kochi l Sunday l july 27, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l late city edition mandatory safety audits of schools, mental health help The Ministry of Education on Saturday issued a fiat to all states and UTs to take urgent steps to ensure the safety and well-being of students ‘report any threat to kids within a day’ Mandatory safety audits of schools and child-related facilities as per national safety codes, providing psychosocial support through counselling and reporting any dangerous incident involving children within 24 hours to designated authorities are among the measures proposed. All schools used by children must undergo safety audits via national safety codes | P7 ■ 7 coordination from parents sought ■ The order also mandated training for staff and students to tackle emergencies, including evacuation drills, first aid and safety protocol The order called upon education departments, school boards and affiliated authorities to act without any delay in implementing the measures, through the help of parents, guardians and local bodies students were killed at a school in rajasthan , leading to the fiat 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 Palode Ravi quits as DCC prez after audio clip puts Cong in spot E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ T’Puram I n st e p Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Army Vice Chief Lt General N S Raja Subramani, Navy Chief Adm Dinesh K Tripathi and Air Chief A P Singh as they march to pay tribute to the Kargil War martyrs at the National War Memorial (R) on the Kargil Vijay Diwas anniversary, in New Delhi on Saturday | PTI EXPRESS READ 3 dead, one missing as rain batters Kerala Kochi: Heavy rain and strong wind wreaked havoc across Kerala on Saturday, leaving three persons dead and one missing, besides causing widespread damage in several districts. Air traffic was also affected, with Kochi airport diverting three flights due to low visibility. Authorities have urged extreme caution across affected districts as heavy rain is expected to continue in the coming days. P2 Asia Cup: India to play Pakistan on Sept 14 Chennai: The much-anticipated men’s Asia Cup schedule was announced on Saturday with India and Pakistan slotted in same group. They will play each other on September 14 in the tournament that is being held in the United Arab Emirates from September 9-28. The BCCI are the hosts but the Asia Cup tournament will be held in a neutral venue. P11 Seven Maoists killed in separate encounters Raipur/Ranchi: Seven Maoists were killed in separate encounters with security forces in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand on Saturday. At least four Maoist cadre were killed in an exchange of fire in Bijapur district, the Bastar police said. In the past 18 months, as many as 425 Maoists were killed in encounters in the Bastar Range in Chhattisgarh. Meanwhile, three Naxalites were killed in a gunfight with forces in Jharkhand’s Gumla district on Saturday. P8 No timeline for completion of negotiations on bilateral trade deal Trade talks with Major pushback US making fast against Trump’s progress: Goyal GM playbook E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi D i pa k M o nd a l @ New Delhi Talks on the India-US trade deal is progressing India is firm on its stance against importing fast, Minister of Commerce and Industries Piy- genetically modified (GM) crops from the US, ush Goyal said on Saturday Negotiations are at sources in the government said. It has been our . an advanced stage with Oman as well, while with stated position for long and it remains so, said a the European Union and US, they are making top government source. Import of GM crops has fast progress, he said. been a bone of contention between the two counGoyal, however, refused to tries during the trade negotiagive any timeline for the comtions. With the government pletion of the US deal even as now making its stance clear, the extended deadline (August the Trump playbook will find 1) for imposition of the reciprofull resistance on GM crops. cal tariff is less than a week The US is pressing India to away. According to commerce allow imports of GM crops ministry sources, a delegation such as soybean meal and disof US negotiators is likely to tillers dried grains with solucome to India in the second bles (DDGS) for animal feed. In future, when Kolhapuri sandals are half of August for talks on the Initially, the India did not exported, India will get Bilateral Trade Agreement strongly oppose the idea of credit. It will be exported (BTA). India faces a 26% recipsome tariff cuts on farm goods as India’s GI product rocal tariff if there is no trade or even selective GM imports. deal by August 1. However, after facing strong do—Piyush Goyal, minister Goyal said that the India-UK mestic resistance, India seems trade agreement serves as a to have hardened its position as doorway