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 LC | NEW DELHI | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR | LUCKNOW | SILIGURI | Thursday, 27 August 2026 SPORTS WORLD NATION Political heat rises after police action against Patna students Dolly Parton, singer, actor and beloved star, dies at 80 of cancer PERSPECTIVE The anger is not about one exam Page 9 Page 5 Page 7 India in control in Colombo Test, Sri Lanka slip to 229/6 after follow-on Page 12 Devastating flash flood in Nepal; death toll hits 157, over 130 Indians missing PM Modi condoles loss of lives, India sends assistance NIKHIL VYAS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 26 August A t least 157 people were reported killed and around 750 others, including over 130 Indians, were missing after devastating flash floods in the Bhote Koshi River in the Rasuwa area of Nepal on Wednesday that also caused extensive damage to homes, bridges, markets and other infrastructure. Massive air rescue and medical evacuations are currently underway. Nepal Army spokesperson Rajaram Basnet stated that the military has successfully rescued 88 people. According to local media reports, around 133 Indians were among the foreign nationals reported missing after the flash flood. At least 80 security personnel were also reported missing or out of contact. The flood surged through the Bhote Koshi River at around 9 a.m. (local time) affecting Rasuwa and Dhading districts bordering Tibet, officials said. It then spread to Dhading, Nuwakot and Chitawan districts, damaging at least four permanent bridges and several temporary ones. According to preliminary study reports on the basis of analysis of satellite pictures, the flash flood occurred due to a rock slide caused by an unstable mountain rock mass lying near the Nepal-Tibet border, 20 kms north-east from the Tibet-Rasuwagadhi border area. Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts have suffered some of the worst damage, with riverside settlements bearing the brunt of the flooding. Social media was full of photos and videos that showed the devastation in the habitations along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers. The flash flood damaged in-operation eight hydropower projects with a total capacity of 354 MW and five under construction projects, according to the authorities. The Nepal government has declared areas across the disaster-affected districts as crisis-hit zones for a period of three months and announced emergency rescue measures and immediate financial relief for grieving families. The World Bank has offered emergency assistance, while India and China have initiated measures to support Nepal’s relief efforts. Nearly 400 pilgrims, including over 100 Indians travelling for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, have lost contact at the Rasuwagadhi checkpoint following the flash floods. Nepali authorities said the missing foreign tourists were from India, Australia, the Netherlands, the United States, Malaysia, Britain and South Africa, among others. They said that efforts are underway to establish communication with the pilgrims and evaluate their current safety and condition. (Photo credit: ANI) New Delhi, 26 August Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday expressed condolences over the loss of lives in devastating flash floods in Nepal and said India stood firmly with the people of the neighbouring country, while offering all possible humanitarian assistance as rescue and relief operations continued in the mountainous regions. In a post on social media platform X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he spoke to Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah following the disaster and conveyed India's solidarity. “Spoke to Prime Minister Balendra Shah and conveyed condolences on the loss of lives due to the floods in Nepal. The people of India stand in solidarity with their sisters and brothers in Nepal at this difficult time,” he said. “India is ready to provide all possible humanitarian assistance to Nepal. Our teams are coordinating closely on rescue and relief efforts,” Mr Modi added. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar later in the day stated in another social media post that New Delhi has dispatched 10 tonnes of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) materials and essential medicines to Kathmandu. According to sources in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), an IAF C-130J aircraft has left for Kathmandu carrying 10 tonnes of material that includes emergency items such as temporary shelters, blankets, hygiene kits, solar lamps, and medicines. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has also strengthened its deployment in Bihar after the disaster in Nepal. Nine NDRF teams are currently positioned across vulnerable parts of the state, including additional teams moved in response to the evolving situation in Nepal. LS Secretariat serves notices on rebel India, China agree on eight-point roadmap TMC MPs over disqualification pleas to strengthen LAC border management STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 26 August The Lok Sabha Secretariat has issued formal notices to 20 rebel Trinamul Congress (TMC) MPs, seeking their responses within seven days to petitions seeking their disqualification under the anti-defection law, informed sources said on Wednesday. The notices, issued on 25 August, followed the Supreme Court taking up a plea filed by TMC Lok Sabha MP and party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who challenged the alleged inaction by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla regarding the disqualification petitions submitted against the rebel MPs on 18 June. According to the notices issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the MPs have been asked to submit their comments under Rule 7(3) of the Members of Lok Sabha (Disqualification on Ground of Defection) Rules, 1985. The notices were issued in proceedings initiated under Rule 6 of the Rules. “You are requested to kindly furnish your comments on the petition in terms of rule 7(3) of the same rule within seven days of the receipt of this letter for consideration of the Hon'ble Speaker, Lok Sabha,” the notice said. The notices have been issued to 20 MPs named in Mr Banerjee's petitions, including senior TMC leaders Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, besides former cricketer-turnedpolitician Yusuf Pathan, among others. At the heart of the dispute is the claim by the rebel MPs that they have validly merged into a separate parliamentary bloc associated with the Tripura-based Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and, consequently, aligned themselves with the NDA. The Trinamul Congress has rejected the claim and CJP hasn’t sought permission for 5 Sept India Gate march: Police STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 26 August Delhi Police said on Wednesday that the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has not submitted a formal request seeking permission for a planned peaceful protest march on 5 September. Following a meeting on Monday, the CJP announced a march in Delhi, scheduled to proceed from India Gate to the Delhi Police Headquarters on Jai Singh Road. Families of NEET aspirants, who died by suicide, victims of alleged police excesses, will lead the 2.5-kilometre march and are expected to be joined by students and youth organisations in huge numbers. Senior Delhi Police officials confirmed that no application has been received so far seeking permission for the peaceful march. They added that any formal request will be evaluated