MONDAY 07 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 TRUMP RETURNS TO SCENE OF PENNSYLVANIA ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT RBI MPC LIKELY TO INDIA REGISTER MAINTAIN STATUS QUO ON 6-WICKET WIN OVER PAK POLICY RATES: EXPERTS IN WOMEN’S T20 WC ‘EAM’S ISLAMABAD VISIT COULD IMPROVE INDO-PAK RELATIONS’ P9 P5 P12 P14 CM asks police to invoke POCSO in Joynagar case AGENCIES RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Advocates capital punishment for culprits involved in alleged rape and murder of minor NEW DELHI, 6 OCTOBER Max. 90% STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 6 OCTOBER External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Sunday stated that the United Nations (UN) is like an "old company" that is "occupying space in the market" without adapting to the changing global landscape. Speaking at the Kautilya Economic Conclave, Mr Jaishankar stressed that the UN has failed to keep pace with the world, forcing countries to find alternative ways to address pressing global challenges. “Since this is an economic conclave, let me give you a businesslike answer. The UN, in a way, is like an old company, not entirely keeping up with the market but occupying the space. And, when it's behind times in this world, you have startups and innovation. So, different people start doing their own things," Mr Jaishankar said. He explained that while countries would prefer the UN to lead global initiatives when it fails to address key issues, they are left to create their own mechanisms. "There is a UN at the end of the day, however, suboptimal it is in functioning, it's still the only multilateral game in town. But when it doesn't step WEATHER Thunderstorms. Storms could contain frequent lightning. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 32°C and 26°C respectively. Min. 80% TEMPERATURE Max: 32.6˚C SUN RISES 05:30 hrs MOON RISES 09:12 hrs Min: 26.5˚C SUN SETS 17:18 hrs MOON SETS 20:01 hrs Calcutta High Court orders AIIMS forensic experts to conduct post-mortem C Full Moon on 17 October THUMBNAILS Artisans cover a Durga idol to protect it from rain in Kumartuli, Kolkata, on Sunday. n MOUL MONDAL Four dead in chaos after Chennai IAF show: Poor crowd management and scorching heat left at least four people dead and nearly 100 others were admitted to hospitals at the Indian Air Force (IAF) airshow at the Marina seafront in Chennai on Sunday. The spectacular event, to mark the 92nd anniversary of the IAF turned into a disastrous one with people rushing to leave after the show ended, resulting in chaos as the authorities were unable to control the crowd. (Details on Page 4) hief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday asked police to register a case under the POCSO Act in the alleged rapemurder of a 10-year-old girl in Kultali in Joynagar in South 24-Parganas istrict, and ensure that the culprits get capital punishment within three months. Amid the turmoil of the RG PGT rape and murder incident, the body of a 9year-old girl, who had gone missing earlier, was found at Kultali in Joynagar on Saturday. With the parents of the girl claiming that their daughter was raped and murdered, the incident sparked violence by locals and outrage across the state. Police on Sunday detained a person who is said to have confessed to killing her. Miss Banerjee, who was speaking at the Kolkata Police Bodyguard Lines after virtually inaugurating several Durga Pujas, said: "I want the police to register the Kultali case under the POCSO Act and ensure that the culprits get capital pun- KOLKATA, 6 OCTOBER ishment within three months... Crime is crime; there is no religion or caste. Strong action should be taken against the criminals.” Taking exception to “media trials” in rape cases, Miss Banerjee said these must stop as it could hamper investigations. Miss Banerjee also observed: “When one or two incidents occur, there is often a lot of noise and chaos in Bengal. This is necessary; everyone has the right to express their views. However, when incidents happen in other places, people keep quiet and don’t protest.” She also expressed her strong displeasure regarding fake videos and cybercrime, and said she was entrusting the ‘great’ responsibility of identifying and exposing fake videos to the women of the state. She said: “In today’s world, AI has emerged. You will see my picture, my body, hear my speech, but that is not me. It’s fake. That’s what AI is. Now, cybercrime is increasing, and those committing cybercrimes often receive support.” Meanwhile, police detained a suspect in connection with the case. South 24-Parganas superintendent of police, Palash Chandra Dhali, said: “Yesterday itself, we started the investigation. After investigation, today we detained a person; he said that he had killed the girl. Our government is very serious about such cases, and the matter is being investigated.” Maldives President Muizzu arrives in Delhi for talks with PM Modi STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 6 OCTOBER Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu arrived here on Sunday on what is seen as a visit aimed at mending fences with India following prolonged tensions between the two neighbouring nations over the presence of Indian troops in the archipelago. Shortly after his arrival, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on the Maldivian leader. “Pleased to call on President @MMuizzu today at the start of his State Visit to India. Appreciate his commitment to enhance India-Maldives relationship. Confident that his talks with PM @narendramodi tomorrow will give a new impetus to our friendly ties,'' Mr Jaishankar wrote on X after the meeting. Mohamed Muizzu, who is accompanied by First Lady Madam Sajidha Mohamed, will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, followed by the signing of some key agreements between the two countries. The two leaders are expected to give an impetus to the ties between the two countries during their talks. ‘Will campaign for BJP if PM provides free electricity in BJP-ruled states’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 6 OCTOBER Aam Aadmi Party national convener and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said he would campaign for the BJP if Prime Minister Narendra Modi provides free electricity in the 22 states ruled by the NDA. “I challenge PM Modi to provide free electricity in all the 22 states ruled by the BJP and its allies before the Delhi Assembly elections in February. If he does, I will campaign for the BJP,” he said addressing the 'Janta Ki Adalat' here at Chhatrasal stadium The AAP chief alleged the double-engine governments of NDA were corrupt and inflation was increasing across the states governed by them. He challenged Prime Minister Modi to do a single work across the 22 BJP-ruled states in a year, like the ones being done for the people in Delhi. Mr Kejriwal alleged that the double-engine governments of the BJP were slowly failing in the states, and further claimed that people in Haryana's villages, amid the polls, gave the saffron party an unwelcoming response. (Details on Page 8) Calcutta High Court, in a specially convened hearing on Sunday, has ordered a second post mortem of the body of the school girl who was allegedly raped and murdered at Joynagar in South 24-Parganas. Justice Tirthankar Ghosh of Calcutta High Court, hearing a petition filed by the girl's parents, directed that the second post-mortem be conducted at AIIMS Hospital in Kalyani on Monday in the presence of the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) of Baruipur court. Justice Ghosh also questioned why the POCSO Act had not been applied despite the allegation of sexual assault. Justice Ghosh was hearing the matter on an emergency basis fol- lowing a direction of Calcutta High Court's Chief Justice T. S. Sivagnanam. During the hearing, the victim's lawyer demanded a CBI investigation into the incident. On Saturday, the area of Mahishmari village in Joynagar became tense following the discovery of the body of the 9year-old girl, who had gone missing the previous day, with allegations of sexual assault being raised. SNS (Details on Page 3) UN like an old company, occupying space in market, says Jaishankar up on key issues, countries figure out their own ways of doing it," Mr Jaishankar added. Reflecting on the UN's role during the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr Jaishankar highlighted its limited contribution, stating, "Probably the biggest thing which happened in our life was Covid. Think about what the UN do on Covid, and I think the answer is not very much". He also addressed the UN's inaction on major global conflicts, specifically the Russia-Ukraine war and the ongoing Middle East crisis. “Two very serious conflicts are going on in the world. Where is the UN on them? Essentially a bystander. So what is happening is that as you saw even during Covid, countries either did their own thing or you had an initiative like Covax, which was done by a group of countries,” Mr Jaishankar remarked.