WEDNESDAY 28 MAY, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard 65 INJURED AS CAR PLOUGHS INTO LIVERPOOL VICTORY PARADE UKRAINE RUSSIA SEIZES BORDER VILLAGES Russian forces have taken four border villages in Ukraine’s Sumy region, days after Putin said he had issued an order to establish a buffer zone along the border. PAGE 9 MAOIST ANGLE Truckload of explosives looted in Odisha dist PRASANJEET SARKAR & ASISH M E H TA @ Rourkela/Bhubaneswar UNIDENTIFIED persons, suspected to be Maoist operatives, on Tuesday looted a truck-load of explosives from a remote and forested area located about 90 km from Rourkela, in Sundargarh district. The area where the loot took place connects to Saranda forests in the adjacent West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, considered the hotbed of Maoists. The truck, sources said, was on its way to Banko area under K Balang police limits, where a stone quarry is located. Eight armed persons hijacked the truck around 10 am and drove it to the nearby forest where the explosive packets were unloaded. As per preliminary information, the truck was carrying about 150 packets of gelatin sticks of Prime make. DIG (western range) Brijesh Kumar Rai said the truck was intercepted near Banko and forcibly taken 1 km inside the forest, where the explosives were unloaded in presence of another 10-15 persons who then vanished into dense forests with the packets. Rai said the role of Maoists has not been ruled out. Sundargarh SP Pratyush Diwaker said probe is on. From the modus operandi and precision of action, sources pointed out that it appeared to be a handiwork of the Maoists. In the event these explosive packets reaching the hands of the Maoists, it may have devastating impact since the left wing ultras are battling for existence in Jharkhand. VEHICLE ENTERED STREET SHUT TO TRAFFIC A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00 J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi Grants bail, says such ‘radical’ reactions by state will only radicalise young people S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai REFORM YOUNG MINDS The Bombay High Court observed that educational institutions’ responsibility is not limited to imparting academic education. Institutes should also help students learn from mistakes and reform, the bench added NATIONAL INTEREST SAFE HC rejected the college’s argument that the student’s anti-national sentiments posed a risk to campus community, saying mere critical social media posts cannot weaken national interest THE Bombay High Court on Tuesday ordered the immediate release of a 19-year-old engineering student arrested for sharing an Instagram post on Operation Sindoor and slammed the Maharashtra government and state police for their ‘radical reaction’ to a critical comment. While granting bail, a bench of justices Gauri Godse and Somasekhar Sundaresan said it was “absolutely shocking” that the student was treated like a hardcore criminal even after she apologised and deleted the social media post. “It is shocking that an FIR was lodged against her on May 9 without even considering the fact that she had deleted the post and even apologised,” the court said, while observing that the girl’s act of sharing the post can only be termed as “act of indiscretion” by a young student. “How can the state arrest a student like this? Does the state want students to stop expressing their opinions? Such a radical reaction will further radicalise the person,” the court observed. The bench also pulled up the college authorities for rusticating the student without giving her an opportunity to give an explanation. “How can you rusticate? Did you call upon an explanation? What is the purpose of an educational institution? Is it only to educate academically? You need to reform a student or make a student into a criminal?” Justice Godse told the counsel appearing for the college. The court suspended the rustication order. Noting that the student missed some of her exams while in custody it issued directions to permit her , to appear for the remaining papers. As for the papers missed, the student can make appropriate representations before the authorities. During the hearing, the court enquired about the girl’s mental and emotional status and directed the police to provide protection to the student. “Give her a separate classroom for writing exams,” the bench told the college. The allegation against the girl was that her social media post caused tension between two groups and posed threat to public peace. In her plea, the student said she shared a post without any ill intent and deleted it immediately after receiving a barrage of threats. THE United States has issued an advisory to international students in the country includ, ing Indian nationals, urging them to strictly comply with the terms of their student visas. The US embassy in New Delhi warned that students who violate visa norms risk immediate consequences, including visa revocation and ineligibility for future US visas. “Always adhere to the terms of your visa and maintain your student status to avoid any