Monday, July 14, 2025 | 29 Pages | `5 & for State `6 Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL Vol. 68 No. 241 | www.freepressjournal.in ● EDITIONS: ● MUMBAI ● INDORE ● PUNE ● BHOPAL ● NASHIK ● KONKAN ● E-paper ● Member: Audit Bureau of Circulation (July to December 2024) GAMES NATION Lawyer among 4 shot dead in 24 hours; Oppn says Bihar law & order deteriorating Cinema Amit Sial speaks on Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case Amol Muzumdar credits WPL for India women’s success in Eng Edit Torn glass windows and the metaphysics of Op Sindoor VOTERS’ LIST REVISION | EC activates its machinery across states for a likely nationwide rollout of exercise next month Poll panel gears up for all-India SIRveillance D r Tatyana Dias has been empowering people with developmental disabilities since 2016. Turn to the Mumbai page to find out how. See P5 Briefs Save Nimisha: Vijayan to PM Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday wrote to PM Narendra Modi, urging immediate intervention to save the life of Nimisha Priya, a nurse from the state who is set to be executed in Yemen on July 16. In his letter, the CM said the case deserved "sympathy". The letter came on the eve of Supreme Court hearing of a plea seeking a direction to the Centre to use diplomatic channels to save her. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta is likely to hear the matter on Monday. I-T refunds up 474% Income Tax refunds have jumped 474% in the last 11 years to Rs 4.77 lakh crore in 2024-25, significantly outpacing the 274% growth in gross tax collections, sources said on Sunday. There has also been an 81% decrease in number of days it takes to issue income tax refunds, down from 93 days in 2013 to just 17 in 2024. Sources said the developments are linked to improvements in tax administration, especially with the adoption of digital infrastructure including end-to-end online filing and faceless assessment that enables faster and more accurate processing of ITRs. See MONEY Gopi film’s title changed The controversy over the denial of censor certification for the film 'Janaki vs State of Kerala' starring Union Minister Suresh Gopi has been resolved, with the makers agreeing to change the film's title. It will now be titled 'Janaki V vs State of Kerala'. The original title was rejected by the revising committee of the Central Board of Film Certification, despite having been cleared by the regional panel, because Janaki is a synonym for Goddess Sita. FPJ News Service The Election Commission (EC) has activated its poll machinery across states in preparation for a possible nationwide rollout of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls next month, mirroring the ongoing exercise in Bihar. This move follows a recent Supreme Court observation, in which the Court described the SIR as a “constitutional mandate” and allowed the EC to proceed with the drive in Bihar. The initiative had faced legal challenges from several opposition parties and NGOs, who argued that such a revision could potentially disenfranchise eligible voters. However, the apex court permitted the exercise to continue, reinforcing its constitutional validity. In light of this, Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) in multiple states have begun uploading voters' lists from the last time an SIR was conducted in their respective jurisdictions. 4Contd on | Nation NEW DELHI The succession of Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, is a thorn in China-India relations, the Chinese embassy said on Sunday, as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar prepares to visit China for the first time since border clashes in 2020. Yu Jing, a Chinese embassy spokesperson, said on social media app X that some people 4Contd on | Nation Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Sunday said the state government would provide jobs and employment opportunities to one crore youths over the next five years. His announcement comes ahead of the assembly polls. P 11 ‘Large number of foreigners found during Bihar electoral roll check’ Field-level officials of the Election Commission have reported encountering "a large number" of individuals from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar during house-to-house verification visits as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar, officials said on Sunday. They emphasized that the names of illegal migrants will not be included in the final electoral roll, which is scheduled to be published on September 30. Detailed verification of such individuals will be conducted after August 1. Citing ground-level reports, EC officials stated that boothlevel officers (BLOs) had found a significant number of foreign nationals during door-to-door visits. The Commission reiterated its commitment to event- The proscribed militant outfit United Liberation Front of Assam-Independent (Ulfa-I) on Sunday claimed that Indian Army drone and missile strikes on its camps along the Myanmar border have resulted in the deaths of several senior leaders and injuries to more