NAGAPATTINAM l Wednesday l January 07, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Vendetta behind Hadi’s murder in B’desh, reveals chargesheet Student leader Sharif Osman Hadi was killed due to ‘political vengeance’ at the behest of the Awami League, the police said on Tuesday formal charges pressed against 17 people Hadi was killed on the instructions of Md Taijul Islam Chowdhury Bappi, a former councillor, said Shafikul Islam, addl commissioner of the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, The Daily Star reported. The chargesheet mentions 17 people, including prime accused Faisal Karim Masud, a member of the Bangladesh Chhatra League fatal attack on grocer Moni Chakraborty ■ Another member of the minority community, Moni Chakraborty, a grocer, died after unidentified persons struck him with a sharp weapon in Narsingdi city of lawless Bangladesh. He was 40 ■ Business owners in Narsingdi district formed a human chain demanding justice for the murder of Moni, eyewitnesses said five Hindus killed in Bangladesh ever since the murder of Hadi | P9 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 1 in 5 out of draft poll rolls Karur stampede: CBI issues summons to Vijay in UP after first phase SIR E x p r ess News S e r v i c e @ New Delhi 2.89 crore deletions; voter count down by 18.7% compared to 2025 M U K E S H RAN J AN @ New Delhi About one in five voters in Uttar Pradesh found their names deleted in the draft electoral rolls published on Tuesday as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR). In all, names of 2.89 crore voters stood deleted from the list of 15.44 crore electors in the politically sensitive state as on October 27 last year. The draft list cut the voter count by as much as 18.7%. The deletions included around 46.23 lakh of the deceased (2.99%), shifted 2.17 crore (14.06%) and duplicate voters 25.46 lakh (1.65%). The final electoral list will be published on March 6. The Election Commission of India said genuine electors from can still be added back in the electoral roll during the claims and objection period (0601-2026 to 06-02-2026) by filling up Form 6 along with the declaration form and other relevant documents. The poll body recently concluded the first phase of SIR in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, where the electoral roll deletions were 97 lakh and 74 lakh voters, respectively . While the first phase was originally scheduled to end on December 11, the state sought 15 days more after noticing that the names of a large number of voters, nearly 2.97 crore, were Figure it out Electors as on October 27, 2025 15.44 crore Deceased 46.23 lakh (2.99%) Shifted Electors in draft electoral rolls 2.17 crore (81.30%) (1.65%) (14.06%) Duplicate 12.55 crore 25.46 lakh Total deletions 2.89 crore (18.7%) getting excluded from the draft list. The poll body then extended the enumeration phase till December 26. The officials said, December 31 was initially fixed as the publication date of the draft roll, but parallel fieldwork and ECI instructions to rationalise polling stations led to a delay. “The Commission has capped voters per polling station at 1,200 instead of the earlier 1,500. To meet this requirement, around 15,030 new polling stations were created across the state,” a senior ECI official said, adding that it was approved on December 23. It then took about a week for the data to be migrated to online servers. Six more days were sought and the draft roll was published on January 6. ‘Art 324 grants ECI control over poll roll’ S UCHI T RA K ALYAN M OHAN T Y @ New Delhi THE Election Commission of India (ECI) has the power and competence to undertake Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, the poll panel told the Supreme Court on Tuesday. Besides, it argued, there is a constitutional duty to ensure only Indian citizens are registered as voters. Appearing for the ECI, senior lawyer Rakesh Dwivedi told a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi that Articles 324 and 327 of the Constitution separately give the Commission “control of the preparation of the electoral rolls”. “Citizenship is at the core of the electoral exercise. The EC has the power to check,” Dwivedi argued. The arguments were made during the hearing of a batch of pleas challenging ECI’s power to conduct SIR. The petitioners claimed only the Centre has the power to do the exercise. The arguments were inconclusive on Tuesday and would continue on Wednesday . The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has summoned actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay for questioning in the Karur stampede case at the agency’s headquarters in New Delhi on January 12. “We have questioned several TVK office-bearers in connection with the case,” said a senior CBI officer. The agency has so far questioned TVK state general secretary ‘Bussy’ N Anand, joint secretaries Nir mal Kumar and Aadhav Arjuna and Karur We s t d i s t r i c t s e c r e t a r y Mathiyazhagan. The stampede occurred on September 27, 2025 during a TVK political rally in Velusamypuram in K a r u r, w h e n a m a s s ive c r o w d surge turned deadly. The incident claimed 41 lives and left dozens others injured ‘jana nayagan’ team