HYDERABAD  MONDAY  FEBRUARY 17, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 12  LATE CITY EDITION EUROPEAN LEADERS TO GATHER IN PARIS TODAY FOR SUMMIT ON UKRAINE EMMANUEL MACRON VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY EUROPE JITTERY AS U.S. WEIGHS DEAL WITH RUSSIA French President Emmanuel Macron will host leaders from key European countries on Monday to discuss the Ukraine war and the continent’s security CALL FOR MAXIMUM PRESSURE ON MOSCOW The summit will focus on the future of European security as the US pursues a deal with Russia to end the war in Ukraine. European leaders fear Donald Trump may agree to Putin’s demands to limit NATO presence in eastern Europe and the US involvement in the continent’s security. Leaders of Britain, Germany, Poland, Italy and Denmark will attend ■ ■ Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed not to respect a truce negotiated by the US and Russia without Ukraine’s input Finland’s president said Europe must rearm Ukraine and put “maximum pressure on Russia” through sanctions and asset freezes in the run-up to negotiations sought by the US $52 bn THE SIZE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION’S MILITARY ASSISTANCE FOR UKRAINE 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 ROW OVER HANDCUFFS, TURBAN 3rd aircraft carrying 112 illegal Indians touches down in Amritsar Confusion over trains led to stampede Police: 2 trains with identical names on different platforms led to confusion among passengers before the tragedy H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ Chandigarh Several deportees aboard the US aircraft who landed on SatTHE third batch of 112 Indians urday night said they were in deported from the United States shackles during the journey aboard a military aircraft land- and that 6 Sikh youths were not ed late on Sunday night at Am- allowed to wear turbans. ritsar’s Sri Guru Ram Dass InDaljit Singh of Kurala Kalan ternational airport. village in Hoshiarpur Among the 112 deporsaid they were handtees, 31 are from Punjab, cuffed and their legs 44 from Haryana, 33 chained during the jourfrom Gujarat, two from ney. “Our legs were Uttar Pradesh and one chained and hands each from Himachal cuffed throughout the Pradesh and Uttarajour ney. There were khand. Two women three women and three Akali Dal children on board who from Punjab were slams among the deportees. were not cuffed,” Singh Mann After security clearsaid. The shackles were Senior ance, immigration, and removed before the airShiromani background checks, efcraft landed in AmritAkali Dal forts were being made sar., he said. Singh had to send the deportees leader Bikram taken the ‘Dunki route’. Singh back to their respective Sourav (20), who reached states. Those from Pun- Majithia said Chandiwala in Punjab’s Bhagwant jab were being taken to Ferozepur district on their homes in vehicles Mann and his Sunday, said, “We were arranged by the state ministers are handcuffed and our legs concerned government. Haryana were chained.” about government had sent Harjit Singh, who Punjab’s two private luxury bus hails from Khanowal to transport its resi- image but are Ghuman village in Gurquiet on Sikh daspur district, said he dents back home. This was the second youths being was kept at a detention deported deportation flight after centre and handcuffed without the meeting between on the flight. turbans Prime Minister NarenShiromani Gurdwara dra Modi and US PresiParbhandak Committee dent Donald Trump in Wash- (SGPC) member Gurcharan ington DC last week. Singh condemned the treatThe deportation of Indians is ment meted out to Sikh youths, part of an ongoing crackdown and said it would take the matby US authorities against ille- ter of sending Sikhs without gal immigration. turbans with US officials. DELHI CM TO BE DECIDED TODAY, OATH-TAKING ON TUESDAY AT RAMLILA GROUND The Bharatiya Janata Party will hold a crucial meeting on Monday at the party headquarters in Delhi led by JP Nadda to choose the next Chief Minister, sources said Measures to ease Kumbh travel Railway ministry said all special trains to Prayagraj will be run only from platform No 16. “So, passengers shall come and go from the Ajmeri Gate side of the New Delhi railway station,” the ministry said Personal belongings of passengers caught in Saturday’s stampede lie scattered on a stairway leading to platforms 14 and 15 | X RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR AND S H E K H A R S I N G H @ New Delhi Miscommunication, inefficient crowd control measures, confusion over train names are among the major factors that led to the stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday night, which killed at least 18 people, 14 of them women, and injured another 15 passengers. Over 2,500 passengers booked tickets at New Delhi on Saturday within a span of just one hour, which could also have resulted in overcrowding. “As 2,600 more tickets were booked within an hour at New Delhi, and there was a surge in crowd numbers for Prayagraj, a special train was announced from Platform 12,” the rail ministry said. While the ministry said there was no platform change or cancellation of any special trains, vendors and porters at the railway station claimed an announcement was made about platform change. Following this, they said, passengers waiting at Platform 14 US cancels IPL TO BEGIN ON MARCH 22 The latest edition of the Indian Premier League will begin at the Eden $21 mn grant Gardens in Kolkata, the venue of the defending champions. The 74-match, meant for voter two-month long competition will also conclude at the same venue on May 25. KOLKATA HYDERABAD AND KOLKATA VENUES turnout in India TO FACE FOR KNOCKOUTS AND FINALS BENGALURU EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi THE