RICH NATIONS TOLD TO HONOUR PARIS PLEDGES BASIC countries, including India, have asked developed countries to honour their commitments to provide climate finance rather than ‘diluting obligations’ and rejected attempts by the rich nations to shift their financial responsibilities during negotiations at the ongoing COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan | AP BHUBANESWAR  FRIDAY  NOVEMBER 15, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 14  JEYPORE 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 SECOND EDITION OF THE RNG SAHITHYA SAMMAN TODAY PA R A M I TA G H O S H @ New Delhi I DEALLY, works of literature should never have to compete, but what would literary prizes be without such competition? The second edition of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Sahithya Samman instituted by The New Indian Express group will on Friday unveil the names of winners across three categories from among some of India’s most exciting voices in fiction and non-fiction. At the ceremony to be held at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi, a citation, a trophy and a cash prize will be award, ed to each of the three winners. The selection process kicked off in July with a long list of prospective winners based on suggestions from senior editors from each of TNIE’s 30-plus centres across the country — in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, and The Morning Standard and Sunday Standard in Delhi — as well as from publishers. The list was finally whittled down to a shortlist by an internal jury In the non-fiction category four . , books were in the fray — The Day I Became A Runner by Sohini Chattopadhyay The Yellow , Sparrow by Santa Khurai, H-Pop: The Secretive World of Hindutva Pop Stars by Kunal Purohit, and Neerja Chowdhury’s How Prime CONTINUED ON: P5 Ministers Decide. AFSPA back in 6 areas of Manipur Situation continues to be volatile with intermittent firing in parts of the troubled state, says Centre AUTOPSY REPORT SHOWS THIRD-DEGREE TORTURE M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi WITH the situation in Manipur continuing to be grim, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday re-imposed the tough Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in six police station areas in the Imphal valley after declaring them as disturbed areas. The announcement came on a day when there was no trace of six Meiteis — three women and three children — missing after Monday’s gunfight in Jiribam district that left 10 ‘militants’ dead. The police said search operations were continuing even as political parties joined various organisations in demanding the release of the six captives. Till now, most of Manipur was in the disturbed areas category except for 19 police stations in the A truck damaged after militants set it on fire, in Jiribam district | PTI The autopsy report of the 31-year-old tribal woman killed in Jiribam district on November 7, revealed that she was subjected to third-degree torture and suffered 99% burns. The report also said several body parts and limbs were missing and visceras for chemical analysis could not be collected as most were charred and unrecognisable. Meitei-dominated Imphal valley . The geography of the disturbed areas has now been extended to the jurisdictions of Sekmai and Lamsang police stations in Imphal West, Lamlai in Imphal East, Moirang in Bishnupur, Leimakhong in Kangpokpi, and Jiribam police station in five districts. The imposition of AFPSA is war- ranted to carry out well-coordinated operations to maintain the security situation and contain the activities of insurgent groups there, the ministry said in its notification. The ministry said Manipur continues to be volatile with intermittent firing in violence prone areas in the fringe areas of Bishnupur- Churachandpur, Imphal EastKangpokpi-Imphal West and Jiribam districts. There was active participation of insurgent groups in heinous acts of violence. AFSPA empowers officers of the armed forces to “fire upon or otherwise use force, even to the causing of death” after giving due warning against “any person who is acting in contravention of any law or order for the time being in force in the disturbed area” if they are of the opinion that it is necessary to maintain public order. The law protects officers from prosecution. “No prosecution, suit or other legal proceeding shall be instituted, except with the previous sanction of the Central Government, against any person in respect of anything done or purported to be done in exercise of the powers conferred by this Act.” EXPRESS READ HSC examinations from February 21 Cuttack: The annual HSC, Madhyama and State Open School Certificate (SOSC) examinations-2025 will be conducted from February 21 to March 6 next year, the Board of Secondary Examination announced on Thursday. Regular and ex-regular HSC examinations will be held from 9 am to 11.30 am except mathematics which will end at 11.45 am | P2 SIT to probe Covid scam against BSY Bengaluru: The Siddaramaiah government on Thursday decided to set up a SIT to probe alleged irregularities in Covid-19 management and misappropriation of funds by the previous BJP government. State law minister H K Patil said the decision to set up the SIT was based on interim report of Justice John Michael D’Cunha Commission’s report | P5 SC refuses pre-arrest bail to Mishra in cop assault case S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi DALLABE EXTRADITION TO SOUGHT BY INDIA India said it will seek the extradition of Arsh Dalla, the de-facto chief of the Khalistan Tiger Force, after his arrest in Canada. He was designated a terrorist by India in 2023 | P7 IN a huge setback to senior BJP leader and Sambalpur MLA Jayanarayan Mishra, the Supreme Court on Thursday rejected his anticipatory bail plea in connection with the case of slapping a female police officer during a protest in 2023. Mishra, the then leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, had been accused of assaulting the police officer Anita Pradhan during a protest outside Sambalpur collectorate. A two-judge bench of Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice SVN Bhatti rejected the plea of Mishra leaving him open for arrest anytime. The bench observed, “Those in leadership positions have to set an example for public behaviour.” Earlier on February 1 this year, the apex court had granted him interim protection from arrest. Senior lawyer and former additional solicitor general (ASG) Maninder Singh appeared for Mishra. The BJP leader, in his de- Those in leadership positions have to set an example for public behaviour SC bench fence, claimed that the previous BJD government had registered a false case against him. As per the victim and also the complainant in the case, inspector incharge of Dhanupali police station Pradhan, Mishra had assaulted her after accusing her of taking bribes, during a BJP protest in Sambalpur on February 15 last year. Mishra, however, denied the charge and claimed that rather, Pradhan, had pushed him. Initially the Orissa High Court , had rejected the petition of Mishra seeking interim relief of anticipatory bail in the case, prompting him to knock the doors of the Supreme Court for relief. Singh had earlier told the court that his client is an MLA and the LOP (leader of Opposition) in the state Assembly, and he was not even summoned in the CONTINUED ON P5 case.