FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms QUALITY AT VALUE FREE PRESS VOL. 13 NO. 352 | BHOPAL | MONDAY | JUNE 3, 2024 | PAGES 12 r Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 `3 r RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.in - EDITIONS: INDORE, BHOPAL, UJJAIN, MUMBAI, PUNE WEATHER WORLD VIRAT RECEIVES ICC ODI PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2023 AWARD SPORTS 2 ISRAELI MINISTERS THREATEN TO QUIT EC seeks info from Jairam over claims against Shah THE ALLEGATION C T ongress general secretary had alleged that "the outgoing Home Minister has been calling up DMs/Collectors. So far, he has spoken to 150 of them. This is blatant and brazen intimidation, showing how desperate the BJP is...." IN A LETTER to Ramesh, the poll panel has asked him to share details regarding his claim by 7 pm on Sunday AGENCIES New Delhi The Election Commission (EC) sought factual information from Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday on his claim that Home Minister Amit Shah has called up 150 district magistrates and collectors ahead of the June 4 counting of votes for the Lok Sabha polls. In a letter to Ramesh, the poll panel has asked him to share details regarding his claim by 7 pm on Sunday The EC has referred . to his post on X on June 1, in which the Congress general secretary had alleged that "the outgoing Home Minister has THE REACTION he process of counting votes is a sacred duty cast upon every returning officer and such public statements "tend to put an element of doubt and thus, deserves to be addressed in larger public interest", the EC has told Ramesh I t is requested that details of 150 DMs to whom such calls have been allegedly made by the Home Minister along with the factual matrix/basis of your information are shared by 7 pm today -- June 2, 2024, so that appropriate action can be taken n ELECTION COMMISSION been calling up DMs/Collectors. So far, he has spoken to 150 of them. This is blatant and brazen intimidation, showing how desperate the BJP is...." The process of counting votes is a sacred duty cast upon every returning officer and such public statements "tend to put an element of doubt and thus, deserves to be addressed in larger public interest", the EC has told Ramesh. It has also told the Congress leader that when the Model Code of Conduct is in force, all officers are under the deemed deputation of the commission and they report directly to the poll watchdog for any directions. "However, no DM has reported any such undue influence as alleged by you...," the EC's letter to Ramesh has stated. It has said that being a responsible, experienced and very senior leader of a national party, Ramesh must have made such a public statement ahead of the counting day on the basis of facts or information he believes to be true. CONTD. ON P6 40.10c. 26.30c Sunrise : 05.42 Sunset : 07.09 SARA SHARES PICTURES WITH IBRAHIM FROM ROME CINEMA Cops exhume bodies of two minor girls who drowned OUR STAFF REPORTER city.bhopal@fpj.co.in The Bandhavgarh police have exhumed bodies of two minor girls from a burial ground and conducted post-mortem in the presence of a team of doctors at government hospital on Sunday . According to the police, the two minor cousins, both aged around five, were playing near a pond at Amdi in Dulhari Tola on Friday night. While playing and bathing, the two minors slipped in the deep water and died. SDOP Bandhavgarh Nagendra Pratap Singh said most of the population of the area is of Baiga tribe and they were busy in work. After some time, most of them left the pond. Later, a youth who was at the pond raised the alarm that the two persons drowned in the pond. The villagers jumped in the pond and took out the bodies. The villagers later buried their bodies in the burial ground without informing the police. When the police got the information, they reached along with the administrative officials and retrieved the bodies and the post-mortem was performed. CONTD. ON P6 Man slaps Raveena Tandon, BJP retains Arunachal; pulls her by hair amid brawl SKM sweeps Sikkim FP ONLINE B NEWS BRIEF HEAT STROKE KILLS JABALPUR COLLECTOR’S SON BHOPAL: The 20-year-old son of Jabalpur collector Deepak Saxena died in Delhi. Sources said Amol Saxena complained of vomiting due to heat stroke and his condition deteriorated. He was rushed to the hospital, but could not be saved. Confirming the death, Dr Sanjay Mishra, CMHO, Jabalpur, said, “Amol’s body will be brought to Jabalpur on June 3.” ollywood star Raveena Tandon got involved in a major controversy after three women claimed that they were abused and assaulted by the actress in a drunken state in Mumbai's Bandra suburb on Saturday night. However, a source close to the development has now shared details about what exactly