NEW DELHI 04 JANUARY 2026 SUNDAY `12 PAGES 24  facebook/TheMorningStandard  X.com/TheMornStandard https://epaper.morningstandard.in CRISIS AND OPPORTUNITY PLUS: 12 PAGES Playing Up Your Portfolio MAGAZINE The Anti-fairytale of Power and Abuse Devdutt Pattanaik Shashi Tharoor Dr Alka Pande Shankkar Aiyar Sheila Kumar Anuradha Goyal Ajai Sahni And the Mountains Echoed EXCLUSIVE VOICES An Archive of the Unsaid Currying Favour with Vegetables US SNATCHES MADURO Venezuela President, wife being taken to America in dramatic coup; US will run it for now A G E N C I E S @ Caracas SC order on Khalid’s bail tomorrow S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court will on Monday pronounce its order on the bail petitions of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and five others in the 2020 Delhi riots larger conspiracy case. They were booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 and provisions of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly being the masterminds of the riots. A two-judge bench comprising just i c e s A ra v i n d Kumar and N V Anjaria had res e r v e d their verdict on December 10. The verdict comes in the wake of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani writing a note to Khalid, recalling his words on ‘bitterness’ and the importance of not letting it “consume one’s self ”. Parallelly eight American , lawmakers wrote to Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra on December 30, urging a fair and timely trial for Khalid and others in accordance with international law and bail for the duration of the court’s proceedings. EXPRESS READ EC raps Bengal DGP over attack on official The EC on Saturday pulled up West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar over a recent attack on special electoral roll observer C Murugan’s car and sought an action-taken report in this regard by January 6. The poll body also expressed serious concern over the incident. A videograb of a blaze in Caracas on Saturday; US President Donald Trump releases the first photograph of Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima en route the US | X/AP THE United States hit Venezuela with a ‘large-scale strike’ early Saturday and said president Nicolas Madurao and his wife had been captured and shipped out of the country after months of intense pressure on the leftist government in an extraordinary nighttime operation announced by President Donald Trump on social media hours after the attack. Later in the evening, Trump, in a televised address, said the US is going to “run” Venezuela “until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition. He said no US servicemen were killed in the operation and the US is “ready” to stage a second “and much larger” attack on the country if needed. Further, American oil firms will head into Venezuela to tap its massive crude re- RIPPLE EFFECT KKR DROP BANGLADESH PLAYER, FOCUS SHIFTS TO T20 WORLD CUP TIES E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Chennai AMIDST the rising criticism over signing Bangladesh seamer Mustafizur Rahman, Kolkata Knight Riders released the player from their IPL 2026 squad following instructions from the cricket board. On Friday Shah Rukh , Khan and his franchise came under severe attack from certain quarters for buying the Bangaldeshi bowler. The BCCI on Saturday said that it has instructed the franchise to release the Bangladesh player citing current situation in the country . What seems to be even more interesting is that Bangladesh would be playing four matches in India — three in Kokata, one in Mumbai — during the T20 World Cup starting next month. Bangladesh Cricket Board has already called for an emergency meeting on Saturday night. If the matches do get affected, then the entire World Cup schedule might have to be rejigged. Pakistan, which re- fused to play in India because of security reasons, will play in Sri Lanka. As for KKR, it confirmed “that the BCCI/ IPL, as the regulator of the IPL, has instructed it to release Mustafizur from the squad ahead of upcoming IPL season. The release has been carried out following due process and consultations.” KKR had signed Rahman for `9.2 crore in the auction last month — the only Bangladeshi player to get picked — but had come under criticism on social media and from political parties owing to tur moil there. Shortly after BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said that they have asked KKR to release Rahman, the franchise confirmed the development. The BCCI said that KKR would allowed a replacement. “Due to the recent developments that are going on all across, BCCI has instructed the franchise KKR to release one of their players, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh,” Saikia told a news agency . serves, he said. The legal