WEDNESDAY 04 JUNE 2025 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR KAMAL HAASAN REFUSES APOLOGY, HALTS RELEASE OF 'THUG LIFE' IN K’TAKA AUDACIOUS DEFIANCE P4 SENSEX 80,737.51 q636.24 WEATHER Partly cloudy sky. Hot and humid weather likely. RAINFALL: 00.0 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 91% PRESSURE MOUNTS ON YUNUS P6 NIFTY 24,542.50 q174.10 P9 ` vs $ 85.70 NE flood fury: 36 dead, over 5.5 lakh affected PM has extended full support, assuring timely assistance to tackle the crisis Min. 46% TEMPERATURE SUN SETS 18:18 hrs MOON SETS 23:48 hrs Full Moon on 11 June THUMBNAILS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE GUWAHATI, 3 JUNE President Droupadi Murmu addresses the Indian Administrative Service officers inducted from the State Civil Services and attending the 127th Induction Training Programme at LBSNAA, at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Tuesday. nANI BRICS meet: India reaffirmed its commitment to inclusive, sustainable, and futureready digital development during the 11th BRICS Communications Ministers' Meeting held in Brasília, Brazil. Minister of State for Communications Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar delivered the country's statement, aligning India's priorities with the overarching theme set by Brazil's BRICS presidency: Universal and Meaningful Connectivity, Space Sustainability, Environmental Sustainability, and the Digital Ecosystem. T he north-eastern region of India is grappling with a severe flood crisis, with the death toll rising to 36 and over 5.5 lakh people affected across multiple states. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended full support to the affected states, assuring timely assistance and coordinated efforts to tackle the crisis. “The government is closely monitoring the situation. I have spoken to the Chief Ministers of the affected states and assured all possible support. The Centre stands shoulder to shoulder with the people of the Northeast,” Mr Modi said in a statement issued after his conversations with regional leaders. In Assam, the worst-hit state, 11 people have lost their lives, and more than 5.35 lakh residents across 22 districts are affected. Districts like Sribhumi, Cachar, and Nagaon are among the most impacted, with the Brahmaputra and its tributaries flowing above danger levels. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been actively monitoring the situation, visiting floodaffected areas and coordinating relief efforts. Arunachal Pradesh has reported 10 fatalities due to landslides and flash floods, particularly affecting districts like Lohit, West Kameng, and Dibang Valley. Governor Lt General K T Parnaik (Retd) has urged residents to remain vigilant in high-risk zones. Meghalaya has seen six deaths resulting from landslides, drowning, and lightning strikes, with areas like Cherrapunji and Mawsynram experiencing exceptionally heavy rainfall. In Mizoram, five people have died due to landslides and house collapses, with districts like Aizawl, Champhai, and Serchhip being the most affected. Sikkim has reported three deaths following a landslide in the Mangan district that struck a military camp, claiming the lives of two army personnel and ONE LAST DANCE a porter. Tripura has recorded one fatality, with over 10,000 people displaced due to the floods. The India Meteorological Department has forecast more heavy rainfall in the coming days, prompting state administrations to issue high alerts and evacuate people from low-lying areas. With Prime Minister Modi's assurance of central support, including potential deployment of defence personnel and additional funds under the National Disaster Response Fund, the region is focusing on both immediate relief and strengthening long-term resilience to extreme weather events. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 3 JUNE Observing that terrorism has “no defined logic” and hence cannot be a “rational act of warfare”, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Tuesday said Pakistan’s policy of not having good relations with India springs from its decision “to bleed India by a thousand cuts”. “In 1965, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto declared a thousand-year war against India when he addressed the United Nations Security Council,” said the CDS while addressing a gathering at Pune University. “Is terrorism a rational act of warfare? I don't think that's, because terrorism has no defined logic. As far as our adversary is concerned, it has taken the decision to bleed India by a thousand cuts,” he said. Holding Pakistan General Asim Munir responsible for initiating the recent conflict, the CDS pointed towards General Munir's speech wherein he spoke against Hindus and India. "Venom was spewed by General Asim Munir against India and Hindus in a speech weeks before what happened in Pahalgam,” General Chauhan said, reiterating India’s stance on terror that water and blood cannot flow together. “We have raised the bar as we have connected terror to war,” he observed, while iterating India’s resolve that any terror attack would now onwards be considered NEW DELHI, 3 