wednesdAY 10 september, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard Russian glide bomb kills 24 in Ukraine The bomb struck a village on Tuesday as people stood in line in the open air to collect their monthly pension, the Ukraine Emergency Service said. Page 9 Pointed strike A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS l New Delhi l J8.00 CM announces compensation for flood-hit farmers, asks officials for list P r e e t h a Na i r @ New Delhi A n u p V e r m a @ New Delhi PM’s `1,600 cr aid for Punjab OLI & OUT Aerial view of Nepal’s parliament complex in Kathmandu set on fire by a rampaging mob on Tuesday | pti Nepal PM quits after protesters storm his residence Oli’s house, parliament set ablaze toll climbs Army takes charge of security T mobs on the rampage Mobs set Oli’s house on fire, torched homes of ex-PMs Sher Bahadur Deuba and J N Khanal, burnt ex-FM Ramsaran Mahat’s house as also the SC building Media house torched PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced a financial help of `1,600 crore for flood-hit Punjab after reviewing the extent of damage in the state | P8 express read Dad’s assets: Actor’s kids move HC The two children of actor Karisma Kapoor on Tuesday moved Delhi HC seeking share in their late father Sunjay Kapur’s assets worth `30,000 crore. The plaint challenges Sunjay’s March 21 will, which purportedly leaves his entire personal estate to their step-mother, Priya Kapur. | P4 Raj anti-conversion bill cleared The Rajasthan Assembly on Tuesday passed a bill that proposes imprisonment of 20 years to life for mass conversions through deception and a jail term of seven to 14 years for conversions by fraudulent means amid Congress protest. Cong meet on Bihar seat-sharing Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and MP Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday held a meeting with senior party leaders, including AICC in-charge of Bihar Krishna Allavaru, in New Delhi on seatsharing among INDIA bloc allies for Bihar polls. PAGES 12 Cross-vote adds to CPR’s victory margin in V-P poll report sought Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday announced compensation for farmers whose crops were destroyed by recent floods. She called for a list of such farmers for the purpose. “The government will provide assistance to the flood-affected people. We will also compensate farmers who lost crops due to the inundation. The government will help people to ensure that Delhi can get back on its feet again,” Gupta said. She held a meeting with the district magistrates and lauded them for their efforts to tackle the flood situation. A senior official said, “The CMO has sought a report from the DMs on farmers’ losses. While six districts— North, Central, East, Northeast, Southeast, and Shahdara—have been majorly hit, there is a possibility that crops may have been affected in other districts too.” The DMs have been told to submit their reports to the divisional commissioner’s office, which will then be forwarded to the CMO. “In many areas, the issues might be localised. The Mungeshpur drain breach had flooded Jharoda Kalan in Southwest Delhi. Nearly 2,000 people were evacuated from the flooded areas. Those cases will also be considered,” he added. A section of the Mungeshpur drain in Bahadurgarh (in Haryana’s Jhajjar district) broke on Tuesday, with water entering villages and unauthorised colonies located close to the Delhi-Haryana border. The AAP on Tuesday urged compensation for flood-hit people and setting up of camps to help them obtain official documents. AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal posted on X, “The poorest are the most affected by the floods. We appeal to the Delhi government to immediately provide them with all necessary relief.” l A videograb shows smoke billowing after explosions — caused by Israeli strikes targeting leaders of Hamas — in Doha on Tuesday. US had advance knowledge of the Israeli strike and warned Qatar, White House said. It described the strike as an unfortunate incident’ that didn’t advance peace in region. For their part, Hamas claimed only five lower-ranking members were | AFP | P9 Protesters set fire to a high-rise housing Kantipur Publications, the largest media house in Kathmandu. It publishes Kantipur and The Kathmandu Post Airport in army control The Army took control of the international airport in Kathmandu after agitators tried to enter its premises. Flight services were partially suspended Advisory to Indian citizens Indians in Nepal have been advised by the MEA to stay in their current places of residence, avoid going out and be cautious he night of September 8, 2025, will be remembered as one of Nepal’s darkest. Nineteen young lives were lost, more than 500 people were injured, and the entire nation was left in shock. A peaceful rally led by Nepal’s Gen Z was met with bullets, killing children and youth wearing their school and college uniforms. The next day, young people defied the curfew, taking to the streets in growing numbers. Their persistent pressure forced several ministers in K P Sharma Oli’s Cabinet to resign — and finally, on September 9, around 2 pm, Prime Minister Oli himself stepped down. Namrata Sharma The Army is the only effective instiSenior journalist and tution in the country now. In a televised women rights advocate address to the nation, Army chief and can be reached at Ashok Raj Sigdel appealed to the pronamrata1964@yahoo.com testers to come forward for dialogue, @NamrataSharmaP while taking charge of security As per . Nepal’s constitution, the President is a ceremonial figure, but the Army is under his control. But what began as a peaceful demand for justice soon spiralled into vandalism. Media footage showed mobs attacking the residences of former prime minister and president of Nepali Congress Sher Bahadur Deuba and Foreign Minister Arzoo Rana Deuba, pulling out sacks of money and throwing them into the streets — not pocketing it, but rejecting it in symbolic defiance. Now, there are reports that some top leaders, fearing mob attacks, are planning to flee the country This escalation was never part of Gen Z’s . plan, yet the movement has triggered a political storm unlike anything Nepal has seen. September 8 was a sleepless night for most Nepalis. Parents and grandparents who lost their children — and those who did not — felt the pain. The killing of 19 young people will remain a stain on Nepal’s history The overall toll is . expected to cross 30. The government’s response was not dialogue but suppression — imposing curfews, banning social media, and ordering security forces to shoot. Social media has since been restored, but the lives lost cannot be recovered. These youth were not protesting merely because Facebook messenger, or WhatsApp was blocked. They were marching against decades of corruption, the widening inequality