MONDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2023 www.thestatesman.com twitter.com/thestatesman facebook.com/thestatesman INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR THAROOR LIKELY TO BE OUT OF CONG PALESTINE SOLIDARITY RALLY NETANYAHU REJECTS CEASEFIRE CALLS P9 WEATHER Mainly clear sky. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 30 °C and 22 °C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY P4 P11 Min. 54 % Max: 29.8°C (-1) SUN RISES 05:47 hrs MOON RISES 04:36 hrs Min: 22.2°C (+2) SUN SETS 16:55 hrs MOON SETS 16:8 hrs Rahul, India violated Vienna Diwali Dhamakafrom Dutch Iyer as India demolish Convention: Trudeau AGENCIES New Moon on 13 November THUMBNAILS An idol of Goddess Maa Kali at a puja pandal in Kolkata on Sunday.  BISWAJIT GHOSAL BSE Sensex crosses 65K mark as Samvat 2080 begins on positive note: BSE Sensex began Samvat 2080 on a positive note with the index climbing 354 points beyond the 65,000 mark in the Muhurat trading session on Sunday. The Sensex ended the special one-hour session up 355 points at 65,259 points. Infosys led the Sensex gains up 1.4 pc followed by Wipro, Asian Paints, TCS and NTPC. The BSE Small Cap index gained 1.14 per cent while the BSE IPO Index was up more than 2 per cent. Mo tilal Oswal, Group MD & CEO, Motilal Oswal Financial Services said Hindu Samvat 2080 is likely to start on a positive note on the back of strong earnings and healthy economic outlook. (Pg 8) NEW DELHI, 12 NOVEMBER eaffirming his allegation of Indian involvement in the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on his home soil, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday accused New Delhi of violating the Vienna Convention by “kicking out” 40 diplomats at a time when his country had reached out to the former and other global partners to get to the bottom of the murder. The Canadian PM said if bigger countries can “violate international law without consequences”, it will make the world “more dangerous”. Speaking to reporters in Ottawa, Mr Trudeau said: "From the very beginning when we learned of credible allegations that agents of the Indian government were involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil, we reached out to India to ask them to work with us in getting to the bottom of this matter.We also reached out to our friends and allies like the US and others to work on this really serious violation of inter- R national law and of the sovereignty of a democracy.” “This is something that we are taking very seriously. We will continue to work with all partners as law enforcement and investigative agencies continue to do their work. Canada is a country that will always stand up for the rule of law because if might starts to make right again, if bigger countries can violate international law without consequences, then the whole world gets more dangerous for everyone," he added. The Canadian PM's remarks came close on the heels of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's statement that Washington wants to see Canada "moving its investigation (into the killing of Hard- India votes against Israeli settlements in Palestine at UN eep Nijjar) forward" and India “needs to help make it happen”. Mr Trudeau, however, added that Canada wants to"work constructively" with India, adding that Ottawa “will always stand up to the rule of law”. "We have been very very clear that we want to work constructively with India on this very serious matter. From the very beginning, we shared the real allegations that we are deeply deeply concerned about but we have reached out to the Indian government and to partners around the world to get to the bottom of this, to take it seriously," Mr Trudeau said. The Canadian PM alleged that India willfully fell foul of the Vienna Convention by revoking the diplomatic immunity of the Canadian diplomats. Last month, Canada pulled out 41 diplomats from India and also halted its visa and consular services in Chandigarh, Mumbai, and Bengaluru consulates in the wake of the Union government's decision to strip them of their immunity. This came after New Delhi conveyed its concerns to Ottawa over the disproportionate number of diplomats in India and sought a 'parity' in diplomatic strength. Tying the Nijjar killing to India's decision to strip the Canadian diplomats of their immunity, the Canadian PM said on Sunday, "That's why we were so disappointed when India violated the Vienna Convention and arbitrarily revoked the diplomatic immunity of over 40 Canadian diplomats in India...We have serious reasons to believe that agents of the government of India could have been involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil and India's response is to kick out a whole bunch of Canadian diplomats by violating their rights under theVienna Convention." NEW DELHI, 12 NOVEMBER The resolution was passed by an overwhelming majority, with 145 countries supporting it, while seven ~ Canada, Hungary, Israel, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, and the US ~ voted against it, and 18 abstained from voting. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE on the resolution at the UN. "A resolution was moved in UN yesterday seeking to declare Israeli settlements in Occupied Palestine as illegal. Very glad that Republic of India voted in favor of the resolution. Israel’s occupation of Palestine through settlers is illegal. Israel’s apartheid must end now," he wrote on X. Last month, India abstained in the UN General Assembly from voting on a draft resolution submitted by Jordan, that called for an immediate humanitarian truce in the Israel-Hamas conflict, as it did not make any mention of Hamas. The resolution titled "Protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations" was overwhelmingly adopted with 120 nations voting in its favour, 14 against it and 45 abstaining. India’s Shreyas Iyer plays a shot during their match against Netherlands in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday. Iyer’s and KL Rahul's centuries and half-centuries by Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli took India to 410/4 against the Netherlands in the last league game of the World Cup. In reply, the only Associate nation in this edition of the tournament came up with an inspiring batting show before falling short by 160 runs to hand the hosts a straight ninth victory and stretching their all-win record so far in this World Cup. In the Indian innings, KL Rahul scored India's fastest century in the history of the ICC Cricket World Cup, coming in just 62 balls, with 11 fours and four sixes, surpassing the previous record held by Rohit Sharma, who had scored a century in 63 deliveries in the match against Afghanistan. Virat Kohli, while he missed what would have been his 50th ODI hundred, went past South Africa’s Quinton de Kock to become the tournament’s highest rungetter, finishing the league state with 594 runs in his kitty. India also became the first team in a World Cup edition where all batters in the top five scored fifty-plus runs in an ODI innings.  ANI (Match report on Page 12) Under-construction tunnel collapses in Uttarkashi, 35-40 workers trapped AGENCIES India has voted in favour of the resolution in the UN General Assembly condemning settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan. The resolution was passed on Saturday, two days after its draft was approved on Thursday. The resolution was passed by an overwhelming majority, with 145 countries supporting it, while seven ~ Canada, Hungary, Israel, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, and the US ~ voted against it, and 18 abstained from voting. Trinamul Congress Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale said that he was "very glad that Republic of India voted in favor of the resolution" and shared a photo of the voting DEHRADUN, 12 NOVEMBER Around 35-40 workers are trapped inside an underconstruction tunnel onYamunotriUttarkashi national highway 94 that collapsed under a landslide early on Sunday morning. Teams of the state disaster management department are working to rescue those trapped inside the tunnel. The incident took place between 5 a.m and 6 a.m. when a new shift of workers had just come on, according to the SDRF and Uttarkashi police. According to the National Highway and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) around 35-40 workers were in the underconstruction Brahmkhal-Polgaon tunnel when it collapsed around 270 metres inside one end located at village Silkyara. Authorities said that a stretch of the tunnel nearly 65 metres fell in due to the collapse. Opening of the blocked portion will be a challenge. Police said construction of the tunnel is taking place simultaneously from both the ends and it was in its final stages. Excavation work of four kilometres has been completed with more than 700-800 workers working day and night. The 4.5 km long tumnel is being constructed with state-of-the-art technology at a cost of Rs 853 crore. "A landslide occurred early morning resulting in crumbling of a portion of the tunnel close to Silkyara village. Around 40 workers are trapped in the tunnel. The number may increase as SDRF rescue teams, fire brigade and Uttarkashi police are making all out efforts to save lives. Required machines and other equipments have been put in place to rescue the workers," Uttarkashi superintendent of police Arpan Yaduvanshi told the media on Sunday. ‘India safe so long as brave soldiers are standing on borders’ AGENCIES SHIMLA, 12 NOVEMBER Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday celebrated Diwali with Indian Army soldiers in the remote and strategic area of Lepcha in Himachal Pradesh, close to the IndiaChina border, saying “these brave friends of mine stand firm and steadfast like the Himalayas on its borders”. Mr Modi shared his pictures and videos with the soldiers on X.Dressed in an Army camouflage jacket and wearing a black-banded hat, the Prime Minister interacted with the soldiers and said, “My festival is where you are."