DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PATNA, PUNE, VADODARA ● REG.NO. MCS/067/2018 - 20 RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE THURSDAY, JULY 10, 2025, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 20 PAGES `5.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 BIHAR REVISION OF ROLLS: HEARING IN SUPREME COURT TODAY 10/07/2025 95 123 152 78 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY ‘JANAKI v/s STATE OF KERALA’ CASE Protagonist named after Sita, questioned by man of another faith, HC told EC doesn’t follow own practice, puts onus on voters, ignores existing rolls Records show in earlier revisions, EC put primacy on self-declaration; it was for ‘objector’ to prove non-citizenship SANTOSH SINGH RITIKA CHOPRA PATNA, JULY 9 NEW DELHI, JULY 9 THE ONGOING Special Intensive Revision(SIR)of electoral rollsin Bihar that comes up in the Supreme Court Thursday amid widespread apprehension across the state marks a sharp departure from previous such drives in two key aspects. One,forthefirsttime,theSIR, essentially a fresh preparation through door-to-door enumeration, places the burden of proof on already-enrolled voters (on the question of citizenship) at the draft roll stage. And, two, it disregards the “sanctity”of theexistingelectoral roll — something the Election Commission (EC) had consistently instructed its officers to uphold in all earlier revisions, an analysisof pastECrecordsbyThe Indian Express reveals. This despite a High Court or- Bihar won’t allow Maharashtra model to work: Rahul leads EC drive protest WHAT WILL NOT COUNTINBIHAR AN EXPRESS SERIES PART 7 der — it was upheld by the Supreme Court — that underlinedtheimportanceof self-declaration and made it clear that the“questionof citizenship”didn’t arise during the preparation of the draft roll. The poll watchdog has undertaken “intensive revision” of the electoral roll for all or some CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 LEADER OF Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that the MaharashtraAssemblyelections last year were “rigged” in the BJP’s favour and that the people of Bihar would not allow that to happen in the Assembly elections later in the year. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav share the stage with other Opposition leaders at the protest in Patna. Rahul Sharma Long hours, slow Internet and few papers: BLOs scramble on ground SANTOSH SINGH PATNA, JULY 9 BIHAR’S 77,895 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are the footsoldiers in the Election Commission’s unprecedented Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls that has set off widespread confusion and apprehensionacrossthestate.They have a deadline of July 25 to uploadvoterenumerationformsin theirrespectivejurisdictions.But tonight, like most nights, the in- ternet is in no hurry. To get asense of the formidable challenge of the task and to see how hapless residents are at its receiving end, The Indian Express followed a BLO through his day — and long night. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 AMONG THE objections the Censor Board had to the Malayalam film Janaki v/s State of Kerala was that the protagonist Janaki, who was fighting for justice in a rape case, was crossexaminedincourt byaperson of another faith, the Board’s affidavit filed in the court shows. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had denied the film certification on the grounds that Janaki is also a name associated with Goddess Sita. This had prompted the producers of the Suresh Gopi-starrer to approach the High Court. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EXPRESS NETWORK MODI, PRESIDENT NDAITWAH HOLD TALKS: NAMIBIA TO ROLL OUT UPI TWO IAF PILOTS KILLED IN JAGUAR JET CRASH SECTION OF BRIDGE OVER MAHISAGAR RIVER GIVES WAY 12 killed as vehicles fall into river after bridge collapses in Gujarat JAY MAZOOMDAAR NEW DELHI, JULY 9 THE SHARES of Vedanta Ltd plunged by as much 8.7 per cent to Rs 421 intraday, and that of Hindustan Zinc by 5 per cent to Rs 415, after Viceroy Research, a short-sellerandUS-registeredfinancial research group, flagged the Vedanta Group for carrying “unsustainabledebt”. Theshares recoupednearlyhalf of thelosses by the time the market closed. The research group claimed thattheVedantaholdingcompanies — Vedanta Resources Limited (VRL) along with intermediate holding companies aboveVedantaLimited(VEDL)— MUMBAI, JULY 9 EVENAS a rulingShivSenaMLA, SanjayGaikwad,cameunderfire after a purported video clip of him assaulting an employee at the MLAs' Hostel canteen in Mumbai surfaced on social media, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suspended the canteen operator's licence on Wednesday. With the MLA alleging that he was served stale food, the State FDA collected samples from the canteen and sent them fortestingearlierintheday.