Vol. 67 No. 184 | FRIDAY | MAY 3, 2024 | 30 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only Quality at Value www.freepressjournal.in MEMBER: AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATION JANUARY TO DECEMBER 2023 ADITI RAO HYDARI’S HEERAMANDI EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Nashik, Konkan, Indore, Bhopal, E-paper Actress shares her experience of working with filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali EDIT SCAREMONGERS AT WORK IN DELHI STOCK MARKETS REBOUND ON RECORD GST COLLECTIONS Mkts mirrored global trends after US FED decided to maintain its interest rate Pak can’t wait to see Harbour line goes for a toss again Rahul as PM: Modi Cascading effect of derailment on Monday and Wednesday KAMAL MISHRA / MUMBAI A day after an empty local train derailed near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) here, services on the Harbour line were badly affected during the morning peak hours on Thursday due to bunching of trains. The derailments (on Monday and Wednesday) were because of a defective ‘tongue’ rail. ‘‘During investigation, officials from CR identified the tongue rail at the point of derailment as defective, ’’ said Dr Swapnil Nila, chief public relations officer, Central Railways. The tongue rail, a crucial component responsible for guiding trains to the right track, was found to MELVYN THOMAS / ANAND, SURENDRANAGAR, JAMNAGAR, JUNAGADH Prime Minister Narendra Modi intensified his assault on the Congress party and its leader Rahul Gandhi on the second day of his election campaign in Gujarat. He told a massive rally in Anand, the heartland of India's milk industry "Pakistan is crying, , because Congress is dying in India." Describing the Congress as a disciple (mureed) of Pakistan, Modi declared, "Pakistan is in a hurry to see Shehzada (Rahul Gandhi) as the Prime Minister of India. The partnership between Pakistan and Congress stands exposed. It shows the country's enemies want a weak government in India, not a strong one." Modi’s comments dovetailed reports that Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, a former minister in Imran Khan's cabinet in Pakistan, had shared a video featuring Rahul Gandhi on his social media handle, and praised him. CONTD. ON NATION “Pakistan is crying, because Congress is dying in India. Pakistan is in a hurry to see Shehzada (Rahul Gandhi) as the Prime Minister of India. The partnership between Pakistan and Congress is exposed,” Modi declared. be faulty leading to concerns about the , safety of train operations in the area. On Wednesday two wheels of an , empty rake had derailed near Platform No.2 at CSMT, at the same point where a local train derailed on Monday The . Wednesday derailment resulted in delays and cancellations on Thursday too, caus, ing inconvenience to thousands of Harbour line commuters. Central Railway (CR) attributed the disruption to the imposition of a speed restriction of 10kmph at the crossover point near CSMT, where the two derailments had occurred. A CR official explained that the speed restriction had been necessitated by safety concerns arising from the recent derailment. Trains on the Harbour line were running up to 30 minutes behind their usual schedule due to bunching of services. CONTD. ON NATION Concern over allegations of ‘misleading data’ A motorman from Central Railway’s Mumbai Division has raised serious concerns regarding the accuracy of maintenance records within the railway’s centralised system. In a letter addressed to the general manager on April 22, the motorman alleged that crucial defects were being misrepresented as attended to in the database, while in reality they , had remained unaddressed. The letter highlighted a specific incident on the Harbour line tracks, where the motorman had reported a disturbance between Belapur and Seawoods stations while operating a Panvel local train on April 13. Despite updating the system accordingly, main- tenance staff quickly responded, claiming to find no anomalies upon inspection, allowing trains to resume normal speed. However, subsequent actions, including the installation of a new four-metre track section with a cautionary order to slow down trains, contradicted the initial assessment. CONTD. ON NATION LOOKOUT NOTICES FOR REVANNA Rahul eyeing Raebareli? Father and son seek anticipatory bail S RAJASHEKARA / BENGALURU Janata Dal (Secular) leader and Karnataka legislative assembly member HD Revanna has moved the Special Court for anticipatory bail in the sexual abuse case involving his son and Hassan Lok Sabha member Prajwal Revanna, even as a look out notice was issued for the latter by the Special Investigation Team, which is probing the alleged sexual abuse and video recordings of the lewd acts. The lookout notice has been communicated to all airports and other entry and exit points; the authorities have been asked to take Revanna into custody as soon as he lands in the country . An Interpol alert has also been sounded, according to Kar- nataka Home Minister G Parameshwara. The SIT issued the lookout notice after Revanna failed to appear before it in response to a notice served in connection with a sexual abuse complaint lodged by his former cook. The victim has also named the MP's father, former minister and MLA HD Revanna, in the complaint. CONTD. ON NATION ONLINE REPORT / NEW DELHI The suspense over the elusive Congress candidates in Amethi and Raebareli persists. The media buzz, however, is that Rahul Gandhi is unlikely to contest from his former stronghold Amethi and may fight from Raebareli seat instead. According to a news portal, if Rahul does indeed contest from Raebareli, it would mean that Priyanka would have to wait for her poll debut. On Thursday posters of , Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were put up in Amethi and Raebareli, respectively , ahead of the formal announcement. The Congress is likely to announce the candidates for the two seats on Friday morning. Sources were cited by a TV channel as saying that Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge had suggested that both the siblings contest, but left the final decision to them in view of their "understanding of the ground reality". They were expected to convey their decision to him by Thursday Friday is the last . date for filing of nomination. Kharge felt that the duo not contesting from the two seats would send a wrong message, not just to party workers but to the Opposition, the ruling coalition and the voters as well. The ramifications will be felt in UP and the rest of the country . CONTD. ON NATION Dear citizens, Juhu beach is all yours, 24/7 DHAIRYA GAJARA / MUMBAI All these years, like the fairy godmother’s injunction to Cinderella, it was routine for every Mumbaikar at Juhu beach to be asked by police to leave, shortly around midnight. However, the reply to a recent Right-To-Information query by the Santacruz police makes it clear there is no order or notification which says people must be evicted from the beach after midnight. Naturally the response , has sparked conversation among the city’s residents about restrictions on visiting other beaches and seaside spots at night. Spending time at one of the numerous beaches in and around the city has always been a favourite activity of Mumbaikars, especially in summer. At Juhu beach, the most crowded of them all, people love to hang on till late, soaking in the cool breeze from the sea. However, every midnight, police comb the beach, asking the public to leave. This motivated activist Zoru Bhathena to file an RTI query He had sought infor. mation from the Santacruz police in April under the RTI Act, to provide a copy of an order or notification on timings enabling police to restrict citizens’ entry to Juhu beach. Responding to the RTI on April 29, Santacruz Police replied, “No such official record is available with Santacruz police station.” CONTD. ON NATION