FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 BRIEFLY Top Maoist with `1 cr bounty among 15 killed in Saranda Op: New Delhi: Security forces on Thursday killed CPI (Maoist) central committee member and top leader ‘Anal Da,’ carrying a bounty of Rs 1 crore, in a fierce encounter in the Saranda forests of Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district. Reports indicate that at least 14 other Maoists were also killed. Confirming the development, IG (Operations) Michael Raj said Anal Da, also known as Patiram Manjhi, was killed during a prolonged gunfight between Maoist cadres and joint security forces. The encounter took place near Kumbhdiha village within the Chotanagra police station limits. According to Jharkhand Police, the exchange of fire began around 6 a.m. on 22 January after intelligence inputs suggested that a Maoist squad led by Anal Da was planning a major strike. Page 7 | Pages 16 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA LC | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR B’desh board sticks to stance, won’t play matches in India TRIDIB BAPARNASH New Delhi, 22 January T he Bangladesh cricket board has maintained its refusal to send its national team to India for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, even after the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday warned that the team could be replaced if it continued to push for an alternative venue. The position was reaffirmed following a meeting in Dhaka on Thursday involving Bangladesh’s sports adviser Asif Nazrul, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Aminul Islam, CEO Nizamuddin and several national team players. The outcome leaves Bangladesh facing the possibility of missing the tournament, which begins on 7 February. A group of senior players, including Nurul Hasan, Shamim Hossain, Hasan Mahmud, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Jaker Ali and Saif Hassan, attended the meeting, underscoring the seriousness of the situation as the deadline set by the ICC approaches. Addressing the media after the meeting, BCB president Aminul said the board would continue to push for a venue change. “We will go back to the ICC with our plan to play in Sri Lanka,” Aminul said. “They did give us a 24-hour ultimatum but a global body can't really do that. ICC will miss out on 200 million people watching the World Cup. It will be their loss.” Mr Nazrul escalated the standoff with the International Cricket Council by accusing the global body of failing to deliver justice over the country’s security concerns ahead of the T20 World Cup in India. “I think we did not get justice from ICC. Whether we will play in the World Cup or not is entirely a government decision. Nothing happened in India in the recent past that suggests things have changed there (security- wise). We hope ICC will give us justice.” In the original schedule released by the ICC, Bangladesh are placed in Group C alongside England, Italy, West Indies and Nepal, and are set to play their first three matches in Kolkata before concluding the group stage in Mumbai. Their opening fixture is against West Indies on 7 February, the first day of the tournament. If Bangladesh are removed from the tournament, Scotland are the frontrunners to take their place in Group C. Scotland narrowly missed qualification for the 2026 T20 World Cup, finishing behind the Netherlands, Italy and Jersey at the European Qualifier. The issue of security was raised by the Bangladesh government and BCB, a day after a directive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on January 3, asking Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad. | Friday, 23 January 2026 ECI, not people, is now deciding who will come to power: Mamata STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata, 22 January Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday urged people to protest against what she described as harassment by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the name of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Speaking after inaugurating the Kolkata International Book Fair at Boimela Prangan in Salt Lake this afternoon, Miss Banerjee alleged that the democratic rights of people were being systematically undermined. “Earlier, it was not the Election Commission but the people who decided who would come to power and who would not. Now the Commission itself is deciding in advance who will be brought in. People’s democratic rights are being snatched away. Everyone must protest against this,” Miss Banerjee said. She alleged that under the pretext of “logical discrepancy,” the ECI has been issuing notices to voters, compelling them to appear for hearings. “I visited a dental clinic yesterday and found that all eight persons working there had received notices. I have spoken to many doctors and engineers, and they too have been asked to appear before hearings. Such discrepancies were not raised in Bihar where SIR was conducted, but here they are carrying out this inhuman exercise. I appeal to everyone to protest against this harassment,” she said. Miss Banerjee has also authored a book of poems in Bengali protesting against the SIR issue, titled SIR Chabbishe Chabbish. Speaking about the book fair, she remarked: “Books do not have any geographic boundary. People from Bengal who have achieved academic distinction abroad were taught by our teachers and read books published here. They have made us proud. The Kolkata International Book Fair is a centre of cultural exchange and dialogue, where everyone can express their views.” Nine of her books were released at the inaugural function. These include Amar Rail Bela (Bengali), Mother Nature of Bengal: Rhyme and Reflection (Bengali and English), Amar Para Amar Samadhan, Katha Bhandar, and Punyobhumi Bangla (all in Bengali), as well as In Service of the People (English). To date, Miss Banerjee has authored 162 books.