FP FREE PRESS The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms VOL. 13 NO. 275 | BHOPAL | MONDAY | MARCH 18, 2024 | PAGES 14 KOHLI RETURNS TO INDIA FROM LONDON SPORTS `3 - r Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2021-2023; EDITIONS: INDORE, BHOPAL, UJJAIN, MUMBAI, PUNE MONEY INDIA’S ECONOMIC BOOM FEELS LIKE 2003-07: MORGAN STANLEY 32.40c. 15.80c WEATHER BJP tops with Rs 6,986 cr in kitty EC MAKES FRESH ELECTORAL BONDS DATA PUBLIC AIMIM, BSP show nil receipts NEW DELHI Election Commission on Sunday made public fresh data on electoral bonds, which it had submitted in sealed covers to the Supreme Court and was later asked to put it in public domain. These details are believed to be pertaining to the period before April 12, 2019. Electoral bond details after this date was made public by the poll panel last week. Political parties had filed data on Electoral Bonds in sealed cover as directed by the Supreme Court's interim order dated April 12, 2019, the poll panel said in a statement. The BJP received the maximum funds through these bonds at Rs 6,986.5 crore since they were introduced in 2018, followed by West Bengal's ruling party Trinamool Congress (Rs 1,397 crore), Congress (Rs 1,334 crore) and BRS (Rs 1,322 crore). The top purchaser of THE DMK was among few political parties to disclose identity of donors to the ECI electoral bonds, Future Gaming and Hotel Sevices, donated Rs 509 crore to Tamil Nadu's ruling party DMK through the now scrapped payment mode, the Election Commission data showed on Sunday . Odisha's ruling party BJD was the fourth largest recipient at Rs 944.5 crore followed by DMK at Rs 656.5 crore and Andhra Pradesh's ruling party YSR Congress redeemed bonds worth nearly Rs 442.8 crore. The JD(S) received bonds worth Rs 89.75 crore, including Rs 50 crore from Megha Engineering, the second largest purchaser of electoral bonds. Future Gaming of lottery king Santiago Martin was the biggest purchaser of electoral bonds at Rs 1,368 crore, of which nearly 37 per cent went to the DMK. Other major donors of WHO GOT WHAT BJPTMCCongBRS BJD DMK YSR JD (S)TDP Shiv SenaSP Akali AIADMKNC - Rs 6,986.5 cr Rs 1,397 cr Rs 1,334 cr Rs 1,322 cr Rs 944.5 cr Rs 656.5 cr Rs 442.8 cr Rs 89.75 cr Rs 181.35 cr Rs 60.4 cr Rs 14.05 cr Rs 7.26 cr Rs 6.05 cr Rs 50 lakh the DMK included Megha Engineering Rs 105 crore, India Cements Rs 14 crore and Sun TV Rs 100 crore. The TDP redeemed bonds worth Rs 181.35 crore, Shiv Sena Rs 60.4 crore, RJD 56 crore, Samajwadi Party got Rs 14.05 crore via electoral bonds, Akali Dal Rs 7.26 crore, AIADMK Rs 6.05 crore, National Conference Rs 50 lakh. The CPI(M) has declared that it will not receive funds through electoral bonds, while filings made by the AIMIM and BSP showed nil receipts. MOST PARTIES RECEIVED NOTHING NEW DELHI : While several political parties received donations worth crores of rupees via electoral bonds, there is a vast majority which did not get any money through the now-scraped scheme for political funding. Over 500 recognised and unrecognised political parties had shared details on electoral bonds in sealed covers to the Supreme Court. Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party, which is a recognised national party, has told the Election Commission that it did not receive any funding through electoral bonds since the inception of the scheme. The National People's Party, which rules Meghalaya, is another national party which received no donations through electoral bonds. National Conference, a recognised state party in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, has disclosed receiving Rs 50 lakh from the Bharti group through electoral bonds. The Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) disclosed it received Rs 50 lakh via electoral bonds from Alambic Pharma. Left parties, including CPI, CPI-M, All-India Forward Bloc and CPI-ML did not receive any electoral bond funding. They said as a matter of principle they refused donations through this route. Some of the registered, unrecognised parties made their submission in hand-written notes on plain paper declaring not receiving any funding through poll bonds. Several of the parties which are active in states, such as Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, AIMIM, IAUDF, Zoram People's Movement, Asom Gana Parishad, Bodoland People's Front, Kerala Congress (Mani), late Vijayakanth's