FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. XLII No. 33 | INDORE | FRIDAY | JULY 11, 2025 | Pages 16 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 FREE www.freepressjournal.in ROOTED AT LORD’S Briefs BRITISH COLUMBIA Kapil Sharma’s cafe attacked At least nine shots have been fired at comedian Kapil Sharma's cafe in Canada, just days after it was inaugurated. Khalistani terrorist Harjit Singh Laddi has taken responsibility for the shooting, in which no one was injured. The cafe, called Kap's Cafe, is Sharma's first foray into the restaurant industry and his wife Ginni Chatrath is also involved in the venture. The cafe, which is located in Surrey in Canada's British Columbia, saw its soft launch a few days ago. WASHINGTON DC ‘Af withdrawal embarrassing’ US President Donald Trump has once again strongly criticised the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, calling it "the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country," TOLO News reported. Speaking during a cabinet meeting, Trump questioned the actions of US military commanders, particularly Mark Milley, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. DHAKA Tribunal indicts Hasina Former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina was formally indicted on Thursday by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) of Bangladesh in a case related to crimes against humanity. The charges stem from a violent crackdown on student-led protests that took place in July and August 2024. The ICT announced that the trial will begin on August 3. Hasina has been charged in absentia alongside her former Home Minister, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and the then Inspector General of Police, Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun. iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE WORLD Sports fp ESTD-1983 P.14 Russia presses on with more Ukraine attacks Mahima Kesharwani Online Report The government plans to bring an existing health insurance claims portal under the finance ministry and insurance regulator to curb overcharging by healthcare providers, a source told Reuters. Healthcare costs in India are projected to rise by 13 per cent in 2025, exceeding the global average of 10 per cent, and up from 12 per cent recorded a year earlier, according to professional services firm Aon's Global Medical Trend Rates Report. An analysis by the government and the IRDAI found that hospitals are inflating treatment costs for patients and overcharging those with higher covers, the source said earlier this week. 4Continued on | P8 PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit A bridge built on false promises P.6 Cinema The legal eagle P.13 Rooting out ailments l Terminalia arjuna (Arjun tree) for cardiac health l Boerhavia diffusa (Punarnava) and Hygrophila auriculata (Hokru) for kidney support l Rauvolfia serpentina (Sarpagandha) for blood pressure management l Gauga pinnata, showing early promise in tumour suppression INDORE In the forested heartlands of Madhya Pradesh, where knowledge is often passed down through whispers and wild roots, ancient tribal medicine is now gaining scientific validation. A path-breaking collaboration between Holkar Science College and Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Researchers and tribal healers examine medicinal plants during a forest field study in the tribal region Science (SAIMS) is transforming centuries-old tribal healing practices into clinically tested healthcare sol- utions. Led by Dr Vinod Bhandari from SAIMS and Prof Sanjay Vyas of Holkar College, the initiative spans 20 tribal- BIHAR ELECTORAL ROLL REVISION | Apex Court questions time-line set by Election Commission, says petition goes to the root of functioning of democracy — the right to vote Consider Aadhaar card, ration card, voter ID: SC EC’s point discounted Online Report NEW DELHI The Supreme Court has told the Election Commission of India to consider Aadhaar card, voter ID card and ration card also as acceptable documents for the "Special Intensive Revision" of electoral rolls in Bihar. The Court also recorded the ECI's submission that the list of eleven documents specified by it in its June 24 order as acceptable documents to show citizenship was not exhaustive and was illustrative, Live Law reports.Taking note of this, the Court on Thursday observed in its order : "Therefore, in our prima facie view, since the list is not exhaustive, in our opinion, it will be in the interest of justice, the ECI will also consider the Aadhaar card, Electoral Photo Identity Card issued by the Election Commission and the ration card." The Court verbally clarified that it was not a direction to the ECI to include anyone's name in the roll solely on the basis of these documents, and it has the discretion to accept or reject them. A partial working days Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi asserted that the ECI has no intent to exclude any genuine voter. "But they are saying they have been voting for the past 20 years and that now you are asking people for documents suddenly, which they don't have," Justice Dhulia said. "Who is saying? These are not voters. Before you are some section of people who write articles and then come forward to file a petition," Dwivedi said. The bench however was not impressed. "Are you serious with this objection?" Justice Dhulia asked. When Dwivedi answered in the affirmative, Justice Bagchi said, "This can't be your best point. May be one of the points. Let's move on." bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Joymalya Bagchi listed the batch of petitions challenging the ECI's decision for further hearing on July 28, 2025. The ECI has been asked to file the counter-affidavit by July 21. The Court re- corded