THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l tuesday l February 24, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION President Droupadi Murmu pays tributes to C Rajagopalachari at Rashtrapati Bhavan. His bust replaced British architect Edwin Lutyens’ statue there | PIB 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 1st counter-terror IAF grounds its entire Tejas fleet policy to cut fund, arms, safe havens Launches technical review to find out how an Mk1 overshot the Guj runway during takeoff J A V A R I A R A N A @ New Delhi M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi The government on Monday announced the country’s first counter-terror policy, ‘Prahaar’, which addresses evolving threats through prevention, coordinated response and capacity building while adhering to the rule of law. The document released by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) noted that instability in India’s immediate neighbourhood has often created ungoverned spaces, adding that a “few countries in the region have sometimes used terrorism as an instrument of state policy”. However, the MHA said India does not associate terrorism with any religion. “India does not link terrorism to any specific religion, ethnicity nationality or civilization,” , it said while emphasising that the country has always denounced terrorism “unambiguously and unequivocally” and that its policy is guided by a principled approach of ‘zero tolerance’ against terror. The strategy flows from India’s commitment to stand by the victims of terrorism. It is predicated on prevention of terror attacks, swift and proportionate responses, aggregation of internal capacities through a whole-of-government approach, ensuring human rights and rule-of-law-based processes, attenuating conditions that enable terrorism, aligning and shaping global efforts to counter terror, and strengthening recovery and resilience through a whole-ofsociety approach. The policy envisages enhanced cooperation among agencies, periodic legal reforms and further capacity building of state counter-terror units so as to deny terrorists access to funds, weapons and safe havens, while investing in technology and partnerships to counter future threats. Framework on global terrorism India will keep working on a comprehensive framework on international terrorism while pursuing ‘Prahaar’, which aims to criminalise all terrorist acts and deny access to funds, weapons and safe havens to the terrorists, their financiers and supporters THE Indian Air Force (IAF) has grounded its entire Tejas fleet as a precautionary measure following a runway incident earlier this month, even as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Monday described the episode as a “minor technical incident”. According to defence sources, the IAF has initiated a comprehensive technical review across critical systems to determine the cause of the incident. There has been no official statement from the IAF so far on either the incident or the temporary grounding. It also remains unclear whether the airframe of the jet EXPRESS READ Don warns of more tariffs for those ‘playing games’ There is a need to associate legal experts at every stage of investigation, right from the registration of the first information report to its culmination in prosecution New policy New Delhi: Just days after the US Supreme Court struck down the tariff regime imposed by his administration, US President Donald Trump threatened to levy significantly higher tariffs, or take tougher measures, against countries that try to “play games” with the ruling. The president’s remarks came after the European Parliament decided on Monday to postpone for a second time a vote on the European Union’s trade deal with the US. P10 16 pages, including 4 pages of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Express Mk1, Mk1-A deliveries behind schedule that skidded off the runway will be written off. It is reliably learnt that the grounding comes after an incident in early February at Naliya Air Base in Gujarat, where a Tejas MK1 overshot the runway during take off. Sources said the jet slid into a nearby mud patch softened by prior rainfall while still in the acceleration phase of take-off. The pilot sustained injuries but is reported to be safe. HAL sought to downplay it, stating that there had been no HAL is yet to complete delivery of the IAF’s Tejas Mk-1 order. Of the 40 aircraft contracted, only 38 have been delivered so far. The delays extend to the larger Tejas Mk-1A programme as well, where deliveries of 180 aircraft are running over two years behind schedule incident involving the LCA Tejas beyond a “minor technical issue” on the ground. It further added that Tejas MK1 continues to maintain one of the world’s best safety records among contemporary fighter aircraft. However, if the crash is confirmed, this would mark the third loss involving the Tejas MK1. The first loss of a seriesproduction jet occurred in March 2024, when a fighter crashed near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, shortly after participating in the tri-services exercise Bharat Shakti. The second incident took place in November last year at the Dubai Airshow, where Wing Commander Namansh Syal was killed while in an aerobatic display . Tejas is a single-engine fighter jet that is designed to undertake operating in high-threat air environments. It capabilities include air defence and maritime reconnaissance. Today’s Match 7pm: England vs Pakistan (Pallekele) 4 die as concrete slab collapses in Kozhikode L esly J o se p h @ Kozhikode Four headload workers died and one suffered injuries after a huge concrete slab of a decades-old dilapidated building collapsed and fell on them in the bustling commercial hub of Valiyangadi in Kozhikode on Monday . T h e i n c i d e n t o c c u r re d around noon when the concrete sunshade/slab detached from the building — owned by the Kozhikode corporation — and crashed down on the workers who were resting on a plinth after unloading goods. The tragic incident sparked The building in Valiyangadi, Kozhikode, where a concrete slab collpased, killing four people on Monday | Vimith Shal widespread outrage and protests against the corporation for allowing businesses to operate in the 60-year-old building, which was allegedly marked for demolition several years ago. The deceased are Jabbar, 55, Ashraf, 53, Basheer, 67, and Vinodan K K, 55, all residents of Kozhikode. They along with , fellow worker Koya, were caught under the falling slab while they were on a break after unloading goods at the godown of Gama Agencies, which functions in the building. Following the collapse, fire and rescue services personnel, along with the people present there, launched a frantic rescue operation, cutting through concrete blocks to retrieve the victims. Koya, who suffered injuries, was discharged after treatment at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital. Two-wheelers parked at the site were also crushed in the impact of the concrete debris. The incident triggered a wave of furious protests. Workers in Valiyangadi declared a strike, bringing freight movement and commercial activities in the area to a complete ● More on P5 standstill.