SATURDAY NETFLIX PULLS CONTENT RELATED TO GHOOSKHOR PANDAT AFTER GOVT FIAT 07 FEBRUARY, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard Centre on Wednesday asked Netflix to remove teaser and other promotional content of the film from social media amid backlash over its title NEW DEAL US SEEKS N-TALKS WITH CHINA, RUSSIA SOCIAL MEDIA OUTRAGE OVER THE TITLE The US urged 3-way talks with Russia and China to set new limits on nuclear weapons, after the treaty between Washington and Moscow expired. A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9  NEW DELHI  J8.00  The film’s title triggered outrage on social media, with many saying it portrays a particular community in a bad light. The Uttar Pradesh Police registered an FIR against the film’s director. The state government said action was taken on charges of spreading social animosity, hurting religious and caste sentiments, and attempting to disturb public peace. PAGES 12 RBI says will pay up to `25,000 to digital fraud victims B E N N K O C H U V E E D A N @ Mumbai WITH digital frauds becoming commonplace, the Reserve Bank of India has decided to cast a safety net for victims of such frauds. The central bank will pay 70% of small value money or up to `25,000 lost in fraudulent transactions without any questions asked to the customer for the first time, RBI governor Sanjay Malhotra said on Friday . The remaining 30% loss will be equally shared by the customer (15%) and the bank to ensure all parties have skin in the game, Malhotra said. This is among measures the central bank announced for better customer protection and digital payments safety as part of regulatory measures including stricter guidelines on misselling, loan recovery and cus, tomer liability announced , during the policy announcement. “A discussion paper will soon be released to ensure stronger digital payment security measures,” Malhotra said. According to official RBI data, banks reported 13,469 fraud cases related to card and internet-based transactions during fiscal 2025, involving losses of `520 crore. “Introducing a framework to compensate customers up to an amount of Rs 25,000 for losses incurred in fraudulent transactions,” the governor said, adding this will be done upon asking no questions including whether the affected customer has shared the OTP or not. “Even if the customer has shared the OTP and if the incidence of fraud was first time, the customer is eligible for the compensation, less than 15% of the total loss,” the governor clarified. The governor further said a vast majority to the tune 65% of the digital frauds are SC OKs med termination of 30-week pregnancy THE Supreme Court on Friday directed medical termination of a 17-year-old girl’s 30-week pregnancy, observing that courts cannot compel a woman, much less a minor, to continue an unwanted pregnancy . A bench of justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan ordered Mumbai’s JJ Hospital to perform the procedure with all necessary medical safeguards, emphasizing the minor’s reproductive autonomy over other considerations. The girl had c o n c e ive d w h i l e i n a relationship with a neighbourhood boy and consistently expressed her unwillingness to continue the pregnancy . “The court cannot compel any woman, much less a minor child, to complete her pregnancy if she is otherwise not intending to do so,” the bench stated, noting that while the medical board reported no threat to mother or child if carried to full term, the girl’s wishes remained paramount. Justice Nagarathna acknowledged the moral and legal complexities: “Should we compel her to give birth to a child? Because the child which will be born is also ultimately going to be a life. If she can terminate at 24 weeks, then why not at 30 weeks? Bottom line is she doesn’t want to give birth.” The court warned that denying such terminations f o r c e s wo m e n t o w a r d quacks. “There are so many cases where termination takes place beyond what’s stipulated under the MTP Act. Where will such people go?” the bench asked. The Reserve Bank-led rate-setting panel has opted for continuity in the final monetary policy review of the current fiscal, keeping the repo rate unchanged at 5.25%, while retaining the neutral policy stance. However, it has promised that lower rates are here to stay for longer unless macro data and inflation do not surprise on the downsides as the central bank will ensure that the economy will get ample liquidity support, amidst the resilient domestic growth and lingering global uncertainties. | P10 HOW NEGLECT ON NCR ROADS KEEPS TAKING YOUNG LIVES 25-YR-OLD ON MOTORBIKE FALLS INTO PIT DUG FOR DJB WORK HOW IT HAPPENED NO HELP FOR ALMOST 8 HRS TILL A PASSERBY INFORMS COPS Kamal’s mobile phone 11:50 PM, Opposition members staging a protest in the Well raising slogans against the government during the Budget session in the Lok Sabha on Friday | PTI Growing LS rift could hamper rest of session P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi WITH the ties between the government and the Opposition at a near breaking point, uncertainty hangs over the remaining days of the first phase of the Budget Session in the Lok Sabha. Opposition parties have signalled that protests will be intensified as there has been no conciliatory