kannur l monday l september 21, 2026 l `10.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Need community participation to tackle climate change: President A well-structured framework of policies and actions is needed to address the challenge of climate change, President Droupadi Murmu said health, livelihood facing risks: Murmu puts Emphasis on traditional knowledge President Murmu said climate change is having serious repercussions on food security, health, and livelihoods. She said the framework to tackle climate change must ensure the participation of communities most affected by it, with special sensitivity towards needs of rural and forestdwelling communities, small farmers, women, and vulnerable sections ■ ■ Addressing the valedictory session of the international conference on ‘The Future of Environment and Climate Dynamics’, Murmu highlighted the importance of traditional knowledge systems She called for people-centric and community-based climate adaptation approaches rooted in traditional knowledge 17 countries sent representatives to the Conference held in Delhi 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 Tata boardroom Shooting stars shine bright in Nagoya tussle headed for courtroom Indraneel Das Express @ asian games Nagoya IIT bombay Prof booked for abetment of suicide Sud h i r s u r ya w a n s h i @Mumbai An IIT Bombay professor was on Sunday booked for abetment of suicide over the death of a second-year engineering student on the campus. Sahil Ravindra Wakode was found dead at the Powai campus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay on Friday evening, hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone and ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination. Professor Suryanarayan Dulla and two other unnamed persons were booked on Sunday . Sahil’s father alleged that the professor was responsible for driving his son to take his own life. He alleged Sahil faced caste-based abuse, threats and harassment at the campus for three months before his death. A case of abetment of suicide and joint liability has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. A case has also been registered under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 for intentionally insulting or intimidating a person with intent to humiliate a member of a SC/ST community The case was registered . based on a complaint filed by Sahil’s father. Meanwhile, a video of IIT Bombay Director Shireesh B Kedare has gone viral on social media, in which he is seen announcing his resignation, effective Monday . Tata Trusts hires Abhishek Manu Singhvi as counsel; Harish Salve to advise Tata Sons B E NN K O CH U V E E D AN @ Mumbai Noel Tata-led Tata Trusts on Sunday doubled down on its challenge to N Chandrasekaran’s reappointment as executive chairman of Tata Sons, reiterating that the resolution passed at the company’s September 17 board meeting violated the firm’s rules and bylaws. The matter now appears headed for a legal showdown as Tata Trusts, which owns 66.6% in Tata Sons, roped in noted Supreme Court lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi to represent it in the corporate dispute. According to reports, senior advocate Harish Salve is advising Tata Sons. In a detailed statement issued on Sunday, Tata Trusts said that under Tata Sons’ Articles of Association (AoA), the board meeting requires affirmative support from a majority of Trust-nominated directors to pass a resolution. But this condition was not met in the case of Chandrasekaran’s reappointment, rendering it void ab initio (legally void from the outset). In the crucial board meeting held last week, Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata voted against Chandrasekaran’s reappointment while Venu Srinivasan, the other Tata Trusts nominee, supported the resolution. “Whether the result of the vote was 4:1, or any other figure, is irrelevant. A condition is either met, or it is not. In this case the condition was not met,” the Trusts said. The Trusts questioned the argument that Noel Tata’s opposition created a deadlock that needed to be removed through a casting vote. “It is now being suggested that a refusal of support amounts to a deadlock which would paralyse the Company and that the Chairman of the meeting was therefore entitled to resolve the position by a casting vote. There was no paralysis and there was no deadlock. The Board put a question, and the AoA answered it in the negative,” it said. In its latest statement, the Trusts also pointed out that Tata Sons had defended the same AoA during the litigation surrounding the removal of former chairman Cyrus Mistry . Noel Tata There are two Tata Trusts nominees on the Board of Tata Sons. Majority amongst two is two and not one Tata Trusts ‘Entering fray with sadness’ Sr advocate Abhishek Singhvi said he is entering the fray with “sadness and regret” adding the dispute should have been amicably solved. Calling for protecting the fundamental rights of shareholderowners, he said such “rights cannot be nullified” 3 dead falls from road in Mumbai in accident Speeding BMW One critically injured as car carrying 4 students crashes into divider on Coastal Road, plunges nearly 75 feet | P8 T he bus journey to the Toyota highlands itself is quite fascinating as the road winds up the hills through lush green coniferous forest and gushing streams all along. For Indian athletes and coaches, these are the ‘ghat roads’. It had been quite an ordeal for the shooters right after they landed in Nagoya for the Asian Games. They were made to wait at the airport, then at the hotel and finally when they came to the venue, they realised it was not 70 minutes as the Games organising committee had indicated. It was almost two hours. Not ideal for the shooters. No