FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLII No. 120 | INDORE | TUESDAY | OCTOBER 7, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3| Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in Sports Chess erupts as Nakamura tosses Gukesh’s King to crowd P.12 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE WORLD UJJAIN PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK Cinema Saiyami to be the face for Ironman India P.14 DRUG CONTROLLER REMOVED, THREE OFFICIALS SUSPENDED Madhya Pradesh Drug Controller Dinesh Maurya has been removed and three other officials suspended following the deaths of several children in Chhindwara after consuming poisonous cough syrup. Those suspended are Gaurav Sharma, Drug Inspector of Chhindwara; Sharad Kumar Jain, Drug Inspector of Jabalpur; and Shobhit Koshta, Deputy Director of Food and Drug Administration. Maurya has been transferred to general administration department as additional secretary. Earlier, paediatrician Dr Praveen Soni had already been arrested. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav chaired a high-level meeting on Monday to review the situation and directed a series of strict measures. He ordered an immediate ban on the sale of Coldriff syrup and instructed that existing stocks in shops be seized. A door-todoor campaign will be launched to recover the syrup from homes in Chhindwara and nearby districts, with the help of ASHA and USHA workers as well as government staff. The CM also ordered a thorough assessment of other medicines recently sold in the area and said a campaign would verify whether warnings and precautions are clearly printed on drug labels. fp Briefs 157 Coldriff syrup bottles sold in Chhindwara, raids continue Our Staff Reporter As many as 157 bottles of toxic Coldriff syrup were sold to patients in Chhindwara district through at least eight medical stores. Meanwhile, 425 bottles have been seized from various stores by the Special Probe Drug Inspector squad. A total of 660 bottles had arrived in Jabalpur, of which 594 were supplied to Chhindwara. Among the stores, Apna Medical Stores, Parasia sold 75 bottles, Ashirwad Medical 24, Rasela Medical, Parasia 22, Shrivastava Medical, Parasia 5, Paras Medical, Parasia 6, Jain Medical, Chandameta 6, and New Apna Pharma 17 bottles (records incomplete). In Jabalpur, 50 bottles were frozen and 16 taken for testing. In circulation for yrs Sources in the Health De- partment said Coldriffsyrup has been in use for 10–20 years, but this is the first time a batch was found toxic. The company, Sresan Pharmaceuticals, had obtained all required certifications from Tamil Nadu. Drug testing in Madhya Pradesh is done on a random basis, with the state lab conducting around 4,000 tests per year. Substandard 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 drugs found in random tests are immediately banned. Raids, seizures continue The Drug Controller and Drug Administration team carried out raids at various medical shops in Chhindwara, seizing 248 bottles of Coldriff syrup. 4Continued on | P8 Dr Soni sent to jail, IMA against arrest Dr Praveen Soni, a paediatrician posted at Parasia Civil Hospital in Chhindwara, was sent to judicial remand on Monday in connection with the deaths of children caused by a poisonous cough syrup. The arrest has sparked strong protests from the Indian Medical Association (IMA). He stressed that combination drugs must not be given to children under four years of age and warned that strict action will be taken against doc- BRITS HITS BULLSEYE SC junks plea on TS OBC quota tors who violate this guideline. Yadav said that, with the support of the Indian Academy of Paediatrics and chemist associations, precautionary Lawyer tries to hurl shoe at CJI, BCI suspends licence FP News Service NEW DELHI In a shocking incident at the Supreme Court, a 71-year-old lawyer allegedly attempted to hurl a shoe at CJI BR Gavai during the morning session on Monday. The incident occurred when a Bench comprising the CJI and Justice K Vinod Chandran was hearing the mentioning of cases by lawyers. The man, identified as advocate Rakesh Kishor, a resident of Mayur Vihar in Delhi, approached the dais, removed his shoe, and tried to throw it towards the judges before security personnel swiftly intervened and escorted him out of the courtroom. As he was being taken away, he was heard shouting, “Sanatan ka apman nahi sahenge” (“Will not tolerate insults to Sanatan Dharma”). ED arrests two prime accused in fake liquor challan scam Bihar to vote in two phases on Nov 6, 11, counting on 14 Dheeraj Kumar South African opener Tazmin Brits celebrating her brilliant century at Holkar Stadium pic by Anand Shivre Our Sports Reporter INDORE A blazing century from Tazmin Brits (101) and a classy 83 by Sune Luus* powered South Africa to a dominant six-wicket victory over New Zealand in the Women’s World Cup 2025 at Holkar Stadium. Chasing 232, the Proteas shone bright with a record partnership and wrapped up the chase in just 40.5 overs, showcasing pure batting brilliance and composure. Our Staff Reporter PATNA (Detail on Sports Page) INDORE The Election Commission of India on Monday announced that the Bihar Assembly elections will be held in two phases, with polling scheduled for November 6 and 11 and counting of votes on November 14. The entire election process will be completed by November 16, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar said while unveiling the poll schedule at a press conference in the national capital. “The Bihar elections will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, and counting of votes will be done on November 14,” Kumar said. “It is mandatory to complete counting of postal ballots before the last two rounds of counting of votes,” he added. With this announcement, the Model Code of Conduct has come into force across Bihar, prohibiting the launch of new welfare schemes, financial grants, and major administrative decisions until results are declared. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested two persons under the antimoney laundering law in the Rs 50 crore fake liquor challan scam here. Those arrested have been identified as the masterminds behind the scam. They devised and executed the fraudulent method enabling liquor contractors to illicitly obtain profits while causing significant losses to the state exchequer. The ED informed through a post on Monday that Ansh Trivedi and Raju Dashwant were taken into custody in the city on October 3 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). A magistrate’s court sent them to ED custody till October 8. Trio gets Nobel in medicine for work on human immune system Agencies STOCKHOLM Scientists Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi have been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for “their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance,” the Nobel Assembly at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute announced on Monday. Brunkow, 64, is a senior program manager at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle. Ramsdell, 64, is a scientific adviser for Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Fran- and awareness measures will be intensified to prevent such incidents in future. In the aftermath of the Coldriff syrup controversy, which claimed at least 16 children’s lives in Chhindwara and Betul, authorities conducted random checks of other syrups. Two more syrups failed tests and were immediately banned for being of Non Standard Quality (NSQ). The first NSQ syrup is Ambroxol HCL, Guaiphenesine Terbutaline Sulphate and Menthol Syrup (Batch LSL25160, Mfg Jan 25, Exp Dec 26), manufactured by Shape Pharma Pvt Ltd, Surendranagar, Rajkot, Gujarat. It contains 0.616% DEG. The second is Bromohexin Hydrochloride Terbutaline Sulphate, Guaiphenesine and Menthol Syrup (Batch RO1GL2523, Mfg Jan 1, 2025), manufactured by Rednonex Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd, Bavla, Ahmedabad.It contains 1.342% DEG, Health authorities have begun seizing stocks of both syrups. One of the companies reportedly had 100 bottles in Indore. Gujarat Drug Controller has been informed. Stock of toxic cough syrup seized from various medical stores in Chhindwara district See also page 5 The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Union government on a habeas corpus petition filed by activist Sonam Wangchuk’s wife Gitanjali Angmo, challenging his detention under the NSA after the violence during Ladakh statehood agitation on September 24 claimed four lives. A Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria sought the Centre’s response and listed the matter for further hearing on October 14. 4Continued on | P8 BHOPAL NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea challenging the Telangana government's order to provide 42 per cent reservation to the Backward Classes in local bodies. After a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta showed its disinclination to hear the plea filed under Article 32 of the Constitution for the protection of fundamental rights, the counsel appearing for the petitioner withdrew it with a liberty to approach the high court. Two more syrups fail test, banned Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Notice to govt on Wangchuk’s NSA detention FPNS/NEW DELHI CM orders crackdown on banned medicines, warns doctors over misuse Our Staff Reporter E-paper Edit Killed by official indifference P.6 Trump urges negotiators to ‘move fast’ to end war CHHINDWARA COUGH SYRUP CASE | Door-to-door campaign will be launched to recover syrup from homes in Chhindwara and nearby districts BHOPAL MUMBAI cisco. Sakaguchi, 74, is a distinguished professor at the Immunology Frontier Research Centre at Osaka University in Japan. The trio will share the prize money of 11 million Swedish kronor (nearly $1.2 million) According to the Nobel Committee, “their discoveries have laid the foundation for a new field of research and spurred the development of new treatments, for example for cancer and autoimmune diseases.” The trio’s pioneering work launched the field of peripheral tolerance, deepening scientific understanding of how the immune system prevents attacks on the body’s own tissues. The immune system has many overlapping systems to detect and fight bacteria, viruses and other bad actors. Key immune warriors, such as T cells, get trained on how to spot bad actors. 