FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. XLI No. 197 | INDORE | TUESDAY | DECEMBER 24, 2024 | Pages 16 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports Manu overlooked for Khel Ratna Award! P.15 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE UJJAIN MONEY PRESS PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK Telecom subscriber base in India sees decline in October 2024 Cinema Sonu’s breathtaking action extravaganza P.13 Send Hasina back: B’desh PTI ‘NO COMMENT’ Bangladesh's interim government on Monday said it has sent a diplomatic note to New Delhi requesting for extradition of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been living in India since fleeing Bangladesh in August. Bangladesh's de facto foreign minister Touhid Hossain said Dhaka wants Hasina back to face the judicial process. "We have sent a note verbale to the Indian government saying that Bangladesh wants her back here for the judicial process," Hossain told re- fp Briefs NEW DELHI Jaishankar to kick off US visit today External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will pay a sixday visit to the US from Tuesday, in the first highlevel trip from India after Donald Trump won the US presidential election. An official readout said Jaishankar will meet his counterparts to discuss key bilateral, regional and global issues. "External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit the United States of America from December 24-29," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a brief statement. It said Jaishankar will also chair a conference of the Consul Generals of India in the US. NEW DELHI ‘10L govt jobs provided in one-and-half yrs’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said his government has provided nearly 10 lakh permanent government jobs to youths in the last one or one and a half years which, he asserted, is a record. Addressing recruits at a Rozgar Mela through a virtual event, where over 71,000 people were given appointment letters, he said never before in the tenure of any previous government were jobs provided in such a India received a note verbale from Bangladesh in connection with an extradition request for Sheikh Hasina."We confirm that we have received a note verbale from the Bangladesh High Commission today in connection with an extradition request. At this time, we have no comment to offer on this matter," a source said. porters in Dhaka. It is learnt that the diplomatic note or note verbale was handed over to India's external affairs ministry by the Bangladeshi high commission in New Delhi. Indian government sources confirmed receiving the note verbale. "We confirm that we have received a note verbale from the Bangladesh high commission today in connection with an extradition request. At this time, we have no comment to offer on this matter," said a source. There was no comment from the ministry. Hasina, 77, has been living in India since August 5 when she fled the country following a massive student-led protest that toppled her 16-year regime. Bangladesh-based International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has issued arrest warrants for Hasina and several former Cabinet ministers, advisers, and military and civil Man kills wife over infidelity suspicion, jumps before train where the incident occurred. Lakshman suspected Mani of infidelity, which often led to arguments between them. After the murder, Lakshman went about half a kilometer away from the house to a railway track and committed suicide. Our Staff Reporter INDORE A man allegedly strangulated his wife with a wire and later committed suicide by jumping in front of a train in Lasudia police station area on Monday afternoon. The incident came to the fore after their specially-abled daughter informed landlord that her mother was not responding. According to police, the deceased were identified as Lakshman Kulkarni and Mani Kulkarni, residents of Khategaon and were staying on rent at Phoenix Township 4Continued on | P6 Specially-abled daughter informs landlord Lakshman and Mani had a son and a daughter who is a specially-abled child. After killing his wife, Lakshman fled from the house. When the children returned home they tried to wake their mother, but there was no response. After repeated attempts failed, the children went to the landlord and said, "Mother isn t responding." The landlord then went upstairs to the room and found the woman unconscious. officials for "crimes against humanity and genocide". Earlier on Monday, Home Adviser Jahangir Alam said his office sent a letter to the foreign ministry to facilitate the ousted premier's extradition from India. "We have sent a letter to the foreign ministry regarding her extradition. The process is currently underway," he told reporters in response to a query. Alam said an extradition treaty between Dhaka and New Delhi already exists and Hasina could be brought back to Bangladesh under it. 4Continued on | P6 Ex-SC judge appointed new NHRC chief MUMBAI The Central government on Monday abolished the ‘No-Detention Policy’ for students in classes 5 and 8 who fail their year-end exams in schools under its jurisdiction. The decision follows amendments to the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, which were notified Naxal carrying Rs 25L bounty held in Ch’garh in December 2024, marking five years since the Act's initial amendment in 2019. The