MONDAY 08 JULY 2024 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR P6 WEATHER GENERALLY CLOUDY SKY WITH LIGHT RAIN. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 36 AND 26 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 93 % TEMPERATURE Max: 35.8 °C (-1) SUN RISES 05:31 hrs MOON RISES 08:26 hrs P4 Min: 26.2 °C (-2) SUN SETS 19:23 hrs MOON SETS 21:26 hrs THUMBNAILS Pilgrims reach a base camp before embarking on the Amarnath Yatra on Sunday.  ANI Home ministry initiates disciplinary action against Calcutta CP, DCP for 'maligning' Raj Bhavan: The Union Home Ministry has initiated disciplinary action against Calcutta Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal and a DCP for allegedly maligning the office of the West Bengal Governor by promoting and spreading canards, a central government official said. The Union ministry action came after West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose submitted a report to it regarding Goyal and Calcutta Police Deputy Commissioner (DCP) Central Indira Mukherjee, alleging that they were "functioning in a manner which is completely unbecoming of a public servant", he said. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 JULY A mid the ongoing war in Ukraine, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave here on Monday on an official visit to Russia to hold the 22nd Annual IndiaRussia Summit with President Vladimir Putin. From Moscow, the PM will leave for Austria in what will be the first visit by an Indian PM to the European nation after 41 years. The Indian leader will reach Moscow tomorrow afternoon. He will be welcomed with a private dinner to be hosted by President Putin. Among other engagements the next day, Mr Modi will have an interface with the Indian community in Russia. He will also pay respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers in the Kremlin and visit an exhibition in Moscow. This will be followed by his restricted talks with President Putin and delegation-level talks between the two countries. A whole range of issues, including defence, trade linkages, culture, education, civil nuclear cooperation, culture and people-topeople contacts, will be on the agenda. They will also discuss global developments. Given the personal chemistry between the two leaders, the ongoing RussiaUkraine conflict is likely to figure prominently during the Modi-Putin meeting. The PM is expected to reiterate India's stand that this is not the time for war and that the two warring nations must give dialogue and diplomacy a chance to resolve the crisis. The talks between the two leaders will also provide Mr Modi an opportunity to raise with Mr Putin the issue of Indian nationals who were misled into the Russian Army to join its ongoing war with Ukraine. According to Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, while ten Indians have returned home, an esti- mated 30-45 Indian nationals are still working for the Russian Army. He said India has strongly taken up with the Russian authorities the issue of their early repatriation to India. The PM's visit to Moscow marks a continuation of high-level engagement between India and Russia. “The last annual summit was held in New Delhi in December 2021,” Mr Kwatra said, adding that the two leaders have maintained contact through various means, including a meeting on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Samarkand last September and multiple phone conversations. The India-Russia Summit is being held at a time when India is under intense pressure from its Western allies to minimise its contacts with Russia in STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 JULY Police personnel inspect a BMW car that ran over two people riding a bike, at Worli Police Station in Mumbai on Sunday. One woman died and one person was injured in the accident.  ANI father and the deputy leader of the Shinde Sena in Palghar district, has been detained by police. The BMW was registered in his name, according to police. Rajesh Shah's driver, Rajrishi Bidawat, who was present in the car at the time of the accident, has also been detained. Speaking about the incident, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the law was equal for everyone and no would be spared. Asked if the man involved in the Mumbai accident was a Shiv Sena leader's son, the CM said: “The law is equal for all and the government sees every case in the same way. There will be no separate rule ‘Hindenburg shared Adani report with client 2 months in advance’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 JULY The market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) said the Hindenburg Research shared an advance copy of its critical report on the Adani group with New York-based hedge fund manager Mark Kingdon about two months before its public release, profiting from a deal to share gains from the resulting share price movements. In a 46-page show cause notice, SEBI detailed how the US short-seller Hindenburg, Kingdon's hedge fund, and a broker associated with Kotak Mahindra Bank benefited from the over USD 150 billion decline in the market value of Adani group's 10 listed firms post-publication of the report. Further, the