vijayawada l sunday l june 19, 2022 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l late city EDITION Two dead as blasts tear through Kabul Gurdwara At least seven persons were also injured in the latest attack to target the Sikh community in war-torn Afghanistan Explosive-laden truck stopped a centre of Afghan hindus, sikhs A series of explosions was followed by gunfights between terrorists and Taliban fighters, a Taliban spokesperson said without divulging any details about the attackers. Afghanistan’s interior ministry said a bigger tragedy was thwarted as secuirty personnel stopped an explosive-laden vehicle from reaching the Gurdwara. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack ■ ■ The early-morning attack killed a devotee and a secuirty guard. It happened in an area with a sizable Hindu and Sikh population Reacting sharply to the incident, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, “The cowardly attack on Gurdwara Karte Parwan should be condemned in the strongest terms by all” 30 people were inside the gurdwara at the time of attack 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 Ex-serviceman detained for ‘role’ in S’bad protests Phan i nd r a Pa pa s an i @ Vijayawada Palnadu police on Saturday detained an ex-serviceman, A Subba Rao, for his alleged role in instigating violence at the Secunderabad railway station on Friday .  A native of Khammam in Telangana, Subba Rao is the director of Sai Defence Academy, which trains Army aspirants. He retired as an army medical assistant and established the institute in Narsaraopet in 2015 and later set up another branch in Secunderabad.   It has been alleged that Rao provoked the trainees to take up an agitation against the Agnip- ath scheme.  He was reportedly taken into preventative custody at his native in Khammam, Telangana after his name and pictures with a student, who allegedly took part in the protest, surfaced on social media platforms. Palnadu district SP Y Ravi Shankar Reddy said, “We received information from the intelligence department that his speeches on social media and his YouTube channel instigated the aspirants to resort to violence.” He added that they also saw some pictures of chats on a WhatsApp group, where the 50 people held; BSNL office in Warangal attacked Hyderabad/Warangal: The railway police arrested around 50 people in connection with the riots at the Secunderabad Railway Station, by Saturday evening. Tension gripped Warangal as youngsters pelted stones at the BSNL office and the warehousing corporation shutters at Kasibugga even as the funeral procession of Rakesh, fell to police bullets, was in progress. Ten per cent vacancies in Central Armed Police Forces, Assam Rifles and Indian Coast Guard to be reserved for recruits under the scheme Govt set to go ahead with Agnipath, lists more sops C H A N D A N N A N D Y & M AYA N K SI N G H @ New Delhi express read Stricter laws on cards to protect rail assets New Delhi: The massive damage caused to railway properties during the nationwide protests against the Agnipath scheme for the armed forces has prompted the government to consider adding more teeth to the Railways Act in order to protect its property during agitations | P7 India’s Russian coal buy jumps six-fold: report New Delhi: India’s purchases of Russian coal have spiked despite global sanctions on Moscow, as traders offer discounts of up to 30%, according to Reuters. India’s purchases of coal and related products rose six-fold in the 20 days through Wednesday from the same period a year earlier to $331.17 million, it said Khera to head Cong’s media & publicity wing New Delhi: Congress has appointed Pawan Khera as the chairman of media and publicity in the new communications department of the party. It comes weeks after the party announced plans to revamp its communication and media department at the brainstorming session in Udaipur | P9 Assam floods: 8 more deaths take toll to 63 Guwahati: Incessant rains continued to wreak havoc in Assam on Saturday with eight more people losing their lives, taking the total rain-related toll to 63. So far, 31 lakh people have been affected, officials said. The floods have inundated 66,455 hectares of crop area | P10 Jab-o-meter June 17 13,14,094 doses Take June 18 11,61,176 doses your shot Total: 196,13,24,182 NATIONWIDE June 17 June 18 Fresh cases 12,847 13,216 Recoveries 7,985 8,148 Deaths 14 23 WITH THIS ISSUE The Great Indian Job Race PLUS 12 PAGES Undeterred by the violent protests against the Agnipath scheme, the Centre on Saturday indicated it will go ahead with the recruitment as it announced a slew of new concessions for Agniveer aspirants. While the Union home ministry announced that 10% vacancies in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles would be reserved for Agniveers, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved a similar proposal for the new recruits once they complete their four-year tenure in the armed forces. The newly announced reservation will be applicable for the Indian Coast Guard, defence civilian posts and all 16 defence public sector undertakings. The reservation for Agniveers will be in addition to existing quota for ex-servicemen. In a statement, the defence ministry said “necessary age relaxation provision will also be made” to effect this change. The fresh announcements follow the government’s one-time relaxation in the upper age limit for joining the armed forces this year, raising it from 21 to 23, in view of the