NEW DELHI 26 OCTOBER 2025 SUNDAY `12 PAGES 24  facebook/TheMorningStandard  X.com/TheMornStandard https://epaper.morningstandard.in STAR TREK PLUS: 12 PAGES The Smooth Move MAGAZINE Gandhians Against Gandhi EXCLUSIVE VOICES S Vaidhyasubramaniam Prabhu Chawla Devdutt Pattanaik Shankkar Aiyar Preeti Shenoy Geetha Ravichandran Ravi Shankar A Rhythm for Reverence What is Real could Also be Unreal Frescoes of a Forgotten Facade India waits for clear US signals on how Russian oil curbs will play out J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi MESSI NOT PLAYING IN KERALA THIS NOV Disappointment swept through Kerala’s football circles on Saturday as confirmation came that Lionel Messi & Argentina will not play in Kochi. | P5 AS trade pact negotiations gain traction, India is pressing for a fair deal and clearer signals from Washington on sanctions related to Russian oil. In a key meeting India’s Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, met US Deputy Secretary of Energy James Danly to review the India–US energy security partnership and recent trends in bilateral energy trade. Sources said the talks also touched on how impending US sanctions could affect global oil flows, even as supplies remain stable. “These are early days and we need more clarity on the sanctions — that’s part of the ongoing conversation with the US. Our energy security is paramount and guided by market conditions, national interests, and domestic requirements,” a source familiar with the issue said. India’s attention is on US sanctions against Rosneft and Lukoil, which supply most of its Russian oil, and the possible ripple effects of secondary sanc- Kwatra meets Lockheed CEO Ambassador Kwatra also met Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet and had a ‘productive’ discussion on bilateral defence industrial collaboration and opportunities under India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative tions. The fineprint is awaited. Germany recently took temporary control of three Rosneft subsidiaries to secure its own energy supplies -- a move that underscores the lack of a uniform Western approach to Russian oil sanctions. Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s renewed sanctions on Moscow are being viewed as a pressure tactic as well. Sources said a Russia– Had a fruitful discussion with Deputy Secretary James Danly on the energy security partnership —Vinay Mohan Kwatra, Indian envoy to the US Ukraine ceasefire would represent the best-case scenario for India, potentially paving the way for lifting the additional 25% tariff on Russian crude imposed by the US. With fears of secondary sanctions looming, India’s imports of Russian oil are expected to come down gradually, a shift that could push New Delhi to source more energy from the US as well. Sources believe this diversification would help off- set tarif f pressures and strengthen the foundation for an energy-focused component in the trade pact. While Nayara Energy maintains a term contract for Russian crude, most of India’s Russian oil purchases are spot deals. Sources noted that while sufficient alternative supply exists, Russia remains a key partner. They added that Washington is unlikely to push sanctions to the point of triggering a price surge, given the potential impact on global markets, particularly on supplies to China and India. Crude prices rallied sharply on Friday with Brent at $66.42, , after Washington sanctioned Rosneft, Lukoil, and Sovcomflot, removing nearly 4.5 million barrels per day from global markets. On October 23, Trump announced sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, giving companies until November 21 to wind down transactions. Earlier, on October 9, Washington imposed sanctions on Serbia’s Russianowned oil company NIS, one of Russia’s last remaining energy assets in Europe. INDORE SHOCKER OZ WOMEN CRICKETERS ‘STALKED, MOLESTED’ A N U R A A G S I N G H @ Bhopal IN a shocking incident, two Australian women’s cricket team members were allegedly stalked and sexually harassed by a motorcycle-borne man in Indore on Thursday. The incident took place in broad day light, 11 am to be precise, when the two players were walking from the Radisson Blu hotel (where the team was staying since October 17) to a popular café close by . The accused stalked the two players who were jogging to the café from the hotel. He followed the cricketers and first tried to grab one of them and drove off. Later, he came from behind again and molested the other woman cricketer. A case was registered on the complaint of the team’s security manager Danny Simmons at Indore’s MIG police station on October 23 night. The accused, identified as Aqeel Khan, was arrested the next day and booked for stalking and outraging a woman’s modesty, under BNS Sections 74 and 78. This was confirmed by additional DCP (ADCP-Crime) Rajesh Dandotiya who added that it was done based on the The accused at the police station after the arrest | EXPRESS