380c. 250c. Sunrise: 06:38 am Sunset: 06:51 pm SENSEX FALLS 740 PTS, INVESTORS LOSE RS 7 L CRORE IN TWO DAYS Pg 9 2 SURGE OF VIRUS CRIES FOR INCREASE IN VACCINATIONS OTT RELEASES HAVE GIVEN A BOOST TO MY CAREER: AMYRA DASTUR Pg 24 ARE WE COVIDIOTS? You must transform your inner power into the will to do good! Goodwill is not enough! You must have the will to do good! Master Choa Kok Sui Vol. 64 No. 280 | FRIDAY | MARCH 26, 2021 | 15 Pages | ` 4 | EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Indore, Bhopal, E-Paper BETWEEN THE LINES STUCK SUEZ SHIP CREW INDIAN: The entire crew of Evergreen -- the container ship that is stuck in the Suez Canal since Tuesday blocking traffic in one of the world's busiest waterway -- is Indian. Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, the company that manages the Evergreen, said the ship's 25member crew are safe and accounted for. Shoei Kisen Kaisha, the company's owner, said, "All the crew came from India." SOMAN TESTS POSITIVE: Milind Soman has tested positive for coronavirus and informed his fans and followers in a post on Twitter on Thursday. The 55-year-old actor has isolated himself at home, as mentioned in his tweet. Over the past few months, Milind has posted pictures from his vacations to Goa, the US and Darjeeling with his wife Ankita Konwar on social media . HONOUR FOR ASHA BHOSLE: Singer Asha Bhosle has been selected for Maharashtra Bhushan award, the state government's highest honour. A committee chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray decided to nominate Bhosle for the award for the year 2020. Her sister Lata Mangeshkar had won the award in 1997. Born on September 8, 1933 in Sangli district, Bhosle was initiated into music by her father, the renowned Marathi stage actor-singer Dinanath Mangeshkar. BHARAT BANDH: Farm unions protesting against the central government's three new farm laws have called for a 'Bharat Bandh' (nationwide shutdown) on Friday, during which rail and road transport are likely to be hit in some parts of the country. Farmers' leaders have urged common people to join them in the 'Bharat Bandh' to mark four months of their protest at various borders on the outskirts of the national capital. Pg 17 DAY 2 — 5,504 CASES, BUT DON’T PANIC! There is absolutely no cause for panic or worry in the city and the BMC is in full control of the situation, says the civic chief SWAPNIL MISHRA / Mumbai There were 35,952 new infections in Maharashtra on Thursday the highest sin, gle-day surge since the pandemic outbreak, pushing its caseload to 26,00,833 till now, with 111 fatalities. For the second time this month, deaths have crossed the 100-mark, pushing the pandemic toll to 53,795. In Mumbai, there were 5,504 cases, with infections crossing the 5,000threshold for the second straight day , taking the total tally to 3,80,115. The previous high was 5,185, being reported just a day before. There were fourteen fatalities in the city on Thursday and , the Covid-19 death toll stands at 11,620. According to the government's expert panel, the spike cannot be attributed to any one reason. Pandemic fatigue, which has translated into flouting social distanc- ing norms, not wearing masks in public places and crowded of public transport, have all contributed to the spike. CONTD. ON P13 “People’s consistent and complete disregard of norms is forcing us to consider imposing a lockdown, or at least a night curfew,” Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar to News18 You will have to keep tab on 2nd dose, now SWAPNIL MISHRA / Mumbai Beneficiaries who have taken the first dose of the COVID vaccine will have to keep a tab on their second dose, as per the civic health department. This became necessary after the Centre on Monday announced that the Co-Win portal will not automatically schedule appointments for the 2nd dose. The beneficiary , however, will have to be informed of the window available to him between the two doses, so that he can make the 2nd visit within the stipulated time frame. The Centre recently wrote to States and UTs asking them to CONTD. ON P13 I CURRENT WAVE TO PEAK IN APRIL ndia is witnessing an increase in the daily Covid caseload since February, "which clearly indicates a second wave", reports NDTV, citing a study conducted by the State Bank of India. The second wave may last up to 100 days, when counted from February 15, it adds. Based on trends till March 23, the total number of coronavirus cases in India in the second wave is expected to be around 25 lakh, the forecast said. The 28-page report further said localised lockdowns or restrictions have been "ineffective" and that mass vaccination is the "only hope" to win the battle against the pandemic. ''Considering the number of days from the current level of daily new cases, India might reach the peak in the second half of April," it concludes. Focusing on the economic indicators, the SBI report said the business activity index, based on high frequency indicators, has declined in the last week, adding that the impact of the lockdown or restrictions imposed by certain states might become visible next month. Transfer secrets: For Fadnavis' eyes only Shukla may have leaked letter to Fadnavis, says CS Sitaram Kunte; hints at action against her for the violation of Official Secrets Act, Indian Telegram Act; insists police transfers were as per recommendations of the board. After Shukla’s apology, Govt decided not to take action on humanitarian grounds SANJAY JOG / Mumbai In a major development, which may bring much needed relief to the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte in his report on Thursday claimed that the former Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence) Rashmi Shukla may have leaked her confidential letter on the alleged corruption in transfers in the police department to Leader of the Opposition De- vendra Fadnavis (BJP). Kunte took into account Shukla’s letter dated August 25, 2020, to the then Maharashtra DGP Subodh Jaiswal which was released in the The name of the company is Shreyas Home Management Private Ltd, a real estate and renting business. The government may order an inquiry to find potential conflict of interest and also whether the company had benefited because of the positions held by the serving IPS officers. A senior home department officer told The Free Press Journal, “The company’s board of directors include