mangaluru l thursday l november 13, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l city EDITION Inflation hits record low of 0.25% in Oct on back of GST cuts Tax cuts on nearly 400 mass-consumption items, coupled with subdued prices for vegetables, fruits and eggs helped push retail inflation to record low Food inflation stays in negative zone Fuels hope of further rate cut in December Food inflation remained negative at -5.02%, as prices of vegetables, cereals and pulses eased amid improved supplies and favourable weather. Vegetable prices fell 28% year-on-year, while pulses and spices declined by 16% and just over 3%, respectively. Clothing and footwear recorded only a 1.7% annual rise, thanks to GST rate cuts | P13 2024. The figure for this October was the lowest in the current series (base year 2012), which tracked data since January 2014 ■ The record low inflation raises hopes for another round of rate cut, when the RBI monetary policy committee meets in December ■ Inflation stood at 1.44% in September and 6.21% in October 8.56% the october inflation in kerala— the highest among all states 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 Cabinet resolution blames it on anti-national forces IT’S OFFICIAL: Red Fort blast was TERROR ATTACK MU K E S H R A N J A N , A n u p V e r m a and N itin R a w at @ New Delhi Two days after the Red Fort car blast, the government for the first time categorised it as a terror strike. A Union Cabinet meeting led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday passed a resolution expressing profound grief over the loss of 12 lives in the explosion, describing it as an “act of heinous terror” by anti-national forces. The carefully worded resolution restricted itself to the phrase ‘anti-national forces’, stopping short of pointing fingers at any external elements. However, it said, “The Cabinet directs that the investigation into the incident be pursued with the utmost urgency and professionalism so that the perpetrators, their collaborators and their sponsors are identified and brought to justice without delay. The situation continues to be closely monitored at the highest levels of the government.” The Cabinet observed two minutes’ silence in honour of the innocent lives lost. It appreciated the prompt efforts of the medical personnel and emergency responders. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the LNJP Hospital after his arrival from Bhutan, and met the survivors of the blast. Expressing deep concern over the incident, he reaffirmed the government’s commitment to en- Red fort attack Day’s developments Red EcoSport (pic) registered in the name of Dr Umar Un Nabi, who died when his Hyundai i20 blew up near Red Fort, found in Faridabad Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets an injured victim undergoing treatment at LNJP hospital in Delhi on Wednesday following a blast near the Red Fort | PTI suring justice. “Those behind the conspiracy will be brought to justice,” he asserted. “Went to LNJP Hospital and met those injured during the blast in Delhi. Praying for everyone’s quick recovery Those behind the con. spiracy will be brought to justice!” Modi said in a post on X. In Faridabad, the police seized a red Ford EcoSport car in Khandawali village for which a lookout notice was issued earlier in the day as it said , to be registered in the name of Dr Umar Un Nabi, who possibly died in the Red Fort blast. The car will be checked for explosives by the forensics department. Police are trying to ascertain how it reached the village as also the whereabouts Woman doctor, brother planned lone-wolf strikes 31-member JPC on bills to remove PM, CMs formed N a m ita ba j pai @ Lucknow P R EE T H A N A I R @ New Delhi Two siblings, Dr Shaheen Shahid and Dr Parvez Sayeed, who were arrested over alleged links to a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror module, had been preparing to carry out lone-wolf attacks across the country for the past two years, sources said on Wednesday . The duo is being questioned by the Jammu and Kashmir Police and various central probe agencies. Dr Shaheen was arrested on Monday after police found arms and ammunition in a car registered in her name. During interrogation, she reve a l e d h e r yo u n g e r brother, Dr Parvez Ansari’s involvement in terror activities. Police subsequently searched Dr An- Radicalised sari’s residence in Madi- online aon, Lucknow, and seized his laptop, tablet and mo- According to investigators, the bile phones. The two admitted to be- siblings became ing in touch with terror self-radicalised suspects Dr Muzammil through and Dr Adeel Ahmad, who encrypted chat were also arrested on forums Monday through multiple advocating , encrypted communica- jihadist ideology tion platforms and foreign-based messaging apps. After each virtual meeting, they would delete chats, call logs and communication histories to destroy evidence and avoid tracking, sources added. The probe team managed to retrieve partial data fragments, which are now being analysed to trace their wider network. However, investigators believe that while the two were not under a structured command chain, they were ideologically aligned and motivated to act as lone-wolf attackers targeting public places or sensitive installations. THE Parliament on Wednesday constituted a 31-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) that will scrutinise the bills on the removal of the prime minister, chief ministers, and ministers if they are arrested for 30 days straight on serious