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 KOCHI 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 Keralite at helm, world’s largest container vessel all set for Vizhinjam date U n n i k r i s h n a n S @T’Puram 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 | P9 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 e e 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. The world’s largest container ship, MSC Irina, is set to make its maiden call at the Vizhinjam port, with Captain Willy Antony a native of Thrissur, at , the helm. The vessel has reached the outer anchorage, drawing excitement from the public as it is the first time the ship is calling at a port in South India. Captain Willy, 47, hailing from Puranattukara, is thrilled to bring the mammoth vessel — equivalent in length to four football fields and capable of carrying cargo stacked as high as a 22-storey building — to his home state. “It’s a proud moment for me to command a ship of this scale,” said Captain Willy. “This vessel and Vizhinjam are both dear to me. Bringing the ship to my own land doubles the joy he said. ,” However, the vessel — which has a capacity of 24,346 TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) — will have to wait for its turn to berth at the busy port as there are seven vessels already judum case Parliament’s laws out of contempt ambit: SC Suc h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi MSC Irina | file pic Mammoth vessel Capacity: 24,346 TEUs Length overall: 399.99m Width (Beam): 61.33 m Summer deadweight: 2,40,739 tonnes Crew: 35 Built: 2023 lined up for docking. Originally scheduled to dock on June 5, berthing may be delayed to June 7 or 8, said port sources. Given its enormous size, the vessel — owned by Mediterranean Shipping Company and flying the Liberian flag — will require four tugs to assist in mooring, compared to the usual two. An estimated 4,000 containers will be handled during its stay at Vizhinjam. ● More on P4 express read Sabari Rail project: Land acquisition to begin in July Kochi: Nearly three decades after it was sanctioned, the 111-km-long Angamaly-Erumeli Sabari Rail project is finally making progress. As per the details shared by the Minister V Abdurahiman, all hiccups associated with the project, which was sanctioned in 1997-98, have been removed and land acquisition will begin in July. P5 16 pages, including 4 pages of KOCHI Express 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 against 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.