First india ahmedabad edition-08 january 2021

PM MODI TO DEDICATE KEVADIA-
VADODARA RAILWAY LINE ON JAN 16
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Ahead
of the local body elec-
tions likely to be con-
ducted in the state next
month, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi will be
dedicating a few devel-
opmental projects and
also lay the foundation
stone of others in com-
ing days.
According to sources,
the PM will be dedicat-
ing the Kevadia-Va-
dodara railway line and
also the Kevadia rail-
way station via video
conferencing on Janu-
ary 16. The plan to build
a railway line on the
Keva d i a - Va d o d a r a
route was undertaken
by the Indian Railways
to help connect tourists
to the Statue of Unity.
An 18 kilometre line
from Dabhoi to Chan-
dod was already in
place and the Railways
only needed to lay down
a 32 kilometre long line
between Chandod and
Kevadia.
Turn to P6
FOR CONVENIENCE
He will also lay the foundation
of the Surat Metro project via
video conferencing on Jan 18
The new railway line between Vadodara & Kevadia will connect
tourists to the Statue of Unity.
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AHMEDABAD l FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 45
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD & LUCKNOW
UNITED STATES OF ANARCHY
Yogi govt’s‘love jihad’ claim against
Muslim man turns turtle in high court
R-Day is coming: Farmers’ show of strength
with massive ‘dress rehearsal’ of tractor rally
Lucknow: There is no
evidence against a Mus-
lim man who was among
the first in Uttar Pradesh
tobechargedunderacon-
troversialnewlawagainst
forced conversions, the
Yogi Adityanath govern-
ment told the Allahabad
High Court today.
Nadeem, 32, and his
brother Salman, were
named in a complaint on
November 29, 2020, two
days after the UP ordi-
nance was passed, in
western Uttar Pradesh’s
Muzaffarnagar by Ak-
shay Kumar Tyagi, who
works in a prominent
pharmaceutical compa-
nyasalabourcontractor.
Akshay said Nadeem,
a labourer, used to visit
his house in Muzaffar-
nagarandhad“trapped”
his wife Parul in a “web
of love” to try and con-
vert her. To seduce her,
Nadeem gifted her a
smartphone and prom-
ised to marry her, Aksh-
ay alleged in a First In-
formationReportorFIR.
Turn to P6
No proof against
accused in forced
conversion case,
UP admits
Accused brothers
were first to get
arrested under
the new law
HC had said cops
can’t take any
coercive action
against accused
Supporters of Donald Trump climb the west wall of US Capitol.
Four dead as Trump
mob storms Capitol
n Trump concedes defeat
hours after US Capitol siege
n Trump Facebook, Insta
accounts blocked for rest of
Presidential term
n Joint session of Congress
certifies Joe Biden’s victory
Washington: Four peo-
ple died, including one
woman who was shot by
a police officer, amid
protests and rioting on
Capitol Hill by support-
ers of Donald Trump
who swarmed inside the
building amid a session
of Congress to certify
Joe Biden’s election
win, triggering unprec-
edented chaos and vio-
lence at the heart of
American democracy
and accusations the out-
going president was at-
tempting a coup.
In a late-night news
conference, Metropoli-
tan Police Department
Chief Robert J Contee
said that 52 were arrest-
ed over the violence
that saw pro-Trump ri-
oters breaking win-
dows, climbing on raft-
ers, ripping down US
flags and roaming the
Senate chamber. Law-
makers were told to
grab gas masks as po-
lice deployed tear gas
inside the Rotunda, the
ornate area under the
dome that connects the
House and the Senate,
according to the Wash-
ington Post. Turn to P6
Washington: United
States President Don-
ald Trump on Thursday
finally conceded defeat
in last year’s presiden-
tial election, announc-
ing via a statement that
there will be an orderly
transition of power on
January 20.
The statement came
soonafterajointsession
of theUSCongresscerti-
fied Democrat Joe
Biden’svictoryintheUS
Presidential Election
held in November last
year. Biden is set to take
over as US president on
January 20.
“Even though I totally
disagree with the out-
come of the election, and
the facts bear me out,
neverthelesstherewillbe
an orderly transition on
January 20th. I have al-
ways said we would con-
tinue our fight to ensure
thatonlylegalvoteswere
counted...,” Trump said.
The outdoing presi-
dent described his rule
as‘thegreatestfirstterm
in presidential history’.
“Whilethisrepresents
the end of the greatest
firstterminpresidential
history, it’s only the be-
ginning of our fight to
Make America Great
Again,” he stated.
The development
came on a day when un-
precedentedsceneswere
witnessed at the US Cap-
itol, where the Congress
is located. Pro-Trump
supporters stormed the
Capitol building trigger-
ing violence and clashes
withsecuritypersonnel.
Turn to P6
President-elect Joe Biden.
(Top) Security personnel aim guns at the protestor peeping from a
broken door window during a historic and terrifying coup attempt
by pro-Trump extremists in Washington. (Above) Protestors clash
with security. (Left) During the siege at the Capitol, lawmakers
were shifted to safe places, shots were fired inside the Congress
and tear gas was used. —PHOTOS BY AGENCIES
NARENDRA MODI
@NARENDRAMODI
Distressed to see news
about rioting and violence
in Washington DC.
Orderly and peaceful
transfer of power must
continue. The democratic
process cannot be
allowed to be subverted
through unlawful
protests.
New Delhi: Thousands
of farmers are partici-
pating in a tractor rally
ontheEasternandWest-
ern Peripheral Express-
ways Thursday in a “re-
hearsal” for January 26,
when they will move
into the national capital
from Haryana, Punjab
and Uttar Pradesh.
Police estimate
around 2,500 tractors
will be on the express-
way during the march.
In other parts of Hary-
ana too, farmers will
undertake tractor
marches to oppose the
three central farm laws.
Addressing a press
conferenceattheSinghu
border, where farmers
havebeencampingsince
November 26, Yogendra
Yadav, political activist
and a member of the
SamyuktKisanMorcha,
Friday said the tractors
would leave from the
Singhu, Tikri and Ghaz-
ipur borders, and Re-
wasan in Haryana, for
theEasternandWestern
Peripheral Express-
ways, and meet midway.
“This may be seen as
a rehearsal of what will
happen on January 26,”
he said.
The tractor march
comes a day ahead of
fresh round Turn to P6
SC ASKS CENTRE: ARE FARMERS
PROTECTED AGAINST COVID?
The Supreme court on Thursday asked the Centre
whether the thousands of farmers camping in and
around Delhi in protest against the three farm laws
over the past many weeks are “protected from
Covid”. The court likened the state of affairs to one
involving the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in the
capital in March last year that went on to become
one of the biggest clusters of coronavirus cases.
New Delhi/Jaipur:
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi on Thursday
inaugurated the New Re-
wari-New Madar section
of theWesternDedicated
Freight Corridor and
flagged off the world’s
first 1.5-km-long electri-
fied double stack long
haul container train.
Modi said the project
was part of the mission
to modernise the coun-
try’s infrastructure and
was being seen as a
game changer for the
India of 21 century. The
section, which became
operational after a hard
work of five to six years,
would be beneficial to
farmers, industrialists
and businessmen in the
National Capital Re-
gion, Haryana and Ra-
jasthan. Turn to P6
Western dedicated freight corridor
will be a boon for nation: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates Rewari-Madar Section
of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, via video conferencing,
in New Delhi on Thursday. —PHOTO BY PTI
The dates of the JEE Advanced 2021 exam have been
announced by Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal on
his official Twitter account during a live session con-
ducted at 6 pm on Thursday. The engineering entrance
examination will be conducted on July 3, 2021.
Pokhriyal also states that the eligibility criteria for
seeking admission into Indian Institutes of Technol-
ogy (IITs), which requires the students to score at
least 75 percent marks in their class 12 exams, has
been scrapped for this year.
JEE ADVANCED 2021
TO BE HELD ON
JULY 3: MINISTER

NEWSAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2021
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First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The
Rashtriya Swayamse-
vak Sangh (RSS) and
its affiliated organi-
zations culminated
its three-day annual
meeting ‘Samanvay
Baithak’ in Gandhi-
nagar on Thursday.
Aimed at reforma-
tion of the concept of
‘Akhand Bharat’, the
meet was attended by
RSS chief Mohan
Bhagwat and BJP na-
tional president JP
Nadda. Three agen-
das were set at the
gathering-- Impor-
tance of family val-
ues, protection of the
environment and wa-
ter bodies, bringing
back ‘Bharatiya’
ethos in people.
On the last day of
meeting, the Sangh’s
fellow workers Dr
Krishna Gopal and
Arun Kumar addressed
the media and stated,
“Such meetings are
conducted by the or-
ganization bi-annually
but, owing to the COV-
ID-19 pandemic, the
meeting scheduled in
September last year
had to be cancelled.
But, various sister or-
ganizations of the RSS
have done good work
when cases spiked and
all of it was assessed at
the gathering.”
One of the three
agendas put on the ros-
ter by the RSS, protec-
tion of the environ-
ment and creating
awareness campaigns
on conservation of wa-
ter bodies like lake,
ponds and falls. “The
RSS wants to see
Bharat as a plastic-free
nation, and to that end,
it will soon launch a
campaign,” added Go-
pal & Kumar.
Also, driving home
the point of ‘Bharati-
ya’ ethos, the organiza-
tion seeks to encourage
people to live in joint
families.
Furthermore, in or-
der to make ‘Bharat’ a
harmonious country,
the Sangh and its sister
organizations plan to
work with people
across the nation and
build trust among peo-
ple and communities.
Dr Krishna Gopal and Alok Kumar of the RSS addressing the media.
RSS sets 3 agendas: Family values,
water conservation & being ‘Bhartiya’
The volunteer body and its sister organizations vowed to make India a
more harmonious nation at bi-annual meeting held at Gandhinagar
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The Gu-
jarat Pradesh Con-
gress Committee
(GPCC) spokesperson
Manish Doshi has al-
leged that a Comp-
troller and Auditor
General (CAG) audit
of the Gujarat gov-
ernment would un-
earth scams worth
crores of rupees.
“The Ahmedabad
Municipal Corpora-
tion’s (AMC) Drain-
age Project Depart-
ment recently issued
a tender worth Rs2.5
crore for hiring two
recyclers for sewer
cleaning work in the
city. Ahead of the lo-
cal body elections,
the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) govern-
ment has allegedly
been involved in mul-
tiple scams,” said
Doshi.
“In cities, including
Ahmedabad, the BJP
has set up corruption
centres for its allies.
The ruling party has
squandered crores of
rupees collected from
the citizens. They col-
lect tax money in a hap-
hazard manner and
give away crores of ru-
pees to their allies. If a
CAG audit is conducted
of the BJP going back
the last 15 years of its
regime in metros, in-
cluding Ahmedabad, on
moralgrounds,thenthe
corrupt face of the par-
ty will be exposed to the
public,” he asserted.
As soon as Congress
comes to power, a CAG
audit of the state gov-
ernment will bring jus-
tice to the people and
account for their hard-
earned money, he said.
Doshi added that
strict legal action will
be taken against the
BJP rulers and officials
involved in corruption.
Alleging foul play in
the tender issued by
the civic body, the
GPCC spokesperson
added, “The matter has
flared up due to the
controversial chain of
events. If the contrac-
tor hired fails to com-
plete the project given
to him, the AMC itself
purchases the second-
hand recycler ma-
chines used by the con-
tractor. Experts in this
field have also been
scratching their heads
over this strange ex-
change. Ultimately, the
profit belongs to the
contractor and the loss
or risk is only borne by
AMC.”
Notably, the tender-
ing process is complet-
ed in six months, but in
this case, it was culmi-
nated in just six weeks.
CAG audit of BJP regime will unearth
scams worth crores of rupees: Cong
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Chief
Minister Vijay Rupani
on Thursday laid the
foundation stone of a
drinking water supply
project in Patan district.
“After gas/power grid,
the state will soon have a
water grid and all villag-
es will be covered under
the drinking water pro-
ject,” he said. Earlier in
the day, he dedicated the
Kisan Suryodaya Yojana
in Narmada district. On
the other hand, Deputy
Chief Minister Nitin Pa-
tel reviewed the COV-
ID-19 vaccination prepa-
rations currently under-
way in the supervision
of the state health de-
partment.