“The team collected samples of food likepaneer,saucesanddal.These willbesenttothelaboratory;the reports are expected in 14 days,” an FDA official said. By evening, the FDA issued suspension notice to Ajanta Caterer, the canteen operator. “....thelicencegrantedtoyourestablishment from date 26-062024tolegalvaliditydate27-092027 is being suspended with immediateeffect.Youarefurther informedthat duringthelicence suspensionperiodmentionedin Video grab of MLA Gaikwad punching the canteen staffer the attached order, you or anyone on your behalf should not buy,sellordistributefooditems; if found doing so, you should note that legal action will be takenagainstyouforselling/distributing food items without a valid licence as per the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and the rules/ regulations thereunder,” the order said. Earlier in the day, amid calls for action against him, including from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Gaikwad said he didn't regret his action and would “repeat it if needed”. “When someone fails to understand democratic language, I have to use this language,” he said. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 E X P L A I NE D EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE THE PRINCIPAL and attendant — both women — of a private schoolinThanewerearrestedon Wednesday, while four teachers and two trustees were booked forallegedlystrippingaround10 girls for checking if they were menstruating, after blood stains were spotted in the washroom. A senior police officer said the arrested will be produced before the court on Thursday. According to personnel of Thane Rural police, action was PAGES 13, 14 E Girls stripped for period check in Thane school; principal, attendant held MUMBAI, JULY 9 Vedanta shares plunge after US short-seller Viceroy Research flags ‘unsustainable debt’ Vedanta:Selective misinformation, baselesscharges VALLABH OZARKAR 4 TEACHERS, 2 TRUSTEES AMONG BOOKED SHAJU PHILIP THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JULY 9 Sena MLA assaults canteen staffer over ‘stale food’; eatery licence suspended 2yrs after VICEROY RESEARCH’S report on the Vedanta Group comes two years after Hindenburg Research, also a US-based short seller, targeted the Adani Group, wiping out billions in market value from the Group’s stocks. Its report sparked a debate on corporate governance and regulatory oversight in India. In January this year, Hindenburg announced its disbandment. resemble “a financial zombie” with “approximately $4.9 billion CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE WORLD RUSSIA HITS UKRAINE WITH 700 DRONES PAK, TURKEY AGREE TO DEEPEN DEFENCE TIES PAGE 16 Rescuers search for survivors at the site of the bridge collapse in Vadodara. Bhupendra Rana ● Hindenburg taken against the school management and administration after parents staged a protest. All have been booked under relevant sections of stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. In a statement released on Wednesday, police said staff at the school found bloodstains in the toilet on Tuesday and informedteachersandprincipalabout it. In order to find who was responsible,girlsstudyinginClasses 5to10werecalledtotheconventionhall,whereusingaprojector theywereshownphotosofblood Inquiry ordered by CM as rescue teams search river for the missing ADITI RAJA VADODARA, JULY 9 AT LEAST 12 people, including three of a family, were killed and nine injured after multiple vehicles fell into the Mahisagar River and a tanker hung precariously on the edge, when a 43-year-old bridgeinGujarat’sVadodaradistrict collapsed around 7.30 am Wednesday. Around 8 pm, Vadodara Superintendent of Police Rohan Anandputthedeathtollat11.An hour later, rescue teams recovered one more body —of one of the three feared drowned, officials said. The personnel of the National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force are scouting the river for survivors, officials added. Acaseof accidentaldeathhas been registered, and police will begin a probe after rescue operations are over. “We will also seek an inquiry report from the District Collector,” Anand said, addingthatthebodieshavebeen taken to Padra Referral Hospital for autopsy. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel also directed an inquiry by the Roads and Buildings Department, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi called CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ‘Vibrations, dangerous’: Alarm rang 3 years ago; Govt transfers top cop 7th incident since 2021 day after police denied ADITI RAJA & PARIMAL A DABHI nod for Mira Rd protest VADODARA, AHMEDABAD, JULY 9 NEARLY THREE years ago, officials from the Vadodara division of Gujarat's Roads & Buildings (R&B) department were alerted in a letter about “unusual vibrations” being felt on the MujpurGambhira bridge and that it was in a “dangerous” condition. On Wednesday, the 43-year-old bridge collapsed, killing at least 12 people. “Despite our warnings, the R&B department did not act on the matter,” Harshadsinh Parmar, a Vadodara District panchayat member from Mujpur who had sent that letter to local officials on August 4, 2022, told The Indian Express. The paper trail, reviewed by The Indian Express, shows that the Additional Chitnis (Revenue Officer) to the District Collector directed Parmar's letter to the then Executive Engineer in the CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE MUMBAI, JULY 9 A DAY after police denied permissiontoMNSworkerstocarry out a protest in Mira Road in Thane, Police Commissioner of Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar MadhukarPandey,underwhose jurisdiction the area falls, was transferred on Wednesday. Incidentally, in the Chief Minister’s 100-day programme held earlier this year, MBVV police had topped the list of commissionerates when it came to performance on 10 key metrics laiddownbythegovernmentand Pandey had received the award. In an order issued by the Maharashtra Home Department Wednesday, Pandey was CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Why yatris are hurrying: ‘Weather unpredictable, Shivling melting faster’ EXPRESSAT AMARNATHYATRA ANAND MOHAN J AMARNATH TEMPLE (PAHALGAM), JULY 9 SANKET YADAV from Jaipur and his group of 12 make their way to the inner sanctum, towards the rapidly shrinking ice stalagmite shielded by a silver trident and encircled by steel railings. After their brief “darshan”, they exitquickly,retrievetheirmobile phonesandbags,andpreparefor the descent. Speaking to his relatives on the phone, Yadav warns that the ice inside is melting fast. “Aap dekh lijiye aana hai toh (Please see if you want to come),” he said. At the Amarnath Yatra this year, the ice Shivling at the pinnacle of the pilgrim's journey — formed naturally by dripping water freezing in layers — has been receding amid a blistering heatwavescorchingtheKashmir Valley. And, it is this shifting climate that has stunned pilgrims, localworkersandevenseasoned security personnel in a season markedbytheloomingmemory of the Pahalgam terror attack. OfficialsattheShriAmarnath Shrine Board say they no longer attempt to predict how long the Shivlingwilllast.“Everyyear,the Shivling melts faster,” a senior board member said. “Years ago, it would remain till August. The climateisunpredictable—heavy rain, sudden spikes in temperature. We can’t forecast what will happen. This will impact the Yatra in the future. We can only improvefacilities,notchangethe weather,” the member said. The Shivling usually begins formingduringtheHindumonth of Shravan (July-August). But in recent years, its disappearance has become a barometer of the Pilgrims trek to the Amarnath shrine in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir. Anand Mohan J region’sclimatedistress.In2018, it melted by July 27, just 29 days after forming. In 2019, the yatra was canceled due to terror threats. In 2020, it formed by mid-Juneandhadmelted80per cent by July 23, lasting 38 days. The pandemic forced another cancellation in 2021. In 2022, it lasted only till July 18 — 28 days. In2023,itendured47days,melting by August 17. But in 2024, it vanishedinjustaweek,byJuly6. In2022,formerBSFInspector General (Kashmir) Raja Babu Singh oversaw security on both the Pahalgam and Baltal routes.“During my stint, I saw that snowfall had gone down in that region. The yatra route used to be a virgin land. Now there is heavy footfall of the armed forces,movementof helicopters, and footfall of lakhs of pilgrims. This has had an impact on the surrounding environment, coupled with the impact of global warming,” he said. One of the highest points on the route, Mahagunas Top (14,000 feet), lies beyond Sheshnag.Accordingtopilgrims, this is where Lord Shiva left his sonGaneshabeforeascendingto the cave. Now, it looks nothing like the myths. Asha Singh and her husband Anil scan the bare mountains with quiet grief. “Inner,fullsleeveclothes,thermal jacket,boots,capandgloves.This whole landscape used to be covered in snow,” Asha said, recalling her gear a decade ago. “Now I am doing this trek in a saree.” ThedescentfromMahagunas Top to Panchtarni was once a vistaof shimmeringsnowpeaks. Nowitisatrailofbarrenmounds. “Our mountains are now naked, there is no snow. It hasn't rained here in two months, we have only dust,” said Riyaz, astride a tall black horse named Sultan. Prof Irfan Rashid of Kashmir University’sDepartmentof Geoinformatics has been studying CONTINUED ON PAGE 14