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 LC | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR | Monday, 03 November 2025 SPORTS WORLD Scorched Future Trump warns Nigeria of military action over Christian persecution Page 6 Page 9 EDITORIAL BRIEFLY 10 injured in London-bound train stabbing: NATION Rahul slams Modi with ‘dance for vote’, Ambani-Adani jibe Page 5 New Delhi, 2 November F orty-two years after Kapil Dev’s unfancied Indian men’s team stunned Clive Lloyd’s mighty West Indies at Lord’s and changed the sporting identity of a nation, India stood on the brink of another generational shift at the start of Sunday’s ICC Women’s World Cup final against South Africa in Navi Mumbai. As soon as Harmanpreet Kaur held on to a super catch to dismiss Nadine de Klerk to bundle the Proteas out for 246 in their chase of 299, that moment finally arrived at the stroke of midnight! If 1983 proved that India could belong on the world stage, 2025 proved that women could own it. The heroes this time, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, may now do for young girls what Kapil, Gavaskar, Amarnath and THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM: The India Women's team celebrate with the trophy after winning the ICC Women's World Cup 2025 final at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai on Sunday. ANI company did for an entire generation of boys by reshaping aspirations and making themselves household names in India. Recalled to India’s World Cup squad as a late injury replacement ahead of the DMK-led meet decides to challenge SIR in SC; BJP, AIADMK boycott MC RAJAN Chennai, 2 November Describing the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls as anti-democratic, the all-party meeting convened by the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu on Sunday termed the Election Commission as a puppet of the BJP, and decided to challenge the exercise in the Supreme Court. While all the allies of the DMK and many registered political parties were in attendance, the principal opposition AIADMK, the BJP, and the PMK as well as actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and Seeman’s Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), boycotted the meeting. The meeting, chaired by Chief Minister MK Stalin (photo), termed the SIR, imposed ahead of Assembly polls, as against the interests of the people of Tamil Nadu. The apex court is yet to deliver its verdict in the Bihar SIR case, it was pointed out. “The SIR is unacceptable, and the all-party meeting urges the Election commission to abandon the exercise. Only after the shortcomings are removed, it should be conducted in a transparent manner as per the guidelines of the Supreme Court afer the 2026 assembly election. There should be adequate time to carry out the exercise,” a resolution adopted at the meeting said. “It is highly condemnable that the EC remains a puppet in the hand of the BJP-led Union Government and functions in an undemocratic manner disregarding the objections of political parties in Tamil Nadu,” the resolution said. “Our apprehensions stem from the recent SIR in Bihar, which witnessed mass deletion of minorities and those opposed to the BJP. Further, the Election Commission has failed to make any statement either before the apex court or in a public forum.” “It is unmistakable that the SIR, imposed unilaterally on Tamil Nadu and 11 other States, is intended to disenfranchise a vast segment of the electorate and bury electoral democracy," the resolution said. “The SIR could be conducted only after issuance of a Gazette notification as per Section 169 of the Representation of the People Act and hence unlawful. Even the Supreme Court direction that Aadhaar should be the 12th document had not been adhered to,” the resolution pointed out. “There is only confusion, for the Election Commission announcement says that no document should be collected from electors during the Enumeration Phase. There is no clarity as to when they will be demanded,” it stated. ISRO puts into orbit heaviest satellite ever launched from Indian soil to bolster Navy’s communications UNITED NEWS OF INDIA Sriharikota, 2 November India on Sunday beefed up its security with the launch of its latest military satellite, the 4.4 ton GSAT-7R or CMS-03, for the use of the Indian Navy, by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The satellite, the heaviest launched so far from Indian soil, was put into orbit by Page 12 Spirit of ’83 rekindled, India women bag maiden WC title TRIDIB BAPARNASH London: Ten people were injured in a mass stabbing on a London-bound train in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, late Saturday, with at least two people sustaining life-threatening injuries. “Ten people have been taken to hospital following a multiple stabbing