between political elites and ordinary citizens, and the lack of opportunities that forces many young Nepalis to leave the country . COntinued on p7 ‘heart-rending’: PM holds CCS meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security discusses developments in Nepal. He later said, “The violence in Nepal is heart-rending. I am anguished that many young people have lost their lives. The stability, peace and prosperity of Nepal are of utmost importance to us. I humbly appeal to all my brothers and sisters in Nepal to support peace” | more reports on p7 BJP-led NDA’s nominee C P Radhakrishnan was elected the next Vice President of India on Tuesday defeating the , Opposition’s joint candidate, Justice B Sudershan Reddy, by a margin of 152 votes. While Radhakrishnan secured 452 votes, Reddy managed to poll only 300. Radhakrishnan, a BJP veteran from Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra Governor, has served as a two-term member of the Lok Sabha from Coimbatore during the tenure of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The NDA has projected him as an untainted leader with rich political and administrative experience for the vice president’s office. While Radhakrishnan’s victory was on expected lines, the Opposition INDIA block suffered a major setback in the hotly contested election, which witnessed cross-voting by at least 14 MPs. The vote tally suggested some crossvoting in favour of Radhakrishnan as the BJP claimed that at least 15 Opposition members voted for the NDA nominee. Earlier, after the voting got over, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had claimed that the opposition stood united with all of its 315 MPs turning up to vote. The BJP-led NDA has 427 MPs across Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and with the support of YSR Congress’s 11 Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets Vice President-elect C P Radhakrishnan at Union Minister Pralhad Joshi’s residence, in New Delhi, on Tuesday | pti MPs, it was hoping to garner 438. However, the additional 14 votes manifest the fissures in the Opposition camp. The Opposition was hoping to secure at least 324 votes for Justice Reddy as he was supposed to pick up 12 from AAP, though it is not part of the INDIA bloc anymore. AAP convener and former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had extended support to Justice Reddy after the INDIA bloc nominated him as their candidate. Speaking to this paper, an Opposition leader, who did not want to be named, said the numbers suggest that AAP may not have voted for Justice Reddy However, the leader point. ed out that the 150-vote margin is the second lowest in the Vice-Presidential polls. As many as 14 MPs—7 from BJD, 4 from BRS, 2 independents, and 1 Akali Dal—had earlier announced abstention Delhi takes charge of Munak canal upkeep from Haryana Express News Service @ New Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday announced that the Delhi government has now officially taken over the maintenance of the Munak canal from the Haryana gover nment. She shared that going forward, the canal will be protected by railings along its length to prevent accidents such as drowning. The Munak canal plays a critical role in Delhi’s water supply as it supplies 200 mil, lion gallons of water per day to the Haiderpur water treatment plant. Gupta first disclosed the canal takeover plan in July, when she claimed the canal had suffered from “poor maintenance” and lacked security and pollution control measures throughout its open stretches in Delhi. She pointed out that damaged lining (pitching) in several areas and unpaved portions in other sections contaminated the canal, and noted that 20 lakh residents of Delhi rely on it for water. The Delhi government had earlier decided to explore the option of covering the canal with solar panels. The idea, still being planned and studied for feasibility, aims to reduce water loss, generate clean electricity , and improve safety and cleanliness along the canal. P3 from the polls. While the present strength of the electoral college is 781, a total of 767 MPs cast their ballot in a turnout of 98.2%. Returning Officer PC Mody said that 15 votes were deemed invalid, and one postal ballot was cancelled as the MP declined to cast the vote. Extending his best wishes to Radhakrishnan, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, “This was more than an election; it was a battle of ideology, reaffirming that governments with authoritarian tendencies must be checked to protect our Constitution and democracy .” Breaking his silence after his abrupt resignation, which necessitated the election, Jagdeep Dhankhar extended greetings to Radhakrishnan, saying that the V-P’s office will attain greater glory with his vast experience. P7 3 jawans killed in Siachen Three Army jawans were killed after an avalanche hit their base camp at the Siachen glacier, the world’s highest battlefield, in Ladakh on Tuesday. The avalanche hit the base of the Army located at an altitude of 12,000 feet, officials said. | P8 ‘Phansi Ghar’: Panel seeks reply from Kejriwal, Sisodia by Sept 19 A NUP V ERM A @ New Delhi The Delhi Assembly on Tuesday issued notices to former CM Arvind Kejriwal, his former deputy Manish Sisodia, ex-Speaker Ram Niwas Goel and for mer Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla over the ‘Phansi Ghar’ row. Issuing notices to the four senior AAP leaders, the Assembly Secretariat sought their comments by September 19. According to a recent letter issued by the Assembly Secretariat, on August 22, 2022, a ‘Phansi Ghar’ was inaugurated on the Assembly premises at Old Secretariat in the presence of Kejriwal as chief guest, Sisodia, Goel and Birla. Goel, the then Speaker, had presided over the ceremony . Amid controversy over the previous AAP government’s claim that a section of the Assembly building was once a “Phansi Ghar” (execution chamber), the Assembly, during the monsoon session, called it a gross distortion of history, an insult to national martyrs, and a betrayal of public trust. It alleged that `1.04 crore of taxpayers’ money was spent on promoting the false narrative, and called for full recov- ery of the amount, the registration of an FIR against those responsible, and the institution of a probe. The BJP had said that the Kejriwal government misused public funds for political gain. Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta had stated that the “Phansi Ghar” was actually a tiffin room and that there was a misconception about it being used to hang freedom fighters during British rule. CM Rekha Gupta had urged the Speaker to remove the misleading signage referencing the “Phansi Ghar” from the Assembly premises. On August 7, the House referred the issue to the Committee of Privileges for review. The panel is seeking responses from the four leaders.