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, MAY 23, 2025, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES `5.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 ‘OUR ENEMIES SAW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SINDOOR TURNS INTO BAAROOD’ 110 138 171 78 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY NCP leader expelled after daughter-in-law found dead; her father says dowry harassment MANOJ MORE PUNE, MAY 22 THE PARENTS of 23-year-old VaishnaviHagawane,NCPleader Rajendra Hagawane’s daughterin-law who allegedly died by suicide on May 16, on Thursday alleged her in-laws, including her father-in-law, mentally and physically tortured her and constantly made dowry demands forcing her to end her life. They demanded that the Hagawane family be charged with murder. Vaishnavi’s family urged Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar to “ensure justicefortheirdaughter”.'Reacting to Vaishnavi’s death, Ajit Pawar on Thursday said he has asked the Pimpri-Chinchwad police to take stern action in the matter. “I calledupthePimpri-Chinchwad police commissioner and told him to take stern action in the matter.Threerelativeshavebeen arrested so far. The police have formed two teams to trace Vaishnavi’s father-in-law and brother-in-law. I told them to form six teams, catch them and shackle them,” he said. Ajit Pawar said Rajendra Hagawanedoesnotholdanypost in the NCP. “We don’t need such people in my party. Hagawane CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EXPRESS NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA FACE BUT STRANGER AT HOME, WHO IS JYOTI MALHOTRA? AIRSPACE OVER ANDAMAN SEA TO BE CLOSED MAY 23-24 WAQF: PETITIONERS COUNTER GOVT, SC RESERVES ORDER PAGES 7, 11 Modi’smindstayscool,butbloodruns hot,sindoorinmyveins:PMinBikaner Sanctioned SC says probe agency violating federal terrorists on structure, seeks reply in two weeks Pak soil, its govt Why TN ANANTHAKRISHNAN G cannot say no NEW DELHI, MAY 22 came idea: Jaishankar WARNING THE Enforcement ● to SC Befitting reply for each terror attack, will view Pak’s state, non-state actors as one: PM PTI PM Narendra Modi in Bikaner, Rajasthan, on Thursday. PTI REPORT,P7 HAMZA KHAN JAIPUR, MAY 22 PRIMEMINISTERNarendraModi said on Thursday that the Indian Armed Forces made Pakistan kneel during Operation Sindoor and that the world and enemies of the country have now seen what happens when “sindoor (vermilion)turnstogunpowder”, adding that garam sindoor runs through his veins now. He said India’s response is a “new form of justice” and emphasised that there will be no tradeortalkswithPakistannow. Significantly, the PM said that the recent developments have made three things clear: that there will be a befitting reply for eachterrorattack;thatIndiawill not be scared by threats of an atom bomb; and that India will view Pakistan’s “state and nonstate actors” as one. Addressing a rally in Bikaner, parts of which were attacked by Pakistan recently, the PM said, “This brave land of Rajasthan CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 President Droupadi Murmu with the mother and wife of Naik Dilwar Khan, who was conferred the Kirti Chakra posthumously. Khan died battling terrorists in J&K’s Lolab Valley on July 23, 2024. Six Kirti Chakras and 33 Shaurya Chakras were conferred Thursday. PTI P 11 Be sensitive to our concerns, basis for ties: India to Turkey & China SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, MAY 22 ALMOSTTWOweeksafternaming Turkey and China for their equipment and weapons being used by Pakistan against India during the military confrontationbetweenMay7and10,India on Thursday asked both the countries to be sensitive to its concerns. “WeexpectTurkeytostrongly urge Pakistan to end its support to cross-border terrorism and take credible and verifiable actionsagainsttheterrorecosystem it has harboured for decades. Relations are built on the basis of sensitivities to each other’s concerns,” the Ministry of External Affairs’ official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. Forest clearance nod for iron ore plant in Maoist-hit Gadchiroli NIKHIL GHANEKAR NEW DELHI, MAY 22 THE MINISTRY of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has grantedin-principleforestclearanceforLloydMetalsandEnergy Limited’s iron ore beneficiation plant,afacilitythatimprovesthe quality of raw ore by removing impurities, in Maharashtra’s GadchirolidistrictwhereMaoists have been active for years. This in-principle approval paves the way for the diversion of 937hectaresof forestlandand the felling of 1.23 lakh trees, according to Ministry documents. The forest clearance for the proposed plant comes amid the Maharashtragovernment’spush to expand mining and industrial activity in the districtaffected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE). E EXPLAINED 23/05/2025 ED is crossing all limits, says CJI-led bench, stays probe against TASMAC Lastmonth,theMaharashtra cabinet approved the establishment of a Gadchiroli District Mining Authority, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis,forthemanagementof major and minor minerals. The districtholdsdepositsof ironore, limestone