India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 12 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | BHUBANESWAR | MUMBAI | LUCKNOW Our Constitution defines justice, brotherhood: Prez Protesters demand immigration agents leave Minneapolis after man shot & killed in crackdown EDITORIAL PAGE Apple and China Page 9 Page 5 Page 6 Posthumous Vibhushan for VS, Dharmendra NIKHIL VYAS New Delhi, 25 January Hindu man burnt alive in Bangladesh: New Delhi: A Hindu man was burned alive in Bangladesh’s Narsingdi amid rising violence against minorities ahead of the 12 February elections. The victim has been identified as Chanchal Bhowmik, in his early 20s. According to reports, Bhowmik was asleep in a garage when the fire broke out. While local authorities said that they were investigating whether the fire was accidental or the result of any criminal conspiracy, Bhowmik’s family has alleged that it was a premeditated murder. V eteran actor Dharmendra and and the former Kerala Chief Minister, V S Achuthanandan, have been chosen for the Padma Vibhushan posthumously on the eve of the 77th Republic Day. Late JMM founder and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren, singer Alka Yagnik, tennis maestro Vijay Amritraj, and Malayalam superstar Mammottty are among the recipients of the Padma Bhushan. The Union Government on Sunday announced a list of a total of 131 Padma Awards. The list includes several prominent figures from public life, arts, cinema, literature, sports and public affairs. The Padma awards are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma SILIGURI | Monday, 26 January 2026 SPORTS WORLD NATION | Shri. The Awards are given in various disciplines/fields of activities, viz., art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc. ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order, and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field. Among the recipients of the Padma Shri are India women's cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur Bhullar, former Indian men's cricket team captain Rohit Sharma, space scientist A.E. Muthunayagam, veteran theatre actor Anil Kumar Rastogi, Karnataka social activist Anke Gowda, who built India's largest free personal library of over 20 lakh books, acclaimed actor Satish Shah (posthumous), women's hockey player Savita Punia, and Tollywood legend Prosenjit Chatterjee. Congratulating all the Padma Awardees for their outstanding contributions to the nation, PM Modi has said the excellence, dedication and service of the awardees across diverse fields enrich the fabric of society. He noted that the honour reflects the spirit of commitment and excellence that continues to inspire generations. The other awardees of the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest national award, are K T Thomas (Public Affairs), classical violinist N Rajam (Art), and P. Narayanan (Literature and Education). Padma Bhushan awardees include former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. US-based Dr Nori Dattatreyudu, late advertising maestro Piyush Pandey, businessman Uday Kotak, veteran BJP leader and former MP V.K. Malhotra, and influential Kerala community leader and SNDP Yogam supremo Vellappally Natesan. Djokovic, Sabalenka and Alcaraz storm into Australian Open quarterfinals Page 12 National Voters’ Day a ‘tragic farce’, Mamata slams ECI UNITED NEWS OF INDIA Kolkata, 25 January West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI) on the occasion of National Voters’ Day on Sunday, accusing it of acting at the behest of the BJP and systematically denying people their democratic rights. In a strongly worded statement, Miss Banerjee said celebrating National Voters’ Day had become a “tragic farce” as the Commission was, according to her, busy “snatching away people’s voting rights.” Alleging that the ECI was functioning as “His Master’s Voice,” she said she was deeply distressed and disturbed by its conduct. The Chief Minister accused the poll body of defying the Supreme Court’s directions and failing to follow established rules and norms to protect citizens’ voting rights. • Details on Page 3 Mark Tully, ‘Voice of India’, dies at age 90 New Delhi: Kolkata-born Sir William Mark Tully, or ‘Mark Tully’ as he was popularly known while covering India for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), died on Saturday in a private hospital in New Delhi. He was 90 years old. Over the last six decades Tully became one of the most trusted and recognisable chroniclers of India for generations of radio listeners. Tully served as chief of bureau for the BBC in India for 22 years and became a household name here for his objective, in-depth and authentic reporting. As a reporter he covered momentous events like the 1971 India- Pakistan War, imposition of Emergency, Bhopal gas tragedy, ‘Operation Blue Star’, the assassination of former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and later Rajiv Gandhi, and thedemolition of the Babari Masjid. Page 7