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 US has seized oil tanker off Venezuela coast: Trump PERSPECTIVE The first instalment of freedom Defining Citizenship Page 9 Page 6 BRIEFLY 21 feared dead in Arunachal as minitruck plunges into deep gorge Guwahati: At least 21 people hailing from Assam's Tinsukia district are feared dead in an accident in Arunachal Pradesh's Anjaw district, officials said. According to the police, 22 persons, including the driver, hailing from Tinsukia district of Assam, were travelling in a minitruck which was plunged into a deep gorge on the Hayuliang-Chaglagam road in Arunachal Pradesh's Anjaw district. Mayank Kumar, Senior Superintendent of Police of Tinsukia district, told agencies over the phone that, as per the information received from the authority of Arunachal Pradesh, 21 people were feared dead and one person survived. Page 8 Goa fire tragedy: Absconding Luthra brothers detained in Phuket New Delhi: The absconding owners of ‘Birch by Romeo Lane,’ the Goa nightclub where a fire had killed 25 people, Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, have been detained in Phuket, Thailand, police sources said. They will be brought back to India. The detention comes less than 24 hours after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) suspended their passports. The brothers had fled India within hours of the fire, to evade arrest, which occurred in the early hours of 6 December at their Arpora nightclub, raising questions about safety compliance. Investigations revealed multiple irregularities, including the absence of mandatory fire safety, , no objection certificates, overcrowding, and narrow exit doors that hindered evacuation. An Interpol Blue Corner Notice has been issued to trace their whereabouts. Page 7 Mamata warns of women’s protest over SIR deletions STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Krishnagar, 11 December C hief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday warned that any attempt to delete legitimate voters during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls would trigger a mass uprising led by the women of Bengal. Addressing a rally in Krishnagar, she delivered one of her most confrontational speeches in recent months, alleging that the BJP and the Union Home Ministry were “weaponising” the SIR to influence the 2026 Assembly elections. She urged women to be “prepared with the kitchen tools they use every day” if their names were struck off, turning domestic imagery into a symbol of resistance. “Will you snatch the rights of mothers and sisters in the name of SIR? They will bring police from Delhi to intimidate women. Mothers and sisters, if your names are cut, you have the tools, right? You will not let it pass,” she said, calling upon women to stand at the frontlines while men “follow behind”. The remark, though delivered in her characteristic folksy style, served as a calculated challenge to the BJP’s leadership and a signal that the 2026 elections may be fought on questions of identity, citizenship and state autonomy. Miss Banerjee’s address moved swiftly across multiple fault lines, beginning with her condemnation of the 7 December assault on two vendors at the mass Bhagavad Gita recital in Kolkata. The incident, for which three men have been arrested, involved the alleged beating and public humiliation of two patty sellers who had gone to the venue to sell food. Videos circulating online showed their stock being thrown away and the men being forced into acts of physical punishment. “This is West Bengal, not Uttar Pradesh,” Miss Banerjee said sharply. “They beat up patty sellers; we arrested everyone last night.” Linking the assault to the political use of religious events, she questioned the rationale behind publicly staging a Gita recital. “We all recite the Gita at home. Why the need for a public meeting? God stays in the heart. Those who pray to Allah do so in their hearts,” she said. Noting Bengal’s long tradition of pluralism, she invoked Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, figures who, she argued, never used faith as a political wedge. The Chief Minister went further, challenging those who invoked scriptures for electoral mobilisation. “Dharma means purity, humanity, peace ~ not violence and division. Those shouting about the Gita should ask themselves whether they follow what Krishna actually taught.” Govt committed to restoring peace and development in Manipur: Prez Murmu President Droupadi Murmu being welcomed by Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, on her arrival, in Imphal. AGENCIES UNITED NEWS OF INDIA Imphal, 11 December The President of India Droupadi Murmu during her maiden visit to Manipur on Thursday appealed to all to work for a situation "where every child feels safe, every women is empowered, every community feels included and every citizens moves towards a bright future”. President Murmu addressing a civic reception at the City Convention hall here said Manipur is a land of resilience, courage and extraordinary culture and its people have contributed to the nation immensely in the form of armed forces, arts and culture, public services and sports. The President also laid foundation stone for 14 projects worth Rs 1,180 cr and inaugurated 12 projects worth Rs 207 cr. She said the projects will improve the quality of life of the people of Manipur. The projects were related to infrastructure development, tribal development, drinking water, health, sports, and security. The projects will help in making a modern and inclusive Manipur, she further said. The sports projects will generate employment and the handloom projects will change the life of the people, the President said. She further said that she was aware of the pain the people of Manipur have gone through due to unfortunate violence. She assured that taking care of the people of Manipur is the highest priority and the government stands with every affected family. The Indian government is fully committed to strengthen harmony, ensuring security and supporting Manipur in its journey towards prosperity, she said. Equitable development can be seen in every corner of the state due to close coordination between