CMYK www.thestatesman.com WEDNESDAY FIND US ONLINE 03 OCTOBER 2018 Scan this with your smartphone twitter.com/TheStatesmanLtd facebook.com/thestatesman1875 Pages 16 |` 5.00|LC* KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR FBI GIVEN FREER HAND IN KAVANAUGH PROBE AMAZON HIKES WAGES FOR WORKERS P10 WEATHER Partly cloudy sky. Maximum and minimum temparture will be around 36 and 27 degrees Celsius respectively RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max.92% P10 Min: 27.3 (+1) SUN SETS 05.29 hrs MOON SETS 12.58 hrs Cops, farmers clash on Delhi-UP border Moon phase: Third quarter on 5 Oct THUMBNAILS UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends a tribute at Rajghat, the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi, in New Delhi on 2 October, 2018.  AFP Indonesia quake-tsunami toll crosses 1200: t The death toll from an earthquake and tsunami that decimated parts of the central Indonesian island of Sulawesi jumped to more than 1,200 on Tuesday as disaster officials began reaching coastal areas that were cut off by blocked roads and downed communications lines. Officials said hundreds of other people were severely injured, and that scores of bodies could still be buried under quicksand-like mud caused by Friday's magnitude 7.5 earthquake. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 2 OCTOBER iolence and chaos erupted on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border today as thousands of farmers ~ on a 10-day protest march to the national capital under the aegis of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) ~ tried to break police barricades and defy prohibitory orders in a bid to enter Delhi, prompting a police crack down. Police used water cannons and tear gas and allegedly lathicharged to disperse the farmers. A number of farmers and police personnel were wounded in the ensuing clashes. The BKU-led farmers' foot march, called Kisan Kranti Yatra, had started from Haridwar on 23 September with a view to reach Kisan Ghat in Delhi on 2 October ~ Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary ~ to highlight agrarian distress and farmers' demands ~ including complete waiver of farm loans, fair prices for crops, uniform and complete procurement of crops, farmerfriendly insurance scheme, equal pension for farmers and agricultural labourers, proper implementation of the M S Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, reduction in power tariffs, payment of sugarcane arrears, and revoking ban on 10-year-old tractors in the National Capital Region. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC banning the assembly of five or more persons had been clamped in east and V northeast Delhi adjoining the Delhi-UP border and there was massive deployment of police and security personnel to stop the farmers from entering Delhi. The Centre and Delhi Police drew fire from various quarters, including the Opposition parties, for "brutal police action" against the protesting farmers. Delhi Police, however, said they used only “minimum required force” to control the situation. They said an aggressive section of protesters suddenly turned violent and also tried to break the layers of barricades with tractor-trolleys despite their appeals to them not to do it, which prompted police to use water cannons and tear gas to disperse them. In a bid to persuade the agitating farmers to call off their protest, the Narendra Modi government anno- unced that a committee of chief ministers will look into their demands, but the protesters stayed put in the Delhi-UP border area, declaring that they were not "satisfied" with the government's assurances. Union home minister Rajnath Singh held discussions with Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh and senior officials following which minister of state for agriculture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat met the protesters to assure them that the government will look into their demands. Rajnath Singh was also said to have spoken to the BKU chief over phone to convey the Centre's keenness to address their demands. BKU chief Naresh Tikait, however said the farmers were "not satisfied" with the government's assurance. "We will discuss this and then decide on future course of action. I can't decide anything alone, our committee will take the decision," he said. The police action against the protesting farmers drew sharp reactions from the Opposition parties. Delhi chief minister and AAP leader, Arvind Kejriwal said, "Why are the farmers being stopped from entering Delhi? It is wrong. Delhi belongs to all. They should be given entry in Delhi. We support their demands." Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted in Hindi: "On International Day of Non-Violence (2nd October), the BJP's two-year Gandhi Jayanti celebrations began with the brutal thrashing of farmers peacefully coming to Delhi. Now, the farmers cannot even come to the national capital to vent their grievances!" (Photo:Amarjeet Singh) Congress vows ‘new freedom struggle’ against Modi govt Laser pioneers win Nobel Physics Prize PRESS TRUST OF INDIA AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE SEVAGRAM, 2 OCTOBER Launching a scathing attack on the BJP and the RSS, the Congress on Tuesday called for a “new freedom struggle” against what it called the Modi government's politics of “polarisation and intimidation”, as it held a meeting of its apex decision-making body CWC at a venue where 'Quit India' resolution was adopted in 1942 under Mahatma Gandhi's leadership. Holding its meeting at Sewagram Ashram's Mahadev Bhavan in Wardha district of Maharashtra on Mahatma Gandhi's 149th birth anniversary, the Congress Working Committee, headed by party chief Rahul Gandhi, also condemned the use of force against protesting farmers on their way to the national capital. The CWC had last met in The resolution said that “appropriating” the Mahatma's legacy may be politically expedient for some, “but imbibing his principles and values in thought, word and deed is impossible for those who see in the Mahatma only electoral opportunities”. Sevagram in March 1948 and before that under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi in 1942 to adopt the 'Quit India' resolution. In a resolution adopted at the meeting, the Congress alleged the RSS had a “blatant hypocrisy” that vilified and rejected Mahatma Gandhi during his lifetime and it was now brazenly proclaiming itself to be his champion. “It is its (RSS's) ideology that was responsible for spreading the atmosphere of hate that led to the Mahatma's tragic assassination,” Congress spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala said, quoting the resolution. The CWC resolution accused the Modi government of “crushing debate and dissent” and “imposing artificial uniformity in a nation of extraordinary diversity”. Stating that a new freedom struggle is the urgent need of the hour, it called for a massive movement to combat “the forces of divisiveness and prejudice, (and) to confront the Modi government whose politics is the politics of threat and intimidation, the politics of polarisation and divisiveness, the politics of crushing debate and dissent.” STOCKHOLM, 2 OCTOBER Three scientists on Tuesday won the Nobel Physics Prize, including the first woman in 55 years, for inventing optical lasers that have paved the way for advanced precision instruments used in corrective eye surgery, the jury said. Arthur Ashkin of the United States won one half of the nine million Swedish kronor (about USD 1.01 million or 870,000 euros) prize, while Gerard Mourou of France and Donna Strickland (photograph) of Canada shared the other half. Strickland is just the third woman to win a Nobel Physics Prize since it was first awarded in 1901, while Ashkin, 96, is the oldest person to win a Nobel, beating out American Leonid Hurwicz who was 90 when he won the 2007 Economics Prize. Ashkin was hon- oured for his invention of “optical tweezers” that grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells with their laser beam fingers. With this he was able to use the radiation pressure of light to move physical objects, “an old dream of science fiction,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said. Meanwhile Mourou, 74, and Strickland won for helping develop a method to generate ultra-short optical pulses, “the shortest and most intense laser pulses ever created by mankind,” the jury said. Their technique is now used in corrective eye surgery. Details on Page 9 UK unveils tougher immigration policy PRESS TRUST OF INDIA LONDON, 2 OCTOBER British Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday unveiled a major post-Brexit overhaul of the UK's immigration system, which she said is aimed at a level playing field for nationals from all countries by ending “freedom of movement once and for all” for European Union (EU) citizens. Indians may benefit from the new rules, which will focus on highly-skilled migration as opposed to low-skilled workers, but an added obligation on companies being required to sponsor families of such high-skilled professionals may prove a hurdle in the long term. “When we leave (the EU) we will bring in a new immigration system that ends freedom of movement once and for all. For the first time in decades, it will be this country that controls and chooses who we want to come here,” May said in a statement. “It will be a skills-based sys- tem where it is workers' skills that matter, not where they come from. It will be a system that looks