DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PATNA, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY EC NOTE TO STATE CEOs DAY AFTER BIHAR DRIVE CHALLENGED Why hurry, wait for outcome in SC: Opp on EC move to revise rolls nationwide No consultation with parties before exercise, say Opposition leaders ASAD REHMAN AI-171 CRASH Pilot suicide insinuation reckless and unfounded, says ICPA SUKALP SHARMA NEW DELHI, JULY 13 THEORIES HINTING at pilot actionorerrorfortheJune12crash of Air India flight AI 171 have infuriated pilot associations in the country. A day after the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB)releasedapreliminaryinvestigation report which stated that the Boeing 787-8 aircraft’s twoenginefuelcontrolswitches transitioned from ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’ position within a second of each other moments after takeoff,theIndianCommercialPilots Association (ICPA) on Sunday condemned the “reckless and unfounded insinuation of pilot suicide” in public discourse and sections of the media. The association, which representsthenarrow-bodyfleetpilots at Air India, said in a statement that such a suggestion, based on incomplete and preliminary information, is not just “reckless and unfounded” but also “irresponsible” and “deeply insensitive”. The ICPA is the second pilots’ association to raise serious concerns about the pilot action theories doing the rounds since the releaseof thepreliminaryreport of the investigation into the crash,theworstaviation disaster involvinganIndianairlineinfour decades. On Saturday, the Airline Pilots’ Association of India CONTINUEDONPAGE2 NEW DELHI, JULY 13 ON THE day The Sunday Express reported that the Election Commission had directed Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of all states to begin preparations for a Bihar-like Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, Opposition parties criticised the EC move and questioned the “hurry”foranationwideSIRwithout consulting political parties. The parties, from the Congress to TMC to Left, said Sunday that the EC should have RAM MADHAV BJP LEADER PAGE 9 GUJARAT STATE GOVT BEGINS TENDERING PROCESS FOR NEW BRIDGE PARALLEL TO GAMBHIRA PAGE 3 waitedforthemattertoconclude intheSupremeCourtbeforegivingdirectionsforaBihar-likeSIR. Last Thursday, the Supreme Court, while hearing a clutch of petitions voicing concerns over the SIR in poll-bound Bihar, declined to restrain the EC from proceedingwiththeSIRbutsuggested that the poll panel also consider Aadhaar, voter ID and ration cards for the purpose of updating the rolls. It said the EC could file a counter-affidavit by July 21 and the matter be listed for another hearing on July 28. The Sunday Express reported that on July 5, a day after a peti- During the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar’s Nawada district on Sunday. X/@CEOBihar tion was filed in the Supreme Court challenging the SIR in Bihar, the EC wrote to Chief Electoral Officers of all other states, directing them to begin preparations for a similar exer- THREE VICTIMS FILE PETITIONS Digital arrest scam: Consumer panel sends notices to banks, flags service ‘deficiencies’ Saysmayseekhelpof Centralagenciesif decidedthatcomplaints‘maintainable’ RITU SARIN NEW DELHI, JULY 13 DIGITAL ARRESTS have reached thedoorstepof thenationalconsumer commission. For the first time, a clutch of bankshavereceivednoticesfrom theNationalConsumerDisputes Redressal Commission which has flagged that victims of digital arrest fraud have been subjectedto“deficienciesinservice.” Thepetitionsfiledbydigitalarrest victims were admitted in an orderdatedMarch3andonJuly7. An Indian Express report on the digital arrest scam on June 30 The banks’ replies were heard by the NCDRC bench that included the commission’s President, Justice (retired) AP Sahi, and member Bharatkumar Pandya. CM VISITS HOSPITAL, PROMISES ALL HELP Before setting herself on fire, Odisha student complained of harassment SUJIT BISOYI BHUBANESWAR, JULY 13 DAYS BEFORE she set herself on fire over alleged sexual harassment by her college professor, a student of a leading government college in Odisha’s Balasore had writtentotheinstituteauthorities that she was under mental stress and could take an extreme step. Thestudent,inhercomplaint on July 1, alleged that she was ‘Any economic ideology benefitting the last man is priority. That’s why India could do away with absolute poverty’ `5.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 subjected to mental harassment by the accused, who also threatened to fail her in some subjects and make her repeat a year, it is learnt. She is learnt to have alleged that he had been harassinghereversincesherefusedhis demand for sexual favours. The accused, an assistant professor, has been arrested and suspended, and the state governmenthasalsosuspendedthe college principal. As the Opposition BJD and Congress raised the heat on the ruling BJP, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi visited AIIMS Bhubaneswar, where the student is admitted, and promised all possible help. After writing to the institute authorities, the student had also approached the police, which in turn had asked the institute for a response. Balasore Superintendent of Police Raj Prasad said Saturday CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Human intel & some tech: How TN nabbed 3 terror accused after 30 yrs ARUN JANARDHANAN CHENNAI, JULY 13 FOR OVER a decade, the chilli commission agent named Shahjahan Shaik was just another familiar face in the APMC yard of Vijayapura, northern Karnataka. A quiet man with three children, he worked long