Tuesday, November 25, 2025 INTERNATIONAL DAY | Vol. 69 No. 43 | 29 Pages Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL FOR THE ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN India Edition | www.freepressjournal.in l Leader in E-paper circulation MONEY NATION MISSION BENGAL: BJP draws up elaborate strategy to dislodge Trinamool Congress Rahen na rahen hum mehka karenge…. REWIND | Maharashtra police to probe cases where there were casualties to check anti-national or terror angle Lens on cylinder blasts, fires in the last 3 years PTI MUMBAI Kabir Singh Bhandari MUMBAI Bollywood legend Dharmendra, who was to turn 90 early next month, passed away on Monday due to old age related ailments at his Mumbai residence. Earlier on October 31 too he had been admitted to Breach Candy Hospital for a routine check-up, however, at that time, his wife, actor and politician Hema Malini, had assured the media that he was doing fine. Dharmendra Kewal Krishan Deol, who came to be known popularly as Dharmendra later, was known as one of the most handsome film stars in Indian cinema and was also nicknamed the ‘He-Man’ of Bollywood due to his physique. Born in Nasrali, a village in Ludhiana, he made his debut in 1960 with Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere. which was directed by Arjun Hingorani and also starred Balraj Sahni and Kumkum. Contd on | nation 4See also | city, nation, cinema UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS BEDROOM INTRUDER: In 1952, a young Dharmen- dra — then just a college boy from Ludhiana — arrived in Bombay with nothing more than awe for his idol Dilip Kumar. What happened next would have sent any other star-struck fan running for cover: Dharmendra simply walked into Dilip Kumar’s house, climbed the stairs and stood at the doorway of his bedroom, quietly admiring the sleeping star. When Dilip Kumar suddenly woke up and stared back at him, Dharmendra panicked and fled down the stairs, bolting out of the house like he had committed a crime. Only later, over a glass of cold lassi, did he realise the absurdity of his act. In Punjab, homes were always open — but this was Bombay, and he had barged into a superstar’s privacy. That mixture of innocence and daring stayed with Dharmendra all his life, making him unforgettable. DESTINY RETURNS: Six years after the infamous bedroom incident, fate brought Dharmendra back to Bombay — this time as a Filmfare talent contest winner ready to join films. During his first professional photo shoot, a young woman gently dabbed makeup on his face. Dharmendra didn’t know who she was until the editor whispered, “She’s Farida… Dilip Kumar’s sister.” The revelation shook him. He immediately chased her outside, begging for a meeting with the man he still considered his “brother.” The next evening, Dharmendra found himself at Dilip Kumar’s Pali Hill Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur home. Time froze when the give voice to Dharmendra star walked out to greet and Suchitra Sen in Mamta’s him warmly, offered him a less popular version of seat, and spoke to him like Rahen na rahen hum.. family — in Punjabi, Urdu and English. Before Dharmendra left, Dilip Kumar gave him a sweater because he looked cold. The hug that followed became one of Dharmendra’s most cherished memories — proof that destiny had forgiven the boy who once trespassed. FIFTY-ONE FIESTA: Dharmendra loved to recall the day he earned his very first payment in films — a princely sum of ₹51 for Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere in 1960. The amount itself was born out of pure jugaad: the three producers literally emptied their pockets, contributing ₹17 each, until they scraped together the grand total. But to young Dharmendra, that ₹51 felt like a jackpot. He marched straight to his friends and declared an impromptu celebration. Drinks on him — all ₹51 worth of stardom. His buddies cheered, while he, in classic Dharam style, held his glass delicately with a handkerchief so he wouldn’t leave fingerprints — the star in him already peeking through. RETAKE ROMANCE: On the sets of Sholay, Dhar- mendra’s mischievous streak produced one of Bollywood’s most-loved stories. While filming romantic scenes with Hema Malini, he developed such a soft corner for her that he devised a delightfully naughty plan. He would quietly slip ₹20 notes to light boys and cameramen, urging them to “accidentally” spoil the shot. A shaky focus here, a misplaced shadow there — anything that forced another retake. And then another. And another. The crew played along, delighted by “Dharam Paaji’s” schoolboy romance. These staged mistakes not only added to Sholay’s legendary folklore but also kept the entire set in splits. It wasn’t just the hero on screen—Dharmendra off screen was equally entertaining, endearing and utterly impossible to dislike. ISABGOL MEAL: Long before fame, glamour and star vans, Dharmendra experienced the classic struggler’s hunger. One day, he returned to his room completely broke, exhausted and starving. On the table lay a packet of Isabgol — psyllium husk — belonging to his roommate. Mistaking it for something that could calm his hunger, Dharmendra ate the entire packet. By morning, he was in severe discomfort and had to be taken to a doctor. After listening to the bizarre explanation, the doctor reportedly sighed, laughed and declared, “He doesn’t need medicine — he needs real food!”The incident became a favourite among Dharmendra’s friends, a reminder that the “He-Man of Bollywood” had once been a naïve, struggling youth who didn’t even have money for a meal. Edit What can be expected from credit policy in December? In the wake of the