mondAY 04 august, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard West Asia pm modi, Amit Shah meet President separately Fresh clashes erupt in Syria meeting amid logjam in parliament on sir New outbreaks of violence overnight into Sunday rocked Syria at two distinct flashpoints, raising fresh doubts about the authority of the transitional govt A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Page 9 EC issues notice to Tejashwi on voter card slur To RJD leader’s claims of fraud in rolls, poll panel asks him to submit his EPIC card number you mentioned at the press conference on August 2 was not issued offiA day after leader of Opposi- cially You are therefore re. tion in Bihar assembly Te- quested to hand over the jashwi Prasad Yadav claimed EPIC card in original for dethat his name was missing tailed investigation.” The RJD leader, from the draft electhereafter, alleged toral roll, Election that his EPIC Commission of Innumber had been dia (ECI) on Sun“ ch a n g e d ” , bu t day issued a notice District Magistrate to him asking him Thiyagaraja S M to ‘hand over for repudiated his investigation’ a claim.“The EPIC voter ID card that number in the eleche claimed to be in toral rolls is the possession of deone that was subspite the EC not isEC says PC’s mitted by the leadsuing it officially . views false er of the opposition Tejashwi on Satin his affidavit in urday had demonFormer Union 2020 assembly polls. strated an online minister P query, with the Chidambaram on X If he has another EPIC card with anEPIC number, to said 6.5 lakh other number as claim that his name migrants were was missing in the being registered as well, it is a matter of investigation,” draft electoral rolls voters in Tamil published as part Nadu after 65 lakh the DM said. In Patna, spokesof special intensive were revision (SIR) and, disenfranchised in persons Ajay Alok (BJP), Neeraj Kuupon rebuttal from Bihar. The EC mar (JDU) and authorities condismissed his Rajesh Bhatt (LJP) cer ned, alle g ed claims as false demanded that a that his voter ID card number was ‘changed’. case be registered against In a letter addressed to the the RJD leader. At a press former deputy CM, the Sub conference in New Delhi on Divisional Magistrate of Sunday, BJP spokesperson Patna Sadar-cum-electoral Sambit Patra asked,“If a registration officer for Digha senior party leader like Yaassembly constituency said, dav carries two voter IDs, “Our preliminary investiga- what will the party workers tion suggests that the EPIC be doing?” ra m asha n k ar & R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ Patna/New Delhi l New Delhi Ahead of SIR rollout in city, parties asked to pick BLAs A S H I S H S R I V A S TA V A @ New Delhi With the groundwork for a special voter list revision already underway, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed all state election officers to urge political parties to appoint Booth Level Agents (BLAs) without further delay . According to officials, the communication signals Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to be carried out in the capital soon. In a letter to state poll authorities, the Commission noted that the “entire exercise of SIR will be incomplete without active participation of the political parties.” It emphasised the appointment of their BLAs. “All political parties must be informed in writing and they should be persuaded for appointment of BLAs immediately so that these BLAs are in the field during SIR,” the letter stated. The ECI has also sought immediate submission of data on polling stations, BLOs, their supervisors, and the appointed BLAs. “The training of BLOs is complete and we are waiting for further directions,” a senior official from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Delhi, said. Ahead of the rollout, the Commission has asked local authorities to complete several pre-revision tasks. These include rationalising polling stations, identifying new venues, appointing additional BLOs, and training officials in upgraded IT platforms. l J8.00 l PAGES 12 The meetings came against the backdrop of the logjam in Parliament over the Opposition’s demand for a discussion on the poll roll revision exercise in Bihar ahead of assembly elections. Except discussions in both Houses on Operation Sindoor, Parliament has seen no business since Monsoon session started on July 21 | p7 Thalassemics in lurch as LNJP doc set to retire A S H I S H S R I V A S TA V A @ New Delhi Thalassemia patients over 12 years of age at the Lok Nayak Hospital are reportedly worried, as the facility has instructed them to seek an alternative place for treatment. The patients allege that the only doctor from the paediatric Thalassemia ward treating them, is set to retire with no replacement from the hospital in sight. They have written to the facility’s Medical Director (MD) requesting the hospital administration to arrange a permanent doctor from the General Medicine department for the care of Thalassemics. Officials said about 63 patients aged over 12 years