DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PATNA, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE TUESDAY, JULY 8, 2025, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 20 PAGES `7.00 (`8 RAIPUR, `15 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 CONG, OTHER PARTIES AMONG PETITIONERS SC to hear petitions against Bihar electoral roll revision on July 10 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY THE WORLD Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a group photograph with BRICS members, partners and outreach invitees in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Monday. PTI RELATEDREPORTS,PAGE6 Impossible task, says Sibal; 8 cr electorate, 4 cr for enumeration, says Singhvi EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE Police arrest suspect in killing of Patna businessman HIMANSHU HARSH PATNA, JULY 7 THEPOLICE onMondayarrested a suspect in the shooting of prominent Patna businessman Gopal Khemka late Friday night near his residence in the city’s Gandhi Maidan area. Khemka (64), the owner of Magadh Hospital, was shot from close range while he was waiting in his car near his residential complex. He was taken to a hospital in Kankarbagh, where he was declared dead on arrival. “Ashooterhasbeenarrested. He is currently being interrogated. He is a suspect in the case,” a senior police officer told The Indian Express, requesting anonymity. Based on the shooter'squestioning, the police have taken a businessman into custody, the officer said. The incident, which comes ahead of the Assembly polls in Bihar, had snowballed into a political flashpoint, with the Opposition citing it as yet another example of the crumbling law and order situation in the state. Apart from owning a hospital, Khemka had also expanded into real estate and owned factories. He is survived by his son, a doctor, and a daughter who lives abroad. The killing comes six years afterKhemka’s son,Gunjan (31), wasmurderedinasimilarattack in Vaishali district. According to a complaint filed by his other son, Dr Gaurav, Khemka left for the Bankipur Club around 9:30 pm that day. “At approximately 11:20 pm, when he was returning and reached the main gate of the building, assailants who had been lying in wait shot him while he was still in his car,” it states. On hearing the gunshots and being informed by the security guard, Gaurav and his wife rushed downstairs, only to find Khemka covered in blood, it states. PAGE 1 ANCHOR U.S. TO ANNOUNCE MULTIPLE DEALS BEFORE TARIFF PAUSE RUNS OUT TOMORROW Trump unveils 25% tariffs on South Korea and Japan; India eyes extended deadline New tariffs to start from August 1; Trump warns against raising rates RAVI DUTTA MISHRA NEW DELHI, JULY 7 TWO DAYS before the reciprocal tariff pause runs out on July 9, President Donald Trump said on Monday that the US would impose 25% tariffs on imports from Japan and South Korea beginning August 1 as he unveiled the first two of what he has said will be a wave of letters to trading partnersoutliningthenewlevies they face. “If for any reason you decide to raise your tariffs, then, whatever the number you choose to raisethemby,willbeaddedonto the 25% that we charge,” Trump said in letters to the leaders of the two Asian countries, which he posted on his Truth Social platform. The rate for South Korea is thesamethatTrumpinitiallyannounced on April 2, while the rate for Japan is 1 point higher than first announced. Trump capped all of the so-called reciprocal tariffs at 10% until July 9 to allow for negotiations. Only two agreements have so far been reached, with Britain and Vietnam. Meanwhile,amiduncertainty overtheconclusionof aninterim trade deal with India, the US has indicatedthatitmayallownegotiations to continue until an extended deadline of August 1. Indian officials have indicated that while efforts are still CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 As Trump warns BRICS, China, Russia say group doesn’t target anyone Extra 10% tariff for anti-US policies, says Trump; no response from India SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, JULY 7 AS PRESIDENT Donald Trump warned that the United States would impose an additional 10 per cent tariff on any country whichalignsitself withthe“antiAmerican policies of BRICS”, at least three members of the grouping — China, Russia and South Africa — responded sharply on Monday. Post Op Sindoor, pvt sector may see big push for defence manufacturing AANCHAL MAGAZINE & ANIL SASI NEW DELHI, JULY 7 WITH A specific thrust on the need to “leverage the buying power” of the government, authorities are learnt to have reached out to industry bodies and multiple private defence manufacturing companies to elicit active participation in defence manufacturing. There is likely to be a greater push for enhanced indigenous arms manu- GOVT & POLITICS facturing of items such as artillery guns, missiles, loitering andprecision-guidedmunitions, andmilitary-gradedronesinthe backdrop of Operation