FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. XLI No. 51 | INDORE | MONDAY | JULY 29, 2024 | Pages 12 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 FREE www.freepressjournal.com Sports Nikhat’s tenacious triumph in the pre-quarters P.12 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE UJJAIN MONEY PRESS PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK Big push for EV adoption, mfg continues Brandsutra SLEEPING GIANTS P.10 Gates of 3 dams opened as rains fill up water bodies Briefs THANE Firing on doctor's car: 4 arrested Four persons were arrested for allegedly firing at the car of a doctor in Murbad in Thane district, a police official said on Sunday. The car of Dr Ravishankar Pal, who owns a hospital in Saralgaon, was fired upon by unidentified persons on July 1, the Murbad police station official said. "We found the firing was a fallout of professional rivalry between two doctors. Our probe zeroed in on main accused Dr Ramchandra Bhoir, who is on the run," he said. JAMSHEDPUR 2 killed in jumbo attack in J’Khand Two persons including a woman were killed in elephant attack in Jharkhand's East Singhbhum district, a forest official said on Sunday. A septuagenarian man was crushed to death by a pachyderm when he went out to relieve in a forest near Chauthia village in the early hours of Sunday, the official said. The elephant attacked the old man suddenly and dragged him to a distance before killing him. THANE Two arrested for selling gutkha Two persons were arrested for allegedly stocking and selling banned gutkha and other tobacco items in Kalwa in Thane, a police official said on Sunday. The official identified the two as Imran Harmud Ali and Sujal Pawar, who run a paan shop. Items worth Rs 55,000 were seized from the two, who have been charged under Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and FDA rules, the Kwal police station official added. MUZAFFARNAGAR PAC jawan held for rape A Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) jawan was arrested on Sunday for allegedly raping a married woman at her house here, police said. The accused was identified as Pintu. He was posted in Meerut and had come home on leave, SHO Rajendra Prasad said. l Sluice gates of Satpura, Kolar, and Mohanpura dams opened to release excess water l Bhadbhada Dam gate may be opened any time Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL As incessant rain swells the water reservoirs in Madhya Pradesh, sluice gates of the Satpura Dam in Betul district, the Kolar Dam in Sehore, and the Mohanpura Dam in Rajgarh district were opened on Sunday. For the first time this season, two gates of the Kolar Dam were opened on Sunday due to continuous rain in the Bhopal division. The water level in the Kolar Dam increased to 458.70 meters, prompting authorities to open 2 out of its 8 gates. Seven gates of the Satpura Dam and 4 gates of the Mohanpura Dam were also opened to release excess water. Two Kolar dam gates were opened on Sunday The gates of the Bhadbhada Dam may be opened anytime as the Upper Lake's water level is inching closer to its full tank level (FTL) of 1666.80 feet. Currently, the water level in the lake stands at 1665.30 feet. Continuous rainfall in the catchment area of the Upper Lake has led to an increase in the lake s water level. ADM (Betul) Rajiv Shrivastava informed Free Press, Seven out of 14 gates of the Satpura Dam in Betul district have been opened. The dam water level is being monitored and situation is under control. Sehore collector Praveen Singh appealed to people not to go to affected areas of Kolar River, near its canal, and also the dam. Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) engineer Ajay Solanki said that the water level of the Upper Lake is being closely monitored. 4Continued on | P6 DELHI COACHING CENTRE DEATHS Owner among two held, political blame game begins PTI NEW DELHI Absence of drainage system and safety measures, and use of basement for commercial activities in violation of norms led to the death of three civil services aspirants at a coaching centre in central Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar area, officials and students said on Sunday. The Delhi Police on Sunday arrested the owner and the coordinator of the coaching centre -- Rau's IAS Study Circle -- and booked them for culpable homicide and other charges. A political blame game began as the BJP and the Congress attacked the AAP government, calling the incident a "murder". Shreya Yadav of Ambedkar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni from Telangana, and Navin Dalwin from Ernakulam in Kerala died after the basement of a building housing the coaching institute was flooded following heavy rain on Saturday evening. While there was no official word, some students alleged that the incident took place because of people getting trapped in the basement