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Page 9 A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS l New Delhi l J8.00 l PAGES 12 20,000 Preliminary report points to role of LeT, ISI, and Pak Army: Sources Vizhinjam Seaport commissioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and others during the inauguration of the Vizhinjam International Seaport, in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday | Pti | P5 Rahul, Sonia receive court notices in Herald case S h e khar S i n g h @ New Delhi A Delhi court on Friday issued notices to senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in the National Herald money laundering case, stating that the accused have the right to be heard before cognizance is taken and that this right is crucial for ensuring a fair trial. Notices were also sent to senior Cong ress leader Sam Pitroda, Suman Dubey, Sunil Bhandari and fir ms Young Indian and Dotex Merchandise Pvt Ltd. Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Court said, “Right to be heard at any stage breathes life into fair trial,” before posting the matter on May 8. Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the ED, referred to a past case where no notice had been issued before summons, leading to proceedings being stayed by the Supreme Court. In contrast, Raju said that in the current matter, he supported issuing notice in line with Section 223, as clarified in the Tarsem Lal judgment. The judge noted that the complaint was at the stage of notice consideration. He explained that the question was whether Section 223 required notice to be issued to the accused before cognisance. The court held that it did, and the provision was not inconsistent with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The National Herald case revolves around a `90 crore loan extended by the Congress party to the Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), the company that owns the National Herald newspaper. This loan was later transferred to Young Indian for a mere `50 lakh. It has been alleged by the Enforcement Directorate that this deal led to the wrongful acquisition of assets worth over `2,000 crore. Accountability push CWC meet calls for fitting reply to Pak terror groups P r e e tha Nair @ New Delhi URGING the Centre to act with firmness in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and penalise Pakistan, a resolution passed by the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Friday said this is an opportune time to demonstrate the nation’s collective will to teach the neighbouring country a lesson for its export of terror. In another resolution, the party asked the government to announce a “clear timeline” for every stage of the caste census and reiterated its demand for removing the 50% cap on reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs. The meeting chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also pressed for time-bound accountability into “serious lapses” in security and intelligence in one of the most heavilyguarded regions of the country . “The masterminds and perpetrators of this cowardly attack must face full consequences for their actions. The Congress urges the Government of India to act with firmness, strategic clarity and international coordination to isolate and penalise Pakistan for its continued export of terror into our territory,” the resolution said. Consult all parties on caste survey: Congress New Delhi: The Congress on Friday said that the caste census process must be transparent and inclusive at every step. “All political parties must be taken into full confidence. Parliament must immediately have a debate on this crucial matter.” The meeting was attended by former Congress presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, and general secretaries Jairam Ramesh, K C Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, among others. In the second resolution on caste census, the party said it believed that the model followed by Telangana provided an effective and inclusive framework the government of India must emulate. “After 11 years of continued opposition and stubborn refusal, the Modi government has finally conceded to the demand of the Congress to collect population data caste wise as part of the next census. For 11 years, the PM attacked the Congress for raising this demand,” the resolution said. It also demanded the removal of the 50% “arbitrary” ceiling on reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Parliamentary party chair Sonia Gandhi and LoP Rahul Gandhi at the meeting in New Delhi on Friday | parveen negi THE April 22 Pahalgam attack was perpetrated by the Lashkare-Taiba (LeT), Pakistan’s InterServices Intelligence (ISI), and the Pak Army, according to a preliminary report prepared by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Sources said the report mentions the conspiracy behind the brutal attack, in which 26 people were killed, was hatched by the LeT with directions and support from the ISI and the Pak Army . T h e p re l i m i n a r y probe found the involvement of