FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLI No. 297 | INDORE | SATURDAY | APRIL 5, 2025 | Pages 14+8 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in Sports Neeraj Chopra Classic event set for May 24 in Panchkula P.14 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE WORLD UJJAIN PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK Cinema ‘I am not aware’ P.12 STREETS TO SC | Congress, AIMIM leaders move apex court against bill Waqf Bill row reaches SC ‘Watershed moment’ Biswajeet Banerjee The battleground has shifted from Parliament to the Supreme Court, as opposition mounts against the controversial Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025. After its passage in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, the Bill now awaits President Droupadi Murmu’s assent. Meanwhile, legal and political resistance is intensifying. All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ulMuslimeen (AIMIM) chief and MP Asaduddin Owaisi filed a petition in the Supreme Court on Friday, challenging the Bill’s constitutional validity. Congress leader Mohammad Jawed has also approached the apex court, calling the legislation discriminatory and rushed. Owaisi's petition argues that the amended Bill "irreversibly dilutes" statutory protections for Waqf properties while favouring other stakeholders. He alleges it violates Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution by discriminating against Muslims. “The Bill erodes the democratic functioning of Waqf Boards and diminishes community representation,” his plea states. The amendment, which seeks to overhaul the Waqf Act of 1995, is projected by the government as a step towards efficiency and better governance. 4Continued on | P8 fp Briefs COLOMBO PM Modi in Sri Lanka Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Friday evening on a threeday visit to explore ways to bolster overall bilateral ties, especially in areas of energy, trade, connectivity, digitalisation and defence. In a special welcome, five top ministers, including Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa and Fisheries Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar received Modi at the airport. The prime minister landed in the Sri Lankan capital after concluding his trip to Bangkok where he attended a summit of the BIMSTEC . People hold a protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024, in Kolkata on Friday. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hailed the passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Parliament as a "watershed moment" in the country's collective quest for socio-economic justice, transparency and inclusive growth. He said this will particularly help those who have long remained on the margins, thus being denied both voice and opportunity. In posts on X, he said the Waqf system for decades was synonymous with lack of transparency and accountability, especially harming the interests of Muslim women, poor Muslims and Pasmanda Muslims. He said, "The passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill by both Houses of Parliament marks a watershed moment in our collective quest for socio-economic justice, transparency and inclusive growth." 700 Waqf plots grabbed in Bhopal Board cries foul Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Nearly 700 out of 800 properties belonging to the Waqf Board have been encroached upon, leading to huge monetary loss for the Board. The encroached properties are mainly located in areas such as Model School Ground, Munsi Hussein Talab, Sikandaria Sarai, Bag Munsi, Farhat Afza, Jahangirabad and others. With the recent passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, the Board is now expected to be empowered to remove encroachers and reclaim its properties. According to Waqf Board officials, even under the E-paper Edit Technocratic, not democratic, America P.6 IDF ground ops in North Gaza Gaza City LUCKNOW MUMBAI Parl Budget session ends New Delhi: Parliament's nod to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill rendering it the government's most consequential piece of legislation in its third term, and the political heat it generated inside and outside the legislature defined the second half of the Budget session which ended on Friday. Punches and counterpunches between the ruling BJP-led NDA and opposition INDIA bloc, which showed signs of common purpose as the session drew to a close, ran through the sitting that saw more than 100% productivity in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Avoid vitiating rhetoric, ensure safety of minorities: Modi to Yunus FP News Service nose of the Waqf Board's office lies a major encroachment: the Muslims Orphanage (Yateem Khana). The Board had appointed Dar-ul-Shafqat Society as caretaker for its management but had never leased the land to them. Over time, the society allegedly took over nearly two acres of land and began profiting from it by sub-letting the property under banners of Ijtima Mela, Jeevan Rekha Hospital and other entities. In terms of legal action, the situation is grim. Around 600 cases are pending with the State Waqf Tribunal, 376 litigations are under consideration in the High Court, and 15 cases have reached the Supreme Court. Speaking to Free Press, MP Waqf Board chairman Dr. San- war Patel said, Caretakers have encroached on most of the Waqf Board properties across the state. In