FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. 14 No. 248 | BHOPAL | THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 20, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.in Sports India look to rise above selection challenges P.12 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL WORLD Pope’s condition remains ‘complex’ SUSPENSE ENDS | The first-time MLA will be fourth woman CM of National Capital after Sushma Swaraj, Sheila Dikshit and Atishi REKHA GUPTA TO LEAD DELHI GOVT Parvesh Verma likley to be deputy PTI NEW DELHI First-time MLA Rekha Gupta will be the new chief minister of Delhi, the BJP announced on Wednesday. Gupta was chosen as the Leader of the House in the Delhi Assembly at the BJP legislature party meeting. The party has returned to power in Delhi after over 26 years, ending the 10-year rule of the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP. She met Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena Wednesday evening and staked fp Briefs BENGALURU Kashmiri medico ragged A second-year MBBS student was allegedly assaulted at a medical college in Karnataka's Vijayapura. The victim, Hameem, a second-year MBBS student at AlAmeen Medical College is from Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag. The student has alleged that he was subjected to brutal ragging and threats by senior students from the 2019 batch which reportedly began on Tuesday evening during a cricket match. MOSCOW Putin, Trump meet this month Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump could meet as early as this month, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday. "The Western media write a lot, our media write a lot ... Maybe, or maybe not," said Peskov when asked whether Putin and Trump could meet before the end of February. The meeting would require some preparation from the Russian foreign ministry, he said.Russian and US officials held talks on Tuesday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks with the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. From student leader to CM Rekha Gupta is a former president of the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) and civic body councillor. The Law graduate of Delhi University entered politics as an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) member in 1992. She enjoys close ties with the RSS and is actively engaged with women-related matters. Gupta is also the national vice president of BJP Mahila Morcha and a member of the party's national executive Lokayukta police clean chit to Sidda in MUDA case PTI claim to form government in the national capital. Gupta and her Cabinet ministers will take the oath of office at the Ramlila Ground on Thursday. She will be the fourth woman chief minister of Delhi after Sushma Swaraj, Sheila Dikshit and Atishi. She will be the only woman chief minister among the states being ruled by the BJP at present. The 50-year-old leader won from Shalimar Bagh, defeating AAP candidate Bandana Kumari by over 29,000 votes in the February 5 Assembly polls. 4Continued on | P8 ‘Very unfair to US if Musk opens Tesla factory in India’ Online Report WASHINGTON BENGALURU The Lokayukta police probing the MUDA site allotment case on Wednesday said that the charges against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his wife Parvathi could not be proved for want of evidence. The probing officers said they have submitted the final report to the High Court. "Since the above allegations against accused-1 to accused4 in the case have not been proven due to lack of evidence, the final report is being submitted to the High Court," the Lokayukta police said in a letter to activist Snehamayi Krishna who is a complainant in the MUDA case. The Lokayukta police said that further investigation will be conducted into the allegations of Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) providing compensatory plots in the ratio of 50:50 from 2016 to 2024 and an additional final report will be submitted to the High Court under Section Sangam water fit for snan: Yogi Besides Sidda & his wife, his brother-inlaw Mallikarjuna Swamy and the land owner Devaraju are also the accused 173 (8) CrPC. In the MUDA site allotment case, it is alleged that compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife in an upmarket area in Mysuru, which had higher property value as compared to the location of her land which had been "acquired" by the MUDA. The MUDA had allotted plots to Parvathi under a 50:50 ratio scheme in lieu of 3.16 acres of her land, where it developed a residential layout. 4Continued on | P8 Ensure spaces for child care in public bldgs: SC PTI PTI LUCKNOW NEW DELHI The water at the Sangam is fit for both bathing and ritual drinking (aachman) as confirmed by some recent reports, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said Wednesday, amid claims it may contain high levels of faecal bacteria. He told the state assembly that the Uttar Pradesh Control Board and the Central Pollution Control Board are continuously monitoring the water quality at the Sangam. The Supreme Court on Wednesday outlined the importance of separate spaces for child care and feeding of infants in public buildings and asked states to ensure such facilities were provided. A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Prasanna B Varale said setting up such facilities would ensure privacy of mothers and prove beneficial for infants. In existing public spaces, as far as practicable, the state governments may ensure such 4See also | P7 US President Donald Trump said it is impossible for Tesla CEO Elon Musk to sell his cars in India and criticised the potential plan to build a factory in India, calling it “unfair” to the US. Trump said the US has been exploited by foreign countries, particularly India, due to high tariffs. Tr u m p s a i d , “Every country in the world takes advantage of us, and they do it with tariffs. They make it practically impossible for him [Musk] to sell a car, as an example, in India." The US President said if Musk wants to set up a facility in India, that would be Okay but it’s unfair to America, very Unfair.” The Tesla CEO has long criticised India’s steep import duties—around 100% on electric vehicles. facilities were provided, added the court. "In so far as public buildings which are at the stage of planning and construction at public places, the state governments may ensure that sufficient space is reserved for the purposes referred to above," said the bench. The top court was hearing a plea seeking directions to construct feeding rooms, child care rooms or any other facilities for infants and mothers in public spaces. 