chennai l sunday l October 10, 2021 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l vellore EDITION final course in desert Will it be Delhi Capitals or Chennai Super Kings in Friday’s final? Some talking points as the Indian Premier League shifts to the play-offs stage Watch out: the game of batters Ruturaj Gaikwad (533), Faf du Plessis (546) and Shikhar Dhawan (544), three of the four highest run-getters this time, will be in action on Sunday. All of them played integral part in their teams’ success Stoinis back fit CSK off track If word from the UAE is anything to go by, Delhi all-rounder Marcus Stoinis is fit again and will take his place in the XI. Stoinis is a key player because his presence gives the team balance One thing that’s not in favour of MS Dhoni & Co is their form. They have lost their last three. While the losers of Sunday’s match will get one more go, the management will be keen to arrest this slidev | Pg 11 9th Entering business end October 10: Delhi Capitals vs Chennai Super Kings October 11: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders Chennai seek a ninth IPL final on sunday October 13: Loser of October 10 vs Winner of October 11 October 15: Winner of October 10 vs Winner of October 13 Live at 7.30pm 2 Delhi on the other hand seek 2nd final 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 73.27% turnout in phase 2 of TN civic polls EX P RESS NEWS SERVI C E @ Chennai The second phase of elections to rural local bodies in nine districts of Tamil Nadu concluded peacefully on Saturday barring a few stray incidents, including poll boycotts, allegations about model code violations and voter bribery in some parts. An estimated 73.27 per cent of eligible voters exercised their franchise. Victory in the election, ahead of upcoming urban local body polls, is crucial to both the ruling DMK and Opposition AIADMK. In Kolacheri panchayat in Kancheepuram district, where charges of voter bribery with Round 13 of Sino-Indian talks today MAYANK SIN G H @ New Delhi The 13th round of the Corp Commander-level talks between India and China to resolve the stand-off in eastern Ladakh would begin on Sunday at Moldo on the Chinese side of the LAC. Sources said the Indian side hoped the Hot Spring stand-off may get resolved during the talks, while the prolonged engagement at Depsang and Demchok would also be discussed. The talks take place in the backdrop of a clash between the two armies at Yangtse in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh in the first week of October. Earlier, the PLA had transgressed into Barahoti area of Uttarakhand in August-end. In the run up to the talks, Army chief General M M Naravane on Saturday said Chinese have augmented their infrastructure and logistics in the area, indicating they were planning for a prolonged stay. Talking at an event in Delhi, General Naravane said, “It is a matter of concern. There has been infrastructural build-up and that means they are there to stay If they are . there to stay, we are there to stay too.” Jab-o-meter Take your shot October 8 71,75,744 doses October 9 60,66,412 doses Total doses: 94,62,90,307 NATIONWIDE oct 8 oct 9 Fresh cases 21,257 19,740 Recoveries Deaths 24,963 23,070 271 248 tamil nadu oct 8 oct 9 Fresh cases 1,359 1,344 Recoveries Deaths 1,473 20 1,457 14 Indumathi, escorted by armed police personnel, casts vote on Saturday | Express cash and gold nose rings by different parties emerged, AIADMK cadre staged a protest after po- lice allegedly refused to respond to their complaints. Distribution of cash and gifts such as sarees, erection of flex banners, and canvassing outside polling booths were witnessed in several panchayats in Sriperumbudur and Kundrathur unions. In Vellore district, tribals boycotted polls as the president post in Nayakkaneri panchayat was reserved for Scheduled Caste (women). The sole contender, Indumathi, was elected unopposed. On Saturday, she was provided an armed escort to cast her vote for the district panchayat ward member post. In Tirunelveli district, 188 vot- ers of ward 1 in Chidambarapuram village erected black flags at their homes and boycotted the polls, protesting a decision to include a part of their ward in Pazhavoor panchayat. AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran alleged DMK functionaries had attacked AMMK cadre at Gerugambakkam in Kancheepuram and urged the State Election Commission (SEC) to take action. AIADMK spokesperson RM Babu Murugavel submitted a representation to the SEC, demanding webcasting/telecasting of the counting process, to be held across 74 locations, on October 12.  