fridAY 19 september, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard Visas of certain Indian business executives revoked: us embassy n e pa l govt says March 5 polls on track The interim government on Thursday said it is preparing with “one-pointedness” to conduct parliamentary polls scheduled for March 5 next year. Page 9 The visas of a few Indian business executives were revoked for their alleged involvement in trafficking of fentanyl precursors, the US said decision to rein in trafficking of drugs A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS l New Delhi l J8.00 l PAGES 12 The embassy’s decisions is in keeping with the Trump Administration’s efforts to keep Americans safe from dangerous synthetic narcotics. “Individuals and organizations involved in illegal production, trafficking of drugs to US, along with their families, will face consequences including being denied access to US,” affirmed Chargé d’affaires Jorgan Andrews. p7 Specially abled tea seller dead as PCR van rams into stall Fresh Rahul-CEC sparring on ‘vote theft’ in Karnataka PRA B HAT SHU K L A @ New Delhi A Police Control Room (PCR) van ploughed into a roadside tea stall in Mandir Marg early Thursday, killing a 55-year-old physically challenged vendor and sparking outrage among residents who alleged that the cops were drunk. The victim, identified by police as Gangaram Tiwari, was asleep at his small tea shop when the van struck the stall at around 5 am, a senior officer said. Tiwari, who had limited mobility suffered fatal head in, juries. Witnesses said the vehicle ran over him. The body has been sent for post-mortem. Constable Khimlesh, the van’s driver, has been arrested and an assistant sub-inspector placed under suspension. Police said the driver told investi Express read Signature View: CBI books 27 DDA officials The CBI has lodged an FIR against 27 DDA officials and five builders in a case linked to alleged corruption in construction of flats in Signature View Apartments in Mukherjee Nagar. The CBI has alleged that due to substandard construction, the flats were declared “unsafe for living”. P3 Sebi clean chit to Adani on Hindenburg allegations B ENN K O CHU V EEDAN @ Mumbai Markets watchdog Sebi on Thursday dismissed all charges levelled by the nowshuttered US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research against the Adani group, its founder Gautam Adani, his brother, and a few top executives including the group’s chief financial of ficer Jugeshinder Singh. The Hindenburg report had accused the group of share price rigging, insider trading, accounting fraud, and using offshore tax havens and shell firms to route funds. Sebi said its probe found no violation of regulations and that there were no related-party transactions. Accordingly, the watchdog decided to “dispose of the instant proceedings against noticees (Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone, Adani Power, Adicorp Enterprises, Gautam Adani and his brother Rajesh Adani) without any direction”. The final orders issued by Sebi’s whole-time member Kamlesh Chandra Varshneya also exonerated group chairman Gautam Adani and his brother Rajesh. Reacting to the order, Gautam Adani said that it reaffirmed his and the group’s stand that Hindenburg’s claims were baseless, adding that “those spread false narratives owe an apology”. Cops were drunk, claims victim’s son The victim, Gangaram Tiwari, was asleep at his small tea shop when the van struck the stall at Mandir Marg at around 5 am on Thursday. Witnesses said the vehicle ran over him. Tiwari’s son claimed that the cops were drunk, though the police maintained that there was no trace of alcohol in the cops. Tiwari is survived by his wife and six children. A son lives in Delhi, while others stay in Gonda. The tea stall after it was rammed by a PCR van. One constable was arrested and an ASI placed under suspension | parveen negi gators he had pressed the accelerator instead of the brake. Tiwari’s son contradicted police accounts, alleging that the cops were intoxicated. “There were two cops and a woman in the van. They were intoxicated and the vehicle climbed the roadside ramp, running over my father. Empty liquor bottles were also found in the van,” he claimed. Police, however, maintained that medical reports showed no traces of alcohol in the cops. Cops are expected to examine CCTV footage and forensically inspect the vehicle to corrobo- P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi rate the conflicting claims. Vishwanath Shukla, Tiwari’s cousin, said. “We come from Gonda in Uttar Pradesh. My cousin had three unmarried daughters and a physically challenged son. Who will support them now?” Local shopkeepers said that Nato-style agreement to treat attack on one country as attack on both India weighs Pak-Saudi def pact J AYANTH J AC O B @ New Delhi INDIA on Thursday said it would assess the security implications of the newly signed Strate gic Mutual Defence Agreement between nucleararmed Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, amid concerns over shifting power dynamics in the Middle East and South Asia. The pact, signed on Wednesday during Pak Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ’s official visit to Riyadh, marks a major upgradation of defence ties between the two countries. It includes a mutual defence clause that says “any aggression against either of the two countries shall be considered as an aggression against both”. The accord was signed in the presence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de-facto ruler, and Pakistan’s powerful army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, highlighting