Ministry’s notification will be applicable to over 3,000 schools run by the central government including Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navaodyala Vidyalayas and Sainik Schools. “Students who fail the annual examination in classes 5 and 8 will be failed. Failed students will have a chance to re- take the test within two months, but if they fail again, they will not be promoted,” said Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy. “The school will not expel a student until the 8th grade. The Central Government has taken this decision intending to improve the learning outcome among children,” he added. Former Supreme Court judge V Ramasubramanian has been appointed the new chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission, the rights panel said on Monday. The post of NHRC chairperson had been lying vacant since Justice (retd) Arun Kumar Mishra completed his tenure on June 1. Mishra served as the eighth chairperson of the rights panel and was appointed to its top post in June 2021. According to an official notification by the Ministry of Education, if students fail to clear the annual exams, they will be given additional coaching and an opportunity to take a re-exam within two months of the results. Students who still fail the reexamination will then be held back in the same class. 4Continued on | P6 Under-construction bridge wall caves in, 3 workers killed KANKER Our Staff Reporter A senior Naxalite leader, carrying a reward of Rs 25 lakh on his head, has been arrested by security forces in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district, a senior police official said on Monday and termed it as a significant success in fight against Left-wing extremism. Prabhakar Rao alias Balmuri Narayan Rao, a Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee Member of the banned CPI (Maoist), was apprehended on Sunday in the Antagarh police station area of the district, Bastar (Range) Inspector General of Police Sundarraj P said. BHOPAL/SEHORE Three workers were killed after the wall of an under-construction bridge fell in Siyagahan village under the Shahganj police station on Monday. Four labourers were working near the wall at the time of the incident. As soon as the wall fell, the workers came under the debris. Three died on the spot, the police said. The bridge was being constructed to connect Siyagahan and Mangrol villages. When a retaining wall was being constructed, another retaining I-T dept to issue lookout notice against Sharma Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The Income Tax department is contemplating to issue a lookout notice against former transport constable Saurabh Sharma in connection with the seizure of 52 kg gold and Rs 11 crore in cash from an abandoned car in Mendori village recently. Sources said that the I-T officers suspect that the gold and cash belongs to Sharma. Notably, Sharma went to Dubai much before the Lokayukta police raided his premises and the I-T department seized the abandoned vehicle late on Thursday night. The I-T officials were on a round in connection with the raid against the builders and by chance they were passing through Mendori village and reached the abandoned vehicle on the basis of information. ‘Why Lokayukta was not informed’ Oour Staff Reporter BHOPAL Local police shall make it clear, why they had informed the Income Tax department about the car, not us, director general special police establishment (SPE) Lokayukta police Bhopal, Jaideep Prasad told media persons here on Monday. Lokayukta police Bhopal have served notices to the main accused of dispropor- Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a money laundering case against a former road transport department constable, who was recently searched by the Lokayukta police on allegations of possession of disproportionate assets and a "linked" seizure of Rs 52 crore gold and cash from an abandoned SUV, official sources said on Monday. The investigation agency Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said on Monday that the government would take stern action to wipe out corruption. His statement came in the wake of the gold and cash found during the raids on the residential premises of a former constable of the Transport Department, Saurabh Sharma, by inquiry agencies. Yadav said it was his government that stopped extortions at the transport department’s toll barriers. The government has taken action immediately after receiving complaints. He said that his government took stern action and that it opted for zero-tolerance policy in corruption cases. The government will act whenever and wherever it is necessary, he said. From Yadav’s statement it is clear that the government will act against corrupt people in the coming days. After the raids on the residential premises of Sharma, rampant corruption in the Transport Department came to light. Afterwards, CM issued a statement on the issue for the first time. has registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to book former transport department constable Saurabh Sharma and some others, the officials said. A case has been filed taking cognisance of the Lokayukta police FIR. The vehicle was found registered in the name of Chetan Singh Gaur, a "close associate" of Sharma. The sources said the two instances could be "linked and that an investigation was underway to find the facts”. Sharma is stated to have