DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE MONDAY, MAY 19, 2025, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES AMENDMENTS LIKELY IN MONSOON SESSION In nuclear energy push, Govt to allow private operators, limit their liability Move follows US decision to let its firms make nuclear equipment, perform design work in India ANIL SASI NEW DELHI, MAY 18 IN WHAT could set the stage for anunprecedentedopeningupof the civil nuclear sector, the government is likely to move two crucial amendments in the laws governing the country’s atomic energy sector in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, according to sources aware of the developments. The first relates to the easing of provisions in the nuclear liability law, which would effectively cap the liability of equipment vendors in the event of an accident, both in terms of limiting the monetary exposure to theoriginalvalueof thecontract, and a possible time frame limitation on when this liability would apply. The second amendment is aimed at enabling private companies to enter nuclear power plant operations in the country, and this could also entail foreign LIKELY AMENDMENTS Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010: Changes aimed at capping liability of equipment vendors in the event of an accident Atomic Energy Act, 1962: Changes to enable private firms, possibly even foreign players later, to enter n-generation companies potentially taking a minority equity exposure in upcoming nuclear power projects. Hitherto, atomic energy has been one of India’s most closed sectors. The twin legal amendmentsarebeingseenasareform push that could help leverage the commercial potential of the Indo-US civil nucleardeal nearly two decades after it was inked. New Delhi is also keen to packagethisaspartof abroadertrade and investment outreach with Washington DC, which could eventually culminate with a trade pact that is currently under negotiation. Twin legal amendments Thetwoamendmentsareexpectedtotakecareof nigglinglegal bottlenecks which are seen to have stymied foreign investments in the atomic energy sector. The Civil Liability for Nuclear DamageAct,2010,whichsought to create a mechanism for CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Ashoka prof held for Op Sindoor remarks; deplorable, says Opp SUKHBIR SIWACH & ASAD REHMAN Mahmudabad: My remarks misunderstood Decision part of move to isolate Pakistan cricket DEVENDRA PANDEY MUMBAI, MAY 18 FOLLOWING THE recent escalation in India-Pakistan hostilities, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to stay away from all Asian Cricket Council (ACC) events for now. The BCCI has informed the ACC about its decision to withdraw from the Women's Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Sri Lanka next month and from the biennial Men’s Asia Cup in September, The Indian Express has learnt. The ACC is currently headed by Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman. Sources said the decision is partof amovetoisolatePakistan cricket. “The Indian team can’t play in a tournament that is ARRESTMOSTFOUL PAGE 8 RELATED REPORT PAGE 7 BoththeFIRsrefertoapostby Mahmudabad,aSamajwadiParty member and former spokesperson,onMay8inwhichhesaidthe optics of the media briefing on OperationSindoorbywomenofficers — Col Sofiya Qureshi and Wg Cdr Vyomika Singh — was CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 MAHENDER SINGH MANRAL AANCHAL MAGAZINE NEW DELHI, MAY 18 ISRO’s PSLV carrying the earth observation satellite lifts off from Sriharikota, Sunday. PTI ISRO’s 101st mission fails as PSLV develops snag minutes after lift-off ANONNA DUTT NEW DELHI, MAY 18 MINUTES AFTER lifting off from the Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh early Sunday, the PSLV developed a snag and failed to place earth observation satellite EOS-09 into the intended orbit — a rarity for ISRO's most trusted rocket. The space agency said the problem occurred during the third stage of the flight, about six minutes after the lift-off, caused probably by a drop in the chamber pressure of the motor. “The first two stages performed as expected. During the third stage — it is a solid motor E E X P L A I NE D Amid government’s calls for unity, Ali Khan Mahmudabad’s arrest sends a chilling message, violates right to free speech Second setback ● in months THE SECOND setback in a row — after the problems faced by NVS-02 navigation satellite earlier this year — is unexpected for ISRO which has set very high standards for itself. There are a string of highprofile missions slated for this year, including NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) and the first uncrewed flight of the Gaganyaan mission. system — there was a fall in the chamber pressure of the motor case. We are studying the entire performance.Weshallcomeback at the earliest,” ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said after the launch. There was no further word from the space agency. Officials said a statement would be