Addressing people
gatheredatTilakwadaof
Narmada district, CM
Rupani dedicated the Yo-
janaunderwhich454vil-
lages in the districts of
NarmadaBharuch,Tapi,
Surat,ValsadandNavsa-
riwillreceivepowersup-
ply during daytime for
agricultural purposes.
Thisinitiativewillpoten-
tially benefit lakhs of
farmers in the region.
Meanwhile,DyCMPa-
teltookstockof theprep-
arations for nCoV vac-
cine drive. “The COV-
ID-19recoveryrateinthe
state is 96.35% and the
mortality rate is 1.45%.
The vaccination dry run
hasbeencompletedinall
33 districts and munici-
pal corporation areas.
There will be three vac-
cination sites per taluka
and 26 zones.”
Talking about the
Pradhan Mantri Gram
SadakYojana,Patelsaid,
“The central govern-
ment has allotted Rs968
crorefortheprogramme
and funds will be used
for the expansion of
1,715 kilometre of roads
in 28 districts.”
Gujarat to soon have a water grid for supply to villages: CM Rupani
FOR THE PEOPLE
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani addressing the gathering at Patan on Thursday.
He dedicated
a water
supply plant
in Patan;
DyCM Patel
took stock of
COVID-19
vaccination
drive
preparations
125Congressmembers
detainedbypoliceinRajkot
First India Bureau
Rajkot: Around 125
Congress party mem-
bers were detained by
police officials on
Thursday while stag-
ing a dharna against
the Rajkot police com-
missioner Manoj
Agarwal and Rajkot
collector Remya Mo-
han for allegedly fil-
ing a wrongful case of
land grabbing against
Kanaksinh Jadeja,
the husband of Con-
gress corporator Ur-
vashi Jadeja of ward
number 12.
Speaking to First
India, Rajkot Munici-
pal Corporation
(RMC) Leader of Op-
position Vashram Sa-
gathiya said, “Jade-
ja’s forefathers had
around 7.5 acres of
land in their native
Vavdi village. A small
portion of this land
was sold by his grand-
father in 1970 to one
M e e n a k u m a r i
Parekh. The owner-
ship of the rest of the
land belonged to the
Jadeja family. During
land measurement,
excess land was found
which, according to
promulgation law,
should be in the name
of the Jadeja family,
but was illegally put
down in Parekh’s
name.”
“Despite filing a
court case and sub-
mitting an objection
application to the rev-
enue department, the
police have unlawful-
ly registered a land
grabbing case against
Kanaksinh and his
aged father. Both Ra-
jkot police and the
collector are dancing
to the tunes of the
ruling government.
By making up such
cases, the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) is
trying to instigate
fear among Congress
leaders, workers and
corporators,” added
Sagathiya.
The Gujarat Land
Grabbing Prohibition
Act can be imposed
on those who have il-
legally grabbed land
or falsified docu-
ments. In this case,
the land owner is
Jadeja and his family,
so on what basis has
the case been regis-
tered on?, asked the
leader of opposition.
Sagathiya also al-
leged that police
misbehaved with
women workers of
the party during
their demonstration
on Thursday.
RMC LoP Vashram Sagathiya (in the van) at the protest.
They had gathered
to protest a ‘false’
land grabbing case
filed against the
family of a party
corporator at RMC
GPCC spokesperson Manish Doshi
In cities, including Ahmedabad,
the BJP has set up corruption cen-
tres for its allies. The ruling party
has squandered crores of rupees collected
from the citizens. They collect tax money
in a haphazard manner and give away
crores of rupees to their allies. If a CAG
audit is conducted of the BJP going back
the last 15 years of its regime in metros,
including Ahmedabad, on moral grounds,
then the corrupt face of the party will be
exposed to the public.
—Manish Doshi, GPCC spokesperson

GUJARATAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2021
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
Bharatiya Janata Par-
ty’s (BJP) state unit
president CR Patil final-
ly reorganized its state
committee by bringing
innewfaces,withstrong
affiliation to the Rash-
triya Swayamsevak
Sangh (RSS) on Thurs-
day.
With several old
guards replaced by new
people on the state team,
this development may
open a Pandora’s Box
for the party especially
Patil later on during the
RajyaSabhaelectionsor
state assembly polls. A
rise in the number of
contenders for tickets is
likely to pose a problem
for the party leadership
during polls.
Patil’s new team in-
cludes seven vice presi-
dents, five general secre-
taries and eight secre-
taries. A surprising
declaration was the an-
nouncement of
Bhikhubhai Dalsaniya
continuing on as the
general Secretary (or-
ganisation). Specula-
tions had been rife that
Dalsaniya could be re-
placed as he may be
posted out of Gujarat.
Similarly, Gordhan
Zadafia will stay on as
the vice president of the
state committee.
Surendra Patel, more
fondly known as Suren-
drakaka, will also con-
tinue in his post as the
treasurer of the party.
He may prove to be the
longest-serving treas-
urer of the BJP. Patel
will be assisted by
DharmeshShah,former
chairman of
AHmedabad Urban De-
velopment Authority
(AUDA).
It seems that Patil has
rightly balanced his
team after taking caste
and regional equations
into consideration. The
Patidar community still
dominates the party or-
ganization but, Other
Backward Class (OBC),
Scheduled Caste (SC)
and Scheduled Tribe
(ST) have also been giv-
en their due in the party
along with Brahmin,
Baniya, Rajput commu-
nities. The exit of vice
president IK Jadeja
from the organization
maymeanthattheparty
might consider running
him for the Rajya Sabha
elections this year or in
state assembly polls in
2022.
New faces in, old guards out as BJP reorganizes Guj team
OVERHAULED
(L to R) Former BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya, former BJP president IK Jadeja, state unit president
CR Patil and general secretary (organization) Bhikhubhai Dalsaniya at the party meet.
UNSEASONAL RAINFALL IN
NORTH & SOUTH GUJARAT: IMD
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The In-
dia Meteorological De-
partment (IMD) has
predicted rainfall in
North and South Guja-
rat from Friday to Sun-
day. The meteorologi-
cal department fore-
casted rainfall in
Dang, Tapi, Narmada
and Dahod districts to-
day. Cold weather and
unseasonal rainfall in
the state has also
raised concern among
farmers.
Rainfall is also fore-
cast in Chhota Udepur,
Navsari, Bharuch, Da-
hod on Saturday. Da-
hod, Dang, Narmada
and Tapi are likely to
receive rainfall until
Sunday.
During the monsoon
season last year, farm-
ers had reported heavy
damage to their crops
due to heavy rainfall.
Despite the excessive
downpour, the farmers
were hoping for a
strong winter crop, but
with unseasonal rains
pattering down, they
are worried that un-
seasonal showers may
harm their harvest
and set them back fi-
nancially. The winter
crops that stand to sus-
tain damage due to un-
seasonal rains are
cumin, wheat and cot-
ton.
Earlier this week,
the minimum temper-
ature dropped to 5.6
degrees Celsius in the
town of Naliya, the
lowest in the state. The
weather department
also predicted that
cold wave conditions
were set to prevail in
parts of the state. At
several places, the
minimum tempera-
tures dropped two to
five degrees below nor-
mal. In fact, the tem-
perature could go up
by 2-3 degrees over the
next few days, IMD
added.
Ahmedabad record-
ed a maximum tem-
perature of 28 degrees
Celsius and minimum
temperature of 15 de-
grees Celsius on
Thursday. As per the
forecast for the next
few days, the city may
see a one degree drop
in minimum tempera-
ture but have clear
skies.
The next few days may prove challenging for farmers in parts of the state. —FILE PHOTO
FARMERS’ WOES
4 patients with UK’s
new nCoV strain
discharged from SVP
Rise in COVID-19 cases
continues; three deaths
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Prior to
a blanket ban on
flights from the Unit-
ed Kingdom (UK) to
India, after a new
strain of novel coro-
navirus was reported
in the foreign nation,
passengers who had
landed in the city had
undergone RT-PCR
testing. Four passen-
gers had tested posi-
tive for the new strain
and had been admit-
ted to the Sardar
Vallabhabhai Patel
(SVP) Hospital. After
undergoing treatment
all four patients were
discharged from the
hospital on Thursday.
They will have to stay
in home isolation for
seven days.
It was only after their
RT-PCR test reports
came back negative
twice were they dis-
charged by the hospital.
The samples collected
from the passengers
who landed from the UK
had been sent to the Na-
tional Institute of Virol-
ogy, Pune for testing,
which showed a new
strain of the virus.
The first RT-PCR test
was conducted on the
passengers who trav-
elled from the UK 15
days ago at the Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel Inter-
national Airport itself.
At the time, two passen-
gers had tested positive
for the new strain of
nCoV.
Four passengers were
confirmed to have been
infected with the new
strain of COVID-19 after
samplessenttothePune
lab came back positive.
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: After
recording a consistent
fall in fresh COVID-19
cases for a few days, a
slight rise in numbers
was reported on Thurs-
day. Around 667 people
reported with the COV-
ID-19 infection in the
last 24 hours. This took
the total case tally of
the virus to 2,49,793.
Three patients suc-
cumbed to the virus as
two deaths were report-
ed in Ahmedabad city,
and one in Surat city.
The death toll of the
pandemic in the state
stands at 4,332.
At least 899 patients
were discharged from
across the state on the
day. So far, 2,37,222 pa-
tients have recovered
from the infection in
the state. There are
8,359 active cases in Gu-
jarat, of which, 58 pa-
tients are put on venti-
lator support.
At 133 cases,
Ahmedabad reported
the highest number of
cases in the state, of
which 129 were report-
ed from urban areas
and only four from the
rural parts.
The districts which
reported more than 100
cases included Surat
and Vadodara which re-
ported 120 cases each in
the last 24 hours. While
Surat city reported 109
cases, its rural pocket
reported 19 cases. In Va-
dodara, the city record-
ed 91 cases while the
rural areas recorded 28
cases.
Among other dis-
tricts, Rajkot reported
80 cases followed by
Gandhinagar and
Kutch which reported
17 cases each.
2 MINORS ELOPE TO GET MARRIED IN V’DARA
First India Bureau
Vadodara: Two mi-
nors allegedly eloped
from their home in
the Vadodara district
to get married, police
officials said. Accord-
ing to officials, the
boy is a Class X stu-
dent while the girl
studies in Class IX.
The two minors have
been friends for years
but they became clos-
er to each other after
the nationwide lock-
down imposed due to
the COVID-19 pan-
demic last year.
TheFirstInformation
Report (FIR) filed by the
girl’s mother stated that
the minors used to chat
routinely on a social me-
dia platform.
Soon, the family
and relatives of the
students heard about
their ‘closeness’ and
allegedly objected to
their relationship. As
a result, the minors
were unable to meet
for several months af-
ter their families took
away their mobile
phones and left them
with no back channel
for communication.
One day, the two man-
aged to meet and de-
cided to run away to
get married, police
sources said.
Despite eloping last
week, the parents of the
girl lodged a complaint
with the Savli police sta-
tion on Wednesday. The
police have put together
a search team to look for
the two minors. Police
have lodged complaints
under the Protection of
Children from Sexual
Offences (POCSO) Act
and various other sec-
tions of the Indian Pe-
nal Code (IPC).
Dang,Tapi,Narmada&Dahoddistswilllikelyhaveovercastskies&lightshowerstoday
Around 438 graduating cadets at the 13th bench convocation parade of the Lok Rakshak Dal (LRD) organized by the Gujarat Police
Academy at its parade ground in Karai, Gandhinagar on Thursday.The chief guest of the event was Minister of State for Home
Pradipsinh Jadeja, who said that the state government plans to recruit another 1,200 LRD jawans. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
AMC health workers preparing for the COVID-19 vaccination drive at a government school in
Viratnagar area of Ahmedabad on Thursday. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
Passengers who arrived from London at Ahmedabad Airport. —FILE PHOTO
Stray dog
bites 10,
including
2 minors
First India Bureau
Surat: In a shock-
ing incident, a
stray dog bit 10
residents of Avirb-
hav Society near
Piyush Point in
Pandesara area of
the city on Thurs-
day. The incident
has triggered out-
rage among the
residents, who
claimed that de-
spite several com-
plaints, the Surat
Municipal Corpo-
ration (SMC) had
not taken any ac-
tion to curb the
stray dog menace
in the area. Family
members of the
victims said that
the incident could
have been avoided
if SMC had acted
on time.
