bengaluru l Monday l April 21, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION Two south african cheetahs get new home in mp sanctuary Two South African cheetahs shfited to Kuno National Park two years ago were released into Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary in MP on Sunday Four more cheetahs in m.p. soon: cm Kuno nat’l park shows the way ahead Prabhash and Pavak, the six-year-old male cheetahs, originally brought from South Africa’s Waterberg Biosphere Reserve to Kuno in February 2023, arrived at Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary, abutting Neemuch and Mandsaur districts, after a road journey. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said four more cheetahs from Botswana will arrive shortly ■ ■ Eight Namibian cheetahs — five females and three males — were released into Kuno National Park on September 17, 2022, marking the first-ever intercontinental translocation of these big cats Currently, Kuno National Park, a significant site for cheetah conservation in India, houses 24 cheetahs, including 14 cubs 250 kilometres is the distance between kuno and gandhi sagar sanctuary 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 Easter outreach by the BJP amid Kerala waqf row Ex-DG&IGP Om Prakash found murdered at home, wife taken for questioning E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru Party says resolution after SC’s order on Act E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ T’Puram Amid the raging waqf land row in Kochi’s Munambam and apprehensions whether the recent Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 would resolve their woes, top Kerala BJP leaders did an Easter Sunday outreach by visiting churches and meeting prominent Christian leaders across the state. While BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar called on Cardinal George Alencherry in Thiruvananthapuram, Union Minister Suresh Gopi met Thrissur Archbishop Andrews Thazhath and later Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church head Baselios Joseph I in Kochi. The Easter outreach that began a couple of years ago, assumes significance in the wake of criticism on Union minister Kiren Rijiju’s statement last week that the 2025 Act might not directly address the Munambam land dispute. The party’s renewed efforts appear aimed at mending fences and strengthening ties with the Christian community . During his meeting with Alencherry, Chandrasekhar conveyed Easter greetings and belated birthday wishes to the cardinal. He expressed the hope that the Waqf Act would help resolve the Munambam issue, and backed Rijiju’s remarks that the amended Act provides a legal pathway for resolution by enabling parties to approach the Supreme Court. “His (Rijiju’s) remarks were well-intentioned, and I believe the Munambam issue will be resolved once the Act is implemented following the SC ruling,” Chandrasekhar said. He also pointed fingers at parties in Kerala for failing to address the issue in the past. “Let’s see who actually resolves the Munambam issue,” he said. Cardinal Alencherry described the meeting with Chandrasekhar as informal. He noted that both the Union and state Stuck in muck Vehicles stuck in debris after heavy rain triggered flash floods in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday. At least three people were killed and more than 100 rescued. The incessant rain also led to landslides and mudslides | PTI P8 Vance’s 4-day visit to strengthen ties J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Kerala BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar calls on Cardinal George Alencherry in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday governments appear keen on resolving the Munambam row. “They say people will benefit once the practical aspects of the law are implemented.” As for Suresh Gopi, he attended special Easter prayers at churches in Thrissur and the Holy Mass at Ollur Mary Matha Church and Puthanpally Mary Matha Catholic Church. He also met Archbishop Andrews Thazhath at Bishop’s House and Baselios Joseph I at his residence in Mulanthuruthy . UNITED States Vice President James David Vance, accompanied by his wife Usha and their three children, will arrive in India on Monday for a four-day official visit aimed at strengthening bilateral relations. The Vance family is scheduled to land at the Palam air base in Delhi at 10 am and will be accorded a grand welcome. This will be Vance’s first visit to India since assuming office, and comes at a crucial time as India and the US work toward finalising a comprehensive trade agreement, expected to be concluded by fall. The visit takes place against the backdrop of escalating trade tensions between the US and China, following President Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs as high as 145% on Chi- Gangavathi court orders seizure of DC’s car over delay in paying compensation R a g h o t ta m K o p pa r @ Koppal A court at Gangavathi in Koppal district ordered that the Koppal deputy commissioner’s official car be seized over compensation not being paid in a land acquisition case. The court staff and lawyers, who had gone to seize the car, had to return empty handed as DC Nalin Atul refused to give the keys of his vehicle. The court’s order came in a case of Gangavathi Municipal Corporation officials constructing a road on private land without informing the landowners, Kalmath and Virupakshappa. After the two approached the Gangavathi Senior Court, Judge Ramesh S Ganiger or- Koppal deputy commissioner’s car dered the seizure of the car. Advocates Sanjay B Chanal, Ramanna Sodra and Umesh D went to the DC’s office recently to seize the car. When the DC refused to give the keys, the lawyers tried to still take away the vehicle. But as the car could not be moved, they went away . The issue started with the Gangavathi Municipal Council constructing the road on private land. The council did not inform the owners, nor announced a compensation for them. That was when they approached the court. The court that had been hearing the case since 2017 ordered on August 1, 2023 that Kalmath and Virupakshappa should be paid Rs 7,94,204 as compensation