FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Happy Teacher’s Day FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports Mishra’s magical flight lands after 25 years P.18 RAT-BITE INCIDENT Rahul slams govt over two infant deaths in MYH Our Staff Reporter PRESS Vol. XLII No. 88 | INDORE | FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 5, 2025 | Pages 18 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE UJJAIN MONEY PUNE 4Continued on | P8 NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit GST: Reform that serves all GST 2.0 to unleash consumption, cushion economy from US tariffs P.10 Cinema Stars unite for Punjab P.16 NIRF RANKINGS-2025 | DAVV crashes out of its long-held 101-150 band; IIT Indore, AIIMS Bhopal lone bright spots; IIM Indore stays at 8th Not a single MP varsity in top-150 Atul Gautam Institution INDORE Overall category IIT Indore 33 IISER, Bhopal 78 Research Institution IIT Indore 27 Engineering IIT Indore 16 MANIT, Bhopal 72 IITM Gwalior No Rank Management IIM Indore 8 IIITM Gwalior 85 Pharmacy IES Bhopal No Rank Medical AIIMS Bhopal 31 Law NLIU Bhopal 21 Architect SPA Bhopal 12 MANIT, Bhopal 17 State Public Unvi DAVV, Indore 50 INDORE/BHOPAL The death of two newborns after rat bites in Indore’s Maharaja Yeshwantrao (MY) Hospital has triggered nationwide outrage, with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi terming the incident as “shocking and unacceptable and claim it as outright murder.” In a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)led government, Rahul said such negligence exposed the collapse of the public healthcare system. On social media platform X on Thursday, Rahul Gandhi said, “The Prime Minister and the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh should hang their heads in shame. Your government has snatched away the right to health from crores of poor people of this country and now even children are being snatched away from their mother’s lap.” See Pg-2 BHOPAL Madhya Pradesh’s performance in the Indian Higher Education Rankings-2025, released by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) on Thursday, paints a grim picture. Once considered a potential top-100 contender, Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya (DAVV) has crashed out of its long-held band, slipping from 101–150 to the 151–200 rank bracket — a decline after nearly four years of stability. This free fall has dented hopes that DAVV could one day stand among India’s leading universities.   Its only consolation came in the State Public University category, where it moved up by a token step from 50th to 49th rank. Other universities in the state, including Jiwaji Vishwavidyalya--  which is a Grade A++ accredited varsity – were never in the race for top 100 institutions. The face-saving performances this year came from IIT Indore and AIIMS Bhopal, which bucked the state’s downward trend. IIT Indore surged four places to claim the 12th rank in engineering, while also jumping from 33rd to 27th overall and 27th to 24th in research institutions. AIIMS Bhopal too made a mark, rising six places from 31st to 25th rank in the medical category. Elsewhere, the story was one of decline. MANIT Bhopal dropped from 72nd to 81st rank in engineering, while National Law Institute University (NLIU), Bhopal, slipped from 21st to 25th. Only IIM Indore stood firm, retaining its 8th place in the fiercely competitive management category. 4Continued on | P8 MANIPUR PEACE HOPES RISE FP News Service MUMBAI In a significant breakthrough ahead of PM Narendra Modi’s likely visit to Manipur on September 13, the Centre, the Manipur government, and Kuki-Zo groups have signed a fresh Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement that seeks to restore normalcy in the violence-scarred state. CHARTING A NEW PATH n The agreement on suspension of operations by armed forces and tribal armed groups had expired in February last year. n The pact will allow Meiteis to travel freely on NH-2 linking Imphal and Dimapur. n With PM likely to travel to Imphal from Churachandpur, this is seen as a key step in regaining Meities’ trust. The revised agreement — signed on Thursday with the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United People’s 4Continued on | P8 2024 2025 27 75 24 12 81 96 8 93 95 25 25 11 17 Agencies Russian President Vladimir Putin has come out strongly in defence of Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping of China. Addressing a press at Beijing’s Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, he cautioned against any nation trying to “dominate” global politics or security, even as he FP News Service MUMBAI acknowledged the rise of “economic giants” such as India and China. “From an international law point of view, everyone must have equal rights, and must be in a similar position,” Putin declared, stressing the need for balance in international relations. The Washington Post reports that the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer have attempted to resolve the diplomatic standoff with New Delhi. The report, Inside the Trump team’s conflicting efforts to mend ties with India, says that Rubio and Greer went to the Oval Office recently to present Trump with a proposed Indian trade deal, but the president rejected it, the Post reported, quoting three 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 49 Putin kavach for Modi BEIJING ‘Trump rejected bid to reset India ties’ US pulls India tariff gun on SC Agencies WASHINGTON The Trump administration took the fight over tariffs to the US Supreme Court on Wednesday, asking the justices to rule quickly that the president has the power to impose sweeping import taxes under federal law. Solicitor General D John Sauer asked the justices to take up the case and hear arguments in early November. The government cited India's case in the court papers, arguing that duties are central to US’s economic strength and to “peace” in 4Continued on | P8