FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLI No. 225 | INDORE | TUESDAY | JANUARY 21, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in Sports Pant named captain of LSG P.13 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE UJJAIN PUNE BHOPAL MONEY NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Fragile truce in West Asia P.8 Billionaire wealth soars 3 times faster by $2 tn in 2024 Cinema 'Feels like I have come back from rehab' P.14 PROMISES ‘NEW GOLDEN AGE’ AFTER HE IS SWORN IN AS 47TH PRESIDENT Don blows Amrit Kaal Trumpet TRUMP SAYS ‘AMERICA’S DECLINE IS OVER’ AS HE RETURNS TO OFFICE fp Briefs WASHINGTON Indian student shot dead in US In a tragic incident, a 26year-old Indian student from Hyderabad was shot dead in the United States. Unidentified assailants opened fire on Koyyada Ravi Teja in Washington DC, leaving his family in shock and grief. Teja suffered fatal bullet injuries and died on the spot after he was shot at by the miscreants, as per several reports citing preliminary information from his family. Ravi Teja was a native of RK Puram at Green Hills Colony, Chaitanyapuri in Hyderabad. Teja went to the United States in 2022 to pursue his master’s degree. WASHINGTON Biden pardon for Dr Fauci President Joe Biden on Monday pardoned Dr Anthony Fauci, retired Gen Mark Milley and members of the House committee that investigated the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol, using the extraordinary powers of his office in his final hours to guard against potential “revenge” by the incoming Trump administration. The most controversial of those pardoned was Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. He helped coordinate the nation's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and raised Trump's ire when he resisted the Trump's untested public health notions. P resident Trump has declared that “America’s decline is over” and promised to “put America first.” This was the thrust of his second inaugural address after he was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, marking his remarkable return to power for a second term four years after he left the American capital as a pariah. Asserting that his election was a mandate to end “a horrible betrayal,” he has promised to “put America first,” echoing a favored campaign slogan, and vowed to “rebalance” the scales of justice, a reference to the criminal investigations that he has likened to political persecution, reports New York Times. Trump further said he will give the people back their faith, their wealth, their democracy and indeed their freedom. ‘‘From this moment on, America's decline is over." Trump, flanked by his family and a star-studded crowd of political elites, took the oath of office administered by US Chief Justice John Roberts. He immediately set the tone for his second term, indicating a drastic overhaul of immigration policies, energy independence, and the controversial goal of reclaiming the Panama Canal—an idea that resonated with his populist base. Just minutes before the ceremony, Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, was DON GETS CRACKING FP News Service WASHINGTON sworn in as the 50th Vice President of the United States. Vance, the 40-year-old venture capitalist and author, is the youngest vice president in US history. Vance was accompanied by his wife Usha. The event was a spectacle of bipartisan unity, with former presidents Bill Clinton, George Bush, and Barack Obama attending the ceremony, as well as First Ladies Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, and Michelle Obama. The moment was not without its tension, however, as Trump’s re-election campaign had ignited sharp divisions across the nation, a sentiment felt in the air during the inauguration. But Monday was a day of reconciliation, or at least a public show of it, as Trump extended a hand to his critics, urging unity and progress. Before his speech, Trump was seen in a cordial exchange with outgoing President Joe Biden, who greeted his successor with a firm handshake and a brief, but poignant “Welcome home” at the White House. Biden’s involvement in the transition was seen as an act of courtesy, despite the deep political divides between the two. The symbolic tea ceremony held earlier at the White House was a small, dignified ritual before the ceremonial passing of power. 