DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA ● REG.NO. MCS/067/2018 - 20 RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES `5.00, WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 FIRST JOINT STATEMENT IN EIGHT YEARS FOLLOWS MONTH-LONG TALKS ` 96 per kilo ` 116 per kilo ` 62 per Dozen WORLD PRO-MILITARY AND ANTI-COUP GROUPS CLASH IN MYANMAR PAGE 13 DGMOs reviewed LoC situation in free & cordial atmosphere, says statement KRISHN KAUSHIK NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 25 AFTER ONE of the most active yearsontheLineof Control,with over 4,600 instances of ceasefire violationsbyPakistanrecordedin 2020,IndiaandPakistanissueda joint statement on Thursday to strictlyobserveallagreementson ceasefirealongtheLoCandother sectors, and to address "each other'scoreissuesandconcerns". It was their first joint statement WOMAN DIES BY SUICIDE IN PUNE Sena tells Rathod to quit, minister may do so before Budget Session VISHWAS WAGHMODE MUMBAI, FEBRUARY 25 WITH PRESSURE mounting on the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra over the alleged links of Shiv Sena Minister Sanjay Rathod withthedeathbysuicideof a22year-oldwomaninPune,thetop party leadership has conveyed to the forest minister that he should resign, and he is likely to do so before the Budget Session of the state legislature next week, sources in the Sena said. Sources added that the issue of Rathod’s resignation was discussed when he met Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Forest minister Sanjay Rathod Wednesday. “During the meeting,theCMtoldhim--'takeadecision yourself rather than waiting for me to act'. It will not look good to dismiss a minister. The CMwantsRathodtoresigninthe next two days before the commencement of the Budget Session of the state legislature,” a senior Sena leader said on condition of anonymity. Pooja Chavan, a resident of CONTINUEDONPAGE2 Need to pay more to newspapers for using content: INS to Google EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 25 THE INDIAN Newspaper Society wrote to Google on Thursday asking it to compensate Indian newspapers comprehensively for the use of their content, and to share details of its advertising revenues. In a letter to Google India country manager Sanjay Gupta, INSpresidentLAdmiloolamsaid that Google should increase publisher share of advertising revenueto85%.Thefirstsuchdemand raised of Google in the country, the letter coincided with the Australian Parliament passing a law requiring Google andFacebooktopaymediacompanies for content. The INS letter said newspapers employ thousands of journalistsonthegroundatconsiderable cost for gathering information,andthatthiscontent wasnotjustproprietarybutgave Googleits"authenticityinIndia". In a press release, the INS said, "The Society insisted that Google should increase the publisher share of advertising revenue to 85 per cent, and also ensure more transparency in the revenue reports provided to publishers by Google." The INS said its digital team and Google CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 in over eight years. The statement said that the Director Generals of Military Operations(DGMOs)oftheIndian and Pakistani armies had held talksthisweektorenewthepeace process.Itsaidboththecountries agreed to "strict observance of all agreements, understanding and ceasefirealongtheLineofControl and all other sectors with effect from midnight 24/25 February”. Lt General Paramjit Singh Sangha, Deputy Chief of Army CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 E EXPLAINED ` 68 per kilo Ceasefire pact: First thaw in deep India-Pak chill Back-channels open for 3 months, via Doval, Imran aide and Pak Army chief After China heat ● down EVEN AS India and Pakistan are not yet talking, the understanding between the DGMOs to stick to ceasefire is a significant thaw, and will bring immediate relief to forces and citizens living on the LoC. It also comes close on the heels of the ratcheting down of heat on the eastern front with China. SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 25 BSF personnel in Akhnoor, in J&K on Thursday. ANI FIRMS WELCOME TO DO BUSINESS, BUT MUST FOLLOW LAWS: PRASAD Govt frames new rules to hold social media, OTT accountable for content Taking down posts to tracing origin: Govt says soft-touch curbs will check misuse COMPLIANCE REPORTS, GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 25 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 25 AUKcourtThursdayorderedthe extradition of fugitive jeweller Nirav Modi — wanted by the Central Bureau of Investigation andtheEnforcementDirectorate in a Rs 13,500-crore bank loan fraud case — to India. The UK Court delivered the verdictholdingthattheevidence against Modi was prima facie PAGE 1 ANCHOR Can appeal to the High Court sufficienttoorderhisextradition to India to face the charges. The Courtalsoupheldtheassurances of the Indian government and rejected the submissions of defenceregardinghumanrightsvi- ■ Self-regulatory bodies to oversee adherence to Code of Ethics ■ Follow Press Council of India, Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act