01052025-TT-01.qxd 4/30/2025 11:18 PM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 145 NO. 119 | 14 PAGES | ~6.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HIMACHAL PRADESH B’DESH COURT GIVES BAIL TO HINDU MONK DAS WORLD /thetribunechd STUDENTS HEAD BACK FROM UNIVERSITIES IN PUNJAB J&K AMUR FALCON FLIES 3,800 KM NON-STOP TO INDIA NATION RAJNATH, NOT PM, TO VISIT RUSSIA FOR VICTORY DAY EVENT BACK PAGE thursday | 1 may 2025 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com One of world’s most dangerous: Govt PM chairs 2nd CCS meet; security board revamped dossier tears apart Pak’s terror facade Tribune News Service Lists ‘rogue’ nation’s extremist acts from Kashmir, Afghanistan to Russia & the UK US pushes for de-escalation as tension rises Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, April 30 The government on Wednesday unveiled a dossier detailing Pakistan’s global terror trail, spanning from Kashmir and Afghanistan to Russia, the UK, and Bangladesh, labelling it as one of the most dangerous forces in the world. The document lists terror training camps hosted by Pakistan across Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Waziristan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. These camps, operated by groups such as Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) and transnational outfits like ISIS-Khorasan, serve as hubs for radicalisation, weapons training and suicide mission preparation. Former Pakistani Army personnel often assist in training, lending military expertise to enhance operational lethality, it says. The move comes a day after India, citing Pakistan Defence Minister Khwaja Asif’s admission on financing terror networks, stated at the UN that his confession 14 dead, 13 hurt as fire breaks out in Kolkata hotel Kolkata, April 30 A massive fire that tore through a budget hotel in Kolkata on Tuesday night claimed at least 14 lives and left 13 injured. The fire broke out around 7.30 pm in the sixstorey Rituraj Hotel and quickly engulfed the building, trapping several of the 88 guests staying in 42 rooms at the time, officials said. “Most of those who died were trapped inside and could not escape the thick smoke,” a senior officer of the Fire and Emergency Services Department said. The majority of the victims died due to suffocation, while a few reportedly jumped off upper floors in panic. The deceased included 11 men, a woman and two children. Eyewitnesses described chilling scenes of horror — flames leaping from windows, guests screaming for help, and some people jumping off from windows to escape the blaze. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep grief over the tragedy and announced financial assistance for the families of the victims. The police have constituted an SIT to probe the cause of the fire. — PTI Tribune News Service Security personnel stand guard in Srinagar on Wednesday. PTI PAK TROOPS AGAIN VIOLATE TRUCE INDIA ISSUES STERN WARNING Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing along the LoC and International Border in multiple sectors across four border districts of J&K. This marks the sixth ceasefire violation by Pakistan since Pahalgam attack The Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan spoke over the hotline on Tuesday to discuss ceasefire violations. Sources said India had raised the issue of unprovoked firing by Pakistani troops exposed Pakistan as a rogue state fuelling global terrorism and destabilising the region. This also coincides with growing calls to designate Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism. “India must pursue diplomatic channels to achieve this,” said former ambassador to Bangladesh Veena Sikri. Top sources on Wednesday reinforced the assertion that “Pakistan is a rogue state” highlighting its record in sponsoring, sheltering and exporting terrorism as one of the most dangerous and destabilising forces globally. “For decades, Pakistani soil continued on page 8 New Delhi, April 30 Amid the rising military tensions between India and Pakistan, the US has said it is reaching out to both the nations asking them to not escalate the matter. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to call up External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and also Pakistan foreign minister Ishaq Dar. US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, at a media briefing in Washington DC on Tuesday, said: “We are reaching out to both parties and telling them to not escalate the situation.” On Monday, a US State Department press statement stated that the US was in touch with the leadership of both Pakistan and India. “The Secretary (Rubio) expects to speak with the foreign ministers of Pakistan continued on page 8 New Delhi, April 30 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday chaired the second meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) at his residence, even as the government approved the reconstitution of the National Security Advisory Board. The two-hour CCS meeting is learnt to have formally put its seal of approval on the full operational autonomy which the PM granted to the Indian military to calibrate and decide