issues,” the embassy stated in its Except for the Northeast, J&K and Ladakh, the rest of the country will receive abovenormal rainfall during monsoon season. Region-wise, the IMD expects normal rainfall in the Northwest (92-108% of LPA), followed by above-normal rainfall over Central India and South Peninsular India (over 106% of LPA). As for June, the countrywide rainfall is projected to be over 108% of LPA. Above-nor mal monthly minimum temperatures are likely across the country except in some parts , of Central India and the South Peninsula, where normal to below-normal minimum temperatures are likely As a re. sult, the IMD expect belownormal heatwave days over the Northwest and the East. FREEZE ON VISA INTERVIEWS? A late-night US media report claimed that the Trump administration has ordered all US embassies to halt new interviews for student visas as it intends to expand social media screening of the candidates. The US embassy in New Delhi denied receiving the order notice on Tuesday “If you drop . out, skip classes, or leave your program of study without informing your school, your student visa may be revoked, and you may lose eligibility for future US visas,” it added. Non-compliance of norms by students could result in im- mediate termination of their F-1 visa status, which may jeopardise their legal stay in the US and impact any future study or immigration benefits. According to the Open Doors 2024 Report on International Educational Exchange, the number of international stu- dents enrolled at US colleges and universities reached a record high of 11,26,690 in 202324. India was the leading contributor with 3,31,602 students during that period — a 23% jump compared to the previous academic year. However, failure to follow the rules can have serious repercussions under Trump’s rule. Violations such as poor academic performance, unauthorised absence, or failure to report employment under Optional Practical Training can lead to deportation and termination of work authorisation. UP pulled up for hijacking pvt dispute in temple case S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi PAHALGAM PEDALLING J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah cycles after chairing a Cabinet meeting at Pahalgam in Anantnag district on Tuesday. A month after a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, he interacted with the locals and assured them of reviving tourism | PTI | P8 GUIDEFOR IIT-D CURRICULUM CLIMBS EVEREST REVAMPED AFTER 12 RECORD 31ST TIME Famed Sherpa guide Kami Rita reached the summit of Mount Everest for the 31st time on Tuesday, breaking his own record | P9 Above-normal rains, fewer heatwave days THE Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday updated its monsoon forecast to above-normal rainfall for the whole season from June to September. The average seasonal rainfall across the country is likely to be 106% of the Long Period Average (LPA) with a model error of ±4%. Rainfall between 96% and 104% of the 50-year average of 87 cm is considered normal. As for the flow of monsoon, it is intense in different parts of the west and southern regions, and is way ahead of schedule. But scientists say the movement of the monsoon could slow down after three days, opening up the possibility of a dry spell. PAGES 12  ‘Shocking’ jailing Bunked class? You could lose US visa of student over Sindoor post: HC MET DEPARTMENT PREDICTS 106% OF 50-YR RAINFALL AVERAGE FOR THE SEASON J I T E N D R A C H O U B E Y @ New Delhi The horrific incident happened around 17.00 GMT Monday when thousands of people were on the streets of Liverpool to celebrate Liverpool FC winning the Premier League. As the parade wound up, a Ford Galaxy drove into Water Street, which had been shut to traffic. The car, blocked by bystanders, suddently accelerated, knocking over people | P9 A view of the flooded Motorai Palada village near Ooty in Tamil Nadu, following heavy rainfall in the Nilgiris on Tuesday | PTI YRS TO CUT BURDEN I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi THE Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi (IIT Delhi) on Tuesday announced an overhaul of its undergraduate, post-graduate, and PhD programmes, set to be implemented from the academic year 2025-26. The revamp includes the revised BTech programme, which will offer flexible core subjects in general engineering, sciences, and humanities, and allow students to pursue minors, specialisations, and even an ‘honours’ add-on. Students will also have the opportunity to pursue an integrated BTech–MTech pathway, graduating with both degrees in five years. Additionally, students entering through JEE (Advanced) will retain the option to change their programme based on merit after the first year. The class size in first-year courses will be reduced from 300 to 150. “A notable innovation in the revised curriculum is the integration of AIbased code generators in the introductory programming course, designed to help stu- dents write better programmes,” read the official notification by the IIT-D. The MTech and MS (Research) programmes have also adopted an outcomesbased