DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PATNA, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE MONDAY, JULY 7, 2025, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY DRAFT ROLLS TO BE ISSUED ON AUG 1, DOCUMENTS CAN BE SUBMITTED ANY TIME BEFORE JULY 25, SAYS EC CEC defends electoral roll revision, poll panel clarifies ‘no change in instructions’ EC clarification after Bihar CEO ad in local newspapers causes confusion Not just EBCs & minorities, there is disquiet among upper castes as well SANTOSH SINGH MADHUBANI, SAMASTIPUR, BANKA, JULY 6 THE WORLD TEXAS FLOODS LEAVE 51 DEAD; 27 GIRLS MISSING AS SEARCH OPS CONTINUE MUSK ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF ‘AMERICA PARTY’ PAGE 10 Booth level officers (BLOs) collect forms at Gangsara village in Bihar’s Samastipur district. PATNA, NEW DELHI, JULY 6 CHANDRAKANT RAGHUNATH PATIL UNION MINISTER OF JAL SHAKTI PAGE 13 IN THE face of criticism from the Oppositionandconfusiononthe ground in Bihar, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday defended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the pollbound state, saying the Election Commission(EC)had“invitedall recognised political parties for interaction” on the matter and “no one was satisfied with the current status of electoral rolls for one reason or the other”. The poll panel, meanwhile, clarified that the SIR was being conducted as per its June 24 order announcing theexerciseand CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ‘Copy-paste’, wrong elephant’s photo on cover: Ministry asks WII to redo report AISWARYA RAJ DEHRADUN, JULY 6 “COPY-PASTING”from“previous reportsorpublishedsources”;an African elephant’s photograph on the cover instead of an Asian one; inconsistencies in data — flagging these and other issues, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is learnt to have asked the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to re-submititsannual progressreporton the Captive Elephant Database Project. In a letter to the WII on April 25, the ministry’s Project ElephantDivisionexpresseddissatisfaction with the report. E E X P L A I NE D SANTOSH SINGH & DAMINI NATH ‘The Nal Se Jal scheme is to provide water, not for some contractor to make money’ `7.00 (`8 RAIPUR, `15 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 WhatEC clarification ● means THE EC’S June 24 order said only those whose forms were received by July 25 would make it to the draft rolls. The guidelines with the order said voters have to submit documents too. Now, the poll body has clarified that EROs can obtain papers from voters whose names appear in the draft rolls even during the claims-andobjections phase that will run from August 1 to September 1. DOMINATED BY upper-caste households, Saurath village of Madhubani in Bihar is known across the region for its annual “sabha” when Brahmin men of “marriageableage”getdressedas groomsandawaita“weddingoffer”.Thesedays,however,thewait in Saurath is for something else. “Outof 2,200domicileapplicationssubmittedfromourpanchayatalone,only150certificates have been issued so far,” says VibhakarJha,sonof Saurathpanchayat mukhiya Kamini Devi. THE EDITORIAL PAGE ELECTION OMISSION EC’s reforms deepened democracy in Bihar. Its current revision does opposite — it needs to reset, to include, not exclude PAGE8 GOVT & POLITICS RJD MP CHALLENGES ROLL REVISION IN SC: ‘MIGRANTS FACE EXCLUSION’ BENGAL NEXT EC TARGET: MAHUA PAGE 6 WHAT WILL NOT COUNTINBIHAR AN EXPRESS SERIES PART 4 Itisnotjustthepoorandmarginalised but, in a state where caste divisions run deep, there is disquiet among upper caste voters as well about the additional documents required to register asavoterunderSpecialIntensive Revision of electoral rolls. “(Adomicilecertificateis)one oftheeasiestdocumentstoobtain from the Election Commission’s listof11.Thereisalargenumberof upper caste people in the queue here...thisunnecessaryrevisionis hurtingeveryone,”saysJha.“Don’t harass us in the name of documents,”saysChintaDevi,another resident of Saurath. It’s a refrain heard across villages in the region where upper castesareinamajority—thissegmentconstitutesover15percent PATNA, JULY 6 THE ELECTION Commission(EC) saidSundaythattheinitialphase of the exercise of printing and distributing enumeration forms toalltheregisteredvotersforthe Bihar electoral roll revision was “almost complete” and that 21.46% of the filled-out forms had been submitted. “The initial phase of the ex- ercise, during which enumeration forms were to be printed and distributed, is almost completewiththeformsbeingmade availabletoallelectorswhowere available,” EC Deputy Director P Pawan said in a statement. However, there is a significant backlog in the number of forms uploaded to the poll body’s ECINET database, with only around 7.25% of the 1.69 crore now up on the system. