MANGALURU  SATURDAY  JUNE 13, 2026  `9.00  PAGES 18  CITY EDITION INDIAN SHOOTING’S FATHER FIGURE JASPAL RANA PASSES AWAY One of the shooters responsible for putting India on the global map in the sport, died following cardiac complications after a heart attack Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker pays tributes to her coach Jaspal Rana at his residence in Dehradun. Rana breathed his last in Delhi on Friday | PTI CHAMP SHOOTER, COACH: MAN OF MANY HATS From Uttarakhand, he burst into the limelight as a teen at the Asian Games in 1994. His rich medal hauls inspired his peers to achieve similar feats. Then, he donned the role of coach-cum-mentor to ready India’s next generation of shooters. Manu Bhaker, who won two Olympic medals in 2024, was a protege of Rana’s. He also oversaw India’s junior programme ■ 13 HE HELPED SHAPE INDIAN SHOOTING: BINDRA ■ Abhinav Bindra, who was a former teammate of Rana’s, said he was part of a generation that helped shape Indian shooting. He was gifted, and carried the pride of the country A teenager (Rana after his 1994 Asiad gold) had shown the whole country that an Indian could rule this sport: Gagan Narang | P17 HE WON 13 GOLD ACROSS ASIAN (4) AND COMMONWEALTH GAMES (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 US diplomat rapped again over killing of 3 seafarers India shares concern over use of deadly force against civilian ships J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi Retail inflation at 16-month high, touches 3.93% in May P U S H P I TA D E Y @ New Delhi RETAIL inflation rose to a 16-month high of 3.93% in May primarily due to the in, crease in fuel prices and cost of services such as restaurants and accommodation, data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) on Friday showed. Despite the uptick, inflation remained well within the Reserve Bank of India’s target of 4%. According to MoSPI, the rise in headline inflation was driven by higher prices in food and beverages, personal care, social protection, restaurants and accommodation services, as well as tobacco and intoxicants. While rural inflation rose to 4.25% in May from 3.85% in April, urban inflation increased to 3.53%. Food inflation, measured by the All India Consumer Food Price Index, touched 4.78%. Soumya Kanti Ghosh, group chief economic advisor at State Bank of India, attributed the increase to higher fuel prices and supply-side disruptions. “The impact of increased petrol and diesel prices was clearly visible, with transport inflation rising by 176 basis points to 1.8% in May while a slight , LPG shortage pushed inflation in restaurants and accommodation services up by 154 basis points to 5.7% from 4.2% in April.” He said the impact of exchange-rate fluctuations and external shocks, such as supply-chain disruptions, is now beginning to reflect in India’s CPI. INDIA India on Friday escalated its diplomatic response to a series of attacks on commercial vessels off the coast of Oman by summoning United States Chargé d’Affaires Jason Meeks for the second time in two days and lodging a strong protest over incidents that have now claimed lives of three Indian seafarers. The strong protest with the US was launched a day after all three Indian crew members who had been reported missing following the attack on the Palau-flagged tanker MT Settebello were confirmed dead. “The Ministry once again conveyed its deep concern over the use of lethal and deadly force against civilian shipping. Such actions are unacceptable and undermine the safety secu, rity and stability of international maritime commerce in a sensitive region at a difficult time,” the MEA said. It added that the Chargé d’Affaires had been requested to convey India’s concerns to Washington and ensure that US forces operating in the re- Jason Meeks, US Chargé d’Affaires | X Sharif: Both sides OK with peace deal text “Peace has never been this close,” said Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, adding that the text of the ‘final’ US-Iran peace deal has been agreed upon by all parties. This preceded Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying the MoU has “never been closer” | P12 gion take all necessary measures to prevent further loss of civilian life. The diplomatic protest follows a series of attacks on merchant vessels linked to the escalating US-Iran confrontation in the Gulf region. The most serious incident involved MT Set- Worker: Ploy to target D’sthala, Prakash Raj spoke to me EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @Bengaluru A sanitation worker, who had claimed to have buried bodies of victims at Dharmasthala, moved the Karnataka High Court, seeking directions to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to file a final report in the crime registered before the Dharmasthala police station. He also sought action against conspirators, including individuals, YouTubers and others named in the preliminary enquiry report, and to consider the complaint dated December 18, 2025. He alleged that activist Girish Mattannavar dialled actor Prakash Raj’s number and handed over the phone to him. The actor, who spoke in Tamil, told him to tell the authorities whatever Mattannavar had in- structed him to and promised to come and hug him. The petitioner also alleged Mahesh Shetty Thimarodi informed him that the ‘plan budget’ (to execute the conspiracy) was approximately Rs 200 crore and promised him Rs 50 lakh if he cooperated and ensured that Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade was sent to prison. At one point, the petitioner said he asked Thimarodi and Mattannavar about their source of income to file such a frivolous litigation. Initially they were reluctant , and did not disclose the source. But later on, they told him that they were receiving funds from Kerala and their major source of income is from a woman in Chitradurga, who used to send funds to trigger disturbance at P6 the holy town. Just because name crops up, one is not criminal: Min