DMDK, INLD, Tamil Maanila Congress did not receive donations through poll bonds. On the other hand, some other smaller regional players such as the Goa Forward Party and MGP received electoral bonds worth Rs 36 lakh and Rs 55 lakh respectively. Met alert for rain, hail in next 72 hrs Balaghat, Mandla, Dindori to get rain, hail, wind @ 70kmh OUR STAFF REPORTER City.bhopal@fpj.co.in Meteorological department has issued alert for rain, hail with speedy wind for next 72 hours. It has also issued advisory for protection from hailstorm in the state. Hailstorm with lightning (wind speed up to 70 kmph) is likely to continue over Balaghat, Mandla and Dindori in next 24 hours in the state. Moderate Thunderstorm with lightning and Hail (wind speed up 50 kmph) is likely over Chhindwada, Pandhurna (Pench), Mandla (Kanha), Seoni and Anuppur (Amarkantak). Light Thunderstorm NEWS BRIEF YouTuber Elvish sent to 14-day jail NEW DELHI: In a fresh breakthrough in the Elvish Yadav snake venom-rave party case, the police today said that a forensic investigation has revealed the use of venom of cobra and krait species of snakes in samples seized from the party. Earlier, a case under the Wildlife Act was registered against Elvish Yadav and five others. Case filed against Swami Maurya LUCKNOW: A MP-MLA court here on Saturday ordered the Wazirganj police station to file an FIR against former SP politician Swami Prasad Maurya for allegedly hurting Hindu sentiments with a statement against goddess Lakshmi. Upper Lake, Bhopal with lightning is likely over Betul, Kanha, Jabalpur (Airport and Bhedaghat) and South Shahdol districts. Seoni, Chhindwara, Mandla, Balaghat and Dindori recorded rain and hail storm in the last 24 hours. According to meteorological department, currently, a trough lies at the height of 0.9 km from the mean sea level extending from Western Vidarbh across Marathwada and Karnataka till Northern Kerala, due to which South Westerlies are bringing moisture from the Arabian Sea and anticyclonic North easterly winds are incurring moisture from the Bay of Bengal to the eastern parts of Madhya Pradesh. A fresh Western Disturbance is likely to affect Western Himalayan Region from March 18, 2024. Another fresh Western Disturbance is likely to affect Western Himalayan Region from the night of March 20. At temperature front, Bhopal recorded a day temperature 33.3 degrees Celsius while it recorded night temperature 18.2 degrees Celsius. Indore recorded day temperature 35.0 degrees Celsius while it recorded night temperature 19.4 degrees Celsius. ED summons Kejriwal in money laundering case NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a money laundering probe linked to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Jal Board, with the Aam Aadmi Party terming it a "backup" plan to stop him from campaigning in the Lok Sabha polls. According to the officials, Kejriwal (55), who is also the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), is required to present himself before the agency at its office on A P J Abdul Kalam Road on March 18 to provide his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). This latest development marks the second instance where Kejriwal has been summoned under the anti-money laundering law. He is also facing inquiries in the Delhi excise policy-related money laun- 1 village, 2 voting dates dering case and has previously disregarded eight summons in that matter, terming those "illegitimate". The ED has issued a fresh summons to Kejriwal to appear for questioning on March 21 in the excise policy-linked money laundering case. Delhi minister Atishi, at a press conference, expressed concerns over the motive behind these actions and said, "Nobody knows what this Delhi Jal Board (DJB) case is about. This seems to be a backup plan to arrest Kejriwal anyhow and stop him from campaigning in the Lok Sabha polls." In the DJB case, the ED has claimed that funds obtained through corruption in a contract awarded by the Delhi government's department were allegedly channelled as election funds to the AAP, the ruling party in Delhi. CONTD. ON P8 MILIND R LASHKARI Indore/ Agar Malwa Sunrise : 06.34 Sunset : 06.36 In the wake of the recently announced Lok Sabha elections, Amla village in Agar district has once again captured the spotlight due to its distinctive administrative structure. In a rare scenario, Amla village, with