around 20 active Kashmir Valley over ground workers (OGWs) in providing logistics support to the terrorists. OWG is a term used by security agencies to refer to people who provide logistics support to militants and assist them in their surreptitious movement. According to NIA sources, the identified OGWs are currently being intensely interrogated. During interrogation, it was revealed that both the main attackers were in touch with their Pakistani-based handlers and they received specific instructions on the timing, logistics, and execution. NIA sleuths will also question two key OGWs— Nisar Ahmad alias Haji and Mushtaq Hussain—who are currently lodged in Kot Bhalwal Jail in Jammu to ferret out information from them. “The duo are known associates of LeT and were earlier arrested for their role in aiding terrorists involved in the 2023 attack on Army convoys in Bhata Dhurian and Totagali,” a source said. According to the NIA report, two prime suspects identified as Hashmi Musa (alias Suleman) and Ali Bhai (alias Talha Bhai) are Pakistani nationals. The NIA sleuths also performed a 3D mapping of the attack site and extracted dump data from mobile towers around the valley sources said. , “Satellite phone activity in the region spiked in the days leading up to the attack. At least three satellite phones were operational in and around Baisaran and signals from two have been traced and analysed,” said an official. P8 DELHI University’s Psychology syllabus came under scrutiny during the standing committee meeting of the varsity’s academic affairs on Friday, after the chair professor proposed removing chapters on Israel-Palestine conflict, Kashmir, dating apps, and minority stress. Raising concerns over the syllabus content, the chair professor pointed out that Unit 4, which covers “Conflict and Conflict Resolution”, addresses the Israel-Palestine conflict and the Kashmir issue. The chair stated that the Kashmir issue stands resolved, and there was no point in teaching the Israel-Palestine conflict. It should be replaced with the Mahabharata and Bhagavad Gita to understand the psychology of peace better. He also insisted on removing dating apps as a topic. This was met with resistance by the HoD who cited the importance of what Chair proposes A Psychology chapter, covering conflict resolution, addresses Israel-Palestine conflict and Kashmir. Both not needed and be replaced with Mahabharata & Bhagavad Gita Dating apps as a topic is detrimental for youth; Aping the West should go Minority Stress Theory should also be excluded Terrorists entered Kashmir Weeks ago NIA found the terrorists entered Kashmir weeks before the attack and were helped by a network of OGWs, who gave them all the logistics support including shelter, navigation, and reconnaissance Recce at 4 places, including Baisaran NIA said the terrorists reached Pahalgam around April 15 and did recce at Baisaran Valley, Aru Valley, Betaab Valley, and an amusement park. They chose Baisaran due to thin security Shehbaz seeks help from Muslim nations Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif on Friday urged Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Kuwait, to impress upon India to de-escalate and defuse tensions, reports said 4,500 cusecs Punjab asked to release additional water to Haryana H arpr e e t Ba j wa @ Chandigarh The Centre on Friday directed the Punjab government to implement the Bhakra Beas Management Board’s order and release an additional 4,500 cusecs of water from Bhakra dam to Haryana in the next eight days. The decision was taken at a meeting held under the chairmanship of Home Secretary Govind Mohan in New Delhi. It was agreed that during the filling period of dams, BBMB will provide the excess water to Punjab to fulfill its additional requirements. The BBMB will immediately convene a meeting to work out the modalities for implementing the release of extra water to Haryana. The meeting was necessitated after Punjab had refused to release water to Haryana. Earlier in the day, Haryana Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Shruti Choudhry said the state would move Supreme court. “If the issue is not resolved, we’ll approach the Supreme Court. We have records and data on Haryana’s water receipt, and will present all relevant facts before the court. It is unprecedented that Punjab withholding legitimate share of water of Haryana from Bhakra Dam,” she said. P4 4 killed as rain, thunderstorms batter capital Parveen Negi P R A B H AT S H U K L A @ New Delhi DELHIITES woke up to widespread chaos on Friday as a pre-monsoon stor m swept through the capital with heavy rain, powerful winds, and lightning, marking the second-highest single-day rainfall in May since 1901. The extreme weather also led to four fatalities besides 300 uprooted trees, waterlogged roads, power outages, and flight disruptions. According to the IMD, the Safdarjung observatory recorded 77 mm of rainfall in 24 hours ending Friday morning, marking the second-highest rainfall for May since 1901. The storm brought temperatures down sharply, with the maximum