tadepalligudem l tuesday l january 31, 2023 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION 47 killed in Taliban suicide bomb attack in pak mosque The blast during afternoon prayers in the high-security zone in Peshawar left over 100 people, most of them policemen, injured It’s a revenge attack, says Pak taliban The blast occurred inside the mosque around 1.40 pm when the bomber, who was present in the front row, blew himself up. Sarbakaf Mohmand, a commander of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack on Twitter. He said the bombing was part of a revenge attack for his brother, who was killed last August in Afghanistan ■ 400 Outfit known for targeting forces ■ TTP has carried out a number of suicide attacks in the past, targeting security personnel. In 2014, it stormed the Army Public School in Peshawar, killing 150 people, including 131 students The outfit had threatened to carry out a series of attacks after ending its ceasefire with the Shehbaz Sharif govt last year | P9 Estimated No. of policemen in the mosque when the blast took place 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 Will fight alone like a lion against pack of wolves: Jagan’s roaring war cry to Oppn bone classes, Jagan Mohan Reddy said that he has been striving hard Lashing out at the Opposition to give the due share to BCs, SCs, for ganging up against his govern- STs and other minorities through ment, Chief Minister YS Jagan welfare schemes so far. “Today, Mohan Reddy said he would fight washermen, barber and tailor alone like a lion even if a pack of families received `10,000 each for wolves targeted him. the third consecutive year under Addressing a public meet at Jagananna Chedodu, so that they Vinukonda town in Palcan stand on their own nadu district on Monday feet. In the last three-andorganised for disbursing half years, a total of `927 `330.15 crore as financial crore financial aide has assistance through DBT been provided to them,” mode into the accounts of he explained. 3,30,145 Rajaka, Nayee Jagan said that through brahmin and tailor famiDirect Benefit Transfer lies in the State, Jagan (DBT) itself, `1,92,938 Mohan Reddy said, “Uncrore has been provided like my opponents, neito the beneficiaries in the Unlike my ther do I have alliances last 43 months without opponents, nor am I dependent on neither do I have any scope for discriminaothers. All I rely on is my alliances nor am I tion, favouritism or cordependent on minority & poor brethren ruption. “A total of Rs 3 others. I rely on and grace of the God.” lakh crore has been promy minority & Describing the prevail- poor brethren and vided to the beneficiaries ing situation in the State grace of the God through the non-DBT as a conflict between schemes like housing, go‘haves’ (represented by Jagan Mohan Reddy, rumudda, vidya kanuma,” Chief Minister Opposition) and ‘havehe said. Asserting that nots’ (represented by the welfare of the oppressed government), Jagan Mohan Reddy classes has been the top priority said, “It is not a caste war in the of his government, the Chief MinState today but a class war. It is the ister said, “Not a day has gone by , , war between your son (Jagan) when he has not said naa (my) BC, who strives to keep every promise naa SC, naa ST, naa Minority Our . made and a gang of betrayers.” government has strived and is Reiterating his commitment to striving for their welfare and upP4 make Backward Classes as back- liftment,” he added. E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @Guntur Congress leader Rahul Gandhi (second-left) with CPI’s D Raja (from left), National Conference’s Omar Abdullah, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and others, during a public rally at the end of his 145-day Bharat Jodo Yatra amid heavy snowfall, in Srinagar on Monday | PTI Aimed to save liberal, secular ethos: Rahul Call to end J&K violence as yatra concludes said while the BJP has shown a path of politics, the Congress Congress leader Rahul Gan- wants to show the country a difdhi on Monday said the aim of ferent route — of dignity, love his 4,000 km long Bharat Jodo and affection. “Nafrat ke baYatra was to save the liberal zaar mein mohabbat ki dukan and secular ethos of India. kholne ki koshish ki hai (atAddressing a rally here to tempted to open a shop of love mark the end of the yatra, he in a market of hatred.” Rahul said he was warned called for the end of violence in the Valley, saying phone calls that if he walked in Kashmir, he announcing deaths of loved could be attacked. “However, I walked for four days. I ones — whether of a thought those who hate soldier, a CRPF jawan ‘End these o r a ny K a s h m i r i , phone calls’ me, let me give them an opportunity to change should stop. “No child, mother, son or any oth- Rahul said, “I can the colour of my white er family member understand the T-shirt to red...Kashshould take this phone pain of Kashmiris miri people did not as I have seen give me a hand grenade call. My aim is to stop the violence.” He but gave me love and this call,” he said. Striking a bond with recalled when he warmth,” he said. was informed The rally was meant Kashmiris, he said they gave him hearts about the killing t o b e a s h ow o f of his grandma strength for the Oppofull of love and not hand grenades, adding (Indira) and dad sition, but many lead(Rajiv) over ers could not make it no BJP leader can walk like he did, as phone, adding he due to adverse weathwanted to end er and most locals they are scared. such calls chose to say indoors. “I have not done this Apart from the Conyatra for Congress but for the country. Our aim is to gress leaders, Farooq and Omar stand against the ideology that Abdullah of National Conference, Mehbooba Mufti of PDP, wants to destroy foundation of this country. We