FRIDAY 23 AUGUST 2024 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR TIM WALZ TALKS OF ‘BRINGING JOY’ IN DNC SPEECH ASSAM GOVT PROPOSES REPEALING 1935 MUSLIM MARRIAGE LAW P8 SENSEX 81,053.19p147.89 WEATHER Generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain / thundershower very likely to occur.Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 32 °C and 28 °C respectively. RAINFALL: 16.5mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 97 % NIFTY P9 24,811.50p41.30 P7 GOLD 72,870q330 ` vs $ 83.94 SILVER 87,000 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 75.30p0.22 Justice & medicine cannot go on strike. Can we (judges) go & sit outside SC now: CJI CBI submits status report in SC Min. 81 % Min: 26.2˚C (-0.2) SUN SETS 18:3 hrs MOON SETS 07:40 hrs AGENCIES KOLKATA, 22 AUGUST New Moon on 3 September THUMBNAILS PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 22 AUGUST W A bus got partially submerged in floodwater following heavy rainfall, in Tripura’s Agartala on Thursday. nANI SC to constitute panel to resolve grievances of farmers on Punjab-Haryana border: The Supreme Court on Thursday said that it will constitute, within a week, a committee to amicably resolve the grievances of the farmers protesting at the Punjab-Haryana border. A bench headed by Justice Surya Kant asked the states of Haryana and Punjab to suggest within three days the terms of reference that the expert panel should deal with. Farmers from Punjab have been agitating at the Shambhu border between the two states at Ambala since 13 February 2024. hile admonishing both the ruling TMC and the opposition BJP in West Bengal not to politicise the rape and murder of a post graduate trainee doctor at R G Kar Hospital in Kolkata on 9 August, the Supreme Court on Thursday once again asked the agitating doctors to get back to the work, while assuring that no coercive action will be taken against those doctors who stayed away from hospital duties on account of the ongoing protest. Taking exception to the CBI and the State of West Bengal trading barbs in the course of the hearing today over the statements made by a minister in the State government and the leader of the Opposition in the state, Suvendu Adhikari, a Bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra said: “Do not politicise the situation. Law will take its course.” The top court counsel to both the TMC and the BJP came as Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the CBI said: “A sitting minister of the State of West Bengal says fingers pointing towards their leader (Mamata Banerjee) will be chopped off.” Hitting back, senior advocate Kapil Sibal appearing for the State of West Bengal said: “And leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari has said bullets will be fired.” At this, the bench told ‘Electoral alliance among Cong, NC, CPM for all seats finalised’ The CBI, on Thursday, submitted its status report to the Supreme Court on the progress of the investigation into the rape and murder of a woman doctor in state-run R.G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, and as per sources the agency has highlighted several missing links. Sources said the first missing link is the substantial gap between the time of the discovery of the body at the seminar hall of the hospital building on the morning of 9 August and that of intimation to the local police station about the tragedy. both the TMC and the BJP to refrain from politicising the issue as the court is already seized of it. The top court also stated that the agitating doctors will have to get back to work while assuring that no coercive action will be taken against them for participating in the protests that were sparked following the rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata’s Sources said that the investigating CBI officials are trying to figure out why the hospital authorities, especially, the former and controversial R.G. Principal Sandip Ghosh took so much time to inform the police after the discovery of the body. The second missing link is the exact person who first discovered the body of the victim at the seminar hall on the morning of 9 August. Sources said that the investigating official believe that once the individual who spotted the body first is zeroed in, answers for many unanswered queries in the matter will be found. (See Page 3) State-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Exhorting the agitating doctors to “get back to work now”, CJI Chandrachud said: “Investigation is going on, we are looking into the matter, … we will issue not just the guidelines but issue enforceable directions to institutionalise the safety of the doctors, nurses and para-medical staff.” (PHOTO: BISWAJIT GHOSHAL) STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 22 AUGUST Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to bring in a stringent Central laws against the perpetrators involved in rape and murder cases, and to take steps to speed up legal proceedings in such cases by setting up fast-track courts. Alapon Bandyopadhyay, the chief adviser to the chief minister, read out the contents of the letter to mediapersons at Nabanna today. In the letter to the Prime Minister, Miss Banerjee wrote: “I wish to bring to your kind attention the regular and increasing occurrence of rape cases throughout the country and in many cases, rapes with murder are committed. “According to the avail- JAMMU, 22 AUGUST alliance is on track and it will go on well with God's grace. It is final, it will be approved by this evening. This alliance has been done on all 90 seats.” When asked if there are chances for National Conference and PDP to come together for the assembly elections, Farooq Abdullah remained silent on PDP