TUESDAY 30 SEPTEMBER, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard INDIA TO BUILD TWO CROSS-BORDER RAIL LINKS TO BHUTAN FOR `4,000 CR N E PA L TRAVEL BAN ON FORMER PM OLI Nepal has imposed travel bans on ousted PM KP Sharma Oli and four former senior officials as part of a probe into unrest earlier this month. PAGE 9 Canada lists Bishnoi gang as terror outfit H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ Chandigarh CANADA on Monday listed the Lawrence Bishnoi gang as a terrorist entity for creating a “climate of fear and intimidation”. A terrorist listing means anything owned by that group in Canada — property , vehicles, money — can be frozen or seized, and gives law enforcement power to prosecute terrorist offences, including those related to financing, travel and recruitment. “The Bishnoi Gang is a transnationLawrence Bishnoi al criminal organization.. engages in murder, shootings and arson, and generates terror through extortion and intimidation,’’ read a statement by Canadian government. The Bishnoi gang, which was implicated in Baba Siddique’s murder in Mumbai, has grown into a transnational crime syndicate with footprints in Canada and the US and active presence in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, UP and Rajasthan with over 700 sharp shooters. LOGO FOR CITY SOON, PANEL FORMED In a first, the govt is making an official logo for the National Capital Territory and an expert panel has been formed to oversee the process. | P4 Under the project, the two Bhutanese cities of Gelephu and Samtse would be connected with Kokrajhar in Assam and Banarhat in West Bengal ‘RELATIONSHIP OF TRUST, MUTUAL RESPECT’ A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI Economy, defence, diplomacy, AI pose existential threats. New NSS is needed It is encouraging that the National Security Doctrine is likely to be finalised by year-end NSS will provide provide guidance to all organs of the govt on policy directions AP Maheshwari, ex-CRPF chief Prakash Singh, ex-DGP Lt Gen (Rtd) D S Hooda Comprehensive security doctrine on its final leg S U M I T K U M A R S I N G H @ New Delhi INDIA’S first comprehensive security doctrine — the National Security Strategy (NSS) — is expected to be completed by December this year. The National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) has almost finalised the doctrine, which provides multidimensional understanding on external and internal security challenges and threats together with real-time preparedness. “Last-minute deliberations are on. The secretariat has received all the relevant inputs from stakeholders. Once approved, the draft will be placed before National Security Council (NSC) — chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for approval,” said a senior government officer. Defence modernisation, technological advancement, cyber resilience, internal security, hybrid threat management, economic stability and strategic diplomacy will be interlinked pillars of the holistic security doctrine so as to anticipate, respond and mitigate threats comprehensively . The process to formulate the NSS and the National Defence Strategy began under National Security Advisor Ajit Doval’s watch in 2018. The NSCS was made the nodal body responsible for drafting the NSS. Deputy NSAs, domain experts, and retired military and senior police officers were drafted for the exercise. India has not had a security doctrine 26 years since the Kargil war. It’s not that India has never attempted such a doctrine before. Prakash Singh, former member of the National Security Advisory Board, said governments at different periods constituted committees that drafted them. “But they were never approved by the political establishment as they did not want to be bound down by any welldefined policy. Instead, they wanted to retain the discretion to deal with matters in the most politically convenient matter.” Major General (Rtd) Ashok Kumar said, “NSS is one of the most sought after documents by most countries. While its predictability is good, it also puts a strain for countries like India where emerging threats taking a different shape with every passing day Lt General (Rtd) .” Deependra Singh Hooda said, “The formal articulation of NSS is a very welcome step.”  