in light of prevailing security and law-and-order factors. The officials noted that, compared to previous agitations, they are adopting stricter approaches, including assessing potential crowd size, protester movement, and security requirements in advance. Preparations for the 5 September event are ongoing, with security and traffic arrangements under review. Intelligence regarding organisers and anticipated participation is monitored continuously. Additional forces, including paramilitary personnel, may be deployed if deemed necessary. The march on 5 September, coinciding with Teacher’s Day, was announced by the CJP citing the Centre’s failure to honour commitments made to young protesters following the agitation at Jantar Mantar. Earlier this week, the CJP national working committee evaluated the progress made by the Centre and BJP/NDAruled states in implementing assurances given to the country’s youth. During the meeting, the party leaders unanimously approved the decision to hold the march. The group questioned the Centre’s intention to uphold its promises, criticising it for “delayed action, hidden behind technicalities and avoiding giving clear commitments, even before the Supreme Court of India.” maintained that the MPs have voluntarily given up their membership of the party, attracting disqualification under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. TheTenthSchedule,commonly known as the anti-defection law, provides for disqualification of legislators in specified circumstances, including voluntarily giving up membership of the political party on whose ticket they were elected. The Schedule also provides an exception in cases of a merger when constitutionally prescribed conditions are fulfilled. Mr Banerjee had moved the Supreme Court alleging that the petitions filed against the 20 MPs had not been acted upon within a reasonable period. The Supreme Court's intervention brought renewed focus on the constitutional and procedural responsibility of the Speaker in dealing with such cases. PARWINDER SANDHU New Delhi, 26 August India and China have reached an eight-point consensus aimed at maintaining peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), strengthening border management mechanisms and advancing negotiations towards a settlement of the long-standing boundary question. The understanding was reached during the 25th round of talks between the Special Representatives of India and China held in Beijing. India’s Special Representative and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and China’s Special Representative Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and China’s foreign minister, held what was described as a candid and in-depth exchange of views on the boundary question. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to the guidance provided by the leaders of the two countries and agreed that maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas was essential for creating an atmosphere conducive to the healthy and steady development of bilateral relations. The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to advancing negotiations on a framework for settlement of the boundary question in accordance with the 2005 Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for Settlement of the India-China Boundary Question and the consensus reached during subsequent Special Representatives' talks. The objective remains to find a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary dispute. A significant outcome of the latest talks was the decision to advance discussions on an “Early and Substantial Harvest” in the areas of boundary delimitation and border management. The Expert Group on Boundary Delimitation and the Working Group on Border Management under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) will take forward these discussions. India and China also agreed that any situation arising on the ground would be addressed promptly through existing diplomatic and military channels, including the WMCC, local commander-level meetings and other agreed mechanisms. The two sides discussed measures to improve their understanding of the LAC in appropriate areas, with the aim of strengthening border management and preventing misunderstandings and miscalculations from escalating into larger tensions. The two countries agreed on two additional meeting points for the General Level Mechanism/Senior Highest Military Commander meetings. They also agreed to establish two additional channels of border military hotlines in the Eastern and Middle India appreciated China's efforts to increase the number of batches for the KailashManasarovar Yatra undertaken by Indian pilgrims in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Both sides welcomed the reopening of three designated border trading points and agreed to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in border trade, pilgrimage and other areas. Ocean Winner search set to end without any trace of the vessel or its missing crew STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Paradip, 26 August The five-day-long search and rescue (SAR) operation to locate the Panamaflagged bulk carrier MV Ocean Winner and its 22 missing crew members is set to end without any breakthrough, as the vessel and the crew could not be traced despite an extensive search in the Bay of Bengal. Indian Coast Guard (ICG) vessel Varad, which was deployed in the SAR operation, is scheduled to return to Paradip. Sources said no survivor or significant wreckage of the vessel has been located so far. Officials believe the vessel may have sunk to considerable depth because of its size and weight, making underwater detection extremely difficult. Meanwhile, a team from the Directorate General of Shipping, Kolkata, comprising a senior official and two surveyors from the Mercantile Marine Department (MMD), has arrived in Paradip to inquire into the circumstances leading to the mysterious sinking of the Ocean Winner shortly after its departure from Paradip Port. The disappearance of the vessel without leaving significant wreckage or debris on the surface has raised serious questions among maritime experts. The absence of visible wreckage has not only complicated the search for the 22 missing crew members but has also made it difficult for investigators to establish what exactly happened during the vessel's voyage. MV Ocean Winner, a nearly 28-year-old vessel, had arrived at Paradip carrying around 69,299 metric tonnes of sulphur from the UAE for Paradip Phosphates Ltd. After unloading the sulphur, the vessel departed Paradip after loading around 72,200 metric tonnes of iron ore, against its deadweight tonnage of about 72,928 tonnes. Its net tonnage was 25,379 and gross tonnage 39,755. Questions are now being raised over whether the vessel was carrying excessive weight after loading the iron ore, along with fuel, drinking water and other stores. Investigators are expected to examine whether the vessel's actual draft and stability were within permissible limits at the time of departure. Several possibilities are being examined, including cargo-related problems, loss of stability, structural failure, mechanical malfunction and adverse sea conditions. A major concern is possible liquefaction of iron ore fines. Excessive moisture in certain bulk cargoes can cause the cargo to behave like a liquid, resulting in sudden shifting and potentially severe loss of vessel stability. A video purportedly showing the loading of wet iron ore, purportedly on the ship, during rainfall has also surfaced. Paradip Port Authority Deputy Conservator Alekh Sahoo did not respond to requests for clarification.