screen time or games on mobile phone, neck pillow for support during (From left) Vidarsa K Vinod, Sonam Maskar & Elavenil Valarivan rejoice after winning the women’s 10m air rifle team silver | PTI journey and light food before leaving. These were some of the logistical decisions the coaches and support staff took. On Sunday, three shooters managed to win India their first shooting medal in the team event and later, Elavenil Valarivan won her second in the individual silver. Two medals in a day. She will compete in the mixed team events next. Among the three, Elavenil was the most experienced and that was visible during the competition. The shooter with roots in Tamil Nadu was in pristine form throughout and managed to exorcise the ghosts of Paris Olympics. For the other two members, There’s proof that Pinarayi acquired money via daughter: Legal opinion P RA M D AS @Kochi Putting further pressure on Pinarayi Vijayan, the legal opinion of Director General of Prosecution T Asaf Ali in the CMRL payoff case states that after analysing the facts and circumstances of the case shared by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), it has been “proved beyond doubt” that the former chief minister acquired financial resources amounting to `3.28 crore from Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) through his daughter, Veena T, between March 4, 2017, and May 18, 2019, on the strength of a sham agreement. The amount was disproportionate to Pinarayi’s known sources of income, stated the opinion, a copy of which is with TNIE. It further stated that both Pinarayi and Veena were liable to be prosecuted under Section 13(1)(b) of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 1988, as amended by the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018 (Act 16 of 2018). Pinarayi Vijayan Veena T “Since the period of crime falls prior to and after July 26, 2018, the date on which the PC (Amendment) Act, 2018, came into force, penal provisions applicable before and after the amendment may be suitably invoked,” it stated. The opinion stated that this is a case in which the receipt of bribe or illegal gratification by Veena for and on behalf of her father, the then CM, was established prima facie through strong oral, documentary and digital evidence, strengthened by the findings of the Interim Settlement Board. “In such circumstances, it shall be presumed, under Section 20 of the PC Act, that the bribe money was received by Veena illegally for and on behalf of her father,” it stated. According to the opinion, it is trite law that, to rebut the presumption under Section 20 of the PC Act, it is not sufficient to simply deny the allegation. Mere vague or ambiguous explanations are insufficient to rebut the presumption arising f ro m t h e e s t abl i s h e d o r admitted fact that Veena received `3,28,01,000 from CMRL, an amount not legally due to her. To substantiate the finding, the DGP also took into account the statement of CMRL MD S N Saspress clusive idharan Kartha recorded under Section 132(4) of the Income Tax Act on January 26, 2019. The statement had said: “The vendors have not provided any work, services or any software maintenance or consultancy or any other form of service to our expectations till date. However, monthly payments are being made as per the agree● More on P4 ment.”  7 dead in State as Advani, Jaishankar, Kejriwal, CBI chief get SIR notices rain wreaks havoc A n up Ve r m a @ New Delhi E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e Casualties @Malappuram/Idukki/Kottayam 3 2 in Malappuram (not officially identified) 2 in Idukki (Balakrishnan, 47, his sister Chinnu, 38) Seven people lost their lives to rain-related disasters in the state on Sunday. Two remain missing. Chief Minister V D Satheesan has directed officials to review the rain situation across Kerala on an hourly basis. In Malappuram, three people – two men and a woman – died in a flash flood in Kottapuzha river near TK Colony at Pookkottumpadam in Nilambur in the evening, while two are missing. In Kottayam, two persons, including a woman tourist from Tamil Nadu, died in separate landslips – at Velathussery near Teekoy on Erattupetta-Vagamon road and at Mangalagiri in Poonjar Nadubhagam village. In Idukki, a man and his sister were killed and his wife seriously injured after a landslide buried a temporary shed at their farmland in Kottakamboor, Vattavada. Malappuram was among the worst-hit areas in the state after five people were swept away in the flash flood, which occurred around 5pm along the Olarvattam-TK Colony stretch of the river. According to Pookkottumpadam police and resi- in Kottayam (Chennai resident Sangeetha, 35; Chelakkat Joseph, 80) dents, they were Raheem, 35, of Karuvarakundu, Anas Mangadan, 27, of Kottakkal, Sajjad, 23, of Vandoor, Rafeeq, 41, of Vandoor and Sajitha, a resident of TK Colony. Raheem, Anas, Sajjad and Rafeeq had reportedly visited the area, while Sajitha was a resident. The Nilambur Fire Force, pol i c e a n d l o c a l re s i d e n t s launched a joint search. The first body of a man believed to , be around 50 years old, was recovered from Pottikkallu Muttikkund by nightfall. Another male body, suspected to be of Anas, was recovered from the river behind Assumption School at Anthannikkad. A third body, believed to be of Sajitha, was recovered around 9pm. The bodies were shifted to the Nilambur Government District Hospital. Their identities are expected to be confirmed ● More on P5 on Monday  . BJP veteran L K Advani, Union Minister S Jaishankar and his wife Kyoko S Jaishankar, CPM MP John Brittas’ wife, former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, and BJP MLA Kailash Gahlot are among a list of 33 lakh people being issued notices for “discrepancies” in their