FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 BRIEFLY Fate of 27 lakh in limbo after voter list freeze: Kolkata: The voter list for the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly Election 2026 was frozen at midnight on Monday, Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal had announced on Monday evening. With the freezing of the list for the first phase of the election, the fate of 27,16,393 individuals removed from the list hangs in limbo. According to ECI data released late on Monday night a total of 60,06,675 individuals were taken up for adjudication across the state. Of these, 32,68,119 individuals were found eligible and retained in the electoral rolls, while 27,16,393 individuals were declared not eligible and consequently removed. Affected individuals will have the option to appeal before tribunals but even if their names figure out in the list, they will not be considered for the first phase of the Assembly election. Page 2 | Pages 16 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR | Mamata keeps up attack on ECI over ‘targeted’ voter deletions BISWABRATA GOSWAMI Chakdaha, 7 April W ith the Assembly elections weeks away, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday sharpened her political offensive against the BJP and the Election Commission, alleging large-scale deletions of voter names targeting specific communities. Addressing election rally at Mashra Nabopally Ground in Chakdaha amid looming storm warnings, the Trinamul Congress (TMC) chairperson framed the upcoming polls as a battle to protect democratic rights and Bengal’s social welfare framework, accusing the Centre of both financial discrimination and attempts to influence the electoral process through revisions of voter rolls. Miss Banerjee alleged that names of people belonging to particular communities had been removed following the post-Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the State. She said the Trinamul Congress would stand firmly beside those excluded from the lists and ensure that eligible voters were not deprived of their franchise. According to the latest Election Commission data, nearly 91 lakh voters have been deleted from West Bengal’s electoral rolls after the SIR exercise. The Chief Minister claimed that after her intervention in the Supreme Court, around 32 lakh names out of nearly 60 lakh cases kept under “adjudication” had been restored. “Names were being removed from official records by targeting specific communities,” she alleged, warning that attempts to disenfranchise voters would be resisted politically and legally. Racing against an approaching spell of adverse weather during her Chakdah rally, Miss Banerjee began her speech by announcing that she would keep her address brief to ensure public safety after receiving an alert predicting storms and rain later in the afternoon. Urging voters to back the Trinamul Congress candidates across three Assembly constituencies ~ Chakdaha, Haringhata and Kalyani, she appealed for support in favour of the party’s twin-flower symbol, projecting continuity of welfare schemes as central to her government’s agenda. Highlighting the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Kalyani, the Chief Minister asserted that the State government had played a crucial role in enabling the project by providing nearly 100 acres of land and spending around Rs 300 crore on access infrastructure. She also pointed to Kalyani’s growing status as an IT and logistics hub, citing the establishment of a major Flipkart facility. LUCKNOW | SILIGURI | Wednesday, 08 April 2026 Manipur: Two kids killed in rocket attack, protesters dead in CRPF firing STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Imphal, 7 April At least two protesters were killed and several others injured in firing by security forces in Manipur’s Bishnupur district on Tuesday as widespread protests erupted after a bomb attack blamed on Kuki militants in the night claimed the lives of two children. State authorities ordered the suspension of internet and mobile data services across five districts ~ Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Kakching, and Bishnupur ~ for a period of three days, while Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh announced that the state government has decided to hand over the investigation into the deadly bomb attack to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Strongly condemning the Tronglaobi Awang Leikai incident, the Chief Minister said the act appeared to be the handiwork of individuals or groups with vested interests in disturbing the fragile peace in the state. Khemchand Singh added that the perpetrators have not yet been identified and that a massive combing operation is currently underway. Combined security forces, including the state Police, Assam Rifles and CRPF, have been deployed across the area. Helicopters are also being used to track down those responsible, the Chief Minister said. Meanwhile, police sources said a large number of people, including women, staged a massive protest condemning the killing of two children in a bomb attack at Tronglaobi Awang Leikai village, and stormed the CRPF camp near Gelmol, located a few hundred metres from the blast site, setting vehicles on fire and vandalising property. A police officer said that as the situation was getting out of hand, the force initially fired in the air to disperse the crowd, but clashes broke out with Double whammy ~ Monsoon 2026 likely ‘A whole civilisation will die tonight’ to be below normal, El Niño to strengthen UNITED NEWS OF INDIA Washington, 7 April VIBHA SHARMA New Delhi, 7 April Amid the ongoing geopolitical chaos, rising crude prices and inflation, there seems to be another grim scenario building on the horizon ~ the possibility of a below-normal monsoon, the lifeline of India. While official forecaster IMD is yet to take a position on the critical June-September season that drives the agrarian and economic health of the country and the general well-being of its people, private forecaster Skymet on Tuesday warned that the upcoming monsoon season may be “below normal”, a scenario that is also negative for groundwater and reservoirs recharge and the power situation. According to Skymet, the monsoon is expected to be 94 per cent (with an error margin of +/-5 per cent) of the long-period average of 868.6 mm for the four-month period from June to September. The bottom line is there is zero per cent chance of excess (more than 110 per cent of LPA); 10 per cent chance of above normal (between 105 to 110 per cent of LPA); 20 per cent chance of normal (96 to 104 per cent of LPA); 40 per cent chance of below normal (90 to 95 per cent of LPA); and 30 per cent chance of drought (less than 90 per cent of LPA). Month-wise, June forecast is 101 per cent of LPA and a 70 per cent chance of normal rains; July 95 per cent of LPA and a 40 per cent chance of normal rains; August 92 per cent of LPA and a 60 per cent chance of below normal; and September 89 per cent of LPA and a 70 per cent chance of below-normal rains. The seasonal rainfall distribution is expected to be diverse and biased. In terms of geographical prospects, Skymet expects the core monsoon rain-fed zone of central and western parts to witness inadequate rainfall. Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan are expected to observe less-than-normal rains, more so during August-September. East and north-eastern parts will be placed better than the rest of the country. US President Donald Trump has issued yet another threat to Tehran of wiping out a “whole civilisation” in Iran as his deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz looms. His latest threat was posted on social media, reflecting his increasing frustration. “A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” he begins, in a post on his Truth Social platform. “I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will. However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalised minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen,” he continued. “WHO Sudden halt to agreed feeding practice prompts queries, animal activists flag concerns RUDRANI CHATTERJEE Kolkata, 7 April The question of how Indian cities negotiate the coexistence of humans and community animals has once again returned to focus, months after an apex court intervention placed stray dogs at the centre of a national conversation last year. The renewed debate has now found local expression at the Agri-Horticulture Society of India (AHSI) in Alipore Road, Kolkata, where an arrangement intended to ensure regulated feeding of stray dogs in the vicinity was recently discontinued, raising concerns among animal rights patrons. According to people familiar with the development, the issue traces back to an earlier disagreement between local feeders and representatives of the society regarding the practice of feeding stray dogs along the periphery of the premises. The feeding activity, carried out informally by residents and volunteers, is understood to have prompted apprehensions relating to the management of the shared public space. Animal welfare activist and founder of RAFTAAR (Raising Awareness and Funds to Aid Animals Rescue), Ms Shimana Gupta Chawla, said the NGO intervened to facilitate discussions after being informed of the impasse, despite not being directly connected with the local feeders. The objective, she said, was to help develop a structured feeding practice that could function within civic guidelines while ensuring continuity of care for the stray dogs. Speaking to The Statesman, Ms Gupta Chawla said: “We had reached an understanding with the society that we would assign a feeder who would provide food for the stray dogs at a designated time daily. This continued for a couple of months, but roughly 10 to 12 days ago he was suddenly told to discontinue the service, without any clarity on what prompted the abrupt withdrawal.” She specified that the organisation sought clarity on the reasons for the sudden discontinuation and whether any alternative mechanism had been put in place to ensure the dogs were not left unfed. However, no definitive response was forthcoming from the society. Ms Gupta Chawla further observed that the surrounding Alipore locality, characterised by controlled residential and institutional spaces, does not easily permit stray animals to find food independently. “At no point have we intended to be adversarial. Our concern has only been to ensure that a practical, legally viable, and cooperative way forward remains possible, so that the animals are not left to go hungry,” she said. She added that dialogue with the concerned parties remains ongoing in an effort to arrive at a mutually acceptable resolution. “In more than 20 years of working in animal welfare, I have consistently found that the best outcomes emerge from amicable solutions.” The Statesman attempted to contact representatives of the AHSI to seek clarification on the decision and to ascertain whether any alternative arrangement has been conceived as of yet. A response was still awaited at the time of publication. The issue has also brought focus to reported restrictions on access to the premises, with non-members recently barred from entering the garden maintained by the Agri-Horticulture Society, urging questions regarding the use of what is understood to be public property. The move has sharpened concerns about the extent to which access to a space of this scale can be limited to a small membership base. Speaking on the matter, Mrs Maneka Gandhi, former Member of Parliament and Union Minister of Women and Child Development, animal rights activist and environmentalist, voiced strong objection to the decision, emphasising that the reported developments raise significant concerns. “This is public property, and access cannot be limited to a small group of members. I do not understand how a public space of this scale can effectively function as a private enclosure for a few individuals to enjoy,” Mrs Gandhi said. “We are also given to understand that a municipal team was prevented from entering last year, which is deeply concerning and calls for scrutiny.” Mrs Gandhi suggested that the matter warrants immediate attention from the municipal authorities, adding that the Mayor must take cognisance of the situation following the Assembly polls. The developments point to the persistent ambiguity surrounding implementation of animal welfare guidelines, particularly in contexts where questions of access, accountability, and public character intersect. The absence of clearly defined operational protocols continues to leave welfare measures vulnerable to abrupt reversal. This, in turn, incites larger questions about how institutional responsibility is interpreted in spaces understood to serve a wider public interest. KNOWS? We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!” Iran, meanwhile, has countered Mr Trump, saying that it will not hesitate to respond in kind if the US attacks civilian facilities. The US President had issued an ultimatum, threatening to strike Iranian power plants and bridges in mere hours if Iran does not agree to open the Strait of Hormuz. “We will do to the infrastructure of America and its partners what will deprive them and their allies of the region’s oil and gas for many years,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement carried by Iranian state media. “American leaders lack the ability to calculate the critical assets that would be within range of our fighters if they attacked our infrastructure,” it added. • Iran calls for human chains to protect power plants: Page 11 personnel, after which the CRPF opened fire, killing at least two people and injuring 25. The bomb attack at Tronglaobi Awang Leikai was reportedly carried out by suspected Kuki militants. The incident took place around 1 a.m. when a powerful rocket-like device, allegedly fired by suspected Kuki militants, struck a residence, killing a five-year-old boy and his five-month-old sister instantly, while their mother sustained injuries. The Chief Minister and Home Minister also visited the injured family members at a private hospital in Imphal FS Misri leaving for Washington: New Delhi: Amid the ongoing war in West Asia, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will visit Washington from 8–10 April to review the full spectrum of India–U.S. bilateral relations and advance ongoing cooperation across key areas. During the visit, Mr Misri will hold discussions with senior officials of the US Administration on a wide range of issues, including trade, defence, science and technology, as well as regional and global developments of mutual interest, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday. The visit follows External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s visit to Washington in February.