complaint filed by the Australian team management’s security in-charge Simmons, about “inappropriate behaviour” with the team’s players. “Intensive strategic operation was carried out by multiple teams of five police stations, resulting in the tracing and arrest of the accused within six hours of lodging of the case,” Dandotiya told this newspaper. The arrested man has been accused in 10 cases of theft, robbery, drug peddling and attempt to mur- der from 2012 to 2024. “Protocols for the team’s security were set following a meeting between all stakeholders, including the BCCI and MPCA officials and the Indore Police Commissionerate. Despite that, the incident happened. We will analyse and find out the shortcomings,” Dandotiya added. Importantly, the incident with the two players took place a day after the Aussies beat England. The team has been staying at the same hotel and have been visiting the popular café as well. The Aussie cricketers resisted to ‘protect their privacy’. One of the cricketers sent a distress signal to the team’s security manager Simmons over phone through the live location. A local resident also came to the rescue and noted the motorcycle number that led to nabbing the accused. The Indian cricket board (BCCI) condemned the incident. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said “It is a very condemnable but stray incident. We have zero tolerance for such incidents,” he said. The Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association apologised to the P11 Aussie team. 1 NURSERY (BALVATIKA 1 / PRE-SCHOOL 1): 3-4 YRS 2 LOWER KG (BALVATIKA 2 / PRE-SCHOOL 2): 4-5 YRS INDIA faced intense international heat after over 100 children died due to contaminated cough syrups made by three phar ma companies in The Gambia and Uzbekistan. However, after the initial outrage, international alerts, and announcements of probe in 2022-2023, India’s drug regulator has refused to share the action taken against the pharma companies that were at the centre of the international storm, a latest RTI query revealed. Not only did the Central Drugs Standard Control Or- Stonewalling RTI query RTI activist Dr K V Babu said, “CDSCO refused to share the status of investigation and prosecution against the 3 pharma companies.” It shows there is “no visible action or prosecution by the authority against them.” ganisation (CDSCO) refuse to reveal the details of the investigation and the subsequent prosecution against the three firms — Maiden Pharmaceuticals, Marion Biotech Pharmaceuticals and Fourrts (India) Pvt Ltd — it also cited a section of the RTI Act to stonewall information. While Maiden was linked to the deaths of over 60 children in The Gambia, Marion was blamed for the deaths of 18 in Uzbekistan. Both syrups had dangerous levels of the toxins 3 UPPER KG (BALVATIKA 3 / PRE-SCHOOL 3): 5-6 YRS CLASS 1: 6-7 YRS AT PRESENT Schools admit kids to Nursery at 3+ yrs Kindergarten at 4+ Class 1 at 5+ EXCEPTIONS Transfer cases from recognised schools with valid School Leaving Certificate (SLC) and marksheet Minimum age for class 1 admission set at 6 yrs from ’26-’27 I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi STARTING academic session 2026-27, children in Delhi will begin Class 1 only after turning six, marking a major restructuring of the early education system across the city . All government, governmentaided, and recognised private schools under the Directorate of Education (DoE), will now follow a uniform entry age of 6+ years for Class 1, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The DoE issued a circular on Saturday detailing how the transition will unfold in a phased manner. Currently, Delhi schools admit children to Nursery at 3+ years, Kindergarten (KG) at 4+, and Class 1 at 5+. However, under the revised framework, the foundational stage will consist of five years of early lear ning—three years of pre-school (Nursery, Lower KG, and Upper KG) followed by Classes 1 and 2. The new criteria will not apply to students of the 2025-26 session. Children already enrolled in Nursery KG, or Class , 1 during that year will move up as per the current age structure, ensuring no child is forced to repeat a grade. Interestingly, the Lower KG and Upper KG classes will only be introduced in 2027-28, completing the new five-year foundational cycle. This means that for 2026-27, the entry-level admission (KG) will be open for children aged 4+ years as of March 31, 2026. The circular also makes an important exception— students who get transferred from other recognised schools with a valid School L e av i n g C e r t i f i c a t e a n d marksheet will not be bound by the age criteria, provided they are continuing to the next higher class. Veditha Reddy Director Edu, cation said, “With this move, Delhi joins other states that have already adopted the NEPaligned age structure, marking a significant step toward a more, child-friendly education system across India.” P3 EXPRESS READ Dalit youth assaulted in Greater Noida dies CAPITAL IN SMOG BLANKET Pedestrians walk along the Kartavya Path in New Delhi amid continuing thick smog on Saturday, following Diwali celebrations | SHEKHAR YADAV | P3 Grief and tension gripped Mohalla Ambedkar in Greater Noida as the body of a Dalit youth, who died at Delhi hospital following an attack on October 15 night during his birthday celebration, was brought home on Saturday afternoon under heavy police deployment. 