market regulator accused Hindenburg of making unfair profits through collusion, using nonpublic and misleading infor- mation to induce panic selling in Adani Group stocks. Hindenburg made the Sebi notice public and responded by describing the notice as an attempt to silence and intimidate those who expose corruption and fraud perpetrated by the most powerful individuals in India. They revealed that the vehicle used to bet against Adani's flagship firm, Adani Enterprises Ltd, belonged to Kotak Mahindra (International) Ltd, a Mauritius-based subsidiary of Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. KMIL's fund placed bets on Adani Enter- prises Ltd for its client, Kingdon's Kingdon Capital Management. The notice by Sebi includes time-stamped chats between a hedge fund employee and KMIL traders coordinating the sale of future contracts in AEL. Kotak Mahindra Bank stated that Kingdon never disclosed that they had any relationship with Hindenburg nor that they were acting on the basis of any pricesensitive information. Notably, Kingdon, which had a controlling stake in KMIL's K-India Opportunities Fund Ltd, had an agreement to share 30per cent (later reduced to 25per cent) of profits from trading based on the report with Hindenburg. Sebi stated Kingdon transferred USD 43 million in two tranches to build short positions in AEL, squaring off these positions post-report, making Rs 183.23 crore (USD 22.25 million) in profit. for this accident. Everything will be done as per the law.” This incident follows the recent hit-and-run case in Pune, where a drunk minor rammed his luxury car into a twowheeler, killing two IT professionals on the spot. The minor, son of an influential builder, was granted bail within hours on the condition of writing an essay on road accidents by the Juvenile Justice Board, triggering a massive outrage. Later, the minor was arrested again and sent to a children's home. The situation escalated as the minor's family attempted to mislead the investigation, falsely claiming that their family driver was behind the wheel. They also swapped the minor's blood samples with his mother's to prove he was not drunk. However, a video surfaced online showing the minor drinking at a local pub, exposing the family's conspiracy. P12 Minor stampede at Puri Rath Yatra; one dead, many injured PM leaves for Russia today for crucial talks BMW rams into two-wheeler in Mumbai’s Worli, woman killed; driver at large In a hit-and-run incident in Mumbai's Worli, a speeding BMW struck a fisherman and his wife who were riding a scooter near Atria Mall, killing the woman. The speeding car hit the two-wheeler from behind which resulted in the woman falling on the car's bonnet. The wife succumbed to her injuries, while the husband sustained minor injuries. The driver, who drove on for about a 100 metres with the woman still on the bonnet, fled the spot after the accident. The injured woman was taken to Nair Hospital, where she was declared dead. Reports said the car was being driven by Mihir Shah, the son of a leader of Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The 24-yearold man is absconding since the incident. Rajesh Shah, Mihir Shah's P5 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BHUBANESWAR, 7 JULY Modi will be welcomed with a private dinner to be hosted by Putin Min. 57 % 2ND T20I: INDIA LEVEL SERIES 1-1 JHARKHAND CABINET EXPANSION LIKELY TO TAKE PLACE TODAY NAIDU VOWS TO REVIVE TDP IN TELANGANA BORDER DIPLOMACY view of its aggression against Ukraine. After concluding the Moscow leg of his tour, Mr Modi will reach Austria in the afternoon of July 9. He will call on President Alexander Van der Bellen and hold talks with Chancellor Karl Nehammer. The PM and the Chancellor will also address business leaders from India and Austria. Mr Modi will also interact with members of the Indian community in Vienna. Mr Modi said in New Delhi on Sunday that it would be a “historic occasion” and an honour for him to visit Austria for the first time next week, which will coincide with 75 years of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations between both countries. "Thank you, Chancellor @karlnehammer. It is indeed an honour to visit Austria to mark this historic occasion. I look forward to our discussions on strengthening the bonds between our nations and exploring new avenues of cooperation. The shared values of democracy, freedom and rule of law form the bedrock upon which we will build an ever closer partnership," the PM wrote on X. Lakhs of devotees thronged the pilgrim town of Puri on Sunday to participate in the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra. A minor stampede occurred as the chariots were being pulled, resulting in the collapse and death of one person. Several others, including two policemen, sustained injuries and were rushed to the hospital. While the exact number of injured individuals remains unconfirmed, one of the injured policemen suffered a leg fracture. “There were minor injuries to some people, and they have been discharged," said a doctor at the hospital, even as patients were being carried on stretchers. Several people were transported by ambulances, most complaining of breathlessness and suffocation . The surge of devotees eager to catch hold of the ropes and pull the chariots led to pushing and shoving. This year's Rath Yatra is unique, being a two-day affair. The pulling of the chariots that began today will resume on Monday. Priests and devotees take part in the two-day Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra, in Puri on Sunday.  