MONDAY RESURGENT HAMAS LAUNCHES FRESH ROCKET ATTACKS TARGETING TEL AVIV 27 MAY, 2024 The first long-range rocket attack from Gaza since January sent Israelis scrambling for cover on Sunday, but there were no reports of casualties 81 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard A F G H A N I S TA N FLASH FLOODS KILL 15 MORE The unusually heavy seasonal rains have been wreaking havoc on multiple parts of the country, killing hundreds of people and destroying property and crops PAGE 9 Israelis take cover after rocket fire | AFP EIGHT PROJECTILES FIRED FROM RAFAH: IDF A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS NEW DELHI Seven newborns killed in fire at East Delhi hospital Oxygen cylinders explode in baby care centre whose licence expired Rajkot gaming zone did not have fire dept’s NOC, says FIR D I L I P S I N G H K S H AT R I YA @ Ahmedabad Charred remains of a vehicle outside a children’s hospital at Vivek Vihar area, where a fire broke out on Saturday night | PARVEEN NEGI U J W A L J A L A L I @ New Delhi T R A G E DY s t r u c k t h e national Capital on the night of May 25-26 when six newborns were killed after a massive fire broke out at a childcare hospital in east Delhi’s Shahdara area, police said. According to a senior police officer, a total of 7 infant bodies were sent for postmortem, including the body of one child who had already died hours before the fire incident. “The child died a couple of hours before the incident during treatment. He had some heart problems. The hospital staff had informed his parents around 8.30 pm Saturday,” DCP (Shahdara) Surendra Chaudhary told this newspaper. The owner of the hospital, identified as Dr Naveen Khichi (45) and the on-duty staff, an unqualified doctor, Dr Aaksh (26), were arrested. Condoling the deaths, President Droupadi Murmu prayed for strength to the bereaved parents. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said those responsible for negligence will not be spared. The fire broke out at a baby care hospital and some adjacent buildings around 11.30 pm o n S a t u r d a y, f o l l o w i n g which both the fire department and the police were alerted. Sources said several oxygen cylinders in the two-storey hospital building exploded after catching fire. The explosions even caused damage to adjacent structures. The police officer said the probable cause of the fire was short-circuit. Delhi Fire Service Director Atul Garg said they received a call about the fire at 11.31 pm and that 9 fire tenders were i m m e d i at e ly p re s s e d into service. By the time firemen reached the spot, the building was already engulfed in flames. Yet the firemen and the police personnel rescued 12 infants from the building and took them to a nearby hospital in east Delhi. Fire officials said it took them around 70 minutes to control the fire. DCP Chaudhary said there were 12 newborns admitted to the hospital and that one had died before the fire broke out. “All the 12 newborns were rescued from the hospital with the help of other people and shifted to the east Delhi Advance NICU hospital in Vivek Vihar. Six of them were declared brought P3 dead,” Chaudhary said. A day after the deadly blaze at TRP Gaming Zone in Gujarat’s Rajkot, the city police on Sunday registered a First Information Report (FIR) as per which the facility lacked fire safety equipment and was operating without the required ‘No Objection Certificate’ from the fire department. The toll from the blaze climbed to 28 on Sunday . As per the complaint registered by the police, “The owner of the TRP Zone constructed a gaming area using an iron and sheet fabrication structure, approximately 50 meters wide, 60 meters long, and two to three floors high. Despite knowing the severe fire risk, they operated the gaming zone without effective firefighting equipment or a fire department NOC.” Rajkot taluka police have booked six persons for culpable homicide not amounting to murder including Dhaval Corporation proprietor Dhaval Thakkar, Raceway Enterprise partners Ashoksinh Jadeja, Kiritsinh Jadeja, Prakashchand Hiran, Yuvrajsinh Solanki and Rahul Rathod, as per the FIR. However, Rajkot Police Commissioner Raju Bhargava said the accused have presented evidence of fire safety equipment. Meanwhile, the Gujarat High Court on Sunday took suo motu cognizance of the incident, calling it prima facie a “manmade disaster”. The matter will be heard on Monday The court . may issue a directive concerning the state’s game zones. J8.00 U J W A L J A L A L I @ New Delhi The gutted remains at the Krishna Nagar residential area | PARVEEN NEGI floors having an area of 100 sq yards. The upper 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floor were affected in heat and smoke,” Garg said. The charred body of Promila (66) was found on the first floor. Anju Shar ma (39) and her 18-year-old son Keshav (resid- Israel’s army said at least eight rockets were fired towards the country’s central regions from Gaza’s Rafah, adding “a number” of the projectiles were intercepted. In Tel Aviv, rocket sirens blared for the first time in several months. The fresh attack is seen as a show of resilience by Hamas at a time when Israel’s war cabinet is set to discuss truce and hostage release deal PAGES 12 Big Knights eclipse Sunrisers in one-sided final G O M E S H S @ Chennai HEADISHEK is a moniker Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma earned for destroying oppositions, setting record partnerships and touching heady heights during powerplays. They rewrote the batting manual and cooked the winning recipe for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Heinrich Klaasen provided the finishing touches. Bowlers led by captain Pat Cummins then make sure to secure the matches. Put up big scores and out-bat oppositions. On Sunday with the tempera, ture hovering around 40 degree Celsius during the day Kolkata , Kolkata Knight Riders players celebrate after beating Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai on Sunday. This is their 3rd IPL title after 2012 & 2014 | ASHWIN PRASATH Knight Riders, armed with an array of bowlers — both incisive and utility — led by the ever-dependable Mitchell Starc had only one thing in mind. Stop the openers from scoring big and restrict in middle overs. But in the most one-sided final, KKR not only managed to send Headishek home early but tore into the batting order. A late rearguard by Cummins helped them to reach a figure — 113 — that they usually would score in the first eight overs. With a strong KKR support in the stands, Starc delivered the ball of the season to clean up Abhishek on the fifth delivery of the match — a sharp outswinger that clipped the top Bengal braces for heavy rains as Cyclone Remal makes landfall S U L A G N A S E N G U P TA @ Kolkata CYCLONE Remal intensified into a ‘severe cyclonic storm’ and made landfall between West Bengal and Bangladesh coasts on Sunday night with wind speeds ranging from 110120 km per hour and gusts reaching up to 135 kmph, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The IMD said the weather system will bring heavy to very heavy rainfall over South and North 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur, Kolkata Howrah and Hooghly districts of West Bengal while heavy rain is likely in the state’s Paschim Medinipur, Purba Bardhaman and Nadia districts on May 26 and 27. Extremely heavy rains are also likely to lash parts of northeast India on May 27 and 28. Fishermen have been advised to not venture into the sea till May 28. Around 1.10 lakh people have been evacuated from coastal regions, including Sagar Island, Sunderbans, and Kakdwip, as a precautionary measure. Kolkata airport has suspended flight operations for 21 hours beginning from Sunday noon. 3 killed in fire at residential building in East Delhi THREE people were killed after a fire broke out in a four-storey residential building in Krishna Nagar area of east Delhi early on Sunday officials said. , Chief of Delhi Fire Services Atul Garg said a call regarding a blaze at a house in Krishna Nagar area was received at 2.35 am, following which three fire engines were deployed. “Eleven two-wheelers in the stilt parking of the house caught fire and the blaze spread to the first floor. The building comprised of ground (stilt) +4 PEOPLE KILLED IN GAZA ON SUNDAY, THE HAMASCONTROLLED HEALTH MINISTRY SAID ing on fourth floor) were declared brought dead at the hospital. Devender, who also lives on the fourth floor, is in critical condition, officials said. The firemen managed to rescue 12 people from all the upper floors and shifted them to hospitals. DCP (Shahdara) Surendra Chaudhary said, “A case under sections 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter), 304A (causing death by negligence), 337 (causing hurt) and 427 (mischief) of IPC has been registered at Krishna Nagar police station.” of off stump. And Vaibhav Arora’s outswinger sent back Head in the next over. Then Starc removed Rahul Tripathi in the fifth, and KKR were in the driving seat. Their mystery bowlers, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, tweaked the story a little further. Venkatesh Iyer’s fifty ensured no hiccups for KKR. A highly-entertaining IPL that saw records of highest scores turned into a dampener. An antithesis. Even as a storm set to ravage Kolkata late night, this news of IPL triumph would help fans to tide over the dark and dreary night with optimism. After all, KKR has won P11 the title after 10 years. Plea in SC on Kerala former minister’s wife appointment S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi Rains and strong winds ahead of the landfall of Cyclone Remal, in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. The cyclone made landfall late on Sunday | PTI The Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata suspended all cargo and container handling operations for 12 hours from Sunday evening. Railway operations in the port area will also be suspended during that time, officials said. Sixteen battalions each from the state disaster management force and the National Disaster Response Forces have been deployed in the coastal regions to help with evacuation and relief works. Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting to review response and preparedness. West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose said he is closely monitoring the situation and is in touch with the state and central experts to ensure a coordinated response. The state government has set up a 24/7 control room at the state secretariat in Kolkata to monitor the situation in the state’s coastal districts. The helpline numbers at the state secretariat are 1070 and (033)22143526. EXPRESS READ Army chief’s tenure extended by 1 month In a rare move, the Appointments Committee of Cabinet extended the service of Indian Army chief General Manoj Pande by one month. While he was set to retire on May 31, it has been rescheduled to June 30. The government is yet to announce his successor. P7 VOTES CAST, CITY AWAITS THE MANDATE NOW Qatar Airways plane hits turbulence, 12 hurt Twelve people were injured when a Qatar Airways plane flying from Doha to Dublin on Sunday hit turbulence and eight were taken to hospital, airport authorities said. Dublin Airport said in a statement that the plane landed safely as scheduled. P9 While BJP is hopeful of a repeat of its stellar performance in the 2019 polls, a rejuvenated INDIA bloc banks on multiple issues such as anti-incumbency, inflation and unemployment | P4 A special leave petition (SLP) has been filed in the Supreme Court by a whistleblower linked to the appointment of a former Kerala minister’s wife in the Kerala Bhasha Institute. The whistleblower, Manimekhala, termed the appointment of Anila Varghese, the wife of Anoop Jacob, to the post of assistant director in the institute as “illegal and unconstitutional,” saying it was done in violation of Article 14, 15 and 16 of the Constitution, service rules and employment laws. Manimekhala knocked SC doors after Kerala High Court rejected her plea. The HC did not find any substance or evidence in her petition. The whistleblower’s SLP has been filed by advocate Tarini K Nayak through advocates-onrecord Renjith Marar and Lakshmi Kaimal. The SLP contended that the HC failed to adequately consider the evidence presented by Manimekhala, who had pointed out Varghese’s “insufficient educational qualifications and age eligibility” for the post. “The appointment process flouted statutory requirements, including mandatory notification of vacancies to employment exchanges as per the Employment Exchanges (Compulsory Notification of Vacancies) Act, 1959,” Nayak said in the petition. “The documents submitted by Varghese are deemed lacking in authenticity and are evidently forged,” the petition stated. The petition sought to overturn the HC’s dismissal order. According to Supreme Court sources and re gistry, the matter would come up for hearing after the summer vacations are over on July 7. Will rebel ‘bahu’ be able to sail through in JMM’s stronghold? M U K E S H R A N J A N @ Ranchi JHARKHAND’S Dumka Lok Sabha seat, the traditional stronghold of JMM patriarch Shibu Soren, is witnessing a curious contest this time as Soren’s daughterin-law Sita Soren is fighting on a BJP ticket. A long-time JMM member and three-time MLA from Jama Assembly she joined the BJP in March , claiming she was “neglected and isolated” in the JMM. Since 1980, a candidate from the Shibu Soren family used to contest from Dumka. But this time, to avoid a family feud, the JMM has fielded veteran leader and six-time MLA Nalin Soren from the seat, which is reserved for the Scheduled Tribes. As for the BJP, it has benched sitting MP Sunil Soren to put Sita Soren in the fray Sita was . married to Durga Soren, Shibu Soren’s son and Hemant Soren’s brother. She entered politics after the untimely demise of her husband in 2009 at the age of 39. She was elected from the Jama Assembly seat for the first time in 2009. Among the Soren siblings — Durga, Hemant and Basant, and sister Anjani – the eldest brother, Durga, was sup- posed to take over the reins of JMM from Shibu Soren. His death paved the way for Hemant Soren to inherit the party . Dumka has been a stronghold of JMM with Shibu Soren getting elected eight times from the seat. However, in the Modi wave of 2019, the BJP’s Sunil Soren defeated the J M M ve t e r a n by 47,000 votes. Both Sita and Nalin have a strong support base in their respective regions but are not raising any local issues to raise to seek votes. Nalin Soren is trying to mobilise people on the issue of tribal respect by raising former CM Hemant Soren’s arrest as an insult to the tribal community . Sita Soren is banking on ‘Modi ki guarantee’ and the welfare works done Sita Soren (left) and Nalin Soren ILLUSTRATION: MANDAR PARDIKAR for the tribals by the BJP-led central government in the past 10 years. She is also seeking ‘justice’ saying that she and her daughters were ignored by Hemant Soren and his wife Kalpana Soren. The current political scenario is fluid in this constituency and it is difficult to predict who will emerge victorious. Tribal, Muslim, and Christian votes that constitute around 45% of the total vote count are expected to go to the JMM and votes of remaining communities to the BJP However, the BJP . is hopeful of increasing its votes this time as state BJP president Babulal Marandi is popular among the tribal voters in Dumka. “If Babulal Marandi suc- ceeds in mobilising even 5% of the non-Christian tribal voters, the situation will change and the result will go in BJP’s favour,” said Dumka-based journalist Shivshankar Chaudhary . The total strength of non-Christian tribal voters in Dumka is around 15%, he added. On the other hand, there is a fair amount of resentment among the tribals over Sita Soren’s decision to leave the JMM when Hemant is in jail. “Sita Soren’s timing of leaving the party and her family will make a negative impact among her supporters who had been loyal to the Soren family,” said Ajiz Mian of Mohara village under Jamtara Block of Dumka.
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