A resident of the
area and dog lover
saidthatthedogbit
nearly 10 people,
including two chil-
dren, the youngest
of whom was six-
year-old Ankit Pa-
til. “On Thursday, I
noticedachangein
the behaviour of
one of them, as he
was attacking oth-
erdogs.Isuspected
that it had turned
rabidandaskedthe
residents to stay
alert,” said Asha
Batukbhai, one of
the victims.
On the road to
recovery, they have
been asked to stay in
home isolation for a
week
LEFT RIGHT LEFT!
Asha Batukbhai, one of
the victims

G Vol 2 G Issue No. 45 G RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad.
Published at D/302 3rd Floor Plot No. 35 Titanium Square, Scheme No. 2, Thaltej Taluka, Ghatlodiya, Ahmedabad. Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra. Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
PERSPECTIVEAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2021
id the United
States just have
a coup attempt?
Supporters of
President Don-
ald Trump, following his
encouragement, stormed
the U.S. Capitol building
on Jan. 6, disrupting the
certification of Joe Biden’s
election victory. Waving
Trump banners, hundreds
of people broke through
barricades and smashed
windows to enter the build-
ing where Congress con-
venes. One rioter died and
several police officers
were hospitalized in the
clash. Congress went on
lockdown.
While violent and shock-
ing, what happened on Jan.
6 wasn’t a coup.
This Trumpist insurrec-
tion was election violence,
much like the election vio-
lence that plagues many
fragile democracies.
WHAT IS A COUP?
While coups do not have a
single definition, research-
ers who study them – like
ourselves – agree on the
key attributes of what aca-
demics call a “coup event.”
Coup experts Jonathan
Powell and Clayton Thyne
define a coup d’etat as “an
overt attempt by the mili-
tary or other elites within
the state apparatus to un-
seat the sitting head of
state using unconstitution-
al means.”
Essentially, three param-
eters are used to judge
whether an insurrection is
a coup event:
z Are the perpetrators agents
of the state, such as
military officials or rogue
governmental officials?
z Is the target of the insur-
rection the chief executive
of the government?
z Do the plotters use illegal
and unconstitutional
methods to seize execu-
tive power?
COUPS AND COUP
ATTEMPTS
A successful coup occurred
in Egypt on July 3, 2013,
when army chief Abdel
Fattah al-Sisi forcefully re-
moved the country’s un-
popular president, Mo-
hamed Morsi. Morsi,
Egypt’s first democratical-
ly elected leader, had re-
cently overseen the writ-
ing of a new constitution.
Al-Sisi suspended that, too.
This qualifies as a coup be-
cause al-Sisi seized power
illegally and introduced
his own rule of law in the
ashes of the elected gov-
ernment. Coups don’t al-
ways succeed in over-
throwing the government.
In 2016, members of the
Turkish military attempt-
ed to remove Turkey’s
strongman president,
Reçep Erdogan, from pow-
er. Soldiers seized key are-
as in Ankara, the capital,
and Istanbul, including the
Bosphorus Bridge and two
airports. But the coup
lacked coordination and
widespread support, and it
failed quickly after Presi-
dent Erdogan called on his
supporters to confront the
plotters. Erdogan remains
in power today.
WHAT HAPPENED AT
THE US CAPITOL?
The shocking events of Jan.
6 were political violence of
the sort that too often mars
elections in young or unsta-
ble democracies. Bangla-
deshi elections suffer from
perennial mob violence and
political insurrections due
to years of government vio-
lence and opposition anger.
Its 2015 and 2018 elections
looked more like war zones
thandemocratictransitions.
In Cameroon, armed dis-
sidents perpetrated vio-
lence in the 2020 election,
targeting government
buildings, opposition fig-
ures and innocent bystand-
ers alike. Their aim was to
delegitimize the vote in re-
sponse to sectarian vio-
lence and government over-
reach. The United States’
electoral violence differs in
cause and context from that
seen in Bangladesh and
Cameroon, but the action
was similar. The U.S. didn’t
haveacoup,butthisTrump-
encouraged insurrection is
likely to send the country
down a politically and so-
cially turbulent road.
HTTPS://THECONVERSATION.COM
Siege on US Capitol poll violence, not coup
D
“It is better to strive in one’s
own dharma than to succeed
in the dharma of another.”
— Bhagavad Gita
Spiritual
SPEAK
Top
TWEET
Piyush Goyal
@PiyushGoyal
Public address loudspeaker From
9th January, passengers travelling
by Rajdhani Superfast special
between Mumbai & Delhi will reach
their destination faster than before,
with revised timings & an additional
halt at Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh.
This will reduce travel time &
enhance passenger convenience.
Anand Sharma
@AnandSharmaINC
The violence unleashed in the
Capitol Hill to subvert American
people’s verdict is a brazen
assault on democracy. Donald
Trump has set a dangerous
precedent, and in the process
violated his constitutional oath
and disgraced his office.
uch awaited peoples’ verdict
after the maiden elections to
the District Development
Councils (DDCs) conducted
after the reorganisation of
the erstwhile J&K state and
abrogation of Article 370 is
out. The results have proved
beyond doubt that the people
of J&K have full faith in In-
dian democracy and they are
as much interested in devel-
opment as the rest of the
countrymen.
The verdict clearly signals
the victory of democracy
over the false narratives of
alienation, loss of confi-
dence, cheating & betrayal,
special status, and change in
demography. It is the defeat
of communal and hate poli-
tics practised by the Kash-
mir-centric parties who tried
their best to portray Bharati-
ya Janata Party as a “party
of Hindus” and create Hin-
du-Muslim divide in order to
keep BJP away from Valley
politics. It is the defeat of sta-
tus quo lobby which forget-
ting all their political and
ideological differences
ganged up together to de-
mand restoration of Article
370 and special status.
The results of 278 seats out
of 280 for which the elections
were held have been de-
clared. While the Gupkar Al-
liance has won 112 seats, BJP
has emerged as the single
largest party with 75 seats
(including 3 from Kashmir)
closely followed by the Na-
tional Conference with 67
seats (including 24 from the
bordering districts of Ram-
ban, Kishtwar, and Rajouri).
Incidentally, the Independ-
ents have emerged victorious
on 50 (32+18) seats more than
the combined total of the
other regional parties com-
prising the alliance.
7 party Peoples’ Alliance
for Gupkar Declaration was
formed under the chairman-
ship of Dr Farooq Abdullah
whose main motive was to
seek restoration of Article
370 and return of statehood.
Realising that their refusal to
participate in elections may
make them totally irrelevant
in mainstream politics, they
also decided to participate as
an alliance.
Congress as usual was
wanting to piggy back on the
alliance but the Central unit
of the party put a lid on their
hopes announcing that it was
not part of the Gupkar Alli-
ance. However, the local unit
had different plans. It por-
trayed to the people of Jam-
mu its adherence to the dik-
tats of party high command
hoping that it could win some
seats in Hindu majority dis-
tricts. But it failed to fool the
people who had read their
mind well leading to its total
washout in these districts. As
soon as the results were an-
nounced the cat was let out of
the bag by none other than
the Chief Spokesperson of
thepartybystating,“Wewere
part of the alliance. Where
ever Congress has won it is
with the help of alliance and
wherever alliance has won, it
is with the help of Congress.”
The usual Congress tactics of
opportunistic politics and
sharing the spoils of power
with limited numbers. Inci-
dentally, NC has replaced
Congress as number two par-
ty in Jammu region.
Despite the Opposition
ganging up against the BJP
in both Jammu and Kashmir
regions, the party contested
the elections vigorously and
left no stone unturned to re-
tain its clout in Jammu re-
gion but also worked tire-
lessly to strengthen its base
in Kashmir Valley and break
the stranglehold of the Kash-
mir-centric parties. Though
Lotus is the state flower of
J&K and grows in abundance
in Kashmir, BJP so far had
been unable to ensure the
blooming of political lotus in
Kashmir. But for the first
time and that too after abro-
gation of 370 BJP has suc-
ceeded in gaining foot hold in
Kashmir by winning three
seats, one each in the three
regions of Kashmir. It has
sent shockwaves among the
leaders of Gupkar alliance
which claimed to have en-
tered the electoral fray only
to checkmate the BJP and
prevent it from gaining entry
into their exclusive strong-
hold so that they could con-
tinue to promote the politics
of “exclusivity”. This will
now force them from remain-
ing a mere alliance to trans-
form into a formidable politi-
cal front for all political bat-
tles in future. A major chal-
lenge for BJP.
Jammu based parties
which had also contested
against the BJP but were not
part of the Gupkar Alliance
have been decimated by the
people who were expecting
these parties to put up a joint
front against the Gupkar Al-
liance.
As the verdict was unfold-
ing and the alliance was far-
ing well in Kashmir, the Gup-
karis suddenly changed the
narrative from preventing
BJP to make inroads in Kash-
mir and annihilating it in
Jammu to the referendum of
the government’s decision of
05 August 2019 to abrogate
Article 370 and 35A.
Even before the final tally
had emerged both Mehbooba
Mufti and Omar Abdullah,
leaders of the Gupkar Alli-
ance, took to twitter claiming
endorsement of their stand
of restoring status quo ante
as before 05 August 2019, con-
trarytotheirinitiallyavowed
aim and purpose. These were
followed by a series of tweets
and statements by other lead-
ers of the alliance. A clear
cut attempt to hijack the vic-
tory of democracy by chang-
ing the narrative.
Truly speaking when the
successful conduct of the
DDC elections and whole-
hearted participation by the
people coupled with no boy-
cott call or terror acts in the
first election held after abro-
gation of Article 370 were be-
ing hailed as the victory of
Indian democracy by the me-
dia and intelligentsia across
the nation, the otherwise in-
terpretation of the same by
the Gupkar Alliance was not
unexpected. The politics of
Gupkar Alliance has always
revolved around hollow slo-
gans, false and broken prom-
ises as well as false and man-
ufactured narratives to emo-
tionally exploit the public.
It was anticipated and ex-
pected that after the results
were declared, the parties
would interpret the results
based on the narrative they
wanted to sell post the elec-
tions. Having to eat a humble
pie after failing to stop the
BJP from making inroads in
Kashmir despite total polari-
sation and anti-BJP propa-
ganda unleashed by the Alli-
ance, it had no option but to
change the narrative towards
referendum of demand for
restoration of Article 370.
Unfortunately their asser-
tion is a false claim as statis-
tics speak to the contrary.
The mandate received by
the alliance to form the Dis-
trict Councils which is laced
withthehopeof localdevelop-
ment is well appreciated and
thealliancedeservestobecon-
gratulated. But their attempt
tounilaterallychangethenar-
rative deserves not only refut-
ing but condemnation as well.
The total votes polled by the
seven party alliance is much
less than the votes polled by
BJP singularly. 7,08,714
(24.82%) votes were polled in
favour of the BJP alone and
the alliance together has
polled 6,43,274 votes (22.50%).
Interestingly, newly formed
ApniParty(5.30%)thoughhas
12 seats as compared to 26 of
PDP, its vote share is larger
thanthePDP(3.96%).If allthe
votes of the parties against
restoration of 370 are added
the tally jumps to nearly 15
lakhs while the total votes
polled were 28, 55, 509. A clear
cut verdict against the status
quo agenda of the Gupkaris
and in favour of development
and better future sans terror-
ism and radicalism. It is also a
big blow to those who have la-
belled BJP as a “party of the
Hindus, by the Hindus and for
the Hindus.”
The Gupkaris will do well
to serve the people and ad-
dress their basic needs of
connectivity, water and elec-
tricity for which people have
reposed their faith in them
while upholding the dignity
of the Indian Constitution
and the National Flag rather
than once again resorting to
rhetoric of restoration of 370
which would always remain
a distant dream. Rather than
selling manufactured narra-
tives, the people want that
their basic necessities and
needs be provided to them.
