kozhikode l monday l july 20, 2026 l `10.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION 12 dead in landslides, flash floods in j&k’s rajouri and poonch dists At least 12 people were killed on Sunday as heavy rain triggered landslides and flash floods in the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri in J&K Eight of a family killed in poonch 8 dead as landslides hit Nagaland’s Mon Eight members of a family were killed when a landslide buried their house in Lower Muran village in the worst-hit Surankote tehsil of Poonch district in the early hours of Sunday. The villagers said the cloudburst struck with terrifying force, giving them little time to react. At least 10 died in Poonch and six are missing. In Rajouri, two persons lost their lives in flash floods ■ ■ In another rain-related incident, landslides claimed the lives of at least eight persons in Nagaland’s Mon town on Sunday morning Extensive damage to homes, roads and public infrastructure was reported in Mon, with several areas inundated and major routes blocked by landslides following several hours of heavy rainfall July 23 moderate to heavy rainfall likely across J&K till Thursday 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 8 bills listed for monsoon session beginning today Opposition likely to seek answers on Ram temple, NEET, ethanol R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi third spot for three lions England’s best in 60 years England’s third-place finish is their best ever showing at the World Cup since they won in 1966. The four first half goals they scored were full of verve. By the end, Bukayo Saka had scored a hat-trick and Jude Bellingham scored one of the goals of the tournament to round off a fine campaign for him. 7 England finished the World Cup on a high after rousing themselves to beat France 6-4 and clinch third place. A look... This game always has goals The third place play-off is the one match in the latter stages of the tournament with a lot of goals. With changed teams and loose defences, this game averages 3.8 goals. And so it proved as both teams took turns to attack somewhat suspect backlines to thrill the Miami crowd. Jude Bellingham is 1st English player to score seven goals in a single WC ‘Pothichoru’ triggers govt-DYFI showdown P o o ja Nair @Kozhikode ‘Pothichoru’, free packed meals distributed to patients and bystanders at government hospitals in the state, has inadvertently stirred the pot, bringing the state government and CPM’s youth arm DYFI into a direct confrontation. It all boiled down to Health Minister K Muraleedharan’s announcement of the government’s plan to introduce community kitchens in hospitals and prevent organisations from distributing food under their own banners and flags. At an event in Pathanamthitta on Sunday, Muraleedharan said the free meals could continue, but the distribution inside hospital premises must come under a common system administered through the health department. He proposed the first such arrangement at Alappuzha Medical College Hospital (MCH) before extending it to other government hospitals. However, the DYFI rejected the proposal and said its ‘Hridayapoorvam pothichoru’ initiative, which has provided free meals to lakhs of patients, bystanders and even hospital staff since its launch in 2017, will not be withdrawn. As tension brewed over his remarks, Muraleedharan later clarified that the government was not opposed to providing food to patients in hospitals, and that his earlier statement was made in the context of the situation at Alappuzha MCH where some organisations had occupied hospital space in the name of distributing food. Meanwhile, the BJP, too, joined issue, with former state president K Surendran questioning why voluntary groups should be prevented from providing meals to patients and bystanders. “The activity should not be viewed through a political lens,” he said, while expressing doubts whether the government would be able to maintain a system capable of meeting the demand currently addressed by voluntary organi● More on P4 sations.  10 10 combined goals in this match were the most in a World Cup tie since 1982 14 Mbappe has 14 goal contributions, the most in 60 years Mbappe adds to legend This may not have been Kylian Mbappe’s World Cup but this tournament has certainly seen him add to his legend. 10 more goals and now clear of Lionel Messi in terms of golden boot as well as overall goals in the showpiece’s history. Delhi HC turns down wife’s plea to move Wangchuk to private hospital U D AYA N K I S H O R E @ New Delhi The Delhi High Court on Sunday held that the Centre’s decision to shift Sonam Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar to Safdarjung Hospital was not arbitrary and refused to intervene. The court was hearing an urgent plea from Gitanjali J Angmo, wife of Wangchuk, seeking permission to transfer the activist to a private hospital. Justice Mini Pushkarna refused to pass any interim orders to interfere with his treatment at the Safdarjung Hospital, where he is said to be continuing his hunger strike. The judge held that since Wangchuk had not voluntarily admitted himself to a hospital despite his condition, the government was within its rights A portrait of Sonam Wangchuk is kept on Jantar Mantar protest stage | PTI to intervene and move him to a hospital. The judge also held that contrary to the petitioner’s claims, Wangchuk had “consented” to the administration of electrolytes; therefore, his ‘right to bodily autonomy’ had not been violated. Appearing for the petitioner, senior advocate Kapil Sibal said, “He (Wangchuk) is not in detention. There is no case against him. Is a citizen of India not allowed to go to a hospital of his choice?” Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, appearing for the Centre, cited the July 16 order of the court directing the Union and Delhi governments to monitor Wangchuk’s health on a daily basis. Meanwhile, a health bulletin issued by VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital on Sunday said Wangchuk’s vital parameters were stable and his blood parameters had shown marginal improvement. THE monsoon session of Parliament commencing on Monday is expected to witness a turbulent start, with the Opposition preparing to corner the BJP-led NDA government on a host of contentious issues. Despite the anticipated disruptions, the government has drawn up an extensive legislative agenda for the session. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju informed journalists on Sunday that eight key Bills have been listed for consideration in this session, which will run from July 20 to August 13. The topics expected to dominate proceedings from the outset include the alleged donation theft at the Ayodhya Ram Temple, NEET-UG examination paper leak, and the controversies around ethanol blending. Among the major Bills scheduled for debate is the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, which has been allocated four hours for discussion. The Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2026, will be debated for three hours in the Lok Sabha. The other important legislative proposals include the Supreme Court (Number of Judg es) Bill on Vande Amendment Bill, 2026; the Mataram Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Union Home Bill, 2026; the Micro, Small Minister Amit Shah and Medium Enterprises is set to introduce Development (Amendthe Prevention ment) Bill, 2026; and the of Insults to Prevention of Insults to National Honour National Honour (Amend(Amendment) Bill, ment) Bill, 2026. in the Rajya Sabha Meanwhile, the Lok on Monday, which Sabha’s Business Advisoproposes a 3-year ry Committee, chaired by jail term, a fine, or the Speaker, met on Sunboth, for insulting day to finalise the allocathe national song tion of time for debates on the Bills listed for the session. The committee earmarked specific durations for discussion on several significant pieces of legislation. The Speaker appealed to all parties to cooperate for a smooth and orderly session so that issues concerning people can be discussed in a productive manner. Before the formal commencement of business, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to deliver his customary address to the media within the Parliament complex. He is likely to appeal to all political parties to extend their cooperation in ensuring the smooth functioning of both Houses. Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju, Rajnath Singh and J P Nadda at the all-party meeting on Sunday in New Delhi | PTI Oppn stages walkout from all-party meet R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi OPPOSITION leaders staged a symbolic walkout from the government’s all-party meeting on Sunday, a day before the monsoon session begins, protesting the invitation to rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs who joined the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI). The Opposition later returned for the meet, pressing for discussions on the donation theft at Ayodhya, the NEET paper leak, and ethanolpetrol blending — the principal issues raised, as per Congress leader Pramod Tiwari. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said Parliament should function smoothly urg, ing the Opposition to “oppose through debate, not by creating chaos and protests.” He cited eight listed Bills and defended inviting the rebel MPs since the NCPI had sought recognition from the Speaker. The protest also centred on Speaker Om Birla’s decisions to allot separate seats to the rebel TMC MPs and approve the Shiv Sena (UBT) merger with Eknath Shinde’s faction. TMC MP Mahua Moitra said the “so-called NCPI” was unrecognised, with 20 disqualification petitions still pending. “On what grounds did the Parliamentary Affairs Minister extend an invitation to these 20 rebel MPs and how are they attending this meeting? We have registered our symbolic protest and walked out,” she said. Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Arvind Sawant cited the same reason for walkout. AAP’s N D Gupta alleged seven Rajya Sabha MPs were “hijacked” by BJP. Congress’s Gaurav Gogoi demanded that Parliament discuss the Ayodhya donation theft, questioning the government’s silence. madhya pradesh Highway cops’ inaction killed tribal boy, allege kin set to introduce Uniform Civil Code bill in Assembly, cabinet clears draft The Madhya Pradesh cabinet on Sunday approved the draft Uniform Civil Code bill, paving the way for a common civil law that will criminalise triple talaq and ‘nikah halala’, prohibit polygamy, and attract 3-month jail term or I10,000 fine for live-in partners if their relationship is not registered within a month | P8 E x press News S er v i c e @Kalpetta The family of an 11-year-old tribal boy from Wayanad, who died of severe bleeding following a bicycle accident near Muthanga last week, has accused the Highway Police officers of failing to take the injured child to hospital on their patrol vehicle and instead wasting an hour waiting for an ambulance. The police denied the charge, even as the Kerala State Human Rights Commission registered a case and judicial member K Bai- junath directed the Wayanad district police chief to submit a detailed report in 15 days. Manu, the son of Binu and Chikki of Kattunayka Unnathi at Ponkuzhi in Wayanad, died on July 14. The Sultan Bathery police said the accident occurred around 5pm the same day on the NH at Ponkuzhi. A Class 6 student of Government HS, Kalloor, Manu was returning home from school when he lost control of his bicycle after it struck a tree stump and fell, the police said. The autopsy later revealed he had ruptured an artery in his left thigh. Binu alleged that he was carrying his son on his shoulder and waiting for an ambulance when a Highway Police patrol vehicle reached the spot around 5.30pm. “They asked whether an ambulance had been called. I told them it had not arrived. They did not shift my son in the patrol vehicle as he was h i s t o r i c RET U RN Express Read Sindhu 2.0: Shuttler returns to top with Japan Open crown a n m o l g uru n g @ Chennai BADMINTON great P V Sindhu has created many miracles in her decorated career but not so long ago, it seemed her old magical form deserted the shuttler. For someone used to dictating terms, she was in danger of being reduced to obscurity for a considerable period. Small niggles would constantly frustrate her as her results on the court turned ordinary. Forget titles, getting a victory itself had become a challenge. Despite all the negative energy Sindhu, with the support , system around her, continued to dig deep into her available resources behind the scenes. It was a step-by-step process for her. It was a painful watch but as has been the case throughout her career, she never gave up. On Sunday the 31-year-old fi, nally let out a beaming smile. There was a twinkle in her eyes as she could call herself a winner again. That was after a vintage display against Akane Yamaguchi, whom she beat 2117, 21-17, at the Japan Open final. For India, it was a first in the tournament’s chequered history. For Sindhu, it meant the world. This title had come after 595 days — an indicator of her struggles. “You hear a lot of things happening but more than giving a reply I would just , want to say that I believed in myself. Yes, it had been a long time. This title was very important. It was long-awaited. This gives me a lot of confidence and belief that I can do it and it’s not over yet,” Sindhu said in an interaction facilitated by bleeding. They waited for the ambulance, which reached around 6.30pm. He was taken to Sulthan Bathery taluk hospital,” Binu said. Had the police transported Manu, they could have reached the hospital by 5.45pm and he could have been saved, said Binu. The family also suspects it was a hit and run. Wayanad District Police Chief S Devamanohar said an inquiry initiated on the family’s allegations found no lapses ● More on P4 by the police.  BAI. Recalling her ordeal, Sindhu admitted that she had entered a phase where she had started to doubt herself but with the help of coaches and other support staff members, she soldiered on.   “When you have an injury you doubt yourself. , Like what is happening? Can I come back stronger? Will this niggle be alright or can I give my 100 per cent. These were the thoughts and emotions that were going on. When you’re injured, you get a lot of thoughts like sometimes you’re emotionally drained or mentally low. These things came to my mind, but at the same time people around me have supported me and motivated me saying, ‘it’s okay, you’ll come back stronger’. For me, it was just about taking one day at a time. Slowly, slowly, I started getting better.” This win is a clear indicator that she is getting better and it’s a timely boost for India ahead of the World ChampionP11 ships in New Delhi.  Holiday for edu institutions today T’Puram: The government has declared a holiday for educational institutions including professional colleges across the state on Monday to allow football fans, who sat up through the night on Sunday to watch the World Cup final match between Argentina and Spain, time to rest. However, exams, interviews and admissions will proceed as scheduled, said the government order, which was sent to top officials in the education sector. The order added that the move was part of the policy to promote the sports sector.