Manisha Sadanand Date, Savita Param Bir Singh, Suruchi Bharti, Alka Saxena and Megha Vivek Phansalkar. They are wives of high-ranking IPS officers. The issue was discussed at the state cabinet held on Wednesday in which minis, ters made a strong case for a probe into the company’s functioning and especially into the potential conflict of interest. The wives of these officers have every right to public domain by Fadnavis two days ago. Kunte, who was then the additional chief secretary (home), in his report submitted to the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray made it amply clear that there was no wrongdoing in the police transfers and all transfers of police officers made between September 2-October 28, 2020, were based on the recommendations of the Police Establishment Board. CONTD. ON P13 IPS officers’ wives on radar, now FPJ EXCLUSIVE / Potential conflict of interest SANJAY JOG / Mumbai The ongoing controversy over former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh’s corruption charges against Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Thursday took a dramatic twist after the existence of a real estate firm run by the wives of all senior IPS officers, with an office at Juhu, came to the notice of the state government. do their business and there is no reason to take any objection. But whether serving police officers, including Param Bir Singh, who was shunted out as the Mumbai Police Commissioner and posted as DG Home Guards, have provided details to the state government needs to be looked into.” Further, the officer said the company was engaged in the realty and renting business, which CONTD. ON P13 Army rules: By males, for males PERMANENT COMMISSION FOR WOMEN OFFICERS IN A MONTH: SC T FROM OUR BUREAU / New Delhli he Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Indian Army to grant permanent commission to women officers within a month and consider others eligible within two months after following the due process, regretting that they were denied so on ground of fitness standards. A Bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah held that all women officers fulfilling the grade of 60% shall be entitled to grant of permanent commission subject to the medical criteria. It rejected the existing benchmarking formu- la and tweaked the medical criteria also. It was giving the ruling on petitions filed by 80 women officers who were denied permanent commission. The ruling will benefit some 150 women officers. Noting that the rules for women joning the Army were "created by males for males," it ruled as arbitrary and irrational the medifal fitness requirements. "We must recognise here that structure of our society has been created by males for males. The pattern of evaluation causes economic and psychological harm to the short service commission women officers," it said. The court noted that several women officers before the court had won several awards and also done well in overseas assignments. "We find that those who excelled in sports events were ignored, a detailed list of achievements by women has been given in the judgment. CONTD. ON P13 Per litre DIESEL ` 88.20 Per litre www.freepressjournal.in twitter.com/fpjindia CAN ‘FALL GUY’ VAZE EXPLAIN 62 BULLETS? RS 13L TAB Reg. No. Mcs/048/2018-20; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai-400001 BHAVNA UCHIL / Mumbai went to the NIA office on my own and came to be arrestTelling the court he had ed,” he said. Vaze further something to say suspended , told the court that it was beAssistant Police Inspector ing said that he had admitted Sachin Vaze de(to the crime), but clared, “I am a that he wanted to scapegoat in this. I tell the court that have nothing to do he had not made in the crime.” He any such admiswas produced besion. He said he fore the court after was co-operating his 12-day custody with the probe. with the NIA ended Vaze further said on Thursday that he wanted to He added that he put the background was an investigat- Zaveri Bazaar on record. At this ing officer in the point, the court jeweller (Antilia bomb asked him to conarranged sult his advocate. scare) case for oneand-a-half days and for Vaze’s He then said he whatever he did had 5-star stay would give his subbeen in that capacimissions in writing ty and that not only as per legal advice. him, crime branch officers The NIA on Thursday had also investigated simisought 15 days’ custody of larly . “Suddenly some Vaze, telling the court that changes happened someit had, during investigation, CONTD. ON P13 where. On 13th (March) I PIC: BL SONI DEEPAK KOCHHAR GETS BAIL: Businessman Deepak Kochhar, husband of ex-ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar, on Thursday got bail in an alleged multicrore money laundering case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate. He was arrested last year in September by the central probe agency in the case involving ICICI Bank and the Videocon Group. ND EDIT PETROL ` 97.19 FOOTED BY TRAVEL COMPANY SOMENDRA SHARMA The NIA’s investigation into the stay of suspended Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze in a plush south Mumbai hotel has allegedly revealed that Rs 13 lakh was paid by a tours and travels company for Vaze’s stay there. NIA sources claimed that a Zaveri Bazaar-based jeweller arranged for Vaze’s stay in the hotel through the travel company The NIA has . recorded the statement of the said jeweller. On Thursday fresh CCTV , footage from the vicinity of CSMT emerged, in which CONTD. ON P13 Param Bir harps on CBI probe BHAVNA UCHIL / Mumbai A day after the apex court asked the former Mumbai Commissioner Param Bir Singh to approach Bombay High Court, finding his allegations against the State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh ‘serious’, Singh filed a PIL in the Bombay HC seeking a CBI probe into “various corrupt malpractices” of the state home min- ister “before evidences are destroyed”. His PIL said he was invoking the jurisdiction of the court to seek an unbiased and uninfluenced probe on the malpractices of Deshmukh. The confidence of the public is shaken at large by the acts and omissions of the Deshmukh, Singh said in his PIL and added that the issues involved have huge ramifications on the state administration and independence of police officials and give a serious jolt to the confidence of the public in the home minister’s office. CONTD. ON P13