FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. 14 No. 288 | BHOPAL | WEDNESDAY | APRIL 2, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 FREE www.freepressjournal.in 21 from MP dead in Guj factory fire All 21 persons, who are residents of Harda and Dewas districts lost their lives while 6 others were injured, after an explosion and blaze ripped through a godown where firecrackers were allegedly stored and manufactured illegally, leading to collapse of the structure in Banaskantha district on Tuesday, officials said. Chief minister Mohan Yadav has sent minister Nagar Singh Chauhan to monitor rescue work going on in the state. He has expressed grief over the incident and announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 2 Lakh to the deceased family and Rs 50k to those injured. Banaskantha district collector Mihir Patel told reporters, ‘All deceased were originally from Harda and Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh’. Sources in- Today in IPL MATCH NO. 14 RCB Vs GT BENGALURU; 7.30 PM (Detail on Sports Page) fp Briefs NEW DELHI WhatsApp bans 9.7 mn accounts WhatsApp on Tuesday said that it has banned over 9.7 million accounts in India during February 2025, citing violations of its Terms of Service. According to its latest monthly safety report, a significant portion of these bans, over 1.4 million accounts, were proactively removed by WhatsApp before any user complaints were even made. KUALA LUMPUR Gas fire injures 145 A fireball that erupted from a burst gas pipeline soared into the sky outside Malaysia's largest city and injured 145 people as it burned for several hours before being put out, authorities said on Tuesday. National oil company Petronas said the fire started at one of its gas pipelines outside Kuala Lumpur. BHOPAL UJJAIN NINE WORKERS FROM DEWAS ine workers from Dewas district were killed in a devastating boiler explosion that occurred at a firecracker factory in Banaskantha district, Gujarat. All the victims hailed from Sandalpur village in Kathegaon tehsil. The deceased were identified as Lakhan Bhopa, Sunita Bhopa, Kesharbai Bhopa, Radha Bhopa, Rukma Bhopa, Abhishek Bhopa, Rakesh Bhopa, Lali Bhopa and Kiran Bhopa. N formed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel also expressed grief and declared financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh to families of the deceased and Rs 50k to injured persons. The blast was so intense that NASHIK Edit French blow to populist leaders P.6 Cinema Is Fawad back? P.14 Our Staff Reporter EOW registers case against ex-IFS officer PTI Our Staff Reporter CHANDIGARH BHOPAL A Mohali court on Tuesday sentenced selfstyled preacher Bajinder Singh to life imprisonment in a 2018 rape case, observing that Singh committed a heinous offence by misusing his position as a preacher. Additional district and sessions judge Vikrant Kumar pronounced the verdict after Singh -- often referred to as the "Yeshu Yeshu prophet" -- was found guilty on March 28. While Singh was convicted under Sections 376 (rape), 323 (punishment for voluntary causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC, the court acquitted five others, namely, Akhbar Bhatti, Rajesh Chaudhary, Jatinder Kumar, Sitar Ali and Sandeep Pehlwan. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has registered a case against former IFS officer Lalit Mohan Belwal and others. Belwal, as the then CEO of the Madhya Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission, allegedly violated the recruitment norms in appointments, officials said here on Tuesday. EOW Director General Upendra Jain said that the complainant, Rajesh Mishra, had alleged irregularities in recruitments in the Livelihood Mission between 2015 and 2018. Investigations revealed irregularities so the agency registered the case against Belwal, mission official Vikas Awasthi, and state project manager (community institutional development) Sushma Shukla. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 FIR IN LIVELIHOOD MISSION RECRUITMENT SCAM THE FINDINGS ushma Shukla did not have the experience required. Her MBA degree also had discrepancies. The experience certificate she submitted from the Hyderabad-based National Institute of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj appreciated her for her good work . However, the institution allegedly did not issue the certificate. In the synchromatic exam she appeared for, her assessment copy did not carry the consultant’s signature. Meanwhile, no approval was taken from the government for her recruitment. After getting appointed in Mission, she joined the National Institute of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj without giving her resignation. Later, she again joined the Mission. This also hinted at Shukla getting cover from administration. S BHOPAL To provide passenger bus facility in urban and rural areas, the cabinet gave its nod for ‘Mukyamantri Sugam Parivahan Seva’ on Tuesday. The government will engage with private bus operators to run passenger buses. To ensure that buses shall not run in loss, cargo facility will be permitted to them. The need for government-run public transport facility was being felt for a long time. It was in 2003 that Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation (MPRDC), operating government buses was shut down SALIENT FEATURES 1. Basic infrastructure such as depot, bus stand, booking centres will be provided to contracted bus operators. Necessary cooperation and security will be provided to operators for hassle-free operation of buses. 