TUESDAY 02 JULY 2024 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR REVANTH MEETS GUV AMIDST BUZZ OVER CABINET EXPANSION ‘BE ALERT & PROACTIVE TO DEAL WITH COMPROMISE ON MORALITY’ P4 P5 SENSEX 79,476.19 NIFTY 24,141.95 WEATHER Generally cloudy sky. Rain/thundershower very likely to occur. Maximum and Minimum Temperature most likely to be around 31°C and 27°C respectively. RAINFALL: 0.2 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY ‘SENIORS WILL CONTINUE AS INDIA TARGET 2025 CT’ P10 ` vs $ 83.44 GOLD 74,560.00 P12 SILVER 90,200 BJP created fear among people, says Rahul Gandhi BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 85.55 Oppn protest at Parl against ‘misuse’ of Central agencies PM Modi objected to Rahul's speech twice, says 'calling Hindus violent a serious issue' Max. 95% Min. 88% Max: 30.3°C (-2.3) SUN RISES 04:56 hrs MOON RISES 00:40 hrs Min: 27.9°C (+1.2) SUN SETS 18:25 hrs MOON SETS 14:02 hrs TEMPERATURE ‘PUBLIC SAFETY TOP PRIORITY DURING FLOODS’ New Moon on 06 July THUMBNAILS Villagers shift their belongings on a boat as they move to a safer place at flood affected Mayong village, in Assam.  ANI Commercial LPG cylinder prices slashed by `30 from 1 July: The state-backed oil marketing companies slashed prices of 19 kg commercial LPG cylinders by Rs 30 per cylinder with effect from July 1. After this prie slash, a 19 kg cylinder will now be available for `1,646 in Delhi against ?1,676 earlier. In Mumbai, a 19 kg cylinder costs `1,598 whereas it costs `1,756 in Kolkata. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 1 JULY eader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday spoke on President Droupadi Murmu’s address to Parliament and said the BJP-led government in the last 10 years, had committed a systematic attack on the Constitution and the idea of India, creating fear among farmers and the common people. In his first speech as the Leader of the Opposition in the House, Mr Gandhi said the BJP’s government was characterized by concentration of power and whoever resisted BJP’s ideas and the attack on the Constitution, was put in jail. There was aggression on dalits, poor and minorities and he himself had to undergo 55 hours of interrogation by the Enforcement Directorate. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and some other Ministers objected to Mr Gandhi’s observations that the BJP did not represent the true spirit of Hinduism as it “talked” of violence and tried to create fear among people. Mr Modi said this is a serious matter, Mr Gandhi is calling the whole Hindu society violent. Mr Gandhi said “BJP does not rep- L resent the whole Hindu society; RSS too cannot claim to represent all Hindus.” The Congress leader said his party’s symbol Hand represented the “abhaya mudra” (hand posture dispelling fear) which was also observed in the images of divine figures in all religions. Mr Gandhi said all religions want their followers to be fearless and not spread fear. The Home Minister said crores of people are proud to be Hindus and the Leader of the Opposition calls them violent. It is not fair to link any religion with violence, he said. Mr Shah said how can a Congress leader talk of fear in the country when his party imposed the Emergency and the nation was in fear, and there were killings of Sikhs during the Congress rule. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh responded to Mr Gandhi’s charge that the Agniveer jawans getting killed in action were not cared for. The Defence Minister said the government gave Rs 1 crore compensation to families of the Agniveers dying in action. As Mr Gandhi continued to attack the government on various issues, Speaker Om Birla had to intervene repeatedly because of frequent interruptions from the Treasury Benches. Mr Birla agreed to the government’s request that Mr Gandhi’s claims be verified. The Leader of the Opposition said the Hindus do not spread fear while the BJP does so 24 hours and its leaders created fear in the party also. He said Ayodhya, the birth place of Lord Rama, had given the message to the BJP by rejecting its candidate for the Lok Sabha. Mr Gandhi said the Ayodhya’s Samajwadi Party MP Ayodhya Prasad, who sat by him, had told him the people of the constituency rejected the BJP because the party had created fear among people there by acquiring their land, and demolishing shops, without giving any compensation. During his Bharat Jodi Yatra, he said, he had found women were living in fear because of price-rise, and getting beaten up by their husbands because they had no food to serve them because of pricerise. Fear was sought to be created among farmers through three farm laws. Mr Gandhi said they are still agitating for legally-guaranteed MSP for crops. Students are financially and emotionally drained and have lost all hope because the professional exam NEET had been made commercial, enabling only the rich to get medical seats, he said. This has created a fear in the country. Manipur is forgotten. Mr Gandhi said families of Agniveers also lived in fear and if his government came to power, it would end the Agniveer scheme. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 1 JULY Leaders of the INDIA bloc, including Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, staged a protest on the Parliament premises here on Tuesday against alleged misuse of Central investigative agencies. The Opposition leaders held a demonstration in front of the Makar Dwar at the new Parliament building shouting slogans against the Narendra Modi Government and holding aloft placards reading, “End the reign of fear. Stop ED, Income Tax, CBI misuse; respect Opposition, stop intimidation.” The INDIA bloc has been accusing the ruling dispensation of misusing agencies to target prominent leaders of the Opposition alliance. They have become vocal in their criticism of the government on the alleged misuse of the Central agencies after the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren by the ED. It may be mentioned here that in March, at