The editorial Page: in democracy’s journey to future, gandhi is the wise guide and co-traveller 10 SAtUrDAy, OCtOBEr 3, 2026 Journalism of Courage kolkATA, lATE cITy, 18 PAGEs ₹6.00 (₹12 in North East states, ₹20 in Andaman) l www.indianexpress.com dA I ly f r o m : A h m E dA b A d , c h A N d I GA r h , d E l h I , j A I P u r , ko l k ATA , l u c k N o w , m u m b A I , N AG P u r , PAT N A , P u N E , vA d o dA r A By EP UNNy FlYdUBaI’S InjUREd IndIan PIlOT RECOVERInG In aBU dHaBI HOSPITal ‘Told myself door right there, do it,’ pilot tells PM; UAE calls attack an act of terror Pilot averted potential catastrophe: UAE official Not just lives, you saved reputation of Indian pilots: Modi praises Machchhar happening today lIndIa wIll take on Pakistan in the men’s gold-medal clash at the Asian Games. Express news Service New Delhi, October 2 jatin anand New Delhi, October 2 A dAy after he was airlifted to theUAefromSaudiArabia,flydubai’s Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar, attacked by a co-pilot who allegedly attempted to crash the plane flying to tel Aviv from dubai, told Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday that as he lay injured in the cockpit, he told himself pM Modi speaks to Captain Machchhar on a video call, Friday. PTI “thiswillbethelastpush,Smit” so“doit,thedoorisrightthere”. that single act of opening the cockpit door allowed passengers and reserve pilots to comeinandsavetheplanewith 174 on board from going down. Ukraine:India sentproposalto endwar,most comprehensive Boxing to wrestling, archery Shubhajit Roy New Delhi, October 2 For the first time since the start of the war between russia and Ukraine in February 2022, India has put forward a “comprehensive” and “broad” proposal to end the war, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Friday. this was disclosed by UkraineafterrussianPresident Vladimir Putin said Prime Minister Narendra Modi “constantly raises the question aboutputtinganendtotheconflict”andhas“verygoodideas”. »COnTInUEd On PaGE 2 Speaking to Modi over a video call from the Abu dhabi hospital where he is being treated for serious injuries, Machchhar said, “In that moment, yes, I was fighting for my »COnTInUEd On PaGE 2 Goldrushattheend eXPreSS At AsiAn GAmes Mihir Vasavda Nagoya, October 2 For NINe days, India waited forthegoldrush.onFriday,itfinally arrived — six in all — to mark the country's best day at »COnTInUEd On PaGE 2 Page 12 is being treated in a hospital in Abu dhabi. Anwar gargash, diplomatic advisor to the UAe President,saidMachchhar“deserves the highest praise”. “In confronting a serious terrorist incident and a potential catastrophe, he embodied courage CJP targets CEC, says ready for 3-month stir; AAP, Left lead protest in Sexual misconduct charge: Delhi, over 500 detained »COnTInUEd On PaGE 2 Hockey umpire from India sent back, he rejects charge apoorva agashe, Ishika Gupta, Pragynesh & nirbhay Thakur Pritish Raj & nitin Sharma to hockey: 6 gold medals power India to table top 5 thisAsiangames,poweringitto the top five in the medals tally. It started with the archers making history and finished with the women's hockey team winning a rare gold. each gold was won against the odds. At the archery competition, the emcee introduced South Korea as a 10-time olympic champion. Kumkum Mohod, the 17-year-old prodigy from Maharashtra, heard that introduction and thought: “but PrAISINgFlydUbAI’SIndian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his “courage and responsibility” in averting “a potential catastrophe”, the UAe Friday called the attack in the cockpit of the passenger aircraft headed to tel Aviv from dubai a “serious terrorist incident”. Machchhar was airlifted to the UAe from Saudi Arabia where the plane had landed Wednesday. Seriously injured in the attack by the co-pilot, he the world Israel Plans rePatrIatIon flIghts for those stranded In Uae hUNdredS joINed protests in Mumbai and delhi Friday to demand the resignation of Chief election Commissioner (CeC) gyanesh Kumar amid questions over the Special Intensiverevision(SIr)ofelectoral rolls. While the Cockroach janta Party (CjP) led the demonstration in Mumbai’s Shivaji Park,whichwentoffpeacefully, over 500 people were detained in the Capital as AAP leaders, leftstudentoutfits,andcivilsociety members tried to make New Delhi, Chandigarh, October 2 Lovlina Borgohain after winning gold in the women’s 75kg boxing event at the Asian Games, Friday. ANI reLAted reports, P 17, 18 AN INterNAtIoNAl hockey umpire from India, gurinder Singh Sangha, has been sent back from the Asian games in japan following allegations of sexual misconduct. he has rejected the allegations and denied any wrongdoing. Sources said Sangha was asked to leave Nagoya Wednesdayafterawomanumpirefrom Malaysia accused him of inappropriate touch and non-consensual physical contact “on the pretext of mentoring her”. Sangha, the sources said, also faces allegations of misbehaviour with a woman staff member at the hotel where he stayedfortheAsiangamesafter allegedlycallinghertohisroom. hockeyIndiasecretarygeneral bholanath Singh, who is in Nagoya, was not available for comment. »COnTInUEd On PaGE 2 Mumbai, New Delhi, October 2 CJp founder Abhijeet dipke at Mumbai protest, Friday. ExPrEss their way to jantar Mantar. In Mumbai, CjP national convener Abhijeet dipke was »COnTInUEd On PaGE 2 ICA/D1518(23)/2026 Business as Usual Kolkata