THURSDAY 22 MAY 2025 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00 | LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR YOGI CALLS FOR COMPASSIONATE GOVERNANCE IN SCHOOLS RAHUL JOINS STALIN IN CONDEMNING CENTRE FOR ‘MISUSING’ GUVS P8 SENSEX 81,596.63 p410.20 WEATHER PARTLY CLOUDY SKY. HOT AND HUMID WEATHER. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 40 AND 29 DEGREE CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Trace RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 68 % TEMPERATURE P4 NIFTY 24,813.45 p129.55 ` vs $ 85.53 P9 GOLD `98,365 THUMBNAILS Border Security Force personnel perform during the Beating Retreat ceremony at the Attari-Wagah border near Amritsar on Tuesday. The ceremony had been halted after the Pahalgam terror attack. nANI STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE RAIPUR, 21 MAY Pak official declared persona non grata, asked to leave India within 24 hours: India on Wednesday declared a Pakistani official, working at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi as 'persona non grata' for indulging in activities not in keeping with his official status in India, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. "The Government of India has declared a Pakistani official, working at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, persona non grata for indulging in activities not in keeping with his official status in India. The official has been asked to leave India within 24 hours," the MEA said in a statement. A t least 27 Maoists, including the country’s most wanted insurgent, Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, were killed on Tuesday in a major counterinsurgency operation in the dense forests of Abujhmad, Chhattisgarh. The operation, led by the District Reserve Guard (DRG), is considered one of the most significant offensives against Maoist insurgents in decades. One DRG jawan was martyred in the firefight, while several others sustained injuries. All injured personnel have been evacuated and are in stable condition, officials confirmed. The operation remains ongoing, with the final death toll possibly rising as search efforts continue across the forested tri-junction of Narayanpur, Bijapur, and Dantewada districts. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday hailed the security forces for neutralizing 27 Maoists at Narayanpur in Chhattisgarh. “Proud of our forces for this remarkable success. Our government is committed to eliminating the menace of Maoism and ensuring a life of peace and progress for our people,” he said, reposting Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s post on the success of the operation. Union Home Minister Amit Shah hailed the development as a historic breakthrough, stating: “For the first time in three decades of Bharat’s battle against Maoism, a General Secretary-ranked leader has been neutralised. I commend our brave security forces for this success.” PM to unveil `26,000-crore projects in Bikaner today STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAIPUR, 21 MAY The highlight of the ceremony will be the commissioning of 103 redeveloped stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, spanning 86 districts in 18 states and Union territories at a collective cost of more than 1,100 crore. In an online post, the Prime Minister hailed the day as a “landmark for India’s railway infrastructure”, promising greater comfort, connectivity and a celebration of the country’s cultural heritage. Deshnok station’s façade echoes the arches and columns of Karni Mata temple; other stations, such as Begumpet in Telangana, Thawe in Bihar and Dakor in Gujarat, likewise blend regional architecture with modern amenities, including facilities for passengers with disabilities. Altogether, some 1,300 stations have been earmarked for upgrading under the scheme. After flagging off a new Bikaner–Mumbai express, Mr Modi will address a public rally at Palana around midday. He will lay the foundation stone of the 58-km Churu– Sadulpur line and will dedicate to the nation the recently electrified corridors between Suratgarh–Phalodi (336 km), Phulera–Degana (109 km), Udaipur–Himmatnagar (210 km), Phalodi–Jaisalmer (157 km) and Samdari–Barmer (129 km). Road transport will also receive a boost: the Prime Minister will launch three vehicle underpasses, as well as seven national-highway schemes valued at approximately 4,850 crore, improving civilian and military access to the border region. In the energy sector, he will break ground for largescale solar parks at Bikaner and Nawan (Didwana– Kuchaman), and for transmission projects under PowerGrid’s Sirohi and Mewar schemes. He will also switch on completed solar and gridaugmentation schemes, which are expected to expand renewable capacity and cut carbon emissions. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 21 MAY BENGALURU, 21 MAY Kannada writer-lawyer-activist Banu Mushtaq, 77, became the first Kannada writer to win the International Booker Prize on Wednesday for her short story collection “Heart Lamp” alongside her translator Deepa Bhasthi. She shared the 50,000pound cash prize with her translator Deepa Bhasthi. In a double record-breaking streak, “Heart Lamp” also brought on the first Booker Prize win for a short story collection. This collection contains her 12 stories, written over three decades, featuring stories Operation Sindoor: JD(U)’s Sanjay Jha-led delegation embarks on 5-nation visit about the daily life of Muslim women in Karnataka. “This moment feels like a thousand fireflies lighting a single sky — brief, brilliant and utterly collective,” Banu Mushtaq said while collecting the prize at a ceremony at the Tate Modern in London, reports reaching here said. “I accept this great honour not as an individual but as a voice