FRIDAY 23 JANUARY, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard BANGLADESH FEB 12 ELECTION CAMPAIGN BEGINS An injured jawan being taken to a hospital after an Army truck plunged into a deep gorge in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district on Thursday | PTI ARMY VEHICLE FALLS INTO GORGE, KILLS 10 Campaigning began on Thursday for the country’s first national elections since the 2024 uprising that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9 Top Maoist with `2.25 cr bounty among 15 killed in Jharkhand won’t play in India IN a body blow to the Maoist insurgency in Jharkhand, security forces on Thursday neutralised at least 15 Maoists, including their top leader Patiram Manjhi alias Anal Da, in an encounter in Saranda forests of West Singhbhum district. The gunbattle erupted around 6 am near Kumbadih village under Chotanagra police station limits, during an ongoing anti-Naxal operation, the police said. Acting on inputs, joint teams of Jharkhand Police and CRPF’s CoBRA were scouring the forests when Maoist cadres lying in ambush opened fire. Security personnel retaliated, leading to an exchange that lasted for hours, police said. IG (Operations) Michaelraj S confirmed the elimination of Manjhi, a central committee member of CPI (Maoist), with a bounty of `2.25 crore. A native of Giridih district, Anal Da had been active since 1987, masterminding attacks, IED blasts, murders, and robberies across Jharkhand. He was instrumental in inflicting heavy casualties on forces and civilians through ambushes and explosions. Authorities recovered 15 bodies, including those of other identified cadres such as Anmol alias Sushant, Amit Munda, Pintu Lohra, along with a cache of weapons. Union home minister Amit Shah hailed the encounter as a “major success.” He appealed to the remaining Maoists to abandon their ideology and join the mainstream. BANGLADESH have reiterated their stance that they will not be travelling to India for the upcoming men’s T20 World Cup. This comes a day after the International Cricket Council gave Bangladesh Cricket Board an ultimatum, upholding the original tournament schedule. It is understood that as of late on Thursday, there has not been any movement in the ICC. There is a possibility that if Bangladesh is not allowed to play, Scotland could be replacing them. On Thursday after talking to the government and top cricketers, national government sports adviser Asif Nazrul told reporters that the government has decided not to send the team to India. “”Let me tell you clearly. It is the government’s decision not to play in India due to security concerns,” said in Dhaka. He accused the ICC of not delivering justice as they remain hopeful of playing the matches in Sri Lanka despite the risk of being excluded from The SC has allowed Hindu prayers from sunrise to sunset, while permitting Muslims to offer namaz from 1 pm to 3 pm on Friday. | P8  J8.00  PAGES 12 India skips Board of Peace launch B’desh defies ICC, G O M E S H S @ Chennai TIMING FOR HINDUS, MUSLIMS FOR PRAYERS AT BHOJSHALA NEW DELHI T20 WORLD CUP 2026 M U K E S H R A N J A N @ Ranchi SEPARATE  the tournament. “I think we did not get justice from ICC. Whether we will play in the World Cup or not is entirely a gover nment decision. Nothing happened in India in the recent past that suggests things have changed there (security- wise). We hope ICC will give us justice.” BCB president Aminul Islam said that they will go back to ICC with the plan of playing in Sri Lanka. “They did give us a 24 hour ultimatum but a global body can’t do that. ICC will miss out on 200 million people watching the World Cup. It will be their loss,” Islam said. The BCCI has remained silent while the ICC on Wednesday said that it was not feasible to make changes this close to the event. “Doing so would carry significant logistical and scheduling consequences for other teams and fans worldwide, and would also create far-reaching precedent-related challenges that risk undermining the neutrality, fairness, and integrity of I C C g ove r n a n c e, ” I C C spokesperson had said. China, France, UK, Germany and Italy, too, give the event a miss; Pak PM Shehbaz shows up Board’s broad mandate could eclipse UN role J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi INDIA was among the notable absentees when US President Donald Trump unveiled on Thursday his Board of Peace on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, an initiative Washington is projecting as a new international body to help cement the fragile Gaza ceasefire and potentially address conflicts elsewhere. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited to join the board, but New Delhi has yet to take a decision. “India is considering various aspects as the initiative involves sensitive issues. We are examining the invite,” sources said. Trump said the board could become “one of the most consequential bodies ever created,” and added he was “honoured” to chair it. “Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do. And we’ll do it in conjunction with the United Nations,” he said, arguing the UN’s “great potential” had not been fully utilised. The announcement, made during a signing ceremony in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos, drew mixed response. Regional powers such as Turkey Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar , and the United Arab Emirates, The board’s mandate may stretch beyond Gaza, prompting concerns it could undercut the UN’s role as the primary forum for global diplomacy. Its charter describes it as “an international organisation that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure peace” US President Donald Trump holds up a signed Board of Peace charter during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday | AP along with Jordan, Indonesia and Pakistan, joined the board. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was present. However, China and several major global powers and traditional Western US allies including France, the UK, Germany and , Italy skipped the ceremony . US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the board’s immediate focus would be Gaza. “The priority is making sure the plan for peace in Gaza is fulfilled, but it can also serve as an example of what’s possible in other parts of the world.” Trump suggested the board’s mandate could stretch well be- Safety tools from societies may have saved techie A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi RESIDENTS living in Greater Noida high-rises near where the tragic death of Yuvraj Mehta took place on January 16 have highlighted what they claim as a missed opportunity to save the life of the young techie. They say that several nearby residential societies had readily available safety and disaster-response equipment that could have been used to speed up rescue operations, but no government agency approached them. Mehta’s death by drowning has triggered serious concerns about emergency preparedness 2 more arrested Two more shareholders of the water-filled plot in Noida, where a 27-year-old techie died after his car plunged into it, were arrested on Thursday, police said. | P4 and rescue coordination in one of the developed urban regions surrounded by high-rises. Sector 150 of Greater Noida, where the incident occurred, is surrounded by high-end residential complexes, most of which have swimming pools. Government norms mandate that all pools in residential ar- eas keep safety equipment ready in case any drowning incidents occur. Residents argue that better coordination between authorities and local communities could have led to a successful rescue. A resident of a highrise said that most societies keep ropes, life jackets, and flo- tation devices. “In almost every society around Sector 150, there are swimming pools, which means basic rescue equipment is available on-site. If the rescue teams had reached out to them, these resources could have been mobilised immediately another resident said. ,” Another resident of a nearby high-rise said that many societies also store additional emergency tools that could have helped responders. The incident has also drawn attention to safety lapses at construction sites, particularly during winters. Despite repeated attempts, there was no response frfom cops till filing of this report. 11-yr-old rose seller taken to forest area, raped by e-rick driver in city, arrested I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi An 11-year-old girl selling roses at a central Delhi traffic signal was raped and left unconscious near a forest area by an e-rickshaw driver, police said on Thursday The shocking inci. dent took place on January 11 at around 3.30 pm in Prasad Nagar near Karol Bagh. The girl was at a traffic signal, waiting for it to turn red so that she could sell roses to vehi- In one of the deadliest road accidents involving security personnel, 10 Armymen were killed and 11 others injured, some of them critically, after the armoured vehicle carrying the troops for anti-militancy operation skidded off the road and fell into a 200 ft gorge in J&K’s Doda district on Thursday | P8 cle users, police said. The accused, identified by cops as 40year-old Durgesh, stopped his e-rickshaw at the signal after dropping off passengers. The police said that the accused tricked the child into sitting on the erickshaw. “When the child approached him to sell flowers, he lured her with the promise of helping her sell all the roses in one go and made her sit in the vehicle,” said the police. The accused then took the EXPRESS READ Sajjan Kumar acquitted in Janakpuri arson case No takers for vacant IndiGo slots in winter A city court on Thursday acquitted former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in a case related to inciting violence in the Janakpuri area during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, saying that the prosecution failed to prove charges beyond a reasonable doubt. Kumar has been in jail since 2018 after being sentenced by the Delhi HC to life imprisonment for the murder of five people in Palam Colony. The court said it understood the trauma suffered by the victims and their kin, but its decision had to be “sans emotions”. P3 The Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday issued an order to airlines to take up the 10% of slots cut by IndiGo, according to sources. However, thge airlines said that spare aircraft were not available with them to take up the vacant slots. The aviation regulator has refused to comment on the issue. Slots of IndiGo in the Winter schedule (which runs up to March 28) have been cut by the civil aviation ministry due to the airline’s inability to manage operations smoothly. girl to a nearby forest area, where he raped her, police said. Assuming her to be dead from the assault, he took her back to the same place where he had picked her and fled the spot, leaving her unconscious. After some time, the girl regained consciousness and managed to reach her family which , then rushed her to a hospital