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 | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR | LUCKNOW | SILIGURI | Thursday, 20 August 2026 SPORTS WORLD EDITORIAL Israeli military investigating killings of Hind Rajab, paramedics PERSPECTIVE Real defeat of Naxalism Pricing UPI Page 6 Page 7 Page 12 Nine killed in city hotel fire; five Bangladeshis among victims STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata, 19 August T wo days after the horrific fire in a Tarapith hotel, a blaze swept through another hotel in the heart of Kolkata, taking a toll of nine lives, including at least five Bangladeshi citizens on Wednesday. The dead included two women and a child, while at least six others were injured, and around 80 evacuated to safety, police and top administrative officials said. The fire was first noticed shortly before 2 a.m. at Hotel Shikha Inn in Central Kolkata’s Mirza Ghalib Street and soon spread to adjoining hotels, as thick smoke quickly engulfed the rooms, trapping several guests who were asleep at the time. Till the time of filing this report, seven of the deceased have been identified. While five of them are Bangladeshi nationals, including four from the same family, two others were Indians, hailing Siliguri and Bihar. Firefighters, along with police and disaster management personnel, rushed to the spot. The hotel and the neighbouring establishments are located inside a narrow lane, making it difficult for fire engines to enter the area. Firefighters initially attempted to douse the flames from outside before entering the buildings to carry out rescue operations. A number of residents became unconscious after inhaling smoke and were taken to nearby hospitals. According to hospital sources, many of those who died did not have significant burn injuries. Doctors suspect that suffocation caused by smoke inhalation may have led to the deaths. Expressing shock over the incident, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari extended his condolences to the bereaved families and directed officials to ensure proper treatment for those injured. However, he also launched a scathing attack on the erstwhile Trinamul Congress government, alleging that years of administrative negligence and indifference had allowed hotels and commercial establishments to operate without adequate fire-safety infrastructure. Clearances had been granted despite violations of fire-safety norms, while regular inspections and safety drills were not carried out, Mr Adhikari said. Bangladesh's Deputy High Commissioner here Mohammed Khaled said they were in touch with the victim's families. A preliminary assessment suggests that a short circuit may have triggered the blaze. However, police said all possible causes would be looked into. The tragedy comes barely two days after nine residents were killed in a hotel fire at Tarapith of Birbhum district. • Related reports: Page 3 Page 12 US envoy calls J&K ‘important part of India’ after meeting CM Omar STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Jammu, 19 August Sending a significant diplomatic message during his first Srinagar visit, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Wednesday called Jammu and Kashmir an “important part of India”, shortly after meeting Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. This was the maiden Kashmir visit of a serving Ambassador after the abrogation of Article 370 by the Centre in 2019 and also after the Pahalgam terror attack. “As everybody knows, I’m the US Ambassador to India, and this is an important part of India. And so I’m here visiting for the first time. It is an incredibly beautiful place, and so I’m thrilled to be here,” he said with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah by his side. Later in a post on X, Mr Gor said his discussions with Mr Abdullah focused on the chief minister’s priorities for Kashmir and ways to expand economic cooperation between India and the United States. Mr Gor is also scheduled to meet Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and will fly to Ladakh on Thursday. After meeting the US Ambassador, Omar Abdullah wrote on X; “It was a pleasure to receive @USAmbIndia Sergio Gor in Srinagar today. We had a very good conversation about the possibilities that exist to widen & deepen the engagement between J&K & the United States of America, particularly in areas like tourism, horticulture & the new economy. I look forward to continuing this engagement & taking our conversation forward”. Mr Gor’s visit marks the first meeting between a serving US ambassador and a sitting Jammu and Kashmir chief minister in more than 15 years. The last such meeting took place in 2011, when then US Ambassador Timothy Roemer met Omar Abdullah. The last standalone visit to Kashmir by a serving US envoy was made by Kenneth Juster in 2018, shortly after the PDP-BJP coalition government collapsed in the erstwhile state. Mr Gor’s visit therefore marks a renewed direct engagement between a senior US diplomatic representative and the elected government of Jammu and Kashmir. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Ranchi, 19 August Rijiju rejects Chinese intrusion claims, says Congress policy left India behind CWC sets out multi-front campaign against BJP govt STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Jharkhand students suspend agitation, give state govt 60 days New Delhi: The Congress Working Committee on Wednesday adopted a wideranging political resolution targeting the BJP-led government at the Centre over the condition of the country’s youth, alleged theft of donations at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, the situation along the India-China border and concerns surrounding E20 fuel, while deciding to take its campaign on student and youth issues to nearly 800 cities and towns. Briefing reporters after the CWC meeting, Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said the party would intensify its nationwide “Chhatron Ki Goonj” campaign spearheaded by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, with senior leaders expected to participate in programmes in different cities. Page 5 New Delhi, 19 August The JPSC-JSSC Reform Forum on Wednesday suspended its nearly month-long agitation over alleged irregularities in Jharkhand's recruitment examinations and deferred its proposed gherao of Chief Minister Hemant Soren's residence, giving the state government 60 days to act on its remaining demands. The announcement came at a press conference at the protest site at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium. The forum said it would resume the agitation if concrete action was not taken within the 60-day period. The students' decision effectively brings the ongoing protest to a temporary halt. The students welcomed the government's decision to cancel the JSSC-CGL examination and several other recruitment examinations. However, they maintained that their demand Suthar’s ten-wicket haul seals victory in Galle Test for a CBI probe into the irregularities remained unresolved. The agitation began on 25 July and continued for 26 days. The students had earlier announced a gherao of the Chief Minister's residence on 20 August if their demands were not addressed. The state government, in its 18 August notification, cancelled the JSSC- CGL examination along with several TDPL-linked examinations and ordered investigations into a number of earlier JPSC and JSSC examinations. The government has also decided to seek the Jharkhand High Court's intervention for a Fast Track Court for cases related to examination irregularities and to establish an internal vigilance mechanism. An examination reform committee headed by IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal is also to be constituted, with a two-month deadline for its report. The students said they would monitor the implementation of the government's decisions during the 60-day period and return to the streets if their remaining demands were not addressed. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday dismissed the allegations made by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi regarding alleged Chinese intrusion into Indian territory, asserting that the concerns being raised in Arunachal Pradesh need to be viewed in the context of the long-standing lack of a formally demarcated India-China boundary. Mr Rijiju said the situation has been complicated by the absence of clearly marked borders and accused previous Congress-led governments of following a policy that discouraged infrastructure development on the Indian side of the frontier. His remarks came in response to Rahul Gandhi's repeated allegations that the Centre has concealed Chinese incursions and failed to adequately protect India's territory. Rejecting the claims, Mr Rijiju said such statements could create confusion and should not be made without understanding the ground situation. In an interview with the IANS news agency, Mr Rijiju said: “Such statements should not be made. There are issues in several places in Arunachal Pradesh; the root cause of these issues needs to be understood. India and China share a very long border in Arunachal Pradesh that has not been formally delineated. There are no border pillars, and the boundary is not clearly marked on the ground; there is no distinct border line. This is not a recent issue. Even when Tibet was a separate entity, the border between Tibet and India had not been delineated." The minister said that concerns among residents living in the border areas were genuine because of the absence of proper demarcation, but maintained that presenting the issue through unverified videos and claims could mislead the public. “There is indeed an issue regarding the border. Some villagers in Arunachal Pradesh have expressed concerns about the border, and rightly so, because the boundary has not been delineated there," he said. Mr Rijiju further explained that the rugged terrain of the region had historically limited permanent habitation, as several such areas were traditionally used for hunting and grazing rather than settlements. According to Mr Rijiju, the “core issue” is also connected to the pace of infrastructure development along the border. He alleged that China began building roads and other infrastructure much earlier, while the Congress-led governments at the Centre followed a different approach. Taking aim at the previous UPA governments, Mr Rijiju said: “At that time, the Congress was in power in India. A K Antony, the then Defence Minister under the Congress government, stated in Parliament that it was the government's policy not to build infrastructure on the Indian side. Meanwhile, China continued to develop infrastructure steadily." Cabinet clears Rs 9,450 crore railway Paper leaks: SC seeks Centre’s response on expansion plan covering four states strengthening NTA, implementing reforms STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 19 August The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday approved four railway multitracking projects with an estimated investment of Rs 9,450 crore, aimed at expanding line capacity, easing congestion and strengthening connectivity across West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Minister of Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw said the projects would add nearly 410 km to the Indian Railways network and improve the movement of both passengers and freight. The projects are expected to be completed by 2030-31 and will cover eight districts across the four states. The approved works comprise a 173-km fourth line between Kharagpur and Bhadrak (Ranital) in West Bengal and Odisha, a 75-km fourth line between Bhadrak and Haridaspur in Odisha, 90 km of third and fourth lines between Gummidipundi and Gudur in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, and a 72-km third and fourth line between Cuttack and Paradeep (Badabandha) in Odisha. Mr Vaishnaw said the additional railway lines would enhance operational efficiency and reliability while reducing congestion and enabling smoother train operations on key routes. The projects have been planned under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, which focuses on integrated infrastructure planning, multimodal connectivity and greater logistics efficiency. The government said the expanded network would facilitate the movement of people, goods and services and help strengthen economic activity in the regions covered. The four projects are expected to improve rail connectivity to around 6,448 villages with a combined population of nearly 60 lakh. The government said the infrastructure expansion would also support regional development and create new opportunities for employment and self-employment. The improved rail network is expected to benefit connectivity to several major tourist, religious and heritage destinations. PARMOD KUMAR THE COURT SOUGHT DETAILS CONCERNING THE CREATION OF PERMANENT INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY, SECURE OFFICE PREMISES AND CONFIDENTIAL OPERATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE, CYBERSECURITY, TESTING CENTRES, CENTRAL NETWORK OPERATIONS, SECURE DATA STORAGE. New Delhi, 19 August The Supreme Court on Wednesday stressed the need to institutionalise the National Testing Agency (NTA) as a robust examination body with permanent expertise, adequate manpower, secure infrastructure and upgraded technology to prevent question paper leaks, and directed the Central government to spell out the progress made in implementing reforms recommended by the Radhakrishnan and Nandan Nilekani committees. A bench comprising Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe, hearing a batch of petitions arising from the NEET-UG 2026 question paper leak, said its concern went beyond individual measures and was directed at creating a strong institutional framework capable of conducting entrance examinations to higher educational institutions securely. “Our duty is to ensure that there is a vibrant institution that the country can be proud of,” the bench observed, pointing out that unless the NTA was institutionalised, expertise acquired by experienced officials would be lost upon their transfer. The Court also emphasised the need to keep pace with technological changes in examination systems. The bench directed the secretary concerned of the Central government to file an affidavit detailing steps taken to implement the recommendations of the Radhakrishnan committee, as further nuanced by the Nandan Nilekani committee, including reforms relating to artificial intelligence and blockchain technology. The matter will be taken up again after three weeks. The court particularly sought details concerning the creation of permanent institutional capacity, secure office premises and confidential operational infrastructure, cybersecurity, testing centres, central network operations, research and development facilities, a sovereign database and secure data storage.