visakhapatnam l wednesday l november 26, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION Ethiopia volcanic ash cloud drifting towards China: IMD Ash clouds from volcanic eruption in Ethiopia reached the skies over Gujarat, Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana on Tuesday No impact on air quality or weather Flight operations disrupted “The ash cloud is drifting towards China and will move away from Indian skies by 7.30pm on Tuesday,” Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of Meteorology at the India Meteorological Department, said. He noted that the volcanic ash is present only in the upper troposphere and is affecting flight operations, but it has no impact on air quality or weather ■ ■ Air India announced it has cancelled 13 flights since Monday. Other carriers have also reported flight cancellations or delays Hayli Gubbi, a shield volcano in Ethiopia’s Afar region, erupted on Sunday, producing a large ash plume. The plume spread eastward towards the Arabian Peninsula and the Indian subcontinent 14 km The height to which the volcano spewed its ash plume 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 ’83 Nellie massacre reports One blames it on poll imposition, other doesn’t EX PRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Guwahati THE Assam government on Tuesday tabled the reports of two probe panels on the largescale violence during the peak of the anti-immigrant agitation, including the 1983 Nellie massacre, ehich successive governments chose to sit on. Over 2,000 people, most of them immigrant Bengali-speaking Muslims, were killed on February 18, 1983 in the small town of Nellie in Central Assam’s Morigaon district. The two reports held contradictory views on the violence amid assembly polls during President’s Rule in 1983. The Tewari Commission, officially constituted by the then CM Hiteswar Saikia of the Congress, said the violence had no ‘communal colour’. “The decision to hold the elections cannot be blamed for the outbreak of the violence of 1983,” said the commission, headed by retired IAS officer Tribhuvan Prasad Tewary It held the All Assam . Students’ Union (AASU) and Asom Gana Sangram Parishad (AGSP) “primarily responsible for launching the stir and for its consequences”. The ‘unofficial’ Justice TU Mehta Commission, formed by Mukti Jujaru Sanmilan and members of the anti-foreigners’ agitation, attributed the reason for the violence to the imposition of elections against the wishes of the people. It said the situation was not conducive to AP to get three new districts, five revenue divisions soon S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada The number of districts in Andhra Pradesh is set to go up to 29 from the existing 26 as Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has approved the recommendations of the Group of Ministers (GoM) in this regard. Polavaram, Markapuram and Madanapalle districts will be carved out soon. It has been decided to form five new revenue divisions. They include Nakkapalli (Anakapalli district), Addanki (Prakasam), Pileru (Madanapalle), Banaganapalle (Nandyal), and Madakasira (Sri Sathya Sai). Pedda Harivanam mandal will be formed by bifurcating Adoni in Kurnool district. The proposals made by the GoM will be discussed in the ensuing State Cabinet meeting. After Cabinet approval, a notification will be issued carving out the new districts and revenue divisions. Polavaram district will comprise Rampachodavaram and Chinturu revenue divisions with a population of 3.49 lakh. Rampachodavaram will be its headquarters. Rampachodavaram division will consist of Rampachodavaram, Devipatnam, Y Ramavaram, Gurtedu, Addateegala, Gangavaram, Maredumilli and Rajavommangi mandals, while Yetapaka, Chinturu, Kunavaram, Vara Ramachandrapuram will come under Chinturu division. p5 File picture of a family displaced after the Nellie violence in 1983 | X hold elections and put the blame on incumbent central government, Election Commission, “politicians who wanted to capture power by hook or crook”, the then Assam governor and his bureaucrats. The Mehta commission report said the Election Commission could have decided against holding the polls to stop the violence but it did not. Also, the report said, the polls were held without correcting the electoral rolls. “The evidence produced before the Commission clearly brings out the issues of foreigners, language, etc have been agitating the minds of the people for the last several decades, exploding into violence.” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said although the Tewary report was tabled in 1987, only one copy was sent to the Speaker. The Mehta report was tabled in the House for the first time on Tuesday . Christian officer’s sack upheld u d aya n k i s h o r e @ New Delhi CALLING a Christian army officer’s alleged refusal to enter his regimental temple’s sanctum sanctorum as the “grossest kind of indiscipline”, a Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymala Bagchi on Tuesday upheld his termination. Earlier, the Delhi High Court had sanctioned Samuel Kamalesan’s termination on grounds of ‘indiscipline’. Kamalesan was commissioned in 2017 into the 3rd Cavalry Regiment. The SC bench, on a plea by the officer against his termination, said while he may be an outstanding officer, “he is definitely a misfit for the Army Leaders have to lead by ... example. You are insulting your troops.” Arunachal tangle continues between India and China J aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi China on Tuesday rejected allegations that an Indian woman from Arunachal Pradesh was harassed by immigration officials during a layover at Shanghai airport, insisting that officers acted in accordance with the law. Pema Wangjom Thongdok, a UK-based Indian citizen, said her three-hour layover turned into an ordeal after immigration personnel declared her passport “invalid” Pema Wangjom because it listed Arunachal Pradesh as her birthplace. Thongdok Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Thongdok had not been subjected to any compulsory measures, detention or harassment. Mao also reiterated China’s claims over Arunachal Pradesh, prompting a strong pushback from India, with the MEA asserting it remains an integral and inalienable part of India. On Thongdok’s experience, the MEA said Chinese authorities had still not been able to explain their actions, which it described as violation of international conventions. The bench pointed out that the officer had ignored even the advice of a local pastor, who counselled him and said entering a temple would not violate his faith. “You cannot have your private understanding of what your religion permits. That too in uniform,” it said. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for Kamalesan, said the appellant’s fundamental right to practise a religion under Article 25 cannot be taken away “Where in the . Christian faith is entering a temple barred?” Justice Bagchi asked. “In your team, there are Sikh soldiers... (for whom) there is a gurdwara. A gurdwara is one of the most secular places. Is his tone and tenor not insulting all soldiers? We are surprised he doesn’t even follow the advice of the pastor,” CJI Surya Kant said. Army: He was adamant The Army had said the officer repeatedly refused to attend mandatory regimental parades and senior officers made “multiple attempts” to counsel him, but to no avail pm hoists saffron flag atop ram mandir, ayodhya Calling the moment “unique” and “divine”, PM Narendra Modi said the sacred flag is a testimony of triumph of truth. Also present were RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Yogi Adityanath `40Kboost cr plan to horticulture Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has announced a plan to develop Rayalaseema as a global horticulture hub with an investment of `40,000 crore under the Purvodayam Scheme. It has been designed to expand horticulture cultivation across 50 lakh acres | P5