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 INDIA BREACH EDGBASTON BASTION, LEVEL SERIES 1-1 New captain, new India Gill leads way with 430 runs, Akash Deep & Siraj shine in support act with 17 wickets In the letter addressed to WII Director Virendra Tiwari, Assistant Inspector General of ForestsSuneetBhardwajsaidthe report, submitted by WII scientist Dr Samrat Mondol along with a state-wise report, did not meet “expected benchmarks”. When contacted, Bhardwaj declinedtocommentontheissue. Mondol told The Indian Express that the report was for a review of the progress, and the WII responded to the ministry’s letter with explanations for every point raised, and resubmitted the report. Initsletter,theministrylisted 20 suggestions to help the institute take corrective measures to PM Narendra Modi with Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and other leaders in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday. Reuters SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, JULY 6 IN A declaration adopted at the ongoing summit in Rio de Janeiro late on Sunday night, the BRICS leaders condemned the Pahalgam terror attack “in the strongest terms”, and called for “combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including the cross-border movement of terrorists, terrorism financing and safe havens”. Whilethedeclarationdidnot take any names, the cross-border terror reference is seen to be aimed at Pakistan. AddressingtheBRICSsession on peace and security, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Pahalgamwasa“directattackon the soul, identity and dignity of India”.Hesaid“givingsilentconsenttoterrorism,supportingterror or terrorists” for “personal or EXPRESS NETWORK GUARDED ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR, CONDEMNS STRIKES ON IRAN PAGE 5 political gain” should not be acceptable under any circumstances, and “there should be no hesitationinimposingsanctions against terrorists”. “We condemn in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, 2025, during which 26 people were killed,” the BRICS declaration said, referring to the Pahalgam attack. “We urge to ensure zero tolerance for terrorism and reject double standards in countering terrorism,”itsaid,amplifyingthe CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 SAKSHI CHAND Ajay Lamba was wanted in 4 cases in Uttarakhand, Delhi: Police NEW DELHI, JULY 6 Captain Shubman Gill and other team members congratulate Akash Deep after his fifth wicket against England, Sunday. ANI EXPRESSIN ENGLAND SANDEEP DWIVEDI BIRMINGHAM, JULY 6 Kamleshwar Singh BRICS calls out cross-border terror; PM says attack on India’s soul, identity After 25 years, man wanted for killing cabbies, selling off their vehicles held CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 DALAI LAMA MARKS HIS 90TH BIRTHDAY: ‘WILL CONTINUE SERVING ALL’ PAGE 7 BRICSleaders condemnJ&K attack:Onterror, zerotolerance CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EC: Form distribution almost over, 21% have given filled-out papers HIMANSHU HARSH PAHALGAM IN DECLARATION THERE WAS no Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma or R Ashwin. There was no Jasprit Bumrah, the world’s best bowler, either. This was ShubmanGill’snewteam,which cameroaringbackwhenpushed to a corner. Trailing 0-1 after the defeat in a Test they should have won at Leed’s, Shubman’s boys, inaboutaweek’stime,overcame theHeadingleyheartbreaktowin atEdgbastonandleveltheseries. Shubman’s first Test triumph ascaptainwasabouthimleading from the front, lifting his deflated team, trusting his players, calling outEngland’sBazballbravadoand inthebargainenteringtherecord books, a habit with him now. Powered by the captain’s recordbreaking 430 runs aggregate in this Test, and inspired by the seam-duo of Mohammed Siraj andAkashDeepaccountingfor17 wickets together, the young and largelyinexperiencedteammade more history with their 336-run win.ThiswasIndia’sfirst-everTest triumph at Edgbaston and this was their biggest margin of victory on foreign soil. Over