and said: “Congress and NC are together. CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami is also with us. I hope that our people are with us so that we can win and do better for the people” When asked if he will contest the elections, Dr Abdullah candidly said: “It's better if you don't ask me this question. I will not answer it”. On pre or poll alliance with PDP, Dr Abdullah said, "We do not know. Let us first go through the poll, then we will look into these things. No doors are closed for anyone." On the common minimum programme for alliance with Congress, Dr Abdullah said: "Our common programme is to fight the election, to defeat the divisive forces that exist in the country”. able data, it is horrifying to see that almost 90 cases of rapes occur daily throughout the country. This shakes the confidence and conscience of the society and the nation. It is bounden duty for all of us to put an end to it so that the women feel safe and secure. “Such serious and sensitive issue needs to be addressed in a comprehensive manner through stringent central legislation prescribing exemplary punishment against the persons involved in such dastardly crimes. Setting up of Fast Track Special courts for speedy trial in such cases should also be considered in the proposed legislation. To ensure quick justice, trial in such cases should preferably be completed within 15 days”. This came against the backdrop of the massive protests nationwide over the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at the R G Kar Medical College in Kolkata on 9 August. Earlier on Thursday, Trinamul Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had in a post on social media stated that the country needs stricter anti-rape laws that mandate completion of trial and conviction within 50 days, followed by severe punishment and "not just empty promises". Mr Banerjee also noted that about 900 cases of rape had occurred in the last 10 days throughout the country. That means 90 such cases had been taken place daily, he stated. Contending that an comprehensive anti-rape law is required, he wrote: “All the state governments should exert pressure on the Centre to legislate stringent laws against such crimes.” India believes no problem can be solved on battlefield: PM STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 22 AUGUST STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Soon after a meeting with Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, National Conference (NC) chief Dr Farooq Abdullah on Thursday said that the prepoll alliance for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly election is on track and the seat sharing document for all 90 seats will be signed by this evening.Mr Gandhi and Mr Kharge drove to Abdullah’s Gupkar Road residence in Srinagar after addressing a meeting of Congress workers, and discussed the seat sharing formula. Former chief minister Omar Abdullah, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal and PCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra were among those present in the meeting. Farooq Abdullah told media persons, “The meeting was held in a very cordial atmosphere. The P12 Don’t politicise RG Kar CM writes to Modi seeking stringent anti-rape law issue: SC to TMC & BJP TEMPERATURE Max: 31.0˚C (-1.0) SUN RISES 05:16 hrs MOON RISES 19:60 hrs INDIA TO BEGIN WTC 2025-27 CYCLE WITH TOUR OF ENGLAND DHAKA MUST DECIDE ON CHINA TIES Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia are a matter of deep concern and India supports dialogue and diplomacy for the early restoration of peace and stability, and is ready to provide all possible cooperation along with its friendly countries. Addressing a press meet with Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw, Mr Modi said the loss of innocent lives in any crisis is the biggest challenge for all of humanity. India firmly believes that no problem can be solved on the battlefield. The Polish Prime Minister said India can play an essential, constructive role in resolving Russia-Ukraine war. "The entire world praises India because India's government is very democratic. We don't see much of this in that part of the world," he said. Mr Modi said: “This year Prime Minister Narendra Modi exchanges greetings with Poland President Andrzej Duda during a bilateral meeting, at Belweder Palace, in Warsaw on Thursday. n ANI we celebrate 70 years of our diplomatic relations. On this occasion, we have decided to reshape our relation into a Strategic Partnership. The relations between India and Poland are based on shared values such as democracy and rule of law.” “As two democratic countries, exchanges between our parliaments should be encour- aged. Efforts will be made to connect the private sector to broaden economic cooperation. Poland is among the world leaders in food processing,” Mr Modi said. “We want Polish companies to join the Mega Food Parks being built in India. In India, rapid urbanisation is opening up new opportunities for our cooperation in areas such as water treatment, solid waste management, urban infrastructure,” he said. Mr Modi said Clean Coal Technology, Green Hydrogen, Renewable Energy, Artificial Intelligence are also our common priorities. “We invite Polish companies to join Make in India and Make for the World. India has achieved many accomplishments in areas such as Fin Tech, Pharma, space,” he said. “We would be happy to share our experience in these areas with Poland. Close cooperation in the field of defence is a symbol of our deep mutual trust. Mutual cooperation in this area will be strengthened,” Mr Modi said. The PM said: “We both agree that to meet the global challenges, reform in the United Nations and international institutions is the need of the