WEDNESDAY 28 MAY 2025 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 Pages 16 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘INDIA RAISED HEAD OF ITS WOMEN POWER WITH PRIDE’ KAMAL HAASAN POISED FOR PARLIAMENTARY DEBUT WITH DMK SUPPORT P6 SENSEX 81,551.63 q624.82 WEATHER Generally cloudy sky. Light to moderate rain/thundershower very likely to occur. RAINFALL: 01.8 mm PROTEST IN B’DESH AGAINST GOVT’S PUBLIC SERVICE ORDINANCE LAW P5 NIFTY 24,826.20 q174.95 P11 ` vs $ 85.36 ASIAN ATHLETICS C'SHIPS: GULVEER WINS GOLD P16 SILVER `1,00,000 GOLD `98,050 Will issue fresh SSC recruitment notification by 30 May: Mamata BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 63.64 Terrorism is Pakistan’s war strategy and India to respond accordingly: PM CM clarified that those whose jobs were annulled by the court must sit for the new recruitment exam RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 97% Min. 79% CM urged protesters not to misinterpret the governmentÊs intentions. „We donÊt want to see anyone lose their job. But we cannot ignore the courtÊs order. If we delay, the court may cancel everything.‰ TEMPERATURE Max: 31.4˚C (-3.7) Min: 25.8 ˚C (-1.4) SUN RISES 04:53 hrs MOON RISES 04:36 hrs SUN SETS 18:15 hrs MOON SETS 18:45 hrs Full Moon on 11 June THUMBNAILS 22-member team of Indian Army Mountaineers in a group picture after they successfully scale Mount Everest (8,848m) under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Bhanoo Pathak, on Tuesday. nANI CBDT extends last date of filing income tax returns to 15 September from 31 July: The CBDT extended the last date of filing income tax returns for assessment year (AY) 2025-26 to Sept 15, 2025 from July 31, 2025. "CBDT has decided to extend the due date of filing of ITRs, which are due for filing by 31st July 2025, to 15th September 2025," said the income tax department in a post on X platform. The extension comes in the wake of the new structural and content revisions aimed at simplifying compliance, enhancing transparency, and enabling accurate reporting, the tax body mentioned. (P12) STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 27 MAY T he West Bengal government will issue a fresh recruitment notification for School Service Commission (SSC) positions by 30 May in compliance with a Supreme Court directive, chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Tuesday. The state will also simultaneously pursue a review petition challenging the cancellation of appointments of over 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff. Speaking at a Press conference at the state secretariat, Nabanna, Banerjee clarified that those whose jobs were annulled by the court must sit for the new recruitment exam. “This is not a government order. It is the Supreme Court’s directive, and we are bound to follow it,” she said. “Without taking the exam again, reappointment is not possible unless the court says otherwise.” The court had earlier cancelled the appointments of 25,735 candidates who were recruited through the 2016 SSC process due to alleged irregularities and corruption. Many of the affected teachers have been protesting, demanding reinstatement without re-examination, citing their qualifications and experience. Banerjee assured that the state would make every effort to ease the burden on these individuals. "Those who have crossed the age limit will be given relaxation. No one will be deprived due to age," she said, adding: “Those with experience will receive due consideration.” The chief minister also disclosed plans to create additional posts to accommodate affected candidates. A total of 44,203 vacancies have been identified: 23,212 for Classes IX-X, 12,514 for Classes XI-XII, 2,989 for group C, and 5,488 for group D. Additional posts include 11,517 for IX-X and 6,912 for XI-XII. A special counselling session has been scheduled for 20 November if the review petition does not result in relief. Applications for the new recruitment process will be accepted online from 16 June to 14 July. Miss Banerjee urged protesters not to misinterpret the government’s intentions. “We don’t want to see anyone lose their job. But we cannot ignore the court’s order. If we delay, the court may cancel everything.” Those ordered to return salaries or declared ineligible for teaching roles may be considered for other positions in the education department, such as clerical or support staff. Separate notifications will be issued for such roles, in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directions to create new posts where needed. On Monday, a delegation of affected candidates met with education department officials to express their concerns about the timing of the recruitment notification, requesting the government to delay it until the outcome of the review petition. The SSC 2016 recruitment process has been under judicial scrutiny following widespread allegations of corruption and irregularities. The Supreme Court ruling has led to one of the largest annulments of government appointments in the state’s history. Banerjee said the government is committed to justice and will present a humanitarian case during the review hearing after the court’s summer recess. “We are not against anyone. We are following the law,” she said. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 27 MAY Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday warned Pakistan again reminding the hostileneighbourthatterrorism practiced by them was not a proxy war but a deliberate war strategy and India will respond accordingly. “Terrorism is deliberate war strategy on their part; if they engage in war, our response will be accordingly,” the Prime Minister said reasserting that “this was no proxy war as those killed after May 6 were given state honours, Pakistani flags draped on their coffins.” “We want happiness for our neighbours too, but if you challenge our strength, then India is also land of heroes,” PM Modi said while addressing the gathering at the celebrations of 20 years of Gujarat Urban Growth Story programme in Gandhinagar. He said that over the past two days during his visit to Vadodara, Dahod, Bhuj, Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, he has been experiencing the fervour of patriotism with BSF releases video of ‘Op Sindoor’, says SC issues notice to Centre, states on plea challenging Waqf Act, 1995 ‘fully prepared’ to prevent Pak infiltration AGENCIES PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 27 MAY The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Central government and all state governments on a petition challenging the constitutional validity of certain provisions of the Waqf Act, 1995, as amended by the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. A bench comprising Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih tagged the fresh plea filed by petitioner Nikhil Upadhyay along with other pending petitions challenging the validity of the 1995 Waqf Act. During the hearing, advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, appearing for the petitioner, was asked by the Chief Justice Gavai about the delayed challenge. “Why are you challenging the 1995 Act in 2025?” Upadhyay responded that he was also challenging the 2013 Amendment to the Waqf Act, prompting the CJI to remark that “Even then, from 2013 to 2025—12 years. There is a delay.” However, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, stated that while the Court had earlier Govt launches ‘Know Your DIGIPIN’ and ‘Know Your PIN Code’ web portals STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 27 MAY The Department of Posts on Tuesday launched two transformative digital platforms: ‘Know Your DIGIPIN’ and ‘Know Your PIN Code’, marking a significant step towards the modernisation of India's addressing system and geospatial governance. These platforms were launched in alignment with the National Geospatial Policy 2022, which envisions the development of an advanced geospatial infrastructure to support digital governance and public service delivery. The DIGIPIN (Digital Postal Index Number) is an open-source, interoperable, geo-coded, grid-based digital address system developed by the Department of Posts in collaboration with IIT Hyderabad and NRSC, ISRO. It is a cornerstone of the Department of Posts' vision to offer Address-as-a-Service (AaaS) — an array of services associated with address data management to support secure and efficient interactions between users, government entities, and private sector organisations. The ‘Know Your DIGIPIN’ initiative simplifies location mapping, enhances logistics and emergency response, and ensures last-mile delivery, especially in rural and underserved areas. not allowed challenges to the 1995 Act to be heard along with petitions against the 2025 Amendment, there was no objection to this fresh petition being tagged with pending ones challenging the 1995 Act. The petition by Nikhil Upadhyay contended that the Waqf Act, 1995, was discriminatory, as only the Muslim community has a codified law for the administration of charitable and religious properties, whereas other communities do not have similar statutory provisions. The plea challenges several provisions of the 1995 Waqf Act as amended, stating they violate Articles 14 (equality before law), 15 (non-discrimination), 21 (right to life and liberty), 25 & 26 (freedom of religion), and 27 (freedom from taxation for religious purposes) of the Constitution. It further argues that the state cannot bear the cost of surveys or verifications of waqf properties from the public exchequer, while no equivalent mechanism or financial support exists for properties belonging to other religious communities. “There should be a Common/Uniform Law for Religious Trusts and Endowments,” the petition stated, urging parity in legal treatment across all religious communities. The plea comes amid ongoing hearings in the Supreme Court on petitions challenging the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, as well as other controversial laws such as the Places of Worship Act, 1991, and the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992. JAMMU, 27 MAY The Border Security Force (BSF), which played a critical role in 'Operation Sindoor' alongside the Indian armed forces, has released new visuals of the military action undertaken on May 7 against nine high-value terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK). The offensive was launched in direct response to the brutal April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, where four heavily armed terrorists from The Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) affiliate, killed 26 innocent and unarmed people, mostly tourists from India. The Indian armed forces, through multiple Press briefings, have kept the public informed about 'Operation Sindoor'. The footage also shows the Pakistan Rangers fleeing from the scene as the BSF retaliated with precision. In continuation of this, the BSF released a 5-minute, 21second video capturing intense action by Indian forces on several terror infrastructure facilities across the border. In the video, the Indian armed forces are seen targeting and destroying multiple key launchpads and military posts. The footage also shows the Pakistan Rangers fleeing from the scene as the BSF retaliated with precision. BSF personnel are seen actively engaged at various posts, launching