car blast in Delhi, police in Maharashtra will re-examine those major accidental fires, explosions, chemical and cylinder blasts that occurred in the last three years wherein several casualties were reported, a senior police official said on Monday. Police will investigate whether anti-national or terrorist elements were involved in these incidents, which were passed off as accidents, he said. Maharashtra Police have issued these instructions to incharge officers of all units, including police commissioners of cities and superintendents of police, as precautionary measures, against the backdrop of the car blast near Red Fort, which claimed 15 lives. They have been directed to revisit the investigation in those incidents of accidental fires, explosions, chemical and cylinder blasts which resulted in several casualties, in the last three years, the official told PTI. Security agencies are on high alert after the November 10 blast near Red Fort and the busting of a "white collar" module by Srinagar Police. The official said police will REPRESENTATIONAL PIC 8 DECEMBER 1935 – 24 NOVEMBER 2025 Games Jansen does the demolition act for SA as India on the backfoot ‘Enhanced macro frameworks allow RBI to calibrate regulatory measures effectively monitor online radicalisation through various social media platforms. The social media wings of the police are on alert and will monitor suspicious individuals. Police have been directed to collect information about online radicalising groups and closely monitor the activity of former members of organisa- SIMs misuse: DoT will hold mobile users liable PTI NEW DELHI Mobile subscribers may face legal action if a SIM card taken in their name is found to be used for cyber fraud or other illegal activities, the Department of Telecom (DoT) said on Monday. In an official statement, the DoT said the original user “may also be held liable as an offender in cases where SIM cards procured in their name are subsequently misused.” The department advised citizens to be cautious and warned against using mobile devices with tampered IMEI numbers. It also cautioned REPRESENTATIONAL PIC people not to buy or use procured or assembled devices such as modems, modules and SIM boxes that have configurable or tampered IMEIs. The DoT said people should avoid procuring SIM cards through fake documents, fraud or impersonation, and must not transfer or hand over SIM cards issued in their name to others, as they could be misused for cyber fraud. “Citizens should be aware that using devices with tampered IMEI numbers, procuring SIM cards through fraudulent means, or transferring or giving their SIM cards to others who misuse them for cyber fraud can result in serious legal consequences,” the statement said. It also advised subscribers not to use mobile applications or websites that modify Calling Line Identity (CLI) or other telecom identifiers. MUMBAI Maoist insurgents in Chhattisgarh have issued a dramatic call for a unilateral ceasefire until February 15, 2026, signalling internal turmoil following the killing of top commander Hidma and the loss of several senior leaders. The appeal, addressed to the Chief Ministers of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra, comes just days ahead of the Union government’s target of eliminating left-wing extremism (LWE) by March 31, 2026. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had earlier made it unequivocally clear during a visit to Chhattisgarh that the Centre would not entertain any talks with Maoists. His message was blunt: surrender or face the full force of security operations. Echoing this stance, Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma on Monday criticised those who raised slogans 18-HOUR ORDEAL UK resident from Arunachal alleges China detained her FPJ News Service NEW DELHI Justice Surya Kant on Monday took oath as the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI) at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office, which Justice Kant took in Hindi. With this, he begins a tenure that will run until Feb 9, 2027, giving him a relatively long period of over 14 months as the head of the judiciary. The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Vice President CP Radhakrishnan, former Chief Justice BR Gavai, and former President Ram Nath Kovind. Several Union ministers, including Hardeep Singh Puri, HD Kumaraswamy, Piyush Goyal and JP Nadda, were also present. Former Vice President Jagdeep MUMBAI in support of Hidma in New Delhi. He demanded answers for the Jhirum Valley massacre, the killing of 76 policemen, and the brutal murder of an eightmonth-old infant burned alive by the insurgents. The Maoist statement, issued jointly by the Special Zonal Committees of the three states and signed by the outfit’s Politburo, is a rare public confession of weakness. 