HUBBALLI  SUNDAY  MARCH 29, 2026  `12.00  PAGES 26  CITY EDITION NEPAL’S EX-PM OLI ARRESTED OVER 2025 GEN Z PROTEST CRACKDOWN Nepal’s former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli was arrested on Saturday over the brutal crackdown of anti-government protests last year START OF JUSTICE, SAYS NEW HOME MINISTER OLI, LEKHAK FACE UP TO 10 YEARS IN JAIL Oli was arrested at the Gundu area of Bhaktapur district, 12 km east of Kathmandu, early Saturday morning, the police said. “We have taken under control former Prime Minister K P Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak. This is not a revenge against anybody, just the beginning of justice,” Nepal’s Home Minister Sudhan Gurung wrote on social media | P11 ■ ■ A probe panel had recommended legal action against Oli and Lekhak under criminal offence over their involvement in the crackdown Nepal’s new government, led by Balendra Shah, in its first cabinet meeting on Friday, decided to immediately implement the panel’s recommendations, which includes three to ten years of jail sentence 76 PEOPLE KILLED DURING THE CRACKDOWN ON GEN-Z PROTESTS IN SEPTEMBER 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 Red Sea worry as Houthis B’luru college prof booked join conflict for first time for calling student terrorist Caspian Sea Turkmenistan Turkey Afghanistan Syria Choking Bab el-Mandeb Strait could haemorrhage economy Israel a Se ed eR Th 2nd chokepoint The Bab al-Mandeb Strait is a narrow waterway that controls traffic toward Suez Canal Bab al-Mandab Strait Strait of Hormuz Arabian Sea Yemen Gulf of Aden S L A L I T H A @ Noida A G E N C I E S @ Tehran WITH THIS ISSUE The Grey Emergency PLUS 12 P AGES EXPRESS READ Cong to get temp relief from vacating Delhi HQ New Delhi: A day before the deadline to vacate its longtime headquarters at 24, Akbar Road, the Congress may receive a last-minute reprieve from its eviction notice, sources said. Sources indicated that the reprieve came after Congress leaders engaged in back-channel discussions with the government, securing a temporary relief | P9 Army gets 1st batch of ‘Make in India’ LMGs Gwalior: In a boost to the Army’s firepower, a defence major on Saturday delivered the first batch of 2,000 ‘Prahar’ light machine guns (LMGs) manufactured under the ‘Make in India’ initiative. The 7.62 mm-calibre weapon has been manufactured by Adani Defence located on the outskirts of Gwalior. Ethanol blend eased fuel crisis pressure: Modi YEMEN’S Houthi rebels entered the West Asia war on Saturday by launching a ballistic missile towards Israel, as the world struggled to contain the economic damage of a conflict on verge of entering into its second month. The intervention of Iran’s Yemeni allies into Tehran’s conflict with Israel and US raised concerns about disruption to Red Sea shipping, with trade from the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz already choked off. With no end to the conflict in sight, despite US President Donald Trump’s optimism that US forces have oblitDAY erated Iran’s military, a spokesman for the Houthis issued a video statement declaring that the group had launched Iran ballistic missiles at Israel. skeptical Israel’s military said it had on talks intercepted a missile. During Iran is skeptical Israel’s recent war on Gaza, about recent the Houthis, claiming solidardiplomatic ity with the Palestinians, atefforts to stop tacked shipping in the Red the war in the Sea and Gulf of Aden. But, Middle East, its until Saturday, had sat out Foreign Minister this conflict. Experts warn Abbas Araghchi that the Iran-backed Houthis told his Turkish have the potential to create a counterpart in disastrous economic shock a phone call around the world. Saturday | P11 If the Houthis ramp up their role in this conflict by targeting vessels in the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait off the Red Sea, it would not only further push up oil prices but destabilise “all of maritime security,” said Ahmed Nagi, a senior Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group, a research institution. “The impact would not be limited to the energy market.” As Iran strangles Hormuz, countries have scrambled for alternative routes. Bab el-Mandeb is particularly crucial as it controls traffic for vessels heading to the Suez Canal through the Red Sea. 29 PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the Centre was taking all possible steps to ensure that the ongoing West Asia conflict does not impact the common man. After unveiling the first phase of the Noida International Airport at Jewar, Modi commended sugarcane farmers for reducing India’s dependence on crude oil by helping scale up ethanol production. “Without the increase in ethanol production and its blending with petrol, India would have had to import an additional four-and-a-half crore barrels, approximately 700 crore litres of crude oil annually he said. “The hard ,” work of our farmers has given the country enormous relief during this time of crisis.” EthaPM speaks nol has not only benefited the country but also the farmers, to Saudi with approximately `1.5 lakh Prince crore worth of foreign exPrime Minister chang e being saved, he Narendra Modi