FP FREE PRESS The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms VOL. 13 NO. 287 | BHOPAL | SATURDAY | MARCH 30, 2024 | PAGES 16 `3 - r Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2021-2023; TAX TERRORISM NEWS BRIEF Biden assures support to Pak PM Islamabad: Marking the first official communication with a Pakistani premier during his tenure, US President Joe Biden has dashed off a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressing continuous support and highlighted that the ties between the two nations are critical for bilateral and regional peace and security. After assuming office in January 2021, President Biden neither telephoned former prime minister Imran Khan after his election victory nor spoke to Sharif when he succeeded Khan in April 2022, The Express Tribune said on Friday. Investigators from China reach Pak Islamabad: Investigators from China on Friday reached Pakistan to probe the death of five Chinese nationals in a major terrorist attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, as more Chinese firms have stopped work on hydropower projects in the restive north-west region. Five Chinese and their Pakistani driver were killed when a suicide attacker rammed his explosivesladen car into a vehicle in the Bisham area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Tuesday when they were being driven to a construction site of the Dasu Hydroelectric power station in Kohistan district of the same province. Rs 10L reward for Cafe blast accused New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh each for sharing information leading to the arrest of two key accused, one of them using Hindu names to hide identity, in Bengaluru's Rameshwaram Cafe blast case. The agency requested the general public for information on the duo -Mussavir Hussain Shazib alias Shazeb alias Md Juned Hussain alias Mohammed Juned Sayed and Abdul Matheen Ahmed Taahaa alias Abdul Matheen Taha alias Matheen alias Taha alias Vignesh D alias Sumit "or any other assumed Hindu name" -- wanted in the case, according to its posts on X. ‘We don't feel safe in Canada’ Toronto: Urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to keep Canada free from "the glorification of terrorism", a prominent Hindu advocacy group in the country said on Friday that Ottawa's current political discourse regarding India's alleged interference in the country further emboldens extremist elements. In a letter addressed to PM Trudeau, the Hindu Forum Canada (HFC) said that despite the community's positive contributions, they don't feel safe in the EDIT EMPLOYMENT – THE GRIM TRUTH WEATHER ANDERSON, HARMEET IN USA T20I SQUAD AGAINST CANADA SPORTS EDITIONS: INDORE, BHOPAL, UJJAIN, MUMBAI, PUNE 38.80c. 22.20c Sunrise : 06.22 Sunset : 06.41 CRIES CONGRESS AS INCOME TAX DEPT SLAPS `1,700-CR NOTICE NEW DELHI The Congress Friday said it has received fresh notices from the income-tax department, asking it to pay around Rs 1,823 crore even as it accused the BJP of "serious violations" of income-tax laws for which it should be penalised to the tune of Rs 4,600 crore. The left parties - CPI and CPI-M - were also caught up in similar tax nets with the CPI saying it has received a notice from Income Tax department for using an old PAN card and the CPI-M slapped with a tax recovery notice of Rs 15.59 crore for not declaring a bank account in its tax returns for 2016-17. With campaigning for Lok Sabha polls picking up, the Congress also accused the ruling BJP of indulging in "tax terrorism" to financially cripple the opposition party and alleged that democracy was "under threat" in the BJP government. Citing examples, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the I-T department has now given a notice to the Congress for a total amount of Rs 1,823 crore and already withdrawn Rs 135 crore from the party's accounts, which were funds collected by the party through Rahul to I-T, CBI: Revenge CPI too gets is my guarantee notice C ongress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP on Friday of indulging in "tax terrorism" by misusing probe agencies and warned it, saying when the government changes, such exemplary action will be taken that no one will dare to do such things again. In a post on X, Gandhi shared a video of his press conference held on March 15 where he answered a query relating to the income-tax notices issued against the Congress and used the hashtag "#BJPTaxTerrorism" with it. "When the government changes, action will definitely be taken against those who crowdsourcing. The left parties - CPI and CPI-M were also caught up in similar tax nets with the CPI saying it has received a notice from Income Tax department for using an old PAN card and the CPIM slapped with a tax recovery notice of Rs 15.59 crore for not declaring a bank account in its tax returns for 2016-17. All the parties are now seeking legal recourse and the Congress saying that its case is slated to be Judicial probe into Mukhtar Ansari’s death BANDA/LUCKNOW A chief judicial magistrate's court in Uttar Pradesh's Banda on Friday ordered a judicial inquiry into the death of gangsterpolitician Mukhtar Ansari, a senior official said. Banda Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Bhagwan Das Gupta appointed Garima Singh, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (MP-MLA Court Banda) as the investigating officer in the case, the official said. The CJM has sought the probe report within a month. The 63-year-old Ansari was brought to the Rani Durgavati Medical College in Banda from the district jail in "an unconscious state" on Thursday evening and died at the hospital following a cardiac arrest. A panel of doctors conducted a postmortem at Rani Durgavati Medical College in Banda, amid a security alert across several districts in Uttar Pradesh. A long convoy of vehicles left the city in the evening with Ansari's body for his home district Ghazipur. It included 24 police vehicles, two others carrying family