norms. ■ I&B Ministry to form panel, oversight mechanism OTT PLATFORMS Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad, Prakash Javadekar at the press conference in New Delhi on Thursday. Anil Sharma THE EDITORIAL PAGE ACCOUNTABILITY WITHACOST BY APAR GUPTA STATE PUSHBACK New rules draw the lines between Big Tech, Govt PAGE 10 THE IDEAS PAGE A FINE BALANCE BY T V MOHANDAS PAI PAGE 11 EXPLAINED SIMPLY PUT INSIDE THE NEW SOCIAL MEDIA CODE PAGE 9 ■ Self-classify content into five age-based categories: U (universal), U/A 7+ (years), U/A 13+, U/A 16+, and A. ■ Parental locks for any content classified as U/A 13+ or above. ■ Age verification mechanism for content classified as ‘A’ (adult) SINGAPORE TO GERMANY: PRIVACY VS CURBS Rules reflect global trend but sweeping blacklist puts law and order at centre PRANAV MUKUL & AASHISH ARYAN NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 25 THE NOTIFICATION of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021,theGovernment'sfirstmove toregulatesocialmediaplatforms, is,essentially,focusedonregulatingBigTechthroughtheprismof tackling law and order. This is an objective broadly aligned to interventions in countriessuchasSingapore,Russiaand Germany.Thisisdistinctfromregulations in, say the European Union,wheretheindividual’spri- CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Security scare for Ambani, gelatin sticks found in car near home DIGITAL NEWS ■ Identify ‘first originator’ of content that authorities consider anti-national ■ File monthly compliance report on complaints received, action taken AASHISH ARYAN & PRANAV MUKUL THE CENTRE Thursday notified newguidelinesforintermediaries in“softtouchoversight”rules,sayingthesewereneededtoholdsocial media and other companies accountable for “misuse and abuse”.ThesewillrequireBigTech platformstosetupstrongergrievance redressal mechanisms, and appoint executives to coordinate with law enforcement in India. For social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, etc, the guidelines essentially remove the “safe harbour” provided to these companies — it limited their liability over content that users posted on their platforms —if the platforms do notcomply with due diligence norms. The rules also call for a threetier regulation mechanism for over-the-top (OTT) platforms like Netflix, YouTube, etc and require them to self-classify their content into five categories based on age suitability. The government's move comes amid a flurry of activity across geographies over the last 12 months to frame new regulations aimed at policing Big Tech, which may force some of the SOCIAL MEDIA ■ Appoint grievance officer, resolve complaints in 15 days 2 years after arrest, UK court paves way for Nirav Modi extradition DEEPTIMAN TIWARY INDIA AND Pakistan have been holdingback-channeltalksforthe last three months, with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval leading the Indian diplomatic initiativewithPakistan’scivilian-military leadership. Sources said “more steps” towards peace are likely in the coming weeks, with both sides “engaged” and “cautiously optimistic”. Sources told The Indian ExpressthatwhileDovalhadmet his counterpart Moeed Yusuf, the Special Assistant to Prime MinisterImranKhan onsecurity affairs, in a third country, he had BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY vacy is at the centre of policy. These rules come even as a Joint Parliamentary Committee isinthefinalstagesof discussion of a privacy Bill that covers aspects such as the role of social media intermediaries and the reachof BigTechcompanies,and theprivacyaccordedtotheusers on such platforms. Asked why the government hadchosentocomeoutwiththe newguidelinesasthelargerumbrellalawondataprotectionwas pending,aseniorofficialsaidthe rules offered an “overarching architecture” for companies to follow while the law would still have to be passed by Parliament. “There should not be double standards. If an attack is there at CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Police personnel posted outside the Ambani residence. Ganesh Shirsekar EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE MUMBAI, FEBRUARY 25 AROUND 20 gelatin sticks were foundinavehicleparkedoutside Antilla,thesouthMumbaihome of Reliance Industries head Mukesh Ambani, on Thursday evening, leading to a security scareandamassivemobilisation by the Mumbai Police to trace the culprits. The billionaire industrialist has Z-plus security cover, the highest protection the government provides to individuals assessedasfacingathreat.Hepays for the security. Gelatin sticks are generally used for blasting purposes in quarries, but have been used for terror attacks in the past. However, they need a detonator to be set off, and none was found in the Scorpio. Apart from the Mumbai Police Crime Branch, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad is looking into the matter. What first raised suspicion was the fact that the registration number of the vehicle matched thatof aRangeRoverinAmbani's securityconvoy.Policearetrying to track down the owners of the four-wheeler from the chassis number and other details