Vol. 35 No. 22 | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 25, 2024 | 29 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only Reg. No. MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 46955/1988 M.p.c.s. office Mumbai-400001 EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Nashik, Konkan, Indore, Bhopal, E-paper BULLETIN DOC ATTACKED WITH ‘KOYTA’ I n a shocking incident, Dr Suyash Rathi of Suyash Hospital in Nashik was brutally attacked with a “koyta” (machete), officials said on Saturday. The assailant, allegedly the husband of the hospital’s public relations officer, reportedly struck Rathi 18 times with the koyta on Friday, resulting in severe injuries. The motive behind the attack is said to be a financial dispute between the doctor and the alleged assailant. Authorities from the Panchavati police station swiftly responded and initiated an investigation into the matter. Rathi's condition remains critical as doctors continue to provide him with treatment. BIGGEST GRAIN STORAGE PLAN New criminal laws from July 1 FROM OUR BUREAU / NEW DELHI Three new criminal laws enacted by Parliament last year — Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Sanhita — are set to come into force from July 1, soon after the election of the new Lok Sabha. The Centre on Saturday issued three gazette notifications to announce that the three new criminal laws will come into force from July 1. The new laws were passed by Parliament during the Winter Session. President Droupadi Murmu had given her assent to the laws on December 25. In December 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the passage of three criminal justice bills that will replace as many colonial-era acts as a watershed moment in India’s history These laws . will come into effect even if the opposition parties are able to form a government. “In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (3) of 23 die as tractor falls into UP pond P NAVALNY’S BODY HANDED OVER T he body of leading Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny has been returned to his mother, said Kira Yarmysh, the spokesperson of President Vladimir Putin’s critic. This comes after Navalny’s mother had reportedly been told that he would be buried at the prison colony where he died if she did not agree to a “secret” burial. “We don't know whether the authorities will interfere with it being carried out in the way the family wants," Yarmysh said. Jarange critic escapes attack VISHAL SINGH / MUMBAI A recent incident involving an attempted attack on Ajay Maharaj Baraskar has surfaced, following his serious allegations against Maratha agitator Manoj Jarange Patil. Baraskar, known for his efforts in advocating for Maratha community reservation, had confronted Jarange a few days ago. On Friday the Marine Drive po, lice apprehended four individuals with intentions to harm Baraskar. Ajay Maharaj Baraskar has been actively involved in advocating Maratha reservation, serving as a coordinator in the Maratha Kranti Muk Morcha in 2016. Currently residing at Astoria Hotel in Churchgate, Baraskar found himself targeted by unidentified individuals on Friday evening. CONTD. ON NATION BISWAJEET BANERJEE / LUCKNOW Tragedy struck Uttar Pradesh when an overloaded tractor trolley carrying 40 pilgrims overturned and fell into a pond killing 23 persons, police said. The figure was given by Rakesh Kumar Patel, a district official. According to the PTI, however, the Inspector General of Police Aligarh Range Shalabh Mathur told the agency that 24 people died when the tractor-trolley overturned and fell into the seven to eight-footdeep pond while the driver was trying to overtake another vehicle. Over a dozen others were injured in the accident that took place Kasganj, 260 km southwest of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh. Chief Medical Officer, Dr Rajeev Agarwal said that the deceased comprised seven children and eight women. They were pronounced dead at the village Community Health Centre of Patiali. He said the toll may go up as some injured people are in serious condition. The tractor-trolley was taking pilgrims for a holy bath in the river Ganga in Kadarganj Ghat in Kasganj. Being Maghi Purnima, full moon day it is considered auspi, cious by Hindus, and on this ‘Quad is hedge against China’ CHARUL SHAH JOSHI / MUMBAI PTI / NEW DELHI The Quad is a statement that others cannot have a "veto" on choices of like-minded nations and the coalition is here to stay grow and contribute to , global prosperity External Af, fairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday amid , mounting global concerns over China's rising assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific. In an address at a thinktank forum, Jaishankar described the coalition of India, the US, Japan and Australia as an "overhead light" that is a "creative, flexible, nimble, responsive and open-minded" enterprise. The Quad has been focused on bolstering cooperation to ensure a free and an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific in the face of Chinese belligerence. day people take a dip in rivers considered holy like Ganga and Yamuna. Mathur said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has condoled the loss of lives and announced financial assistance of Rs2 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased and Rs50,000 to the injured, reports PTI. As locals searched for trapped children, a woman was seen wailing and searching for her child. An excavator was also pressed into action for the rescue work. Praveen Kumar, a local involved in the initial rescue operation, said he fished out 15 bodies from the pond. CONTD. ON NATION Stuck in plane for five hours FPJ NEWS SERVICE / MUMBAI PTI rime Minister Narendra Modi launched the world’s largest grain storage plan in the cooperative sector for farmers on Saturday, while inaugurating 11 godowns set up by 11 primary agricultural credit societies (PACS) across 11 states. Modi said that 700 lakh tonne storage capacity will be created in five years, with an investment of Rs1.25 lakh crore. The Prime Minister also laid the