members and the ambulance with the body of the former legislator. POISON THEORY Afzal Ansari, who is also the Ghazipur MP, alleged that his brother was given slow poison in jail. "Mukhtar said that he was given a poisonous substance in food in jail. This happened for the second time. Around 40 days ago also he was given poison. And recently, he was again given this (poison) due to which his condition deteriorated," Afzal Ansari said. JUSTICE SERVED Alka Rai, wife of late BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai, who was killed by Mukhtar Ansari, said on Friday that "justice has been served" with the death of the gangsterturned politician. Rai said, "What can I say? This is the blessing of the Almighty. I used to pray to him for justice and it has been served today". Banda Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Bhagwan Das Gupta ordered the statutory magisterial probe, appointing Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Garima Singh as the investigating officer. She has been asked to submit the probe report within a month. CONTD. ON P8 have disrobed democracy. And such exemplary action will be taken that no one will dare to do all this again. This is my guarantee," the former Congress chief said in his post in Hindi on X. heard in the Supreme Court on April 1. Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here along with Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh and party treasurer Ajay Maken alleged that the BJP is in serious violation of incometax laws and said the I-T department should raise a demand of Rs 4,617.58 crore from the saffron party for such violations. Maken said political parties have to fill up a profor- CBI shuts case against NCP's Praful Patel NEW DELHI Nationalist Congress Party leader Praful Patel has been let off in an alleged corruption case as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) concluded there was no "evidence of any wrongdoing". The case was registered in 2017 to probe the allegations of irregularities in leasing aircraft for Air India. CBI has filed a closure report at a special court in Delhi. After going through the probe agency's findings, the court will decide whether to accept the report or continue the investigation. Allegations had been made that under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, a large number of Air India aircraft were leased which hit the airlines' finances severely . The charges claimed that Air India made huge losses after the move while private persons made pecuniary gains. This leasing agreement was finalised by Ministry of Civil Aviation under the then minister Praful Patel and the National Aviation Corporation of India, a body formed after the merger of Air India and Indian Airlines. CONTD. ON P8 The CPI has received a notice from the income-tax department, asking it explain why penalty should not be imposed on it for using an old PAN card while filing tax returns during the last few years, sources said on Friday. They said the Left party is consulting its lawyers to challenge the notice of the tax authorities. The notice mentions that in case it fails to explain its position to the I-T department, penalties along with interest due to authorities for "discrepancies" in the use of an old PAN card by the party would be levied. They added that the CPI(M) has filed a writ petition against the order in the Delhi High Court and the matter is sub-judice. ma of Form 24A, in which two basic and important pieces of information have to be furnished -- the names and addresses of their donors. "We have analysed all the submissions of the BJP to the Election Commission (EC). The party has faltered every year," Maken claimed, alleging that the tax authorities are targeting only the principal opposition party and not the BJP for similar violations. CONTD. ON P8 r RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 A DECENT COURTROOM DRAMA Gwalior student gets Rs 46 cr I-T notice over bank transactions OUR STAFF REPORTER city.bhopal@fpj.co.in A college student has filed a complaint with Gwalior police after transactions of Rs 46 crores occurred from his bank account, a police official said on Friday . The victim became aware of the transactions after he got notice from income tax department. Additional superintendent of police (ASP) Shiyaz K M said that complainant Pramod Kumar Dandotiya (around 25 years old), came to know about the matter when he received a notice from the income tax and GST that a company had been registered through his PAN card which is being operated in Mumbai and Delhi since 2021. ASP added "An application has been received. The documents in this regard are being checked. The PAN card has been misused, a company has been registered through it and transactions of such a huge amount have been done. The matter is being investigated." Dandotiya told the media, "I am a college student in Gwalior. After the notice from Income Tax and GST, I came to know that a company has registered through my PAN card which has been operated in Mumbai and Delhi since 2021. I do not know how my PAN card came to be misused and how the transactions took place." CONTD. ON P8 OUR STAFF REPORTER City.bhopal@fpj.co.in After remaining sunny throughout the day, Bhopal experienced light rain with speedy winds on Friday evening. Thundershower, hail with lightning and speedy winds are likely in most of the parts of state in next 24 hours. Meteorological department has attributed the change in weather to trough/wind discontinuity that extends from south interior Karnataka to the central parts of Madhya Pradesh. A yellow alert has been issued for moderate thunderstorms with lightning and hail with wind speeds of up to 45 kmph in Sehore, Bhind, Datia (Ratangarh, Nivari), Orchha, Jabalpur( 10 killed after SUV falls into gorge in J-K BANIHAL/JAMMU Ten people were killed after an SUV skidded off the Jammu-Srinagar national highway and fell into a gorge in Ramban district on