WEDNESDAY 14 MAY 2025 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR JAIRAM LEADS CONG ATTEMPT TO TAKE CREDIT OF BRAHMOS GLORY AP HIGH IN BUYING GOLD, LOW IN REVENUE GROWTH: NAIDU P4 SENSEX 81,148.22 q1,281.68 WEATHER Partly cloudy sky. Possibility of thunderstorm with light to moderate rain towards night. RAINFALL: 00.0 mm P5 NIFTY 24,578.35 q346.35 ` vs $ 85.34 AUSTRALIA, SA REVEAL SQUADS FOR WTC FINAL ‘CEASEFIRE AT RISK IF INDIA KEEPS IWT SUSPENSION’ P9 P12 SILVER `97,900 GOLD `97,190 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 65.66 Terror & nuclear blackmail will be met with force: PM RELATIVE HUMIDITY PM’s visit was ‘highly confidential’ & district civil & police administration were not informed Max. 92% PARWINDER SANDHU Min. 48% SUN RISES 04:57 hrs MOON RISES 18:53 hrs Refuting the fake claims being circulated by Pakistan about destruction of S‐400 and Adampur air force base, Russ‐ ian made Mig‐29 S‐400 missile systems were displayed prominently in the pictures shared by the Prime Minister during his visit to the Adampur Air Force Station. NEW DELHI, 13 MAY TEMPERATURE Max: 35.2˚C (-0.6) Min: 23.5˚C (-3.5) SUN SETS 18:09 hrs MOON SETS 04:59 hrs New Moon on 27 May THUMBNAILS Students make their way to schools as the administration reopens educational centers following the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, in Srinagar on Tuesday. nANI Pakistani official declared persona non grata, told to leave India within 24 hours: India on Tuesday declared a Pakistani official, working at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, as persona non grata for indulging in activities not in keeping with his official status in India, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). "The Government of India has declared a Pakistani official, working at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, persona non grata for indulging in activities not in keeping with his official status in India. The official has been asked to leave India within 24 hours. Charge d’ Affaires, Pakistan High Commission, was issued a demarche to this effect today," read a short statement issued by the MEA. S ending a strong message that the country would not bow down to threats of terrorism and nuclear attacks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dubbed Operation Sindoor as “the new normal for India.” Giving the powerful statement during visit to the Adampur based Indian Air Force base, the PM said that the operation has not ended and it will be a continuing and decisive action against statesponsored terror attacks on Indian citizens. In his maiden visit to a military base post the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, Modi visited the AF station located near Jalandhar, Punjab, in a highly secret visit today. As per the reports, Modi landed at the base at 0615 Hrs and spent precisely 50 minutes interacting with the troops and senior officials based there. The visit is being perceived as a message to snub the rumours being circulated as part of Pakistan’s information warfare, about the damage to the base in the aerial strikes and boosting the morale of the troops in the station. In his address, Modi said that Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, to avenge the killings of 26 tourists killed in Pahalgam terror attack, wasn’t just any ordinary move by the Indian defence forces and showed India’s resolve to turn into action, for the whole world to witness. “Operation Sindoor's echo is everywhere. It is not any ordinary act. Operation Sindoor shows our decisive and resolute policy. We will not see terrorists and the government separately. The world has seen how Pakistan's army officers attended the funeral of terrorists. This is big evidence of state-sponsored terrorism,” Modi said. “We will take strong steps to protect India. Operation Sindoor has written history. We displayed our strength in the desert, mountains and showed our potential in new-age warfare,” he added. Highlighting that Pakistan used its civil and commercial airlines as a shield while launching air strikes against India, the Prime Minister said, “Our aim was to hit terror headquarters in Pakistan. But, Pakistan used their civilian aircraft as shields. I am proud of our forces for you responded to Pakistan without any harm to these aircraft.” Asserting that India "will not tolerate any nuclear blackmail" and "will strike precisely and decisively at the terrorist hideouts developing under the cover of nuclear blackmail, Modi said that the ones who dared to challenge us faced the might of our soldiers. “Nine terror hideouts were destroyed. Over 100 terrorists were eliminated. Their leaders now understand--raising eyes towards India only invites ruin," he added. Evoking lines dedicated to Maharana Pratap's horse Chetak, "Kaushal dikhlaya chaalo mai, udd gaya bhayanak bhalo mai, nirbheek gaya vo dhalo mai, sarpat dauda karwalo mai," Modi said, "These words were written for Chetak, but they resonate just as powerfully with the precision and bravery embodied in our modern weapons today." "When our drones destroy the walls of the enemy's fort, when our missiles reach the target with a whizzing sound, the enemy hears 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'. When Chief Justice designate BR Gavai’s inspiring journey PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 13 MAY With the retirement of Chief Justice of India, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai is all set to take over as the 52nd Chief Justice of India on Wednesday, May 14. He will be only the second Dalit to occupy the top judicial