than two dozen cadres. However, there has been no official confirmation from the Indian armed forces regarding the alleged operation. In a press statement, Ulfa-I said the attacks occurred in the early hours in the Arakan and Okiat regions of Myanmar. The group claimed that Nayan Asom, also known as Nayan Medhi — described as the 'chairman' of its 'lower council' — was killed, while around 19 other cadres sustained injuries. When contacted, Defence spokesperson Lt Col Mahendra Rawat denied any knowledge of such an operation. “There are no inputs with the Indian Army of any such incident,” he said. In a subsequent statement, Ulfa-I alleged that a second missile strike was launched while the last rites of the slain leader were being performed. According to the group, two other senior members — Nayan Medhi Ganesh Lahon The militant outfit said several of its top leaders were killed in the drone attacks 'Brigadier' Ganesh Lahon and 'Colonel' Pradip Gogoi — were killed in this follow-up strike. The outfit claimed several additional members and civilians were also injured. The group alleged that the attacks involved nearly 100 drones and were precisiontargeted at key Ulfa-I bases. 4Contd on | Nation LANGUAGE ROW Nikam, Shringla among four Now, CCTV cameras Auto driver thrashed, nominated to Rajya Sabha in all railway coaches Virar cops file case FPJ News Service Megha Parmar NEW DELHI When PM spoke in Marathi Special Public Prosecutor in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case Ujjwal Nikam, former Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Kerala BJP leader C Sadanandan Master, and Delhi-based historian Meenakshi Jain have been nominated to the Rajya Sabha. In a notification issued late Saturday night, the Union Home Ministry announced that the President has nominated the four distinguished individuals to the Upper House of Parliament. The President can nominate up to Ujjwal Nikam revealed that PM Narendra Modi was the first to inform him about his nomination to the RS. “Yesterday, I received a phone call from the PM. He asked me, ‘Ujjwal ji mi Marathit bolu ka Hindi bolu (should I speak in Marathi or Hindi). We both laughed, and then he continued the conversation in Marathi,” Nikam shared. The warm exchange comes against the backdrop of ongoing tensions and political rhetoric surrounding non-Marathi-speaking communities in Mumbai. FPJ News Service PALGHAR A migrant autorickshaw driver has been publicly assaulted in Vasai by a group of individuals associated with the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) over his "derogatory" remarks about the Marathi language and Maharashtra. The attack on Raju Patwa from Uttar Pradesh on Saturday evening came after a video capturing his comments went viral, reigniting tensions surrounding the ongoing MarathiHindi language divide in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Following the incident, Virar Police registered a case against members of the Shiv Sena and MNS under sections related to unlawful assembly, breach of public peace, and rioting. The details were confirmed by Senior Police Inspector Lalu Ture. The incident stems from a confrontation in Virar last week, when Patwa allegedly misbehaved with a woman and assaulted her brother, Bhavesh Padoliya. According to reports, Padoliya, originally from Jhansi and a fluent Marathi speaker,  had questioned Patwa in Marathi over an unsafe overtake. China’s ‘thorn’ prick ahead of EAM visit Agencies 4Contd on | Nation in 5 years FPJ News Service FPJ News Service MUMBAI ually carry out similar intensive revisions across the country to identify and remove ineligible foreign migrants by verifying place-of-birth details. As of Saturday evening, 80.11% of eligible electors in Bihar had submitted their Enumeration Forms (EFs), according to the EC. The Commission is working toward completing EF collection before the stipulated deadline of July 25. 1cr jobs NEW DELHI Digjyoti Lahkar GUWAHATI A day after the preliminary report on the Ahmedabad plane crash was released, a pilots' association strongly defended the actions of the crew of Flight AI 171, asserting they acted professionally and responsibly under challenging conditions. The Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA) on Sunday denounced any speculation suggesting pilot suicide, calling it baseless and deeply insensitive. ICPA, which represents pilots of the narrow-body fleet at Air India (owned by the Tata Group), said it was "deeply disturbed" by the speculative narratives emerging in certain sections of the media and public discourse. It expressed particular concern over what it called the “reckless and unfounded insinuation” of suicide. “There is absolutely no basis for such a claim at this stage,” the association said in a statement. “Invoking such a serious allegation based on incomplete or preliminary information is not only irresponsible — it is deeply insensitive to the individuals and families involved.” Nitish vows NEW DELHI ‘Reckless’: Ulfa-I claims drone Pilots’ body strikes on Myanmar slams AI 171 camps; Army