HYDERABAD l Wednesday l January 07, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE 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 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 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 five Hindus killed in Bangladesh ever since the murder of Hadi | P7, 9 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 in UP after first phase SIR 2.89 crore deletions; voter count down by 18.7% compared to 2025 M U K E S H R A N J A N @ 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 U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N 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 . express read Karur stampede: CBI issues summons to Vijay New Delhi: The 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 officebearers in connection with the case,” said a senior CBI officer. CID arrests scam-hit Falcon MD in Mumbai Hyderabad: The Crime Investigation Department arrested Falcon Invoice Discounting managing director Amardeep Kumar in connection with the alleged cheating of 4,065 victims of `792 crore. He was arrested at Mumbai airport on Monday after returning from Iran on the basis of a Look Out Circular and is being brought to Hyderabad on transit remand. 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 Sridhar expects HILT to generate `10,766 crore M an d a R avin d er R e d d y @ Hyderabad IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu on Tuesday told the Telangana Assembly that the state government expects to generate `10,766 crore in revenue through land conversion fees under the HILT policy . Explaining the calculation in the Assembly he said: “The net , industrial land area is 4,740 acres. The average SRO rate is `12,000 per sq yard, or `5.8 crore per acre. Conversion charges will be `300 per sq metre (`250 per sq yard), which works out to about `12.1 lakh per acre. If land is converted under existing Municipal Administration and Urban Development norms, the revenue would be only `574 crore. Under the HILT policy, we can realise `10,766 crore.” He added that 54% of the land, or 2,560 acres, falls under the 30% SRO slab. “That is `1.7 crore per acre, yielding `4,454 crore. The remaining 46% falls under the 50% SRO slab, or `2.9 crore per acre, from which we expect `6,332 crore. In total, `10,766 crore is expected.” Replying to a short discussion on the HILT policy before the Assembly was adjourned sine die, Sridhar Babu said industries operating on lease land would also be shifted. “The basic premise is SRO rates. How The cup runneth over n sends SOS to Telangana and KRMB AP requesting urgent release of their share of funds from the approved budget of `23.314 crore for FY 2024–25 and 2025–26 to pay salaries n KRMB said that it is The "temporarily" diverting `4.15 crore released by Telangana for Phase-2 telemetry to pay staff salaries n Phase-2 telemetry, meant to track water use by AP and TG, remains incomplete as AP has not released its 50% matching funds even after seven years. V V B alakrishna @ Hyderabad Even as the row over the sharing of Krishna river waters between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana continues, funds released by the Telangana government for installing the Phase-2 telemetry system are now being diverted. The telemetry system was intended to account for water utilised by the two states. Telangana’s contention is that Andhra Pradesh is using water over and above its quota in the Krishna river, particularly for projects outside the basin. Telangana has sought the installation of telemetry systems for the past decade to account for Andhra Pradesh’s water utilisation. However, Andhra Pradesh did not release any funds for Phase-2 of the telemetry system. Adding to Telangana’s concerns, the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) has diverted the funds released by Telangana for Phase-2 telemetry towards payment of salaries of employees attached to the Board. n Though Phase-1 telemetry has been installed, its data is not used as a 2019 decision requires Phase-1 and Phase-2 systems to be commissioned together n has also rejected a TG AP proposal to form a joint committee for installing 11 additional telemetry stations under Phase-3 The Board on Tuesday sent an SOS to both states, seeking release of funds, stating that it was unable to pay staff salaries. In a letter addressed to the Engineers-in-Chief of the Irrigation departments of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the Board recalled that at the 19th KRMB meeting held on January 25, 2025, it was agreed to release funds against an approved budget of `23.314 crore for FY 2025–26 as well as FY 2024–25. “During the past three quarters of this financial year, no funds have been released by either of the party states so far. This Board has been facing an acute financial crisis, even in meeting salary expenditure. Staff salaries are being paid through temporary diversion of the available `4.15 crore of the Telangana government meant for Phase-2 telemetry . It may be added that Phase-1 telemetry is under AMC till March 3, 2027. The current financial year also involves its AMC liability of about `23.30 lakh,” the KRMB said in the letter.  