DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PATNA, PUNE, VADODARA ● REG.NO. MCS/067/2018 - 20 RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE FRIDAY, JULY 18, 2025, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES `5.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 NATO CHIEF THREATENED SANCTIONS OVER RUSSIA TRADE 91 119 146 74 Securing our energy needs overriding priority for us: Govt on NATO warning SHUBHAJIT ROY & SUKALP SHARMA NEW DELHI, JULY 17 MNS workers assault Mumbai shopkeeper over his WhatsApp status ‘insulting’ Marathi language EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE MUMBAI, JULY 17 A GROUP of workers from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Wednesday allegedly assaulted a shopkeeper in Mumbai’s Vikhroli area for posting a WhatsApp status that they claimed insulted the Marathi community and language. A video of the incident went viral on social media Thursday and sparked outrage. According to sources, the shopkeeper, who hails from the Marwari community,hadputupastatusthatsome MNS workers interpreted as offensive towards Marathi-speaking people. The workers went to his shop, questioned him and allegedly beat him up after being dissatisfied with his response. The video shows MNS functionaries, including party office-bearer Vishwajeet Dholam, confronting the man and later parading him through the locality. MNS workers have claimedthatthemanmade"disrespectful remarks" about Marathi people in his status. Dholam and other MNS workers forced the shopkeeper to apologise and appealed to Marathi people not to purchase anything from non-Marathi businessmen. In the video, Dholam can be heard abusing and saying, "These are outsiders. They come here. They stay with us, earn and then insult us. We will surely teach him a lesson. But all of you must remember now. Do not buy anything from such outsiders." CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY E Guard against double standards, says MEA; feel no pressure: Minister Puri IN A sharply-worded response to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’swarningthatcountrieslike India,ChinaandBrazilcouldbehit veryhardbysecondarysanctionsif theycontinuedtodobusinesswith Russia, the Ministry of External AffairsThursdaycautionedagainst “doublestandards”andunderlined that“securingtheenergyneedsof our people is understandably an overridingpriorityforus”. Also Thursday, a day after Rutte’s remark, Petroleum MinisterHardeepSinghPurisaid he didn’t “feel any pressure”, making clear that India does not see any oil supply disruption if itsRussiancrudeimportsgetimpacted because the country has diverse sources of oil and there is enough supply available in the market. Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, said, “We have seen reports on the subject and are closely following the developments. Let me reiterate that se- PRATIBHA SETU SCHEME UPSC opens window for those not in final civil services list, posts details for pvt jobs ANIL SASI NEW DELHI, JULY 17 FOR 32-YEAR-OLD Arun K, coming really close to qualifying in the Civil Services Examination, the most rigorous professional test in the country, was of little consolation. Having exhausted all his chances and a better part of his youth in trying to qualify, he was left with the same predicament faced by a majority of those who appear for this exam: belatedly starting professional life from scratch.Despitebeingoverqualified, he took up the only job that he managed to land after a desperate search – as an entry-level administrativeassistantinapublicschoolontheoutskirtsofDelhi. Untilhegotaphonecallfrom a Delhi-based corporate, which was fully updated about how he had fared in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examinationandevaluatedhimfor hisveryprettysolidrecordinthe penultimatestagesof thatexam, while taking into consideration hisMastersdegree,toeventually employ him at a mid-seniority grade and a salary that was multiples of what he was getting at the local school. The job position at the new employer was more in sync with his academic qualifications, and duly acknowledged his performance in what is regarded as the toughest qualifying examination in India. And for this, he has to thank an initiative of the UPSC called the Public Disclosure Scheme (PDS), through which the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Tablighi Jamaat ‘Covid’ case: Delhi HC quashes charges against 70 SOHINI GHOSH NEW DELHI, JULY 17 MORE THAN five years after the Tablighi Jamaat was accused of spreading Covid by organising an international congregation in Delhi, the Delhi High Court Thursday quashed charges in 16 FIRsandchargesheetsfiledinrelated cases involving 70 Indian citizens. Justice Neena Bansal Krishna told the open court that proceedings stand quashed. The 70 named as accused across 16 FIRs were charged primarily under sections of the IPC, including criminal conspiracy, for allegedly accommodating foreign nationals in mosques andtheirhomesduringthepandemic from March 24-30, 2020. The FIRs had also listed 195 foreign nationals but they were not named as accused in most chargesheets — the magistrate court did not take cognizance of the remaining chargesheets on theprincipleof doublejeopardy. The Delhi Police’s Crime Branch initially registered an FIR under Section 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897, and IPC sections 188, 269, 270, 120-B and 271, along with provisions of the Disaster Management Act 2005, against seven Indians. The Crime Branch then filed 48 chargesheets and 11 