TIRUNELVELI l Wednesday l November 27, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l CITY EDITION Six killed in violence as Imran supporters clash with police Four paramilitary soldiers among the dead. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif alleged the protesters rammed the troops with a convoy of vehicles Protest in response to ‘final call’ by Khan Pak Army issues shoot-at-sight orders The protesters, who have been marching towards Islamabad since Sunday, are demanding the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) founder is serving a three-year jail term for corruption—a charge he denies. On November 13, he issued a ‘final call” to his supporters, urging them not to relent until govt meets all demands ■ ■ According to reports, the violence erupted at the end of a march led by Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi and PTI leader Ali Amin Gandapur that arrived in Islamabad early on Tuesday. The Pak govt has sought the intervention of the Army, which has issued shoot-at-sight orders Khan’s party rejected Sharif’s claims that troops had been rammed Aug 2023 When Imran khan was arrested and jailed on charges of corruption 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 ‘Cyclone’ may bring TN heavy rain from today EX P RE S S NEW S S ERVI C E @ Chennai The deep depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal is expected to intensify into a cyclone by November 27 and move towards the Tamil Nadu coast, skirting the Sri Lankan coast in the subsequent two days. Once formed, the cyclonic stor m will be named ‘Fengal’. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the system was located about 310 km southeast of Trincomalee in Sri Lanka, 710 km south-southeast of Puducherry and 800 km south-southeast of Chennai. The deep depression is predicted to move northnorthwestward, developing into a cyclonic storm, and is likely to impact Tamil Nadu’s coastal regions over the next two days. The IMD has issued a red alert for Cuddalore and Mayiladuthurai districts, forecasting heavy to extremely heavy rainfall on Wednesday . Meanwhile, an orange alert has been issued for Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Ariyalur, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Pudukottai districts. Strong winds, ranging between 45-55 kmph, with gusts up to 65 kmph, are expected along the coastlines, accompanied by rough seas. Speaking to mediapersons on Tuesday Regional Meteor, ological Centre (Chennai) Director S Balachandran said that the conditions were favourable for the deep depression to develop into a cyclone. “We are yet to predict where the cyclone will make its landfall. As per the present situation, it is expected to make landfall about 150 to 200 km from the Tamil Nadu coast.” Coastal districts in the state, such as Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Cuddalore, and the Cauvery delta districts, including Nagapattinam, have so far witnessed mild to heavy rainfall. P5 Rain lashed Chennai on Tuesday as the deep depression is likely to develop into a cyclonic storm that may impact TN coastal regions over next two days | P jawahar holiday declared for schools in chennai, tiruvallur express read NADA bans Bajrang for 4 years for sample refusal Chennai: The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has banned Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Bajrang Punia for four years after the AntiDoping Disciplinary Panel found him guilty of violating Rule 2.3 (“Evading, Refusing or Failing to Submit to Sample Collection...”) | P11 Essar group co-founder Shashi Ruia no more New Delhi: Shashikant Ruia, a firstgeneration entrepreneur who turned a small construction business into an infrastructure conglomerate, died after prolonged illness. He was 80. Shashi Ruia, as he was fondly called, co-founded the metals-to-tech conglomerate Essar with his brother Ravi | P10 Colleges will also be closed in Tiruvallur, Pondy and Karaikal today. Schools in Chengalpattu and Kancheepuram to remain closed due to the rain forecast President Droupadi Murmu addresses Parliament to mark Constitution Day at Samvidhan Sadan, in New Delhi on Tuesday | PTI Constitution a progressive, live document, says Murmu Addresses House on 75th anniversary of the adoption of Constitution E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ New Delhi It is the responsibility of the executive, legislature and judiciary to work together to make the lives of common people better in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution, President Droupadi Murmu said on Tuesday . Addressing a joint sitting of Parliament to mark 75 years of the adoption of the Constitution, Murmu said the fundamental duties of every citizen had been clearly defined in the country’s founding document, which lay stress on protecting the nation’s unity and integrity, promoting harmony and ensuring the dignity of women. “Constitutional ideals get strength from the active participation of the executive, legislature