HYDERABAD l Tuesday l January 06, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE CITY EDITION COAI flags concerns over Prasar Bharati’s direct-to-mobile Test The public broadcaster did not involve telecom operators and mobile device companies for the test, the telecom industry body said on Monday iit Kanpur Test rules out harmful effects Prasar Bharati had roped in IIT Kanpur in 2019 to verify concerns over interference of direct-to-mobile (D2M) broadcast service with telecom services and heating of mobile devices. IIT Kanpur conducted the test in collaboration with technology partners Aracion Technology and Tejas Networks. Its report refuted the concern raised by some stakeholders terrestrial broadcast towers without an active internet connection or a SIM card. It has significant implications for spectrum usage ■ COAI has sought a fresh D2M test by taking on board all stakeholders including telcos, whose spectrum resources are directly impacted | P10 COAI Industry body demands fresh evaluation ■ D2M broadcasting allows smartphones to receive live TV directly from Claims d2m could IMPACT the spectrum bands for existing and future 5G use 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 Can raise tariffs on India very quickly, warns Trump Ex-boyfriend murders Hyd woman in US, flees to India Claims Modi knew he wasn’t happy over India’s Russian oil purchase E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi A 27-year-old woman from Secunderabad was allegedly killed by her 26-year-old ex-boyfriend at his apartment in Maryland, United States, on December 31. The accused, Arjun Sharma, is reported to have fled to India after filing a missing complaint with the local police on January 2. While sources disclosed that Sharma was arrested by Chennai police upon his arrival there, there has been no official confirmation. The deceased was identified as Nikitha Godishala. Police, who described Sharma as the ex-boyfriend, claimed he last saw Nikitha on December 31 at his apartment in the 10100 block of Twin Rivers Road. Investigators later found that he left the US for India on the same day he filed the complaint. On January 3, detectives executed a search warrant at the apartment and found Nikitha’s body with stab wounds. According to the Howard County Police, investigators believe she was killed shortly after 7 pm on December 31. The investigation is ongoing. Nikitha’s sister, Saraswati Godishala, said Arjun had sought financial help from her and Nikitha on December 27. She said she transferred $4,500, of which $3,500 was returned. On January 2, Arjun allegedly sought another $1,000, which she declined. She said Nikitha followed up with Arjun on December 31 over the remaining amount.  continued on p5 Renewing his pressure tactics on India over its trade with Russia, US President Donald Trump warned that Washington could raise tariffs on New Delhi “very quickly”. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while flying from Florida to Washington DC on Sunday (local time), Trump said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is aware of his displeasure over India’s continued purchase of Russian oil. “They (India) wanted to make me happy, basically. Modi is a very good man; he is a good guy . He knew I was not happy and it , was important to make me happy. They do trade and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly It would be very bad for . them,” Trump said. Trump’s remarks came during a press briefing on the US’s future plans for Venezuela after capturing its president Nicolas Maduro in a military operation on Saturday. India on Sunday reacted cautiously to the development, urging dialogue but Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro taken to the Manhattan Courthouse in New York City for his first appearance in a narco-terrorism case | X | P9 Khalid, Imam fail to get SC bail, barred from appeal for a yr dence, including recoveries, digital communication trails, and statements indicative of The Supreme Court on Mon- managerial responsibility”, the day refused to grant bail to ac- court observed. It brought Sectivists Umar Khalid and Shar- tion 43D(5) of UAPA into play. jeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi 43D(5) mandates that an acriots case, noting that the mate- cused cannot be released if rial against them atthere are reasonable tracted a prima facie grounds to believe that case under the Unlawthe charges are prima ful Activities (Prevenfacie true. tion) Act. They were “T he expression also barred from filing “prima facie true”, a fresh petition for bail which lies at the heart for a year. of Section 43D(5), does Khalid and Imam not invite a detailed exUmar Khalid stand on different footamination of evidence, ing as compared to the nor does it require the other five who had Court to assess the sought bail, which probability of conviccan’t be ignored in tion. Equally, it does terms of “parity and not reduce