released only after the failure assessment committee is able to find out what went wrong. This was the 101st mission launched by ISRO, and the 63rd oneusingthePSLVrocket,which is themost successfullaunch vehicle developed by ISRO. The PSLV has failed on only two earlier occasions: during its inauguralflightin1993andthen EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE Bangladesh nationals detained by Gujarat Police in Ahmedabad last month. NEW DELHI, MAY 18 Bhupendra Rana CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Pak extends closure of airbase runway hit by India strikes till June 6 SUKALP SHARMA NEW DELHI, MAY 18 PAKISTANHASextendedtheclosure of the only runway at its RahimYarKhanairbase—which was damaged by India’s military strikes on May 10 — till the morning of June 6. On the day of the airstrike, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority had issued a notice to airmen (NOTAM), saying that the runway would be unavailable for flight operations for a week — till 4:59 am Pakistan time (5:29 am IST) on May 18. However, according to a new NOTAM that has replaced the previous notice, the runway will CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ‘Opposition support is not a favour. It is every citizen’s duty to be on India’s side’ SHAHNAWAZ HUSSAIN BJP NATIONAL SPOKESPERSON PAGE 13 CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE agencies are learnt to have received information that Lashkar-eTaiba (LeT) terrorist Razaullah Nizamani Khalid, the mastermind of the 2006 attack on the RSSheadquartersinNagpur,was killed Sunday by three gunmen in Pakistan’s Sindh province. Khalid, also known as Abu Saifullah Khalid, headed the ter- JUST TWO days before its board met on May 9 in Washington DC to approve a $2.4 billion facility to Pakistan, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff had flagged “reputational risks” over perceived misuse of its lending and the increase in “enterprise risks” due to rising tensions with India. In the Supplementary EXPRESS NETWORK EXPRESS NETWORK JAISHANKAR BEGINS THREE-NATION VISIT TODAY, EXPECTED TO RAISE PAK TERROR PAGE 7 Information docket prepared on May 7 for the IMF board, the Fund’s Middle East and Central Asia department said, “The rising tensions between India and Pakistan, if sustained or deteriorate further, could heighten enterprise risks to the fiscal, external and reform goals of the program.” Itsaidthat“reputationalrisks” could come from any “perceived lack of even-handed” or “perceived misuse of Fund disbursements”.“CarefulFundcommunication will be essential to underscoretheFund’sneutralrole and avoid misperceptions about its lending activities,” the docket CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 On Maharashtra visit, CJI miffed over absence of top officials at event Every organ of Constitution must... give due respect to the other, says CJI CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Lashkar man behind attacks on RSS HQ, IISc gunned down in Pak NEW DELHI, MAY 18 the Centre’s renewed push against undocumented, illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar. The instructions have also been issued to the directors general (DGs) of the Border Security Force (BSF) and Satellite images released by Indian Armed Forces show damage to runway and building at Rahim Yar Khan air base Risk of reputation from ‘perceived misuse’ of Fund money: IMF on Pak THE EDITORIAL PAGE MHA sets 30-day limit to verify credentials of ‘illegal’ immigrants from Bangla, Myanmar THE UNION Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has set a 30-day deadline for states and Union Territories to verify the credentials of persons suspected to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar who claim to be Indian citizens. After the 30-day period, if their documents are not verified, they will face deportation, it is learnt. In a set of instructions issued this month, the MHA asked states and UTs to invoke their statutorypowerstodetect,identify and deport illegal immigrants.Theyhavealsobeenasked to establish sufficient districtleveldetentioncentrestoholdindividuals pending deportation. The instructions are part of Pak minister heading Asian cricket body, BCCI set to pull out from Asia Cup CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CHANDIGARH, NEW DELHI, MAY 18 A DAY after the Centre announced that the Opposition would be part of the global outreach on Operation Sindoor, the Haryana Police Sunday arrested Ali Khan Mahmudabad, associate professor and head of the Department of Political Science at Ashoka University in Sonipat, for remarks he posted on social media that, an FIR alleged, “disparaged women officers in the Indian Armed Forces and promoted communal disharmony”. Sonipat DCP (Crime) Narinder Kadian said Mahmudabad was arrested in DelhibasedontwoseparateFIRs lodged on complaints received from the Haryana State Commission for Women chairperson Renu Bhatia and Jatheri village sarpanch Yogesh Jatheri whoisalsothegeneralsecretary of BJP Yuva Morcha in the state. `7.