FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 16 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR | LUCKNOW | SILIGURI A birth year can’t be a worldview Iran claims strike on US ship in Strait of Hormuz Page 9 Page 11 Three killed, several injured as 5-storey PG building collapses in Satya Niketan STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 6 September T hree people were killed and several others injured after a five-storey building being used as a boys’ paying guest accommo dation collapsed in south-west Delhi’s Satya Niketan on Sunday afternoon, officials said. Additional DCP Abhimanyu Poswal said that so far, nine children have been rescued and taken to the hospital. “Unfortunately, three of them were declared brought dead,” he told reporters. The incident triggered a large-scale rescue operation as emergency personnel searched through the rubble for those believed trapped beneath the collapsed structure. While eyewitnesses and local residents put the possible number of people trapped at more than 15, authorities said the exact figure was yet to be established. A police Rescue operations underway after a building collapsed near Shiv Mandir in Satya Niketan, Moti Bagh, New Delhi, on Sunday. IANS officer at the scene said there were indications that around 40 to 50 people could have been inside the building when it collapsed. A coordinated rescue effort was launched, involving Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Service, National Disaster Satwik-Chirag script history with maiden China Masters title WORLD Reality check Page 8 Response Force, Delhi Disaster Management Authority and Centralised Accident and Trauma Services. Eight fire tenders were deployed, while ambulances and emergency teams were mobilised. The building was reportedly Monday, 07 September 2026 SPORTS PERSPECTIVE EDITORIAL | undergoing repair work in its basement when it gave way. Police said according to their preliminary inquiry, the structure was around 40 to 50 years old and was made up a basement and five overground floors. Residents and eyewitnesses, described scenes of panic immediately after the collapse. One witness said a huge cloud of dust and smoke rose from the site and added that rescuers had pulled several people out of the debris, including four children. He said cries for help could still be heard from beneath the rubble. According to the eyewitness, a boys’ PG and a girls’ PG operated in the vicinity. Another eyewitness identified the collapsed premises as a boys’ PG, “Hostel Daze”. He said a neighbouring structure had also suffered a collapse. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the incident. In a post on X, Mr Modi said the incident was distressing and offered condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones. He also prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured and said authorities were working at the site and assisting those affected. Page 16 J&K, Ladakh must be depicted as per India’s official map: MEA STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 6 September India on Sunday said the UN General Assembly must depict the country’s territory, including the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, in accordance with its official map. “Any inaccurate or misleading depiction is unacceptable. Our p osition on India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is clear, consistent and non-negotiable,’’ Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal (photo) said. His statement came two days after the UNGA adopted a resolution entitled “Correct the Map: Rebalancing Global Cartographic Representation and Promoting Equitable Representation of the World’s Regions, Particularly Africa”. The spokesperson noted that the purpose of the resolution is to encourage the use of equal-area map projections that preserve the relative sizes of continental landmasses. “The resolution neither adopts nor authenticates any particular world map, nor does it address political car tography, including international boundaries, disputed territories or place names,” he said. The spokesperson said India voted in favour of the resolution and also made an explanation of its vote, stressing on the underlying principle of promoting equal - area cartographic representation. “We also highlighted that the resolution do es not constitute endorsement of any specific map, projection or depiction of national boundaries. India’s sovereign territory, including the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, must be depicted in accordance with India’s official map. Any inaccurate or misleading depiction is unacceptable. Our p osition on India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is clear, consistent and non-negotiable,” he said. By 164 votes to one, the UNGA on Friday endorsed a resolution promoting map projections that more accurately reflect the true size of continents ~ the culmination of an African-led campaign against the 16th-century Mercator projection, still the most widely used map system in the world. The US cast the sole vote against, dismissing the initiative as part of a “radical ideological project.” Six countries ~ Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine ~ abstained. ‘Saffron Honour March’ on 9 Sept amid Jadavpur University unrest India to host BRICS Summit amid conflicts in West Asia, Europe STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Will the member nations of the BRICS grouping be able to deliver a common position on the conflict in West Asia in their joint declaration when they meet in New Delhi on 12-13 September for their 18th Summit , given the differences among some member nations over the issue? BRICS leaders may perhaps be grappling with this question as they prepare to gather for the crucial summit at Bharat Mandapam in the midst of a turbulent global geopolitical environment. Even as the wars in Europe and West Asia show no signs of coming to an end, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other world leaders will attend the summit of the eleven nations which collectively represent more than a quarter of the global economy and nearly half of its population. Kolkata, 6 September West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is expected to participate in a ‘Saffron Samman Yatra’ from Golpark to Jadavpur University on 9 September, putting the campus at the centre of another political mobilisation following a large ‘Vande Mataram’ programme held there on Rakhi Purnima. The proposed march will begin at Golpark, pass through Dhakuria and culminate at the 8B bus stand near Jadavpur University. Organisers said the programme would seek to promote nationalist thought and underline the need for greater administrative monitoring of the university campus. On Rakhi Purnima, thousands of people had gathered along the road from Jadavpur University to