across the globe and attracts the people with the skills we need, she said. The UK government said the new so-called skills-based system will make sure lowskilled immigration is brought down and set the UK on the path to reduce immigration to sustainable levels, a key manifesto pledge of the ruling Conservative Party. The new regime, details of which are yet to be fully specified, is expected to be in place by 2021 once the transition period for Britain's exit from the EU is complete. Under rules for skilled workers, applicants will continue to be required to meet a minimum salary threshold, which may be hiked further, and have their families sponsored by their future employers. There are also plans to introduce in-country security checks to be carried out to make operations faster at passport control at the borders, a similar system of prior authorisation currently operated by the USA. The proposals follow a government-commissioned report from the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) last month, which had recommended that high-skilled workers must be given priority over visa applications from FOOTBALL ROILED AGAIN BY RAPE RAP ON RONALDO P9 Police use water cannons, tear gas to stop protesters from entering Delhi Min. 42% TEMPERATURE Max: 36.4 (+3) SUN SETS 17.23 hrs MOON RISES --.-- PAKISTAN SLASHES CHINESE INVESTMENT low-skilled workers. The report was based on an immigration policy that had a level playing field for EU nationals and applicants from other countries, proposals which were accepted by the UK Cabinet last week. The announcement was widely expected as the MAC had called for an end to preferential access to EU workers after Brexit. Under the EU's current free movement rules, citizens from within the 28member economic bloc have so far been able to enter the UK freely and look for work on arrival as opposed to strict visa norms that apply to nonEU workers from countries like India. CMYK P11 Child killed, 10 persons injured in city blast STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 2 OCTOBER An eight-year-old boy, Bibhas Ghosh, was killed and 10 persons, including his mother, were seriously injured when a bomb went off at Kajipara, Nagerbazar, Dum Dum today. The boy, who was to celebrate his ninth birthday on 5 October, died on his way to SSKM hospital.The injured are undergoing treatment at several city hospitals. Initial reports suggested ammonium nitrate was used in the low-intensity blast outside the building, which also houses the office of South Dum Dum Municipality chairman Panchu Roy. “It was a socket bomb explosion. Forensic team and the bomb squad of CID are examining the spot. We are investigating,” a police officer said. The explosion took place outside a fruit shop on the ground floor of the building in the congested Kazipara area around 9 a.m. “Initially, we thought it was a gas cylinder blast. But it is not so.We have found a few iron nails but there is no smell of gunpowder,” a senior police officer said. The municipal chairman claimed he was the target of the blast. Without naming any political party, Mr Roy said forces that were currently “attacking the ruling TMC” all over Bengal, were behind the attack. “It was a pre-planned blast. They had planned to kill me and other TMC workers, as it would create panic and help them gain foothold in the area,” he said. The injured were rushed One of the Nagerbazar bomb blast injured person at R G Kar Hospital in Kolkata on Tuesday. Dilip Dutta to the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital. A forensic team and sniffer dogs were also sent to the spot to ascertain the nature of the explosion, police said. A large police force, led by commissioner of Barrackpore commissionerate Rajesh Kumar Singh cordoned off the area. Panic gripped the area. The intensity of the blast was such that splinters pierced through the closed iron shutters of shops. “I was asleep when I heard a deafening sound. I came down the stairs and found to my horror several people lying unconscious with blood and flesh oozing out. I along with the members of our local club began to rescue the injured and send them to the local private nursing home on trolley vans for treatment,” said Ranabir Biswas, promoter of the building at the basement of which the blast occurred. The boy, along with his mother Basanti Ghosh had gone to a sweet shop, located next to the building. His father worked at the shop. Soon after the blast, a political slugfest began with the Trinamul accusing the BJP-RSS combine of masterminding it. Mr Purnendu Basu, local MLA and state technical education minister said : “The device, which was used in the blast is something that is used by terror outfits. It is nothing but the handiwork of BJP-RSS.” See also Pages 5, 13