‘The Hindu’ News : The Evening Wrap 25 May 2024

The Evening Wrap

25 May 2024

Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu.

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At least 24, half of them children, killed in massive fire at a gaming zone in Rajkot
At least 24 people, half of them children, were killed in a massive fire that broke out at a game zone in Gujarat’s Rajkot city on May 25 evening, officials said. Rajkot Police Commissioner Raju Bhargava said 20 bodies have been retrieved so far in the fire in TRP Gaming Zone.

Rescue operations are under way at the affected TRP Game Zone for more than four hours after the blaze erupted at a fibre dome constructed for gaming activities at around 4.30 p.m., officials said.

According to officials, the structure collapsed due to the huge fire.

Several persons including children were playing games when the blaze erupted.

“The Fire control room received a call at around 4.30 p.m. regarding the blaze at the game zone. Fire tenders and ambulances rushed to the spot to douse the flames. The fire caused the collapse of the structure, and debris is being cleared. So far we have received a figure of 16 deaths,” Rajkot Collector Prabhav Joshi said.

Several persons including children were present at the spot due to the ongoing summer vacation and weekend and playing games when the tragedy struck.

After the fire broke out, Bhargava said that the cause would be investigated and that a message had been issued to all the gaming zones in the city to close operations.

The gaming zone was privately owned by Yuvraj Singh Solanki and the police will file a case of negligence against him, Bhargava was quoted by The Associated Press as saying. “We will be registering an offence for negligence and the deaths which have occurred. Further investigation will take place once we complete the rescue operation,” he said.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has announced a special investigation team to probe the tragedy. He has also announced a compensation of ₹4 lakh to the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 for those injured in the fire.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi too expressed grief, saying, “Extremely distressed by the fire mishap in Rajkot. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. Prayers for the injured. The local administration is working to provide all possible assistance to those affected,” on X.

CM Patel said the Prime Minister has directed stern action against those responsible for the fire tragedy in Rajkot.

General Elections 2024: 59.06% voter turnout in sixth phase
The sixth and penultimate phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha election saw a voter turnout of 59.06% till 8 p.m. Sporadic incidents of violence were reported from West Bengal, which also reported the highest polling percentage at 78.19%.

In 2019, the voter turnout in the sixth phase was 64.4%.

Even though the lowest turnout of 52% was recorded in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag-Rajouri seat, the Election Commission said it was the highest in many decades for the constituency.

The turnout in Bihar was the second lowest at 53.5%.

Urban apathy continued in the seven seats of Delhi, which went to polls, with just 54.48% of the electorate turning out to vote, a figure which many said was due to the searing heat wave prevailing in north India. Haryana, which saw all 10 Lok Sabha seats voting, saw a turnout of 58.37%.

The turnout in Uttar Pradesh where 14 seats in the eastern parts of the State went to polls was 54%. Odisha and Jharkhand recorded polling percentages of 60% and 62.74% respectively.

“The Election Commission (EC) of India has received 954 complaints until 11 a.m. from various political parties, alleging EVM malfunctions and agents being stopped from entering booths,” an official of the state poll panel said.

With this phase, polling has been completed in 28 States and Union Territories and in 486 constituencies. Voting is also over for 105 Assembly Constituencies of Odisha. The last phase of polling will be on June 1 for the remaining 57 seats and counting of votes will take place on June 4.

Election Commission releases data on number of votes cast in first five phases of Lok Sabha polls
The Election Commission on May 25 came out with the constituency-wise data on the number of votes cast in the first five phases of the General Elections 2024 and said there was a pattern in creating false narratives and mischievous designs to vitiate the electoral process.

It also said that any alteration in the number of the votes polled is not possible.

The poll panel came out with the absolute number of voters on its own, a day after the Supreme Court refused to issue directions to it on an NGO’s plea for uploading the polling booth-wise voter turnout data on its website.

The EC said it has decided to further expand the format of the turnout data to include the absolute number of voters in every constituency.

The absolute numbers are discernable constituency-wise by all citizens by applying the turnout percentage to the total number of electors, both already made available in the public domain, the poll panel said.

Electors are those on the electoral roll and eligible to vote. Voters are those who actually cast their votes in an election. While the EC had been issuing the turnout percentage, there were demands to make the actual number of voters in every phase public.

Referring to the apprehension expressed by some opposition parties that the turnout data can be fudged, the poll panel said the process of collection and storage of the votes polled is rigorous, transparent and participative.

The entire exercise of releasing the turnout data from the date of commencement of the Lok Sabha polls on April 19 has been “accurate, consistent and in accordance with election laws and without any discrepancy whatsoever”, the EC said.