JUNE Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli plays a shot during the Indian Premier League 2025 final against Punjab Kings, at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. RCB put on 190/9 in 20 overs after being invited to bat. nAGENCIES (Report on Page 12) ECI to provide faster voter turnout updates during polls NEW DELHI, 3 JUNE The Election Commission has decided to upgrade its Voter Turnout (VTR) sharing process involving the real-time reporting and public disclosure of approximate voting trends during an election. "The Election Commission of India is now introducing a streamlined, technology-driven system to provide timely updates on the approximate voter turnout percentage trends, " the poll panel Tuesday said in release. This new process, which is a system that provides quick updates on the percentage of votes cast in various constituencies, will significantly reduce the time lag associated with the earlier manual reporting methods, the poll panel as an act of war. Operation Sindoor, the top defence official said, created history as far as air warfare is concerned. “Successful operations were carried out against an adversary. If you are able to carry out relentless operations deep inside with precision and offensive intent. It was a big achievement and we were able to penetrate those air defence networks,” he observed. The CDA also reiterated India’s stance concerning Operation Sindoor, saying it is not over as yet. “It continues. It's a temporary cessation of hostilities,” he said, underlining the “need to keep our guard up”. "From our side, we didn't want to get into a longdrawn conflict. We've seen our experience in Operation Prakaram. We were there for almost nine months. It involves a lot of expenditure, disrupts everything. We had seen this to some extent after Balakot, there was a deployment which we had mobilised. "In this particular case, what happened was that before this mobilisation could be completed, the operations were halted," India dismantles Pakistan’s Pahalgam dossier said. The initiative aligns with the Commission’s commitment to ensure timely public communication, which has often been underlined by the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on various occasions. Under the statutory framework of Rule 49S of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, Presiding Officers (PROs) are required to furnish Form 17C, detailing the account of votes recorded, to polling agents, who are nominated by the candidates and are present at the polling station at the close of poll. The approximate voting percentage trends will continue to be published every two hours as before while the voter turnout data will now be entered into ECINET by PROs immediately after the close of poll. India has strongly rebutted Pakistan’s 20-page dossier that accuses New Delhi of orchestrating a “false flag” operation in Pahalgam and launching “naked aggression” under Operation Sindoor. Officials in New Delhi have dismissed the document as a desperate attempt to deflect global attention from Pakistan’s continued sponsorship of cross-border terrorism. According to senior security and diplomatic officials, the Pakistani dossier is riddled with contradictions, denials, and an all-too-familiar narrative of victimhood. “This is not the first time Pakistan has responded to terrorism evidence with diversionary tactics. Be it the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, Pathankot, Pulwama or Uri — every time we have shared clinching evidence, Pakistan has chosen denial over accountability,” said a top security official. India has made it clear that expecting Pakistan to probe the Pahalgam terror attack, in which civilians were executed point-blank in front of their families, is akin to “asking a thief to investigate his own crime,” as foreign secretary Vikram Misri bluntly stated. The Pakistan-based terror outfit The Resistance Front (TRF), a known proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiyyaba, publicly claimed responsibility for the attack. Yet, no action was taken by Islamabad. Instead of cracking down on TRF or acting on intelligence leads provided by India, Pakistan doubled down on denial. “They demanded more evidence after a public claim of responsibility, which tells you everything,” a senior Indian diplomat said. “Their dossier makes zero mention of any credible steps taken against TRF. Instead, they continue to peddle conspiracy theories and call for a joint probe, a proposal that India finds preposterous.” Pakistan’s dossier also makes the claim that it showed “firm commitment to regional peace and stability” and repeatedly offered a third-party investigation into the Pahalgam incident. Indian officials have called this laughable. Delhi CM rolls out ‘Air Pollution Mitigation Plan 2025’ with multiple measures to address AQI issues STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 3 JUNE With a focus on addressing the burning issue of Delhi's air pollution, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday launched the government's 'Air Pollution Mitigation Plan 2025', which has a host of measures covering different aspects