Friday, April 11, 2025 | 29 Pages | `5 & for State (+4 pages) `6 Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL Vol. 68 No. 161 | Leader in E-paper circulation l www.freepressjournal.in ● EDITIONS: ● MUMBAI ● INDORE ● PUNE ● BHOPAL ● NASHIK ● KONKAN ● E-paper ● Member: Audit Bureau of Circulation (July to December 2024) GAMES NATION BJP accuses Chief Minister Mann of ‘misusing’ Punjab intel network Briefs Dhoni back as captain Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has been ruled out of IPL 2025 with a hairline fracture in his elbow. Head coach Stephen Fleming confirmed MS Dhoni will resume captaincy ahead of CSK’s clash with Kolkata Knight Riders on April 11. Fitness concerns emerged before CSK’s game against Punjab Kings—despite which Gaikwad played, in a match CSK lost by 18 runs. See P21 AI pilot dies after landing An Air India Express pilot in his late 30s died in Delhi on Wednesday after suffering a medical emergency shortly after landing a flight from Srinagar. Sources said the pilot began feeling unwell after arrival at Delhi airport and was rushed to hospital, where he later passed away. “We deeply regret the loss of a valued colleague and are extending all possible support to the family,” the airline said in a statement on Thursday. Further details remain unavailable. Tariff truce, for now The US has suspended a steep 26% additional import duty on Indian goods for 90 days, from April 10 to July 9, under Executive Order 14257. The pause excludes China and maintains a 10% baseline tariff, along with ongoing levies on steel, aluminium, and autos. Exemptions remain for sectors like semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and energy. The relief follows President Trump’s April 2 tariff hike targeting 60 countries to cut the trade deficit and boost domestic industry. While India gets a temporary reprieve, global trade uncertainty looms as protectionism rises and key negotiations remain unresolved. Rana in custody, justice in transit for 26/11 victims Ashish Singh & Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar MUMBAI / NEW DELHI More than 16 years after the blood-soaked siege that paralysed Mumbai and claimed 166 lives, one of its alleged masterminds, Tahawwur Hussain Rana, finally arrived in Delhi on Thursday. While his extradition is being hailed as a diplomatic victory, for the families shattered by the 26/11 attacks, justice still feels painfully out of reach. The 64-year-old Pakistaniorigin Canadian national was flown in under tight security from Los Angeles, arriving at Delhi’s Palam airbase at 6:22 pm. Dressed in brown prison overalls, his grey beard scruffy and his demeanour subdued, Rana was officially arrested by 6:40 pm. He was brought back unchanged and unprocessed—a swift, no-frills handover under a surrender warrant, reflecting the high-stakes nature of this rare extradition. Accompanying him was a team of six NIA officials, along with senior NSG personnel, onboard a special aircraft that landed directly at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. A medical examination was swiftly conducted inside the airbase itself. To maintain operational secrecy, the entire process was kept confidential. FPJ News Service MUMBAI China's retaliatory 84% tariffs on US imports came into force Thursday, fuelling fresh tensions in the ongoing trade war between the world’s two largest economies. The sharp move followed President Donald Trump’s announcement of a 125% tariff on Chinese goods, while granting a 90-day pause on harsher duties for dozens of other nations. On Thursday, the White House said that tariffs on China total 145%. Beijing swiftly denounced Washington’s escalating aggression. “The US cause doesn’t win the support of the people and Allahabad HC blames victim for rape T will end in failure,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian. Though defiant, China’s commerce ministry struck a more conciliatory tone, stating, “The door to dialogue is open,” and urging the US to resolve disputes through mutual respect and cooperation. Markets, jittery for weeks, breathed a sigh of relief after Trump’s partial tariff pause. Major Asian indices surged: Taiwan’s benchmark soared 9.2%, Japan’s Nikkei climbed 7.2%, and South Korea’s Kospi jumped over 5%. Wall Street followed suit, with the Nasdaq posting its best day in 24 years, up 12.2%. he pale light of dawn had barely cracked through the Delhi smog when Aditi staggered into the Noida police station, mascara smudged and words trembling, not from the cold but from the horror she had lived through hours ago. She was a postgraduate student, bright, ambitious, and free-spirited. She loved poetry and techno nights in Hauz Khas. That night in September 2024, she had stepped into a bar with three girlfriends. Laughter floated over clinking glasses, and she met Nischal— a casual acquaintance through a mutual friend. He seemed warm. Charming, even. The kind who laughs at all the right moments. But as the night deepened and the music drowned coherent thought, his behaviour grew possessive, his touches more frequent. Still, she brushed it off. It was just alcohol. Nothing she couldn’t handle. 