BJP also cannot rest on its
laurels but will have to work
hard to woo 70% Kashmiri
voters which stayed away
from this election. In order to
fulfil its dream of “Panchay-
at to Parliament” in Kashmir,
BJP will have to come out
with innovative and “out of
box” initiatives to win over
the Kashmiris without re-
sorting to appeasement. BJP
has to prove that it is differ-
ent from other parties by
erasing the image of “lack of
sincerity” perceived about
Delhi by majority Kashmiris.
BJP has no option but to
walk the talk.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
VICTORY OF DEMOCRACY
OVER FALSE NARRATIVES
M
Despite the
Opposition
ganging up
against the BJP
in both Jammu
and Kashmir
regions, the party
contested the
elections
vigorously and
left no stone
unturned to
retain its clout in
Jammu region
but also worked
tirelessly to
strengthen its
base in Kashmir
Valley and break
the stranglehold
of the Kashmir-
centric parties.
IT WAS ANTICIPATED AND EXPECTED THAT
AFTER THE RESULTS WERE DECLARED, THE
PARTIES WOULD INTERPRET THE RESULTS
BASED ON THE NARRATIVE THEY WANTED
TO SELL POST THE ELECTIONS.
BRIG VETERAN
ANIL GUPTA
The author is a Jammu
based veteran, political
commentator, columnist, security
and strategic analyst

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INDIAAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2021
Keep protest peaceful, says
MoS Choudhary to farmers
Farm laws brought by Modi govt are for the welfare of farmers, the Min said
New Delhi: The Union
Minister of State for
Agriculture Kailash
Choudhary on Thurs-
day made an appeal to
the agitating farmers to
keep the protest march
peaceful and empha-
sised that government
was hopeful of a resolu-
tion tomorrow.
“I would like to ap-
peal to farmers to keep
it peaceful. It is their
right to protest but
there are people, like
Communists, who are
inciting farmers and
don’t want peace in the
country. Farmers need
to be cautious. I expect
that tomorrow’s meet-
ing will bring some
positive news,” said
Choudhary while
speaking to the ANI.
The agitating farm-
ers are taking out a
tractor march on East-
ern Peripheral Express-
way in protest against
three Central farm
laws.
The Minister assured
that the farm laws
brought by the Naren-
dra Modi government
are for the welfare of
farmers.
While appealing the
farmers to protest
peacefully, he also laid
emphasis on the gov-
ernment’s will to re-
volve the issue at the
earliest. “Prime Minis-
ter Modi wants the is-
sue to be resolved soon.
We want farmers to
come to the discussion
table. However, only yes
and no can’t be the way
to resolve this issue. If
farmers want amend-
ments in these laws, we
are ready for it,” Choud-
hary reiterated. —ANI
An old farmer sitting during an ongoing protest against the new farm laws, at the Singhu border in
New Delhi on Thursday. —PHOTO BY ANI
MINISTER SPEAK
COVID-hit economy to
contract 7.7 per cent in
2020-21: Govt estimates
New Delhi: India’s
GDP is estimated to
contract by a record 7.7
per cent during 2020-21
as the COVID-19 pan-
demic severely hit the
key manufacturing and
services segments, as
per government projec-
tions released on Thurs-
day.
Amid overall decline
in economic activities,
some respite was pro-
vided by the agriculture
sector and utility ser-
vices like power and gas
supply, which have been
projected to post posi-
tive growth during the
current fiscal ending
March 2021.
“Real GDP or GDP at
Constant Prices (2011-
12) in the year 2020-21 is
likely to attain a level of
Rs 134.40 lakh crore, as
against the Provisional
Estimate of GDP for the
year 2019-20 of Rs 145.66
lakh crore...
“The growth in real
GDP during 2020-21 is
estimated at -7.7 per
cent as compared to the
growth rate of 4.2 per
cent in 2019-20,” said the
first advanced esti-
mates of national in-
come released by the
National Statistical Of-
fice (NSO). The contrac-
tion in the GDP, howev-
er, would not be as steep
as projected by certain
international agencies
like the IMF and World
Bank. —PTI
JUSTICE AK MISHRA TO HEAD PANEL
ON QUOTA IN ODISHA GOVT SCHOOLS
Bhubaneswar: The
Odisha Government on
Thursday constituted
a High Power Commit-
tee for making neces-
sary recommendation
regarding reservation of
seats for the students of
government high schools
in engineering and medi-
cal colleges of the State
following a decision of the
Cabinet in this regard on
December 28, 2020.The
panel will recommend
reservation of seats for
the students of govern-
ment high schools in the
engineering and medical
colleges of the State. The
committee will be headed
by the retired judge of
Orissa High Court Justice
AK Mishra. who also has
been the director of the
Odisha Judicial Academy.
SENSEX SLIPS 81 PTS; NIFTY
HOLDS 14,100 LEVEL
Mumbai: Equity benchmark Sensex slipped
81 points, weighed by selling in IT, banks &
consumption stocks despite a firm trend in
global markets.The 30-share BSE index ended
80.74 points lower at 48,093.32. The broader
NSE Nifty fell 8.90 points to 14,137.35. Titan
was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding
around 2%, followed by Nestle India, HUL, HCL
Tech, Infosys, ITC & Kotak Bank. On the other
hand, Bharti Airtel, IndusInd Bank, Axis Bank,
were among the top gainers.
GOVT CLEARS 8 HYDROPOWER
PROJECTS ON INDUS IN LADAKH
New Delhi: The govern-
ment has cleared eight
hydropower projects of
144 MW on the Indus
river and its tributaries
in Ladakh, the highest
so far, sources in the Jal
Shakti Ministry said on
Thursday. At present,
there are several small
projects, with a collec-
tive capacity of 113 MW
on Indus in Ladakh,
and the new projects
will have much more
capacity than those
constructed so far, a
senior official added. The
official said the new pro-
jects have been cleared
by the Central Water
Commission as well as
the Indus Commissioner
after a separate Union
Territory of Ladakh was
announced last year.
JUSTICE HIMA KOHLI IS FIRST
WOMAN CJ OF TELANGANA HC
Hyderabad:Hima Kohli was on Thursday, sworn
in as the new Chief Justice of the Telangana
High Court.Kohli, who was a judge of Delhi
High Court, was administered the oath of office
by Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan at an
event held at Raj Bhavan. CM K Chandrasekhar
Rao, Union MoS (Home) G Kishan Reddy, sev-
eral Telangana ministers and other dignitaries
were present on the occasion. Kohli succeeded
Justice R S Chauhan, who has been transferred
as Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court.
IN THE COURTYARD
SC dismisses gangster
Abu Salem’s petition
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court declined to
entertain a petition by
gangster Abu Salem,
who claimed his extra-
dition was illegal and
liable to be cancelled
because of breach of
terms by Indian author-
ities.
A Bench headed by
CJI, SA Bobde asked Sa-
lem to approach the
Bombay HC with his
plea. “We dismiss the
plea under Article 32
with the liberty to ap-
proach High Court,” the
Benchsaid.Thepleaalso
sought a direction to
transfer Salem from
Taloja jail to Tihar jail so
that amicus curiae can
speak to him and pro-
cure some documents.
Salem argued that the
Indian authorities had
violated the extradition
treaty. Salem, an accused
in the 1993 Mumbai se-
rial blasts, had been ex-
tradited from Portugal
on Nov 11, 2005. —ANI
ILLEGAL EXTRADITION PIL to remove
Big B’s voice
from Corona
caller tune
New Delhi: A Public
interest litigation (PIL)
p e t i t i o n
has been
filed in the
Delhi High
C o u r t ,
seeking re-
moval of
the coro-
n a v i r u s
awareness caller tune
in the voice of Bolly-
wood Actor Amitabh
Bachchan.
The PIL was listed for
hearing before the
bench of JusticesDN
Patel and Justice Jyoti
Singh on Thursday but
was adjourned till Jan-
uary 18. The petitioner
Rakesh, who claimed to
be a social activist,
through advocates AK
Dubey and Pawan Ku-
mar questioned the se-
lection of the actor, Am-
itabh Bachchan, to be
the voice of the caller
tune. The plea stated
that the government
has been paying fees to
Bachchan for “chanting
such preventive meas-
ure on caller ringtone”
while ignoring some
corona warriors who
are doing greats service
to the nation helping
the poor in their time
of need by providing
them with food, cloth-
ing & shelter. —ANI
Delhi riots: Court seeks police
reply on ‘leak’ of charge sheet
New Delhi: A court on
Thursday, sought reply
from the police as to
how the copy of a sup-
plementary charge
sheet, filed against for-
mer JNU student leader
Umar Khalid in a north-
east Delhi riots case,
was allegedly leaked to
the media even before
the accused or his coun-
sel got it.
Chief Metropolitan
Magistrate Dinesh Ku-
mar directed Delhi Po-
lice to file the reply by
January 14 on how the
charge sheet was alleg-
edly leaked to the media
before the court took
cognisance of it.
Khalid’s plea said
that the allegations in
the supplementary
charge sheet and its
dissemination by the
media were allegedly
false and malicious
and compromised his
right to a fair trial. He
had earlier alleged that
the media was conduct-
ing a vicious media
campaign against him.
—Agencies
Won’t be able to appear for
probe:Actor Rampal’s sis
Mumbai: Bollywood
actor Arjun Rampal’s
sister Komal Rampal
had informed the Nar-
cotics Control Bureau
(NCB), through her law-
yer, that she would be
unable to appear before
the investigating agen-
cy on Wednesday.
The NCB had sum-
moned Komal Rampal
on Wednesday in con-
nection with a drug-re-
lated case.
“Arjun Rampal’s sis-
ter Komal Rampal,
through her lawyer, had
informed NCB on
Wednesday that she
would be unable to ap-
pear before them. Also,
she has not sought any
further date to appear.
NCB is legally examin-
ing her response,” an
NCB source told ANI.
Arjun Rampal, being
investigated in a drug-
related case, was ques-
tioned by the NCB on
November 13 in the
matter. NCB officials
had on Nov 9 conducted
a raid at the residence
of Arjun Rampal and
seized some electronic
gadgets. —ANI
Arnab Goswami, two others
fail to appear before court
Mumbai: TV journalist
Arnab Goswami, an ac-
cused in an abetment of
suicide case, failed to
appear before a court in
Raigad district of Ma-
harashtra on Thursday,
prompting the prosecu-
tion to seek a warrant
against him. Alibaug
Police had arrested Gos-
wami & two others in
the case related to inte-
rior designer Anvay
Naik’s alleged suicide
in November 2020. They
were later granted bail
by the SC.On Thursday,
as the case came up be-
fore Alibaug sessions
court, Goswami’s law-
yer sought exemption
from appearance. The
court granted exemp-
tion. The other two ac-
cused also didn’t ap-
pear before court. —PTI
Gadkari holds meeting with
Maharashtra CM Uddhav
New Delhi: Union
Minister Nitin Gad-
kari held a meeting
with Maharashtra
Chief Minister Ud-
dhav Thackeray and
his deputy Ajit Pawar
on Thursday.
Gadkari is the Min-
ister for Road Trans-
port & Highways and
Micro, Small and Me-
dium Enterprises.
According to a few
reliable sources
from the Ministry,
ongoing projects in
the state were re-
portedly discussed
by the Ministers
during the meeting.
—ANI
Nitin Gadkari
Farmers should have
waited for next round of
talks with Centre: BJP
New Delhi: BJP on
Thursday, said farmers
should have waited till
the next round of talks,
scheduled for January
8, before giving a call for
tractor march on the na-
tional capital.
“It is not correct to
call for any movement
when the talks are un-
derway. Farmers should
have waited till January
8 talks with the Centre
before calling for trac-
tor march. Last two
rounds of talks had
ended on a positive note
and we are hopeful for a
solution in the next
round,” Shahnawaz
Hussain, national
spokesperson of BJP
said. Taking a dig at the
Congress and its gov-
ernment in Punjab,
Hussain said that peo-
ple in Punjab and the
Central government,
both know the role of
the state government in
farmers protest. “CM
Captain Amarinder Sin-
gh has failed to estab-
lish the law and order
situation in the state,”
he accused. Talking
about the Congress de-
mand of Bharat Ratna
to Sonia Gandhi, he said
that the party demand-
ing it for making Sonia
Ji happy. “Congress has
not given Bharat Ratna
to many deserving per-
sonalities during its
tenure. But now they
have demanded it for So-
nia Gandhi,” he said.