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation SC to hear Hindu party plea on Dec 1 The SC on Monday said it would hear on December 1 a plea of a Hindu party in the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah mosque dispute challenging an Allahabad High Court order treating another party in another suit as a representative of all devotees 4Contd on | nation Former Chief Justice of India B R Gavai set a new precedent on Monday by leaving the official MercedesBenz car for his successor, Justice Surya Kant, at Rashtrapati Bhavan after the swearing-in ceremony. Gavai, who retired on November 23, arrived in the official vehicle but returned home in his personal car to ensure Justice Kant could use it to reach the Supreme Court. ‘Tejas jet crash is an isolated occurrence’ Agencies Agencies Dhankhar, other Supreme Court judges, and Chief Justices and judges from Bhutan, Kenya, Malaysia, Brazil, Mauritius, Nepal and Sri Lanka attended the event, Live Law and Bar & Bench report. Born on February 10, 1962, in Petwar village in Hisar district of Haryana, Justice Surya Kant studied law at Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, graduating in 1984. He began his legal practice the same year at the District Courts in Hisar and moved to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 1985, where he specialised in Constitutional, Service and Civil matters. On July 7, 2000, he became the youngest Advocate General of Haryana and was designated a Senior Advocate. B R GAVAI GESTURE NEW DELHI NEW DELHI Will have a 14 month tenure, till February 9, 2027 Vidhi Santosh Mehta An Indian-origin UK resident from Arunachal Pradesh has alleged that she was detained and harassed for more than 18 hours at Shanghai Pudong Airport after Chinese immigration authorities refused to recognise her Indian passport during a transit stop. Pem Wang Thongdok, who shared her ordeal on X, said she was travelling from London to Japan on November 21 with a scheduled three-hour layover in Shanghai. She alleged that Chinese immigration officials detained her for over 18 hours after declaring her Indian passport “invalid” because it listed Arunachal Pradesh as her birthplace. According to her, the officials insisted that “Arunachal Pradesh is part of China” and repeatedly refused to acknowledge her Indian nationality. Maoists push Feb 15 truce FPJ News Service tions like PFI, SIMI, and SDPI. Following these extensive instructions, workers at construction sites are being questioned by the police to identify and track down illegal Bangladeshi nationals or antinational elements, the official said. Police will also conduct verification of Kashmiri students in Maharashtra and prepare an updated list of such pupils staying in major cities, he said. The directives emphasise that police should conduct background checks on Kashmiri students and maintain contact with educational institutions for updated information. Justice Surya Kant sworn-in 53rd CJI of Lord Krishna. removal of the Shahi Idgah A bench of Justices Sanjay mosque from the disputed site Kumar and Alok Aradhe said it in Mathura, to be treated as the would take up the plea on De- representative of all devotees. cember 1 as S enior the issue KRISHNA JANMABHOOMI advocate requires a Shyam detailed hearing. In July, the Al- Divan, appearing for the aglahabad High Court allowed grieved Hindu party, said his suit another Hindu party, which has was treated as the lead case after filed a separate suit seeking the all civil suits in the dispute were transferred to the high court but the HC order erred in treating another party as the representative of all devotees. He said they were the first party to file the suit, and it was improper for the high court to elevate another party in one of the civil suits in the dispute in this way. 4Contd on | nation India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) on Monday said the crash of a Tejas fighter jet in Dubai last week was an isolated incident caused by “exceptional circumstances”, without sharing further details. The statement comes days after a Tejas aircraft went down in a ball of fire during an aerial display at the Dubai Airshow, killing the pilot in front of shocked spectators. The Indian Air Force has announced that a court of inquiry will investigate the cause of the accident. HAL, which manufactures the home-built jet powered by General Electric engines, said it will fully support the investigation. GE has also said it will cooperate. Tejas meaning “brilliance” in Sanskrit is central to India’s push to modernise its air force, which still relies heavily on Russian and ex-Soviet fighters. 4Contd on | nation offgrid Narrow escape after Afghan jet’s runway blunder FPJ News Service MUMBAI A major aviation mishap was narrowly avoided at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Sunday when an Ariana Afghan Airlines flight from Kabul mistakenly landed on the wrong runway — one that was simultaneously being used for another aircraft’s take-off. A senior DGCA official confirmed that a full investigation is under way. Flight FG-311, an A310 aircraft, had been cleared to land on runway 29L. However, the pilots brought it down on runway 29R instead. According to the pilot-incommand (PIC), the aircraft lost its Instrument Landing System (ILS) signal at around 4 nautical miles from touchdown. Without lateral guidance and facing poor visibility, the aircraft veered right and the captain executed a visual landing on 29R. The ILS, a crucial precision-guidance system used for landings in poor weather or low visibility, reportedly malfunctioned at a critical phase. The PIC stated that both onboard ILS systems failed after the Final Ap- proach Fix, leaving the crew without reliable alignment support. He also told investigators that the Delhi tower did not alert the cockpit about the deviation during approach. ATC records, however, show that the pilots had clearly acknowledged landing clearance for runway 29L only. It was only after touchdown that the captain realised he had landed on the adjacent runway, the DGCA official said. The PIC attributed the runway mix-up to the ILS failure and the resulting loss of lateral guidance in challenging visibility conditions. Investigators are now examining whether the fault lay with the aircraft’s ILS system or other operational factors. No injuries were reported, but the incident has raised serious questions about navigational reliability and airtraffic oversight at one of the country’s busiest airports.