elaborated. spoke to Crown Stating that he discussed Prince and PM the West Asia crisis in detail of Saudi Arabia, in Parliament as also as with Mohd bin Salman, all chief ministers the previon the ongoing ous day, he appealed to the conflict in West people to face the situation Asia and agreed with a calm mind and remain on the need to ensure freedom of patient. “What is in the interest of Indians and in the internavigation est of India, that alone is the policy and strategy of the Government of India,” he said. He expressed confidence that all political parties would back the country’s efforts. As for the Noida airport, he said it is the symbol of a developed UP as it will connect North India to the entire world. “A plane would take off every two minutes from here in the future,” the prime minister said, adding, “the airport will benefit a vast region encompassing Agra, Mathura, Aligarh, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Etawah, Bulandshahr, and Faridabad.” WOMEN QUOTA RIFT DEEPENS Amit Shah said the govt aims to implement women’s quota for 2029 LS polls by advancing the delimitation exercise, but Cong wants delimitation talks only in May | P9 Prime Minister Narendra Modi with UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu and others, during the inauguration of the Noida International Airport, in Jewar on Saturday | PTI After VIP passes controversy, 4-5 MLAs turn up for match D E V A R A J B H I R E H A L L I @Bengaluru DESPITE receiving two VIP passes each, after a Congress MLA raised the demand triggering a controversy many leg, islators did not turn up at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium to watch the IPL opener between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Saturday . Hardly three to four MLAs of the total 224 turned up at the stadium. CM Siddaramaiah, who was in Mysuru, said he will not be in Bengaluru to watch the match. “Those who want to go will go, those who don’t will not,” he said. DCM DK Shivakumar, who had backed the demand for tickets by MLAs saying it was their right and privilege, was busy campaigning in Assam, which is facing the Assembly polls. Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara, who had attributed the MLAs’ demand for VIP tickets to their interest in sports, was in his hometown Tumakuru. Siddaramaiah’s close associate and Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh, who had taken part in the ‘Ganahoma’ performed by KSCA to ward off the ‘obstacles’ before re s t a r t i n g I P L m a t c h e s, watched the match. P4 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @Bengaluru A professor of management and commerce at PES University, Hosakerehalli, has been booked for insulting a student from the minority community by calling him a terrorist. The Girinagar police registered a suo motu FIR against him, even as the university placed him under suspension. The alleged incident took place on Tuesday and the video of it is doing the rounds on social media. It shows the faculty member, Dr Muralidhar Deshpande, saying, “The moment the class is going on, you come and disturb it. Sharm nahi aati tumko. Useless fellow, terrorist. I will call you a terrorist. I thought I will be very calm to- A video grab of Professor Dr Muralidhar Deshpande talking to the student day Kya kha ke aate ho? Sharm . nahi aati? Terrorist.” Dr Deshpande is an adjunct faculty at the department of Faculty of Management and Commerce. Following the incident, Lakshya Raj V president, , Bengaluru Central District, National Students Union of India (NSUI), filed a complaint with the Girinagar police against Dr Deshpande. Lakshya stated in the complaint, “Dr Muralidhar 48 kg of synthetic drugs worth `12cr seized from Hunsur farmhouse, 2 held E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Mysuru THE Mysuru district police arrested two persons and seized around 48 kg of synthetic drugs worth Rs 12 crore from a farmhouse in Hunsur taluk. The raw materials had reportedly been transported from Mumbai and stored at the site for packaging before distribution. The police received a tipoff that Mohammad Irfan (30) had synthetic drugs stocked in a shed at a farmland near Dasanapura village, under the Hunsur Rural police limits. They raided the site on March 27 evening and arrested Mohammad Irfan (30), a resident of Siddique Mohalla in Mysuru who ran a tea shop, and Mohammed Irfan (42), a resident of Rehmat Mohalla in Hunsur, who owned the land and allegedly provided space for the illegal activity A case has been . registered against them at the Hunsur Rural police station. Two suspected drug peddlers from Mumbai who were present at the farmhouse during the raid managed to escape. The police seized approximately 7.35 kg of mephedrone and 41 kg of drug precursors, totalling 48 kg, from the shed. Superintendent of Police Mallikharjuna Baladandi on Saturday said the raid was the result of ongoing investigations into drug consumption cases in Hunsur. “While tracing the source and supply chain, we received information about the far mhouse where drugs were stored. Inspector Santhosh Kashayup and his team raided the farmhouse and recovered the contraband,” he said. He added that 1 kg of mephedrone