HYDERABAD l monday l october 26, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l LATE CITY EDITION Resumption of war will not change Iran’s stance: Araghchi Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that a resumption of war with the US and Israel would not change his country’s position Comes after Don Hints at renewed attacks Iran seeks removal of foreign forces His statement came after President Donald Trump indicated that he could resume attacks on Iran after the midterm elections in the US. Speaking at a televised event in Tehran, Araghchi said, “They have already done so twice and have seen the results. If they want to try again, they know they will achieve no different outcome” ■ ■ Araghchi said to achieve peace and stability, “our region must move towards the complete absence of foreign forces” Trump said on Friday the US “may do another little Epic Fury,” referring to the military campaign that began in February. The US has moved thousands of additional troops to the region in recent weeks Nov 3 when the u.s. will hold midterm elections 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 EC hiding software info to Busted: Int’l drug bury manipulation: Cong cartel and `100 cr inter-state op Kharge demands annulment of Assembly polls held in the past 2 yrs Mukesh Ranjan & Ramashankar @ New Delhi / Patna Modi SAYS CONG RULE FAVOURED RICH Inaugurating RBI’s `169-crore data centre and Cybersecurity Training Institute in Bhubaneswar, the PM alleged the masses were denied banking services during Cong rule | P7 express read Silver for Sindhu at French Open Paris: India’s PV Sindhu had to settle for silver in the women’s singles final at the French Open Super 750 in Paris on Sunday, losing 21-16, 11-21, 12-21 to world no. 1 An Se Young of South Korea | p11 revanth to meet fadnavis today | p4 THE Congress on Sunday escalated its campaign against the Election Commission, accusing the poll body of suppressing crucial information about the ECINET software, while party chief Mallikarjun Kharge demanded that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) be halted immediately , Assembly polls held in the past two years annulled, and future elections be held through ballot papers. The opposition party cited media reports about the poll body refusing to disclose the technical details of the ECINET software sought through RTI and alleged it was done to hide the alleged manipulation of electoral rolls. “The ECI is repeatedly refusing to provide this information because it will reveal the reality of the massive, centralised manipulation that has taken place,” said Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh, adding the poll panel must clarify whether it is using artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, speaking at an event in Patna on Sunday Kharge called for return to ballot papers , to preserve the sanctity of election process and demanded the Assembly polls held in the past two years should be annulled. Interestingly he named only the BJP-ruled West Bengal, Haryana, Bihar and Maharashtra; Congress won in Kerala and is sharing power with the TVK in Tamil Nadu, where elections were held in 2026. Launching a fierce attack on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the Congress chief alleged there were large-scale irregularities during the SIR process that influenced election results, accusing the CEC of enabling ‘vote theft’ under the garb of SIR. Kharge described the anti-SIR stir as a “second war of independence” and urged people to participate in INDIA bloc’s November 1 protest rally in Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan. “The protest by Opposition INDIA bloc in New Delhi is aimed at ousting of CEC Gyanesh Kumar,” the Congress president added, while speaking at an event to mark the 139th birth anniversary of Bihar’s first chief minister Shri Krishna Singh. Sustainable farming Ladakh becomes India’s first fully organic UT F aya z W a n i @ Srinagar Ladakh was declared India’s first fully organic Union Territory on Sunday, in a nod to its sustained efforts to promote chemical-free farming. “This is a moment of immense pride for Ladakh and the entire nation. Our farmers have demonstrated that environmentally responsible agriculture can flourish even in the most challenging geographical conditions,” Lieutenant Governor (LG) V K Saxena said. It follows a phased, multiyear initiative aimed at eliminating synthetic fertilisers, chemical pesticides and toxic soil additives from agricultural practices across the Union Territory . The big push came in July, when the LG ordered a complete prohibition on the procurement, distribution, sale, marketing, and use of chemical and synthetic fertilisers for agricultural practices across Ladakh. In March, the administration had flagged off distribution of organic fertiliser among farmers across villages to ensure timely availability before the sowing season. The move to organic farming is expected to improve soil fertility, protect water resources, preserve biodiversity and promote healthier food production. Besides, it is expected to create new opportunities for Ladakh’s farmers by improving the