FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 14 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA LC | NEW DELHI | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR | LUCKNOW | SILIGURI | Thursday, 01 October 2026 SPORTS WORLD EDITORIAL Heat warning Page 6 US completes Iraq troop withdrawal, ending 12-year mission against ISIS Page 14 Indian pilot of Flydubai flight stabbed in apparent crash bid INDIA bloc parties announce nationwide ‘Save Democracy’ campaign from 2 October UNITED NEWS OF INDIA New Delhi, 30 September New Delhi, 30 September Tel Aviv, 30 September Mr Modi said. The Prime Minister added that the two leaders also “exchanged views on regional and international issues, including ongoing efforts to advance global peace and security.” The Prime Minister’s Office, in a statement, said Mr Modi and the US President reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation across trade, defence, energy, critical technologies and other areas of mutual interest. “Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the India-US C omprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and agreed to maintain close engagement to de ep en cooperation for the benefit of the people of both countries,” the PMO said. A Flydubai passenger aircraft bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after transmitting emergency signals, including a code associated with a possible hijacking. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said that one of the pilots stabbed another and then apparently tried to crash to aircraft, which was carrying dozens of Israelis. Passengers and crew subdued the attacker and the plane eventually made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The captain of the aircraft, who was stabbed, is identified as an Indian national, Captain Smit Machchhar (photo, inset), while the co-pilot is said to be an Omani national. CaptainMachchharunderwent surgery in a Saudi hospital and is said to be stable. Flight-tracking data showed CM announces a `1,200 cr allocation for massive Ghatal Master plan package BISWABRATA GOSWAMI Midnapore, 30 September thattheaircraftinitiallytransmitted squawk code 7700, the internationally recognised signal for a general emergency. It later switched to 7500, a code used to indicate unlawful interference, including a possible hijacking, before reverting to 7700. Israeli fighter jets were scrambled after the emergency signal was sent, a military spokesperson said. The Boeing 737 MAX 8, operating as flight FZ1073 from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion Airport, was carrying around 170 passengers, including a large number of Israelis. The Security forces kill senior LeT commander Musa in J&K STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 30 September He said the Centre would bear 50 per cent of the project cost, with the state government contributing the remaining 50 per cent, while funds would also be available through disaster management mechanisms. Land acquisition for the project is under way, he said. Mr Adhikari directed officials to accelerate the work after the Puja period and said efforts should be made to advance the project as much as possible by June, before the next monsoon. The Ghatal Master Plan has long been projected as the principal long-term solution to recurring floods in the region, where large stretches of low-lying land are vulnerable during heavy monsoon rainfall. The announcement came as several low-lying areas of Ghatal and adjoining regions faced flooding. The Chief Minister said relief operations were already under way and instr ucted the district administration to prepare a list of kutcha houses in flood-hit areas. J’khand CM faces charges in Bargain land case STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Ranchi, 30 September A special PMLA court in Ranchi on Wednesday framed charges against Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in the alleged money laundering case linked to 8.86 acres of land in the Bargain area, paving the way for a trial. Mr Soren appeared before the court through video conferencing. During the charge-framing proceedings, the prosecution read the charges to him. He then denied the allegations and stated he was innocent. The court directed the prosecution to produce its witnesses and set 30 November for the next The machine as an author Page 13 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE With large parts of Ghatal still under water, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday announced a Rs 1,200-crore allocation for the long-pending Ghatal Master Plan and set a June deadline for the project, while promising Rs 1.80 lakh each for families living in kutcha houses in flood-affected areas. Mr Adhikari made the announcement after conducting an aerial assessment of flood-hit areas around Ghatal, including low-lying areas around Mansuka, before arriving at Birsingha for a programme marking Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s birth anniversary. “The Ghatal Master Plan, which remained only in speeches in the past, will now be implemented,” the Chief Minister said, announcing that the state had sanctioned Rs 1,200 crore for the project. LAW Page 12 PM Modi, Trump review India-US ties Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump during which the two leaders reviewed the progress of India-US bilateral cooperation in trade, defence, energy and critical technologies, besides discussing regional and international developments and efforts to advance global peace and security. In a post on social media platform X, Mr Modi described the conversation as “productive” and said the two leaders had agreed to maintain close engagement to take forward the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. “Had a productive