FRIDAY 23 AUGUST 2024 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 14 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR TIM WALZ TALKS OF ‘BRINGING JOY’ IN DNC SPEECH ASSAM GOVT PROPOSES REPEALING 1935 MUSLIM MARRIAGE LAW P8 SENSEX 81,053.19p147.89 WEATHER Generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain / thundershower very likely to occur.Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 32 °C and 28 °C respectively. RAINFALL: 16.5mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 97 % NIFTY P9 24,811.50p41.30 P7 GOLD 72,870q330 ` vs $ 83.94 SILVER 87,000 CBI submits status report in SC Min: 26.2˚C (-0.2) SUN SETS 18:3 hrs MOON SETS 07:40 hrs AGENCIES KOLKATA, 22 AUGUST New Moon on 3 September THUMBNAILS PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 22 AUGUST W A bus that got partially submerged in floodwater following heavy rainfall, in Tripura’s Agartala on Thursday. nANI SC to set up panel to resolve grievances of farmers on Punjab-Haryana border: The Supreme Court has said that it will set up, within a week, a committee to amicably resolve the grievances of the farmers protesting at the Punjab-Haryana border. A bench headed by Justice Surya Kant asked the states of Haryana and Punjab to suggest within three days the terms of reference for the panel. Farmers from Punjab have been agitating at the border between the two states at Ambala since February 2024, seeking statutory backing for Minimum Support Price for their agricultural produce. hile admonishing both the ruling TMC and the Opposition BJP in West Bengal not to politicise the rape and murder of a post graduate trainee doctor at R G Kar Hospital in Kolkata on 9 August, the Supreme Court on Thursday once again asked the agitating doctors to get back to the work, while assuring that no adverse action will be taken against those doctors who stayed away from hospital duties on account of the ongoing protest. Taking exception to the CBI and West Bengal government’s counsel trading barbs relating to inflammatory remarks made by a state minister and the BJP Leader of the Opposition in the course of the hearing today, a Bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra said: “Do not politicise the situation. Law will take its course.” The court also expressed concern over the delay in registering the FIR regarding the victim's death. Justice Pardiwala said, “This is extremely disturbing,” asking why it took from 6:10 p.m., when the post-mortem was conducted, until 11:30 p.m. to register the unnatural death with police. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CBI, told the court that Kolkata police had delayed registering the FIR until after the victim had been cremated. The top court stated that the agitating doctors ‘Electoral alliance among Cong, NC, CPM for all seats finalised’ The CBI, on Thursday, submitted its status report to the Supreme Court on the progress of the investigation into the rape and murder of a woman doctor in state-run R.G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, and as per sources the agency has highlighted several missing links. Sources said the first missing link is the substantial gap between the time of the discovery of the body at the seminar hall of the hospital building on the morning of 9 August and that of intimation to the local police station about the tragedy. will have to get back to work while assuring that no coercive action will be taken against them for participating in the protests that were sparked following the rape and murder of the junior doctor in Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. CJI Chandrachud said: “Investigation is going on, we are looking into the matter… we will issue not Sources said that the investigating CBI officials are trying to figure out why the hospital authorities, especially, the former and controversial R.G. Principal Sandip Ghosh took so much time to inform the police after the discovery of the body. The second missing link is the exact person who first discovered the body of the victim at the seminar hall on the morning of 9 August. Sources said that the investigating official believe that once the individual who spotted the body first is zeroed in, answers for many unanswered queries in the matter will be found. (See Page 3) just the guidelines but issue enforceable directions to institutionalise the safety of the doctors, nurses and para-medical staff.” Following the top court’s appeal, doctors at major hospitals, including in the national capital, ended their 11-day strike. Doctors in Bengal, however, have vowed to continue their ongoing protests. (PHOTO: BISWAJIT GHOSHAL) STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 22 AUGUST Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to bring in stringent Central laws against the perpetrators involved in rape and murder cases, and to take steps to speed up legal proceedings in such cases by setting up fast-track courts. Alapan Bandyopadhyay, the chief adviser to the chief minister, read out the contents of the letter to mediapersons at Nabanna today. In the letter to the Prime Minister, also posted on social media platform X, Miss Banerjee wrote: “I wish to bring to your kind attention the regular and increasing occurrence of rape cases throughout the country and in many cases, rapes with murder are committed. JAMMU, 22 AUGUST alliance is on track and it will go on well with God's grace. It is final, it will be approved by this evening. This alliance has been done on all 90 seats.” When asked if there are chances for National Conference and PDP to come together for the assembly elections, Farooq Abdullah remained silent on PDP and said: “Congress and NC are together. CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami is also with us. I hope that our people are with us so that we can win and do better for the people” When asked Rajnath in Washington as India, US deepen strategic partnership if he will contest the elections, Dr Abdullah candidly said: “It's better if you don't ask me this question. I will not answer it.” On pre or poll alliance with PDP, Dr Abdullah said: “We do not know. Let us first go through the poll, then we will look into these things. No doors are closed for anyone.” On the common minimum programme for alliance with Congress, Dr Abdullah said: "Our common programme is to fight the election, to defeat the divisive forces that exist in the country”. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 22 AUGUST Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia are a matter of deep concern and India supports dialogue and diplomacy for the early restoration of peace and stability, and is ready to provide all possible cooperation along with its friendly countries. Addressing a press meet with Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw, Mr Modi said the loss of innocent lives in any crisis is the biggest challenge for all of humanity. India firmly believes that no problem can be solved on the battlefield. The Polish Prime Minister said India can play an essential, constructive role in resolving Russia-Ukraine war. "The entire world praises India because India's government is very democratic. We don't see much of this in that part of the world," he said. Mr Modi said: “This year Prime Minister Narendra Modi exchanges greetings with Poland President Andrzej Duda during a bilateral meeting, at Belweder Palace, in Warsaw on Thursday. n ANI we celebrate 70 years of our diplomatic relations. On this occasion, we have decided to reshape our relation into a Strategic Partnership. The relations between India and Poland are based on shared values such as democracy and rule of law.” “As two democratic countries, exchanges between our parliaments should be encour- The Defence Minister will also chair a high-level roundtable meeting with the US defence industry on the ongoing and future defence collaborations. He is scheduled to interact with the Indian community later on Thursday, US time. India and the United States have hailed progress on bilateral defence initiatives following the fifth annual IndiaUS 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in November 2023. the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at the R G Kar Medical College in Kolkata on 9 August. Earlier on Thursday, Trinamul Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had in a post on social media stated that the country needs stricter anti-rape laws that mandate completion of trial and conviction within 50 days, followed by severe punishment and "not just empty promises". Mr Banerjee also noted that about 900 cases of rape had occurred in the last 10 days throughout the country. That means 90 such cases had been taken place daily, he stated. Contending that an comprehensive antirape law is required, he wrote: “All the state governments should exert pressure on the Centre to legislate stringent laws against such crimes.” aged. Efforts will be made to connect the private sector to broaden economic cooperation,” Mr Modi said. “We want Polish companies to join the Mega Food Parks being built in India. In India, rapid urbanisation is opening up new opportunities for our cooperation in areas such as water treatment, solid waste management, urban infra- structure,” he said. Mr Modi said Clean Coal Technology, Green Hydrogen, Renewable Energy, Artificial Intelligence are also our common priorities. The PM said: “We both agree that to meet the global challenges, reform in the United Nations and international institutions is the need of the hour.” He said: “Terrorism is a big challenge for us. More such cooperation is required between countries like India and Poland which believe in humanity. Similarly, climate change is a matter of shared priority for us.” On the second day of his Poland visit, the PM held separate delegation-level talks with Poland President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Mr Modi had a bilateral meeting with Mr Tusk also. The two leaders held talks at the Chancellery in restricted and delegation-level formats, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. Given the salience of India-Poland ties, the leaders decided to upgrade the relationship to a ‘Strategic Partnership’. They engaged in wide-ranging discussions on various aspects of the bilateral partnership, including trade and investment, science and technology, defence and security, cultural cooperation, and people-to-people ties. The leaders also discussed important regional and global issues of mutual interest including the conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia, MEA said. They exchanged views on reform of United Nations and other international institutions, climate change action and threats posed by terrorism. A Joint Statement and an Action Plan (2024-2028) for the implementation of the India-Poland Strategic Partnership were issued after the meeting. Prime Minister Modi later in the evening emplaned from Warsaw for the second leg of his visit in which he will travel to Ukraine. India calls ‘factually not correct’ reports Parl panel on Waqf blaming dam in Tripura for Bangladesh floods Bill holds first meet STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 22 AUGUST AGENCIES WASHINGTON, 22 AUGUST “According to the available data, it is horrifying to see that almost 90 cases of rapes occur daily throughout the country. This shakes the confidence and conscience of the society and the nation. It is bounden duty for all of us to put an end to it so that the women feel safe and secure. “Such serious and sensitive issue