Deuba, Oli strike power-sharing deal to oust Nepal PM Prachanda THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l wednesday l july 03, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION Nepali Congress and CPN-UML have inked a deal to form a new ‘national consensus government’ to replace the coalition govt led by Prachanda China’s man Oli to be pm for 1.5 yrs Under the deal, Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba (78) and Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist chairman and ex-PM K P Sharma Oli (72) will share the PM post on a rotational basis. The two leaders will share the premiership for one-and-a-half years each. Oli, known for his pro-China stance, will lead the government in the first phase Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda (69) has refused to resign, saying he will rather face a trust vote 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 117 DEVOTEES dIE in U.P. stampede Scores injured in mishap at religious event in Hathras women, KIDS among dead fir REGISTERED AGAINST ORGANISERS N A M I TA B A J PA I @ Lucknow AT least 117 people, including women and children, died due to suffocation and fatal injuries after a stampede broke out at a religious congregation in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district on Tuesday afternoon. Officials said the toll may go up as scores of people were seriously injured in the melee. The accident happened in Phulrai village of Ratibhanpur locality under Sikandrau tehsil area of Hathras district around 3 pm on Tuesday . According to Etah SP Rajesh Kumar Singh, as soon as the satsang (prayer meeting) got over, people who were packed in a small hall rushed out. They fell over each other, leading to stampede. Aligarh Range IG Shalabh Mathur confirmed 117 deaths, while unofficial reports put the number at 130. Police officials say a huge gathering of around 15,000 people had thronged the hathras venue to attend the satsang held by Bhole Baba, a popular preacher who has followers in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and HarUttar yana. The venue was packed to the Pradesh brim. “The number of attendees exceeded the administration’s permitBodies of victims of the stampede lie in a bus, at Sikandra Rao in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday | PTI The district where ted limit at the venue, leading to a the satsang was stampede during Bhole Baba’s satWho is Bhole baba? being held sang,” a statement by the state governA former official with the intelligence wing of Uttar Pradesh Police, ment said. An FIR has been registered Suraj Pal turned Narayan Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba took voluntary against the organisers and the baba, who is My thoughts are with those retirement to pursue his spiritual call. He conducts weekly prayer reportedly absconding. bereaved in Hathras. Prayers with the meets at various places every Tuesday, attracting many. Not a follower Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath injured. The UP govt is working to of any guru, he claims to have got divine vision straight from God said the government will thoroughly investigate assist those affected whether it was a ‘tragedy or a conspiracy’ and take Prime Minister Narendra Modi action against those responsible. He also constituted Different versions on How it happened a probe team comprising Additional Director GenThe congregation was much bigger According to some reports, the tragedy may have happened when eral of Police Agra zone Anupam Kulshreshtha and than what was permitted. In the devotees tried to get a glimpse of the Bhole Baba and collect some soil Aligarh Divisional Commissioner Chaitra V to asstampede, several women, children from around the baba’s feet. After the satsang ended, the baba got up certain the reasons for the mishap. Prime Minister and elders died to leave. The place where he sat is considered sacred by devotees. Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia compensaMany devotees rushed to the spot to collect soil, leading to stampede UP minister Chaudhury Lakshmi Narayan tion of `2 lakh to the family of the deceased. Modi rips Rahul with his balak buddhi barb P r e e t h a N ai r @ New Delhi In a strong pushback against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s fiery speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the country would not forgive the Congress MP for centuries for his hurtful comments about ‘Hindus’. Replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address in the Lok Sabha, the prime minister said, “People will not forgive them for centuries… Hindu is tolerant. A conspiracy was hatched to falsely accuse Hindus. It was said Hindus are violent. This is your character, thinking, and hatred.” Rahul had on Monday alleged that BJP leaders claim to be Hindus, but they talk only of violence and hatred. Many of his comments were later expunged by the Chair. In his more than two-hour-long speech, Modi repeatedly took potshots at Rahul and the Congress. Asserting that the grand old party delivered its third worst performance in the national elections and failed to reach 250-mark after the 1984 polls, he said, “Country is telling him that you are not up to it.” The Lower House saw utter chaos throughout the speech as the Opposition staged protests and trooped into the Well, raising slogans of ‘justice for Manipur’. Taking a swipe at Rahul, Modi called him balak buddhi (an adult with a child’s mind). “A new drama has been carried out to gain sympathy. ‘I have been beaten’ etc.,” he said referring to Rahul’s charge that he was targeted in different criminal cases by the Central government. “The fact