Premium

Opinion October 16, 1985, Forty Years Ago: Extradition Treaty

This is the front page of The Indian Express published on October 16, 1985.

October 16, 2025 07:14 AM IST First published on: Oct 16, 2025 at 07:14 AM IST

India and Britain have agreed in principle on the broad outlines of an extradition treaty regarding terrorists, the Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi said. Addressing a press conference at the end of his two-day official visit to Britain, Gandhi said he and the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, had agreed to curb terrorism and, “Now we have to see how we can bring about this treaty and implement it.” A major achievement of Gandhi was to make Britain agree on the removal of a clause in its law that offered protection to terrorists in the name of “genuine political activity”.

Lala Critical

India’s former cricket captain, Lala Amarnath, who suffered a massive heart attack, was reported to be in a “critical condition” by doctors attending to him at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi. Amarnath, who complained of pain in the chest, collapsed in his bedroom, according to his youngest son, Rajender. Doctors were immediately called and they advised that the veteran cricketer, who scored a Test hundred on debut, be taken to the hospital.

Dhaka Roof Collapse

At least 300 students were feared dead and over 400 others were believed to be injured after the roof of a Dhaka University dormitory collapsed following heavy rains, university officials and hospital doctors said. The roof of the Jagannath Hall, where about 1,200 male Hindu minority students live, gave in while most students were inside studying or sleeping. The death toll could rise higher as some students were reportedly trapped in the debris.

Assam Electoral Roll

The Election Commission has asked the Assam government to take a series of measures including the constitution of a high-power cell to expedite the disposal of over one million claims and objections filed in the state on the draft electoral rolls. The Deputy Election Commissioner, V Ramakrishnan, who visited Assam last week along with C I Rose, secretary of the Election Commission, told newsmen that the Commission had requested the state government to make available additional manpower on a whole-time basis so that claims and objections could be disposed of faster.