Border sentinels ahead of the Amarnath Yatra Women personnel of the Border Security Force keep vigil near the India-Pakistan border ahead of the annual Amarnath Yatra that begins on July 3, in Jammu on Tuesday. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said security preparations for the pilgrimage are complete | PTI HYDERABAD l wednesday l june 04, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE City EDITION 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 grand finale royal are the kings 70 Erragadda patients fall victim to food poisoning E x p r e ss N e ws Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Royal Challengers Bengaluru team with the trophy after winning the 18th edition of the IPL in Ahmedabad on Tuesday | PTI | P11 Opposition parties write to Modi Cricketing analogy to explain victory Using a cricketing metaphor to draw a clear distinction between initial setbacks and the overall outcome of Operation Sindoor, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan said, “Suppose you go into a cricket test match and you win by an innings, then there is no question of wickets and balls etc.” Professional militaries are not affected by temporary losses | P7 The 16 signatories to the joint letter The Congress, SP, TMC, DMK, National Conference, Uddhav Sena, RJD, JMM, CPI(M), IUML, CPI, RSP, VCK, Kerala Congress, MDMK, CPI(ML) Liberation are the 16 signatories to the letter Govt not keen since Monsoon session is weeks away 16 parties press PM to call spl session of Parliament P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Stepping up pressure on the Modi government on the demand for a Special Session of Parliament in the wake of Operation Sindoor, leaders of 16 Opposition parties, including Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav and Abhishek Banerjee wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue. Senior opposition leaders, who held a meeting in the capital said the session was needed to discuss a series of events, including the Pahalgam attack, followed by Operation Sindoor, US President Donald Trump’s claim of brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, and the death of civilians in border areas in Pakistan shelling. The letter was released after the meeting. Opposition leaders said they stood with the government after the Pahalgam attack, and through Op Sindoor, adding that their demand for a special session must be met. “There are serious questions facing the nation about the terror attack, killing of civilians in Poonch, Uri and Rajouri, the ceasefire announcements, and the implications on national security and foreign policy. We have supported the government’s efforts to engage with the international community on India’s position. The government has briefed foreign nations and the media, but not Parliament, keeping the people of India and their elected representatives in the dark,” said the letter. However, according to sources, the government is not keen on holding a special session as the Monsoon session is scheduled for the second week of July . TMC’s Derek O’Brien said the decision to make a joint effort to demand a special session was made by the presidents of the respective parties, and not just the Parliamentary Party leaders. However, the Aam Aadmi Party wrote a separate letter to the PM raising the same demand. At least 70 psychiatric inpatients at the Government Hospital for Mental Care, also known as the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), at Erragadda were recently treated for gastrointestinal distress, or food poisoning as it is commonly known, even as a 30-year-old inmate, Maran, died of suspected cardiac ar rest on Tuesday . While an official statement insisted that 35 inpatients reported food-related gastrointestinal distress, sources said that the number of patients was over 70. Two shifted to OGH Sources said that two of these 70 inpatients were shifted to the Osmania General Hospital for further treatment. “All patients were examined Parliament’s laws out of contempt ambit : SC S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi The Supreme Court has rejected a 2012 contempt plea filed by sociologist and former Delhi University professor Nandini Sundar and others, who claimed that the enactment of the Chhattisgarh Auxiliary Armed Police Force Act, 2011 to curb Maoist activity was in contempt of the court’s landmark verdict against vigilante group Salwa Judum that year. “Every State Legislature has plenary powers to pass an enactment and so long as the said enactment has not been declared to be ultra vires the Constitution or, in any way, null and void by a Constitutional Court, the said enactment would have the force of law,” a two-judge bench comprising justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma said. Sundar had alleged failure of the Chhattisgarh government to comply with the Supreme Court’s directions in 2011 to stop support to vigilante groups like Salwa Judum and arming tribals in the name of special police officers (SPO) in the fight a g ainst Maoists. However, the bench observed that it was the duty of the state government and the Centre to take adequate steps for restoration of peace and rehabilitation of the residents who have been affected by violence from whatever quarter. and put on symptomatic and supportive treatment. Hydration, electrolyte replacement and antibiotics were administered as required. All are currently stable and under observation,” the statement read. Food and water samples have been sent for microbiological testing, and hygienic measures have been reinforced in the hospital. When contacted, IMH superintendent Dr Anitha Rayirala was unavailable for comment. TNIE could not verify whether families of affected patients had been informed.  Continued on P5 TG complains against AP’s G-B project E x p r e ss N e ws Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad A day after Andhra Pradesh Irrigation officials met representatives of the Ministry of Finance, the Telangana government announced it will strongly oppose the proposed Godavari–Banakacherla (G-B) project. On Monday AP officials tried , to address the Ministry of Finance’s queries on the project. Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday, Telangana Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said the state had already lodged a formal complaint with the Centre against the project. He said he had spoken with Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil, urging him to stop AP from moving ahead with the G-B project.  continued on p4 Bhatti, ponguleti launch bhu bharati Saddasulu in madhira I P4