Senior Cong leader Har-
ish Rawat, had demand-
ed Modi government to
give Bharat Ratna, So-
nia Gandhi along with
BSP chief Mayawati.
Thackeray compro-
mised the ideology of
Bala Saheb Thackeray
& did exactly what Con-
gress ask him to do, he
added. —ANI
Shahnawaz Hussain

INDIAAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2021
HEMANT NAGRALE TO LOOK AFTER
AS DGP MAHARASHTRA
Hemant Nagrale has been given an additional
charge of Director General of Police in Ma-
harashtra. He is a 1987 batch IPS officer of
Maharashtra cadre.
THE TENURE OF MANOJ YADAVA
AS DG, HARYANA EXTENDED TILL
FURTHER ORDERS
The tenure of Manoj Yadava as Director General
of Police, Haryana (Head of Police Force) has
been extended beyond February 20, 2021 till
further orders. He is a 1988 batch IPS officer
of Haryana cadre. Key appointment in 2021 (2)
CBDT Chairman Grapevine has it that present
CBDT Chairman P C Mody will either get anoth-
er extension or senior-most Member S K Gupta
will be appointed new Chairman in March.
FIVE DG LEVEL VACANCIES IN GOI
Five DG level posts including in NHRC, NSG,
BPR&D, NCB and Secretary Security are cur-
rently lying vacant in the Government of India.
ONLY FIVE IAS OFFICERS FROM
UP EMPANELLED AS JOINT
SECRETARY IN GOI
As many as five 2003 batch IAS officers, out of
19, from Uttar Pradesh cadre have been empan-
elled for holding Joint Secretary or equivalent
posts in Government of India.
VAIBHAV SRIVASTAVA APPOINTED
UNDER SECRETARY, CBDT
Vaibhav Srivastava has been appointed Under
Secretary (Inv.II) Division, CBDT on deputation
basis. He is an IRS-IT officer.
WHO WILL SUCCEED KHURANA
AS CMD, MRVC?
A vacancy of Chairman-cum-Managing
Director, Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation
(MRVC) is arising on August 31, 2021.
The Government of India is yet to advertise
the post.
GUPTA TO JOIN UIDAI
Piyush Gupta is all set to join as Asstt GM
(Technology) in UIDAI on deputation for three
years. He is an ITS officer.
V P JOY RETURNS TO
PARENT CADRE; LIKELY TO BE
NEXT CS, KERALA
V P Joy, Secretary (Coordination), Cabinet
Secretariat, has been given repatriation to his
parent cadre. Joy, who is a 1987 batch IAS offi-
cer of Kerala cadre, is expected to be appointed
next Chief Secretary in the state.
VIRANDER KUMAR PAUL
ACCREDITED AS AMBASSADOR
TO SOMALIA
Dr. Virander Kumar Paul, presently High
Commissioner of India to Kenya, has been
concurrently accredited as the next Ambas-
sador of India to the Federal Republic of
Somalia, with residence in Nairobi. He is a
1991 batch IFS officer.
TENURE OF DR. MICHAEL RAJ
AS SP, CBI ENDING IN 2021
A four-year deputation tenure of Dr Michael
Raj as Superintendent of Police in Central
Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is coming to an
end in 2021. He is a 2006 batch IPS officer of
Jharkhand cadre.
POWERGallery
By arrangement with: http://
whispersinthecorridors.com
Another mock drill to take place on January 8 across all states & Union Territories, Dr Harsh Vardhan said
New Delhi: Union
Health Minister Dr
Harsh Vardhan on
Thursday interacted
with the Ministers and
Principal Secretaries/
Additional Chief Secre-
taries of the States/UTs
to review the prepared-
ness for the nationwide
mock drill on the COV-
ID-19 vaccination sched-
uled for Friday.
The second nation-
wide mock drill on the
COVID-19 vaccination
will be held at three-
session sites of 736 dis-
tricts across 33 States/
UTs. During the meet-
ing, Vardhan asked the
state authorities to be
prepared and stop mis-
information campaign.
He requested the
Health Ministers of the
states to be vigilant
against rumours and
disinformation cam-
paigns regarding the
safety and efficacy of
the COVID-19 vaccine.
He highlighted the
unique digital platform,
Co-WIN, repurposed
from the e-VIN platform
that will provide real-
time information of
vaccine stocks. —ANI
Stop vax misinformation campaigns:
Harsh Vardhan tells states, UTs
New Delhi: Govern-
ment has prepared a
detailed draft for air
transportation of COV-
ID-19 vaccines and the
movement of vaccine to
different parts of the
nation is likely to begin
by today or tomorrow.
"For vaccine trans-
portation across the
country, a common draft
has been made. It will
shortly be shared with
stakeholders. The trans-
portation of vaccine is
likely to begin by today,
governmentsaid.Sourc-
es indicated Pune will
be the central hub from
where the distribution
of vaccine will take
place. Passengers air-
craft will be allowed to
transport vaccine in the
belly of the carrier.
Since the Pune airport
is under Indian Air
Force, they will also be a
part of it," sources said.
Govt finalises
COVID-19 vaccine
transport module
New Delhi: Congress
interim President So-
nia Gandhi slammed
Centre after petrol
price breached all-time
high level in the new
year in the national
capital.
Sonia Gandhi said, “I
demand the govern-
ment to keep the prices
of petrol and diesel to
that of the UPA era and
give relief to the people
and roll back all the
three farm laws.”
“Due to covid, all
around the economy is
already in shambles
while the Modi govern-
ment is putting money
into their coffers and
making out opportuni-
ty in pandemic,” she
added. —Agencies
Govt fills its coffers
while common
man suffers: Sonia
Mumbai: BMC has
filed a police complaint
against actor Sonu
Sood and his wife for al-
legedly converting a
six-storey residential
building in Mumbai’s
Juhu area into a hotel
without the civic body’s
permission.
The alleged unau-
thorised developments
and additions have
been made in a Shakti
Sagar residential build-
ing in the Juhu area of
the metropolis.
The complaint was
filed at the Juhu police
station under the Ma-
harashtra Region and
Town Planning Act
(MRTP Act) on Janu-
ary 4. As per the com-
plaint issued by the
BMC, Sood was first
served a notice on Octo-
ber 27, 2020, and the
deadline to respond to
that ended on Novem-
ber 26 the same year.
“Therefore, the land
was again inspected on
January 4 and it was
found that the accused
had not complied with
the requisitions and
the said notice and was
continuing to carry out
the unauthorised de-
velopment even after
the notice was served
on them,” the com-
plaint read. —Agencies
BMC FILES CASE AGAINST SONU SOOD
New Delhi: Union
Home Minister, Amit
ShahhashailedtheCab-
inet Committee on Eco-
nomic Affairs (CCEA)
approval to the Central
Sector Scheme for In-
dustrialDevelopmentof
Jammu and Kashmir,
according to the official
press release by the
Ministry of Home Af-
fairs on Thursday.
In a series of tweets,
Amit Shah said, “The
PM Narendra Modi has
started development in
J&K by ridding it of ter-
rorism and separatism.
The approval of Rs.
28,400 crore central Sec-
tor Scheme for the in-
dustrial development
of J&K by the Cabinet
illustrates the special
place that J&K hold in
the heart of Modi ji.”
The Union Home
Minister said, “It is
Modiji’s visionary lead-
ership as a result of
which, for the first time,
a scheme is taking in-
dustrial development to
the block level. —ANI
Shah hails CCEA approval to
scheme for Ind Devp of J&K
New Delhi: BCCI presi-
dent Sourav Ganguly
was on
Thursday
morning
dis-
ch a r g e d
from hos-
pital here,
five days after suffering
a “mild heart attack”.
The 48-year-old crick-
et icon, who had to un-
dergo a stent insertion,
was declared stable and
clinically fit by doctors.
Ganguly ‘clinically
fit’, discharged
from hospital
The first batch of coronavirus vaccine is slated to reach New Delhi from Pune by Thursday night. The
vaccine is slated to be delivered ahead of the second dry run on January 8. —PHOTO BY PTI
CENTRE TELL STATES TO BE
READY FOR VACCINE ROLL OUT
'COVISHIELD', 'COVAXIN' TO
BE AVAILABLE SOON
New Delhi: Ahead of the mega
Covid-19 vaccination drive, the
Central government has directed all
states/ Union Territories to ensure
that preparations are on the right
track for the roll-out process, billed
as the largest such drive in the world.
“The Centre has requested the states
to ensure the advance preparation
and readiness for the acceptance of
forthcoming supply of the vaccine,”
said the government letter.
New Delhi: Dr Harsh Vardhan said that
the vaccines "Covishield" & "Covaxin"
are on the verge of being available in
the country. The Health Minister said,
"Covishield" & "Covaxin" are on the
verge of being available in the country.
Our efforts are to ensure seamless
last mile delivery of the vaccine." The
Minister further stated that some
priority groups have been decided for
vaccination as advised by the experts'
group formed by PM Narendra Modi.
The unbridled, in-
sensitive govern-
ment is breaking
the backbone of the
farmers and
middle class.
—Sonia Gandhi,
Congress interim President
Sonia Gandhi
Sonu Sood
Reacting to this, the
actor has said that
he had already
taken permission
from BMC
IAF, COMMERCIAL
AIRLINES TO HELP
Amit Shah
PM Modi to.....
Further, at an invest-
ment of Rs20 crore, a
railway station has also
been built at the Keva-
dia colony, which is just
five kilometres away
from the Statue of Uni-
ty. Any tourist willing
to reach Kevadia by
train will take just 45
minutes to reach there.
Projects that will be
dedicatedbyPMModion
January 18 include part
of the second phase of
the Ahmedabad-Gandhi-
nagar Metrolink. This
phase is yet to be com-
pletedbutpartof thepro-
ject connecting Motera
to Subhash Bridge has
been finished.
On same day, the
prime minister will
also lay the foundation
stone for the Surat
Metrolink project via
video conferencing
from New Delhi. The
Surat Metro, that will
have two lines and 37
stations, is an approved
mass rapid transit sys-
tem (MRTS) being built
to serve the people of
Surat, the second larg-
est city in Gujarat, by
the Gujarat Metro Rail
Corporation (GMRC).
The Detailed Project
Report (DPR) of the
Phase I of the Surat
Metro project under-
lines a network length
of 40.35 km approved by
the state government in
January 2017 and by the
Central Government’s
cabinet in March 2019.
The project will be fi-
nanced mainly through
equity from Govern-
ment of India (GoI) and
Government of Gujarat
(GoG) on a 50-50 basis.
United States...
During the siege at the
Capitol, lawmakers
were shifted to safe
places, shots were fired
inside the Congress and
tear gas was used.
Meanwhile, Mick
Mulvaney, a former
chief of staff in Donald
Trump’s White House,
announced Thursday
he has quit his diplo-
matic post to protest
mob violence by the
president’s supporters
at the Capitol.
“I can’t stay here, not
after yesterday. You can’t
lookatthatyesterdayand
think I want to be a part
of that in any way, shape
or form,” Mulvaney told
CNBC television.
Four dead...
Both the House and Sen-
ate and the entire Capi-
tol were placed under a
lockdown. Vice Presi-
dent Mike Pence and
lawmakers were evacu-
ated to safe locations.
Security forces fired
tear gas in a four-hour
operation to clear the
Capitol. The chaos at the
Capitol came a day after
Biden enjoyed a new tri-
umph, with his Demo-
crats projected to win
two Senate seats in run-
offs in Georgia -- hand-
ing the party full control
of Congressanddramat-
icallyincreasingBiden’s
ability to pass legisla-
tion, starting with new
Covid-19 relief.
Yogi govt’s...
Last month, taking up a
petition by Nadeem to
scrap the FIR, the Alla-
habad High Court said
the police cannot take
any coercive action
against him and granted
him protection from ar-
rest until the next date of
hearing,whichwastoday.
“The victim is admit-
tedly an adult who un-
derstandsherwell-being.
She as well as the peti-
tioner have a fundamen-
talrighttoprivacyandto
being grown-up adults
who are aware of the
consequencesof theiral-
leged relationship,” the
court said in an impor-
tantstatementthatcould
impact similar cases.