is he is on bail in a corruption case, was convicted for calling an OBC community thief, and had to tender an apology before the Supreme Court for speaking lies,” Modi said. This balak buddhi at times tries to hug someone in the House and sometime winks, he quipped. On the alleged irregularities in NEET-UG, Modi said his government is taking steps on a war footing to prevent their recurrence, adding the guilty will not be spared. Arrests are taking place across the country he said. , No energy duty on solar power generation E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ T’Puram In a major move to support generation of solar energy in the state, the government has decided to exempt solar power from energy duty on power production. The decision comes a day after the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission (KSERC) increased the rate of solar energy generated at home and sold to the electricity board. Finance Minister K N Balagopal announced the decision on exemption for solar power generation in the assembly on Tuesday while replying to the discussion over the motion to refer the Kerala Finance Bill 2024 to the subject committee. The government had in this year’s budget announced that the energy duty on own power production will be hiked from 1.2 paise to 15 paise. The move was expected to mobilise about `24 crore. However, the government decision invited criticism as it affected people who set up solar power panels at houses. Balagopal said the exemption for solar power generation will be made during subject committee’s ex● More on P4 amination of the Bill. 16 pages, including 4 pages of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Express Woman’s body parts exhumed 15 years after she went ‘missing’ EX P RE S S N EW S S ERV I CE @ Alappuzha It sounds like an episode out of a crime thriller series. Acting on a tip-off, police on Tuesday exhumed body parts, suspected to be of a woman who went missing 15 years ago, from the septic tank of her husband’s home at Eramathoor, near Mannar. Police say 27-year-old Kala was killed by her husband Anil and confederates. Five of his accomplices have been taken into custody A spe. cial team has been constituted to investigate the murder. “The incident came to light after the Ambalappuzha police received an anonymous letter a couple of months ago. The letter claimed that Kala was strangled to death by her husband and relatives, and buried The septic tank at the house of Anil being opened, at Mannar in Mavelikkara. (R) Kala in the septic tank in his house. We started a covert investigation and got some clues,” District Police Chief Chaithra Theresa John said. “Later, we took five into custody and they have confessed to the crime. They confirmed the claim in the letter that Kala’s body was dumped in the septic tank,” the district police chief said. The exhumed body parts will now be sent for forensic examination and DNA test, and only after that it could be ascertained whether they were of Kala, Chaithra said. Anil, who was engaged in smalltime construction works, and Kala, belonging to different castes, fell in love and got married braving opposition from his family. After the marriage, she stayed at the house of Anil’s relative. After one year, she gave birth to a son. Later, Anil went to Angola for ● More on P4 employment. PAST STAMPEDES Aug 27, 2003: 39 dead during Kumbh Mela in Nashik Jan 25, 2005: 340 trampled to death at Mandhardevi temple in Maharashtra’s Satara Aug 3, 2008: 162 dead, 47 injured at Naina Devi temple in Himachal’s Bilaspur Sep 30, 2008 : 250 devotees were killed at Chamunda Devi temple in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur Mar 4, 2010 : 63 killed at Ram Janki Temple in UP’s Pratapgarh district Jan 14, 2011: 104 killed in a stampede at Pulmedu in Sabarimala Nov 19, 2012: 20 killed as a makeshift bridge caved in during Chhath Puja at Adalat Ghat in Patna Oct 13, 2013: 115 killed during Navratri festivities in MP’s Datia Jul 14, 2015: 27 died at a major bathing spot at Godavari river in Rajahmundry, AP Jan 1, 2022 : 12 died at Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in J&K Saudi court revokes Rahim’s death penalty E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @Kozhikode In a remarkable turn of events, Kozhikode native Abdul Rahim, who has been imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for the past 18 years, is set to be released soon. The Riyadh Criminal Court on Tuesday revoked the 44-yearold’s death penalty in a case relating to the accidental death of his sponsor’s paralysed son in 2006. At Tuesday’s hearing, the victim’s family accepted Rahim’s apology and informed the court of their decision to grant him amnesty . Earlier, a ‘Blood Money’ of `34 crore — raised through crowdfunding — was handed over to the victim’s family . The court is expected to issue the release order soon. The news has brought relief to the lakhs of Malayalees who were anxiously awaiting the outcome of the case. Their efforts culminated in a successful crowdfunding initiative that played a crucial role in securing Rahim’s amnesty The initiative raised a whopping 15 million Sau. di Riyals (around `34 crore), which was handed over to the Riyadh governorate via the Indian embassy in Saudi ● More on P4 Arabia for transfer to the royal court.
Express Network Private Limited publishes thirty three E-paper editions of The New Indian Express newspaper , thirty two E-paper editions of Dinamani, one E-paper edition of The Morning Standard, one E-paper edition of Malayalam Vaarika magazine and one E-paper edition of the Indulge - The Morning Standard, Kolkatta.
03072024 of The New Indian Express-Thiruvananthapuram