4Contd on | Nation 4Contd on | Nation SC to hear Waqf Board Act pleas on April 16 FPJ News Service MUMBAI A three-judge Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna will hear on April 16 a slew of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the newly enacted Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. The petitions, 10 of which are listed so far, include those by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, and the DMK. Passed by Parliament amid fierce opposition, the Waqf Amendment Act has been slammed by religious and political leaders for infringing on the rights of Muslims to manage their religious endowments. Critics argue the law is a direct violation of Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, which guarantee religious freedom and autonomy. The Centre filed a caveat earlier this week, requesting it be heard before any interim relief is granted. Meanwhile, AIMPLB, represented by advocate MR Shamshad, denounced the law as “arbitrary, discriminatory and based on exclusion,” accusing the government of seeking control over Muslim religious institutions. 4Contd on | Nation Dying defrauded of insurance Biswajeet Banerjee LUCKNOW Manisha Rastogi scheme and promised help,” she says, her voice cracking. “They took his documents, got a bank account opened, and after he died, withdrew Rs 17 lakh. We didn’t even know he was insured.” This was no isolated con. Across Uttar Pradesh and beyond, a chilling scam has surfaced—targeting poor, terminally ill individuals with days left to live. The scheme came to light in January, when police in Sambhal district stopped a Scorpio SUV linked to a stolen vehicle case. Inside, they found 19 debit cards, Rs 11.5 lakh in cash, and hundreds of insurance documents. The arrest of Omkareshwar Mishra and Amit led to a staggering confession. 4Contd on | Nation Prajakta Pol Amid heightened political debates over historical legacies, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah is set to visit the historic Raigad Fort on April 12 to pay homage to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on his death anniversary. The tim- ing of the visit is significant, coming as discussions over Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s legacy dominate Maharashtra’s political discourse. FPJ News Service MUMBAI Shah’s tribute at Raigad is being viewed as a powerful symbolic gesture by the Centre—reinforcing its support for Shivaji Maharaj, celebrated across Maharashtra for his resistance to Mughal rule and for laying the foundation of an independent Maratha kingdom. 4Contd on | Nation 4Contd on | Nation criminal conspiracy with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami (HUJI), Pakistan-based terror outfits, to execute the dastardly attacks at multiple locations in Mumbai. According to the NIA, the roles of senior operatives of LeT and HUJI—Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, 4Contd on | Nation Tatkare U-turn on Shinde lunch invite MUMBAI MARKETS MAY SEE CHEERFUL RALLY TODAY Indian benchmark equity indices are poised to open with sharp gains on Friday, buoyed by a global market rally triggered by US President Donald Trump's unexpected decision to pause tariff hikes for 90 days. The surprise move, while excluding China, has injected fresh optimism into jittery global markets, signalling a possible easing of trade tensions—at least temporarily. The announcement marked a rare reversal in Trump’s aggressive tariff stance, which had sparked fears of a fullblown trade war in recent weeks. The Indian markets were closed on Thursday for Mahavir Jayanti, but Friday’s opening is expected to reflect the global euphoria, with analysts projecting a gap-up of 3 to 5 per cent. "Trump's 90-day pause is a welcome breather," said Rakeshh Mehta, Chairman of Mehta Equities. "It has already sparked a rally across Asia. We expect Indian indices to mirror this trend, with the Sensex and Nifty likely to open significantly higher." Mehta added that a prolonged standoff with China could work in India’s favour, as global firms look for alternative trade destinations. S Balakrishnan The extradition of Tahawwur Rana, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin, in connection with the 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai, is only a partial victory for the Indian government. This is because a close associate of Rana, David Coleman Headley aka Dawood Gilani—who comasterminded the massacre—is still well beyond the reach of the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Without custody of this American national, there is no way to connect all the dots of the conspiracy. The NIA said Rana and Headley entered into a 4Contd on | Nation China hits back hard at States Till India gets this man — Headley MUMBAI offgrid Manisha Rastogi sits in a dimly lit room in Ashok Nagar, Kanpur, eyes fixed on a fading photograph of her husband, Anand. Cancer took his life, but what haunts her most is the theft that followed. “Just days before he passed, some people came claiming they were from an insurance company. They said it was a government Edit Lessons on communal violence that Mumbai has not learnt UNFINISHED | NIA produces Tahawwur in Delhi court, seeks 20-day custody, order reserved; America calls extradition critical step towards justice; hang him at earliest, says survivor B’desh trucks sent back India on Wednesday denied entry to four trucks from Dhaka carrying garments to Bhutan via Petrapole Port, after ending Bangladesh’s transshipment facility for exports to third countries through Indian ports and airports. The trucks returned to Dhaka from Benapole, the Daily Star reported. Kamal Uddin Shimul, a Bangladeshi agent, warned of major losses to the country’s export trade. Aminul Haque, vice-president of the Benapole Import-Export Association, said, “This decision could strain trade and diplomatic ties between the two countries.” Cinema Sunny Deol’s dhai kilo ka haath does wonders Cricket to feature six teams at Los Angeles Olympics, USA likely to get direct entry as host