FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. 14 No. 228 | BHOPAL | FRIDAY | JANUARY 31, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports Khawaja, Smith along with Inglis power Oz to domination P.14 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL UJJAIN MONEY PRESS PUNE INDORE NASHIK Cinema Mom Yami can do it all! P.10 28 dead in mid-air collision 64 passengers aboard plane KORBA MP ex-dy CM's son gets life term A court here has sentenced to life Madhya Pradesh former deputy chief minister Pyarelal Kanwar's son Harbhajan and his wife for the murder of his younger brother and two other family members in 2021. Along with the couple, the court on Wednesday also sentenced three others to life imprisonment in connection with the crime, which was the fallout of a property dispute. Harish Kanwar (40), his wife Sumitra Kanwar (35) and their daughter Yashika (4) were brutally murdered in Bhaisma village in 2021. PRATAPGARH Man sets self, woman afire A 29-year-old man set himself and his partner ablaze after her wedding was fixed with another man in the Kohndour area here, police said. The woman succumbed to her injuries while the man is in hospital, they said. Vikas Kumar Yadav of Chandoka allegedly ignited a fire after pouring petrol on himself and Neelu Yadav (22) of Laulipokhta Kham. "Preliminary investigations suggest that Vikas Yadav committed the act. The two were reportedly in a relationship but Neelu Yadav's wedding was scheduled for March 2. WASHINGTON Citizenship Bill introduced A group of Republican Senators has introduced a bill in the US Senate to restrict birthright citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants and non-immigrants on temporary visas. According to Senators Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz and Katie Britt, who introduced the bill, the exploitation of birthright citizenship is a major pull factor for illegal immigration and a weakness for national security. Kumbh stampede: SC PIL seeks action against officials Our Staff Reporter AP Briefs MP’s death toll in Maha Kumbh stampede now 6, many missing Emergency response units search the wreckage of an American Airlines plane on the Potomac River after it crashed on approach to Reagan National Airport A merican Airlines Flight 5342 was inbound to Reagan National at an altitude of about 400 feet and a speed of about 140 miles per hour when it suffered a rapid loss of altitude over Potomac River A few minutes before landing, air traffic controllers asked the arriving commercial jet if it could land on the shorter Runway 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked the helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight 4 killed, 15 hurt as cement factory building crumbles Our Staff Reporter T he controller made another radio call to helicopter moments later: "PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ." Seconds after that, the two aircraft collided CRPF cop shoots wife dead, kills self in Bhopal BHOPAL Our Staff Reporter Tragedy struck on Thursday at the JK Cement factory near Amaanganj in Panna district, when a slab of an under-construction building collapsed, killing four workers and injuring 15 others. The incident occurred around 10 a.m. at the factory, part of the Khajuraho Lok Sabha constituency. Panna SP Sai Krishna S. Thota confirmed the fatalities, stating that the condition of two injured is critical. Several labourers were feared trapped under the debris, and rescue operations were promptly BHOPAL Workers gather after a slab collapse at a cement factory launched with the help of the State Disaster Emergency Response Force (SDERF). The deceased have been identified as Ansar Alam (24) from Purnia, Bihar, Masood (36) from Purnia, Bihar, Rohit Khare (32) from Simaria, Panna, and Musafir (36) from Purnia, Bihar. The SP said that following discussions with factory management, police and district officials, it was decided that the factory would provide Rs 18 lakh for each of the deceased's families, along with Rs 4 lakh as part of the insurance. 4Continued on | P8 Rs 414.84 cr approved to upgrade NHs No captains' photoshoot in Pakistan before CT BHOPAL: Union Road Transport and National Highways (NHs) Minister Nitin Gadkari has approved Rs 414.84 crore for upgradation and construction of National Highways (NHs). Upgradation and construction of 2-lane with paved shoulder of Chanderi-Pichhore Road, a section of National Highway-346 (total length 55.80 km) including Chanderi, Bamor Kalan, Acharoni and Chanderi Link Bypass in Shivpuri and Ashok Nagar districts will be done. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has expressed gratitude for it. National Highway-346 (total length 334.55 km) starts from its junction with National Highway-46 Agra-Mumbai Road near Jharkheda which connects Berasia (SH-23), Vidisha (NH-86 Extension), Kurwai (SH-14), Mungaoli, Chanderi, Pichore and ends at Dinara on National Highway-27. PTI KARACHI There will be no captains' photoshoot or conference in Pakistan before the ICC Champions Trophy, a source in the host cricket board told PTI on Thursday, ending the possibility of India skipper travelling to the country for any pre-tournament engagements. The Pakistan Cricket Board source said the PCB was forced to cancel the pre-tournament captains' gathering because of "unavailability of teams due to tight travelling schedules." "The thing is all teams have tight schedules before the tournament. England and India are playing a whiteball series while