newly-created US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) headed by billionaire Elon Musk said it has cancelled the previous administration’s $21 million funding to support efforts to increase voter turnout in India. The funding was part of a larger $486 million allocation to the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening. “US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all which have been cancelled,” it said, giving a list of funding commitments that stand cancelled. The list also includes $29 million to ‘strengthen political landscape’ in Bangladesh and $20 million for ‘fiscal federalism’ in Nepal. Reacting to the announcement, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said it is proof of external interference in India’s electoral process. “$21M for voter turnout? This definitely is external interference in India’s electoral process. Who gains from this? Not the ruling party for sure!,” Amit Malviya, BJP’s national spokesperson, said. DOGE was created by President Donald Trump to reduce government spending. IN OPENER The defending champions, as is customary, will kick-start the league with the opener against Bengaluru on March 22. Both sides will have new captains Hyderabad, 2024’s losing finalists, will host the first qualifier and the eliminator on May 20 and May 21 before the caravan moves to the home of the current champions for the league’s closing stages on May 23 and 25 GROUP 1 GROUP 2 Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings, Punjab Kings Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians, Lucknow Super Giants KEY DATES May 20: Qualifier 1 | May 21: Eliminator | May 23: Qualifier 2 | May 25: Final Two arrested in `850 cr Falcon Ponzi scheme case E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ Hyderabad THE Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Cyberabad commissionerate has arrested two individuals in connection with an `850 crore Ponzi scheme linked to the Falcon Invoice Discounting Platform. The accused promised returns between 11% and 12% per annum, with the maturity period between 45 and 180 days. The police arrested Pavan Kumar Odela, vice-president of Capital Protection Force Pvt Ltd & business head of Falcon Invoice Discounting Platform, and Kavya Nalluri, director of Capital Protection Force Pvt Ltd and Falcon Capital Ventures Pvt Ltd, on Febru- ary 15. Meanwhile, the primary accused, Amardeep Kumar (MD, Falcon Capital Ventures Pvt Ltd), Aryan Singh (COO) and Yogender Singh (CEO), are absconding. While over 19 individuals have been named as accused, only two have been arrested while the rest remain at large, an official said. According to the police, the accused launched a mobile application and website, falsely presenting Falcon Invoice Discounting Platform as a legitimate peer-to-peer invoice disc o u n t i n g s e r v i c e. T h e y claimed to connect depositors with reputed companies, but in reality, they fabricated vendor profiles and fake deals to create an illusion of authenCONTINUED ON P5 ticity. rushed towards Platform 16, resulting in the stampede. The Delhi Police, which conducted the initial probe, said two trains with identical names— both bound for Prayagraj—led to chaos among thousands of Maha Kumbh devotees. According to senior police officers, an Rly forms high-level probe into tragedy Railway ministry has set up an inquiry into the stampede. The probe panel comprises Pankaj Gangwar, Principal Chief Security Commissioner, and Nar Singh, Principal Chief Commercial Manager, Northern Railway announcement for the arrival of the Prayagraj Special at Platfor m 16 created confusion among passengers waiting for the Prayagraj Express at Platform 14. In the rush to board what they assumed was their train, a large section of the crowd ran towards Platform 16, triggering a deadly crush. “There were already four trains scheduled to depart for Prayagraj that night, and three of them were delayed. This caused extreme overcrowding. The announcement further fueled panic, as many passengers believed they had missed their original train and rushed in the wrong direction,” said a senior police officer. The government announced a `10 lakh compensation for the families of the deceased, `2.5 lakh for those seriously injured, and `1 lakh for those with minor injuries. Despite the stampede, the New Delhi station remained overcrowded on Sunday, with platforms flooded with thousands of passengers trying to board trains to Prayagraj and other destinations. In the wake of the tragedy there was heavy police , presence at the station. The footover-bridge and other connecting areas between Platforms 14 and 15 were manned by RPF officers to ensure safe movement P7 of passengers. Security beefed up at rly stations Security has been beefed up at key railway stations including Prayagraj, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Kanpur, Lucknow and Mirzapur following the Delhi stampede, officials said Sack the minister: Congress Opposition parties alleged the stampede was due to poor management by the authorities. Targeting the railway minister, the Congress urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack him Unsettling calm at ground zero hours after deadly rush R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi SUNDAY morning brought an eerie calm to New Delhi railway station, where just hours earlier a chaotic stampede had claimed 18 lives and left countless others shaken. Although there was no significant crowd until about 9.30 am on Sunday, the aftermath of the stampede was evident. Toys, infant milk bottles and medicines were among items strewn across the platforms. “It was total confusion,” said a vendor at the station. “When a special train to Prayagraj was announced from platform 