BJP leaders said Modi is the first and only Prime Minister born after Independence to become the longest-serving non-Congress PM KOCHI l saturday l july 26, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE city EDITION Modi becomes second longest serving PM surpassing Indira Narendra Modi has reached what the NDA described on Friday as a “historic milestone”, consecutive terms of 11 years as prime minister no mean feat: 4,078 days in high office After completing 4,078 consecutive days in office, PM Modi has now surpassed former prime minister Indira Gandhi, who served for 4,077 days from 1966 to 1977. Throughout his uninterrupted 24 years in office, Modi was Gujarat chief minister for 13 years from 2001 before seamlessly occupying the post of PM after winning the general elections in 2014 ■ Six Vajpayee too had three shots at PM post ■ Modi has already matched first prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who had won three consecutive general elections | P7 BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee too did three stints as prime minister after elections in 1996 (13-day government); 1998, when he headed the government for 13 months; and in 1999 for a full term consecutive elections won by modi in 2002, 2007, 2012, 2014, 2019, 2024 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 Weight loss to hoarding tools: Govindachamy plotted jailbreak meticulously for over a year India and Maldives reset bilateral relations Modi gives Muizzu L4,850 crore lifeline; FTA on the table L a k s h m i At h i r a @Kannur Hours after escaping from the Kannur Central Jail early Friday morning, Govindachamy the con, vict in the 2011 Soumya rape and murder case, was nabbed by the police, around 3.5 km away from the prison. The police, based on alerts from local residents, caught him from a well on the premises of the National Statistics Office at Thalap, where he was hiding. Govindachamy’s escape from the high-security block was not a spur-of-the-moment stunt, but a meticulously crafted operation that unfolded over a year. Investigations by the police, coupled with Govindachamy’s statements, reveal a chilling level of detail — from deliberate weight loss and tool hoarding to cutting iron bars under the cover of rain and mapping CCTV blind spots, the onehanded convict plotted every move with precision. Lodged in the fourth cell of the 10th block designated for high-risk inmates, Govindachamy, a native of Tamil Nadu, began his preparations months in advance. He gradually altered his diet, switching to a chapati-only menu to shed weight, making it easier to scale walls with his single hand. Once mocked for gaining weight on a prison diet, his appearance changed drastically. From a well- Defence and security cooperation is a testament to mutual trust. The roots of our relationship are older than history and as deep as the sea… Narendra Modi, Prime Minister India’s continued assistance to the Maldives through the export of essential commodities is a key facet of our bilateral cooperation under the longstanding trade agreement Mohamed Muizzu, Maldivian President Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu during the exchange of an MoU and virtual inauguration of the projects, in Male | pti J AYANTH J A C O B @ New Delhi India and the Maldives on Friday unveiled a significant reset in bilateral relations, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing a `4,850 crore line of credit (LoC) and a new framework for expanding cooperation in trade, defence, infrastructure, and digital connectivity among others. , Modi’s visit, his first to the Maldives in his third term, marks a sharp turnaround in bilateral ties, which had faced strain early in President Mohamed Muizzu’s tenure when the latter tried to strengthen relations with China by moving away from India. Reflecting the renewed warmth, Muizzu and his ministers welcomed Modi at Velana airport. After delegation-level talks, Modi said: “India is proud to be the most trusted friend of the Maldives. For us, it is always friendship first.” He added that the Maldives holds a central place in India’s Neighbourhood First policy and the MAHASAGAR vision for regional maritime cooperation. “India will always stand by the Maldives in strengthening its defence capabilities,” Modi said, adding that deepening security ties reflect the trust between the two nations. “Our defence and security cooperation is a testament to mutual trust. School timings: state govt sticks to decision who rushed to the site and the school staff conducted the initial rescue operation. The villagers said the children were taken out with great difficulty . The injured were initially taken to in well Govindachamy being taken to the Kannur Police Training Centre on Friday | Express Govindachamy was convicted of murdering a woman after attacking her while travelling on a train from Ernakulam to Shoranur on Feb 1, 2011. He pushed her out of the train and raped her. She later died from injuries at hospital on Feb 6. fed inmate, he turned gaunt, bones visible beneath his skin. Police sources said Govindachamy was well aware of the security lapses at the Kannur Central Prison. “He had been planning for the jail break for almost a year,” said a senior police officer involved in the investigation. “The rope he used to escape was made using cloth