trai tightens rules to put end to spam calls and messages TRAI on Friday said that telecom companies will now use AI to detect suspected spam numbers and share this information with each other. Under the amended regulations, if five or more numbers associated with a sender are flagged within 10 days, further investigation and graded action will follow. The order also said apps like Truecaller cannot block or tag 140, 1600, and 1601 calls kalaburagi l saturday l september 19, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l city EDITION 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 TMC’s Nandigram pick quits, its nominee held s u b h e n d u m a i t i @ Kolkata Express Read Lamani fined `3cr for mining violation Haveri: Sugar and Textile Minister Rudrappa Lamani has been fined Rs 3 crore by the Department of Mines and Geology for allegedly carrying out stone quarrying in violation of licence conditions | P4 Ship collision: India rejects Pak allegations New Delhi: India on Friday rejected Pakistan’s allegations over the collision between an Indian warship and a Pakistani vessel, terming the response “usual prevarication” | P10 IN a theatrical turn of events, Trinamool Congress candidate Sanchita Dey Pradhan, fielded by Mamata Banerjee for the October 6 bypoll in Nandigram, turned the tables on her mentor by withdrawing her nomination papers on Friday afternoon minutes after meeting Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at the state secretariat here. The withdrawal came a day before the last date for filing nomination papers. A photograph of the meeting, which lasted about an hour, went viral on social media, though this paper could not verify its authenticity . Sanchita’s movements had appeared mysterious since morning, according to sources close to her. She did not speak to the media when she left her residence. She withdrew her nomination at the office of the sub-divisional officer in Haldia, Purba Medinipur. Her deci- EC allots new symbol to 2 factions The ECI allotted the Didi faction the name ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’ and the ‘Football Player’ symbol, while the rival group led by Arup Roy got ‘Democratic Trinamool Congress’ and ‘Envelope’ symbol for the Oct 6 bypoll | P9 sion left the Mamata Banerjee faction in dire straits. Since the party did not field a dummy candidate, it can no longer contest the seat. Having lost the party its , symbol and now its candidate, Banerjee said at her Kalighat residence that she would support the Congress candidate in Nandigram. “My party will never support the BJP,” she said. “Today is a black day in the history of democracy It . is unfortunate, unconstitutional, anti-democratic and politically biased. It is just serving the interests of a particular political party she alleged. ,” Faced with no choice, Mamata announced support for Congress candidate Milan Pradhan. “We are extending our support to Congress in Nandigram. We are doing this for the greater interest of the nation,” she said. The impact of the Sanchita’s withdrawal was soon overshadowed by Pradhan’s arrest, who was picked up from a hotel in Chandipur in Purba Medinipur district. Police sources said Pradhan was arrested in an old murder case, apart from a case linked to his involvement in the 2007 Nandigram land acqusition case. The Congress alleged vendetta and questioned the timing of Pradhan’s arrest. Today is a black day in the history of democracy, which is unconstitutional, anti-democratic and biased. It’s just fulfilling interests of a particular political party — Mamata Banerjee 13-yr-old abducted, killed in B’luru; neighbour held Express News Service @ Bengaluru A 13-year-old boy was allegedly kidnapped and murdered by his neighbour for ransom here on Wednesday night. As the accused was trying to flee towards Andhra Pradesh in his car, he crashed into other vehicles on the service road of the Kempegowda International Airport Road in Chikkajala. The public caught him and handed him over to the police, who got suspicious and opened the car’s boot only to find the boy’s body . The accused was reportedly under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident. The victim, identified as Prajwal, a resident of Vinayaka Nagar, was allegedly taken by Bhaskar Reddy, 28, in a car on the pretext of buying firecrackers for Ganapati idol immersion. Reddy assaulted Prajwal inside the car and made him record a video, which was sent to the boy’s father Manohar, a financier and realtor. Reddy threatened to kill Prajwal if the ransom was not paid. Manohar informed Bhaskar’s father. Both of them called Bhaskar and scolded him and asked him to come back with the boy immediately They also . alerted the police and both started a search for the boy P7 . diaspora comes to fore amid chaos Indraneel Das Express @ asian games Nagoya T he union sports ministry Indian Olympic As. sociation (IOA) officials as well as the Indian diaspora in Nagoya have stepped in to ensure that Indian athletes and their coaches aren’t overly disturbed during the course of the Asian Games. Following various teething issues — including people stranded at the airport as well as spending a considerable amount of time without accommodation and food — the focus has now shifted to ensuring that athletes don’t suffer. During an informal chat with select mediapersons, sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who is here for a few days, revealed their three-pronged strate g y. When he learnt about the ordeal faced by athletes upon landing in the city, as highlighted by this daily first, the ministry stitched together a mitigation plan. The first layer starts with two persons stationed at the airport who will fast-track their exit. The second would be at the village where three persons will help them with their accommodation. If these seem routine, the sports minister said that with the help of the India embassy, they have reached out to the 2000-strong Indian diaspora. “There are Cabinet meeting Tulu gets official language status; DK district to be renamed M’luru V i n c e n t D ’ S o u z a @Mangaluru Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya with IOA President PT Usha in Japan | pti more athletes who will come here and if they are short of rooms, we have identified some 10-15 houses in case athletes need to be adjusted or need to freshen up in case there is a delay he said. IOA ,” chef de mission, Sahdev Yadav, had said how India were forced to book hotels at the last moment. “Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organising Committee informed us that more than desired athletes had come and they would not be able to give accommodation,” he said. “We have booked 16 rooms and will book 10 more.” As of Friday , things are ok. As for Nagoya, there couldn’t have been a more disastrous star t to the Games. First, a heavy downpour that submerged the city days ahead of the Games. Then, there was the logistical nightmare. Now? A threat of a severe storm with wind blowing at 100km/hr on Monday However, the organ. izers have said that all mitigation measures are in place. In a landmark move aimed at addressing two of coastal Karnataka’s longest-pending demands, the state cabinet on Friday granted Tulu the status of state’s second additional official language for Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts and initiated the process to rename Dakshina Kannada district as Mangaluru. The decisions were taken at the cabinet’s first-ever meeting in Mangaluru, chaired by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. Announcing the decisions, Shivakumar said with these, the government has sought to balance regional aspirations with development. “We have a commitment. We do not do politics on emotions. We work on people’s livelihoods. Society cannot be built only on emotions. We have to provide social and economic strength and help people build a better life,” he said. On the proposal to rename Dakshina Kannada district as Mangaluru, he said the government will first seek public opinion before taking the final decision. A draft notification will be issued shortly, following which residents will have one month to submit their views. The move marks the formal beginning of a process that could see the district officially rechristened after its coastal headquarters.  MORE: P4