the past five days, Shubmanwasbeingseeninanew light. But the captain wasn’t getting carried away. In a low-key pressconference,withthetoneof hisvoicegivingnohintofthescale of his achievement, the captain treated this as just another day. Has this Test changed the general perception about you? “As for perception, I don’t think about it much. It will change after every match. We don’t focus onthosethings.Whatpeoplesay CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 DELHI POLICE has arrested a 49year-old man who was wanted forthepast25yearsforallegedly robbingandkillingfourtaxidrivers inDelhiandUttarakhand between 1999 and 2001, a senior police officer said Sunday. “The accused, Ajay Lamba alias Bansi, was declared a proclaimed offender; he had been abscondingforthe past25years. He was wanted in connection with a murder case registered at New Ashok Nagar police station in 2001,” said DCP (Crime Branch) Aditya Gautam. After extensive manual and technicalsurveillance,ateamled byInspectorsRakeshKumarand Anuj Kumar arrested Lamba in Delhi Saturday, the DCP said. Police said Lamba and his accomplices would allegedly hire INSIDE AN ASSOCIATE’S ARREST GAVE POLICE VITAL CLUE PAGE 4 taxis, kill the drivers and dispose oftheirbodiesinremoteforestareas of Uttarakhand. They would then sell off the vehicles across the border in Nepal, police said. DCPGautamsaidLambawas originally a resident of Krishna Nagar in Delhi. Born in 1976, he dropped out CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ‘We are not deterred by terror attack... but scared of these mountains’ EXPRESSAT AMARNATHYATRA ANAND MOHAN J SHESHNAG (PAHALGAM), JULY 6 THE PRE-DAWN darkness at Chandanwaribasecamp hasnot deterred thousands of pilgrims who fill the air with holy chants. It’s 4 am, and the pilgrims have gathered at the staging point, steeling themselvesfor themost gruelling segment of the Amarnath Yatra — the notorious Pissu Top. It’s less than a week into the 38-daypilgrimage,withauthorities already reporting the death of onepilgrim.Forthepilgrimsat Chandanwari base camp, ahead lies a punishing 3-km trek that will test every ounce of their devotion. The path winds steeply upward, climbing relentlessly to 11,000feetabovesealevel,where takingabreathbecomesdifficult with each step and gravity tries tocrushyourspirits.Fordecades, this route remained exactly as nature carved — a muddy scar etchedintothemountainside,so narrow that two pilgrims can barely pass. Now, the trekking route has been widened and paved, adorned with locking tiles against the raw mountain face. Solar-powered street lights pierce the alpine darkness, handrails and safety walls guide the faithful along paths of this treacherous trek. But this has come at a cost. Where once white glacial streams cascaded in diamond- Pilgrims trek to the Amarnath cave shrine, situated at an altitude of over 12,000 feet above sea level. Anand Mohan J bright torrents, now mere trickles escape from mounds of rubble. Trees stand mutilated, their branches severed to accommodate the wider paths. The price of progress is written in scars across the landscape. The sun hadn’t yet crested the jagged peaks of Kashmir when Parvati clutched her hiking stick, her knuckles white against the weathered wood. Dressed in a simple grey shirt and pyjamas, feet clad in mere sandals, she is underprepared but resolute. Beside her, son Rishabh shifted nervously — he has skipped school to make the trek. “This was my husband’s plan. My son will miss school, but we are here as a family. We are not deterred by the terror attack. But I am scared of these mountains,” she said. Around them, the stark contrast between pilgrims became evident. Some arrived as modern adventurers, sporting jackets, proper hiking boots, and carefully planned provisions. Others embodied raw faith, undertaking the trek barefoot in simple knickers and shirts, cigarettes dangling from their lips. Poonam Sharma, Santosh Sharma, Babita Devi, and Anshu, all from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, havetakenabreaktocatchupon theirbreath.“This time there are a lot of toilets on the way,” Poonam observed, although she quickly added: “But some of them are dysfunctional. We make do with what we can.” By 9:30 am, as temperature rose, the dusty trail began its relentless test. Nisar Ahmed, a weathered pony handler with eight years of experience ferrying pilgrims, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2