bridge for instance, The foundation stone was laid by (H D) Deve Gowda, then (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee did some work but after that there was a Congress government both at the Centre and in the state but nothing happened. When Modi came he finished the bridge,” Pegu said. It’s no wonder then that from Modi, Union home minister Amit to the ordinary BJP worker, development is one of the P9 main talking points. KEY manifesto PROPOSALS A3,500 as monthly welfare pension Greater role for devotees in administration of temples Employment for at least one person in a household Petrol and diesel prices between K60 and K65 a litre as monthly J5,000family ailing aid for breadwinner of a 6 free gas cylinders for all BPL families KIIFB revamp as per constitutional provisions After a brief lull, the stage is set for a direct confrontation between the Left front and the Nair Service Society The NSS . has been targeting the LDF government over the Sabarimala issue for quite some time now. With just two weeks remaining for the elections, the NSS insists on making Sabarimala the central point of discussion. The Left, on the other hand, is gradually shedding its gentle demeanour and has started a counterattack. The Left has been wary as it is worried whether the opposition by the NSS will reflect in the assembly polls, especially in the backdrop of the last Lok Sabha elections. Most Left leaders, other than CPI state chief Kanam Rajendran, have opted for a soft stance on the NSS criticism against the front. The CPM’s declared stance has been to stay away from controversies, especially related to poll bytes UDF lagging behind in poll campaign CEO issues guidelines to prevent bogus voting Kochi: With 12 more days left for polls, the LDF has taken the lead in campaigning by reinforcing ‘Urappanu LDF’, while a lack of coordination has hit the UDF campaign unlike in the past. P2 T’Puram: Chief Electoral Officer Teeka Ram Meena has issued strict guidelines to prevent bogus voting on the basis of multiple and erroneous entries in the voters’ list in the upcoming assembly polls. P5 Double mutation in Maha, another variant in state S u m i S u k a n ya D u t ta @ New Delhi The Centre on Wednesday officially announced the detection of a new double mutant Covid-19 virus, in addition to several variants of concern (VOC) that have been found in at least 18 states in India. This newspaper in its March 17 edition was the first to report the two mutations — E48Q and L452R — found together in about 20% samples in Maharashtra. This double mutation has not been seen anywhere else globally yet. The Union health ministry said since Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG) began its work, 771 VOCs have been detected out of 10,787 positive samples shared by states. They include 736 samples that tested positive for the UK 3,68,457 India's total active Caseload Sabarimala, in view of the coming polls. This has also contributed to the Left keeping mum despite a direct onslaught by the NSS. However, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who had evaded responding to NSS criticism directly till now, on Wednesday warned the outfit that such a stream of criticism will only lead to undue suspicion among the masses. He was, however, quick to add that neither he nor the Left government has any issues, per se, with the NSS. Nevertheless, the NSS continued its tirade against the Left on Wednesday too. NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair warned that none shall harbour the thought that they could intimidate the organisation. “There is no political agenda behind the demands raised by the organisation. But if anyone thinks that they can intimidate the organisation, they live in a fool’s paradise,” added ● More on P7 Nair.  variant, 34 for of the South African variant and one of the Brazilian variant. These samples came from 18 states across the country . “Such (double) mutations confer immune escape and increased infectivity These mu. tations have been found in about 15-20% of samples and do not match any previously catalogued VOCs,” the ministry said. Also, of the 2,032 samples from all 14 districts in Kerala sequenced so far, the N440K variant that is associated with immune escape has been found in 123 from 11 districts. This variant was earlier found in 33% of samples from Andhra Pradesh, and in 53 of 104 samples from Telangana. N440K has also been reported from 16 other countries, including the UK, Denmark, Sing apore, Japan and Australia. 47,262 Fresh cases recorded in the last 24 hours 23,907 Recoveries in a day Interview Mar George Alencherry ‘New picture of Kerala society after polls’ An u j a S u s a n V a r g h e s e @ Kochi Cardinal Mar George Alencherry, head of the Syro-Malabar Church, said the Church has adopted an open approach towards all political parties in this election, unlike in the past. “Because, the faithful are capable of making their own decisions and responsibly engaging themselves in the democratic process,” he said in an interview with the TNIE. He said this election will give a new picture of Kerala society . FULL INTERVIEW ON P5 E X PRE S S REA D Boy apes YouTube video, dies of burns Teen’s death: Father’s car seen at Walayar ‘Currency packet delivered to CM team’ T’Puram: A 12-year-old boy succumbed to burns that he had sustained while ‘playing with kerosene’ at his house in Venganoor on Tuesday. The deceased Sivanarayananan was reportedly trying to imitate a hair straightening act shown in a YouTube channel. P7 Kochi: The police investigating the mystery involved in the death of 13-year-old girl Vaiga Sanu and the disappearance of her father got a breakthrough on Wednesday after they identified the CCTV footage of her father’s car crossing Walayar tollbooth towards Tamil Nadu. P3 Kochi: Sarith P S, accused in gold and dollar smuggling cases, has revealed to Enforcement Directorate (ED) that a packet containing currency notes was delivered to a delegation led by the chief minister that was touring UAE, from Thiruvananthapuram. P6