THURSDAY 22 MAY 2025 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 Pages 16 |` 5.00 | LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR YOGI CALLS FOR COMPASSIONATE GOVERNANCE IN SCHOOLS RAHUL JOINS STALIN TO CONDEMN CENTRE FOR ‘MISUSING’ GUVS P6 SENSEX 81,596.63 p410.20 P13 NIFTY 24,813.45 p129.55 TITANS FACE LSG, AIM TO CEMENT TOP SPOT BANGLADESH ARMY CHIEF DRAWS RED LINES FOR YUNUS REGIME ` vs $ 85.53 P11 P16 SILVER `1,00,000 GOLD `98,365 RAINFALL: 00.0 mm Chief Minister urges border vigilance at Siliguri corridor RELATIVE HUMIDITY BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 66.10 Operation Sindoor: Sanjay Jha-led delegation embarks on 5-nation visit She instructed senior officials to fully cooperate with Army along the Indo-B’desh border WEATHER Generally cloudy sky. Thunderstorm with light to moderate rain very likely to occur towards night. Max. 91% Min. 52% TEMPERATURE Max: 36.3˚C (+0.9) Min: 27.7˚C (+0.8) SUN RISES 04:54 hrs MOON RISES 00:27 hrs SUN SETS 18:12 hrs MOON SETS 12:13 hrs New Moon on 27 May THUMBNAILS Border Security Force (BSF) personnel perform during the Beating Retreat ceremony, at the Attari-Wagah border near Amritsar on Tuesday. The ceremony was halted after the Pahalgam terror attack. nANI 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. MANAS R. BANNERJEE Turbulence hits IndiGo flight, lands safely in Srinagar: Severe turbulence hit an IndiGo airlines flight bound to Srinagar from Delhi, causing panic, cries and prayers among passengers on Wednesday, but fortunately the flight landed in Srinagar safely, though with a broken nose. SILIGURI, 21 MAY C hief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday issued a stern directive to District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police to maintain heightened vigilance along the international borders near the strategically significant Chicken’s Neck — commonly known as the Siliguri Corridor — which connects the NorthEastern states to the rest of India. Describing the region as “sen- sitive”, Miss Banerjee stated, “We must not rely solely on central agencies like the Border Security Force. The police must adopt a proactive approach in monitoring border activities. This is a shared responsibility.” Addressing public representatives at an administrative meeting held at Uttarkanya, the Chief Minister reiterated, “It is not just the administration’s duty. Our political leaders must also take this matter seriously.” Referring to recent reviews, Miss Banerjee said, “Chief Secretary Manoj Pant has personally visited several sensitive locations near the Chicken’s Neck and assessed the current situation. During the review meeting in Kolkata on 2 January, we issued several important directives.” The Chief Minister also emphasised the need to monitor social media platforms for the spread of misinformation and fake news. “Whenever fake content is detected, we must flag it immediately and inform the public to prevent panic and misinformation,” she added. Citing a recent incident, Miss Banerjee said, “A few days ago, I came across a video in which someone was issuing threats, and a section of viewers was glorifying it. This is unacceptable. Such content can escalate tensions along the border, disturb peace, and ultimately harm innocent civilians.” She instructed senior officials to fully cooperate with Army operations at Hasimara Air Base, and highlighted several vulnerable Top Maoist leader among 27 killed in major Chhattisgarh operation STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE RAIPUR, 21 MAY At 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. PM Modi on Wednesday hailed the operation carried out by the security forces in Narayanpur. “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. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also 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.” 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. Chhattisgarh CM 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. points along the Indo-Bangladesh border, including Sitalkuchi in Cooch Behar, Hili in South Dinajpur, Chopra and Islampur in North Dinajpur, and adjoining areas. She also alerted administrative heads in Siliguri, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, and both Dinajpur districts to maintain strict vigilance. Expressing concern over the recent abduction of Indian farmer Ukil Barman by alleged Bangladeshi miscreants from the border, Miss Banerjee also flagged reports of the movement of ‘intruders’ through Chopra and Islampur in North Dinajpur. “A team from outside the state is reportedly operating in the region, gathering information about individuals, including officials. No one without authorised identification should be allowed to operate in these areas,” she cautioned. The Chief Minister lamented that, while police once frequently patrolled these sensitive zones, the same level of seriousness is lacking today. She also issued a veiled warning to a senior police officer in North Bengal over alleged links with individuals from North-Eastern states like Meghalaya. Miss Banerjee concluded by instructing both administrative officers and elected representatives to keep a close watch on outsiders, including those from Assam. “No outsider should be allowed to take shelter in this region under suspicious circumstances. Militants cannot be allowed to misuse our land,” she said. 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 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. Banu Mushtaq: First Sonia & Rahul prima facie involved in money laundering case linked to National Herald: ED tells court Kannada writer to win Booker prize STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 21 MAY STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BENGALURU, 21 MAY Kannada writer-lawyeractivist 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 sto- ries 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 a 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 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. It has also been alleged that the donors of the Congress party are the victims in the case, and they were cheated. 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.