and the judiciary , as well as all citizens,” she said. Describing the Constitution as a living and progressive document, she said, “In accordance with the spirit of the Constitution, it is the responsibility of the executive, legislature and the judiciary to work together to make the Call for discussion Pointing out that the President’s address did not mention the words ‘secular’ and socialist’, DMK leader T R Baalu urged Speaker Om Birla to include a discussion on Droupadi Murmu’s address in the agenda of the House. lives of common people better.” The President also recalled the contribution of the 15 women members of the Constituent Assembly in framing the Constitution. The Constitution makers, she added, had given a directive for India to play an important role in the promotion of international peace and security . The Constitution, in one sense, was the outcome of nearly three years of deliberations by some of the greatest minds, but, in the true sense, it was the outcome of the long freedom struggle. “The ideals of that incomparable national movement came to be enshrined in the Constitution. JEYA L A K S H M I RA M ANUJA M @ Madurai Thousands of men engaged in delivering Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders across the state may be bearing the burden of not just the heavy cylinders that they deliver door to door but also the economic load wrought upon them by gas agencies. According to workers, several agencies violate labour laws by not paying them minimum monthly salaries and keeping them off their official employee record. The situation has led to several delivery men depending on tips from consumers for their survival. The troubled workers have urged CM M K Stalin take steps to enforce the minimum wage of `10,671 as per a government order and ensure access to all benefits mandated by law. The Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HP) deliver LPG cylinders to both domestic and commercial consumers through delivery men employed by authorised gas agencies. There may be over 1,500 authorised agencies across the state, sources said. Speaking to TNIE, All Liquified Petroleum Gas Cylinder Delivery Men Trade Union (ALL LPG CDMTU) state deputy president R Rajendran said that some agencies deposit salaries from `3,000 to `8,000 to employees’ accounts, but force them to return it in cash later. The agencies allegedly take their cut even out of the tip. P5 SC junks plea for ballot voting; Don’t want EVMs, says Kharge S U C HI T RA K A LYAN M O HAN T Y a n d P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Monday rejected a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by an evangelist seeking the reintroduction of the physical paper ballot voting system in elections in India, saying allegations about electronic voting machine tampering are raised only when people lose polls. The petitioner, founder of the US-based organisations Global Peace Initiative (GPI) and Gospel to the Unreached Millions, argued that political leaders such as Chandrababu Naidu and Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy had questioned the authenticity of EVMs. To this, a two-judge bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and P B Varale said: “When Chandrababu Naidu or Mr Reddy lost, they say that EVMs are tampered and when they won, they don’t say anything. How can we see this? We are dismissing this. This is not the place where you argue all of this.” Meanwhile, the Congress on Tuesday demanded that EVMs must be abolished and elections conducted through ballot paper. Speaking at a function to mark the ‘Constitution Day’, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called for a campaign on the scale of Bharat Jodo Yatra to create awareness about returning to ballot papers. The demand comes amid concerns among opposition parties over alleged manipulation of EVMs in Maharashtra and Haryana elections. Referring to the Maharashtra polls, which the NDA swept, Kharge alleged industrialist Gautam Adani had a role to play “I do not wish to speak . about elections, but I would say the votes of the poor and oppressed are going to waste,” he alleged. World title match Cautious after Game 1 setback, Gukesh draws S w a r oop S w a m i n at h a n @ Singapore EVEN before a move had been made in anger, fans and fellow players had formed an orderly queue to anoint D Gukesh as the next world champion. Those prophecies were put in cold storage following game one of the World Championship where Ding Liren, the reigning champion, showcased his craft to perfection. The Indian teen didn’t do much wrong — just a few inaccuracies and some tactical Those ideals have been captured succinctly in the Preamble to the Constitution. They are justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. These ideals have defined India since the ages. The ideals highlighted in the Preamble complement each other. Together, they create an environment in which every single citizen finds an opportunity to flourish, contribute to society, and help fellow citizens,” she added. Meanwhile, DMK leader T R Baalu wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla saying some salient features of the Constitution, including the words ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’, were not at all mentioned in the address of the president, “drafted and approved by the government”. He urged the Speaker to include a discussion on Murmu’s address in the business agenda of the House during the Winter Session. He said it has been contemplated in Parliament’s procedure that the address of the President “must be allowed for discussion to enlighten the nation further”.  