BHUBANESWAR  SUNDAY  JANUARY 19, 2025  `12.00  PAGES 26  LATE CITY EDITION ROHIT & CO TURN TO EXPERIENCE FOR CHAMPIONS TROPHY 2025 Mohammed Shami returns amid concern over Jasprit Bumrah’s participation as India gear up for ODIs vs England and CT in February SPINNERS AND ALL-ROUNDERS IN FOCUS ARSHDEEP PICKED AHEAD OF SIRAJ The selection committee has picked four spinners in Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja with India playing all their games in Dubai. The three spin-bowling all-rounders along with Hardik Pandya, who can exploit the conditions with his cutters, will be in focus as India look to win their first 50-over ICC title since 2013 ■ ■ With uncertainity over Bumrah’s injury, India have gone for Arshdeep instead of Siraj in what is his best format Calling it unfortunate, Rohit Sharma said that Singh’s ability to bowl in the back end was cruical considering Bumrah’s situation. India play three ODIs against England and CT in Dubai next month | P13 2013 THE LAST TIME INDIA WON THE CHAMPIONS TROPHY 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 Rape and murder accused in RG Kar case guilty: Court Sentence on Monday; victim’s family seeks further probe S U L A G N A S E N G U P TA @ Kolkata HUNTINGS HORIZON S GE PLUS 12 PA PROPERTY RIGHTS WILL HELP END RURAL POVERTY: MODI Property rights will enhance economic activities and help in poverty alleviation in villages, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday | P9 A Sealdah court on Saturday held 33-year-old former civic volunteer Sanjoy Roy guilty in the August 9, 2024 horrific rape-murder of a 31-year-old doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, under three sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The quantum of sentence will be pronounced on Monday . In a chilling reminder to the 2012 Nirbhaya case in Delhi, the gruesome rape-murder of the post-graduate trainee doctor shook the nation’s consciousness, with massive and sustained protests erupting across West Bengal and the country. The state almost came to standstill with people from all walks of life joining the protests against the ghastly crime and the administration’s alleged apathy and inaction. Roy, who was produced in the packed courtroom amid tight security , was found guilty under Sections 64 (rape), 66 (punishment for causing death), and 103(1) (murder) of the BNS. Section 103(1) carries a possible punishment of death or life imprisonment. The in-camera trial ended on January 9. In the court, Roy reiterated that he was being framed while his lawyers tried to calm him down. When he was being taken out of the court, he claimed that a “certain IPS” knew everything. In his 160-page judgment, the judge said, “You (Roy) sexually assaulted the doctor. You throttled her and covered her face and she ultimately died owing to the attack. On the basis of these allegations, charges were framed File picture of accused Sanjoy Roy ACCUSED COULD GET DEATH PENALTY OR LIFE Maximum sentence for the accused is death penalty or imprisonment for life as he has been convicted under Section 103(1). Punishment under Section 64 is at least 10 years and can go up to life against you under Sections 64, 66 and 103(1) of BNS. On the basis of the statements of the witnesses and the documents produced in this matter, your guilt has been proved.” After the order, the father of the deceased doctor said, “The trust we had placed in you, you have honoured it completely However, her mother said .” justice had not been fully served. The junior doctors, who led the protests, called for further probe into the larger conspiracy and said their agitation would continue. Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Suvendu Adhikari said likewise. “We welcome the judgment. But we would have been happier if the former principal of R G Kar hospital, Sandip Ghosh, and former Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal were also punished today,” he said. Among the 33 Israeli captives being freed in the first phase, 9 ill and wounded will be freed first in exchange of 110 Palestinian prisoners with life sentences Hamas has agreed to free SOME RELIEF Centre offers talks, Dallewal on drips after accepting aid H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ Chandigarh THE ongoing protest by farmers on the Punjab border took a new turn with the Centre proposing talks and Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who is on a fast unto death, accepting their request to at least take medical aid. With Dallewal relenting, he was immediately put on drips by a new team of doctors that was formed to attend on him. The Centre will hold a ministerial level meeting with the protesting farmers on February 14 in Chandigarh to discuss their demands. A delegation led by 1988 batch Indian Forest Service officer Priya Ranjan, Joint Secretary in Agriculture and Farmers’ Jagjit Singh Welfare department, met Dallewal at Dallewal Khanauri on the Punjab-Haryana border apart from leaders of other unions. “We requested Dallewal to break his fast and take