Australia is playing a Test and ODI series in Sri Lanka," the source said. He also said the PCB will or- In a shocking incident, Ravikant Verma, a 34-year-old CRPF constable, shot his wife Renu Verma (32), before taking his own life with his service rifle. The tragedytook place late on Wednesday, at their rented home in the Bangrasia area of Misrod. Ravikant Renu ganise an inauguration event for the tournament on February 16 in Lahore instead of an official opening ceremony. As per tradition, captains of all participating teams gather for a pre-tournament photoop before the start of an ICC event. The 2025 edition of the Champions Trophy, which is set to be played from February 19 to March 9, will be held across three venues in Pakistan and one in Dubai. India will, however, not travel to Pakistan for security reasons and will instead play all their matches in Dubai. If they qualify for the final, the title clash will also be played in Dubai. The inauguration ceremony would be held at the Huzoor Bagh in Lahore. The shooting took place around 1:30 AM, when Ravikant returned home despite being on duty. After shooting Renu multiple times—four bullets struck her back and ribs—he called the police to report what he had done. Officers arrived to find both bodies in their home, while their two young children, aged 6 and 3, were found unharmed in another room. Ravikant was still in his uniform, and his service rifle was lying nearby with eight empty cartridges. Originally from Mihona in Bhind, Ravikant was stationed at the CRPF camp in Bhopal after transfer from Delhi a year ago. He was the youngest of three brothers, all of whom serve in the CRPF. Neighbours reported frequent arguments between the couple, however, Ravikant's brother Ramkumar claimed he was unaware of any significant problems between them. 4Continued on | P8 IANS BHOPAL ARLINGTON fp E-paper Edit Donald Trump’s tricky road to... P.6 Made in India Jimny 5-door debuts in Japan TRAGEDY | Army chopper collides with jet near Washington All 64 people aboard an American Airlines jet that collided with an Army helicopter were feared dead in what was likely to be the worst US aviation disaster in almost a quarter century, officials said Thursday. At least 28 bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River after the helicopter apparently flew into the path of the jet late Wednesday as it was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, officials said. The plane carried 60 passengers and four crew. Three soldiers were aboard the helicopter. "We don't believe there are any survivors," said John Donnelly, the fire chief in the nation's capital. MUMBAI NEW DELHI The death toll due to Maha Kumbh stampede continues to rise, with six devotees from Madhya Pradesh confirmed dead, and several others still unaccounted for. The incident, which took place on Mauni Amausya at Pragraj, has so far claimed the lives of men from Gwalior, Narmadapuram, Raisen, and Bhopal districts, as well as two women from Chhattarpur, officials said. On Thursday, it was confirmed that Sheela Soni, a woman from Lodhi Kuiya in Chhattarpur, was among the deceased. According to her daughter-in-law Suman Soni, Sheela had gone to Prayagraj with her family for the holy dip, but during the stampede, she got separated from the group. Despite efforts to find her, the family later learnt that Sheela had succumbed to her injuries after being hospitalised. Her last rites were conducted in Prayagraj. Other victims include Brijmohan Sharma from Semra, Berasia (Bhopal), who collapsed after being overwhelmed by the crowd and later died in the hospital, and Umesh Sarathe from Marod, Narmadapuram, who was injured in the stampede and passed away during treatment. Following the tragic stampede at the Maha Kumbh in which at least 30 people were killed and around 60 others injured, a public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Supreme Court seeking legal action against authorities and officials for their "negligent conduct". The petition said the incident depicts the drastic condition and fate of people due to the lapses, negligence and utter failure of administration purported by the government authorities. Apart from the "failure of maintaining and administering the supervision", the plea alleged that the authorities had also failed in controlling the crowd gathered for the event. "From the 1954 Kumbh Mela stampede accident to the Maha Kumbh 2025 stampede in Uttar Pradesh which took around 30 lives and left several injured, 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Taking lesson from Kumbh, MP govt should be alert now State should pay more attention to arrangements than to branding an event Nitendra Sharma BHOPAL The death of a large number of people at Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj because of a stampede has saddened the nation. This incident is also a warning to the MP government which is studying the arrangements made for Kumbh Mela. This is the time to learn a lesson from the tragedy. After the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Simhastha will be COMMENT organised in the state. So, the government should pay more attention to arrangements than to branding the event. Ujjain, where Simhastha will be held, is witnessing a huge crowd after the construction of Mahakal Lok. The way an atmosphere is being created indicates that it will be a sea of humanity at Simhastha. The state government must think from now that it should keep away from setting records in drawing a