merely 1,600 voters, finds itself split between two election dates due to its unique geographic location spanning QUALITY AT VALUE r RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.in GEHLOT’S HUMBLE APPEAL... NATION Students attacked in Guj univ for offering namaz in hostel Two students hospitalised AHMEDABAD, Students hailing from different foreign countries were assaulted allegedly by a group of persons in the Gujarat University hostel in Ahmedabad for offering namaz in the facility's building, police said on Sunday . Two students - one from Sri Lanka and another from Tajikistan - were hospitalised after the incident which took place at the Ablock hostel on Saturday night. One of the alleged attackers has been identified so far, they said. An FIR was registered against 20-25 individuals, and nine teams have been formed to conduct a probe into the incident, Police Commissioner GS Malik said. Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi held a meeting with police officers and directed them to take strict and judicial action in the matter, Malik said. The incident was reported at around 10.50 pm on Saturday when nearly two dozen people barged MEA PROMISES STRICT ACTION NEW DELHI: India on Sunday said that the Gujarat government is taking strict action against the perpetrators of violence at a university in Ahmedabad in which two foreign students sustained injuries.External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said one of the two foreign students injured in the violence has been discharged from hospital. into the (government-run) stones. They also vanGujarat University's hostel dalised their rooms," Malik and raised an objection to said. students from foreign counTwo students, one from tries offering namaz in the Sri Lanka and another facility where they stayed, from Tajikistan - have been Malik said. hospitalised, he said. "Some 20-25 people en"Police will take strict actered the hostel premises tion against all those inand objected to the interna- volved in the incident. The tional students offering na- overall monitoring of the maz there, asking them to case will be done by the do so in a mosque. They ar- Joint Commissioner of Pogued over the issue, as- lice of the Crime Branch. saulting them and hurling CONTD. ON P8 FIR against ex-CG CM Baghel in Mahadev betting app case RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh Economic Offenses Wing (EOW) has named former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel in its first information report (FIR) lodged in connection with the Mahadev Online Booklinked money laundering case, sources said on Sunday . According to sources, the FIR has been filed on basis of a probe report submitted by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED). The case has been registered under various IPC sections, including 120B and 34 (for criminal conspiracy and common intention), 406 (for criminal breach of trust), 420 (for cheating), 467 (for forgery of valuable security), 468 (for forgeries for cheating), and 471 (for using as genuine a forged document). "The case was Poachers kill tiger, flee with paws, two canines OUR STAFF REPORTER city.bhopal@fpj.co.in In a major jolt to the Project Tiger in the state poachers made away with the paws, two canine teeth and tail of the feline in Balaghat. Chief conservator of forest, Balaghat, APS Senger told Free Press that a two-and-a-half-year old male tiger’s body was found floating in a river at Tumdi Tola village of Waraseoni area. The autopsy of the tiger revealed that the feline was killed through electrocution. The body of the tiger is assumed to be seven to eight days old. The help of the dog squad was taken and dogs reached the local bridge and lost direction. Therefore it is being anticipated that the tiger was killed at some other place and its body was later dumped into the river. The matter came to light when two locals reported that a tiger’s body was floating in the river. Further investigation into the matter was underway . registered on March 4 against Bhupesh Baghel and 21 others," sources said. Former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Rajnandgaon seat. ED is investigating a case against "Mahadev Online Book", which is an umbrella syndicate arranging online platforms for enabling illegal betting websites to enrol new users, create user IDs and launder money through a layered web of Benami bank accounts. The agency initiated an investigation on the basis Arunachal, Sikkim results date changed to June 2 from June 4 AGENCIES New Delhi REASON The decision was The Election Commission on Sunday changed the taken because the date of counting of votes term of the two in the Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim assembly polls Assemblies is till June from June 4 to June 2. 