DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PATNA, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE SATURDAY, AUGUST 9, 2025, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 24 PAGES BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY `7.00 (`8 RAIPUR, `15 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 LOOK FORWARD TO HOSTING PUTIN LATER THIS YEAR: PM ModiandPutindiscussdeepeningties amidrowoverTrumptariffonRussiaoil Xi and Putin too hold talks, China welcomes Modi’s likely visit to SCO summit in Tianjin DIVYA A & SHUBHAJIT ROY INSIDE No govt directive on Russian oil, free to scout for alternatives if not feasible: HPCL SUKALP SHARMA AMID THE tension in ties with the US after President Donald Trump doubled the tariff on Indiaoveritspurchaseof Russian oil, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation Friday during which they discussed“thelatestdevelopments on Ukraine” and “reaffirmed our commitment to further deepen the India-Russia Special and PrivilegedStrategicPartnership”. Modi said he looked forward to hosting Putin in India later this year. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who travelled to Moscow this week and met Putin, had also said that the President would be visiting India. The Kremlin, meanwhile, issued a statement indicating a likely meeting between Putin and Trump next week over the war in Ukraine. TheModi-Putinconversation tookplacethreedaysafterRussia criticised Trump’s tariff action and backed India’s right to choose its trading partners. “Sovereign countries have the right to choose their own trading partners,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. PUBLIC SECTOR refiner Hindustan Petroleum Corporation has cut down on processing Russian oil as it has lost much of its price advantage over competing crude grades, and not because of geopolitical considerationsoranysignalfrom thegovernment,accordingtothe company’s chairman and managing director Vikas Kaushal. Inapost-earningsanalystcall, Kaushal said while HPCL has not received any directive so far from the government on import of Russian crude, the refiner is free to look at alternatives if it were to completely stop buying Russian crude in the future due to any sanctions-related reason. Russian crude’s share in crudeoilprocessedbyHPCLcontracted significantly to 13.2 per cent in the quarter ended June 30, primarily due to lower discounts hitting the competitivenessof Moscow’sbarrels,according to the HPCL chairman. Accordingtoarecentreportby brokerage firm Nomura, the implied discount on Russian crude oil for Indian refiners was estimatedtohavedeclinedtoaround $2.2 per barrel in 2024-25 from over $12 per barrel in 2022-23. NEW DELHI, AUGUST 8 PAGES 9, 3 Ajit Pawar to police: Stop cow vigilantes from checking vehicles with livestock Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar ALOKDESHPANDE MUMBAI,AUGUST8 TAKING NOTE of law and order issues created by “private individuals” over the transportation of legally allowed animals, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar has asked the police top brass to direct district police heads to prevent such persons from inspecting vehicles transporting livestock. Pawar’s instruction followed a meeting between him and a delegation of the Qureshi communityWednesday,wherestate DGP Rashmi Shukla and Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, among other officials, were present. “The Qureshi community is traditionally associated with the meat trade and is a part of Maharashtra’sagriculture-based economy.Therefore,noinjustice will be allowed to be done to the traders of this community and CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CABINET DECISIONS `30,000 CR approved to compensate oil firms for LPG losses CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 PRAGYNESH NEW DELHI, AUGUST 8 A BUSINESSMAN and cousin of Bollywood actor Huma Qureshi was stabbed to death during an altercationwithneighboursover a two-wheeler parked outside his home in southeast Delhi, the police said. According to police, Asif Qureshi (42) was stabbed with a “punch needle”, a tool used in embroidery, allegedly by Gautam during the altercation NEW DELHI, AUGUST 8 NEGOTIATIONSBETWEENIndia andtheUSforatradeagreement have hit a pause, a government official told The Indian Express Friday. This comes two days after US President Donald Trump escalated trade tensions betweenthetwocountriesbydoubling tariffs on India to 50 per cent, the highest globally. “Formal talks for a trade agreement have paused, pend- ingapoliticalresolution.Thediscussion is no longer in the realm of commercial negotiations. The arrivalof theUStradeteamisuncertain, as no formal communication has been received from the US side,” the official said. The pause in talks, after months of discussion, comes after New Delhi decided to dig in itsheelsovermarketaccessinthe agricultural sector. Allowing geneticallymodified(GM)products isagainstIndia’sprinciple,agovernmentofficialsaidlastmonth. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 E ● Delhi and Beijing’s firm stand INDIA AND China have taken firm positions on their purchase of Russian oil, saying it is in the national interest of each. This has angered the West, especially the US which has added another 25% tariff on India, raising it to a total of 50%. Asif Qureshi was stabbed to death RELATED REPORTS,P4 that also involved the main accused’sbrotherUjjwalaround10 pm on Thursday at Bazaar Lane in Bhogal. DCP (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said, “Asif requested Ujjwal to move his scooter, but CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 DEHRADUN, AUGUST 8 OVER THE last two days, Komal Panwar has been on a pursuit to find her hotelier husband, who was in Dharali when the floods struckonTuesday.Shewenttothe emergency control room and skimmedthroughthelistofthose evacuated. In the list of over 350 people, the 28-year-old woman could not find Shubham Negi’s name. With trepidation, she sought the names of those who arefearedtrapped,buttheadministration could not furnish them. Komal Panwar with her husband Shubham Negi She then went to the district hospital, but he had not been brought there. “I am going to Dharali. I need to know if he is dead or alive,” she said, while waiting for a helicopter at Matli Day after BRS lost power, ‘CCTVs switched off for 1 hr, snooping hard disks destroyed’ `12,000 CR subsidy ON THE night of December 4, 2023, for the one hour between 8.34pmand9.34pm,CCTVcamerasatTelangana’spremierintelligence organisation, the Special IntelligenceBranch(SIB),wereallegedly turned off, a probe by Hyderabad police has revealed. During this time, 62 hard disks were allegedly destroyed — cut, 46-km MarakkanamPuducherry section of NH-332A in Tamil Nadu cleared PAGES8,15 RAVI DUTTA MISHRA EXPRESS INVESTIGATION: TELANGANA SNOOPING - PART 3 NIKHILAHENRY FOUR-LANING of Trade talks hit pause, arrival in India of US negotiators uncertain CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Actor Huma Qureshi’s ‘I have to find out’: Her husband cousin killed over parking missing, she searches Uttarkashi dispute, two arrested AISWARYA RAJ `4,200 CR approved for strengthening technical education institutions cleared for PM Ujjwala Yojana Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting of the Security Council, Friday. The Kremlin indicated a likely meeting between Putin and US President Donald Trump next week. PTI EXPLAINED TAMIL NADU STICKS TO TWO-LANGUAGE FORMULA IN POLICY DELHI CLEARS PVT SCHOOL FEE REGULATION BILL NEW DELHI, AUGUST 8 HYDERABAD, AUGUST 8 GOVT & POLITICS HAND OVER PROBE TO CBI: UNION MINISTER PAGE 6 ground to bits and thrown into a river — in an anteroom at the Hyderabad office, investigators probingtheTelanganaillegalsurveillance case have told The Indian Express. As reported by The Indian Express, the state police is currently probing allegations that fivetoppoliceandintelligenceofficers and a TV channel operator indulgedinillegalsurveillanceof 600 individuals — using the state’s anti-Naxal surveillance mechanisms—tobenefittheBRS. Those allegedly snooped on includedpoliticians,partyworkers, bureaucrats, businessmen, a sitting High Court judge, as well astheirspouses,driversandeven childhood friends, it is learnt. On Friday, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and BJP leader Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who is allegedly among those surveilled, deposed before Hyderabad police in connection CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ITBP camp. The flash flood, which hit Dharali village in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district, is feared to have killed several people, with authorities estimating that over 60 are missing. Two bodies have been retrieved so far, and rescue operations entered their fourth day on Friday. The flood swept away over 30 hotels and shops after it struck the market area, which is a stopover for most tourists going to Gangotri. The flood struck at a time when eight adjacent villages, including Dharali and Mukhba, Apex court deletes its remarks against Allahabad HC judge after CJI intervenes Didn’t intend to embarrass, wanted to ensure dignity of judiciary: Bench ANANTHAKRISHNAN G NEW DELHI, AUGUST 8 THE SUPREME Court Friday recalled parts of its August 4 order directing that a judge of the AllahabadHighCourtshouldnot beassignedanycriminalcasefor hearinguntilhisretirement,saying “our intention was not to causeembarrassmentorcastaspersions” on the judge. The August 4 order criticised the judge for permitting criminal prosecution in what the top court said was essentially a civil dispute. The bench of Justices J B PardiwalaandRMahadevansaid after the August 4 order, it had “received an undated letter from... the Chief Justice of India (B R Gavai) requesting us to reconsiderthedirectionsissuedby us in paras 25 and 26 respectively of our order” and in view of this, asked the Registry to renotify the primary matter to consider the request. Thebenchsaiditwasdeleting theparagraphsconcernedindeference to the request of the CJI. Recalling the paragraphs of its order, the bench said, “We would not even think of doing so. However, when matters cross a threshold and the dignity of the institution is imperilled, it becomes the constitutional responsibility of this court to intervene even when acting under its appellate jurisdiction under Article 136 of the Constitution.