THURSDAY 17 JULY 2025 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘SCOPE FOR UDDHAV THACKERAY TO SIT ON TREASURY BENCHES’ SHIFTING TRIANGLES PIYUSH GOYAL MEETS DEEP-TECH STARTUPS P5 SENSEX 82,634.48 p63.57 ROOT RECLAIMS NO.1 TEST BATTING SPOT P6 NIFTY 25,212.05 p16.25 ` vs $ 86.05 P10 GOLD `1,00,460 P12 SILVER `1,14,000 RAINFALL: 00.0 mm ‘BJP has unleashed terror worse than Emergency’ RELATIVE HUMIDITY BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 68.02 CM Mamata Banerjee led a rally protesting harassment of Bengali-speaking individuals in BJP-ruled states WEATHER Generally Cloudy sky with one or two spells of light to moderate rain/ thundershower very likely to occur. Max. 98% Min. 93% STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE TEMPERATURE Max: 29.6˚C (-3.2) SUN RISES 05:01 hrs MOON RISES 22:15 hrs KOLKATA, 16 JULY Min: 25.0˚C (-1.9) T SUN SETS 18:24 hrs MOON SETS 09:59 hrs New Moon on 25 July THUMBNAILS A tiger cools off in the pond in its enclosure at Sarthana Nature Park, in Surat on Wednesday. nANI Teen dies after joyride collapse at Nicco Park: An 18-year-old youth died on Wednesday allegedly after a joyride reportedly collapsed at Nicco Park, in Kolkata. The deceased was on a ride when the structure malfunctioned, causing him to fall from a height along with a swing-like seat. He sustained severe head injuries and was rushed to a private hospital in Salt Lake, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. (Page 3) he BJP-led government at the Centre has unleashed a reign of terror which is worse than the Emergency, Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee said today. Protest rallies were held across the state between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. during the day against the harassment of Bengali-speaking people in BJP-ruled states. “The Centre has issued a notification and secretly circulated it among BJP-ruled states, stating that anyone speaking in Bengali can be detained and imprisoned for a month,” Miss Banerjee alleged, adding, “We will challenge the notification in a court of law.” She participated in a rally protesting attacks and harassment of Bengali-speaking individuals in BJP-governed states. The rally commenced at College Square and concluded at Dorina Crossing, covering a distance of 2 km. Miss Banerjee, speaking at a public meeting after the conclusion of the march, said that if such attacks continued, she would travel across the length and breadth of the country to protect the rights of Bengali speakers. “Why are you targeting migrant workers simply because they speak Bengali? They are skilled workers—some are gold artisans in Gujarat, others work as masons or plumbers across various states,” she said, adding, “Have we forgotten that Bengalis produced the highest number of freedom fighters? Both the National Anthem and the National Song were penned by Bengali poets. We have 1.5 crore people in Bengal who are not Bengali, yet we have never questioned their mother tongue.” She said it is unfortunate that the BJP is trying to interfere in Kharge, Rahul Gandhi urge PM Modi to grant statehood to Jammu and Kashmir STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 JULY Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on Wednesday wrote a joint letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to bring a legislation in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament to grant full statehood to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. “For the past five years, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have consistently called for the restoration of full statehood. This demand is both legitimate and fully grounded in their constitutional and democratic right,” the leaders said in their letter. They reminded Prime Minister Modi of his own commitments made on multiple occasions, citing his interview in Bhubaneswar on 19 May 2024, where he said: "The restoration of statehood is a solemn promise we have made and we stand by it." Mr Kharge and Mr Gandhi have been vocal about restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. In their recent interactions, they've highlighted the importance of democratic rights for the people of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Prime Minister Modi had previously assured that J&K would soon have an elected Assembly and attain statehood again. They also pointed out that the government had made similar assurances before the Supreme Court, stating that statehood would be restored at the earliest opportunity. The leaders also urged the government to introduce legislation placing Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Mr Kharge and Mr Gandhi further stressed that downgrading a full-fledged state to a Union Territory has no precedent in independent India. the food habit or language of others. “It is my choice what I eat ~ vegetarian food or non-vegetarian food. I am branded as antinational if I speak in Bengali or eat nonvegetarian food.” Taking on the BJP's alleged narrative linking Bengali migrants to illegal