Bhopal alone, 700 out of 800 properties are encroached, and we are not getting even a single penny from them. Caretakers are minting money and living lavishly. What s shocking is that even in cases of sub-letting, they manage to obtain fire safety certificates and other documents, despite not being legal owners of the property. He said that the Dar-ulShafqat Society earns nearly ?2 crore through the Ijtima Fair held adjacent to the State Waqf Board office, yet not a single paisa is given to the Board, even though the property legally belongs to it. MUMBAI In their first formal interaction since the dramatic ouster of Sheikh Hasina last August, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh’s interim Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus met on the sidelines of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit on Friday. What unfolded was a candid, high-stakes exchange underscoring the fragility—and necessity—of regional trust and accountability. Modi’s message was clear and firm: India is deeply concerned about the rising insecurity of minorities, particularly Hin- dus, in Bangladesh. He conveyed India’s “expectation” that the Bangladeshi interim government would safeguard vulnerable communities and launch thorough investigations into all reported atrocities. "Minority safety cannot be negotiable," stressed Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri while briefing reporters. Equally pressing was Modi’s call for restraint in rhetoric. While unnamed, the message was aimed at defusing communal and political tensions that continue to simmer in both countries. 4Continued on | P8 Baba’s Hindu Gram vs 70-yr-old stabs 7 times with scissors to Court orders seizure of Cong’s Muslim Gram kill wife, jumps to death from 3rd floor IMC assets to recover Permission not People talking dues of Rs 2.24 crore given: Collector about Pak will Our Staff Reporter INDORE be buried 10-ft under the earth, says BJP MLA Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Dhirendra Shashtri of Bageshwar Dham, known for his controversial statements, has kicked up a fresh row by laying the foundation of Hindu Gram. He has laid the foundation of a Hindu Gram in the Garha area in Chhatarpur district. The issue has heated up politics in the state, bringing the BJP and the Congress face to face. According to Congress leader Abbas Hafiz, if the Constitution allows people NEW DELHI Collector of Chhatarpur Parth Jaiswal said the administration did not give permission for setting up any Hindu Gram. to set up villages on the basis of religion there should be permission for setting up Muslim Gram, Christian Gram and Sikh Gram. Reacting to the Congress leader’s statement, BJP legislator Rameshwar Sharma said partition had neither been accepted nor would it ever be accepted, and those who talked about Pakistan would be buried ten feet under the earth. Nearly 1,000 people will be accommodated in the Hindu Gram being set up by Shashtri. 4Continued on | P8 In a brutal incident, an elderly man stabbed his wife seven times with a pair of scissors and thereafter jumped to death from the third floor of his house in the Annapurna area on Friday. The critically injured woman died even before she was rushed to the hospital. After the stabbing, the man went to the third floor of his house and jumped from there. The reason behind the incident has not been established but the police believe that the man attacked his wife over some dispute. The deceased has been identified as 65-year-old Seema Khatri, a resident of Silver Palace Colony. Her husband Tarachand Khatri (70) attacked her between 11 am and 12 o’clock in Tarachand Seema the hall of their house on the ground floor. At the time of the incident, their daughter-in-law Riddi was out of the house to dump garbage in the garbage collection vehicle. On hearing her mother-inlaw’s screams she rushed into the house but by then Tarachand had stabbed Seema multiple times. Shocked at what she saw, Riddi made a phone call to her husband’s sister Kavita Rajani, who lives on the third floor of the building. Kavita came downstairs and they managed to snatch the scissors from Ta- rachand and took Seema to the hospital but it was too late by then. Meanwhile, Tarachand went to the third floor of the house and jumped from there. On hearing the news, Seema’s son Girish returned home. Later, the police were informed. Tarachand was also rushed to the hospital where he died during treatment.   Annapurna police station in charge Ajay Nair informed Free Press that the statements of the couple's son, daughter and daughter-in-law are being recorded to know the reason behind the incident. Preliminary investigation revealed that the family members were also upset with Tarachand. He was staying in a separate room in the house due to his weird behaviour. See page 2 4Continued on | P8 Rs 6,839 cr for Vibrant Villages US DEPLOYS B-2 BOMBERS Eye for an eye, jaw for a jaw Investors lose Rs 10 lakh cr The Union Cabinet approved the Vibrant Villages Programme -II, furthering its commitment to the vision of safe, secure, and vibrant land borders. The programme would help in the comprehensive development of the villages located in the blocks abutting international land borders (ILBs), other than the northern border already covered under VVP-I. T China slaps 34% tariff on US goods Investors' wealth dropped by Rs 10 lakh crore on Friday as the BSE Sensex slumped over 900 points to crash below the 76,000 level due to an acrossthe-board sell-off, tracking weak global markets amid growing global trade war fears. Heavy selling in market heavyweights and a sharp correction in global crude prices, indicating recessionary fears, added to the gloom. Today’s edition includes 8-pg FP School pull out Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chief Adviser of Bangladesh Professor Muhammad Yunus in Bangkok he Pentagon has deployed at least six B-2 bombers— representing 30% of the U.S. Air Force’s stealth bomber fleet—in Diego Garcia, a remote Indian Ocean island, in what analysts see as a warning to Iran, amid renewed tensions in the Middle East. The move came as President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed further action against Iran and its allies. FP News Service BEIJING/WASHINGTON China announced  additional tariffs of 34% on US goods on Friday, the most serious escalation in a trade war with President Donald Trump that has fed fears of a recession and triggered a global stock mar- US revises tariff on India from 27% to 26% PTI NEW DELHI The United States has revised downwards the import duties to be imposed on India from 27 per cent to 26 per cent, according to a White House document. These duties will come into force from April 9. While announcing the reciprocal tariffs against different countries on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump held up a chart that showed the tariffs that countries such as India, China, the UK, and the European Union will now have to pay. The chart indicated that India charged 52 per cent tariffs, including currency manipulation and trade barriers, and America would now charge India a discounted reciprocal tariff of 26 per cent. ket rout.China is retaliating for Trump's 54% tariffs, one of the  highest  rates  for any country, on imports from the world's No. 2 economy. “This practice of the US is not in line with international trade rules, seriously undermines China’s legitimate rights and interests, and is a typical unilateral bullying practice,” China’s State Council Tariff Commission said in  a statement while announcing its retaliatory tariffs, CNN reported. 4Continued on | P8 Our Staff Reporter INDORE The Indore District Court on Thursday took decisive action against the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC), confiscating several of its assets over an unpaid compensation of Rs 2.24 crore.  Following the decision, a team of court officials reached the IMC headquarters and seized official vehicles allotted to Municipal Commissioner Shivam Verma and three additional commissioners. Notices were also placed on other office properties, triggering panic among IMC employees, especially as the operation took place amid the civic body’s Budget Session.  The legal dispute leading to this action dates back to 2017 when Ravi Shankar Mishra’s house in Ganeshganj was demolished as part of a roadwidening project, despite the IMC having twice approved the building plan. Mishra contested the demolition in the High Court, which ruled in his favour and referred the case to arbitration. A three-member arbitration panel awarded him Rs 2.19 crore in compensation in 2022-23, but the IMC failed to make the payment. Frustrated with the delay, Mishra filed an application under ‘Bajawari’ and deposited Rs 4.45 lakh in stamp duty. Consequently, the district court issued an order for the confiscation of IMC’s assets to recover the dues. As a 10-member enforcement team carried out the seizure, the IMC headquarters erupted in chaos. Employees were left scrambling as office furniture, including chairs, cupboards, fans, and air conditioners, was confiscated. 4Continued on | P8 1937-2025 By invitation S. Ramachandran T here was a point when one did feel that only Manoj Kumar knew what the problems in India were all about and only he held the solutions to them. There was never a better line that could tickle the political campaigner today than "Bharat ka rehne wala hoon, Bharat ki baat sunata hoon." We have lost a true icon with the passing of Manoj Kumar. He was much more THE REEL PATRIOT IS GONE than just an actor who appeared on screen; for many Indians, he embodied the spirit and values of their nation. When people thought of a patriotic Indian on film, they often pictured Manoj Kumar, earning him the affectionate title of Bharat Kumar.    Born as Harikrishan Giri Goswami, he chose his screen name, Manoj Kumar, as a sign of his deep admir- ation for the legendary actor Dilip Kumar. This early inspiration eventually led him to work alongside his idol in the powerful film Kranti, a moment that surely marked a significant achievement in his career. While he showcased his acting abilities in a variety of roles, it was his self-directed films, often cantered around themes of patriotism, social responsibility, and strong moral principles, that truly cemented his place in Indian cinema history.    One of the most famous stories about Manoj Kumar highlights his profound connection to the nation's sentiments. Following the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War, the then Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri, made a heartfelt appeal to the film community to create movies that would resonate with his powerful slogan, "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan." 4Continued on | P8