its strategic weight. The agreement, finalised days after Israeli airstrikes on Qatari soil targeting Hamas leaders, has the potential to reshape regional security alignments as many Gulf states are now questioning the long-term I m p l i c at i o n s f o r I n d i a India to assess the Pak-Saudi deal’s impact on national security and regional stability 1 Future military conflicts with Pak could technically evoke a response from Saudi Arabia 2 India worried about nuclear proliferation as Pak is expected to provide N-cover to the Saudis 3 Energy security, diaspora safety India is expected to weigh not just the military dimensions of the pact and also its broader strategic implications on energy security, diaspora safety, and the evolving balance of power in the Gulf. Over 8 million Indians live and work across the Gulf, with a substantial population in Saudi Arabia Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif (left) with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after signing a pact in Riyadh | AP reliability of the US as a security guarantor. It also comes months after the military conflict between India and Pakistan following Phagalgam attack. Reacting to the development, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) offered a measured response. “We have seen re- ports of the signing of a strategic mutual defence pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. Pakistan’s decades-old alliance with Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s holiest sites, is deeprooted in shared faith, strategic interests, and deep econom- Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta has lodged two complaints before the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) on the “large-scale irregularities in the construction and renovation” of the then CM Arvind Kejriwal’s official residence at 6, Flag Staff Road, Civil Lines. According to sources, the Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) of Cen- ic interdependence. It also includes a longstanding military partnership. Between 1,500 and 2,000 Pakistani troops are currently deployed in Saudi Arabia, providing operational, technical, and training support, including to the kingdom’s air and land forces. While defence cooperation between the two nations is not new, formalising it into a mutual defence pact to include the nuclear umbrella marks an escalation that is likely to trigger close scrutiny in New Delhi. A senior Saudi official, speaking to the international media, acknowledged the complexities involved regarding India—a key Saudi partner. “Our relationship with India is more robust than it has ever been. We will continue to grow this relationship and seek to contribute to regional peace whichever way we can,” the official was quoted as saying. When asked whether Pakistan would provide Saudi Arabia with a nuclear umbrella, the official said: “This is a comprehensive defensive agreement that encompasses all military means.” Such comments are likely to be watched closely in India. p7 Lalit Modi’s brother held in rape case e x p r e ss n e ws s e r vi c e @ New Delhi Samir Modi, managing director of Modicare and brother of fugitive businessman Lalit Modi, was arrested on Thursday on charges of rape and criminal intimidation. He was detained at IGIA upon his return from abroad and taken to the New Friends Colony police station, according to officials. He is likely to be presented before the Saket court on Friday . The FIR against Samir was filed on September 10 in connection with alleged sexual assault and intimidation of a woman between 2019 and 2024. The woman accused Samir of years of abuse, harassment, and manipulation under false promises of career advancement and marriage. According to her complaint, she was “consistently tortured, raped, threatened, stalked, cheated and subjected to trauma since 2019,” and expressed fears for her life, stating “unknown men have followed me on bikes and strangers have threatened me over calls.” The woman said, “Samir Modi is an influential person with strong contacts and manpower. I fear for my life and the safety of my family I request police pro. tection against any harm or criminal acts that may be carried out by him or anyone acting on his behalf.” Sources said that the complainant had allegedly demanded a `50 crore settlement. In a separate matter, a sessions court last month summoned Samir in a defamation case filed by Godfrey Phillips India independent directors Nirmala Bagri and Atul Kumar Gupta, stating that there was prima facie sufficient evidence. Samir is also entangled in a family inheritance dispute worth `11,000 crore, challenging his mother Bina Modi in the Supreme Court. CVC probing Gupta charges against Kejriwal house A n u p V e r m a @ New Delhi the cops were also regulars at the tea stall. “We tried to stop them from escaping and noticed liquor bottles inside the vehicle,” said Vinod Yadav, who runs a stall nearby adding , when people confronted the policemen, one of them pointed a pistol at a man’s head. tral Public Works Department has already submitted a report in this regard. The anti-corruption body is expected to ascertain accountability for the “misuse of public money” and determine the future course of action. The first complaint (No 75059/2024), dated October 14, 2024, drew attention to alleged illegal construction and regu- latory violations. Gupta highlighted the “unauthorised demolition of eight Type-V government flats at Rajpur Road” and amalgamation of two government bungalows (8A and 8B, Flag Staff Road), and the creation of a complex covering nearly eight acres without the mandatory statutory