FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. 14 No. 129 | BHOPAL | TUESDAY | OCTOBER 22, 2024 | Pages 16 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports Final bound or left behind P.14 fp Briefs iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL UJJAIN PRESS PUNE INDORE NASHIK MONEY MUMBAI E-paper Edit Governor-CM rift erupts again in TN P.8 India’s growth story intact despite Q2 slowdown: RBI Cinema Here come the babies! P.16 In shadow of tradition, village stands untouched by colour FP EXCLUSIVE NEW DELHI Sonam Wangchuk breaks fast Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Monday ended his fast along with others, after the home ministry assured them that the talks on Ladakh's demands will be resumed in December. Join Secretary, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Prashant Lokhande met the activists, who have been sitting on an indefinite fast at Delhi's Ladakh Bhawan since October 6, and handed them a letter from the home ministry. ESTD-1983 Colours are forbidden in Kachaliya village and rangoli is unseen even on Diwali Dinesh Shukla ALOT Nestled in Alot tehsil, village of Kachaliya is known for its age-old customs that have remained untouched by the passage of time. In this vil- lage of 1,450 people, a unique and somewhat mysterious tradition governs the way villagers live- no homes are painted, and no rangoli decorates doorsteps, even during the most festive time of the year, Diwali. SIGNS OF THAW: This comes after 4.5 years of standoff India, China back to 2020 patrolling along LAC: EAM COLOURLESS VILLAGE Kachaliya, home to more than 210 houses, stands out not for its vibrant hues, but for the complete absence of them. While one might expect colourful homes adorned with intricate de- Engineer from Sidhi killed in J&K CM announces Rs 5L financial assistance Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL BENGALURU K’taka HC denies bail to Prajwal The Karnataka High Court on Monday rejected the bail plea of former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, who faces charges of rape and sexual assault. Justice M Nagaprasanna also rejected two anticipatory bail pleas of the former Hassan MP. In August 2024, the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing four cases of sexual assault and harassment against Prajwal, submitted a 2,144page chargesheet. NEW DELHI BJP membership reaches 10 cr The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday achieved a significant milestone with its membership reaching 10 crores. The party aims to surpass its previous high of 11 crore members. The current membership drive campaign began on October 11 and will last until the end of October, followed by a scrutiny period from November 1 to 5. MUMBAI/GADCHIROLI 5 Naxalites gunned down 5 Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district on Monday, police said. The gunfight, in which commandos of the C60 specialized combat unit of the Gadchiroli police played a leading role, took place in a forest in Bhamragadh taluka in the eastern Maharashtra district and comes just one month ahead of the state assembly polls. Agencies CANADA DOUBLE STANDARD NEW DELHI Four-and-half years after the standoff between India and China, New Delhi and Beijing have agreed on the disengagement on the border where 50,000 to 60,000 troops are stationed on both sides, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Monday. Stating that Indian and Chinese diplomatic and military negotiators have been in close contact with each other in a variety of forums, and as a result of these discussions, Misri said, “Agreement has been arrived at on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border areas, leading to disengagement and a resolution of the issues that had arisen in these areas in 2020 and we will be taking the next steps on this”. Last month, the Chinese Defence Ministry said China and India were able to “reduce differences” and build “some consensus” on disengaging troops from friction points to end the standoff in REastern Ladakh and agreed to maintain dialogue to re- Pannun issues warning on flying AI Agencies NEW DELHI Canadians seem to have a problem with Indian diplomats trying to find out about what is happening there in relation to India, Jaishankar said. He spoke of the different standards -"double standards is a very mild word for it" -- that seem to exist between how Canada treats other diplomats and the "license' their diplomats allow themselves while in India. RUSSIA STEAD FAST FRIEND Russia has never done anything to impact India's interests negatively, and there is an economic and strategic logic behind New Delhi maintaining strong ties with Moscow, Jaishankar said. Russia as a major natural resources power has a complementarity with India at this stage of development where we are big resource consumers. AI THREAT Jaishankar sidestepped the question on Pannun's threat, but took the opportunity to take more sharp digs at Canada amid a stand-off over the killing of another Khalistani terrorist - Hardeep Nijjar. solve acceptable to both sides at an “early date”. Li Jinsong, Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, had met with Indian Ambassador to China Pradeep Kumar Rawat. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday denied meeting former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the recently-concluded Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Islamabad. The Union Minister's Pakistan visit for the first by an Indian minister in nearly ten years. The last visit by an Indian foreign minister was by Sushma Swaraj. The Chinese Defence Ministry’s statement and the meeting with the Indian envoy came on a day The Indian Express reported on September 26 that India and China are learnt to have made “significant progress” in narrowing their gap on pending issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. 4Continued on | P6 SP MP abuses CJI, retracts after row Priyanka to file nomination on October 23 Agencies WAYANAD NEW DELHI Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on Monday warned passengers not to fly on Air India flights from November 1 to 19. He asserted that an attack could take place on an Air India flight during the specified dates, which coincide with the "40th anniversary of the Sikh genocide". The founder of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), who holds dual citizenship in Canada and the US, had issued a similar threat around the same time last year. Pannun's fresh threat comes amid several airlines in India receiving multiple threat calls about potential bombings. It also occurred at a time when India and Canada are engaged in a murky diplomatic row following Canada's allegations of India targeting Khalistani elements in the country. SCO MEETING Samajwadi MP Ram Gopal Yadav abuses Chief Justice on camera, sparks huge row R a m Gopal Yadav used a cuss word for Chief Justice DY Chandrachud when asked to react to the latter's 'prayed to God' remark made in reference to the Ayodhya case. Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav on Monday triggered a massive controversy when he abused Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud on camera when he was asked about the latter's 'prayed to God' remark made in reference to the Ayodhya dispute. However, after facing backlash, Yadav backtracked, claiming that nobody had asked him anything about the Chief Justice. "I do not want to make any comments. When you bring ghosts back to life, when you bring the dead back to life, they become ghosts and start following justice. Where are they now?... Forget it, all such ******* people keep on saying such things. Should I take notice of them?" Ram Gopal Yadav told reporters. Later, when asked for a clarification of his objectionable remark, Ram Gopal Yadav denied making such a statement and argued that he was asked to respond to the Bahraich violence. "Nobody asked me anything about the CJI. The CJI is a very reputed person. 4Continued on | P6 Congress General Secretary and United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate Priyanka Gandhi will be filing her nomination on October 23 for the upcoming Wa y a n a d Lok Sabha bye-elections. She also met with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday and took his guidance and blessings ahead of the nomination and election campaign for the Wayanad parliamentary seat in Kerala. Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Party President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of 4Continued on | P6 Canada pulled out mole ahead of Kanishka bombing O The report states had this information been revealed on time, it could have saved the lives of 329 people who died in the Air India Kanishka bombing intelligence agency CSIS had a mole among the terrorists, and removed the person just ahead of the bombing incident. On Monday, Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun warned of an attack on Air India between November 1 and 19, and asked people not to fly on its planes. The threat by Pan- nun, a dual American-Canadian citizen, came ahead of the 40th anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) had a mole in the 1985 Air India 4Continued on | P6 Flight 182 bombing, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported citing a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) document. The RCMP is the federal police of Canada. The CSIS "pulled out" the mole at the last moment to save the mole from getting implicated, the CBC said in 2003. 4Continued on | P6 tradition, misfortune strikes. There are stories of illness and death befalling families who dared to paint their homes, as shared by the villagers. It is said that Kaal Bhairav, the village’s revered deity, watches over them, and they adhere to his commands without question. 4Continued on | P6 Alliance fails in MP, SP to fight from Budhni Arya peeved after Patel gets ticket; decides to contest on SP ticket Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL India Alliance has not worked in the by-elections in Madhya Pradesh, because the Samajwadi Party (SP) has given a ticket to Congress rebel Arjun Arya. Arya who was angry with the party after Rajkumar Patel was given a ticket resigned from the primary membership of the Congress on Monday. As soon as Patel quit the Congress, SP gave him a ticket for the byelection in Budhni. In the assembly election, there was no alliance between the SP and the Congress, but both parties came together in the parliamentary election. The SP was given the Khajuraho seat, but the nomination of the candidate was rejected. In the by-election, the Con- SYCOPHANTS GET TICKETS: ARYA Arjun Arya has written to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge that the Congress encourages sycophancy. The voice of those who lead the masses is suppressed in the party, Arya wrote. Arya further wrote that those who had ‘feudal mindset’ were