The Editorial Page: As Parliament reconvenes, let’s ask why legislature is in retreat 8 MONDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2025 JOURNALISm of COURAGE AHMEDABAD, LATE CITY, 16 PAgES ₹5.00 l www.indianexpress.com DA I LY F R O M : A H M E DA B A D , C H A N D I gA R H , D E L H I , j A I P U R , kO L k ATA , L U C k N O W , M U M B A I , N Ag P U R , PAT N A , P U N E , VA D O DA R A Happening today lTHE SUPREME COURT will hear pleas in which it had earlier directed the Centre to expeditiously fill up the vacancies in the CIC and SICs. lTHE BIHAR ASSEMBLy will hold its first session after the recent Assembly elections. Newly elected MLAs will be administered the oath of office. GOVT SEEKS OPPOSITION COOPERATION, LISTS 13 BILLS As Winter Session begins today, Opp pushes for debate on SIR At all-party meet, Opp parties raise Red Fort blast too Delhi reeling, PMO seeks new study on pollution source, flags dust control Directions issued in meeting before reliance on old studies flagged in NGT Manoj C G & Liz Mathew TRACK THESE AND MORE ON WWW.INDIANExPRESS.COM Nikhil Ghanekar THE WINTER Session of Parliament begins on Monday under the shadow of an Opposition united on the demand for a discussion on the Special IntensiveRevision(SIR)ofelectoral rolls and warning that it might stall proceedings if the government does not agree. The Opposition on Sunday indicated it was open to discussing SIR as part of a broader debate on electoral reforms, evenasthegovernmentsought the cooperation of Opposition leadersforsmoothfunctioning of Parliament. It is learnt that the government told the Opposition that it would get back to them on the SIR issue, even as it proposed a discussion on Vande Mataram. The negotiations between the two sides first took place at an all-party meeting and then during the meetingsofthe BusinessAdvisory Committee (BAC) of the RajyaSabhaandtheLokSabha. At the BAC meeting for the Rajya Sabha, chaired by Vice PresidentandHouseChairman CPRadhakrishnan,thegovernmentislearnttohaveproposed a discussion on 150 years of BEFORE THE National Green Tribunal was informed last weekthatactionagainstairpollution in Delhi-NCR was based on old emissions data, the PrimeMinister’sOfficedirected theCommissionforAirQuality Management(CAQM)andCentral Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to expedite work on a new emission inventory and source-apportionmentstudies, The Indian Express has learnt. With dust contributing significantly to particulate pollution, it also directed preparation of a time-bound action plan with adequate funding for the redevelopment of major urban and industrial roads, with a stress on end-to-end paving and greening of road shoulders, it is learnt. New Delhi, November 30 business as Usual By EP UNNY Rajasthanminister asksschoolsto celebrateBabri demolitionday, withdrawsorder Parul Kulshrestha Jaipur, November 30 THE RAJASTHAN Education Department on Sunday withdrew an order to mark December6,thedateonwhichthe Babri Masjid in Ayodhya was demolished in 1992, as “Shaurya Diwas (Bravery Day)” at schools in the state. Education Minister Madan Dilawarsaidinastatementthat Shaurya Diwas celebrations were being postponed because schools would be conducting exams then. “All schools in the state are conducting examinations, which will be held on December 5 and 6. Therefore, it is not possible to conduct any other activities or events in schools during the examination period. Therefore, the 'Shaurya Diwas' celebrations are postponed,” he said. On the decision to celebrate Shaurya Diwas, he said Lord Ram represents the ideals of Indian culture, and that the Ram Mandir movement symbolises culturalpride.Hesaidthatlearning about the Ram Janmabhoomi movement will “inspire studentsandinstilaspiritofpatriotism and national unity”. According to the official »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 PAgE 11 E. ExPlAINED Test for Opp unity After the Bihar poll defeat, the Winter Session provides the Opposition an opportunity to unite against the government. The SIR is of concern for not just Congress, but also parties such as TMC, DMK and CPI(M), with the states where they are in power set for polls next year. Amid petitions in SC, poll panel extends SIR deadline by a week Damini Nath New Delhi, November 30 THE ELECTION Commission on Sunday extended the deadline for electors to submit enumeration forms in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in nine states and three Union Territories from December 4 to December 11, pushing the elec- toral roll publication date from February 7 to February 14 next year. This comes days after a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said it can always direct the EC to extend the deadline forpublicationofthedraftelectoral rolls if the petitioners make a case for it. On November 26, seeking the EC’s response on petitions challenging the SIR exercise in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, thebenchsaid:“Ifyoumakeout a case, then we can direct them toextendthedate.Canthatdate be a ground for the court to say that we don’t have any power now?Thecourtcanalwayssay.” »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EcONOmY mUSk wARNS AgAINST mISUSE OF h-1b, OPPOSES cRAckdOwN PAgE 14 »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ‘Joining Army is not a person’s dream, but a family’s… One case shouldn’t destroy a future’ As UP begins review of cases against protesters, many say they have seen their hopes of a govt job fade away Manish Sahu Lucknow, November 30 MATHURA NATIVE Deepak, 25, had spent nearly four years preparing, with a singleminded focus to join the Army. But the dream collapsed in an instantwhenhewasarrestedin 2022, for allegedly taking part in a protest against the then newlyintroducedAgnipathdefence recruitment scheme. AresidentofNaglaJheenga village in Mathura, Deepak, whodoesn’tuseasecondname like many in his Jat community, says: “It was my last at- Badal (23), Hari Om (24) and Kapil (24) were among those booked over protests against the Agnipath defence recruitment scheme tempt to join the Army as a jawan… With that, all the dreams I had, all the hopes my familyhadpinnedonme,came crashing down.” Because of the criminal charges, it was unlikely he could secure a government job. Withhisfamilyunabletoafford »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 FIRST WOMAN TO GET PRESIDENT’S MEDAL (BRONZE) FOR ‘OVERALL ORDER OF MERIT’ UP teacher’s daughter gets top NDA honour Pune, November 30 UNION AgRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE MINISTER Union Ministers Arjun Ram Meghwal, Kiren Rijiju, Rajnath Singh, J P Nadda and L Murugan with Congress MPs Pramod Tiwari, Jairam Ramesh, Gaurav Gogoi and K Suresh during the all-party meeting at the Parliament Annexe Building on Sunday. AMIT MEHRA The directions were issued during a high-level task force meeting chaired by P K Mishra, PrincipalSecretarytothePrime Minister, on October 23. Apart from pollution monitoring agencies, the meeting included secretariesfromatleasteightdepartments—fromenvironment and power to housing and agriculture — and Chief Secretaries of Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. Emissions inventory and source-apportionment studies provide crucial information on the sources of air pollution and their specific contribution to different pollutants, as well as overall air quality. According to sources, the meeting also appraised the action taken to curb major sources of air pollution ranging fromdust,vehicularemissions, 2022 PROTESTS AGAINST AGNIPATH SCHEME Sushant Kulkarni ‘Schemes for women aren’t freebies. We are correcting historical injustice, they now have financial freedom’ SHIVRAJ SINGH CHOUHAN New Delhi, November 30 BEFORE SIDDHI Jain got selected for the 149th course of theNationalDefenceAcademy (NDA) as part of the second batch of female cadets in December 2022, she was preparing for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) in Kota. On Sunday, Jain, 21, became the firstfemalecadettobeawarded the President’s Medal (Bronze) for “overall order of merit”. The batch of 329 cadets who were commissioned into the Armed Forces included 15 women. While two female cadets have topped the academic streamssofar—oneinthe148th course and another this time — Jainisthefirsttobeawardedthe President’s Medal (Bronze) for “overall order of merit”. The President’s Gold Medal Siddhi Jain (21) is set to join the Indian Air Force. EXPRESS was awarded to Deepak Kandpal, and Silver to Siddharth Singh. The “overall order of merit” is based on several parameters including academics, outdoortrainingactivities,joint training, officer-like qualities andperformanceinspecialised service subjects. “Iamdelightedtoseethesecond batch of the women cadets graduating today, 15 of them »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 A fan touches Virat Kohli’s feet after he scored a century against South Africa on Sunday. PAGE 15 Kohli gets rolling in Ranchi, rolls back years with 52nd ODI century Sandeep Dwivedi Ranchi, November 30 AT M S DHONI’S