KYIY TARGETS MOSCOW WITH 34 DRONES Russia said it downed 34 Ukrainian attack drones targeting Moscow, the largest attempted attack on the capital since 2022. It forced the temporary closure of three airports. The picture on the left shows a car damaged in the attack. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched 145 drones at Ukraine overnight | AFP | P9 BENGALURU  MONDAY  NOVEMBER 11, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 16  LATE CITY EDITION 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 EXPRESS READ Indians fishing in SL waters concerning: Dissanayake JAFFNA: Sri Lankan President Anura Dissanayake on Sunday took a firm stance against Indian fishermen “illegally” fishing in Sri Lankan waters. This comes in the backdrop of the arrest of 23 fishermen from Rameswaram by the Sri Lankan Navy on Sunday. P5 JUSTICE SANJIV KHANNA TO TAKE OVER AS CJI TODAY Justice Khanna will succeed Justice D Y Chandrachud, who retired on Sunday. He will be the 51st Chief Justice of India and his tenure will end on May 13, 2025 | P7 Waqf row: CM orders Revenue Dept to withdraw notices to farmers EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru WITH just hours to go for bypolls to three Assembly constituencies, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday ordered withdrawal of all notices issued by the Waqf Board, staking claim to lands of far mers and other individuals. The order came just days after Jagadambika Pal, chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqf (amendment) bill, received over 500 petitions from farmers of North Karnataka, including Hubballi, Vijayapura and Belagavi districts, comp l a i n i n g a g a i n s t Wa q f Board’s ownership claims. The chief minister directed officials to withdraw the ongoing mutation process and notices served to farmers. The letter, issued by the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah receives a guard of honour at Hubballi airport on Sunday | EXPRESS Revenue Department principal secretary to all deputy commissioners, also warned that the action will be taken against officers who are issuing notices to farmers despite directions from the government on November 7. Assembly Opposition Leader R Ashoka on Saturday alleged that though the CM had claimed to have withdrawn notices to farmers, the Reve- nue Department on November 7 sought a report on the progress made in changing the land records. The department wanted an action taken report in 21,767 cases of changing khatas (land records), Ashoka stated and chided, “This is a U-turn government.” BJP has turned this into a major issue ahead of the November 13 bypolls to Channapatna, Shiggaon and Sandur, stating that the Waqf Board has been claiming ownership of lands on which temples and graveyards are situated. BJP, alleging that the ruling Congress is indulging in “Land Jihad”, has demanded the resignation of Waqf Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan, saying he was solely responsible for the Waqf Board notices to farmers, who have tilled these lands for generations. Army officer martyred in Jammu encounter F AYA Z W A N I @ Srinagar A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of the Indian Army was killed during an encounter with terrorists in Jammu’s Kishtwar district on Sunday . “Based on specific intelligence input regarding the presence of terrorists, a joint operation was launched by security forces in Bhart Ridge, Kishtwar. Contact was established and fight ensued,” the Army’s Jammu-based White Knight Corps said in a post on X. During the gunfight, JCO Rakesh Kumar of 2 Para (SF) was killed and three para commandos were injured, Army officials said. “A group of three to four militants are trapped in the area. It is the same group that had abducted and killed two village defence guards in Kishtwar two days ago,” an official said. More troops have been rushed to the area to strengthen the siege. Forces are using drones and other surveillance equipment to track down the terrorists hiding in the dense forest. In all, three encounters took place in Jammu and Kashmir since Saturday night. In another incident, security forces and terrorists exchanged fire in the forest area of Zabar- wan in Ishber Nishat in Srinagar. The gunfight erupted after terrorists fired indiscriminately at a search party comprising police, CRPF and Army personnel, an official said. The security agencies suspect two or three terrorists are hiding in the forest area of Zabarwan. Earlier, a terrorist was killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in the Rajpora area of Sopore in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. Nijjar’s aide Arsh Dalla arrested by Canadian police Dalla, designated as a terrorist by India, nabbed over a shooting incident in Ontario by Halton Regional Police, along with another person. CANADIAN police have deMeanwhile, the Punjab Police tained Arshdeep Singh Gill ali- said on Sunday that they have as Arsh Dalla, a close aide of arrested two members of Dalslain Khalistani terrorist Hard- la’s Canada-based gang in Moeep Singh Nijjar, in connection hali for their alleged involvewith a shootout case, sources ment in the murder of a Sikh said on Sunday. The Union activist last month. home ministry had designated The Delhi Police had said last Dalla as a terrorist year that Dalla had Wanted under the Unlawful links with internain India Activities Prevention tional terror outfit Act last year. The Punjab Police Lashkar-e-Taiba and Government sourcPakistan’s Inter-Servsaid preliminary es said New Delhi ices Intelligence. He investigations would not seek his ex- revealed Arsh Dalla was a key member of tradition as ties with e x t re m i s t g ro u p s tasked Navjot Canada are cold after Singh alias Neetu, Khalistan Tiger Force the latter’s accusation and the International a resident of of India’s involve- Kharar, Punjab, to Sikh Youth Federament in the killing of tion. Sources said he target Gurpreet Nijjar, who was shot lives in Surrey in Singh Hari Nau, dead last June. “ExCanada’s British Cowho runs a tradition is going to YouTube channel lumbia province with be tough, as under the under the name of his wife and a minor present situation it is daughter. Hari Nau Talks going to be almost imIn a Facebook post, possible. And also, the Canadi- Dalla had taken responsibility an authorities have not arrested for the murder of an electrihim so far, only detained him,” cian, Paramjeet Singh, from an official said. Punjab’s Jagraon. His associAccording to intelligence of- ates had shot dead Manohar ficials, information related to Lal, a Dera Sacha Sauda followDalla’s detention in Ontario er in November 2020. He was came shortly after reports of also involved in hatching a conhis involvement in a shootout spiracy to kidnap and kill one on October 28. He was detained Shakti Singh. M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi Act against Zameer: Guv’s office to AG EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru ON Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s direction, his special secretary has written to the advocate general, directing him to take action against Waqf Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan for making allegations against a high court judgment. In his letter, the governor’s special secretary stated that as directed by the Governor, he is forwarding the representation submitted by social activist TJ Abraham, who has filed a complaint alleging illegalities in the allotment of sites by the Mysore Urban Development Authority to CM Siddramaiah’s’ wife BM Parvathi. The special secretary alleged that the minister has made serious alle g ations against the high court judgment, questioning the integrity of the judiciary The governor’s office . has sought necessary action in accordance with the law. Zameer had termed the court’s decision in September this year as a ‘’political judgment” when it dismissed a petition by Siddaramaiah questioning the governor’s sanction to prosecute him in the MUDA site allotment case. Abraham had written to the governor, stating that the “advocate general had not bothered to respond” to his request for contempt of court and criminal proceedings a g ainst Zameer.