on the national response to the Pakistan-sponsored attack that killed 26 persons in Pahalgam on April 22. The CCS meeting was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Also present were National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and principal secretaries to PM PK Mishra and Shanktikanta Das. After the CCS meeting, the government also approved the reconstitution of the National Security Advisory Board appointing former R&AW chief Alok Joshi as Chairman. Ex-R&AW chief Alok Joshi to head National Security Advisory Board KEY CHANGES IN MILITARY TOP BRASS ■ Lt Gen Pratik Sharma will take over as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Northern Command ■ Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari has been appointed as IAF Vice Chief, succeeding Air Marshal SP Dharkar ■ Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit will be the new Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee Ex-Western Air Commander Air Marshal PM Sinha, former Southern Army Commander Lt Gen AK Singh and Rear Admiral Monty Khanna of the reconstituted panel are retired officers. Former cops Rajiv Ranjan Verma and Manmohan Singh and former IFS officers DB Venkatesh Varma and Pankaj Saran are also on the panel, which further features AB Mathur, Prof V Kamakoti of IIT Madras, BS Murthy, Air Marshal Pankaj Sinha (retd), Devendra Sharma, Bimal Patel, R Radhakrishnan and Vice Admiral PS Cheema (retd) as members. The principal function of the board, a group of 15 government and private experts, is to undertake long-term analysis and to provide perspectives on the national security issues to the National Security Council and to recommend measures and solutions and policy options on the issues referred to it by the National Security Council. The board advises the NSA. Earlier, the CCS is learnt to have reviewed the progress made on retaliatory measures announced so far against Pakistan, including revocation of visas to Pakistani nationals and suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. It was also briefed on the status of NIA investigations into the attack with the role of former Pakistan Army para commander Hashim Musa clearly established linking Pakistan with the dastardly attack and the role of several locals emerging. Govt to hold caste census, slams Digital access intrinsic to right to life: SC Oppn for using it as ‘political tool’ Satya Prakash Tribune News Service Animesh Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, April 30 Under pressure from the Congress-led Opposition to conduct the caste census and with the Bihar Assembly elections just months away, the Centre on Wednesday approved the proposal to include caste enumeration in the next census exercise. It, however, remained tight-lipped regarding when the much-delayed exercise will take place. Whenever it is held, it will be the first caste census since 1931. The decadal census was last held in 2011. The decision was cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA), which met today. The sudden clearance to include caste census in the next round of the census exercise came out of the blue, as it was being speculated that the CCPA could discuss the possibility of holding a special Parliament session to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack, as demanded by the Opposition. The Congress said it supported the decision but sought a timeline for its implementation. "We support this completely, but we want a Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw RAHUL SEEKS TIMELINE ■ Supporting the govern- ment’s “sudden decision” to include caste enumeration in the forthcoming census, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi sought a timeline for its implementation ■ “We support this completely, but we want a timeline. We want to know by when it will be done,” he said, adding that Telangana and Bihar were models for the exercise timeline on when it will be done," Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and MP Rahul Gandhi said, adding that Telangana and Bihar were models for the exercise. Briefing mediapersons on the decisions of the Cabinet, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said: “The CCPA decided that caste enumeration should be included in the forthcoming census. This demonstrates that our government is committed to the values and interests of our society and the country, like in the past, when our government had introduced 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections of society.” He also hit out at the Congress and the INDIA bloc parties for using the caste census as a political tool. "Congress governments have always opposed caste census. Caste was not included in all the census operations conducted since Independence. In 2010, then PM late Manmohan Singh had assured the Lok Sabha that the matter of caste census should be considered in the Cabinet. A Group of Ministers was formed to consider this subject. Most political parties had recommended caste census. Despite this, the Congress government decided to conduct merely a survey of caste instead of a census. That survey is known as the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC)," Vaishnaw