eye MCS/204/2020-22RNINO.MAHENG2002/21899 THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE The Symphony of Life MUMBAI,LATECITY FEBRUARY16,2025 16+4PAGES,`6.00 DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA Munich conference: Jaishankar & Ukraine counterpart discuss conflict, bilateral ties MODI, RAJNATH CONDOLE LOSS OF LIVES Democracy delivering in India... don’t share global pessimism: Jaishankar WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM Uncontrollable crowd on Prayagraj Express platform, delay of two trains added to chaos: DCP, Railways 15 feared dead in stampede at Delhi station amid Kumbh rush SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 15 A DAY after Prime Minister NarendraModimetUSPresident Donald Trump at the White House and said that India is on the side of peace in the RussiaUkraine war, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha in Munich anddiscussedeffortstowardsresolving the conflict. JaishankarpostedonX,“Good to meet FM @andrii_sybiha of Ukraine on sidelines of #MSC2025 today. Discussed ongoing efforts towards resolution of the Ukraine conflict”. “Alsospokeaboutfurtheradvancementof ourbilateral cooperation.” The Ukrainian Foreign minister expressed gratitude to Jaishankar for their "meaningful meeting," and emphasised a shared interest in advancing cooperation with India across varioussectors,includingtrade,technology, agriculture, and security. Jaishankar held a meeting with Sybiha on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) Friday. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 DAYS AFTER RBI RESTRICTIONS ON BANK 16/02/2025 75 103 126 66 Mumbai police arrest former GM of New India Co-operative Bank in Rs 122-cr ‘embezzlement’ VIJAY KUMAR YADAV MUMBAI, FEBRUARY 15 After CBI, now Central vigilance seeks probe into ‘Sheesh Mahal’ EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 15 IN MOUNTING trouble for former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Central Vigilance Commission(CVC)hasaskedthe Central Public Works Department (CPWD) to conduct an inquiry into allegations of irregularities in the construction and renovation of 6, Flagstaff Road, the official residence occupied by the AAP Convenor during his CONTINUEDONPAGE2 THE ECONOMIC Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai police on Saturday arrested Hitesh Mehta, former general manager and head of accounts of city-based New India Cooperative Bank, in an alleged Rs 122 crore embezzlementcaseafterhoursof questioning. A senior police officer confirmed the development. Mehta would be produced in court on Sunday. Preliminary probe has revealed that of the Rs 122 crore, Rs 112 crore was from Prabhadevi branch and Rs 10 crore from Goregaon branch. EOW officials have started examining Mehta’s personal bank account transactions and are trying to trace the money he allegedly swindled. EOW officials said they would probe if he has amassed any property from The New India Co-operative Bank office at Dadar, Mumbai. Sankhadeep Banerjee the embezzled money. The EOW also raided his Dahisar residence and seized certain documents. EOW sources said Mehta allegedlyindulgedinirregularities since the Covid-induced lockdown in 2020. After allegedly siphoning off money, he transferred it to his friends and CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 NIA team ready to go to US for custody of Rana, awaits final nod IG-rank officer to head 3-member NIA team, 3 officials from other agencies NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 15 Ambulances outside the New Delhi railway station on Saturday. Gajendra Yadav InapostonX,PrimeMinister Narendra Modi wrote, “Distressed by the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured have a speedy recovery. The authorities are assisting all those who have been affected by this stampede.” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh wrote, “Devastating news fromNew DelhiRailway Station. I am extremely pained by the lossof livesduetoastampedeon the platform.” Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnawtold The IndianExpress that the “situation is under control.” “Delhi police and RPF have reached and the injured have been taken to the hospital. Four special trains are being run to evacuate the sudden rush. The rush has reduced now. I am in the war room,” he said. In an official statement, the Railways said, “An unprecedented rush situation developed today at approximately 9:30 pm atNewDelhiRailwayStationnear platforms 13 and 14. Due to the sudden surge in passengers, some individuals fainted, which ledtorumoursofastampede-like CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 A DAY after US President Donald Trump said his administration has approved the extradition of Tahawwur Rana, wanted by India for his involvement in the 26/11Mumbaiterrorattacks,The Indian Express has learnt that a National Investigation Agency (NIA) team has been kept on standby,readytoleavefortheUS to get his custody. According to sources, the Indian government has sent a fresh set of documents to the US administration, and hasbeen informed that the US State department is coordinating with the Secretaryof Statetofacilitatethe issuanceof a‘surrender warrant’ — that requires a fugitive criminaltobesurrenderedtoaforeign state. A three-member NIA team, ledbyanInspectorGeneral-rank E E X P L A I NE D NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 15 FIFTEEN PEOPLE were feared dead in a stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday evening. Officialsfromthefiredepartment said distress calls about a stampede on platforms 14 and 15 were first received around 9:55 pm and four fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The injured were taken to Delhi’sLokNayakHospital,where a senior official told The Indian Express that 15 people had died. Theofficial,whospokeoncondition of anonymity, said a final list of thedeadandinjuredwouldbe compiled and issued later. WANTED IN 26/11 ATTACKS MAHENDER SINGH MANRAL ANKITA UPADHYAY & SAKSHI CHAND S Jaishankar with Ukraine Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. PTI Zubin Mehta, one of 21st century’s greatest conductors, on returning to the city of his birth FOUR-PAGE PULLOUT ● Tahawwur Rana is in a jail in Los Angeles His role in 26/11 TAHAWWUR RANA’S involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks stems from his assistance to David Headley, who conducted reconnaissance of prominent sites in Mumbai ahead of the terror attacks. officer and including a Deputy Inspector General-rank officer, along with three more officials from other Intelligence CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 PLANE ARRIVES CLOSE TO MIDNIGHT US flight with 119 POLICE CRACKDOWN STILL ON AFTER NOVEMBER 24 VIOLENCE illegal immigrants In Sambhal, around 1,000 homes remain locked as residents flee lands in Amritsar, more likely today MANISH SAHU LUCKNOW, FEBRUARY 15 ALMOST THREE months after violent protests erupted near Sambhal’sShahiJamaMasjidover a court-ordered survey of the 16th-century mosque, around 1,000 houses remain locked as residents have fled, ostensibly fearing arrest or retribution, officials say. Clashes broke out on November 24 when a large crowd gathered and confronted the police, leaving four people dead and several others, including policemen, injured. Despite repeated assurances from senior police officers that action will be taken only against those involved in the violence, many families have left the area. Fearing action, some locals have even placed letters outside their locked homes explaining why they are away. One resident has displayed a radiology report of a family member, with a note stating they have gone to Delhi for cancer treatment. Another Many families have left the area ostensibly fearing arrest or retribution. Express mentions that a bank loan has been taken against the house. "Around 1,000 houses remain locked as residents have not returned. We are consistently assuring that no action will be taken against the innocent," Sambhal Superintendent of Police Krishan Kumar said, addingthatheisawareof theletters pasted by some locals out- side their homes. The locked houses are in areas such as Hindpura, Kot Garvi, Nakhasa and Deepa Sarai. Police suspect most residents have gone to Delhi, and a team has been sent there to verify this information. The Uttar Pradesh government has meanwhile been evaluating the cost of damage to public property caused because of the violence. Both government and private vehicles were damaged in the unrest, stones were pelted at buildings and the police, and barricades and other crowd-control equipment were vandalised. Reports were sought from the Transport, Police, and other relevant departments to assess the extent of the damage, and theassessmentisnowcomplete. A senior official said notices for recovery against the damages would be sent to the accused after the chargesheetis filed, likely next week. The Sambhal police have so far arrested 76 persons, with the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 DIVYA A AMRITSAR, FEBRUARY 15 TENDAYSaftertheUnitedStates deported 104 illegal Indian immigrants in a military plane, 119 more illegal immigrants — the second batch under the current US