FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. XLI No. 182 | INDORE | MONDAY | DECEMBER 9, 2024 | Pages 12 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports Australia were better than us: Rohit P.10 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE WORLD UJJAIN PRESS PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK Brand Sutra The Electric Two-Wheeler Odyssey P.12 Syrian president flees Abdulrahman Shaheen MYSTERY FLIGHT Syrian President Bashar alAssad has resigned and fled, the Russian foreign ministry said but provided no details of his whereabouts. His government in Damascus, marked by iron-fist rule for 25 years, collapsed early Sunday, falling to a lightning rebel offensive. The rebels had been trying to unseat Assad for more than a decade, much of which was marked by a devastating civil R euters cited data from the Flightradar website and reported that a Syrian plane took off from the Damascus airport around the same time when the capital city was stormed by the anti-regime forces. The flight initially moved towards Syria’s coastal region which is believed to be rebels’ stronghold. However, the plane made a U-turn abruptly and flew in the opposite direction for some time before it disappeared from the map. The abrupt Uturn and disappearance from the radar fuelled speculations Assad might have been killed mid-air. The flight data indicates that the jet descended sharply from 3,650 metres to 1,070 metres in the minutes before disappearing, fuelling speculation it may have been targeted as it crossed the rebel-held territory of Homs. war. For many, this was a moment filled with hope as they Foreign Secy arrives as tension simmers FP News Service DHAKA Hindutva is a disease: Iltija Mufti Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will land in Bangladesh on Monday marking the first high-level engagement since the interim Bangladeshi government assumed power on August 8. Misri is expected to address India’s concerns about the recent surge in violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. Muhammad Yunus 's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam hoped on Sunday that the visit would help improve Bangladesh-India relations. "We aim to take our bilateral ties to a better place," he said during a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy. ltija Mufti, daughter of PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, courted controversy on Sunday by terming Hindutva a "disease" that tarnishes Hinduism and fuels violence against minorities. Her remarks on social media and during a public event in Jammu drew sharp criticism from the BJP, which demanded an apology for her “derogatory” statements. In a post on X, Iltija condemned an incident where a Muslim man was assaulted for refusing to chant a Hindu slogan. “Hindutva is a disease that has afflicted millions and sullied a god’s name,” she wrote. 4Continued on | P6 4Continued on | P6 I Foreign currency worth Rs 26L seized at Indore airport Our Staff Reporter INDORE The Customs Department seized foreign currency from multiple countries worth approximately Rs 26 lakh at Devi Ahilyabai Holkar International Airport, Indore, according to official information. Officials said a passenger travelling to Sharjah from Indore by Air India Express Flight Number IX- 255 was searched at Indore airport on Saturday, based on information passed on by CISF that the passenger was carrying foreign currency. On searching the passenger’s trolley bag, officials found US Dollars 8000, New Zealand Dollars 500, Pounds 60, Rials 40, and Euro 19,665, totalling Rs 26 lakh. The passenger did not have any legal document showing the source of procurement of the foreign currency. Officials said the passenger violated the Foreign Exchange Management Act 1999 (Export and Import Currency) and other acts. The matter is under investigation, officials added. Major rejig: 15 IAS officers transferred Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL In yet another major bureaucratic reshuffle, the state government transferred 15 IAS officers on Sunday night. Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Public Works Department, KC Gupta has been shifted as ACS to the Governor. Mukesh Chandra Gupta, Principal Secretary to Governor, has moved as Secretary, Human Rights Commission. Amit Tomar, Additional Secretary, Personnel, General Administration Department has been transferred as Inspector General of Registration, Chote Singh, Additional Commissioner (Revenue) Gwalior Division as Director Panchayati Raj, Dinesh Kumar Maurya, Deputy Secretary, Revenue Department as Officer on Special Duty cum Controller Food and Drug Administration, 4Continued on | P6 had toppled a tyrant who used oppressive tactics to quash their freedoms. But the moment was also rife with un- E-paper Edit RBI hint at Feb rate cut spells hope P.8 ‘Iron fist’ failed to crush Rebels ASSAD REGIME TOPPLED | 25-yr iron-fist rule ends as rebels capture Damascus DAMASCUS MUMBAI certainty over who will rule Syria next and raised fears of a power vacuum in a country, especially with competing factions vying for control of different areas of territory. Many of the capital's residents were in disbelief at the speed at which Assad lost his hold on the country after nearly 14 years of civil war that killed thousands, displaced half the country's prewar population of 23 million. 4Continued on | P6 Minor among 2 sisters raped, tutor arrested Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Police on Sunday arrested a tutor for allegedly raping two sisters including a 14-year-oldgirl, who were taking tuitions from him in Chhola area. Chhola police station incharge Suresh Chandra Nagar said the accused, who runs private tuition classes, had been sexually abusing the two sisters, the elder being 20year-old. The man was blackmailing them with their Accused was blackmailing duo with objectionable pictures objectionable pictures and threatened them with dire consequences if they disclosed the incidents, said the cop. On Saturday,  the teacher called the two sisters on the pretext of extra classes and raped the elder girl and molested the younger one, said the officer. On returning home, the younger girl gathered courage and confided in her mother about the incident. The girl informed that her tutor has been regularly making physical advances and molesting her since April 16. The teacher even warned her against speaking about the incident and threatened to kill her. 4Continued on | P6