TUESDAY 12 MAY, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard Vinesh reaches Gonda, WFI refuses to let her take part US, FRENCH Despite being cleared by International Testing Agency, Vinesh Phogat not allowed to complete verification for Sr Open rankings meet in Gonda EVACUEES TEST HANTAVIRUS +VE An American citizen and a French woman evacuated from the cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak have tested positive, officials said. PAGE 9 ‘WFI CHIEF WANTS ME TO QUIT WRESTLING’ A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 Vinesh presented her arguments before WFI president Sanjay Kumar Singh but all those fell on deaf ears. The 31-year-old grappler alleged conspiracy being hatched against her by former WFI chief Brij Bhushan. Earlier, the two-time Worlds medallist had expressed apprehension over participating at this venue, which is considered a stronghold of Brij Bhushan | P11 AIADMK heads for ‘split’ in Assembly E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Chennai THE AIADMK might be headed for a “split” with its newlysworn-in MLAs divided on the election of its leader for the legislature party. One group supports party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami while another is backing former ministers S P Velumani and C Ve Shanmugam, with both sides submitting separate letters to Pro-Tem Speaker M V Karuppaiah on Monday. A clear picture of which faction prevails may become clearer on Tuesday when the new TVK gover nment will face a floor test and the speaker and deputy speaker of the House will be elected. After the Assembly session 2 women from Assam, Bihar molested near Nehru Place N I T I N R A W AT @ New Delhi TWO women—one from Assam and the other from Bihar—were allegedly molested, assaulted and subjected to racist slurs by a group of men outside a star hotel in Nehru Place on Sunday Four . accused have been detained for interrogation. According to the women, they were having tea when two men started catcalling them. After a while, the men were joined by their friends. Soon, three more men joined them. They allegedly started assaulting the women. One of the men allegedly molested one of the women and even tore her clothes, while another attacked the woman with a bamboo stick. A preliminary probe revealed that the survivors were subjected to derogatory remarks and abuses, which led to a physical altercation, DCP (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said. Both the survivors were taken to AIIMS, where their medical exam was done. A case was lodged under BNS. In February three women , from Arunachal Pradesh were allegedly subjected to racial slurs by their neighbours in Malviya Nagar. EXPRESS READ NIA joins probe into explosives on PM route The NIA rushed a team to Bengaluru on Monday after suspected explosive materials were discovered along a route used by PM Narendra Modi’s convoy the previous day. P5 AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami (left) and other party heads, including S P Velumani (right), arrive at Fort St George to take oath as MLAs on Monday | P JAWAHAR for newly-elected members to take the oath concluded on Monday, a group of 17 MLAs called on the pro-tem speaker and submitted a letter informing them of the election of Palaniswami as the leader of the legislature party . After five hours, an AIADMK release said the letter contained details about the MLAs elected to the posts of deputy leader, whip, deputy whip, treasurer, secretary, and depu- Austerity pitch spooks markets, hits sentiments Sensex down 1.7%, rupee falls to 95.31, govt reviewing pricing of petroleum products D I PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi’s call for austerity in view of the Iran war triggered sharp reactions across markets and sectors on Monday with investors interpreting the , remarks as a signal of an imminent crisis. Equity markets tumbled over 1.5%, while the rupee—which depreciated 11.5% in the past year— plunged 82 paise to settle at a record closing low of 95.31 against the US dollar. Taking cues from the PM’s warning on economic disruptions, the BSE Sensex fell 1,312.91 points, or 1.7%, to close at 76,015.28, while the NSE Nifty50 declined 360.30 points, or 1.49%, to settle at 23,815.85. During a speech in Hyderabad on Sunday , Modi called for collective participation to help India navigate global economic disruptions, supply chain challenges, and rising prices. He urged people to avoid buying gold and cut down on foreign travel, and asked companies to revive work-from-home arrangements similar to those adopted during the Covid-19 pandemic. The PM’s call for reducing petrol and diesel consumption also fuelled speculation that a retail fuel price hike was imminent. On Monday the petroleum ministry said , oil marketing companies are likely to face under-recoveries of `2 lakh crore in the first quarter of FY27. The ministry added the government is reviewing fuel pricing. Petroleum products and gold imports remain major burdens on India’s external account. In FY26, India imported petroleum products worth $172 billion while gold imports surged 24% to $72 billion. India’s foreign exchange reserves stood at $690 billion in the week ending May 1, down from a peak of $728 billion in the week ended Feb 27. The PM’s appeal for restraint on gold purchases has brought renewed attention to the free trade pact with the UAE, following which gold imports jumped from $3 billion in 2022 to $16.5 billion in 2025. Remote and hybrid work on: Nasscom On PM’s call for work from home arrangements, Nasscom said most companies have already optimised energy consumption and enabled remote and hybrid work arrangements wherever operationally appropriate to reduce energy usage and commuting Concerned about crisis: India Inc India Inc has expressed concern over the economic challenges owing to Gulf crisis. Sunil Mittal, chairman, Bharti Enterprises, said the crisis has placed pressure on global economies, including India 3-YR-OLD RAPED Govt may take over Janakpuri pvt school A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi THE Delhi government is likely to take over the management of a private school in west Delhi’s Janakpuri as a show-cause notice to the school authorities over the alleged rape of a threeyear-old girl on its premises remains unanswered, officials said on Monday . Citing serious lapses in child safety, supervision and compliance with statutory norms, the Directorate of Education on May 8 issued a show-cause notice to the school management, warning that failure to furnish a response could lead to withdrawal of recognition and takeover of management under School staff accused A three-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a 57-year-old staff inside the school. The crime came to light on May 1 when the survivor’s mother filed a police complaint. provisions of the Delhi School Education Act and Rules. The school authorities were granted three days to file their response. However, it is yet to be