K'TAKA CM DEMANDS FM SITHARAMAN'S RESIGNATION POOR DO NOT GET SAME ACCESS TO JUSTICE AS RICH 29 SEPTEMBER 2024 RAIN WASHES OUT SECOND DAY OF KANPUR TEST www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 PAGE 12 PAGE 4 PAGE 5 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 PAGES 12 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR PARTLY CLOUDY SKY. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 34 AND 24 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Cross-border terrorism will invite consequences, India tells Pakistan Israeli strike in Beirut kills Hezbollah leader Israel vows to continue going after leaders of the militant organisation WEATHER Max. 85 % TEMPERATURE Min. 62 % Max: 33.6 °C (1) SUN RISES 06:14 hrs MOON RISES 03:56 hrs Min: 25.2 °C (+2) SUN SETS 18:09 hrs MOON SETS 16:33 hrs THUMBNAILS AGENCIES TEHERAN, 28 SEPTEMBER T Temples partially submerged in floodwaters due to the increase in the water level of the Shipra River following heavy rainfall in Ujjain on Saturday.n ANI PM to inaugurate various projects worth over Rs 11,200 cr in Maharashtra: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone, inaugurate, and dedicate to the nation various projects in Maharashtra worth over Rs. 11,200 crore on Sunday through video conferencing. According to the Prime Minister's Office, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the Pune Metro section of the District Court to Swargate, which will also mark the completion of the Pune Metro Rail Project (Phase-1). he Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on Saturday announced that its chief, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah was "martyred in a criminal attack" on the southern suburbs of Beirut, late Friday evening. "Our leadership is committed to continuing the jihad against the enemy and supporting Gaza and defending Lebanon and its steadfast nation," the organisation said in a statement. According to Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health, the successive Israeli raids on Haret Hreik in the southern suburbs of Beirut led, according to an unofficial (Left) Hassan Nasrallah; flames rise after an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon. nAGENCIES toll, to the death of six people and the injury of 91, including 14 who required hospitalisation. Earlier in the day, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced that Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has been eliminated following a strike on the headquarters of the Lebanese militant group in the southern suburbs of Beirut late Friday. The IDF stated that Nasrallah will no longer be able to "terrorise the world". Nasrallah has been associated with Hezbollah since the group's inception in 1982 following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. In 1992, he took over as the leader of the organisation with an aim to make it a hybrid political-military entity. “During the 32 years of the terrorist Hassan Nasrallah's tenure as the leader of Hezbollah, he was responsible for the murder of many Israeli civilians and soldiers, and for the planning and execution of thousands of terrorist acts against the State of Israel and around the world. Nasrallah was the main decision-maker and the sole approver of strategic-sys- temic decisions, and sometimes also tactical decisions in the organisation," Israeli Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, said on Saturday. The IDF said that, along with Nasrallah, several other commanders of the terrorist organisation - including Ali Karchi, the commander of Hezbollah's southern front - have been eliminated in the strikes by fighter jets of the Israeli Air Force "under the precise intelligence guidance of the intelligence wing and the defence system", at the underground central headquarters of Hezbollah, located under a residential building, in the Daha area of Beirut. Israel also vowed to continue its operation "New Order" to eliminate leaders of the organisations. "This is not the end of the toolbox, it should be very clear. There are more tools to go forward. The message is a simple message: whoever threatens the citizens of the State of Israel - we will know how to reach them. In the north, in the south, even in more distant places," said Lieutenant General Halevi. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 28 SEPTEMBER In a sharp rebuttal to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's speech at the United Nations General Assembly, New Delhi has made it clear to the neighbouring country that crossborder terrorism against India will inevitably invite consequences. ''Pakistan has long employed cross-border terrorism as a weapon against its neighbours. It has attacked our Parliament, our financial capital Mumbai, market places and pilgrimage routes. The list is long. For such a country to speak about violence anywhere is hypocrisy at its worst,'' India diplomat Bhavika Mangalanandan said as India exercised its 'Right of Reply' to the comments made by Mr Sharif in his speech. Noting that the UNGA witnessed a travesty when Mr Sharif addressed the world body, she said it is surprising that a country, run by the military, with a global reputation for terrorism, narcotics trade and transnational crime has had the audacity to attack the world’s largest democracy. Ms Mangalanandan, First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN, said it is even more extraordinary for a country with a history of rigged elections to talk about political choices, that too in a democracy. ''The real truth is that Pakistan covets our territory. And in fact, has continuously used terrorism to disrupt elections in Jammu and Kashmir, an inalienable and integral part of India,'' she added. Noting that a reference was made to some proposal of strategic restraint by Mr Mumbai