Explaining the details, it said the final list of electors is given to the candidates after the list of the contesting candidates is finalised.

“Authorised agents of all candidates will be having form 17C (the document that records the booth-wise data of the votes polled) across the 543 seats distinctively for each of the approximately 10.5 lakh polling stations,” it underlined, indicating that there is no scope for fudging the data.

The poll panel further said the total number of votes polled in a constituency, as recorded in form 17C, can never be changed even by anyone’s hypothetical mischief, as it is available with all the contesting candidates.

Agents of the candidates are always allowed to accompany the electronic voting machines and statutory papers, including form 17C, from the polling station till those are stored in a strong room in accordance with Rule 49V(2) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, the EC noted. The candidates or their agents bring a copy of form 17C to the counting centre and compare it with the result in each round.

“The voter turnout data was always available on the app. The commission underlines that there has been no delay in the release of the voter turnout data,” the EC said.

It said the voter turnout data was always available 24×7 on the facilitative Voter Turnout App from 9.30 a.m. on the polling day in each phase.

Different media organisations pick up the data at different points in time in accordance with their convenience to report the next morning, it noted.

“Any alleged delay in the issue of press notes of phase 1 does not mean that the data was not available in the public domain all the time through the voter turnout app,” the EC said.

Cyclonic storm Remal to cross West Bengal, Bangladesh coast on Sunday midnight
The deep depression over east-central Bay of Bengal on Saturday evening intensified into a cyclonic storm “Remal” and is likely to cross Bangladesh and adjoining West Bengal coasts by Sunday midnight.

The weather pattern is likely continue to move nearly northwards and intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by Sunday morning. It is expected to cross the coasts between Sagar Island (West Bengal) and Khepupara (Bangladesh) around Sunday midnight with a wind speed of 110-120 kmph gusting to 135 kmph.

A special bulletin by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday said: “The deep depression over east central Bay of Bengal moved nearly northward with a speed of 12 kmph during the past 6 hours, intensified into cyclonic Storm “Remal” (pronounced as “Re-Mal”) and lay centered at 1730 hrs IST of today, the 25th May, 2024 over the north & adjoining east central Bay of Bengal near latitude 18.8°N and longitude 89.5°E.”

The IMD has issued orange alert for light to moderate rainfall in Kolkata, Howrah, Nadia, Jhargram, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur districts of the State. According to the weather office, it has predicted “heavy (7–11 cm) to very heavy rain (12 – 20 cm) at a few places over North and South 24 Parganas, East Midnapore, Kolkata, Howrah and Hooghly districts” of southern Bengal. The IMD has predicted extremely heavy rain (over 20 cm) at one or two places to be very likely over North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore districts.

The weather office has also cautioned about gale wind speed reaching 60-70 kmph gusting to 80 kmph from Saturday evening. “It would increase further and extend to adjoining areas of North Bay of Bengal becoming gale wind speed reaching 70-80 kmph gusting to 90 kmph from evening of today, the 25th May and 100-110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph over North Bay of Bengal from morning and 110-120 kmph gusting to 135 kmph from evening of 26th May,” the special bulletin said.

A red alert has been issued for fishermen advising them not to venture into the sea along and off West Bengal coast and deep sea area of the Bay of Bengal till May 27. The IMD has predicted a storm surge of about one meter above astronomical tide and this is likely to inundate low-lying areas of coastal West Bengal and around the time of landfall.

The IMD has predicted damage to thatched houses/huts, breaking of tree branches, and uprooting of trees. Nine disaster relief teams of the Indian Coast Guard have been kept on standby at Haldia, Paradip, Gopalpur and Fraserganj. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has stationed 12 teams across coastal areas of West Bengal.

While elections to the sixth phase across five districts of West Bengal was held on Saturday without the weather playing spoilsport, elections to nine seats in and around Kolkata and coastal Sundarbans is scheduled on June 1. An alert has been sounded by the West Bengal government in coastal areas of South 24 Parganas like Sagar, Kakdwip and Namkhana and district officials of South 24 Parganas held a meeting during the day.

All tourism activities have been suspended in South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur and evacuation of people from low-lying coastal areas of the three districts have started.

Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata has announced that it will suspend all cargo and container handling operations for 12 hours from Sunday evening in view of the forecast of a cyclonic storm. The authorities of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport at Kolkata held a meeting in view of the impending cyclone.

If INDIA bloc leaders want to perform mujra, they’re free to do so: PM Modi in Bihar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 25 addressed three public meetings in Bihar, including one in Patliputra Lok Sabha constituency, and assured Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Class (OBC) people that he would not let anyone snatch their share of reservation.

