WEDNESDAY 28 AUGUST 2024 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 14 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR BJP SUGGESTS DEAL BETWEEN CONG & BRS OVER KAVITHA’S BAIL UKRAINE CLAIMS CONTROL OF NEARLY 500 SQ MILES IN KURSK P9 SENSEX 81,711.76p13.65 WEATHER Generally cloudy sky. One or two spells of light to moderate rain / thundershower likely to occur.Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 30 °C and 26°C respectively. RAINFALL: 47.2mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 98 % TEMPERATURE Max: 28.9˚C (-3.8) SUN RISES 05:18 hrs MOON RISES 23:44 hrs NIFTY P4 25,017.75p7.15 ` vs $ 83.92 Min: 25.4˚C (-1.2) SUN SETS 17:59 hrs MOON SETS 12:59 hrs New Moon on 03 September THUMBNAILS A devotee breaks a Dahi Handi during Krishna Janmashtami celebrations, at Dadar in Mumbai on Tuesday. n ANI Jay Shah elected unopposed as ICCÊs new chair: Jay Shah, the current BCCI secretary, on Tuesday became the fifth Indian to be elected chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC). Shah will replace Greg Barclay at the global body, and will begin his stint from 1 December. At 35, Shah is also the youngest to hold the post. (See Pg 13) SILVER 88,500p600 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 78.97q0.54 State BJP has called a 12-hr bandh today to protest ‘police highhandedness’ against protesters T he Nabanna Chalo (March to Nabanna) agitation organised by the Paschimbanga Chhatra Samaj, a newly-formed platform allegedly backed by the opposition BJP, on Tuesday turned violent when demonstrators pelted stones at policemen, broke barricades and damaged several police vehicles. The march was organised demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the rape and murder of a junior doctor of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital earlier this month. The state BJP has called a 12-hour bandh tomorrow to protest “police highhandedness” against the protesters. The police had deployed more than 4,000 personnel to foil today’s march. Barricades were put up near Santragachi Railway station, Howrah Bridge, Hastings and Foreshore Road in Howrah. The protesters gathered PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 27 AUGUST Police personnel deployed during the Nabanna Abhijan protest. n BISWAJIT GHOSHAL near Santragachi Railway station, Foreshore Road, Howrah Maidan, Burrabazar and Hastings. They marched towards the police barricades shouting slogans demanding the resignation of Mamata Banerjee. Through public address system police urged the demonstrators to conduct the protest peacefully. Clashes between the protesters and police broke out on GT Road in Howrah Maidan area, Foreshore Road, Kona Expressway sheet has been filed and the trial will take a long time to conclude. “Custody of the appellant (K Kavitha) is not necessary. She has been behind the bars for five months. The likelihood of the trial being concluded in the near future is impossible. As said in various pronouncements of this court, undertrial custody should not turn into a punishment,” the court said, while making it clear that it was not making any observations on the merits of the cases against Ms Kavitha. The bench also noted that Ms Kavitha was entitled to beneficial treatment available to accused women under the proviso to Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and described as perverse the Delhi High Court observation that she being an educated and independent person was not entitled to relaxation available to women under the law. “The appellant is directed to be forthwith released on bail in both (CBI and ED) cases on furnishing bail bond of Rs 10 lakh each. She shall not make any attempt to tamper with evidence or influence the witnesses. The appellant shall deposit her passport with the trial court," the court ordered. Subsequently, the bail bonds were posted in Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court and it issued an order to release her from Tihar Jail. Mohanlal steps down as AMMA prez amid sexual assault allegation storm STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 27 AUGUST Amid the growing sexual harrasment allegations raised by women actors against high profile figures in the Malayalam film industry, including the executive committee members of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), its president, actor Mohanlal (photo), on Tuesday stepped down from his position. All the members of the AMMA executive committee also submitted their resignations after an emergency online meeting of the organisation decided that the executive committee should be disbanded as allegations of sexual abuse and misbehaviour have been raised against its members, including the officebearers. The association, in a statement on Tuesday said: “In the light of the Hema Committee report addressing sexual harassment allegations against certain AMMA officebearers, the current governing GOLD 73,030.00q10 P14 Nabanna marchers engage in pitched battles with police SC grants bail to K Kavitha In a big relief for Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader and former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s daughter Kalvakuntla Kavitha, the Supreme Court on Tuesday granted her bail in the alleged corruption and money laundering cases related to the now-cancelled 2021-2022 Delhi excise policy being prosecuted by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Directorate of Enforcement. Ms Kavitha in the evening walked out of Tihar Jail to be welcomed by her brother and BRS working president KT Rama Rao and other family members in emotional scenes. Granting bail to Ms Kavitha, a bench of Justices B. R. Gavai and K.V. Viswanathan noted that the investigation in both the cases is over, a charge- P5 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 27 AUGUST Min. 88 % ‘RED-BALL CRICKET HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE PRIORITY’ CHAMPAI SOREN WILL OFFICIALLY JOIN BJP ON 30 AUG: SARMA body of of AMMA is resigning to uphold its