4Continued on | P8 7.42 crore voters, including 14 lakh new entrants 90,712 polling booths under tight security The first phase of polling will cover 121 Assembly constituencies, while 122 constituencies will vote in the second phase. The 243member Bihar Assembly’s term ends on November 22. For the first phase, nominations will close on October 17, scrutiny will take place on October 18, and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is October 20. For the second phase, the last date to file nominations is October 20, scrutiny will be conducted on October 21, and the final date for withdrawal 243 seats; RJD, 75, had highest tally in 2020 is October 23. Describing the Bihar elections as the “mother of all elections,” the CEC said the polls will be held under tight security and with strict adherence to transparency norms. “There are a total of 7.42 crore voters in Bihar, including 3.92 crore men and 3.5 crore women,” Kumar said. “We also have 14 lakh firsttime voters and around 4 lakh senior citizen voters. Over 14,000 voters are aged above 100 years.” 4Continued on | P8 4See also | P3 Despite the disturbance, Gavai remained calm and continued the proceedings. “Don’t get distracted by all this. We are not distracted. These things do not affect me,” he told the lawyers in court, resuming the hearing within minutes. The brief disruption lasted only a short while before the Bench continued with the day’s business, LiveLaw and Bar and Bench reported. The Bar Council of India (BCI) suspended Kishor from practising law with immediate effect. According to lawyers present, the incident was linked to the CJI’s earlier remarks in a case concerning the restoration of a seven-foot-tall idol of Lord Vishnu at the Javari Temple in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh. During that hearing last month, the CJI had dismissed the plea seeking reconstruction of the idol, calling it a “publicity interest litigation.” 4Continued on | P8 Attack on CJI angered every Indian: PM Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke to Chief Justice of India B R Gavai to convey his condemnation of a lawyer's attempt to hurl a shoe at him, and said the attack has angered every Indian. "There is no place for such reprehensible acts in our society," he said and praised Gavai for maintaining calm following the incident 9 patients killed in Jaipur hospital fire Probe ordered after blaze rips through ICU; relatives allege negligence Manish Godha JAIPUR Nine patients died, and five remained critical after a fire broke out in the neurosurgery ICU of the government-run SMS Hospital of Jaipur on Sunday late at night. Police said the exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined, though a short circuit is suspected. Officials said six deceased have been identified as Pintu from Sikar, Dilip and Bahadur from Jaipur, along with Shrinath, Rukmini, Khurma who were all from Bharatpur. By the time the firefighters had arrived, the entire ward was engulfed in smoke and they had to break a window to start extinguishing the fire. The Sawai Man Singh hospital, run by the state government, is one of the largest in Rajasthan and treats thousands of patients every day. The fire broke out just before midnight in the trauma centre of the hospital and soon spread through the building. Fourteen patients were evacuated from a nearby ICU ward as thick plumes of smoke engulfed the room. SMS Hospital Trauma Center In-charge Anurag Dhakad said that the fire started in the trauma ICU on the second floor and spread quickly, releasing toxic To Read More gases. 4Continued on | P8 tourism boom Foreign footfall in Kashi up 120x in 3 yrs Biswajeet Banerjee LUCKNOW Varanasi has redrawn India’s tourism map and emerged as a fastest-growing destination. Once a Hindu pilgrimage, the holy town has transformed into a global tourism hotspot, attracting record domestic and foreign visitors. Uttar Pradesh tourism department and ministry of tourism data show over 11 crore tourists visited Varanasi in 2024, marking an 18.7% rise from the previous year. And, foreign arrivals have witnessed a astronomi- cal surge of 120 times in three years. In 2021, 2,566 foreigners visited the ancient city. The figure rose to 83,741 in 2022, to 2,01,904 in 2023, and to 3,09,932 in 2024. Until June 2025, 1.88 lakh foreign visitors have already travelled to Kashi. The boom in tourism has propelled Varanasi ahead of traditional tourist hubs like Goa and Shimla. The total domestic footfall jumped from 30.7 lakh in 2021 to over 10.97 crore in 2024. A staggering 12.96 crore visitors have travelled to the city till June. UP tourism minister Jaiveer Singh attributed this unprecedented growth to the city’s cultural revival and massive infrastructure push. “The government’s sustained effort to project Varanasi as a global spiritual and cultural hub has paid off,” he said. “Along with Ayodhya, Mathura and Prayagraj, Kashi has become a part of a religious tourism triangle attracting visitors throughout the year.” He added Ayodhya alone recorded over 16 crore visitors in 2024, following the consecration of the Ram Temple, while Mathura and Prayagraj witnessed sharp rise in footfall. Overall, foreign tourist arrivals in UP rose from 16 lakh in 2023 to 22+ lakh in 2024, with Varanasi contributing a big chunk. Tourism official Dinesh Kumar said the surge has brought economic benefits. 4Continued on | P8