value of locally grown organic produce, including apricots, sea buckthorn, buckwheat, barley and vegetables. “Organic certification, better post-harvest management, value addition, branding and stronger market linkages can help farmers access consumers who increasingly seek authentic, traceable and organically produced food,” an official said. Elections should be held using ballots to ensure transparency and restore public confidence. Democracy must be protected, and every vote must count Mallikarjun Kharge Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge speaks in Patna on Sunday| PTI Row over remark Kharge’s impromptu remarks during the Patna event triggered a political row. When a person in the audience said, “Modi won’t go anywhere or lose power”, Kharge retorted, “Even Modi’s father will go,” prompting a commotion at the venue | P7 BJP meets to mull how to ‘expose’ Oppn protests, rally RAJE S H KUMAR THAKUR @New Delhi Strategies to counter the Opposition’s protests against the Chief Election Commissioner and its November 1 rally were discussed at a top-level BJP meeting on Sunday as the , party strategised on “exposing” the Congress-backed efforts in its national ‘Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy’ campaign. The meeting, chaired by party chief Nitin Nabin and attended by senior leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, discussed how the party could push back on the Opposition’s charges against the Special Intensive Revision of poll rolls, sources said. Plans for the BJP’s poll campaign in 2027 Assembly elections in UP, Punjab and three other states were also on the agenda. Sources said the leaders discussed a series of nationwide activities aimed at questioning the Opposition’s role in upholding democracy and highlighting achievements of the Modi government. “The meeting may have discussed spreading how the Congress and its allies want the inclusion of dead and fake voters in the voters’ lists under the pretext of protesting and demoralising a constitutional body like the Election Commission,” claimed a source. hawala trail m u k e s h r a n j a n @ New Delhi COORDINATED raids by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and state police forces helped dismantle a trans-national narcotics cartel operating across India, Myanmar and Bangladesh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday He said raids were carried out at 38 locations in Assam, . Mizoram and Manipur leading to 18 arrests, freezing of 1,424 bank accounts and uncovering of hawala transactions worth `100 crore. The operation, conducted on October 23 and codenamed ‘Operation Trident’, resulted in attachment of properties worth `17.82 crore, seizure of 500 detonators and the recovery of `12 lakh in cash. The synchronised action Announcing the operation on X, was designed to disrupt Shah said, “Central agencies and po- the network’s ability to lice forces in three northeastern move narcotics and states carried out simultaneous op- money across state and erations to dismantle the interna- international borders tional drug trafficking network and Amit Shah, home minister expose its financial links.” The cartel allegedly used the corridor connecting India, Myanmar Strategic shift and Bangladesh to move narcotics The operation marks a across borders, which Shah described strategic shift in as ‘Death Triangle Corridor’. India’s anti-narcotics The crackdown aligns with the campaign from a government’s zero-tolerance policy seizure-centric on drugs and the Vision Document approach to a on Narcotics Control for 2026-2029, network-centric which prioritises a systematic dis- model focussing on m a n t l i n g o f o r g a n i s e d d r u g dismantling the narco networks. infrastructure Investigations by NCB, Mizoram Police and ED uncovered a wider network of facilitators, shell entities and money mules supporting the cartel. The probe identified the kingpin as Myanmar-based Thangcintuang, alias Chintuang or Tluanga, who was wanted in more than 10 cases under NDPS Act. He was arrested in Delhi. Other key operatives arrested earlier included Vungkhanthawna, a facilitator responsible for coordinating the movement and delivery of Myanmar-origin consignments, and Lalrampari, a principal hawala operator, officials said. Lalrampari’s arrest by NCB on August 8, 2024, helped investigators uncover nearly `100 crore in illicit transactions and prompted joint financial action with the ED, he added. `242 crore loss 14 millers held in fine rice diversion scam C h i t h a l u r i R e v a n t h @ Hyderabad The Crime Investigation Department (CID) has registered three cases and arrested 14 rice millers over alleged irregularities in the supply of fine variety (Sanna Rakam) rice to the Food Corporation of India (FCI). The potential bonus-related financial implication is estimated at `242 crore. In a press release, the CID said it launched an investigation into alleged irregularities in rice deliveries during the 2025-26 Kharif season following a complaint by the General Manager (Procurement) of the Civil Supplies Corporation on October 24. The government procured 71.86 lakh metric tonnes of paddy during