and it should come from the deputy commissioner. As the amount was not paid by the DC’s office, the land losers again approached the court for an execution order. After conducting the hearing, the court ordered that movable assets of the Koppal DC office be seized. nese imports. India, too, was During their stay in Delhi, recently affected by US tariffs the Vance family is expected to of 27%, though a 90-day pause visit the Swaminarayan Akis now in effect. shardham temple and a local Usha Vance, whose parents shopping complex known for are originally from Andhra traditional Indian handicrafts. Pradesh, and the couple’s chilThe delegation will travel to dren — Ewan, Vivek, and Mi- Jaipur to tour historical sites, rabel — will accompany him including the UNESCO-listed throughout the trip. Amer Fort on April 22. Vice The vice president’s President Vance is delegation includes also scheduled to senior officials from address a gathering the Pentagon and the at the Rajasthan InUS State Department. ternational Centre Prime Minister in the afternoon. N a re n d r a Mo d i i s The next day, the s ch e d u l e d t o h o s t Vance family will Vance for talks at 6.30 visit the Taj Mahal pm on Monday, folin Agra and explore J D Vance lowed by a formal dinShilpgram, an openner. The discussions air marketplace for are expected to centre on trade Indian handicrafts. They will negotiations and broader stra- conclude their visit and depart tegic cooperation between the for the US from Jaipur on the two countries. evening of April 24. express read Kohli, Padikkal shine as RCB avenge defeat, crush PBKS by 7 wickets Mullanpur: Guided by Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal, Royal Challengers Bengaluru exacted a sweet revenge on Punjab Kings keeping their all-away-win record intact with a seven-wicket victory in the IPL match here on Sunday. Chasing 158, Kohli (73 no off 54 balls) and Padikkal (61 off 35 balls) shared a 103-run partnership. Krunal Pandya (2/25) and Suyash Sharma (2/26) shone with the ball for RCB P11 Kharge slams JD(U)- BJP alliance, says Nitish switches sides for kursi PATNA: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday slammed the alliance between the ruling JD(U) and the BJP in Bihar as “opportunistic” and alleged that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar switches sides only for the sake of kursi (power). Kharge alleged that the National Democratic Alliance has no commitment to the development of Bihar. “They have entered into an alliance just to remain in power. They have nothing to do with Bihar’s development,” he said P8 G A M E - C H A N G ER - I I Rasheed’s story — Courage, grit and papa’s sacrifices F i r o z MIRZA @ Mumbai SHAIK Balisha Vali speaks only Telugu. It took him more than five hours to find a translator to speak to this daily but the moment he started talking, he opened his heart out on what it took to make his son, Rasheed, a cricketer. From working in a recovery team for a bank in Hyderabad to relocating the entire family to Guntur, Andhra Pradesh to selling fruits, he did it all for the sake of his son. More importantly for him, his childhood friends chipped in to extend financial support to ensure Rasheed’s dreams became his reality . “He was selected for a cricket academy in Hyderabad when he was eight. Two years later, he was picked up in the U-14 Andhra team. Then, I decided to shift to Guntur,” Balisha told this daily . Initially he took a pay cut but found it difficult to continue. “I was finding it difficult to manage my job and Rasheed’s sessions so I quit the job. It was not an easy decision but I had to take it. I did odd jobs including selling fruits in the market to keep the family afloat,” said the father. After Andhra Cricket Association’s Mangalagiri Cricket Academy adopting Rasheed, the journey became better for the Shaik household. Post that, he was appointed as the vice-captain of the India team for the U19 World Cup in 2022. Next year, he made his debut for the senior Andhra side in all formats and was picked up by the Chennai Super Kings. After warming the bench for two years, Rasheed made his debut in the yellow jersey against Lucknow Super Giants a few days back and opened the innings again versus Mumbai at the Wankhede on Sunday after doing so against Lucknow. Shaik Rasheed’s father sacrificed a lot to ensure his son dreams became a reality | AFP Former Karnataka Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG&IGP) Om Prakash was found dead under mysterious circumstances at his residence here on Sunday evening. His wife Pallavi, who is the prime suspect, has been taken in for questioning. The 68-year-old, 1981-batch IPS officer retired from service in 2017 and was staying with Pallavi, his son and daughter at HSR Layout in Bengaluru. “A property dispute within the family is suspected to be the reason behind the murder. The retired officer had told his close associates that his life was under threat. There was a marital dispute too,” said a police officer investigating the case. All angles are being looked into, he said. “Around 4.30 on Sunday evening, Pallavi called one of her friends — the wife of another ex-IPS officer — saying she killed a monster. She later dialled 112 and informed the Harsh tariff will trigger major slowdown in the US economy this year and next, says economists The residence of former DG&IGP Om Prakash in HSR Layout on Sunday police control room about the incident. We alerted our team to visit the retired officer’s house on 14th Cross, HSR Layout” said a police officer attached to the HSR Layout police station. The HSR Layout police filed an FIR based on the complaint filed by Om Prakash’s son. “A police team along with a Scene of Crime Officer visited the house. Prakash was found dead on the ground floor of the three-storeyed house, lying in a pool of blood with multiple stab injuries,” police said.  P3 Hundreds of protest rallies held across the US against Trump’s deportations and mindless tariffs A new Boeing 737 MAX meant for China’s Xiamen Airlines returned to the US due to tit-for-tat tariffs. More planes are at Boeing’s Zhoushan center for final work and delivery, Reuters reported