authority for the strike and whether Trump consulted Congress beforehand was not immediately clear. The surreal American military action, which plucked a nation’s sitting leader from office, echoed the US invasion of Panama that led to the seizure of its leader, Manuel Antonio Noriega, in 1990 exactly 36 years ago. In a series of fast-moving events, Caracas was rocked by seven explosions, accompanied AVOID TRAVEL, SAYS MEA ADVISORY The Ministry of External Affairs urged Indians to avoid all non-essential travel to Venezuela. It asked Indian nationals to contact +58-412-9584288 in case of an emergerncy by the sound of attack helicopters, around 2 am local time (11.30 am IST). The strikes, which targeted a major military base and an airbase, among other sites, continued for nearly an hour. Maduro’s government accused the United States of attacking civilian and military installations, calling it an ‘imperialist attack’ and urging citizens to take to the streets. US Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, would face charges after an indictment in New York. Before Saturday’s capture, Maduro appeared on state television on Friday while meeting with a delegation of Chinese officials in Caracas. The strike came after the Trump administration spent months increasing pressure on Maduro, including a major buildup of American forces in the waters off South America and attacks on boats in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean, accused of carrying drugs. Russia and China, leading Venezuela allies, condemned the “armed aggression” and demanded clarity about Maduro’s fate. “Such hegemonic behaviour by US violates international law...infringes upon Venezuela’s sovereignty, and threatens peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean. China firmly opposes it,” the foreign ministry said. P7 & P9 PIPRAHWA RELICS ARE INSEPARABLE PART OF CIVILISATION The ancient Buddha-era relics are in town. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the exhibition on Saturday and called its forcible flight an attempt to destroy Indian heritage | P7 INDIA’S tiger conservation success story has a flip side. More big cats are dying outside protected reserves than inside them. Latest data from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) shows that in 2025, India recorded 166 tiger deaths, the second-highest in recent years and a sharp jump from 126 in 2024 (see table). In all, around 51% of 725 recorded fatalities in the last five years occurred outside tiger reserves, driven by the fact that about 30% of the country’s ti- gers now roam freely outside notified protected areas and exposing them to risks like human conflict, road accidents, electrocution and poisoning. A senior NTCA officer, who asked not to be named, pointed to severe staffing shortages. “We’re stretched thin in the field. Our forensic labs are understaffed too, which delays sample analysis and slows our response. That’s partly why poachers aren’t caught and prosecuted quickly enough.” The backlog tells the story. While 24 tigers were confirmed killed by poachers in 2019, five Tiger deaths outside protected forest areas YEAR 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 TOTAL OUTSIDE % OF TOTAL MORTALITY MORTALITY OUTSIDE 166 126 182 122 129 88 65 100 52 64 53.01 51.58 54.94 42.62 49.61 cases from that year remain under investigation. The pending cases have shot up: from 37 in 2020 to 58 in 2021, 51 in 2022, 64 in 2023, 67 in 2024, and 140 in 2025. AMMA SPEAKS Radha Saw Krishna’s Love for All Kerala MLA gets jail for destruction of crucial evidence E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ T’puram ala Congress, an LDF ally . The case dates back to 1990 IN a major loss of face for the when Raju was a junior lawyer Kerala’s ruling LDF just appearing in a drug case inmonths before the state assem- volving an Australian national bly elections, its legislator from Andrew Salvatore. He is acThiruvananthapuram and cused of tampering with Salvaformer minister Antony Raju tore’s underwear, which was was on Saturday handed a seized as material evidence. three-year jail sentence by a lo- Salvatore was caught with narcal court in a 35-year-old evi- cotics hidden in the pocket of dence-tampering case. his underwear at the ThiruWith this ruling, vananthapuRaju stands disqualiram airport. The artified as MLA, and will cles seized by the be barred from conpolice and his persontesting elections for al belongings were six years after his handed over to the prison term ends. ThiruvannathapuHowever, the MLA, ram Judicial Magiswho is the second actrate Court. Salvatore cused in the case, will later obtained a fanot go behind bars vourable verdict for Raju was soon as the court has release of his persona lawyer g ranted him oneal belongings. The case dates month