MADURAI l Friday l December 26, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l LATE CITY EDITION Ban on women using smart phones in raj dist withdrawn Village elders in Rajasthan’s Jalore district have withdrawn the ban imposed on women using smartphones after facing strident opposition Ban was misunderstood, say villagers ‘ban to curb children hooked to phones’ A meeting of the panchas (village elders) was convened on Thursday in Gazipur village, where they unanimously decided to withdraw the ban, saying the decision kept children in mind, but it was “misunderstood”. Earlier, on December 21, the panchas had banned daughters and daughters-in-law of 15 villages from using smartphones, starting Jan 26 ■ ■ A member of the panchas, Natharam Chaudhary, explained that the decision of December 21 was taken after numerous complaints from women that their children used to borrow their phones after school Chaudhary said kids spend the entire day watching videos, which has adverse effects on their brain; the ban was taken to curb this habit Dec 21 was when the village panchas announced 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 Political reset in B’desh as Tarique back in Dhaka Ex-PM Khaleda Zia’s son calls for building an inclusive Bangladesh EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi Merry Christmas Prime Minister Narendra Modi during Christmas service at the Cathedral Church of the Redemption in New Delhi on Thursday. “May Christmas bring renewed hope, warmth and a shared commitment to kindness,” Modi later posted on X | PTI CM anguished over attack on minorities during Xmas E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Chennai Expressing anguish over the reports about attacks on minorities in many places in the country, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday said curbing riotous groups that divide society is a shared and urgent duty to be enforced with a firm resolve. In a post on his X hand l e, t h e C M stated that the true strength and character of a majority CM MK Stalin lie in ensuring that minorities live without fear. “When a few right-wing violent groups, acting in the name of the majority, indulge in attacks and riots, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi participates in Christmas celebrations, it sends a disturbing message to the nation,” the CM said and recalled that after Manipur, reports of attacks on minorities in Jabalpur, Raipur, and elsewhere are unacceptable to anyone who values harmony A reported 74% rise in . hate speech against minorities, since the BJP-led government assumed office, signals grave danger ahead, he added. Meanwhile, in a statement, MDMK general secretary Vaiko strongly condemned Hindutva extremist groups that attacked churches and assaulted members of the Christian community in places such as Raipur, Jabalpur, and other parts of Chhattisgarh. He urged the state governments concerned, where these incidents occurred, to crack down on the perpetrators with an iron hand.  P5 Top Maoist Uikey, with over `1 crore bounty, eliminated surgents, operating under aliases including Rupa, Rajesh Tiwari, and Chamru. He carIN a decisive blow to Maoist in- ried combined rewards of `2 surgency security forces elimi- crore across four states and or, nated four persons, including chestrated deadly attacks top CPI (Maoist) central com- across eastern and central remittee member Ganesh Uikey , gions of the country . during an encounter in KandThe other slain cadres carhamal district’s Chakaried rewards of `1.65 pada on Thursday The . lakh each. Security 69-year-old commander, forces recovered two carrying a bounty of INSAS rifles and one `1.1 crore, headed Mao.303 rifle from the site. ist operations across This follows WednesOdisha. day’s encounter in T he operation in Gumma forest that Ganesh Uikey Rambha forest range killed two more Maonear the Kandhamalists, bringing the 24Ganjam border involved 20 hour toll to six. Special Operations Group Union Home Minister Amit (SOG) units, two CRPF battal- Shah termed it “a significant ions, and BSF personnel. “Mul- milestone towards Naxal-free tiple exchanges of fire oc- Bharat,” reaffirming the govcurred early morning. Four er nment’s commitment to Maoists were neutralised, in- eliminate Naxalism by March cluding two women, all in uni- 31, 2026. form,” said ADG (Anti-Naxal Chief Minister Mohan ChaOperations) Sanjeeb Panda. ran Majhi praised the forces’ Uikey originally from Telan- dedication, saying, “Odisha’s , gana’s Nalgonda district, was development and public safety among India’s most wanted in- remain our top priorities.” express news service @ Bhubaneswar Amid unrest and chaos in Bangladesh following the murder of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s son Tarique Rahman returned to Dhaka on Thursday after 17 years in self-exile. The dramatic return of Rahman, the acting chairman of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), is expected to change the dynamics of the February 12 elections with a possible contest between the BNP and its former ally Jamaat-e-Islami. With the Muhammad Yunusled interim government barring ousted PM Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League from contesting elections, BNP is said to be the front-runner. Hasina had banned the Jamaat but Yunus lifted it due to pressure from radicals. The Jamaat reportedly enjoys the support of student outfits that led the protests to remove Hasina from power. Shortly after landing at the Hazrat Shahjalal International airport, Rahman stood barefoot on Bangladeshi soil in a symbolic gesture to mark his return to the country’s politics. Later, articulating his plans to build an “inclusive Bangladesh”, he said: “We want to thoothukudi Car mows down 3 woman pilgrims BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman waves to his supporters in Dhaka | pti This country belongs to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians — Tarique Rahman build a safe Bangladesh... no matter who a woman, man, or child is, they should be able to leave their homes safely and return safely .” Rahman, 60, had been living in London since 2008. He was leading the BNP since 2018 following Zia’s ill health. Urging people to maintain peace and stability, he said: “We have people from the hills and the plains in this country Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians. We want to build a safe Bangladesh, where every woman, man and child can leave home safely .” Referring to Martin Luther King’s famous speech, “I have a dream”, he said: “I have a plan for the people of my country and for my country .” Notably, during his address, Rahman didn’t make any direct reference to India though he mentioned the birth of Bangladesh in 1971. “Just like 1971, people from all walks of life, all together, defended