administration — landed in Amritsar at close to midnight on Saturday. Sources said a third batch of another 157 deportees is expected to land in Amritsar on Sunday night. On Saturday, the C17 Globemaster III carrying 119 illegal immigrants landed at the Amritsar airport at 11.40 pm. Among the 119, 100 are from Punjab and Haryana. While 67 are from Punjab, 33 are from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, three from Uttar Pradesh, two eachfromGoa,Maharashtraand Rajasthan, and one each from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. The deportees include four women and two minors, including a six-year-old girl, sources said, adding that most of the deporteesareintheagegroupof 18 to 30 years. In the earlier batch of deportees who landed on February 5, 33 each were from Haryana and Gujarat, and 30 from Punjab. Speaking to The Indian Express earlier, sources said that after security clearance, the deportees would be offered food and then transported to their homedistricts.“ThosefromGoa, Gujarat and Maharashtra will be transported via early morning flights being coordinated by the central government authorities, while vehicles have been kept ready for those from within Punjab and neighbouring Haryana,”aseniorofficialposted at the Amritsar airport said. Earlier this month, photos and videos of Indian deportees handcuffedandshackledasthey boarded the US military plane had triggered outrage. Targeting CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 German shot put champion reels in AI to coach Indian beginners — in Hindi PAGE 1 ANCHOR MIHIR VASAVDA MUMBAI, FEBRUARY 15 DAVIDSTORL’sfriendswereconvinced he had been a victim of a deepfake. Last Tuesday, out of the blue, theformerGermanworldchampion and Olympic silver medallist shot putter popped up on theirmobilescreens.Inaminuteand-a-half-long Instagram reel, Storlwasseensittingatanindoor athletics arena, his lips-syncing to every word uttered in an “unrecognisable language”, with captions in a “foreign” text and India’s flag next to it. “Some of my friends called me to say my profile was hacked... I was speaking in another language,” Storl laughs. “It was funny.” All along, though, Storl was simply reaching out to one of his biggest fan bases — hundreds of wannabe shot putters across towns and villages in India. And the video wasanoffer toprovide them lessons in Hindi, with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). From his office overlooking the Leipzig railway station in Germany, Storl — who works there as a police official — saw the video go viral. Olympic gold medallistNeerajChoprarecently sharedit,hailingStorl’sinitiative. ByFriday,thereelhadmorethan 7 lakh views, he says. “Last year, I started analysing shot put techniques of athletes from all over the world,” Storl, who retired in February 2024, tells The Indian Express from Leipzig. “I recognised that many athletes from India were contacting me via Instagram because they had to prepare for a A screenshot from David Storl’s Insta reel. @Shotputdevil police test or a special event.” The volume of requests — “they were in hundreds” — surprised Storl but from an Indian athlete’spointof view,itwasunderstandable. Storl, after all, is considered one of the finest exponents of the “glide” technique over the last two decades. And, at his peak, he won two World Championship titles with a London Olympics silver medal sandwiched between them. It also isn’t uncommon in India for an enterprising young athlete to dig up old clips of sporting greats and then emulate their technique — as an am- ateur, Chopra himself bingewatched javelin legend Jan Zelezny’s videos. The Czech is now his coach. Storl saw it differently, however. “When I started watching their videos, I started to understand why they needed help. In Germany, we have great indoor facilities, great stadiums… whereas in videos from India, I saw them training on fields, on the grass, in the dirt,” he says. He isn’t sure but many of these requests came from in and around “Nayi Dilli (New Delhi)”, Storl says. He was “pretty sure”, however,that“theydidn’thavea coach and didn’t have an idea how or where to start”. He says, “I found it very motivating to see how much these athletes wanted to reach their goal and what they did for that. That was pretty cool. That’s also why I wanted to help out.” At first, Storl would look at theclipstheysentandgivethem his feedback. However, breaking down a complex event like the shot put and teaching a technique online wasn’t so straightforward. That’s how the idea of creating a beginner’s guide struck him. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2