conversation with President Trump. We reviewed our bilateral cooperation in trade, defence, energy, critical technologies and other areas. We agreed to maintain close engagement to take our Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership forward,” India bag four golds as medal tally rises to 60 at Asian Games hearing, according to his counsel. With charges framed against Mr Soren, all 17 accused in the case have now faced the charge-framing process, according to the defence. The Enforcement Directorate’s case relates to the alleged fraudulent acquisition of 8.86 acres of land in Ranchi’s Bargain circle. The agency alleged manipulation of land records and illegal acquisition of the property. Mr Soren has denied the allegations. Earlier on Wednesday, the Jharkhand High Court heard Mr Soren’s challenge to the continuation of proceedings before the PMLA court. The division bench sought a supplementary affidavit from the Enforcement Directorate and fixed 28 October for further hearing on the maintainability of the petition. The High Court had declined to stay the trial proceedings in the case on 18 September, allowing the charge-framing process before the special PMLA court to proceed. In an intelligence-led joint security forces operation, senior Lashkar-e-Tayyiba commander Musa aka Asif Fauji was killed at Gurwatkalan within Khansahib police station limits of Budgam District, J&K. The security forces were pursuing Musa for long, and, recently a specific all-stakeholder plan for his neutralisation was put in place after technical and human intelligence about his movement and presence were received. Musa is said to be a Pakistani national who served in the Pakistan army’s Special Services Group (SSG). He retired with the rank of havildar and joined the terror outfit. His killing by security forces is a serious blow to the LeT ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir. With Musa’s killing, all four senior LeT commanders operating in J&K since 2022, and responsible for several attacks, have been neutralised. Sources said that he was involved in multiple attacks on civilians and the Army in J&K. Footage of an IAF convoy attack in May 2024 recovered from another terrorist’s phone on 3 December 2024 showed his involvement. He was also involved in the Reasi bus attack on 9 June 2024 in which at least ten pilgrims were killed and 41 injured, the Dera-ki-Gali ambush in December 2023 and many other ambushes in Kashmir and Pir Panjal regions in 2024, the sources said. Between 2006 and 2009, Musa reportedly served on the security team of former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. aircraft landed at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. A passenger on board the FlyDubai flight told Israel’s i24 channel that one of the pilots on the flight was stabbed. “We just heard screams, and then the cockpit door opened, and we saw a huge amount of blood,” the passenger, identified as Miriam, told the channel. “The aircraft has landed safely in Tabuk (TUU), and all passengers are safe and accounted for,” the airline said in a statement. According to reports citing Israeli security officials and passengers, the emergency followed a violent confrontation between the pilots in the cockpit. The reports said one pilot stabbed another with a knife. Amid the struggle, Captain Machchhar was able to unlock the cockpit door allowing passengers to subdue the co-pilot and help safely land the plane. The aircraft also lost a significant amount of altitude during the incident. CNN, citing flight data, reported that the plane descended from about 34,000 feet to approximately 17,400 feet in less than two minutes. Israeli authorities believe the incident could have been “a terror attack attempt,” according to officials. An Israeli passenger quoted by The Jerusalem Post said passengers near the front of the aircraft rushed toward the cockpit after hearing the shouting. The passenger said they helped remove the attacker from the cockpit. Two other pilots who were on board took control of the aircraft, which sustained damage during the rapid dive. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE The INDIA blo c on Wednesday announced a nationwide campaign against the Election Commission of India, including week-long district-level demonstrations from 2 to 8 October and a march by Opposition MPs to the p oll panel’s headquarters on 6 October. Following a meeting of leaders of the bloc at the Constitution Club of India in New Delhi, Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, announced the unanimous decision of the INDIA allies to seek the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and a rollback of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The Opposition leaders held nearly three hours of deliberations on what they described as threats to the integrity of the electoral process. Mr Kharge said the alliance had decided to fight the issue collectively and would involve people, youth organisations, civil society groups and organisations committed to “unity and democracy” in the campaign. Addressing a joint press conference after the meeting, Mr Kharge said the INDIA parties have agreed to hold a week-long “Save Democracy March” and demonstrations outside District Magistrates’ offices across the country from 2 to 8 October. On 6 October, all Opposition MPs will march together to the Election Commission of India’s office and seek an appointment to formally present their grievances. The bloc will also seek an appointment with the President in the second week of October to raise its concerns over the functioning of constitutional institutionsc. Mr Kharge said the INDIA bloc had “collectively decided to f ight” the “ killing of democracy” and added that the parties would remain united on the issue.