TUESDAY 06 AUGUST 2024 www.thestatesman.com Pages 14 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘TIME NOT RIPE FOR SON RISE’ UK PM CONVENES EMERGENCY MEETING ‘164 PC RISE IN HEALTH BUDGET SINCE 2014’ P4 SENSEX 78,759.40 NIFTY 24,055.60 WEATHER Generally cloudy sky with light to moderate rain / thundershower likely to occur. Maximum & Minimum Temperature most likely to be around 31°C and 27°C respectively. RAINFALL: 009.8 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 96% TEMPERATURE Max: 30.4°C(- 1.6) SUN RISES 05:10 hrs MOON RISES 05:40 hrs P5 P9 ` vs $ 84.15 GOLD 71,840.00 High alert issued along India-B’desh border Full Moon on 19 August ABHIJIT DEB THUMBNAILS GUWAHATI, 5 AUGUST Kanwariyas (Shiv devotees) carrying water take out the annual Kanwar Yatra during the ongoing Sawan month, in Surat on Monday.  ANI THE DAILY STAR/ ANN Delhi LG has power to nominate ‘aldermen' in MCD, rules SC: In a big jolt to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Supreme Court on Monday upheld the Delhi Lieutenant Governor’s decision to nominate 10 ‘aldermen’ to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) stating that it is a statutory mandate that he must act as per it and not on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers (Delhi government). A bench comprising of Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha, and Justice J.B. Pardiwala said that while nominating 10 aldermen to the civic body, the Lieutenant Governor is expected to act in accordance with the statutory mandate and not on the aid and advice of the Delhi government as was argued by the Kejriwal government. The court made it clear that nominating 10 aldermen is a statutory power and not the executive power. Assembly unuanimously passes resolution against move to divide Bengal: The West Bengal Legislative Assembly on Monday in an apparently unseen-before bonhomie between the ruling Trinamul Congress and opposition BJP unanimously passed a resolution opposing any move to devide the state. Trinamul Congress has been accusing the safron party of provokating demands for division of West Bengal. (P3) DHAKA, 5 AUGUST ormer Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to stay in India until the UK grants her asylum. It said that India is likely to provide Hasina all logistical support. Meanwhile, Indian Air Force and other Indian security agencies are providing security to Hasina who is being moved to a safe location. Hasina is likely to meet her daughter Saima Wazed, who is based in New Delhi and working as the World Health Organisation's regional director for South-East Asia. Security at the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi's diplomatic zone Chanakyapuri has been beefed up with the installation of additional barricades and deployment of more police forces. Meanwhile, agitators vandalised and torched key establishments of Awami League, including the party’s headquarters, in the capital since the Sheikh Hasina-led government resigned today. At around 4:00pm, a group of people torched the Awami League headquarters in the capital’s Gulisthan. They were chanting slogans against F will be formed to run the country, Army Chief General Waker-UzZaman said today. The Bangladesh army chief made the announcement while addressing the nation in the afternoon. The army chief said in a televised address that Hasina had resigned earlier in the day. The development comes in the wake of unprecedented violence that saw roughly 300 people killed in the space of two weeks. He reassured everyone that justice would be ensured for each of the killings. General Waker said it was now everyone's responsibility to remain calm. "Together, we hope to go towards a better situation," he said addressing the media. "I am taking full responsibility," the general said. "The country has suffered a lot, the economy has been hit, many people have been killed -- it is time to stop the violence." "I hope after my speech, the situation will improve." He said he would talk to the president to form the interim government and had held talks with the main opposition parties and civil society members -- but not the Awami League. Sheikh Hasina and Awami League. Around that time, Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi 32 was also vandalised and set on fire. The agitators shouted slogans and they took away various items including furniture from the building. Another group of people torched the AL's Dhaka district office in the capital's Tejgaon area around the same time. The fire later spread over to a nearby gas cylinder shop. Earlier in the day, protesters set fire to the political office of the Awami League president in the capital's Dhanmondi. At least 10 people were killed and over 100 injured in Dhaka's Uttara area this afternoon after men in civilian clothes opened fire on protesters from Uttara East Police Station. Hundreds of agitated people have surrounded the police station and set it on fire, reports our correspondent. People, who are inside the police station, are still firing at people and lobbying sound grenades. It couldn't be immediately known how many people are inside the police station and their identities. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned and an interim government SC issues notice to Centre, Delhi govt on death of UPSC aspirants In the wake of the recent death of three civil services aspirants preparing for the UPSC examination in Delhi, the Supreme Court on Monday took suo motu cognisance of the issue relating to the safety norms in the coaching centres. The court issued a notice to the Central and the Delhi governments on the safety norms relating to the coaching centres. Taking suo motu cognizance of the incident, a bench of justice Surya Kant and SILVER 85,700 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 75.63 Sheikh Hasina flees Bangladesh; protesters storm her residence Min: 26.9°C(+0.4) SUN SETS 18:15 hrs MOON SETS 19:30 hrs NEW DELHI, 5 AUGUST P14 Bangladesh Parliament dissolved; an interim government will be formed soon, says Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman Min. 79% PARMOD KUMAR NEERAJ CHOPRA READY FOR PARIS OLYMPICS Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, observed that “These places (coaching centres) have become death chambers.You are taking away the lives of young ones coming from different parts of the country.” The observation from the bench came in the course of the hearing of a petition by the Coaching Federation of India against the recent Delhi H8igh Court order. The court dismissed the plea. The top court rejected the Coaching Federation of India plea against the directions of the Delhi High Court over failure to comply with the safety norms in Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar. The top court also had imposed Rs one lakh cost on the petitioner and directed it to deposit it with the Supreme Court Bar Association and Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association. The court said that recent unfortunate incidents taking the lives of some of the young aspirants who joined coaching centres for their career pursuits are eye-openers for all. The bench further suggested that such institutes shall operate through online classes until they fully comply with the fire and safety norms under the Master Plan of Delhi, 2021, read with Unified Building Bye-Laws of Delhi, 2016. The bench also recommended that norms shall include proper ventilation, safety passages, air and light. The top court asked the Central government - the Ministry of Urban Affairs and the Delhi Government, to show cause as to what safety norms have been prescribed so far and, if so, what is the effective mechanism introduced for their compliance. Three students had drowned in the basement of a building housing a coaching centre in Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar that was flooded following heavy rains in the national capital last week. In response to the resignation of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and leaving her country, the Border Security Force (BSF) has issued a high alert along the India-Bangladesh border. The move comes amid escalating concerns about the law and order situation in Bangladesh, which has prompted the BSF to bolster security measures in the bordering regions. A senior BSF officer indicated that the heightened alert status is a precautionary measure in light of potential unrest and instability in Bangladesh. The Director General of the BSF has also arrived in Kolkata to oversee the situation and coordinate response strategies. Hasina lands at Hindon Air Base; PM holds CCS meet STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 5 AUGUST Ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina landed at IAF’s Hindon base near here around 5.30 pm, as the Indian Government decided to extend her all assistance in her future plans. Prime Minister Narendra Modi late evening chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to consider Indian response to the critical situation prevailing in Bangladesh. Senior Cabinet Ministers including External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Home Minister Amit Shah attended the meeting. Mr Jaishankar had briefed the Prime Minister earlier also. The External Affairs Minister is expected to make a statement on the develop- Mamata appeals to people to maintain peace in Bengal STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 5 AUGUST West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday directed her party and Cabinet colleagues to refrain from making any comment or social media post on the situation in Bangladesh. Bangladesh leader Sheikh Hasina landed at the Hindon Air Force in Ghaziabad around 30 km from Delhi - on Monday evening, hours after resigning as Prime Minister amid violent protests that killed over 300 people in the neighboring country since last month. Following a state Cabinet meeting on Monday, the Chief Minister also issued a pub- lic appeal through the media, requesting the common people to refrain from getting trapped in any kind of provocation on the Bangladesh issue. "Refrain from making any comment that can create tension or violence. All of us are anxious about the situation evolving in Bangladesh. But do not make any post or comment on the issue that might disturb peace in the state and the country,” the Chief Minister said. She also accused a section of the BJP leaders of making comments on the developments in Bangladesh. “They have already started making some posts which they should not have done. ‘All aspirations will be fulfilled in coming days’, PM assures people of J&K & Ladakh STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 5 AUGUST Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday recalled Parliament's five-year-old decision to abrogate Articles 370 and 35 (A), calling it a watershed moment that led to the beginning of a new era of progress and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Mr Modi posted on X: "Today we mark 5 years since the Parliament of India decided to abrogate Articles 370 and 35 (A), a watershed moment in our nation's history. It was the start of a new era of progress and prosperity in Jammu and Kash- mir, and Ladakh.” “It meant that the