foundation for creating godowns and other agri infrastructure in 500 more PACS. The minister said the Quad reflects the growth of a multipolar global order and its central approach is collaborative, and not unilateral. "All four governments have behaved differently from how they normally do. The Quad is an overhead light -- creative, flexible, nimble, responsive and open-minded enterprise. These are not adjectives we normally associate with the bureaucracy he said explaining the ," principles that the grouping CONTD. ON NATION stands for. About 250 passengers on an Air Mauritius flight had a harrowing experience early Saturday morning. According to a passenger Banudutt B. Boolauky (78), who is a retired officer of the Mauritian government, the scheduled departure TIME from Sahar air terminal was 2.45 am. It was postponed to 4.25 am and again to 5 am. Finally, the airplane was readied to take-off and started taxing to the runway. “It started gathering speed, but could not simply take off because of an engine failure,” Boolauky told the FPJ. It returned to base, but no information was given to the anxious passengers. What is worse is that the passengers were not allowed to disembark till 10 CONTD. ON NATION am. LAST WORD Infatuated woman kidnaps TV anchor FPJ BUREAU / HYDERABAD A 31-year-old business woman Trisha, the promoter of several digital marketing startups, kidnapped a regional music TV anchor and presenter, Pranav Sistla, held him hostage in a room and tried forcibly to marry him. Pranav , after 24 hours of ordeal, managed to escape from her clutches and lodged a complaint with the police. The police have arrested Trisha and her associates in Hyderabad. Trisha had developed an interest in Pranav after seeing his photos on a reputed matrimony site. Ironically cyber , miscreants had created a fake ID in Pranav’s name and post- ed it on the site. When she realised this, Trisha managed to get the contact details of Pranav . Trisha contacted the anchor through an instant messaging app but was informed by him that he had lodged a complaint at the cyber crime police station about some unknown person using his photo and creating a fake account on the matrimony site. However, the woman continued to send messages to the anchor, who blocked her num- section 1 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (46 of 2023), the Central Government hereby appoints the 1st day of July 2024 as the date , on which the provisions of the said Sanhita, except the provisions of the entry relating to section 106(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, in the First Schedule, shall come into force,” one of the notifications issued on Saturday read. Earlier, the Bar Council of India (BCI) issued a statement and stated that these criminal laws aim to replace the existing body of criminal laws in India, reports ANI. BCI appreciated removing Colonial and outdated criminal laws, such as the sedition section, which fosters a more inclusive and democratic legal environment by respecting freedom of expression. CONTD. ON NATION Otters Club assault case reaches HC PTI THE FP ber, according to the police. Trisha then hatched a plan to kidnap the anchor. First she got a GPS device installed secretly in Pranav’s car to track his movements, according to IANS. Trisha, who was firm on her intent to marry Pranav, then had him kidnapped, police said. According to the police, after abducting Pranav on February 11, the kidnappers took him to Trisha's office and thrashed him, confining him to the room. CONTD. ON NATION A seven-year-old boy was threatened and pressurised against reporting the sexual assault on him by a staff member of the elite Otters Club in Bandra, alleged the child’s father. The club did not immediately report the incident that took place in September last year to the police, the man said in his plea to the Bombay High Court. Instead, its disciplinary committee held an internal inquiry and gave the staff member a clean chit, he said. Realising that the club had failed to act, the man ap- proached the police on December 18 naming the molester, as well as the senior office bearer of the club and members of the disciplinary committee as accused. On September 29 last year, the complainant along with his friends and seven-year-old son had gone to the club that has several film stars as its members, according to the case registered with the Bandra police station. As the boy wanted to have French fries, the man, who has been a member of the club for 20 years, asked the child to go to the kitchen and ask for it. CONTD. ON NATION Formal now, Cong, AAP ally in 4 states AAP MP Sandeep Pathak with Delhi Minister Atishi and Congress leader Mukul Wasnik during a press meet on Saturday. –ANI GAURAV VIVEK BHATNAGAR / NEW DELHI The Congress and Aam Aadmi Party who are both part of the , INDIA bloc of opposition parties, on Saturday formally announced their seat-sharing formula for the upcoming Lok Sabha election. The parties have agreed to share the seats and support each other’s candidates in the union territory of Chandigarh and the four states of Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat and Goa. As reported earlier on February 22, in Delhi, where AAP had dislodged the Congress from power in 2013 and has formed three governments since, four of the seats would be contested by AAP while the grand old party will step back and contest three. While AAP would contest New Delhi, East Delhi, South Delhi and West Delhi, the Congress would field its candidates from North East Delhi, Chandni Chowk and North West Delhi (SC reserved). Apart from this Congress would contest the lone seat of Chandigarh and both the seats of Goa. It has left Kurukshetra in Haryana for AAP In . Gujarat, the Congress would contest 24 seats while Bharuch and Bhavnagar will be contested by AAP . The two parties had earlier decided not to have an alliance in Punjab as they did not want to antagonise their respective state units which were against any such pact. Incidentally , Punjab is the second state after Delhi to have been wrested by the AAP from the Congress. CONTD. ON NATION