post, after Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, who served as CJI from January 14, 2007 to May 12, 2010. Justice Gavai’s elevation holds profound symbolic significance for many across India. Coming from a humble background in a semi-slum area of Amravati, Maharashtra, Justice Gavai’s life story is one of perseverance, integrity, and constitutional idealism. In a recent address on April 14, 2025—Ambedkar Jayanti—Justice Gavai remarked: “It is solely due to Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s efforts that someone like me, who studied in a municipal school in a semislum area, could attain this position.” His deep admiration for Dr. Ambedkar is evident not just in words but in the philosophy that guides his jurisprudence. Justice Gavai has described the Indian Constitution as ‘Bhimsmriti’, under- lining its role as a social revolution for the marginalised. Born on November 24, 1960, Justice Gavai completed his graduation in social sciences and pursued law at Nagpur University. After enrolling at the Bar in 1985, he initially worked under the late Bar. Raja S. Bhonsale, a former Advocate General of Maharashtra and Judge of the Bombay High Court. From 1987 to 1990, he practiced independently before shifting primarily to the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court, focusing on constitutional and administrative law. He served as Standing Counsel for several public bodies including Nagpur and Amravati Municipal Corporations, and Amravati University, besides regularly appearing for public sector undertakings such as SICOM and DCVL. Justice Gavai was appointed Assistant Government Pleader and Additional Public Prosecutor in 1992, and was elevated to Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor in January 2000. He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court on November 14, 2003, and became a Permanent Judge on November 12, 2005. Justice Gavai was elevated to the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019, and will retire on November 23, 2025. In his nearly six-year tenure at the top court, he has authored over 300 judgments, including on matters of constitutional law, civil rights, criminal law, and public accountability. we light up the sun even at night, the enemy sees 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'. When our armies blow away the threat of nuclear blackmail, then only one thing resonates from the sky- 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'. All of you have made millions of Indians proud, have made every Indian's mother proud, you have created history, and I have come among you this morning to see you," he said. Speaking about the air strikes carried out targeting the India airbased, the Prime Minister said, "Rattled with Operation Sindoor, the enemy tried to attack this air base and several of our other air bases multiple times. They targeted us again and again but the nefarious designs of Pakistan failed each time.” "I can proudly say that all of you reached your target with perfection. In Pakistan, it was not just the terrorist camps and their air bases that were destroyed, but their nefarious designs and audacity were also defeated," he added. Meanwhile Jalandhar deputy commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal said that the PM’s visit was “highly confidential” and district civil and police administration were not aware about it. ‘IWT will remain on hold until Pak stops support to cross-border terrorism’ NIKHIL VYAS NEW DELHI, 13 MAY India on Tuesday asserted that there is no change in its position to keep the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism. Addressing the weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "After the CCS (Cabinet Committee on Security) decision, the Indus Water Treaty has been put in abeyance." "I would also like to take you back a little. The IWT was concluded in the spirit of goodwill and friendship as specified in the preamble of the treaty. However, Pakistan has held these principles in abeyance CJI Sanjiv Khanna says no to post-retirement govt assignments STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 13 MAY Chief Justice of India, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who demitted office on Tuesday, made it clear that he would not accept any post-retirement position offered by the government — a statement underscoring the institutional integrity he has come to be known for. Speaking informally to a group of journalists on his final day in office, CJI Khanna said, “I will not take any postretirement government assignment. I may do something related to law.” Justice Khanna also briefly spoke about the controversy involving Justice Yashwant Varma, in whose official residence unaccounted cash was allegedly discovered after a fire broke out on March 14, 2025. Responding to queries, he said, “Judicial thinking has to be decisive and adjudicatory… we see the plus and minus and decide them rationally. The future tells you whether what you did was correct.” CJI Khanna, as per the inhouse procedure, had forwarded the report of the threemember inquiry committee — which indicted Justice Varma — to the President and the Prime Minister of India, along with Justice Varma’s response. The outgoing Chief Justice was given a warm ceremonial farewell in Court No. 1, where Justice BR Gavai — the Chief Justice-designate — and Justice PV Sanjay Kumar sat with him on the bench. Senior members of the Bar and the Bench paid rich tributes to CJI Khanna’s jurisprudential legacy, judicial discipline, and moral clarity. Justice Gavai described Justice Khanna as a “gentleman to the core”, noting that his decisions were “marked