MADURAI l wednesday l july 02, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l LATE CITY EDITION stealth frigate INS Tamal latest induction into the navy An improved version of Shtil missile is the primary weapon for anti-air defence of the Russian-manufactured frigate INS Tamal shipborne surface to air missile key usp Russian tech helps make in india plan Describing the latest version of the missile, sources from Russia said the Russian Shtil-1 is a shipborne, medium-range, multi-channel, verticallaunch Surface to Air Missile (SAM) system. It provides omnidirectional collective defence of ship squadrons as well as omnidirectional individual defence of ships against attacks by enemy anti-ship missiles and aircraft ■ ■ Trials of Shtil-1 with 9M317ME SAMs fitted aboard the frigate Tamal were completed at a Baltic Sea range before its delivery to India Sources term the transfer of as being “in line with Russian-Indian military-technical cooperation, which is evolving, on the basis of longterm contracts and the Centre’s ‘Make in India’ initiative | P9 8th INS Tamal is the eighth ship that Russia transferred to the Navy 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 custodial death CM says sorry to the victim’s mom, transfers probe to CBI Hard talk on terror at Quad meet Jaishankar says India will exercise right to defend against terror, expects partners to understand J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Chennai Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday ordered the transfer of the probe into the custodial death of B Ajithkumar (27) from the state police to the CBI. The victim, a temple security guard in Sivaganga district, died after being thrashed by policemen in a theft case on Saturday night. The CM spoke to Ajithkumar’s family over the phone on Tuesday “I am very sorry Stay . . strong,” he told the victim’s mother. The CM shared the video of his telephonic conversation with the family on his ‘X’ handle. In a message accompanying the video, Stalin said, “While six policemen were initially suspended, five were later arrested for murder. The district SP has been put on compulsory wait, and a DSP B Ajithkumar has been suspended.” “The Madras HC has allowed CB-CID probe. But with five policemen facing allegations, I have directed transferring the investigation to CBI,” he said. Meanwhile, the Madras HC on Tuesday ordered S John Sundarlal Suresh, IV Additional District Judge of Madurai, to conduct an inquiry and submit a report by July 8. The CM’s decision comes amid criticism from various quarters. While principal opposition AIADMK demanded a CBI probe, saying people had lost faith in the Tamil Nadu police, TVK leader Vijay had demanded an SIT probe. BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran wrote a letter to the NHRC chairperson urging a high-level independent investigation into the incident. More reports: P4 express read Parliamentary panel meeting cut short over Medha Patkar New Delhi: A parliamentary panel meeting on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj was postponed abruptly on Tuesday as BJP MPs boycotted it in protest against the presence of activist Medha Patkar and actor-turnedactivist Prakash Raj, who were invited to appear before the committee. The meeting saw stormy scenes as former Union minister and BJP MP Parshottam Rupala along with other ruling party MPs stormed out of the meeting, with some calling Patkar ‘anti-national’. A BJP MP told this paper they were not informed about Patkar’s deposition. Act of economic warfare: minister External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday described the Pahalgam terror attack as an act of economic warfare, adding India no longer separates terror groups from the states that support them In the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday asserted that India will not hesitate to defend its citizens against terrorism and expects its strategic partners to stand in solidarity, at a meeting of Quad foreign ministers in Washington. “A word about terrorism in the light of our recent experience — the world must display zero tolerance. Victims and perpetrators must never be equated. And India has every right to defend its people against terrorism, and we will exercise that right. We expect our Quad partners to understand and appreciate that,” Jaishankar said, addressing his counterparts from the US, Japan and Australia. The strong statement came as in the wake of the Pahalgam attack, which left 26 civilians dead — mostly tourists in a cross-bor- Want to have similar meets every 5-6 mths: U.S. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed the strategic importance of the grouping. “We would like to do this every five-six months. These are important strategic partners and allies of the US. We have shared priorities — we talk about ideas and concepts,” he said der terror attack, underscoring India’s growing assertiveness on counterterrorism in multilateral groupings such as the Quad. Set against the backdrop of growing concerns over China’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific, the Quad meeting also reaffirmed the group’s commitment to a free, open, and rulesbased regional order. “We are all committed to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Jaishankar said. “It is essential that nations of the Indo-Pacific have the freedom of choice, so essential to make right decisions on development and security,” Jaishankar said. He added that the bloc was becoming “more cohesive, nimble and focused”. CHENNAI: With the objective of making India a sporting powerhouse, the new Khelo Bharat Niti was approved by the Union cabinet. It will supersede the National Sports Policy The debris after the explosion at Gokulesh Fireworks in Chinnakamanpatti | express Eight killed, 5 injured in blast at firecracker unit gapandi of Servaikaranpatti and Punniyamoorthi of Virudhunagar. Eight workers died and five others were Revenue officials said the unit has a injured on Tuesday morning after alleged Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organmishandling of pellets by workers led to isation (PESO) licence and has been opan explosion at Gokulesh Fireworks at erating for a decade. “The blast may Chinnakamanpatti near Sathave been triggered by the tur in Virudhunagar district. mishandling of pellets by At least 20 workers were at the workers during transit. The unit at the time of the blast. structures gutted in the fire The death toll may go up as two include the pellet transit shed The blast may have of the injured have suffered been triggered by the and drying platforms,” an of100% burns. Seven escaped ficial said. While seven sheds mishandling of without injuries, sources said. were completely destroyed, pellets by workers CM MK Stalin extended his three sustained par tial during transit. The structures gutted in condolences to the families of damage. the fire include the the victims and has ordered a The Sattur town police have pellet transit shed solatium of `4 lakh to be paid registered a case under the to the families of the deceased, and drying platforms Explosives Act against own`1 lakh to those severely iners T Kamalkumar and two Official jured, and `50,000 to those others as well as foreman with minor injuries. The deRavi. Ravi has been arrested, ceased were identified as K Lakshmi (25) while the others are absconding. of Mathiyasenai, K Vairamani of SoolSpeaking to TNIE, D Manmadharaja akarai, C Chellapandi of Anupankulam, (68), watchman of the unit, said the R Mahalingam (55) of Meenampatti, K explosion occurred around 8.30am Ramajeyan (27) of Servaikaranpatti, R when 20 workers were handling Ramamoorthi (39) of O Kovilpatti, Na- chemicals.  P5 H a r i n i M @ Virudhunagar Tamil Nadu’s ‘sure success’ scheme to help unemployed youth get a shot at jobs @ Chennai During the third anniversary celebrations of the Naan Mudhalvan scheme on Tuesday, Chief Minister M K Stalin launched a new initiative, the Vetri Nichayam (sure success) scheme, aimed at providing free short-term skill training for unemployed youth aged 18 to 35. The state government has allocated `100 crore for the first phase, which targets training 75,000 youngsters in the coming year in collaboration with top X factor Trump-Musk feud US president Donald Trump threatened to deport his former ‘first buddy’ Elon Musk as the two fought over the tax bill | P11 Khelo Bharat Niti aims for a fitter india 100 crore,165 courses Express News Service The Quad, or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, has emerged as one of the cornerstones of India’s strategic engagements amid a volatile regional landscape. India is set to host the next Quad summit later this year. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasised the need for secure and diversified supply chains, particularly around critical minerals — a veiled reference to overdependence on China. “Countries not part of the Quad will benefit from it,” he added. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong reinforced the group’s shared vision for “peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific,” while Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya highlighted the “strength and unity” the Quad. training institutes and companies to help them get jobs. Under the initiative, skill training will be offered across 38 industrial sectors through 165 courses, delivered via over 500 training institutes. A dedicated mobile application, Skill Wa l l e t , h a s b e e n launched for the scheme to help youth access information on training programmes and employment opportunities. Apart from covering all the training costs, special focus will be provided to youth from socially and economically-backward communities, including disabled persons, tribals, Sri Lankan Tamils, those from fisher community, minorities, youth from Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board tenements and sanitary workers. Youngsters, whose families are already covered under various other government schemes, will also be identified and enlisted for the training session under Vetri Nichayam. P5 App to give job info A dedicated mobile application, Skill Wallet, has been launched for the scheme to help youth access information on training programmes and job opportunities of 2001. It also aims at engaging the youth of the country while trying to build a fitter India. The Khelo Bharat Niti will aim to bring in more transparency and accountability in sports governance while driving necessary changes to usher in a robust mechanism to promote sports in our day to day lives.  (Read the full report at www.newindianexpress.com)  ENS