2. Bus operation will be done through existing companies in Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Gwalior, Ujjain, Sagar and Rewa division headquarters. 3. Through the medium of IT Technology due to financial constraints. As far as commencement of ‘Mukyamantri Sugam 5. There will be control and command centre software for state and regional assistant company. Moreover, there will be booking platform facility for bus, auto, Metro, etc. 6. E-bus, electric charge set up will be promoted. Parivahan Seva’ is concerned, a holding company will be constituted to oper- ate passenger buses. 4Continued on | P8 HIMANTA, BIREN SLAM YUNUS OVER REMARK ON NE Congress’ dig at India’s ‘weakened’ foreign policy PTI BEIJING PTI In a message marking 75th anniversary of their bilateral relations, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday stressed on partnership between India and China for "mutual achievement" and the need to do the "dragonelephant tango" to serve their fundamental interests. Apart from President Xi's message to his counterpart Droupadi Murmu, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Prime Minister Narendra Modi too exchanged congratulatory messages to mark the occasion, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced here. In her message, Murmu said a stable, predictable and friendly bilateral relationship will benefit both coun- SC refuses to hear fresh plea over 1991 Places of Worship Act GUWAHATI/IMPHAL AI generated THE STATEMENT The development of China-India relations demonstrates that it is the right choice for China and India to be partners of mutual achievement and realise the 'dragon elephant tango,' which fully serves the fundamental interests of both countries and their people n Xi Jinping, Chinese President tries and the world, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The development comes SC blasts UP ‘bulldozer justice’; orders Rs 10 lakh compensation PTI NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to hear a fresh plea challenging the validity of a provision of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which mandates maintaining the religious character of a place as it existed on August 15, 1947. There are over 6 petitions, including lead one filed by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay, challenging various provisions of the 1991 law are already pending adjudication in top court. On Tuesday, a bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar was urged by Nitin Upadhyay, a law student, that his plea be also heard alongside pending ones. Calling the demolition of residential homes in Prayagraj "inhuman and illegal", the Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the city development authority to pay Rs 10 lakh compensation to each aggrieved house owner within six weeks. "The manner in which the demolition has taken place shocks our conscience. Residences of the appellants have been high-handedly demolished. There is something called right to shelter, due process of law," said a bench of Justices Abhay S Oka a n d Ujjal Bhuyan. The bench said the "high h a n d e d " manner of the demolitions showed insen- 4Continued on | P8 PTI To continue in jail in ED case n Sunita Williams Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL "And you can see, like I've described it before, just like this ripple that happened, obviously when the plates collided, and then as it flows down into India. It's many, many colours," she said. Viral video of girl running with books he Supreme Court on Tuesday said a recent video of an eight-year-old girl clutching her books and running away as a bulldozer razes her shanty during an anti-encroachment drive in UP had "shocked everybody". A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan mentioned the details of the viral video from Ambedkar Nagar's Jalalpur while hearing a matter of illegal demolition in Prayagraj. T Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus's remarks on the Northeast triggered sharp political reactions on Tuesday with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma condemning the comments as offensive, while the Congress criticised the central government, claiming that it was due to India's "weakened" foreign policy. Former Manipur CM N Biren Singh also joined in, accusing the neighbouring country's interim government of using the region as a strategic pawn. Calling Bangladesh the "only guardian of the ocean" in the region, Yunus had urged China to extend its economic influence to his country, mentioning that India's northeastern states being landlocked could prove to be an opportunity. "The statement made by Md Younis of Bangladesh, the so-called interim Government referring to the seven sister states of Northeast India as landlocked and positioning Bangladesh as their guardian of ocean access, is offensive and strongly condemnable," Sarma posted on X. ‘SHAMEFUL, PROVOCATIVE’ sitivity on the part of authority while underlining the "rule of the law in the country". Yunus’ remarks drew sharp reactions from political leaders across party lines on Tuesday, dubbing his remarks as "shameful" and "provocative". Congress leader Pawan Khera on Monday shared a video clip on X of Yunus, in which he claimed that Bangladesh was the sole "guardian of the ocean (Bay of Bengal)," as India's northeastern states were "landlocked". 