THURSDAY 03 OCTOBER 2024 www.thestatesman.com INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 14 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR PRASHANT KISHOR LAUNCHES JAN SURAAJ PARTY POPE FRANCIS OPENS SECOND PHASE OF BIG REFORM PROJECT P9 WEATHER Cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 32°C and 27°C respectively. Min: 27.2˚C SUN SETS 17:22 hrs MOON SETS 17:38 hrs New Moon on 3 October THUMBNAILS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 2 OCTOBER N Devotees arrive at Har ki Paudi Ghat to take a dip in the Ganga river on the last day of the period of ‘Pitru Paksha’, in Haridwar on Wednesday. n ANI Three dead in Manipur clash: At least three persons, including a Manipur Rifles trooper, were killed and 30 others injured in Manipur’s Ukhrul district on Wednesday when residents of two Naga villages clashed and even engaged in a gun battle over a boundary dispute, police said. There was tension in the area after the incident, and authorities bolstered security personnel in the area, along with announcing prohibitory orders and suspending internet mobile services. (Page 8) ew Delhi on Wednesday expressed deep concern over the escalation of the security situation in West Asia and advised Indian nationals to avoid all non-essential travel to Iran. A day after Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in a statement, said India is deeply concerned at the situation in West Asia and reiterates its call for restraint by all concerned and protection of civilians. “It is important that the conflict doesn’t take a wider regional dimen- Jaishankar discusses W Asia security situation with top US diplomat External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar discussed the escalating security situation in West Asia, the Ukraine conflict and other key issues with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington. “Delighted to hold talks with @SecBlinken today in Washington DC. We followed up on the Delaware bilateral and Quad meetings. Our discussions also covered deepening bilateral cooperation, the situation in West Asia, recent developments in the Indian subcontinent, the Indo- Pacific and Ukraine,'' Mr Jaishankar wrote on social media platform X after the meeting. The Indian minister is on his first visit to the USA after Prime Minister Narendra Modi formed the government for the third time. The two ministers were assisted by senior officials, including the Indian ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra, during the talks. “Together, the U.S. and India are working to address regional and global challenges. Indian External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar and I met to discuss our continued cooperation on the climate crisis and ways we can promote regional security and prosperity,'' Mr Blinkan wrote on X. The meeting came days after PM Modi's visit to the USA during which he attended the four-nation Quad Summit and also held extensive talks with US President Joe Biden. SNS sion and we urge that all issues be addressed through dialogue and diplomacy,” the MEA added. While asking Indians to avoid all non-essential travel to Iran, the government also asked those currently residing in the Islamic nation to remain vigilant and stay in contact with the Indian Embassy in Teheran. ANI news agency quoted External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar as saying in Washington that India is “very much” concerned at the possibility of a regional war in West Asia and that “any response by any country” has to take into account international humanitarian law. Meanwhile, security has been beefed up at the Israeli and Iranian embassies in New Delhi in the wake of escalating tension between the two nations. (See also Page 9) NEW DELHI, 2 OCTOBER Jharkhand development derailed by JMM government: PM Modi STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 2 OCTOBER Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the biggest hurdle in the development of Jharkhand is the CongressJMM-RJD coalition government of the state and Jharkhand will progress only when its present government goes out of office. Addressing a BJP rally in Hazaribagh in Jharkhand, he said while the BJP’s government at the Centre is working hard for the development of the state, its JMM-led government is trying to derail the development programmes. He said the current government has encouraged “infiltration” of outsiders in the state, particularly in the Santhal Pargana region, and this is threatening the tribal identity of the state. The JMM and the Congress are playing with the security of the country. The Jharkhand people have to fight to save “Roti, Beti, Maati identity of the state,” the Prime Minister said. In a few months, he said, when Assembly elections take place, Jharkhand will have a BJP government and “I give guarantee that when BJP-NDA comes to power, Roti, Beti and Maati will be protected.” Mr Modi said Jharkhand will develop only when there is change in the state. That is why