www.freepressjournal.in | twitter.com/fpjindia Reg. No. Mcs/048/2018-20; RNI No. 1541/1957 I M.p.c.s office Mumbai-400001 PETROL HITS RS 94 PER LITRE IN MUMBAI, BUT NO TAX CUT Pg 7 SAURABH TALKS ABOUT NEW FILM MANOHAR PANDEY, AND HIS NEXT DIRECTORIAL Pg 24 PRESIDENT BIDEN’S FOREIGN AGENDA REASSURING FOR INDIA 350c. 210c. Sunrise: 07:09 am Sunset: 06:37 pm Vol. 64 No. 243 | THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 11, 2021 | 13 Pages | EDITIONS: Mumbai*, Pune, Indore, Bhopal, E-Paper EDIT Spiritual wisdom cleanses our soul from thought pollution. Brahma Kumaris BHIMA KOREGAON: KEY EVIDENCE WAS PLANTED? Pg 10 ACCORDING TO A WASHINGTON POST REPORT, A DIGITAL FORENSICS FIRM FOUND ACTIVIST RONA WILSON'S LAPTOP WAS HACKED AND 10 INCRIMINATING LETTERS PLANTED NARSI BENWAL Mumbai In a significant development, Rona Wilson, one of the prime accused in the Bhima-Koregaon violence case, has claimed that the alleged incriminating evidence retrieved from his laptop was actually planted by hackers at least two years before his arrest in June 2018. Incidentally this was the key evidence , against Wilson and others accused of BETWEEN THE LINES PROVE AVNI NOT A MAN-EATER: SC The Supreme Court  Wednesday on issued notice on a plea seeking contempt action against Maharashtra principal secretary Vikas Kharge and eight others for rewarding people who had killed an alleged 'man-eater' tigress 'Avni' in Yavatmal district in 2018. A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde was told by animal rights activist Sangeeta Dogra that the tigress was not a man-eater as was evident from the postmortem report of the animal. Dogra contended that if an animal is man-eater it could be ascertained from the DNA reports, hair and nails remains in the intestines, which last for more than six months. "The tigress, which was killed, her stomach was empty," she claimed. She said that forest officials of the state ordered the killing of 'Avni' on the plea that it had killed 13 persons in the area and was a man-eater. "The killers of tigress were awarded by the state and there was celebration, which was in violation of the top court's order", Dogra argued. The bench said that it cannot control celebration but it can issue notice if people were rewarded, flouting the  Supreme Court  order. JUNKING OF INS VIRAAT STAYED The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the dismantling of Navy's aircraft carrier INS Viraat which was decommissioned in March 2017 on a petition filed by a Navi Mumbai-based firm which wants to convert the ship into a maritime museum and a multifunctional adventure centre. The carrier is in the possession of a Gujarat-based ship-breaker who had purchased it; he says it is now too late for any restoration effort. Over 40 per cent of the dismantling work has been completed so far, said Mukesh Patel, Chairman of the Shree Ram Group based at Alang in Bhavnagar district which bought the ship at an auction in July last year for Rs 38.54 crore. According to Wilson, after seeing the support he and other co-accused have got in the case, he, through his legal team, had approached the American Bar Association (ABA) seeking examination of the evidence claimed by the prosecution. The ABA then handed over the clone copy of Wilson's hard disk to Chelseabased Arsenal Consulting, a digital forensic company . Accordingly Arsenal was asked to ex, amine 10 of the 52 identified items, which the prosecution has relied upon in its accusation of a plot to kill PM Modi. "Though the report drawn by Arsenal aims at examining only ten specific documents, a perusal of  their report will bear out that it has found out existence of malware which has made material changes in the content of the system without me (Wilson) even getting a hint of it," the plea reads. The report, as per Wilson, shows with scientific details that an attacker de- Twitter yields partly to govt diktat ployed a malware named NetWire, with which he initially kept an eye on him, "and later on, remotely through the malware, delivered various files, including the incriminating correspondence. The same were stored in a folder which was set to hidden mode, and over period of  22 months, from time to time, various such letters and material came to be planted on his system without his knowledge," the plea reads. CONTD. ON P13 NIA SPOKESPERSON JAYA ROY HAS DISMISSED THE ARSENAL REPORT AS A ‘DISTORTION OF FACTS’ FPJ NEWS SERVICE New Delhi GOVT HAS KOO, THE DESI COUNTER, READY… The social media giant Twitter has suspended over 500 accounts and blocked access to several others within India, as it partly acceded to a government order to curb spread of misinformation and inflammatory content stemming from farmers' protests. Twitter, of course, had little choice in the matter: any infringement of the government's diktat would have attracted penal action, including potential jail terms. A part of the problem is that India happens to be its third largest area of operation. As a face-saver, Twitter, in a blogpost, added it has not blocked accounts consisting of "news media entities, journalists, activists and politicians" as doing so "would violate their fundamental right to free expression" guaranteed under the country's law. The government, however, termed as "unusual" Twitter's move to publish the blogpost before slated talks with the IT Secretary on the issue. There were other indications Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey may not yield so easily "We are explor. ing options under Indian law — both for Twitter and for the accounts that have been impacted," the social giant sources were cited as saying. In other words, it will rather go to court than simply comply with orders it believes are over-reaching. Also, it has asserted that it will be proactive in efforts to enforce its rules and defend its principles in India. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had first directed the microblogging platform to remove more than 250 accounts and this week added over 1,000 more under the rules of the Information Technology Act, which allows such actions in the interest of the country's sovereignty defence and security , . CONTD. ON P13 bank of Pangong Lake. The exercise started on Wednesday as per a , consensus reached between the two sides during the ninth round of military commander-level talks. There was no official word from a wary New Delhi but if the Chinese official statement is to be believed, the nine month-long stand-off between the two Asian giants has come to an end. A spokesperson of China's Ministry of National Defence, Wu Qian, said: "As per a consensus reached in the last round of talks, the frontline units of the Chinese and Indian armed forces in Pangong Hunan and North Coast began to simultaneously and systematically organize disengagement on February 10." Since May last year, Indian and DESI CLONE OF TWITTER The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Wednesday took to micro-blogging site Koo, to respond to twitter’s blogpost on blocking of some accounts on the orders of the Indian government. This came a day after Union minister Piyush Goyal announced that he will now be on Koo, a made-in-India app that has features similar to Twitter. “I am now on Koo. Connect with me on this Indian micro-blogging platform for realtime, exciting and exclusive updates. Let us exchange our thoughts and ideas on Koo,” Goyal tweeted on Tuesday. Thinning of troops at Finger 4, admits China No official comment from the Indian side AARTI TIKOO SINGH / New Delhi There is tell-tale evidence of slight disengagement between Indian and Chinese troops, which is aimed at clearing the contentious 'Finger 4' area on the northern Rail Roko Feb 18 T he Samyukta Kisan Morcha, the umbrella farmers' union, decided on Wednesday to further intensify the movement against the Centre's three new farm laws. The protesters have decided to organise a panIndia 'Rail Roko' from 12 pm to 4 pm on February 18. As part of the agitation, the protesting farmers have also decided to declare all road toll plazas in Rajasthan 'free' starting February 12. On February 14, a candle march and 'mashaal juloos' will be held across the country to honour the sacrifice of soldiers martyred in the Pulwama attack, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha said in a press release. Kangana does a star 3600 turn Tells HC she will urge BMC to regularise illegal construction NARSI BENWAL / Mumbai In a complete about turn, actor Kangana Ranaut on Wednesday told the Bombay High Court that she would be approaching the BMC to regularise the illegal construction in her Khar residence. The HC has allowed her to withdraw her plea before it and approach the civic body . Notably Kangana had initially , claimed there were no illegalities in her flat but on Thursday she , told the bench of Justice Prithviraj Chavan that she would rather file an application before the BMC and seek regularisation of the same. "We will withdraw this plea and approach the civic body to regularise the construction," Kangana's advocate Dr Birendra Saraf told the judge. plotting to kill PM Narendra Modi and to overthrow his government.  The human rights activist has accordingly approached the Bombay High Court seeking constitution of an SIT to probe the case. To buttress his case, Wilson (42) has relied upon a US based digital forensic agency's report, which has concluded that the evidence on the basis of which the NIA arrested him and other dozen activists, was planted on his laptop.  At this, the judge permitted the actress to move the civic body . "She should approach the civic body within a period of four weeks. The BMC will decide the matter expeditiously and not take any coercive action at least for two weeks," the court said. It may be noted that the Dindoshi court had last month dismissed Kangana's suit stating that there were "glaring illegalities" in her flat. The civic body had, in 2018, issued a demolition notice to the actress for converting three of her flats as one unit. She had however, refuted the contention claiming that it was the developer who had carried out the illegalities. CONTD. ON P13 CONTD. ON P13 Chinese troops were engaged in skirmishes along the LAC near Pangong Lake in Ladakh and the Tibet Autonomous region. In one such violent clash, 20 Indian soldiers and over 40 Chinese troops were killed in the Galwan valley on June 15-16. Amid the face-off, India rushed massive reinforcements to Ladakh. CONTD. ON P13 Newborns choked for 21 minutes, as ‘angels of mercy’ were absent FPJ FOLLOW-UP 2 NURSES may face penal action for criminal negligence: Health Minister SANJAY JOG / Mumbai The devil is in the details or, in this case, swooped down when the 'angels of mercy' stepped out of the sick newborn care ward in the Bhandara district general hospital on January 9. The Forensic Science Laboratory report has revealed that the 10 newborns who perished in fire at the hospital that day suffocated for 21 long minutes because of the criminal negligence of the two nurses who were supposed to be on duty but were , not. Had the nurses been there, they could have safely evacuated the infants before fire engulfed the ward, the report revealed. The babies' cries went unheeded as the nurses were not around to rush to their assistance. The department of public health has admitted that the tragedy exposed the administration’s lethargy its apathy , and dereliction of duty espe, cially by two