FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. 15 No. 122 | BHOPAL | WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 15, 2025 | Pages 16 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports Bharath Thammineni creates Mountaineering History P.15 HAWALA MONEY CASE | Instead of seizing cash being transported to Jalna, cops kept Rs 1.45 crore FIR against 11 suspended cops; 9 held Follows CM instructions for disciplinary action  On intervening night of Oct 8 and 9, police found Rs 2.96 crore in cash, which was being transported from Katni to Jalna ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL MONEY BHOPAL On the instructions of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, the Seoni police have registered a case against 11 police personnel, including the SDOP  and the police station in-charge, for their alleged involvement in looting from hawala money of Rs 2.96 crore. Nine of them, including SDOP Pooja Pandey, have been arrested, police said on Tuesday.  The CM has also instructed DGP Kailash Makwana to take disciplinary action against the police personnel.  On the intervening night of October 8 and 9, during a routine vehicle check, the police staff of the Bandol police station of the Seoni district stopped a car in the Siladehi forest area. During the search, they found Rs 2.96 crore in cash, which was being transported from Katni to Jalna in Maharashtra.  However, instead of seizing DAMOH SHOCKER HC orders slapping NSA against accused FP News Service 4Continued on | P8 fp Briefs NEW DELHI Postal services to US to resume India Post will resume international postal services of all categories to the US from October 15, according to an official statement issued on Tuesday. NEW DELHI Pollution curbs in Delhi-NCR The Centre's air quality panel on Tuesday directed authorities in Delhi and the adjoining National Capital Region to enforce measures under Stage I of the Graded Response Action Plan with immediate effect as pollution levels descended to the "poor" category. INDORE NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Lalu’s tryst with the law P.6 Cinema End of an era P.14 Cabinet also approves Bhavantar scheme for soybean farmers  Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL In what could be dubbed a Diwali bonanza, the Cabinet on Tuesday decided to increase the Dearness Relief (DR) rate of the state government pensioners and family pensioners.  The DR rate has been increased from 53% to 55% under the 7th Pay Commission and from 246% to 252% under the 6th Pay Commission, effective September 1, 2025 (payable from October 1, 2025).  This will cause an additional burden of around Rs 170 crore on the state exchequer. The decision to hike the DR rate was taken in the wake of Chhattisgarh’s in- FP News Service PTI JAISALMER the cash, they allegedly beat up the driver, chased him away and tried to usurp it, police said. The team also did not keep their seniors informed about the hawala money.  In fact, they kept Rs 1.45 crore, and the rest was given to the driver to take. The driver informed the alleged kingpin, Sohan Lal Parmar, claiming that apart from the Rs 1.45 cr the police took, another Rs 25 lakh was missing. Parmar reached out to the Seoni police, but to no avail. The in-charge of the Balaghat police station Malkhana (locker room) appropriated Rs 55 lakh and gold-silver ornaments and lost the money in gambling, official sources said on Tuesday. The IG of Balaghat, Sanjay Kumar, told Free Press that the in-charge of the Malkhana, Rajiv Pendre, had stolen goldsilver jewellery and Rs 55 lakh from the Kotwali locker. Pandre had been deployed in the Malkhana for nearly three years, Kumar said, adding that a sum of Rs 40 lakh and 140 grams of gold ornaments had been recovered from his possession.Pendre had been arrested, the official said. The theft came to light when a woman, after completing court procedures, approached the TI, wishing to collect her money, which she had kept in the locker room. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Twenty passengers were burnt alive and 16 were critically injured when a private bus travelling from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur caught fire on Tuesday, police said. According to police, the bus, carrying 57 passengers, left Jaisalmer around 3 pm. On the Jaisalmer-Jodhpur highway, smoke began emerging from the rear portion. The driver stopped the bus along the roadside, but within moments, the flames engulfed the vehicle. Locals and passers-by rushed to the spot and assisted in the rescue efforts. Army personnel also assisted in the operation. Fire tenders and police were informed, and the injured passengers were taken to Jawahar Hospital in Jaisalmer for treatment. Police said 16 critically injured passengers have been referred to a hospital in Jodhpur. Twist in IPS officer suicide case as Haryana ASI shoots self PTI CHANDIGARH ASI Sandeep Kumar leader Rahul Gandhi visited the senior officer's family and called for the respect of all Dalits. He asked PM Narendra Modi and the state government to take immediate action and arrest the officials responsible. The second suicide of a Haryana cop has muddied the waters even more, the questions becoming louder, the crease in the DA for government employees.  SOYBEAN MSP FIXED AT RS 5,238 PER QUINTAL The Cabinet approved the Bhavantar scheme rolled out by the government to provide succour to soybean farmers. Under the scheme, soyabean will be purchased in the notified mandis of the state from October 24 till Ja- nuary 15.  