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 BMC mayor: Shinde Sena stakes claim, lottery to decide BRIEFLY SC asks Delhi, NCR states to submit CAQM action plans: New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Delhi government, the Delhi Municipal Corporation, and authorities of the National Capital Region (NCR) States to submit their respective action plans for implementing the long-term measures recommended by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to address the persistent air pollution crisis in the region, particularly in the national capital. A Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul Pancholi made it clear that the Court would not entertain any objections to the recommendations of the Commission for Air Quality Management and that the focus now should be on their implementation. Is bail the rule or jail the norm? Alcaraz survives longest first set at a major to move into Aus Open 3rd round Page 11 In Davos, Trump says won’t use force to acquire Greenland Page 12 LAW PAGE Page 9 Page 5 Thursday, 22 January 2026 SPORTS WORLD NATION | Intel alerts spurred India to bring diplomat families from B’desh Anti-India sentiment on display at a protest in Dhaka after activist Sharif Osman Hadi’s death in December last year. FILE PHOTOGRAPH JAYANTA ROY CHOWDHURY New Delhi, 21 January I ndia had received credible intelligence warning of a possible terror threat to its diplomatic presence in Bangladesh, including Indian missions, diplomats, and their families, according to highly placed sources. This led to India taking a decision, not yet formally announced, to withdraw family members of Indian diplomats from the neighbouring country. "The move is a precautionary measure…it is also a signal that relations have been allowed to deteriorate by the Mohammad Yunus led government," said security sources. According to the inputs, a large number of militants who were released following the student-led unrest in August 2024 have since regrouped and reorganised within Bangladesh. The intelligence assessment indicated that these elements could be attempting to target Indian diplomats and their family members. In light of the perceived threat, the Government of India took the decision to ask the families of Indian diplomats posted in Bangladesh to return to India as a precautionary measure. India's strategic establishment has been increasingly alarmed by what it sees as a resurgence of extremist forces in Bangladesh and a sharpening of hostile rhetoric and posture by Islamist militant organisations towards India. Officials believe the evolving security environment marks a significant deterioration from the relative stability achieved over the past decade through sustained counter-terror cooperation between the two countries. In an interview to UNI earlier this month, Shantanu Mukharji, a former national security adviser to the government of Mauritius and a senior retired Indian Police Service officer, said recent developments across India's eastern border suggested a dangerous reversal of hard-won gains against militancy. Radicalised extremist prisoners, he noted, have been released from jail and allowed to reorganise, creating conditions that could once again make Bangladesh a staging ground for transnational "jihadist" networks, similar to those that operated in the 1990s and early 2000s. “The way these groups have regrouped after being freed last year is deeply troubling,” Mukharji had warned. “It raises the risk not only of violence inside Bangladesh but of renewed cross-border threats to India.” Indian officials are particularly concerned about the possibility that Bangladeshi militant groups re-establishing links with extremist organisations in Pakistan and West Asia. ICC rules out schedule change, finds no threat to B’desh team: New Delhi: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday ruled out any change to the schedule or venues of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, stating that security assessments found no credible threat to the Bangladesh team, officials, media or fans at any of the tournament venues in India. “The decision was taken after considering all security assessments conducted, including independent reviews, all of which indicated there was no threat to Bangladesh players, media persons, officials and fans at any of the tournament venues in India,” the ICC said. Page 12 Idea of ‘Autumn Davos’ in India emerges: Ashwini Vaishnaw on hosting WEF STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 21 January Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, speaking at the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on Wednesday said there is now a suggestion that India should host a World Economic Forum-style event. “There is a suggestion that now the time has come when we should be having a World Economic Forum in India. So, that idea has also come - a kind of Autumn Davos in India. This is a new idea which has come, which basically shows the recognition of our country, of our economy,” he said. The minister said people see India as the fastest growing major economy, with inflation under control and a very healthy balance sheet of the government, very low debt in the economy. "People understand the reforms which our Prime Minister Modi has flagged off. People really appreciate the reforms in GST, the opening up of the nuclear sector. So many reforms which are happening, practically, in every sector - people recognise that. The investment momentum is very strong,” he said. Further, in a separate panel discussion, the minister also outlined India’s approach to Artificial Intelligence, emphasising large-scale AI diffusion, economic viability, and techno-legal governance. Addressing a question on global AI alignments and geopolitics, the Minister stated that India clearly belongs in the first group of AI nations.