THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l monday l july 14, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION CCTV cameras in trains to enhance passenger safety In a first, the Ministry of Railways has decided to install CCTV cameras in all passenger train coaches and locomotives ‘Will deter miscreants, organised gangs’ vaishnav asks officials to make use of ai The decision follows positive outcomes from experimental installations of CCTVs in Northern Railway. Railway officials said the move is expected to bolster passenger safety and help deter miscreants and gangs who exploit travellers. To preserve privacy, CCTVs will be installed in the common area near the doors | P7 ■ Officials said each locomotive will be equipped with six CCTVs. Additionally, each cab of a loco will be fitted with one dome-type CCTV camera and two desk-mounted microphones, they added ■ Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnav has encouraged officials to explore the use of AI on the data captured by the CCTV cameras 74,000 Coaches and 15,000 locomotives will be fitted with cctv cameras 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 Khalistani terrorist Batala, 7 others arrested in US HARPR E E T BA J WA @ Chandigarh in a major crackdown on international terror network, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested eight Khalistani terrorists across the US, including Pavittar Singh Batala—a gangster from Punjab wanted by the National Investigation Agency for terror activities linked to the banned Babbar Khalsa International. The eight men were picked up from San Joaquin County during an investigation into a gang-related kidnapping and torture case. During the raid, a been charged with various ofcache of arms including a fully fences including kidnapping, automatic Glock, hundreds of torture, unlawful confinement, rounds of ammuniwitness intimidation, tion, several high-caassault with a semipacity magazines, and automatic firearm, isover $15,000 in cash suing criminal were seized. threats, and gang-reBatala had an Interlated enhancements. pol Red Corner Notice “On July 11, the San against him. The othJoaquin County Sherer arrested men are iff ’s Office AGNET Amritpal Singh, Dil- Pavittar Singh Batala Unit—alongside the preet Singh, ArshStockton Police Depreet Singh, Manpreet Rand- partment SWAT, Manteca Pohawa, Gurtaj Singh, Sarabjit lice Department SWAT, StanisSingh, and Vishal. They have laus County Sheriff ’s Office SWAT and FBI SWAT—executed five coordinated search warrants across San Joaquin County as part of a gang-related kidnapping and torture investigation,” the San Joaquin County Sheriff ’s Office said. NIA sources said they are in touch with their US counterparts for Batala’s extradition. The accused used virtual numbers and encrypted apps to promote a pro-Khalistan network. The module was reportedly operating under the instructions of terrorist Harwinder Singh Rinda. BJP’s aggressive posturing clear in Sadanandan’s nomination Ex-foreign secy Shringla, Nikam among 4 nominated to Rajya Sabha M a n o j V i s w a n at h a n @Kochi President Droupadi Murmu has nominated former foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, lawyer Ujjwal Nikam, Kerala BJP leader C Sadanandan, and historian Meenakshi Jain. In a notification issued late Saturday night, the Ministry of Home Affairs said that the President has nominated the four eminent persons to the Rajya Sabha to fill vacancies necessitated by the retirement of nominated members. A 1984 batch Indian Foreign Service officer, Shringla had served as India’s Ambassador to the US and Thailand and as By nominating senior RSS leader C Sadanandan, who lost both his legs in a political feud in Kannur, to the Rajya Sabha, BJP has sent a strong message to its opponents in Kerala. The move, coming shortly after Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s declaration in Thiruvananthapuram that BJP will form the government in the state in 2026, has taken both the ruling LDF and Opposition UDF by surprise. In his statement on Sunday, BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar unequivocally clarified the party’s aggressive posturing. “We are not the victims of CPM’s politics of violence. We are the fearless warriors of the public movement to defeat it,” he said quoting an earlier statement of Sadanandan. The message is clear. BJP will project itself as the real opposition in Kerala and claim only it possesses the grit to stop the CPM juggernaut. The party believes this aggressive posturing will facilitate a political polarisation in its favour ahead of the 2026 assembly polls in the state. Sadanandan’s nomination has also boosted the morale of RSS cadre who risk their lives to build the organisation in villages where CPM does not allow any other party to func● More on P4 tion. E XPR E SS N E WS S E RVIC E @ New Delhi Harsh Vardhan Shringla Ujjwal Nikam high commissioner to Bangladesh. He was foreign secretary from 2020 to 2022. Maharashtra lawyer Nikam was the special public prosecutor in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case. Sadanandan, a retired school teacher from Kerala, lost both his legs in an attack allegedly carried out