people are taking out “parivartan yatras” These are not political yatras, they are to assert the determination to make Jharkhand developed and people are supporting them, he said. He said a beginning of the change had started today itself. At a function earlier, he had launched development projects worth more than Rs 80,000 crores for the state. These included Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan, 40 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS), mobile medical units, electricity, water and solar energy schemes, which will transform lives of the tribal population and help them progress. The BJP shared the tribals’ dream of a separate state of Jharkhand, he said, and the dream was fulfilled under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The BJP had to fight the RJD for this. The RJD treated Jharkhand a place for exploitation and was looting its resources of “Jal-JungleJameen.” The region was a safe house for criminals and mafias, he said. The RJD was getting protection for its deeds from the Congress at the Centre, Mr Modi said. The Congress was thus equally responsible for RJD’s sins. Today, the JMM has acquired the colour of the Congress and the RJD; it is not the same old JMM. The Congress has imposed its eco-system on the JMM, he said. Two pilots and engineer perish as chopper crashes in Pune; DGCA to probe AGENCIES PUNE, 2 OCTOBER At least three persons including two pilots and an aircraft engineer were killed after a helicopter of Heritage Aviation, New Delhi, flying over the Bavdhan area, crashed in the hilly terrain, officials said on Wednesday. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered a probe into the tragedy that left Capt Paramjit Singh and Capt G. K. Pillai, besides an aircraft maintenance engineer Pritamchand Bharadwaj, dead this morning in the chopper crash near Bavdhan. According to officials the chopper, an Agusta 109-VTEW, had taken off from the Oxford Golf Club in Pune for a flight to Juhu Airport in Mumbai, at around 7.15 a.m. without passengers on board. En route, barely 20 kms away and some four to five minutes after the take-off, the chopper suddenly crashed at around 7.20 a.m. near the HEMRL-DRDO factory, said a police officer speaking from the site of the tragedy near Bavdhan. Videos of the incident shot by some locals showed the helicopter apparently losing control and plunging almost headlong into a forested hilly region before going up in smoke. Despite repeated attempts by a news agency, officials of Heritage Aviation remained tight-lipped about the tragedy and stonewalled all questions on the victims and the possible causes of the tragedy. Last Mughal King’s court musician’s tomb in derelict state ANINDITA CHOWDHURY HYDERABAD, 2 OCTOBER The grave of Ustad Mir Baksh ‘Tanras’ Khan, the court musician of the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar II and a stalwart of Hindustani Classical Music, lies in a dilapidated state, away from the public eye in the Nampally area of Hyderabad. Known for his swift and effervescent ‘taans’, this luminary of the Delhi gharana had left the capital city for Gwalior following the Sepoy Mutiny and the exile of the emperor before finally settling in the Nizam’s court in Hyderabad. Today the final resting place of this maestro near Khamosh Shah Dargah in Nampally area lies in complete neglect and inaccessible to the common man and musicians. Music connoisseurs and musicians have urged Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to restore the grave and hold an annual music festival in his name to commemorate his legacy. Ustad Mir Qutub Baksh ‘Tanras’ Khan was a khayal singer of the nineteenth century. The last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar II, who himself was a poet and a devout Sufi, had awarded him with the title of ‘Tanras.’ He was not only the chief musician of the royal court but also the music teacher of the emperor. He excelled in both Qawwali and Hindustani Classical music and was considered to be one of the icons of the famous Qawwal Bacchon ka Gharana founded by none other than Amir Khusrau. He composed many khay- als, bandishes and taranas, still sung by the musicians of the Indian subcontinent. “Ab mori naiyya paar karo” in Raag Todi is a popular and noted composition of Tanras. Hyderabad is also the final resting place of another musical giant, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan of the Patiala gharana. Incidentally, the founder of the Patiala gharana, Mian Kallu, received his musical training from Mir Qutub Baksh ‘Tanras’ Khan. However, people are not even aware of Tanras’ tomb near Khamosh Shah Dargah in Nampally. Musician and founder of Parichay Arts Foundation Jaywant Naidu went looking for the tomb of the great maestro during the pandemic and could locate it only after a long search. A simple marble plaque marked his grave, apparently put up by Qawwals Naj- BUMRAH REGAINS TOP SPOT IN TEST RANKINGS P6 Govt advises nationals to avoid travel to Iran ''It is important