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Police fail to file chargesheet in 60 days; Saurabh, aides get bail DISPROPORTIONATE ASSETS CASE India is amazing. Every time we went over the Himalayas and I'll tell you, Butch got some incredible pictures of the Himalayas. Just amazing amid the efforts to reset the ties after over four years of freeze due to the eastern Ladakh military standoff. ‘Shocks our conscience’ NEW DELHI SUNITA WILLIAMS SHARES HER EXPERIENCE Butch Wilmore addressed reporters at their first joint press conference days after they returned to Earth as part of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission, having been stranded in space for over nine months. 4. There will be operator app and video audit software for contracted operators. 75TH ANNIV OF DIPLOMATIC TIES ‘Amazing, just amazing’ national Space Station and on the possibility of her collaborating with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on space exploration. The 59-year-old NASA astronaut and fellow astronaut Solutions, e-ticket will be provided to passengers. A mobile app will be developed to track buses and its occupancy so that passengers can plan their journey accordingly. Jinping’s ‘Dragon-Elephant tango’ message to Murmu how India looks from space India is amazing from space, NASA astronaut Sunita Williams said and voiced optimism that she will visit her "father's home country" and share experiences about space exploration with people there. Williams made these remarks during a press conference on Monday. She was responding to a question on how India looked from space when she was in the Inter- E-paper HOLDING COMPANY WILL BE FORMED FOR OPERATION OF BUSES Controversial ‘Yeshu Yeshu prophet’ gets life term in 2018 rape case NEW YORK MUMBAI PTI 4Continued on | P8 C INDORE HYDERABAD 4Continued on | P8 hief Minister Mohan Yadav has expressed profound grief over the untimely death of workers hailing from Madhya Pradesh due to the explosion in a firecracker factory in Banaskantha, Gujarat. Chief Minister Yadav said the state government is in constant touch with the Gujarat government regarding the incident, the statement said. All necessary efforts will be made to assist the workers and help their families, Chief Minister Yadav said in the statement. PUNE ‘Mukyamantri Sugam Parivahan Seva’ gets Cabinet approval it sent body parts of workers flying 200-300 metres away. The impact brought down the RCC slab of the structure. Even family members of workers staying on the same premises were crushed to death after blocks of slabs fell on them, Banaskantha collector Mihir Patel said. CM YADAV EXPRESSES GRIEF PRESS German woman allegedy raped by car driver in Hy’bad, 1 held A 22-year-old German national was allegedly sexually assaulted by a car driver here who offered her and her friend a ride to explore the city, police said on Tuesday. The woman in her complaint to police stated that the driver allegedly raped her in the rear seat of the car on Monday late evening. Based on a complaint, a case was registered and the accused was taken into custody, a senior police official told PTI. The victim has been sent for medical examination, police said. According to police, the victim, along with her fellow countryman, arrived in Hyderabad on March 4 to visit a friend, who had previously studied with them in Italy. On Monday, while the victim and her friend were in Meerpet area, a car driver travelling with his five minor friends, offered them a ride around the city. The duo boarded the car and visited several locations in the city, taking photographs along the way. Later, the driver dropped off his friends and the woman's friend before heading to Mamidipally area on the city outskirts with the victim at 7.30 pm. He stopped at a location under the pretext of clicking more pictures and allegedly committed the crime. The accused then fled the scene. The woman informed her German friend and a complaint was lodged with the police. Injured people undergo treatment at a hospital in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district Our Staff Reporter EDITIONS: Growth to be highest amongst emerging G20 nations: Moody’s DEADLY| An explosion and blaze ripped through a godown where firecrackers were allegedly stored & illegally manufactured BHOPAL iii QUALITY @ VALUE MONEY Sports Suryakumar's explosive entry into T20 history P.12 PM, MP & Guj CMs announce ex-gratia ESTD-1983 The Special Court of Lokayukta granted bail to former transport department constable Saurabh Sharma and his aides Chetan Singh Gaur and Sharad Jaiswal on Tuesday as the Lokayukta po- CONGRESS RAISES ISSUE ongress state president Jitu Patwari raised question on Lokayukta, after the three got bail. ‘Even after recovery of 52 kilogram of gold bars and crores of rupees in cash, Lokayukta could not file charge sheet in time. It exposes the intention of the government. The corruption connection is not limited to some of the officers, but it is organised networking’, he said. C lice failed to submit its chargesheet within 60 days. However, the trio will not be coming out of the Bhopal Central Jail because of the ED case against them. Special Public Prosecutor Vivek Gaur confirmed that while the trio had been granted bail, they would stay in jail because of the ED case against them. 4Continued on | P8