R-Day...
of talks with the gov-
ernment. The seventh
roundof talksremained
inconclusive Monday
over two key demands
— repeal of the newly
enacted laws and provi-
sion of legal guarantee
on the minimum sup-
port price — with the
two sides drawing the
hard line on their re-
spective positions.
In other news, the Su-
preme Court will hear
petitions challenging
the new laws and those
against the ongoing
protests on January 11.
A bench of Chief Jus-
tice of India S A Bobde,
Justices A S Bopanna
and V Ramasubra-ma-
nian fixed the matter
for next week after At-
torney General K K
Venugopal informed
the court that “there
are chances of the par-
ties coming to some sort
of an understanding”.
Western dedicated...
The corridor would
lead to the development
of growth centres and
points in several cities,
creation of job opportu-
nities and conditions
attracting more invest-
ments. It would give a
new fillip to the local
industries and manu-
facturing units by pro-
viding them faster and
cheaper access to the
national and interna-
tional markets. They
would get easy access to
the ports in Gujarat and
Maharashtra, he noted.
FROM PG 1

TALKING POINTAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2021
07
W
hen UK
District
J u d g e
Vanessa
Baraitser declared
she was rejecting the
US request to extra-
dite Julian Assange,
his partner Stella Mo-
ris wept with relief. In
an emotional speech
outside the court, Mo-
ris described the rul-
ing as “the first step
towards justice”, and
called on President
Donald Trump to halt
further extradition ef-
forts.
According to
Baraitser’s ruling,
Assange could not be
extradited because he
was depressed and at
risk of committing
suicide. Assange’s
lawyers are planning
to apply for bail, while
lawyers for the US
government say they
are going to appeal.
Although he is by
no means a free man,
this crucial round
goes to the Australian
WikiLeaks founder.
But on every other
point of law, the judge
found in favour of the
US. She rejected
claims that Assange’s
case was politically
motivated, that he
would not get a fair
trial and that it was
an assault on press
freedom.
So, is this a victory
for Assange and his
supporters, or a blow
to those who believe
this case to be about
protecting press free-
dom? A close reading
of the verdict and its
implications suggest
it is both.
There have been le-
gitimate questions
with regard to wheth-
er Assange’s human
rights have been
abused. Moris has
claimed Assange has
been held in appall-
ing conditions in Lon-
don’s Belmarsh pris-
on, and the judge con-
cluded his mental
health is in a danger-
ous state.
Trump has also poi-
soned the political en-
vironment in the US
in a way that would
surely test the Ameri-
can judicial system’s
ability to deliver a
verdict in his case
free of political influ-
ence.
To be clear, I ap-
plaud much of
WikiLeaks’ extraordi-
nary work in expos-
ing evidence of US
war crimes. The
shocking Collateral
Murder video show-
ing a US Apache heli-
copter gunning down
a dozen unarmed ci-
vilians, for example,
was one of the most
important leaks in re-
cent history.
But in the past, I
have argued Assange
did not apply ethical
journalistic practices
and standards to his
work more broadly,
and therefore cannot
claim press freedom
as a defence.
Soon after he pub-
lished unredacted US
diplomatic cables in
2011, a wide range of
news organisations
distanced themselves
from WikiLeaks for
that reason.
PETER GRESTE
PROFESSOR OF JOURNALISM
AND COMMUNICATIONS, THE
UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND
B
ut this is
where nu-
ance is im-
p o r t a n t .
Baraitser’s judgement
also has clear implica-
tions for press free-
dom that must con-
cern anyone who be-
lieves in the oversight
role journalists play
in a democracy.
In rejecting the no-
tion the case threat-
ens press freedom,
Baraitser was ignor-
ing the way it exposes
journalists and their
sources who seek to
hold governments to
account.
The Obama admin-
istration was notori-
ously aggressive in
attacking press free-
dom by using the Es-
pionage Act. But even
it baulked at prosecut-
ing Assange because
of what it came to
think of as “The New
York Times Problem”.
As former Justice
Department spokes-
man Matthew Miller
told The Washington
Post in 2013,
“The problem the
department has al-
ways had in investi-
gating Julian As-
sange is there is no
way to prosecute him
for publishing infor-
mation without the
same theory being
applied to journal-
ists.
And if you are not
going to prosecute
journalists for pub-
lishing classified in-
formation, which the
department is not,
then there is no way
to prosecute As-
sange”
This may sound
like splitting hairs,
but it is a crucial dis-
tinction.
Journalists have a
responsibility to up-
hold ethical princi-
ples, particularly if
they are going to
maintain public confi-
dence in their watch-
dog role. However, we
must also push back
when press freedom is
threatened either di-
rectly or indirectly.
At Assange’s extra-
dition hearing, Tre-
vor Timm, the execu-
tive director of the
US-based Freedom of
the Press Foundation,
said,
"Every single ex-
pert witness has
some sort of fear
that a prosecution of
Assange will lead to
the prosecution of
many other report-
ers."
This would specifi-
cally include the large
number of reporters
whose work might
sometimes include se-
cret documents. In
other words, Timm
said, US prosecutors
seek a precedent that
would “criminalise
every reporter who
received a secret doc-
ument whether they
asked for it or not”.
It is hard to over-
state the significance
of that problem. His-
tory tells us that gov-
ernments will always
try to hide their mis-
demeanours. One of
journalism’s most im-
portant roles is to un-
cover them. It is how
we hold governments
to account in a democ-
racy, but it also means
there will always be a
necessary tension be-
tween the press and
the powerful.
While I believe that
anyone who claims
“press freedom” as a
right also has respon-
sibilities, I also be-
lieve we must push
back against anything
that threatens the me-
dia’s oversight role.
Baraitser’s ruling
did not set any legal
precedent in that re-
gard, and for that we
should heave a sigh of
relief. But she also
missed a critically im-
portant opportunity
to recognise what As-
sange’s prosecution
means for press free-
dom — and its impor-
tance to all who live in
a democracy.
Implications for
press freedom
Protesters demanded Assange’s release in a rally outside the British embassy in Brussels, Belgium. —Stephanie Lecocq/EPA
There are fears the Trump administration views Assange’s prosecution as a precedent-setting case. —Michael Reynolds/EPA
SOURCE: THECONVERSATION.COM
The United States
of America has
been trying to get
the Wikileaks
founder extradited
to stand trial for
releasing redacted
diplomatic cables
JULIAN ASSANGE’S EXTRADITIONJULIAN ASSANGE’S EXTRADITION VICTORYVICTORY
OFFERS COLD COMFORT FOR PRESS FREEDOMOFFERS COLD COMFORT FOR PRESS FREEDOM
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I
twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I
instagram.com/thefirstindia
Julian Assange in May 2017,
greeting supporters outside
the Ecuadorian embassy in
London. —Frank Augstein/AP

A sensible man is always
open to new thoughts, new
views and change!
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India
AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2021www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
08
2NDFRONT
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Stunned
by her husband send-
ing her a triple talaq
snail mail, a North
Gujarat woman ap-
proached the police
alleging that this was
because she could not
find a bride for her
father-in-law wishing
to marry again.
Shahin Banu Man-
suri, 35, has lodged an
FIR against her hus-
band Sarfaraz Mansuri
and father-in-law Gaf-
fur Mansuri with the
Sabarkantha Mahila
Police Station.
She alleged that the
family started harass-
ing her after she ques-
tioned the need for her
father-in-law to marry
at this age. The harass-
ment began with Gaffur
Mansuri finding faults
with her cooking and
even started inciting
his son against her.
Her husband start-
ed beating her and fi-
nally, her father-in-
law asked her to leave
his house. The couple
and their children
moved to a new house
in Himmatnagar
which belonged to
her father.
However, Gaffur
Mansuri went to live
there since there was no
one to cook for him.
Here, the harassment
began and the father-in-
law started demanding
that the house be trans-
ferred in her husband’s
name or give them Rs 5
lakh. She said the har-
assment was only be-
cause she wasn’t find-
ing a bride for Gaffur
Mansuri.
On September 10,
2020, the couple had an-
other fight over money
and the woman was se-
verely beaten up. She
suffered head injuries
and her father rushed
her to a hospital. Later,
her father took her to
her maternal home in
Bhiloda.
On December 21,
Sarfaraz sent the ta-
laq letter to her broth-
er Aasif. When her
father asserted that
such divorces were il-
legal they threatened
to kill her if she re-
turned. Finally, she
filed the FIR.
Woman gets triple talaq after she didn’t find bride for father-in-law
DIVORCE OF SORTS!
Shahin Babu
Mansuri
started facing
harassment
after she
questioned the
need for her
father-in-law to
get married at
old age
Hundreds of farmers were paid low compensation by including them under urban areas
First India Bureau
New Delhi: In a judg-
ment with far-reach-
ing implications on
land acquisitions for
major projects in Gu-
jarat, the Supreme
Court on Thursday
ordered the State
Government to reim-
burse four-time com-
pensation to farmers
against their land for
the Vadodara-Surat
express highway.
This follows a peti-
tion by Gujarat Khedut
Samaj on behalf of
some 15 villages in
South Gujarat’s
Bharuch district who
had stated that the com-
pensation awarded to
them was equivalent to
that paid for land acqui-
sition in urban areas
and not rural areas.
The State authorities
had included these vil-
lages in area urban de-
velopment authorities
and paid compensation
according to those are-
as which is twice the
value while the amount
should be four times for
the farmers.
The apex court’s or-
der, according to sourc-
es in the State Urban
Development Depart-
ment, could have far-
reaching implications
and become a precedent
because the State Gov-
ernment “had found a
novel way of creating
area urban develop-
ment authorities for ac-
quiring rural lands for
various projects.”
Through a battery of
lawyers, including sen-
ior Supreme Court ad-
vocate Kapil Sibal and
Gujarat’s Anand Yag-
nik, the Gujarat Khedut
Samaj had argued in
the apex court that just
because the State Gov-
ernment decided to cre-
ate urban development
authorities, their status
as villagers and farm-
ers had not changed.
Accepting the con-
tention of the petition-
ers, the Supreme Court
upheld a 2018 order of
the Gujarat High Court
giving directions to the
State to rework the com-
pensation according to
its own rules. The Guja-
rat Government had
challenged the high
court directives in the
Supreme Court through
more than two dozen
petitions.
The petitioners
pointed out that the
State Government’s
own notification of 2016
had clearly stated that
farmers from the vil-
lages should be paid
four times compensa-
tion for the land ac-
quired from them and
this should be two times
in the urban areas.
The Khedut Samaj
wondered that the State
Government had paid
them low compensation
in contravention of its
own decision. Anand
Yagnik, in a press re-
lease later, said with the
Supreme Court order
farmers in 12 to 15 vil-
lages in Bharuch dis-
trict would get compen-
sation of at least Rs 200
crore.
SC thumbs-up for Guj farmers
in land compensation cases
SMC picks ‘Nurturing
Neighbourhoods
Challenge’ for kids
First India Bureau
Surat: The Surat Mu-
nicipal Corporation has
picked up an innovative
programme, “Nurtur-
ing Neighbourhoods
Challenge”, launched
recently by the Union
Housing and Urban Af-
fairs (HUA) Ministry to
implement initiatives
for improving quality
of life of young chil-
dren, caregivers and
families.
Launched by HUA
Minister Hardeep Singh
Puri in November last,
the initiative is open for
the 100 Smart Cities, cit-
ies with population of
more than 5 lakh and
States and Union Terri-
tory capitals.
As part of this initia-
tive, the SMC plans to
create several centres in
the city under this ini-
tiative where children
will be groomed to de-
velop their intellectual
and physical faculties.
The officers have al-
ready identified places
where the facilities
would be set up. The
places include Bio-di-
versity Park, where the
SMC will create a green
and vibrant play area
for kids. Another play
area will come up near
the walkway at GD
Goenka school.
Besidesthese,asmart
anganwadi will be set
up at Dumas sea face,
while vaccine centres
will be developed for mi-
nors in different parts
of the city.