said. New Delhi, April 30 Holding that the right to digital access is included in the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Centre, RBI and the other authorities to make the process of digital KYC accessible to the disabled, particularly those with facial disfigurement and visual disabilities. “In the contemporary era, where access to essential services, governance, education, healthcare and economic opportunities is increasingly mediated through digital platforms, the right to ‘MAKE DIGITAL KYC PROCESS MORE INCLUSIVE’ A Bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan directed the Centre, RBI and other authorities to make the digital KYC process accessible to the disabled. life under Article 21 must be reinterpreted,” a Bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan said. Noting that the principle of substantive equality demanded digital transformation to be both inclusive and equitable, the top court issued a set of 20 directions to the Centre and different public entities to make the digital KYC process more inclusive. It said, “…persons with disabilities encounter unique barriers in accessing online Sisodia, Jain booked in classroom ‘scam’ Ujwal Jalali Tribune News Service New Delhi, April 30 The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) has registered a case against former Delhi ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain in connection with an alleged scam amounting to around Rs 2,000 crore, a senior officer said here on Wednesday. The case pertains to alleged BUILT AT EXORBITANT COSTS The former ministers are accused of overseeing construction projects undertaken at exorbitant costs — reportedly ~24.86 lakh per classroom — when similar structures could typically be built for around ~5 lakh in Delhi. irregularities in the construction of over 12,700 classrooms across the city during their tenure in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led government. The FIR, registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act and relevant Sections of the Indian Penal Code, comes on complaints from BJP leaders Harish continued on page 8 After 18 years in India, Pak national Riyaz deported; leaves wife, 3 children behind Neeraj Bagga ENVOYS RETURN VIA ATTARI | ELDERLY MAN DIES Tribune News Service Police personnel escort Pakistani national Sarah Khan to the Attari border on Wednesday. PTI Attari, April 30 Jammu and Kashmir Police today deported several Pakistan citizens staying in their state to Pakistan through the land route from the AttariWagah joint check post (JCP). The Jammu and Kashmir Government took this step in the wake of orders issued by the Centre instructing all Pakistani citizens to ■ A group of 22 officials of the ■ Elderly Pak national Abdul Indian High Commission in Islamabad, including three diplomats, returned to India via Attari border, sources confirmed on Wednesday Hamid Bhat, who was brought for deportation by J&K cops, died at Attari. Sources said he had arrived in India in late 1980s leave India before May 1 in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. Ferried in police buses, the deportees were brought from Handwara, Kupwara, Baramulla, Budgam and other districts of the mountainous state. As soon as the police opened the doors of the bus c m y b outside the gates of the JCP , Rajouri’s Sarah Khan rushed out and raised her voice for mediapersons to hear. Carrying her new-born, Sarah, a Pakistan national, said she was woken up at midnight and brought to Attari for repatriation. She said she gave birth to a son 14 days ago through a caesarean operation and doctors had advised her against travel. But she continued on page 8 services due to the lack of accessible websites, applications and assistive technologies. Similarly, individuals in remote or rural areas often face poor connectivity, limited digital literacy and a scarcity of content in regional languages, effectively denying them meaningful access to e-governance and welfare delivery systems.” Writing the verdict for the Bench, Justice Mahadevan said, “The digital divide — characterised by unequal access to digital infrastructure, skills, and content — continues to perpetuate systemic exclusion, not only of persons with disabilities, but continued on page 8 7dieastemplewall collapsesinAndhra VISAKHAPATNAM: Seven persons were killed and several others injured when a rainsoaked wall collapsed at the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple in Simhachalam, here, in the early hours of Wednesday, the government said. Andhra Home Minister V Anitha said preliminary reports indicated that the wall collapse at the temple was triggered by soil loosening due to heavy rains in the area. — PTI Girls outshine boys in CISCE results NEW DELHI: Girls once again outperformed boys in the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) Class X and XII board results declared on Wednesday. In both the ICSE (Class X) and ISC (Class XII) exams, girls recorded a pass percentage of 99.45, compared to 98.64 per cent for boys. The ICSE Class 10 exams were conducted across 67 subjects, including 20 Indian languages. BACK PAGE