for India to engage with the developed far as GM imports are concerned. world. He said that unlike past FTAs under the A Niti Aayog report had suggested a “strategic UPA government, which were often signed with opening for US imports” for broader export gains. direct competitors like ASEAN nations, the Modi It proposed importing GM soybean seeds, crushgovernment has focused on FTAs with comple- ing them at coastal facilities, selling oil domestimentary economies like Mauritius, Australia, cally and exporting soymeal (with GM traits) to UAE, and the EFTA bloc (Switzerland, Norway, avoid domestic contamination. But experts Liechtenstein, Iceland). panned it citing weak regulatory oversight. “The business opportunities, the quality and Another major area of difference between the cost competitiveness of Indian goods and serv- two countries is imports of animals fed on aniices, the demographic dividend of our young and mal-derived feed — for example, butter from aspirational population, the rule of law, and the cows fed meat — due to deep religious sensitivistrength of our democracy all make India a pre- ties. India prohibits such animals and it considferred global partner,” he said. ers this policy non-negotiable. Bihar horror: Chirag raps The CM on ambulance rape Anteaters WITH THIS ISSUE PLUS 12 P AGES r a m a s h a n k a r @ Patna A 26-year-old woman with a dream to don the khaki appeared at a physical test for recruitment of Home Guards in Bihar’s Gaya but was allegedly gangraped in an ambulance after she fainted during the test on Thursday . The horrific incident drew widespread outrage as cracks appeared in the ruling NDA in Bihar when Union minister Chirag Paswan expressed “regret” over having to support the Nitish government, which he said had “surrendered” before criminals. The young woman, a resident of Imamganj in Gaya, narrated her ordeal to hospital authorities after regaining consciousness. Hospital authorities, in turn, informed police, following which an FIR was regis- tered. Gaya SSP Anand Kumar said two accused, Vinay Kumar (driver) and Ajit Kumar (technician), have already been arrested and produced in court, which remanded them in 14day judicial custody . The victim, in her statement, said she was gangraped by three-four individuals travelling in the ambulance arranged to transport her from the BMP-3 ground to the Magadh Medical College and Hospital. “Though I was in semiconscious state, I felt the pain in my ... abdomen,” she said. Chirag’s remarks came two days after he heaped praise on Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor for playing an ‘honest’ role in Bihar politics. Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav asked voters to vote the NDA out. “Bihar is under the rule of demons,” Yadav said. Congress leader Palode Ravi stepped down as Thiruvananthapuram DCC president on Saturday after a leaked telephone conversation — in which he ‘predicted’ a consecutive third term for the CPM and total doom for his party — put the Congress in a tight spot. The party leadership, which held detailed discussions at different levels, came to the conclusion that with back-to-back elections coming up and considering the embarrassment the party suffered after the audio clip surfaced, Ravi’s resignation would be the only possible damage control measure. The state leadership, which also consulted the AICC leadership, conveyed the decision to Ravi later in the evening, following which he resigned. No other leader has been given the DCC president charge for the time being. In the leaked phone conversation with a local party leader, which surfaced on Saturday morning, Ravi is heard saying that after the local body and assembly elections, the Congress party will perish in Kerala. The ex-deputy speaker is also heard saying that the Congress will finish third in the upcoming local body polls. “Similarly in the next assem, bly elections, the party will fall flat. You wait and see what the BJP is going to do in 60 assembly constituencies. Like in the Parliamentary elections, they will buy votes with money The . Congress will be relegated to third place, and the Marxist party will continue in power. This is what is going to happen in Kerala. The Congress will perish after this. Muslims who are now with us will shift their Palode Ravi Leaked phone call In his conversation with a local Congress leader, Palode Ravi is heard saying... The Congress will finish third in the upcoming local body elections Similarly, party won’t succeed in the assembly elections... The Congress will come third and the Marxist party will continue in power...The Congress will perish after this. Muslims who are now with us will shift their allegiance to the Left and other parties. The rest will shift to BJP and other parties. The Congress will become a party which is of no use to anyone ‘CONG CREATED ANTICHINA NARRATIVES, MODI BEST PERSON TO RESOLVE BORDER