thrissur l Sunday l march 09, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l city edition Women trailblazers take over Prime minister’s social media a/c Women leaders from chess, science, rural entrepreneurship, empowerment and inclusive development posted their winning strategies titans from diverse fields join hands all-women security cover at pm event While Anjlee Agarwal, an advocate for universal accessibility, called for a stronger push towards a more inclusive India under the ‘Sugamya Bharat’ initiative, scientists Elina Mishra and Shilpi Soni highlighted the importance of women’s participation in science, urging more women to pursue careers in nuclear and space technology ■ ■ A security cover comprising only women police personnel was deployed at a mega event addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat’s Navsari on Women’s Day on March 8 The bandobast included 2,100 constables, 187 SIs, 61 inspectors, 16 DSPs, five SPs, one IGP and one Additional DGP rank officer 2,372 women police personnel deployed for modi’s security on march 8 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 unbeaten india’s one final push for desert glory G o m e s h S @ Chennai In sports, more often than not, history is written by winners. No matter what a team does or how far a team progresses in a tournament, holding aloft the trophy defines it. No other team knows this better than India. In the last three ICC white ball tour naments, India have reached the final three times, lost one and won one. How the third final against New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy would end will be known on Sunday night. The win will also lay to rest the controversies surrounding the scheduling. One thing, however, is clear that the brand of cricket India are playing is something unique. One that head coach Gautam Gambhir spoke about from the moment he took over: winning brand of cricket, a philosophy they would want to follow. India, however, have not been able to live up to it, especially in the longest format. Home series loss after 12 years, Border-Gavaskar Trophy loss after ten years have added pressure on Gamb- hir as well as captain Rohit Sharma. A victory in Dubai is ever more important. The opponents on Sunday are New Zealand, the team India had beaten in the Group stages. The Black Caps have troubled India before and going by the records India should not slumber into complacency . Yet, for India the four-spinner theory has worked on the deviously slow wicket of Dubai International Stadium. Varun Chakravarthy is the mystery man, the guiley Ravindra Jadeja, crafty Kuldeep Yadav and ‘all-rounder’ Axar Patel will play their part again. When both teams set foot on the ground, a lot will be at stake. But for Rohit, a victory could propel him to a new height.  P11 92-yr-old man dies of suspected heatstroke E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Kasaragod/T’Puram A vehicle in flames after protesters clashed with security personnel in Kangpokpi district on Saturday | PTI Manipur erupts amid bid to restore free movement in state P r a s a n ta M a z u m d a r @ Guwahati Rahul warns of weeding out black sheep Di l ip Si n g h k s h at r i ya @ Ahmedabad Taking Congress cadre to task in a state where the party has been out of power for decades, party leader Rahul Gandhi cautioned a gathering of 2,000 workers here on Saturday that up to 40 leaders could be weeded out, if needed, to rebuild credibility in Gujarat. Accusing some members of aiding BJP in the state, he said, “For nearly 30 years, we have been out of power here. But the issue isn’t just elections — it’s trust. Until we fulfill our responsibility, the people of Gujarat won’t back us, and we shouldn’t ask for their vote until we fulfill our duty…,” he said in his 25-minute speech at Jade Hall. Pointing at internal challenges faced by the party, he said, “People of Gujarat want an opposition, not BJP’s B-team …If 10, 20, or even 40 people need to go, so be it. Those who don’t carry Congress in their hearts have no place in our organisation.” On Gujarat’s economic issues, he urged the leaders to move beyond speeches and slogans. Clashes broke out in Manipur’s Kuki-majority Kangpokpi district on Saturday as the Centre tried to restore free movement for people on all roads in the ethnic violence-hit state. Over a dozen protesters were injured, one of whom reportedly succumbed to injuries. The protesters attacked a state-run bus and torched at least one private vehicle. At a high-level Manipur security review meeting held in New Delhi on March 1, Union home minister Amit Shah had issued directions to restore free movement and take action against anyone attempting to create obstructions. Acting on that directive, the Manipur State Transpor t (MST) operated two buses, one on the Imphal-Kangpokpi-Senapati route and another on the Imphal-Bishnupur-Churachandpur route, with security cover by personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces. Similarly the Federations of , Civil Society (FOCS), a conglomerate of 20 Imphal Valleybased organisations, took out a peace expedition from Imphal to go to Senapati which is a Naga-majority district. The participants, who were travelling in some vehicles, were stopped at Sekmai in the Imphal West district by security forces and they returned to Imphal. Meanwhile, crowds were building in different parts of Kangpokpi district to thwart the march by FOCS and the movement of the MST bus. They erected barricades on a highway by putting boulders and burning tyres. When the MST bus entered Kangpokpi district, the protesters attempted to prevent its movement by pelting stones. This led to a confrontation and the security personnel used force to restore normalcy leading to clashes. The other MST bus travelled up to Kangvai, a small town in Kuki-majority Churachandpur