police on high alert after security threat tip-off FIR registered against FM Sitharaman for ‘extortion’ through electoral bonds AGENCIES AGENCIES MUMBAI, 28 SEPTEMBER Mumbai Police have beefed up security in and around the city especially at crowded and sensitive places in view of possible security threats, tipped off by central intelligence agencies, official sources said here on Saturday. The police have been directed to maintain a strict vigil, particularly in public places and hotspots, religious or tourist places and other important locations, besides keeping tabs on vehicular movements. Besides, mock drills are being conducted - including one at a minority-dominated location in south Mumbai on Friday - and police deployment has been increased at some important locations and public places including beaches. The directives come ahead of the upcoming NavratriDurga Puja festivals, followed by Diwali and the likelihood of Maharashtra Assembly elections being announced soon. Major religious places including temples have been advised to increase their internal and external security details, while Zonal Deputy Commissioners of Police have been asked to keep an eye on their jurisdictions for any suspicious activities. However, officials assured that the enhanced security measures are precautionary in the interests of the safety and security of the people and public installations. It may be recalled that a political party had laid siege to the All India Radio offices, near Churchgate and squatted outside the state government headquarters, while an allegedly deranged woman sneaked into the high-security Mantralaya on Friday and attempted to vandalise the office of Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, sparking security concerns. The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has been carrying out a massive campaign against the ruling MahaYuti government accusing it of a total collapse of the law-andorder situation in the state and demanding the sacking of Mr Fadnavis. BENGALURU, 28 SEPTEMBER Karnataka Police have registered an FIR against Union Minister for Finance Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday in connection with allegations of 'extortion' through electoral bonds. Tilak Nagar police in Bengaluru have filed the FIR as per the directions of the Special Court of MLAs/MPs. Ms Sitharaman has been named as the prime accused in the case. The officials of ED have been named as the second accused while the office bearers of the Central BJP office have been named as the third accused, former Karnataka BJP MP Nalin Kumar Kateel as the fourth accused and state BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra as the fifth accused in the case. The state BJP office bearers are named as the sixth accused. The police have registered the FIR under IPC Sections 384 (extortion), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention). The Bengaluru Special Court had ordered the filing of an FIR against Ms Sithara- Modi predicts BJP govt in J&K with absolute majority STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 28 SEPTEMBER Predicting a BJP government with absolute majority for the first time in Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the heavy voting in the first two phases has indicated that the mood of the people was in favour of the BJP. Addressing a well-attended poll rally here ahead of the third and final phase of voting for 40 Assembly seats on 1 October, Mr Modi said the people want peace and a better future for their children, and that is the reason they want a BJP government in J&K. “There has been a strong turnout in favour of the BJP in both phases. Now, we will witness formation of BJP's first government with an absolute majority in J&K,” the PM said. He further said that the results of J& K Assembly elections will be declared on 8 October during the auspicious Navratri. This time Vijayadashami will be an auspicious beginning for all of us. Be it Jammu, Samba or Kathua, only one slogan is echoing everywhere and that is of bringing BJP into power in J&K, he declared. “In this election, people are scripting a new chapter. For decades, only Congress, National Conference, and PDP leaders and their families thrived here, while you faced destruction. The Congress party is primarily responsible for the destruction of our generations,” he said. The Prime Minister also said that the people of Jammu never had this opportunity before, and for the first time, “a government of the people's choice of Jammu is going to be formed. This is the city of temples, do not let this opportunity go out of your hands.” “Jammu has suffered gross indiscrimination at the hands of the Congress, National Conference and PDP, and BJP will remove that discrimination,” he said, adding: “I am filled with a great feeling of patriotism when I visit Jammu. Maharaja Hari Singh, Mehr Chand Mahajan and Pandit Prem Nath Dogra have been produced by this land. Today is also the birth anniversary of Martyr Bhagat Singh, I salute his martyrdom.” Lashing out at the Congress, the PM said: “Today’s Congress is completely in the clutches of urban Naxals. When infiltrators come here from abroad, Congress seems to welcome them, seeing them as part of their vote bank, while mocking the pain of their own people. Congress, the National Conference, and PDP are the biggest enemies of the Constitution drafted by Baba Sahib Ambedkar”. We gave voting rights in Assembly elections to the Balmikis and West Pakistani refugees who were denied this for the past 75 years by the dynastic parties, the PM said. We have reserved six seats in the Assembly for the Scheduled Tribes, he added. Mr Modi said: “Remember that time when bullets were fired from Pakistan and the Congress used to wave white flags. When the BJP government responded to the bullets with