DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA Stepforwardto freeyournation fromdisease ofterror:Modi toPakyouth Message to Pak: Sukh, chaain ki zindagi jiyo, roti khao, varna meri goli toh hai hi UNDERLINING THAT the Pakistan government and its army have been supporting terrorists at the cost of their people's welfare, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said it is for the youth of the neighbouring country to step forward and “free Pakistan from the disease of terrorism”. Addressing a public meeting atBhujinGujarat'sKutchdistrict, bordering Pakistan, Modi said, “Pakistan ko aatank ki bimari se mukt karne ke liye, Pakistan ki awaam ko aage aana hoga. Pakistan ke naujawaano ko aage aanahoga.Sukh,chaainkizindagi jiyo, roti khao, varna meri goli toh hai hi (To free Pakistan from the disease of terrorism, Pakistan's people, their youth have to step forward. Live peacefully, eat roti or else my bullet is there).” In his first visit to his home state since Operation Sindoor, Modi recalled the success of the militaryactioninthewakeof the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, and said: “I want to ask the people of Pakistan, what did you CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 27/05/2025 110 138 171 75 AMRITA NAYAK DUTTA NEW DELHI, MAY 26 FOR THE first time, Operation Sindoor — the military strike launched by India earlier this month against terror targets in Pakistan — employed the concept of “red teaming” as part of its operational planning, The Indian Express has learnt. Red teaming involves embeddingasmallgroupof experts familiar with the adversary’s mindset, tactics and response patterns into the planning process. Their role is to critically challenge the plan, simulate enemy reactions, and help test the robustness of the intended military strategy. Mumbai gets over 200 mm rainfall in many parts, IMD issues red alert TWO DAYS after hitting Kerala ahead of schedule, the southwest monsoon marked an early arrival in Mumbai on Monday -the earliest recorded onset in at least the past 75 years. With some parts of the city recording over 200 mm of rainfall between Sunday midnight andMondayafternoon,theIndia Meteorological Department as the neighbouring districts of Thane, Raigad and Ratnagiri. The light to moderate showers in the city over the weekend intensified to a heavy downpour over Sunday night. As it continued to rain through the day, suburban train services as well as road traffic were hit with several areasof thecityreportingwaterlogging. Operations on a Metro CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE CITY MONSOON MAYHEM: WHAT PARALYSED MUMBAI PAGES 3, 4, 5 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Aizawl becomes fourth N-E capital with rail link, trial run successful Safety check this week, line likely to be inaugurated after June 17 NEW DELHI, MAY 26 BY UNNY MUMBAI ELEVATED ROAD, TUNNEL PROJECTS First in Op City waterlogged, local train services Sindoor: ‘Red affected, operations on Metro line hit teams’ of experts (IMD) upgraded its forecast to a to map ‘mind of PRATIP ACHARYA “red alert”, warning of heavy & NAYONIKA BOSE rainfall with thunderstorms and adversary’ MUMBAI, MAY 26 gusty winds in Mumbai as well DHEERAJ MISHRA BUSINESS AS USUAL EARLIEST ONSET OF MONSOON IN CITY IN 75 YEARS IN A bigpushfordeeperconnectivity in the North-East, Mizoram’s capital Aizawl has now been linked to the national railway network via the Bairabi–Sairang line in the state. Bairabi in Kolasib district, near the border with Assam, has so far been the only railhead in Mizoram. Sairang is a satellite town of Aizawl, around 20 km from the city. A senior official of the Ministryof Railwayssaidtheformal inauguration of the Bairabi–Sairang line is likely to DEEPERCONNECTIVITYINNORTH-EAST Sikkim SIVOKTO RANGPO MURKONGSELEK TOPASIGHAT Arunachal Pradesh 26.15km BHUTAN 45km Assam Meghalaya INDIA Manipur BANGLADESH BAIRABITO SAIRANG 51.38km take place after June 17. “The Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) will conduct the inspectionof theprojectthisweek. Onlyafterthatcantheinauguration happen, leading to the start of trainoperations.Barringafew sideworks,workonthelineisalmost complete,” the official said. The inspection by the CRS, Nagaland DHANSIRI TOZUBZA Bihar 82.5km Kohima JIRIBAMTO IMPHAL Mizoram 