‘UNEARTHING THE N-E’S POTENTIAL KEY TO BUILDINGA VIKSIT BHARAT’ 10 AUGUST 2025 ‘WE ARE NOT GOING TO OCCUPY GAZA’ ‘I DIDN'T LET MYSELF PROPERLY RECOVER’ www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 PAGE 04 PAGE 09 PAGE 12 SINCE 1818 PAGES 12 |` 5.00 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WEATHER Generally cloudy sky with Light to moderate rain/ thundershower very likely to occur. RAINFALL: 0.0 mm TEMPERATURE Max: 32.7˚C (+0.3) SUN RISES 05:11 hrs MOON RISES 18:26 hrs Min. 66% PARWINDER SANDHU NEW DELHI, 9 AUGUST Min: 27.1˚C (+0.3) SUN SETS 18:13 hrs MOON SETS 04:53 hrs New Moon on 23 August THUMBNAILS Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during Raksha Bandhan celebrations with school children and others at his official residence, 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, in New Delhi on Saturday nANI MoD reports record `1.5 lakh cr in defence production: The Ministry of Defence has claimed that annual defence production increased to an all-time high figure of Rs 1,50,590 crore in the FY 202425, triggering a fiscal growth of 18 per cent as compared to the previous financial year. In a statement issued here, the Ministry stated that it has accounted for a staggering 90 per cent increase since FY 2019-20, when the figure was Rs 79,071 cr. C hief of the Air Staff (CAS) Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh on Saturday confirmed that the Indian Air Force (IAF) shot down six Pakistani aircraft during Operation Sindoor, including five fighter jets and a highvalue surveillance platform, likely an AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft. Delivering the Air Chief Marshal LM Katre Lecture at the Bengaluru-based HAL Management Academy, the IAF chief said that one of the kills marked the longest recorded surface-to-air engagement by the Indian Air Force, highlighting the effectiveness of Russian defence systems in achieving airspace superiority. "Our air defence systems have done a wonderful job. The S-400 system, which we had recently bought, has been a game-changer. The range of that system has really kept their aircraft away from their weapons like, those long-range glide bombs that they have, they have not been able to penetrate the system," he added. The IAF chief said that five of the aircraft downed were Pakistani fighter jets while the other one was an AEW & C (Airborne Early Warning and Control) or an ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) aircraft. “We have at least five fighters confirmed kills and one large aircraft, which could be either an ELINT aircraft or an AEW&C aircraft, which was taken on at a distance of about 300 kilometres. This is actually the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill that we can talk about," he said. The IAF chief further revealed that some parked US-made F-16 jets suffered damage at the Jacobabad airbase when India targeted Pakistan's military sites on India welcomes Trump-Putin summit in Alaska on 15 August STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 9 AUGUST Welcoming the forthcoming summit between the United States President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that is scheduled to take place next week in Alaska on August 15, India on Saturday said this meeting holds the promise of bringing to an end the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and opening up the prospects for peace. “India welcomes the understanding reached between the United States and the Russian Federation for a meeting in Alaska on 15th August 2025. This meeting holds the promise of bringing to an end the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and opening up the prospects for peace. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said on several occasions, "This is not an era of war”," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal Sharad Pawar alleges offer to ‘fix’ 160 Assembly seats, Maha CM Fadnavis rubbishes claim Kills included a high-value surveillance platform: Air Chief Marshal Singh RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 95% Six Pak aircraft downed in Op Sindoor: IAF chief said in a statement. “India, therefore, endorses the upcoming Summit meeting and stands ready to support these efforts," the statement added. Mr Trump on Saturday announced that he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin next Friday, 15 August 2025, in Alaska. The meeting is expected to focus heavily on efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. The US President announced a summit with Russia, a meeting which could also decide the future of the 25 per cent punitive tariff ECI delists 334 registered unrecognised political parties imposed on India by Washington for buying Russian oil. Mr Trump posted on his Truth Social account: "The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska. Further details to follow. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Mr Trump recently increased tariffs imposed on Indian goods to 50 per cent, in what is seen as a sign of his frustration over failing to stop the Russia-Ukraine war. During a telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated India's consistent position for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Europe and invited him to India later this year for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit. 10 May. Two command and control centres were also damaged. At Jacobabad airfield, there's an F-16 hangar. One half of the hangar is gone. I am sure there were some aircraft inside which got damaged. We were able to get at least two command and control centres, like Murid and Chaklala. At least six radars... We have an indication of at least one AEW&C and a few F-16s, which were under maintenance, suffered damage," he further said. Speaking about the 2019 Balakot strike carried out by IAF, the Air Chief said that it was unfortunate that some sections raised doubts about the terror camps being destroyed in the strikes. "In Balakot, we could not get anything from inside, and it became a big issue trying to tell our own people, unfortunately, as to what we have been able to achieve. We had intelligence (human kind of intelligence) on what had gone on inside, where we had a very clear picture of the inside in terms of there having been huge damage. There have been so many terrorists who have been neutralised, but we could not convince our own people that, look, we have achieved that," he said. He further noted that the absence of video proof could have led to similar doubts after Operation Sindoor. However, he emphasised that footage from the recently concluded military mission is now publicly available. "Things like this would have given us the same problem (regarding Operation Sindoor). However, we were lucky that we got these videos in the open. So, I'm very happy that this time we were able to take care of that ghost of Balakot, and we were able to tell the world what we have achieved," the Air Chief Marshal said. NSA Doval meets Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday claimed that ahead of last year’s Maharashtra Assembly elections, two individuals approached him with a “guarantee” to secure victory in 160 out of the 288 seats in the state. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, however, questioned the claim, asking why Mr Pawar was making the revelation after so long. Mr Pawar while interacting with media persons in Nagpur on Saturday said: "I remember how before the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections were announced, two people came to meet me in Delhi. They told me that there are 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra, out of which JAMMU, 9 AUGUST Two soldiers killed in long-running encounter with terrorists in Kulgam NEW DELHI, 9 AUGUST National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval met with Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister, Denis Manturov, in Moscow and they discussed a wide range of issues including military-technical cooperation between India and Russia. Mr Doval and Mr Manturov also discussed joint projects between the two countries in strategic sectors such as civil aviation, metallurgy, and the chemical industry. According to the Russian Embassy in India, the meeting was held on Friday. "The parties discussed topical issues of #RussiaIndia military-technical cooperation, as well as the implementation of joint projects in other strategic sectors, including civil aircraft manufacturing, metallurgy," the embassy posted on X. A non-commissioned officer (NCO) of the Indian Army was among two soldiers killed on Saturday in the long-drawnout encounter with Pakistan backed terrorists that has entered the ninth day at Akhal in the Kulgam district of South Kashmir. Two other soldiers have reportedly been injured in the intense gunfight. The Srinagar-based Chinar Corps has identified the killed soldiers as Lance Naik Pritpal Singh and Sepoy Harminder Singh. They were deployed with the 19 Rashtriya Rifles (RR). In homage to the killed soldiers, the Chinar Corps said: “Their courage and dedication will forever inspire us. Indian Army expresses deepest condolences and stands in solidarity with the bereaved families.” The encounter began on 1 August when contact was established in the general area of Akhal, Kulgam. The operation was continuing since then. One terrorist was killed last week. The group of terrorists is believed to be trained in jungle-warfare and was armed with sophisticated weapons. Special sForce personnel of the Indian Army, helicopters, drones and other equipment has been deployed to take on the terrorists. Grenades and other explosives were reportedly dropped by drones during the ongoing encounter. Reports said that intense explosions KOLKATA, 9 AUGUST NEW DELHI, 9 AUGUST The Election Commission of India on Saturday removed 334 registered unrecognised political parties from its list, citing prolonged inactivity and unverifiable credentials. In a press statement, the ECI said it has directed Chief Electoral Officers of states and Union Territories to conduct verification enquiries of 345 RUPPs in June 2025. After conducting inquiries, issuing showcause notices, and providing opportunities for personal hearings, 334 RUPPs were found non-compliant with registration norms. 