state and central government and the hard work of the people, she added. She said that she would meet and interact with internally displaced people during her stay in Manipur. She further said that Manipur is the gateway to South East Asia and is known for its natural beauty, self empowerment, and women empowerment. Peter in Tangail: The secret mission behind India’s decisive airdrop of 1971 JAYANTA ROY CHOWDHURY New Delhi, 11 December On 11 December 1971, as India’s lightning campaign in the East neared its climax, a parachute battalion dropped into the paddy fields near Tangail, just 56 kms from the final objective - Dhaka. The landing, executed as the day's light faded, cut the last viable retreat for Pakistani forces falling back on Dhaka, accelerating the collapse of Pakistan's army in the East and hastening the fall of Dhaka, five days later. Half a century on, the Tangail airdrop is remembered as one of the most audacious airborne operations in South Asian military history. Less known is the man who prepared the ground for it, Captain Prashanta Kumar Ghosh, a young paratrooper and signals officer, working under the unlikely codename "Peter". Disguised in a 'lungi' and a torn shirt, carrying a Sten gun and a crystal-tuned radio, Ghosh slipped into East Pakistan weeks before the war began. His task was to find safe landing zones, link up with the Mukti Bahini, sabotage communi- Friday, 12 December 2025 SPORTS WORLD EDITORIAL | cations, and shepherd the paratroopers when the moment came. The operation's origins lay in early assessments by the Indian Army that Poongli Bridge was a critical choke point on the Jamalpur-Tangail-Dhaka axis. Control of this crossing by paratroopers would prevent Pakistani forces falling back from Mymensingh and Jamalpur from regrouping at Dhaka. In the autumn of 1971, as refugees streamed into India and Delhi contemplated intervention, Ghosh was summoned by Lt Gen JFR Jacob, Eastern Command's operations mastermind. Jacob's reasoning had a brutal logic: "You're a paratrooper, a signaller, a commando, a Bengali, and you topped your course at joint air warfare school." By mid-November, after a series of briefings in Shillong and the Tura Hills, Ghosh was launched across the border. His companion was a 14-year-old Mukti Bahini trainee named 'Badshah'. For the next 10 days, "Peter" moved between Mymensingh and Tangail, ambushing convoys with Mukti Bahini forces and passing back intelligence. He identified two suitable drop zones and concluded that the northern thrust towards Dhaka, unobstructed by major rivers, offered India its best chance of a swift capture of the capital. The main aim of the paratroopers was to secure the Poongli Bridge over the Lohajang River, capturing the adjacent ferry crossing, blocking the retreat of Pakistan's 93 Infantry Brigade, enabling a rapid Indian advance towards Dhaka. When the 2nd Para Regiment finally parachuted down on the evening of 11 December 1971, Ghosh and Mukti Bahini fighters had already secured the landing area. He guided the crack battalion to Poongli Bridge, where the Pakistani troops guarding it withdrew after brief resistance. The battalion then ambushed the retreating 93 Infantry Brigade, inflicting heavy casualties and forcing it northward. On 12 December, elements of 1 Maratha Light Infantry linked up with the paratroopers, enabling Indian forces to bypass the defended TongiDhaka road and push towards the capital via Manikganj. Jeers as Real Madrid lose to Man City and pressure grows on Alonso Page 12 ECI revises electoral roll revision schedule for six states/UTs UNITED NEWS OF INDIA New Delhi, 11 December The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday revised the schedule for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in six states and Union Territories, citing requests from the respective Chief Electoral Officers. The schedule remains unchanged for West Bengal and the remaining states where the exercise is in progress. The affected states and UTs are Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andaman & Nicobar, and Uttar Pradesh. The revised schedule includes new dates for enumeration and publication of draftelectoral rolls, with the qualifying date remaining 1 January 2026. For Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, the enumeration period has been extended to 14 December THE AFFECTED STATES AND UTS ARE TAMIL NADU, GUJARAT, MADHYA PRADESH, CHHATTISGARH, ANDAMAN & NICOBAR, AND UTTAR PRADESH. THE REVISED SCHEDULE INCLUDES NEW DATES FOR ENUMERATION AND PUBLICATION OF DRAFT ELECTORAL ROLLS, WITH THE QUALIFYING DATE REMAINING 1 JANUARY 2026. THE SCHEDULE REMAINS UNCHANGED FOR WEST BENGAL AND THE REMAINING STATES WHERE THE EXERCISE IS IN PROGRESS. 2025, with draft rolls to be published on 19 December 2025. Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Andaman & Nicobar will have an enumeration period ending on 18 December 2025, and draft rolls will be published on 23 December 2025. Uttar Pradesh's enumeration period will conclude on 26 December 2025, with draft rolls published on 31 December 2025. The ECI has also noted that enumeration for Goa, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Rajasthan, and West Bengal will conclude today, with draft rolls to be published on 16 December. The schedule for Kerala was revised earlier, with enumeration ending on 18 December 2025, and draft rolls to be published on 23 December 2025. On the request by the Chief Electoral Officer( CEO) of Uttar Pradesh Navdeep Rinwa, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has extended the process of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state by two weeks. In Lucknow, Chief Electoral Officer( CEO) of Uttar Pradesh Navdeep Rinwa said on Wednesday that a request had been made to the ECI for a two-week extension to systematically complete the SIR process in the state and prepare an accurate electoral rolls. This extension would allow District Election Officers to re-verify deceased, shifted, and absent voters. The deadline to complete the submission of enumeration forms of SIR ended today but still in UP around 18.85 per cent or around 2.80 crore of the total 15.44 crore voters were yet to respond.