Based on the weighted average of the sale price of soybeans during the fourteen days, a model rate will be calculated. The difference between the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and the model rate will be transferred into the registered bank accounts of farmers. The MSP is fixed at Rs 5,238 per quintal. mystery deeper. Sandeep Kumar's shock death came hours after the state government late Monday night sent state DGP Shatrujeet Kapur on leave. Before that, the government transferred Narendra Bijarniya, former Rohtak superintendent of police. The two were among the eight officials named by Puran Kumar in a note he left behind. O P Singh, a 1992-batch IPS officer of DGP rank, has been assigned "additional charge of DGP Haryana during the leave period of Shatrujeet Kapur", according to an official order. 4Continued on | P8 PM expresses grief Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed grief over the loss of lives after a private bus caught fire. "Distressed by the loss of lives due to a mishap in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. My thoughts are with the affected people and their families during this difficult time. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured," PM Modi was quoted as saying in an X post by the PMO IANS Prime Minister Narendra Modi – despite not being able to attend the Gaza Peace Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh due to prescheduled commitments – was paid warm tributes by cohost US President Donald Trump, much to the discomfort of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The Summit at the resort-town was also co-hosted by Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. "India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top, and he's done a fantastic job. I think that Pakistan and India are going to live very nicely together," said Trump, beaming at the cameras on Monday (October 13). Intermittently turning towards Sharif, who was standing behind the US President during the latter’s concluding address at the Summit, Trump urged India and Pakistan would "live very nicely together". 4Continued on | P8 invest $15 bn PTI NEW DELHI In its biggest ever investment in India, tech giant Google on Tuesday said it will invest USD 15 billion in building an AI infrastructure hub in Andhra Pradesh, which would include a gigawatt-scale data centre in partnership with Adani Group. The project is expected to create 5,000-6,000 direct jobs and 20,000-30,000 total jobs in Andhra Pradesh. 5-member SIT to probe BTech student’s death PTI Senior Naxalite Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Bhupathi surrendered before police along with 60 other cadres in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district, officials said on Tuesday. One of the influential strategists in the banned organisation, Bhupathi, a member of the central committee and Politburo, carried a bounty of Rs 6 crore, an official said. He said the Naxals turned themselves in before the police around 10 pm on Monday. The cadres were brought to the Gadchiroli police headquarters 4Continued on | P8 Submit report in 48 hrs Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL A 5-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to ensure a swift and transparent probe into the death of B.Tech student Udit Gayki (21), allegedly due to a police assault in the Piplani area.  ACP Govindpura Aditi Saxena will lead the team, with Piplani SHO Chandrika Yadav, two sub-inspectors, and a constable as members. The team has been directed to submit its preliminary report within 48 hours. DCP Vivek Singh said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed his delight over the launch of the Google AI Hub in Visakhapatnam, calling it a significant step toward realising India's vision of a Viksit Bharat. PM Modi further said that the new AI hub will play a key role in democratizing technology and advancing the government's goal of AI for All. "It will be a powerful force in democratizing technology.” The AI hub at Visakhapatnam will be Google's largest outside the US and include a data centre fuelled by clean energy and a fibre-optic network. Business tycoon Gautam Adani said his company AdaniConneX would partner with Google on the project, along with Bharti Airtel, India's second-largest mobile operator. The USD 15 billion will be invested over the next five years (2026-2030). 4Continued on | P8 US passport slips from top 10 for first time IANS The US passport has fallen out of the top 10 most powerful passports in the world for the first time since the Henley Passport Index was introduced twenty years ago. With visa-free travel to 180 of 227 countries, the US, which was the world leader in 2014, is now tied with Ma- laysia for 12th place. With visa-free access to 193 destinations, Singapore remains in the top place, followed by South Korea with 190, and Japan with 189, according to the most recent Henley Passport Index, which is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Recent changes in access by a number of nations are the cause of the US ranking's decline. The decline has been attributed to a number of fac- The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued an alert against three "substandard" oral cough syrups identified in India -- Coldrif, Respifresh TR and ReLife -and urged national regulatory authorities worldwide to immediately notify it if these are detected in their country. It has also advised healthcare professionals to report the detection of these substandard products and any incident of adverse effects, or lack of expected effects to their national regulatory authorities or National Pharmacovigilance Centre. The alert comes after at least 22 children, mostly under the age of five, have died due to suspected kidney failure after being administered Coldrif in Madhya Pradesh. Besides, at least three children have allegedly died in Rajasthan after consuming cough syrup in different districts of the state. The WHO has further called for increased surveillance and diligence within the supply chains of countries and regions likely to be affected by these substandard products. Top Naxal with Rs 6 cr bounty surrenders offgrid NEW DELHI PTI NEW DELHI information to the kin of the victims