Supreme Court of India —FILE PHOTO
Indian American killed
in Atlanta city in US
Kite makers
want to be
party in PIL to
decide ban on
Uttarayan
Centre asks UK to arrest
Gujarat extortionist Jaysukh First India Bureau
Atlanta (US): A
52-year-old Indian
working in a motel
was strangled to
death by a labour-
er over a petty is-
sue on Wednesday
night, leaving his
family in South
Gujarat’s Gandevi
town in a shock.
According to rela-
tives of late Mehul
Vashi, he was an em-
ployee of the Red
Motel chains and
worked there as gen-
eral manager. A la-
bourer there stran-
gulated him to death
after a heated argu-
ment during the
renovation of the
motel’s outlet in At-
lanta.
When Vashi’s re-
liever called him
to inform that he
would be reaching
in time, the la-
bourer in response
told him that he
was dead, the rela-
tives said. Mehul is
survived by his
wife who works in
Atlanta and daugh-
ters Birva and
Aarohi studying
there.
Mehul’s father,
who is ill and bed
ridden, was shocked.
Mehul had shifted to
US with his nuclear
family 8 years ago.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Even as
a PIL seeking a ban
on the sale and pur-
chase of kites &
threads is pending in
the Gujarat High
Court, the Gujarat
Patang Manufactur-
ing and Traders As-
sociation have moved
the court to join as a
respondent in the
matter.
An application
moved through advo-
cate KR Koshti submit-
ted that the members
of the association were
in the business of man-
ufacturing kites for
the entire year to be
sold during Uttarayan.
It stated that mem-
bers of the associa-
tion were relatively
poor and did not
have an alternate
source of income
and hence should be
allowed to be heard
as a party in the PIL,
which will impact
them.
First India Bureau
New Delhi: India is
learnt to have asked the
United Kingdom to
track down Gujarat’s
JaysukhRanpariyawho
had fled the country to
Dubai after allegedly
conspiring to murder
Jamnagar lawyer Kirit
Joshi in April 2018.
Jaysukh Muljibhai
Ranpariya, also known
as Jayesh Patel, has
been traced to the UK on
the basis of extortion
phone calls made by
him,policesourcessaid.
Ranpariya,41,faces42
criminalcasesincluding
murder,extortion,cheat-
ing, forgery and money
laundering. The Inter-
pol has already issued a
Red Corner Notice
against him. Officials
said the Gujarat police,
in its request to trace
and arrest Ranpariya,
had cited the Interpol
notice.BackinIndia,the
Enforcement Directo-
rate had attached assets
worth Rs 3.97 crore in a
2018 land grabbing case
in Jamnagar.
Ranpariya had been
operating in Jamnagar
for some years, extort-
ing money from real es-
tate developers and
property owners when
they tried to sell land or
buildings. He would get
forged documents made
and lay claim to the
property to create a dis-
pute.
WINTER BLUES
Homeless people sleep on a street on the Ashram Road in Ahmedabad on cold winter nights
without any shelters. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
—FILE PHOTO
Jaisukh Ranpariya wanted in extortion, murder cases. —FILE PHOTO
—FILE PHOTO
COVID-19
UPDATE
GUJARAT
4,332
DEATHS
2,49,913
CONFIRMED CASES
RAJASTHAN
2,727 DEATHS 3,11,620 CASES
DELHI
10,644 DEATHS 6,28,838 CASES
WORLD
18,98,356
DEATHS
8,79,92,439
CONFIRMED CASES
INDIA
1,04,12,704
CONFIRMED CASES
1,50,592
DEATHS
MAHARASHTRA
49,897 DEATHS 19,58,282 CASES
UTTAR PRADESH
8,452 DEATHS 5,90,843 CASES
KARNATAKA
12,131 DEATHS 9,24,898 CASES

TICKING OFFTICKING OFF
veryone has cer-
tain dreams that
they would like to
accomplish some-
day and working
hard towards those
dreams always re-
sults in achievements.
Kriti Garg, an actress
from Jaipur, who is re-
nowned in the Tolly-
wood industry re-
cently got her photo-
shoot done by Dab-
boo Ratnani, a celeb-
rity fashion photog-
rapher. She stated
that this was one of
the best experiences
she has had so far,
and it is definitely a
thing that has been
ticked off from her
bucket list.
“Being an actor, get-
ting a photoshoot done
brought a lot of confi-
dence in me, especially con-
sidering the fact that I was
working with Dabboo Rat-
nani. He has portrayed me
in the best way possible, and
the best part was that his
crew was super supportive
too,” stated Kriti.
She added, “Dabboo Rat-
nani is very professional
and to-the-point when it
comes to working and that
is something I totally
adore about him. He kept
giving me inputs and guided
me to be my best self
throughout the photo-
shoot.”
Dabboo Ratnani’s yearly
calenders featuring celebri-
ties is one of the most
talked-about things every
year. Talking about the
same, Kriti mentioned,
“I wish to be in one of the
calendars of Dabboo
Ratnani, and it is definitely
in my check-list. His name
is a brand in itself, and it
would be a great achieve-
ment for me if this ever
happens.”
NEHAL NAYAR
nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in
Kriti Garg, renowned actress from Pink City recently ticked-off
one of her dreams from her bucket list, which was to shoot with the
celebrity fashion photographer Dabboo Ratnani!
DREAMSDREAMSDREAMSDREAMS
E
—PHOTOBYSANTOSHSHARMA
The hoardings celebrating the different shades of the beauty of Kriti Garg set up across the Pink City have garnered a lot
of appreciative comments from one and all and often the general public has also been seen gazing at the beauty splashed
across the skyline. Seen here is one of the hoardings in Jaipur.
Kriti Garg
AHMEDABAD, FRIDAY
JANUARY 8, 2021
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facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09

o n e - o f - a - k i n d
transmedia initia-
tive, Main Kuch
Bhi Kar Sakti
Hoon (MKBKSH)
uses innovative
storytelling via
the protagonist Dr Sneha
Mathur played (actor
Meinal Vaishnav) and a
multi-media approach —
radio, TV, interactive voice
response systems (IVRS),
digital platforms, on-
ground partners and an
AI-enabled chatbot, to in-
spire grassroots change.
MKBKSH’s first season
talked about issues like
child marriage, sex selec-
tion at birth and gender
discrimination. The sec-
ond season focused on
youth and adolescents, and
the third on issues like
sanitation, hygiene and
family planning. The na-
tional broadcaster Doord-
arshan aired three seasons
of this flagship pro-
gramme, with several re-
peat telecasts, dubbing it
in 13 different Indian lan-
guages, and even airing it
on 216 AIR stations across
the country. Throughout
its run, a number of news
articles highlighted its 400
million viewership and its
far-reaching impact.
MKBKSH is produced by
a national NGO, Popula-
tion Foundation of India
(PFI). The show is created
and directed by a well-
known theatre director
Feroz Abbas Khan.
In an exclusive interview
with City First, Meinal
Vaishnav shared a few in-
sights about the show.
Q1. The grassroot impact
of your TV show Main
Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti
Hoon has been ex-
tremely strong with
young girls starting a
pad bank in Bihar or
conversations around
sexual health in other
areas. Did you ever
think the show would
have such a social im-
pact?
A. It is a great feeling to see
the show touching so
many lives. I never im-
agined it would get this
big. It gives our team a
bigger sense of purpose
and responsibility
when we see its impact.
I am so thankful to our
show creator and direc-
tor Feroz Abbas Khan
Sir and the Population
Foundation of India
(PFI) for producing it.
Q2. Tell us about your
experience of being
part of this show for
3 seasons. Your learn-
ings?
A. The learning’s have
been immeasurable.
Each moment since
this show has been a
lesson. There’s so
much around us which
goes unobserved. Most
of us live in a bubble.
This show breaks that
bubble. This show is
not here to merely en-
tertain you. It’s here to
make you uncomfort-
able. It’s here to bring
the harsh reality right
in front of you and
make you question
your society and life.
Only when we are un-
comfortable is when
we get up to change
things. I have found
my purpose through
this show. I have be-
come more compas-
sionate and calm
Q3. How vital is the need
for behaviour change
communication to
create a societal im-
pact in a country like
India?
A. Our audience is very
emotional. Here, people
follow their role models
from TV and Cinema. If
we want to bring a big
societal change we
must provide ideal role
models through TV and
Cinema. This is our so-
cial responsibility as
artists and citizens of
this nation.
Q4. Has the pandemic
hastened the need for
our understanding of
healthcare issues?
A. Indeed! There have been
deep-rooted health is-
sues. Many of them go
unnoticed in the large
scheme of life. The pan-
demic has made every-
one realize the impor-
tance of good health. I
think it is an opportu-
nity to realize the areas
where we have been
lacking. Nutrition and
health go hand in hand.
So do many other social
activities. It’s time to
identify the root causes
of our social health is-
sues and work on them
from the grassroots.
10
ETCAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2021www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
FACEOFTHEDAY
ASMITA SHRIMAL, Model
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
Your desire for an exciting
time on the social front is
likely to be fulfilled today.
Those looking for buying a
house can get a good bargain.
Appreciation is in store for some
homemakers. A professional victory
is yours if you play your cards well
today.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
You may wait for
someone’s invitation for a
trip. Your professionalism
in handling problem areas
will be appreciated. Tenant troubles
are foreseen for some house owners.
You will find family life more than
fulfilling. A senior is likely to put in a
good word for you to the higher ups.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
A new deal is likely to
come through and give you
a taste of success. Those
fond of travelling may get
their chance soon. This is the time
when you enjoy yourself with a new
group of friends or colleagues. A
change of job is likely to give you
better salary and perks.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
You are likely to take up
someone’s cause and earn
appreciation from all
quarters on the social front.
Remaining on the good side of those
who matter on the academic front will
help you achieve much. Good tidings
of your well wishers will keep you
going on the professional front.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Excellent opportunities
may knock at your door.
Professionals will be able
to give their best in a new
situation. Financially, this day may
prove lucky for you, so go ask for the
raise that is keeping you on
tenterhooks. Don’t take any chances
with your health today.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
You will have to be more
focussed on the academic
front. You may get busy
organising something on the
social front. You may need to put your
ideas into action, if you want to prove
yourself. A party may be thrown in
your honour at work. Your good
performance is likely to be noticed.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
A family youngster is likely
to do you proud. A
business trip is indicated
and will achieve much.
Your strategy to promote yourself on
the professional front will bear fruits.
You may need to speed up things on
the academic front to remain ahead.
The day finds you in your element.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
Success is foretold on the
academic front. Your
reputation is likely to boost
your image on the social
front. You will manage to keep your
superiors in good humour. This is a
good day to spend time with family.
Good planning will see you complete
a task.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
Getting into a favourable
situation on the academic
front is possible. Good luck
promises to brighten your
day. Some positive changes can be
expected on the home front. This
seems a good day for job seekers.
New avenues for earning open up as
you get more determined.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
Your performance at work
will be commendable. Your
own happiness is in your
hands today. Spouse may
need her space, respect that. This is
a favourable day for completing
pending jobs. Financially, no
problems are foreseen. It is best to
avoid outside food.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
You will manage to achieve
what you had aimed for on
the academic front. A
celebration can find you in
your element today. Praise and
honour are likely to greet you in
something that you have managed to
achieve. You will be a pillar of
strength to a friend or associate.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
Good performance on the
academic front will help
enhance your reputation at
work. Some favourable
developments on the social front are
foreseen. Buying new furniture or a
major appliance is possible. With
good networking, a prized posting
can be yours.
YOUR
DAYHoroscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
MAIN KUCH BHI
KAR SAKTI HOONCity First in an exclusive interview with TV actor Meinal Vaishnav whose
edutainment show is a testimonial to bringing behavioural change!