criminal charges. The committee will be headed by Lok Sabha member and BJP leader Aparajita Sarangi, as per a Lok Sabha bulletin. The panel comprises 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha. Some of the Lok Sabha members in the panel include Ravi Shankar Prasad, Bhartruhari Mahtab, Pradan Baruah, Brijmohan Agrawal, Vishnu Dayal Ram and Harsimrat Kaur Badal. From the Rajya Sabha, the nominated members include Brij Lal, Ujjwal Nikam, Nabam Rebia, Dr K Laxman, Sudha Murty, Birendra Prasad Baishya, and S Niranjan Reddy . The committee has been mandated to submit its report Doesn’t blame external elements of its occupants who abandoning the vehicle. Back to the Cabinet resolution, it reiterated India’s commitment to the policy of ‘zero tolerance’ towards terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. It also recorded its appreciation for the statements of solidarity from many nations across the world. Commending the role played by the probe agencies, it said, “The Cabinet notes with appreciation the timely and coordinated response of the authorities, security agencies and citizens, who acted with courage and compassion in the face of adversity. Their dedication and sense of duty are deeply commendable.”  P10 Mobile phone of Dr Muzammil Ganaie, arrested for connection with the terror module, showed he and Dr Umar conducted multiple recces of Red Fort area in January Passports of Dr Umar and Dr Muzammil show they had travelled to Turkiye Al Falah Univ says it has only professional association with 2 arrested docs Two cartridges, live ammo and samples of two types of explosives found by FSL team at the blast site PM meets the injured It’s a mockery as joint Oppn is absent: Cong The Congress termed the JPC a mockery saying the joint Opposition representing the majority of Indians is absent. The party alleged it is a “JPC of the BJP and its B-Team” in the winter session, scheduled from December 1-19. However, 340 members of the main Opposition parties including Congress, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party , Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Left parties boycotted the panel. Last month, NCP (Sharad Pawar) broke ranks with the INDIA bloc and decided to be part of the panel. NCP(SP)’s Supriya Sule, who is a member of the new panel, had earlier said that her party was not breaking ranks with the Opposition by choosing to be part of the committee. Apart from NCP (SP), AIMIM’S Asaduddin Owaisi, BJD, YSRCP, and SAD joined the panel. u-turn US lacks ‘certain talents’ and needs to bring them from other countries, US president Donald Trump said seeking to defend H-1B visas | P12 B’luru admin evaluating 4 properties of enemies of India Life term for 3 in Guj in cow slaughter first-of-its-kind verdict D I L I P S I N G H K S H AT R I YA @ Ahmedabad IN possibly the first such verdict in the country the Amreli , Sessions Court in Gujarat has sentenced three persons to life imprisonment in a cow slaughter case and imposed a fine of `6.08 lakh each on them. “For the first time in the history of the country those guilty , of cow slaughter have been sentenced to life imprisonment. This is not just a verdict — it is a message. Those who commit injustice against the mother cow, a symbol of our faith and culture, will not be spared,” Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi posted on X. Hailing it as a landmark verdict, the state government said the ruling will go a long way in enforcing cow protection laws. Sources said this is the first time in the state’s history that such harsh punishment has been given in a single case. The verdict, delivered by Ses- From left: Akram Haji Solanki, Qasim Solanki and Sattar Ismail Solanki sions Judg e Rizwanaben Bukhari on Tuesday, follows a year-long trial that shook the small town of Amreli and ignited statewide discussion on the provisions of the Gujarat Animal Protection Act. The court held the accused — Akram Haji Solanki, Sattar Ismail Solanki, and Qasim Solanki — guilty of slaughtering cows and trafficking beef. The case goes back to November 6, 2023 when Amreli police raided the house of Akram Solanki following on a tip-off and recovered slaughtered animal parts, tails, skins, and leg pieces. Qasim was nabbed on the spot but Akram and Sattar fled. They were caught later. M o ha m m e d Ya c o o b @Bengaluru The deputy commissioner of Bengaluru Urban district, who has been designated as the Deputy Custodian of Enemy Property by the central government, is evaluating the value of four enemy properties identified in Bengaluru. These properties are located on Raj Bhavan Road, Victoria Road, Kalasipalya and Grant Road. As per the documents accessed by The New Indian Ex- press, the property bearing municipal no-3 and 5 in ward number 78 located on a prime location on Raj Bhavan Road, totally measuring 1,23,504 sqft, an 8,845 sqft property bearing no 2 & 8 on Victoria Road, property measuring 70x30 on site no 41 on Kalasipalya 2nd Main Road, and a hotel bearing number 4 on Grant Road have been identified as ‘enemy properties’. They will be seized by the Union government as per the provisions of the Enemy Property Act 1968. Karnataka HC lifts stay on Dharmasthala case Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday vacated its stay on the investigation into FIR registered at the Dharmasthala police station in connection with the allegations of “murders and rapes” at the temple town. The stay was granted on October 30 on a petition filed by activists Girish Mattannavar, Mahesh Shetty