FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. 15 No. 204 | BHOPAL | MONDAY | JANUARY 5, 2026 | Pages 12 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.in Sports Tyson Fury announces boxing return a year after retirement P.10 fp Briefs CHANDIGARH Ram Rahim granted parole Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is serving a 20year jail term for raping two of his disciples and is currently lodged in the Sunaria jail in Haryana's Rohtak, was again granted a 40-day parole, said sources on Sunday. His latest parole comes months after he was granted a similar parole in August last year. Singh will come out of prison for the 15th time since he was convicted in 2017. The Dera Sacha Sauda head is serving a 20-year sentence given in 2017 for raping two of his disciples. See nation NEW DELHI 25th anniv of Tejas’ 1st flight The Indian Air Force on Sunday commemorated the 25th anniversary of home grown Tejas Light Combat Aircraft’s (LCA) historic first flight. “On the 25th anniversary of Tejas LCA's historic first flight, #IAF reflects on enduring partnership in building this fighter. Congratulations to ADA's innovative scientists, HAL's skilled engineers, brave IAF & IN test pilots/engineers, and all IAF personnel who've championed self-reliance. Sky is the limit!” said the IAF in a post on social media. MALAPPURAM 4 from Kerala die in Saudi Four members of a family from Manjeri in Kerala’s Malappuram district were killed in a tragic road accident in Madina, Saudi Arabia, plunging their relatives and the local community into deep grief. The victims were identified as Abdul Jaleel (52), a native of Vellila in Manjeri; his mother Maimunath Kakkengal (73); his wife Thasna Thodengal (40); and their 14-year-old son Aadhil Jaleel. Agencies The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has decided not to send its senior men's cricket team to India for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 in India following a directors' meeting on Sunday, the Daily Star reported. The BCB has also asked the International Cricket Council iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL MONEY FLUID TIMES | Maduro's deputy & oil minister Rodriguez is new prez, Washington hopeful of working with her Not at war with Venezuela: US Agencies WASHINGTON A day after US strikes, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday America is at war "against drug trafficking organisations", not Venezuela. He said the US military will maintain a “quarantine” around Venezuela to prevent the entry and exit of oil tankers under American sanctions, as the Trump administration moved to exert what he called “leverage” over the country’s leadership following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. Rubio, like President Trump the day before, did not rule out a deployment of US troops in Venezuela. But though Trump said after the commando raid that seized Maduro that the US intended to “run” the country and reclaim American oil interests, Pentagon officials said that there were no US military personnel in Venezuela, and Maduro’s aides still appeared to be in control of the country. Publicly, Venezuelan officials have projected defiance. Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who also serves as oil minister, has taken over as interim president with the blessing of Venezuela's top court, though she has said Maduro India voices deep concern over US military action India on Sunday voiced "deep concern" over the US' capture of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in a military operation and called for a peaceful resolution of the issues to ensure stability in the region. In its first reaction to the unprecedented American action in Venezuelan capital Caracas early on Saturday, New Delhi also reaffirmed its support for the well-being of the people of the oil-rich South American country and said it is closely monitoring the unfolding developments remains president. Despite her comments, US officials said they hoped to work with her. "Here, the unity of the revolutionary force is more than guaranteed, and here there is only one president, whose name is Nicolas Maduro Moros. 4Continued on | P8 IANS PTI VARANASI NEW DELHI (ICC) to shift Bangladesh's cricket team matches from India to Sri Lanka, the report citing a BCB official added. Further, as per the Daily Star, BCB is expected to issue an official statement shortly. The development comes after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) confirmed on Saturday that the franchise has excluded Bangladeshi player Muztafizur Rahman from its spoke about the 2030 Commonwealth Games, which will be held in the country, and said that the nation is leaving no stone unturned in securing the hosting rights for the 2036 Olympic Games. "The 2030 Commonwealth Games will be held in India. India is preparing with full strength to host the 2036 Olympics," said Modi. PM Narendra Modi also spoke about the greatness of the volleyball game and how it connects players through a match-winning spirit. Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 squad following a directive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). A media advisory issued by the KKR stated, "Kolkata Knight Riders confirms that BCCI/IPL, as the regulator of IPL, has instructed it to release Mustafizur Rahman from the squad ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season." See Sports Microblogging site X will act against illegal content by removing it, permanently suspending accounts that uploaded the material and working with local governments as required, the Elon Musk-owned social media platform said on Sunday. The statement from the Global Government Affairs account of X was issued hours after it said people using the platform's AI service, Grok, to create illegal content will face the same consequences as those uploading illegal content. "Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content," Musk said on X in response to a post on "inappropriate images". Global government affairs at