hours, rented a modest house, and disappeared into the crowd when the market closed. What his co-traders didn’t Mohammed Ali Mansoor, Abubacker Siddique, Sadiq Ali know was that the man they greeted every day was Sadiq Ali — better known in the early 1990s as “Tailor” Raja, a frontline cadre of the banned extremist outfit Al-Ummah and a key accused in the 1998 Coimbatore CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 The NCDRC bench has said thatitwouldconsiderseekingassistance of Central Government agencies like the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and the Home Ministry’s Indian Cyber CrimeCoordinationCentre(I4C) should it be decided that the complaintswere“maintainable” before the commission. The petitions of two Gurugram victims — who had lost Rs 10.30 crore and Rs 5.85 crore — in digital arrest scams last year were clubbed together for the NCDRC case; a third case CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CM Omar slams ‘Martyrs’ Day’ detentions, says he was under house arrest too ‘Unelected government locked up the elected government’ BASHAARAT MASOOD SRINAGAR, JULY 13 JAMMU AND Kashmir Chief MinisterOmarAbdullahclaimed that he was put under “house detention” Sunday, hours after several leaders made similar allegations, as the Valley observed its Martyrs’ Day. Until the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, July 13 was officially commemorated as Martyrs’ Day in Jammu and Kashmir and a public holiday was observed. In 2020, the administration dropped the day fromthelistof gazettedholidays. Soon after he returned from West Bengal, where he was on a tour promoting tourism to J&K, OmarpostedphotographsonXof police vehicles and paramilitary CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 cise — this time with January 1, 2026, as the qualifying date. The qualifying date mentionedintheletterindicatesthat while the nationwide exercise may start soon, a final timeline for the rest of the country is yet tobedecided—thoughtheaimis toincludeeveryonewhoturns18 years of age by January 1, 2026. Leaders from Opposition parties said Sunday that the EC should have waited for the outcome of the matter in the apex court before rolling out a similar exercise across the country. Amongotherconcernsraised byOppositionmemberswasthe “hurry” and lack of consultation with political parties before undertaking the exercise. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE WORLD ISRAELI STRIKE KILLS 6 GAZA CHILDREN COLLECTING WATER; MALFUNCTION: IDF LAVROV AND WANG YI DISCUSS UKRAINE WAR, RELATIONS WITH THE U.S. PAGE11 GST reforms: Home Minister set to open talks for consensus on rate rationalisation Contentious issues on table, require Central ministries and states on board LIZ MATHEW & AANCHAL MAGAZINE NEW DELHI, JULY 13 TO IMPART urgency to the process of overhauling the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to initiate discussions with all stakeholders — states as well as Central ministries — to build consensus and resolve contentious outstanding issues. Amongst the many proposals on the table, the one to do away with the 12 per cent slab has been hanging fire for long. This involves shifting some items to the lower 5 per cent slab, and some others to the higher 18 per cent slab. Though this would simplify the multiple rate structure, it is estimated to result in significant revenue losses of Rs 70,000-80,000 crore for the Centre and states combined, top sources said. “AnytweaksinGSTstructure rightnow,especiallywhenithas stabilisedaftereightyearsof rollout,arenotgoingtobeeasy.Alot of factorswillbeinconsideration, and revenue loss is a big factor. No state, whether Opposition or E EXPLAINED MONDAY, JULY 14, 2025, AHMEDABAD, LATE CITY, 14 PAGES Union Home Minister Amit Shah Bringing political ● heft to table IT IS not the first time that Home Minister Amit Shah has held discussions on economic subjects. He was involved in the past in decisionmaking, especially in politically sensitive issues such as price rise and disinvestment. He brings political heft when building a broader consensus becomes an imperative. BJP,willaccepttheproposalseasily.Therefore,theHomeMinister plans to hold discussions with states beforehand,” the source told The Indian Express. The sources said that the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Ex-Foreign Secy, 26/11 prosecutor among 4 nominated to Rajya Sabha VIKAS PATHAK, SADAF MODAK & SHAJU PHILIP NEW DELHI, MUMBAI, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JULY 13 AFORMERForeignSecretary,the lawyerwhoprosecuted26/11terrorist Ajmal Kasab, the historian who wrote the official textbook on India’s medieval history during the Vajpayee government’s tenure, and a veteran BJP leader inKeralawhowasavictimof politicalviolencethreedecadesago. These are the people President Droupadi Murmu nominated to the Rajya Sabha on Sunday. Retired diplomat Harsh Vardhan Shringla, prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, historian Meenakshi Jain, and BJP leader C Sadanandan Master will join the Retired diplomat Harsh V Shringla, prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, BJP leader C Sadanandan Master, historian Meenakshi Jain RajyaSabha,which,asperArticle 80 of the Constitution, can have 12 nominated members who have specialised knowledge or practicalexperienceof literature, science, art, or social service. Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the nominations.CongratulatingShringla,he postedonX,“ShriHarshVardhan ShringlaJihasexcelledasadiplomat, intellectual and strategic thinker. Over the years, he’s madekeycontributionstoIndia’s foreign policy and also contributed to our G20 Presidency.” Shringla is a 1984-batch IFS officer and served as India's Ambassador to the US, High Commissioner to Bangladesh, and Ambassador to Thailand. In 2019,duringhistenureastheenvoytotheUS,the“HowdyModi” CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Before law college rape case, list of charges in FIRs against key suspect SWEETY KUMARI KOLKATA, JULY 13 THE RECENT arrest of Monojit Mishra, the prime suspect in the Kolkata campus gangrape case, has brought to light a decadelong pattern of alleged criminal activity. Mishra, a lawyer and a contractualstaffatthelawcollege where he along with two others allegedlyrapedastudentonJune 25, has 11 criminal cases against him — including of molestation, assault, and voluntarily causing hurt – registered in multiple police stations across Kolkata. Mishra, who first joined the lawcollegein2007,sooncameto be known for his highhanded ways.Butitwasn’tuntil2013that the first case was lodged against him. That year, he allegedly stabbedamemberofthecatering staff of the college and fled after an attempt to murder case was filedattheKalighatpolicestation. Mishra stayed out of the campus but resurfaced in 2017, when he came back on a fresh admission. That year in November, then principal, the late Debasish Chatterjee, reportedly filed a complaint against himforvandalisingcollegeproperty during a protest that he was part of against the “high fees” at the college. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a student at the law college and one of the complainants against Mishra, said, "He (Mishra) had gained so much confidence that he was roaming free despite so many cases being lodged against him that he would proudly refer to himself as 'professional criminal'. I had filed two cases against him but he wasn't arrested in either of the cases. No action was taken. The accused was not arrested." More allegations against Mishra followed, including CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 New X factor in India’s fight against TB: AI-powered kit for early detection PAGE 1 ANCHOR ANONNA DUTT PUDUCHERRY, JULY 13 AT THE Villianur Health and Wellness Centre in Puducherry, thefamilymemberof atuberculosis (TB) patient steps in for a quick X-ray. He gets in front of a plate,liftinghisnecklaceoverthe head to prevent disruption. A leadapron-cladtechnicianholds up a portable device that looks like an SLR camera with a black lens and clicks an image. Within minutes, the result is out — he is declared TB-free. Inthatshortspanof time,images of the chest X-ray showed up on the laptop at the TB screening desk where an AI tool, fedwithchestscandataof TBpatients,foundnowhitepatchesin his lungs. This hand-held, AI-enabled X-ray machine was recently added as a screening tool in the national TB programme. Such quick screening helps identify undiagnosedTBcaseswithinthe patient’s family, enabling early treatment and preventing further transmission within the householdandcommunity,particularly in remote areas. Atpresent,thereare473such hand-held devices in use across the country. The government is in the process of procuring another 1,500 to diagnose missing TB cases — undetected individuals who may be spreading the infection. The device is being used for screening vulnerable individuals — such as family members of TB patients, those with respiratory symptoms and those living with diabetes among others. It is also being used for active case finding, where camps are conducted to test the already mapped vulnerable population in a district. “Anyone who is found to be positive on the X-ray is asked to A technician uses an AI-enabled portable X-ray machine to screen a person for TB in Puducherry. Anonna Dutt submit a sputum sample. They are given the sample container, asked to step out in the open area, and cough up sputum for testing. The sample is then sent to a government laboratory for testing,” said Dr Pamagal Kavithai, medical officer incharge of the health centre. While the devices work on the same principle as the stationary X-ray machines found in hospitals, they are highly portable and battery-operated, making them ideal for use in hard-to-reachareaswithlimited resources. The devices are light — weighing between 1.8 kg and 2.8 kg — and can be carried around in a backpack. Thedevicecomesasasetof a digital SLR-like X-ray beam generator, a flat digital panel X-ray detector,tripodtomountthede- tector and a laptop with in-built AI for reading the X-rays. The kit also contains a lead apron for technicians.Thedevicescantake around 100 X-rays with a single charge — useful for camps in remote areas. There are three such AI-enabled X-ray devices that have been validated by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) — LabIndia’s Mine2, Mylab’s MyBeam, and Prognosys’ Prorad Atlas. In fact, Prognosys is a sister company to Molbio, which is behind the cost-effective, portable, batteryoperated molecular diagnostic machine called TrueNat that is being extensively used in the country’s TB programme. The validations have shown that these devices produce X-rays comparable in quality to the ones produced by digital X-ray devices found in hospitals. “Over the years, the sensitivity of the X-ray detectors has improved so has the collimation — meaning there is minimal scatteringandleakagefromtheX-ray beam in the generator — so very little radiation is now needed to getgoodqualityscans.Thisisthe reason now we can have handheld devices that do not require much infrastructure,” said Santosh Kumar, business head, LabIndia that used to import the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Ahmedabad