on a train in Cambridgeshire. Nine are believed to have suffered life-threatening injuries. A major incident has been declared,” police said on X. The police later said two persons remained in ill-threatening condition. Page 9 Washington, Arshdeep star as India level T20I series ISRO’s LVM3 rocket on Sunday evening in copybook style. “GSAT-7R will provide robust telecommunication coverage across the Indian Ocean Region. Its payload includes transponders capable of supporting voice, data, and video links over multiple communication bands,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. “This satellite will significantly enhance connectivity with high-capacity bandwidth, enabling seamless and secure communication links between ships, aircraft, submarines, and Maritime Operations Centres of the Indian Navy,” it added. The most advanced communication satellite thus far for the Navy, the GSAT-7R will strengthen the Navy’s space-based communications and maritime domain awareness capabilities. The GSAT-7R will replace the 2.65 ton GSAT-7 or Rukmini that was launched in 2013 by Arianespace. After a smooth 24-hr countdown, the home grown LVM3-M5 ~ also India’s biggest, nicknamed Bahubali ~ lifted off from the Second Launch Pad at the Sriharikota High Altitude Range at 5.26 p.m. and after a flight duration of about 1,000 seconds precisely injected the satellite into Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) with an inclination of about 24 degrees. Though satellites launched using GSLV and LVM are normally injected into a 36,000 km GTO, ISRO had tweaked the orbital injection path for this launch, considering that the satellite was the heaviest launched from Indian soil. Congratulating ISRO on the successful launch, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a post on his X handle praised the space sector's excellence and innovation, saying it has furthered national progress and empowered countless lives. “Our space sector continues to make us proud! Congratulations ISRO on the successful launch of India’s heaviest communication satellite, CMS-03. Powered by our space scientists, it is commendable how our space sector has become synonymous with excellence and innovation. Their successes have furthered national progress and empowered countless lives,” PM Modi said. knockouts, Shafali Verma, adjudged the Player of the Match, picked the grandest stage of all to deliver her finest ODI innings with a sublime 87 and then dented South Africa’s chase with two key breakthroughs. Deepti Sharma, named Player of the Tournament for her batting and bowling prowess, was equally monumental, producing a match-defining all-round effort with a vital 58 and a five-wicket haul, as India outsmarted the Proteas by 53 runs, despite Laura Wolvaardt’s majestic century at the DY Patil Cricket Academy in Navi Mumbai on Sunday. A full house that waited through a two-hour rain delay was rewarded with a blistering Indian start as Shafali and Smriti Mandhana powered their way to 104 inside 18 overs. Shafali took charge early, clearing the field with authority, while Smriti grew into the innings, helping India rocket to 50 in just six overs. South Africa finally broke through when Chloe Tryon removed Mandhana for 45, but Shafali continued (Turn to Page 12) It’s clear which way the wind is blowing in Bihar: PM Modi IMRAN MOJIB Patna, 2 November Those sitting in Delhi doing political arithmetic should come here and see which way the wind is blowing.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday, as he addressed a well-attended election rally in Arrah in Bhojpur, Bihar. “When I see this energy in all of you, the resolve to build a developed Bihar becomes even stronger,” PM Modi added. Targeting the Opposition INDIA bloc, PM Modi once again raised the issues of ‘jungle raj’, infiltration, and appeasement politics. Ahead of his visit to the Patna Sahib Gurudwara later in the day, Mr Modi also invoked the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. “On 1-2 November, 1984, Congress members carried out the Sikh massacre. Today’s Congress continues to promote and honour those guilty of that massacre. Whether it’s Congress or the RJD, neither feels any remorse for their sins,” Mr Modi said, adding: “If the RJD brought jungle raj and appeasement politics to Bihar, Congress’s identity is tied to the massacre of Sikhs.” Referring to the declaration of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as the CM candidate of the INDIA bloc, Mr Modi said the Congress never wanted an RJD leader to be declared chief ministerial candidate, but the RJD did not miss the opportunity either. “The RJD put a gun to Congress’s head and snatched the chief minister’s post. They forced an agreement in a closed room and then made Congress publicly announce its support under pressure,” PM Modi said.