received by DoE, and the department is planning to initiate disciplinary action over the alleged deficiencies in child safety meas- ures, officials said. A three-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a 57-year-old staff inside the private school in Janakpuri. The incident came to light on May 1 when the survivor’s mother filed a complaint at Janakpuri Police Station, alleging her daughter was sexually assaulted during school hours by the accused. According to the complaint, the child went to the school on April 30, the second day after her admission. After returning home, she complained of pain. When questioned by her mother, the girl said she was taken to an isolated area in the school, where the man assaulted her. On her mother’s complaint, the suspect was arrested. ty secretary of the AIADMK legislature party . Although only 17 MLAs submitted the letter, one supporter of Palaniswami told this newspaper that 27 MLAs backed Palaniswami’s election. The AIADMK headquarters released a photo showing Palaniswami chairing a meeting of 22 MLAs and claimed that five more MLAs had added their support for his election. Asked about speculations that the AIADMK is splitting again, Palaniswami at the secretariat simply said, “It is wrong information.” The MLAs supporting Palaniswami include O S Manian, Thalavai N Sundaram, K C Karuppanan, Maragatham Kum a r av e l a n d A g r i S S Krishnamurthy . Victory margin vs SIR appeals: File fresh plea, SC tells Didi S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi SOMNATH ANNIV Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers prayers at Somnath Temple in Veraval, Gujarat as part of the Somnath Amrut Mahotsav, marking 75 years of the inauguration of the restored temple dedicated to Lord Shiva | PTI | P8 Sonia, Priyanka step in to break the impasse over Kerala CM candidate K S S R E E J I T H @ T’puram THE suspense over who will be the next Kerala chief minister deepened on Monday, a week after the election results gave a thumping majority to the Congress-led UDF, as the party’s central leadership summoned senior leaders from the state for another round of talks. The move comes after senior leader Sonia Gandhi and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra favoured detailed discussions with former KPCC presidents to resolve the deadlock. Apart from Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief Sunny Joseph and working presidents A P Anil Kumar, P C Vishnunadh and Shafi Parambil, former KPCC presidents V M Sudheeran, K Muraleedharan, K Sudhakaran, and M M Decision today? Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, who is on a visit to his home state Karnataka, will reach Delhi on Tuesday, earlier than his scheduled return on Wednesday. This, Congress sources said, indicates an announcement is likely on Tuesday Hassan are expected to reach Delhi by Tuesday . Mullappally Ramachandran expressed his inability to travel at short notice after which senior leader Rahul Gandhi spoke to him on the phone. According to party sources, the high command is likely to meet the Kerala leaders individually to take their inputs. The three contenders for the New Bengal govt clears land transfer for border fencing S U B H E N D U M A I T I @ Kolkata THE new BJP government in West Bengal, in its first cabinet meeting, approved the long-delayed transfer of land to the BSF for fencing along the border with Bangladesh. “The transfer process of land for border fencing will start within 45 days of the formation of our government in the state, and it was our commitment. The state chief secretary and land and land reform department secretary will work together to hand over land to the BSF,” Chief Minister Suvendhu Adhikari said. He said that as per the knowledge he acquired during his previous tenure as the Leader of Opposition, The transfer some 90 per cent of the process will begin land required to comimmediately, and plete the border fencthe cabinet has ing exercise was alempowered the chief re a dy u n d e r s t at e secretary and the acquisition. “I will secretary of the state’s land and land have to go through the revenue department papers to figure out the to complete the exact status of the land process within the required, and for which next 45 days I will need some more time,” he said. Suvendhu Adhikari While campaigning for the recently-held assembly elections in the state, top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah, had accused the previous Trinamool Congress government of compromising the country’s security by delaying the land transfer to the BSF. In another major decision, the government approved rolling out the Centre’s health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat in the state. He assured that no existing social security schemes, including, Swasthya Sathi, a health scheme launched by Mamata Banerjee, will be withdrawn. P8 CM’s post—K C Venugopal, Ramesh Chennithala, and V D Satheesan—have pinned their hopes on these meetings. Although the senior leaders had met the two central observers during their visit to Kerala, the latest decision is in view of the continuing stalemate over CM selection. However, there are indications that the latest round of talks is to ward off criticism that all stakeholders were not taken into confidence. Sources said both Rahul and party president Mallikarjun Kharge would meet the leaders and seek their opinion on the choice of the new CM and the overall political atmosphere. Thereafter, the high command may summon the three CM contenders and inform them of the final decision. THE Supreme Court on Monday said former chief minister Mamata Banerjee and others can file fresh applications regarding their claim that the victory margins in 31 constituencies in the recent assembly polls in West Bengal were less than the number of voters challenging their deletion from the electoral rolls—during the special intensive revision (SIR)— before appellate tribunals. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi took note of the submissions after senior advocate and TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee referred to an earlier observation of Justice Bagchi that the court can look into the grievances if victory margins are less than the number of names deleted during the SIR. Claiming that SIR impacted the Bengal poll coutcome, Banerjee submitted that in one constituency, his party candidate lost by 862 votes while more than 5,000 names were removed from the rolls. He added that the vote gap between the TMC and the BJP was 32 lakh while 35 lakh appeals were pending before appellate tribunals. The Election Commission opposed Banerjee’s submission, saying that the only remedy was an election petition. It said it can be held accountable for issues related to the SIR only. “The law is clear ... every issue arising out of SIR could not be separately litigated,” the poll panel further argued. The bench said the mechanism for adjudication of these appeals could be improved.