SATURDAY 28 JUNE 2025 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 Pages 16 |` 5.00 | LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR INTEREST OF ONE FAMILY PUT AHEAD OF NATION’S INTEREST: JAISHANKAR P6 SENSEX 84,058.90 p303.03 P9 NIFTY 25,637.80 p88.80 ‘NOTHING COMPARES TO INDIA-PAKISTAN’ SPACE RECLAIMED ‘MORE WOMEN LEADERS NEEDED’ ` vs $ 85.51 P8 GOLD `98,800 RAINFALL: 42.7 mm Student gang-raped inside city law college RELATIVE HUMIDITY P16 SILVER `1,07,900 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 67.07 ‘Very Big’ India trade deal coming soon, says Donald Trump after China agreement Amid outrage, police arrest three persons, including an alumni & two current students WEATHER Generally Cloudy sky with one or two spells of light to moderate rain/ thundershower very likely to occur. Max. 98% Min. 91% STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE TEMPERATURE KOLKATA, 27 JUNE Max: 29.3˚C ( -3.6 ) Min: 25.5 ˚C ( -1.3 ) SUN RISES 04:55 hrs MOON RISES 06:32 hrs B SUN SETS 18:25 hrs MOON SETS 20:25 hrs Full Moon on 11 July THUMBNAILS Odissi artists pose for a picture on the occasion of the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath, in Puri on Friday. nANI ONGC caps Sivasagar gas well blowout after 15-day operation: In a significant engineering and disaster management feat, the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has successfully capped a high-risk gas well blowout at its RDS 147A site in Sivasagar district, Assam, bringing an end to a 15-daylong emergency operation that had triggered mass evacuations and widespread public anxiety in the area. (Page 5) arely 10 months after the brutal rape and murder of a post-graduate trainee (PGT) doctor inside the state-run R G Kar Medical College Hospital, the gang-rape of a law student inside a law college located in the Kasba area has again rocked the state, provoking street protests. The law student was allegedly raped by a former student of the college, who is said to be a Trinamul Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) leader, and two current students, also TMCP activists, at the college between 7.30 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. on 25 June. Police arrested three persons, Manojit Mishra (31), and Zaib Ahmed (19) and Pramit Mukhopadhyay (20). Zaib and Pramit were arrested from the Talbagan area on Thursday night while Mishra was nabbed in the early hours of Friday. Their mobile phones have been seized by the police. Police started an inquiry soon after the survivor lodged a complaint with Kasba police station and arrested the first two persons. The main accused was arrested after interrogating the other two. “We have arrested all the accused. The main accused is the ex-student, and the two others were there. Investigation is on whether the other two were also involved,” said a police officer. The three were remanded in police custody for four days after they were produced before the Alipore court this afternoon. The main accused had graduated from the college in 2022 and had been working at the college as a temporary staff for the last one and a half months. Bengal TMCP president Trinankur Bhattacharya was quoted as saying that the police will take action irrespective of the political colour of the accused. “The main accused had called the survivor to the campus on Wednesday evening. On her arrival, he and his accomplices took her to a room where she was raped,” said a police officer. According to the com- India rejects Int’l Court of Arbitration’s ruling HISTORIC FIRST NEW DELHI, 27 JUNE West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee performs aarti to Lord Jagannath during the commencement of the first-ever Rath Yatra at Digha Jagannath Temple on Friday. nSNS India on Friday categorically rejected the “supplemental award” by what it called the illegally constituted Court of Arbitration, purportedly constituted under the Indus Waters Treaty 1960, concerning the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects in Jammu and Kashmir. The MEA in a statement said India has never recognised the existence in law of this so-called Court of Arbitration, and India’s position has all along been that the constitution of this body is in itself a serious breach of the Indus Waters Treaty and consequently any proceedings before this forum and any award or decision taken by it are also illegal and void. SNS Sea of humanity throngs Puri as Rath Yatra of Holy Trinity gets underway STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE PURI, 27 JUNE Amid religious fervour and spiritual passion, lakhs of devotees thronged the pilgrim town of Puri to witness the famous Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and their sister Devi Subhadra on Friday, even as the pulling of the chariots was delayed. Lord Balabhadra’s chariot led the way followed by that of Devi Subhadra; both went a short distance and till 7 p.m. ‘Nandigosh’, the chariot of Lord Jagannath had not moved. A chaotic scene occurred as the chariot of Lord Balabhadra moved away from the directed path. In the process there was a delay in setting it right and clearing the crowd from the cordoned area. After a delay of more than one hour, the chariot resumed its journey and it was only then that the chariot of Devi Subhadra was brought out. Till 7.10 pm, Nandigosh, the chariot of Lord Jagannath had not moved, raising questions as to whether it will be pulled after dusk or not. Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan said it will be pulled today. Apparently, it will be pulled a token few metres and resume on Saturday. He also underplayed the deviation of Lord Balabhadra’s chariot saying it does happen and there is nothing unusual, the movement is not always in a straight line. Notwithstanding the delay and glitches, devotional fervour took centre-stage at Lord Jagannath’s annual Rath Yatra in the temple town as Jagannath devotees from across the state and other parts of the country braved a sporadic drizzle to catch glimpses of the grand spectacle. A multi-layer security net was in place to ensure smooth conduct of the festival. AIpowered CCTVs cameras were installed at various locations. Bomb squads, drone monitoring, and marine police surveillance besides aerial and sea-route vigil by coast guard added further muscle. The grand ceremony of pulling the three majestic and colourfully decorated chariots on the "Bada Danda", the grand avenue, in front of the 'Shree Mandir' commenced a little behind the scheduled time after all the rituals were completed. Descending from their 'Ratna Sinhasana', the bejeweled throne, the three deities were taken out of the temple one after another down the 22 steps in an elaborate royal ritual called "Pahandi''. The deities moved forward step by step in their journey to the world outside in rhythmic movement amidst beating of cymbals, 'ghantas', 'kahalis', blowing of conch shells and chants in praise of the Lords by the priests and the devotees. The chariots are the main attraction of the festival which are handcrafted every year, preparations for which begin at least two to three months in advance. The Shankaracharya of Puri Govardhana Peeth Swami Nischalananda Saraswati had a darshan of the deities on the chariots and the Gajapati King of Puri, Divyasingh Dev proceeded up to the chariots in his royal palanquin to perform the "Chhera Panhara" ritual, sweeping the platform of the chariots using a golden broom and sprinkling fragrant water and flowers. Several people were injured in the jostling that took place near a cordon. Old timers said such delay in pulling of Nandigosh chariot , till well past 7.30 pm had never happened in at least three decades. plaints lodged by the survivor, the TMCP leader had called her to a classroom and offered her the post of general secretary of the students union at the college. He also proposed to marry him. When she refused and tried to leave, she was stopped and taken to a room and assaulted. She was later taken to a guardroom where the main accused raped her while the other two stood guard. They also took videos of her and threatened to make them public if she divulged the incident to anyone. The ordeal continued for three hours. Trinamul Congress leaders condemned the incident, and said it underscores the need for the implementation of the Aparajita Anti Rape Bill to establish a strong deterrent against sexual offences. TMC leader Shashi Panja, speaking to the media, expressed her distress over the horrific rape incident and urged the BJP in Bengal not to politicise it and behave as a responsible opposition. She assured strict action against all the accused. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 27 JUNE US President Donald Trump signalled the possibility of a major trade agreement with India, following the recent finalisation of a deal with China. While speaking at the Big Beautiful Bill event, Mr Trump described the ongoing efforts to secure beneficial trade arrangements, stating: “We have one coming up, maybe with India. Very big one. Where we're going to open up India.” The remarks come after Me Trump confirmed that the United States had signed a new trade deal with China, reviving the Geneva framework that had previously stalled amid escalating trade tensions. According to the CNN report, the agreement includes the easing of export restrictions and a Chinese commitment to supply key resources such as rare earth elements. Mr Trump, while emphasising that deals would not be struck with every nation, maintained that his administration prefers negotiated outcomes over imposing steep tariffs. “We’re not going to make deals with everybody. Some we are just going to send a letter, say thank you very much. You are to pay 25, 35, 45 per cent,” he said. Although he stopped short of revealing specifics, Mr Trump’s mention of India comes amid growing diplomatic and commercial engagement between the two countries. Earlier this month, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick expressed optimism about a potential trade pact, saying a deal could be expected “in the not-too-distant future.” Adding momentum to these developments, India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal recently confirmed that both countries are working on a fair and equitable agreement. “PM Narendra Modi and President Trump met in February 2025 and have decided to enter into a bilateral trade agreement which will be mutually beneficial,” Goyal said, highlighting efforts to promote business, trade, and investment. The anticipated trade agreement is expected to expand economic ties between the world’s largest democracies, both of which see each other as strategic partners in global trade, security, and innovation.