The Editorial Page: Between US and Saudi Arabia, Israel is the elephant in the room 10 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2025 Journalism of Courage NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 24 PAGES ₹7.00 (₹8 RAIPUR, ₹15 SRINAGAR) 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 Happening today RESPONSIBLE fOR SPATE Of DEADLY ATTACKS ON SECURITY fORCES lUKRAINIAN PRESIDENT Most wanted Maoist commander Hidma killed in Andhra forest op TRACK THIS AND MORE ON WWW.INDIANExPRESS.COM Had fled Chhattisgarh; was shot dead along with his wife and four others Ruthless tactician, biggest influence on cadre: Killing a big blow to Maoists Sreenivas Janyala, Jayprakash S Naidu & Nikhila Henry Jayprakash S Naidu, Deeptiman Tiwary & Srinivas Janyala Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Turkey in an attempt to jump-start negotiations on ending Russia’s invasion. FOR THE RECORD thE 6th rAmNAth goENkA LEctUrE: ExcErPtS PAgE 13 CBFC exemption pending, Peter Brook’s restored The Mahabharata out of IFFI Goa Divya A New Delhi, November 18 “IT’S AS if someone invited me for dinner and made other plans,” says Simon Brook. Daysfromnow,Brookwasto present a digitally restored version of his father Peter Brook’s acclaimed film The Mahabharata at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. However, the screening of the film, which was cited by the NDA government while rewarding Peter Brook with a PadmaShriin2021,nowstands cancelled owing to some issues pertaining to “CBFC exemption”,BrooktellsTheIndianExpressoverthephonefromParis. »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Hyderabad, Raipur, November 18 MADVI HIDMA (51), the most wanted leader left within the Naxal ranks and the man responsibleforsomeofthebloodiest attacks on security forces, was killed in an encounter in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday morning. Amit Bardar, Superintendent of Police, Alluri Sitarama Chhattisgarh Mathili Sukma Raipur, New Delhi, Hyderabad, November 18 Odisha Dornapal THE bIG PICTURE FOR NEARLY three decades, the name Madvi Hidma had travelled through the forests of Bastar. On Tuesday, that shadowy figure, the Maoists’ most feared battlefield commander and their only tribal leader to rise from a child recruit to the organisation’s top deci- Area of the encounter Maredumilli Andhra Pradesh hUNt for hIdmA: ‘hE wAS oUr NEmESIS oNcE’ P14 Top Maoist Madvi Hidma E. Raju district, told The Indian Express that Hidma alias »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 sion-making bodies, was killed in an encounter with the Andhra Pradesh police. His death, officials say, may be the single biggest blow to the banned CPI (Maoist)inthelast20years,not merely because he was a ruthless tactician responsible for the bloodiest attacks on »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 On Umar phone, a video in which SC recalls own order barring retrospective he speaks of suicide bombing Alok Singh & Bashaarat Masood sumes that he is certain to die at a particular place and time, he goes against the presumption that he will die in a specific situation”. While the Delhi Police said it is verifying the video clip, investigators probing the terror module that Umar was part of saidthecliphadbeenextracted from his mobile phone. Highly placed sources told The Indian Express that Umar had handed over the phone to New Delhi, Srinagar, November 18 INAvideoclipthathassurfaced onsocialmedia,UmarNabi,the doctor who drove the car that exploded near the Red Fort on November 10, is heard talking about“martyrdomoperations” and “suicide bombing”. In the 1-minute-20-second clip, Umar, sitting on a chair in a room, is heard saying “one of Blast accused Umar Nabi the most misunderstood concepts is the concept of suicide bombing… It is a martyrdom operation. When a person as- »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 green nod for projects Ananthakrishnan G New Delhi, November 18 CITING PUBLIC interest and legal flaws, the Supreme Court, in a 2-1 decision Tuesday, recalleditsMay16rulingthathad struck down a Central government notification allowing grant of environmental clearance (EC) for projects ex post facto — in short, clearance for projects after commencement. While Chief Justice of India B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran backed the recall, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan dissented saying the majority decision “overlooksthevery fundamentals of environmental jurisprudence” and “is a step in retrogression”. The matter will now be placedbeforetheCJIforfurther action. »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 AWAMI LEAGUE IN ExILE Hasina party leaders slam death term: ‘India must help our fight’ Say want to go back, contest polls — ‘if there is a level-playing field’ Business as Usual By EP UNNY Ritu Sarin New Delhi, November 18 ADAYafterformerBangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina was awarded the death penalty by an International Crimes Tribunal, and Dhaka asked Delhi to send her back, leaders ofherAwamiLeaguepartywho are in undisclosed locations said they can only return »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 PÀ£ÁðlPÀ 50 YEARS OF DEDICATION, 31 DISTRICTS, 1 MISSION: POLLUTION-FREE KARNATAKA Established in 1974 as a result of the vision of the then Prime Minister of India Smt. Indira Gandhi, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has worked for five decades for soil and water conservation and environmental balance. Now, the organization is celebrating its golden jubilee in 31 districts of the state. Come, Join Hands With Us In A Great Cause To Provide Solutions To The Pollution Problem And Raise Public Awareness. Date: 19-11-2025, Wednesday Time: 11:00 AM Hon'ble Chief Minister Shri Siddaramaiah and Hon'ble Minister for Forests, Ecology and Environment Shri Eshwar Khandre along with Hon'ble Chairman of Karnataka State Pollution Control Board Shri P.M. Narendraswamy at the World Environment Day celebration program. VENUE: ‘Krishna Vihara’, Gate No.01, Palace Grounds, Mekhri Circle, Bangalore-560080 New Delhi Musical Programme By The Renowned Singer Shri Vijay Prakash And His Team