fetches around Rs 30 lakh in the illegal market. While the two arrested were interrogated, they revealed that the raw materials came from Mumbai. The police found 16 packets of drugs in varying quantities, like 300 gm, 350 gm and 550 gm. The materials were brought here for packaging and distribution to different locations. The accused also kept the substances for drying after chemical processing. The accused had rented the farmhouse around Februaryend under the pretext of cultivating ginger, and began operations from March 22. “They had planned to transport the packaged drugs back to Mumbai on Friday night, but we intervened just in time. The case appears to be part of an organised network involving local operatives and peddlers from Mumbai,” he said. Three teams, led by Hunsur DySP have been formed to fur, ther investigate the case and apprehend the remaining accused. The synthetic drugs seized in Hunsur, Mysuru, on Saturday | UDAYASHANKAR S Deshpande allegedly humiliated a minority student by addressing him as belonging to a terrorist group. This act is highly condemnable and unacceptable. NSUI demands action against Dr Deshpande and a public apology video for his misconduct with the student.” Jawahar Doreswamy, Chancellor, PES University in an of, ficial letter addressed to Dr Deshpande, stated, “A case of student complaint has been received. Pending a detailed enquiry into the matter, you are kept under suspension with immediate effect.” In the meantime, the Girinagar police too registered a suo motu FIR, following a complaint by Head Constable TN Ravi Kumar against Dr Deshpande. CONTINUED ON: P7 The IndiGo aircraft at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, in New Delhi | PTI Scare in air for IndiGo after engine failure S L A L I T H A @ New Delhi AN IndiGo flight from Vishakapatnam to New Delhi, carrying 160 passengers, was forced to make a f u l l e m e r g e n cy l a n d i n g at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday after one of its engines failed midair.All passengers and crew were evacuated safely from the Boeing 737 aircraft upon landing. Flight 6E 579 departed from the Visakhapatnam International Airport at 8.48 am. A full emergency was declared at 10.39 am after one of the engines failed. The pilots requested the Delhi Air Traffic Control for priority landing. “As soon as the message was received, Runway 28 was allotted for priority landing for the aircraft. Emergency was declared there from 10.45 am to 10.55 am,” an airport official said. The plane landed at 10.54 am, the official said. After evacuation, passengers were assisted by the airline and airport staff, the official added. An IndiGo spokesperson said, “A technical snag was detected shortly before landing on IndiGo flight 6E 579 operating from Visakhapatnam to Delhi on 28 March. As a precautionary step and in accordance with the standard operating procedure, the pilots requested for priority landing and the aircraft arrived safely at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi.” Next-gen homegrown captains in focus as league enters new era S W A R O O P S W A M I N AT H A N @ Bengaluru WHEN Ishan Kishan was appointed interim captain of the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise in the lead-up to the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), it was a small but significant in the competition’s history It . meant captains of all franchises would be Indians, at least to begin the season. Taken in isolation, it may not mean a lot. But pull back the curtains a little bit and analyse it at the macro level. It suggests several things. Mainly, the league, firmly in its adulthood from this year, is willing to experiment in terms of how they appoint captains. Earlier, captains and experience went hand in hand. Captains and the biggest overseas stars of those teams went hand in hand. Not anymore. Some franchises are beginning to get smarter. It’s not a surprise because this is how leagues evolve, mirroring the format’s international growth, penchant for data and the need to keep pushing the boundaries wherever possible. Of course, this doesn’t mean any Indian player will be con- RCB ace Virat Kohli celebrates his team’s victory against SRH at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday. RCB chased a challenging target of 202 runs with four overs to spare. Kohli scored 69 off 38 balls | KEVIN NASHON | P13 sidered for the post of captain but now Indians are more likely to be named as captains when compared to earlier. Then, there used to be a demand in franchise cricket to spend extra for the purpose of picking a captain. Boffins of teams in the bigger leagues have realised that specialist captains, in general, do not contribute extra points in a season. It’s why over the last few sea, sons, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Axar Patel and, recently, Rajat Patidar (Royal Challengers Bengaluru( and Kishan were handed the gigs. Outside Gill, none of them were the biggest names of the side when they were given the job for the first time. This is an intriguing development for a league which was infatuated with its biggest stars. But after 19 years, it doesn’t need hand-holding anymore.