ruling the roost in the Congress. According to Arya, Rahul Gandhi said, “The race horses are asked to dance in wedding, and the wedding horses are asked to take part in race.” The same thing is happening in Madhya Pradesh, so he has left the Congress, Arya wrote. gress and the SP have again come face to face. Nevertheless, the SP and the Congress have entered into an alliance in the assembly by-polls in UP. 4Continued on | P6 High-end apps used to keep dealings under wraps NCB yet to make breakthrough Rajesh Thakur BHOPAL ANI offgrid ne of the worst terror incidents linked to an airline is the 1985 Air India Kanishka bombing by Khalistani terrorists. Over 300 people, mostly Canadians, were killed in the mid-air bomb blast. It is a known fact that the Canadian government ignored intelligence alerts from India on an imminent terrorist attack. What isn't known widely is that the Canadian An engineer from Sidhi district of the state was killed by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Ganderbal. CM Mohan Yadav condemns the terrorist attack and announces Rs 5 lakh aid to victim engineer from state, said officials here on Monday. A doctor and six labourers were killed when terrorists struck a tunnel construction site on the Srinagar-Leh national highway in Jammu and Kashmir's Ganderbal district on Sunday. The CM stated on X, "The news of the death of Anil Shukla, a promising engineer of village Dithora in Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh in the cowardly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir is heart-rending. My deepest condolences are with the bereaved family in this difficult time of grief". The Chief Minister has given instructions to provide financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the family of the deceased from his discretionary grant. signs during festivals, this village holds onto its peculiar belief- no house is painted, not even for special occasions like weddings or festivals. The only exception in the entire village is the government office, which remains painted and maintained. The locals believe that if anyone dares to break this The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) sleuths are yet to make a breakthrough in the ongoing probe into the Rs 1814 crore Bhopal drug haul case.  The three drug dealers, who are currently in judicial custody are proving to be far ahead of the police as far as execution of their operations is concerned.  To keep things undercover, the accused used high-end apps for their conversations and business dealings. WhatsApp calls or internet calling came in handy to them while com- BHOPAL DRUG HAUL municating with their family members or business partners. The police have failed to find any chats or written records on the mobile handsets of the four accused. The cops are now looking for the people who attended their calls. The cops have also not found any moveable or immovable assets in the name of the accused. On October 5, joint teams of Gujarat ATS and NCB had busted a factory manufacturing MD drugs in Bhopal. They had seized prepared and raw materials worth Rs 1814 crore from the premises. Amit Charutvedi, Sanyal Bane and Junior medics to end hunger strike Kolkata ARITRA SINGHA After 17 days of continuous hunger strike, the junior protesting doctors on Monday evening said that following request from RG Kar rape and murder victim’s parents they are withdrawing the hunger strike. Talking to the media, Dr Debashish Haldar said that they will also not go on a work strike on October 22. “The protests will continue but we are withdrawing the hunger strike. On coming Saturday we will hold a mass convention at RG Kar hospital. Today we met the Chief Minister but we didn’t like their body language. However, they have said that those demands which the administra- tion has accepted will be sent in writing by Tuesday 3 pm,” said Haldar. Haldar also expressed his disappointment after Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam was not removed from the post. Dr Arnab Mukherjee, one of the doctors who was on hunger strike said that if needed he along with others will again sit for hunger strike demanding ‘Justice’ for RG Kar rape and murder incident. Earlier this day, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met a delegation of 17 doctors at state secretariat Nabanna for two hours which was streamed live to maintain transparency. 4Continued on | P6 FAMILIES OF ACCUSED MISSING Interestingly, the family members of the accused have gone missing since the day the case was busted and arrests were made. Nobody from the families of the accused have approached police to know their whereabouts. Even the NCB officials do not seem to be much bothered about the ‘missing’ families as their focus is to catch hold of the people involved in the drug trade. Harish Anjana , who operated the factory, were arrested.  4Continued on | P6 Odisha ready for ‘Dana’ onslaught PTI BHUBANESHWAR With cyclonic storm ‘Dana’ expected to reach the Odisha-West Bengal coast, between Puri and Sagar Island, on the intervening night of October 24 and 25, the Odisha government on Monday said it would focus on “100 per cent evacuations” from areas likely to be affected. The storm is likely to bring wind speeds of 100-120 kmph. The government has urged tourists and pilgrims from other states to leave Puri town by Wednesday morning. It also urged people not to visit Puri on October 24 and 25, considering the IMD forecast .