of the car. Police said they had also recoveredaletterfromthevehicle, CONTINUEDONPAGE2 2-DAY TEST Mohan Delkar died due to harassment by local administration, says son ■ India beat England by 10 wickets in just under two days in the pink-ball Test. olations, fair trial, and prison conditions. Declaring it was satisfied with all conditions necessary for extradition, the court said, “Therefore, in accordance with S.87(3) EA 2003 I am sending this case to the Secretary of State for a decision as to whether Nirav Modi is to be extradited.” The court, however, said Modiwouldhavetherighttoappeal to the High Court against ■ Spinners from both sides took 28 of the 30 wickets in the third Test. ■ R Ashwin took 7 wickets and became the second fastest after M Muralitharan to reach 400 Test wickets. R Ashwin celebrates the dismissal of England’s Ollie Pope at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Thursday. PTI REPORT,P16 CONTINUEDONPAGE2 SAGAR RAJPUT DADRA AND NAGAR HAVELI, FEBRUARY 25 ABHINAV DELKAR, the son of MohanDelkar–theMPfromthe Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli who committed suicide in Mumbai two days ago – has claimed that the constant harassment meted out to his father and his supporters by the local administration and his father's helplessness at not being able to help his supporters led him to take his own life. “My father was under tremendous pressure. The local administration had made things very difficult for him and our supporters.Afeelingof helplessness had crept into him as in spite of being an MP, he was unabletohelphisownsupporters,” CONTINUEDONPAGE2 ‘22 yrs too long... always believed I deserve justice, and will get it’ ALAKA SAHANI BHUBANESWAR, FEB 25 AFTER YEARS of wait, Anjana Mishra says she had lost hope that the mastermind behind her gangrape would ever be caught, or that the "political conspiracy" behind the crime be exposed. But, she never stopped fighting. On February 22, more than two decades after Mishra, then 29, was assaulted while on her way from Bhubaneswar to Cuttack, prime accused Bibekananda Biswal alias Biban was arrested from Lonavala, Pune,wherehewaslivingunder an assumed identity. “Twentytwo years is too long a period. Therewastalkof theaccusedbeing dead or having been sent out of the country,” says Mishra, speaking on the phone from her parent'shome,addingthatsheis notdone."Itiscrucialthattheinvolvement of powerful politicians be exposed. The three accused assaulted me at their behest... I will get some sort of closure if the conspiracy angle is proved." Mishra was sexually assaulted at gunpoint for nearly fourhoursonJanuary9,1999,afterthecarshewasinwithajournalist friend was forcibly stopped. Mishra was at the time fightinganattempt-to-rapecase against then state advocate general Indrajit Ray, known for his closeness to Chief Minister J B Patnaik. She snubbed multiple offersto"compromise"anddrop her charges against Ray, whom she had met regarding her divorce from her IFS husband. Two decades ago, a woman thus going public with rape charges, especially taking on the high and mighty, was unheard of. Soon after the gangrape charges, Patnaik stopped down. ACBIcourtinFebruary2000upheld the attempt-to-rape allegation against Ray. Anjana Mishra (left) at a press conference in Gajapati district of Odisha on February 22. ANI Mishracontinuestoholdthat PatnaikandRaywerebehindthe attack on her, to intimidate her into dropping the charges. Both Ray and Patnaik are now dead. Mishra hopes that the next legalbattlethatloomswillfinally lead to the CBI establishing the "conspiracy" angle. “He (Biswal) will be questioned, tried and convicted. I want him to be hanged or to stay in prison for the rest of his life." One of Mishra's earliest supporters, Saila Behera, secretary of the Cuttack-basedNGOBasundhara, says the political involvement in the case must be probed. Fifty-onenow,Mishraadmits that it's been a long and "lonely" battle — a far cry from what the high-scoringschoolstudentwho pursued literature, and who got married at 17 to a man 13 years older, imagined for herself. “When you are raped, your life is destroyed. However much you try to be normal, it (the pain) doesn’t go away. There is certainly rage and it will always be there." Her family doesn't want her attracting attention, and hence she is almost always indoors at her parents' house, she says, refusing to meet for an interview. In the days following the gangrape, Mishra used to interact with journalists (including this reporter) at the gate of her parents' home, ignoring disapproving eyes from inside. She can't really explain what gaveherthecouragetogoon,says Mishra.In1996,shewasfoundin a mental hospital in Ranchi, put therebyherhusband,andgotout byapproachingtheStateHuman RightsCommissionandsocialactivists. When the divorce came through in December 2000, she lost custody of her two sons as, she says, she was not financially independent. Mishra points out that it has not got any easier for women two decades later. “The judicial process is not easy,” she says. However,heradviceistonotgive up. "I have always believed that Ideservejustice,andIwillgetit."