full coverage: p4, 5 During the marathon questioning, MoS Home Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra claimed innocence, but failed to provide solid proof for his alibi Lakhimpur prime accused arrested after 11-hr grilling N a m i ta B a j pa i @ Lucknow ASHISH Mishra, the son of Union minister of state for home Ajay Mishra ‘Teni’ and the main accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, was arrested late on Saturday night after being questioned for over 11 hours by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the crime branch headed by DIG Upendra Agarwal. He was arrested after the probe team felt he was not fully cooperating with the investigation, sources said. Following the interrogation, the SIT also asked the district police to add some more sections of the IPC to the FIR lodged against Ashish. During the questioning, Ashish provided video testimonials of 10 persons to the police to prove he was not in the vehicle that ran over protesting farmers. However, the SIT was not convinced with his version of the violence which rocked the Terai district last Sunday . The minister’s son appeared before the SIT around 10:40 am. His interrogation began soon after as the SIT had come prepared with 40 questions. The sources said during the questioning, Ashish claimed his innocence by reiterating that he was not present at Tikunia, the site of the incident. He reportedly insisted that he was at a wrestling competition at Banbirpur village, some 3-4 km away from Tikunia. So far, the Lakhimpur police have arrested two persons, Luvkush and Ashish Pandey said to , be close aides of Ashish Mishra. Ashish was named as the main accused in the FIR lodged by the farmers. He, along with 15-20 unidentified persons, has been booked under sections pertaining to murder, criminal conspir- kheri violence a terror attack, says Morcha Delhi: Claiming the Kheri violence was a terror attack and part of a preplanned conspiracy, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha said it will take out a Shaheed Kisan Yatra from Kheri if their demands are not met by October 11 chief justices’ names cleared The Centre on Saturday notified the transfer of five chief justices and the appointment of eight new chief justices to various high courts. The names were cleared by a collegium led by CJI N V Ramana | P7 express read UT local body polls: MLAs seek L-G’s intervention Puducherry: Legislators of the ruling and opposition parties in Puducherry on Saturday submitted a memorandum to Lt Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, seeking her to direct the State Election Commission to conduct local body polls after providing reservation to BCs and STs. They claimed the fresh notification is a violation of court guidelines, and the provisions of the Municipalities and Commune Panchayat Act | P4 Two cops hurt in terror strike at Kulgam Srinagar: Two policemen were injured in a terrorist attack on a police party in J&K’s Kulgam district on Saturday. The incident took place in Manzgam. Officials said further details are awaited. The attack comes a day after a terrorist was shot dead in an exchange of fire with the police in Srinagar. One terrorist had managed to escape. Terrorists had attacked a CRPF camp on Thursday, but no casualty was reported | P8 W ITH THIS ISSU E Ashish Mishra arrives at the Crime Branch office in Lakhimpur Kheri on Saturday | PTI acy and rioting, among others. There was a crowd of local BJP workers at the office of the crime branch. They shouted slogans in support of Ashish and claimed he was innocent. Ashish appeared before the police following a second summon. The notice was served on Ashish under Section 160 of the Criminal Procedure Code and he was asked to appear in person and present his version of the events. He had failed to present himself after the first summon. He was accompanied by his counsel Awadesh Singh and La- Lynching was ‘reaction to action’, says Tikait Bharatiya Kisan Union spokesman Rakesh Tikait said no case should be registered against farmers in connection with the killing of three BJP workers as the lynching was only a “reaction to an action” khimpur Sadar MLA Yogesh Verma of the BJP . Meanwhile, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha on Saturday called for a nationwide rail blockade on October 18 demanding the sacking of MoS Ajay Mishra and formal arrest of his son Ashish. The apex body of farm unions also decided to burn the effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah on Dussehra (October 15) and announced a farmers’ mahapanchayat in Lucknow on October 26. The morcha raised doubts over the investigation carried out by the Uttar Pradesh Police on the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in which eight people, including four farmers were killed. SKM leaders Balbir Singh Rajewal, Yogendra Yadav and Rakesh Tikait demanded