4Continued on | P6 Among the first executive orders that President Donald Trump was expected to sign within hours of assuming office, is declaration of a national emergency at the US-Mexico border, allowing the deployment of troops. This would, in turn, allow Trump to unilaterally unlock federal funding for border wall construction, without approval from Congress, for stricter enforcement efforts. Also on anvil is a natural energy emergency, enabling the country to generate more energy to power artificial intelligence. This could grant him vast new powers to loosen permits and ease the way for fossil fuel production. U.S. oil prices fell more than 1 percent on Monday morning, below $77 a barrel, as details emerged about Trump’s plans to sign executive orders aimed at “unleashing” American energy. Trump is also expected to sign orders ending birthright citizenship, despite the Constitution’s guarantee of citizenship for those born in the United States. So it’s not yet clear how Trump plans to end the guarantee of citizenship for those born in the United States, which is in the 14th Amendment. 4Continued on | P6 Convict gets life term; not Saurabh Sharma case: ED rarest of rare, says court uncovers Rs 52L in assets Our Staff Reporter Court orders Roy to pay Rs 50k fine, directs state govt to pay compensation of Rs 17L to doc’s family Aritra Singha KOLKATA Kolkata exploded in fury on Monday after Sealdah Court handed a life sentence to Sanjay Roy, convicted in the RG Kar rape and murder case. The crime, which shook the city last August, involved the brutal rape and murder of a 31year-old trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College. Her body, discovered in the seminar hall, bore evidence of the heinous acts inflicted on the victim. Roy, a former civic volunteer with Kolkata Police, was RG KAR CASE arrested the following day. Convicted under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Roy faced charges that carried the weight of the law: Section 64: Rape, which mandates at least 10 years in prison, extendable to life; Section 66: Causing fatal injuries, with a mandatory 20-year sentence, extendable to life; and Section 103(1): Murder, punishable by life imprisonment or the death penalty. Despite calls from the Cen- Cabinet in Maheshwar to put its seal on bus service Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The state government is going to take some major decisions at the cabinet meeting in Maheshwar on Friday. The cabinet may put its seal on Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s ambitious bus service project. The government wants to launch passenger buses by this year. To run the buses, there will be a six-month plan, so that the bus services can be started from one route. The buses will be operated on some routes in Indore and tral Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to deem the case "rarest of the rare" and impose the death penalty, Judge Anirban Das disagreed. Drawing on the Supreme Court's 1980 Bachan Singh guidelines, he ruled the crime, though heinous, did not meet the threshold for capital punishment. “I believe this does not qualify as a rarest of the rare case. That’s why I am giving you imprisonment till your death," the judge said while announcing the quantum of punishment for Roy. 4Continued on | P6 Uttarakhand approves UCC DEHRADUN Ujjain divisions, and, after the cabinet decision, the Transport Department will conduct a survey. Decision on setting companies to run the buses will be part of the cabinet approval. The buses will be operated through this company. Sale of liquor may be banned in religious citiesThe cabinet may take another important decision in Maheshwar. It may impose a ban on sale of liquor in Maheshwar, Omkareshwar and a few other religious cities. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday said the rules under Uniform Civil Code (UCC) have been approved and the date of its implementation will be announced soon. After chairing a state cabinet meeting, Dhami said that preparations for implementing the UCC in the state are almost complete. "The training process for the UCC implementation is almost complete. During the cabinet meeting, we discussed implementing it as soon as possible. 4Continued on | P6 4Continued on | P6 BHOPAL Outrage in Kolkata over verdict in RG Kar rape and murder case; despite calls from CBI, judge refuses to see it as “rarest of the rare” The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in Bhopal conducted search operations on January 17 at several locations across Bhopal, Gwalior, and Pune (Maharashtra), in connection with the investigation of Saurabh Sharma and others. The searches led to the discovery of cash, bank deposits, and jewellery worth approximately Rs 52 lakh, officials said on Monday. The ED's investigation is based on an FIR registered by the Lokayukta, Special Police Establishment, Bhopal under sections 13(1)(b) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Total value of assets connected to Sharma & associate after four raids is estimated to be around Rs 100 cr Act, 1988(as amended in 2018), against Saurabh Sharma, a retired constable of the Transport Department in Bhopal. The FIR revealed that Sharma had amassed disproportionate assets worth several crores of rupees, which were held in the names of his family members and