FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 12 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR | Saturday, 27 September 2025 CBC 15502/13/0023/2526 FESTIVAL OF SAVINGS, SEASON OF JOY BRIEFLY Six factory workers killed in Chhattisgarh: Ladakh violence: Sonam Wangchuk arrested STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Jammu, 26 September Raipur: Six factory workers were killed and several others injured when an under-construction structure collapsed at the Godavari Ispat Plant in Chhattisgarh’s Silatra industrial area on Friday. Officials fear the toll could rise further as rescue teams continue to search for labourers trapped under the debris.Eyewitnesses said over a dozen workers were on duty when the steel and concrete framework suddenly gave way, burying many beneath the rubble. Panic gripped the site as fellow workers raised an alarm, prompting police and district authorities to rush rescue teams. C limate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been at the forefront of the agitation for Ladakh’s statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, was arrested on Friday when he was scheduled to address a press conference to counter the allegations of inciting violence and foreign funding against him. His arrest by a team of Ladakh Police led by DGP SD Singh Jamwal comes a day after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) accused Mr Wangchuk of instigating violence in Ladakh. It is reported that he was arrested under the National Security Act and that he had been shifted to Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Mr Wangchuk was to address a press conference at 2.30 p.m. on Zoom but the authorities Ladakhi environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk. FILE PHOTO are reported to have snapped internet services too in Leh. Mr Wangchuk, along with The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), has been seeking full statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution for Ladakh. The arrest comes two days after the protests over the issue spearheaded by Mr Wangchuk, who had started a 15-day fast, turned violent, leaving four people dead and over 90 injured in Leh. While curfew continues in Leh, prohibitory orders were also imposed in Kargil after Mr Wangchuk’s detention, reports said. Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta called the Mohta’s Barisha project under PIL cloud STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata, 26 September A Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court comprising Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Smita Das De has issued notice to Kolkata Municipal Corporation, the Block and Land Reforms Officer, Behala and the Airports Authority of India on a public interest litigation seeking to stop all construction at the Merlin Avana project promoted by builder Sushil Mohta in the city’s Barisha area. The government authorities have been asked to file their responses on affidavit within four weeks. The notices were issued on Wednesday after the petitioners – local residents of the area – made serious allegations about the project, including that it had covered up water bodies, and that it had been granted sanction for construction of seven towers when it had obtained clearance from the Airports Authority of India for only four towers. The petitioners alleged they had recently come to know that Merlin, which had entered into a Joint Development Agreement in 2021 for a project coming up on 22 bighas of land with multiple land-owners, had covered up several ponds. They stated that Kolkata Municipal Corporation had sanctioned a building plan for the project in July 2022, whereby seven towers were proposed. The PIL said: “The petitioners state that the respondent no. 14 (Merlin) herein is trying to make the construction on the abovementioned plots of land… relying on a no-objection certificate for revised height clearance dated 18-1-2023 by the Airports Authority of India.” It was alleged that while the NOC was issued in respect of 58 Motilal Gupta Road, it was being used for 260 Motilal Gupta Road. It was further alleged that while the NOC had been issued in respect of four towers, Merlin planned to construct seven towers. The petitioners have relied on land records to state that most of the plots within the land in question were classified as “pukur, pukur dar, danga and Sali” and as such KMC could not have sanctioned a building plan without conversion of the land. The petitioners have stated that the ponds on the plot had historically UN-designated terror group LeT moves base to KPK PARWINDER SANDHU New Delhi, 26 September A few days after intelligence reports indicated that terror groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) relocated their bases from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (P OK) to Pakistan’s nor thwestern Khyb er Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) to avoid potential Indian strikes, a new report suggests that the UN-designated terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) has reportedly followed suit. The information along with photos and videos dated 22 September confirms that LeT is constructing a new Terror