kottayam l wednesday l december 31, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l city EDITION India trounce Sri Lanka in 5th T20I to complete 5-0 sweep Bowlers produced a spotless effort after skipper Harmanpreet Kaur led the way with a 68 as India defeated SL by 15 runs in Thiruvananthapuram InDia women’s Impressive run continues Following up on its ODI World Cup victory, India women’s team continued its impressive run, winning the T20I series comprehensively. In the 5th T20I, Harmanpreet’s 43-ball 68 took India to 175 for five. In reply, visitors finished at 160 for 7. Harmanpreet was declared the player of the match. Shafali Varma, who scored 241 runs, won the play of the series award. ■ 152 Shafali, Renuka rise in T20I rankings ■ Swashbuckling opener Shafali Verma has climbed to sixth place in the latest ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings following a string of impressive half-centuries in the T20 series against Sri Lanka. All-rounder Deepti Sharma continues her reign at the top in bowlers’ list, while Renuka Singh Thakur climbs eight spots to reach sixth. Deepti Sharma becomes highest wicket taker in women’s T20Is CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Assam STF arrests 11 for ties with Jamaat radicals As the year draws to a close, we take a deep dive into the events, stories, and faces that mattered state Wishlist: Things that need focus in 2026| P2 Defining moments of the first 25yrs of century | P6 Nation Migration, mobility and elections| P9 Federalism at crossroads | P10 business Top trends that shaped the economy | P12 Sports How the year panned out for India in sports | P13-14 ‘All were working under direct orders from Bangladesh groups’ e x p r e s s ne w s s e r v i ce @ Guwahati ELEVEN people were arrested in Assam and Tripura for their alleged links with Bangladeshbased fundamentalist groups that were aiming to destabilise the Northeast, police said on Tuesday Assam’s Special Task . Force said the arrests were made for alleged links with Imam Mahmuder Kafila (IMK), an offshoot of Bangladeshi terror group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), which is banned in India. Ten among those arrested were nabbed from Assam’s Baksa, Barpeta, Chirang and Darrang districts while one was arrested from Tripura’s West Tripura district on December 29 and 30. The IMK was founded in 2018 by Jewel Mahmud alias Sohail, a former JMB member. The STF dossier said senior leaders of JMB, Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), and Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) had issued directions to IMK leadership to activate its Indian modules. Bangladeshi nationals Umar Nasim Uddin, the kingpin, and Junab Ali Another Hindu man killed in Mymensingh A Hindu security guard, Bajendra Biswas, was fatally shot at a garment factory in Mymensingh on Monday, marking the third such incident targeting minorities in the country in two weeks and Khalid were assigned to coordinate Assam-based activities. One Nasim Uddin alias Tamim of Assam’s Barpeta Road is the head of the outfit’s Assam cell. After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh in August last year, cadres of JMB, ABT and AQIS were activated, resulting in revival of their ideological influence and Indian networks, including through IMK-linked platforms, the STF said. “These elements were working under the direct orders from Bangladesh-based groups. Their main aim was to destabilise Assam and the rest of the Northeast,” STF chief Partha Sarathi Mahanta said. Those arrested from Assam were identified as Nasim Uddin alias Tamim (24), Junab Ali (38), Afrahim Hussain (24), Mizanur Rehman (46), Sultan Mehmud (40), Md Siddique Ali (46), Rasidul Aalam (28), Mahibul Khan (25), Sharuk Hussain (22) and Md Dilbar Razak (26), he added. Jagir Miah (33) was nabbed from Tripura. Reacting to the development, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “Fundamentalist elements are active in Assam. We are Bangladesh’s neighbour, so Assam will have this problem of fundamentalists for a long period.” Following the arrests, a big operation is underway at present, he said, without sharing details. Talking about their funding pattern, the STF chief said IMK’s operations are bankrolled through a combination of Hawala and small account transactions Khaleda Zia: 15 Aug 1945 – 30 Dec 2025 the reluctant politician who shaped B’desh Jaishankar to attend funeral Reflecting the importance New Delhi attaches to Khaleda Zia’s legacy, foreign minister S Jaishankar will represent India at her funeral. He will travel to Dhaka on Wednesday Pushed education reforms Khaleda Zia’s tenure as PM restored the parliamentary system and introduced compulsory, free primary education J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi K haleda Zia, Bangladesh’s first female prime minister, died in Dhaka on Tuesday at the age of 80. For more than three decades, her fierce rivalry with Sheikh Hasina shaped Bangladesh’s politics, dividing the nation between two dominant leaders whose personal animosity often mirrored the country’s deeper political fault lines. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid rich tributes to Khaleda Zia, recalling her contribution to strengthening bilateral ties. Born on August 15, 1945 in Dinajpur, then part of British India, Zia entered public life reluctantly At . 15, she married Ziaur Rahman, who would go on to become a central figure in Bangladesh’s 1971 liberation struggle and become President in 1977. His assassination in 1981 pushed Zia into politics. During the nine-year military dictatorship that followed a 1982 coup, she emerged as a prominent face of resistance. Her uncompromising stance earned her a loyal following. Following the fall of military rule in 1990, the BNP won the general election, and Khaleda Zia was sworn in as PM in 1991. Bars in state to be open till midnight today E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i ce @ T’Puram Cheers to the New Year! The state government has allowed bars and beer parlours in the state to be open until midnight on December 31. The first-ever order by the excise department follows a demand from the tourism industry The normal timing is from . 10am to 11pm. The Bevco outlets will function as normal on the day— from 10 am to 9 pm. Bevco recorded a 19% increase in the Christmas sales this year. Liquor worth `332.62 crore was sold in the state from December 22 to 25, compared to `279.54 crore the previous year. ‘art’ triggers uproar Govt draws flak over Christian outfits fume ‘objectionable painting’ over Biennale artwork, in state lottery ticket venue shut temporarily protests against it. Hindu Aikya Vedi president R V Babu said Kerala has been A lottery ticket brought witnessing organised attacks out by the state government by forces that want to wreck has courted controversy with Hindusim by all means. He althe BJP and Hindu Aikya leged that the LDF governVedi taking strong ment would have exception to a paintbeen inspired by the ing in it that allegsupport extended by edly denigrates Hina few “unsound du beliefs. minds” to such Kerala has been The BJP and Hinactions. witnessing du Aikya Vedi al- organised attacks When contacted, by forces that leged that the paintthe office of Finance want to wreck ing in ‘SK 34 - Suvarna Minister K N Hindusim by all Keralam’ lottery Balagopal informed means ticket depicts ‘menthat the Lotteries Distrual blood flowing R V Babu, Hindu Aikya rectorate would issue Vedi president over Shiva lingam’. a clarification on the The lottery ticket, matter. that has `1 crore as Later in the day, the first prize, is scheduled for the Directorate of Kerala draw on January 2. State Lotteries clarified that BJP state general secretary no religious symbols were deS Suresh said the painting picted or misused in the lotwas an affront to believers of tery ticket. In a statement, the Hinduism. directorate said paintings in Flaying “Communist brains the state lottery tickets are that portray sexual perver- sourced from the Kerala Lasion as culture”, Suresh urged lithakala Akademi as per an ● More on P4 believers to launch strong agreement.  E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i ce @T’Puram rowing to victory Niranom Chundan (extreme right) surging towards victory in the Champions Boat League held in Kochi on Tuesday | T P Sooraj SABARIMALA gold theft case SIT records statement of ex-minister Kadakampally E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i ce @T’Puram The special investigation team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold theft case on Saturday recorded the statement of former devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran. The details of the interaction of the SIT with the veteran CPM leader, who was the devaswom minister when the alleged offence took place in 2019, emerged on Monday . Sources said Kadakampally was asked about the sanction given by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to strip off gold-plated sheets from Sabarimala artefacts and transport them to Smart Creations, Chennai, for electroplating. He reportedly answered that all the matters of Sabarimala are not micromanaged by the minister and the decision to strip off gold-plated sheets was taken alone by the board. He acknowledged know- ing the prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti, but only as a sponsor, sources said. Kadakampally told the media that he had appeared before the SIT and answered their questions, which were mostly related to the functioning of the board and its activities during 2019. The SIT also recorded the statement of former TDB president P S Prasanth in connection with gold-plating of dwarapalaka idols in 2024. The Opposition parties have been critical of the government’s handling of Sabarimala gold matters and accused it of indulging in corruption — an allegation that’s deemed to have widely impacted the LSG poll outcome. Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan questioned the timing of the SIT’s action and said the investigators delayed questioning Kadakampally keeping in mind the local body ● More on P4 elections.  ‘Fake’ wrestling coach forges WFI letter for US visa F i r o z M i r z a @ Chennai A bizarre query that could be linked with kabootarbaazi (immigration racket) left Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) stunned on Tuesday. The Consular Section of the US Embassy, New Delhi, asked the federation about a wrestling coach who has claimed WFI’s backing for attending a training camp from January 10 to 28 at Mat Sense Academy (Oregon). According to the document submitted in the US Embassy, Sandeep sought the USA visa and submitted WFI’s sponsorship on its letterhead as a supporting document. The letter signed by RK Purushotham, WFI’s joint secretary, claimed that the federation will bear Sandeep’s expenses. He claimed to be a wrestling coach at the Sports Authority of India. “We have informed the US Embassy that the person is neither empanelled as a coach with WFI or the world body United World Wrestling,” , WFI chief Sanjay Kumar Singh said. Christ. The artwork should be removed within 24 hours or An artwork displayed at the you will be responsible for the Kochi-Muziris Biennale consequences,” said an angry (KMB) has ignited angry reac- social media post from a leadtions from the Catholic er of the Kerala Latin CathoChurch, forcing the Biennale lic Association. Foundation to shut Meanwhile, KMB down the venue conpresident Bose cer ned for a few Krishnamachari said days. the venue will reopen A c c o r d i n g t o The artwork draws after holding talks Christian outfits in with representatives comparison with Kochi, an artwork the Holy Mass and of the religious bodthe Last Supper. displayed at the Garies concerned and They have den Convention Centhe protest groups. misrepresented “The work in questre, one of the venJesus Christ tion was created by ues for the ‘Edam’ exhibition, is mis- Kerala Latin Catholic the artist in response Association leader to a story by C Gopan, representing the fathe details of which mous Leonardo da are clearly mentioned Vinci painting that depicts the Last Supper of Je- in the accompanying exhibisus Christ. The artwork, cre- tion description. The artwork ated by Tom Vattakuzhy, is depicts Mata Hari, a historibased on a theatrical adapta- cally documented figure and a tion of a story titled ‘Mrid- convicted spy, in the moments preceding her execution by vangi’s Tragic Death’. “The artwork draws com- the French Army,” said curaparison with the Holy Mass tors Aiswarya Suresh and K M and the Last Supper. They Madhusudanan in a state● More on P4 have misrepresented Jesus ment.  M anoj V i s w anathan @ Kochi ‘Let us play’ Student dials min, complains of vacation classes E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i ce @Kozhikode “Hello, are you the education minister? They won’t let us play during the vacation. Classes are going on. Can you please intervene and let us play?” That innocent yet determined plea wasn’t part of a prank or a publicity stunt. It was a real phone call made by a bright Class 7 student to General Education Minister V Sivankutty and has since turned into a heart-warming story of childhood courage and the simple joy of play . The caller was Muhammad Farhan, a student from Keezhp- payur AUP School in Meppayur panchayat of Kozhikode district. Farhan had been listening closely to the minister’s public statement that no classes should be held during school vacations. So, when his school conducted classes during the Christmas holidays, Farhan felt something wasn’t right. Instead of sulking or silently complying, the young boy picked up the phone and called the minister directly to lodge his complaint. For a 12-year-old, being asked to sit in a classroom during the precious vacation hours meant missing out on playtime with friends. That was Farhan’s real concern. After all, how easy is it for a child to give up play the , language of childhood itself ? The call reached the minister while he was at his office in Thiruvananthapuram, interacting with jour nalists. Farhan clearly explained that classes were being held during the vacation and that students were not being allowed to play Soon, sensing the serious. ness of the situation, Farhan’s mother took over the call. She clarified that the class in question was a USS (Upper Sec- ondary Scholarship) coaching session, and that it lasted only for a short while. With a gentle laugh, she admitted that the complaint was mainly because Farhan wanted to go out and play The minister then asked a . simple but telling question: “Do you want the class to continue?” Without hesitation, the mother replied, “Yes, classes are important.” But the “minister for children”, as many fondly call him, chose to stand with the ch i l d . H e re m i n d e d h e r that vacations are meant for children to play to grow, to ex, plore, and to enjoy their child● More on P4 hood.