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, 10 September 2026 SPORTS PERSPECTIVE US Open: Shelton upsets Alcaraz in thrilling quarter-final Time to stop this charade WORLD NATION Ramesh flags ‘black money’ via fake parties, targets 3,260 RUPPs UAE warned Netanyahu of Hamas operation before 7 Oct Page 7 Page 5 Page 9 At Gerua Samman Yatra, Adhikari warns those ‘insulting’ saffron culture STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Let me give a clear message. I am only warning you. Think five times before writing or saying anything derogatory about saffron. Kolkata, 9 September A ddressing a gathering at Jadavpur in the city after a massive ‘Gerua Samman Yatra’, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday issued a strong warning against what he described as insults to saffron and Sanatan culture. He said the government would not tolerate derogatory remarks or writings against the saffron colour. “Let me give a clear message. I am only warning you. Think five times before writing or saying anything derogatory about saffron,” Mr Adhikari said at the gathering. Mr Adhikari also said the West Bengal government is planning a major overhaul of the higher education sector, announcing that a “historic” bill aimed at introducing a new policy for universities, teachers and non-teaching staff would be brought before the state SUVENDU ADHIKARI, CHIEF MINISTER Assembly during its special session beginning Thursday. He said the Assembly would hold a special session from 11 a.m. on Thursday and a major policy change in higher education would be taken up. “Tomorrow, a historic bill of the Higher Education Department is going to be introduced. The Cabinet has approved it and the Governor has given his consent. A special session of the Assembly is being held tomorrow. The West Bengal government is introducing a new policy for universities, teachers and education workers,” the Chief Minister said. Mr Adhikari added that he had asked the Higher Education Minister and the Parliamentary Affairs Minister to allow him 15-20 minutes to speak during the Assembly session. The Chief Minister also linked the proposed changes in higher education with his broader political and ideological campaign. Speaking at the Jadavpur rally, he said he had taken an oath to remove what he described Rajnath Singh bats for stronger India-Sri Lanka maritime partnership STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 9 September Secure sea lanes, freedom of navigation, resp ect for international law and uninterrupted maritime trade are cr ucial to ensuring collective security and prosperity in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Wednesday, calling for closer maritime cooperation between India and Sri Lanka. Addressing Sri Lankan Deputy Minister of Defence Ar una Jayasekara , the commanders of the Sri Lankan Army, Navy and Air Force and senior officials at the Ministry of Defence in Colombo, Mr Singh said both countries were well placed to jointly safeguard peace, security and stability in the region. “Secure sea lanes, freedom of navigation, respect for international law and unhindered maritime trade are pivotal for collective security and prosperity of the Indian Ocean Region,” Mr Singh said. He emphasised that national security and economic growth were closely interconnected with geography and regional stability, and neither India nor Sri Lanka could remain indifferent to developments in their shared neighbourhood. Mr Singh said the two countries had strengthened their defence capabilities through capacity building and joint exercises but stressed the need to take the partnership further, particularly in the maritime domain. “We need to devise and implement joint protocols, sharpen the skills and share experiences to deal with emerging threats arising from the rapidly evolving global and regional dynamics,” he said, adding that the process needed to be continuous. The Defence Minister said India and Sri Lanka should develop new frameworks for a closer maritime partnership in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions). He highlighted cooperation in search and rescue operations, counter-narcotics, anti-piracy and combating human trafficking. Mr Singh also underlined the growing relevance of the Colombo Security Conclave, which focuses on maritime safety, counter-terrorism, cyber security and organised crime. as “anti-national” elements and those who allegedly insult saffron culture from the area. “I have taken an oath that in Jadavpur, the land of Sri Aurobindo and a Centre of Excellence, I will uproot those who raise slogans such as ‘Kashmir mange azadi’, those who give red salute to Kisanji, and those who have written ‘Gerua Tandav’,” he said. Mr Adhikari also invoked his earlier political battles, saying he had pledged in 2011 to remove the Communists Ravindra V Ghuge takes over as CJ of Calcutta HC STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata, 9 September Justice Ravindra V Ghuge was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday. Governor R N Ravi administered the oath of office to Justice Ghuge at 10 am in Courtroom No. 1 of the Calcutta High Court. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Speaker Rathindra Basu were among those present. Justice Tapobrata Chakraborty had been serving as the court’s acting Chief Justice until Justice Ghuge’s appointment. The Centre issued the notification appointing Justice Ghuge as Chief Justice on Saturday, nearly a month after the Supreme Court Collegium recommended his appointment. • Details: Page 3 Ashwini Vaishnaw: First indigenous bullet train to be launched in 2027 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 9 September Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said the inauguration of India’s first indigenously developed bullet train is fixed for 2027. The high-speed train will be on track by May-June next year for testing, he disclosed. Briefing the media after a meeting of the Union Cabinet in New Delhi, the Railway Minister said work on the bullet train project was progressing rapidly, with construction on the Surat-Vapi section of the planned Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet-train corridor expected to be completed by December this year. “The train will be on track by May-June next year for testing. After testing, the inauguration will be done,” Mr Vaishnaw remarked. Earlier, while addressing the ‘NaMo for Viksit Bharat’ event in Vadodara on Tuesday, the Railway Minister noted that the first body frame of the high-speed train had recently been completed and sent for squeeze testing. “By May or June of next year, India’s own bullet train will be on the tracks for testing. After a testing period of 2-4 months, the bullet train will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Mr Vaishnaw said. The Railway Minister said the project was being developed in line with the vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat and would significantly reduce travel time between Vadodara and Mumbai. “When you ride the bullet train from Vadodara, you will reach Mumbai in just an hour and a half,” he said. (Subrata Dutta) from power and later vowed todefeatthe“Jamaatigovernment” in 2026 under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I had taken an oath in 2011 to remove the Communists. I had also vowed to remove the Jamaati government in 2026 under Modi ji’s leadership. With your support, that has happened,” he said. He called upon his supporters to remain united and declared that saffron would dominate the political and cultural landscape of Bengal. “You stay with us. In the land of Swami Vivekananda, Sri Chaitanya and Pranabananda, saffron will prevail, saffron will prevail, saffron will prevail,” he said. Mr Adhikari further said he would return to Jadavpur shortly at the invitation of the Sanatan Sanskriti Parishad to organise recitations of the Hanuman Chalisa and the Bhagavad Gita, asserting that those allegedly insulting saffron culture would be “taught a lesson”. Page 12 SC takes exception to Greater Noida Magistrate’s notice to student over CJP protest STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 9 September The Supreme Court on Wednesday took strong exception to a decision by an Executive Magistrate in Greater Noida to issue a notice under Section 130 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita to a student allegedly campaigning for participation in student protests proposed by the Cockroach Janta Party. The court observed that such a notice should not have been issued when it had already quashed the FIRs related to the protests and directed that no coercive action be taken against students in connection with the CJP protests. The issue was raised before a bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana by Senior Advocate Bishwajit Bhattacharyya, who said a Greater Noida Executive Magistrate had issued a notice to a second-year Gautam Buddha University student, directing him to furnish a personal bond of Rs 5 lakh to maintain peace. “How could a Magistrate dare to issue notice? We made it clear no coercive action against any student. No Magistrate could violate that order,” said the CJI. The Court asked the lawyer to place the notice on record and said it would seek an explanation from the authorities. The notice, issued on 4 September under Sections 126 and 135 of the BNSS, alleged that student Akshat Tripathi was encouraging others to join a proposed CJP protest and that his activities could lead to a breach of peace. Mr Bhattacharyya informed the court that the notice was later withdrawn after the matter was reported in the media. The lawyer submitted that the action amounted to a “prima facie contempt” and alleged that authorities in Noida and Uttar Pradesh were attempting to create a “fear psychosis” among students. This comes after the Supreme Court brought an end to criminal proceedings arising from the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP)-led protests over alleged examination paper leaks by quashing FIRs registered in five states and directing that similar cases elsewhere should not be pursued.