nurses. The findings of the Forensic Bhandara BLAZE Corona’s blow: Maha Govt fiscal deficit to be 6%-7% FPJ EXCLUSIVE A pious movement has been dishonoured: PM OUR BUREAU New Delhi Replying to the motion of thanks on the President's address in the Lok Sabha, PM Modi on Wednesday described the farmers' protest as a "pavitra aandolan" which had been brought into disrepute by the "aandolan-jivi" (who make a living out of protests). Warming up to the theme, PM Modi said ‘andolan’ was important in democracy but people must understand the difference between professional protestors and real agitators. "What is the point in destroying mobile towers in Punjab? What is its connection with the farm laws?" he demanded. CONTD. ON P13 Science Laboratory in Kalina, Mumbai, further states that the fire, caused by a short circuit, engulfed the Sick Newborn Care Unit (SNUC) and babies suffocated to death for want of oxygen. The laboratory also relied on the CCTV footage, which showed that the two nurses were absent at the SNUC, during their duty hours. Health Minister Rajesh Tope has confirmed that the laxity and irresponsible behaviour of the two nurses in performing their duties had caused the disaster. He said the administration would file a case against the two nurses. As reported by The Free Press Journal, the state government had terminated the services of nurses Smita Sanjay Ambil Duke and Shubhangi Sathawane on January 21, based on the Nagpur divisional commissioner’s report on the incident. With Tope’s announcement, the two nurses will face penal action, after a first-information report will be filed against them. CONTD. ON P13 Revenue deficit may exceed `1L cr-plus by 2020-21 end SANJAY JOG Mumbai The Maharashtra government’s fiscal deficit is expected to be around 6-7 per cent, more than 3 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), while the revenue deficit will be Rs 1 lakh crore-plus by the end of fiscal 2020-21, largely due to the substantial fall in revenue brought on by the coronavirus-induced lockdown and the economic downturn. As reported by The Free Press Journal, the state government will breach the limits under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, in view of the peculiar financial situation caused by the Covid-19 crisis. At the state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray the finance depart, ment, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, made a comprehensive presentation on the state's delicate financial health. A senior minister told The Free Press Journal, ‘‘The finance department has painted a bleak picture of the state’s finances and has strictly asked all departments not to come up with any ‘unnecessary’ and new proposals for expenditure in the next two months. It has clearly indicated that February and March will be tough to navigate as the government will have to cope with decreasing revenue. Departments have been asked to spend with discretion and that too, within the 33 per cent limit of planned expenditure. In May last year, the state government had already imposed a 67 per cent cut in planned expenditure, which is still in place.’’ The minister said, the government, in its 2020-21 budget, had estimated a fiscal deficit of Rs 54,618 crore -- 1.69 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product. However, this will shoot up to 6 to 7 per cent by the end of March 31, 2021. Further, the state government had estimated a revenue deficit of Rs 9,511 crore (.029 per cent of the GSDP), which will surge to over Rs 1 lakh crore. The revenue deficit will be more than 3 per cent. CONTD. ON P13 Bandra, CSMT restoration projects chugging away LAST WORD SHASHANK RAO / Mumbai For heritage lovers, there’s good news. The Railways ministry has provided some of the wherewithal for the restoration and conservation of Bandra railway station and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), built in the late 1800s. While on the one hand, Bandra has received around 42 per cent of the total sanctioned funding, on the other, the process of converting CSMT into a World Heritage Museum has finally be- On track to reclaim 19th century splendour gun, having received funding in the 2021-22 Budget. Western Railway received a huge chunk of Rs 5 crore for the restoration and conservation of Bandra heritage railway station. “We have begun work to restore the look that the station had when it was first opened in 1888,” said a WR official. “The funding will surely help in expediting this work”. Of the total sanctioned cost of Rs 12.07 crore for the restoration of this Grade I heritage structure, the WR authorities had spent Rs 19.32 lakh by March 2020. Then Covid-19 threw the spanner in the works. Sources said that as part of the revamp, the authorities and experts are broadly making 20 changes to restore the magnificent, Gothic Victorian style of the edifice. Over the last couple of years, considerable changes are evident, including clean walls, floors and roofs. Part of the conservation process includes restoration of the cast-iron finials, the fitting of Mangalore tiles, restoration of the eaves, the glass framework and the stone surface. The doors will also be restored to their original glory The cement plaster . will be gone and the station’s sig- nage too will be redesigned. Over the past century the intri, cate teakwood work has suffered damage and haphazard changes were made to the structure. Termites have eaten into the intricate woodwork framing the doors, windows and the panels. There are leakage issues, with water seepage eroding the structural integrity Moreover, several . offices in the building had false ceilings installed, casting off the solid old doors and windows. CONTD. ON P13