ISSUE’ P4 A allegiance to the Left and other parties. The rest will shift to the BJP and other parties. Congress will become a party which is of no use to anyone,” he is heard saying in the around eight-minute-long clip. The party leadership also took action against the local leader with whom Ravi spoke. KPCC president Sunny Joseph said Vamanapuram block general secretary A Jaleel has been expelled from party for “anti● More on P5 party activities”. y e a r l a t e r Amid painful reminders, Mundakkai struggles to regain its past vigour P2 ADR rejoinder rebuts EC’s claim that it has right to verify citizenship in Bihar s u c h i t r a k a lya n m o h a n t y @ New Delhi RESPONDING to the Election Commission’s counter affidavit filed on July 21, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) on Saturday told the Supreme Court that the EC’s electoral roll verification goes against the SC’s past judgments, and was a “grave fraud” on voters. The ADR’s rejoinder came after the ECI had on July 21 submitted its reply defending the Bihar SIR (Special Intensive Revision) exercise and said it was done to restore public confidence and integrity of electoral rolls. The court will hear pleas challenging SIR on Monday . Odisha prepares to undertake SIR Amid the row over the special intensive revision (SIR) of voter rolls in Bihar, the Odisha government is gearing up to undertake the exercise soon. It will be conducted after a gap of over two decades. The ADR also questioned the refusal by the Election Commission to accept Aadhaar, Voter ID and ration card as valid “standalone” proof for inclusion in the electoral roll during the SIR, ad described it as “patently absurd”. It submitted that the ECI has given no valid reason for its decision. On July 10, a bench of justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi, while refusing to stay SIR, asked the EC to consider Aadhaar, Voter ID, and ra- tion card for the exercise. But the EC argued that Aadhaar, voter cards and ration cards could easily be faked. The ADR said any of the 11 documents for SIR were equally prone to fraud. “SIR is being conducted in a manner that constitutes a grave fraud on the voters of Bihar,” the ADR said. It also alleged glaring discrepancies in SIR. “Media reports suggest how enumeration forms are being filled in the absence of voters,” the ADR said. Prison officials can be jailed if inmates escape P R a md a s @ Kochi The escape of rape-murder convict Govindachamy from the high-security Kannur Central Prison has triggered sharp criticism over the failure in holding jail officials accountable. Though Govindachamy was tracked down and arrested within hours, le gal experts question why no case has been registered against those responsible for the security lapses . While the Kannur Town police filed an FIR against Govindachamy under Section 262 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for escaping from lawful custody -- a charge that carries a maximum sentence of two years or fine or both -they have not invoked provisions that hold public servants accountable in such cases. Section 260 of the BNS clearly prescribes punishment for public servants who either intentionally allow a person in custody to escape or fail to prevent it. Punishment under this section can range from imprisonment of up to three years, with or without a fine, to imprisonment for a longer CM orders detailed probe into jailbreak T’Puram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has ordered a comprehensive inquiry into the escape of prisoner Govindachamy from Kannur Central Jail. In addition to the ongoing police investigation and departmental probes, a special, independent inquiry will be conducted. This will be led by former High Court Judge C N Ramachandran Nair and former state police chief Jacob Punnoose. P5 term — up to seven or even 14 years — depending on the severity of the original sentence of the escaped convict. Experts say this legal provision exists to fix responsibility on officers in charge of custodial security, including instances where inmates’ escape is facilitated by negligence. Additionally, BNS Section 45 allows for the prosecution of individuals who abet or aid in the commission of a crime, even indirectly . Former director general of prosecution T Asaf Ali said a case solely against Govinda- chamy serves little practical pur pose. “Even if a chargesheet is filed, he can plead guilty and the court may , allow the sentence to run concurrently with his existing life sentence — essentially amounting to no additional punishment,” he pointed out. He said the real issue is how the escape was possible and who enabled it, directly or otherwise. “It’s difficult to believe that a month-long escape plan went unnoticed in a high-security prison. For future deterrence, jail officials concerned must be held accountable and booked under Sections 45 and 260 of the BNS,” he said.