Sindoor. The government is pivoting towardsaleanerequipmentprocurement model that involves leveraging the private sector to a much greater extent, giving key players visibility in terms of future orders and taking recourse to provisions such as deemed licensing to tide over procedural hurdles. Specific measures on the anvil include plans to compress procurement schedules to around two years from an average of about six years currently forbigorders,aswasdoneforthe Rafale Marine aircraft procured by the Navy, a top government official told The Indian Express. A model involving research anddevelopment(R&D)bypublic sector undertakings (PSUs), sometimes jointly with the private sector players, and the production then being entrusted to the private company, as was CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 There was no response from New Delhi on Trump’s remarks. Trump’s comments came after the BRICS declaration on Sunday, in an oblique reference to the US, raised “serious concerns” about the rise in tariffs, which,itsaid,were“inconsistent with WTO (World Trade Organisation) rules” and “threaten to reduce global trade, disrupt globalsupply chains and introduce uncertainty.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 E E X P L A I NE D OPEN TO U.S. TALKS, ASSASSINATION BID BY ISRAEL, SAYS IRAN PRESIDENT HOURS AFTER BEING SACKED, RUSSIAN MINISTER FOUND DEAD WITH GUNSHOT WOUND PAGE 12 Area of ● thrust GIVEN THAT the nature of warfare is changing, an area where there is likely to be a greater thrust post-Op Sindoor is standoff weapons, including missiles, drones. The government is also working to update its Defence Acquisition Procedure to streamline the procurement process, elicit greater industry participation, and compress acquisition timelines. PAGE 6 THESUPREMECourtonMonday agreed to hear on July 10 a batch of petitions challenging the specialintensiverevisionof electoral rolls ordered by the Election Commissioninpoll-boundBihar. The petitions were mentioned before a bench of Justices SudhanshuDhuliaandJoymalya Bagchi bysenior advocates Kapil Sibal, A M Singhvi, Gopal Sankaranarayanan and Shadan Farasat—allappearingfordifferent petitioners. Sibal termed the exercise as an “impossible task”. “Eight crore is the electorate and four crore have to do the enumeration,” said Singhvi. “They won’t accept Aadhaar card, voter card,” said Sankaranarayanan. The petitioners argued that those who don’t furnish the requireddocuments within theallotted time would be deleted from the electoral rolls, even if they have voted earlier. “The timeline is so strict, and if you don’t give by July 25, you will be out,” said Singhvi. Justice Dhulia, however, pointed out that the timeline “doesn’thavesanctityaselections have not been notified as yet”. Agreeing to their request for an urgent hearing, the bench permitted thepetitioners to give advance notice of their petitions to the EC. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EXPLAINED SCIENCE RUBIN’SEYEON MYSTERIESOF COSMOS PAGE 9 RSS says working to restore peace in Manipur: ‘Positive direction... solution will be found’ DEEPTIMAN TIWARY AS THACKERAYS REUNITE, CONG IN A BIND, FAULTLINES DEEPEN IN MVA RAHUL QUESTIONS GOVT SILENCE ON ‘MANIPULATION’ BY JANE STREET NEW DELHI, JULY 7 NEW DELHI, JULY 7 RSS leaders Sunil Ambekar (left) and Anil Agarwal at a press conference in New Delhi on Monday. ANI AS THE Union government engageswithManipur’sMeiteiand Kuki groups in Delhi, the RSS on Monday said it was involved in bringing the two communities together and that a solution to theongoingethnicconflictinthe state “will be found”. RSS publicity in-charge Sunil Ambekar said the Sangh had established communication with both Meiteis and Kukis.“When situations worsen in a region, they do not become alright in a day. But compared to last year, there is a modicum of peace (in Manipur). The kind of communication that is taking place on eitherside(of thedivide),webelieveasolutionwillbefound,”he said at a press conference here following the conclusion of the Sangh’sPrantPracharakBaithak, which was held from Friday to Sunday. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Booth-level officers during the electoral roll revision exercise in Patna on Monday. Rahul Sharma Domicile certificates most in demand — but lakhs pending in a week The irony: Aadhaar invalid as voter ID but needed for domicile certificate SANTOSH SINGH PATNA, MADHUBANI, PURNIA, JULY 7 AS VOTERS scramble to put together their papers for the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive for new Bihar electoral rolls, the document most in demand is No. 6 on itslist of 11 — a domicile or residential certificate. Onereasonforthisisthatapplicantsarelargelybeingallowed to submit just Aadhaar — the most commonly available document — as proof of residence to get a domicile certificate. Ironically,Aadhaaritself does not figure in the list of 11 docu- WHAT WILL NOT COUNTINBIHAR AN EXPRESS SERIES PART 5 ments the EC has specified to prove date of birth / residence as part of the SIR. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 UP minister: Art 370 to Ram Temple, BJP can resolve all, why not SC quota for Nishads? MAULSHREE SETH LUCKNOW, JULY 7 WHEN THE BJP can resolve all difficultissues—be itArticle370 or building the Ram Temple in Ayodhya — what is holding it back from providing Scheduled Caste reservation to the Nishad community, the ruling party’s ally and Uttar Pradesh Minister Sanjay Nishad told The Indian Express. The state Fisheries Minister, who is also the NISHAD Party chief, said the BJP should fulfil the long-pending demand soon or it may face “difficulties” in the 2027AssemblyelectionsinUttar Pradesh. The Nishads, a boating and fishingcommunity,arecurrently counted among the Other UP Fisheries Minister Sanjay Nishad Backward Classes (OBCs) in the state. “The thing is that the BJP has found solutions to all difficult issues, be it Article 370 or 10 per cent upper caste reservation [for the economically backward in general category] even when it was not promised in the Constitution,womenreservation and even on the topic of faith i.e. construction of Ram Temple, so what is keeping it from fulfilling its promise to the fishermen community,” said Nishad. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 9 from Gujarat disappeared in Caribbean in 2023, families await answers ADITI RAJA VADODARA, JULY 7 AT THE Vaghela residence in Nardipur village of Gujarat’s Gandhinagardistrict,thewaitfor amidnightcallisadailyritualfor Balwantsinh and his wife Neela, both in their 40s, since February 3,2023—thedaytheylastspoke to their son Dhruvraj. Dhruvraj, then 20, and eight other Gujaratis were all set to board a small vessel from the Caribbean island of Dominica to Antigua, another large island in the region, before setting sail for the United States “to live the American dream”. None of the nine families have heard from them since February 2023. Months after they went missing, three of these families filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Gujarat High Court seeking government help to tracetheirwhereabouts.OnJune 27thisyear,thecourttermedthe PIL as “infructuous” after it was informed that the missing personscouldnotbelocateddespite efforts by the Indian Embassies/ High Commissions concerned and the Centre. According to court documents,theninepersonstravelled to Mumbai from Gujarat in October 2022. After nearly a month in Mumbai, the group flew to Amsterdam where they stayed30days.FromAmsterdam, theywenttothePortofSpainand then to Dominica, after which they were expected to travel to Antiguabyboat.Thereisnodirect ferry between these two islands, which are connected by a few short-haul flights. From Antigua, the group was to enter Saint Martin,anislanddividedintotwo partsthatareunderthecontrolof the Netherlands and France respectively,beforeenteringtheUS illegally. Besides Dhruvraj, the other missing persons include Nardipur village resident Ankit Patel,Ahmedabad’sKirankumar Patel, Gandhinagar district’s Of the nine persons who went missing from the Caribbean around February 2023, two belong to Nardipur village in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar district AvaniPatel,Mehsanadistrictresidents Sudhir Kumar Patel and Nikhil Patel, Kheda district’s Pratik Patel, Sabarkantha’s BharatRabariandSuratdistrict’s Champa Vasava. SpeakingtoTheIndianExpress after the June 27 High Court order,Vaghelasays,“WekeepwaitingforDhurvraj’scallbutinvain. Forget sound sleep, my wife and Ihavenotfinishedameal,bought newclothesorattendedcelebrations since he went missing. On mostnights,Neela(hiswife)cries herself to sleep. I cry when she is not looking.” Senior advocate Yatin Oza, whorepresentedthepetitioners, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had, through India’s Ambassadors to the Dominicaandothermissions,inquired into the whereabouts of the nine Indians in all the island countriestheycouldhavepassed before they went missing. He said primary investigations had revealed that the skipper (captain of a small boat) of the vessel these nine Indians were to take to Antigua had sent a distress signal. From Antigua, the group was to board a bigger vessel. Oza said, “The skipper sent a distress signal to his brother that one of the engines had failed (at sea). While the skipper had expressedconfidencethathewould reach Antigua with one working engine,theCaribbeanseascanbe rough. The skipper may have takentheshipinsideGuadeloupe (aFrenchoverseasterritoryinthe CaribbeanSea)forsafety.Itispossible that (the vessel) may have been full of contraband (the region is notorious for smuggling), something the unsuspecting Indians did not realise.” Since “no adverse news” has been received so far in the case of the missing nine persons, many families believe their relatives are under “detention” in a Caribbean nation. This, despite an MEA affidavit in court stating that the Department of Internal CONTINUED ON PAGE 2