P7 Weighed down by amoral system, LPG delivery men struggle for fair pay, benefits D Gukesh makes a move on Tuesday oversights — but at this level, that’s all it takes to lose a game. Losing a game to begin the Championship is never ideal — players prefer to not lose rather than go for the win in Game One (the last definitive result in the first game before 2024 came in 2010 when Viswanathan Anand lost to Veselin Topalov) -- but that’s the advantage of a long drawn event like this. There’s ample time to rest, regroup and plot a comeback. It’s probably why Gukesh is still seen as a marginal favourite. On the TakeTakeTake YouTube channel, Magnus Carlsen still expected the 18year-old to come through. “I probably would have put it at about 80% for Gukesh before the match,” the Norwegian not- ed after the opener. “Now I think it is as close to 50% as you can get. Maybe closer to 55% for Gukesh... I think this is a very even match now.” It was no surprise that the Indian played a more watchful game with black pieces on Tuesday. However, the mood within his camp is still very upbeat. The loss, they maintain, is ‘just part of the game, these things happen’. “This early, with black, was nowhere close to a must-win,” he said after the second game. “I was never going to do anything stupid.”  P11 Case on vet hosp after pet dog dies of strangulation EX P RE S S NEW S S ERVI C E @ Coimbatore Governor C P Radhakrishnan receives Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde’s resignation as CM, as BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis and NCP’s Ajit Pawar look on, in Mumbai | PTI Shinde push for Mahayuti convenor, son as Deputy CM if denied CM’s post S u d h i r S u r ya w a n s h i @ Mumbai The slugfest over the new Maharashtra government’s leadership continued on Tuesday with caretaker chief minister and Shiv Sena head Eknath Shinde reportedly rejecting offers from the BJP to either take a Cabinet position in the Union gover nment or deputy chief ministership in a Devendra Fadnavis-led government. Highly placed sources said Shinde’s counter was that if he does not get the chief ministerial position, he should be made the convener of Mahayuti government, and his son Dr Shrikant Shinde, Lok Sabha member from Kalyan, the deputy chief minister. The BJP is yet to respond to the counter, said sources adding that has delayed the swearing in ceremony. It could hap- pen on Friday or the first week of December. In the morning, Shinde resigned as chief minister and was requested by the governor to continue in that position as caretaker. A Shiv Sena leader requesting anonymity said if the BJP does not concede the chief ministerial post to Eknath Shinde, it would validate Uddhav Thackeray’s charge of the BJP’s useand-throw politics. That will give Uddhav a fillip after being thoroughly trounced in the recent assembly elections. Shiv Sena MLAs who were camped at a five-star hotel, Taj Lands End, in Mumbai, were asked to go back to their constituencies, meet the people and thank them for the mandate. Shinde also advised party workers not to converge to Mumbai to extend support. The Coimbatore City police booked the manager and staff member of a private veterinary hospital on Monday after a pet dog left at the centre for a day by the owner allegedly died of strangulation. Last Wednesday, G Sarath (29) of Kavundampalayam, a manager at a private firm, and his family dropped off their Pomeranian at the care centre of Sanchu Animal Hospital on Mettupalayam Road in Coimbatore. They paid `1,200 for the one-day service, Sarath said. After he left for an event, Sarath said he received a call from a staff that evening claiming that the dog was unwell. Upon arrival, the family was informed that the pet had died due to illness. A video of the family grieving the dog’s death went viral on social media. On Monday, Sarath lodged a complaint with the Saibabacolony police. During the probe, the staff claimed that the dog died after it had allegedly fallen from a table it was tied to. The police said the chain around the neck might have caused strangulation, leading to the animal’s death, which allegedly went unnoticed by the staff. Clinic manager Selvam and a staff member were booked under Section 325 of the BNS and 11(1) (a) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act, 1960. The hospital management could not be reached for comment.