denies suicide hint from strategic and academic communities in India had made "improper remarks" on the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. Yu did not name anyone but in recent days, but Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who sat next to the Dalai Lama during his 90th birthday festivities a week ago, backed the Tibetan spiritual leader's remarks that China had no role in his succession. In response, Patwa reportedly refused to converse in Marathi, insisted on speaking Hindi, and allegedly assaulted the siblings. A video of the altercation, which later went viral, shows Patwa defiantly stating in Hindi: “Hindi bolunga, Bhojpuri bolunga, par Marathi nahi bolunga” (“I’ll speak Hindi. I’ll speak Bhojpuri, but I won’t speak Marathi”). In response, a group comprising members of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS, including several women activists, confronted him near Virar railway station on Saturday evening. 4Contd on | Nation NEW DELHI 12 individuals of eminence to the Rajya Sabha, and these nominations fill four of the currently vacant seats. Welcoming the nominations, PM Narendra Modi praised each appointee for their contributions to the nation. 4Contd on | Nation Following the successful outcome of experimental CCTV installations in passenger coaches, the Ministry of Railways has decided to expand the initiative and install CCTV cameras across all railway coaches. "This move will significantly enhance passenger safety. Miscreants and organised gangs often exploit gullible passengers, but with the presence of cameras, such incidents are expected to reduce considerably. To ensure privacy, CCTV cameras will be installed only in common movement areas near the coach entrances," the Ministry of Railways said in a To ensure privacy, CCTV cameras will be installed only in common movement areas near the coach entrances statement on Sunday. Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu reviewed the progress of the CCTV installation drive during a highlevel meeting held on Saturday, which was attended by senior officials from the Ministry. 4Contd on | Nation ‘House arrest’ cries deepen Kashmir strain Agencies SRINAGAR Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday said that the "unelected nominees of New Delhi locked up the elected representatives" of the people of Jammu and Kashmir after prominent leaders from ruling and opposition parties were not allowed to leave their houses to prevent them from visiting the graveyard of 1931 martyrs here. The detentions, which were not officially confirmed by police or the administration, were widely reported by leaders who posted videos and pictures showing their gates locked or blocked by security personnel to stop them from going to the Naqshband Sahib graveyard near Nowhatta in the old city to pay tributes on Martyrs' Day. The Srinagar district administration had denied permission to all applicants, including the rul- ing National Conference leaders, to visit the graveyard. All roads leading to the area located in downtown were barricaded with a heavy presence of police personnel on Sunday. In a post on X, the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister likened the July 13, 1931 incident to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, saying, "the people who laid down their lives did so against the British... 4Contd on | Nation Lords of the green? India face tricky chase Haridev Pushparaj MUMBAI All-round bowling brilliance from the likes of Washington Sundar and Mohammad Siraj helped India bowl out England for 192 but a top-order collapse left the visitors with a lot of work to do to give themselves a sniffing chance of a famous win at the fabled Lord’s heading into the fifth day of the third Test. India’s response was shaky as they reached 58/4 in 17.4 overs at stumps losing three top-order wickets and nightwatchman Akash Deep cheaply. Yashasvi Jaiswal went early to an atrocious shot while Karun Nair departed leg before to Brydon Carse after which skipper Shubman Gill was wrapped in front to leave the visitors reeling as they required another 135 runs to with six wickets in hand. Earlier, England were done in by a pitch that had become increasingly difficult to bat on and accumulate runs and the Indian bowlers led by Siraj and Washington breathed fire The fourth-innings chase of 193 will not be a cakewalk for the Shubman Gillled side. before Bumrah polished the tail off. It was Washington who turned the tables in India’s favour with four wickets, three of which were crucial ones of Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Jamie Smith at a critical phase of the match and the manner of those dismissals showed how potent he was with all three batsmen bamboozled before their timber was rattled. He added the final wicket of Shoaib Bashir to his kitty and complete dream figures of 4/22 at cricket’s most hallowed venue. Siraj had begun the demolition job early in the day sending back opener Ben Duckett and No 3 Ollie Pope with some incisive and penetrative bowling spells. 4Contd on | Nation