stolen from trial prisoners or taken from laundry 11.30 pm: Police and locals pull him out of the well. He is shifted to the Kannur Police Training Centre for detailed questioning 4 pm: Govindachamy brought back to Kannur Central Prison for evidence collection 6 pm: Kannur First Class Magistrate Court remands him in judicial custody for 14 days. He is then taken to Kannur Central Prison. Four officers suspended over lapses In the aftermath of the jailbreak, four prison officers — Rijo (Assistant Superintendent of Jail), Rajesh (Deputy Prison Officer), and Sanjay and Akhil (Assistant Prison Officers) — were suspended for security lapses lines inside the jail. He even managed to get hold of a blade — likely from plumbers who came into the prison — which he used to saw through the iron bars of his cell.” According to the officer, Govindachamy began cutting the bars nearly 20 days before the escape. “He was very calculated. He worked during rainy hours to muffle the sound and left the bars partially intact so the damage wouldn’t MUK E SH RAN J AN a n d R a m a s h a n k a r be noticed during inspections. On the night of the escape, he bent the last section and slipped out,” the officer said. Climbing the internal wall of the 10th block, which is around six ft high, posed no challenge to him after the weight loss. To scale the 20-ft-high outer wall, he used whatever he could find — two plastic tanks, a wooden box, a steel container, the officer said.  ● More on P4 Phase 1 over, 65.2L names out of Bihar election roll IN what appears to be a setback for the West Bengal government, President Droupadi Murmu recently sent the ‘Aparajita Bill’, passed in the state assembly last year, back to Raj Bhavan, Kolkata, after raising a few questions, sources said on Friday Subsequently West Ben. , gal Governor C V Ananda Bose sent back the bill to the assembly Speaker. Governor Bose had reserved ‘The Aparajita Women and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill, 2024’ for consideration of the President. The Centre has since conveyed its observations on certain amendments proposed to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) through this bill, highly placed sources in Raj Bhavan informed. One of the proposed amendments seeks to enhance punishment for rape, raising it from the existing 10 years to life imprisonment for the remainder of one’s life or death. The Union home ministry termed this change as “excessively harsh and disproportionate,” sources said. Another proposed amendment seeks to delete Section 65 of the BNS, 2023. “Thereby it is removing the distinction in punishment for rape of women under 16 and 12 years of age,” sources revealed. 7 students killed as Rajasthan school collapses Locals removing bricks and cement slabs by hand to rescue students trapped under debris | pti 6am: During a routine check, prison staff finds he is missing from 9.05 am: Police and cell local residents begin 8 am-9 am: Kannur searching the area Town police launch 10.40am: An large-scale manhunt employee of the 9 am: A local resident National Statistics spots a one-handed Office finds man walking Govindachamy hiding suspiciously near the inside the well on the bypass road in Thalap office premises k a u s h i k p r a d h a n @ Kolkata Despite stiff opposition from Muslim groups such as Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, the govt has decided to stick to its decision to increase school timings by half an hour for the high school section Seven students were killed and over 25 others were injured when a government school collapsed on Friday morning at Piplodi village in Rajasthan’s Jhalawar district. The students, mostly from Class 7, were inside the school when the structure gave way burying , the students under piles of concrete slabs, bricks and stones. Five children died on the spot, while two succumbed to injuries in hospital. The tragedy occurred at 8 am on Monday Moments before the collapse, . students noticed debris falling from the ceiling and alerted teachers, who allegedly ignored the warning signs. Locals said a portion of the school building collapsed with such force that it sounded like an explosion. Villagers jailbirD’s flight ends Prez sends back Aparajita bill to West Bengal The roots of our relationship are older than history and as deep as the sea… our friendship will remain bright and clear,” the prime minister said. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri described the visit as “a demonstration of trust and strategic convergence.” On India’s concerns about foreign military presence in the region, Misri said: “Security is a mutual concern. Both sides reaffirmed that peace and stability in the Indian Ocean are shared responsibilities.” The two nations agreed to move swiftly on finalising a bilateral investment treaty and launched negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA). “We hope to conclude the India-Maldives FTA quickly Misri said. ,” Modi’s two-day visit also aims to reinvigorate India’s development partnership with the Maldives, with the `4,850 crore LoC at its core. “This will support infrastructure projects aligned with the priorities of the Maldivian people,” Modi said. India also agreed to ease Maldives’ debt repayment obligations on existing Indian lines of credit — a move that signals New Delhi’s willingness