TODAY'S MATCHES (IST) (Jun 14, Sunday) Group B: Qatar vs Swiss 12.30am; Group C: Brazil vs Morocco 3.30am; Haiti vs Scotland 6.30am; Group D: Australia vs Turkiye 9.30am tebello, a tanker carrying 24 Indian crew members that was struck earlier this week off the coast of Oman. While 21 crew members were rescued during a search-and-rescue operation involving Indian and Omani authorities, three sailors were later found dead. India had already summoned the US Chargé d’Affaires on Wednesday following the attack on MT Settebello, but the second summoning marked a further hardening of New Delhi’s position after confirmation of the fatalities. The deaths come amid a troubling pattern of attacks on merchant shipping in the region. On June 8, MT Marivex, carrying 24 Indian nationals, was struck by US forces after allegedly attempting to proceed towards an Iranian port despite a naval blockade. All crew members were rescued by Omani authorities. A day later, MT Settebello came under attack, where three Indian sailors died. On Thursday another ves, sel, MT Jalveer, came under attack off the Omani coast, with reports suggesting 20 Indian crew members were on board. Even as an allegation involving actor Prakah Raj in the Dharmastala skull case surfaced, Home Minister Priyank Kharge said here on Friday that just because the actor-activist’s name has cropped, it does not mean that he is a criminal. He told reporters that the court has asked the Special Investigation Team chief, and he has to reply to the court. “We cannot discuss it before the media,” he added. Since this is an extremely sensitive matter, also has hurt the faith of millions of devotees, it is also my duty to respond to such doubts. At present, I am out of station and in another two days, I will personally come and respond through media friends. Until then, do not believe such rumour. Some trying to spread rumours by adding feathers Prakash Raj, Actor-activist Longer wait for final AI-171 air crash report S L A L I T H A @ New Delhi EXACTLY a year after Air India flight 171 crashed during takeoff at Ahmedabad, killing 260 passengers and crew, there was no closure for the family members of the victims as the much-awaited final probe report remained elusive. Instead, the Aircraft Accident Investigations Bureau put out an interim statement, saying “The Final Report will be released upon completion of all investigative activities and the requisite international review and consultation processes prescribed under ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) Annex 13.” The final report will take two-three more months for wrap-up, said a source familiar with the developments. Asked about ICAO’s recommendation on the final probe report into any major accident within 12 months of the incident, the source said, “It only encourages the submission of the report. It is not binding on us. Interim reports also can be submitted or statement on the progress too can be furnished, which is what we have done.” When asked what part of the report was pending, the source said since there was massive condemnation after the preliminary report was released on July 12, 2025, which attributed the accident to human error, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had decided to carry out an inspection of the Boeing’s Fuel Control Switch (FCS) in the US to be doubly sure as multiple reports and experts repeatedly spoke of its malfunctioning. AI-171’s fuel switch moved to OFF shortly after take-off, resulting in the crash. “The DGCA visit will happen soon,” he added. Family members of the AI 171 crew pay tribute during a memorial service in Mumbai on Friday; (inset) a distraught relative | PTI Cabinet Secretary reviews NEET-UG re-test preparation PA R V E Z S U LTA N & S L A L I T H A @ New Delhi FOUR weeks after the NEET-UG paper leak scandal forced its cancellation, the government on Friday signalled it was leaving nothing to chance, with the Cabinet Secretary chairing yet another review and the NTA quietly rolling out a series of candidate-friendly changes for the June 21 NEET re-examination. Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan, who has now held three rounds of preparatory meetings since June 1, reviewed examination readiness with NTA Director General Abhishek Singh and warned that wrongdoers would face the full force of law. “The full might and weight of law will fall on any person trying in any manner to distort, disrupt, or tamper with the integrity…of the re-examination,” he said. Central and state governments, district administrations and central armed forces are all being coopted for the exercise, a note from the government said. The Ministry of Home Affairs has specifically asked the CRPF and CISF to guard question paper consignments in transit. The NTA has made quiet but meaningful changes to the exam format. Rough sheets per booklet have been doubled from two to four, with the additional sheets now split between the front and back portion of the booklet. EXPRESS READ K’taka not to hike fees for med courses this yr Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has decided to retain the existing fee structure for medical, dental, undergraduate and postgraduate courses for the 2026-27 academic year. Medical Education Minister Dr Sharan Prakash Patil said the government has not accepted proposals submitted by private college managements seeking a revision of fees. He clarified that the fee structure fixed for the 2025-26 academic year would continue unchanged for the current academic year | P6 Modi planted officers in vital posts: Kharge Bengaluru: In the backdrop of the returning officer rejecting the nomination papers of Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan for the Rajya Sabha election, AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “planted” officers in critical posts to destroy democracy. “Where their government exists, they have positioned people who do not follow the law, rules, or regulations,” Kharge said | P4