hyderabad l Sunday l December 28, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l late city EDITION Gone in two days: eNGLAND WIN Boxing Day ASHES tEST As Ben Stokes and Co beat Australia in the fourth Test within two days, Melbourne Cricket Ground pitch has come under the scanner visitors end 18-match winless streak in Oz Having already lost the series, England ended an 18-match winless streak in Australia and beat the home side by four wickets in the fourth Ashes Test at the MCG on Saturday. After Perth, where the visitors lost in two days, this was yet another two-day finish in the series. It was the first time since 1912 that multiple two-day results have occured in a series | P11 ■ 4th Not a good look for Test cricket ■ Both Ben Stokes and Steve Smith expressed concern over the quality of the pitch, which had about 10 mm grass at the start of the match. As many as 20 wickets fell on Day 1 and another 16 on Day 2 Only 852 balls were bowled in the Melbourne Test - the tenth fewest in a completed match - only five more than the Perth Test Two-day Test ever in AUSTRALIA so far 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 Cong to launch nationwide ‘save Allu Arjun 11th accused MGNREGA’ movement from Jan 5 in Pushpa-2 stampede Poor crowd management At CWC meet, first after Bihar drubbing, Rahul hopes the entire Oppn would join campaign theatre owners and partners failed to ensure adequate safety arrangements. Event organiser Actor Allu Arjun has been Talla Kiran Kumar Goud has named Accused-11 (A-11) in the been accused of lapses in execuchargesheet filed by the police tion and supervision. in the Sandhya Theatre stamOf the total accused, 14 were pede case. The incident, which arrested, while nine secured anoccurred on December 4, 2024, ticipatory bail and were served claimed the life of 35-year-old notices, police said. M Revathi, while her nine-yearAccording to the police, the old son, Sritej, sustained critical stampede occurred due to poor injuries. coordination and negligence Sritej continues to remain among multiple stakeholders, inunder treatment more than a cluding the theatre management, year after the stampede. The event organisers, private securichargesheet, filed on December ty staff and others involved in 24, says the incident was due to handling the crowd. The investi“serious lapses in planning, gation found that no proper crowd control and security ar- crowd management plan or aderangements during quate security measthe event”. ures were put in place, Speaking to reportdespite the expected ers on Saturday, Hyheavy turnout. derabad Police ComPolice said the missioner VC Sajjanar chargesheet establishconfirmed that the es negligence at multichargesheet lists 23 ple levels, which colaccused, including lectively led to the Allu Arjun, his manincident. Further leager Josya Bhatla gal proceedings in the Allu Arjun Santosh Kumar, ancase will continue as other manager Sharper law, Sajjanar said. ath Chandra Naidu, fans’ assoSritej suffered severe head ciation in-charge Tatipamula and neurological injuries after Vinay Kumar, and his personal being caught in the stampede security guards Cheruku during the premiere show, leavRamesh and Sriramula Raju. ing him unconscious and critiSeveral bouncers deployed at cally injured. He was discharged the venue are also named. from KIMS Hospital, SecunderaTheatre owner and partner bad, on April 29 and later shifted Agamati Ram Reddy alias Pedda to a rehabilitation centre. While Ram Reddy was listed as Ac- he no longer requires respiracused-1 while the other partners tory support and has begun oral — Agamati Ram Reddy, alias feeding, he remains dependent Chinna Ram Reddy M Sandeep, on a feeding pipe and a liquid , M Sumeeth, Agamati Vinay Ku- diet. After spending over two mar, Agamati Ashutosh Reddy weeks at the rehabilitation cen, M Renuka Devi and Agamati tre, he was shifted home. He has Aruna Reddy — have been not yet regained full brain funcnamed A-2 to A-8. tion or the ability to recognise The chargesheet says that the family members. Express News Service @ Hyderabad p r e e t h a n a i r @ New Delhi e x p ress rea d Bigger GHMC drafts `11,460 crore budget Hyderabad: For the expanded Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) jurisdiction, the civic body has proposed a draft annual budget estimate of `11,460 crore for 2026–27. Of the total receipts, estimated revenue expenditure is `4,057 crore, while capital expenditure is pegged at `7,403 crore. The draft budget will be placed before the GHMC Standing Committee on December 29 | P3 TMC MP’s family called for SIR hearings Kolkata: Four members of Trinamool Congress MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar have been asked to appear for hearings under the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in West Bengal, according to sources in the EC. The octogenarian mother, sister and two sons, both doctors, of Kakoli, an MP from Barasat Lok Sabha constituency in 24 Parganas district, have been called for hearings | P8 10.56 lakh voters deleted AS as Assam draft roll out after special revision | P8 The Congress on Saturday announced it will launch a nationwide mass movement from January 5 against the Centre’s attempts to repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), drawing parallels with the pushback that led to the repeal of the three farm laws. The decision was taken at a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting here, which also resolved to oppose any move to remove Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the rural job scheme and to convert workers’ legally guaranteed rights into what the party termed a government dole. In a resolution, the CWC said the Congress would “protect MGNREGA and the rights of India’s workers” and would take the issue to “every last village” across the country . After a nearly three-hour CWC meeting, the first one after the Bihar poll debacle, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said the party will lead the ‘MGNREGA Bachao Abhiyan’ from January 5, and a detailed plan will be announced soon under which rallies will be held across the country . In cryptic post, Digvijaya hails BJP AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge with party leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and A Revath Reddy, ahead of the CWC meeting in New Delhi on Saturday | Shekhar yadav Addressing a press conference, Kharge said MGNREGA was a visionary UPA legislation appreciated globally. The scheme was named after Mahatma Gandhi due to its impact, he said. “Repealing MGNREGA is an insult to Mahatma Gandhi,” he added, calling it an attack on the Right to Work. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi targeted the BJP government, alleging that “the PM carried out a devastating attack on states and the poor, much like demonetisation.” He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “single- 20 injured in mob attack on popular rock band in B’desh A G EN C IES @ Dhaka AT least 20 students were injured in a mob attack in Bangladesh that forced the cancellation of a concert by popular rock singer James, who has sung several hit Hindi film songs, organisers said. The incident occurred late on Friday night in Faridpur, amid a recent spate of attacks on cultural institutions. In recent weeks, organisations such as Chhayanaut and Udichi Shilpi Goshthi in Dhaka have been vandalised. James’ concert was to mark the closing of Faridpur Zilla School’s 185th anniversary celebrations. The programme was scheduled late at night on a temporary stage within the school premises, news portal tbsnews.net reported. However, just before it was due to begin, a group of outsiders tried to force entry after being turned away, throwing bricks and stones and attempting to seize the stage. Students resisted the attackers, and at least 20 were injured by flying debris, according to organisers. However, Additional Superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle) Azmir Hossain said the exact casualty count Congress MP Digvijaya Singh triggered a row Saturday after publicly praising the organisational strength of the BJP and RSS. In a post on X, Singh shared PM Narendra Modi’s old picture seated near L K Advani, and said “... the grassroots ‘swayamsevak’ of RSS and worker of Jan Sangh @ BJP4India sat on the floor at the feet of leaders and became the CM of a state and PM? This is the power of the organisation.” | P7 A videograb of the mob attack in Faridpur of Bangladesh that left fans injured at a rock concert was yet to be confirmed. “The number of injured in the attack is not yet known. We are trying to gather detailed information,” he said. Amid the volatile situation, organising committee convener Mustafizur Rahman Shamim cancelled the show on orders from the Faridpur district administration, The Daily Star reported. James, lead singer of Bangladeshi rock band Nagar Baul, has sung in several Bollywood films, including Gangster, Woh Lamhe, and Life in a... Metro. Rajibul Hasan Khan, convener of the programme’s publicity and media sub-committee, said the attack’s motives remained unclear. handedly destroying” the MGNREGA scheme without consulting his Cabinet or states and without studying the matter, terming it an attack on the democratic structure that will ruin the rural economy . The Congress, Rahul said, has vowed to resist the government’s action and expressed confidence that the entire Opposition would join the movement. He linked the decision to scrap MGNREGA to the decimation of Indian labour, saying it guaranteed a minimum floor below which labour could not fall. “It is going to cause tremen- dous pain to the weaker sections, to Adivasis, Dalits, OBCs, poor general castes, and minorities,” Rahul alleged. In his opening remarks, Kharge alleged collusion between the BJP and the Election Commission of India and accused the government of misusing the Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax department, and the CBI. Xmas decorations at Ahmedabad mall vandalised D i l i p S i n gh K s h at r i ya @ Ahmedabad In the latest attack targeting Christmas celebrations in India, workers of a Hindu outfit vandalised decorations at a prominent shopping mall in Ahmedabad on Saturday . According to the police, four to five workers associated with a Hindu outfit entered the mall, located near Thaltej on Ahmedabad’s SG Highway, headed straight to the central atrium, and pulled down Christmas trees, causing panic among visitors. “They demanded that all Christmas trees and related decorations at the mall be removed immediately a police officer said. ,” The mall authorities tried to calm them and explained that the decorations were part of the year-end festivities. “Despite repeated requests, they vandalised the decorations, following which the police were informed,” the officer said. Those involved were detained on the spot and security inside the mall was briefly tightened. The incident comes amid reports of widespread attacks on Christmas celebrations in various parts of the country . Earlier this week, the Federation of Parents’ Associations, along with a saffron outfit, protested against Christmas celebrat i o n s a n d h o l i d ay s i n s ch o o l s i n Ahmedabad. W I T H T H I S I SS U E India’s Luxe Pilgrimages PADMA VIBHUSHAN RATAN N TATA PLUS 12 PAGES 28.12.1937 - 09.10.2024 Crime down 15%, but offences against women up 6% in Hyd Express News Service @ Hyderabad The Hyderabad City Police recorded a 15% decline in overall crime during 2025, even as offences against women rose by 6% and cases under the POCSO Act increased by 27%, according to the Annual Report released by Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar on Saturday . The report shows that total cases registered fell from 35,944 in 2024 to 30,690 in 2025. Pre- senting the findings, Sajjanar attributed the overall reduction to tighter law enforcement, improved investigation practices, wider patrolling and greater use of technologydriven policing. Property-related offences declined by 28%, with reductions reported in house thefts, automobile thefts, robberies, and dacoities. Grave property offences fell by 31%, while bodily offences saw a 16% decline. Cybercrime registrations also reduced, though financial frauds continued to pose challenges, Sajjanar said. He said over `54.5 crore was frozen through coordination with banks and the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal. At the same time, the increase in crimes against women and POCSO cases was flagged as an area requiring sustained attention. The Commissioner said expand- Govt orders removal of elevated podiums from subregistrar offices | P4 ed vehicle checks, intensified patrolling, and wider operational coverage had contributed to crime control, adding that drones would be used more frequently for policing and enforcement in the coming years. The Hyderabad Narcotics Enforcement Wing arrested 366 persons during the year and seized drugs worth more than `6.45 crore. Eleven foreign nationals were deported in connection with narcotics-related cases. Related reports on P3 Remembering Ratan N Tata, an icon of industry and a humanitarian, on the occasion of his 88th birth anniversary. Pocso cases up Cases under the POCSO Act increased by 27%, according to the Annual Report released by police chief VC Sajjanar on Saturday. TATA SONS & TATA GROUP OF COMPANIES