approaches court Chennai: The producers of actor-politician Vijay-starrer ‘Jana Nayagan’ have knocked the doors of the Madras HC for issuing a direction to the Central Board for Film Certification for granting certification to screen the movie as per schedule on January 9. Counsel for the film’s producer K Venkat Ramana, said issuance of certification cannot be delayed and reopening of certification cannot be done on a “vague undisclosed complaint” | P2 Probe on slogans in JNU against Modi, Shah New Delhi: A protest at JNU sparked a controversy with ‘objectionable slogans’ targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah being raised over the denial of bail by the Supreme Court to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 riots conspiracy case. The varsity said an FIR has been registered and strict action will be taken against those concerned Court grants more time to Sonia to file response New Delhi: A Delhi court on Tuesday granted time till February 7 to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi to file her reply on a plea challenging a magistrate’s order refusing to probe the allegation that she was included in the electoral roll three years before acquiring Indian citizenship in 1983. On December 9, Judge Gogne had issued notice to Sonia Gandhi seeking her response HIps don’t lie! Videograb of a thief being rescued after he got wedged in an exhaust fan window while trying to break into a house, in Kota, Rajasthan on Tuesday; and (inset) the stuck thief | PTI tion. The state argued before the court that an SIT was sufficient and better placed to investigate the incident, citing law and order being a state subject. However, the Supreme Court transferred the probe to the CBI. The apex court bench of justices J K Maheswari and N V Anjaria had set up a threemember supervisory committee headed by retired judge, Justice Ajay Rastogi, to monitor the probe into the stampede. The bench said the issue “has a bearing on the fundamental rights of citizens and the incident has shaken national conscience”, adding that it “requires fair and impartial investigation”. Deepam row: Court slams TN govt, backs single judge order ‘DMK, INDIA bloc exposed as anti-Hindu’ RA J E S H K U M AR T HA K UR @ New Delhi Devotees at the Subramaniya Swamy temple on Tuesday | K K Sundar summit, lower to the peak on which the dargah is located, is the ideal place to Rubbishing the Tamil Nadu light the deepam.” government’s apprehensions The judges slammed the of possible disharmony due state government saying the to lighting of the Karthigai ‘mighty’ state’s fear that alDeepam on the ‘deepathoon’ lowing lighting of deepam on atop the Thiruparankundram the deepathoon will disturb hill as nothing but an public peace is ridic‘imaginary ghost’ TN to go for ulous and hard to becreated by it ‘to put lieve. “Of course, it SC appeal one community may happen only if Speaking to against another’, the such disturbance is Madurai bench of the reporters hours sponsored by the after the HC Madras High Court state itself. We pray verdict, Minister no state should stoop on Tuesday ordered for Natural the Thiruparankunt o t h a t l e ve l t o Resources S dram Subramaniya achieve their politiRegupathy Swamy temple devcal agenda,” the judgasthanam to light the announced the es said. Otherwise, it TN government is either an exposure lamp on the deepatwill challenge hoon during Karthiof their incapacity to the “legally gai Deepam festival. maintain law and orincorrect” Disposing of a der or their hesitance verdict before batch of appeals to bring har mony the SC | P4 filed against Jusamong the communitice G R Swamities, the bench said. nathan’s order directing The Tamil Nadu Waqf the lighting of the lamp on Board’s “mischievous” subthe deepathoon, a division mission that the pillar bebench comprising justices longs to the dargah became G Jayachandran and K K yet another reason for the peRamakrishnan said, “Being titioners’ side to be skeptical at vantage point, the stone about the board’s offer for a pillar called ‘deepathoon’, court-monitored mediation, which is on a different rock the judges said.  P5 J E GAD E E S W ARI PANDIAN @ Madurai express read as supporters gathered in large numbers to see the actor-politician. The CBI took over the case from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) following a Supreme Court order. Initially, the Tamil Nadu government, which had formed the SIT to probe the incident, opposed a CBI investiga- Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Tuesday welcomed the Madras High Court order on lighting of lamp on the ‘dee pathoon’ atop the Thiruparankundram hill in Madurai and mounted a sharp attack on the DMK and INDIA bloc, claiming they had been exposed as anti-Hindu. Addressing reporters at the BJP headquarters, Goyal termed the order a “slap on the face of the appeasement policy” of the INDIA bloc and a “victory of the Hindu religion”. Goyal, who is BJP’s election in-charge for the TN Assembly polls, said the court had recognised the ritual as an ancient practice and rejected the DMK-led state government’s argument that it posed law and order concerns. “There was no problem in the past in this religious tradition but the DMK wanted to stop this citing law and order issues just because of its appeasement politics solely aimed at appeasing one community he alleged. ,” “The two judges have given a conclusive direction that this is an age-old practice. This is a matter of the Hindu religion and sentiments of the local people. The practice has been going on for centuries,” he said.  