chennai l Thursday l October 03, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE CITY EDITION Two ex-IAF pilots among 3 dead in helicopter crash near Pune Two former Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots and an engineer were killed after a helicopter crashed and caught fire near Pune city on Wednesday Preliminary probe blames it on fog IAF chopper makes mayday call in Bihar The chopper took off from a golf course near Pune and was headed to Juhu when it crashed around 7.40 am. Primary information pointed to fog as the cause of the accident. A detailed probe is underway, the police said. The Agusta 109 helicopter belonged to Delhi-based Heritage Aviation. At the time of the crash, it was on hire by the Nationalist Congress Party ■ ■ In a separate incident, an IAF helicopter made an emergency landing in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar after it developed a snag. The chopper was returning after air-dropping relief materials to flood-affected people The chopper landed in a waterlogged area near Darbhanga. All four on board were IAF personnel. Officials said they were safe 7.30 am when the chopper crashed in Bavdhan area, about 25 km from pune city 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 Iran’s oil rigs, N-sites could face retaliatory Israel strike Biden advises against hitting nuclear sites; 8 IDF soldiers killed in south Lebanon A g e nci e s ISRAEL is reportedly gearing up to launch a blistering counter-attack to cripple Iran, which fired over 180 ballistic missiles on Tuesday in a major escalation of tensions in West Asia. According to reports in Israeli media, Iran’s strategic infrastructure, especially oil rigs, will be targeted. Also on the table are direct attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites, said news reports citing Israeli officials. The development further complicates Israel’s multi-front war as the country is advancing its ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon while still mounting attacks in Gaza to keep Hamas militants down. On Wednesday, Israel said it lost eight soldiers in southern Lebanon during a ground offensive against Hezbollah. In Gaza, Israeli ground and air operations reportedly killed over 50 people. Meanwhile, Israel’s foreign minister said he would bar UN secretarygeneral Antonio Guterres’s entry into his country because of bias. Earlier in the day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a crucial meeting with security chiefs at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, his office said. The meeting, held hours before the Rosh Hashanah holiday to mark the Jewish New Year, is learnt to have discussed and decided Israel’s response to Iran’s attack. Former Israeli PM Naftali Bennett also called for a strike on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and energy fa- People climb on the debris of an Iranian missile intercepted by Israel, near Arad, southern Israel | AP cilities. “We have the justification. We have the tools,” he wrote on X. US news site Axios reported that Israel has plans to take out Iran’s air Avoid all non-essential travel to Iran: MEA In the wake of the escalating tensions, India on Wednesday advised its citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to Iran. The Ministry of External Affairs also urged the Indian nationals presently residing in Iran to remain vigilant and stay in contact with the Indian Embassy in Tehran joining the dots Rumble in Punjab as core team of CM disintegrates H ar p r e e t B a j w a @ Chandigarh Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s trusted core appears to be disintegrating. But the big question is: is the CM slowly losing his utility for the Aam Aadmi Party? Take Navneet Wadhwa, director of communications at the Chief Minister’s Office. He put in his papers after he was told that his contract will not be renewed. A few days ago, Onkar Singh, Officer on Special Duty to the CM, quit. Singh was considered close to Mann and was in-charge of his Dhuri constituency His exit came as a surprise . as he was also handling the political programmes of Mann’s spouse Dr Gurpreet Kaur. The axe is expected to fall on one more important official, say sources. Besides, five new faces were inducted into the Mann ministry recently while four ministers were dropped, two of whom — Chetan Singh Jouramajra and Anmol Gagan Maan — were considered close to the CM. When Mann recently fell down at the Chandigarh airport after deboarding from a chartered plane, the Opposition Congress and the Shiro- ‘Delhi takes call in all major political parties’ A few days ago, Tarsem Singh, father of Khadoor Sahib MP and pro-Khalistan leader Amritpal Singh announced his plan to float a political party. He said, “There is no regional party to look after the interests of Punjab. All decisions of major political parties are taken in Delhi. Hence, the decision to form new party.” mani Akali Dal (SAD) took another pot shot at his failure to stay sober during work hours. But the AAP leadership chose not to defend him. Mann was later admitted to Fortis Hopsital in Mohali where he was dignosed with leptospirosis. Among those who called on him at the hospital were Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan and Congress MLA Pargat Singh. In May, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal had predicted an AAP split in the state, which could have been a shot in the dark. But clouds of uncertainty persist in the political landscape of Punjab though the Southwest monsoon has withdrawn. defence systems and also set off targeted assassinations. An attack on Iranian oil facilities could push back the country’s economy by years, while destroying the air defence systems would make it more vulnerable. Political assassinations, if carried out, might set the stage for a regime change in Iran. If Iran’s nuclear facilities are hit, experts fear it will push the conflict to a no-return point. On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden said he will not support an Israeli attack on sites related to Tehran’s nuclear programme. “The answer is no,” he said when asked if he would support such retaliation.  