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 | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR | LUCKNOW | SILIGURI | Wednesday, 27 May 2026 SPORTS NATION Trump weighs options to dispose of Iran’s uranium BUSINESS Goyal discusses boosting India-Canada cooperation IPL 2026: Royals, Hyderabad face high-stakes Eliminator in Mullanpur Page 9 CBI launches probe into Twisha Sharma case Page 12 WORLD Page 5 Page 10 Centre constitutes high-level panel to address unnatural demographic change AGRAJ PRATAP SINGH New Delhi, 26 May T he Centre has constituted a highlevel committee on demographic change to address issues such as infiltration, which it says lead to unnatural shifts affecting local populations, public resources and national security. Sharing the information in a post on X on Tuesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said infiltration and other factors resulting in unnatural demographic change pose a serious challenge to both the present and future of any nation. Shah said the committee, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day address on 15 August last year, has now been formally constituted. According to Shah, the panel will be chaired by retired Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar and will include the Census Commissioner, retired IAS officer Durga Shankar Mishra, retired IPS officer Balaji Srivastava and economist Shamika Ravi as members. The Joint Secretary (Foreigners-I) in the Ministry of Home Affairs will serve as the committee’s member secretary. The home minister said demographic change was a serious issue affecting the country’s sovereignty, national security, law and order, social structure and the preservation of tribal societies. He said the committee would conduct a comprehensive assessment of demographic changes across the country caused by illegal immigration and other “unnatural” factors. PM Modi meets Australia, Japan Foreign Ministers It will analyse patterns of abnormal population shifts among religious and social communities and recommend a planned, time-bound solution. Illegal infiltration was a major campaign issue for the BJP in the recent Assembly elections in West Bengal and Assam. In his Independence Day speech last year, Modi highlighted the dangers of demographic imbalance caused by infiltration and illegal migration in border areas. He had then announced a high-powered demographic mission to address what he described as a national security challenge threatening the unity, integrity and rights of Indian citizens. The Centre has maintained that such demographic changes not only pose a threat to national security but also adversely affect border regions, local livelihoods and public resources. The government has undertaken several measures to curb infiltration, including the deployment of advanced technology and tech-enabled border security systems. Amit Shah to visit Bengal border: Kolkata: Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to visit West Bengal in June to review the implementation of the government’s “detectdelete-deport” policy and assess security arrangements along the India-Bangladesh border. The Centre has adopted the three-pronged strategy to identify illegal infiltrators, remove their names from official records and facilitate their deportation. Quad expresses concern over situation in S China Sea, calls for uninterrupted global commerce through Hormuz Bengal govt to serve fish meal at `5 twice a week: Bengal CM STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kalyani, 26 May The West Bengal government on Tuesday announced it will provide subsidised fish meal at Rs 5 per plate and ban liquor shops within a onekilometre radius of schools, colleges and temples. Making the announcements after an administrative meeting in Nadia district town, about 50 km from Kolkata, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said application forms for the women’s financial assistance scheme Annapurna Yojana would be issued from 27 May. Adhikari said the ban on alcohol was aimed at protecting educational institutions and religious places from the social impact of liquor consumption, while also ensuring that cases of public nuisance and mischief are not reported near schools, colleges and temples. “Liquor shops will not be permitted to operate within a 1-km radius of schools, colleges and temples. This will ensure that the youngsters are not swayed by the lure of alcohol and help build a stronger civil society in the state,” he said. Adhikari said the subsidised fish meals will be served at all 367 state-run canteens twice a week. NIKHIL VYAS New Delhi, 26 May Without directly referring to Beijing’s aggressive posturing, the four Quad nations on Tuesday expressed serious concern over the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea. They called for adherence to international law to ensure safety and the uninterrupted flow of global commerce through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea in the backdrop of the global energy crisis. Indian Army deploys remote-controlled boats, advanced drones in Sri Lanka relief mission PARWINDER SANDHU STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 26 May Prime Minister Narendra Mo di on Tuesday met Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi in separate discussions, underscoring India’s push to expand strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific amid shifting regional dynamics. After meeting Wong, Modi said on social media platform X that the talks covered the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership across key sectors. “Happy to receive Senator Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia. We discussed the growing India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in areas such as defence, trade, technology and ensuring supply chain resilience,” the Prime Minister said. He added, “India and Australia will continue to work for a free, open, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific.” India and Australia upgraded ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2020 and have since broadened collaboration on defence, critical minerals, maritime security, education, and clean New Delhi, May 26 energy. Both countries are members of the Quad alongside the United States and Japan. Modi also met Motegi and highlighted the role of New Delhi-Tokyo ties in regional stability. “Delighted to receive Mr Toshimitsu Motegi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan. Reaffirmed the vital role of the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership in advancing peace, stability and prosperity across the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” Modi said in a separate post on X. India and Japan maintain a Special