due to malfunctioning of entry-exit biometric system. According to the officials, the three-storey coaching institute, surrounded by residential and commercial establishments, had permission to use the basement as a store room, but it was being used as library in violation of the rules. A passenger bus ploughed into a bike on which three persons were sitting on Hoshangabad Road area of the city on Sunday night. All three men died while another man riding a bike near the victims sustained an injury, the police said. Bag Sewaniya police station TI Amit Soni said that the accident occurred at 9.30 pm. He added that the identities of the ones who died have not been ascertained yet. The onlookers rushed to the spot upon witnessing the incident and blocked the road. They also covered the bodies of the victims by newspapers. The police made efforts to subside the traffic snarls prevailing in the area. TI Soni said that prima facie, it has been learnt that the bus was rushing at a high speed, which eventually lost control and rammed into the bike. Meanwhile, the bus driver sped away. Efforts are on to trace and apprehend him. Former election strategist Prashant Kishor on Sunday said his Jan Suraaj campaign will become a political party on October 2, coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti, and contest the Bihar assembly polls next year. Kishor was addressing a "state-level workshop" of Jan Suraaj here, which was attended by several persons, including two former legislators PM’s advice to BJP CMs on Viksit Bharat Mata Prasad Pandey made LoP in UP ANI Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday appointed party leader Mata Prasad Pandey as the Leader of the Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly. This decision was taken following a meeting with party MLAs on Sunday. Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party MLA Atul Pradhan cited the party's large mandate in the recent general election and claimed that a government led by Akhilesh Yadav will soon be formed in Uttar Pradesh. Samajwadi Party MLA Atul Pradhan said, "The government that is in power at this time seems as if there is no government in Uttar Pradesh, everyone is working as per their own will... People are realizing that the coming time belongs to the Samajwadi Party and the officials must also be thinking that people have given such a big majority, such a big mandate, so in the coming time Samajwadi Party government will be formed in Uttar Pradesh under Akhilesh Yadav..." 4Continued on | P6 PTI NEW DELHI 4Continued on | P6 You Lost Silver By 0.1 Points. PM Modi INDIA’S SHOOTING STAR Becomes first Indian woman to win shooting medal in Olympics Joe Williams MUMBAI After a disappointing outing at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Manu Bhaker has rewritten history, becoming the first Indian woman shooter to win an Olympic medal. At the Paris Games on Sunday, the 22-year-old clinched a bronze in the 10m air pistol event, ending a 12-year drought for Indian shooting at the Olympics. This was Manu’s second Olympic appearance. Her first Ayodhya's Milkipur bypoll critical for BJP Biswajeet Banerjee PM Modi with Union Ministers & CMs in New Delhi on Sunday What a fabulous Evening in Paris LUCKNOW LUCKNOW 4Continued on | P6 PATNA Our Staff Reporter Rainfall (mm) Mandsaur (Suvasra) 206.4 Sagar (Khurai) 178 Agar (Barod) 136 Vidisha (Pathari) 115 Narmadapuram 111.8 (Pachmarhi) Chhindwada (Tamiya) 100 Damoh (Tendukheda) 99.2 Balaghat (Lalbarra) 98 Jabalpur (Patan) 95 Sehore (Ichhawar) 95 and a granddaughter of late socialist icon Karpoori Thakur, joining the campaign. "As stated earlier, Jan Suraaj will become a political party on October 2 and contest next year's assembly polls. Hoshangabad Jan Suraaj to become Road: 3 die political party on Oct 2 as bus rams PTI into bike BHOPAL Place Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday said a coordinated and strong effort by governments at the Centre and in states will ensure the goal of 'Viksit Bharat' is attained. Both developing heritage and building a legacy of development have a special place in the idea of 'Viksit Bharat', Modi said, according to senior party leader Vinay Sahasrabuddhe. The prime minister was addressing the 13 chief ministers and 15 deputy chief ministers from the BJP-ruled states on the second day of their twoday meeting -- 'mukhyamantri parishad' -- here. Modi spoke at length about his government's agenda of making India a USD 5 trillion economy and stressed the importance of public participation in welfare measures. 