to ascertain their identity. The bodies will be handed over to family members after DNA matching, officials said. Upon receiving information regarding the incident, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma reached Jaisalmer and was briefed by the officers. The Jaisalmer district administration said it promptly began relief and rescue operations after receiving informa- GADCHIROLI tors, including the removal of visa-free entry to Brazil earlier this year, exclusion from China's growing list of countries that do not require a visa, and new entry restrictions imposed by Myanmar and Papua New Guinea. More recently, the US passport's reputation was further damaged by Vietnam's decision to exclude the US from its new visa-free programme and Somalia's implementation of an eVisa system. The UK has also suffered, dropping from sixth to eighth place since July, the lowest since it topped the index in 2015. Only 46 nationalities are permitted entry into Washington without a visa, whereas US citizens are granted visa-free travel to 180 locations. tion about the incident.District Collector Pratap Singh directed officials to ensure immediate medical care for the injured. Helpline numbers were also issued. Meanwhile, Governor Haribhau Bagade, CM Bhajanlal Sharma, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, BJP state president Madan Rathore and other leaders expressed sorrow over the tragic incident. WHO issues alert against substandard cough syrups Prima facie, it appears that the fire broke out due to a short circuit, police said. BJP MLA from Pokran Pratap Puri informed PTI about the death toll of 20 passengers. He said, "19 passengers died in the bus and one succumbed to burn injuries on the way to Jodhpur." He said that the bus caught fire ten minutes after leaving Jaisalmer. Following the accident, the district administration has issued an appeal for India great country with Google to set up AI hub in Vizag friend of mine at top: Don Tech giant to Will ensure AI for all: PM NEW DELHI IN-PRINCIPLE APPROVAL TO RAMP SCHEME The Cabinet also decided to implement the Centre’s Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) Scheme in the state. The total approved project budget for the state is Rs 105.36 crore, including a 30% state share amounting to Rs 31.60 crore.  20 BURNT ALIVE IN BUS FIRE 16 INJURED JABALPUR The High Court has directed the Damoh police and administration to proceed under National Security Act (NSA) against all those persons involved in incident in which a victim, an OBC, was compelled to wash the feet of upper caste and consume water in the temple premises in Damoh. The court took suo motu action on news reports and video on social media of the incident that took place in village Satariya around 10th or 11th of October 2025. PUNE DIWALI GIFT: 55% hike in DR rate for pensioners Balaghat police station malkhana in charge steals Rs 55L, jewellery A Haryana assistant sub-inspector in Rohtak shot himself dead on Tuesday and purportedly levelled corruption allegations against the late Inspector General Y Puran Kumar, adding a murky twist to the suspected suicide of the senior Dalit officer who served in the same district. ASI Sandeep Kumar's alleged suicide comes in the backdrop of the escalating row over Puran Kumar's death, which has led to a shakeup of the police brass and also become a huge political issue. Earlier in the day, Congress PRESS IMF RAISES INDIA FY26 GDP GROWTH FORECAST TO 6.6% BALAGHAT Our Staff Reporter UJJAIN 4Continued on | P8 The SIT will also recreate the sequence of events to determine what led to Gayki’s death team has been instructed to ensure that no piece of evidence is overlooked. Police officials said that several crucial clues and new pieces of evidence have surfaced, including video footage from the scene and eyewitness statements, which are being examined closely. The SIT will also recreate the sequence of events to determine what led to Gayki’s death.  ACP Saxena said that the scene may be reconstructed for a better analysis, and statements from all relevant individuals will be recorded. Meanwhile, Gayki’s family, friends, and locals paid tributes to him on Tuesday at a ground near BHEL. They assembled in large numbers and demanded strict action against the guilty policemen. Two police constables allegedly assaulted Gayki while he was partying with his friends at Indrapuri on Thursday night. He died of internal injuries, which he allegedly sustained during the assault. The two constables were subsequently suspended, arrested, and sent to jail. DNA-based elephant count shows 18% drop in population Agencies NEW DELHI India's wild elephant population has been estimated at 22,446, lower than the 2017 figure of 27,312, according to the country's first-ever DNAbased count. The All-India Synchronous Elephant Estimation (SAIEE) 2025 puts India's elephant population between 18,255 and 26,645, with an average of 22,446. The government released the long-delayed report on Tuesday, nearly four years after the survey began in 2021. Officials said the delay was due to the complex genetic analysis and data validation involved in the exercise. Scientists collected 21,056 dung samples from across elephant landscapes and used DNA fingerprinting to identify individual animals, much like identifying humans through their genetic code. The total field effort covered nearly 6.7 lakh km of forest trails and included over 3.1 lakh dung plots. Region-wise, the Western Ghats remain the biggest stronghold with 11,934 elephants, followed by the North Eastern Hills and Brahmaputra floodplains with 6,559. The Shivalik Hills and Gangetic plains support 2,062 elephants, while Central India and the Eastern Ghats together have 1,891. Karnataka continues to host the largest number of elephants at 6,013, followed by Assam (4,159), Tamil Nadu (3,136), Kerala (2,785) and Uttarakhand (1,792). 4Continued on | P8