J8.00 PAGES 12  Leh Apex Body to pull out of October 6 talks F AYA Z W A N I @ Srinagar THE Leh Apex Body (LAB) said on Monday that it would stay away from talks with the Centre till peace and normalcy is restored in Ladakh. “Dialogue cannot be held under the shadow of fear and repression,” said LAB chairman Thupstan Chhewang. The Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), which along with LAB is spearheading the protests for special rights to Ladakh, also supports the decision to suspend talks, a KDA leader said. The next meeting of the High Powered Committee (HPC), through which the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) holds talks with the Ladakhi groups, is scheduled on October 6. LAB demanded a judicial probe into the violence in the September 24 protests, in which four persons were killed and 80 injured, and the release of activist Sonam Wangchuk and others detained in LAB leaders Thupstan Chhewang and Chering Dorjay at a press conference in Leh | EXPRESS connection with the protests. LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjay accused the police and CRPF of using excessive force against the protesting youth. Late in the evening, the Home Ministry issued a brief statement saying the government is always open to dialogues on Ladakh matters with LAB and KDA. “We would continue to welcome the discussion with LAB and KDA through the HPC on Ladakh or any such platform,” it said adding, “We are confident that continuous dialogue would yield the desired results in near future.” A farmer burns paddy stubble in a field on the outskirts of Amritsar in Punjab on Monday | PTI EXPRESS READ Hooda CLP leader, Rao to head Haryana unit The Congress high command on Monday yielded to internal pressure, naming former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda as the CLP leader in Haryana, a year after assembly polls, and appointed Rao Narender Singh as the new state unit chief. | P8 SC sets aside HC bail order in murder case Noting that protection of individual liberty is vital, but courts must not turn a “blind eye” to suffering of the victims, said the Supreme Court, which has set aside a Patna HC order that granted bail to two accused in a murder case. 100% TARIFF ON MOVIES MADE ABROAD, SAYS TRUMP US President said he would impose a 100% tariff on all foreign-made films imported into the US, saying other countries have taken business from America, “just like stealing ‘candy from a baby.’” | P9 SC sends 2 dist judges for crash course S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court directed training for two district court judges—Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) and the Sessions Court Judge of Karkardooma Court—for a minimum of seven days at the Delhi Judicial Academy (DJA) over their flawed order granting bail to the accused in a `6 crore cheating case. The SC criticised the two ju- dicial officers of the Karkardooma Court for not applying settled principles when granting and upholding bail in the case. The two-judge bench, led by Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and SVN Bhatti, said bail decisions must be based on facts and conduct, rather than mechanical reasoning. Given the facts, it said, bail should not have been granted. “We would be failing in our duty if we turned a blind eye to the manner in which the ACMM granted bail to the accused and the Sessions Judge refused to interfere. In the facts herein, we deem it appropriate that the Judicial Officers who passed the Orders dated 10.11.2023 and 16.08.2024 shall undergo special training for a period of at least seven days. The Chief Justice, Delhi HC, is requested to make appropriate African national, posing as Korean bizman, dupes 100 women; nabbed N I T I N R A W AT @ New Delhi STUBBLE BURNING SEASON BEGINS The details of the project was made public by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Monday. Under the two projects, 89 kms of railway lines will be laid and work is expected to be completed in the next four years. “India and Bhutan share a relationship of exceptional trust, mutual respect, and understanding,” Misri said | P7 A 29-year-old African national was arrested for allegedly duping over 100 women claiming to be a UK-based Korean jewellery businessman and luring them with false promises of a personal relationship and business collaboration, police said on Monday. The accused has been identified as Stephane, also known as K Cee Dominic, a resident of Tilak Nagar. A case was registered on September 24 following a complaint from a woman alleging that she had come into contact with Duck Young (Stephane’s fake identity) through a language-exchange app. This app helps users practice languages by chatting with native speakers from around the world. The suspect introduced himself as a UK-based Korean jewellery businessman. After gaining her trust, he claimed immigration officers detained him at Mumbai airport for travelling to India without his medical facility card. Thereafter, she received calls from two Indian mobile numbers, the callers posing as immigration officials and asking for money for clearance. She transferred `48,500 through UPI. However, she refused an additional demand for `2 lakh, police said. Following investigations, police arrested Stephane from Tilak Nagar, DCP (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam said. An inspection of his cellphone revealed that he had been chatting