should stand D Raja of CPI, RSP’s Premchanunited with love and affection dran, and leaders from DMK, JMM, BSP VCK and IUML par, against them,” Rahul said. . Amid heavy snowfall, Rahul ticipated in the rally F aya z W a n i @ Srinagar express read Adani FPO gets 4% retail subscription Its public subscription remained muted though Abu Dhabi’s International Holding Company said it has confidence in the group that saw a $70-bn rout in market value in just three days. The firm refiled preliminary papers with capital markets regulator Sebi and reduced its IPO size to `740 cr from `800 cr planned earlier. Nellore court blast case dismissed, all acquitted Nellore: A court in Nellore on Monday dismissed the case pertaining to a 2016 bomb blast on the premises of 4th Additional Judicial Magistrate of First Class court and acquitted accused of all the charges as the police failed to produce evidence. The bomb blast had taken place in 2016 leaving three people severely injured | P4 ASARAM CONVICTED IN 2nd RAPE CASE D i l i p S i n g h K s h at r i ya @ Ahmedabad The Gandhinagar sessions court on Monday convicted self-styled godman Asaram in a rape case filed by a Surat-based woman in 2013. The quantum of sentence is likely to be pronounced on Tuesday . Sessions court judge D K Soni acquitted six other accused, including Asaram’s wife Laxmiben, their daughter, and four disciples who were accused of aiding and abetting the crime, for want of evidence. Asaram’s lawyer said his client will challenge the order in the Gujarat High Court. The complainant, one of Asaram’s former devotees, accused the influential spiritual leader of raping her on several occasions between 1997 and 2006 when she was staying at his ashram at Motera. Special public prosecutor R C Kodekar and public prosecutor Sunil Pandya told the media that they will try to get maximum punishment for the accused. The complainant’s younger sister had accused Asaram’s son, Narayan Sai, of sexually exploiting her when she was staying in Asaram’s Jahangirpura ashram in Surat between 2002 and 2005. Sai, too, was booked for rape and has been awarded life imprisonment. Didi calls on Amartya to express solidarity on Univ land row, announces Z-plus cover P r o n a b M o n d a l @ Kolkata Two days after Visva Bharati, a Central university, directed Nobel laureate Amartya Sen to return part of a plot where his residence is located in Santiniketan, saying he was occupying it illegally, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called on him to express solidarity and announced Zplus security cover for him. Mamata and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee are the only other persons in the state with Z-plus security . During her visit to Birbhum on Monday, Mamata met Sen at his residence and also gave him the original records of his land that were in the government’s possession. “People of Bengal are unhappy with the way Nobel laureate has been humiliated. Allegations of land grabbing against him (Sen) are baseless. It is an attempt to malign his reputation. No one has the right to insult him. We won’t tolerate it. I have collected the original records of his land and handed over to him. Z-plus security will be provided for him,’’ said Mamata after the meeting. The letter to Sen issued by Visva Bharati on January 27 said, “You are in possession of 1.38 acre of land which is in excess of your legal entitlement of 1.25 acre. Kindly return the land to Visva Bharati as early as possible since application of the laws of the land will cause embarrassment to you and also t o Vi s va B h a r at i which you endear so much.’’ This was the Visva Bharati’s second letter to Sen asking him to handover the excess leased land in his possession. The chief minister said her government will decide the next course of legal action to protect Sen’s rights once she is back in Kolkata. Timing on the missive curious Visva Bharati’s letter came days after the Nobel laureate’s remark that Mamata has qualities to become the prime minister of the country. Hitting out at the BJP-led Centre, Mamata said, ‘’I want Visva Bharati to run properly instead of attempts at saffronisation.’’ CM’s flight returns to V’wada airport due to tech snag E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ Vijayawada A special flight carrying Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy made an emergency landing at Gannavaram airport in Vijayawada on Monday. The flight, which was scheduled to reach Delhi, returned to the airport after suffering a technical glitch. CM Jagan was on his way to Delhi to attend Global Investment Summit preparatory meet with industrialists and ambassadors. He was accompanied by MP PV Midhun Reddy, Chief Secretary KS Jawahar Reddy and others. According to authorities, the flight landed safely “There was pressure . in the flight cabin due to leakage in air-condition valve. Noticing it, the pilot brought back the flight to the airport within 24 minutes after it took off,” officials said.  P4 Over 100 AP students fall ill, food poisoning suspected E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ Guntur AS many as 130 students fell sick after consuming food at Gurukul school in Ramakrishnapuram in Palnadu district on Monday Out of these students, 60 were admitted . to hospital due to suspected food poisoning after they complained of vomiting and diarrhea. As many as 650 students are studying at the gurukul. According to sources, a few students complained about stomach pain and nausea in the morning hours of Monday. The health officer at the school gave them the required first aid and medicines. But the situation turned worse when several other students too took ill with similar symptoms. Later, the shifted the students to the SatP3 tenapalli area hospital.