WEDNESDAY 23 APRIL 2025 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 Pages 16 |` 5.00 | LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘INDIA, USA CAN STRENGTHEN ECONOMIC COLLABORATION’ MOILY RED-FLAGS K’TAKA CASTE SURVEY P6 SENSEX 79,595.59 p187.09 Partly cloudy sky. Maximum and Minimum Temperature most likely to be around 37˚C and 28˚C respectively. RAINFALL: 0.0 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Min. 64% TEMPERATURE Max: 35.0˚C (-0.9) Min: 29.1˚C (+2.9) SUN RISES 05:11 hrs MOON RISES 01:11 hrs ` vs $ 85.18 P10 GOLD `1,01,580.00 P16 SILVER `1,01,000 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 66.83 PM NARENDRA MODI CONDEMNS INCIDENT, VOWS THOSE BEHIND IT WILL NOT BE SPARED WEATHER Max. 84% P12 NIFTY 24,167.25 p41.70 SRH SEEK REDEMPTION AGAINST UPBEAT MUMBAI POPE FRANCIS’ FUNERAL TO BE HELD SATURDAY 28 tourists feared dead in terror attack in J-K Sathpathy, an accounts officer with the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering and Technology, Balasore, also lost his life. According to an eyewitness, unidentified gunmen opened fire on the tourists from close range. Reports said that the tourists were fired upon after ascertaining their religion. In videos circulating on social media, purportedly of the incident, the trousers of some of the dead and injured tourists are SUN SETS 18:00 hrs MOON SETS 12:24 hrs New Moon on 28 April THUMBNAILS Mamata urges protesting teachers to resume work, assures job & salary security STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 22 APRIL A School children display banners and placards urging to save the Earth on 'World Earth Day', in Bikaner on Tuesday. nANI India's GDP to grow at 6.2 pc despite tariff woes: Citing trade tensions and uncertainties oozing from ‘Trump-tariff’, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has slashed the growth forecast for the global economy by 0.5 per cent for this year to 2.8 per cent, though it expects India's GDP growth to remain above 6 per cent, despite all the odds. Indo-US ties will define the 21st century, says Vance: US Vice President JD Vance praised the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asserted that the future of the 21st century will be shaped by Indo-US ties. Delivering his speech on trade and technology at the Rajasthan International Centre here on Tuesday afternoon, Vance said: “The governments of both countries, under the leadership of President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have worked hard to finalize a trade agreement.” t least 28 tourists are feared killed and many others injured in a targeted terrorist attack in the Pahalgam area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Tuesday. Unofficial reports have put the number of fatalities at 28 but officials have not yet confirmed the number of deaths and the injured. A list of 16 dead so far has been released by the authorities. Reports say that two foreign nationals were among the tourists killed in the terrorist attack. Condemning the atrocity, Prime Minster Narendra Modi, who is on an official visit to Saudi Arabia, said on a post on X: “Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice...they will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable, and it will get even stronger.” He said: “Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected.” Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called the attack an abomination and said he was “shocked beyond belief”. Home Minister Amit Shah reached Srinagar this evening to review the security situation. Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha, who was in New Delhi, has also come with Mr Shah. Northern Army Commander Lt. General MV Suchendra Kumar has also reached Srinagar. The attack took place at Baisaran, a meadow accessible only by foot or ponies, where a group of tourists had gone this morning. Reports said that among the dead and injured were tourists from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bengal and other states. An officer of the Indian Navy, Vinay Narwal, who was married on 16 April, and an officer of the intelligence bureau (IB) were among the killed. Prashant PM Modi begins Saudi Arabia visit, receives rousing welcome in Jeddah seen pulled down, apparently to ascertain their religion. Six to seven civilians were reported injured, many of them tourists. All the injured have been rushed to the hospital at Pahalgam. Terrorist outfit TRF, an offshoot of the LeT, has claimed responsibility for the attack. Videos of women crying and seeking assistance for their injured husbands have surfaced on social media. A viral video showed a woman crying “my husband was shot in the head”. The woman is heard saying that her husband was shot because he was not a Muslim. She pleaded for help in evacuating the injured to hospital. People in the area said that gunshots were heard in the Baisaran Parliament is supreme, says Vice President Dhankhar STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE AGENCIES JEDDAH, 22 APRIL Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a rousing welcome at the Jeddah airport on Tuesday afternoon as he began a twoday visit to Saudi Arabia, his third to the Kingdom after his previous visits in 2016 and 2019, at the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. PM Modi’s aircraft was escorted by the Royal Saudi Air Force as it entered the Saudi airspace. The visit follows the State Visit of Prince Mohammed bin Salman to New Delhi in September 2023 to attend the G20 Summit and co-chair the first meeting of the IndiaSaudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council. In his departure statement issued earlier in the day, PM Modi emphasised that India deeply values its long and historic ties with Saudi Arabia that have acquired strategic depth and momentum in recent years. “Together, we have developed a mutually beneficial and substantive partnership UPSC results out; three among five toppers women PARWINDER SANDHU NEW DELHI, 22 APRIL The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), on Tuesday, announced the results for the Civil Service Examination 2024 with three among the top five toppers being women. A total of 9,92,599 candidates applied for this examination. Of them, 1,009 (725 men and 284 women) have been recommended by the Commission for appointment to various Services following multiple screening processes. An annual affair, the civil services examination is conducted in three stages including preliminary, main and interview. As per the statement from the UPSC, a total of 1,129 vacancies are to be filled through this recruitment process which includes 180 posts