calculated strikes on enemy positions across the border. During a press conference, BSF Inspector General (IG) Jammu, Shashank Anand, detailed Pakistan's response following the Indian operation. "On May 9, Pakistan targeted several of our posts, using flat trajectory weapons and mortars. They even fired on one of our villages, Abdullian. Our jawans gave them a befitting reply. When their firing slowed down, they increased drone activity. In retaliation, BSF targeted and destroyed the Mastpur terror launchpad," he said. He further warned of potential infiltration attempts, saying, "We are receiving several inputs about terrorists returning to their camps and launchpads, and possible infiltration along the LoC and the International Border. Security forces must stay alert." Tragedy in Haryana’s Panchkula: 7 family members from Dehradun found dead STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE PANCHKULA, 27 MAY In a heartbreaking incident that has sent shockwaves across the city, a family of seven was found dead in a parked car in Panchkula’s Sector 27 on Tuesday morning, in what police are investigating as a case of suicide. As per the details shared by the District Police, the deceased have been identified as Praveen Mittal, his wife Reena, mother Vimla, father Deshraj, twin daughters Dhruvika and Dalisha, 11, and son Hardik, 14. The preliminary cause of death appears to be poisoning. While the exact reasons are still being probed, early indications point toward financial difficulties and personal stress as potential factors. The note reportedly mentions an unbearable A view of the car in which a person, his wife, their three children, and his parents were found dead allegedly by Suicide, in Panchkula on Tuesday. nANI burden and no way forward, though investigators are verifying the authenticity and contents of the letter. Police said that Praveen Mittal was running a travel and tour business in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. He suffered significant financial losses, and this might have led him to take the extreme step along with his family. According to police, all seven were found inside the same car, whose rear windshield was covered with a towel. Additional Commissioner of Police Vikram Nehra said that when the victims were shifted to a nearby hospital, only the children’s father was breathing, who died during treatment. DCP, Panchkula, Himadri Kaushik said that prima facie it looks like a matter of suicide. All the investigating officers are at the spot. The financial debt and psychological issues that the family was facing have come up. All angles are being looked into, said the officer. Police said to have recovered a two-page note from the car in which all seven were found. “I have gone bankrupt. I am responsible for all this. My father-inlaw should not be harassed. The last rites of my family members shall be performed by my cousin,” Praveen Mittal said in the note, as revealed by the local police. The bodies were taken to the Civil Hospital in Sector 6 for the post-mortem examinations. Police are also speaking with neighbours and relatives to build a complete picture of the family's circumstances in the days leading up to the incident. Neighbours described the family as “quiet and reserved,” and said that there were no outward signs of distress. The local community and school authorities, especially those connected with the children, are reportedly devastated. the roar of success of Operation Sindoor and flying tricolours. “India had made up its mind to weed out the thorn of terrorism and did it with utmost conviction,” the Prime Minister said. Recalling what he said was the first terrorist attack on India in 1947, right after the partition of India, the Prime Minister said one part was usurped by Pakistan harbouring the terrorists. He said that the country was divided into three parts, and on the same night, the first terrorist attack took place on the soil of Kashmir. Pakistan captured a part of Mother India with the help of terrorists, in the name of Mujahideen. Reciting Sardar Patel’s vision, PM Modi emphasized that the Indian Army should not have halted until Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir was reclaimed. Lamenting that since Sardar Patel’s advice was “not followed” the Prime Minister argued that the “legacy of terrorism has continued for the last 75 years and the terror attacks in Pahalgam was another horrific form of it.” Omar holds J&K cabinet meeting at Pahalgam STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 27 MAY In a bid to send a powerful message against terrorism in the aftermath of the killing of 26 civilians on 22 April, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday held a special cabinet meeting in Pahalgam, where the terror incident happened. After the meeting, the Chief Minister posted on X the pictures of his meetings at the Pahalgam club. Omar wrote on X; “Chaired a Cabinet Meeting at Pahalgam today. It was not just a routine administrative exercise, but a clear message—we are not intimidated by cowardly acts of terror. The enemies of peace will never dictate our resolve. Jammu & Kashmir stands firm, strong, and unafraid”. More important than the agenda on the table of the cabinet meeting is the significance of the meeting’s symbolic communication to anti-national and anti-social elements that violence has no place in Jammu and Kashmir. This was the first cabinet meeting held outside the capital cities of Srinagar and Jammu since the Omar Abdullah-headed government took office in October 2024. Addressing a press conference after the cabinet meeting, Omar said that his government aims to revive tourism gradually and steadily.