4Continued on | P8 Kumbh on Telegram Videos of women bathing sold online FP Online More than 550 million people from different parts of the country have taken the holy dip at Maha Kumbh so far. While women, elderly, and children are participating enthusiastically in the Mahakumbh festival, disturbing reports have emerged about the violation of privacy of women devotees who took holi dip in Sangam. According to a report by Hindi TV channel Aaj Tak, objectionable videos of women bathing at the Kumbh are being recorded and sold on Telegram channels. The report reveals that inappropriate videos are being shared on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram using hashtags like '#mahakumbh2025', '#gangasnan', and '#prayagrajkumbh'. These posts are being used to direct people to pornographic content channels on Telegram. Some videos being shared as Kumbh footage were not even recorded during the event, yet they are being falsely labeled as Kumbh-related content. According to the Telem- etrio tool, there was a significant spike in searches for the term "open bathing" on Telegram between February 12 and 18. Several Telegram channels with names like "Ganga river open bathing group," "Hidden bath videos group," and "Open bath videos group" have been created where videos of women bathing and changing clothes are being sold. 4Continued on | P8 UJJAIN PUNE INDORE NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Is outraging the public sentiment a crime? P.6 Cinema Rajshri’s enduring legacy P.14 Class 8 student found hanging in hostel, kin allege foul play Four women Naxals killed in Balaghat Our Staff Reporter Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL BHOPAL/BALAGHAT A 14-year-old student of Saint Joseph’s School was found hanging at the school’s hostel under the Parwalia Sadak police station on Tu e s day evening. C o p s found a written note at the scene, but it does not shed light on the reasons behind the boy's extreme action. The body was handed over to his family after a post-mortem examination on Wednesday, which confirmed that the boy hanged himself, according to a police official. The student, Utkarsh Kushwaha, also known as Vansh, was a resident of Aishbag and had been studying at theschool for the past two years, and was currently in class 8. Reports said that Vansh was playing with other students and returned to the hostel after yoga classes around 7 PM. Other students invited him to join them for dinner, but he declined, saying he would reach the mess soon. School authorities informed police after other hostel inmates raised an alarm when they found Vansh hanging from a window using a towel. Four women members of the Left Wing Extremist (LWE) group were killed in an encounter with the Hawk Force and police in Balaghat district on Wednesday, officials said. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav praised the police force for their successful operation. ADG (Anti-Naxal) Pankaj Shrivastava said that the encounter took place between forces and Naxals near Raundaforestcamp in the Supkharforest range, under Garhi police station in Balaghat. During the operation, the forces recovered three weapons -- an INSAS (Indian Small Arms 4Continued on | P8 The police operation against other Naxals is on. I congratulate Madhya Pradesh Police for this achievement in the fight against Naxalism Mohan Yadav Chief Minister System) rifle, a self-loading rifle (SLR) and a 303 rifle, along with other daily-use items from the site. Shrivastava said that other Naxals were likely injured in the encounter and managed to escape using the dense forest cover. An extensive search operation is underway, with more than 12 teams, including Hawk Force, CRPF, CoBRA and district police, working together to track them down. Moreover, Chhattisgarh border has been sealed to prevent fleeing Naxals from crossing into the neighbouring state. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav congratulatedcops for their swift action in neutralising Naxals. He said that the state government is committed to eliminating Naxalism by 2026, in line with Union Minister Amit Shah's national campaign. 4Continued on | P8 PM Modi to stay at GIS Chhaava made venue for 90 minutes tax-free in MP Our Staff Reporter Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the inaugural session of the Global Investors Summit (GIS) on February 24, where he will be present for approximately 90 minutes. The PM will travel to the GIS venue, the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, from the Governor House, passing through Polytechnic Square and Boat Club. An officer from the Madhya Pradesh Industrial Development Corporation (MPIDC) said that a short film showcasing the state’s industrial progress will be presented to the PM upon arrival. Modi will also visit the Madhya Pradesh Experience Zone, where the state’s heritage and various achievements will be highlighted. At the GIS venue, both PM Modi and Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will sit side by side, with two rows of invited industrialists seated on either side. Ministers and other VIPs will be accommodated in rows designated for guests. 4Continued on | P8 BHOPAL The state government on Wednesday announced to make Vicky Kaushal-starrer film Chhaava tax-free. The movie, which has taken box office by storm, Kaushal has played the role of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, the son of legendary Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It was during a programme that Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said Chhaava has been made tax-free in the state. He said why take tax from such a movie which showcases the struggle of Sambhaji Maharaj, who sacrificed his life to save religion.