moral responsibility. A general body meeting will be convened within two months to elect a new governing body." The current executive committee was elected two months ago at AMMA's general body meeting held in Kochi. Mohanlal was elected unopposed as AMMA president for the third consecutive term in that meeting. Meanwhile, Kerala police have registered a case against film director Ranjith based on a complaint filed by Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra, alleging sexual abuse. Ranjith had been charged under section 354 of IPC for assault or use of criminal force to women with intent to outrage her modesty, relevant to the time of the alleged crime. Ms Mitra had filed the complaint with the Kochi city police commissioner via email on Monday. She had alleged that Ranjith had made inappropriate advances towards her when she came in Kerala for the audition of Ranjith film Paleri Manikkam, in 2009. Actress Minu Muneer on Tuesday filed a sexual assault complaint against seven persons, including actors Mukesh, Maniyanpilla Raju, Edavela Babu Jayasurya and two technicians. A junior artist on Tuesday raised a fresh allegation against actor Mukesh, who is the CPI-M MLA from Kollam. The junior artist has raised allegations against Mukesh of misbehaviour towards her friend's mother at their home. CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam on Tuesday demanded to register an FIR against Mukesh as two women in cinema have accused him of sexual harassment. in Santragachhi and Howrah Bridge when they tried to march towards the state secretariat since this afternoon around 1 p.m. Police resorted to lathicharge and used water cannons and teargas shells to disperse the mob who threw stones and bricks at the security personnel and attempted to topple barricades at these points blocking their way to the state secretariat. The demonstrators broke the first layer of bar- After Biden, Modi briefs Putin on Ukraine visit STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 27 AUGUST A day after he received a call from US President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday briefed Russian President Vladimir Putin on his recent Ukraine visit. The Prime Minister, once again, underlined the importance of dialogue and diplomacy in his talk with Mr Putin via phone, along with a sincere and practical engagement between all stakeholders to achieve an abiding and peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The two leaders exchanged views on the conflict. In a post on X, Mr Modi said: “Spoke with President Putin today. Discussed measures to further strengthen Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. Exchanged perspectives on the RussiaUkraine conflict and my insights from the recent visit to Ukraine. Reiterated India’s firm commitment to support an early, abiding and peaceful resolution of the conflict.” While discussing the situation in Ukraine with Mr Biden last night also, the PM had expressed full support for early return of peace and stability, reiterating India’s consistent position in favour of dialogue and diplomacy. Mr Modi’s quick talks with Mr Biden and Mr Putin, soon after his return from Ukraine and long discussions with its President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, makes obvious the likelihood of India’s role in any peace initiative in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The PM shared with the two leaders insights from his Ukraine visit, and unambiguously expressed India was “firmly” committed to support an early resolution of the conflict. ricades at Shantragachi Railway station first and then on Strand Road approaching Howrah station. The police first used water cannons and then resorted to lathi charge to quell the mob. While the protest was organised in the name of a student body, not many of the demonstrators were students.Studentsbelonging to the Left-backed organisations had backed out from today’s demonstration. Some demonstrators carried the national flag. An elderly man wearing saffron coloured kurta and lungi was seen waving the national flag. The demonstrators damaged several police vehicles parked near Babughat and torched a police motorcycle. The state adminstration had said today’s march was illegal. Mr Supratim Sarkar, ADG (South Bengal), had said on Monday that the protest organisers had not taken any permission from police. They had only given a letter to inform the police that they would organise a march to the state secretariat. More than 10 policemen were injured when the demonstrators pelted stones at them. Mr Kunal Ghosh, TMC spokesperson urged people to foil tomorrow’s bandh. In the late afternoon BJP workers led by Mr Sukanta Mazumdar, state BJP president staged a sit in demonstration outside Lalbazar, demanding the release of the party workers who had been arrested by police. (See Pages 2, 3) First meet of NTF held STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 27 AUGUST The maiden meeting of the National Task Force (NTF), which was recently constituted by the Union Health Ministry following the directions of the Supreme Court (SC) to make recommendations on the safety of medical professionals, was held on Tuesday. In a communiqué, the Health Ministry said: “The first meeting of the NTF set up in accordance with directions of the Supreme Court was held today under the chairmanship of the Cabinet Secretary. All members including the Home Secretary and Health Secretary were present at the meeting.” There was elaborate and detailed discussion on various issues by the NTF members and they also put forth their suggestions, it said. During the meeting, the members said that they have been approached directly by various stakeholders and have individually received 300 to 400 suggestions. The Health Ministry also stated that a national portal has been created by it under the title ‘Suggestions to NTF’ (http://serviceonline.gov.in/directApply.do?serviceId=2987) to seek suggestions from individuals and different stakeholders across the country.