that the government accept their demands by October 11 or they would go ahead with their agitational programme. With inputs from Harpreet Bajwa in Chandigarh) Turning the Clock Back PLUS 12 PAGES After dissenters’ nudge, CWC to meet on Oct 16 R a j e s h K u m a r T h a k u r @ New Delhi Following persistent demands for organisational changes by the so-called G-23 leaders, the Congress has decided to hold a meeting of its national working committee on October 16. Issues such as the current political situation and organisational elections are likely to figure at the Congress Working Committee meeting. The party is also expected to discuss strategies for the Assembly elections in Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand, Manipur and UP next year. “A meeting of the INC Working Committee (WC) will be held on Saturday the 16th October at 10 am at AICC office in New Delhi to discuss current political situation, forthcoming assembly elections and organizational elections,” party secretary K Venugopal tweeted. This is the first time that the party has agreed to discuss the demand for organisational changes, something the G-23 has consistently raised, following dismal performances in elections. The CWC is also expected to discuss ways to check infighting, reported recently in states such as Punjab, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. After the recent crisis in Punjab, which saw the resignation of Amarinder Singh as the chief minister, many senior Congress leaders such as Kapil Sibal had openly expressed concern at the party’s affairs and the way the Punjab situation was handled. This prompted Gandhi family loyalists to hit out at the “dissenters” and some party workers had even held a violent protest outside Sibal’s residence. holy ride Priests chanting hymns as Lord Malayappa Swamy takes a ride on the Simha Vahanam at Tirumala on Saturday, the third day of the annual bramhotsavam | Express DMK MP booked for A stone’s throw off Blue Flag beach, Kovalam estuary turns fish grave murder, on the run pollution impact S V KRISHNA C HAITANYA @ Chennai Thousands of fish, mostly juveniles, have choked to death in the past one month at Kovalam estuary about 30 km south of Chennai, , due to an increase in pollution load. Incessant pre-monsoon rains have drained pollutants from upstream into the estuary and with , the bar mouth blocked by sandbar, a toxic cesspool has been created with no escape for the fish, just a stone’s throw from the recently Blue Flag certified beach. TNIE visited the estuary on Saturday morning and saw dead fish Thousands of fish were found dead along the banks of Kovalam estuary, about 30 km south of Chennai, on Saturday | Express along the banks of the waterbody . The water stank, indicating mixing of untreated sewage and industrial effluent. As per a rough estimate by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, that runs an experimental station at Kovalam, `10 crore worth fish, green mussels, and crab stocks, have perished in three months. Hanif Mohammed, owner of Freshfins and professional angler, said: “It is a great loss for fishermen. I use the backwaters for kayaking and other water sports besides fishing. In the last one week alone, I have cleaned and disposed of more than one tonne of fish.” The famed Kovalam Blue Flag beach lies adjacent to the bar mouth. After complaints of fish kills, the Public Works Department recently cut open a small portion of sandbar allowing tidal flow between the estuary and sea. The beach is thronged by hundreds who go for a swim. With the highly-polluted estuary waters flushing into the sea, the quality of water in the beach may not be fit for bathing. This is also a surfing area. Sources said Chief Minister MK Stalin is likely to visit the beach on October 16. P5 E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Cuddalore The CB-CID have launched a hunt to nab Cuddalore DMK MP TRVS Ramesh, who was booked along with five others late Friday on charges of murdering a worker at his cash, ew packaging unit near Panruti in Cuddalore district. While police arrested Nadarajan (31), Kandavel (49), factory workers Allapichai (53), Vinoth (31), and Sundarajan (31) on Saturday Ramesh has been absconding. It is also , learnt that the DMK leadership, which met at the party headquarters in Chennai, has told him to resign as MP . The victim, 60-year-old Govindarasu of Melmampattu village, was taken to Kadampuliyur police station on September 19 by a few persons accusing him of stealing cashews from the factory According to police, as Govindarasu . was severely injured, cops told the men to take him to a hospital for treatment. The next day Govindarasu’s son, , Sakthivel, was told his father had died by suicide.  p5