SNS The coincidence of Nabajauban Darshan (youthful appearance after recovering from illness), Netra Utsav (freshly painted eyes), and Rath Yatra on the same day makes it a two-day Rath Yatra. The last time such a celestial alignment occurred was in 1973. Despite initial apprehensions of delays, the pulling of the chariots proceeded on schedule. President Droupadi Murmu, Governor Raghubar Das, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Union Minister Dhar- mendra Pradhan, former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, and a host of other dignitaries were present. The President knelt and prayed before the chariots and touched the ropes. Chants of "Jai Jagannath," sounds of gongs, conches, and cymbals filled the air as the chariots of the holy trinity were pulled. Descending from their 'Ratna Sinhasana' (bejewelled throne), the three deities were taken out of the temple one after another, down the 22 steps in a ceremonial procession. RATH YATRA Devotees take part in a religious procession on the occasion of the Jagannath Rath Yatra Festival celebrations at Hauz Khas area in (SEE PAGE 2) the Capital on Sunday. SUBRATA DUTTA Seven bodies recovered from 6 terrorists killed in encounters collapsed building in Surat; s in Jammu's Kulgam woman rescued alive intelligence inputs on a terSTATESMAN NEWS SERVICE AGENCIES JAMMU, 7 JULY SURAT, 7 JULY Seven bodies have been recovered from the debris of a collapsed five-storey building in Surat, Gujarat, an official said on Sunday. According to the official, a woman was safely rescued from the debris. In a conversation with ANI, Basant Pareek, Chief Fire Officer of Surat, said, "Around 3:55 p.m. on Saturday, the Surat Fire and Emergency Services received information about the collapse of a five-storey building. Around 20 fire officers, along with the administration, rushed to the spot. We conducted a search and rescue operation throughout the night.” Chief Fire Officer Pareek added that a woman was rescued safely from the debris, and a total of seven bodies were retrieved. “During the operation, JCB machines remove the debris after a four-storey building collapsed at the Sachin area in Surat on Sunday.  ANI we heard a woman's voice from beneath the debris. After digging out the debris, the firemen safely rescued her. We continued the search operation and have so far recovered seven bodies," he said. Chief Fire Officer Pareek added that there are no reports of any more missing persons. “However, the search operation is still underway,” he said. Two more bodies of terrorists were recovered this morning at the site of an overnight encounter in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, taking the total to six in the two ongoing encounters in the district. Two soldiers also died in the encounters in Kulgam’s Chinigam and Modergam areas. Security forces are continuing combing operations in the vicinity of the encounter sites in these areas. Meanwhile, amid multiple encounters in J&K, terrorists attacked a sentry post of an Army camp early in the morning, injuring a soldier who had been evacuated to the military hospital. The attack came at about 4 am at a Territorial Army camp in Galuthi village in the border area of Manjakote in the Rajouri district of Jammu. Initial reports indicate that terrorists attacked the Army camp, which was thwarted by a vigilant sentry who retaliated, causing the militants to flee. The exchange of fire continued for 30 minutes between the two sides but the terrorists managed to escape into the nearby forest. The Army and police have launched a manhunt to trace the attackers. Meanwhile, the soldiers killed in the gunfights in Kulgam have been identified as Lance Naik Pardeep Nain, a Para Commando, who was killed in Modergam, while Sepoy Pravin Janjal Prabhakar of the 01 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) lost his life in Frisaal. Another search operation was this afternoon launched in the Arwani area following ror hideout. This is the third operation in the Kulgam district, alongside the ongoing encounters in Chitrigam and Modergam villages. Meanwhile, GOC of the Srinagar based Chinar Corps, Lt. General Rajiv Ghai and J&K Chief Secretary Atal Dullo, among others, paid homage to Lance Naik Pardeep Kumar and Sepoy Pravin Janjal Prabhakar, who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty in Kulgam. (Photo) It is worth mentioning that a joint team of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Army and paramilitary forces on Saturday cordoned off Modergam village after getting intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists in the village. As the team zeroed in on the target, the terrorists hiding there opened indiscriminate fire, prompting the forces to retaliate, security sources said. One soldier was killed in this exchange.