shells, the people on that side came to their senses. On this day in the year 2016, on the night of 28 September, a surgical strike was carried out that sent a message that the BJP government will strike at terrorists in their own homes. man and others for the crime of “extortion” through Electoral Bonds. Co-President of Janaadhikaara Sangharsha Parishat Adarsh R Iyer is the complainant in the case. The Special Court had given directions to file FIR in this regard on Friday. The complainant had accused the Union Finance Minister and others of committing extortion through the medium of Electoral Bonds. The court had ordered the filing of an FIR to the jurisdictional SHO of Tilak Nagar police station in Bengaluru. The next hearing date is fixed on 10 October. The complainant has submitted that Ms Sitharaman, in connivance with the other accuse, many of whom are holding constitutional posts, CEOs and MDs of national, multi-national and trans- national corporate companies, committed extortion under the guise and garb of electoral bonds and benefited to the tune of more than Rs 8,000 crore. The complainant has mentioned that the prime accused through the clandestine aid and support of the officials facilitated the extortion of thousands of crores for the benefit of the third accused at the national level and the fourth accused in the state of Karnataka. “It appears the prime accused press the service of officials named to conduct raids, seizures and arrests of various corporate companies, their CEOs, MDs etc. Fearing the raids, many corporates and moneybags were coerced and coaxed to buy electoral bonds worth several crores, which were encashed by the accused,” Adarsh Iyer stated in his complaint. Sharif, she said there can be no compact with terrorism. ''It is ridiculous that a nation that committed genocide in 1971 and which persecutes its minorities relentlessly even now dare speak about intolerance and phobias. The world can see for itself what Pakistan really is,'' she added. The Indian diplomat said Pakistan had for long hosted global terrorist Osama Bin Laden and said it is a country whose fingerprints are on so many terrorist incidents across the world. Earlier Mr Sharif, in his speech, said India should reverse the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and enter into a dialogue with Pakistan for “peaceful” resolution of the Kashmir issue. "Let me state in no uncertain terms, Pakistan will respond most decisively to any Indian aggression, therefore, to secure durable peace, India must reverse the unilateral and illegal measures it has taken since 5th of August 2019 and enter into a dialogue for a peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people," he stated. Internet cut after Bhadrak violence STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BHADRAK , 28 SEPTEMBER A day after violence erupted in Bhadrak town over a ‘blasphemous’ post on a social media account, the state govt withdrew internet services for 48 hours on Saturday. Nine persons who had attacked the police & injured five policemen have been arrested. The person who made the social media post has also been arrested. To avert possible breach of peace, the district administration has enforced prohibitory order under Section 163 under BNSS in Purana Bazar area & Dhamnagar. Disturbances ensued yesterday over a Facebook post shared by a man that triggered widespread resentment in the area. In response, a group of protesters staged a rally & blocked roads, burning tyres demanding the man's arrest. 2 terrorists killed in encounter with security personnel in J&K STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 28 SEPTEMBER Two unidentified terrorists were killed and five security forces personnel, including a police officer, injured on Saturday in an encounter in Arigam area of Kulgam district in south Kashmir. The injured have been identified as Additional Superintendent of Police, Kulgam, Mumtaz Ali Bhatti, and sepoys Mohan Sharma, Sohan Kumar, Yoginder and Mohammad Isran of the Rashtriya Rifles (RR) of the Indian Army. The Srinagar based Chinar Corps of the Indian Army confirmed the killing of two terrorists and said that two AK rifles, ammunition and other war-like stores have been recovered from the terrorists. The operation is in progress. The Northern Army Commander, Lt. General MV Suchindra Kumar has commended the joint forces of the Chinar Warriors and J&K Police for successfully neutralising two terrorists and appreciated the excellent synergy among the forces. The encounter broke out in the morning after security forces launched a cordonand-search operation there early in the morning. In the early exchange of fire, Additional Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Mumtaz Ali Bhatti suffered minor injuries due to a stray bullet near the encounter site, officials said. The identity and group affiliation of the slain terrorists are being ascertained. The Chinar Corps earlier wrote on X; “Based on specific intelligence input, a Joint Operation was launched by Indian Army and J&K Police today at Arigam, Kulgam. During the search terrorists fired indiscriminately and a firefight has ensued”. Meanwhile, another encounter has broken out between the security forces and terrorists in the Billawar area of the Kathua district in the Jammu region where the third phase of assembly election will be held on 1 October. Sources said that four to five terrorists are believed trapped in the cordon of security forces. Additional DGP (Jammu Range) Anand Jain said that based on intelligence about the presence of terrorists, a joint search operation was launched by the security forces in village Kog in the Billawar area. Contact has been established and a few rounds have been fired from both sides. The area has been cordoned off, he added. (Representational image)