supplementarychargesheets,including under Section 14(b) of the ForeignersAct,1946,against955 foreign nationals, of whom 908 entered plea bargains before the magistrate court. Eight of them weredischargedinAugust2020, and 36 others acquitted in December 2020. No action was taken against three others who CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EXPLAINED 18/07/2025 Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri in New Delhi on Thursday. PTI Amid efforts to ● seal deal THE NATO chief’s warning comes at a time when Delhi and Washington are working to seal an interim trade deal before the pause on reciprocal tariff ends on August 1. Geopolitical shifts, freight economics and refinery economics will shape India’s crude sourcing decisions and diversification strategy. curing the energy needs of our people is understandably an overriding priority for us. In this endeavour, we are guided by what is on offer in the markets, and by the prevailing global circumstances. We would particularly caution against any double standards on the matter.” He was responding to Rutte who,whilespeakingtoreporters after meeting US senators Wednesday, said, “If you are the President of China, the Prime Minister of India, or the President of Brazil, and you continue to trade with Russia and buy their oil and gas, then you know: if the man in Moscow doesn’t take the (Ukraine war) CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Five gunmen walk into Patna hospital, shoot murder convict Attackers flee on motorcycles; police say may be rival gang A CCTV grab of the gunmen inside Patna’s Paras Hospital on Thursday morning A MAN from Buxar, who faced several murder cases and was out on parole, was shot dead inside Patna’s Paras Hospital on Thursday morning, police said. The incident has triggered a renewed political storm about law and order in the election- bound state. Police sources said five men, all carrying guns, shot 36-yearold Chandan Mishra in his hospitalroomat7.15ambeforefleeing on motorcycles. “Buxar district’s notorious criminal, Chandan Mishra, who was out on parole for treatment, was attacked inside the hospital premises. The attackers are suspected to be members of a rival In a ‘friendly exchange’, Sena UBT chief, son meet Fadnavis Seven of family killed after car hits motorbike, falls into drain in Nashik EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE HIMANSHU HARSH PATNA, JULY 17 MUMBAI, JULY 17 MAHARASHTRA CHIEF Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray met on Thursday on thepremisesof theMaharashtra Legislative Assembly. The Sena UBT chief and his son and MLA Aaditya Thackeray attended the 20-minute meeting, held in the chamber of Legislative Council Chairman Ram Shinde. The meeting comes a day after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis offered former ally and ShivSena(UBT)presidentUddhav Thackeray to join the Mahayuti. “Uddhavji, now we don’t havetodoanythingtill2029.We CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 gang, or possibly Mishra’s own associates involved in a gang-relateddispute,”InspectorGeneral of Police Jitendra Rana said, adding that investigations are underway. Rana also said that security protocols at the hospital, including frisking of visitors, are being scrutinised.“Anyoneenteringthe hospital is subjected to frisking CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 MUMBAI, JULY 17 SEVENMEMBERSof afamily,including a two-year-old child, were killed in a road accident near Dindori in Nashik district after the car they were travelling in collided with a motorcycle, and plunged into a roadside drain late Wednesday. According to the Dindori police, the accident took place near the Agricultural Produce Market Committee(APMC)onWaniRoad around midnight. They said the victims were returning to their hometown of Sarasale in Dindori after attending a child’s birthday celebration in Nashik when the Altocartheyweretravellingincollided head-on with an oncoming Policemen inspect the damaged car in Nashik on Thursday. Yatish Bhanu motorcycle. The car veered off and hit the bike after its tyre exploded, the police claimed. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 GURGAON LAND DEAL ED names Vadra in chargesheet, attaches 43 properties linked to him and others Extension of political witch hunt: Vadra MAHENDER SINGH MANRAL NEW DELHI, JULY 17 THEENFORCEMENTDirectorate, probing an alleged money laundering case linked to a land deal in Gurgaon’s Shikohpur, filed a chargesheet Thursday naming Robert Vadra, husband of Congress leader and MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, as an accused. The chargesheet was filed a day after the probe agency attached43immovableproperties linked to Robert Vadra and his entities including M/s Sky Light Hospitality Pvt Ltd and others. In a statement Thursday, Vadra’s office maintained that the present proceedings were “nothing more than an extension of the political witch hunt by the present government” against Vadra. “Vadra is aware of reports suggesting that the Directorate of Enforcement has filed a Prosecution Complaint naming him as an accused before the Rouse Avenue Courts, Delhi. As the Court is yet to even take cognizance of the matter, he has not had the opportunity to examine the Prosecution Complaint. As a law-abiding Indian citizen, he has always and will continue to extend his fullest cooperation to the authorities and he is confident that at the end of it all, the truth will prevail and he will be clearedof anywrongdoing.Heis ED probe based on FIR