FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. 14 No. 189 | BHOPAL | SUNDAY | DECEMBER 22, 2024 | Pages 18 ` 4 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports A year of triumphs and transitions P.13 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL WORLD Poll rule tweaked to limit public scrutiny of records NEW DELHI The government has tweaked an election rule to prevent public inspection of certain electronic documents such as CCTV camera and webcasting footage as well as video recordings of candidates to prevent their misuse. Based on the recommendation of the Election Commission (EC), the Union law ministry on Friday amended fp Briefs KUWAIT CITY Modi reaches Kuwait Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Kuwait on Saturday. He is on a twoday visit to the Gulf nation. This is the first visit of an Indian PM to Kuwait after 43 years. On his arrival, PM Modi was received by Kuwait's first Deputy PM and Minister of Defence and Interior, Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah, along with the country's Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya. Modi said the visit will strengthen IndiaKuwait friendship across various sectors. "Landed in Kuwait to a warm welcome. This is the first visit by an Indian PM in 43 years, and it will undoubtedly strengthen the India-Kuwait friendship across various sectors," Modi said in a post on X. Rule 93(2)(a) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, to restrict the type of "papers" or documents open to public inspection. According to Rule 93, all "papers" related to elections shall be open to public inspection. The amendment inserts "as specified in these rules" after "papers". Law ministry and EC officials separately explained that a court case was the "trigger" behind the amendment. While documents such as nomination forms, appointment of election agents, results and election account statements are mentioned in the Conduct of Election Rules, electronic documents such as CCTV camera footage, webcasting footage and video recording of candidates during the Model Code of Conduct period are not covered. 4Continued on | P6 Online Report dents of the building were safely evacuated and no casualties were reported. An alert was sounded and Couple, 2 kids die in milk parlour fire IANS Ready-to-eat popcorn is set to attract varying GST rates based on its preparation and packaging, it was decided in the 55th GST Council meeting on Saturday. For popcorn (mixed with salt and spices), it retains the The Congress hit out at the Election Commission for tweaking an election rule to prevent public inspection of certain electronic documents such as CCTV and webcasting footage, asking why the poll panel was afraid of transparency. Jairam Ramesh said the party would legally challenge amendment the city's airport temporarily halted flight arrivals and departures after the attack, according to Russian media. Kazan, the capital of the Tatarstan republic, has a population of more than 1.3 million. "Today Kazan suffered a massive drone attack. While before industrial enterprises were attacked, now the enemy attacks civilians in the morning," Rustam Minnikhanov, the Tartarstan republic leader, said in a post on Telegram. Ukraine was yet to comment on the strikes. Authorities said that all major public events in Tartarstan had been cancelled as a precaution. Woman claims hubby, in-laws put chilli powder in private parts PTI RAJGARH FP News Service DEWAS Four members of a family, including two children, lost their lives in a fire that broke out at a milk parlour-cumhouse in Dewas district early Saturday morning. The victims were identified as Dinesh Carpenter, 35, his wife Gayatri Carpenter, 30, their daughter Ishika, 10, and son Chirag, 7. They died due to suffocation and burn injuries after the blaze erupted around 4:45 am in Nayapura. According to Nahar Dar- waja police station in-charge Manju Yadav, the fire was caused by a short circuit, which ignited a gas cylinder in the dairy located on the ground floor. The flames quickly spread to the second floor, where the family was sleeping. Eyewitnesses reported that the fire brigade arrived approximately 45 minutes after the incident, raising concerns about the delayed response. Residents believe that timely intervention could have saved the family. 4Continued on | P6 Ready-to-eat popcorn to get costly NEW DELHI/JAISALMER ‘Cong will legally challenge move’ 9/11-style drone attack in Russia Ukrainian drones hit highrise buildings in Russia, presenting a chilling resemblance to the 9/11 attack in the US when planes rammed the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre in New York in 2001. In unverified videos shared on X, aerial objects were seen flying into two skyscrapers in Kazan, a city some 500 miles (800 km) east of Moscow. The strikes on the high-rises - believed to be residential complexes - set off massive balls of fire that left a plume of black smoke. As per reports, all the resi- essential character of 'namkeens'. It means a GST of 5 per cent applies if it is supplied loose or unpackaged, while 12 per cent GST will kick in for pre-packaged and labelled popcorn. However, caramel popcorn and similar offerings will attract a higher 18 per cent GST, according to people in the know. On fortified rice kernels (FRK), the Council proposed reducing the GST rate from 18 per cent to 5 per cent, irrespective of their end use. In the construction sector, the Council provided relief to manufacturers of Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (ACC) blocks. A case has been