X reiterated Musk's stance on illegal content. "We take action against illegal content on X, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary. 4Continued on | P8 offgrid Army raises force with 1L drone operatives Agencies NASIRABAD At a time when the Centre is pushing for restructuring the defence forces, the Indian Army has carried out one of the biggest ever transformations to meet modern warfare challenges creating a pool of over one lakh drone operatives across the force. Bhairav, the latest Special Force raised by the Indian Army- is being readied to tackle the challenges of modern warfare, as all operatives are capable of handling drones and use them in real operations for targeting bases and formations inside enemy territory. Team ANI visited one of the newly raised Bhairav PUNE INDORE NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Donald Trump’s latest war P.6 Brand Sutra Pattern Recognition P.12 MP reels under severe cold, thick fog Visibility 50-200 metres, train services hit Chill chart City battalions in the desert sector under the Southern Command, where it witnessed the capabilities of the troops who had been selected from Infantry regiments to raise the Special Force and were being given special training as per the requirements of modern warfare. The Bhairav battalions raised by Army Headquarters with lessons from global and own conflicts in mind, have been created to provide a dedicated force for high-speed, offensive operations to carry out the Special Forces tasking at multiple levels as per requirements. The Indian Army has raised around 15 of these battalions already, and they have been assigned to different formations on both borders and have plans to raise around 25 of them in total in the near future. 4Continued on | P8 Temp Pachmarhi 6.4 7.0 2.5 Niwari 7.4 Rajgarh 5.0 Ratlam 7.4 Datia Our Staff Reporter Shivpuri Nowgong 5.1 Intense cold threw normal life out of gear across Madhya Pradesh on Sunday. Bhopal woke up to a morning wrapped in thick fog which reduced visibility to a substantial level. The state capital remained under a thick fog blanket till noon. Later, the sun appeared from behind the clouds to provide some relief from the biting cold. Bhopal’s maximum temperature settled at 18.5 degrees Celsius while minimum temperature was 10.8 degrees Sheopur 7.6 Mandsaur 6.4 Mandla 7.6 Gwalior BHOPAL Khajuraho 8.0 School timings revised Bhopal : Schools from nursery to Class 8 in the city will open after 9:30 AM from Monday. The timing has been changed due to severe cold and dense fog. The DEO issued an order to this effect on Sunday. This arrangement will apply to all government, private, CBSE, ICSE, aided, and other schools. “Considering the potential adverse effects of the drop in temperature on the health of the students studying in various institutions, all government/private/ICSE/CBSE/aided and other recognised schools in Bhopal shall not conduct classes for students from nursery to Class 8 before 9.30 AM,” DEO NK Ahirwar said. BHAGIRATHPURA TRAGEDY India making strong bid to Musk’s X to remove illegal host 2036 Olympics: PM content Underlining India’s growing sporting ambitions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the country is making strong and sustained efforts to host the 2036 Olympic Games. Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the 72nd National Volleyball Championship virtually via video conferencing, PM Modi highlighted India’s recent experience and capability in successfully hosting major global sporting events. "In the past decade, more than 20 major international events have been held in various cities, including the U-17 FIFA World Cup, the Hockey World Cup, and major chess tournaments," PM Modi said. The Prime Minister also UJJAIN Investors brace for a week packed with sensitive data B’desh not to play T20 WC in India DHAKA ESTD-1983 256 discharged in 24 hrs; water test reports negative Our Staff Reporter INDORE Amidst panic over the deaths due to consumption of contaminated water at Bhagirathpura, the city heaved a sigh of relief when as many as 256 affected people were discharged from different hospitals in the last 24 hours on Sunday. Besides, the test reports of water samples taken from the area on Saturday turned out to be negative. "As far as the situation is concerned, everything is under control, and we are in the declining phase of the epidemic. The water supply has been shut off, and we have to wait until the supply resumes after chlorination, but ICMR experts are hopeful that this outbreak will end soon. Admissions are decreasing... We are distributing ORS packets in homes... People are cooperating with us, and social 6.4 Celsius. Visibility in Bhopal, Indore and Gwalior was between 50200 metres. Meteorologists said moisture after a western disturbance caused the fog, which might continue for two days.  As per the weatherman, many parts of the state will continue to battle an intensifying cold wave and dense morning fog. 4Continued on | P8 Rahul to meet affected families Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL groups are also helping us manage the situation... Currently, the death toll is 6... If anyone comes in with diarrhoea, we will include them in the count. Currently, 149 active cases are being treated, and 256 patients have been discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours," said Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO), Dr Madhav Prasad Hasani. Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will visit Indore shortly to meet families who lost members after drinking contaminated water, said a party leader on Sunday. After 15 deaths in Indore’s Bhagirathpura area, Congress has intensified its attack on the state government. In a series of protests, the Women’s Congress has organised ‘Saddbuddhi Yagya’ on January 8, and at every block headquarters in Indore district, agitation rallies will be held. On January 11, a massive demonstration will take place in Indore city. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8