FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 12 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR | Tuesday, 09 September 2025 SPORTS WORLD BUSINESS ‘Nations can restrict exports, push swadeshi products’ Page 10 BRIEFLY EAM discusses economic ties with Iowa Governor Page 9 Nepal Gen Z protests: Death toll rises to 19 in Kathmandu Kathmandu, 8 September Siliguri: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will arrive at Bagdogra tomorrow to attend her government’s programme in Jalpaiguri. Trinamul Congress leaders in Siliguri are gearing up to welcome her with colourful arrangements along the route from Bagdogra Airport to Uttarkanya, the state’s branch secretariat here. While the Jalpaiguri district administration has prepared to distribute nearly all state-sponsored benefits through the Chief Minister at Tuesday’s programme, TMC leaders and workers in Siliguri will watch the event virtually at Dinabandhu Mancha. T he death toll from protests against the government's social media ban has risen to 19, while more than 200 people have been injured across Nepal, The Himalayan Times reported. Demonstrators demanded the restoration of access to online platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. According to The Himalayan Times, 16 of the deceased were in Kathmandu Valley and two in Itahari. Hospitals confirmed fatalities as follows: seven at Trauma Center, three at Everest Hospital, three at Civil Hospital, two at Kathmandu Medical College, and one at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital. Thenumberofinjuredremains uncertainduetotheoverwhelming volume of cases, which include protesters, security personnel, and journalists. Hospitals such as Trauma Center and Civil Hospital are reportedly struggling to accommodate patients and have begun referring cases to other facilities. Police used water cannons, batons and rubber bullets to control the crowd. AGENCIES Authorities added that the identities of the deceased and many injured are yet to be confirmed. The Ministry of Health had earlier instructed hospitals to provide free treatment to all injured protesters. Curfew orders were imposed in several parts of the country to contain unrest. In Kathmandu Valley, curfew covered key areas including New Baneshwor after protesters stormed the Federal Parliament premises. Pokhara (Kaski) enforced curfew in Shahid Chowk and adjoining areas from 2 p.m. following vandalism at the Chief Minister's Office. Itahari (Sunsari) reported an indefinite curfew from 3:30 p.m. after violent clashes, while Butwal-Bhairahawa (Rupandehi) had curfew from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday. TheHimalayanTimesreported that protests spread beyond Kathmandu, turning confrontational in Biratnagar, Chitwan, Jhapa, and Rupandehi, escalating tensions across the country. Bihar SIR: SC orders inclusion of Aadhaar card as 12th document as identity proof PARMOD KUMAR New Delhi, 8 September The Supreme Court on Monday directed that the Aadhaar card must be treated as the 12th documentforestablishingidentity for inclusion in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, however, clarified that Aadhaar shall not be treated as proof of citizenship. “Authorities shall be entitled to verify the authenticity and genuineness of the Aadhaar card itself,” the bench said, while asking the Election Commission of India (ECI) to issue instructions to its officials for the acceptance of Aadhaar as identity proof. The court noted that while the Aadhaar Act makes it clear that the card is not proof of Page 12 NATION AGENCIES CM to arrive at Bagdogra today: US Open: Alcaraz beats rival Sinner for 6th Slam title and wrests No. 1 ranking Page 5 Shooting attack at Jerusalem bus stop kills 6 citizenship, under the Representation of People’s Act it is recognised as one of the documents to establish identity. It recorded the poll panel’s undertaking that Aadhaar will henceforth be accepted for this purpose. The order came on pleas by RJD and others, who alleged that ground-level officials were refusing to accept Aadhaar as a stand-alone document despite three earlier court directions. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for RJD, told the bench that officials were insisting on one of the 11 documents specified in the ECI’s June 24 notification, and filed 24 affidavits from voters whose Aadhaar cards were rejected. “Aadhaar card is theuniversallyavailabledocument with the population. If they cannot accept that, what kind of inclusion exercise are they carrying out? They want to exclude the poor,” Sibal told the bench. Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, for the ECI, maintained that Aadhaar could not be accepted as proof of citizenship. The bench also issued notice to the ECI on a plea by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay seeking directions to conduct SIR of electoral rolls in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry, all heading to Assembly polls in 2026. On August 22, the court had directed that persons excluded from the draft roll during the SIR in Bihar may submit applications for inclusion online, without insisting on physical forms. At the last hearing, it refrained from extending the September 1 deadline for claims, objections and corrections after the ECI assured that even belated applications after the September 1 deadline would be considered before finalisation. The batch of petitions before the court, filed by RJD MP Manoj Jha, Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), PUCL, activist YogendraYadav,TMCMPMahua Moitra, and former Bihar MLA Mujahid Alam, challenge the ECI’s June 24 directive requiring large sections of voters to furnish proof of citizenship. A massive protest outside the Kathmandu Parliament over the social media ban turned violent on Monday, resulting in clashes between police and demonstrators. The ban, which came into effect on September 4, targeted platforms that had not registered with the Nepalese government. Authorities said social media userswithfakeIDswerespreading hate speech, fake news, and committing fraud and other crimes via some platforms. Local media reported that protesters marched from Damak