2, which means "EC is to conduct election to Legislative Assemelections have to be blies of Arunachal wrapped up on or Pradesh and Sikkim before the cessation of their before that date, terms, in exercise of the said the EC powers conferred upon under Article 324 read with Article 172(1) of the Constitution of India and Section 15 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The term of house of both the Legislative Assemblies of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim is due to expire on 02.06.2024," the EC in its press release stated further. The date of counting of votes was changed from June 4 to June 2 and the date before which the election shall be completed was changed from June 6 to June 2 as well. The two states go to polls on April 19. CONTD. ON P8 POLL SCROLL: UNIQUE ADMINISTRATIVE DIVIDE two districts. About 18 kilometres away from Agar district headquarters, the village is situated at the border of Rajgarh and Agar districts, the village has two different dates for the upcoming elections. While one-half of the village, under the jurisdiction of the Rajgarh district, will cast their votes on May 7, the other half, under the Agar district, will vote on May 13 for the DewasShajapur-Agar parliamentary of First Information Reports (FIRs) registered by Chhattisgarh Police. Subsequently, other FIRs registered by Visakhapatnam Police and other states were also taken on record. An ED investigation into the matter has revealed that "the operations of Mahadev Online Book are being run from Dubai and it operates by franchising 'panel and branches' to their known associates on a 70 per cent to 30 per cent profit ratio." "The main promoters of Mahadev Online Book are also partners and promoters in multiple such online betting books like 'Reddy Anna' and 'Fairplay'. Large-scale hawala operations are done to syphon off the proceeds of betting proceeds to offshore accounts," the agency had said. CONTD. ON P8 constituency . This peculiarity has stirred interest among villagers and lo- cal authorities, with many questioning the rationale behind such a division. Despite this administrative quirk, villagers are enthusiastic about exercising their democratic rights and are gearing up for the upcoming elections. The village's split voting schedule highlights the complexities of administrative boundaries and the diverse electoral procedures that can arise in unique geographic locations. Three of family consume poison father, son die, mother survives One son alive, had not consumed food OUR STAFF REPORTER city.bhopal@fpj.co.in Three persons of a family consumed poison and while the father and son died, the wife survived, Gwalior police said on Sunday . SP Gwalior Dharamveer Singh said that the incident took place in Bilhoti village under the Bijoli police station, where Mukesh lived with his wife Suman and two sons Pranshu (7) and Lakchya (5). On Friday, Mukesh returned back from work and the family took their dinner. After consuming the food Mukesh, Pranshu and Suman started vomiting. Lakchya had not eaten food and so he died not face any trouble. The other family members took them to hospital. On Saturday morning Pranshu died during course of treatment, the police said. On Sunday evening Mukesh died. Luckily, wife Suman could be saved and she returned home from hospital. The SP added that prima facie, the family had decided to jointly end their lives and had consumed celphos tablets. However, the reason behind taking this extreme step is not known, and police are questioning other members of the extended family to learn the truth. Established in 2013, this village is divided among four tehsils - Agar, Susner, Nalkheda, and Barod, with the boundaries intersecting through residential areas, leaving residents living in different tehsils than where their homes are located. Amla village falls under two parliamentary constituencies, Dewas-Shajapur and Rajgarh, resulting in the election of two MPs and two MLAs. CONTD. ON P8