334 RUPPs have since been delisted, reducing the total number of RUPPs from 2,854 to 2,520. The delisted parties will no longer be eligible for benefits under Section 29B and Section 29C of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968. Any aggrieved party can appealtotheCommissionwithin 30 days of the order. As per the ECI’s press note, there are currently six National Parties, and 67 State Parties, including AllIndiaAnnaDravidaMunnetra Kazhagam, All India Trinamool Congress, and Shiv Sena. and firing were reported throughout last night. Northern Army Commander Lt General Pratik Sharma on Thursday visited the encounter spot and reviewed the counter-terrorism grid in the region. DGP Nalin Prabhat accompanied by IGP kashmir VK Birdi also visited Kulgam to take stock of the joint operation. The joint operation is being carried out by the Indian Army, J&K Police, CRPF, and the Special Operations Group (SOG). In a post on X on 2 August, Chinar Corps said: “OP AKHAL, Kulgam. Intermittent and intense firefight continued through the night. Alert troops responded with calibrated fire and tightened the noose while maintaining contact. One terrorist has been neutralised by the security forces so far. Operation continues." Meanwhile, the Baramulla Police busted a terrorist hideout in the forest area. The police on Thursday seized a grenade, a pistol, a magazine, nine rounds of ammunition and medical supplies. Baramulla Police wrote on X, “On a specific input in the Gogaldara-Danwas forest, Baramulla Police busted a terrorist hideout. Recovered: 1 Pistol, 1 Magazine, nine rounds, one grenade and medical supplies. FIR registered at Police Station Tangmarg. Investigation underway.” Further details in the case are awaited. Protesters clash with police while attempting to march to Nabanna on RG Kar incident anniversary STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE they could guarantee my party a victory in 160 seats. I was surprised. Though they gave me such a guarantee, I did not have any doubts about the Election Commission. So I ignored those people but I got them to meet Rahul Gandhi. They spoke to Rahul Gandhi. However, Rahul Gandhi and I were of the opinion that this is not our path. So we decided that we will go to the people in the usual way." "Rahul Gandhi worked hard to provide information about irregularities in the voting process but the Election Commission said that he should file an affidavit before it. The Election Commission is an autonomous body. Rahul Gandhi said that he has taken oath in Parliament, and so there is no need for a separate affidavit. If STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE MUMBAI, 9 AUGUST the Election Commission insists on such a thing, then it is not right," Mr Pawar said. “There is a need to go deeper into allegations made by Rahul Gandhi and to investigate the entire matter so that the truth is revealed. All I am saying is that when a matter regarding the Election Commission was raised, what is the need for BJP leaders or the Chief Minister to answer it? We want an answer from the Election Commission and not from the BJP," Mr Pawar said. Reacting to Mr Pawar's statement to media persons in Nagpur on Saturday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said: “I don't understand why Sharad Pawar remembered all this only after so many days when he met Rahul Gandhi? He didn't speak for so long and suddenly he spoke today. Rahul Gandhi has been narrating Salim-Javed type movie screenplays for a long time. Though Rahul Gandhi spoke about EVMs for many years, Sharad Pawar never talked about them. In fact, Sharad Pawar stated many times that it was not right to blame EVMs.” Police in Kolkata batoncharged protesters on Saturday as the parents of the RG Kar Medical College doctor raped and killed last year, led a march to the state government secretariat at Nabanna, with the victim’s mother alleging officers assaulted her. The confrontation erupted after the rally moved from its designated protest site towards Park Street, where participants attempted to breach barricades en route to the secretariat, Nabanna. Leader of the Opposition in Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, among several BJP leaders present, said police had baton-charged lawmakers and injured the victim’s parents. Police deployed water cannons, heavy barricades and large containers on roads to block protesters. In Howrah district, some scaled 10-foothigh barricades or used tools to dismantle them. Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita were imposed near Nabanna. Crowds gathered at assembly points in Kolkata and Howrah, but police prevented them from approach- ing the secretariat. A separate march was planned from Hazra crossing to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence. Protesters carried national flags and ban- ners demanding justice and Miss Banerjee’s resignation. The 9 August 2024 killing of the 31-year-old trainee doctor, whose body was found in the hospital’s seminar hall, had sparked widespread outrage. A CBI court in January convicted civic volunteer Sanjay Roy for the rape and murder. The case was transferred from the state police to the CBI by Calcutta High Court following massive public protests. On Saturday, police said traffic restrictions have been imposed from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. on major city roads, and the Howrah Bridge was shut to vehicles during the protest. “The security plan includes multi-layered barricades at Santragachi for protesters arriving by train,” a police official said. RAF personnel were also deployed at key points. Meanwhile, the Left Front and Congress both said it has been a year since the barbaric rape and murder but key figures in the case still in office and the investigation has been halted. Senior CPI-M leader Sayandip Mitra maintained that two senior officials accused of tampering with evidence remain in their posts, as the investigation by the CBI faces mounting criticism for delays. “The hospital’s then principal, Sandeep Ghosh, and Abhijit Mondal, the officer-in-charge of Tala police station at the time of the incident, were both arrested last year on suspicion of destroying evidence and conspiracy. Both are now out on bail, and no supplementary charge sheet has been filed against them in the past 12 months,” he said. (More reports: Page 3)