Friday, officials said. The vehicle, a Tavera, was on its way to Jammu from Srinagar and it fell into a 300 feet gorge at the Battery Cheshma area of the district around 1.15 am, they said. The bodies of nine passengers and the driver of the sports utility vehicle (SUV) have been recovered, the officials said. They said the car's driver, Balwan Singh (47), of Amb Ghrotha in Jammu and Vipin Mukhiya Bhairagang of West Champaran in Bihar are among the deceased. CONTD. ON P8 'Racist' cartoon targets Indian crew on ship after Baltimore bridge collapse NEW DELHI: Six people are presumed dead after an out-of-control cargo ship smashed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge. While several, including US President Joe Biden, are praising the Indian crew on the ship a 'racist' cartoon depicting the incident has stirred a storm. The Singapore-flagged container ship Dali lost power and crashed into a concrete pier supporting the bridge on Tuesday. Within seconds almost the entire bridge collapsed and plunged into what officials said was roughly 50 feet of frigid water below. Biden praised the ship's crew, most of whom were Indians for their prompt CINEMA JOLT FOR NATH Cong MLA from Amarwara joins ruling party OUR STAFF REPORTER city.bhopal@fpj.co.in The BJP has struck a severe blow to former chief minister Kamal Nath in Chhindwara. The BJP admitted Congress legislator from Amarwara, Kamlesh Shah, into the party on Friday. Shah considered very close to Nath won the assembly election for the third time in a row. After admitting Deepak Saxena, son of Ajay Saxena, into the party, the BJP has rattled the Congress by giving membership to Shah. Shah's wife and former chairperson of Nagar Palika Madhavi Shah and sister and chairperson of district Panchayat Kesar Netam also joined the BJP along with many party workers. CONTD. ON P8 Mayday call which prompted authorities to scramble to shut down traffic to the bridge, potentially saving lives. A day later, a US-based webcomic shared a cartoon depicting the incident. The animated video shows unkempt men dressed only in loincloths preparing for the impend- ing crash and was directed at the crew on the ship. "Last known recording from inside the Dali moments before impact," Foxford Comics wrote on X (formerly Twitter) while sharing the video. The cartoon also had the audio of people swearing at each other in English but with a strong Indian accent. CONTD. ON P8 Mahendra Singh, Vijayvargiya play major role BJP's election in-charge in the state Mahendra Singh has played an important role in bringing Kamlesh Shah to the party. Incharge of Chhindwara constituency Kailash Vijayvargiya, who carried out the party's strategy, is staying in Chhindwara these days. Party sources said they are in touch with a few more legislators and leaders of the Congress in the Chhindwara parliamentary constituency. MEANWHILE, Kamlesh Shah reached assembly after 4 pm and handed over his resignation letter to Assembly's principal secretary AP Singh. It was forwarded to the Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar who accepted it immediately. Damoh dist panchayat chairperson joins BJP Chairperson of Damoh district Panchayat Ranjeeta Patel joined the BJP Former chairman of district Panchayat Shivcharan Patel, . chairperson of Hatta Janpad Anuska Rai and former chairman of cooperative bank Gaurav Patel also took the BJP membership. Sunny during the day, rain hits Bhopal in evening Alert for rain, hail in most parts of state Heat wave in Ratlam, Sagar, Shivpuri, Tikamgarh, Damoh, & Guna QUALITY AT VALUE www.freepressjournal.in Airport) and Bhedaghat), Chhatarpur, Khajuraho and Damoh. Similarly, light thunderstorms with lightning are likely to occur over Bhopal, Badwani, Dhar (Mandu), Shajapur, Khandwa (Omkareshwar), Khargone (Maheshwar), Dewas, Indore, Raisen, Vidisha, Betul, Chhindwada, Tikamgarh, CONTD. ON P8 Tension in Sandeshkhali KOLKATA: Tension gripped the Bermajur locality at Sandeshkhali in West Bengal on Friday following an attack on the All India Secular Front (AISF) workers who tried to hoist the party flag there. Incidentally, the leader of the local Trinamool Congress workers accused of launching the attack on AISF activists is the namesake of the now-suspended Trinamool leader Sheikh Shahjahan, the accused mastermind behind the attack on ED and CAPF teams in the area on January 5. The Trinamool leader is known in the locality as 'Chota Sheikh Shahjahan', an influential ruling party activist in the area, who is also accused of being part of the mob that had attacked the ED and CAPF teams at Sandeshkhali on January 5. (FULL REPORT ON P8) PM Modi meets Gates, cautions about AI misuse NEW DELHI Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday cautioned that a powerful technology like AI in unskilled, untrained hands holds significant risk of misuse, as he advocated the need for clear 'dos and don'ts' and use of watermarks on AI-generated content to curb misinformation and deepfake-related harms in the society . In a candid, free-wheeling chat with Microsoft cofounder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates, Modi spoke at length on how India has democratised technology for the benefit of its citizens, embracing the power of digital for improving lives, and exuded confidence that the country will take remarkable strides in the fourth industrial revolution, that has digital in its core. During the discussion that touched on a slew of topics, from AI to Digital Public Infrastructure, the PM said in the case of deepfakes, it is crucial to acknowledge and identify that a particular deepfake content is AI-generated, along with appropriate disclosures about its source. Citing dangers of AI harms and deepfakes in a society, he said, misuse of his voice, for instance, can initially deceive and misguide people leading to widespread uproar. "It is crucial to acknowledge that deepfake content is AI-generated and mention its source. CONTD. ON P8