the "Save Democracy" mega rally organised by the INDIA bloc at the Ramlila Maidan, Opposition leaders vociferously demanded the release of Kejriwal and Soren. While Soren, who was arrested by the ED in an alleged land scam case, has been released from jail last week after the Jharkhand High Court granted him bail, Kejriwal is still incarcerated with his bail plea pending a hearing in the Supreme Court. Notably, the protest on Monday came close on the heels of a demonstration by the INDIA bloc at Parliament last week alleging an attack on the Constitution under the Narendra Modi-led NDA Government. ‘Justice’ replaces ‘punishment’, ‘Indian soul’ added: Shah on new criminal laws National Doctor’s Day: CM Mamata congratulates medical staff You bowed to PM Modi: Rahul tells Speaker STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 1 JULY Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the justice system is becoming indigenous almost 77 years after independence with the implementation of the three new criminal laws from Monday. With these coming into effect across all police stations in the country, 'punishment' will be replaced by 'justice' and instead of delay, now there will be a speedy trial and justice delivery, he said while addressing the media. Earlier, the rights of police were safeguarded, but now there will be more emphasis on the rights of the victims and complainants. The new laws have come into effect since midnight with a new vision,andtheIndianPenalCode which existed since 1860, has been replaced by the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita(BNS), Criminal Procedure Code which was known as CrPC and was since 1898 will be no more and 'Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita' BNSS has taken its place and the Indian Evidence Actwhichwasinplacesince1872, will also be a thing of past, with Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) taking its place. The HM further said that going in line with the spirit of our Constitution, the priority of the sections and the chapters have been set in the new laws, and top priority has been given to crimes against women and children. He stressed that there is a provision of 20 years imprisonment or life imprisonment in case of gang rape and death penalty in case of gang rape with a minor. A separate crime has been defined for sexual exploitation by hiding one's identity or making false promises, Shah said, adding that a provision has been made to record statements of the victim at her home in the presence of women officers and family members. Besides this, the facility of online FIR has been provided tooasalotofwomencanbesaved from embarrassment this way, he added. As a first, longstanding demand for the provisions against mob lynching is going to be come into effect for the first time with these laws, the HM said. In the new criminal laws, the section related to sedition was removed and replaced with sectionoftreason,thehomeminister said, adding that a new section on organized crime was also addedintheIndianJudicialCode. With more emphasis now on the victim as well as the complainant's rights, they will be better protected now, as earlier focus was more on safeguarding police's rights. 5 members of family found hanging in MP, stark resemblance to Burari deaths in Delhi STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE The deceased were identified as Rakesh Dodwa (27), his wife Lalita Dodwa (25), and their three minor children, including daughter Laxmi (9) and two sons, Prakash (7) and Akshay (5). BHOPAL, 1 JULY All five members of a family were found dead, hanging inside their house in a village in Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh Monday morning. It was not yet certain whether the family members committed mass suicide or one member killed the others and then committed suicide or if they were all murdered, and the police were probing the incident from angles. According to the police, they received information from some relatives of the family, who visited the house and saw the bodies. The incident occurred in village Raudi under the jurisdiction of Sondwa police station. The deceased were identified as Rakesh Dodwa (27), his wife Lalita Dodwa (25), and their three minor children, including daughter Laxmi (9) and two sons, Prakash (7) and Akshay (5). Rakesh’s uncle visited the house in the morning and saw the five hanging. He told the villagers and subsequently the police were informed. Villagers told the police that they were not aware of any stress or financial problems being faced by Rakesh. According to Alirajpur SP Rajesh Vyas, the police sent the bodies for postmortem and further investigations were on in the matter. The incident bore stark resemblance to the alleged mass suicide of 10 members of a family and murder of the 11th member of the Chundawat family at Burari in Delhi. That incident had occurred six years ago in 2018 and came to light on 1 July, the same date as Monday’s incident in Madhya Pradesh. More accountability on part of the law enforcement agency willbeensuredwiththenewlaws, he said.Those provisions which wereproblematicforIndiansand existed since the British rule have been reformed. Shah asserted full confidence that with the implementation of the new laws acrossthecountry,theywillprove to be the most advanced laws. Throwing more light, Shah said 99.9 per cent of the police stations have been computerized, the Zero FIRs and E FIR etc will be digital and the victim will be given the case progress within 90 days. He added that 6 lakh police police personnel have been imparted with training regarding the new legislations to ensure a smooth transition. The HM also clarified over the news regarding the first case registered under new laws, stating it has been registered in Gwalior, MP and the case at , Kamla Market PS Delhi was one of the first cases registered in Delhi. KOLKATA, 1 JULY Chief minister Mamata Banerjee congratulated the doctors, nursing staff and health workers of Bengal and the country