FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLII No. 26 | INDORE | FRIDAY | JULY 4, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE WORLD Nation US OPENS STUDENT VISA APPLICATION BIHAR: FINAL POLL ROLLS BY SEPT-END P.7 UJJAIN PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Digital boom to digital doom P.6 Cinema Mansi Bagla bets on love P.12 MATIYARI DAM GATES OPEN, FLOOD-LIKE SITUATION IN MANDLA One feared drowned Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL There is a flood-like situation in Mandla district after six gates of the Matiyaridam were opened in Bichhiya block following continuous rainfall. Water from the dam gushed into low-lying villages, submerging several areas since Wednesday night. At least 83 people were shifted to Panchayat Bhavan for safety, and Home Guard teams have been deployed for rescue operations. However, due to darkness, the operation was suspended on Thursday night and will resume Friday morning, according to officials. One person is feared to have drowned, prompting an emergency response from district authorities. “Six gates of Matiyari dam were opened after incessant rain in Mandla. Water gushed into low-lying areas. Eightythree people were shifted to Panchayat Bhavan. One person has been swept away and rescue operation is on. Due to darkness, it was suspended,” said Hiralal Tiwari, flood cell in-charge. Monsoon mess l 83 villagers rescued and shifted to Panchayat Bhavan in Mandla l Six gates of Matiyari Dam opened due to incessant rain l One person feared drowned, rescue efforts to resume Friday l Rain alert issued for over 50 districts across Madhya Pradesh Meanwhile, in Bhopal, showers continued into the evening after a day of cloudy, GILL’S BAT TALKS, WRITES HISTORY mixed weather. The meteorological department has issued an alert for very heavy rainfall and thunderstorms with lightning in districts of Dindori, Katni, We will cross that bridge when we come to it: EAM on Russian sanctions bill CRACKDOWN | Damoh school penalised for excess fee and books with fake ISBNs PTI Agencies BIRMINGHAM WASHINGTON, DC In a blazing exhibition of skill, patience, and flair, Shubman Gill etched his name in cricketing folklore on Day 2 of the second Test at Edgbaston, becoming the first Asian captain to score a double century in England. The 24-year-old Indian skipper made history by surpassing Sunil Gavaskar’s iconic 221 at The Oval (1979), notching up the highest-ever Test score by an Indian on English soil. Gill reached the milestone with a composed single off Josh Tongue, bringing up his maiden Test double ton off 311 deliveries — laced with 21 boundaries and two sixes. This landmark innings not only With places Gill in the company of In, dian greats like Gavaskar, Tenhest d hig oste Indian in dulkar, Dhoni, and Pataudi, but ill p G an ssing e by also breaks new ground — bescor nd, surpa ’s coming the first Indian captain Engla avaskar G to score a double hundred in a SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) country. 269 221 Detail on Sports Page Gill Glory fp Briefs BHOPAL 5 advocates made HC judges Five advocates have been made High Court judges. They are Pushpendra Yadav, Anand Singh Bahrawat, Ajay Kumar Nirankari, Jai Kumar Pillai and Himanshu Joshi, according to report. Supreme Court Collegium, in its meeting on July 1, approved the proposal for appointment of these advocates as HC judges. DELHI Snag hits AI flight to US An Air India flight from Delhi to Washington, which took off on July 2, could not complete its journey as it developed a technical glitch during a scheduled refuelling stopover in Vienna, the airline said. Hence, the return flight was also cancelled. MADRID Liverpool’s Jota, bro killed Liverpool player Diogo Jota, 28, and his brother André Silva, 25, were killed in a car accident in Spain. Their Lamborghini veered off a road near Zamora and burst into flames. Skipper Shubman Gill celebrates his double-century during Day 2 of the second Test @BCCI X/ANI Photo PAK HOCKEY FREE HIT IN INDIA? External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday (local time) that the Indian embassy and ambassador have been in touch with US Senator Lindsey Graham regarding the bill on Russia and India will have to cross that bridge if it comes to it. While addressing a press conference, Jaishankar stated that India's concerns and interests on energy, security have been made conversant to Graham. When asked about US plans to impose 500 per cent tariffs on the import of Russian Oil, Jaishankar said, "Regarding Senator Lindsey Graham's bill, any development which is happening in the US Congress is of interest to us if it impacts our interest or could impact our interest. 4Continued on | P8 ‘Global South is key to growth’ Agencies NEW DELHI Amid frosty bilateral ties following the recent Pahalgam terror attack, indications have emerged that Pakistani hockey teams will not be barred from participating in next month's Asia Cup and the Junior World Cup, both scheduled to take place in India. According to a source from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, any move to block Pakistan from multilateral sporting events would violate the Olympic Charter, which prohibits discrimination against athletes based on nationality. Such actions could negatively affect India’s chances of securing hosting rights for future international competitions. While the Asia Cup is scheduled to be held in Bihar's Rajgir from August 27 to September 7, the junior World Cup will be organised in Chennai and Madurai from November 28 to December 10. 