will be affected by the purported move of the hospital. When reached Shocked Patients lash out at move “We require regular blood transfusions twice a month. It is preposterous for a government hospital to stop the treatment just because a doctor is retiring,” expressed one of the irate patients. out for comments, no response was received from LNJP MD Dr BL Chaudhary . “It is our humble request that we are all Thalassemia patients who have been receiving regular blood transfusions and treatment from Loknayak Hospital since birth. For years, we have received excellent treatment under the supervision of Dr. Sudha (Pediatric Thalassemia Ward), for which we are extremely grateful. We have recently received the information that Dr. Sudha is going to retire in the next few months. This information is a matter of great concern for us, as we are all worried about our regular medical care and future treatment after her,” patients’ letter Senior Army officer booked for assaulting SpiceJet staff F aya z W a n i @ Srinagar THE Jammu and Kashmir police have booked a senior officer of the Indian Army for allegedly assaulting four SpiceJet staff at the Srinagar airport last week, causing a spinal fracture to an airline staff. The Army has pledged full cooperation in the investigation while the airline has started the process to place the army officer on the no-fly list. The incident took place on July 26 when Lt Colonel Ritesh Kumar Singh, posted at High Altitude Warfare School in Gulmargm, was trying to board SpiceJet flight SG-386 from Srinagar to Delhi allegedly with excess cabin baggage. “The passenger was carrying two pieces of cabin baggage Videograb of the passenger assaulting a SpiceJet employee at the Srinagar airport on July 26 | Express weighing a total of 16 kg, more than double the permitted limit of 7 kg,” read a SpiceJet statement. It said the passenger became aggressive when the airline staff flagged the excess baggage and asked him to pay the applicable charges. The army officer refused and forcefully entered the aerobridge without completing the boarding process in violation of aviation security protocols. The officer was escorted back to the gate by a CISF official. “At the gate, the passenger grew aggressive and physically assaulted members of the SpiceJet ground staff,” the SpiceJet said, adding the officer kicked, punched and beat its employees with a queue stand. Visuals of the assault, which went viral on social, showed the officer charging at the ground staff. A SpiceJet employee could be seen bleeding from his face while another injured staff member was seen crying in pain. An FIR was filed at Budgam police station under Sections 115(2), 126(2), 351(2), and 131 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. to the hospital’s MD read. “Hence, we humbly request you on behalf of all thalassemia patients to make permanent arrangement of a doctor from General Medicine department of the hospital,” it added. Jatin, who has been receiving treatment since his birth, said the move has left many patients anxious as they were receiving treatment at the hospital since birth. “A majority of us suffer from severe forms like beta thalassemia major. We require regular blood transfusions twice a month. It is preposterous for a government hospital to stop the treatment just because a doctor is retiring. They should arrange for someone else rather than asking patients to leave,” he said. express read Punjab to get 200 new Aam Aadmi Clinics Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Sunday announced that the state government will open 200 new Aam Aadmi Clinics across the state, taking the total number of such clinics to 1,081, in a bid to further enhance the delivery of quality healthcare services to people. He said these clinics cater to nearly 70,000 patients daily. Uneven monsoon leaves 1/3rd dists rain deficient As the monsoon season reaches its midpoint, the country has received patchy and uneven rainfall so far. Approximately onethird (about 31%) of all districts have reported deficient rainfall, particularly in important agrarian states such as Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Assam, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. | p7 Series on ice: Fitting final day awaits 11 dead, 4 injured as SUV slips TMS in England Firoz Mirza @london Dogged Canine attacks take centre stage Once a background nuisance, stray dogs have become a front-page crisis, with bite cases soaring. Amid public outrage, civic authorities scramble to respond to a menace that’s spiralled out of control | P4 THE weather Gods didn’t want this series to end. Not yet anyway And, so, this . mind-bending, narrative-shattering, finger-nail chewing five-match Test series will go into a 25th bum-squelching day. And who would blame them? It’s been that kind of a series. A man with a broken finger came out to bowl. A man with a broken foot came out to bat. And, late on Sunday a man , with a dislocated shoulder, arm very much in a sling, Chris Woakes was prepared to