TUESDAY 05 AUGUST 2025 www.thestatesman.com Pages 16 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR STALIN BACKS MAMATA IN BENGALI LANGUAGE ROW ED TO BRING ARRESTED BTPL MD FACE-TO-FACE WITH ANIL AMBANI P5 SENSEX 81,018.72 p418.81 WEATHER Generally cloudy sky with a few spells of Light to moderate rain/ thundershower very likely to occur. RUSSIA ISSUES GUARDED RESPONSE TO US NUCLEAR SUBMARINE DEPLOYMENT P6 NIFTY 24,722.75 p157.40 ` vs $ 87.93 P11 Unstoppable Siraj Five-star Siraj helps India seal Oval thriller to level Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy RELATIVE HUMIDITY Min. 72% TEMPERATURE Max: 31.6 ˚C (-0.9) Min: 26.1˚C (-0.4) SUN RISES 05:09 hrs MOON RISES 14:20 hrs SUN SETS 18:16 hrs MOON SETS 00:12 hrs Full Moon on 9 August THUMBNAILS TRIDIB BAPARNASH NEW DELHI, 4 AUGUST President Droupadi Murmu with a group of eminent tribal people from various states representing different sectors, at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Monday. Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also seen. nANI Flat tyre delays IndiGo flight from Jabalpur to Mumbai by nearly 5 hours: A flat rear tyre caused a nearly five-hour delay to an IndiGo flight from Jabalpur to Mumbai at the city's Dumna Airport on Monday. According to airport officials, the flight reached Jabalpur from Mumbai at around 12 noon. After all the passengers had alighted safely and the aircraft was stationed at the airport’s apron, one of its rear tyres got deflated. Dumna Airport Director Rajeev Ratan Pandey said that the flight was scheduled to return to Mumbai at 12.40 pm, but could not do so due to the tyre problem. T wo London grounds. One central character — Mohammed Siraj authored his own redemption arc in the same city where he once stood as the last man standing. At Lord’s, a dejected Siraj had crumbled to the turf, bowled and broken, the weight of defeat etched into every line of his face. Just weeks later, at The Oval, it was a transformed man, chest heaving, arms wide, roaring in triumph with his redemptive celebration after blowing India to a serieslevelling victory, by the barest of margins. What stood as Siraj’s quiet motivation was a wallpaper downloaded from Google, captioned “Believe” before he breathed fire on the final morning of The Oval Test, to help India end the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy with a 2-2 scoreline. “When I woke up today, I thought I could do it. I downloaded a picture from Google saying ‘believe,’” Siraj revealed after claiming a five-wicket haul, including three crucial strikes on Monday, to seal a thrilling six-run win. “Lord’s was heartbreaking, (Ravindra Jadeja) Jaddu bhai told me to back my defence and remember my dad and do it for him,” he revealed at the post-match presentation where he was adjudged the Player of the Match for his career-best match figures of 9/190. With pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah rested, Siraj did an encore of the Edgbaston Test, stepping up as the leader of India’s attack in the fifth and final Test and delivered under pressure. Having featured in all five Tests, Siraj not only showed immense physical and mental resolve but also finished as the leading wicket-taker of the series with 23 scalps. After bad light forced an early closure on the fourth evening, England walked out in search of 35 runs with four wickets in hand when play resumed under overcast skies on Monday. Siraj struck in his very first over, removing the dangerous Jamie Smith with a rising delivery that took the edge to Dhruv Jurel. Smith’s wicket reduced England to seven down with 27 still needed for victory under overcast conditions. A slight drizzle aided to India’s advantage with fellow right-arm SC raps Rahul over China jibe Abhishek PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 4 AUGUST The Supreme Court on Monday pulled up Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his controversial remarks suggesting that China had occupied 2,000 square kilometres of Indian territory following a 2022 border clash in the Yangtse region of Arunachal Pradesh, with the bench questioning the credibility of such claims. The Court’s remarks appeared to reflect concern that such statements, made without substantiation, could erode public confidence in the armed forces’ role in safeguarding the country’s borders. A bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Augustine George Masih stayed proceedings before a Lucknow trial court in the defamation case filed against Gandhi and issued notice to the complainant, former Border Roads Organisation (BRO) Director Uday Shankar Srivastava. “How do you get to know that 2,000 square kilometres of Indian territory was occupied by China? What is the credible material? If you are a true Indian, you would not say this. When there is a conflict across the border, can you say all this?” asked Justice Datta, disapproving of the remarks made by Gandhi during the 2022 Bharat Jodo Yatra. The bench also questioned the medium used by the Congress MP to make the statement. “Whatever you have to say, why don’t you say it in Parliament? Why do you have to say this on social media posts?” Justice Datta asked senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who appeared for Gandhi. The remarks in question were made by Gandhi on 16 December, 2022, in the wake of a face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in the Yangtse region of Arunachal Pradesh. Addressing a press conference during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi had stated: “People will not ask a single question about China capturing 2,000 square kilometres of