district bordering Meitei-majority Bishnupur district, and returned. indefinite shutdown The Kuki-Zo Council condemned the decision to “impose” free movement despite being “fully aware” of potential violence, and announced an indefinite shutdown across all KukiZo areas from Saturday midnight 16 protesters were reportedly injured and one protester succumbed to injury. Two vehicles of the security forces were also burnt by the protesters Manipur Police express read Divya’s arrival at meet planned: Report WITH THIS ISSUE the naked truth Maha Kumbh: The Secret Life of Naga Sadhus PLUS 12 PAGES T’Puram: The report of the Joint Commissioner of the Land Revenue Department, who probed the death of Naveen Babu, said P P Divya’s arrival at the ADM’s farewell meeting was pre-planned. P5 ‘Police lapses behind Pooram chaos’ T’Puram: The chaos during the 2024 Thrissur Pooram was caused by police lapses, according to an investigation report submitted by ADGP Manoj Abraham to the state police chief. Govindan likely to remain CPM state chief A n i l S @ Kollam In all likelihood, M V Govindan will continue to be the official face of the Kerala CPM. The 24th CPM state conference, set to conclude in Kollam on Sunday is likely to offi, cially elect the 71-year-old former excise minister as its state secretary . It would be the first time Govindan is elected at a party conference. He had taken over as state secretary after incumbent Kodiyeri Balakrishnan stepped down due to ill health in August 2022. Govindan was soon inducted into the politburo too. The ideological face of the party in Kerala, the Kannur leader is, however, yet to come out of Pinarayi’s shadow. With two elections approaching, Govindan will have a tough task ahead. A slew of senior leaders including A K Balan, P K Sreemathy Anavoor , Nagappan, Gopi Kottamurickal, P Nandakumar, N R Balan and M K Kannan are expected to be out of the state committee due to the 75-year-age cap. Similarly, a few leaders could be dropped on health grounds and based on other aspects. Kollam leaders Susan Kody or K Rajagopal, too, may face the axe. There are indica- tions that more youngsters and women would be inducted into the state panel this time around. DYFI secretary V K Sanoj, and president V Waseef are being considered. Jaick C Thomas from Kottayam and SFI’s K Anusree from Kannur are some of the other youngsters being considered. C B Devadarshan and P R Muraleedharan are among the hopefuls from Ernakulam, while N Sukanya, Reji Zachariah, S Jayamohanan and X Earnest are among other probable names who could be considered for elevation into the state com● More on P5 mittee.  75-year Age CAP Several senior leaders, including A K Balan, P K Sreemathy, Anavoor Nagappan, Gopi Kottamurickal, P Nandakumar, N R Balan and M K Kannan, are expected to be dropped from the state committee due to the 75-yearage cap As the state experiences extreme hot weather, an elderly man died of suspected heatstroke in Kasaragod on Saturday Madiyan Kannan, 92, of . Nadacheri in Valiyapoyil, was found lying unconscious in a field near his house around 2.30pm. Though Kannan was rushed to a hospital, he was declared brought dead. There were marks on his body similar to that of sunburn. Kasaragod District Medical Officer A V Ramdas said whether he died of heatstroke can be determined only after getting the postmortem report. The DMO said given his age, he could have collapsed due to other factors, and there is a possibility that he sustained burns after falling unconscious as he was out in the sun. He said the exact cause of death can be ascertained only after receiving the postmortem report, which is expected on Sunday . Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted 2-3 degrees celsius above normal temperatures at some places in ● More on P5 the state on Sunday  . Dealing with US push in agri market j aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi AS India and the US begin trade talks, New Delhi has conveyed that it has been reducing applied tariffs in agreements with developed countries, while emphasising a “mutually beneficial” approach and “sensitive handling of sectors l i ke a g r i c u l t u re ” , a ke y focus of the Trump administration in seeking greater market access. A team of Indian officials, led by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal visited Washington from March 3 to 6 and engaged the US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, US T rade Re presentative Jamieson Greer and their teams. President Donald Trump said India has agreed to cut its tariffs “way down now” because somebody is finally “exposing” them, evoking sharp reactions from opposition parties in the country . Reducing “average applied tariff significantly” has been a key aspect of India’s recently concluded mutually beneficial bilateral trade agreements with a slew of developed countries such as Australia, the Key objectives for India at U.S. talks Increasing market access, reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers, deepening supply chain integration, ensuring India does not turn dumping ground for products, and increasing investments are key objectives UAE, Switzerland, Norway and the ongoing talks with the European Union and United Kingdom. But the “tone and substance of the talks” and “understanding each others’ concerns to get to an agreement” is the new focus. “The teams will now get into sector wise, issuewise specifics,” said a source. Asked about various statements coming out of Washington on tariffs and trade negotiations, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said at a press briefing: “We have in recent times entered into bilateral trade agreements based on tariff liberalisation with several partners.... The ongoing discussions should be seen in that context.” Trump’s tariff against India rolls out April 2.