P9 `5,800 crore worth drugs seized in Delhi’s biggest haul UJW A L J A L A L I @ New Delhi The Special Cell of the Delhi Police busted an international drug cartel and seized contraband worth `5,820 crore in what is billed as the biggest haul in the national capital. While the kingpin of the cartel is said to be in Dubai, the police have arrested four local players — Tushar Goyal, Himanshu Kumar, Aurangzeb Siddiqui and Bharat Jain. Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah said the Intelligence Agency of the Central government received information that a cartel based in Delhi is smuggling cocaine from abroad. On October 1, the Special Cell received specific information about the arrival of a large consignment of drugs at a warehouse belonging to Goyal at Mahipalpur in Delhi. A Special Cell team raided the warehouse during which 560 kg of cocaine and 40 kg of hydroponic marijuana were seized. Tushar is the main receiver and distributor of the drugs, the police said. Kumar and Siddiqui are his associates. The accused told the police that the seized marijuana is from Phuket in Thailand while cocaine originated in South American and West Asian countries. Biting truth: TN’s rabies deaths highest in 5 yrs S V K R I S H N A C H A I TA N YA @ Chennai Tamil Nadu is facing an alarming surge in the number of rabies-related deaths and dog bites this year, with 34 human fatalities and 6.42 lakh dog bite cases reported so far, the highest recorded in the past five years. Despite progress in controlling other vector-borne and zoonotic diseases, rabies has proven to be a major public health threat with its 100% fatality rate standing in stark contrast to the state’s zero deaths from malaria, chikungunya, scrub typhus, leptospirosis, and Japanese encephalitis this year. Even dengue, which saw 16,081 positive cases this year, has resulted in only seven deaths. However, rabies continues to claim lives, killing all 34 people who were infected so far this year. Supriya Sahu, addi- Express illustration tional chief secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department, told TNIE that rabies is a critical public health concer n. “A wellfunctioning public health system must prioritise early detection, ensure widespread vaccination of both animals and humans, and promote awareness. Effective and comprehensive rabies control measures are essential to prevent tragic outcomes and safeguard both human and animal wellness. We are working closely with the municipal administration and rural development department on controlling rabies effectively,” she said.  P5 over-the-counter sale ban coming on morning-after pill monal contraceptives available OTC include the Combined Oral The Central Drugs Standard Con- Contraceptive (containing estrotrol Organisation (CDSCO) is like- gen and progestin, it is taken daily to recommend a ban on the ly) and the Progestin Only Pill over-the-counter (OTC) sale of all (also taken daily). hormonal contraceptive drugs, inInterestingly, the six-member cluding oral emergency contra- expert sub-committee was formed ceptive pills (ECP). after the Tamil Nadu government An exper t sub-committee proposed a ban on the OTC sale of formed by CDSCO is all set to rec- hormonal contraceptives citing ommend that the Drugs and Cos- “its irrational usage” at the 62nd metic Rules of 1945 be suitably Drugs Consultative Committee amended to make them prescrip- meeting held in September 2023. tion-only drugs. This newspaper The sub-committee’s mandate was has learnt that the panel will soon to study the issue and make a recsubmit a report. ommendation on At present, unwhether such a press der the National ban is needed. Dr Reproductive and clusive Pinkee Saxena, Child Health Proprofessor, Departg ramme, the ment of ObstetDrug Controller General of India rics and Gynaecolog y, Lady (DGCI) allows the sale of 0.75 mg Hardinge Medical College, is the tablets of Levonorgestrel without chair of the sub-committee. Its prescription as an emergency con- other members include M N Sridtraceptive. ECPs, better known as har, Joint Director of Drugs Conthe morning-after pill, were intro- trol cum Controlling Authority duced in India in 2002 and can pre- (in-charge), and a representative vent a pregnancy if taken within from the Indian Council of Medi72 hours of unprotected sex. cal Research (ICMR). Experts say the availability of A highly-placed source privy to the drug OTC help prevent un- the deliberations said the panel it wanted pregnancies and avert is overwhelmingly in favour of abortions. However, in Tamil making prescriptions from a phyNadu, and other parts of India, sician mandatory for the purchase ECPs are notoriously difficult to of contraceptives, including ECPs. access at pharmacies. Other hor-  Continued on: P5 S in d u j a Jan e @ Chennai TN man beats kid to death for resisting abuse e x p r e ss n e w s s e rvic e @ Chennai A 34-year-old man from Kancheepuram was arrested for allegedly beating to death a five-year-old boy who cried out loud when he attempted to sexually abuse him on Sunday night. The accused, M Rajesh of Karukkupet village, was booked under Sections 9 (m) and 10 of the Pocso Act and 103 of the BNS, and remanded in judicial custody on Tuesday . According to the Kancheepuram Taluk police, the accused works as a surveyor in the Land Survey Division of Kancheepuram district. Rajesh got separated from his wife some years ago. A few months ago, he began frequenting a pushcart eatery run by a woman, whom he befriended and eventually got into a relationship with, police said. The woman lived with her mother and two children — a five-year-old boy and nine-year-old girl — after getting separated from her husband. “Rajesh would often visit her house while the children were at school. He would also take the children to his house where they would play. On Sunday too, Rajesh took both of them to his house, where he attempted to sexually abuse the boy. However, when the boy resisted and started crying loudly, Rajesh beat him and pushed him to the ground,” a police officer said.  P5