continued on P5 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 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 The primary aim of HILT policy is to improve Hyderabad’s air and water quality by relocating polluting industries beyond ORR. We want to provide a cleaner environment for residents and future generations – D Sridhar Babu, IT & Industries 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 BJP: ‘Double betrayal’ to TG by Cong, BRS E N S @ Hyderabad Vedire Sriram, adviser (water resources) to the Maharashtra chief minister, on Tuesday accused both the former BRS regime and the present Congress government of a “double betrayal” of Telangana’s share of Krishna river waters, alleging that one accepted less while the other offered only assurances. Addressing a press meet at the BJP state office, Sriram, a former adviser to the Ministry of Jal Shakti, said both governments had done injustice to Telangana in Krishna allocations. He said the BRS government accepted 299 tmcft for Telangana in the Krishna basin at a MoJS meeting in 2015, missing the chance to press for the state’s original entitlement under the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal. Using a PowerPoint presentation on Krishna and Godavari basin projects and interstate allocations, Sriram said the BRS failed to use the 2015 window to correct allocations, while the Congress government limited itself to issuing GOs for projects without securing a firm water share. He alleged that both governments neglected Telangana’s interests in the Krishna basin. Sriram said the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme was halted by the National Green Tribunal, not by any political party or government. Now, Don says Modi not that happy with him R A K E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi A day after US President Donald Trump threatened to raise tariffs if New Delhi continues to buy Russian oil, Reliance Industries on Tuesday vehemently denied a Bloomberg report that claimed that the Mukesh Ambani-led firm continues to import crude oil from Russia. Hours later, Trump said his tariff action on India seems to be working though it may have strained Washington’s relations with New Delhi. “He (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) is not that happy with me because they’re paying a lot of tariffs now because they’re not doing the oil but they are... they’ve now reduced it very substantially, as you know, from Russia,” Trump said while speaking at the House GOP Member Retreat on Tuesday . A day ago, Trump had said “Modi knew I was not happy” with India’s trade with Russia, threatening to raise tariffs on New Delhi “very quickly”. On Tuesday RIL issued a de, tailed statement rejecting reports about the movement of Russian crude oil towards its Jamnagar refinery . Minor used as drug mule detained with 10 kg ganja ISL dribbles past ‘paywall’ to set Feb 14 date 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 is not mandatory to obtain permission or clearances from the Centre to convert industrial land into residential zones. Referring to alleged irregularities in land conversion during the previous BRS government, he said: “The chief minister has already announced that the government will order a probe. A decision will be taken in this regard.” Clarifying the scope of relocation, the minister said industries operating from private industrial estates would also be shifted. KRMB diverts TG’s share of telemetry funds to pay salaries ministry kick-off in d raneel d as @ Chennai do you fix market value? There is no objective measure. The government fixes basic value on rational principles, and we have taken SRO rates to determine conversion charges,” he said. On environmental concerns, he said: “Environmental aspects will be evaluated by appointing a global consultancy. A comprehensive assessment will be carried out, and relocation of industries will be based on that s t u dy. O p e r a t i o n a l guidelines will also be issued.” He added that it C H I T H A LU R I R EVA N T H @ Hyderabad In yet another instance of a minor being used as a courier by drug peddlers to evade police scrutiny, the EAGLE Force, in coordination with the SR Nagar police, apprehended a 17year-old boy for allegedly transporting ganja across states. Police said the boy, a native of Thane district in Maharashtra, was found in possession of 10 kilograms of ganja, valued at about `5 lakh. Investigators believe he was recruited by a Mumbai-based drug network to act as a mule for interstate trafficking, exploiting his age to reduce the risk of detection. According to the police, during the last week of December 2025, Shafiullah Shaik approached the minor with an offer of `1,500, asking him to travel to Odisha under the pretext of transporting a tempo. Trusting the offer, the boy travelled to Malkangiri, where he met Mehfuz and stayed for two days. A senior EAGLE official said Mehfuz later brought the boy to Hyderabad, where they stayed at a lodge. The plan was to send the minor back to Maharashtra by bus with the contraband. On January 4, Mehfuz handed over a bag containing five packets of ganja wrapped in brown tape to the boy and instructed him to board a bus. Before he could leave, the minor was apprehended near the Nature Cure Hospital. Mehfuz managed to escape and is suspected to have fled to Odisha by the Visakha Express. Police said Mehfuz, Shafiullah Shaik and Khala are absconding. Officials said the case highlights a pattern in which drug syndicates increasingly use juveniles as carriers, placing them at legal and personal risk while attempting to bypass law enforcement. The minor, along with the seized material, has been handed over to the SR Nagar police for further investigation.