the judicial culpability”, the bench role to a mechanical comprising justices acceptance of the prosAravind Kumar and N ecution’s assertions. Sharjeel Imam V Anjaria ruled. The The statutory standard other five — Gulfisha contemplates a threshFatima, Meera Haider, Shifa Ur old inquiry of limited but real Rehman, Mohd. Saleem Khan content,” the verdict said. and Shadab Ahmed — were It went on to observe that “ Argranted conditional bail. ticle 21 occupies a central space The prosecution material in the constitutional scheme. against Khalid and Imam “com- Pre trial incarceration cannot prises direct, corroborative, be assumed to have the characand contemporaneous evi- ter of punishment.” SUC H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi ONGC well leak: AP villagers shifted E x p r e s s ne w s s e r v i c e @ Kakinada A major gas leak followed by fire at an ONGC well at Andhra Pradesh’s BR Ambedkar Konaseema district on Monday forced authorities to evacuate all people from nearby villages. There were no casualties. The incident occurred during re pair operations by ONGC’s contractor Deep Industries Ltd. Officials said there was a blowout when the drilling work was underway and large volumes of gas mixed with crude oil were released. The gas spread across the site in a thick, fog-like cloud, which workers initially mistook for mist. Soon, the leaked gas ignited, producing flames and dense smoke that engulfed surrounding areas. District Collector Mahesh Kumar Ravirala, Superintendent of Police Rahul Meena, and other senior officials rushed to the site. Around 10 fire tenders were deployed, while disaster management teams worked to contain the situation. Videos circulating on social media showed police and workers fleeing as flames rose amid paddy fields and coconut groves, with thick smoke visible across the Godavari delta. ONGC said the well is located in a remote area with no habitation within a 500-600 metre radius, adding that cooling operations have begun. Narendra Modi Donald Trump without explicitly naming the US or condemning its action. South Carolina Republican senator Lindsey Graham, who was also present in Air Force One press gaggle, said the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration were the “chief reason” India is now buying less Russian oil. Graham has been the driving force behind a proposed tariff bill that seeks to impose up to 500% tariffs on imports from countries that continue to buy Russian oil. Linking energy trade directly to the Ukraine war, Graham claimed the conflict can only be ended by targeting Russia’s customers. “Pressure must be put on President Vladimir Putin’s customers,” he said and added that India and China express read `58 cr infra booster shot for TG hospitals Hyderabad: The state govt will procure 485 ventilators at a cost of `58 crore for installation in government hospitals across Telangana by February. New MRI machines worth `192 crore are also being procured for Niloufer Hospital in Hyderabad and hospitals in other districts | P2 IIT-Hyd placements: Average CTC tops `30L Hyderabad: As many as 304 students out of 487 registered candidates secured job offers during Phase 1 of the BTech 2026 placement season at the IIT-H, with the average costto-company crossing `30 lakh per annum. The highest international package stood at `2.5 crore per annum | P2 Tranquilliser dart for man-eater hits Guj forest spotter, kills him HOW IT HAPPENED D i l i p S i n g h K s hat r i ya @ Ahmedabad Tragedy struck twice within 24 hours in Gujarat’s Junagadh district after a tranquilliser dart meant for a man-eater lioness accidentally hit a forest tracker who was part of a team to trap the animal, killing him on Monday Earlier on Sunday, . the animal mauled a fouryear-old boy to death on the ourskirts of Nani Monpari village of Visavadar taluka. It all happened in a flash. When a cage was being set up in a field in the village on Sunday the lioness suddenly , jumped onto it taking all by surprise. In the resultant melee, a tranquilliser gun was fired with the dart hitting the left hand of tracker Ashraf Alarkhan instead of the beast. Since the dart had thrice the amount ofsedative than is safe for humans, Ashraf passed out. He was hospitalised but could not be saved. The lioness continues to be on the loose. “This is probably the first incident in history where a forest staffer died due to a misfired tranquilliser gun,” an official admitted, calling it a “dark and shocking day” for the department. 