move from the government, fuelling fears of further disruptions to discussion on the Union Budget 2026-27 in the week ahead. The flashpoints are the government’s refusal to allow Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi to speak in the Lok Sabha on former Army chief General Naravane’s book and the suspension of eight Opposition MPs for alleged unruly behaviour. The divide deepened after Prime Minister It is government’s Narendra Modi launched a sharp attack on responsibility to the Congress and other Opposition parties reach out to the in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. Speaker Opposition and Birla’s remark that he had ‘credible informaresolve differences. tion’ about some MPs planning an ‘unprecNo such effort has edented action’ against the PM added fuel to been made the fire, with Opposition leaders strongly obCongress Chief Whip jecting to the allegation. Kodikunnil Suresh The Lok Sabha is scheduled to resume discussion on the Budget on February 9, 10 and 11, with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman set to reply on February 11. However, Opposition leaders have made it clear the debate may not proceed as scheduled. Although the Budget discussions were to begin on February 5, proceedings were stalled due to pandemonium. The first phase of the Budget Session is scheduled to conclude on February 13. After a recess, Parliament will reconvene for the second phase from March 9 to April 2. Congress chief whip Kodikunnil Suresh told this paper that the government had shown little inclination to engage with the Opposition. “On Wednesday our leaders met the Speaker and , placed demands, but there has been no response,” he said. On Friday, the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day amid continuous disruptions. P7 Rlys now revenue Bill for unified surplus: Vaishnaw transport authority In a major reform aimed at transforming urban mobility, the Delhi government has initiated the process of drafting a bill for the creation of the Delhi Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority along with a dedicated Delhi Urban Transport Fund. The proposed legislation seeks to rationalise, integrate and coordinate fragmented transport ecosystem under a single planning and governance framework. P3 1 Thursday: Kamal called his family to say he would be at his Palam home in 10-15 minutes. His family started searching for him when he didn’t reach home N I T I N R A W AT @ New Delhi IT began the same way on two , different nights, in Greater Noida and Delhi, which are barely an hour apart. A young man finished work. He called home. He got on his vehicle. And then—nothing. In Noida, it was Yuvraj Mehta, a 27-year-old software engineer, driving through Sector 150 on the night of January 16, slick with fog and water. In Delhi, weeks later, it was Kamal Dhayani, 25, a private bank employee, riding his motorcycle back from Rohini to Vikaspuri after a late night at work on Thursday Both were ordinary . journeys, the kind families across the NCR take for granted every night. Both journeys ended in darkness—at the bottom of open, unattended pits. Before leaving for the office on Thursday, Kamal told his mother that Friday would be his day off and that the family would celebrate his parents’ anniversary together. His mother waited for him all through Thursday night, unaware that by morning she would be told her son had died after falling into an open pit dug by the Delhi Jal Board and carelessly left uncovered in Janakpuri. For his family, the night stretched endlessly His phone . rang unanswered. Messages went unread. By midnight, anx- 2 to near Possangipur Park in Janakpuri, but search operation fails 3 8:03 AM: PCR gets a call about a man falling into a 15-foot-deep pit near Andhra School. Police find him and his Apache bike in the pit The victim was going home after work when his bike fell in the pit | PARVEEN NEGI 1:35 AM, Friday: His twin brother Karan, along with friends, went to the Vikaspuri police station, but got no information on his whereabouts of any accident. Police traced iety hardened into fear. By 12.30 am, they were at police stations and hospitals in and around Janakpuri and the Rohni-Palam route (Kamal’s last call was from the Janakpuri District Centre at 11.53 pm). He didn’t come home. Police teams joined the search. Phone towers were tracked. Streets were scanned in the cold hours before dawn. Kamal’s brother and friends searched the night, too. At 7.30 am, the search ended not with relief, but with a scream stuck in the throat. Kamal’s body lay inside a 15foot-dee p pit dug by the Delhi Jal Board on Joginder Singh Marg. His Apache motorcycle rested nearby twisted and , silent. There were no barricades. No warning lights. No signs. Just a hole on a busy eter questions that no investigation seems able to answer. How does a pit this dangerous remain open on a public road? Who checks it at night? Who decides that a warning light is optional? And how many complaints does it take before safety matters more than speed or cost? There is something especially cruel about these deaths because they happen in such ordinary moments. Across NCR, open pits dot roads like unspoken threats. During the day, drivers swerve around them. At night, they disappear