16, passengers rushed towards it. That’s when the stampede occurred”, said a coolie. The chaos that resulted between platforms 14 and 15, and on the foot-over bridges left scores of passengers crushed. Scattered slippers, I saw women fall torn bags, and abandoned be- to the ground, longings lay scattered across only to be the staircase, the bridge, and trampled over. platforms 14 and 15 — silent People didn’t even realize they witnesses to the tragedy “I’ve were stepping on . been a vendor here for the others who were last 15 years, but I’ve never still alive seen such a heart-wrenching scene,” said Chetan, a local Dharamji Mandal, Bookstall owner vendor. Mohan, a cleaning staff at the station, described it as “one of the worst” tragedies he had witnessed in the past 10 years. “There were personal belongings everywhere. People had no time to gather their things; they just ran for their lives,” he said, with tears in his eyes. On Sunday a majority of passengers return, ing from Prayagraj alighted at platforms number 14 and 15, which were unusually clean. Some inquired about the casualties, before disappearing into the crowd towards the exit. Reena Devi, 55, from Sarita Vihar, and her husband Dinkar, 59, said they had not encountered problems at the confluence of the rivers in Prayagraj, but did face a lot of difficulty aboard the train to Delhi due to overcrowding. Cong leaders unhappy over delay in Cabinet expansion I R E D DY S R I N I VAS R E D DY @ Hyderabad WITH Cabinet expansion in Telangana still pending and a fullfledged Pradesh Congress Committee yet to be for med, dissatisfaction is growing among senior Congress leaders in the state. It may be recalled that some MLAs recently held a secret meeting to discuss the latest political developments and the government’s functioning, leading to a heated political atmosphere. Following these discussions, the party also convened a Congress Legislative Party meeting to pacify the MLAs, urging them to remain patient, with assurances that the issues would be resolved soon. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy key , ministers and the PCC chief ENDLESS WAIT Initially, the MLAs expected that the high command would approve Cabinet expansion after parliamentary elections and later the Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly polls. Over 15 months have now passed since the government was formed, yet there is no clarity on when these issues will be addressed, say party leaders. Although a new PCC president was appointed a few months ago, no significant progress has been made since. Mahesh Kumar Goud also visited Delhi to discuss the matter with the high command, but no concrete decision has been made over the past 15 days. Throughout this episode, the chief minister has repeatedly stated that Cabinet expansion is not within his control and that the high command will take a call. This has only added to the frustration among aspirants. The Pradesh Congress Committee president has echoed the same stance, raising concerns among party members about whether enough pressure is being exerted on the high command to expedite the process. Legislators are questioning why the Congress high command has not prioritised expansion of the Cabinet or appointed a full committee for the PCC. Senior party leaders, including ministers, claim that if the situation persists for a few more months, the consequences could be unCONTINUED ON P4 foreseen. EXPRESS READ India, Pak exchange fire along LoC in J-K’s Poonch Jammu: A brief exchange of fire took place along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, security officials said. “At about 11 AM today, Pakistan troops opened small arms fire on own (Indian) post across LoC in Poonch Sector, J&K. The fire was retaliated appropriately by the Indian Army,” an Army official told a news agency. There was no damage on the Indian side. NGRI to conduct seismic monitoring of M’sagar Hyderabad: The National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), Hyderabad, will take up seismic monitoring of the Sri Komaravelli Mallannasagar reservoir in Siddipet district for a period of five years. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) took up the case suo motu after news reports and apprehensions that the reservoir was constructed without seismic studies. | P2 Rumblings in BJP too over state leadership EX P R ESS N E WS S E RV I C E @ Hyderabad THE new BJP state president is expected to be appointed at the end of the second half of the Union Budget session, which is set to commence on March 10. With Union Minister and BJP state president G Kishan Reddy indicating that a new party president would be appointed soon, several names have emerged as contenders for the post includ- ing MPs Eatala Rajender, Dharmapuri Arvind, N Ramchander Rao, DK Aruna and M Raghunandan Rao. Meanwhile, it is learnt that several state leaders have lodged complaints against the functioning of the state party unit. As in the Congress, the BJP’s internal differences have reached the party’s central leadership. According to highly placed sources, if the party decides to continue with Kishan, some MLAs may explore greener pastures. Reports suggest that several leaders have complained to the high command against Kishan’s leadership. Recently a party leader open, ly criticised him at the BJP state office. Party insiders say Kishan has failed to provide proper direction, activate the party or consult key leaders on important decisions. They allege that despite the BJP winning eight LS seats, the BRS was taking the lead. “We should have been playing the main opposition role as the BRS drew a blank in the LS polls. But for inexplicable reasons, the party president is failing to act,” a senior BJP leader CONTINUED ON P4 told TNIE.