raised in chorus with so many other,” she said. She said it was a beautiful win for Kannada language.” While “Heart Lamp” is the first Kannada piece of writing to win the International Booker Prize, it is the second Indian book to get this honour. In the hearing of a money laundering case linked to National Herald, the Directorate of Enforcement on Wednesday apprised the court that Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are prima facie involved in the matter. In the opening submissions Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S V Raju submitted before the court that an offence of money laundering is made out in the case, adding that proceeds of crime were also there in the matter. ED's counsel has submitted that said the Congress leaders have allegedly received about Rs 142 crore rupees in proceeds of crime as rent, until November 2023, when the properties linked to the case were attached. As per submissions by the anti-money laundering agency, the property derived from any criminal activity is also considered as proceeds of crime, adding that proceeds of crime are not only those properties obtained from the offence, but also any other criminal activity which is "relatable" to the proceeds of crime. Meanwhile, the court has said that the matter will now be heard on a daily basis from Under “Operation Black Forest”, security forces have arrested 54 Maoists and secured the surrender of 84 others across Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. The government remains committed to eradicating Maoism by March 2026. The targeted operation was launched based on specific intelligence indicating the presence of top Maoist leaders in the Maad region. Security forces from four districts coordinated to cordon off the area, resulting in a prolonged gunfight with insurgents. Basavaraju, killed in the encounter, had a bounty of 1.5 crore and was the General Secretary of the CPI (Maoist). Born in 1955 in Andhra Pradesh, he held an engineering degree and had long been involved in leftist activism. He reportedly underwent military training from ex-LTTE cadres and masterminded several major attacks, including the 2010 Dantewada ambush and the 2013 Jiram Ghati massacre. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai congratulated the DRG for its “historic success” and expressed condolences for the fallen jawan. “The death of Basavaraju is a clarion call of victory in our fight against Maoist violence,” he posted on social media. Security analysts believe Basavaraju’s elimination will destabilise Maoist leadership and significantly weaken the insurgency across the Red Corridor, opening avenues for development and peace in tribal regions long afflicted by conflict. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 21 MAY An all-party delegation led by Janata Dal (United) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha on Wednesday left for a fivenation visit as part of India's diplomatic outreach on Operation Sindoor with a brief to further expose Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. The delegation will visit Indonesia, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, Japan and Singapore to project the country’s resolute approach to combat terrorism in all its forms. “Terrorism is a part of Pakistan’s state policy, and they will tell the world how Islamabad has been sponsoring terrorism” Jha told media persons before the departure of his delegation. Asserting that the biggest issue is terrorism which is “Pakistan’s state policy”, the JD(U) leader asserted that it was the job of the entire delegation to reveal Pakistan’s real face before India strongly rejects Pakistan’s accusation of Indian involvement in Balochistan blast STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 21 MAY India on Wednesday strongly rejected Pakistan’s charges of Indian involvement in a bus bomb blast in Balochistan's Khuzdar district, saying that it has become second nature for Pakistan to blame India for all its internal issues. Five people, including three children and two adults, died and around 38 more were injured, many of them critically, in a blast targetting a bus carrying children of Army Public School (APS) in Balochistan’s Khuzdar area on the Zero Line at Karachi-Quetta Highway, on Wednesday. In response to media queries regarding allegations by Pakistan, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "India rejects the baseless allegations Banu Mushtaq: First Sonia and Rahul involved in National Herald laundering case: ED to court Kannada writer to win Booker prize STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 66.10 Basavaraju, killed in the encounter, had a bounty of `1.5 cr & was the General Secretary of the CPI (Maoist) Min: 30.2 °C (+3.5) SUN SETS 19:09 hrs MOON SETS 13:58 hrs Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Rajasthan'’s border district of Bikaner on Thursday, 22 May, to unveil a swathe of transport, energy and social-sector schemes designed to modernise infrastructure and send a firm signal across the Indo-Pak frontier. Mr Modi is due to land at Naal airbase at about 10.30 a.m. before flying by helicopter to Deshnok to pay homage at the celebrated Karni Mata shrine. He will then move to the refurbished Deshnok railway station, where he will formally inaugurate the facility and dedicate national infrastructure projects worth roughly 26,000 crore. P12 SILVER `1,00,000 Top Maoist leader among 27 killed in Chh’garh operation Min. 42 % Max: 40.7 °C (0.5) SUN RISES 05:27 hrs MOON RISES 02:24 hrs TITANS FACE LSG, AIM TO CEMENT TOP SPOT BANGLADESH ARMY CHIEF DRAWS RED LINES FOR YUNUS REGIME July 2 to 8. The special judge has also asked the probe agency to provide a copy of its chargesheet to Subramanian Swamy, the BJP leader whose complaint had triggered