of the problem and solutions designed to address the root causes. According to the CM, the government's vision is to make Delhi clean and healthy, while pointing out that the problem of air pollution directly affects people's health. The anti-pollution plan 'Shuddh Hawa Sabka Adhikar – Pradushan Par Zordar Prahar' includes multiple domain measures with involvement of different agencies that will share the responsibility towards ensuring that the city's air is clean. Ms Gupta, while addressing a press conference shared that the Delhi government is inking MoUs with different science organisations, that are going to share latest innovations aimed towards reducing the pollution levels in the national capital. She noted that very soon the city will witness trials of BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 64.00 ‘Pakistan’s policy to bleed India by a thousand cuts keeps it antagonistic’ AGENCIES STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE P12 SILVER `1,00,100 GOLD `99,805 Max: 37.7˚C (+1.9) Min: 29.1˚C (+1.3) SUN RISES 04:52 hrs MOON RISES 11:41 hrs DJOKOVIC CLINCHES 100TH WIN artificial rain to mitigate the increase in air pollution levels. The CM emphasised that the air pollution issue is not just a two-month story, but a year-long affair , and therefore government has planned to deploy 1,000 water sprinklers and 140 anti-smog guns, which will continue to work throughout the year to curb the rise in pollutants, and will only rest during the monsoons. Ms Gupta said the government has installed mist sprayers on the poles across the 13 identified air pollution hotspots, that are going to be helpful in controlling the pollution levels. In a new initiative, Ms Gupta informed that under the anti-pollution plan 2025, the government is making it mandatory to install and operate anti-smog guns on specified high-rise buildings across the city, a step to counter the air pollution issue. CM Gupta noted that construction and demolition waste is one of the biggest reasons behind the increase in air pollution, as it generates dust, and therefore to address the problem, the government has made it compulsory to register a construction site on the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) portal. She said that the construction sites will also have to comply with 14 points outlined by the pollution control agency. the officer said. “…As far as the Pakistani side is concerned, I can make two guesses. One, that they were losing things faster at a very long distance, and they thought that if this continued for some more time, they were likely to lose more, and hence they picked up the telephone,” General Chauhan said. “This was the kind of first no contact warfare which we fought, except for what was happening on the Line of Control. It was a mix of kinetic and non-kinetic operations,” he explained. The CDS also said Pakistan was informed after India hit terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir that India would strike back with more force in case it retaliated. “We had informed Pakistan on the day we launched the surgical strikes on the 7th of May. When there was rhetoric from the Pakistani side, we also said that in case Pakistan hits us, hits the military establishments, we are going to hit them back, hit them harder,” he said. “On the 10th of May, at about 1 a.m, their (Pakistan) aim was to get India to its knees in 48 hours. Multiple attacks were launched,” he said, adding that they escalated the conflict. "Operations which they thought would continue for 48 hours, folded up in about 8 hours and then they picked up the telephone and said they wanted to talk,” the CDS said. UK, Liberia, Egypt back India’s zero tolerance against terrorism NIKHIL VYAS NEW DELHI, 3 JUNE The United Kingdom (UK), Liberia and Egypt have strongly backed India's zero tolerance against terrorism, and conveyed their respective stand to the Indian all-party parliamentary delegations. The delegation visits to different countries come under India’s unprecedented diplomatic campaign to expose Pakistan’s sustained role in cross-border terrorism following the April 22 Pahalgam attack. In a diplomatic outreach following Operation Sindoor, the Narendra Modi government has formed seven multiparty delegations to inform different nations about Pakistan’s links to terrorism and India’s strong message of zero tolerance for terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. The all-party delegation, led by BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, held high-level engagements in London with the UK ministers, parliamentarians, party leaders, think tanks, and India friendship groups, highlighting Operation Sindoor as a significant shift in India's counter-terrorism approach. The leaders also discussed strengthening India–UK collaboration against cross-border terrorism. The delegation received wide-ranging support, reaffirming shared commitments to global security, justice, and strategic partnership. The delegation, in an interaction with UK Minister for Citizenship and Migration Seema Malhotra at the British Parliament, apprised her of India's resolve against fighting terrorism.