immigration, Miss Banerjee said: Tear gas fired, chaos in Bhubaneswar over student’s suicide STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BHUBANESWAR, 16 JULY A protest by the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) turned chaotic on Wednesday as police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse party workers attempting to break police barricades and march to the state secretariat here. The demonstration, held over the death of a 20-yearold student of Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Balasore who set herself on fire after she allegedly faced mental and sexual harassment — saw injuries to several senior BJD leaders, including Rajya Sabha MP Sulata Deo. Ms Deo was reportedly struck on the chest during the chaos. She, along with former ministers Pranab Prakash Das and Pritiranjan Ghadei (both sustaining injuries on their legs), were rushed to hospital for treatment. ‘You need a dictionary!’ Apex court pulls up SIT for misreading FB posts by Ashoka University professor PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 16 JULY The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing Facebook posts by Ashoka University’s Assistant Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, hauling it up for “misdirecting itself” and expanding the scope of investigation beyond the two FIRs registered. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi warned that the SIT must restrict its probe strictly to the content and language of the two Facebook posts made by Prof Mahmudabad concerning the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, and not conduct a “roving inquiry.” “Why is the SIT, on the face of it, misdirecting itself?” Justice Kant asked, adding: “They (SIT) can say it’s an opinion and no offence is made out. But why take two months for this?” Rejecting Additional Solicitor General SV Raju’s request for two more months to complete the investigation, the Court gave the SIT four weeks to wrap up the probe. Justice Kant remarked in a quip directed at the ASG: “You don’t need him (Mahmudabad)… you need a dictionary!” ASG Raju was appearinv for the Haryana government. The observation came in light of the SIT’s alleged misreading of Prof Mahmudabad's Facebook posts, which, according to the bench, needed a more nuanced linguistic interpretation, rather than police scrutiny. The Court clarified that Prof. Mahmudabad, who had already joined the probe and whose electronic devices had been examined, need not be summoned again. It also directed that interim protection from arrest would continue, while reaffirming that he remains free to publish social media posts and articles, except on sub judice matters. “It seems to us that it is not needed to summon the petitioner (Mahmudabad) again to join the investigation,” the Court said in its order. “The petitioner is free to write any online posts or articles except commenting on sub judice matter.” Two FIRs had been filed against Mahmudabad over his Facebook posts, one by Yogesh Jatheri citing charges under Sections 196, 197, 152, and 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and the other by Haryana Women’s Commission Chairperson Renu Bhatia, invoking Sections 79, 152, and 353. “I challenge you to prove that Bengali-speaking migrants are Rohingya Muslims.” Miss Banerjee alleged that the BJP is planning to capture Bengal in 2026 by manipulating electoral rolls. “They won the Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Delhi through such manipulation, and now they’re attempting the same in Bihar, where elections are due in November,” she said. She urged people to take a day’s leave from work, if necessary, to ensure that their names are included in the voters’ list. She further claimed that the Election Commission of India is biased and filled with BJP supporters. “The Chief Election Commissioner was previously the Principal Secretary to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.” (See Page 3) Govt to introduce eight key Bills in Monsoon session STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 JULY The Union government plans to introduce eight new Bills, including the Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill of 2025 and the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill of 2025 in the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which will commence from 21 July. According to the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the government plans to take up the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill 2025, the Indian Institute of Management (Amend- ment) Bill 2025, the Geoheritage SitesandGeo-relics(Preservation and Maintenance) Bill 2025, the Mines and Mines (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill 2025, the National Sports Governance Bill 2025 and the National AntiDoping (Amendment) Bill 2025 for introduction and passing in the Lok Sabha, along with The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2024, the Merchant Shipping Bill, 2024, the Indian Ports Bill, 2025, and the Income Tax Bill, 2025.