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Govt withdraws I-T Bill, revised version to be tabled Monday CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha, Friday. PTI BIG PICTURE PAGE 11 Because he loves to bowl MohammadSiraj,whose scrambledbowlingledIndia toafamousseries-levelling wininEngland AANCHAL MAGAZINE & LIZ MATHEW NEW DELHI, AUGUST 8 WEEKSAFTERthesubmissionof areportbytheSelectCommittee of Parliament on July 21, Finance MinisterNirmalaSitharamanon Friday withdrew the new Income-Tax Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha. A “fresh Bill”, incorporating changes recommended by thecommitteeaswellasamendments suggested by “other sources”, is likely to be introducedonAugust11,sourcessaid. TheneedtowithdrawtheBill arose as it was felt that the new legislationhadsomedrafting er- rors, going beyond the changes recommended by the 31-membercommitteeheadedbysenior BJP leader Baijayant Panda. The changes to the Bill have already been cleared by the Cabinet. “OncetheBillisintroducedin Lok Sabha, it will be taken up for consideration and passage. AlthoughtheGovernmentwants to discuss the Bill in both the Houses, it depends on the Opposition whether it wants to have the discussions on such a Billthat has far reaching effects,” said a ruling party leader who waspartoftheSelectCommittee. TheMonsoonsessionhaswitnessed multiple adjournments CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Year after R G Kar, protest leaders mired in legal, professional troubles PAGE 1 ANCHOR SWEETY KUMARI & ATRI MITRA KOLKATA, AUGUST 8 A YEAR on from the rape and murder of their colleague inside R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, the junior doctorswho ledthe agitationfor justiceand reform have facedlegal, professional and financial troubles — with the latest police summonsdeliveredtothemearlier this week. The protests following the August 9, 2024, incident had led to a wave of support for the doctors from across West Bengal and the country. However, prominentleadersof theprotest, such as doctors Aniket Mahato, Ashfaqulla Naiya, Kinjal Nanda, and Debashis Halder, have had to deal with FIRs, court battles, and transfers. Following their initial hospital allocations, Mahato, Naiya, and Halder were transferred to new facilities. Mahato was transferred to Raigunj Government Medical College and Hospital in Uttar Dinajpur, Naiya to Deben Mahato Government Medical College, and Hospital in Purulia, and Halder to Gazole Rural Hospital in Malda. Thethree doctors challenged thesetransfersincourt,claiming they were punitive and retaliatory and that they were being punished for their roles in the protests. They said the transfers occurred just three months after their original postings in February, which had placed Aniket Mahato and Ashfaqulla Naiya, prominent figures in the junior doctors’ protests, now face FIRs and transfers. File Halder in Howrah, Mahato in Hooghly, and Naiya in Kolkata. Thecaseagainstthetransfers are pending at the Calcutta High Court.Thegovernmenthasdenied the claim that the transfers were relatedtotheRGKarprotestsand saidtheywereroutinemoves. Aniket Mahato said that he hasnotjoinedhisposting,which is in a remote part of North Dinajpur, and with the case pending in court, he has not received a salary for months. The doctors have also had FIRsfiledagainsttheminconnection with the protests, including those under charges of unlawful assembly and “causing grievous hurt to police personnel”. Earlier this year, Ashfaqulla Naiya’s residence was searched by police following a complaint regarding his degree. A few days after that, the West Bengal Medical Council wrote to the R G Kar principal asking if Kinjal Nandahadtakenpermissionbefore he acted in films. The body also sought details about Nanda’s service record, including his allowance, working hours, among other details. Mahato said, “Legally, we are fightingthenotices.Overthelast year, we have faced many difficulties. I haven’t been able to practise medicine. I am sitting idle, not drawing a salary. Since April,Ihavebeenoff duty… This has also affected me mentally.” “Wehadnointentiontojump into politics. But I am firm that I willcontinuemyfightagainstinjustice.Myfamilyhasneverpressured me, but they have been concerned,” Mahato said. The agitation demanding justiceforthe junior doctor, who was raped and murdered, and CONTINUED ON PAGE 2