111km the railway safety audit body, is the final stage for the train operation. A successful trial run to Sairang was conducted on May 1 by the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), marking a historic step. Mizorambecomesthefourth CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 To build confidence, draw tourists, Omar & his Cabinet to meet in Pahalgam today PAGE 1 ANCHOR BASHAARAT MASOOD SRINAGAR, MAY 26 TOINSTILconfidenceinthewake of thePahalgamterrorattackand encourage tourists to return to Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his cabinet will moveoutof thecapital,Srinagar, totouristresortsofPahalgamand Gulmarg for two days. On Tuesday, the J&K cabinet and top civil and police officers A file photo of tourists in Pahalgam, where 26 people were killed in a terror attack on April 22. File will meet not in Srinagar's civil secretariat, but at a resort in Pahalgam. This comes a little over a month after 25 tourists and a local were killed in a terror strike in the meadows of Pahalgam. “Obviously, if we don't go to theseplaces,whowill?"CM’sadvisor Nasir Aslam Wani told The IndianExpress."Therearetwoobjectives of this meeting — first, that we go to these far-off places and get first-hand information from the ground, and second, it becomes more important in the currentsituationthatwegothere (to instil confidence).” Abdullah will personally chair the meeting, which Chief SecretaryAtalDulloowillalsoattend. The CM and his cabinet are also likely to meet stakeholders from the tourism sector in Pahalgam. A similar meeting is scheduled at a tourist resort in Gulmarg in north Kashmir on Wednesday. Inspector General of Police(IGP),Kashmir,VKBirdi is expected to be in attendance. The meetings come at a time when tourism in the Valley has taken a serious hit, with stakeholders in the sector saying 90 per cent of bookings have been cancelled. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 As early monsoon hits Mumbai, the key factor: Madden-Julian Oscillation NAYONIKA BOSE MUMBAI, MAY 26 THE EARLY ONSET of monsoon in Kerala and its fast progression to Mumbai were spurred by “veryfavourable”conditions,according to Shubhangi Bhute, Director of India Meteorological Department (IMD), Mumbai. A crucial contributing factor E has been the active MaddenJulian Oscillation ● (MJO), senior meteorologists said. MJO, a complex, moving system of winds, clouds and pressure, originates in the Indian Ocean and is one the most important factors influencing Indian monsoons. EXPLAINED AHMEDABAD, DAHOD, MAY 26 `5.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 Many parts of Mumbai recorded over 200 mm rainfall on Monday. The IMD has sounded a red alert for the city and neighbouring districts. Ganesh Shirsekar PM Modi flags off India’s first 9,000 hp locomotive engine in Dahod. PTI RITU SHARMA & ADITI RAJA REG.NO. MCS/067/2018 - 20 RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2025, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 20 PAGES PM IN GUJARAT ● CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ‘Re-tender or we will stay’: SC to MMRDA on L&T plea against rejection of bids ANANTHAKRISHNAN G NEW DELHI, MAY 26 THESUPREMECourtonMonday said it’s difficult to believe that the technical bids of Larsen and Toubro (L&T) Ltd — which was selected for the execution of the Central Vista Project — for the Rs 6,000 crore (approx) Mumbai Elevated Road Project and Rs 8,000 crore (approx) Road TunnelProjectwererejectedand asked Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) whether it was willing to re-tender, failing which, the court warned, it would stay the process. “Theverynameof thebidder, it’s difficult to believe, he has been chosen to construct the Central Vista by the Central government,” Chief Justice of India B R Gavai presiding over a twojudge bench said. “Take instructions on whether you are willing to retender. Otherwise we will stay,” the CJI told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, and Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi who appeared for MMRDA. The bench, also comprising Justice A G Masih, was hearing appeals filed by L&T, challenging the two May 20 Bombay High Court orders upholding MMRDA’sstandthatthereasons for the rejection of the technical bids need not be communicated CONTINUEDONPAGE2