plummeting to 29.1°C, more than 10°C below normal, while the minimum fell to 18.5°C, nearly 6°C below average. Low-lying areas and known Chaos on roads as city receives 2nd-highest single-day rainfall in May since 1901, disrupting flight ops and causing power cuts choke points like Minto Road, Lajpat Nagar, Dhaula Kuan, ITO, and RK Puram were quickly inundated. Traffic crawled across the city with long snarls , reported at Dwarka, Apsara border, South Extension, and Munda Metro Station. express read KMC imposes ban on rooftop restaurants Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has imposed a complete ban on rooftop restaurants and commercial establishments atop buildings. Notices will be issued to rooftop restaurant owners. If defied, legal action will follow, Mayor Firhad Hakim said. The KMC move comes after a recent massive fire in a now-closed rooftop food-and-drink joint on tony Camac Street and another fire in Acropolis Mall. Tight security ahead of Manipur clashes anniv Security has been heightened in Manipur on the eve of the second anniversary of the state’s ethnic violence. The police intensified the frisking of vehicles in key locations of Imphal valley, Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts. Kuki-Zo organisations will observe May 3 as “Separation Day”, a people’s convention has been called in the Meitei-majority Imphal valley. The ethnic violence had erupted on May 3, 2023. Uproar over plan to remove ‘Kashmir, Palestine’ from syllabus I f rah M u f ti @ New Delhi A government panel on Friday submitted a report recommending introduction of the index. “Companies are not manufacturing devices for life. They are actually forcing consumers to buy another product as they have planned for their obsolescence. Technology has made sure products have short lifespans,” said Nidhi Khare, Consumer Affairs Secretary complaints received on faulty repair ecosystems NIA sees Pak Army hand in Pahalgam terror attack M U K E S H R A NJ A N @ New Delhi ‘Tech ensures products have short lives’ understanding the psychology of social media, particularly in light of recent tragic incidents, such as suicides. However, the chair remained resolute, saying, “We need not teach about dating apps to young people. Our Indian family system and system of arranged marriages and low divorce rates are excellent in itself. We need not imbibe everything from the West.” Additionally, the chair requested the removal of the Mi- nority Stress Theory, which is a crucial area of study in psychology particularly in under, standing the experiences of marginalised groups. Dr Monami Sinha, a Member of the Academic Council and standing committee on academic affairs, said, “The topics under scrutiny are significant, especially in the context of society where issues such as caste discrimination, misogyny and , psychology of marginalised groups remain relevant.” Power supply was hit in several neighbourhoods. While Tata Power-DDL and BSES claimed most issues were resolved within an hour, restoration in tree-hit and waterlogged pockets took longer. Four members of a family — a 28-year-old woman and her three kids — died in Jaffarpur Kalan when a tree collapsed in their room during the storm. IMD issued an Orange alert for Northwest India, including Delhi-NCR, East and Central India, for next four days. P3 Girl, 3, youngest to ‘take’ Santhara fast unto death A n uraa g S i n g h @ Bhopal A three-year-old terminally ill child in Indore became the youngest to ‘embrace death’ through the Jain practice of Santhara. She passed away on March 21 minutes after the ceremony ended. Santhara or Sallekhana is a voluntary practice of fast unto death, which is undertaken when the end is imminent. But since patient Viyana Jain was just three, she couldn’t have taken the decision voluntarily It . was her parents Varsha and Piyush Jain, both techies, who took the call following advice from Jain guru Rajesh Muni Maharaj. Significantly, Santhara was declared illegal by the Rajasthan High Court in August 2015. The court made it punishable under Section 306 of the IPC (abetment of suicide). The order had triggered massive protests by the Jains, who argued that while suicide was a sin, Santhara was a religious practice for self-purification. A month later, the Supreme Court suspended the HC order. Viyana was diagnosed with brain tumour in December last year and underwent surgery in Mumbai in January . “After surgery her condition improved, but a couple of months later, it started deteriorating following relapse of the brain tumour. We took her to our Jain guru on March 21. He told us her end was near and recommended Santhara,” said Varsha over phone. Varsha claimed that the guru holds a PhD in Santhara and had helped 107 individuals undergo Santhara. “We agreed with a heavy heart. Within 10 minutes after the Santhara ritual chanting of mantras, Viyana breathed her last,” she recalled. “I keep visiting orphanages. She loved feeding cows and pigeons, we’re continuing it. It’s my dream to undertake a major tree plantation in her memory in future,” Varsha said.