the independence and sovereignty of this country in 2024,” he said. India liberated Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) from Pakistan’s brutal rule in 1971. P9 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi Military base in Pak? Defence ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang, too, denounced the Pentagon report, which also flagged enhanced ties between China and Pakistan, adding Beijing “likely also considered” setting up a base in Pakistan China on T hursday denounced a Pentagon report that accused Beijing of leveraging reduced tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India to stabilise bilateral relations and prevent a deeper strategic alignment between New Delhi and Washington. “The Pentagon’s report distorts China’s defence policy, sows discord, and aims at finding a pretext for the US to maintain its military supremacy,” foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian caustically told the media in Beijing, when asked about the US Department of Defense’s annual report to Congress on China. Lin said Beijing views and handles its relations with New Delhi from a strategic height and a long-term perspective. “ We s t a n d re a dy t o strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust, promote cooperation, and properly handle differences with India, and advance a sound and stable bilateral relationship,” Lin said. bus driver’s negligence may have led to TN crash that killed nine B A N B U S E LV A N @ Chennai The State Express Transport Corporation’s (SETC) preliminary inquiry into the accident that occurred at Ezhuthur on the Tiruchy-Chennai National Highway on Wednesday in which nine people died revealed that the crash could have been caused by the bus driver’s negligence and not due to a tyre bursting. S Thaha Ali, driver attached to the SETC Madurai depot, was placed under suspension on Thursday The Ramanatham . police (Cuddalore) also arrested Ali on charges of causing deaths due to negligence. The head-on collision involving an SETC bus and two SUVs near Thittakudi in Cuddalore had also left 10 people injured. Following an initial probe by the General Manager (Techni- No change in fares for season ticket passengers Railways said that the revised fares will apply for passenger tickets booked from Friday, while tickets already booked will be unaffected. Season ticket fares will also remain unchanged and private omni buses. According to the railways, the revised fares will apply for passenger tickets booked from Friday while tickets already is, sued will remain unaffected. This is the second fare hike since July this year. Compared to last year, train fares have increased by `20 for a distance of 500 km. For instance, on the Chennai-Coim- hc to centre ‘Frame law to curb child internet use’ Madurai: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has recommended to the centre to bring in a law to regulate use of internet by children aged below 16 years, similar to the one passed by the Australian government. It also directed the child rights commission to draw an action plan on safe internet use among kids | P2 batore route, which covers about 495 km by rail and 455 km by road, the non-AC second seater fare on the Kovai Express is just `195, while State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) buses charge around `515. Private omni buses charge between `700 and `800. Similarly the non-AC sleeper , class train fare stands at `330, compared to `870 on SETC buses, while private omni buses charge between `1,000 and `1,200.  P5 As for the LAC, Lin said, “the boundary question is a matter between China and India, and the current border situation between the two countries is g e n e r a l ly s t abl e w i t h smooth communication channels.” The US releases such reports year after year, grossly interfering in China’s internal affairs, Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang told a separate media briefing. He described it as a maliciously misinterpreted report that is full of erroneous understanding. Unnao rape Plea in SC against Sengar cal), who inspected the accident site, the SETC administration confirmed that contrary to the driver’s claim, there were no signs of a burst tyre. The bus was allegedly being driven at maximum speed, without applying the brakes, and the driver is suspected to have lost control due to negligence. “There was no damage to the central median to support the driver’s version,” an official said.  P5 Fare hike kicks in, but TN trains cheaper than buses B A N B U S E LV A N @ Chennai Thoothukudi: Three woman devotees, who were on a padayatra to a temple near Ottapidaram in Thoothukudi, died after a car hit them near Kurukusalai on Thursday. The women had left for the temple on Wednesday. An inquiry is under way with the driver to ascertain the cause of the accident | P2 Pentagon report on India axis malicious: China 2 paise per km Train ticket fares for sleeper, chair car, and all AC classes on trains operating within Tamil Nadu — such as services from Chennai to Madurai and Coimbatore — will increase by `10 to `15. For trains to Nagercoil and Kanniyakumari, fares will rise by `15 to `20. Despite this revision, train travel in Tamil Nadu will continue to remain the most affordable option on regular superfast services when compared to government buses express read express news service @ New Delhi Bus tragedy A luxury bus on fire following a collision with a speeding truck, in Karnataka’s Chitradurga in the wee hours of Thursday | PTI | P5 At least six killed At least six persons, including a child, were killed in the accident, Superintendent of Police Ranjith Kumar Bandaru said Two reported missing Four women and a girl child travelling in the bus, as also the truck driver were killed. Two persons were reported missing Kashmiri Shawl vendor assaulted in Uttarakhand A Kashmiri shawl vendor was allegedly assaulted, robbed, and threatened by a group of Bajrang Dal activists in Uttarakhand, the J&K Students Association said | P8 A Supreme Court petition has challenged the Delhi High Court’s decision to suspend expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar’s life sentence in the 2017 Unnao rape case. Advocates Anjale Patel and Pooja Shilpkar argued that the HC erred by ignoring the trial court’s observation that Sengar should remain imprisoned for life. They contended that the bail disregards his “serious criminal ante- Kuldeep Sengar cedents” and involvement in heinous crimes, including orchestrating the victim’s father’s murder while in custody . On December 23, the high court had suspended Sengar’s sentence, imposed in December 2019, noting that he had served over seven years. However, Sengar will remain in jail as he is serving 10 years for the custodial death case in the same matter.