CHEETAH GAMINI CAN NOW BE SPOTTED BY TOURISTS IN SAFARI TUESDAY 18 South African cheetah Gamini and her 4 cubs were released into the wild in the Khajuri forest area at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh on Monday MARCH, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard TELEGRAM FOUNDER ALLOWED TO LEAVE PARIS TEMPORARILY The Russian-born Pavel Durov said it was “great to be home” after he was allowed to return to Dubai despite being probed over illegal content on the app. PAGE 9 PARKING BRAWL Army Col, son assaulted by Punjab cops, 12 suspended 17 BIG CATS NOW RELEASED INTO THE WILD Their release raised the number of cheetahs in the wild to 17. Nine others are still in the enclosures. On February 21, cheetah Jwala and her four cubs were released into the wild in KNP. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav hailed the development as an important day in the cheetah project and wildlife conservation A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00 Govt turns the screws on Khalistani radicals H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ Chandigarh A serving Army Colonel and his son were allegedly assaulted by Punjab Police personnel in Patiala in the early hours of March 14 over a parking dispute. The incident, caught on CCTV cameras, left the Colonel with a fractured arm and his son with severe head injuries. Following an outrage over the incident, Punjab Police on Monday suspended 12 cops, including three inspectors, and ordered a departmental probe against them. Colonel Pushpinder Bath, currently posted at the Army headquarters in New Delhi, said he and his son were assaulted in the wee hours of March 14 by policemen posted in Patiala. The incident took place outside a roadside eatery near the hospital where Bath and his son had stopped for refreshments. It is alleged that the three police personnel, who were in plain clothes, asked the Army officer to remove his car so that they could park their vehicle. When the officer objected to their tone, the cops allegedly assaulted him as well as his son with baseball bats and some sharp-edged weapons. One of the policemen claimed that it was the Colonel and his son who attacked them first. “They were inebriated and attacked us,” he claimed. Jaswinder Bath, Col Bath’s wife, claimed that the family is being asked to compromise or face dire consequences. This comes two days after the Patiala police registered an FIR against unidentified men for a brawl near Rajindra Hospital, based on a written complaint from the Army officer. It is learnt that senior army officials from Delhi visited the hospital for a status check. Son of Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath at a hospital. The Patiala SSP issued an apology to the officer’s family | X Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon in New Delhi | SHEKHAR YADAV Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during a meeting with USA’s Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard | PTI ‘Rein in anti-India Gabbard urged to elements in NZ’ ban Pannun’s SFJ J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi M AYA N K S I N G H @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Monday raised the issue of pro-Khalistan elements freely carrying out anti-India activities in New Zealand during his bilateral meeting with the Pacific island nation’s PM Christopher Luxon. Modi called for strict action against those guilty of terrorist attacks. “We will continue to cooperate together against terrorist, separatist and radical elements,” he said. Separately, the Ministry of External Affairs said the issue of Khalistan supporters getting space in New Zealand was discussed between the two leaders. “This was an issue that came up. We do alert our friends to the activities of anti-India elements in their countries and their abuse of freedom of speech and other democratic freedoms to glorify terrorism, and to threaten attacks against our diplomats or our parliament or our events in India. So these were also conWe have shared our concerns veyed,” said Jaideep Mazumabout anti-India dar, secretary (east) in the activities by Ministry of External Affairs, certain illegal adding New Zealand was reelements in New ceptive to India’s concerns. Zealand. We’re India has been flagging varconfident we will ious pro-Khalistan activities, receive the full including the so-called ‘refer- cooperation of the endum’ for an independent New Zealand govt Sikh homeland organised by Narendra Modi the pro-Khalistan group, Sikhs for Justice, permitted by New Zealand authorities under the guise of ‘freedom of speech’. Modi and Luxon held wide-ranging talks with a focus on ramping up overall bilateral ties. The two sides also inked six pacts to firm up defence and security ties, and cooperation in education, sports, agriculture and climate change. India and New Zealand have also decided to start negotiations for a free trade pact. “This shall increase the potential for bilateral trade and investment. Mutual cooperation and investment shall be encouraged in fields such as dairy , food processing, and pharma,” Modi said. New Zealand is keen to have greater access to India’s lucrative dairy market, which has been traditionally protected to support farmers. Luxon arrived in Delhi on Sunday on a fiveday visit to explore ways to deepen ties. DEFENCE Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday conveyed to US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, India’s concerns over activities of Khalistani separatist group, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), on American soil and urged her to declare it as a designated terrorist entity sources said. , In an over 30-minute meeting at his office in the Raisina Hills, Singh apprised Gabbard about SFJ’s alleged links with Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) as well as its “collaboration” with the Babbar Khalsa terrorist group, and pressed for action against it, sources said. Singh flagged concerns over the SFJ, headed by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, vandalising various Hindu religious structures in the US and said such radicalism must be stopped, the sources added. The SFJ is a banned organisation in India. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is wanted by Drawing from the joint statement Indian probe agencies on varissued after the ious terror charges. recent ModiDuring the discussion, both Trump meeting, countries also explored avethe discussions nues for collaboration in cutreaffirmed the ting-edge defence innovation growing strength and niche technologies. of the India-US In a statement, the Ministry bilateral defence of Defence said, “Drawing partnership from the joint statement issued Ministry of Defence after the recent meeting of PM Narendra Modi with US President Donald Trump, the discussions reaffirmed the growing strength of the India-US bilateral defence partnership.” Both leaders emphasised that strategic security remains a vital pillar of the comprehensive global strategic cooperation between the two nations. “Rajnath and Gabbard reviewed the significant strides made in the areas of military exercises, strategic cooperation, integration of defence industrial supply chains and information-sharing cooperation, especially in the maritime domain, between India and the US,” MoD added. The two leaders addressed key areas such as enhancing interoperability and fostering greater integration of defence industrial supply chains to bolster resilience and innovation.  PAGES 12 26 CHEETAHS IN KNP NOW, INCLUDING 14 CUBS BORN ON INDIAN SOIL Manipur tense as Kuki-Zo leader mugged, prohibitory orders out P R A S A N TA M A Z U M D A R @ Guwahati PROHIBITORY orders under Section 163 of BNSS were clamped in Manipur’s Kukidominated Churachandpur district following a senior Kuki-Zo leader’s assault. Richard Hmar, general secretary of Hmar Inpui and a member of Indigenous Tribal Leade r s ’ Fo r u m ( I T L F ) , w a s assaulted by unknown miscreants late on Sunday inside the campus of V K Montessori School in Zenhang. Hmar is currently undergoing medical treatment due to excessive bleeding and injuries. Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) empowers district magistrates to issue preventive orders in urgent cases of public nuisance or apprehended danger to prevent harm to individuals or public safety . Authorities clamped prohibitory orders following reports from the Churachandpur SP. Ethnic violence case moved to Guwahati The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the trial of the Manipur ethnic violence cases, probed by the CBI, will take place in Guwahati, Assam, where they were transferred to earlier. The court has instructed the Chief Justice of the Guwahati High Court to assign judicial officers to manage these cases | P7 Unauthorised processions or unlawful assemblies of five or more persons were banned, as well as carrying of arms or objects which can be used as lifethreatening weapons. District magistrate Dharun Kumar S said, “…Our attention has been drawn to incidents where disputes are escalating in some areas, leading to unrest that threatens the peaceful coexistence of our citizens.” No reports on sexual violence as DCPCR headless for 2 years I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi NO regular reports on instances of sexual violence, no commissioning of studies on missing children, no journals and no rescue operations to curb child labour. Practically no ac, tivity has been reported by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) — a statutory watchdog of the Delhi government. More so, the post of chairperson of the commission has been lying vacant since July 2023. In fact, it does not even have a single staff to keep the commission running. In response to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the National Child Development Council, the Delhi High Court in May 2024 issued a notice seeking a resolution to the prolonged vacancy in DCPCR. The PIL highlighted the detrimental impact of the vacant positions on the commission’s functionality since the tenure of the former chairperson, Anurag Kundu, ended on July 2, 2023. However, the proposal to invite applications for filling the vacant posts has been pending since August 2023. Officials said that advertisements could not be issued since the Model Code of Conduct was in force. The HC issued notices to the Centre, Delhi government and DCPCR, posting the next hearing to July 16 since the advertisements could not be issued. Despite repeated attempts, Kundu did not respond to the queries. Veditha Reddy, the director of education, also did not respond. Ramesh Negi, retired IAS officer and former DCPCR chief, told this newspaper, “Similar situation had happened between 2015 and 2017 when there was a change in the government. The commission had no chairman for one and half years. The chairman was appointed after the high court’s directions. Earlier, the appointment used to be okayed by the Delhi government and the L-G, but now the MHA approves it.” He added, “Tracing the children and their