freeze in recruitment drive in the past two years due to the pandemic. According to the Agnipath scheme announced on June 14, those between 17.5 and 21 years of age can apply to be Agniveers for four years. The Ministry of Home Affairs also decided to give three years age relaxation beyond the prescribed upper age limit to Agniveers for recruitment to CAPFs and Assam Rifles. For the first batch of Agniveers, the age relaxation will be for five years beyond the prescribed upper age limit. In addition to the two ministries, the states of Karnataka, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Assam have announced preference to Agniveers in state police recruitment. “The state police forces will greatly benefit from the training and discipline inculcated to Agniveers by the armed forces and their capabilities in tackling insurgency, Naxalism and natural disasters will be hugely augmented.” said the government in a press release. According to the government, several corporate houses and industry bodies have welcomed the new and transformative recruitment process for the armed forces. “The well trained, disciplined and technologically savvy youth who finish their service in the armed forces will be a valuable asset to their organisations, they said. Apart from customised certificates, a bachelor’s programme by the Indira Gandhi National Open University has also been planned for the Agniveers. The government is hopeful that financial institutions will also extend support. To identify the ways in which banks can support Agniveers on completion of their tenure of duty Secretary Department of Financial Services , , held a meeting with the heads of public-sector banks, public-sector insurance companies and financial institutions. In the meeting, it was decided that banks and financial institutions will explore employment opportunities for Agniveers in suitable capacities based on their educaP7, 8 tional qualifications and skills. It is bringing revolutionary changes in the recruitment process in the armed forces. Some people are spreading misunderstanding about it Rajnath Singh, defence minister 312 people taken into preventative custody in vizag Visakhapatnam: As many as 312 people from different parts of the city were taken into preventative custody as they were planning to head towards Visakhapatnam railway station to protest against the Agnipath scheme, on Saturday. A total of 208 rowdysheeters, 57 defence forces aspirants and 39 SFI, six TNSF and two AISF activists were among those taken into custody. DCP Sunil Kumar along with ADCPs and RPF personnel, under the supervision of commissioner of police Ch Srikant, ensured bandobust at various places to prevent any untoward incidents. The police commissioner said they were monitoring social media platforms in view of widespread protests across the country. He appealed to the youngsters, who want to serve the nation, to not indulge in arson or damage national assets. Meanwhile, the railway station was opened for public after 12.15 pm with the partial restoration of trains from Vizag. Based on intelligence inputs, authorities had cancelled nine P5 trains, anticipating protests  10 In Bihar, which has seen some of the worst protests against the Agnipath scheme, the Centre has accorded VIP security cover to 10 BJP legislators in view of threats posed to them students were being provoked to participate in the protests and create as much damage as possible to garner attention.” Stating that the ex-serviceman was shifted to Narasaraopet for interrogation, Shankar Reddy maintained that he will be handed over to Telangana police, if his role in the riot is established. During interrogation, police verified Subba Rao’s call record data, Facebook posts, WhatsApp chats and his YouTube channel through which he allegedly told aspirants that their prospects would be hit, if the Central government does not withdraw the new recruiting scheme, AgnipP5 ath. AP man injured in riot over Agnipath E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Jagannath Ranga Swamy a , youth from Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, was among the 13 severely injured in the anti-Agnipath protests that marred the Secunderabad Railway Station on Friday . While the superintendent of Gandhi Hospital in the city, where the injured are being treated, stated that the patients were protesters, father of the 20-year-old from Kurnool, who sustained chest injuries, said, “My son had nothing to do with the protest. He was in the city for the last four days to attend his cousin’s birthday. His friend informed me that he was injured when I was watching news.” Jagannath’s father said his son was scheduled to return to Kurnool on Friday morning. He was waiting at the Secunderabad Railway Station for a train and was not a part of the protests, the youngster’s father said. “Three years ago, he had written an entrance test to join the Army but could not clear Kin blame Agnipath stir for Odisha man’s death Vizianagaram: The family of a 70-year-old man who died of a reported heart condition on Saturday blamed the stir against the Agnipath scheme for his death. Jogesh Behara of Nagupada in Odisha complained of chest pain while he was travelling to Vizag by a train which was stopped at Kottavalasa. He died while being treated at a private hospital | P5 jolt for didi as Farooq bows out of Prez poll race RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi national Conference chief and former Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Saturday declined the invite to be the Opposition’s candidate for President, dealing a blow to West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s efforts to propose a consensus name. Thanking Mamata for the offer, Abdullah said he wants to remain in active politics as he has a lot more to contribute to the country. “I withdraw my name from consideration as a possible joint opposition candidate for the President of India. I believe that Jammu and Kashmir is passing through a critical juncture and my efforts are required to help navigate these uncertain times,” he said. Earlier, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, too, had declined the offer to be the Opposition’s candidate for President. Apart from Pawar and Abdullah, Mamata-led Opposition meet on June 15 had also suggested former West Beng al gover nor Gopalkrishna Gandhi as the third choice. As per sources, both Pawar and Abdullah rejected the invite due to the Opposition’s weak electoral strength for Presidential polls. “Now, Gopalkrishna Gandhi is the only name in the race but he is yet to say yes or no,” remarked a senior Congress leader. The next meeting of Opposition parties on Presidential polls may take place on June 20 or 21. “The final decision may come at this meeting. But, Abdullah’s refusal to be the candidate has given a jolt to Didi’s effort being made to put a united face against the BJP”, remarked an opposition leader. jumbo tale Odisha blows lid off pan-India elephant trafficking racket S i b a M o hanty @ Bhubaneswar IN what could be of huge ramification, the Forest department of Odisha has blown the lid off a pan-India illegal elephant trafficking racket which attempted to use forged no objection certificates (NOCs) to s m u g g l e c ap t ive j u m b o s through the State to Gujarat. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW) has alerted its counterparts in other states and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) so that applications for transportation of elephants and their movement across the country can be closely monitored. The matter assumes significance in view of a proposed amendment by Centre to the Wildlife Protection Act which seeks to commercialise the Schedule – I species. There already exists a huge nexus between capture of wild elephants and their demand by temples, religious institutions and even political parties. At least, eight cases of trafficking have come to fore last month. The CWLW of Odisha found racketeers tried to fake NOCs by using forged signatures. In all cases, the attempt was to allegedly smuggle elephants from Assam. Seven of these cases saw bids made to transport elephants to it,” he maintained. Hospital superintendent Dr Raja Rao also noted that no bullets were found in any of the 13 protestors. However, the pellets were removed from their body . He added that some of the patients would be discharged by Monday . A total of 14 patients were brought to the Gandhi Hospital on Friday after protests erupted at the Secunderabad Railway Station, demanding the Centre to withdraw the Agnipath scheme. One among the injured, Damera Rakesh, died while the others are undergoing treatment. All the protesters said they had sustained bullet injuries. However, a ‘technical evaluation’ by the specialists concerned is being carried out to confirm the nature of the injury . Gujarat’s Jamnagar for a temple trust, reliable sources told The New Indian Express. The first case related to trafficking of a jumbo to Odisha from Assam. Interestingly, the CWLW office in the State had earlier received an application for transportation of a captive jumbo from the Northeastern state to Koraput district. Upon verification it was found that the requisites were not met and the application was rejected. When a fake NOC reached the Assam CWLW, it sought clarification from its Odisha counterpart and the first case was detected. However, the CWLW office was perplexed when it received queries from its Gujarat counterpart about seven NOCs allegedly issued by the former for transportation of elephants. All the NOCs were identical – from applicant to destination. Only the description of the jumbos was different. In all, signs were reportedly forged to generate the NOCs. Couple’s vow to pass on the rhythm of life D Su r end r a K uma r @ Tirupati DANCE is the unifier for this couple in Tirupati. It forms their life’s rhythm, the soul’s language that communicates with the surroundings in their spiritual journey spreading the , goodness of the art form. When the journey turns spiritual, materialistic desires take a back seat. So is the case with Neelam Dhana Sree and Srinivasa Rao, who have been taking classical dance forms to the youngsters, passing on the knowledge they have acquired over the years. Their studio, Bharata Kalakshetram at Annarao Circle here, is open to all since 2004, where they teach Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi to youth, irrespective of the students’ financial status. Neelam and Srinivasa believe in passing on their knowledge and have taken under their wings dozens of students, many of whom are from belowpoverty line families. Inspired by noted artist Rukmini Devi Arundal, the founder of Kalakshetra in Chennai, and her devotion to fine arts, the couple are currently teaching 70 students the two dance forms. Four of their students have performed “arangetram” (graduation ceremony where the guru presents his or her puP2 pil to the public).