framework, focusing on industry exposure, capstone projects, and internships. Flexibility to undertake theses in industry settings and the option to convert to PhD programmes are embedded. Also the PhD curriculum has been formalised to emphasise on producing independent researchers with ethical utilisation of transferable skills in a professional setting focusing on industry-connected research. Going by the statement, the new curriculum will emphasise on flexibility, handson learning, and readiness for global challenges. In the undergraduate programme, key themes include sustainability, creative expression, ethical reasoning, and cutting-edge techs like AI and machine learning (ML). Rangan Banerjee, Director of IIT-Delhi, stated, “We have reviewed and revamped our curriculum to make our graduates future ready .” The Supreme Court on Tuesday pulled up the Uttar Pradesh government for “hijacking” the litigation between two private parties over management of the Shri Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan. A bench comprising Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma said that if the state government starts entering into a private dispute between parties, it will result in breakdown of rule of law. “Was a state a party to the proceedings? In what capacity has the state entered the dispute? If states start entering into a private dispute between parties, it will breakdown of rule of law. You can’t hijack the litigation. In a private litigation between two parties, state filing an impleadment application and hijacking it is not permissible,” it observed. The SC was hearing a plea filed by a petitioner, Devendra Nath Gooswami, seeking the modification of its order approving the UP government’s proposed redevelopment scheme for the Banke Bihari temple in Mathura. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the petitioner, submitted: “How can you in another petition direct that earning of a private temple be handed over to the state?” The counsel appearing for the UP government informed the apex court that the state has formed a trust to manage the Banke Bihari temple and oversee work on the proposed corridor. EXPRESS READ Court raps cops over probe into Mishra tweet A city court has criticised the police for failing to properly probe minister Kapil Mishra in a 2020 case linked to his tweets during the Assembly polls. Mishra allegedly tweeted the polls were a battle between “India and Pakistan”. P3 Mounting debt: 7 of family from Dehradun die by suicide in Panchkula H A R P R E E T BA J WA A N D N A R E N D R A S E T H I @ Chandigarh/Dehradun SEPT 15 NEW DEADLINE FOR ITR FILING The I-T deparment has extended the due date to file income tax return for FY25 from July 31, 2025, to September 15, 2025 | P10 SEVEN members of a family from Dehradun were found dead in a car in Haryana’s Panchkula, police said on Tuesday, suspecting a suicide pact due to “debt and psychological issues”. The deceased have been identified as 42-year-old Praveen Mittal, his parents, wife, twin teenage daughters, and son. According to sources, the family allegedly consumed poison inside their car, parked out- side a house in Sector 27, Panchkula, on Monday night. The rear windowpanes of the car were covered with a towel, and the doors locked from inside. When the police arrived at the scene, one person was found breathing and the others were unconscious. Police said Praveen was alive but he later died during treatment. Sources said the family moved to Saketri in Panchkula from Dehradun about a month ago and was residing in a tworoom rented accommodation. A handwritten two-page note recovered from the vehicle contained Praveen’s message. “I have gone bankrupt. I am responsible for all this. My father-in-law should not be harassed. The last rites of my family should be done by my cousin brother,” he wrote. Praveen’s f ather-in-law Rakesh Gupta confirmed that the family was under financial stress. “Parveen had taken a INSIDE CAR 1 The family consumed poison inside their car 2 Prima facie, a case of suicide due to debt 3 Family moved to Saketri in Panchkula from Dehradun 4 Landlord told family going out due to summer break 5 Family suffered loss in travel business in Dehradun loan of about `1 crore, which he failed to repay,” Gupta told the police. Cousin Sandeep Aggarwal told police that Parveen had earlier run a scrap material processing factory in Panchkula before moving to Dehradun to operate a travel business, where he suffered losses. “Last week he confided that he was in deep debt and recently started a taxi business,” said Sandeep. Manish Chaudhary the land, lord of the f amily, said, “Parveen Mittal told me on Monday morning that they were leaving the city since the children’s summer vacation had started.” Panchkula DCP Himadri Kaushik said, “Prima facie, it appears to be a case of suicide due to debt and psychological issues that the family was going through. The statements of the relatives have been recorded, and investigations are on.” DCP (crime) Amit Dahiya said, “Five police teams have been deployed to examine all possible angles.”