the probe. The lawyers representing the Congress leaders in the matter, had sought more time from the court regarding the response to be filed by them, requesting to schedule the matter for next month, allowing them to prepare for submissions. In the submissions, they urged for a hearing in July in view of voluminous documents running to 5000 pages. It was on April 15, the ED had filed a chargesheet against Congress leaders, Sonia and Rahul, and their confidant Sam Pitroda in the Associated Journals Limited (National Herald) case. Analysts reckon that Pakistan, currently reeling from massive defeat & decisive Indian strikes conducted during Op Sindoor, is still making no efforts to focus its energies on setting its own house in order. made by Pakistan regarding Indian involvement with the incident in Khuzdar earlier today. India condoles the loss of lives in all such incidents." "However, in order to divert attention from its reputation as the global epicenter of terrorism and to hide its own gross failings, it has become second nature for Pakistan to blame India for all its internal issues. This attempt to hoodwink the world is doomed to fail," the MEA spokesperson said. The attack, suspected to be a planted Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast, targetted an APS bus carrying dozens of school children. The blast completely destroyed the bus, raising concerns of more casualties. Local authorities in Khuzdar confirmed the attack, stating that the injured have been shifted to Central Military Hospital (CMH) in Khuzdar for treatment, while authorities have cordoned off the area to collect evidence from the scene. Instead of initiating immediate relief measures and launching a search operation to nab people behind the deadly attack, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti and Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) began targetting India immediately after the incident. Panic grips IndiGo flight mid-air as hailstorm damages nose cone; aircraft lands safely in Srinagar STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 21 MAY Panic gripped the 227 passengers aboard an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Srinagar on Wednesday when the aircraft encountered severe turbulence mid-air due to a hailstorm. The pilot reportedly declared an emergency to the Srinagar Air Traffic Control as the flight struggled through the storm. Despite the extreme weather conditions, the flight landed safely at 6:30 pm, although with a damaged nose cone. The aircraft has since been grounded at Srinagar for inspection and repairs. Several passengers captured videos during the flight, showing scenes of distress and panic. In the clips, passengers can be heard screaming and praying, visibly shaken as the aircraft was buffeted by the turbulent weather. Reports confirmed that IndiGo flight 6E2142 encountered a severe hailstorm while approaching Srinagar, causing significant damage to the aircraft’s radome (nose cone) during the landing attempt. Despite the terrifying ordeal, passengers expressed gratitude to the pilot and crew for their professionalism and calm response under pressure, crediting them for safely landing the aircraft. In a travel advisory, IndiGo stated: “Heavy rain and thunderstorms in Delhi, Chandigarh, and Kolkata are impacting flight operations. We understand that weather delays are never easy and sincerely appreciate your patience. Please check your flight status before heading to the airport.” the entire world. As part of the government's diplomatic exercise to isolate Pakistan internationally, altogether seven delegations will fan out to 32 countries. The delegations, which will be interacting with a cross-section of people, including the principal state actors, ministers, members of Parliament, academicians, will present India’s doctrine of zero tolerance of terror while focusing their campaign on the involvement of the Pakistan state and military in the terror attacks against India. Another delegation led by Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde will also leave on Wednesday for the UAE, Liberia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had on Tuesday briefed three of the seven multiparty delegations on how the country is determined to respond strongly to any terror incidents on its soil. Supreme Court grants interim bail to Ashoka University professor STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 21 MAY The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted interim bail to Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at Ashoka University, Haryana. He had been arrested in connection with two FIRs filed against him for social media posts commenting on Operation Sindoor, war-mongering by certain media outlets, and rightwing politics. A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh, while declining to quash the two FIRs, directed the Director General of Police, Haryana, to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) within 24 hours. The SIT is to comprise three senior IPS officers from the Haryana cadre, none of whom shall be natives of Haryana. One member must be a woman officer, and the team will be headed by an officer of Inspector General (IG) rank. Ordering Prof. Mahmudabad’s release on interim bail, the court directed him to furnish bail bonds to the satisfaction of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Sonipat. As conditions of his release, he was instructed to surrender his passport and refrain from making any public statements or posts regarding Operation Sindoor, the two contentious social media posts dated May 8, 2025, the Pahalgam terror attack, or India’s military response to it. The bench clarified that the same bail bond would apply to both FIRs registered in Sonipat district. (SEE P2)