that the conflict doesnÊt take a wider regional dimension and we urge that all issues be addressed through dialogue and diplomacy,'' the MEA added. Min. 76% TEMPERATURE Max: 32.5˚C SUN RISES 05:28 hrs MOON RISES 05:43 hrs P5 New Delhi expresses concern over escalation of situation in West Asia RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 87% FED’S DILEMMA muddin and Saifuddin, the sons of Qawwal Bahauddin Khan from Pakistan and descendants of Tanras Khan during a visit to Hyderabad. A branch of his descendants went away to Pakistan and continued his musical legacy while the rest chose to stay back. In view of this, Mr Naidu has sought Chief Minister's assistance to restore it to its former glory. “This is an appeal to the Chief Minister of Telangana, Sri Revanth Reddy, for bringing back lost glory of this tall personality in Classical music by providing a proper resting place and access to the ‘Tomb’ to the common public,” he said. A festival of Classical and Sufi music in commemoration of Ustad Mir Qutub Baksh Tanras Khan should be annually organised on a grand scale to bring out his contribution in the field of art and culture, he added. P14 People wait to celebrate Durga Puja throughout the year: CM Mamata STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 2 OCTOBER Chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday that West Bengal celebrates the festivals of all communities with a spirit of inclusiveness, even as Durga Puja is the biggest festival of the state, for which Bengalis wait throughout the year. Miss Banerjee, the Trinamul Congress chairperson, was releasing the festival number of Jago Bangla, the mouthpiece of the party, at a function at Nazrul Mancha this afternoon. Trinamul Congress state president Subrata Bakshi, editor of Jago Bangla Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay and state Youth Affairs Minister Aroop Biswas attended the function where several other ministers, MPs and party functionaries were present. “ We who believe in religion take part in all the religious festivals of different communities. Festival is for all. Durga Puja, the biggest festival of the Bengalis, comes once in a year. People wait for this throughout the year,” Miss Banerjee said as she wished everyone a happy and peaceful puja. Miss Banerjee uged the puja organisers to look after the elderly people, women and children who visit the pandals and ensure that they do not face any trouble. A CD titled Anjali comprising 10 songs written and composed by Miss Banerjee was released at the function. Noted singers Nachiketa, Sriradha Bandyopadhyay, Raghab Chattopadhyay, Aditi Munshi, Oitijyo rendered the songs. Miss Banerjee visited Hatibagan Sarbojanin and inau- gurated the puja, which is organised by Kolkata deputy mayor Atin Ghosh. Miss Banerjee said it was her custom to inaugurate the Durga Puja at Hatibagan Sarbojonin first. Here also she spoke about the people of the flood-hit areas. “I had visited the floodhit areas of South and North Bengal and feel that it is our moral duty to stand by our friends in the flood-torn areas,” she said. Miss Banerjee added: “We believe in the synthesis of all religions.” She urged people to maintain peace during the Durga Puja. “I know you wait aniously for the puja. Maintain peace. Visit the pandals and cooperate with police," she said. She inaugurated the comunity pujas at 95 Palli, Jodhpur Park and Chetla Agrani. She drew the third eye of Mother Durga. She also inaugurated the puja at Babubagan. Miss Banerjee inaugurated 400 community pujas virtually, including in Howrah, North 24-Parganas and South 24Parganas districts. Nearly 70 Indian nationals forced into cyber crime in Cambodia rescued STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 2 OCTOBER Following specific leads from the Indian Embassy in Phnom Penh, the Cambodian Police have rescued 67 Indian nationals who were trapped in the Southeast Asian nation in fraudulent job offers obtained through fake agents and forced into cyber crime. A team of Indian Embassy officials is now overseeing the repatriation process of these 67 Indian nationals in batches. The embassy in a press The embassy in Phnom Penh in a press release on Wednesday said 15 of these Indian nationals left for India on 30 September, 24 on 1 October and the rest will reach the country in the next few days. release on Wednesday said 15 of these Indian nationals left for India on 30 September, 24 on 1 October and the rest will reach the country in the next few days. It said it con- tinues to monitor the situation closely and remains committed to helping Indian nationals trapped in cyber crimes. It also advised Indian nationals to exercise extreme caution in taking up job opportunities in Cambodia and other Southeast Asian nations through suspicious agents and social media advertisements. “Since January 2022, the Embassy of India in Phnom Penh has facilitated the repatriation of over 1000 Indian citizens with nearly 770 in the first nine months of 2024,” it said.