by CPM workers in 1994. Historian and author Jain Meenakshi Jain served as a lecturer at Delhi University’s Gargi College. In 2020, she was awarded the Padma Shri in recognition of her contributions to the fileds of literature and education. The President of India can nominate 12 people to the Rajya Sabha. These are well-known individuals from diverse backgrounds including art, literature, and public service. Move follows SC view that SIR is a ‘constitutional mandate’ M U K E SH RA N J A N @ New Delhi UNDETERRED by the controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, it is learnt that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has sent a communication to chief electoral officers (CEOs) of all states to activate poll machinery for a possible rollout of the exercise on a pan-India basis. The ECI’s decision comes in the backdrop of the Supreme Court’s observation last week that SIR is a “constitutional mandate” and that ECI can go ahead with the revision exercise in Bihar. Several opposition parties and civil society organisations had moved the SC challenging the intensive revision, saying it deprived eligible citizens of their right to vote for want of documents specified by the poll panel for inclusion in the voters’ list. Union Home Minister Amit Shah in an interview with TNIE on Saturday had said, “I believe if anyone has any concerns about the process, he/she should approach the Election Commission. Not with presumptions, but with examples of the outcomes of the process. Roll revision is not happening for the first time. It happened in 1991, too. Also, it’s not being done only in Bihar. I think it will be done across India. Anyway, the matter is before the Supreme Court.” On the opposition calling it a shadow CAANRC, Shah had said, “They opposed everything the EC does. They need to justify their poll defeats, so they present fake narratives.” The ECI asked CEOs to prepare for conducting SIR in their respective jurisdictions with January 1, 2026 as the qualifying date, which means that above 18 years on that date would be included in the voters’ list. Sibal says SIR is unconstitutional Election Commission has always been a “puppet” in the hands of the BJP government, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal alleged, adding that the poll body’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar is “unconstitutional” According to sources, a few CEOs have already started putting out voters’ list published after the last SIR held in their states. The website of Delhi CEO has the 2008 voters’ list when the last revision took place. According to sources, ECI will take a final call on nationwide exercise after July 28 when the Bihar SIR case will come up again for hearing in the top court. ‘People from Nepal, B’desh, in Bihar list’ E x p r e s s ne w s s e r v i c e @ New Delhi BOOTH-level officers of ECI conducting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar have found a number of individuals from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar possessing Indian documents such as Aadhaar, domicile certificates, and ration cards, sources said on Sunday ECI officials said . ground-level officials have so far established direct contact with nearly all voters in the state as part of the exercise. “During house-to-house visits, a large number of people from Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar have been found. They have got Aadhaar, domicile certificates, ration card,” said an official. Sources said a thorough verification will be carried out between August 1 and 30, and names found not eligible will be excluded from the final voter list to be released on September 30. The ECI had said SIR was necessary in Bihar due to a number of reasons, including inclusion of foreigners in the current list. 3-month-old puppy injured in acid attack E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kochi F8-cr diesel goes up in smoke Smoke billows from a diesel-laden freight train that derailed and caught fire near Tiruvallur in Tamil Nadu early on Sunday. Around 8.64 lakh litres of high-speed diesel worth nearly H7.94 crore was destroyed in the fire | Ashwin Prasath | P5 Shoulder nudge, fiery spells and 14 wickets set up tantalising final day F i r o z M i r z a @ London RISHABH Pant. Washington Sundar. Gabba 2021. Two of the architects of one of India’s most thrilling Test wins may have to channelise that energy again if India are to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. On a thrilling Day Four at Lord’s between India and England, both sides stretched every sinew, spent every ounce of energy and left it all out in unrelenting heat. Fourteen wickets fell, shoulders were barged, visceral celebrations was a dominating theme, fours and sixes went out of fashion and stumps were uprooted multiple times but it barely begins to tell a story of what will go down as one of the greatest days of longform format cricket in recent times. The visitors need 135 runs to script a famous win. The hosts need six wickets to engineer a thrilling heist. Two hours into Sunday, the atmosphere was crackling, like a heavy discharge of industrial grade current. The ground was heaving even if the hosts were