rehabilitation are DCPCR responsibilities. Now, reports on the missing children are left with the police. I hope the new government will soon work on it.” Changing times: Women dominating the Koodiyattam theatre in Kerala M A N O J V I S W A N AT H A N @ Kochi THE male domination in Koodiyattam, one of India’s oldest living theatre traditions that reflects Kerala’s rich cultural heritage, is slowly fading. Reflecting the decline in enthusiasm among males to learn Koodiyattam, only four boys have joined the course at Kalamandalam cultural varsity this year. At the same time, around 40 girl students are pursuing the course at Kalamandalam. Koodiyattam artistes cite lack of patronage and limited opportunities as reasons for the male candidates’ poor response to the courses. There is a popular belief that the Sanskrit theatre is indigestible to the common man. “It is a reflection of the changing taste of society,” says Jishnu Pratap, assistant professor in Koodiyattam, Kalamandalam. “Parents want their wards to pursue a course that can help them get a job with lucrative salary They realise that there is . lack of patronage for traditional art forms and this profession cannot provide a steady income. It is disappointing to note that there are hardly people below the age of 50 in the audience at Koodiyattam performances,” he says. Though women used to play female characters in Koodiyattam traditionally, the roles were limited to complementing the male characters. However, drawing inspiration from Kalamandalam Girija, Usha Nangiar and Margi Sathi — who reflect the changing face of Koodiyattam — the new gen- eration of women has started portraying male characters. While Usha Nangiar redefined the role of women in Koodiyattam through the Panchakanya Mahotsav organised in Thrissur in 2024, Aparna Nangiar reintroduced ‘Dasamam Koothu’, a ritualistic art form that was never performed in the past 150 years. Kapila Venu brought the stories of Madurai Veeran and Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Chitra’ to the stage. The trio, who arrived in Tripunithura to participate in the 80th birthday celebration of K G Poulose and T K Sarala, the patrons of Sanskrit theatre, shared with this newspaper their views on redefining the intangible heritage of Koodiyattam. CONTINUED ON P5 UP IN FLAMES An arson attack in central Nagpur on Monday amid rumours that a holy book was burnt during an agitation. At least 23 people were injured in the violence. Police fired teargas shells and resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the rampaging mob | ANI | P8 EXPRESS READ 67 banned outfits in MHA updated list MCD rejects parking rate hike bid MHA on Monday updated its list of banned outfits, declaring 67 organisations as terrorist groups and unlawful associations. Among those declared as terror outfits are PLA and KTF, while Sikh For Justice is among 22 outfits declared unlawful associations. The MCD on Monday rejected the proposal to hike parking charges. The rate is `20 for four-wheelers and `10 for two-wheelers per hour. MCD had earlier made unsuccessful attempts to grant the commissioner the authority to adjust parking fees. | P3 Throughout the day protesters , attempted to enforce a shutdown, urging shops to close immediately. Groups of men patrolled the streets with sticks, while clashes between the Hmar and Zomi communities led to stone pelting in multiple areas of the district headquarters. Personnel of the Central security forces intervened, firing gunshots in the air to disperse mobs, officials said. The Hmar Inpui said the victim was caught by a group of men on his way home, blindfolded and beaten up even after he had revealed his identity. The organisation asked the perpetrators to give in or face consequences. The Thadou Students’ Association expressed concern over escalating tensions between different groups among the non-Naga tribal communities, particularly between Kuki/Kuki-Zo, Hmar and Zomi groups. The ITLF has also condemned the incident. UKRAINE TRUMP-PUTIN TALK WAYS TO END WAR The US President will speak with his Russian counterpart on Tuesday as efforts continue to end the war in Ukraine, a move that could represent a pivot point in the conflict | P9 In a 1st, exam for SHOs of cyber crime police stations N I T I N R A W AT @ New Delhi FOR the first time, the Delhi Police will conduct an exam for inspector-rank officers for the post of SHO at cyber police stations, officials said on Monday . The exam for 122 applications will be held on Tuesday at 11 am at the Delhi Police Academy, Wazirabad Campus, Biharipur, Khajuri Khas, in the northeastern part of the city . Until now, recruitment for the posts has been based on seniority and experience. The Delhi Police has 15 districts, with 15 separate cyber police stations. The exam syllabus includes the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), IT Act, POCSO Act, and the Delhi Police Act. The exam will consist of 50 multiple-choice and descriptive questions. A senior police officer said that the exam route for selection would ensure that successful candidates have the required technical knowledge to tackle cybercrime. The selection of tech-savvy professionals would benefit the force and make the investigation more effective, the officer said. The Delhi Police has been assigned to draft a question paper aligning with the job requirements and standards of the post. It has also been asked to make available a large hall with ample gap between two candidates. The police said the exam centre would be equipped with CCTV cameras.