registered against a woman's neighbour, husband and in-laws after she accused them of singeing her and putting chilli powder in her private parts in Madhya Pradesh's Rajgarh district, police said on Saturday. The alleged crime was committed at a village under Karanwas police station limits on December 13, said an official. Biaora Sub Divisional Officer of Police Neha Gaur said a 32-year-old ASHA worker has complained that she was beaten and tortured by her inlaws in the village. Based on her complaint, the case was registered at Ruthiyai police station of Guna district, where her parents live. It was subsequently transferred to Rajgarh district on Friday, Gaur said. According to the complainant, a 25-year-old neighbour entered the complainant's matrimonial home and began molesting her. Just then, her sister-in-law walked into the room. The sister-in-law abused her, raising questions about the woman's character. Soon, other family members also gathered, the complaint said. According to the woman, she was thrashed and her father-in-law inserted chilli powder in her private parts, while her mother-in-law branded her in several places on the body with a hot spatula. offgrid MP gets first Asiatic lion pair Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL A pair of Asiatic lions was brought to Van Vihar National Park from Sakkarbaugh Zoo of Gujarat on Friday evening under the animal exchange programme. Van Vihar has given a pair of tiger to Sakkarbaugh Zoo. This is for the first time in the state that a pure Asiatic lion pair has been brought. It was around 4.30 pm on PUNE INDORE NASHIK Saturday that the lion pair, including a male and female, reached Van Vihar. A specially designed vehicle was used to bring the pair from the neighbouring state.  The Asiatic lion pair covered around 1,000 km to reach Van Vihar. Both male and female big cats are aged three years. Currently, both of them are in the grip of trauma. 4Continued on | P6 MUMBAI E-paper readers’ corner The Setting of a Spiritual Sun: The Passing of Saint... P.10 Christmas carols turn to dirge ROW ERUPTS | Cong hits out at Election Commision, asking why poll panel was afraid of transparency PTI UJJAIN PRESS Cinema 90s nostalgia returns P.12 Woman dies after ‘dupatta’ gets caught in peeler machine Who kept gold, cash in car? Cops still clueless FP News Service Our Staff Reporter UJJAIN BHOPAL A 30-year-old woman died after her ‘dupatta’ got caught in a potato peeling machine at Annapurna Kitchen of Mahakaleshwar temple’s Annakshetra here on Saturday. The deceased was identified as Rajni, 30, daughter of Prakash Khatri, resident of Keshav Nagar. Rajni was working in the Forty-eight hours have passed since 52-kg gold and Rs 11 crore were found in a car, but the police are yet to hit upon a clue to the mystery behind such a huge haul of gold and cash. The police have failed to lay their hands on the person who parked the vehicle filled with such a huge quantity of gold and such an enormous amount of cash at an empty plot of land in the state capital. The police said they had handed over the gold and money to I-T officials probing the case. Even the CCTV footage was not sifted through to search for the mysterious man who parked the vehicle on a vacant plot of land. kitchen when her dupatta got stuck in the machine. Hearing her screams, a female employee working there ran to rescue her. She switched off the machine and Rajni was taken out of the noose. After witnessing the incident, her fellow employee, Mamta wife of Manoj Sen, resident of Narsing Ghat Colony, fainted. Both were taken to the Government Charak Hospital where the doctor declared Rajni dead. An unconscious Mamta was later taken to a private hospital. 4Continued on | P6 What is the source of gold? The probe agencies are yet to find out the source of such a huge quantity of gold. They do not know whether it was brought from any other city or bought from a jeweler in Bhopal. Nevertheless, it is clear that the gold was bought with the help of black money. Sources said I-T sleuths might act against the person who turned black money into gold. A trade of turning black money into gold is flourishing in Indore, sources further said. The routes that the vehicle took to reach the spot are also yet to be detected. 4Continued on | P6 Investment done in name of ex-minister’s companies The ongoing Income Tax raid against three builders and a land dealer is going to pass heat on a BJP MLA and former minister. The reason is that the investment has been done in the name of the companies owned by the former minister in Katni. The BJP MLA is a business tycoon. The I-T officers are follow- ing the clues minutely. During the raid, they stumbled upon evidence, which suggests that heavy investment was done in the companies of a renowned industrialist of Raipur. Rajesh Sharma of Trishul Construction is learnt to have played a key role in the investments done in the companies. I-T dept suspects gold, cash belong to ex-RTO constable Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The Income Tax department has started recording the statement of Chetan Gaur as the vehicle, from which 52 kg gold and Rs 11 crore in cash were seized, was registered in his name. The I-T officers, however, feel that Gaur is an impoverished person and could not own so much money. They suspect that the seized gold and cash may belong to his friend and former transport constable Saurabh Sharma, who has allegedly done investment in his name. If all evidence points towards involvement of Sharma then he could be quizzed by the I-T officers. 4Continued on | P6