transpired and also claimed that the actress was brutally attacked by the mob. The source exclusively told Free Press that the three women, who are claiming to be victims, had gathered outside Raveena's residence and were the first ones to pick up a fight at hurl abuses at the actress' driver. "If the driver had injured them first, why didn't they go to the police station and file an FIR?" the source questioned, adding that the accusations about the driver assaulting the women was also false. "While Raveena was trying to calm the mob down, a man came out of nowhere and slapped her hard. He also pulled her by her hair, and she was in pain," the source told FP . "Because there was no accident, the Khar police did not register a complaint or an FIR. The accusations are completely false and baseless," the source added. FREEPRESS EXCLUSIVE AGENCIES / Itanagar The BJP on Sunday returned to power in Arunachal Pradesh for the third time in a row, winning 46 seats in the 60-member assembly , and bagging four more seats compared to its 2019 tally . In sweeping the assembly elections, the counting of which was held during the day the BJP dec, imated the opposition parties, especially the Congress which was relegated to the fifth position with only one seat after NPP (5), NCP (3) and PPA (2). Three seats went to Independent candidates. CONTD. ON P6 SKM STORMS BACK TO POWER T he Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) on Sunday returned to power in the Himalayan state for the second consecutive term by a landslide victory, winning 31 seats in the 32-member assembly. The opposition Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), which ruled the state for 25 years in a row till 2019, could manage only one seat, though its president Pawan Kumar Chamling lost in the two constituencies he contested. T his is a historic occasion for the BJP and entire Arunachal Pradesh. The people of Arunachal Pradesh have declared that they want BJP to stay in power for the next five years. This time, the mandate is more than what we got in 2019. In the 2019 Assembly polls, BJP won 41 seats, n PEMA KHANDU, ARUNACHAL PRADESH CM while we have won 46 seats this time KEJRI SURRENDERS AT TIHAR Vistara flight gets bomb threat MUMBAI: A Mumbaibound Vistara flight with 306 persons onboard from Paris received a bomb threat after which a full emergency was declared at the city airport prior to its arrival here, a source said. The flight landed at 10:19 am on Sunday, the source said. Govt mulls clamping Sec 52 on DAVV OUR STAFF REPORTER city.indore@fpj.co.in Higher education minister Inder Singh Parmar has said that they would try to clamp Section 52 of Madhya Pradesh University Act-1973 on Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya which is in the middle of a storm due to back-to-back question paper leaks during MBA first semester exams. “We will try our best to impose Section 52 so that there is no scope for any suspicion on the temples of education. We are also trying to make the transparent system,” he said while addressing ABVP activists who had staged a demonstration to press for their demands. Section 52 ousts the incumbent vice chancellor and disbands the entire executive council. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal surrendered at the Tihar jail after the 21-day interim bail granted to him by the Supreme Court ended on Sunday . The wife of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Sunita Kejriwal, and daughter Harshita Kejriwal also accompanied him to jail. The Rouse Avenue Court on Sunday sent Delhi Chief Minis- B hagat Singh said that when power becomes a dictatorship, then jail becomes a responsibility. Bhagat Singh was hanged to free the country. This time, when I am going to jail, I don't know when I will come back. I don't know what they will do with me? If Bhagat Singh was hanged, I am also ready to be hanged. My every drop of blood, my life is dedicated to this country n ARVIND KEJRIWAL, DELHI CM ter Arvind Kejriwal to judicial custody till June 5, 2024. Ahead of his scheduled surrender before the Tihar Jail au- thorities, the Delhi Chief Minister addressed the Aam Aadmi Party workers. CONTD. ON P6 OUR STAFF REPORTER City.bhopal@fpj.co.in Continuous moisture feeding with the advancement of monsoon toward the central parts of the country led to light rain, lightning with speedy wind in many parts of the state. The monsoon is expected to hit the state by June 15-20, according to the meteorological department officials. Meanwhile, an orange alert for heatwave as well as hot nights has been issued in Niwari, Datia, Singrauli, Sidhi, Umaria, Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh, Gwalior, Bhind, Morena, Rewa, Mauganj, Satna, Maihar, Shahdol and Dindori districts. Moreover, rain, lightning