by clarity, deep reasoning, and unwavering sensitivity to human rights.” He further said, “The decision to upload assets and liabilities of judges is a reflection of his commitment to transparency. His calm demeanour, clarity of thought, and humility have made a lasting mark.” TMC government turns 15 : Mamata thanks people for unflinching support STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 13 MAY Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee thanked the people for giving her party unflinching support for the past 15 years. She said Trinamul Congress is committed to ma mati manush and will continue to serve them looking after their interest. It was on 13 May, 2011, the Trinamul Congress ousted the CPI-M and came to power in Bengal. Trinamul Congress had made an electoral alliance with Congress and SUCI and bagged 227 out of 293 seats. Trinamul Congress alone got 184 seats, Congress got 42 seats and SUCI bagged one seat. On the other hand, the CPI-M got 40 seats, RSP got 7 seats and Forward Bloc got 11 seats. Twenty seven min- isters of the Left Front, including the chief minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, industries minister Nirupam Sen, housing minister Gautam Deb, finance minister Asim Dasgupta, lost the battle. Bhattacharjee was defeated by Manish Gupta, former chief secretary in Jadavpur while Nirupam Sen was defeated by Rabiranjan Chatterjee, a professor of Bengali of Bardhaman University while Asim Dasgupta was defeated by Amit Mitra in Khardah. Nobody in Bengal ever thought that CPI-M could be defeated. CPI-M’s local, zonal and district committees used to run a parallel administration. In 1982, 17 monks and nuns of Ananda Margis were brutally murdered in broad daylight on Bijon Setu. CPIM had unleashed a reign of terror across the state. Mamata’s Banerjee’s sustained movement highlighting the misrule of the CPI-M led to the party’s departure. The forcible acquisition of land to set up an automobile factory of the Tata Motors in Sungur and the setting up of a proposed petrochemical and chemical hub in Nandigram went against the CPI-M. In the 2008 panchayat election, Trinamul got control over the zilla parishad in East Midnapore and South 24Parganas. In 2009, Trinamul bagged 19 seats in Lok Sabha election while in 2010 it got control over the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. Finally, it won the Assembly election in 2011 and was successful in making the CPI-M politically insignificant. In sheer desperation CPIM made an electoral alliance with Congress in 2016 and was defeated handsomely. In the 2021 Assembly election, the party failed to get a single seat and at present it has only one Rajya Sabha member from Bengal. After coming to power Mamata Banerjee carried out all-round development in Bengal. Healthcare in government hospitals across the state became free and the Swasthya Sathi card was introduced. Sabuj Sathi scheme was introduced to give free bicycles to the students between classes XI and XII in state-run, sponsored schools and madrasas. Through Kanyashree scheme, girls were given scholarships. Altogether 64 social welfare schemes have been introduced. Through Duare Sarkar, camps have been opened across the state to ensure that the people get benefits of the schemes. Administrative review meetings are being held in the districts to ensure smooth and on the decision. The change of Bengal in the past 15 years is quite palpable and all-round developments have taken place in the district towns. by its promotion of crossborder terrorism for several decades now," he said. "Now as per the CCS decision, India will keep the treaty in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism. Please note that climate change, demographic shifts and technological changes have created new realities on ground as well," Jaiswal said. The MEA spokesperson's comments came even as Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said that the ceasefire between India and Pakistan could be under threat if New Delhi continues to keep the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance and tries to divert Pakistan’s water. ECI resolves similar EPIC numbers issue; error rectified STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 13 MAY To sanitize and update electoral rolls, the Election Commission of India has resolved a nearly 20-year-old legacy issue of similar Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) numbers erroneously issued to genuine electors due to similar series used by different EROs in such cases since 2005, sources said. According to the sources, to resolve this long-pending issue, the entire electoral database of over 99-crore electors was searched by CEOs of all the 36 states/Union Territories and the EROs of all the 4123 Assembly constituencies across the country in all the 10.50 lakh polling stations. On an average, there are about 1,000 electors per polling station, and the number of similar EPIC numbers found were miniscule, that is, averaging to around 1(one) in 4 (four) polling stations. The sources further said that during the field level verification, it was found that holders of such similar EPIC numbers were genuine electors in different assembly constituencies and polling stations. Accordingly, all such electors have since been issued new EPIC cards with new numbers. The origin of the issue has been traced from the year 2005, when various states and union territories were using assembly constituency-wise different alphanumeric series in a decentralised manner. The sources said that these series had to be changed again in 2008, after delimitation of the constituencies.