medical aid and participate in talks on February 14,” an official said. Following the announcement, farmer leaders appealed to Dallewal to at least take medical aid. Farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar said Dallewal told them he would decide on their appeals after they speak to the other 121 farmers, who are also on a protest, about their views. For their part, the 121 farmers said they were with Dallewal and will accept his decision. The farmers are demanding a legal guarantee for MSP . IN a breakthrough that came after more than two days, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) detained a suspect in connection with the knife attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan. The accused, identified as Aakash Kannojia, 32, a resident of Mumbai, was apprehended after he got down from the Jnaneshwari Express at Durg station on Saturday . Acting on key inputs, the RPF had shared the suspect’s image and mobile number with neighbouring states and RPF teams. A team of RPF personnel searched for the suspect at Rajnandgaon station but couldn’t locate him. However, another team at Durg station successfully detained Kannojia from the general Saif Ali Khan compartment of the train. The suspect is believed to have activated his mobile phone at Dongargarh station, about an hour before the train reached Rajnandgaon. The suspect, who was traveling without a ticket, told RPF cops that he was headed to Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh. However, sources said that Kannojia was actually on his way to visit his maternal grandmother in Janjgir-Champa, about 120 km from Raipur. Mumbai Police, who had escalated the search after a furore over the stabbing attack on the celebrity, are expected to arrive in Durg late on Saturday to probe Kannojia’s involvement in the attack on the actor. The actor was rushed to Lilavati hospital after being stabbed on Thursday mor ning and underwent surgery . KILLED IN ISRAEL AFTER HAMAS’ OCTOBER ’23 RAID three female hostages on Day 1 of the deal, four on Day 7, and the remaining 26 over the following five weeks After the last hostage release in stage one, on day 42, Israeli forces will begin their withdrawal and complete it in no later than day 50 | P11 E J A Z K A I S E R @ Raipur 1,200 Israel-Hamas truce kicks in today Ceasefire will start at 6.30 am GMT (12 pm IST) on Sunday 60 hours on, Saif attack suspect held in C’garh 46K Israeli troops return from Gaza Strip on Saturday | AP PALESTINIANS KILLED BY ISRAEL SINCE OCTOB ER ’23 India emerging as major pole for global economy: Singapore Prez Tharman CM Mohan Charan Majhi sees off Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the airport on Saturday E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Bhubaneswar PRESIDENT of Singapore Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Saturday said India is emerging as a major pole for the global economy and poised to move up the ladder due of its demographics, development process and significant potential as an export economy . Interacting with the media during his visit here, Tharman said, in a multi-polar world, India aspires to be a pole in its own right, “that’s true geopolitically and also economically .” Tharman said India and Singapore are now on a new plane of cooperation. “India is a nation that we would like to collaborate with,” he said wrapping up his two-day visit to Odisha with a visit to Bharat Biotech vaccine manufacturing unit in Bhubaneswar. Semiconductor ecosystem, skill infrastructure and sustainability are major priority sectors between the two nations but connectivity is another area of focus too. During his meetings with the leadership in India, he said it came out clearly there is keenness to expand the air services agreement that benefits both the economies. “It was revised about 10 years ago but we are now at the 10-year point to look at the next 10 years. Aviation as a tool has potential for India to emerge as a player in the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) business,” he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had raised it during his September visit to Singapore which has companies ranked as global leaders. Talking about the strong bilateral relations between the countries, President Tharman said it is not just about specific industries but about working on projects that continue to build trust between the two countries. “Trust is in short supply internationally and Singapore and India , can show how it is possible to build trust in today’s world, even in today’s uncertain and fractious world,” he said. He pointed out that for Singapore to do well in the future, it must engage closely with ASEAN neighbours such as India with China. “That’s where the opportunities are and that’s where we also develop our sense of being contributors to Asia’s growth, sustainability and stability,” he added. During his two-day visit to Odisha, at least eight MoUs were inked between Odisha government and Singapore companies CONTINUED ON P7 across varied sectors.