AUSTRALIAN OPEN: SINNER BEATS GIRON, KEEPS TITLE DEFENCE ON TRACK 19 JANUARY 2025 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT PAGE 12 SINCE 1818 PAGES 20 |` 5.00 |LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WEATHER Mainly clear sky. Mist in the morning. Maximum and Minimum Temperature likely to be around 25˚C and 15˚C respectively RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 87 % Min. 52 % TEMPERATURE Max: 24.5˚C (-1.4) SUN RISES 06:18 hrs MOON SETS 09:41 hrs Sanjay Roy found guilty Bumrah, Kuldeep figure in Champions Trophy squad for RG Kar rape-murder TRIDIB BAPARNASH The quantum of punishment will be pronounced on Monday NEW DELHI, 18 JANUARY SUBHENDU MAITI Jasprit Bumrah (right) and Kuldeep Yadav (far right) have been included in India’s provisional 15-man squad for the ICC Champions Trophy, starting 19 February in Pakistan and the UAE. The same squad will take on England in three ODIs in early February, with Harshit Rana coming in as a back-up for Bumrah, who may not be ready for the first two matches of the bilateral series. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar said that the team management will keep an eye on Bumrah’s fitness in the lead-up to the tournament. There were injury concerns over both Bumrah and Kuldeep ahead of the selection on Saturday, with Kuldeep not having played any competitive cricket since his hernia surgery in November, while Bumrah had suffered a stress-related injury during the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney. The only notable omission from the Rohit Sharma-led squad is pacer Mohammed Siraj, who was replaced by left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh, rewarded for ending as the highest wicket-taker in the Vijay KOLKATA, 18 JANUARY Min: 15.2˚C (-0.7) SUN SETS 17:15 hrs MOON RISES 22:07 hrs New Moon on 29 January THUMBNAILS A rehearsal for the Beating Retreat ceremony which will take place on 29 January, marking the end of the Republic Day celebrations. In New Delhi on Saturday. n SUBRATA DUTTA Man suspected of attacking Saif Ali Khan caught in Durg: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) in Durg has apprehended the suspect accused of attacking Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan late Wednesday night. The alleged assailant, identified as Akash Kannojya (30), was arrested aboard the Shalimar Gyaneshwari Express, which runs from Mumbai to Kolkata. Mumbai Police have been informed, and their team is expected to reach Durg to take the accused into custody. (Details on Page 4) T he Additional District and Sessions Court, Sealdah, on Saturday found Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer of Kolkata Police, guilty in the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old woman post graduate trainee doctor at the R G Kar Medical College Hospital on 9 August 2024. The quantum of punishment will be pronounced on Monday. Sanjay Roy was held guilty under sections 64, 66 and 103 (I) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The judge, Anirban Das, told the victim’s family counsel that the Supreme Court ~ which the family had approached with a plea for a reinvestigation in the case ~ had not issued any stay on delivery of the verdict. Reflecting the emotions that the brutal crime had provoked nation-wide, a large number of people had assembled at the court premises this afternoon amid tight security arrangements to hear the verdict pronounced. “You (Sanjay Roy) had entered the hospital, attacked, Protesters at the Sealdah Court in Kolkata on Saturday as the main accused in the RG Kar rape and murder case is brought to the court (right) for the verdict hearing. n BISWAJIT GHOSHAL raped and murdered the victim,” said the judge, adding, “You are hereby held guilty in the case.” The judge felt that the evidence produced by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was strong enough to prove Roy’s guilt. Roy could face the maximum punishment ~ death penalty ~ or the minimum, which is life imprisonment. The punishment will be announced on Monday. Upon hearing the verdict Roy shouted that he is innocent and that he had followed the instructions of ‘IPS’ officers. “Aamar golaay rudrakshmaer mala. Ei mala pore aami ei aporadh korbo? Aami okhane kichhu korle aamar mala chhinre jeto. Sir, aapni ki bujhte parchhen aamake phansano hochchhe. (“I have a garland of rudrakshma on my neck. Can I commit such crime wearing such garland? It could have been cut off if I did the crime. Sir, can you understand that I have been made a scapegoat.),” he said in courtroom 210. The judge said that he would hear Sanjay’s statements on Monday. The entire hearing that started around 2.30 pm ended within 12 minutes Partha Sarathi Dutta, the lawyer representing the CBI, told reporters that they had sought the maximum possible punishment for Sanjay Roy. The parents of the victim, who broke down after hearing the verdict, said they have crossed the first hurdle. “We want maximum punishment for him and at the same time all other culprits involved in the case must be given the same treatment like Sanjay Roy. It’s not possible for him to have done the crime alone. There are many others who are also a part of the larger conspiracy. We hope, the court will give us justice.” The parents continue to insist that the investigation is only half-done as others involved in the crime are roaming free. (More reports on Pg 3) Hazare Trophy and his impressive performances in international cricket ~ he was the top wicket-taker in India's ODI series in South Africa in 2023. Shubman Gill has been named vice-captain of the ODI side which also includes the in-form Yashasvi Jaiswal for the first time in his career. Mohammed Shami, who was recently picked for the preceding T20I series against England, starting 22 January, following a long injury layoff, was also named in the Champions Trophy squad. He last played international cricket in the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he was the highest wicket-taker with 24 wickets. With Virat Kohli set to take the No.3 place, the middle order presents a similar look as the 2023 ODI World Cup side, with Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul retaining their spots, along with all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. Washington Sundar is the fourth allrounder picked in the squad. Rahul is also likely to double up as the frontline wicketkeeper in the team that includes Rishabh Pant as the back-up option.