hometown, they set the bar high for their heroes. On the long walk to the stadium, fans in India blues articulated their wishes to reportersandinfluencerseagerto capture the voice of the people. With 18 or 45 printed on their back, they wanted the men who made those numbers iconic — Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma — hit sixes and hundreds, too. They got what they wished, almost. Virat Kohli finished on 135 from 120 balls, Rohit Sharma scored 57 from 51 balls. And between them, they hit 16 sixes. Virat’s 52nd ODI ton and Rohit overtaking Shahid Afridi to becomethehighestsix-hitterever were the entertaining outcomesthattookIndiato349for eight against South Africa in the opening match of the ODI series—atotalthatledtoanail- biting17-runwinfortheirteam. In many ways, the 136-run partnershipbetweenKohliand Rohit, after the unbeaten 168run stand they put up last month against Australia in the last ODI India played, turned back the clock. Of late, the batting stars, in theirlate30s,hadbeenaskedto play domestic cricket to prove theirrelevance.AtRanchi,they provedthepermanenceofclass and the futility of judging them »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 l FROM SAME AREA OF PAKISTAN, BEING qUESTIONED OVER THEIR MOTIVES FOR CROSSING OVER Two Pak couples in custody in Gujarat, pledging ‘love’ across the salt desert Brendan Dabhi Meena, slipped on a light-blue sweatshirt over a salwar-kameez, and the two set out from ALL THEY knew was to “head their village Lasri in Islamkot south”fromahillockcalledMe- tehsil in the Sindh province of rudo Dungar, located approxi- Pakistan. mately halfway between the Three days and 50 km later, India-Pakistan they had made their border and the first way to Ratanpar. PAGE 1 village on the Indian A month-and-aside, Ratanpar in halflater,onNovemKutch. All they ber 24, another neededwasa“fullmoonnight”. couple, Popatkumar Nathu As per the Gujarat Police, Bhil a.k.a Popat and Gauri that night was October 4. In the Gulab Bhil a.k.a Gauri, were weehours,TaraRanmalChudi, picked up by the Border Securor Toto, donned a black Pathan ityForce(BSF).Theyclaimedto suit, and Puja Karsan Chudi, or have made a similar journey Ahmedabad, November 30 anchor from their village Mungaria, thesecond-lastvillageinPakistan from the border, and located also in Islamkot tehsil. Both couples are now in custody, being questioned by police and investigating agencies over their motives, particularly as they arrived so closetoeachotherandfromthe sameareaofPakistan,andover the truth of their stories — of having walked through the tough Thar desert and its marshylakes,overseveraldays. Sources said that all four, who are Bhil tribals, maintain that they were only looking for Toto and Meena walked for three days to reach Ratanpar village in Kutch district in October; Popat and Gauri were apprehended by the BSF and handed over to the police on November 24 a way to be together, which was not possible back home. In 1979, celebrated author and poet Keki Daruwalla wrote an acclaimed short story called Love Across the Salt Desert, aboutacoupleseparatedbythe border who find each other across these same Thar sands that Toto and Meena, and Popat and Gauri claim to have crossed. Intheiraccountstotheauthorities, Toto and Meena have talked of a story closer home, told down generations, of a grandfather who took the same route to Kutch decades ago. The Walk-I Lasri village lies just 2 km from the international border, onthePakistanside.Itisinhabited primarily by shepherds, who come up to the border almost daily to graze their cattle. There are only about 25 mudbrickandthatched-roofhouses in Lasri and, as per Toto and Meena, almost everyone is related to each other. Standingattheborderfence onaclearday,policeofficialson this side can zoom in and spot the houses and people of Lasri, including the neighbourhood near a Lord Shiva temple from where the couple claim to have fled. From the Lasri side, the mostdistinctivefeature,visible to the naked eye, is Merudo Dungar. The Bhil community frowns upon marriages within the village. Toto and Meena have said they are also related, being second cousins, and feared violence if they tried to be together. What prompted them to flee was a suicide attempt by Meena, police said. The two left on October 4 night carrying some rotis, jaggery and a big bottle of water. They speak a mix of Sindhi and Kutchi, and understand a bit of Gujarati due to similarity in the languages, and so were »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Ahmedabad