in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), 55 in the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and 147 in the Indian Police Service (IPS). Additionally, there are 605 vacancies in Central Services Group ‘A’ and 142 in Group ‘B’ Services, the Commission mentioned. Hailing from Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, Shakti Dubey topped the list with All India Rank 1. A science graduate in Biochemistry from University of Allahabad, Dubey qualified the examination with Political Science and International Relations as her optional subject. A commerce graduate from MS University of Baroda, Harshita Goyal, bagged the second rank. She also qualified with political science and international relations as her optional subjects. Securing AIR 3, Dongre Archit Parag from Pune, is a graduate in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from VIT Vellore. including in the domains of defence, trade, investment, energy and people to people ties. We have shared interest and commitment to promote regional peace, prosperity, security and stability,” he stated. This will be Prime Minister Modi's first visit to the historic city of Jeddah where the second meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council (SPC) will also take place. The SPC was established during Prime Minister Modi's last State visit to Saudi Arabia in October 2019 to steer the bilateral relationship forward. valley, following which security forces rushed to the spot, police said. The area was cordoned off by the Army and security forces. The attack came during the India visit of the US Vice-President JD Vance, who called it a “devastating terrorist attack.” He added on social media: “Over the past few days, we have been overcome with the beauty of this country and its people. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they mourn this horrific attack.” The attack, the worst in Kashmir in recent times, also evoked strong condemnation from leaders across the political spectrum. Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee posted on X: “I am deeply anguished by the brutal terrorist attack in the Pahalgam region of Anantnag, Jammu & Kashmir. My heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives, and prayers for the swift recovery of the injured. This act of violence is utterly reprehensible and must not go unpunished.” NEW DELHI, 22 APRIL Amid the ongoing judiciary versus executive debate, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday said Parliament is supreme and the elected representatives are its ultimate masters. Speaking at an event in Delhi University, he asserted that there is no visualisation in the Constitution of any authority above Parliament. “Parliament is supreme and that being the situation, let me tell you, it is as supreme as every individual in the country. Part of ‘We the people’ is an atom in democracy and that atom has atomic power. That atomic power is reflected during elections and that is why we are a democratic nation,” he said. The VP said the people holds the representatives accountable ~ severely accountable, on occasions ~ through elections. “...let there be no doubt about it: the Constitution is for the people, and its repository of safeguarding is that of the elected representatives. They are the ultimate masters as to what the Constitution’s content will be,” he said. Bengaluru road rage: Victim released, IAF officer booked in assault case LAKSHMANA V KUCHI BENGALURU, 22 APRIL In a stunning reversal in the Bengaluru road rage case, the delivery boy involved in the incident, Vivek Kumar, has been released and the role of the IAF officer, who is now absconding and is believed to be in West Bengal, is being investigated. The police have issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against the IAF officer in an attempt to murder case. Once arrested, he will be prosecuted for fake ‘evidence in videos’ he posted on social media. The delivery boy, Vikas Kumar, after his release on bail on Tuesday, told the media that he retaliated in self-defence. Bangalore Commissioner of Police B Dayananda too noted the fact that the IAF officer had lied in the video and posted it on social media. State Home Minister G Parameshwara said that the accused, Siladitya Bose, was absconding and is believed to be in West Bengal. What began as a minor road rage case on Monday morning quickly morphed into a major row, drawing in top politicians to defend Brand Bengaluru and rubbish the attempts of an IAF officer to defame Kannada and Karnataka as he played the victim card in an attempt to escape from punishment. The incident was played up by national television channels, focussing on the language issue, painting Kannadigas and Karnataka in a poor light. However, CCTV footage later emerged that gave the lie to the IAF’s officer’s version. The officer was seen brutally attacking the delivery boy, raining blows and pinning him to the ground, and kicking him. At one point, he had the delivery boy in a chokehold. Amid the backlash that followed the emergence of the footage, Mr Parameshwaran and Chief Minister S Siddaramaiah came out with a strong statement against the IAF officer and the entire ecosystem that had gone about tarnishing the image of Bengaluru and Karnataka and Kannadigas. BISWABRATA GOSWAMI MIDNAPORE, 22 APRIL Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday appealed to protesting teachers to return to work, assuring them that their jobs and salaries are safe despite the recent Supreme Court verdict that annulled thousands of appointments made through the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC). Thousands of aggrieved teachers are continuing their overnight demonstration outside the WBSSC headquarters in Salt Lake, demanding clarity and assurances about their future. In an address during an administrative programme in Midnapore, Miss Banerjee urged the teachers not to lose hope. “You don’t need to worry about who is tainted and who is not,” she said. “You only need to worry about whether you have your job and whether you are getting your salaries on time. The list to identify the tainted and untainted teachers remains with the government and the courts.” The Chief Minister emphasised that the state government is committed to protecting the interests of teachers affected by the ruling. “We assure that your jobs are safe for now and you will get your salaries. Please return to your schools and resume classes. I have spoken about this several times since last night. We are with you,” Miss Banerjee said. Miss Banerjee announced her plans to visit Murshidabad, one of the districts affected by communal tension, in the first week of May to take stock of the situation.