6-mnth-old sold for `2L by drug-addict parents A drug-addict couple from Mansa district of Punjab allegedly sold their six-month-old son to a scrap dealer for `2 lakh to buy drugs. A case of child trafficking has been lodged against four people and the parents have been arrested. The couple met on Instagram. Call centre specifically set up for Aland vote theft B A L A C H A U H A N @ Bengaluru A call centre with around five computers was set up for the purpose of filing 6,018 fraudulent Form 7 applications on the Election Commission website for the deletion of names of voters in Karnataka’s Aland constituency sources said on condi, tion of anonymity, as the SIT investigation into the alleged voter theft gained momentum. The facility was run by four suspects—Akram, Ashfaque, Nadeem and Mushtaq. “Of the four accused, one is an online political surveyor/ Syrup deaths: Regulator blocks prosecution info K A V I TA B A J E L I - D AT T @ New Delhi To Change the World, Begin Within UNIFORM ADMISSION AGE 4 Trade pact talks stay the course; need more clarity on crude oil sanctions, say officials AMMA SPEAKS Bagging the Right Investment — diethylene glycol (DEG) and ethylene glycol (EG). Fourrts was flagged in 2023 for containing high DEG and EG. In its reply CDSCO, Chennai, , said on Fourrts, “no such information is available.” Besides, “The information sought by the applicant is exempted under Sec 8 (1) (d) (g) (h) of the RTI Act 2005.” CDSCO, Ghaziabad, said: “...stop production order, suspension, cancellation of licenses/product licenses etc. have been taken.” No word on prosecution. ““That’s the reason why the pharma companies continue to flout the laws,” RTI activist Dr K V Babu said. manipulator, one a data operator and two others are well versed in filing online applications and providing logical support,” sources said. According to the Special Investig ation Team (SIT), which is investigating the alleged voter fraud, the perpetrators used 75 mobile phone numbers belonging to people from vulnerable sections of society across the country to create login IDs for the 6,018 applications. The investigation is examining loopholes that were exploited to cre- ate login IDs with single-use one-time passwords (OTPs). “How did the perpetrators get these 75 mobile phone numbers? There has to be a network of people helping them with logistics. Each login was created using an OTP. How did they manage to get them? Did they hack the 75 mobile phones,” sources said. The SIT has questioned Akram, Nadeem and Mushtaq. Ashfaque is said to be in Dubai. “Ashfaque left for Dubai after being questioned in the same case in 2023 by the Kalaburagi police, which was initially investigating the case based on an FIR registered in Aland,” sources said. “Each of the four played an important role in the alleged fraud. The political analyst was roped in because he had past experience with partywise surveys and the manipulation of political data. The data operator helped file applications. Who identified and approached the four men for the job is key to the SIT investigation. They were paid `80 per online application of Form 7,” said sources. 27-yr-old wanted arms supplier arrested after encounter in Mehrauli; cop injured N I T I N R A W AT @ New Delhi A 27-year-old alleged arms supplier was arrested early Saturday following an exchange of fire in south Delhi’s Mehrauli area, police said. Kanishk alias Koku alias Vishal, also known as Koku Pahadiya, is a resident of Madangir in Ambedkar Nagar. Based on a tip-off, a team was formed and a picket was placed at Lado Sarai, Shamshan Ghat Road on the intervening night of Friday 13 criminal cases There are 13 criminal cases such as robbery, snatching, and Arms Act pending against the accused. His Instagram profile is full of his pics brandishing illegal arms. and Saturday At around . 3.15 am, a motorcycleborne man was signaled to stop, but he tried to flee, skidded, and started firing indiscriminately at the police team. During exchange, bullets struck the bulletproof jackets of sub-inspector Naveen and head constable Ravinder, DCP (south) Ankit Chauhan said. Despite repeated warnings, the accused continued firing. In self-defence, the police team also fired back injuring the accused in his right leg and overpowered him. The accused was shifted to AIIMS Trauma Centre, the DCP said. Two automatic pistols, loaded magazines, and four empty cartridges were recovered from his possession. Head constable Ravinder suffered a bullet injury on his arm and was shifted to a hospital.