registered on Sept 1, 2018 looking forward to the opportunity to defend himself and clear his name in Court,” it stated. The ED, an official said, after completing its investigation, filed a prosecution complaint in theRouseAvenueCourtsagainst 11 individuals/entities. Vadra, his entities including M/s Sky Light Hospitality Pvt Ltd and others, Satyanand Yajee and Kewal Singh Virk including their entity M/s Onkareshwar Properties Pvt Ltd, have been arrayedasaccused,theofficialsaid. Cognizance of the prosecution complaint – the equivalent of a chargesheet filed by police – is yet to be taken by the court. The ED investigation was based on an FIR, registered on September 1, 2018 by Gurgaon police, alleging fraudulent purchase of 3.53 acres of land situated in village Shikohpur, Sector 83, Gurgaon by Vadra through his entity M/s Sky Light Hospitality Pvt Ltd from M/s Onkareshwar Properties Pvt Ltd on February 12, 2008. “The probe revealed that a commercial licence was also obtained by Vadra on the land through his personal influence. A provisional attachment order CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ‘Surge in demand for domicile certificates suggests presence of many immigrants’ ‘BJP iscomfortable,wehave52,000booth levelagentsinBihar,willadd10,000more’ SANTOSH SINGH PATNA, JULY 17 WITH the publication of the first draft of the electoral rolls after the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive just a week away, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and seniorBJPleaderSamratChoudhary addresses the concerns over it, particularly regarding Bihar residentsworkingoutsidethestate, andsaysspecialattentionshould be paid to Kishanganj district. Excerpts from an interview: Questions have been raised about the timing of the SIR, just months to go for the polls, with the Block Development Officers (BDOs) deployed for theexercisestrugglingtocover everyone. The EC is doing the SIR with the 2003 voters’ list as the starting point. It is going well across the state minus the Purnia division, especially Kishanganj district. While records show that CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE EXPRESS INTERVIEW SAMRAT CHOUDHARY BIHAR DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER WHAT WILL NOT COUNTINBIHAR AN EXPRESS SERIES PART 12 When Harry met 7: She promised marriage, life in Canada, duped many PAGE 1 ANCHOR DIVYA GOYAL GOPAL KHANNA/DORAHA (LUDHIANA), JULY 17 TILL JULY 10, Jasdeep Singh, 27, of Faizgarh village in Punjab’s Khanna city, was within touching distance of his Canada dream, all thanks to his scheduled ‘engagement’ to a framed photograph of Canada resident HarpreetKaur,24,akaHarry,ata hotel in Doraha, around 20 km from Khanna. Before the mangna (engagement) could take place, Khanna Police raided the hotel following a tip-off by Bathinda resident Rajwinder Singh, 28, Harpreet’s ‘fiancé’ since July 2024. Rajwinder, a resident of Dullewala village in Bathinda, says an accidental WhatApp voice note helped him blow the lid off the alleged racket. “Harpreet’s mother sent me a voice note meant for her. In the voice note, she discussed Harpreet’s July 10 engagementandthemoneytheyhadto take from the Faizgarh family. She also tells Harpreet to reassuremeregardingourwedding,” says Rajwinder, who has studied till Class 10. While the July 10 raid came as a shock for Jasdeep and his family, it was an eye-opener for Khanna Police too: Seven men from across Punjab — all of whom allegedly got engaged to her over the past two years by proxy, either over video calls “from Canada” or to her framed photograph — have accused the mother-daughterof takinglakhs of rupees from them under various pretexts in lieu of taking them to Canada after their marriage to Harpreet. WhileKhannaPolicehavearrested Harpreet’s mother The investigating officer, Assistant Sub-Inspector Harjeet Singh (right), shows a photo of Harpreet Kaur. Gurmeet Singh Sukhdarshan Kaur, her brother ManpreetSinghandtheiraccomplice Ashok Kumar for allegedly duping men from Bathinda, Moga, Shahkot, Raikot, Barnala and Dharamkot seeking brides settled in Canada, a Look-Out Circular is expected to be issued soonagainstHarpreet,whowent toCanadaonastudentvisaandis currentlythereonaworkpermit. Thepolicesaidtheaccusedwould target their victims either via matrimonial ads in newspapers or vicholas (local matchmakers). Explaining the modus operandi, Inspector Akash Dutt, Station House Officer (SHO), Doraha Police Station, says, “Sukhdarshan,themother,would fix Harpreet’s marriage to men who wanted to settle in Canada but could not due to various limitations.Claimingtobeverypoor and having incurred huge debts to send Harpreet abroad, Sukhdarshan would soon start askingthesefamiliestocompensate her for helping settle their sons in Canada. Since she readily agreedtobanktransfers,thefamilies didn’t suspect much.” In the case of at least one family, police said, Sukhdarshan allegedly gave them a written agreement as guarantee of marriage. Police say the duped familiesneverapproachedthepolice sinceSukhdarshanandHarpreet kept promising to return the money. AssistantSub-Inspector(ASI) Harjeet Singh, the investigating officerinthecase,says,“Harpreet wouldinitiallytakecallsfromher fiancés.Insomecases,shewould demandmoneyformedicines,to pay her rent, college fee, etc. Her mothertoowouldaskthesefamilies for money to pay for Harpreet’s return ticket to India. Soon, Harpreet would start ignoring their calls.” Sukhdarshan, ASI Singh says, would promise a wedding within 2-3 months of the proxy CONTINUED ON PAGE 2