MONDAY 16 SEPTEMBER 2024 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘RESERVATION IS CONSCIENCE OF CONSTITUTION’ NATO OFFICIAL BACKS UKRAINE’S USE OF LONG-RANGE MISSILES’ P10 WEATHER Generally cloudy sky. Light to moderate rain / thundershower very likely to occur. Maximum and Minimum Temperature most likely to be around 29 ˚C and 25˚C respectively. RAINFALL: 22.2 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 98 % Min. 95 % TEMPERATURE Max: 26.2˚C SUN RISES 05:23 hrs MOON RISES 16:33 hrs Min: 25.1˚C SUN SETS 17:38 hrs MOON SETS 4:15 hrs Full Moon on 18 September THUMBNAILS Members of the Meitei community protest over the Manipur conflict at Jantar Mantar, in the capital on Sunday. n SUBRATA DUTTA Meerut building collapses, ten dead: At least 10 members of a family were killed and five others critically injured when a threestoreyed 50-year old building collapsed in the Lohia Nagar area of the city. The city has been experiencing continuous rain for several days which led to the incident, family members said. In the incident on Saturday evening, 10 people, including women and five children, died while five were sent to hospital after they were rescued. KTR URGES REVANTH TO RETURN FARMERS’ LAND P9 P4 Kejriwal to resign as Delhi chief minister AAP chief vows to seek people’s mandate, says ready for agnipariksha “ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 15 SEPTEMBER I will seek the people's opinion on my honesty, and until they respond, I will not occupy the Chief Minister's chair. I will only resume the position of Chief Minister if the people affirm our integrity D elhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor, Arvind Kejriwal announced Sunday that he will step down from his position in two days, citing the corruption charges against him as the reason for this decision. Addressing a gathering at the AAP headquarters in Delhi, Mr Kejriwal said he would not sit again in the chief minister’s chair until the people again elect him. Stating that he was prepared for the ‘Agnipariksha’ (test of fire) of seeking the people’s mandate again, Mr Kejriwal demanded that the Delhi elections, scheduled for February next year, be advanced to November to coincide with the Maharashtra elections. He announced that a meeting of the AAP legislature party would be held in a few days to appoint a new leader who would assume the role of Chief Minister. ARVIND KEJRIWAL DELHI CHIEF MINISTER Two days after he was released from Tihar Jail after being granted bail by the Supreme Court, Mr Kejriwal stated: "I will resign in two days. I will seek the people's opinion on my honesty, and until they respond, I will not occupy the Chief Minister's chair. I will only resume the position of Chief Minister, with (Manish) Sisodia as Deputy Chief Minister, if the people affirm our integrity." Mr Kejriwal also launched a scathing attack on the BJP, stating that the AAP has transformed Indian politics and given it a new direction. He criticised the BJP's “efforts” to undermine the AAP, saying: “Their conspiracies have failed to break our spirits. We are back among you, and we will continue fighting for the nation." He added that his imprisonment was not due to corruption but it was rather an attempt to dismantle the AAP and its government. "They thought they could break Kejriwal’s spirit by sending him to jail. But neither I nor our MLAs or workers were broken," he said. Mr Kejriwal explained that he did not resign while in jail because he wanted to protect democracy. "Their new formula is to arrest the Chief Ministers where the BJP does not have power, just as they did with Hemant Soren, so he did not resign from jail,” he remarked. Reflecting on his time in jail, Mr Kejriwal said that he found solace in reading and studying. He read the diary of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, along with religious texts like the Gita and Ramayana. The Chief Minister said that he wrote a letter to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, requesting permission for Minister Atishi to hoist the flag on Independence Day. In response to this letter, Mr Kejriwal claimed, he was threatened that if he wrote another such letter from jail, his weekly meetings with his family would be stopped. (See also Page 5) NEERAJ CHOPRA FINISHES 2ND IN DIAMOND LEAGUE P12 ‘Larger conspiracy’; Tala OC, Dr Ghosh sent to CBI custody STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 15 SEPTEMBER Sealdah court on Sunday ordered three days of CBI custody for former RG Kar Medical College and Hospital principal Sandip Ghosh and former officer-in-charge, Tala police station, Abhijit Mondal, who were arrested late yesterday by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the R G Kar rape and murder case. The CBI had requested custody during the day for Mr Mondal and had earlier made the same request for Dr Ghosh. After the arguments concluded, the judge withheld decision but later granted the CBI's custody request. “The phone conversations between Dr Ghosh and Mr Mondal on the morning the body was found suggest a larger conspiracy, according to the CBI. The CBI has repeatedly claimed that evidence was tampered with and the crime scene was distorted. On these grounds, Dr Ghosh and Mr Mondal were arrested. In court on Saturday, the CBI stated: “We do not consider Abhijit Mondal a prime accused." He was arrested on charges of tampering with evidence and delaying the investigation process. Mr Mondal’s lawyer ques- tioned the grounds for the arrest, saying: “It could be termed negligence of duty, in which case a departmental investigation could have been conducted. But the CBI has no comment regarding the OC." In court, Mr Mondal said: "I was issued six notices. The last one was on the 14 September. I was not informed whether I was a witness or an accused. I had informed them about my health condition and provided various documents." His lawyer argued, "I have concerns about my client's arrest memo. There is no signature from his wife or a relative. The grounds for his arrest have not been shown." During the hearing, some lawyers objected to Mr Mondal’s lawyer's arguments. His lawyer was preparing to file a bail plea when another lawyer questioned, "After everything the OC has done, you are filing a bail plea for him? Whether he is an OC or whoever, the police are not less culpable." This lawyer identified himself as a member of the Sealdah Bar Association. The CBI argued in court on Saturday that the seizure process began long after the incident. Their lawyer said: "Initially, it was claimed to be a suicide, but it was evident that sexual assault had taken place. The seizure of everything happened much later.” The CBI accused Dr Ghosh of negligence, stating in court: "Sandip Ghosh was in charge of the medical college. They did not follow the proper procedures." In court, the CBI argued, "Some say there is a tug-of-war between the police and the CBI, but that's not the case. We are simply seeking the truth." (See also Page 3)