come out and bat. In the middle, the Jamies, Smith and Overton, were involved in a dogfight against, really a trio of heroic pacers who , kept going and going and going. At least one of them had to take a painkilling injection. At least one of them wore a knee brace before discarding it because it was affecting their run-up. What’s a couple of dodgy ligaments when a potential trade off is a famous come-from-behind win to level the series. India go to bed needing four more wickets to ensure there is something tangible to show from Shubman Gill’s first assignment as captain. England go to bed needing 35 more runs. And, boy, Sunday was a right old scrap between two flawed sides giving it their all, their wounded bodies and tired into Saryu canal in UP’s Gonda most from the same family minds ignoring the pain threshold. Harry Brook and Joe Root coruscating 195-run, thrill-aminute stand had seemingly sucked out all the oxygen from the Indian team. But after they fell, India roared back. It’s what has kept them alive going into the final day of a series that will long be remembered irrespective of the result. India’s Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj (C) celebrate Joe Root’s wicket with teammates on Sunday | ap Most of the victims were residents of Sihagwan village and belonged to the same family. The incident took place when they were on their way to offer holy waters at the Prithvinath temple in Khargupur. The driver lost control over the wheels and the vehicle rolled into the canal. N A M I TA B A J PA I @ Lucknow AT least 11 people, including six minors, were killed and four others injured after a fourwheeler fell into the Saryu canal in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda district on Sunday . Most of the victims were residents of Sihagwan village and belonged to the same family. They were on their way to the Prithvinath temple in Khargupur when the driver lost control of the wheels and the vehicle fell into the canal. Hearing the screams of the passengers, the villagers rushed to the spot. Within 10 minutes, more locals and police teams also reached and be- gan the rescue operation. According to Krishn Gopal Rai, Station House Officer (SHO), Itiathok police station, the identities of the victims were established as Beena (35), Kajal (22), Mehak (12), Durgesh, Nandini, Ankit, Shubh, Sanju Verma, Anju, Anasuiya, and Soumya. UP CM Yogi Adityanath announced Rs 5 lakh each for the families of the deceased. A teenage girl, who survived the accident, said: “We were going to the temple and were singing devotional songs. Suddenly , the vehicle slipped and fell into the canal. After that, everything went blank. I don’t remember anything clearly .” H e a l th f o r a l l The doctor who charged `2 as consultation fee J I T H U L N A R AYA N A N @ Kannur dr Ryru Gopal, better known as the ‘two-rupee doctor’, was more than just a healer. He touched hearts with his compassion and ethical approach. In an era when the medical profession has come to be viewed as a money-spinning machine, this doctor stood out. Dr Ryru passed away at his home in Thana, Kannur, in the wee hours on Sunday He was 80. . After doing his MBBS from Kozhikode Medical College, Dr Ryru worked briefly in a hospital in Kannur before opening a clinic in Talap, where he served the community for 35 years before moving to Thana. dr Ryru Gopal Patients used to line up at his clinic, where Dr Ryru would see patients from 4:00 am onwards. On most days, he would see more than 200 patients. He charged just `2 as consultation fee for nearly half a century before raising it to `10. , Narayanan K, a resident of Kakkad, recounted how he would take the first bus to the clinic to get a token. “He used to prescribe quality medicine that was also pocket-friendly It . was perhaps his vast experience that made his very consultation feel like a form of healing in itself,” he said. Legend has it that bus services added a stop at Dr Ryru’s clinic, near the police ground in Kannur town, to facilitate patients. “Father always gave importance to the ethics of his profession, which he believed was a service and not a money-making business. He used to say that if you want to make mon- ey then do some business,” said , his son Bala Gopal. Dr Ryru is also survived by his wife, Sakuntala, and daughter, Vidhya Bharath. “Many people visited his clinic solely to consult with him, believing that just speaking with him brought them a sense of comfort and reassurance. It was never his intention to make money and he dedicated himself to the service of humanity,” said Indira P, deputy mayor of Kannur. Ryru was a passionate animal lover who kept several pets, including dogs and cows. He personally tended to the cows, often milking them in the early morning hours. For half a century, he charged only two rupees for consultations, making healthcare accessible to all Pinarayi Vijayan, Kerala chief minister gas go(down) A worker arranges LPG cylinders at a godown inundated by swollen Ganga water, in Mirzapur on Sunday | pti