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 | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR | LUCKNOW | SILIGURI | Wednesday, 29 July 2026 SPORTS WORLD EDITORIAL Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia call for joint diplomatic efforts to secure Strait of Hormuz PERSPECTIVE Price of dependence Page 11 Bengal’s youth dividend at risk How para-athlete Sharmila rewrote life with a historic CWG gold Page 9 Page 16 Page 8 BRIEFLY India slams Pak’s PoK polls as ‘cosmetic exercise’: New Delhi: Coming down heavily on Islamabad for conducting the “so-called” Assembly elections in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK), India on Tuesday stated that the “current cosmetic electoral exercise” is nothing but an attempt by Pakistan to camouflage its illegal occupation. India’s reaction came following reports of clashes and election rigging during the first phase of polling in PoJK. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “The entire Union territories of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, including the areas currently under illegal occupation and forcible occupation of Pakistan, are integral and inalienable parts of India. The current cosmetic electoral exercise is nothing but an attempt by Pakistan to camouflage its illegal occupation and hide its grave human rights violations in the region. SC moots independent probe into police action on students PARMOD KUMAR New Delhi, 28 July T he Supreme Court on Tuesday observed that a prima facie case had been made out for an independent and fair investigation into allegations of police excesses, including the alleged use of pellet guns, during the crackdown on students peacefully protesting and demanding the resignation of the then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. The Court ordered the release of all students below the age of 18, directed that no coercive action be taken against arrested or detained protesters having no criminal antecedents, and called for preservation of all evidence relating to the police action. Issuing notice to the Centre and the governments of Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pra- desh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Kerala, where similar protests and police action were reported after the 20 July crackdown at Jantar Mantar, a Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohan directed the Delhi Police to preserve CCTV footage, drone footage, body-worn camera recordings, wireless communications, PCR logs and all other related material. Before ordering an independent probe, the Court granted the Centre and the Delhi Police an opportunity to place their version of the police action on record. It said that the other states may also file their responses. The Court further directed that the personal information and digital data of student protesters be preserved and not brought into the public domain for the time being. It also directed that no personal details of the protesters be published. Summing up the submissions made before the Court, Chief Justice Surya Kant observed: “...the question is why there should not be an independent investigation?” He added that a “prima facie case for an independent investigation has been made out.” The Chief Justice further observed: “Whosoever has committed excess, committed atrocities on innocent people, law will take care of them. For that, there needs to be a completely independent and fair investigation. Probe is meaningless if no respon- sibility is fixed.” The Court also observed that there may be a need to revisit the existing guidelines and protocols governing crowd control in tune with changing times. It said that the principles laid down in earlier decisions require to be collated and a stronger protocol formulated. The matter arose from a batch of petitions alleging police brutality against students protesting across the country over examination paper leaks and other systemic irregularities. The Court also heard petitions filed on behalf of injured police personnel and media persons. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and the Delhi government, said that if students had been attacked, it was a serious matter and accepted the Court’s suggestion of an independent investigation monitored by a retired judge appointed by the Court at its discretion. High-voltage Lok Sabha debate on anti-paper leak Bill STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Row over Priyanka Gandhi’s remarks on Pralhad Joshi escalates; BJP ministers seek Speaker’s intervention: The Lok Sabha on Tuesday saw an intense debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, introduced by the government in the wake of nation-wide outrage over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leaks and other examination irregularities. The debate, initially allocated six hours, was later extended after consultations between the government and the Opposition. Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh, who moved the Bill for consideration and passing, said the legislation was a comprehensive reform aimed at safeguarding the integrity of public examinations and ensuring that deserving candidates are not deprived of opportunities because of organised cheating New Delhi: A major confrontation erupted in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday after Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused newly-appointed Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi of supporting the release of convicts in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case, prompting a backlash from the Treasury benches and leading senior Union ministers to seek action from Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Soon after the contentious exchange in the House, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi met Speaker Om Birla, accompanied by Union Minister Piyush Goyal and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey. They demanded action against the Congress leader and insisted that she apologise for making false and defamatory allegations made on the floor of Parliament. The controversy unfolded during the debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, when Ms Vadra attacked the Narendra Modi government over the handling of the education sector. She questioned Mr Joshi’s appointment as Education Minister following Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation amid the nation-wide controversy over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, alleging that the Prime Minister had entrusted the education portfolio to a leader who had earlier expressed support for the release of convicts in a rape case. The remarks referred to statements made by Mr Joshi in October 2022 after the premature release of the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case. The Congress MP's comments triggered loud protests from the Treasury benches, with BJP members accusing her of making personal allegations and indulging in character assassination. The House witnessed repeated interruptions as ruling party MPs demanded that the remarks be withdrawn. New Delhi, 28 July rackets. He said the Bill proposes stringent punishments, including imprisonment of up to 10 years and fines of up to Rs 50 BJP workers give hero’s welcome to Dharmendra Pradhan in Bhubaneswar SUPPORTERS HAILED MR PRADHAN’S RESIGNATION AS A ‘SACRIFICE IN THE INTEREST OF THE YOUTH AND THE NATION’ AND DESCRIBED HIM AS A LEADER WHO HAD PUT PUBLIC INTEREST ABOVE OFFICE. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Bhubaneswar, 28 July Former Union Education Minister, MP Dharmendra Pradhan received a rousing welcome from BJP workers and supporters at the Biju Patnaik International Airport here on Tuesday during his first visit to Odisha after stepping down from the Union Cabinet. Supporters hailed Mr Pradhan’s resignation as a “sacrifice in the interest of the youth and the nation” and described him as a leader who had put public interest above office. Mr Pradhan arrived in Bhubaneswar to attend the release of a book on late Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati. Significantly, RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale was the chief guest at the event alongside Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi . Mr Hosabale, Mr Pradhan and Mr Majhi addressed the gathering and hailed the works of Laxamananda in terms of his lifelong service to the underprivileged in Kandhamal district, sanskrit education etc. Ahead of the book release, the CM had on Monday announced a Crime Branch probe into the disappearance of files related to the Justice A.S. Naidu Commission, which investigated the 2008 assassination of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati. He also announced financial assistance for the development of the Swami’s ashram school at Jalespeta in Kandhamal district. lakh on individuals involved in organised examination fraud, enhanced penalties for institutions facilitating unfair means, time-bound investigations and fast-track courts for speedy disposal of cases. The government was committed to restoring public confidence in the examination system following the NEET controversy and other recent incidents, he said. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, intervening during the proceedings, said the government had nothing to hide and was willing to accommodate the Opposition's request for a longer debate. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who led her party’s charge against the government over the issue, questioned the decision to use police action against young aspirants demanding a fair examination process. “What was the need to use tear gas, lathis and water cannons against young students? What was the need to humiliate young women, tear their clothes and have them brutally beaten? What was the need to use pellet guns and AK-47s against the youth? Are they terrorists? Who will answer these questions?” she asked. Ms Vadra argued that the examination scandals had fundamentally altered how young Indians viewed opportunity and merit, saying the latter have begun to feel that dishonesty matters more than hard work. She also alleged that the government's ideological approach had weakened educational institutions. Charging that the government believed that image management could substitute governance, Ms Vadra said: “If the Prime Minister wants to win the trust of Gen-Z, it will not happen by making new videos from new camera angles. The Prime Minister must change not the camera angle, but the angle of his heart.” Govt seeks explanation as Meta calls PM Modi video removal a ‘technical error’ THE VIDEO, ORIGINALLY UPLOADED ON 23 JULY, CARRIED THE PRIME MINISTER’S MESSAGE TO STUDENTS AND YOUNG PEOPLE AMID PROTESTS OVER ALLEGED EXAMINATION IRREGULARITIES ORGANISED BY THE COCKROACH JANTA PARTY . STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 28 July Meta has apologised to the Centre after a Facebook video featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi was briefly made inaccessible to users in India, attributing the incident to an unintended technical error. The social media company restored the video after identifying the mistake, even as the government began examining the circumstances surrounding its removal. In a statement, a Meta spokesperson said: “The content was removed in error and has since been restored.” The video, originally uploaded on 23 July, carried the Prime Minister’s message to students and young people amid protests over alleged examination irregularities organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). During his address, Mr Modi assured students that the government was committed to strengthening the legal framework against examination paper leaks. Before the video was restored, Facebook users attempting to access it in India reportedly received a message stating that the content had been withheld in the country following a legal request. However, according to sources, the government has not accepted the matter lightly and is scrutinising both Meta’s explanation and the sequence of events that resulted in the temporary restriction. Officials are also examining whether established procedures were followed before the content became unavailable. Sources indicated that Meta executives, along with officials concerned with the issue, could be asked to explain the incident before the government. Meanwhile, sources stated that on Tuesday that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has summoned senior global officials from Meta over the temporary blocking of the PM’s Facebook video. The ministry has not issued an official statement on the development. Ex-TMC MPs attend NDA’s ‘Mangal Milan’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi/Kolkata, 28 July The BJP-led NDA widened its parliamentary coordination on Tuesday as former TMC MPs associated with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) attended the ruling alliance’s strategy meeting, Mangal Milan, for the first time. The group’s chief whip, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, was seated in the front row alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP’s top leadership, and observers believe the seating arrangement carried a strong political message, signalling the growing importance of the Trinamul Congress defectors within the NDA amid the evolving political equations between the ruling coalition and the breakaway faction Ms Ghosh Dastidar was allotted the fifth seat to the Prime Minister’s right in the front row, where Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda were also seated. The meeting assumed significance as Parliament got ready to take up key legislative business, including the Centre’s proposed antipaper leak legislation, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday but could not be discussed because of Opposition protests. The government is also preparing to reintroduce the revised Delimitation Bill, making Tuesday’s strategy meeting crucial. Although the NCPI is recognised as a political party by the Election Commission of India, its 20 Lok Sabha MPs who defected from the Trinamul Congress are yet to receive formal recognition as an NCPI parliamentary group in the House. Officially, they continue to be listed as Trinamul MPs in the Lok Sabha. “We have submitted all the required documents to the Speaker seeking recognition,” Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar told reporters after the meeting. Asked about the invitation despite the pending recognition, she said: “The NDA considers us a part of the alliance. That is why we have been invited to the meeting.” She added that discussions regarding the party’s formal recognition and parliamen- tary seating arrangements were underway. “Once everything is finalised, we will inform everyone,” she said. The development came a day after the group’s Lok Sabha leader, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, met West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at Nabanna. Mr Adhikari was initially expected to travel to New Delhi on Tuesday for a meeting with the breakaway MPs but cancelled his visit due to other engagements. The late-night meeting in Kolkata fuelled speculation over the evolving coordination between the Bengal government and the breakaway MPs. When the Trinamul rebels floated the NCPI, they had announced that they would support the NDA. Earlier this month, Sudip Bandyopadhyay had also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. Following the breakaway group’s first parliamentary party meeting on 19 July, Sudip reiterated that the party would back the NDA in Parliament while raising constituency-related issues before the West Bengal government instead of approaching the Centre directly. “The meeting held in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was enriching and informative. Today, we had a discussion on FTAs and the Blue Economy,” MP Sayoni Ghosh said.