Constitution of India was implemented in these places in let- ter and spirit, in line with the vision of the great men and women who made the Constitution,” the Prime Minister said. He posted “With abrogation came security, dignity and opportunity for the women, youth, backward, tribal and marginalised communities who were deprived of the fruits of development. At the same time, it has ensured that corruption, which plagued J&K for decades, has been kept at bay.” “I assure the people of J&K and Ladakh that our Government will keep working for them and fulfil their aspirations in the coming times," the Prime Minister said. 5th anniversary of abrogation of Article 370: Opp leaders in Kashmir ‘confined’ to homes STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 5 AUGUST Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and several other Opposition leaders in Kashmir were “locked” in their homes on the 5th anniversary of abrogation of Article 370 on Monday while the Amarnath yatra from the Jammu base camp was suspended for the day because of security reasons. While most leaders of the regional parties remained confined to their homes as the gates were locked by the authorities, BJP activists dis- tributed sweets on the streets of Srinagar. The BJP held a rally in the border town of Ranbirsinghpura in Jammu to mark the day while PDP activists protested against the abrogation of special status of J&K. In her reaction, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti wrote on X; “While BJP continues its charade of orchestrating ‘celebrations’ to mark the illegal revocation of J&Ks special status, PDP successfully protested against the same in Jammu. This was remarkable given that attempts were made to foil these protests. Serves well to expose BJPs false claims of normalcy in J&K”. “5th August 2019 will go down in history not just as a dark day for J&K but a blot on Indian democracy. The day when a semi autonomous state was disempowered, dismembered & robbed of everything special & sacrosanct to us. Since then the state has been threatened into silence which is touted as ‘peace and normalcy’ to the rest of the country. Five years on the siege continues but so does the unyielding defiance & resistance. We Kashmiris CMYK ments in Parliament on Tuesday. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met Sheikh Hasina at the Hindon Air Base and assured her of all assistance. Her aircraft was refuelled at the Hindon airbase. Its aircraft movement was monitored by Indian Air Force and security agencies from its entry into the Indian airspace till landing at the Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad. Both Houses of Parliament had adjourned for the day, just as the Indian government was preparing to receive the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh. As the ongoing turmoil in Bangladesh caused concern in India, the Indian government had warned its citizens against travelling to Bangladesh till further notice. refuse to be erased & unpeopled,” she added. National Conference (NC) Vice-President Omar Abdullah, in his reaction to BJP leaders celebrating the day, wrote on X: “This is what passes for democracy & free speech in J&K. A handful of BJP “leaders” are encouraged to celebrate today while those who would have registered their protest against what was done to J&K are locked up in homes across the valley”. “The Government has once again unjustly placed our leaders under house arrest, effectively isolating the party headquarters Nawa-e-Subha in Srinagar. This blatant suppression of mainstream democratic activities only serves to showcase the administration's underlying fear and exposes the hollowness of their claims of progress over the past five years. August 5, 2019, remains a stark reminder of the disempowerment of the people of J&K, a process that continues unchecked with the absence of a democratically elected government in the region,” Omar added. I have asked my leaders to refrain from doing the same. I request all to maintain peace,” Banerjee said. Earlier, the leader of opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, said that it is time to be ready to give shelter to several refugees who might come to India in the backdrop of the unrest in Bangladesh. Adhikari said he would like to request Governor C.V. Ananda Bose and the Chief Minister to discuss the matter in advance with the Union government. He also said that the chances of an influx of refugees will increase if the situation does not normalise in Bangladesh in the next three days. Heartbreak for Lakshya Sen S S RAMASWAMY PARIS, 5 AUGUST India's Lakshya Sen let Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia loose from a commanding position to miss the men's singles badminton bronze in the Olympic Games here today. The 22-year-old Indian, who lost to Denmark's Victor Axelsen in the semi finals from a dominant position, lost his way for the second match running. Sen, ranked 22, took the opening game 21-13 and led 8-3 in the second before Lee, ranked 7th in the world, turned the match around in his favour to win the bronze medal play-off in 71 minutes. Sen lost 21-13, 16-21, 11-21. He took two medical breaks during the latter part of the match for his injured elbow and played with a bandaged hand towards the end. Sen, thus, lost a golden opportunity to become the first Indian male shuttler to grab an Olympic medal. Only Saina Nehwal, with a bronze medal in the 2012 London Olympics, and twotime medalist P V Sindhu (silver in 2016 Rio and bronze in the last Games in Tokyo) have climbed the medal podium in the quadrennial sports spectacle in the shuttle game.