details under SIR. The list includes CBI Director Praveen Sood and his family former Army Chief General , Lal Krishna S Advani Jaishankar Praveen Sood Upendra Dwivedi and his wife, and former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Desai and members of her family Foreign Sec. retary Vikram Misri, Securi- ties and Exchange Board of India Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Principal Scientific Adviser to the PM Ajay Kumar Sood and Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava are among those listed as “unmapped with last SIR”. Former economist and Padma awardee Bibek Debroy who , passed away in November 2024, has been flagged for “no mapping” with previous SIR roll. The list includes several prominent figures. Delhi Chief Min- ister Rekha Gupta, former CM Arvind Kejriwal and his family , former Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar and wife Sudesh Dhankhar, former SC judge Justice Madan B Lokur, former Union Minister Kapil Sibal and wife Promila Sibal, former Union Minister Subramanian Swamy and historian Romila Thapar figure in the list. The Delhi CEO office said “issue of notices does not mean that their names will be deleted from the electoral rolls.” this is their first Asian Games. If Vidarsa K Vinod became the first from Kerala to win a shooting medal, Sonam Maskar repaid the sacrifices made by her father — he had to sell land for her to pursue the sport. Vidarsa is another fascinating story She . did not have a personal rifle until about recently According to . her coach Manoj Kumar, she bought it just a few months ago. Being part of the Asiad has been a surreal experience for her. “Let alone winning a medal, that I am part of the Asian Games team is a dream,” she told this daily after the win. For Elavenil, it was cathartic. On the day she ensured that the , process she trusted bore fruit. “I’m grateful that I was selected in the first place and this medal means a lot to me,” she said. Mixed Martial Arts gave India its first medal but it’s shooting that India would be banking on for a rich medal haul.  P2,11 E x p r e s s Re a d KMRL officials’ foreign travels under scrutiny Kochi: The transport department has sought details of foreign trips undertaken by senior officials of Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL), including former MD Loknath Behera, over the past five years. It had written to Behera in May, seeking an explanation over his visit to the US in December 2024 without government approval. It also sought the details of the staff’s visits in the letter | P4 Illegal construction at Anto’s house flagged Kalpetta: Excise officials have found that the house of Reporter TV MD Anto Augustine in Wayanad, was constructed in violation of building regulations and DDMA directives. Anto, who was remanded in judicial custody for possession of liquor beyond permissible limit, was sent back to jail after the completion of his 24-hour excise custody | P4 Aravana shortage leaves pilgrims waiting for hours Pathanamthitta: Pilgrims were left scrambling for aravana at Sabarimala on Sunday as stock dwindled, forcing authorities to ration distribution. The shortage came after the aravana production plant was shut for maintenance. The Travancore Devaswom Board failed to maintain enough buffer stock before undertaking the work | P5 Trouble in INDIA bloc as Cong leader slams Soren Ranchi: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has sought action against Congress leader Yogendra Saw over his alleged remarks on CM Hemant Soren. JMM’s Manoj Pandey said the Congress should take action against Saw, warning that failure to do so could affect the future of INDIA alliance | P8 from 6am to 9pm Soon, tune into music, get weather updates on KSRTC buses U n n i k r i s h n a n S @T’Puram Forgot to take headphones on your bus journey? Relax. Following the surge in ridership driven by the Priyadarshini service, KSRTC is stepping up passenger experience by rolling out a dedicated digital radio network across its fleet for 21 lakh daily commuters. Now, accompanying the hum of diesel engine will be a blend of music, local weather updates, travel advisories and rich regional storytelling. The entire initiative will be Travel rhythm KSRTC digital radio network across fleet for 21 lakh daily commuters. Content: Music, weather, travel updates and staff stories Funded by private partners via ads sustained entirely through ad revenue at zero cost to the public. Transport Minister C P John spearheaded the digital radio service and hinted at plans to introduce multimedia TV screens on select routes in the future. Launched on June 15, the UDF government’s ‘Priyadarshini’ free travel scheme for women has boosted bus patronage across Keralam. Daily female ridership rose by 25.7%, from 11.08 lakh in the first week to 13.93 lakh by the thirteenth week. Women and transgender passengers now make up over 60% of ordinary bus passengers, driving daily traffic across all KSRTC services past 27 lakh commuters. Senior KSRTC officials are now preparing to equip all 5,700 operating buses with the new audio system under this publicprivate framework. “ We are creating a dedicated soundtrack for KSRTC travel,” said an official. “While our private partner will curate general programming, our incredi- bly - t a l e n t e d d r ive r s a n d conductors write poetry, compose songs and tell captivating short stories that will now accompany commuters every day .” However, a peaceful commute is non-negotiable, said the official. Hence, the service will run strictly from 6am to 9pm with smart volume limits. There will a complete ban on political or religious content and up to five minutes every hour will be reserved for official travel advisories and public welfare updates.  ● More on P4