FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLI No. 277 | INDORE | SUNDAY | MARCH 16, 2025 | Pages 16 ` 4 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in India’s medal hopes shine bright P.16 Briefs NEW DELHI Voter ID link with Aadhaar WASHINGTON Pentagon eyes Panama Canal The White House has ordered military plans to boost U.S. troops in Panama, aiming to “reclaim” the canal, officials say. In his congressional address, Trump vowed to enhance security by taking control of the vital waterway, though his administration hasn’t clarified “reclaiming.” U.S. Southern Command is considering options, from cooperation with Panama’s forces to a potential military takeover. Officials say the goal is curbing China’s influence. Panama and China dismiss U.S. claims of foreign meddling, with Beijing accusing Washington of “coercion” to block Chinese projects. The canal remains neutral under Panama’s Constitution. UNITED NATIONS India slams Pak rhetoric India rebuked Pakistan for raising Jammu and Kashmir at the UNGA, calling it an "unjustified" attempt to legitimize false claims. India’s UN envoy P. Harish stated that Pakistan’s references will not alter the reality that Kashmir is an integral part of India. He condemned Pakistan’s “fanatical mindset” and history of supporting cross-border terrorism. The strong response came after Pakistan’s ex-foreign secretary Tehmina Janjua mentioned Kashmir at a UN meeting on Islamophobia. India accused Pakistan of using international platforms to spread misinformation while ignoring its own record of religious intolerance and extremism. BENGALURU Rao's stepfather sent on leave Actor Ranya Rao's stepfather, a senior cop in Karnataka, has been sent on "compulsory leave" days after the actor was arrested in a gold smuggling case. The order for the Director General of Police (Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation) K Ramachandra Rao's leave was issued on Saturday. EDITIONS: INDORE UJJAIN PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper readers’ corner Kolaveri di In Hindi? JUI-F leader injured in mosque blast P.6 Cinema Paul W.S. Anderson’s genre... P.14 FORTRESS AMERICA | Ban to fall in 3 categories: full visa suspension, partial suspensions, and countries that would be considered for partial suspensions if they do not address deficiencies US weighs travel ban on Pak, 40 others FP News Service MUMBAI Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar will meet top officials on March 18 to discuss linking voter ID cards with Aadhaar. The move follows allegations by Rahul Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee of bogus and duplicate voters in electoral rolls. Currently, Aadhaar linkage is voluntary, with no legal mandate. The Election Commission has sought feedback from political parties by April 30 on unresolved electoral issues. The initiative aims to enhance electoral integrity while addressing concerns over voter duplication. The Commission is also engaging with political parties to ensure compliance with existing legal frameworks. iii QUALITY @ VALUE WORLD Sports fp ESTD-1983 The Trump administration is considering issuing sweeping travel restrictions for the citizens of 41 countries as part of a new ban, report Reuters and the New York Times. Reuters reported that it saw a memo listing 41 countries divided into three groups. The first group of 10 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Cuba and North Korea among others, would be set for a full visa suspension. In the second group, five countries -- would face partial suspensions that would impact tourist and student visas as well as other immigrant visas, with some exceptions. In the third group, a total of 26 countries that includes Pakistan, Belarus and Turkmenistan among others would be considered for a partial sus- RS 1L CRORE TO BE REQUIRED FOR PENSION IN 8 YEARS Finance dept works out an estimate Nitendra Sharma BHOPAL The government employees, who have joined after 2005, have been demanding old pension scheme. But it is running the new pension scheme. In the budget, the government announced the formation of a high-powered committee for unified pension scheme. Amid the discussion, the Finance Department has released an estimate about the expenses the government will incur for pension. According to the estimate, the government will require more than Rs 1,00,000 crore in 2033-34 to give pension to its employees. In 2024-25, a sum of Rs 25, 381 crore was spent on pension. In this year’s budget, a provision of Rs 28,961 crore has been made it. The Finance Department worked out estimated spending on pension with 17% hike in the coming days. The government spends 21-22% of its revenue receipts on salary and 9-10% on pension. In 2024-25, a sum of Rs 2, 60, 983 crore was spent on revenue expenditure, and a GOVT TO TAKE RS 6K CR LOAN The state government is once again going to take a fresh loan of Rs 6,000 crore by selling its securities of seven years tenure. The loan money will be utilised in financing productive development programmes and in implementation of different projects. Previously, the government had taken loans from the market on many occasions. The total debt position of the state government as on March 31, 2024 (revised estimate) was Rs 3,75,578.52 crore. sum of Rs 67, 381 crore was spent on capital expenditure. Such a huge amount of decrease in capital expenses in comparison to revenue expenses hardly augurs well for the fiscal health of the state in the coming days. According to financial experts, the amount of debt being equal to that of the budget, the burden of pension and freebies are set to impact the state’s financial health. A major part of the state budget is spent on salaries, pension, and freebies. Nearly 14% of this year’s budget will be spent only on debts and paying the interests. Experts say the government has to take some strong