Thimarody, T Jayant and Vittala Gowda | P6 Bengaluru: The State Election Commission (SEC) moved the Karnataka High Court with a public interest litigation against the state, alleging that the state is yet to provide the final reservation notification to conduct the elections to 5,950 gram panchayats for which the term will expire by January 2026, despite several letters being written | P4 Karnataka, India’s largest silk producer, will have another feather in its cap. The country’s first silk museum will be established in Mysuru, which is famous for its silk sarees. The museum will showcase the entire history of silk in India, as well as the entire cocoon-togarment process. The Central government has already started silk tourism in “This will be the first-ever and unique museum. A dedicated team is being deployed to work on this. The total cost of the project will be known after tenders are finalised. The museum will be set up in CSB’s centre in Mysuru, which is spread across 120 acres,” he said. For creating the museum, CSB officials have studied similar centres in China and Italy They . have also studied the best of collections in Italy and 2000-year-old collections in China. Work has begun to gather traditional and heritage collections from all silkproducing states and farmers to showcase in the museum. P7 country Once the valuation is . done, the notices are sent to occupants of the properties and further action will be taken as per CEPI directions,” said another source. The Union government had issued directions to take over enemy properties and auction them as per the Enemy Property Act 1968. It had designated the deputy commissioner of Bengaluru Urban district as the Deputy Custodian of Enemy Property in November 2024.  WHAT IS ENEMY PROPERTY: P6 MGNREGA contract workers in state not paid for last 4 months SEC moves HC against state govt over GP polls India’s first silk museum to come up in Mysuru Jammu and Kashmir and is also working on establishing another circuit in Topatali in Assam. While the state government and Centre are popularising the silk chain and fabric in these two states, in Mysuru, a museum showcasing how silk thread is procured – from the pupa stage to how its woven into a fabric will be shown, said Central Silk Board’s (CSB) National Silkworm Seed Organisation (NSSO) Director Dr Manthira Moorthy . is in the process of checking the value of such properties. Once the process is completed, it will be communicated to the union government. We will then wait for further directions from ‘Custodian of Enemy Property of India’ (CEPI),” said G Jagadeesha, Bengaluru Urban DC. “There is no clarity as to who the tenants are corresponding with for rental agreements and payment of rent for such properties. Their owners are considered enemies of India working against the interests of the express read treasure trove B o sky K hanna @ Bengaluru “The current market value of the property on Raj Bhavan Road alone may be over Rs 200 crore. However, a detailed report on measurements, tenant details, and encroachment, if any and the exact value will all , be shared with the Union government in a sealed cover,” said a senior official in the district administration office. “The right to seize such properties lies with the central government. It has sought details like the property value, and the Urban District Administration R agh o tta m K o ppar @Gadag The Karnataka Vikas Grameen Bank at Ummachgi in Yellapur tauk of Uttara Kannada district was completely damaged in the fire | express Failing to steal from bank, thieves set premises on fire S u bhash Chandra N S @ Yellapur (Uttara Kannada) In a theft gone wrong, scared thieves who had gone to steal from a bank allegedly set the premises on fire, causing severe damage to documents and computers in the bank. There is no footage of the criminals either from inside the bank as CCTVs, their footage and digital TV recorder have been destroyed in the blaze. In the early hours of Wednesday the thieves broke open the , windows of Karnataka Vikas Grameen Bank at Ummachgi in Yellapur tauk in Uttara Kannada district and gained entry When . they tried to open the vault, the siren started to ring. The thieves attempted to stop the alarm, but could not. Scared that they would be caught, the thieves set the bank on fire and fled from the spot, officials said. People in the neighbourhood saw smoke billowing from the bank, and alerted bank officials, who called the police and fire and emergency service. The police found the window broken and CCTV and digital TV recorder severely damaged. Geetha Patil told TNIE that the thieves might have tried to disconnect CCTV cameras, triggering a short-circuit that caused the fire. P7 Outsourced employees of MGNREGA scheme in Karnataka have not been paid salaries for the last four months. They say it is because of new software that has not been mapped with Khajane II (K2) software, which manages salaries of all state government employees. But the officials concerned say the central government is yet to release funds for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme. The scheme has 3,657 outsourced staff across the state who have not been paid since July this year. They have also not been paid their travel and dearness allowances for the last 10 months. The scheme in the state has 27 disaster management information system officials, 27 district account managers, 202 technical coordinators, 222 taluk MBS, 294 BG coordinators, 299 BLRP, 799 technical assistants and others working in this project. P7