under the pump. The feisty Mohammed Siraj had made contact Sadanandan Master Now, EC mulls pan-India revision of electoral rolls In a disturbing act of animal cruelty a puppy was reportedly , attacked with acid at its home in Thiruvaniyoor, Ernakulam. The three-month-old male Indian Spitz, Pooppi, belonging to Nayanamol Gibi of Palappady, suffered severe burn injuries, resulting in complete loss of vision in one eye and organ damage. The owner and her family were away during the incident. E X P RESS RE A D CM urges Modi to Man tests Nipah save Nimisha Priya +ve day after death T’Puram: CM Pinarayi Vijayan has sought PM Narendra Modi’s intervention to save Nimisha Priya, who was sentenced to death by a Yemen court in a murder case. “It is learnt...the execution of Nimisha Priya has been fixed for July 16. Considering that this is a case deserving sympathy, I appeal to the Hon’ble PM to take up the matter and intervene with the authorities concerned to save her life,” he said in a letter to Modi. Palakkad: Contact tracing has begun after a 57-year-old man from Palakkad who died at a private hospital in Malappuram on Saturday night tested positive for Nipah virus, Health Minister Veena George has said. The infection was detected through tests conducted at Manjeri Medical College. So far, 46 people have been identified as primary contacts of what is the second confirmed case in recent weeks in the state | P5 Following a complaint, Puthencruz police registered a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including criminal trespass and causing harm to an animal, along with relevant charges under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. “On being informed by the pet owner of the suspected attack we rushed to the spot. We noticed that the dog’s face and body had turned red, indicating possible chemical burns. We instructed the owner to rush the pup to the nearest veterinary hospital,” said Jithin, station house officer (SHO) with Puthencruz station. Two days later, the pet owner lodged a complaint. “We have registered a case and begun an investigation,” he ● More on P4 added.  italian rhapsody The top two players in the world have shared the last seven titles with Sinner winning four proper rivalry Jannik Sinner downed Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday to win his first Wimbledon title, gaining sweet revenge for his painful defeat in last month’s French Open final. The No 1 is the first Italian man to win a singles title at the All England Club and in the process broke Alcaraz’s 20-match winning streak at Wimbledon Jannik Sinner lifts the trophy after beating Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final on Sunday | AFP special tribute Mohammed Siraj celebrates England opener Ben Duckett’s wicket on Sunday | AFP with Ben Duckett’s shoulder after a mistimed pull didn’t clear mid on. Nitish Reddy screamed in the general direction of Zak Crawley after the opener found one of the two gullies. Siraj was in happy rage after finding Ollie Pope plumb and Akash Deep, who opened up about his sister’s fight with cancer, had let out a visceral scream after spread-eagling Harry Brook’s middle-stump. When the players walked off for lunch, it was ironic because what could on the menu that was going to better two hours of cricket in excelsis? Post lunch, Washington burst into life as he targeted the stumps on a surface doing bits and bobs for all bowlers. He smashed through England’s spine to halt the Bazballers. But Ben Stokes, Brydon Carse and Co. smell blood after a raucous end to another sunkissed day If the visitors are to . feel at home in Home of Cricket on a sold out Monday, Pant, Washington and KL Rahul will likely have another big day P11 . Ex-teacher sculpts ‘jumbo’ token of love for school J i t h u l N a r aya n a n @Kannur Though he is retired, former teacher Govindhan P P turns up at Government LP School in Kannur’s Kozhummal every morning like clockwork. However, the 80-year-old does not go there to teach. The purpose of his visit is an elephant sculpture that he is making as a token of love for the students and for the school where he once studied, and later taught. Every day, the resident of Kozhummal in Kannur’s Karivellur Peralam grama panchayat arrives in the early hours, quietly works on the cement sculpture and leaves before the students start arriving. Govindhan, who is making the around 4.5-ft-tall sculpture using his own money, started in May and plans to finish it by August. While he has dabbled in making sculptures at home, this is Govindhan’s first time sculpting an elephant. He said he Govindhan P P working on the elephant sculpture at GLPS Kozhummal in Kannur chose to build the sculpture for the school as the place holds a special place in his heart — it was where he studied as a child and later served as a teacher for many years. “Creating the sculpture is my tribute to the school,” he said. Govindhan has never received any formal training in sculpting. He developed his skills through self-learning, driven by a deep passion for the art, and honed his craftsmanship with each sculpture. And he chose to sculpt a jumbo, as it attracts attention and is Kera● More on P4 la’s state animal.