measures to stop it. pension of U.S. visa issuance if their governments "do not make efforts to address deficiencies within 60 days", the memo said. It reported there could be changes on the list and that it was yet to be approved by the administration, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The New York Times first reported on the list of countries pointing out that the move harkens back to President Don- Assailants throw grenade at Amritsar temple Our Staff Reporter INDORE FP News Service MUMBAI Amritsar woke to shock and fear after a grenade attack on the Thakur Dwar temple in the Khandwala area late Friday night. Two unidentified assailants on a motorcycle hurled the explosive at the temple before fleeing, shattering windows and damaging its walls. CCTV footage captured the moment, showing the suspects waiting briefly before executing the attack. No injuries were reported, as the priest and his family, residing on the upper floor, remained unharmed. However, the incident has heightened concerns over security in the region. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, along with senior officers, rushed to the scene after being alerted at 2 a.m. A forensic team collected samples, and police launched a manhunt for the culprits. Unconfirmed reports suggest a grenade was used in the attack.Bhullar said police were working to trace those responsible and hinted at Pakistan’s ISI playing a role. "I warn all youths not to fall into the trap of Pakistan's ISI. Previous attacks were traced to economically weaker individuals lured by money, and all accused were arrested," he stated.  A large number of advocates staged a protest at the high court intersection on Saturday, blocking the road for about two hours to protest an FIR filed against an advocate and his two sons following a dispute in the Pardeshipura area. The lawyers claimed that five police personnel had assaulted high court lawyer Arvind Jain and his sons Apoorv and Arpit Jain during the dispute. The protest turned aggressive when Tukoganj police station in-charge Jitendra Singh Yadav was allegedly manhandled by the protesters. Accusing him of being intoxicated, they chased him away from the protest site, forcing him to flee for safety.   To control the situation, police deployed force from Advocates protest near High Court pic by Pintu Namdev FIR against advocates After this incident, TI Yadav also registered a case against unidentified protestors, stating that after knowing about the chakka jam, he had reached the spot. He was requesting the advocates to let the traffic resume and cooperate with the police when he was allegedly manhandled by unidentified protestors. A case under the relevant sections, including section 132 of BNS (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging their duty) was lodged against unidentified protestors. five stations and diverted traffic going to the high court intersection. The protesters also allegedly attacked sev- Tantrik hangs baby upside down over fire PTI SHIVPURI An occultist's horrific 'exorcism' ritual left a six-monthold baby almost blinded in eyes after he was hung upside down over fire in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district, setting police on the trail of the self-proclaimed tantrik. Officials on Saturday said the PTI US President Donald Trump said he did not want Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other world leaders who visited him to see the tents and graffiti near federal buildings in Washington DC and ordered the cleaning up of the American capital. He had taken a page from Modi's playbook. In February 2020, when Trump visited Ahmedabad for a few hours, Gujarat government pulled out all stops, including building a wall to hide slums, to impress the American guest. Over a dozen roads, pavements, electric poles were When Prime Minister Modi of India, the President of France, and all of these people... And when they come in, I had the route run. I didn't want to have them see tents. I didn't want to have them see graffiti. I didn't want to have them see broken barriers and potholes in the roads. And we had it looking beautiful – Donald Trump fully refurbished for Trump's benefit. "We're cleaning up our city. We're cleaning up this great capital, and we're not going to have crime, and we're not going to stand for crime, and we're going to take the graffiti down, and we're already taking the tents down, and we're working with the administra- 4Continued on | P8 Advocates protesting assault on colleague manhandle TI ritual badly damaged the eyes of the infant and it is difficult to predict whether his eyesight will be restored. The incident occurred under Kolaras police station area on March 13 after the baby's parents took him to tantrik Raghuveer Dhakad's house to 'treat' him for discomfort, officials said. 4Continued on | P8 Trump’s capital spring cleaning for PM Modi’s visit NEW YORK/WASHINGTON ald Trump's first term ban on travelers from seven majorityMuslim nations, a policy that went through several iterations before it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018. Trump issued an executive order on January 20 requiring intensified security vetting of any foreigners seeking admission to the US to detect national security threats. tion," Trump said Friday in remarks at the Department of Justice. He said so far the Mayor of Washington DC Muriel Bowser has been doing a good job cleaning up the capital. "We said there are tents galore right opposite the State Department. They have to come down. And they took them down right away. And so so far, so good. We want to have a capital that can be the talk of the world," Trump said. "When Prime Minister Modi of India, the President of France, and all of these people. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, they all came to see me over the last week and a half. And when they come in, I had the route run. I didn't want to have them see tents. I didn't want to have them see graffiti. I didn't want to have them see broken barriers and potholes in the roads. And we had it looking beautiful," Trump said. "And we're going to do that for the city, and we're going to have a crime-free capital. When people come here, they're not going to be mugged or shot or raped. They're going to have a crime-free capital, again, it's going to be cleaner and better and safer than it ever was and it's not going to take us too long." 4Continued on | P8 eral people trying to cross the blockade. 4Continued on | P8 ASI, YOUTH KILLED IN MAUGANJ Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL A tribal family allegedly bludgeoned a youth to death in Mauganj on Saturday. When a police team reached the spot to save the victim, they too were attacked by the accused family members. Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Ramcharan Gautam was killed, while others sustained injuries in the attack. Following the incident, the collector has imposed section 163 in the village. Sources said that the incident occurred in Gadra village of Shahpur police station in Mauganj. The entire incident is a fall out of an old rivalry. Two months ago, Ashok Kumar Adivasi had died in a road accident. However, his family suspected that it was not an accidental death and alleged that Sunny Dwivedi was behind the incident. On Saturday, the family members of Ashok caught Sunny and locked him inside a house and thrashed him, who later diesd. On getting the information, TI and other police personnel rushed to spot to save the victim but they too were attacked by the accused. To control the situation, a heavy police force has been deployed in the village. It was learnt that women police officials were kept as hostage by the accused during the attack. Speaking to Free Press, Mauganj SP Rasna Thakur confired that the incident happened on Saturday. Indian student self-deports FP News Service MUMBAI An Indian student pursuing a doctoral degree at Columbia University has self-deported from the United States following the revocation of her student visa over alleged involvement in “activities supporting Hamas. Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian national and a PhD student in Urban Planning at Columbia University, left the country after her visa was revoked by US authorities on March 5. She has a bachelor's degree from CEPT University in Ahmedabad and a master's degree from Harvard with Fulbright Nehru and Inlaks Scholarships. On the school website, she is shown with the gender-neutral "they" pronoun rather than she. The site said that she had received support from the Lakshmi Mittal South Asia Institute at Harvard for her research, "Gold & Cyanide: Family, Caste, and the Postextractive Landscape at Kolar Gold Fields". The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated late on Friday evening, “Srinivasan was involved in activities supporting Hamas, a terrorist organisation. On March 5, the Department of State revoked her visa. DHS has obtained video footage of her using the CBP Home App to self-deport on March 11.” US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said, “It is a privilege to be granted a visa to live and study in the United States of America. 4Continued on | P8 offgrid Sunita Williams poised for return as new crew lifts off AP CAPE CANAVERAL The replacements for NASA's two stuck astronauts --Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams -- launched to the International Space Station on Friday night, paving the way for the pair's return after nine long months. Wilmore and Williams need SpaceX to get this relief team to the space station before they can check out. Arrival is set for late Saturday night. NASA wants overlap between the two crews so Wilmore and Williams can fill in the newcomers on happenings aboard the orbiting lab. That would put them on course for an undocking next week and a splashdown off the Florida coast, weather permitting. The duo will be escorted back by astronauts who flew up on a rescue mission on SpaceX last September alongside two empty seats reserved for Wilmore and Williams on the return leg. Reaching orbit from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the newest crew includes NASA's Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, both military pilots; and Japan's Takuya Onishi and Russia's Kirill Peskov, both former airline pilots. They will spend the next six months at the space station, considered the normal stint, after springing Wilmore and Williams free. "Spaceflight is tough, but humans are tougher," McClain said minutes into the flight. As test pilots for Boeing's new Starliner capsule, Wilmore and Williams expected to be gone just a week or so when they launched from Cape Canaveral on June 5. A series of helium leaks and thruster failures marred their trip to the space station, setting off months of investigation by NASA and Boeing on how best to proceed. Eventually ruling it unsafe, NASA ordered Starliner to fly back empty last September and moved Wilmore and Williams to a SpaceX flight due back in February. Their return was further delayed when SpaceX's brand new capsule needed extensive battery repairs before launching their replacements. To save a few weeks, SpaceX switched to a used capsule, moving up Wilmore and Williams' homecoming to mid-March. Already capturing the world's attention, their unexpectedly long mission took a political twist when President Donald Trump and SpaceX's Elon Musk vowed earlier this year to accelerate the astronauts' return and blamed the former administration for stalling it.Retired Navy captains who have lived at the space station before, Wilmore and Williams have repeatedly stressed that they support the decisions made by their NASA bosses since last summer. 4Continued on | P8