hour.” He said: “Terrorism is a big challenge for us. More such cooperation is required between countries like India and Poland which believe in humanity. Similarly, climate change is a matter of shared priority for us.” On the second day of his Poland visit, the Prime Minister held separate delegation-level talks with Poland President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Mr Modi had a bilateral meeting with Mr Tusk also. Mr Modi was given a ceremonial welcome at the Chancellery where his Polish counterpart received him. The two leaders held talks at the Chancellery in restricted and delegation-level formats, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. Given the salience of India-Poland ties, the leaders decided to upgrade the relationship to a ‘Strategic Partnership’. They engaged in wideranging discussions on various aspects of the bilateral partnership, including trade and investment, science and technology, defence and security, cultural cooperation, and people-to-people ties. India calls ‘factually not correct’ reports Waqf Amendment Bill JPC holds first meet blaming dam in Tripura for Bangladesh floods STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 22 AUGUST STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 22 AUGUST India, on Thursday, termed as“factually not correct” reports in Bangladesh that the current flood situation in certain parts of the neighbouring country has been caused by the opening of the Dumbur dam upstream of the Gumti River in Tripura. “We would like to point out that the catchment areas of Gumti River that flows through India and Bangladesh have witnessed the heaviest rains of this year over the last few days.” The flood in Bangladesh is primarily due to waters from these large catchments downstream of the dam,” the Ministry of External Affairs said. The MEA said the Dumbur dam is located quite far from the border ~ over 120 km The MEA said the Dumbur dam is located quite far from the border ~ over 120 km upstream of Bangladesh. It is a low­height (about 30 m) dam that generates power that feeds into a grid from which Bangladesh also draws 40MW of power. upstream of Bangladesh. It is a low-height (about 30m) dam that generates power that feeds into a grid from which Bangladesh also draws 40MW power. “Along the about 120 Km river course we have three water level observation sites at Amarpur, Sonamura, and Sonamura 2.” Heavy rainfall has been continuing since 21 August in the whole of Tripura and adjoining districts of Bangladesh. In the event of heavy inflow, automatic releases have been observed. Amarpur station is part of a bilateral protocol under which we are transmitting real-time flood data to Bangladesh,” it added. The MEA clarified that data showing a rising trend has been supplied to Bangladesh up to 1500 hrs on 21 August. At 1800 hrs, due to flooding, there was a power outage leading to problems in communication. Still, India has tried to maintain communication through other means created for urgent transmission of data. “Floods on the common rivers between India and Bangladesh are a shared problem inflicting sufferings to people on both sides and requires close cooperation towards resolving them,” it said. The Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 on Thursday held its first meeting where officials from the Ministries of Law and Justice and Minority Affairs briefed members of the committee on various amendments proposed in the law. The 31-member committee is headed by BJP MP Jagdambika Pal. There are 21 members of the committee from the Lok Sabha and 10 members from the Rajya Sabha. The Committee has been tasked by the Lok Sabha to scrutinise the Bill. Speaking to the media ahead of the meeting, Mr Pal said they will give maximum opportunities to the maximum number of people from minority organisations while discussing the provisions of the Bill. He said the government Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind President Maulana Syed Arshad Madani addresses a press conference with the members of the Muslim organisations over the Waqf Amendment Bill, at the Constitution Club, in New Delhi on Thursday. n ANI has a specific purpose for bringing this Bill that the properties handed to the Waqf should help the backward Muslims and women. Mr Pal said the Committee will discuss all 44 amendments and bring a good and comprehensive legislation by the next session of Parliament. The Joint Committee has been asked to submit its report to the Lok Sabha by the last day of the first week of the next session of Parliament. The committee will need to reconcile government and Opposition views on the Bill, while hearing suggestions from stakeholders. The Joint Committee was constituted as the Opposition maintained the Bill violated the Constitutional provisions on fundamental rights and would not stand judicial scrutiny. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, is intended to overcome the shortcomings and enhance the efficiency of the administration and management of the Waqf properties. The Bill also proposes to rename the Waqf Act, 1995, as the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development Act, 1995. It also provides the functions of the Survey Commissioner to the Collector or any other officer not below the rank of Deputy Collector duly nominated by the Collector for the survey of waqf properties. It also has provisions for a broad-based composition of the Central Waqf Council and the State Waqf Boards and ensuring the representation of Muslim women and non-Muslims. It also provides for the establishment of a separate Board of Auqaf for Bohras and Agakhanis and representation of Shia, Sunni, Bohra, Agakhani, and other backward classes among Muslim communities.