Strategic and Global Partnership built on economic cooperation, infrastructure, and security. Japan is a key partner in projects including the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highspeed rail corridor, and the two sides have expanded defence exchanges and maritime cooperation in recent years. The meetings come as India steps up engagement with partners in the Indo-Pacific, focusing on regional security, resilient supply chains, and economic connectivity amid broader global strategic challenges. The Indian Army's Engineer Task Force deployed advanced technologies such as heavy-payload drones, remote-controlled boats and laser range finders for the first time in an overseas humanitarian mission during Operation Sagar Bandhu in Sri Lanka, significantly enhancing the speed and precision of relief efforts following Cyclone Ditwah. “We inducted new-generation equipment for the first time overseas. Heavy-payload drones, remote-controlled boats and laser range finders helped us acquire precise data and complete tasks within compressed timelines despite numerous challenges,” Lieutenant Colonel Anuj Singh of the Engineer Task Force said after the contingent’s return to India. According to the officer, the technology played a crucial role in the successful construction of seven Bailey bridges across cycloneaffected regions of Sri Lanka, enabling troops to execute complex engineering tasks with greater efficiency and accuracy. The Indian Army’s six-month-long humanitarian mission in Sri Lanka under Operation Sagar Bandhu demonstrated not only advanced engineering capabilities but also the resilience, discipline and humanitarian ethos of its soldiers, a senior officer who led the effort said after returning to India. The Indian Army’s Engineer Task Force (ETF), comprising 48 personnel, returned on May 25 after completing its deployment in Sri Lanka, where it had been sent in December 2025 following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah. The operation was launched as part of India’s Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) commitment and reflected New Delhi’s Neighbourhood First policy. Speaking about the mission, the officer said Indian soldiers required no special preparation before deployment because disaster-relief operations are ingrained in military training. “Humanitarian assistance and disaster relief are part of our training curriculum. Every soldier of the Indian Army is always mentally prepared whenever such a requirement arises,” he said. The task force was airlifted to Sri Lanka by Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft carrying specialised bridging equipment, engineering stores and rescue resources. Working alongside the Sri Lanka Army Engineers and local authorities, the team restored critical connectivity by constructing seven Bailey bridges in cyclone-affected regions, including Kilinochchi, Kandy, Badulla and Chilaw. More than 40 damaged bridge sites were also surveyed for future restoration. Reflecting on the deployment alongside contingents from other countries, Lt Col Singh said the defining strength of the Indian Army lay in the spirit of its personnel. “The high spirit and morale possessed by Indian Army troops make us different. The discipline, dedication and courage displayed during the six-month deployment stand as a testament to our commitment and capability to operate in adverse weather conditions and challenging situations,” he said. Describing the operation as more than a relief mission, he said it helped deepen trust between India and Sri Lanka. “The appreciation we received not only from the Sri Lankan authorities and Army but also from local people was overwhelming. Their gratitude showed that the Indian Army makes an impact not only in India but wherever it is deployed globally,” he said. The foreign ministers of India, Japan, Australia and the United States held a crucial meeting here amid conflicts, geopolitical tensions, and strains on global supply chains. They issued a joint statement, calling for decisive and sustained international efforts to combat terrorism in accordance with international law, including action against globally proscribed terrorists and terror entities and their proxies, affiliates, sponsors and financiers. The Quad members unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism and the horrific terrorist attacks perpetrated at Pahalgam in India on 22 April 2025, and Bondi Beach in Australia on 14 December 2025. The meeting, hosted by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, was attended by Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “We affirm our support for a free and open Indo-Pacific that allows countries to develop resilience and strengthen capacity to determine their own paths. To that end, we concur on further enhancing cooperation and advancing concrete initiatives to deliver tangible benefits to the region,” the ministers said in a joint statement. Six die of asphyxiation in under-construction septic tank in Kalahandi STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Bhawanipatna, 26 May In a tragic incident, six persons died of suspected asphyxiation inside an under-construction septic tank at Gauda Karlakhunta village under MadanpurRampur police limits in Kalahandi district on Tuesday morning, while another person is battling for life. According to reports, the mishap occurred when workers entered the 10-foot-deep septic tank to remove centering materials from the structure under construction at the house of Nimai Pal (48). During the process, a mason accidentally fell inside the tank. In an attempt to rescue him, four labourers along with the house owner and his son entered the chamber one after another, but all of them reportedly suffocated . Fire service personnel later recovered the victims and shifted them to the M. Rampur Community Health Centre, where six persons were declared dead. The deceased were identified as Nimai Pal (48) and his son Akash Pal (28) of Gauda Karlakhunta village, Adal Majhi (55), Manoranjan Hati (27) of Matoganda village, and Chhanda Jal (32) and Bipul Jal (30) of Duta village. Another worker, Pankaj Yani (32) of Hatikhoj village, who was rescued in critical condition, was first admitted to M. Rampur CHC and later shifted to VIMSAR, Burla for advanced treatment. Police and district administration officials reached the spot and launched an investigation. An unnatural death case has been registered. Kalahandi Collector Sachin Pawar said the district administration has provided Rs 30,000 each to the families of the deceased for last rites. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed grief over the tragedy and announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for the next of kin of the deceased.