chennai l Monday l February 17, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l 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 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 ance, immigration, and Senior removed before the airbackground checks, efShiromani craft landed in Amritforts were being made Akali Dal sar., he said. Singh had to send the deportees leader Bikram taken the ‘Dunki route’. back to their respective Singh Sourav (20), who reached states. Those from Pun- Majithia said Chandiwala in Punjab’s jab were being taken to Bhagwant Ferozepur district on their homes in vehicles Mann and his Sunday, said, “We were arranged by the state ministers are handcuffed and our legs government. Haryana concerned were chained.” government had sent about Harjit Singh, who two private luxury bus Punjab’s hails from Khanowal to transport its resi- image but are Ghuman village in Gurdents back home. quiet on Sikh daspur district, said he This was the second youths being was kept at a detention deportation flight after deported centre and handcuffed the meeting between without on the flight. Prime Minister Narenturbans Shiromani 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. 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 ee t b a j w a @ Chandigarh 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 RAJ E S H KUMAR T H AKUR a n d S H E K H AR SI 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 E x p r e s s ne w s s e r v i c e @ 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 Vikatan website ‘blocked’: Stalin calls it fascist move E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Chennai Amid complaints from several readers regarding difficulty in accessing the website of Tamil magazine Vikatan for the second day on Sunday Chief Min, ister M K Stalin and several other leaders condemned the alleged ‘blocking’ of the website, and urged the centre to restore the access immediately . In a social media post, Stalin said, “Shutting down media platforms for their opinions is against the principles of democracy This is yet anoth. er example of the BJP’s fascist tendencies. Vikatan has been a pillar of journalism for over a century . I urge the authorities to immediately restore access to the blocked website.” The ‘technical trouble’ for the magazine started after Tamil Nadu BJP president Annamalai on February 15 wrote to Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan seeking action against Vikatan for its “cover picture aimed at defaming PM Modi”. He had also explained the cartoon’s features and termed it offensive. The magazine, late on Saturday, had said in a social media post that there have been numerous reports stating that its website has been blocked by the central government.  P7 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 of passengers.  P9 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 RAJ E S H KUMAR T H AKUR @ 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. CM slams Pradhan for ‘blackmail’ as TN parties join 3-language war E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Chennai Cutting across political divide, all major parties in Tamil Nadu slammed Union Education Minister Dhar mendra Pradhan on Sunday for saying that Tamil Nadu would not be provided funds under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan till it accepts the National Education Policy (NEP) and the three-language formula. Tagging a video clip of Pradhan speaking to reporters in Varanasi on February 15, Chief Minister M K Stalin accused Pradhan of “blackmail” and challenged him to show the constitutional provision that mandates compliance with the three-language policy . “The state is seeking funds from the centre which is its rightful due and if the central minister speaks arrogantly, as if the state claimed his per- ‘Tamils will show trait’ ‘2-language is obsolete’ “The state is seeking funds from the centre which is its rightful due and if the central minister speaks arrogantly, as if TN claimed his personal wealth, then Delhi may have to see the real trait of the Tamil people,” Stalin said BJP TN president K Annamalai on Sunday dubbed the twolanguage policy as “obsolete policy from the 1960s” and asked how fair is it to impose such a policy on state students in 2025 when the world is advancing rapidly sonal wealth, then Delhi may have to see the real trait of the Tamil people,” the CM said. AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami said, “The centre saying it will only release funds if Tamil Nadu accepts the three-language system, it is not correct.” He further said, “Our request to the centre is, do not look at the rulers but focus on the people. TN is a pioneer in education. Our youth must continue to be educated.” Moreover, Congress, NTK, PMK, DMDK and TVK, too, reacted strongly to the minister’s statement. Stalin emphasised that the Indian Union is made up of states and the union government is not the sole authority on the subject matter of education, which falls under the Concurrent List. Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said touching Tamil Nadu is akin to touching fire. P4 express read Stalin silent on women’s safety in TN, charges EPS Vellore: Chief Minister M K Stalin, who says he feels happy when youth call him ‘appa’ (father), is turning a deaf ear to the cries of young women whose safety is being threatened repeatedly in TN, AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami said on Sunday. Speaking at an event in Vellore, EPS said, “In the last two months, 107 Pocso cases have been filed, and 56 women have been subjected to sexual assault.” | P4 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. NH turns toll road with minor tweak; users pay `36cr B A N BUS E LVA N @ Chennai By adding just 1.5 metres of road on either side, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has converted the 110km two-lane Vellore-Tiruvannamalai-Villupuram National Highway (NH) into a tolled road. The three toll plazas — Vallam, Enamkariyanandal, and Thennamadevi — located on the road have col- lected about `36 crore in 20 months from April 2023 to November 2024 while the total fund spent on the project by the union government was only `273 crore, revealed data sourced through RTI by TNIE. Unlike other road projects executed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the Vellore-Villupuram NH-234 was upgraded using funds exclusively allocated by MoRTH, pic: S Dinesh with no bank loans involved. This means motorists are essentially paying vehicle user fee at tolls for travelling on a highway that was upgraded using their own contributions through fees, cess, and other taxes. As per RTI data, the average monthly collection in the three tolls stands at `1.82 crore. MoRTH’s primary revenue sources include the cess levied on petrol and diesel under the Central Road Fund and fee from driving licences and vehicle registrations.  P7