with over 100 women across India, using the same modus operandi to lure them with promises of personal relationships and business collaboration, Gautam said. Stephane came to India on a six-month tourist visa in 2019, but overstayed. He ran out of his savings and engaged in wrongful activities by creating a fake online identity, Duck Young, on the app. He targetted single women, the DCP added. No sale of red-&-black pocket After Men’s Asia Cup, will the drama edition of Constitution: HC INDIA VS PAK spill over to Women’s World Cup? E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Chennai THE Asia Cup, perhaps, ended in the most apt manner possible. After three weeks of back and forth, multiple handshakegates, geopolitical intrigue, ugly verbals, and press conference point scoring, the posttournament ceremony finished in farcical circumstances. India refused to take the trophy from the Asian Cricket Council chair Mohsin Naqvi (also Pakistan’s interior minister), Naqvi refused to cede ground and India celebrated with an imaginary one to end the night. While the BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia promised a strong protest against Naqvi’s act, the focus now shifts to what happens when India and Pakistan’s women’s teams face each other in the World Cup tie on October 5 in Colombo. Will Har manpreet Kaur shake hands with Pakistan’s Fatima Sana? Will the mood be more congenial? Will the current toxicity touch that game too? Only time will tell but the Indian captain wouldn’t be dragged to commenting on that game yet. On Friday, she said the focus is on the tie versus Sri Lanka on Tuesday “Our main fo. cus is on that because that game is going to set the tone. We can only control the things we can control. We are not going to entertain anything else on the field because we are here to play cricket. Our focus will remain on cricket only Kaur said. ,” P R A B H AT S H U K L A @ New Delhi THE Delhi High Court has ordered an interim stay on Rupa Publications India P v t L t d ’s re d - a n d - bl a ck , coat-pocket edition of the Constitution of India after finding it “prima facie” similar to an existing pocket edition published by Eastern Book Company (EBC). Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora granted the injunction in a suit filed by the EBC, finding that the overall presentation of Rupa’s book risked creating confusion. The HC said the two pocket editions share many design ele- ments, including a near-identical colour scheme, the same text style and font, gilt edging, the book’s posteen colour, and embossed gold detailing, and noted both firms sell to the same segment through overlapping trade channels. Such close resemblance makes it “prima facie evident” that Rupa’s trade dress or design is “deceptively similar” to that of EBC, the judge said. The EBC supported its claim with a tabular comparison, which the court said demonstrated Rupa had reproduced the layout of the EBC’s product with little or no independent creativity . arrangements for such training at the Delhi Judicial Academy, with particular focus on sensitising the Judicial Officers on how to conduct judicial proceedings...,” said the SC. The Supreme Court also stated that it would not overlook the actions of the investigating officers, whose conduct before the lower courts was notable. It directed the Delhi Police Commissioner to conduct a personal enquiry into the IOs and take action. HIT-AND-RUN Minor among 3 of family dead in bike accident EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi THREE members of a family, including a minor, were killed after their motorcycle met with an accident in northwest Delhi’s Mukundpur flyover, police said on Monday . The Jahangirpuri police station received a PCR call at around 12.05 am regarding a road accident near Mukundpur flyover, Outer Ring Road. Upon arriving at the spot, police found three people on motorcycle lying dead, in a suspected hit-and-run accident, a senior police officer said. There was no CCTV camera in the immediate vicinity of the accident spot. Also, no eyewitnesses were found at the scene. The deceased have been identified as Shahid (60), his son Faiz (28), and his daughter’s son Hamza (12), all residents of North Gonda. A case has been registered at the Jahangirpuri police station. Preliminary investigations revealed that the three were returning home from Uttam Nagar when the incident took place. Shahid’s brother said that the entire family had g o n e t o h i s d a u g h t e r ’s home in Uttam Nagar. While returning, he put his family into a cab and rode home on a motocycle with his son and grandson. According to his brother, a speeding car hit them, throwing them off the bike, and another car came from behind and ran over them. Both the cars were reported to be travelling at dangerous speeds in the extremely crowded area.