P5 No Russia crude in January, says RIL in pushback RA K E S H K U M AR @ New Delhi A day after US President Donald Trump threatened to raise tariffs if New Delhi continues to buy Russian oil, Reliance Industries (RIL) on Tuesday vehemently denied a Bloomberg report that claimed it continues to get crude oil from Russia. “A news report in Bloomberg claiming ‘three vessels laden with Russian oil are heading for Reliance Industries’s Jamnagar refinery’ is blat a n t l y untrue,” the Mukesh Ambani-led firm stated. Bloomberg cited data from oiltracking firm Kpler to report that three oil tankers carrying 2.2 million barrels of Russia’s Urals crude were on the way to the Jamnagar refinery . RIL, whose Jamnagar refinery is the world’s largest, said it has not received any cargo from Russia in the past three weeks, adding no such deliveries are expected this month. Reports said RIL had signed a long-term supply agreement with Russia’s Rosneft in 2024 to import 500,000 barrels per day . TN govt notifies 56-page SOP for public ISL dribbles past ‘paywall’ to set Feb 14 date meetings, bins security deposit proposal ministry kick-off i n d r a n ee l d a s @ Chennai Finally, after months of uncertainty the Indian Super League is back on track and this time it seems to be with purpose. This was possible after a meeting between sports ministry the All India Football , Federation (AIFF) and representatives of clubs on Tuesday . Though there were opposition from some clubs, it is learnt that the ministry told them that the league has to run and needed the confirmation from the clubs before making the announcement. Sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya was quite clear during the meeting that the league has to take place and the clubs have to cooperate. He also said that because of Supreme Court intervention, there were impediments but AIFF has found a way to resolve the crisis. After the meeting, Mandaviya announced the dates for the delayed ISL. It will begin on February 14 and will run until June 15. There will be a total of 91 matches and they will be played on home and away basis. The ISL that was supposed to begin in October was delayed after FSDL, the commercial arm of the AIFF that runs the league did not want to continue with the contract in its existing form especially paying an annual fee of `50 crore to AIFF. Mandaviya during the meeting with the 14 clubs and AIFF said that they may not have a commercial partner but they should not worry about media rights either. He told the clubs that he would request Doordarshan to air matches We have been able to speak to all stakeholders and the issue has been resolved, ISL will be held this year. The country does well in the sports sector only when our athletes get a chance to play regularly. Mansukh Mandaviya, sports minister live. He also told the clubs that if they begin the league now, with or without commercial partner, they would get a oneyear window to find a commercial partner. The AIFF chief too assured the clubs that their commercial interests would be looked after. As for the revenue share, the AIFF would foot 40 per cent of the `25 crore central pool, which comes to around `10 crore, while each of the 15 clubs will share the remaining amount. The I-League division 1 and 2 will be merged and a total of 40 teams across five zones will compete. The Indian Women’s League (IWL) will also take place. The AIFF will contribute `3.2 crore for I-League.  P11 T M u r u g a n a n d h a m @ Chennai The state home department has notified a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for regulating public meetings, rallies, processions and demonstrations in Tamil Nadu, in compliance with directions of the Madras High Court and Supreme Court. The 56-page comprehensive GO on the SOP, dated January 5, applies mainly to large gatherings and prescribes prior per mission, advance timelines, venue identification, risk assessment and clear responsibilities for organisers. One of the key aspects of the SOP is that the state gov- file pic ernment has decided to give up on the idea of imposing a refundable security deposit to compensate for any damage that may occur during the public meetings. The security deposit slabs originally proposed were: `1 lakh for gatherings of 5,000- 10,000 people, which could go up to `20 lakh for crowds exceeding 50,000. Since the DMK’s allies stoutly opposed this proposal, the government gave up this idea completely. According to the SOP, organisers are now fully accountable for crowd management, public safety, property damage and law & order issues, while police and district authorities are tasked with regulation, monitoring and enforcement. The SOP empowers authorities to impose conditions, take legal action, recover damages and deny future permissions in cases of non-compliance, while safeguarding the right to peaceful assembly.  P5