and informed the police. The police have registered a case under relevant sections of rape, along with the provisions of the POCSO Act. PRAYER MOMENT A man offering prayers is silhouetted against the rising sun on the eve of the Basant Panchami during the Magh Mela at Sangam in Prayagraj on Thursday | PTI | P8 yond Gaza, prompting concerns yet again that it could undercut the UN’s role as the primary forum for global diplomacy and conflict resolution. The board’s charter describes it as “an international organisation that seeks to promote stability restore dependable and law, ful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict” arguing that durable peace requires “the courage to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed.” At the ceremony, Trump expressed confidence that progress was imminent on multiple fronts. “I believe another settlement is coming very soon,” he said, before turning to the Ukraine war. “The one I thought was going to be an easy one has turned out to be probably the most difficult.” He also thanked those in attendance, including former British prime minister Tony Blair. “Thank you Tony for being here, we appreciate it. It is running beautifully… just about every country wants to be a part of it,” Trump said. The White House has already announced a founding executive board to operationalise the initiative. It includes Rubio, Blair, US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-inlaw Jared Kushner, World Bank president Ajay Banga, Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan, and dy national security adviser Robert Gabriel Jr. KEY US ALLIES WARY | P9 JOINT SESSION K’TAKA GUV WRAPS UP HIS ADDRESS IN JUST 60 SECONDS E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Bengaluru Siddu lambasts Gehlot Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accused Gehlot of working as a “puppet” of the Centre. He said that by not reading the speech that was curated by the state cabinet, the Governor violated Constitutional law. “As per Articles 176 and 163 of the Governor is bound to read the address prepared by the Cabinet” THE joint session of the Karnataka legislature witnessed dramatic scenes on Thursday as Governor Thawarchand Gehlot refused to read the full address prepared by the state government, and instead concluded his speech in just three sentences, lasting a minute before walking out of the House. Gehlot had raised objections to 11 paragraphs in the government-drafted address, particularly those criticising the Union government’s move to replace the MGNREGA scheme with the VB-G RAM G Act. Governor Gehlot arrived at Vidhana Soudha at 11 am and entered the Assembly with Speaker U T Khader, Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Law Minister HK Patil. After the national anthem, Gehlot commenced his speech at 11.08 am. Without reading any of the 120 points drafted by the state government, Gehlot read the last paragraph, saying his government (Union government) was firmly committed to doubling the pace of the state’s economic and social development before concluding his address. Many of the members, including the Chairman and the Speaker, took a few seconds to realize that he had concluded his speech. As Governor Gehlot was walking out, ministers H K Patil and Priyank Kharge demanded that he complete the speech. Some Congress legislators, including MLC BK Hariprasad, attempted to block his way while raising slogans against the Governor. The Governor’s security personnel and Marshals intervened and escorted him out. RAJ ROMANCE Life convicts fall in love, parole wedding for lifetime promise R A J E S H A S N A N I @ Jaipur IN an unusual turn of events, two individuals serving life sentences in separate murder cases have been granted parole—not to step back into ordinary life, but to step into marriage. After developing a relationship inside a Jaipur prison, the couple is set to wed on January 23 in the Baroda Mev area of Alwar district. The bride-to-be, Priya Seth— also known as Neha Seth and the prime accused in the widely reported Dushyant Sharma murder case—has been granted 15 days’ parole to solemnise the marriage. Her partner, Hanuman Prasad, a life convict in another murder case, has received similar parole approval. The decision was cleared by the District Parole Advisory Committee following directions from the Rajasthan HC. Priya is currently lodged in an open prison in Jaipur, where she came into contact with Ha- numan during incarceration. The circumstances surrounding Priya’s conviction remain serious. The case shocked Jaipur in 2018 for its planning and violence. Dushyant was allegedly drawn into contact with Priya through a dating application and invited to her flat, where her former boyfriend, Dikshant Kamra, and his aide, Lakshya Walia, were already present. Dushyant was held hostage, and a ransom of `10 lakh was demanded from his father. Though `3 lakh was transferred to the victim’s bank account, the situation allegedly spiralled out of control. Dushyant was strangled, stabbed in the face to hide identification, placed in a suitcase, and his body abandoned in Amer hills. Police stated the crime was planned to repay Kamra’s debts and alleged that Priya had previously targeted affluent men through social media for extortion, supporting a lavish lifestyle. Priya comes from a welleducated middle-class family. The stark contrast between her background and the crime drew attention, reopening discussions on crime, reform, and the unexpected ways human relationships can emerge.