The Editorial Page: For Putin, a political win; for India, a stable partner 10 SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2025 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 Happening today lGeRmAn ChAnCelloR Friedrich Merz arrives in Israel, the first visit by a major EU head of government since the ICC issued an arrest warrant for PM Benjamin Netanyahu last year. 16 pACTs siGned dURinG RUssiAn pResidenT’s sTATe VisiT Modi, Putin chart roadmap: Labour mobility, n-energy, trade & defence TRACk This And moRe on www.indiAnexpRess.Com Our relationship has stood the test of time: PM; we work closely, says Putin THE WORLD PAGE 12 Shubhajit Roy New Delhi, December 5 PROGRESS IN TALKS WITH U.S., WILL ENGAGE FURTHER: RUSSIA As Tezpur varsity protest flares, its Finance Officer gets a new job in Sikkim University sukrita Baruah Guwahati, December 5 While teZPur university has been in tumult with protests by staff and students against its Vice-Chancellor, the institute’s Finance officer, who has also been a subject of the protestors’ ire, took charge as officer on Special Duty (oSD) to the Vice-Chancellor of another central institute, Sikkim university, this month. the official, Braja Bandhu Mishra, who had been holding the Finance officer’s post through an extension after his superannuation in May, has denied any wrongdoing on his end and said that he decided to ask to be relieved of his position in tezpur university because of the adversarial climate there, and had applied to positions in multiple universities after serving his notice on october 30. the ongoing protests at tezpur university began in late »ConTinUed on pAGe 2 DEEPENING THEIR ties as the world watched india roll out the red carpet for visiting russian President Vladimir Putin, Delhi and Moscow Friday signed a labour mobility pact, agreed on a programme for developing strategic areas of economic cooperation until 2030, announced a 30-day free tourist visa for russian nationals and pledged to work towards early conclusion of a free trade agreement with the eurasian economic union. these were the key outcomes of bilateral talks between Putin and Prime Minister narendra Modi in the Capital and meetings of delegations of the two sides, wrapping up the russian President’s first visit to the country since the start of the ukraine war in February 2022. World capitals tracked the state visit amid efforts by the uS to force an end to the ukraine war after penalising india for its import of russian oil which the trump administration claimed was funding Putin’s war machine. incidentally, there was no mention of ukraine in the joint statement issued in Delhi although both Modi and Putin spoke about it. Following the Modi-Putin Business as Usual By EP UNNY Repo rate cut 25 bp to 5.25%; ‘rare Goldilocks period’: RBI Governor talks, the two sides inked 16 pacts, ranging from health to maritime cooperation, fertiliser to customs, academic to media collaboration. Defence and nuclear energy cooperation dominated discussions. Praising Putin, Modi said, “over the past two-and-a-halfdecades, he has continually nurtured this relationship with his leadership and vision. his leadership has elevated our mutual ties to new heights in every circumstance. i sincerely thank President Putin, my friend, for his deep friendship with india, and his unwavering commitment.” »ConTinUed on pAGe 2 hitesh Vyas President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a ceremonial reception at rashtrapati Bhavan, Friday. rENUKa PUrI related rePortS, Page 7 shubhajit Roy New Delhi, December 5 president putin at Rajghat on Friday. PravEEN KhaNNa Ravik Bhattacharya Kolkata, December 5 With the war in ukraine grinding on, amid efforts by the uS and its european allies to bring it to an end, and all eyes on his meetings with the visiting russian President, Prime Minister narendra Modi told Vladimir Putin Friday that “india is not neutral, india is on Bibi (32) and her two children aged 16 and six, who all hail »ConTinUed on pAGe 2 bal and regional problems”, Putin said, “We confirmed the convergence of our positions. Both russia and india conduct an independent and sovereign foreign policy” and promote a “just, democratic and multipolar world order.” What did not go unnoticed was that the two leaders did not mention the word “war” or »ConTinUed on pAGe 2 E. EXPLAINED Sticking to mandate Inflation has been well below the lower tolerance band of 2 per cent. So RBI stuck to its core mandate and did not get distracted by any other temptations such as targeting the rupee, deposit rates, or economic growth. has been firing ahead of expectations, prompting the rBi to sharply lift its GDP projection for FY26 by 50 bps to 7.3 per cent from 6.8 per cent earlier. at the same time, headline inflation has continued to ease, allowing the central bank to trim its Consumer Price index (CPi) forecast to 2 per cent from 2.6 per cent. »ConTinUed on pAGe 2 One-time exemption until February 10, no dilution in new norms, says Govt New Delhi, December 5 desh Border Guard (BGB). Sunali, her husband Danish Sheikh, their son and Sweety the side of peace” and “we support all efforts towards peace”. Putin, on his part, did not give away much about their discussion on the war. he said he had the opportunity to speak in “detail on the situation in ukraine” and on the talks initiated by the uS towards a “possible peaceful settlement of this crisis”. While discussing “key glo- BuoYeD BY stronger-than-expected economic momentum and a steady cooling in inflation, the reserve Bank of india’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) on Friday unanimously cut the repo rate by 25 basis points (bps) to 5.25 per cent, a move that is likely to bring down lending and deposit rates across the banking system. the reduction — the first after two consecutive pauses — signals a calibrated shift towards supporting growth at a time when the rupee has depreciated and breached the 90mark against the dollar. the central bank said the combination of robust GDP numbers and a benign inflation trajectory created the policy space to pivot toward accommodation. the growth engine 1,000 flights cancelled, Govt rolls back rules for IndiGo sukalp sharma Sunali Khatun in Malda on Friday. PTI rBi governor Sanjay Malhotra in Mumbai. SaNKhadEEP BaNErjEE Mumbai, December 5 After ‘not the era of war’, PM’s line: India not neutral... on side of peace Pushed into Bangladesh over 5 months back, pregnant Sunali, son back in India Sunali Khatun (25), a pregnant woman who along with two of her family members and others was pushed into Bangladesh in June this year on suspicion of being an illegal immigrant, returned to india on Friday with her eight-year-old son  following the Supreme Court's intervention, officials said. the mother-son duo entered the indian territory from the Mehadipur border outpost in West Bengal's Malda district following a flag meeting between the BSF and the Bangla- GDP growth forecast raised to 7.3% in FY26, inflation estimate trimmed to 2% aMiD MaSSiVe disruptions being faced by indiGo, with over 1,000 flight cancellations on Friday alone, the Directorate General of Civil aviation (DGCa) granted the airline a temporary one-time exemption from a few changes related to night operations for pilots in the new Flight Duty time limitation (FDtl) norms — and other relaxations to augment its pilot strength. the temporary rollback, which will be in place until February 10, is for the carrier’s airbus a320 fleet. Civil aviation Minister K rammohan naidu said the decision has been taken solely in the interest of passengers and, along with other measures, will help indiGo’s schedule return to normal by Saturday with complete restoration of services within the next three days. the DGCa has also released 12 Flight operations inspectors (Fois) on deputation with it from indiGo for flying duties »ConTinUed on pAGe 2 Passengers wait at netaji Subash chandra Bose international airport, Kolkata, on Friday. ParTha PaUl l conStruction could Start aFter March next year; SoMe donationS have Started tricKling in 6 years after Ayodhya verdict, new mosque still work in progress: Design is in maulshree seth paring to submit a structural map to the authorities. So the earliest any work, also dragged aS another December 6 down due to lack of donations, comes around, 34 years after can begin is after March 2026. the Babri Masjid was demolthe Supreme Court which ished in ayodhya and nearly awarded the disputed ayodhya two years after a ram temple site to the hindu side in 2019 was inaugurated on its spot, had ordered 5 acres of land at a construction is yet to start on “suitable, prominent place in the alternative ground given to ayodhya” for the new mosque. the uttar Pradesh the Muslim side to PAGE 1 build a mosque. government had the indo-islamic then allotted land in Cultural FoundaDhannipur to the tion, which has been given a 5- state’s Sunni Central Waqf acre plot in the middle of the Board in 2020, which formed fields in Dhannipur village in the indo islamic Cultural Founayodhya, 25 km from the de- dation trust for the purpose of molished Babri site, for con- the construction. struction of the mosque, is prethe mosque that will come Lucknow, December 5 anchor up is to be known as ‘Mohammad bin abdullah Masjid’. Zufar ahmad Faruqi, the chairman of the foundation, admits “there is nothing on the ground yet”. “earlier, we changed one design submitted for the mosque following discussions, and based on the new one, a structural map is being prepared. We hope to submit it to ayodhya Development authority by the end of this month.” Sources said that once the map is submitted, it will take at least three months for approval. Foundation members remain apprehensive about funds, though there has been some spurt since the new design was decided. “Funds are a 5-acre plot for the mosque in dhannipur village in ayodhya; (right) the final design of the mosque. vIShal SrIvaSTav coming, but they are just trickling in,” Faruqi told The Indian Express. the earlier design of the mosque, unveiled in 2021, was seen as too “modern” and “futuristic”, with a skylit glass dome. Sources said this was not received well by the community, and was the reason behind the reluctance to donate. the new design is in a more traditional style, with five minars and traditional dome structures. to attract a broader group of donors, the mosque foundation is highlighting other initiatives which will be part of the structure, including a hospital, community kitchen, and an indo-islamic Cultural research Centre, with an archives and museum. the foundation’s website seeks donations saying: “Support the construction of the Muhammed Bin abdullah Masjid through your generous donations. this project will create a sacred space for worship, healthcare, learning, and cultural preservation, serving communities for generations to come. Your contribution is not just towards building a masjid, but towards creating a centre of compassion, unity and service, that will benefit society today and in the future.” ten days ago, the ram temple marked its completion with the hoisting of a religious flag by PM narendra Modi. nripendra Mishra, chairman of the construction committee of the Sri ram Janmabhoomi teerth Kshetra trust, told The Indian Express the main temple has been finished, while the landscaping and construction of the boundary wall and auditorium will be completed by 2026. Mishra also said that rs 3,000 crore was received in initial donations for the temple, and an estimated rs 1,800 crore had been spent on construction.