availed voluntary retirement from service about a year ago. The ED, according to the sources, has obtained details of these instances from both the Lokayukta police and the IT department. It may summon these two persons and some others linked to them for questioning in the coming days, the sources said. PTI NEW DELHI wall caved in. On getting information, a team of police and administrative officers rushed to the spot. One of the labourers, Sukhram Gaur, resident of Vidisha, was rescued from debris and sent to the Narmadapuram district hospital where his condition was stated to be serious. The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to grant anticipatory bail to former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar who has been accused of cheating and wrongly availing of OBC and disability quota benefits in the civil services examination. 14 December 1934 - 23 December 2024 FILM-MAKER UNPARALLELED By invitation 4Continued on | P6 S Ramachandran AP WASHINGTON We want them to feel vulnerable. We've already moved on to the next thing. And they'll have to keep on trying to guess what the next thing is. Mossad Agent a message than actually killing Hezbollah fighters. "If he just dead, so he's dead. But if he's wounded, you have to take him to the hospital, take care of him. 4Continued on | P6 Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL HC denies anticipatory bail to ex-IAS probationer S How Israel got Hezbollah to buy exploding pagers believed to have been either fighters of Hezbollah or connected to the Hezbollah in other ways. One of the agents said the goal was more about sending tionate property against known income Sourabh Sharma his family and his aides to appear in the office and to record their statements. The DG was annoyed and curious about the working of local police Bhopal, that they were having information that Lokayukta police was conducting raid and this vehicle may be the part of the raid, CM: My govt has stopped extortions at toll barriers Now ED files PMLA case offgrid Two recently retired senior Israeli intelligence agents shared new details about a deadly clandestine operation years in the making that targeted Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and Syria using exploding pagers and walkie talkies three months ago. Dozens of people numbering around forty were killed and more than 3,000 injured in waves of attacks. Most of those who died are The seized gold biscuits in such a huge quantity have even surprised the I-T officers and they are trying to find the trail. Sources said that gold biscuits are mostly smuggled through Dubai and Switzerland. The other way of getting gold biscuits is to melt gold ornaments and mould them into biscuits. However, this work does not happen in Madhya Pradesh. The I-T department is going through the incriminating documents seized on the instance of Chetan Singh Gaur, the close aide of Sharma. It is trying to know how much cash transaction has been done by Sharma and which are the properties where he had invested the money. The diary recovered on the instance of Gaur also contains names of many bureaucrats and white collar persons. PTI NEW DELHI ‘No-detention’ policy for classes 5 & 8 ends Vikrant Jha E-paper Edit Poll rule tweaks raise questions P.8 EXTRADITION REQUEST | Dhaka wants Sheikh Hasina to stand trial DHAKA/NEW DELHI MUMBAI You need to invest money and efforts," he said. "And those people without hands and eyes are living proof, walking in Lebanon, of don't mess with us.' They are walk- ing proof of our superiority all around the Middle East, " the agent told CBC. The agents, wearing masks and altered voices to hide their real identities, spoke with CBS "60 Minutes" in a segment aired on Sunday night. One agent said the operation began 10 years ago using walkie-talkies laden with hidden explosives, which Hezbollah didn't realise it was buying from Israel, its enemy. 4Continued on | P6 Ruling that a strong prima facie case was made out against Khedkar, Justice Chandra Dhari Singh said investigation was required to unearth the "larger conspiracy" to manipulate the system, which would be adversely impacted if the accused was granted pre-arrest bail. "Anticipatory bail plea is dismissed. Interim protection from arrest is vacated," Justice Singh said while ruling on Khedkar's anticipatory bail plea. hyam Benegal, one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of Indian cinema, passed away on December 23, 2024, at the age of 90, leaving behind an indelible legacy that will forever shape the world of filmmaking. In 1958, when his older cousin Guru Dutt Padukone made films in the 50s, 23year-old Shyam Benegal was inspired to enter the movies and moved from Hyderabad to Mumbai. Guru Dutt advised him to pursue his own career instead of working as his assistant, saying, "Which means you won't really get to do anything except run errands for me." Benegal’s paternal grandmother and Dutt’s maternal grandmother were sisters. Following Dutt’s advice, Benegal joined an advertising agency. He made his directorial debut in 1974 with Ankur, after an ad film distributor offered him a small sum to make his first film. Ankur is a powerful tale of social and caste struggles in rural India. Benegal’s nuanced direction and compelling characters made it a landmark in Indian cinema, winning the National Film Award for Second Best Feature Film. 4Continued on | P6