approvals. He said tenders were floated under the description of “additions and alterations”, but an entirely new structure was constructed in violation of building norms. The second complaint (No. 76218/2024), dated October 21, 2024, focused on the alleged misuse of public funds in the renovation of the same residence. Gupta said `15 crore was spent on sanitary fittings in bathrooms and an extra `4–5.6 crore on window curtains. In yet another exposé on ‘vote theft’, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday claimed large-scale irregularities in Karnataka’s Aland constituency, accusing Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar of ‘protecting those murdering democracy’. Rahul charged that 6,018 voter names were deleted in Aland in a systematic manner using software, adding the CEC was complicit in the deletion as he refused to provide crucial data and take any action despite repeated requests from the Karnataka CID. However, the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Karnataka claimed it had handed over all information required for the probe to the Superintendent of Police, Kalaburagi district on Sept 6, 2023. In Delhi, the ECI said, “No deletion of any vote can be done online by any member of the public, as misconceived by Gandhi.” The fraud was exposed by chance when a booth-level officer discovered that her uncle’s vote had been deleted after a neighbour applied for the deletion of his vote, said Rahul. “However, the neighbour denied it. Some other force hijacked the process,” he added. Although the Karnataka CID sent 18 letters to ECI in a span of 18 months seeking destination IPs, device ports and OTP trails of the fake Form 7 applications, the poll body has not NEET-UG counselling for seat flip-flop The Medical Counselling Committee on Thursday announced the NEET-UG Round 2 seat allotment result, then withdrew it, and then said results remain unchanged. pti SDRF personnel during a search operation in Nandanagar area of Chamoli district in Uttarakhand on Thursday. Four villages hit by landslides are 260km from Dehradun. 2 dead, 6 missing & 5 rescued as rain batters Chamoli dist n a r e n d r a s e t h i @ Dehradun TWO people were killed, five rescued alive while six people are missing as landslides and flooding triggered by heavy rain flattened more than 40 houses in four villages of Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Thursday . The deceased were identified as Narendra Singh (42) and Jagdamba Prasad (70). Of the six people still missing, four are from Kuntari Lagaphali and one each is from Kuntari Lagasarpani and Dhurma. All four affected villages — Kuntari Lagaphali, Kuntari Lagasarpani, Sera and Dhurma — come under the Nandanagar area, 260 km from Dehradun. Nandanagar is already reeling from land subsidence. Four people were rescued alive in Kuntari Lagaphali and one in Dhurma village, the State Emergency Operation Centre in Dehradun said. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami directed officials to ensure adequate arrangements is made for shelter, food and water and other amenities for those affected. Those seriously injured, including a child, were airlifted to AIIMS in Rishikesh, Dhami told reporters in Gopeshwar after speaking to officials. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at a press conference in Delhi | Parveen Negi ECI must stop protecting vote thieves. They should release all evidence to the CID within a week Rahul Gandhi, Cong leader responded so far, he alleged. The deletions, he added, were at the top 10 booths where Congress holds strong influence and had won eight of them. Rahul said that an automated programme chose the first name from each booth to delete votes, with mobile numbers from outside the state used to file fake applications. “Someone set up a centralised criminal operation to steal elections. In Aland, this operation filed 6,018 deleted applications by impersonating voters using automated filling of online EC forms,” he said. Suryakant, a Karnataka resident, said his identity was used to delete 12 voters in 14 minutes; however, he was unaware of the deletions. p7 39% turnout in DUSU polls, up 10% from last yr; result today I f r a h M u f t i @ New Delhi Delhi University on Thursday recorded the voter turnout of 39.5% marking a rise of 9.8% from last year’s 29.7% as students cast their votes for DUSU’s central panel amid heavy police presence. A total of 52,635 students cast their votes out of 133,412 registered ones. The counting of votes will take place on Friday . This year’s polling was spread across 195 booths at 52 polling stations. Voting began at 8.30 am at seven stations in 36 colleges and departments across North Campus and continued till 1 pm. Voting on the South Campus was also completed in the first half of the day while in eight evening col, leges, polling started at 3 pm and continued till evening. Chief Election Officer Professor Raj Kishore Sharma confirmed that the elections were conducted peacefully Ob. servers deployed across the campus kept watch on polling stations, and electronic voting machines were shifted under security to the strong room in the Multipurpose Hall of the University Sports Complex. On the improved voter turnout, he said, “We have got interesting figures from some colleges where the voting percentage crossed 40% and this has happened after many years. This indicates that the students, especially the freshers, appreciated the idea of clean and green DUSU polls.” By 5.45 pm, EVMs from at least 43 polling stations had reached the strong room. Officials said that the final tally will be available after the counting on Friday P3 .