Indian territory, killing 20 Indian soldiers and thrashing our soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh. But the Indian press doesn’t ask a question to them about this. Isn’t it true? The nation is watching all this. Don’t pretend that people don’t know.” new TMC leader in LS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 4 AUGUST Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamul Congress national general secretary and MP from Diamond Harbour has been appointed as the leader of the party in Lok Sabha. He replaced veteran party MP from north Kolkata Sudip Bandyopadhyay. Post the development Kalyan Bandyopadhyay resigned from the post of Trinamul Congress chief whip in Lok Sabha. P16 SILVER `1,13,000 GOLD `1,02,820 RAINFALL: 037.3 mm Max. 97% GILL SATISFIED WITH DEBUT TEST SERIES AS CAPTAIN quick Prasidh Krishna steaming in with brisk pace to add to the pressure on the English tail. The 31-year-old jolted England for a second time within the first 25 minutes of play, when he trapped the overnight batter Jamie Overton, who failed to get it in his favour after reviewing. Meanwhile, Krishna, who got the big wickets of Ben Duckett and Joe Root on Sunday, continued to mount the pressure from the other end, as he welcomed new man Josh Tongue with a scare, even though reviews ruled it in the Englishman’s favour. With both sides within sniffing distance of a victory, England faced another casualty as Krishna was finally rewarded for his persistence, and India inched closer after the rightarmer castled Tongue’s halfformed defences with a superb yorker. Atkinson kept England in the hunt with an aerial shot that Akash Deep mistimed and the ball flew over the fence for a six bringing the equation down to the hosts needing another 10 runs. Even though the target gradually started getting to single digits, the Indians did not allow the emotions ride over them before Siraj came up with a perfect yorker to clean up Atkinson for his fifth wicket of the match, and ensured Shubman Gill’s first series as India’s Test captain ended on a memorable note. As Siraj stood there with the Siuu celebration, the rest of the Indian team huddled around the matchwinner, bouncing up and down in glee and relief. Handshakes followed between both sides, signalling the end of a keenly-fought series, where tempers flared but at the end, it was mutual respect between both sides that stood tall. BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 68.85 ‘Man-made catastrophe’, says Mamata on DVC’s excess water release STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 4 AUGUST Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday accused Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) of increasing the release of water from its dams, which allegedly has led to manmade catastrophe in Bengal. She has claimed, like earlier times, how the dams in Jharkhand have been releasing water in a systematic attempt by the Centre to trigger more flood-like situations across South Bengal. In a social media post, the chief minister said there has been an 11-fold increase in DVC’s water discharge this year, compared to 2024. “DVC’s flood mismanagement record this year has surpassed its dismal accounts of previous years. DVC has failed Bengal this year to an unprecedented degree. The centrally administered agency is becoming more and more anti-Bengal, in keeping with the ecosystem that the central establishment is trying to generate all over India today,” she said. Providing a breakdown of the water release data from the DVC, the chief minister further said that a staggering 11-fold increase in DVC’s water discharge in 2025, compared to 2024, has shaken us. “It is 30 times higher than 2023!! There is a systematic attempt to trigger more and more flood-like situations across South Bengal. This is not a natural disaster. It’s a man-made catastrophe, more and more. The data speaks for itself,” she said. Last month, chief secretary Manoj Pant had also written to DVC on the issue and asked them to consider the ground realities in the state. Mamata claimed that the outflow from DVC during June and July 2024 was 4,535 lakh cubic metres, as against the outflow from DVC during June and July 2025 at 50,287 lakh cubic metres. In July, West Bengal, especially districts in South Bengal, witnessed record rain following successive low-pressure areas and cyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal. Philippines President arrives in India Prez Trump threatens higher tariffs on India over Russian oil trade STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 4 AUGUST STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Within days of India and the Philippines staging their first joint sail and naval exercise in the disputed South China Sea, Philippines President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr arrived in New Delhi on Monday on his first State Visit to India. He was received at the airport by Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita and senior officials. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal extended a warm welcome to the visiting leader and hoped his five-day trip would further strengthen ties between the two nations. United States President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to substantially raise tariffs on India for buying Russian oil, alleging that New Delhi is reselling it on the open market for significant profits. In a social media post on Truth Social, Trump said, “India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian oil, they are then, for much of the oil purchased, selling it on the open market for big profits.” Reiterating his administration’s accusation that New Delhi is financing Russia’s war in Ukraine by purchasing oil and military equipment from the Kremlin, Trump added, “They don’t care how NEW DELHI, 4 AUGUST many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian war machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the tariff paid by India to the USA.” His latest tariff warning comes just days after he imposed a 25 percent tariff on Indian goods, along with an unspecified penalty related to its trade with Russia. On Saturday, Trump had claimed that he had heard India would stop purchasing Russian crude oil. However, Indian government sources swiftly refuted this, clarifying that Indian refiners would continue to buy oil from Russia. The decision, they said, is driven by economic considerations, including price, crude grade, and logistical factors. Government officials also outlined the rationale behind India’s continued energy ties with Russia, noting that Russia is the world’s second-largest crude oil producer, with an output of about 9.5 million barrels per day (nearly 10% of global supply), and the second-largest exporter, supplying roughly 4.5 million barrels per day of crude and 2.3 million barrels per day of refined products. JMM founder and tribal icon Dishom Guru passes away at 81 SHASHI SINGH RANCHI, 4 AUGUST “Adarniya Dishom Guruji has left us all… Today, I am hollow.” With these words, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced the death of his father, Shibu Soren — a towering figure in tribal politics, founder of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), and three-time Chief Minister of Jharkhand — who passed away Monday morning at the age of 81. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid heartfelt tributes to the veteran politician. In a condolence message posted on handle X, PM Modi described Soren as a “grassroots leader who rose through the ranks of public life with unwavering dedication to the people.” “Shri Shibu Soren Ji was a grassroots leader who rose through the ranks of public life with unwavering dedication to the people. He was particularly passionate about empowering tribal communities, the poor, and the downtrodden. Pained by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and admirers,” PM Modi said. The Prime Minister also spoke to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, expressing his condolences over the loss of the veteran leader. Known affectionately across the state as Dishom Guru (the people’s tribal leader), Shibu Soren died at 8:56 a.m at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi, where he was receiving treatment for kidney infection and bronchitis. “It is with deep sorrow we confirm that Shibu Soren was declared dead this morning after prolonged illness,” said A.K. Bhalla, chair of the hospital’s nephrology department. Soren had been in critical condition for several days after being shifted to Delhi for advanced care. His son Hemant, daughter-in-law Kalpana Soren, and younger son Basant Soren were by his side. President Droupadi Murmu and Jharkhand Gov- ernor Santosh Gangwar had visited the hospital earlier this week to enquire about his condition. Born in 1944 in Nemra village of Ramgarh district (then part of Bihar), Shibu Soren emerged as a grassroots tribal leader in the 1970s and became the face of the movement for a separate state of Jharkhand. His political journey was defined by struggles for land rights, tribal dignity, and forest access. He founded the JMM as a platform to fight for these causes and led mass mobilisations that ultimately resulted in the creation of Jharkhand in 2000. Soren served as Jharkhand’s Chief Minister on three occasions and was elected to the Lok Sabha seven times. In 2004, he was appointed Union Minister for Coal in the UPA government. Despite setbacks and controversies, he remained the spiritual and ideological head of the JMM till the end. He is survived by his wife, sons Hemant and Basant, and daughter-in-law Kalpana — all active in politics. His eldest son, Durga Soren, predeceased him; Durga’s wife, Sita Soren, is with the Bharatiya Janata Party. News of his death triggered widespread mourning across the state. The Jharkhand government has announced official mourning and is expected to hold a state funeral with full honours. Shibu Soren’s death marks the end of an era — a life rooted in resistance and remembered for transforming the aspirations of a longmarginalised people into a political reality. PM, Prez condole demise of JMM supremo STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 4 AUGUST Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu Monday condoled the death of veteran politician Shibu Soren, who passed away at the age of 81. PM Modi also visited the hospital here to pay homage to the former chief minister of Jharkhand. In a heartfelt condolence message, Modi described Soren as a “grassroots leader who rose through the ranks of public life with unwavering dedication to the people.” He added that Soren was particularly pas- sionate about empowering tribal communities, the poor, and downtrodden. “Pained by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and admirers,” PM Modi said. The Prime Minister also met his son Hemant Soren, who is also Jharkhand Chief Minister, and expressed his condolences over the loss of the veteran leader. “Spoke to Jharkhand CM Shri Hemant Soren Ji and expressed condolences. Om Shanti,” PM Modi added. President Droupadi Murmu also condoled the death of Shibu Soren, acknowledging his contributions to Indian politics, particularly in the realm of tribal welfare.