that the petitioners were not pressing for any interim relief at this stage as the next hearing is before the scheduled date(August 1) of publication of the draft electoral roll. 4Continued on | P8 ED attaches assets of former EPFO officer worth Rs 50 lakh Our Staff Reporter DISPROPORTIONATE ASSETS CASE INDORE The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached residential and agricultural assets, including land, of former enforcement officer of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) Shyamlal Akhand and his associates in a case linked to alleged possession of disproportionate assets (DA). The value of the property located in Ujjain and Indore is around Rs 50 lakh. The Bhopal team of the ED took the action in the disproportionate assets case. The ED shared the information of this regard on its X platform on Thursday. The ED informed that the investigation was going on against Akhand and others. On July 8, agricultural land located in Nalwa village of Ujjain district and a residential plot located in Eme- ‘Make way for others when you turn 75’ Panchayat officials guzzle 14 kg dry fruits in one hr Our Staff Reporter MUMBAI NEW DELHI PRESS Roots of Healing: Tribal medicine in MP finds scientific backing S Balakrishnan Govt plans steps to check inflated hospital bills due to insurers UJJAIN BHOPAL Chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Mohan Bhagwat has rekindled the demand for public figures to hang their boots at the age of 75. He reiterated his view while speaking at a ``guru purnima'' event at Nagpur where the RSS is headquartered. He said when someone greets you on your attaining 75 years of age it means that you must stop (being active) and make way for others. It took just one hour for panchayat officials in Shahdol district to chew through 14 kilograms of dry fruits, gulp down tea loaded with 5 kilograms of sugar and 6 litres of milk—all at a government event meant for water conservation. The lavish spread was part of the Ganga Jal Samvardhan Abhiyan held on May 25 at Bhadwahigram panchayat. While villagers were served plain khichdi, top officials— including Collector Kedar Singh, District Panchayat CEO Narendra Singh and SDM Pragati Verma—were treated to premium snacks 4Continued on | P8 rald City in Jakhya village of Indore district were attached. Akhand allegedly used illegally earned income to buy immovable properties in his name and in the names of his wife and son. The attachment was done under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002. 11 peacocks found dead in Jhabua FP News Service JHABUA at taxpayers’ expense. A total of 11 peacocks were found dead near Dhebar Badi reserved forest area of Thandla, officials said on Thursday. It is suspected that they had eaten grains mixed with pesticides. A detailed investigation has been launched. Villagers informed forest officials on Wednesday evening that they had found 9 female and 2 male peacocks dead at various spots. Deputy forest divisional officer Sunil Sulia said all carcasses were collected and taken to Meghnagar, where a team of veterinary doctors conducted autopsies and also collected viscera samples. Given that peacocks are Schedule-I animals under Wildlife Protection Act 1972, they were cremated at Meghnagar forest premises after obtaining court permission. The divisional forest officer has formed a probe team for a thorough investigation into the incident. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Paint scam: 658 workers for 24 litres Shahdol district was already in the spotlight after an education department scam surfaced recently. Records showed 443 labourers and 215 masons were allegedly hired to paint just two government schools using only 24 litres of paint—worth Rs 4,704. Yet, Rs 3.38 lakh was paid for the job. The fraud took place in Beohari, and came to light after documents detailing the inflated expenses were leaked. dominated districts and six major indigenous communities—Bhil, Baiga, Gond, Sahariya, Barela and Korku. With CSR funding, the team BJP wins six seats, Cong three in civic body by-poll Our Staff Reporter has begun documenting and testing traditional remedies long used in remote villages.  “We met healers like Barua and Patel who inherited their medicinal knowledge through generations,” said Vyas. “Their methods were undocumented until now. We’re finally giving them a platform and a future,” he said. 4Continued on | P8 Wood extract drops blood sugar level At Aurobindo Hospital, over 200 patients aged 12 to 75 took part in clinical trials. One traditional wood extract, used after soaking overnight, led to measurable drops in blood sugar and reduced insulin dependency. Tests revealed that the herbal compounds stimulated pancreatic function without side effects. Film stars among 29 in ED’s online betting case BHOPAL PTI The ruling BJP won six seats out of nine in the civic by-polls held in nine wards, and the Congress registered its victory on three seats. The State Election Commission declared the results of the civic by-polls on Thursday. In the Panna civic body, the BJP candidate won the election unopposed. The Congress did not field a candidate in this ward. The BJP won the Bheekangaon (Khargone) district, Seoni, Chhindwara, Berasia in Bhopal and Gautampura (Indore) seats. The Congress won in Sanwer, Bichhiya in Mandla and Khand in Shahdol. The Congress won the civic by-polls in Sanwer, which is the assembly constituency of the water resources minister Tulsi Silawat. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and the party’s state president, Hemant Khandelwal, congratulated the party workers for the victory. The victory was the result of the party workers, they said. HYDERABAD The Enforcement Directorate has filed a money laundering case to look into the role of more than two dozen celebrities, including actors like Vijay Deverakonda, Rana Daggubati and Prakash Raj, apart from some social media influencers and YouTubers in Telangana as part of a money laundering probe against certain online betting platforms, official sources said on Thursday. These outlets are alleged to have generated "illicit" funds worth crores of rupees through illegal betting and gambling, the sources said. The federal probe agency has taken cognisance of as many as five state police FIRs to book its case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said. About 29 celebrities, including Deverakonda, Daggubati, Manchu Lakshmi, Raj, Nidhi Agarwal, Pranitha Subhash, Ananya Nagalla, TV host Srimukhi apart from local social media influencers and You- Tubers have been booked in the ED case. These celebrities are suspected to have "endorsed" online betting apps like Junglee Rummy, JeetWin, Lotus365 etc. in lieu of getting celebrity or endorsement fee, the sources said. Some of these "well known" persons, the sources said, have earlier stated that they did not know the exact functioning of the apps and products dished out by them and claimed they did not associate themselves with these platforms for any wrongdoing or illegal activity like betting. The ED is expected to record their statements in the coming days even as it is collecting more FIRs and looking for more complainants who were duped or cheated by these betting platforms. 4Continued on | P8 Govt to gift e-scooties to Class 12 toppers next month CM launches bicycle scheme, inaugurates new girls’ school building Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has announced that meritorious Class 12 students from government schools will receive electric scooties next month. The initiative aims to reward academic excellence and encourage higher education among students. Addressing Guru Purnima Mahotsav at Kamala Nehru Sandipani Kanya Vidyalaya in the city on Thursday, Yadav also declared that school uniforms will distributed to kids from the next session. Besides, the government will provide free coaching for competitive exams and career guidance. The CM announced that government schools in Mhow, Dewas and Narsinghpur dis- EDU BOOST l Meritorious Class 12 govt students to get electric scooties next month l Govt schools in Mhow, Dewas, Narsinghpur to get Rs 5 lakh for 100% result l CM inaugurates Rs 36-cr building of girls' school in Bhopal l 4.30 lakh bicycles distributed to students under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan tricts that achieve 100% results will receive Rs 5 lakh each as a reward. Meritorious students will also be eligible for financial assistance for admission into private medical colleges. Yadav inaugurated the new building of Kamala Nehru Sandipani Kanya Vidyalaya, built at a cost of Rs 36 crore. The campus is equipped with modern facilities such as science labs, vast library, laboratories and an auditorium. 4Continued on | P8 Tennis player shot dead by father Indian trade team set for more US talks PTI GURUGRAM State-level tennis player Radhika Yadav was allegedly shot dead by her father on Thursday at their double-storeyed home in upscale Sushant Lok here, police said. The 25-year-old, who was shot in the back while cooking, died on the spot, officials said. Her father, 49-year-old Deepak Yadav, has been arrested and his .32 bore licensed pistol recovered from his possession, they said. Why he did so is still unclear. The father allegedly fired more than five bullets. Her mother was in the ground floor and Radhika, who played tennis for Haryana, was in the kitchen on the first floor when the crime took place, officials said. A police team reached the house took the body into custody. "We are questioning the family members. A probe is underway and the picture will be clear soon," said Inspector Vinod Kumar, SHO of the Sector 56 police station. The family lives in Sushant Lok-Phase 2, Sector 57. The father, police said, is a resident of Wazirabad village. NEW DELHI An Indian commerce ministry delegation is preparing to visit Washington again for another round of negotiations on a proposed trade pact with the US, a senior official said Thursday. The official, who did not wish to be named, said the talks will cover both an interim deal and the first phase of the Bilateral Trade Agreement. The exact dates of the visit are yet to be finalised, but sources indicate the team could travel to the US as early as next week. This follows a recent round Trump, Lula spar over 50% tariff Agencies WASHINGTON After threatening a 10% additional tariff on Brics nations, US President Donald Trump has imposed a 50% tax on goods made in Brazil. He announced the plan in his latest tariff letter, which was shared on social media, of talks in Washington between June 26 and July 2. The Indian side was led by Rajesh BBC reported. In it, Trump accused Brazil of "attacks" on US tech companies and of conducting a "witch hunt" against former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who is facing prosecution over his alleged role in a plot to overturn the 2022 election. 4Continued on | P8 Agrawal, Special Secretary in the Department of Commerce. The proposed deal aims to resolve issues in several sectors, including agriculture and automobiles. “We aren’t differentiating between an interim or the first phase of the pact. We are negotiating a complete deal. Whatever will be finished can be packaged as an interim deal, and talks will go on for the rest,” the official said. The visit gains further importance as the US has extended the imposition of extra duties to 26% in India’s case until August 1. India is seeking the removal of these tariffs and asking for relief on US duties for steel and automobiles.