FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 12 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR | LUCKNOW | SILIGURI | SPORTS BUSINESS NATION Kharge questions ECI’s VIP voters calls SIR ‘Frankenstein monster’ India-New Zealand FTA to come into force on October 20: Piyush Goyal WORLD Trump weighs Iran options, asks ‘if and when’ to strike Page 11 Page 5 BRIEFLY Air Marshal (retd) Jitendra Mishra takes charge as first CEO of Ram Temple Trust: Ayodhya: Air Marshal (Retd.) Jitendra Mishra on Monday took charge as the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust here. The CEO will operate from his office at the PFC Centre located within the Ram Temple complex. Mr Mishra's primary responsibilities will include managing facilities for the large number of devotees visiting the Ram Temple daily. He will regularly review darshan arrangements, the movement of devotees, facilities, security, and various other activities related to the temple complex. He is also expected to review on-site work related to temple construction, operational arrangements and facilities for pilgrims. Page 10 IIT Bombay faculty backs prof amid student protests STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Mumbai, 21 September T he Faculty Forum of IIT Bombay has expressed solidarity with Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who is at the centre of a controversy involving BTech student Sahil Wakode, who allegedly committed suicide. At around 4.30 p.m. on Monday evening, members of the Faculty Forum of IIT Bombay held a campus march in support of Doolla, who has been named as an accused in the police FIR, after Sahil Wakode’s father filed a police complaint, alleging that his son was subjected to casteist harassment. Based on the complaint, the Powai police registered an FIR under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), pertaining to abetment of suicide, along with provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention Shah to open meet of anti-drug forces’ chiefs from all states, UTs STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 21 September Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah will inaugurate the 3rd National Conference of Anti-Narcotics Task Forces (ANTF) from 28 states and 8 Union territories here on Tuesday. On the occasion, Mr Shah will also release TVCs to spread awareness against drugs and lay foundation stones for the new complexes of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Zones in Lucknow and Dehradun. The best-performing ANTF among the states and Union Territories will also be felicitated during the event, along with the launch of the revamped NCB website. The two-day conference, organised by the NCB, will be attended by Heads of ANTFs from from 28 states and 8 Union territories, along with representatives from other concerned government departments and stakeholders. of Atrocities) Act. The Mumbai Police transferred the case to the Crime Branch on Saturday night, and officials said the professor and others are likely to be questioned as part of the investigation. The Faculty Forum of IIT Bombay also issued a press release defending Doolla and disputing reports that he has been suspended from IIT Bombay. “The Faculty Forum of IIT Bombay stands strongly with our colleague Professor Suryanarayana Doolla. We would like to clarify that contrary to several reports in the media, Professor Suryanarayana Doolla has not been suspended from his service in IIT Bombay, and continues to be a member of the faculty of the institute in good standing. We are given to understand that he has been temporarily relieved from his duties as Dean (Administrative Affairs) of the institute, to enable independent and unbiased investigation of the unfortunate incident on 18 September 2026, the Forum stated. “We are distressed by the vilification of our colleague’s reputation by false and misleading reports that have appeared in the media,” according to the press release issued by the Faculty Forum of IIT Bombay. The press release was issued in the name of Forum President Professor Rajkumar S Pant.. Meanwhile, IIT Bombay administration tweeted an official statement on its X handle Monday stating, “We apologise for the statements contained in our earlier communication concerning the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate demise of Sahil. The details and circumstances leading up to the incident remain subject to investigation by the appropriate authorities. In view of the ongoing investigation, it was inappropriate to have set out or characterised details relating to the events preceding his demise before they had been duly established through the appropriate investigative process”. Mumbai, 21 September Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata has hired senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi (photo, left) to helm the fight on its behalf, while senior lawyer Harish Salve (photo, right)has begun to defend the position taken by the Tata Group holding company Tata Sons regarding the reappointment of its Executive Chairman N Chandrasekaran, sources stated here on Monday. All constituents under the Tata Trusts umbrella collectively own a 66 per cent majority stake in holding company Tata Sons, which reappointed N Chandrasekaran for a third term on 17 September, though Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata wanted him to step down and sought to ensure Tata Sons remains a private company, unlisted on any stock exchange. Singhvi, who will fight the legal battle for Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata, said that the fundamental rights of shareholder-owners cannot be nullified in the manner Tata Sons has done. “To stultify shareholder ownership rights would spell doomsday for corporate governance across hundreds of Indian companies. To stymie democratic intra-Trust decision-making by Tata Trusts by putting a sudden and completely unwarranted fetter on even their convening for a meeting is another matter of patent legality,” Abhishek Manu Singhvi told media persons. Singhvi, who has worked closely with Tata Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata in the Cyrus Mistry case said, “Rupturing more than 100 years of Tata Trusts and Tata Sons’ established hyphenated relationship and divorcing one from the other seems unthinkable. Ignoring the unvarying precondition of Tata Trusts’ unanimity in voting and the clear veto in provisions applied without cavil for decades appears patently unjustified”. However, senior lawyer Harish Salve defended the In UP, BJP banks on ‘Bihar formula’ to counter Samajwadi challenge VIBHA SHARMA New Delhi, 21 September Facing serious issues like anti-incumbency, a perceptible upper-caste discontent and the challenge of balancing the aspirations of other castes amid it, the ruling BJP is hoping to replicate its successful Bihar strategy in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh ~ highlighting law-and-order and administrative issues associated with the opposition’s rule ~ to counter main challenger, the Samajwadi Party. As they used the “jungle raj” narrative against the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in neighbouring Bihar, saffron strategists think a similar campaign around “law and order and dominance of one particular caste during the SP’s rule” can help attract voters across the caste groups. The SP, like the RJD, also faces legacy issues, say BJP leaders. Seeking a third consecutive term, the BJP is confronting multiple challenges with factors such as Gen Z and “discontent” among upper castes adding. The party is facing considerable criticism over the University Grants Asian Games cricket: India seek continental dominance, Sri Lanka aim for final upset Page 12 Jamui incident sparks political outcry over women’s safety in Bihar IMRAN MOJIB Patna, 21 September A video showing a minor girl and her fellow Class 10 student being stopped, harassed and assaulted on a road in Jamui has triggered widespread outrage across Bihar, prompting police to arrest three people and launch a wider investigation into the incident. The main accused, however, remains at large, while five people have so far been identified in connection with the case. Jamui SP Vishwajeet Dayal said the incident occurred on 19 September. No complaint had been lodged with the police until Sunday, and the incident came to light after the video surfaced and went viral. The police subsequently contacted the victim’s family and registered an FIR under the POCSO Act. An SIT has also been constituted to conduct further investigation into the case. The three arrested accused~ Mithilesh Kumar, Pramod Abhishek Manu Singhvi to fight for Tata Trusts, Harish Salve to defend Tata Sons STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE The discussions are expected to generate actionable strategies to further strengthen drug law enforcement and keep the youth of the country away from drugs. The national event will also seek to further deepen a future-ready partnership between NCB and the ANTFs to combat drug abuse and realise the vision of a Drug-Free India. The Government is working in ‘mission mode’ to protect the nation’s youth from the adverse effects of drug abuse. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set the goal of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047, and realising this vision is not possible without a drug-free India. Tuesday, 22 September 2026 Commission’s equity regulations which have been challenged in the court. Meanwhile, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, who successfully used the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit and Alpsankhyak) formula in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections is now seeking to consolidate the Hindu vote, especially upper-caste communities such as Brahmins, Thakurs and Banias. Sources say BJP’s upper caste MLAs have raised concerns on the issue. While there are no definitive figures, forward castes ~ including Brahmins, Banias and Thakurs ~ are estimated to constitute 20-25 per cent of the state’s population. Apart from issues such as price rise and unemployment, rivals SP and Congress are also raising issue related to alleged donation theft at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya Party leaders acknowledge that any unrest in the so-called savarna jatis can hurt the party’s prospects, particularly in Purvanchal. The party is also examining the socio-political reasons for the losses in the 2022 Assembly and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and hearing grievances and complaints of different sections and caste groups. Under the new state-incharge and national general secretary Vinod Tawde, the party is strengthening its grassroots, hoping that new outreach towards different castes will deflect attention from the donation theft at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya that had become a core element of the SP’s election campaign. Incidentally, Tawde’s appointment as the BJP election in-charge for Uttar Pradesh comes on the back of his successful tenure as the party’s Bihar in-charge, where his tactical management delivered strong results.The BJP leadership believes his experience and the ‘Bihar formula” will help the party get a historic hat-trick win in Uttar Pradesh. reappointment of Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekharan and the position taken by Tata Sons. Salve argued that the sheer size of the holding company Tata Sons justified regulatory oversight and higher corporate governance standards. “Tata Sons is roughly valued at around US $20-25 billion. The Tata Group itself plus Tata Sons is valued at US $270 billion. If anything happens to Tata Sons, it will affect our economy. The threshold for an upper-layer non-banking finance company (NBFC) like Tata Sons is high. Is it unreasonable for a company of the size of Tata Sons to be subject to enhanced regulatory standards? What happens when the regulator says, list yourself? Besides, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has the right of oversight over who is appointed on the Tata Sons board,” Tata Sons lawyer Harish Salve stated. Kumar and Golu Kumar, reportedly aged between 25 and 26 ~ are being questioned while police examine other aspects of the incident as part of the ongoing investigation. Bihar State Commission for Women Chairperson Apsara Mishra took suo motu cognizance of the viral video and directed the Jamui District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police to ensure immediate strict action against all involved. The National Commission for Women (NCW) also intervened, directing the Bihar DGP to ensure speedy arrests and a time-bound investigation. The incident has also triggered a political response, with opposition leaders questioning the state government over women’s safety and the law-and-order situation in Bihar. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi described the video from Jamui as deeply disturbing and questioned why a girl was not safe on a public road at 7 pm. In a post on X, Gandhi said two Class 10 students had been stopped on a road and subjected to harassment, humiliation and molestation. He said the girl, with her hands folded, had pleaded to be allowed to leave while the men allegedly groped and dragged her away. “Who gave these men the right to behave like this? This is not ‘culture.’ It is patriarchy: the belief that any man can police a girl’s body, her movement, her choices. When control is mistaken for culture, and such attitudes are normalised by Andhbhakts, mobs start believing they are the law,” he wrote. BJP wins 198 Raj civic posts, Congress gets 94 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Jaipur, 21 September Ruling BJP nominees have won the posts of mayor or chairperson in 198 of the 302 civic bodies for which results have so far been announced by the Rajasthan State Election Commission. The Opposition Congress finished second, securing 94 mayoral or chairperson posts, including the Bikaner Municipal Corporation. A total of 309 civic bodies, including 10 municipal corporations, went to polls in two phases on September 9 and 11. Elections for mayors and chairpersons in 305 civic bodies, including five municipal corporations — Alwar, Ajmer, Bikaner, Udaipur and Pali were held on Monday. The elections in four civic bodies, including the Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota municipal corporations, were deferred until September 25 following orders for repolling in around 10 wards. Besides the BJP and Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, CPI(M) and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party won one post each, while Independents secured seven. Results in three civic bodies were yet to be announced. BJP nominees were elected mayors in Alwar, Ajmer, Udaipur and Pali. In Bharatpur and Bhilwara, BJP candidates had already been elected unopposed. The Congress registered a convincing victory in Bikaner, where its nominee Anil Kalla defeated BJP candidate Surendra Singh by 20 votes. Kalla, nephew of former Congress minister B D Kalla, secured 50 votes, eight more than the Congress's strength of 42 in the 80-member House. He also received seven votes from Independents and one from the lone RLP corporator. Singh secured three additional votes from Independents. The BJP described the results as a "landslide" victory, saying they endorsed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's development agenda and the "good governance" of the Bhajan Lal Sharma-led government. PM mourns death of Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai declares 10-day mourning STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 21 September Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed deep sorrow over the passing of Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (photo), the younger brother of United Arab Emirates Vice President and Prime Minister and Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and conveyed his condolences to the Al Maktoum royal family and the people of Dubai. In a post on social media platform X, Modi said: “Deeply saddened by the passing of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. His efforts to serve society will be cherished by generations to come.” “I convey heartfelt condolences to the Royal Family and the people of Dubai. May his soul rest in eternal peace,” the Prime Minister added. Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum died on Monday at the age of 76, according to the Dubai Ruler’s Court. Following his death, Dubai announced a 10-day period of official mourning, beginning Monday, during which flags across the emirate will be flown at half-mast. Sheikh Ahmed, the fourth and youngest son of former Dubai ruler Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, held several prominent public and institutional responsibilities. He served as Deputy Chairman of Dubai Police and Public Security, chaired A R M Holding and the Dubai Real Estate Centre, and was associated with Al Wasl Football Club as its chairman. He also had a military career and graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in Britain in 1975. His death has prompted condolences from UAE leaders and officials, with tributes highlighting his contributions to public service and the development of the emirate. Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum also mourned his brother, writing that Sheikh Ahmed was “absent from our eyes but not from our prayers and hearts”.