NEHAL NAYAR
nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in
A
Meinal Vaishnav

T
aylor Swift’s
eighth album
‘Folklore’ has
come out to be
the No. 1 album of 2020
with over 2.3 million al-
bumunits.‘Folklore’left
Lil Baby’s ‘My Turn,’
behind which came in
second with 2.1 million
inthealbum-equivalent-
unit derby. The results
cAme via Rolling Stone,
which broke down the
year’s music
consump-
tiondataintoseveraldif-
ferent year-end charts,
with the differences
providing some
i n t e r e s t i n g
points of
c o m p a r i -
son. Swift
has also
topped the list
of the biggest sell-
ers of 2020 and Lil Baby
could not make it to the
top 10 of the list. —ANI
ETCAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2021
11
B
ollywood actor Aksh-
ay Kumar treated fans
to his first look of the
flick ‘Bachchan Pan-
dey’ on Thursday. The team of
‘Bachchan Pandey’, including Ak-
shay Kumar, Kriti Sanon and Jac-
queline Fernandez, is in Jaisalmer
and it started the shooting for the
film on Wednesday. The 52-year-old
actor will be seen in a never before
avatar in the movie. Sharing the look
the ‘Kesari’ actor wrote, “New year,
old associations...begun shooting for
#BachchanPandey, my 10th film
with #SajidNadiadwala, and hope-
fully many more. Need your best
wishes and do tell me your thoughts
on the look.”
—Agency
B
i p a s h a
Basu’s cele-
brates her
42 birthday
on Thursday. The
stunner is known
for her bold and se-
ductive image in
the film industry.
She has worked in
Hindi, Tamil, Telu-
gu and Bengali
films. She made her
acting debut with a
negative role in the
2001 thriller Ajna-
bee which won her
the Filmfare Award
for Best Female De-
but. Her first lead-
ing role was in
the blockbuster
horror film
Raaz which
earned her
r e c o g n i -
tion and
fame.
Happy
Birthday
Bipasha
A
ctress Alia Bhatt has
been making it to the
headlines lately due to
her recent Rantham-
bore vacay with boyfriend
Ranbir Kapoor and his
family. The actress has
kickedoff workonher
pendingprojectGan-
gubai Kathiawadi
and is heading for
shoots early in the
morning. Howev-
er, to beat the
morning work
blues on
Thursday,
she turned
to Justin
Bieber’s
latest song,
Anyone.
O
n the 54th birthday anniversary of
Irrfan Khan, his son Babil, on Thurs-
day took to Instagram to share a cute
throwback video featuring mother
Sutapa Sikdar, brother Aayan and dad Ir-
rfan. Babil also penned an emotional birth-
day note for his father. In his note, he has
recalled how his father never encouraged
him to remember his birthday. He has also
mentioned that Irrfan never identified insti-
tutions like ‘contractual marriages and
birthday celebration’. —Agency
T
he Weeknd just released the music vid-
eo to his song ‘Save Your Tears’, which
had fans talking about it for more than
one reason! While fans love the music,
the singer had
everyone in
shock after he
appeared on the
clip with a de-
c o n s t r u c t e d
face which
looked like a re-
sult of extreme
botox and fill-
ers. The Cana-
dian crooner
continued his
signaturestyleof transforminghimself inhis
videosashedidwithHeartlessvideowherehe
partied it up in Las Vegas. —Agency
A
merican comedian Jimmy Fallon re-
cently tipped USD 400 at a dine-in res-
taurant. Page Six quoted a spy who
told the outlet that they saw the late-
night host and
his wife Nancy
Juvonen hav-
ing dinner at
Kissaki in Wa-
ter Mill this
weekend - and
that Fallon “left
a USD 400 on
his way out, to
the waiter’s de-
light.” Fallon
also posed be-
hind plexiglass with his mask on for photos
with fans. —ANI
T
he American diversified multination-
al mass media Warner Bros. Enter-
tainment Inc has re-appointed Walter
Hamada as a president of its subsidi-
ary film studio
DC films. Ham-
ada will con-
tinue to over-
see the DC film
f r a g m e n t ,
along with fea-
tures produced
for the HBO
Max streaming
platform. His
new contract
will run
through 2023. —ANI
F
ans of KGF have been asking for the
revelation of Part 2 and much to their
surprise it was announced in 2020.
Beginning the new year with a bang,
the teaser
for KGF 2
will be out
on Hombale
Films han-
dle at 10:18
AM today.
On the oc-
casion of
superstar
Y a s h ’ s
b i r t h d ay,
this is a gift
to all his
fans. “In KGF 2, you will see different shades
to Rocky that you haven’t seen before”, says
Yash about his character in KGF Chapter 2.
—Agency
BIRTH ANNIVERSARY
TRANSFORMATIONTIME
TIPPED?
UPDATE ON DC FILMS
KGF CHAPTER 2
Late Irrfan Khan
ollywood veteran Drew Barrymore recently opened
up about signing up for a celebrity dating app and
got candid about what her experience was like. The
45-year-old actress revealed that she was actually
stood up! The actress shared on The Drew Barrymore
Show this week that she actually booked a date with
an anonymous celebrity, but stood Barrymore up at
the exact time they were planning to meet up. She then
recalled thinking: “Can’t you be a jerk like an hour before?
That would have been such a time saver.” Drew laughed it
off and joked that this happens all the time but she still felt
so stupid. —Agency
H
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
CELEBRITYCELEBRITY
DATINGDATING
—Agency
—Agency
Alia’s work
BLUES
Akshay’s new look
Folklore tops the chart
Drew Barrymore
The Weeknd
Jimmy Fallon
Walter Hamada
Poster of KGF Chaper 2
Akshay Kumar in Bachchan Pandey
Taylor Swift
Bipasha Basu Alia Bhatt

12AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2021www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
CITY BUZZ
CITY FIRST
omenfromaround20
countries, including
Singapore, Brazil,
Uzbekistan, India,
Philippine and Aus-
tria, will be partici-
pating in the inter-
nationally recognized beauty
pageant, Mrs Universe 2021.
The finale of the show, organ-
ised by Mrs Universe Organi-
sation will be held in Jaipur
in September this year.
The first look launch was
organised on Thursday at
Hotel Fern, Jaipur. During
this, Naresh Madan, CEO of
Mrs Universe Private Limit-
ed, Director and Film Dis-
tributor Rakesh Sabarwal,
Yog Acharya and Astrolo-
ger Nirmala Sewani, Ho-
tel Fern General Man-
ager Amulya Nidhi gave
information related to the
show.
NareshMadansaidthatthis
is the biggest international
pageantorganisedformarried
and plus size women. Due to
thecurrentpandemicsitua-
tion,thesearchof contest-
ants was done through an
online medium for which
the registration process
wascarriedoutthroughsocial
media and website for 8
months. 5 faces were selected
from different corners of the
country by the jury.
All these participants will
represent India in the world
beauty pageant, and will
propagate Indian civilization
throughout the world. The
competition will be under two
agecategories,21-35and35-50.
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
GRAND FINALE IN JAIPUR
W
CITY FIRST
M
y India foun-
dation organ-
ised its annual
award cere-
mony on Thursday in
memory of Mohan Ya-
dav , the inspiration be-
hind the foundation at
Jai Mahal Palace,
Jaipur. These awards
were presented in 5 dif-
ferent categories like
health, environment,
education, rural and
women empower-
ment alongwith a
special category of
Yoga and was appre-
ciated by all. The foun-
dation is in public ser-
vice since 2005.
Chief Minister of Ra-
jasthan, Ashok Gehlot
appreciated the work
done by the foundation
and also sent his best
wishes to the awardees.
The chief guest for
the program was
Neeraj Dangi MP,
Rajya Sabha and
guests of honour
were Dr Karan Singh
Yadav , ex MP Lok Sab-
ha and Dr Chandrab-
han Singh, ex President
PCC. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
A
mid so many anxie-
ties we come across
daily, we all need
peace. Miss Ra-
jasthan 2020 by Fusion
group in association with
Panghat, organised a med-
itation session on
Thursday, the 4th day
of finale week, con-
ducted by meditation
expert, Nirmala Sewani
at 5 by Oyo Metropolitan,
Jaipur. She discussed the
magical benefits of medi-
tation with the girls and
also shared how to keep
calm and control one’s
emotions in difficult
phases of life.
According to show
organisers, Yogesh and
Nimisha Mishra, every
day of finale week is full of
interesting grooming ses-
sions. Every year Miss Ra-
jasthan organises a medita-
tion session by Nirmala Se-
wani. On the basis of the
session, one girl will be
awarded the title ‘Eternal
Beauty’. The Grand finale
will be held on Sunday, 10
January at Birla Auditori-
umwherefamousdesigners
Nirmal Sarraf and Anand
Sarraf will be showcasing
their beautiful collection.
PEACE OF MIND
MANSI
BACHANI
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
SPOTTED!
Saif Ali Khan and Arjun Kapoor were
spotted in Jaisalmer to complete the last
schedule of their upcoming film ‘Bhoot
police’ on Thursday.
MY INDIA ANNUAL AWARDS
QAYAMAT-ATRENDSETTER
CITY FIRST
A
new Punjabi song,
‘Qayamat’ by
Eklavya Singh, re-
leased on
Wednesday evening,
staring Pink City’s su-
permodel and actress
Akanksha Bhalla.
Eklavya is a renowned sing-
er from Amritsar, Punjab.
Talking about the song,
Akanksha said, “We re-
ceived 300k+ views in just 12
hours. The song was shot in
various exotic locations of
Mohali and Chandigarh.”
“My experience was
amazing to shoot with such
a great team and Honey, who
is a very renowned direc-
tor of the Punjabi music
industry. My styling
team was from Ludhi-
ana, and their work was
absolutely amazing. As this
video has become a hit, I
and Rklavya would be doing
many more projects togeth-
er in the coming time,” she
added. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
—PHOTOSBYSANTOSHSHARMA
O
n Wednesday, the mem-
bers of the ‘Sukhmani
Seva Society’, Bani Park,
spent time at ‘Rays-
Aasha Ki Ek Kiran’ which is
home to around 60 (HIV) chil-
dren, with the greetings of the
new year. The members ren-
dered ‘Ardas’ to ‘Waheguruji’
prayingforthebrightandhappy
future of the children and dis-
tributed‘KaraPrasad’.Thechil-
dren’s home was also given dry
ration. On this occasion, mem-
bers of Sukhmani Seva Socie-
ty— Pinky Singh, Ruby Nagpal,
Surya Udai Singh and Harpreet
Singh, as well as Gurinder Virk
and Rashmi Kuchhal of Rays,
were present. —CITY FIRST
NEW YEAR GREETINGS
Awardees with the honorable Dais
Members of Sukhmani Seva Society with the Rays family
Saif Ali Khan
Arjun Kapoor
Anjali Kolporje, Saumya Sharma, Nirmala Sewani, Naresh Madan, Priyanka Sahoo and Deepika Rawal
Poster of the song
CREATIVE MINDS!
GREEN GREETINGS: Jagdeesh Chandra accepting ‘Green
Greetings’ for the New Year from Rita Taneja, Principal, Delhi
Public School Jaipur, at his residence.
SEEKING BLESSINGS: Jagdeesh Chandra reached the
Badgaon Gurudwara, Kota to seek the blessings of Guru
Granth Sahib on Thursday afternoon and prayed for the
well-being of all.
HAPPY DAY!
GUJ: An exhibition was organised on various themes like
paintings, photography, paper art by Payal Rajput, Himanshu
Jamade, Kiran Kumar Roy, Dinesh Prajapati, Madhu Rajdev
and Madhav Vyas at Ahmedabad Ni Gufa Art Centre in
Ahmedabad on Thursday. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
A HUGE LOSS
V
eteran fashion
designerandthe
founder of the
acclaimed Indi-
an clothing brand,
SatyaPaulpassedaway
on 6 January at an age
of 78 at the Isha Yoga
Centre in Coimbatore.
Paul’s son Puneet
Nanda in a long emo-
tional Facebook post
shared the news of his
father’s demise. “Satya
Paul, 2 Feb 1942 - 6 Jan
2021, Thank you to all
who have sent messag-
es... a few notes about
his passing,” Nanda
wrote.Hefurtherstated
that the fashion mogul
suffered a stroke on 2
December and after be-
ing treated at the hospi-
tal, he expressed the
desire to fly back to the
IshaYogaCentrewhich
has been his “home
since 2015.”
Nanda also threw
light on Paul’s “inner
journey”tospirituality
and his bond with his
spiritual “master,”
founder of Isha Yoga
Centre Jaggi Vasudev
orSadhguru.—CITYFIRST
Late Satya Paul
Miss Rajasthan 2020 finalists with Nirmala —PHOTO BY SANTOSH SHARMA

First india ahmedabad edition-08 january 2021

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