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `15 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 rorgroup’soperationsfromNepal since 2000 and was a close aide of LeT chief Hafiz Saeed. He was involvedinmultipleterrorattacks in India, including the one on the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru,in2005,asourcesaid. “Asof now,intelligenceagencies have received information that he left his residence at Matli intheafternoonandwasgunned down by three armed assailants near a crossing at Badni in Sindh province,” the official said. 17 OF FAMILY, 8 OF THEM CHILDREN, DIE IN HYDERABAD FIRE PAGE 6 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY Chief Justice of India B R Gavai along with mother Kamaltai and wife Tejaswini Gavai being felicitated by the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa, in Mumbai Sunday. Ganesh Shirsekar SADAF MODAK MUMBAI, MAY 18 ONHISfirstvisittohishomestate of Maharashtra after taking over as Chief Justice of India on May 14, CJI B R Gavai expressed his disappointment at the absence of senior state officials at a felicitation event held in his honour CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Sunday, saying “every organ of the Constitution must...give its due respect to the other”. Speaking at the event in Mumbai, organised by the Bar Councilof MaharashtraandGoa, CJIGavai said, “We say that there are three pillars of democracy, judiciary, legislature and executive, and that they are equal. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 After recent border flare-up, Kolkata reviving its WWII-era air raid sirens PAGE 1 ANCHOR TANUSREE BOSE KOLKATA, MAY 18 SRINANDA CHAKRABORTY, 75, still remembers how everyone would hunker down at her Kolkata home when the World WarII-eraairraidsirenswentoff during the India-Pakistan war of 1971. “When the war was announced, we were told to paint our windows black,” Chakraborty, who was in college then, tells The Indian Express. “At home we would try to stock some dry foods. The moment the sirens indicating air raids sounded we would all get on the floor for what seemed like hours untilanothersirenwentoff toindicate that it was over. When there were air raids and blackouts at night, we would see tiny lights in the sky — the sight of our jets engaging the enemy.” It's been over half a decade since that war, and the World War II-era air sirens dotting the city have since fallen silent. But frequent cyclonic storms in the state of West Bengal coupled with the escalating border ten- sionsbetweenIndiaandPakistan earlierthismonthhavemadeauthorities plan their revival. Used several times between 1940s — during the peak of WorldWarIIwhenKolkata,then Calcutta, saw bombings and air raidsfromtheImperialJapanese Air Forces — and the IndiaPakistan war of 1971, the nowsilent sirens are being surveyed and identified, not only to prepare for any potential wars but also to help during disasters, officialsof thecivildefencedepartment, which is undertaking the exercise, said. The exercise has been ongoing for “some time now” and is Santanu Mukherjeeshowsasirenacquiredbyhisgrandfather, whofoundedasocialorganisationin1954. Partha Chatterjee part of a larger one across the stateof WestBengal,sayofficials. But the escalating border tensionsearlierthismonthintheaftermath of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam and India’s retaliatorystrikesinPakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan made it more imperative, sources said. “Sirens are not only required forwarsbutalsoduringcyclones and storms,” Javed Khan, the West Bengal minister of disaster management and civil defence, tells The Indian Express. “So, we have been working on this for some time. The chief minister would like that sirens be placed all over the state so that in times of emergency, warnings can be issued.” According to officials, there are 93 siren points around the cityof Kolkata—afigurethatnot only includes old sirens dating back to the Second World War but also recent ones installed over the last few years. Of these, there are 25 sirens at various places in wards 34 to 67 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, officials said. Besides these, there are 2530 sirens in different districts — one in each district headquarters. The state also has 62 satellite phones, the officials said. Most of the sirens are fitted on the roofs of important buildings, such as the Akashvani Bhavan and the Indian Museum in Central Kolkata and Mahajati Sadan at Chittaranjan Avenue. But officials say it’s still unclear if theseareinworkingcondition. "Asurveyisbeing carriedout to find out how many sirens in Kolkata and surrounding areas are working,” one official said. “Those sirens from the Second World War are being checked to see if they are in working — or even workable — condition. If they are, they will be repaired. If not, we’ll replace them.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 2