needs to be addressed in a comprehensive manner through stringent central legislation prescribing exemplary punishment against the persons involved in such dastardly crimes. Setting up of Fast Track Special courts for speedy trial in such cases should also be considered in the proposed legislation. To ensure quick justice, trial in such cases should preferably be completed within 15 days”. This came against the backdrop of the massive protests nationwide over India believes no problem can be solved on battlefield: PM STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Washington Thursday evening on a fourday visit to the United States at the invitation of US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin. During the visit, Defence Minister Singh will hold a bilateral meeting with his US counterpart and also meet the US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. “The visit comes in the backdrop of the growing momentum in India-US relations and defence engagements at multiple levels. The visit is expected to further deepen and broaden the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership,” the Ministry of Defence stated before Mr Singh's departure. BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 75.30p0.22 Court asks agitating doctors to go back to work, assures no punitive action Min. 81 % Soon after a meeting with Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, National Conference (NC) chief Dr Farooq Abdullah on Thursday said that the pre-poll alliance for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly election is on track and the seat sharing document for all 90 seats will be signed by this (Thursday evening. Mr Gandhi and Mr Kharge drove to Abdullah’s Gupkar Road residence in Srinagar after addressing a meeting of Congress workers, and discussed the seat sharing formula. Former chief minister Omar Abdullah, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal and PCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra were among those present in the meeting. Farooq Abdullah told media persons, “The meeting was held in a very cordial atmosphere. The P14 Don’t politicise RG Kar CM writes to Modi seeking stringent anti-rape law issue: SC to TMC & BJP TEMPERATURE Max: 31.0˚C (-1.0) SUN RISES 05:16 hrs MOON RISES 19:60 hrs INDIA TO BEGIN WTC 2025-27 CYCLE WITH TOUR OF ENGLAND DHAKA MUST DECIDE ON CHINA TIES India, on Thursday, termed as“factually not correct” reports in Bangladesh that the current flood situation in certain parts of the neighbouring country has been caused by the opening of the Dumbur dam upstream of the Gumti River in Tripura. “We would like to point out that the catchment areas of Gumti River that flows through India and Bangladesh have witnessed the heaviest rains of this year over the last few days.” The flood in Bangladesh is primarily due to waters from these large catchments downstream of the dam,” the Ministry of External Affairs said. The MEA said the Dumbur dam is located quite far from the border ~ over 120 km The MEA said the Dumbur dam is located quite far from the border ~ over 120 km upstream of Bangladesh. It is a low­height (about 30 m) dam that generates power that feeds into a grid from which Bangladesh also draws 40MW of power. upstream of Bangladesh. It is a low-height (about 30m) dam that generates power that feeds into a grid from which Bangladesh also draws 40MW power. “Along the about 120 Km river course we have three water level observation sites at Amarpur, Sonamura, and Sonamura 2.” Heavy rainfall has been continuing since 21 August in the whole of Tripura and adjoining districts of Bangladesh. In the event of heavy inflow, automatic releases have been observed. Amarpur station is part of a bilateral protocol under which we are transmitting real-time flood data to Bangladesh,” it added. The MEA clarified that data showing a rising trend has been supplied to Bangladesh up to 1500 hrs on 21 August. At 1800 hrs, due to flooding, there was a power outage leading to problems in communication. Still, India has tried to maintain communication through other means created for urgent transmission of data. “Floods on the common rivers between India and Bangladesh are a shared problem inflicting sufferings to people on both sides and requires close cooperation towards resolving them,” it said. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 22 AUGUST The Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 on Thursday held its first meeting where officials from the Ministries of Law and Justice and Minority Affairs briefed members of the committee on various amendments proposed in the law. The 31-member committee is headed by BJP MP Jagdambika Pal. There are 21 members of the committee from the Lok Sabha and 10 members from the Rajya Sabha. The Committee has been tasked by the Lok Sabha to scrutinise the Bill. Speaking to the media ahead of the meeting, Mr Pal said they will give maximum opportunities to the maximum number of people from minority organisations while discussing the provisions of the Bill. He said the government has a specific purpose for bringing this Bill that the properties handed to the Waqf should help the backward Muslims and women. Mr Pal said the Committee will discuss all 44 amendments and bring a good and comprehensive legislation by the next session of Parliament. The Joint Committee has been asked to submit its report to the Lok Sabha by the last day of the first week of the next session of Parliament. The committee will need to reconcile government and Opposition views on the Bill, while hearing suggestions from stakeholders. The Joint Committee was constituted as the Opposition maintained the Bill violated the Constitutional provisions on fundamental rights and would not stand judicial scrutiny.