training and residential center, Markaz Jihad-e-Aqsa, in the Kumban Maidan area of Lower Dir district, just approximately 47 kilometers from the Afghan border. Sources familiar with the development report that construction of the facility began in July 2025, roughly two months following Operation Sindoor. Satellite imagery as of 22 September 2025 shows that the first-floor frame is complete, with work progressing on laying an RCC ro of. The center spans approximately 4,643 square feet of vacant land located adjacent to the Lashkar- e -Taiba’s (LeT) recently established Jamia Ahle Sunnah Mosque, consistent with the group’s longstanding strategy of operating training sites under the cover of religious institutions to evade detection. been an important source of groundwater, and a natural buffer against urban flooding. Accusing the KMC of having sanctioned the building plans without proper verification of land records, the petitioners alleged that the sanction would lead to permanent ecological damage and that it violates municipal and environmental laws. It will be recalled that just last month, another Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court had ordered the demolition of a 26-storeyed tower comprising 233 apartments, 269 car parking spaces and a commercial plaza in a residential housing project in New Town promoted by Mohta and two others. The court had further directed that officials of the promoter and engineers/officials of the New Kolkata Development Authority who connived in the fraud be proceeded against, both departmentally and under criminal laws. M L Kotru passes away STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 26 September Veteran journalist and former Editor of The Statesman, Delhi, M L Kotru, passed away last evening at his home in Gurgaon. He was 90. Following a long innings at this newspaper, Kotru was associated with various media organisations including Sunday Mail and ANI. He wrote regularly for The Statesman until 2013, and for publications in Kashmir, from where he hailed. Considered a mentor by an entire generation of journalists, Kotru was one of the oldest members of the Press Club of India, and its former Secretary-General. In 1959, he was awarded the prestigious Watumull Award, instituted by the Watumull Foundation, Hawaii, for an evocative series of articles titled “The Other Side” published in The Statesman. • Generous mentor: Pg 5 current situation a "conspiracy," adding that those who disrupted the atmosphere would be held responsible. In an indirect reference to Mr Wangchuk’s statements made after the violence, Mr Gupta said: “This can’t be called a Gen-Z revolution. This could be called a conspiracy. Ladakh is still peaceful, but we won’t let those who want to disrupt the atmosphere do so." The Union Home Ministry had earlier blamed Mr Wangchuk for allegedly provoking unrest through his speeches. The ministry accused him of making “provocative statements” including references to “Arab Spring-style protests” and “Gen Z protests in Nepal.” In an official statement, the ministry said, “A hunger strike was started by Sonam Wangchuk on September 10 stating the demand of (bringing the UT under) 6th schedule (of Constitution) and statehood for Ladakh.” IAF’s MiG-21 bids farewell, passes the torch to Tejas PARWINDER SANDHU Chandigarh, 26 September Leaving many with moist eyes, India’s first supersonic fighter jet, Mig 21, roared into the skies one final time before making its last landing, paving the way for the next generation of fighters, the Tejas Mark 1A. Drawing curtains on the glorious chapter in India’s military history, the ‘Warhorse’ of the Indian Air Force (IAF), was given a befitting send-off during a farewell ceremony held at the Chandigarh Air Force Station, the base where its journey in the country had first begun. In a f inal display for ve t e r a n s a n d s e r v i n g personnel, MiG-21s took to the skies in a three-aircraft Badal formation and a f o u r- a i rc r a f t Pa n t h e r formation. In a tribute to the retiring fighter, Air Chief Marshal A P Singh flew the squadron’s last sortie in the Badal formation under the call sign ‘Badal 3’. He was joined by Group Captain Nanda Rajender, Commanding Officer of the Panthers, who also participated in the farewell flight. Ahead of its final landing, the MiG-21 was escorted by two first-generation Tejas jets, symbolising a ceremonial passing of the torch to the new generation of fighters. Post landing the six Mig-21s were given the traditional water cannon salute as they parked themselves one last time, marking an end of 63 years of guarding the skies. In his farewell address for the legendary MiG-21, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described it as a “bird of all seasons” and a testament to the enduring strategic partnership. Addressing a gathering at the Chandigarh Air Force Station, the defence minister said the most striking feature of the MiG-21 is its versatility. “It has been a fighter jet that has played all kinds of roles in its long operational life. It's not called the 'Bird of all seasons' for nothing,” he said adding that MiG-21 “is not just an aircraft or machine b u t a l s o p ro o f o f d e e p India-Russia ties."