Chowk toward the municipal office, burning an effigy of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and attempting to break municipal gates. Police intervened with rubber bullets, leaving one critically injured, while demonstrators set fire to several motorcycles. Protesters also threw tree branches and water bottles, shouted slogans against government corruption, and some entered the Parliament premises. Protests in Pokhara, Butwal, Chitwan,Nepalgunj,andBiratnagar further intensified unrest across the country. EAM flags linkage of trade measures to non-trade issues at BRICS summit PARWINDER SANDHU New Delhi, 8 September Taking an indirect hit at US President Donald Trump’s decision to increase tariffs on India, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that linking of trade measures to non-trade matters will not help in promoting a sustainable global trade. Jaishankar was speaking at a virtual summit of the BRICS organized by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to discuss the tariffs imposed by Trump following his second stint as the US president. Jaishankar, who was representing PM Modi at the summit. Security forces tighten grip in Manipur: Major arrests, arms haul, and crackdown on insurgent activities STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Imphal, 8 September Manipur police and security forces have intensified counter-insurgency and anti-narcotics operations across the state, resulting in a string of arrests and significant seizures on September 7. The coordinated drive spanned multiple districts, underscoring the government’s ongoing efforts to restore peace and curb the twin challenges of militancy and drug trafficking. In Imphal East, police intercepted two individuals at Khabam Lamkhai under the Heingang police station. The accused—Pathan Azaman Khan of Khomidok Masjid Maning and Arjun Chingakham of Kongpal Khaidem Leikai—were found transporting 47 packets of cannabis weighing around 50 kilograms, neatly packed in four suitcases. Authorities also recovered a mobile phone with a SIM card, which is under examination for possible links to trafficking networks. In Imphal West, two active members of the proscribed Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP-Apunba) were apprehended from Lilong Chajing Mamang Leikai. The duo—Angom Silky Devi (22) and Oinam Niranjit Singh alias Alex (21)—were allegedly engaged in extortion and recruitment of local youths into the underground outfit. Police seized two mobile phones that may provide further leads into the group’s operations. Meanwhile, in Tengnoupal district, joint forces arrested four young cadres affiliated with various Valley-Based Insurgent Groups (VBIGs) near Border Pillar 73 at Chongjang under Moreh police station. Those arrested include Ch Thoiba Singh (20) of Sekmai, linked to KCP-MFL, Pukhrambam Tondonba Singh (19) of Bishnupur linked to UNLF-K, Kh. Thoithoiba Singh (18) of Kakching is linked to the PLA, and Mayanglambam Borish Singh (21) of Kakching Wairi, also associated with the PLA. A separate operation at Sekmai Pangantabi in Imphal West led to one of the biggest arms recoveries in recent months. The cache included an SLR rifle with a magazine, a modified .303 rifle, four single-barrel rifles, a revolver, a .22 pistol, two improvised explosive devices, bulletproof vests, assorted ammunition, communication sets, and tactical bags. Officials believe the weapons were being stockpiled for use by insurgent groups. Battle lines drawn: VP election heats up as candidates take centre stage BJD to abstain from VP poll: Oppn sees surrender to BJP STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Bhubaneswar, 8 September SHAHID K ABBAS New Delhi, 8 September The stage is set for a crucial election of the Vice President on Tuesday, September 9, with both the NDA’s candidate, C P Radhakrishnan, and the Opposition’s, B Sudershan Reddy, intensifying their campaigning efforts. Radhakrishnan, the current Governor of Maharashtra and a BJP leader from Tamil Nadu, is pitted against Reddy, a former Supreme Court judge from Telangana, in a contest that has taken an ideological tone. The opp osition has described the vice-presidential poll as an “ideological battle,” with DMK MP Kanimozhi stating, “This is an ideological fight. So the Opposition parties came together to select one candidate against the candidate who comes from an RSS background.” The opposition parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party, DMK, the Left parties, the Trinamool Congress, and the Aam Aadmi Party, have rallied behind Reddy’s candidature. The campaign has been marred by allegations and counter-allegations between the rival groups. With just a day left for the election, both the ruling BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led opposition have intensified efforts to boost their numbers. The BJP has asked all its MPs to reach Delhi ahead of the election and has begun training them on how to cast their votes correctly. The opposition is also holding a “mock poll” to ensure their MPs are prepared for the election. The election will take place tomorrow, September 9, from 10 am to 5 pm, with counting scheduled at 6 pm. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), has chosen to abstain from Tuesday’s vice-presidential election, a move that has triggered sharp criticism from the Congress and open derision from the BJP. Announcing the decision in Delhi, BJD MP Sasmit Patra claimed the party was maintaining “equal distance” from both the NDA and the INDIA bloc. But political observers say the abstention only underlines the shrinking space for the regional party, which was routed in the 2024 general election, losing power in Odisha and drawing a blank in the Lok Sabha. The party’s Rajya Sabha strength too has been cut down to seven after two MPs — Sujit Kumar and Mamata Mahant — defected to the BJP and were promptly re-nominated. Odisha Congress president Bhakta Charan Das minced no words. “This is nothing but a tacit endorsement of the BJP. Naveen Patnaik has chosen to protect himself rather than his party. Senior BJD leaders are clearly afraid of central agencies breathing down their necks,” he charged.