4See also | Sports pg PM Modi was conferred with ‘The Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana’. He has received highest civilian honours from 24 nations, the most by an Indian leader. Agencies ACCRA PM Narendra Modi on Thursday said a strong India would contribute to a more stable and prosperous world as he pushed for effective reforms in global governance in the wake of changing circumstances. "In these times of global uncertainty, India's democratic stability shines as a ray of hope. India's rapid progress is a catalyst for global growth. As the world's largest democracy, India is a pillar of strength for the world. A strong India will contribute to a more stable and prosperous world," he said in his address to Ghana's parliament, stressing that progress cannot come without giving voice to the Global South. India is the fastestgrowing emerging economy and will soon become the third-largest economy, he said, laying emphasis on the foundations of stable polity and governance. "We already contribute nearly 16% to global growth. Our demography is paying its dividend. India now has the world's third-largest start-up ecosystem. India is an innovation and technology hub,” he said. 4Continued on | P8 offgrid Man beats 5 puppies to death FP News Service JABALPUR Detail on Sports Page A man allegedly beat at least five puppies to death in Jabalpur city after apparently being annoyed by their barking, police said on Thursday. Rajesh Dahiya was arrested on Wednesday for killing the young dogs in the Maharajpur locality, Adhartal police station house officer PK Kumre told reporters. The accused told police Accused booked under BNS sections 296 (obscene acts and songs) and 325 (mischief by killing or maiming animals) that the puppies used to bark throughout the night, disturbing the entire area, the official said. “We received a complaint that Dahiya had killed five to six puppies with a stick near a school on the night of June Seoni, Mandla, Balaghat, Raisen, Sehore, Guna, Shivpuri and Sheopur. Heavy rain is also likely in districts of Singrauli, Sidhi, Rewa, Mauganj, Anuppur, Shahdol, Umaria, Jabalpur, Narsinghpur, Chhindwara, Damoh, Maihar, Pandhurna, Bhopal, Vidisha, Rajgarh, Narmadapuram, Betul, Harda, Burhanpur, Khandwa, Khargone, Barwani, Alirajpur, Jhabua, Dhar, Indore, Ratlam, Ujjain, Dewas,Shajapur, Agar, Mandsaur, Neemuch, Ashoknagar, Gwalior, Datia, Bhind, Morena, Satna, Panna, Sagar, Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh and Niwari. 30,” Kumre said. Some animal activists even shared a video of the act with the police, he said. The carcass of one of the dead puppies has been sent for post-mortem. Dahiya allegedly abused the animal activists when they confronted him about the incident, the official said.  Dahiya was booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 296 (obscene acts and songs) and 325 (mischief by killing or maiming animals), he added. SCHOOL ASKED TO REFUND RS 6.75 CR Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The Madhya Pradesh State Committee for Regulating Fee has directed St. John’s Senior Secondary School in Damoh to refund Rs 6.25 crore collected as excess fees from students, return Rs 52 lakh spent on books with fake ISBNs, and pay a fine of Rs 2 lakh. The decision upholds the Damoh District Committee’s January 17, 2025 order after an inquiry found that the school — largest and oldest private school in Damoh — overcharged students by more than Serious lapses l St. John’s Damoh or- dered to refund Rs 6.25 crore excess fees + Rs 52 lakh for fake books. l Overcharge spanned three years: 2022-23 to 2024-25. l 101 of 204 prescribed books had fake or duplicate ISBNs. l Parents paid extra fees including AI & Robotics fee and online platform fees. 15% surplus over expenditure during three academic sessions. Specifically, excess fees of Rs US Congress clears Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill AP WASHINGTON 1.95 crore were collected from 2,160 students in 2022-23, Rs 2.07 crore from 2,179 students in 2023-24, and Rs 2.23 crore from 2,234 students in 2024-25. The inquiry also revealed that out of 204 books prescribed by the school from private publishers, 101 had fake or duplicate ISBN numbers. Parents spent Rs 52.24 lakh on these books, which the school has been ordered to refund. The school had appealed the order, but the state committee dismissed it, pointing out deceptive fee practices. House Republicans propelled President Donald Trump's USD 4.5 trillion tax breaks and spending cuts bill to final congressional passage Thursday, overcoming multiple setbacks to approve his signature second-term policy package before a Fourth of July deadline. The tight roll call, 218-214, came at a potentially high political cost, with two Republicans joining all Democrats opposed. GOP leaders worked overnight and the president himself leaned on a handful of sceptics to drop their opposition and send the bill to him to sign into law. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8