WOMEN IN THE FOREFRONT STATES NEED TO COOPERATE WITH CENTRE TO COMBAT DRUG MENACE: AMIT SHAH 12 JANUARY 2025 STAR PACER MOHAMMED SHAMI SET FOR INDIA COMEBACK www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 PAGE 12 PAGE 5 PAGE 7 SINCE 1818 PAGES 12 |` 5.00 |LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WEATHER SMOG/SHALLOW TO MODERATE FOG LIKELY IN THE EVENING/NIGHT. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 17 AND 11 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. AAP has questioned the veracity of the report & dismissed allegations against Kejriwal RAINFALL: 000.6 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 100 % TEMPERATURE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 11 JANUARY Min. 78 % Max: 17.0 °C (2.9) SUN RISES 07:15 hrs MOON RISES 16:01 hrs CAG report exposes AAP govt, says BJP Min: 07.7 °C (+1) SUN SETS 17:44 hrs MOON SETS 06:50 hrs THUMBNAILS Artists perform during Nirmal Akhara's 'Peshwai' religious procession marking their ceremonial entry towards the Sangam for the Maha Kumbh 2025 in Prayagraj on Saturday. nANI Kapil Mishra, Harish Khurana in BJPÊs 2nd list of 29 candidates for Delhi polls: The BJP on Saturday announced its second list of 29 candidates for February 5 Delhi Assembly polls. The list features prominent faces including Kapil Mishra and Harish Khurana. Former AAP leader Kapil Mishra has been fielded from Karawal Nagar constituency while Harish Khurana, son of former Delhi chief minister Madan Lal Khurana, will contest from Moti Nagar.The party has also fielded Priyanka Gautam from Kondli (SC) constituency. She has recently joined the BJP from the AAP. ‘Bidhuri will be BJP’s CM candidate’ B JP chief JP Nadda on Saturday launched a scathing attack on former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP government over a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on the now-scrapped excise policy of the Delhi government, claiming that the report has revealed a revenue loss of Rs 2,026 crore to the state exchequer and that it has exposed the AAP chief as well as the AAP government. The CAG report in question has not been officially tabled till date but its purported contents have been reported in some sections of the media. The findings of alleged irregularities and lapses in Delhi government’s nowscrapped excise policy leading to a purported loss of Rs 2,026 crore to the exchequer has drawn sharp criticism from the Opposition BJP, giving the saffron party fresh ammunition ahead of the 5 February Delhi Assembly elections. In a post on microblogging site ‘X’, Mr Nadda said: STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 11 JANUARY “Intoxicated by power, high on misgovernance. ‘AAP’DA model of loot in full display and that too on something like liquor.” The BJP chief further said it is just a matter of a few weeks before AAP government is voted out and punished for its "misdeeds". “CAG Report on 'Liquorgate' exposes @ArvindKejriwal and @AamAadmiParty Gov. Intentional 'Lapses' in Policy Implementation. Rs 2026 Cr Loss to Exchequer money," Mr Nadda alleged. BJP MP Anurag Thakur also mounted an attack on the AAP and its national convener over the purported CAG ‘expose’. Addressing a press conference here at the BJP headquarters, Mr Thakur, cited Several workers trapped after building collapses at Kannauj railway station STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KANNAUJ, 11 JANUARY Three labourers were critically injured while several are feared trapped when the roof of the under-construction Amrit Bharat railway station collapsed in Kannauj on Saturday Some 46 labourers were buried under the debris, out of whom 23 workers were rescued. Several others are still trapped under the debris. Police said 20 injured labourers have been admitted to the district hospital while three critical injured have been referred to PGI Lucknow. The Railways said that five labourers were injured in the incident. Police sources said that a new two-storey building is being constructed at the station under the Amrit Bharat Yojana. The incident took place when the lintel of the building was being laid. The entire section of the lintel collapsed all of a sudden in the afternoon in which more than 40 workers were buried under the debris, they said. On receiving information about the incident, UP minister Aseem Arun reached the spot and issued directions for the rescue work and the treatment of the injured. Apart from this, 12 ambu- lances had also reached the spot and shifted the injured to the hospital. An NDRF team has also reached the incident site. Railway sources said a three-member high-level committee has been set up to investigate the incident at Kannauj railway station. The investigation team will include Chief Engineer/Planning and Design, Additional Divisional Railway Manager/Izzatnagar and Chief Security Commissioner/Railway Protection Force, it said. Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party commented on social media that the BJP government and former Kannauj MP Subrata Pathak had claimed that the railway station of Kannauj would be state-of-the-art and would be built at a cost of crores. A few days ago, the Divisional Railway Manager had also conducted a surprise inspection. the purported CAG report to claimed that the Delhi liquor scam has caused a fiscal loss of Rs 2,026 crore. The AAP, meanwhile, has questioned the veracity of these claims and dismissed allegations of wrongdoing against Mr Kejriwal and the ministers of the AAP government. The party's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh asked from where this socalled CAG report was getting leaked. “Where is this CAG report? Where are these claims coming from? The CAG report has not been tabled, and they are making such claims," he said. AAP leader Priyanka Kakkar also refuted the BJP’s allegation and claimed that the leaked CAG report was fake. Shiv Sena (UBT) decides to go it alone in Maha civic polls STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE MUMBAI, 11 JANUARY The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena will fight the forthcoming Maharashtra civic bodies elections alone, the party's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut announced in Nagpur on Saturday. Shiv Sena (UBT) has unilaterally announced that the party will go solo in the upcoming nagar panchayat, nagar parishad, zilla parishad and municipal corporation elections. Sanjay