to support Male’s economic recovery . Muizzu, who once distanced from New Delhi, appreciated India’s help. He also condemned the Pahalgam terror attack, expressing solidarity with India on its counterterrorism efforts. RA J E SH ASNANI @ Jaipur 4.30 am: Govindachamy escapes from the high-security 10th block of Kannur Central Prison Manohar Thana Hospital. “Thirty-five injured children were brought in. Eleven were critical and they were referred to the district hospital in Jhalawar,” said Dr Kaushal Lodha, medical officer, Manohar Thana Hospital. “There were about 50 children in the school when it collapsed. I had alerted the teachers several times about the poor condition of the building, but no repairs were done,” said Badrilal, father of a student. Jhalawar district collector Ajay Singh Rathore said the school was not listed among structurally unsafe buildings. The Education Department suspended five teachers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu and Rajasthan CM Bhajanlal Sharma expressed condolences over the loss of lives. @ New Delhi/Patna As many as 65.2 lakh names have been excluded from the Bihar election rolls months ahead of the assembly polls, whose controversial voter enumeration phase ended on Friday Voters and political parties . have till September 1 to challenge the deletion or addition of names after the Election Commission of India (ECI) publishes the draft rolls on August 1. Of the total 7.9 crore registered voters in Bihar, 22 lakh were weeded out as they were dead, 35 lakh permanently migrated, 7 lakh had registered at more than one place, and 1.2 lakh are untraceable, the ECI said. The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) made a mockery of the summary revision of poll rolls in Bihar in January this year, which had arrived at the figure of 7.9 crore voters in the state. The RJD, Bihar’s main opposition Wayanad Disastera t e r y e a r l A Fear haunts hamlets P2 EXPRESS READ SC issues 15 guidelines to prevent student suicides New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday issued 15 pan-India guidelines to curb the rising trend of suicides among students in educational institutions. A bench of justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, while issuing guidelines, said they will be binding till an appropriate law or regulatory framework is enacted. P8 185 Pakistan refugees granted Indian citizenship Ahmedabad: In a push under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 185 Pakistan-displaced individuals were granted Indian citizenship in Gujarat on Friday. P8 16 pages, including 4 pages of KOCHI Express party said it will continue its protest , against the SIR exercise. Former chief minister Rabri Devi, mother of former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, wondered how four crore Biharis living outside the state would be able to complete the SIR formalities within the short span of two months. She went on to allege a political plot to eliminate Tejashwi. The RJD and the Congress have hinted at the possibility of boycotting the state polls due in October-November if the discrepancies pointed out by them in SIR are not addressed. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recently warned of action against ‘partisan’ poll officials involved in conducting the SIR exercise in Bihar. A couple of days ago, Tejashwi said, “We are keeping the option open for boycott of the assembly polls. When the time comes, we will take a decision following a discussion with our alliance partners.” DRDO tests drone guided missiles Flight trials of V3, equipped with high definition dualchannel seeker that can strike a wide variety of targets, were carried out in Kurnool in AP Manage waste at source and earn 5% off on property tax S h a i n u M o h a n @T’Puram The state government is planning to introduce a 5% discount on property tax for households with source-level waste management systems in a bid to encourage people to adopt processing of biodegradable garbage at the place of origin. Disposal of biodegradable waste remains a major challenge for the local self-government department (LSGD) and its source-level management remains low despite the state government’s flagship cleanliness campaign, ‘ M a l i n y a M u k t h a N av a Keralam’. A recent survey by the LSGD revealed that only 23% of households currently manage waste at source, prompting the government to think about incentives to woo the people to its processing at place of origin. The survey launched by the Suchitwa Mis- sion in 94.58 lakh households found that only 25.12 lakh households possess some kind of waste management infrastructure like kitchen bins, ring compost, biogas plant or composting pits. LSGD Minister M B Rajesh told TNIE that the 5% discount is under government’s serious consideration. “Though the (Malinya Muktha Nava Keralam) campaign helped the local bodies in improving overall waste management, it failed to generate the expected impact on households. We want more households to adopt sourcelevel waste management systems,” he said. Centralised waste management facilities are only for major cities and will focus only on bulk waste generators, Rajesh said. “A final decision on the tax discount will be announced next week after analysing its financial impact on the local bodies,” the ● More on P4 minister added.