(Photo) “The courage of our security forces is unwavering. Stationed in the toughest terrains, away from their loved ones, their sacrifice and dedication keep us safe and secure. P12 Canadian PM doubles down on Nijjar claim, says India kicked out Canadian diplomats Max. 94 % TEMPERATURE ‘PLAYER CAN’T BE BLAMED FOR ACTING WITHIN RULES’ BHUPEN HAZARIKA: A MELODIOUS JOURNEY THROUGH TIME India will always be grateful to these heroes who are the perfect embodiment of brav- ery and resilience,” the Prime Minister said as he celebrated the festival of lights with the troops. In an address, the Prime Minister told the soldiers that in the past years, more than 500 women officers have been given permanent commission in the Indian Army. “Today, women pilots are flying fighter planes like Rafale,” he said. “Bharat of the 21st century is moving forward towards Aatmanirbharta. Now, the resolutions will be ours, and the resources will also be ours. “India is safe as long as these brave friends of mine stand firm and steadfast like the Himalayas on its borders. It is because of your service that India is safe and is on the path to prosperity,” Mr Modi said in his address. Since 2014, Mr Modi has been following the tradition of celebrating Diwali with soldiers. He last celebrated Diwali with soldiers in Himachal Pradesh on 30 October 2016. Lepcha falls in Lahaul-Spiti district, spread CMYK over 13,835 sq km. The climatic conditions in the entire district are harsh as much of the land falls under a cold desert where the mercury drops below minus 20-degree Celsius during winter. In 2014, Mr Modi celebrated Diwali with soldiers at the Siachen Glacier. In 2015 he spent time with troops at Amritsar border. in 2016 he celebrated Diwali in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh and in 2017, he went to Gurez in Jammu and Kashmir. In 2018, the Prime Minister celebrated Diwali with the Army personnel in Kedarnath in Uttarakhand, while in 2019 he went to Rajouri in Jammu. In 2020, he celebrated Diwali in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer; in 2021 he celebrated Diwali in J&K's Nowshera and last year he spent time with soldiers in Kargil during Diwali. Bengal celebrates Kali Puja, Diwali Kali Puja at chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence. SNS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 12 NOVEMBER Kali Puja and Diwali were observed with great enthusiasm across the state. Kali Puja was held in the residence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Harish Chatterjee Street in south Kolkata. Senior state government officials including the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, additional Chief Secretaries and Principal Secretaries of different departments and the Commissioner of Police and Director General of Police were present along with many businessmen. Political leaders including Mala Roy, Firhad Hakim, Aroop Biswas, Dr Shashi Panja, Chandrima Bhattacharya were also present. The residents of Naba Nir, an old age home, joined the puja at Miss Banerjee’s residence. Miss Banerjee observed fast and the puja was held in her name. Her brothers and sisters-in-law, nephews were present. She prepared the bhoj which was offered to the diety. Lakhs of people gathered at Dakshineshwar temple to offer puja. Pujas were held at Thanthania Kali temple and Pute Kali in Burrabazar. Boro Kali Puja at Pathuriaghata in north Kolkata entered the 96th year this year. The puja is organised by Pathuriaghata Byam Samity whose president was Netaji Su-bhas Chandra Bose. Kali Puja was observed at Belur Math and all the Math centres of Ramakrishna Mission. SwamiVivekananda had started Kali Puja at Belur Math in 1901. Sister Nivedita started her school 125 years ago on the Kali Puja day on 13 November 1898 at 16, Bose Para Lane in north Kolkata. Kali Puja was held at the Kalighat temple where thousands of devotees gathered to participate. Kali Puja was also observed at Firgi Kali Bari in Bowbazar. Lakhs also came to Tarapith in Birbhum district to offer puja. Bama Khapaya’s name is associated with Tarapith, where he stayed and performed sadhana. Elaborate police arrangements were made at the temple to maintain peace. In south Kolkata, Kali Puja was held at Lake Kalibari with enthusiasm. Kali Puja was held at Dakat Kali Bari on Purna Das Road. Mayor Firhad Hakim, Mala Roy and Debashis Kumar lit lamps and inaugurated Shashan Kali Puja in South Kolkata.