on the occasion of National Doctors’ Day. She also mentioned how free treatment in state-run health care establishments and the Swasthya Sathi scheme has helped the people of the state. On the birth and death anniversary of legendary physician and former chief minister of Bengal Dr BC Roy, which is observed as Doctor’s Day, she wrote on her X-handle: “My tribute to Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, former chief minister of West Bengal and a legendary physician, on his birth and death anniversary.” She further wrote: “My regards and best wishes to all the doctors, nurses and health workers of Bengal and the country on this very special occasion of National Doctors’ Day for their selfless and dedicated services. It is with continued support of my colleagues in the health sector that our government has been able to revolutionize the sector in Bengal in the last 13 years. Free treatment in government hospitals, cashless and virtually free treatment in private hospitals also under our Swasthya Sathi, many new medical colleges, and health centres and medical services, all these are our tributes to the cause of health. Health for all. Happy National Doctors’ Day.” After coming to power in 2011, Miss Banerjee, who is also the state health minister took several steps to improve the health sector which had been badly hit by 34 years of Left Front regime. The government hospitals, even in Kolkata, were in shambles. The state government made medical treatment free in the state-run hospitals. The infrastructure of all the staterun hospitals across the state got improved. Forty two super specialty hospitals have come up in the state and the number of state run medical colleges has gone up to 33. The institutional delivery now covers almost 100 per cent. The Swasthya Sathi card has helped people enormously in the state. The card is issued in the name of the senior most woman member of the family. In the private health care establishments, the Swasthya Sathi card holders are getting relief. Difficult surgeries are regularly held in state-run hospitals. India, Pakistan exchange lists of civilian prisoners, fishermen STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 1 JULY India and Pakistan on Monday exchanged, through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad, the lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen in each other’s custody. Under the provisions of the bilateral Agreement on Consular Access 2008, such lists are exchanged every year on 1st January and on 1st July. India has shared names of 366 civilian prisoners and 86 fishermen in its custody, who are Pakistani or are believed-to-be-Pakistani. Similarly, Pakistan has shared names of 43 civilian prisoners and 211 fishermen in its custody, who are Indian or are believed-to-be-Indian. India has called for early release and repatriation of civilian prisoners and fishermen along with their boats, and missing Indian defence personnel from Pakistan's custody. Pakistan has been asked to expedite the release and repatriation of 185 Indian fishermen and civilian prisoners, who have completed their sentence. In addition, Pakistan has been asked to provide imme- CMYK diate consular access to the 47 civilian prisoners and fishermen in Pakistan's custody, who are believed-to-be-Indian and have not been provided consular access so far. Pakistan has also been requested to ensure the safety, security and welfare of all Indian and believed-to-beIndian civilian prisoners and fishermen, pending their release and repatriation to India. ''India remains committed to addressing, on priority, all humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each other's country. In this context, India has urged Pakistan to expedite the nationality verification process of 75 believed-to-be-Pakistani civilian prisoners and fishermen in India’s custody, whose repatriation is pending for want of nationality confirmation from Pakistan,'' the Ministry of External Affairs said. As a result of sustained efforts by the government, 2,639 Indian fishermen and 71 Indian civilian prisoners have been repatriated from Pakistan since 2014. This includes 478 Indian fishermen and 13 Indian civilian prisoners who have been repatriated from Pakistan since 2023 till date. NEW DELHI, 1 JULY Participating in a discussion on the President’s address in the Lok Sabha, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Monday told Speaker Om Birla that after his election as the Speaker last week, he had bowed down before Prime Minister Narendra Modi while shaking hands with him. On the other hand, Mr Gandhi said, Mr Birla stood straight while shaking hands with him on the same occasion. Home Minister Amit Shah said Mr Gandhi had made a charge against the Speaker. The Speaker said the Prime Minister is the leader of the House and he is elder to him. He said his culture had taught him that one should bow before elders, and this he followed in personal and public life, while conducting himself as an equal with equals. Mr Gandhi said after becoming the Leader of the Opposition, he realized he was now two people. He was leader of his party and held the Constitutional position of the Leader of the Opposition, representing all Opposition parties. “I represent all Opposition parties equally,” he said. When Mr Hemant Soren or Mr Arvind Kejriwal is in jail, it hurts him. He said "There are now two structures; one is he (Rahul Gandhi) as an individual and one is the Leader of the Opposition. As individual, I might have likes and dislikes but I as Leader of Opposition have to suppress them, reduce them and say the voice of opposition. That is the idea of the democratic system. The people have given me responsibility and that responsibility should overcome my personal likes, dislikes and aspirations.” Mr Gandhi said that whatever the Speaker says fundamentally defines Indian Democracy. “You are the final arbiter of the Lok Sabha. You are the final word here. What you say fundamentally defines Indian Democracy," he said.