Humpy finishes second in Women’s candidate
Toronto (PTI): Indian grandmaster Koneru Humpy delivered the goods when it mattered, defeating erstwhile joint leader Tingjie Lei of China to finish second on a superior tiebreak in the women candidates tournament here.
Zhongyi Tan of China expectedly topped the tables after settling for a draw with Anna Muzychuk of Ukraine.
The real story of the day was R Vaishali who scored her fifth victory on the trot at the expense of Kateryna Lagno of Russia to tie for the second spot before finishing fourth on tiebreak.
Tan finished with 9 points in all, 1.5 points clear of the nearest rivals Humpy, Lei and Vaishali who all finished second to fourth respectively.
Aleksandra Goryachkina finished fifth on seven points, a full point ahead of Lagno, while Nurgyul Salimova of Bulgaria and Muzychuk ended in the last two spots in the eight-player double round-robin contest.
At the half-way stage, Humpy was languishing at 2.5 points out of seven games but came up with a splendid effort to score five points from the last seven games – a score matched by Vaishali who was even worse at 2.5 out of nine.
Playing black against Lei, Humpy got a complicated middle game out of a Nimzo Indian defense and Lei came up with a spectacular queen sacrifice that needed perfect follow up.
Humpy cashed in when the Chinese erred in her calculation and reached a winning endgame with her two rooks against white’s rook and Bishop.
The complexities were far from over but on this day Humpy could do no wrong and squeezed out a victory after 62 hard-fought moves.
Vaishali faced the Ruy Lopez as black against Lagno who sacrificed a piece early in the middle game to initiate an attack against the black king. The Indian was however up to the task in defense and returned the extra material back to maintain the dynamics.
Lagno blundered on her 31st turn, handing the initiative to Vaishali who did not look back thereafter and coasted home after 45 moves.
Results final round (Indians unless stated): Tingjei Lei (Chn, 7.5) lost to Koneru Humpy (7.5); Kateryna Lagno (Fid, 6) lost to R Vaishali (7.5); Aleksandra Goryachkina (Fid, 7) drew with Nurgyul Salimova (5.5); Anna Muzychuk (Ukr, 5.5) drew with Zhongyi Tan (Chn, 9).
Final standings: 1. Tan; 2-4: Humpy, Lei, Vaishali; 5. Goryachkina; 6. Lagno; 7-8: Salimova, Muzychuk.
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Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao condemns removal of sacred thread during CET
Bengaluru (PTI): The controversy over the alleged removal of sacred threads and other religious symbols during the KCET examination intensified on Saturday, with Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao condemning the act as "inhuman" and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad demanding strict action, calling it a violation of religious rights.
Reacting to the incident at Krupanidhi College in Madivala, the Minister said the government had taken note of the matter and assured transparent action, even as police have registered a case and initiated an investigation.
“The inhuman act of asking students to remove their ear studs, bangles, hijab or sacred thread, and even cutting long sleeves with scissors thereby affecting their morale is unacceptable and condemnable,” Rao said in a post 'X'.
He asserted that examination centres must test students’ knowledge and not undermine their dignity, adding that the government would take stringent steps to prevent recurrence.
The Minister also urged affected students not to lose confidence, saying the government stood firmly with them.
Meanwhile, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Karnataka South, strongly condemned the incident, alleging that it had hurt the religious rights and self-respect of the Hindu community.
“The incident of students removing and cutting off their Janivaras during the CET examination has violated the religious rights, culture and self-respect of the Hindu community,” the organisation said in a press note.
Calling the sacred thread a symbol of religious heritage and dignity, it said, “Society will not tolerate any act that insults it,” and demanded a thorough probe and stringent action against those responsible.
It also pointed out that similar incidents had been reported in the state last year, terming the recurrence “unfortunate and condemnable.”
The organisation further alleged that such incidents were damaging the well-being of society and claimed that some schools and colleges are promoting hatred against the Hindu society.
The row erupted after students alleged that invigilators at the examination centre asked them to remove religious symbols, including the sacred thread, during the Common Entrance Test (CET).
Following the incident, an invigilator was suspended and police 'secured' three staff members for questioning.
The CET is conducted for admission to professional courses across the state.
