sambalpur l wednesday l april 08, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Open to all suggestions, says govt amid outcry over draft IT rules Ministry of Electronics and IT (Meity) on Tuesday met intermediaries and civil society groups to hear their concerns over the proposed amendments May extend April 14 deadline for feedback Call for withdrawal of proposal Speaking to reporters after the meeting, IT Secretary S Krishnan said that the ministry is very “open-minded” and will examine all suggestions. Krishnan also indicated that the government may extend the April 14 deadline for receiving feedback on the proposed IT rules amendments and will consider industry and stakeholder views before finalising any changes ■ ■ Krishnan said the feedback received ranged from requests for more time to demands for outright withdrawal of the draft amendments The backlash comes in the wake of proposed amendments that significantly widen the ambit to include “news and current affairs content” posted by non-publisher users such as influencers | P10 March 30 When meity proposed draft amendments to the 2021 IT Rules 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 Civilisational wipeout threat Trump warns he will bomb Iran back to the Stone Age if it does not make a deal; Tehran defiant; Hormuz resolution in UNSC shot down a g en c i e s @ Washington/ Tehran IN an unprecedented escalation of his war of words, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Iran that a “whole civilisation will die tonight” if Tehran doesn’t make a deal with the US by the latest deadline set by him – Tuesday 8 pm EDT (Wednesday 3.30 am Tehran time). Iran rejected the threat, with President Masoud Pezeshkian saying millions of Iranians, including himself, are ready to sacrifice their lives in the war. The Islamic Republic urged young people to form human chains around power plants and other targets. Trump’s major demands are reopening the Strait of Hormuz and handing over the uranium stockpile. “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will. However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen... We will find out tonight!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. 2 kids among four killed in sudden Manipur flare-up People block a road after two kids were killed in Bishnupur district of Manipur | PTI P r a s anta M a z umda r @ Guwahati Tensions flared in ethnic violence-hit Manipur on Tuesday after four persons, including two children, were killed in a bomb attack and a firing incident. T he incidents sparked widespread protests, prompting the state’s BJP-led government to suspend internet services for three days in five Imphal Valley districts. A five-year-old boy and a six-month-old infant girl were killed and their mother was injured in a bomb attack at around 1 am in the Moirang Tronglaobi area of Meitei-majority Bishnupur district, which shares a border with Kuki-majority Churachandpur district. When news about the incident spread, locals vented their ire by setting fire to two oil tankers and a truck. Soon after, a mob stormed the camp of a central force, setting several vehicles parked inside on fire. The personnel opened fire to control the situation and five protesters sustained bullet wounds. Two of them later succumbed to injuries. Some other protesters sustained minor injuries. Protests later erupted in different parts of the Imphal Valley, demanding action against those involved in the bomb attack as well as the security personnel who had opened fire. Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh said the state government decided to hand over the case of the bomb attack to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The decision was taken after detailed discussions with home minister Konthoujam Govindas Singh and other MLAs. Strong Indian advisory in Iran J ayanth J a c ob @ New Delhi A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will Donald Trump, US president day 39 In an equally threatening tone, US Vice President J D Vance said: “We’ve got tools in our toolkit that we so far haven’t decided to use. The President of the United States can decide to use them, and he will decide to use them if the Iranians don’t change their course of conduct.” Vance’s comment, made during a press meet in Budapest, led to speculation about use of nuclear weapons. However, the White House later clarified that Vance did not mean a nuclear strike against Tehran. The developments come a day when a UN Security Council resolution aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz was shot down after Russia and China vetoed it. Even before the deadline, USIsrael airstrikes hit two bridges and a train station, as well as the infrastructure on Kharg Island, a key hub for Iranian oil production. On Monday, Trump had threatened to blow up “every bridge and power plant” in Iran, an action the UN considers a war crime. “Under international law, deliberately attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure is a war crime,” UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Turk said. The Indian Embassy in Iran on Tuesday issued a safety advisory for its nationals, urging them to stay indoors and avoid military installations or upper floors of multi-storey buildings for the next 48 hours amid escalating US-Israel attacks. “In continuation of previous advisories, Indian nationals who are still in Iran must stay where they are for the next 48 hours, avoiding all electric, military installations and upper floors of multi-storey buildings, remaining indoors, and coordinating any highway movement strictly with the Embassy the advisory said. It ,” also urged hotel residents to be contact with embassy teams. “In view of the rapidly evolving situation in Iran, Indian nationals who are currently in Iran are advised to stay put where they are, shelter in place and avoid further movements,” MEA said. Any movement toward border crossings must be coordinated with the embassy . Emergency helplines have been provided: +98 912 810 9115, +98 912 810 9102, +98 912 810 9109, P7 +98 993 217 9359.  91 lakh names deleted, TMC’s minority base may take hit S U B H E N D U M A I T I @ Kolkata A whopping 91 lakh names have been deleted from the West Bengal electoral rolls following the special intensive revision, which could impact the minority vote base of the ruling Trinamool Congress in the state. Late on Monday night, the Election Commission of India (ECI) released a list categorising eligible and ineligible voters from the 60.06 lakh electors previously marked ‘under adjudication.’ Of this, 27,16,393 voters have been declared ineligible to vote in the upcoming Assembly polls, taking the total number of deletions to 91 lakh. Over 32.68 lakh voters have been marked as eligible in the final rolls. With this, the number of valid voters stands at 6,77,20,728. Earlier, on February 28, the ECI had published a list of 63.66 lakh deleted voters, including 58.25 lakh classified as absent, shifted, dead, or duplicate (ASDD). Following the latest revision, the number of valid voters stands at 6,77,20,728, including the 32.68 lakh newly confirmed eligible voters. West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee said her party will fight for the 27 lakh voters whose names have been deleted after adjudication. She alleged that Muslims, Matuas, and Rajbongshis have been targeted for deletion. On Monday, the Supreme Court had rejected the state’s demand for interim relief for certain excluded voters, stating the matter should not be rushed. 58 cops injured in clash with tribals over road to mines E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar/Berhampur A protest against construction of an approach road to the Sijimali bauxite reserve turned violent on Tuesday, leaving over 60 people, including 58 police personnel, injured at Sagabari village of Rayagada district. The incident occured when the district administration resumed work on the 3-km-long road from Purulang to Sagabari Ghati, a day after collector Asutosh Kulkarni held discussions with the agitating tribal villagers and sought their cooperation. The Sijimali bauxite mine has been allotted to Vedanta Ltd. When the administration tried to clear the villagers, the situation turned violent as they hurled stones and attacked the police. The attack left 58 police personnel, including an ASP SDPO and two in, spector rank officers, injured. Six of the grievously injured police personnel were shifted to Visakhapatnam. Others are undergoing treatment at the district headquarters hospital and Kashipur community health centre. Though unofficial reports said several tribals were An injured police personnel being taken to an ambulance after the protest turned violent in Sagabari village of Rayagada district, on Tuesday | Express Six of the grievously injured policemen were shifted to Visakhapatnam. Others are undergoing treatment at the district headquarters hospital and Kashipur community health centre Police sources injured in the clash, the number could not be ascertained. In response to the escalating tension, the district administration imposed prohibitory orders under section 163 BNSS in Sagabari village to maintain peace. It has restricted assembly of more than four person within 100-metre radius of the project site for a month. Security has been beefed up and close watch is being maintained. Tension had been simmering in the area since a month with the local tribals opposing mining activity, alleging it threatened their land, livelihood and environment. They have sought a fresh gram sabha to decide on the issue. Meanwhile, police presented an entirely separate version of the violence. Rayagada SP Swathy S Kumar said around 250 villagers of Kantamal and nearby villages gheraoed a police party which had gone to arrest Subash Singh Majhi against whom 14 cases and a non-bailable warrant were Continued on P5 pending.