the season, against a target of 59.60 LMT of rice for delivery to the FCI. Preliminary findings suggest that some millers allegedly diverted the allotted Sanna Rakam paddy to the open market and supplied cheaper coarse rice, including rice reportedly sourced from outside Telangana, instead. Inspections by Enforcement and Task Force (ETF) teams, followed by laboratory tests, reportedly found that rice samples supplied in the cases examined did not conform to the Sanna Rakam variety specified in the allotments. The alleged substitution could violate the Custom Milled Rice (CMR) agreement and cause financial losses to the government. In Nizamabad, Karimnagar and Mulugu districts, 16 rice mills reportedly supplied 3,385.820 tonnes of coarse variety (Doddu Rakam) rice against Sanna Rakam allotments. The estimated bonus-related loss on these deliveries is `1.69 crore.   continued on p4 Shields up: State shores up cyber defences after nat’l alert S i d d h a r d h a G at t i m i @ Hyderabad The state government has stepped up cybersecurity measures following national alerts about vulnerabilities in PHPbased applications. Upgrades to PHP version 8.3.36 have been completed in almost all 33 eOffice instances used for digital administration in the state, the Information Technology and Communications (ITE&C) department said. A senior department official told TNIE that the Telangana Security Operations Centre (TSOC) issued a threat advisory to the departments concerned on October 23, directing them to review PHP-based applications, install security patches on priority and report compliance. The measures followed advisories from the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) and instructions from the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to upgrade PHP in eOffice, a digital file management system. The TSOC also held coordination calls with departmental IT teams to ensure the measures were implemented. While upgrades have been completed in almost all 33 eOffice instances, technical issues with the Secretariat instance are being addressed, the department said. “Preventive security measures and continuous monitoring are also underway for applications hosted at the State Data Centre. No cybersecurity incidents or service disruptions attributable to the vulnerabilities have been reported so far,” the official said. The TSOC is coordinating with NIC and departmental IT teams to apply security patches and ensure uninterrupted delivery of digital government services. Speaking to TNIE, Telangana IT Adviser Sai Krishna said the state was relying on regular security audits to detect and address cyber threats to govern- ment websites. Around 60,000 website instances across India have been identified as potentially vulnerable to critical PHP flaws. He said the government was upgrading its systems and addressing vulnerabilities as security updates became available. The government is also in the process of appointing a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for every department to ensure accountability for cybersecurity, he said. The officers will serve as nodal points for handling security-related issues in their respective departments. Sai Krishna added that the TSOC operates round the clock to monitor and mitigate cyber threats and respond to incidents in real time. The ITE&C department recently held a day-long security workshop for government offices, he said. CERT-In had flagged two critical PHP vulnerabilities that could allow attackers to execute malicious code remotely on affected servers, potentially compromising websites, databases and connected resources. No data lost, TG-iPASS portal set for return today S i d d h a r d h a G at t i m i @ Hyderabad The database of the TG-iPASS portal, which was hit by a ransomware attack, has been decrypted, and the website is expected to be restored by Monday evening, Industries Commissioner Nikhil Chakravarty said on Sunday . Speaking to TNIE, Chakravarty said the portal went offline after cybercriminals targeted the database infrastructure hosting the application. Data pertaining to around 28,000 industries was encrypted in the attack, but none of it was lost. “We have retrieved and decrypted all the data. No data has been lost,” he said, adding that the technical team had contained the attack using existing security measures. The department is strengthening cybersecurity before re- storing the portal by installing additional firewalls and improving encryption for the application and database. The system will also be checked for compliance with the required Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification (STQC) standards before being brought back online. Although the technical team expects the portal to be ready for restoration, the department is taking additional time to recheck the database and security measures to minimise the risk of another attack, Chakravarty said. The portal went offline on Thursday after the application failed to connect to its database server. Subsequent checks indicated that the server had been compromised and the database and related files encrypted in what officials described as a ransomware attack.