COIMBATORE l saturday l june 13, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l LATE 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 tribute 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 | P13 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 Govt pulls out all stops for NEET re-test Pa rve z S u lta n & S L a l i t h a @ New Delhi FOUR weeks after the NEETUG paper leak scandal forced a cancellation, the government on Friday signalled it was leaving nothing to chance, 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 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. The NTA has made quiet but meaningful changes to the exam for mat. Rough sheets per booklet have been doubled from two to four, with the additional sheets now split between the front and back of the booklet. 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” | P11 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- DVAC to restart probe against former minister E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Chennai The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on Friday told the Principal Sessions Court in Chennai that it would reinvestigate the `27.9 crore bribery case against former minister and DMK MLA R Vaithilingam. Several opposition parties, including the BJP and the AIADMK, had heavily criticised the then DMK government for “washing machine” politics after the DVAC had sought to close the case shortly after Va i t h i l i n g a m joined the DMK R Vaithilingam in January 2026. The case pertains to an FIR registered against Vaithilingam for allegedly accepting the bribe from a private housing promoter in exchange for planning permission to raise additional housing units at a site in Perungalathur near Chennai. The alleged bribe was paid when Vaithilingam was serving as Minister for Housing and Urban Development between 2011 and 2016 in the AIADMK government led by for mer chief minister J Jayalalithaa.  P7 E x p r e s s Re a d CM announces `135-cr Kuruvai spl package Chennai: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Friday announced a `134.83-crore Kuruvai Special Package for farmers to support paddy cultivation in delta and non-delta districts. The announcement comes amid concerns over delayed southwest monsoon, low inflows into the Mettur dam, and uncertainty over water release for Kuruvai cultivation. The CM has also promised farmers uninterrupted three-phase power supply for 18 hours a day | P7 Retail inflation inches up to 3.93% in May New Delhi: Retail inflation touched a 16-month high of 3.93% in May, primarily due to the increase in fuel prices and cost of services such as restaurants and accommodation, data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on Friday showed. Despite the uptick, retail inflation remained well within the Reserve Bank of India’s target of 4%. Food inflation stood at 4.78% in May. Longer wait for final AI-171 crash report S L a l i t h a @ New Delhi 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. `28-cr bribe Family members of the AI 171 crew, who died in the air crash, pay tribute during a memorial service on the first anniversary of the tragedy, in Mumbai on Friday; and (inset) a distraught relative | PTI 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 inspec- tion 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. Another Air India Boeing flight AIC 132 was grounded on Feb 2, 2026, after pilots reported that the FCS slipped from RUN to CUT OFF when pushed slightly as it did not lock securely “The DGCA visit . will happen soon,” he added.