with speedy wind at 50 km/h is likely in Narmadapuram, Harda, Betul, Burhanpur, Khandwa, Khargone, Barwani, Dewas, Katni, Jabalpur, Narsinghpur, Chhindwara, Katni, Balaghat, Mandla, Damoh, Sagar, Pandhurna, Bhopal, Vidisha, Raisen, Sehore, Modi chairs marathon meetings NEW DELHI AGENCIES New Delhi HEATWAVE WITH HOT NIGHT CONDITION TO PREVAIL From heatwave to Cyclone Remal... Asks officials to ensure fire drills in hospitals, public places Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal with his wife and party legislators leaves after visiting Rajghat, ahead of his surrender before Tihar jail authorities in New Delhi Rain, lightning may continue to lash several districts Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday stressed the need to ensure regular fire and electrical safety audits in hospitals and other public places as he reviewed the heatwave situation in the country amid fire incidents which have claimed many lives. He chaired a host of meetings, including one on the postCyclone Remal situation, especially in the northeast region, and another to review the 100-day agenda of the new government to be sworn in after the Lok Sabha results are announced on June 4. Exit polls broadcast on Saturday predicted a massive win for the BJP-led National Democratic Alli- ance (NDA), with Modi set to retain power for a third straight term. In the meeting to review the heatwave conditions in parts of the country, Modi instructed officials that proper drills for preventing and handling incidents of fire must be undertaken on a regular basis, according to an official statement. He also said that regular drills for the maintenance of fire lines in forests and productive utilisation of biomass must be planned. Modi was briefed that as per forecasts, the heatwave is likely to continue in parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Monsoon this year is likely to be normal and above normal in most parts of the country and below normal in parts of peninsular India, the statement said. CONTD. ON P6 PLANETARY PARADE IN SKIES TODAY ONLINE REPORT A rare planetary alignment is set to grace the skies, presenting a stunning celestial display that astronomy enthusiasts won't want to miss. The optimal viewing time for this planetary alignment falls on June 3, 2024, but the spectacle will be visible over several days leading up to and following this date. Planetary alignment refers to a phenomenon where planets in the solar system appear to line up in a straight line or close to it, from the perspective of an observer on Earth. This alignment can occur in different ways. According to the Indian SIX PLANETS TO APPEAR IN ALIGNMENT Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus will take part in the parade – which occurs when planets gather on the same side of the Sun Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru, while Jupiter will be closer to the Sun before June 3, Mercury will take its place as the week progresses. However, observing these planets close to the horizon just before sunrise may pose a challenge due to their proximity to the Sun. Approximately 20 minutes before sunrise, Jupiter and Mars will be visible, with Mercury positioned less than 10 degrees above the eastern horizon. Uranus and Neptune, known for their faintness, will remain elusive to the naked eye, while Venus will be too close to the Sun for observation. Places Deg/Cel Niwari 45.1 Chhatarpur 45.0 Shivpuri 44.0 Tikamgarh 44.0 Nowgong 43.8 Gwalior 43.5 Singrauli 43.4 Guna 43.4 Khajuraho 43.2 Rajgarh 42.9 Damoh 42.5 Sidhi 42.4 Rewa 42.4 Shahdol 42.3 Ashok Nagar 42.2 Ratlam 42.0 Ashok Nagar, Shivpuri, Sheopurkalan and Panna districts. CONTD. ON P6 Oppn parties trash exit polls Claim 'deliberate attempt to justify rigging' AGENCIES New Delhi The Congress and other INDIA bloc parties on Sunday trashed the exit polls that have predicted a third consecutive win for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Lok Sabha elections, claiming that these surveys were a work of "fantasy" and asserting that the opposition alliance will form the next government. Questioning the credibility of the exit polls, the leaders of major opposition parties alleged that they were conducted at the behest of the government as a "deliberate attempt to justify rigging of elections" and were part of PM Modi's "mind games" to lower the morale of the INDIA bloc workers ahead of counting of votes on June 4. "This is not called an exit poll but its name is 'Modi media poll'. This is Modi ji's poll, it is his fantasy poll," former Congress president Rahul Gandhi told reporters at the AICC headquarters here. Asked how many seats the INDIA bloc would get, Gandhi said, "Have you heard (popular singer) Sidhu Moosewala's song '295'? So 295 (seats)." CONTD. ON P6