4Continued on | P6 E-paper Edit Agnipath a victim of govt arrogance P.8 MONSOON FURY: Upper Lake only 1.80 ft away from capacity fp MUMBAI The upcoming by-election in Ayodhya's Milkipur, part of the Faizabad parliamentary constituency, has become a significant contest for both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP). This by-election was triggered by SP national general secretary Awadhesh Prasad's recent election to Parliament. Following their defeat in Faizabad, the BJP is eager to reclaim this critical seat, while the SP, having previously held the seat, is under substantial pressure to maintain its dominance. For the BJP, the Milkipur by-election represents a crucial battle for prestige. Despite the advantages of the ModiYogi factor and the double-engine government, at both the state and national levels, the party's performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections was disappointing. The BJP sees this bypoll as a chance to reverse its fortunes, regain lost ground, and reinforce its influence in the region. The Opposition has strategically given Awadhesh Prasad a pre-eminent role in all its meetings, hoping to needle the BJP, which had made the Ram Mandir a central issue in the Lok Sabha campaign. Notably, the BJP lost the election in the constituency where the temple is located. Both the BJP and SP are Despite the advantages of the Modi-Yogi factor and the doubleengine government, at both the state and national levels, the party's performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections was disappointing meticulously strategizing to capture this pivotal seat. For the BJP, reclaiming Milkipur is not just about numbers but also about regaining momentum after recent electoral losses. The SP, on the other hand, is determined to defend its stronghold and prove its resilience amidst growing pressures. The organizational apparatus of both parties is actively evaluating potential candidates, weighing their chances of victory, and devising plans to galvanize voter support. As the by-election approaches, the political landscape in Milkipur is set to witness intense campaigning and strategic maneuvering from both sides. outing in Tokyo ended in failure because of a malfunctioning pistol in the qualifying round. The last time India bagged shooting medals was at the 2012 London Olympics when Vijay Kumar and Gagan Narang won bronzes. Since then, Indian shooters have fallen short of the mark, going without a podium finish in the next two Olympics, but Manu’s remarkable performance, with a score of 221.7, has broken that streak.   “It is a great moment for me and the entire country,” Manu said, reflecting on her achievement after narrowly missing silver by 0.1 points. 4Continued on | P6 MANN KI BAAT PM hails Indore’s plantation record of 12L saplings in a day Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL/INDORE Prime Minister NarendraModi has once again showered praises on Indore; this time for its plantation drive. During his “Mann Ki Baat” programme, the PM said, “A few days ago, a splendid programme was held in Indore, the city famous for cleanliness. More than 12 lakh sap- The BJP is carefully evaluating its candidate options for the Milkipur by-election. lings were planted there in a single day during the programme conducted as part of ‘Ek PedMaa Ke Naam’ campaign.” Indore had created a new Guinness World Record by planting more than 12 lakh saplings on BSF’s Reoti Range premises in a single day on July 14. Home minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Mohan Yadav had also come to Indore to attend the plantation drive and they too have planted trees in the name of their respective mothers. 4Continued on | P6 4Continued on | P6 Candidate Selection offgrid Trump vows to make US world’s crypto capital Lalit K Jha WASHINGTON Former President Donald Trump has promised to make the US a “Bitcoin superpower" if he returns to the White House and said that he will appoint an advisory council to put in place a transparent regulatory system for the benefit of the entire industry. But Trump, the Republican nominee, stopped short of proposing a formal digital currency. Crypto is the political battleground for Republicans, with Trump claiming the Democratic Party and Vice-President Kamala Harris were “against crypto”. “I'm laying out my plan to ensure that the United States will be the crypto capital of the planet and the Bitcoin superpower of the world,” Trump, 78, said. Bitcoin allows for secure and seamless peer-to-peer transactions on the internet. He also warned that Bitcoin investors in the audience will be “crushed” if Kamala Harris is elected as president. During remarks at a Bitcoin convention, Trump also promised to Securities and Exchange Commission Chair. Indian-American entrepreneur-turned-politician Vivek Ramaswamy is a key advisor to Trump on cryptocurrency. “Those who say that Bitcoin is a threat to the dollar have the story backwards. Bitcoin is not threatening the dollar. The behaviour of the current US government is really threatening the dollar,” Trump said. “The danger to our financial future does not come from crypto. 4Continued on | P6