1 Lioness kills boy, 4, on the outskirts of a village in Junagadh district on Sunday morning. By afternoon, a team from Sasan Gir arrives, armed with cages and tranquilliser guns. “She became aggressive and was hiding in nearby agri lands. A quick capture was critical,” a senior forest official said Ashraf Alarkhan 2 By 4 pm, lioness spotted in a field near the village. Over 30 forest officials reach the spot to set up a cage, sedate the animal. While positioning the cage, the lioness suddenly climbs onto it. In the melee, a tranquilliser gun goes off with the dart piercing tracker Ashraf Alarkhan’s left hand 3 Ashraf collapses almost immediately as the sedative quantity was safe for the beast but not humans. Colleagues abandon operation, rush Ashraf to the Visavadar Civil Hospital and later to the Junagadh Civil Hospital, where he succumbs to the sedative overdose around 7 am on Monday MANDAR PARDIKAR Nikitha Godishala Maduro in court play a decisive role in sustaining Moscow’s war effort. Trump echoed this positioning and said that US sanctions were “hurting Russia very badly before specifically mention,” ing India. Referring to his recent engagement with Indian officials, Graham said: “I was at the Indian Ambassador’s house about a month ago, and all he wanted to talk about was how they are buying less Russian oil.” According to Graham, the Indian envoy had urged him: “Would you tell the President to relieve the tariff ?” There were no immediate comments from Indian officials on Trump’s statement. Last month, Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra hosted several US senators at India House in Washington DC, including Graham, as New Delhi sought to press its case against punitive tariffs. According to data analytics firm Kpler, India’s crude imports from Russia fell to 1.2 mn barrels per day (bpd) in December 1.84 mn bpd in November. Naidu calls for AP–TG cooperation on water Telangana Jagruthi will contest next E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday said cooperation between the two Telugu states on water sharing and river interlinking was necessary for shared growth, adding that political differences should not result in hostility . Speaking at the 3rd World Telugu Conference in Guntur, Naidu said Andhra Pradesh and Telangana needed to work together for the progress of both States, the Telugu language and Telugu people. He said thousands of tmcft of water from the Godavari and Krishna rivers flowed into the sea every year, and that interlinking rivers would allow better use of available water resources instead of letting them go waste. Naidu said Andhra Pradesh had never objected to the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme undertaken by Telangana, as he believed the state would still receive adequate Godavari water. Referring to his tenure as chief minister of the erstwhile undivided Andhra Pradesh, he said he had worked towards the completion of the Bhima lift irrigation project. He also said national water issues could be addressed through interlinking the Ganga and Cauvery rivers, while adding that major rivers in Andhra Pradesh should also be interconnected to optimise water use. “This is not a political platform. I am speaking only about unity among Telugu people. Whether it is water or any other issue, Telugus should stand united,” Naidu said. Polavaram: Uttam to attend SC hearing SC questions TG’s WP on Polavaram Hyderabad: Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said he would attend the next hearing in the Supreme Court asking it to bar the Centre from extending financial assistance to Polavaram– Nallamalasagar project. Uttam said the Telangana govt had opposed the project in every forum | P4 New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Telangana government whether its writ petition challenging the expansion of the Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh was maintainable and said that a better legal course would be to file a plea under Article 131 | P4 elections, Kavitha asserts in Council e x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Eyes moist, Telangana Jagruthi president and MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha on Monday said her outfit would contest the next Assembly elections in Telangana, likely in 2028 or 2029, signalling the launch of a new political platform in the state. “My fight is about dignity. Not assets,” she told the Legisla- tive Council, rejecting speculation that her differences with family members were linked to a share in property She said her . struggle was for self-respect and swore on God and her children to underline the point. Attacking the BRS, the daughter of former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao accused the party of becoming a “political rehabilitation centre” for those who had betrayed the Telangana statehood movement. She alleged that the party leadership lacked constitutional spirit and described the party constitution as a “joke”. Recalling her resignation on September 3, 2024, which was not accepted by Council Chairman Gutha Sukhender Reddy Kavitha , said she sought an opportunity to explain her decision and spoke in the House on Monday . Recounting her political journey she said she was suspended , without notice or an explanation, alleging that a disciplinary panel was formed overnight for the purpose.  continued on p4