FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 16 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA LC | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR Trump plans to meet with Mamdani NATION NDA sweep: The women factor beyond Jan Suraaj ED begins restitution of Rs 55.85 crore to SBI Page 5 Page 11 Page 12 Tuesday, 18 November 2025 SPORTS WORLD BUSINESS | Sangakkara returns as Rajasthan Royals head coach Page 16 Putin’s top aide Patrushev, NSA Doval hold talks in Delhi: 45 Indian pilgrims killed in Madinah bus inferno Bangladesh on boil again after ex-PM Sheikh Hasina’s death sentence by Dhaka Tribunal Hyderabad, 17 November BRIEFLY UNITED NEWS OF INDIA STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE I New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin's top aide and Chairman of the Maritime Board of Russia, Nikolai Patrushev on Monday met National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and National Maritime Security Coordinator Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta in New Delhi as both the nations discussed important issues, including maritime cooperation. The interaction between Patrushev and NSA Doval took place just ahead of another key meeting between EAM Jaishankar & Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov which is set to be held in Moscow later in the day. Centre hikes ad rates for print media by 26 pc: New Delhi: The Centre on Monday announced a 26 per cent increase in the rates of advertisements in the print media and introduced a premium for colour ads to strengthen the print media ecosystem. The black and white advertisement rates for print media per sq. cm. for one lakh copies of dailies have been enhanced from Rs. 47.40 to Rs. 59.68. The Government has also agreed to the recommendations of the Committee relating to premium rates to be offered for colour advertisements, preferential positioning. Higher rates for govt advertisements will provide essential revenue support to print media. n a tragic incident, 45 Umrah pilgrims from Hyderabad died after their bus collided with an oil tanker and caught fire near Madinah at around 1:30 am and only one person survived with critical injuries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief and assured that Indian officials were in close contact with Saudi Arabian authorities and would provide assistance. The Telangana government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs five lakh each and stated a team would be led by minority affairs minister Mohammad Azharuddin, who would accompany two family members of the victims to Saudi Arabia to conduct their last rites there. At least one family consists of 18 members who all perished in the fire. According to the Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad, VC Sajjanar, a group of 54 people travelled to Jeddah from Hyderabad on 9 November and were scheduled to return on 23 November. Among them, four had stayed back in Mecca and another four travelled separately to Madinah by car. About 25 km before Madinah, the bus collided with an oil tanker and burst into flames. “Forty-five people have died, and there is only one survivor who is currently in the hospital,” said Sajjanar. The sole survivor, Mohammad Abdul Shoeb, is currently in the ICU of the Saudi German Hospital in Madinah. He was reportedly sitting near the driver’s seat. The passengers were asleep and could not escape the fire. Most of the bodies were charred beyond recognition. Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated, “Deeply saddened by the accident in Madinah involving Indian nationals. My thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the swift recovery of all those injured. Our embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah are providing all possible assistance. Nitish resigns, set to take oath as Bihar CM for tenth time on 20 Nov IMRAN MOJIB Patna, 17 November Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar submitted his resignation to Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Monday. The Governor accepted the resignation and requested him to continue as chief minister until a new government is formed. Nitish Kumar also handed over a letter recommending the dissolution of the current Legislative Assembly with effect from 19 November. The tenure of the existing Assembly ends on 22 November. Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and Minister Vijay Choudhary were present with the chief minister when he met the Governor. In the recently-concluded Bihar Assembly elections, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the Janata Dal (United) and the Bharatiya Janata Party, secured a sweeping majority. In the 243-member House, the NDA won more than 200 seats, with the BJP securing the highest number, 89 seats, while the JD(U) won 85. Three days after the election results were announced, Nitish Kumar convened a Cabinet meeting on Monday at the Secretariat’s Cabinet Hall. In the meeting, a resolution to dissolve the existing Assembly was approved. CM writes to PM opposing appointment of interlocutor for Gorkhaland issue STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Siliguri, 17 November West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, strongly objecting to the Union government’s recent decision to appoint an interlocutor for issues related to the Gorkhas in the Darjeeling hills. Banerjee described the move as “unilateral,” “arbitrary,” and “without legal sanction,” urging the Prime Minister to revoke the appointment immediately. In her letter dated 17 November, Banerjee referred to an earlier communication she sent on 18 October, in which she requested reconsideration of the Centre’s decision to appoint a retired IPS officer as interlocutor. She noted that while the Prime Minister’s Office had acknowledged that letter and forwarded it to the Union home minister, no further communication was made before the ministry of home affairs (MHA) issued a memo on 10 November stating that the interlocutor’s office had already started functioning. Calling the development “shocking,” the chief minister argued that the Centre’s action violates constitutional provisions governing the division of powers between the Union and the States. She stated that matters concerning the Darjeeling hills fall squarely within the jurisdiction of the West Bengal government under the Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) Act, 2011—legislation enacted by the State Assembly and assented to by the President of India. Banerjee said the appointment of an interlocutor “has no foundation in the Constitution or any statutory provision,” terming the MHA order “ultra vires, colourable, and malafide.” She added that the move represents an “encroachment on the federal structure” and threatens the autonomy of West Bengal. The chief minister also noted that the Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Kurseong regions—historically prone to unrest—have remained peaceful and development-focused since 2011 under the State government’s administrative and welfare measures. In this backdrop, she said, the Centre’s decision appeared to be a “politically motivated attempt to disturb the peace and stability of the region.” Reiterating her opposition, Banerjee stated that the West Bengal government “categorically rejects” the Centre’s decision and urged the Prime Minister to intervene and withdraw the order. Our officials are also in close contact with Saudi Arabian authorities.” A 24/7 Control room has been set at the Indian Consulate in Jeddah. Several of the victims belonged to the same families. Eighteen members of the family of Shaik Naseeruddin of Ramnagar in the Musheerabad area perished in the accident, including his wife Akhter Begum, son, daughters, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. At the Telangana Cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Revanth Reddy, it was decided to grant an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of the victims. An official delegation would be sent to Saudi Arabia, led by state minority welfare minister Mohammad Azharuddin, along with an AIMIM MLA and a senior officer. Two of the family members of the victims would be taken to Saudi Arabia to conduct the last rites there. India remains committed to best interests of people of B’desh, says govt: New Delhi, 17 November Bangladesh's ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was awarded death sentence in absentia by the country's International Crime Tribunal (ICT) for ''crimes against humanity'' over a crackdown on students' uprising in 2024. Sheikh Hasina was convicted of crimes including murder, extermination, torture and other inhumane acts. Along with Hasina former Home Minister Asad Uzzaman Khan Kamal was also sentenced. Former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun was awarded five years jail after he turned state witness. The judgement has put the country on the edge once again, for the second time after a student uprising in July-August, 2024, ousted Sheikh Hasina from power. The ICT verdict on Sheikh Hasina has undoubtedly created extraordinary churn and uncertainty at home, in the region and geopolitically. The judgement sparked off widespread unrest in the country, mainly capital Dhaka where Sheikh Hasina's supporters came out on the streets and resorted to violence. Following the judgement, Dhaka was put on high alert and security was tightened throughout the capital city. Personnel from the Army, police were deployed. Capital city Dhaka has been placed under unprecedented security cover and 'shoot-at-sight orders' have been issued against those indulging in arson and looting. New Delhi: India on Monday said it remains committed to the best interests of the people of the neighbouring country, including in peace in that nation. "As a close neighbour, India remains committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh, including in peace, democracy, inclusion and stability in that country. We will always engage constructively with all stakeholders to that end," the statement stated. Meanwhile, Hasina alleged that the verdict announced against her came from a “rigged tribunal” set up by Yunus which lacks a democratic mandate & termed the ruling biased, politically motivated.