FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 12 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR Tariff upon Tariff Preparations begin to ramp up aid in Gaza as ceasefire brings hope Page 6 Page 9 BRIEFLY NATION Ramesh flags concern over RTI erosion at 20-yr milestone Page 5 Bihar elections: NDA’s BJP, JD-U to contest 101 seats each IMRAN MOJIB Patna, 12 October DGCA seeks report on AI RAT issue: New Delhi: India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has asked Boeing for a detailed report on the uncommanded deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) on Air India flight AI-117 at Birmingham earlier this month and is advising Air India to reinspect the RAT stowage on all affected aircraft, particularly those with recently replaced power conditioning modules (PCMs). A DGCA official said Boeing has been asked for a report on the RAT incident, global data on similar cases in 787s, and PCM-related issues. A fter much speculation, the seat-sharing formula within the NDA for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections has been finalised. Following discussions among all constituent parties, the JD(U) and BJP have decided to contest 101 seats each. Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has been allotted 29 seats, while Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha and Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) have been given six seats each. Sharing the details on platform ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), BJP’s Bihar election in-charge, Vinod Tawde, wrote: “A united and dedicated NDA... All members of the NDA family have amicably completed the seat distribution for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections through mutual consent. Leaders and workers of all NDA parties have welcomed this decision with enthusiasm. All partners are geared up and committed to bringing back an NDA government in Bihar.” Bihar BJP President Dilip Jaiswal, JD -U Executive President Sanjay Jha, RLM Chief Upendra Kushwaha, Mr Paswan, and other NDA leaders also posted the seat-sharing figures and expressed unity within the alliance. The formula was finalised after several rounds of negotiations, largely coordinated by the BJP’s central leadership. While the BJP and JD(U)’s seat division had been agreed upon earlier, finalisation was delayed due to demands from Chirag Paswan and Jitan Ram Manjhi, both of whom insisted on a certain number of seats and specific constituencies. Mr Paswan was reportedly adamant on securing at least 30 seats, equivalent to his party’s five MPs in Parliament. Meanwhile, Mr Manjhi was reluctant to settle for fewer than 15 seats, as he sought to boost his party’s vote share to gain formal recognition from the Election Commission. A breakthrough came on Sunday afternoon when Mr Manjhi signalled reconciliation, declaring: “I will remain with Three arrested in West Canadian FM Anita Bengal gang rape case Anand lands in India STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Durgapur, 12 October Police have arrested three persons in connection with the alleged gangrape of a second year MBBS student of a private medical college in Shovapur in West Bengal’s on Friday night. The three were remanded in police custody for 10 days by a Durgapur court on Sunday. The police located the three accused in a jungle near Paranganj, about one kilometres away from the private medical college hospital by tracing their mobile call tower locations The three, identified as Apu Bauri, Sheikh Firdous and Seikh Raiazuddin. have been arrested by police, while another person, Sheikh Nasiruddin alias Samrat have been detained. All of them are residents of Durgapur. A second year medical student of the college, the BENGAL CHIEF MINISTER MAMATA BANERJEE PROVOKED CONTROVERSY BY ADVISING STUDENTS NOT TO VENTURE OUT LATE AT NIGHT friend of the rape survivor, has also been detained by the police for interrogation. The police are now searching for two others who are absconding. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while condemning the alleged gang rape, and reiterating that her government maintains zero tolerance for such crimes, provoked controversy by advicing students, particularly those from other states, to avoid venturing out late at night. “Many students from different states study here. I urge them not to go out at night unnecessarily. The college authorities must ensure proper safety arrangements,” she said. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Durgapur, 12 October Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand reached New Delhi, marking her first official trip to India since taking office earlier this year. “A warm welcome to FM @AnitaAnandMP of Canada on her first official visit to New Delhi. This visit will help build on the positive momentum in IN-CA relations by revitalising our bilateral mechanisms, deepening economic cooperation, and strengthening people-to-people ties,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal wrote on social media platform X. During her visit, Ms Anand will hold talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, as both countries explore a framework for strategic cooperation in trade, energy, and security, according to the Canadian government. She will also visit Mumbai to meet Canadian and Indian businesses involved in investment and job creation. The visit comes shortly after Canada’s National Security Advisor Nathalie Drouin met India’s NSA, Ajit Doval, amid a thaw in ties following tensions under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who had alleged an Indian link to the killing of ‘Khalistan’ supporter Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a claim India had called “absurd.” Intense overnight clashes between Pakistan, Afghanistan militaries UNITED NEWS OF INDIA Islamabad, 12 October Fierce overnight clashes erupted between the Afghan Taliban forces and Pakistani Rangers and Army personnel along multiple points of the Durand Line, forcing the closure of the Torkham crossing ~ a major trade and transit route between the two countries ~ disrupting transport, trade, and communication. The clashes the most intense surge in tensions between the two sides in months, amid constant restlessness. Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Taliban government, said that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 30 others wounded during the Taliban’s overnight military operation along the border area, where they seized several weapons. According to Mr Mujahid, “Nine Afghan soldiers were also killed and 16 others wounded, while 20 Pakistani security outposts were destroyed,” reported Tolo News. Mr Mujaid also said the military action was halted at midnight following requests from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Tolo News reported. The Afghan Defence Ministry, meanwhile, said it carried out a “successful retaliatory operation” against Islamabad late last night, based on “accurate intelligence” as retribution for the Pakistan Air Force’s overnight Thursday bombings of Kabul and Paktika, and claimed to have killed 15 soldiers in the Monday, 13 October 2025 SPORTS WORLD EDITORIAL PAGE | process. It further said that any future violation of Afghanistan’s airspace would be met with a “strong response”, noting that its armed forces were ever vigilant and fully prepared to defend their nation’s sovereignty. As per the Pakistani military, Afghan forces targeted its border personnel in Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir, Chitral, and Baram Chah, along the eastern frontier, where they claimed to have successfully repelled the “unprovoked firing” by militants. Islamabad further claimed the successful destruction of an Afghan military post in the Qila Abdullah sector, and foiling alleged attempts at infiltration in Balochistan’s Zhob, and Pishin districts. ‘Certain individuals worsening situation’ New Delhi: Afghanistan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Sunday said that a few individuals in Pakistan are trying to worsen the situation along the border, and reiterated Kabul’s right to protect its citizens. In a press conference held at the Afghanistan Embassy in New Delhi, Mr Muttaqi said most Pakistanis seek peace, but some individuals are straining Afghan-Pak ties. He said that the Pakistani border is currently “under control” and Kabul seeks only peace . Prime Minister Narendra Modi till my last breath.” This was followed by the formal announcement of seat allocations. The decision by the BJP and JD-U to contest equal number of seats is being viewed as a symbolic partnership for the Assembly polls. But political analysts suggest that this parity masks a deeper political reality ~ the JD-U’s declining strike rate, contrasted with BJP’s growing influence in the state. Furthermore, BJP’s role in determining seat allocations for the three smaller allies has sent a clear message ~ the BJP is in the driver’s seat. With the seat sharing concluded, NDA allies are expected to release their lists of candidates. The BJP has nearly finalised its candidates, and a meeting of its Central Election Committee in Delhi on Sunday evening is expected to approve the list. Similarly, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) has completed its candidate selection. 2nd Test: Campbell, Hope fifties rally West Indies Page 12 PM to skip W Asia peace summit; MoS Kirti Singh to represent India STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 12 October Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a last-minute invitation from US President Donald Trump and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to participate in an international peace summit in Sharm El-Sheikh on 13 October, aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip, but will not be attending the event. Instead, the Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh (photo), will represent New Delhi at the summit, the Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed. An official spokesperson from the Egyptian Presidency stated that the summit will be jointly chaired by Mr Trump and Mr al-Sisi, with participation expected from leaders of over 20 countries, including United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, and French President Emmanuel Macron. The summit’s agenda will focus on ending hostilities in Gaza, bolstering regional peace efforts, and promoting stability and security across the Middle East. On Thursday, Prime Minister Modi congratulated President Trump on the “success” of the first phase of a US-brokered peace plan. “Spoke to my friend, President Trump, and congratulated him on the success of the historic Gaza peace plan,” Mr Modi said on X. Mr Modi also discussed the Gaza peace plan with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Posting on his conversation with Mr Netanyahu, Mr Modi wrote: “We welcome the agreement on the release of hostages and enhanced humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza. Reaffirmed that terrorism in any form or manifestation is unacceptable anywhere in the world.” Israel and Hamas agreed to pause hostilities in Gaza on Thursday, a deal Mr Trump announced on his Truth Social network, saying it was the first step to “Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace”. Both sides agreed to a hostage-prisoner exchange that would free about 20 Israeli hostages believed to still be alive and the remains of others who have died.