and diamonds. The beneficiation plant and allied facilities have been proposed to process low-grade iron ore (hematite quartzite) extracted from the company’s existing mining operations in Surjagarh, which faced operational hurdles for many years due to opposition from Maoists to any activity in the area. Themininglease,spreadover 348 hectares, was initially granted to the company for 20 years in 2007 and was later extendeduntilMay2057,according CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 An Indian multi-party delegation in Abu Dhabi, Thursday. PTI On China, Jaiswal said: “Our NSA and the Chinese FM and Special Representative on Boundary Issue Mr Wang Yi had spoken to each other on May 10, 2025, when the NSA conveyed India’s resolute stance against cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. The Chinese side is aware that mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual sensitivityremainthebasisof IndiaChina relations.” On May 9, a preliminary probe into the debris after Pakistan’s attempt to breach the northernandwesternfrontshad S Jaishankar with his Danish counterpart Lars Lokke Rasmussen in Copenhagen SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, MAY 22 UNDERLINING THE role of Pakistan'sgovernmentandarmy in their country's terror infrastructure, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar warned of further consequences if terrorist attacks continue from across the border. India wants a “definitive end” to terrorism, he said. In interviews with the Dutch media during his visit to the Netherlands on May 19-20, whichwerepublishedThursday, he also ruled out third-party involvement, including by US President Donald Trump, in the ceasefirethatendedthemilitary confrontation with Pakistan followingOperationSindoornearly two weeks ago. The “cessation" of hostilities was "negotiated directly” between the two countries, he said. Jaishankar made these comments in The Hague during his three-nation tour that also included Denmark and Germany. Hisremarkscomeinthewakeof President Trump repeatedly Directorate that it was “crossing all limits” and “violating the federal structure”, the Supreme Court Thursday stayed proceedings in the agency’s moneylaundering investigation into government-run liquor retailer Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC). The bench of Chief Justice of India B R Gavai and Justice A G Masih, which was hearing the Tamil Nadu government’s plea challenging the ED searches at the TASMAC headquarters, sought a reply from the probe agency within two weeks. Appearing for the state, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal said the corporation had found that some people who had been allotted liquor outlets were taking cash. “So the state itself filed 41 FIRs from 2014 to 2021. Against individuals, not against the corporation. The ED comes into the picturein2025andraidsthecorporation,theheadoffice,”hesaid. Issuing notice, CJI Gavai asked Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, who appeared for the ED: “How can (there be) an offence against the corpora- THE ED’S PMLA case stemmed from allegations of corruption and irregularities in TN’s liquor sales. In March this year, the ED conducted searches at multiple locations including the TASMAC headquarters. The state and the corporation came to the Supreme Court after being denied relief by the Madras HC. EXPLAINED THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST TN LIQUOR RETAILER PAGE 13 tion?... You may register (an offence) against individuals, how (against the) corporation in a criminal matter?” “Your ED is crossing all limits, Mr Raju,” CJI Gavai said, and asked the ED to file a reply in two weeks. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE WORLD TWO ISRAEL MISSION STAFFERS SHOT DEAD IN U.S. TRUMP BLOCKS FOREIGN STUDENTS FROM HARVARD P 14 SC declares Zudpi jungles in Vidarbha Basavaraju dead, focus on hunt as ‘forest lands’ TellsCentre,stategovttoformplanfor for elusive Maoist commander diversiontonon-forestusein3months CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 DEEPTIMAN TIWARY OMKAR GOKHALE THE DEATH of CPI (Maoist) general secretary Namabala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju in an encounter Wednesday with security personnel in Chhattisgarh hasdealtabigblowtotheMaoist rank and file. Officersinthesecurityestablishment are, however, cautioning against lowering the guard, saying until Madvi Hidma, the de facto military chief of the CPI (Maoist) in Chhattisgarh, is nabbed, the threat remains potent. TheelusiveHidma,whohails from Puvarti village in Bastar, is suspected to have played key roles in all major Maoist attacks on security forces including the 2010 killing of 76 CRPF personnel in Chintalnar and the 2013 Jhiram Ghati ambush in which the state Congress leadership THE SUPREME Court on ThursdayheldthattheZudpijungle (shrub forest) lands in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra shall be considered as “forest lands” and said their conversion cannot be undertaken without prior approval from the central government. The SC also told the stategovernmentandtheCentre to jointly formulate a plan to process proposals for diverting suchlandfornon-forestpurposes over the next three months. Being a Zudpi jungle land (peculiar to the region), there was no clarity on its usage till date. The tracts of over 86,000 hectares of Zudpi jungle lands in easternVidarbharemainedinlegal limbo for decades with the expert panel — appointed by stategovernmenttoascertainits usage—suggestingthatitshould NEW DELHI, MAY 22 MUMBAI, MAY 22 Security personnel keep vigil as the bodies of Maoists killed on Wednesday are brought to Narayanpur. PTI REPORTS,P10 was wiped out. He currently commands Battalion 1 of the People’s LiberationGuerrillaArmywhich operates in the districts of South Bastar, Bijapur, Sukma and Dantewada.Heisalsoamember of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee. “In an organisation dominated by Telugu-speaking Maoists, Hidma is the only local tribal in a senior position. His presenceduringattacks,military tactics, local connect and guile CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 be denotified as forest area and reclassified as revenue land in order to pave way for infrastructure and other development works. However, environmental activists opposed the same and moved the court against the panel’s proposal. The SC verdict on Thursday, has now provided clarity to the stategovernment,bystatingthat while the land is a “forest land”, the state government can propose a plan over the next three months on the land they need for development purposes and seek its conversion with the approvalof thecentralgovernment and comply with the conditions laid down in the verdict. The top court considered “peculiar circumstances” and made“anexception,withoutthe same being treated as precedent”, in case of the Zudpi jungle lands allotted by competent authoritiesuptoDecember12,1996 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 First visually impaired woman atop Everest hails from a village in Himachal PAGE 1 ANCHOR NITIN SHARMA CHANDIGARH, MAY 22 AMAR CHAND began his week as he has for decades — overseeing the green peas and apple plantations at his one-acre farm in a village deep inside the Hangrang Valley in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh. But a video clip he received turned the mundane Monday morning memorable. It was of his daughter, Chhonzin Angmo, 29, hoisting the Tricolour atop Mt Everest. She was flanked by her sherpas, Dandu Sherpa and Om Gurung, and Army veteran Lt Col Romil Barthwal (retired), the expedition team leader. What made Angmo’s feat even more special was that she becamethefirstvisuallyimpaired personfromIndia—andonlythe fifth such mountaineer in the world — to conquer Everest. Before her, there was Erik Weihenmayer from the United States — the first visually impaired person who scaled Everestin2001—AustrianAndy Holzer (from North Col route in Tibet) in 2017, Chinese Zhang Hong in 2021 and American Lonnie Bedwell (2023). Angmo, however, is the first visually impaired woman summiteer. “Stepping on the summit of Mt Everest, my first thought was howeachstepcountsinourjourney,whetheroneisabledorspecially-abled. This is only a step in my dream to instill willpower in every specially-abled person. If we have the willpower, nothing can stop us and my next target will be the highest peaks in each continent,” Angmo told The IndianExpressfromKathmandu. “My role model is Helen Keller, whose books and biographyIreadasastudent.Myfather, Special Arrangement Chhonzin Angmo at the summit of Mount Everest too, is a role model... There were times when people would taunt me for being visually impaired. Butmyfatherandmyfamilysupported me in this journey. If I, or they, would have been disheartened, we could not have taken a step forward in life,” she said. “Our village, Chango, is like an oasis in the cold desert; the only green patch amidst yellow mountains of the Valley, fed by twoglacierstreamsandtheSpiti river. Our daughter is like the oasis in our world, and to see her climbing Mt Everest was a special moment for the whole village,” Chand, 76, said. Angmo’s younger sister Kesang Yangchen, who lives in Mohali, was quick to add: “The yellow hills above our village are called Moonland by the tourists and locals, too. To see Angmo atop Mt Everest is like her reaching the moon for all of us.” The second youngest among five siblings, Angmo was in Class 3 when her vision got severely impaired following a “medicine allergy”, according to her family. Angmo’s brother, Gopal, said the family only got to know whenherschoolteacherbrought ittotheirattentionafternoticing that Angmo was struggling to write. “The next day, we rushed toahospital210kilometresaway, at Rampur Bushahr, which referred us to another hospital in Shimla,” Gopal recalled. Buttherewasnorelief.Asthe years passed, Angmo lost vision in both her eyes completely. “We visited Chandigarh, Dehradunandothercitiestofind acurebutAngmoslowlylosther vision. There were financial struggles, too, but the family did whatever it could to support Angmo,” Gopal said. In 2005-06, Chand and his wifeSonamChhomogotAngmo enrolled at Leh’s Mahabodhi School and Hostel for VisuallyImpaired Children, run by the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2