bail to appeal Court clerk Jose back to 1990 when handed over the bethe verdict. MLA Raju was a Besides Raju, a longings, including junior lawyer three-year sentence the underwear, which under Section 201 of appearing in a drug was a material exhibcase. He was IPC (disappearance it in the case, to Raju, accused of of evidence) and a Salvatore’s counsel. changing the fine of `10,000 has The underwear was underwear of the also been handed out later returned to the to former court clerk Australian accused court. Meanwhile, in the case. Jose, the first acSalavatore was sencused. Raju and Jose tenced to 10 years’ imhave also been sentenced to prisonment in the case but was three years of jail under Sec- acquitted by the Kerala High tion 193 of IPC (furnishing false Court in 1991. This was after evidence), two years under Sec- the underwear allegedly retion 465 (forgery), and six turned by Raju did not fit months under Section 120 (B) Salvatore. (criminal conspiracy). All senIn 1994, an FIR was registered tences will run concurrently . following a vigilance probe The verdict comes 19 years against the court clerk and after the chargesheet was filed Raju accusing them of having against Raju, currently a legis- conspired to cause the disaplator of the Janathipathya Ker- pearance of evidence. US-bound Air India passengers stranded S L A L I T H A @ New Delhi THE 335 passengers on board AI-173, an Air India Boeing 777 flight from Delhi to San Francisco, faced an unexpected delay on Saturday leaving them fuming. , Just before the boarding at Terminal 3, passengers were asked to wait due to an engine fault. Airline staff informed passengers that an alternative aircraft was being arranged, but it had fewer seats and could not accommodate 47 passengers, who were later booked in a different aircraft; however, eight of them could not be accommodated until Sunday . An eyewitness said, “Many had connecting flights from San Francisco to other cities, and this completely upset their plan.” Another passenger said, “A family had to leave behind their elderly parent as her luggage had already been off-loaded.” Confirming the delay an Air India source , said, “We could take onboard a maximum of 278 passengers. We have preference for kids, the elderly, and ladies. All the 47 denied boarding were given a good compensation as a goodwill gesture. They were also given an option for full ticket refund.” In five years, more tigers died outside protected reserves J I T E N D R A C H O U B E Y @ New Delhi The Bads of Bollywood The latest State of Tiger report confirms one in five staff positions remain empty across tiger reserves. Some locations are missing 40% or more of required protection personnel. Twenty reserves reported inadequate anti-poaching staff. The rising number of tiger deaths outside protected areas prompted the Environment Ministry to launch a pilot to manage human-tiger conflicts across 10 states, with an allocation of `88 crore. “This pilot scheme doesn’t address the core issue of staff shortage,” said the officer. FOGGY BUGGY The state apparatus gets ready for the Republic Day at Raisina Hills on a foggy morning on Saturday | PTI TMC Rajya Sabha MP returns to Cong ahead of assembly election P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi 3/4 OF ALL TIGERS IN INDIA India hosts 75% of the world’s tiger populace. As per All India Tiger Estimation 2022, India’s tiger population is 3,682. India has 58 tiger reserves West Bengal needs a change. Let it begin with me. I have come without any conditions. I am going to work very hard to strengthen the party Mausam Noor, Rajya Sabha MP WITH the West Bengal Assembly polls in the offing, Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP Mausam Noor returned to the Congress on Saturday saying she wants to car, ry forward the legacy of her uncle and former party stalwart Ghani Khan Choudhury . Noor, whose tenure as an MP ends in April, is likely to contest the upcoming elections in West Bengal from Malda. She previously represented Maldaha Dakshin in the Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2019 as a Congress MP. She has also served as the president of the Youth Congress in West Bengal. Noor rejoined the Congress at the party headquarters in the presence of Jairam Ramesh, Congress in-charge for West Bengal Ghulam Ahmad Mir, and the party’s state unit president, Subhankar Sarkar. Dwelling on her decision, she said, “West Bengal needs a change. Let it begin with me. I have come without any conditions.” I am going to work very hard to strengthen the party because the people of Bengal, especially those from Maldah, believe in the Congress and its ideology of secularism, development and peace.” Noor said she had sent her resignation letter to TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee. P8