He also promised that everyone would get free electricity in the country and slammed Opposition INDIA (Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance) bloc leaders for being known as “communal, casteist and dynastic” people.

“Our Constitution says no reservation can be given on the basis of religion but this INDI alliance people have snatched the SC/ST/ OBC reservation and gave it to their vote bank who do vote jihad,” Modi said at his first public meeting held at Bikram in Patliputra Lok Sabha constituency, where BJP leader and two-time sitting MP Ram Kripal Yadav is contesting against Misa Bharti, the elder daughter of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad.

“In West Bengal, 77 Muslim castes were given benefits of OBC reservation in government jobs. Rights of OBC/EBC families were snatched for those practising vote jihad. If the INDI bloc wants to accept the servitude of their vote bank, they’re free to do so…if they want to perform mujra (traditional Indian musical dance), they’re free to do so,” the Prime Minister added.

Reacting to the PM’s comments, RJD leader and Rajya Sabha member Manoj Jha said he was worried about the remarks.

Israel strikes Rafah after top U.N. court orders to halt offensive
Israeli air strikes and artillery pounded Rafah on May 25, despite the U.N.’s top court ordering an immediate halt to its military offensive in the southern Gazan city.

At the same time, renewed efforts were underway in Paris aimed at securing a ceasefire in the war sparked by Palestinian militant group Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel.

In a case brought by South Africa alleging the Israeli military operation amounts to “genocide”, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt its Rafah offensive and demanded the immediate release of hostages still held by Palestinian militants.

The Hague-based ICJ, whose orders are legally binding but lack direct enforcement mechanisms, also instructed Israel to keep open the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza, which Israel closed earlier this month.

Israel gave no indication it was preparing to change course in Rafah, insisting the court had got it wrong.

“Israel has not and will not carry out military operations in the Rafah area that create living conditions that could cause the destruction of the Palestinian civilian population, in whole or in part,” National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said in a joint statement with Israel’s Foreign Ministry spokesman.

Palestinian witnesses reported Israeli strikes or shelling in Rafah, the central city of Deir al-Balah, Gaza City, Jabalia refugee camp and elsewhere.

Poll roundup:
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on May 25 alleged that China has encroached on India’s land and is constructing houses and roads but Prime Minister Narendra Modi is silent. “Where is the 56-inch chest,” Kharge asked, taking a dig at the Prime Minister in his address at a rally in Himachal Pradesh’s Rohru. The Congress leader said his party is fighting to save the people of the country and the Constitution and will fill 30 lakh government vacancies if it is voted to power in the Lok Sabha elections.
Himachal Pradesh Congress leaders hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for accusing the state government of wrongful distribution of central aid for flood victims, and asked him to explain how much funds were given to the state to deal with the disaster last year. Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and Congress candidate from Mandi Lok Sabha seat Vikramaditya Singh made the critical remarks late Friday evening, hours after Modi told a rally the Centre gave crores of rupees during the monsoon disaster last year but the state government did an “indiscriminate allocation”.
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is a part of India and “we will take it”, Home Minister Amit Shah asserted on May 25 as he castigated the Congress for trying to “frighten us” by saying that the neighbouring country possesses atom bombs. “The Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is ours and it will remain ours. We will take it,” Shah told a rally at Amb in Una district in support of Union minister Anurag Thakur, the BJP candidate from the Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on May 25 staged a protest outside a police station in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district, where polling is underway in the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections, against alleged detention of her party workers and polling agents. She also claimed that outgoing calls on her mobile number have been suspended. Police, however, said those detained are overground workers and the action was taken to ensure smooth conduct of elections. Mufti, who is among 20 candidates in the fray from the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency, staged a sit-in outside Bijbehara police station on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway. The protesters raised slogans against the Jammu and Kashmir administration and demanded that those detained be immediately released.
In Brief:
Malaysia Masters badminton: Sindhu beats Busanan in thriller; faces Wang Zhi Yi in finals
Double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu earned a shot at the $420,000 Malaysia Masters crown after entering the women’s singles finals with a come-from-behind win over Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan in Kuala Lumpur. Fifth seed Sindhu, who has not won a title in two years, rallied to prevail 13-21 21-16 21-12 against world number 20 Busanan in a marathon semifinal that lasted 88 minutes to close in on the BWF World Tour Super 500 crown at the Axiata Arena.

IPL 2024 Final: KKR vs SRH: Knight Riders, Sunrisers in the ultimate showdown
Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins will line up for the IPL final at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on May 26, having proved their penny’s worth and every critic wrong. Starc has scalped 15 wickets in KKR’s commanding run to the summit clash while Cummins, with his midas captaincy touch, has had his best-ever IPL with 17 wickets.

Evening Wrap will return tomorrow.

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