Jadavpur police station for a programme titled ‘Vande Mataram’ in 10,000 voices. Mr Adhikari had attended the event (photo), organised against a series of recent controversies on the campus. During that programme, Mr Adhikari had criticised both the Trinamul Congress government and the erstwhile Left regime over the political environment at the university. He alleged that during the communist rule, portraits of Rabindranath Tagore, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar did not find a place at the institution. Mr Adhikari also alleged that a “threat culture” had developed in university hostels and claimed that a section of students was forcing others to participate in political programmes. He said that while the majority of students were “nationalist and patriotic”, a group wearing Che Guevara T-shirts was allegedly threatening ordinary students with consequences similar to those faced by a student from Ranaghat. He also referred to the controversial death of student Swapnadeep and criticised the previous Trinamul government over its handling of campus politics. Recalling an earlier protest against ragging, Mr Adhikari claimed that Maoist supporters had protested against his visit to the campus and raised “go back” slogans. He alleged that the then police minister had intervened to secure the release of two arrested Maoists. ASHOK TUTEJA New Delhi, 6 September Police personnel deployed at Mandi House ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit, in New Delhi on Sunday. IANS The two-day summit, hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will also witness the participation of leaders from Brazil, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The PM is expected to hold bilateral meetings with all the visiting leaders on the margins of the summit. His meeting with the Chinese leader is significant as it will provide the two leaders an opportunity to review bilateral ties, including progress in resolving the boundary dispute. Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has also been invited as a special guest for the outreach sessions of the summit in his capacity as the current chair of the BIMSTEC grouping. However, Bangladesh has not yet confirmed if he will participate in the summit, given the deadlock between the two countries over Dhaka’s demand for the extradition of ousted PM Sheikh Hasina. The deliberations at the summit will b e closely monitored across major world capitals since Saudi Arabia and the UAE, two of the BRICS members, side with the United States in its ongoing war with Iran, which is also a member of the grouping. The BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi in May failed to produce a joint declaration on the West Asia conflict due to differences among these nations. The summit is being held at a time when the US, especially its President Donald Trump, has sharpened its criticism of BRICS, primarily due to de-dollarisation efforts and economic policies that challenge the global dominance of the American dollar. The presence of its political adversaries like China, Russia and Iran in the grouping has made the US perceive BRICS as a grouping that is acting against its economic and strategic interests. Indian officials said New Delhi’s BRICS chairship is guided by the theme: ‘’Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability’’, reflecting PM Modi’s vision of a people-centric approach rooted in the spirit of ‘’Humanity First’’. In addition to these areas, the leaders will exchange views on strengthening intra-BRICS cooperation on common priorities and share perspectives on global and regional matters of mutual importance. Under India’s chairship this year, over 350 meetings and high-level engagements have been held in over 25 cities across the country to further strengthen the BRICS strategic partnership across three fundamental pillars: political and security, economic and financial, and cultural and people-to-people initiatives, India’s BRICS chairship has contributed to advancing BRICS cooperation through practical and developmentoriented outcomes. India is a founding member of BRICS and has previously held its chairship three times in 2012, 2016 and 2021. India assumed its fourth BRICS chairship on 1 January. This year also marks a significant milestone as BRICS completes 20 years since its establishment. Drug-free India by 2029; none in evil trade will be spared: Shah STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 6 September Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday announced the government has prepared a roadmap for making India drug-free by 2029 and no one, including big fish, will escape the government’s drive against those involved in the drugs trade. Mr Shah was addressing a press conference in Panaji, Goa, where he gave a nationwide review of the narcotics problem and steps taken against it. The Home Minister said the three-year roadmap will be implemented in Mission Mode and have time-bound targets. The Home Minister said the roadmap is based on four pillars ~ intelligence and operations-based enforcement; control of precursor and synthetic drugs, demand and harm reduction, and capacity building and coordination. The roadmap will be made public. A target has been fixed to destroy 100 Indian and international networks and 100 absconders connected with narcotics will be brought back from abroad, he said. Border forces will be involved in vigilance. In spite of a complex Myanmar-Afghanistan network, not a gram of drugs will be allowed to enter or leave India. The current laws are sufficient to deal with the problem, he said. The Home Minister said narcotics is such an evil which can destroy coming generations. Dirty-money earned by this evil trade is used for terrorism. A narco-terror module is operating in many nations and the whole world is troubled by this problem today. Since 2019, the government took several initiatives to destroy this evil. “We have changed systems, exposed networks, broken financial chains and hand-held the rescued victims,” Mr Shah said. Before 2014, there was a fragmented fight against this problem, at the level of units and in silos. There was satisfaction at catching small fish and seizures, he said. The Modi government decided to treat this problem a national security priority from 2019. Action was taken to make the fight coordinated and constant at the national level. This has produced good results by this year. A four-level mechanism was prepared in 2019 and every State was given a model of a dedicated anti-narcotics task force. A joint Centre-State coordination committee was also formed to function as a scientific mechanism to counter the menace. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) cadre was reorganised. Monsoon Fury A motorcyclist in a raincoat rides through a waterlogged road during morning rain in Noida on Sunday. IANS