Vol. 65 No. 348 | FRIDAY | JUNE 17, 2022 | 16 Pages | AGNIPATH: TRIAL BY FIRE JET FUEL PRICE HIKED BY 16%; AIRFARES LIKELY TO INCREASE EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Indore, Bhopal, Konkan, E-paper EDIT SELECTIVE USE OF THE LAW IS UNACCEPTABLE WORKING WITH REVATHY IN SALAAM VENKY IS A DREAM COME TRUE: AAHANA KUMRA Protests erupt across north India, buses and trains burnt, and highways blocked; opposition comes down heavily on the defence recruitment scheme; political leaders call it ‘fatal’ for country’s future FPJ BUREAU NEW DELHI BETWEEN THE LINES SC’s JUSTICE SHAH AIRLIFTED S upreme Court judge, Justice Mukeshkumar Rasikbhai Shah, suffered a heart attack on Thursday. Though in a short message he said he is all right and was being airlifted to New Delhi from Himachal Pradesh where he had gone for prayers to a temple, sources said his condition is critical. Before his elevation as a Supreme Court judge on November 2, 2018, he worked as the Chief Justice of Patna High Court for about three months from August 12, 2018. Sources said Chief Justice of India NV Ramana is in touch with Justice Shah, coordinating with the Home Ministry to get him admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. PENTAGON JOB FOR INDIAN-AMERICAN U S President Joe Biden has nominated security expert Radha Iyengar Plumb to the post of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, the latest IndianAmerican to be named for a key position. Currently serving as the Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Plumb was nominated for the top Pentagon position on Wednesday. Prior to her appointment as Chief of Staff, she was the Director of Research and Insights for Trust and Safety at Google, leading their crossfunctional teams on business analytics, data science and technical research. She has also previously served as the Global Head of Policy Analysis at Facebook, where she focused on high-risk/high-harm safety and international security issues. ‘COLLAR GRAB’ VIDEO GOES VIRAL F ormer Union Minister and senior Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury was on Thursday seen in a video purportedly grabbing the collar of a police official during a protest against the grilling of top party leader Rahul Gandhi by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a moneylaundering case pertaining to the National Herald-AJL deal. A video showing Chowdhury “arguing” with police officials who were trying to prevent her from going to Raj Bhavan and later seen holding the collar of a police official, went viral. She was immediately taken away by women police personnel. Later, Chowdhury told TV channels that she had no intention of humiliating the police official and she merely caught hold of his shoulder as she was about to fall when being pushed. “We know how to respect the uniform. Police also have to learn to respect women...,” she said. ASK DEALER FOR TWO HELMETS T he Mumbai traffic police on Thursday issued an advisory informing citizens that vehicle manufacturers are bound by law to provide them two helmets while selling two-wheelers. The announcement is part of the police’s awareness campaign around making helmets mandatory for pillion riders. The police had on June 9 made it mandatory for pillion riders to wear helmets and started prosecuting offenders under the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act. Nearly every day 2,500 offenders are being penalised. Additional Commissioner of Police (traffic) Mahesh Patil said, “Manufacturers are supposed to submit letters to RTOs certifying that they have provided the helmets to buyers of twowheelers. If this is not done, citizens have the right to register a complaint with the RTO and action can be taken against the dealers concerned, which can even translate into cancellation of licenses.” The Opposition, on Thursday, stepped up its attack on the government over the Agnipath scheme amid protests in several parts of the country and demanded that it be scrapped, even as official sources asserted that no change is being done to the Army’s regimental system under the new initiative. While Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to listen to the voice of unemployed youths and not take ‘agnipareeksha’ of their patience by making them walk on Agnipath, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav called the move “negligent” and potentially “fatal” for the country’s future. Trains were set afire, window panes of buses smashed and passers-by including a , ruling BJP MLA, pelted with stones in Bihar by Army job aspirants whose protest against the short-term recruitment scheme continued for the second consecutive day . Amid the protests, government sources said the numbers of personnel to be recruited in the first year of its roll out would only make up three per cent of the armed forces. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE MASSIVE PROTESTS ERUPT IN RAJASTHAN MANISH GODHA / JAIPUR MEERUT PATNA Hundreds of youth preparing for recruitment in the armed forces took to the streets in Jaipur, Sikar, Jodhpur, Alwar, Ajmer, among other parts of Rajasthan. The police had to use force to control the agitation in some places. In Jaipur and Jodhpur, protestors reached the Collectorate and also blocked the highway under Jaipur’s Kalwar police station. Rajasthan is a big centre of army recruitment and hundreds of youth take part in recruitment rallies, which were suspended for the last two years owing to the Covid pandemic. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE BIHAR ROCKED FPJ BUREAU / PATNA GWALIOR CHAPRA YOGI’S UP BOILS, TOO PROTESTS HIT HARYANA RASHMI SHARMA / LUCKNOW Even as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath tweeted, asking agitating students not to get carried away by the opposition, youths staged demonstrations, shouted slogans and blocked traffic in over a dozen districts. The movement of trains was also disrupted at many places. In Balia, protestors stopped Delhi-Jainagar Swatantra Sangram Senani Express and a few other trains. Buses were damaged in Agra and Aligarh, and youths blocked traffic for a few hours in Khurja, Firozabad and Bulandshahr, where the police had to resort to lathi charge to disperse the mob. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE RAJESH MOUDGIL / CHANDIGARH The protests turned violent in Palwal, Haryana, on Thursday after protesters set some of the police vehicles afire and also pelted stones at the Deputy Commissioner (DC) office and residence demanding Agnipath’s withdrawal. Chaos prevailed in several areas of the city as shops were forcibly shut and the main road was blocked, thus paralysing traffic on the Gurugram-Jaipur national highway The situation became tense . when a large number of youths began to march towards the DC office, where the employees and the DC had to rush for safety in the melee. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE Protests left Bihar in the throes of anarchy on Thursday as hordes of aspirants hit the streets, vandalising buildings and vehicles, storming railway stations and setting fire to train coaches. Simmering discontent in Bihar, where agitation over the Agnipath scheme was held in a handful of districts a day ago, seemed to have spread like a wildfire to the major part of the state, as infuriated agitators went on the rampage, seeking immediate rollback. The police fired teargas shells and charged batons to disperse the angry demonstrators who blocked railway tracks, threw burning tyres on roads and performed push-ups and other drills on the streets as a mark of protest against the recruitment process. The protests also caused massive disruption of rail traffic. According to the East Central Railway zone headquartered in Hajipur, seven passenger trains had to be cancelled because of the disturbances while many others were either short-terminated or run via alternate routes. Besides staging demonstrations on railway tracks, protesters set fire to coaches,while broken window panes of several trains bore testimony of the vandalism on display . CONTD. ON NATION PAGE 310c. 250c. Sunrise: 06:01 am Sunset : 07:18 pm Can raze, but as per law: SC UP DEMOLITIONS FPJ BUREAU NEW DELHI Stating that “everything should be fair” and authorities should strictly follow due procedure under the law, the Supreme Court on Thursday gave the Uttar Pradesh government and its authorities three days to respond to pleas which alleged that the houses of those accused in last week’s violence were illegally demolished. “There must be a sense among the citizens that the rule of law prevails in the country,” a vacation bench of Justices AS Bopanna and Vikram Nath said and urged the authorities to ensure nothing untoward happens until it hears the matter on June 21. The bench added, “How do we ensure their safety in the meantime? We have a duty towards them. We should ensure their safety in the meantime. Let us be clear, they (accused) are also part of society . Ultimately when someone has some grievances, , they should get a chance to address them. If this court does not come to their rescue, that would not be appropriate. Everything should look fair.” The bench clarified that it cannot stay the demolitions but can only say that such action should be strictly under the due process of law. Justice Bopanna . said, “We as judges are also part of the society We also see what is happening. Sometimes, we also form our impressions.” CONTD. ON NATION PAGE 3-FOLD SURGE IN ACTIVE COVID CASES IN 15 DAYS SWAPNIL MISHRA / MUMBAI There has been a three-fold rise in the number of active cases across the city and state in the last 15 days. As per data for Mumbai, active cases increased to 12,341 on June 15 from 2,970 on June 1. Health experts have attributed the surge to daily rise in Covid cases. Meanwhile, the number of people being hospitalised in the city has crossed the 500-mark. However, all are said to exhibit mild symptoms, with only a few patients admitted to the ICU or on oxygen support. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE Mom held for Surgeon falls for policy benefits, loses `9.5L killing mentally disabled daughter SOMENDRA SHARMA MUMBAI A 78-year-old orthopaedic surgeon from Vile Parle lost Rs 9.44 lakh after two people allegedly duped him under the pretext of providing him his life insurance policy benefits. To double-check the claims made by the accused, the complainant sought advice from his London-based son, who too was deceived STAFF REPORTER MUMBAI The Andheri police on Thursday arrested a 41year-old woman for allegedly murdering her mentally challenged daughter and trying to pass it off as death by suicide. The police said she was no longer able to care for her daughter. The police said that the control room got a call at around 3.30 pm on Wednesday, informing them about a suicide at Parshiwada, Sahar Road. The information was relayed to the Andheri police, and a team was rushed to the spot to conduct enquiries. The police found the victim, Vaishnavi Patyane, 19, lying lifeless on the floor, with her mother Shraddha, 41, sitting by her side. Vaishnavi was rushed to Cooper Hospital in Vile Parle, where she was declared dead before admission. An accidental death report was registered at the time, but the police became suspicious when they realised that the body was lying on the floor, instead of being in the hanging position. Dr Maheshwar Reddy, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone X, said, “During the inquest, we observed circular ligature marks around the victim’s neck, which was another indication of foul play. Further, doctors at the hospital informed us that, based on their experience, the possibility of a mentally challenged girl hanging herself was an extremely low one.” The police then made enquiries with Vaishnavi’s parents and siblings and found that Shraddha was the only one with her in the house when she died. She was then questioned at length about the sequence of events, and under persistent questioning, she began faltering. Finally, after prolonged grilling, Shraddha allegedly broke down and confessed, officers said. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE State SSC results today into believing the accused. The Juhu police said the surgeon runs a hospital in Malad and had taken a life insurance policy from a private firm. On May 27, he received a phone call from a person claiming to be an executive of the company from Delhi. The surgeon was told that his policy has matured, but some of the instalments are still due, and he will be entitled to a hefty maturity amount if he pays. Another accused, too, called the surgeon and assured a maturity amount of Rs 15.12 lakh. He was told that if he doesn’t pay, his policy amount would be deposited in a government fund. The complainant asked his son, who is currently in London, to verify the claims, and he too was deceived into believing the accused. The surgeon ended up paying Rs 9.44 lakh through bank transfers on June 9 and was assured the maturity amount would reflect in his account, which didn’t. Having realised that he had been duped, the surgeon approached the police and got a complaint lodged in the matter. The police have registered a case on charges of cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property, besides other sections. ENJOY... BUT HEED WARNINGS ADITI ALURKAR MUMBAI The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (MSBSHSE) will release the SSC or Class 10 results today (June 17). After 1 pm, students registered for the examination through the nine divisional boards from Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Mumbai, Kolhapur, Amravati, Nashik, Latur, and Konkan will be able to view their subjectwise revised marks on the following official websites. Following the result, applications for mark verification, photocopying and reevaluation of the answer book can be submitted. As high tides lash the city shore almost every day with scanty rainfall, children enjoy a quick jump. PIC: BHUSHAN KOYANDE US Fed hike: Market slide continues FPJ BUREAU MUMBAI Equity benchmarks reeled for the fifth straight day to finish at over one-year lows on Thursday, in tandem with weak global equities, after the US Federal Reserve hiked rates by 75 basis points to tame surging inflation. The US central bank delivered its biggest interest rate hike since 1994 and indicated further policy tightening this year as the focus shifts to taming price rise which has soared to over four-decade highs. The Fed also projected slowing US economic growth. Despite a smart rally in morning trade, the BSE benchmark Sensex failed to hold on to the gains and plummeted 1,045.60 points or 1.99 per cent to settle at 51,495.79 – the lowest in over 12 months. On similar lines, the NSE Nifty plunged 331.55 points or 2.11 per cent to close at 15,360.60. Investors lost Rs 5.54 lakh crore in Thursday’s session, with the market capitalisation of all BSE-listed firms standing at Rs 2,39,20,631.65 crore. As per experts, the early gains led by an in-line Fed policy was dampened as recessionary fears haunted global sentiments. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE Lost gold found in the Mahim Church commits to zero-carbon emissions clutches of city’s rats St. Michael Church’s LAST WORD STAFF REPORTER MUMBAI The primary component of life on Earth, carbon, has become the bane of life, leading to drives for its minimal footprint. Driving the need for neutrality, one of the oldest places of worship in Mumbai, St. Michael Church, popularly known as Mahim Church, is on its way to become the first to become carbon neutral, with maximum self-sustainability . Beginning 2018, the Mahim Church incorporated six environmental initiatives in its activities – solar panels, solar water heaters, energy efficient lights and fans, composting of organic waste, making carbon footprint in 2021 Category Electricity Transport Paper Piped gas Total In tonnes of CO2 equivalent 38.52 5.75 0.05 0.02 44.34 biogas from flower waste, and greening the church premises. The church’s decision to become carbon neutral is significant in view of the Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP) to achieve neutrality by 2050, 20 years ahead of India. With the support of the Maharashtra government and the BMC, the MCAP was released in March 2022. The church’s carbon footprint for 2021 was calculated at 44 metric tonnes (MT) of carbon dioxide equivalent. “The figure is a small amount by world standards, but our effort to reduce this to zero is a big step,” noted Fr. Lancy Pinto, the church’s Parish priest. The calculation was done by Dr Emmanuel D’Silva, an environmental scientist, formerly with the World Bank and independently verified by Zenith Energy Services of Hyderabad, which specialises in climate CONTD. ON NATION PAGE services. STAFF REPORTER MUMBAI A 50-year-old woman’s panicked appeal for her lost gold worth Rs 5 lakh resulted in a day-long search operation by the Dindoshi police, before it was recovered from the rats in a drain. The distressed complainant, who works as a domestic help, told the police that she was on way to the bank to mortgage the gold to pay off the loan taken for her daughter’s wedding. The bag also contained some food giv- en by her employer. On her way, she met a woman and her son collecting scrap, and gave the bag to them, forgetting it also had gold besides the food. It was only when she reached the bank that she realised her mistake, following which she rushed to the police. With the help of local residents, the police managed to trace the woman to whom the complainant had given the bag. She said she threw it away as her son found the food to be too dry. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE