ex-PM’s responsibility for uprising deaths saturdAY 08 Sheikh Hasina says that, as the then leader of Bangladesh, she takes responsibility for the death of people who protested against her rule in July-August last year, but asserts that she did not direct the actions of security forces on the ground november, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard R a r e e a r t h m e ta l s Trump turns to Central Asia US President Trump hosted leaders of five Central Asian countries at the White House on Thursday, as he intensifies hunt for rare earth metals Page 9 A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS l New Delhi l J8.00 PAGES 12 l keen to fight elections: Hasina from hideout Gautam Lahiri Independent journalist A fter 15 months of her stay in an undisclosed location in India, exiled former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina has finally spoken her mind in an exclusive e-mail interview. For the first time, she accepts “leadership responsibility” for the killing of citizens during the mass protest against her government from July 15 to August 5, 2024. Here’s the full text of the interview: The Bangladeshi authorities have banned the Awami League from contesting the general elections early next year. Are your party members considering running as independents? The decision to ban the Awami League is deeply undemocratic and a clear violation of Bangladesh’s constitution and of the fundamental rights of the electorate. It short-changes millions of people. Historically, when parties have not participated in previous elections, Bangladeshi voters have simply not voted, rather than transfer their vote press clusive to other parties. So our priority is to continue fighting for the rights of our voters. If the Awami League and its members refuse to contest elections in any form, what do you think the impact will be for Bangladesh? We are not refusing to contest elections. On the contrary we , ardently wish to participate. But we have been banned from doing so by an administration that is itself unelected and which clearly has no respect for democracy . We have to break this cycle of parties either boycotting elections or being banned, because it undermines the legitimacy of the gover nment. Bangladesh badly needs to hold a free, fair and inclusive election, so that the country can begin to heal and move towards reconciliation. You cannot achieve this by banning the Awami League. We are woven into the country’s modern history and independence, and tens of millions support us. A report by the Human Rights Watch estimates that When parties don’t participate in polls, Bangladeshi voters have simply not voted, rather than transfer their vote to others around 1,400 people were killed and thousands were injured during the anti-government protests between July 15 and August 5 over a year ago. The report says the vast majority were shot by Bangladesh’s security forces. As the Prime Minister at the time, do you take responsibility for the state-inflicted violence that led to your ouster? I mourn each and every life lost in the tragic violence of last summer’s uprising. As the country’s leader, I ultimately take leadership responsibility but the implication that I ordered or directed the actions of the security forces on the ground is fundamentally incorrect. All actions were taken in good faith and with the sole intention of minimising the loss of life or the further breakdown in law and order. Top court fiat to clear public spaces nationwide of stray dogs and cattle Send them to designated shelters after sterilisation, vaccination, says three-judge bench s u c h i t r a k a lya n m o h a n t y @ New Delhi PM Narendra Modi releasing a commemorative coin, stamp of Vande Mataram | PTI Vande Mataram’s cuts sowed seeds of Partition: Modi Pa r v e z S u lta n @ New Delhi In a veiled criticism of the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said significant stanzas of the ‘Vande Mataram’ were axed in 1937, which sowed the seeds of Partition. He further asserted that ‘divisive philosophy’ is still a challenge before the country . “The spirit of Vande Mataram illuminated the entire nation during the freedom struggle. But unfortunately in 1937, , the key verses of Vande Mataram, a part of its soul, were separated. This division of Vande Mataram also sowed the seeds of the nation’s division. Why was this great mantra of nation-building treated with such injustice? This is important for today’s generation to understand because that divisive thinking remains a challenge for the country even today Modi said. ,” He was speaking at the inauguration of the year-long commemoration of 150 years of the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ in New Delhi. He also released a commemorative stamp and coin on the occasion. The PM remarked that those who consider the nation a geopolitical entity, may find the idea of treating the nation as a mother puzzling. “But India is different. In India, the mother is the giver of birth, the nur- Authored by Bankim on November 7, 1875 Vande Mataram was written by Bankimchandra Chatterji on Akshaya Navami, which was on November 7, 1875. The song first appeared in the literary journal Bangadarshan as part of his novel Anandamath turer, and when her children are in danger, she is also the destroyer of evil. In the past, the world has seen the rise of this form of India,” he said. Noting that Vande Mataram is relevant in every era, in an apparent reference to Operation Sindoor, he said, “When the enemy dared to attack India’s security and honour through terrorism, the whole world saw that if the new India is the embodiment of Kamala and Vimala (forms of Goddess Durga) for the service of humanity, then it also knows to become Durga — the wielder of 10 weapons — for the destruction of terror,” Modi added. The PM said Vande Mataram is not merely a word; it is a mantra, energy a dream, and a , solemn resolve. “This one word fills our present with self-confidence, and gives new courage to our future. There is no such goal that we Indians cannot achieve,” said Modi. P7 IN a sweeping directive on Friday, the Supreme Court ordered the removal of stray dogs from educational institutions, hospitals, railway stations, bus stands and other public places, directing that they be relocated to shelters following sterilisation. The court made it clear that stray dogs cannot be released back into the areas from which they are picked up. A special three-judge bench comprising justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N V Anjaria issued the order while hearing a long-pending case on stray dogs. “Every stray dog shall be forthwith removed from such premises and relocated to a shelter after sterilisation. They shall not be released in the same area,” the bench said. The bench held that the recurrence of dog bite incidents within institutional areas, including sports complexes, re- Highlights of the Sc order SC has made it the responsibility of the municipal body to remove stray dogs 1 School, colleges to conduct awareness sessions on first-aid in dog bite cases, reporting protocols 2 Dedicated highway patrol teams to be formed to report in case of cattle blocking highway flected not only administrative apathy but also a “systemic failure” to secure these premises from preventable hazards. The court expressed concern that India continues to report one of the world’s highest stat i s t i c s o f r ab i e s - re l at e d mortality . The bench then directed authorities to ensure the removal of all cattle and other stray animals from state highways, 3 All govt and private hospitals to maintain a stock of antirabies vaccines 4 SC says all highways to prominently display helpline numbers at regular intervals national highways and expressways, stating that “it is a matter of grave and continuing public concern... that accidents caused by cattle on publ i c r o a d s h ave b e c o m e alarmingly frequent.” The bench categorised its order in three parts. The first dealt with compliance, and mandated all states and Union Territories to submit comprehensive affidavits within eight weeks, detailing steps taken to address lapses identified in the amicus curiae’s report. Chief Secretaries will be held accountable for lapses, it said. The second part reaffirmed an earlier Rajasthan High Court directions on stray cattle, instructing all states to conduct joint drives to remove stray animals from highways. The third part requires all states and UTs to identify government institutions, hospitals, sports complexes, railway stations, and bus terminals within two weeks and secure them with fencing to prevent stray animal ingress. Local bodies and panchayats must inspect all listed premises once every three months. Any failure will attract strict action against responsible officials. The Supreme Court was hearing a suo motu case, initiated on July 28 over a media report on stray dog bites leading to rabies, particularly among children, in the national capital. The next hearing is on January 13. ATC glitch hits IGIA ops, over 300 flights delayed J i t e n d r a C h o u b e y @ New Delhi Chaos at Delhi airport People wait outside the arrivals gate at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. The Delhi airport, the country’s busiest, plunged into chaos on Friday as flights were delayed due to tech glitches in the air traffic control system | pti A major glitch in the air traffic control (ATC) system at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport caused widespread delays for hundreds of departing flights on Thursday and Friday , creating a ripple effect across the country . By early Friday evening, more than 400 flights had been delayed at Delhi’s IGI Airport, according to data from flight tracker Flightradar24. The average delay time was 55 minutes with a disruption index of 4.7 on a scale of 5. There are also reports of dozens of flights impacted at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Inter- national Airport. Delhi International Airport Limited stated that flight operations in Delhi had been disrupted due to an ongoing issue with the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS). Passengers were advised to follow their airlines’ updates on revised schedules. The AMSS is critical as it provides essential information, including automatic flight plans, to the Auto Track System used by air traffic controllers. The glitches primarily affected departing flights, leading to a cascading effect on arrival flights that faced delays due to a lack of parking space occupied by departing aircraft. Muthoot Finance: 208 tonnes More gold with Kerala NBFCs than in UK reserves! KSFE: 67.22 tonnes RA J E S H ABRAHA M @ Kochi Manappuram Finance: 56.4 tonnes IF Kerala’s non-banking financiers were a country they would , rank 16th in the world for gold reserves — right after Portugal and ahead of the United Kingdom, Spain, and Austria. Together, Kerala-based non-banking financial companies Muthoot FinCorp: 43.69 tonnes Indel Money: 6 tonnes Total: 381 tonnes (Source: Annual reports) (NBFCs) now hold 381 tonnes of gold, a stash that surpasses the official reserves of several European nations. The combined holdings of Muthoot Finance, Manappuram Finance, Muthoot FinCorp, Kerala State Financial Enterprises Ltd (KSFE), and Indel Money outweigh the gold reserves of Spain (282 tonnes) and UK (310 tonnes). That is gold worth `4.6 lakh crore, based on current prices. Kerala’s NBFCs have built up this vast reserve over decades, where the business of gold loans has become culturally rooted. “In tier-3, tier-4, and tier-5 cit- Continued on P9 subroto park Dhaula Kuan traffic snarls to end soon, road work begins Pa r v e z S u lta n @ New Delhi Motorists commuting between Delhi and Gurugram and people travelling to Indira Gandhi International Airport can expect relief from traffic snarls soon, as the National Highways Authority of India is widening the left-hand side carriageway towards Gurugram from two lanes to four near the Subroto Park Air Force Station. The work to improve traffic flow between Dhaula Kuan and the airport will help remove the traffic bottleneck at the start of the Parade Road underpass, where traffic movement is restricted, officials of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said. At this junction, the road narrows from four to two lanes due to a metro pillar at the edge of the carriageway To create space . for road widening, relocation of the drain, peripheral road, and construction of the Air Force station are being carried out. The project is expected to be completed in about six months, which will also includes construction of a new foot overbridge near the Air Force station at the start of the Rao Tula Ram flyover. “Widening of this section will bring significant improvement to the infrastructure and transportation network in the N at i o n a l C ap i t a l Re g i o n and enhance Delhi–Gurugram connectivity,” added ministry officials. Road to Airport In 2018, NHAI opened a 600-metre slip road through Subroto Park This road eased congestion on the stretch between Subroto Park crossing and Parade Road intersection The junction is used by people going to the airport and Gurugram Traffic crawls at this point as four lanes merge into two Roughly 3.5–4 lakh vehicles pass through this stretch daily Express read H u ge h o l d i n g GOLD HOLDINGS As for the UN’s fatality estimate, we dispute that figure. It is significantly higher than the Ministry of Health’s own calculations and is based on undocumented and closely controlled evidence supplied to the UN Human Rights Commissioner by the interim government. It also appears to contain many members of the security forces and Awami League officials killed in the riots, but that hasn’t been made clear. The government has had over 15 months to arrive at an accurate death count, yet has still not published a definitive list of the dead. ies, gold loans are the first preference for any immediate requirement,” says Umesh Mohanan, CEO, Indel Money . With RBI tightening unsecured lending rules, NBFCs find themselves in a sweet spot. Borrowers prefer gold-backed credit, where funds are instant, secured, and flexible. Muthoot FinCorp, attributes the growth to disciplined borrowers. “We aren’t seeing customers rush back to borrow more just because prices are up,” says CEO Shaji Varghese. “Though the loan tenure is 12 months, most customers close the loan when their purpose is met and move on.” Explore blockchain tech for land registration: SC Flagging systemic deficiencies in colonial-era property laws, the Supreme Court on Friday batted for a nationwide reform by asking the Law Commission to examine using the blockchain technology for restructuring property registration process. Blockchain technology creates a secure, transparent, and immutable digital ledger for all property transactions.