NEW DELHI 19 JANUARY 2025 SUNDAY `12 PAGES 24  facebook/TheMorningStandard  X.com/TheMornStandard https://epaper.morningstandard.in Not for all the Tea in a Tea Bag HUNTINGS HORIZON MAGAZINE EXCLUSIVE VOICES Anand Neelakantan Ravi Shankar Devdutt Pattanaik Neha Sinha Philosopher of Light and Metal The Trees and Rivers that Talk of Writing PLUS: 12 PAGES Anuja Chandramouli Prabhu Chawla Shankkar Aiyar Nanditha Krishna Hanging with the Irish by the Sea ‘It’s Everything I Dreamed of in a Character’ A Clarion Call Amidst the Clamour of War Rape-murder accused in 60 hours on, Saif attack suspect held RG Kar case guilty: Court in Chhattisgarh Quantum of sentence on Monday; victim’s family seeks further probe S U L A G N A S E N G U P TA @ Kolkata EXPRESS READ `300 cr scam uncovered in Rajkot, probe ordered Authorities in Gujarat’s Rajkot on Saturday launched an investigation into the alleged fraudulent operations of Blockara company. The company is accused of swindling an estimated `300 crore from over 8,000 individuals, after promising high returns from cryptocurrency investments. A Sealdah court on Saturday held 33-year-old former civic volunteer Sanjoy Roy guilty in the August 9, 2024 horrific rapemurder of a 31-year-old doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, under three sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The quantum of sentence will be pronounced on Monday . In a chilling reminder of the 2012 Nirbhaya case in Delhi, the gruesome rape-murder of the post-graduate trainee doctor shook the nation’s consciousness, with massive and sustained protests erupting across West Bengal and the country The state almost came . to a standstill with people from all walks of life joining the protests against the ghastly crime and the administration’s alleged apathy and inaction. Roy who was produced in the , packed courtroom amid tight security, was found guilty under Sections 64 (rape), 66 (punishment for causing death), and 103(1) (murder) of the BNS. Section 103(1) carries a possi- SHUTTLER COMPLAINS OF SMOG, BIRD-DROPPINGS A N M O L G U R U N G @ New Delhi POLLUTION and lack of hygiene — two most infamous reared their heads during India Open badminton here on Saturday The elite inter. national badminton (BWF Super 750-level) event came under criticism for ‘birddropping’ on courts and ‘dirt’. There have been instances when international cricket matches were affected due to pollution but the concern here is the conditions inside the indoor hall. Denmark shuttler Mia Blichfeldt, World No 23, termed the conditions at the KD Jadav Stadium to be ‘unhealthy and unacceptable’. She lost 12-21, 21-16, 21-8 against China’s Wang Zhi Yi in the 2nd round and during a postmatch interaction revealed about falling sick to BWF. “Finally home after a long and stressful week in India. It’s been 2 years in a row now that I get sick during the India Open. It’s really hard to accept that many weeks of work and preparing gets wasted because of bad conditions,” Blichfeldt posted on her official Instagram handle. “It’s not fair to anyone that we have to train and play in smog, birds shitting on the courts and dirt everywhere. These conditions are too unhealthy and unacceptable. @bwf...” The Badminton Association of India said that they are exploring alternate venues for next edition. “As the host and staging authority ..., the BAI gains access to the stadium and its infrastructure only four days before the event.” The stadium is maintained by SAI. CENTRE’S PROPOSAL Farmers’ union leaders protesting at the Khanauri border on Saturday said a Central government team has offered them a proposal, which they are examining | P3 File picture of accused Sanjoy Roy Accused could get death penalty or life Maximum sentence for the accused is death penalty or imprisonment for life as he has been convicted under Section 103(1). Punishment under Section 64 is at least 10 years and can go up to life ble punishment of death or life imprisonment. The in-camera trial ended on January 9. In the court, Roy reiterated that he was being framed while his lawyers tried to calm him down. When he was being taken out of the court, he claimed that a “certain IPS” knew everything. Ceasefire will start at 6.30 am GMT (12 pm IST) on Sunday Among the 33 Israeli captives being freed in the first phase, 9 ill and wounded will be freed first in exchange of 110 Palestinian prisoners with life sentences Hamas has agreed to free AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal’s vehicle was allegedly attacked while he was campaigning in New Delhi, sparking a heated exchange between the ruling party and the opposition BJP on Saturday . The party accused BJP “goons” of pelting Kejriwal’s convoy with bricks and stones, aiming to disrupt his campaign and intimidate him ahead of the elections. Posting a video, AAP called the attack a “cowardly act” by the BJP in fear of their impending defeat. “Fearing defeat, BJP panicked, got its goons to attack Arvind Kejriwal. BJP candidate Pravesh Verma’s goons attacked Arvind Kejriwal with bricks and stones while he was campaigning and tried to hurt him so that he could not campaign. BJP people, Kejriwal ji is not going to be scared of your cowardly attack, people will give you a befitting reply,” AAP wrote in Hindi and posted a video clip of the incident on X. In a swift rebuttal, Verma dismissed AAP’s allegations and accused Kejriwal of running over three people by his vehicle during the campaign. “When the people were asking questions, @ Saif Ali Khan SPECIAL TEAMS Mumbai Police, which had formed 30 teams to nab the suspect, had collected CCTV footage from a shop in Dadar visited by the man The intruder was not part of any gang, and was not even aware whose house he had entered Mumbai police A voice note from former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, detailing how she and her sister Rehana narrowly escaped death when they fled the country last August, has been shared online by her party, Awami League. In the recording, the 77-yearold leader’s voice trembles as she expresses gratitude to Allah for sparing her life. She accuses her political opponents of conspiring to kill her. She says: “Rehana and I survived — just 20-25 minutes apart, we escaped death,” adding that the alleged assassination attempt last year was not the first such plot against her life. Reflecting on the close calls Sheikh Hasina she has had, Hasina adds: “I just feel that surviving the killings on August 21, or surviving the huge bomb in Kotalipara, surviving this time on August 5, 2024, must be the will of Allah. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have survived. You later saw how they planned to kill me.” In her message, she turned emotional about her forced exile in India, leaving her country Hasina said, “Although I am . suffering, I am without my country without my home, eve, rything has been burned.” After Hasina fled, the protests, which were alleged to have opposition backing, overwhelmed Dhaka and claimed over 600 lives. KILLED IN ISRAEL AFTER HAMAS’ OCTOBER ’23 RAID 46K Israeli troops return from Gaza Strip on Saturday | AP PA R V E Z S U LTA N @ New Delhi Defence Minister Rajnath Singh takes a dip at the Sangam during the Maha Kumbh Mela on Saturday | P8 ArvindKejriwal hit youngsters with his car. Both were taken to Lady Harding Hospital. Seeing defeat in front, he forgot the value of people’s lives. I am going to the hospital,” Verma responded on X sharing a video proof. As the day unfolded, leaders of both parties exchanged accusations of playing dirty ahead of the high-stakes battle. BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj accused Kejriwal of failing to fulfill his promises. In retaliation, AAP MP Sanjay Singh alleged that BJP wanted to win the polls through hooliganism. AAP says cops stopped docu, officials cite MCC Kejriwal alleged Delhi Police prevented the screening of a documentary exposing “conspiracies” behind arrest of AAP leaders. The cops said no permission was sought for the screening despite MCC being in force. P3 Was 25 mins away from jaws of death, says Hasina IN a breakthrough that came after more than two days, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) detained a suspect in connection with the knife attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan. The accused, identified as Aakash Kannojia, 32, a resident of Mumbai, was apprehended after he got down from the Jnaneshwari Express at Durg station on Saturday . Acting on key inputs, the RPF had shared the suspect’s image and mobile number with neighbouring states and RPF teams. A team of RPF personnel searched for the suspect at Rajnandgaon station but couldn’t locate him. However, another team at Durg station successfully detained Kannojia from the general compartment of the train. The suspect is believed to have activated his mobile phone at Dongargarh station, about an hour before the train reached Rajnandgaon. The suspect, who was traveling without a ticket, told RPF cops that he was headed to Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh. However, sources said that Kannojia was actually on his way to visit his maternal grandmother in Janjgir-Champa, about 120 km from Raipur. Mumbai Police, who had escalated the search after a furore over the stabbing attack on the celebrity are expected to arrive in Durg late on , Saturday to probe Kannojia’s involvement in the attack on the actor. The actor was rushed to Lilavati hospital after being stabbed on Thursday morning and underwent surgery . 1,200 AAP unilaterally decided to go it alone in Delhi polls, says Cong HOLY DIP CHILLING NOTE J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi three female hostages on Day 1 of the deal, four on Day 7, and the remaining 26 over the following five weeks After the last hostage release in stage one, on day 42, Israeli forces will begin their withdrawal and complete it in no later than day 50 | P9 God is Hidden within E J A Z K A I S E R @ Raipur Israel-Hamas truce kicks in today ‘Convoy attack’: Kejriwal’s campaign turns battleground for AAP and BJP A S H I S H S R I V A S TA V A @ New Delhi In his 160-page judgment, the judge said, “You (Roy) sexually assaulted the doctor. You throttled her and covered her face and she ultimately died owing to the attack. On the basis of these allegations, charges were framed against you under Sections 64, 66 and 103(1) of BNS. On the basis of the statements of the witnesses and the documents produced in this matter, your guilt has been proved.” After the order, the father of the deceased doctor said, “The trust we had placed in you, you have honoured it completely.” However, her mother said justice had not been fully served. The junior doctors, who led the protests, called for further probe into the larger conspiracy and said their agitation would continue. Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Suvendu Adhikari said likewise. “We welcome the judgment. But we would have been happier if the former principal of R G Kar hospital, Sandip Ghosh, and former Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal were also punished today he said. ,” AMMA SPEAKS RAJYA Sabha MP Ajay Maken has said that AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal unilaterally decided to go it alone in the Delhi assembly polls, and that contest with BJP is not possible without a “strong Congress at the national level”. “To compete with BJP, it is necessary to have a strong Congress at the national level. If Congress is not strong as an opposition party, then it will never be able to compete with BJP. So, like before, and in the future also, Congress will have to be strong to take on BJP. Everyone should understand this,” said the Congress treasurer at a press conference on Saturday. Congress general secretary (communication) Jairam Ramesh and chairman of the party’s media and publicity department Pawan Khera were also present. His comments assume significance as AAP threatened to ask INDIA bloc allies to expel Congress over Maken’s “anti-national” remark against Kejriwal. Other INDIA bloc allies like SP and TMC threw their weight behind AAP . Maken stated that the Congress was keen on contesting elections in Delhi and Haryana in alliance with AAP but Kejriwal had , made a hasty announcement to go solo. “In both Haryana and Delhi, we wanted to have an alliance with AAP But as soon . as he came out of jail, Kejriwal announced that he would contest the elections on 90 seats in Haryana. Again after the Lok Sabha elections, he said AAP would contest the Delhi elections alone,” Maken said. On his “anti-national” remark against Kejriwal, he said, “It is my personal opinion. I am still firm on it. Supporting AAP in 2014 and later alliance in 2024, both decisions have harmed the people of Delhi.” PALESTINIANS KILLED BY ISRAEL SINCE OCTOB ER ’23