huge crowd to the event. These days, there is a competition among various groups to bring as many people as possible to an event. But the state gov- BJP defeats AAP in Ch’garh mayor poll KOLKATA Several videos purportedly showing a professor getting married to a college student inside the classroom in West Bengal have gone viral, complete with wedding rituals like 'haldi' and the exchange of garlands, putting the university officials on alert. An official said the purported incident occurred at the Psychology Department of the Haringhata Technology College in Nadia, about 150 km from Kolkata. The college functions under the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology (MAKAUT). The professor, identified as Payal Banerjee, is seen in the videos wearing a bridal outfit and garlands. She, however, denied that it was a real wedding and said the act putting sindoor on her hair partings and offering her a rose. A university letterhead with the signatures of the professor and the student, accepting each other as their spouse, has also gone viral. It also carries the signatures of three witnesses from each side. Banerjee, who has been teaching psychology for years, claimed that the act was part of a "psychological drama" that she used to explain concepts in her class. The video was leaked to malign her, she alleged. The student was not reachable for comment. ernment should keep away from it. The Mela area in Ujjain is not separate from the city. Because the place is within the city, innumerable people reach there. So, the authorities should pay attention to this fact. On the bathing days, Ramghat in Ujjain gets overcrowded. Ergo, the government has to see if the place gets overcrowded, how they will handle it. Crowd management should be the most important issue at such religious events. On some earlier occasions, many people died in stampedes at religious places in MP. Thus, arrangements should be made keeping in mind the incident at the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. 4Continued on | P8 Quran burner Salwan Momika shot dead in Sweden IANS STOCKHOLM Congress combine, BJP's Harpreet Kaur Babla was elected as the new mayor of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation after she defeated AAP nominee Prem Lata. Babla secured 19 votes while Lata got 17 votes. No vote was found to be invalid. The result for the post of mayor was announced by presiding officer Ramneek Singh Bedi. Congress candidate Jasbir Singh Bunty won the post of senior deputy mayor after defeating BJP's Bimla Dubey. Bunty polled 19 while Dubey got 17 votes. Salwan Momika, the 38-yearman who held several demonstrations in Sweden and was accused of burning the Quran, has been shot dead in the city of Sodertalje in Stockholm County in east central Sweden, Swedish media reported on Thursday. Momika was allegedly shot dead while he was conducting a live broadcast on social media from his apartment in Hovsjo late on Wednesday, a day before a verdict was scheduled to be announced by the Stockholm District Court in an incitement case against him. "I can confirm that five people have been arrested, suspected of murder," prosecutor Rasmus Ohman was quoted as saying by Sweden's leading daily Dagens Nyheter. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Newly elected mayor of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation BJPs Harpreet Kaur Babla with BJP councillors PTI was part of an academic exercise meant for internal use. She has been sent on leave pending a probe, for which the authorities have formed a three-member panel. We cannot take any stern action without proper investigation, the official said. Among the videos circulating on social media, one showed 'haldi' being smeared on the student - as per the Hindu wedding rituals, and in another, the two are seen exchanging garlands and taking seven steps around a candle denoting the sacred fire. The student is also seen Devotees search for their missing family members following a stampede on Mauni Amavasya A day after the tragic stampede, the Uttar Pradesh government has introduced stringent measures to prevent further incidents. The authorities have implemented five major changes, including a complete ban on vehicles inside the fairgrounds and the cancellation of all VIP passes until February 4. One of the most significant steps is declaring the entire Kumbh Mela area a No-Vehicle Zone. No private or public transport will be permitted within the fairgrounds, ensuring a safer and more organized movement of pilgrims offgrid Online Report The three-member judicial commission set up by the Uttar Pradesh government to probe the Maha Kumbh stampede will visit the site on Friday, panel head Harsh Kumar, a retired judge of the Allahabad High Court, said. Kumar also said that the commission has a month to wrap up its investigation but will try to expedite it No-vehicle zone 4Continued on | P8 Prof 'marries' student in class Judicial panel to visit today CHANDIGARH The BJP on Thursday won the post of mayor while AAPbacked Congress candidates registered victory in the poll for the senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor posts in the high-stakes Chandigarh mayoral elections that took place here. The contest for the mayoral polls was between the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)Congress combine. AAP was fighting for the post of mayor while the Congress was contesting for the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor. In a jolt to the AAP-