Raut announced this here on Saturday. “We will fight on our own from Nagpur to Mumbai. It is our decision. When will the workers be given a chance in Mumbai, ThaneandNagpur?Notgiving a chance to workers will hurt the party's growth. All parties should contest local body elections on their own and giveachancetotheirworkers,” Raut said. (Page 5) On 1st anniversary of consecration, PM says Ram Temple built after centuries of sacrifice STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 11 JANUARY Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday extended his best wishes to the nation on the first anniversary of the consecration of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya. "Best wishes to all the countrymen on the first anniversary of the consecration of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya. This temple, built after centuries of sacrifice, penance and struggle, is a great heritage of our culture and spirituality. I am confident that this divine and magnificent Ram temple will become a great inspiration in the accomplishment of the resolution of a developed India,'' he said in a social media post on X. He also shared a video of the consecration ceremony of the temple held last year. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also extended his heartfelt wishes to the nation on the first anniversary of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, stating that the temple will remain a symbol of faith and aspiration for generations to come. Taking to social media platform X, he wrote in a post: "Jai Shri Ram! Heartfelt congratulations to all Ram devotees on the first anniversary of the Pran Pratishtha of Ram Lalla at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya. "Lord Shri Ram's life serves as an unparalleled example of humanity and morality. Ending a 500-year-long wait, Prime Minister Modi, last year, conducted the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Shri Ram Lalla, ushering in a spiritual renaissance across the nation. This magnificent tem- ple will remain a symbol of faith and aspiration for generations to come." "I extend my gratitude to all the great individuals who contributed to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi movement. The Modi government will continue its dedicated efforts towards the revival of India’s cultural heritage," he added. In a video post, Mr Shah remarked: "The imagination of this country is incomplete without Ram and his character. Those who wish to understand this nation or live in it cannot ignore Ram, as their lives draw breath from him." A series of cultural and religious events have been organised in Ayodhya by the Ram Temple Trust to celebrate the first anniversary of the consecration. The festivities, running from 11 to 13 January, include cultural programmes featuring music and art luminaries. Ahead of the Assembly elections in the National Capital, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday challenged the BJP’s CM candidate for an open election debate. Addressing a press conference here, he claimed: “In BJP's CEC meeting, from credible sources we have come to know that BJP has decided to make Ramesh Bidhuri its CM candidate”. “When BJP formally declares Ramesh Bidhuri as its CM candidate, then he should debate with me as AAP's CM candidate in front of the media & public of the entire country,” he added. Commenting on the data released by police showcasing a drop in crime rate, he alleged that the data can show anything and was prepared at the behest of the saffron party. Dalit girl sexually assaulted by 60 men over five years in Kerala STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 11 JANUARY In a horrifying revelation, an 18-year-old Dalit girl was sexually abused by more than 60 people over the past five years in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta. The deeply disturbing incident came to light when volunteers from the Kerala Mahila Samakhya Society, during a routine visit, encountered the girl and learned about her ordeal. The volunteers alerted the district Child Welfare Committee (CWC) members, who in turn informed the police. Following this, the Sub-Inspector of the Women’s Cell at Elavumthitta recorded the statement of the victim and registered two FIRs on Thursday. Those accused of the abuse are primarily the woman’s classmates, friends and neighbours. Some of them are minors, while others are aged between 20 and 40, representatives from the district Child Welfare Committee said. According to the police, the initial investigation indicated that there are more than 60 accused, as stated by the girl. As many as 15 persons have been detained in connection with the case so far. The girl identified 40 others who abused her from the photos on the mobile phones of the arrested persons. Nine people were taken into custody on Saturday According to police, when the girl, who is an athlete, was 13, the son of her father’s friend, identified as Subin, took the girl’s nude pictures on his phone. When the girl was 16, Subin took her to a secluded place in their locality and assaulted her sexually. He also recorded videos of the act on his phone. This was followed by regular sexual abuse, police said. The accused face charges under multiple sections, including Section 3(2)(v) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, which prescribes life imprisonment and a fine for non-SC/ST individuals who commit offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) punishable with imprisonment of ten years or more against SC/ST members, knowing the victim's caste. Additionally, they are charged under IPC Sections 376(2) (aggravated rape), 376(3) (rape of a woman under sixteen years), 376(n) (repeated rape of the same woman), 376(D) (gang rape), and 354A (sexual harassment). Provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act have also been invoked, including Sections 3(a) (penetrative sexual assault), 5(g) (aggravated penetrative sexual assault by a person in a position of trust or authority over the child), 11 (sexual harassment of a child), and 12 (punishment for sexual harassment of a child). Furthermore, Sections 66E (violation of privacy) and 67B (depicting children in sexually explicit acts) of the Information Technology (IT) Act are applicable. The case has sparked widespread outrage and raised serious concerns about the safety and protection of vulnerable individuals in Kerala.