associated firms. During the search operations, ED officials froze bank accounts with deposits total- Son born to foreign woman can't be patriot, says edu minister Parmar questions Rahul Gandhi's patriotism ahead of Mhow visit Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Higher Education Minister Inder Singh Parmar launched a scathing attack on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, questioning his patriotism by stating that ‘a son born to a foreign woman cannot be a patriot’. Parmar made these remarks during an inter- action with the media on Monday. His comments come ahead of Rahul Gandhi's scheduled visit to Mhow on January 27, where he will kick off the Congress party's national campaign "Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, and Jai Samvidhan." The event will also be attended by AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, MP Priyanka Gandhi, and other national Congress leaders. Slamming Rahul Gandhi, Parmar toldFree Press, "In his attempt to oppose Sangh, BJP, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi has starteda fight against the country as well. How can such a person be called a patriot?" In response to Congress "Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, and Jai Samvidhan" campaign, the BJP has announced its own "Samvidhan Gaurav Diwas" drive across the state. saddam to shivshankar Muslim man converts to Hinduism to marry girlfriend PTI BASTI A 34-year-old Muslim man here converted to Hinduism to marry his girlfriend with whom he had an affair for the past 10 years, changing his name from Saddam to Shivshankar, police said on Monday. SHO of Kotwali police station Devendra Singh said that three days ago, the woman had lodged a case against Saddam and his family members in the police station for rape, forcing her to have an abortion, raping her on the pretext of marriage and threatening to kill her. But on Sunday night, Saddam and the girl got married in a temple in the city market as per Hindu customs and Saddam changed his name to Shivshankar Soni. According to the police, Saddam Hussain, a resident of Nagar Bazaar, was in a love affair with a woman (about 30 years old) from the same village for about 10 years. Since both of them belonged to different religions, marriage was not possible. The girl pressured him into marriage many times, but Saddam's family was not ready to accept her, he said. Troubled by this, the girl had given an appslication to the Superintendent of Police Basti three days ago and accused the youth Saddam of rape, forcing an abortion and threatening to kill. On the order of the SP, the police had registered a case against Saddam and his family in the city police station, Singh said. But now both have married each other of their own free will, Singh said adding they took seven rounds in the temple and discussed spending their lives together. Both told the police that they had taken this decision on their own. "We were in a love affair for the last ten years," they had said. "Both Saddam alias Shiv Shankar Soni and Anu Soni are adults and after marrying voluntarily in the temple, they came to the police station. Anu Soni gave a statement to end the case on the basis of compromise. As a result, investigation is being done to end the case," the SHO said. Meanwhile, Saddam's family, consisting of his mother and brother, said that he is living with Anu Soni at her house. ling Rs 30 l a k h , seized Rs 12 lakh in cash, and recovered 9.9 kg of s i lv e r valued at around Rs 9.17 lakh. Digital devices and copies of property documents were also confiscated. The searches included properties linked to Dr. Shyam Agarwal and KK Arora in Madhya Pradesh, as well as premises in Pune related to Sharma. The total value of the assets connected to Sharma and his associates, after four raids, is estimated to be around Rs 100 crore. Woman, 4-yr-old son die, daughter slips from noose FP News Service MHOW A woman hanged herself along with her four-year-old son in Nanded village of Mhow tehsil on Monday. She had also hanged her one-and-a-half-month-old daughter too but she slipped from the noose and survived. Sub-inspector Jagdish Dawar of Badgonda police station said, "Dimple Girwal (28) wife of Rohit Girwal and her son Kavyansh (4) were found hanging from a swing fixed to the roof of her house for children in Nanded village on Monday afternoon. Her neighbours told police that they heard the daughter crying for a long time, and when they entered Rohit Girwal 's house, Dimple hanging with her son while her toddler daughter was lying on the floor and was crying. They informed the police, after which a police team took possession of the two bodies. The infant was taken to Mhow civil hospital for treatment of her injuries. As per the family sources, Rohit used to torture Dimple, due to which she took extreme step.