into darkness, indistinguishable from the asphalt until it is too late. Everyone knows they are there. Everyone assumes someone else is responsible. Until someone doesn’t come home. P3 ‘Will be home in 15 mnts’ Parents’ anniv Since Kamal Dhayani’s last call was made from the Janakpuri District Centre, his family and friends searched along the RohiniPalam route. A friend recalled the final conversation: “When we asked where he was, he said, ‘I’ve reached the District Centre, and I’ll be home in 10 minutes’.” The 25-year-old biker was looking forward to celebrate his parents’ anniversary. Before leaving for work, he had told his mother that Friday would be his offday and that they would celebrate it. His mother said, “He had kept all the necessary items ready, but never returned from his office.” EXPRESS READ Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said in the Rajya Sabha that the national transporter has become a small revenue surplus after meeting all costs. He said over five lakh jobs were generated during 2014-24, while another 1.5 lakh employment is being provided in the third term of the NDA government. He said that there have been sustained efforts to increase freight traffic and passenger revenue in last 10 years. P7 Repo rate unchanged at 5.25%, policy stance neutral 2 PITS, 1 SILENCE S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi worth less than `55,000. When asked where would the money be sourced from for this compensation, deputy governor Swaminathan J said the compensation money will be sourced from the RBI’s depositor education fund. He said money lying in unclaimed deposits belongs to depositors and cannot be used for this purpose, but interest on such money along with the depositor education fund would be used. When asked how much money is lying in unclaimed deposits across banks, deputy governor SC Murmu said the amount t o t a l s ` 8 5 , 0 0 0 c ro re a n d interest. transit road, waiting. What connects Noida’s Sector 150 to West Delhi’s Janak p u r i i s n’ t g e o g r a p hy, but indifference. Both pits were part of ongoing public works. Both were left exposed. Both turned into death traps after sunset. In both cases, responsibility arrived only after the body was pulled out. Officials promise inquiries. Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood ordered a formal probe. The Delhi Jal Board expressed condolences to the bereaved family and said that it has set up an internal committee to investigate the circumstances leading to the death, promising strict action if negligence is established. The words are familiar, rehearsed, almost ritualistic. But the families are left with qui- Low visibility patch Joginder Singh Marg in Janakpuri has old, towering trees whose thick canopy restricts visibility, especially during night. The road is a dark patch for commuters. Also, the streetlights are either dim or ineffective, making it extremely difficult for motorists to spot hazards in time. 4 A case under Sec 105 of BNS (causing death with intent) against the contractor and DJB officials lodged Promises not kept Despite repeated assurances and surveys, the Delhi government’s promises to make the roads pothole-free remain largely unfulfilled. After the new BJP government took charge, PWD said that it would repair 7,000 potholes by April. However, the repair deadlines were missed. P4 U19 WORLD CUP Final round: Vaibhav gives English lessons in power-hitting E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Chennai RIGHT after losing the Asia Cup to Pakistan, the entire Indian U-19 team was under tremendous pressure. For a boy of 14, that pressure seemed like a mountain. Despite magical debut in age-group cricket at the the international level, questions were raised about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s ability to play crunch games like this. The only way he could have stopped those doubters were through big knocks. And that came on Friday at the final of the U19 World Cup. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi with the Cup | BCCI Sooryavanshi, playing like a man in a boy’s match, struck one of the greatest 100s in agegroup cricket to help India win their sixth Under-19 World Cup. A day before the seniors start their campaign to defend the T20 World Cup at home, Sooryavanshi & Co produced a powerpacked batting performance against England in the final at Harare. Unperturbed by the grand stage, the young 14-something smashed the ball all around the park with elan. What seemed most astonishing was the way he could middle the ball with such consummate ease and regularity. When the carnage was finally done, he had made a recordbreaking 80-ball 175, 150 of those coming in boundaries (15x4, 15x6). England tried gamely but fell 100 runs short. On a sun-kissed day India, who , opted to bat first, needed to make hay as England had sev- eral batting match-winners in their ranks. They needn’t have worried as their principal batter, Sooryavanshi, already exposed to senior cricket, tore into the English attack. Captain Ayush Mhatre told this daily that it was all teamwork and Vaibhav’s magic that P11 helped team in final. TODAY’S MATCHES 11am Pakistan vs Netherlands (Colombo) 3pm 7pm West Indies India vs USA vs Scotland (Mumbai) (Kolkata)