Monday, April 21, 2025 | 24 Pages | `5 & for State `6 Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL Vol. 68 No. 169 | Leader in E-paper circulation l www.freepressjournal.in ● EDITIONS: ● MUMBAI ● INDORE ● PUNE ● BHOPAL ● NASHIK ● KONKAN ● E-paper ● Member: Audit Bureau of Circulation (July to December 2024) NATION Political heat is rising in Bengal even as Mamata says BJP, RSS initiated a ‘vicious false campaign’ GAMES Cinema I promise Jaat 2 will be even better, says Sunny Deol Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal power RCB to crucial win over Punjab Kings Edit School education outcomes are important and urgent PIC: AGENCIES Mystery over Karnataka ex-DGP death PTI BENGALURU PEACE HOPES DASHED | Ukraine alleges drone and artillery strikes over the weekend as Russia also accuses it of ceasefire breaches EASTER TRUCE IN TATTERS Agencies KYIV Former Director General of Police of Karnataka, Om Prakash, was found dead at his residence in Bengaluru on Sunday under mysterious circumstances, police said. The 68year-old's body was found with injuries and was discovered in his house, raising suspicions of foul play. Prakash's wife, Pallavi, informed police about the incident, they said. Senior police officials rushed to the spot immediately upon receiving the information. The body was discovered lying in a pool of blood on the ground floor of his three-storied house in the upscale HSR Layout. Police have begun questioning Prakash's wife and daughter regarding the incident. Police suspect the involvement of a close family members in the incident. It's learned that there were some property disputes in the family. 4Contd on | nation The 30-hour cessation of hostilities could have been the most significant pause in the fighting throughout the war, but both Kyiv and Moscow on Sunday accused each other of violating an “Easter truce” announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ukraine said was being violated from the moment it started. Russian troops fired their artillery almost 1,300 times between 6 pm Saturday (local time) and 4 pm Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine said in social media posts. He said the Russians had launched 65 infantry assaults and used drones almost 700 times. Zelenskyy also said Russian soldiers ambushed Ukrainian troops near the eastern city of Toretsk, adding “there are dead.” Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had observed the truce, while accusing Ukraine of violating it with drones and nighttime attacks in the Donetsk region. The ministry provided its own numbers: Ukraine had fired 444 times from guns and mortars and carried out 900 drone strikes. It was not possible to independently confirm the claims by either side. 'PUTIN'S PRETENCE' Zelenskyy said Russia was pretending to observe the Easter ceasefire. "Either Putin does not have full control over his army, or the situation proves that in Russia, they have no intention of making a genuine move toward ending the war, and are only interested in favourable PR coverage," Zelenskyy posted. Russia's defence ministry said Ukraine had inflicted damage to infrastructure and caused some civilian deaths. Both Kyiv and Moscow said that fighting had continued along the border between Ukraine and the Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions of Russia. 4Contd on | nation Nature’s fury leaves trail of destruction in J&K Heavy rainfall due to cloudbursts triggered flash floods and landslides in several areas of Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district on Sunday, leaving three people dead and damaging scores of houses and roads. More than 100 people were rescued. Traffic on the strategic Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was suspended as the road was blocked at nearly a dozen places between Nashri and Banihal and hundreds of commuters were left stranded. Push for contempt charge against Dubey over remark FPJ News Service MP attacks ex-CEC now MUMBAI Briefs Vance arrives today, to hold talks with PM PM Narendra Modi will host a dinner for US vicepresident JD Vance and Indian-origin second lady Usha on Monday evening after holding talks with the American leader on a range of key issues, including trade, tariff, regional security and ways to expand the overall bilateral engagement. Vance, his wife Usha and their three children are scheduled to land at the Palam airbase at 10 am on Monday. Vance is expected to be accompanied by at least five senior officials. External affairs minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval are expected to be part of the Indian team to be led by PM Modi. 2 on railway track hit by local, killed Two men walking on railway tracks were killed after they were run over by a local train near Airoli station, a GRP official said. The incident occurred under the Chinchpada bridge near Airoli station on the trans-harbour route of the Central Railway. The deceased were identified as Sagar Sonawane, 20, and Sachin Tokade, 35, the official said. A case of accidental death has been registered by the police. HC: Liking a post not a crime under IT Act Biswajeet Banerjee PRAYAGRAJ In a significant ruling, the Allahabad High Court has said that liking a "provocative" post on social media does not amount to a criminal offence as the act doesn't qualify as publication or transmission of content to attract penal provisions under Section 67 of the Information Technology (IT) Act. Sharing or forwarding such content qualifies as publication under the IT Act, it said. Justice Saurabh Srivastava made the observation while quashing criminal proceedings against an Agra resident, Imran Khan. He was booked under the IT Act for allegedly liking a Facebook post from the ID ‘Chaudhary “A content is ‘published’ when it is posted and ‘transmitted’ when it is shared. Liking does not amount to either,” the HC said. Pro-Khalistan vandals deface Canada gurdwara PTI OTTAWA: Farhan Usman’, which urged people to gather at Agra collectorate to protest and submit a memorandum to the President. After an FIR was lodged at Mantola police station, the Agra police filed a chargesheet and the trial court took cognizance, summoning Khan as an accused. A gurdwara in Canada's Vancouver has been vandalised with pro-Khalistan graffiti, with its leaders blaming a small group of Sikh separatists for the act. The local police said it was investigating graffiti sprayed at the Ross Street Gurdwara on Saturday, Vancouver Sun reported. Vancouver police department spokesperson sergeant Steve Addison said the cops are looking into the incident, although they do not have a suspect. The Khalsa Diwan Society, which runs the Ross Street Gurudwara, blamed the 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation A Supreme Court lawyer representing one of the litigants in the Waqf Act case has written to Attorney General R Venkatramani seeking consent to initiate contempt proceedings against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey over his "grossly scandalous" remarks "aimed at lowering the dignity" of the top court. Advocate Anas Tanveer's move came a day after Dubey said Parliament and state assemblies should be shut if the SC had to make laws. As per the letter, Dubey said the "Supreme Court is taking the country towards anarchy" and Agencies Thousands took to the streets across the US to protest over recent actions by President Donald Trump. The disparate events on Saturday ranged from a march through midtown Manhattan and a rally in front of the White House to a demonstration at a Massachusetts commemoration of "the shot heard 'round the world" on April 19, 1775, marking the start of the Revolutionary War 250 years ago. Organisers said they oppose what they call Trump's civil rights violations and constitutional violations, including efforts to deport scores of immigrants and to scale back the federal government by firing thousands of government workers and effectively shuttering entire agencies. Thomas Bassford was among the demonstrators at the reenactment of the Battles of Lexington and Concord outside Boston. The 80-year-old retired 4Contd on | nation Cong takes ‘damage control’ dig at BJP As BJP disassociated itself from the criticism of the SC by its MPs Nishikant Dubey and Dinesh Sharma, the Congress on Sunday described it as a "damage control" excercise and asserted that the minimum action against them should be their expulsion from the party. Anti-Trump ire on Revolutionary War anniv WASHINGTON that "CJI Sanijv Khanna is responsible for the civil wars taking place in the country", Live Law reported. The comments were made taking objection to the SC setting timelines for the President and governors to act on bills. Nishikant Dubey on Sunday fired a salvo at former chief election commissioner SY Quraishi, calling him a "Muslim commissioner", after the latter criticised the Waqf (Amendment) Act as a "sinister and evil plan of the government to grab Muslim lands". "The maximum number of Bangladeshi infiltrators were made voters in Santhal Pargana in Jharkhand during your tenure," Dubey said. mason from Maine said he believes Americans are under attack from their own government and need to stand up against it. "This is a very perilous time in America for liberty," said Bassford, who was with his partner, daughter and two grandsons. "I wanted the boys to learn about the origins of this country and that sometimes we have to fight for freedom." 4Contd on | nation 4See also | world "These MPs are repeat offenders when it comes to hate speech and are very often used to attack communities, institutions, and individuals. The outgoing BJP president's clarification is nothing but damage control," Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X. Coastal Road chase turns fatal as traffic warden falls into sea Megha Kuchik MUMBAI A traffic warden died on Saturday as he fell into the sea from a bridge on the Coastal Road while chasing a tempo, who driver had violated traffic rules. The deceased was identified as 39-year-old Raffiq Vajeer Sheikh. He was posted at Coastal Road opposite Tata Garden and spotted the tempo heading towards Worli. In his bid to stop it, Sheikh started chasing it on his scooter. As the chase continued on the winding bridge along the road, Sheikh lost control of his two-wheeler, collided with the cement wall on the bridge, and fell into the sea. He was rescued with the help of the fire brigade personnel and immediately rushed to Kamal Nair Hospital. But even before he could be admiited he breathed his last and was declared dead at 5.46 pm by the medical officer at Nair Hospital. The Gamdevi police station has filed an accidental death report (ADR) in the case. Cops are carrying out further investigation into the case. B’desh seeks Interpol’s red notice to get Hasina back Agencies DHAKA Bangladesh has requested Interpol to issue a red notice against ousted PM Sheikh Hasina and 11 others in connection with a case alleging conspiracy to overthrow the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, according to local media reports. The request was submitted by the Bangladesh Police amid an ongoing investigation into charges of inciting civil war and plotting to unseat the transitional administration. "These applications are filed in connection with allegations that emerge during investigations or through ongoing case proceedings," Assistant Inspector General (media) Enamul Haque Sagor was quoted as saying by The Dhaka Tribune. The notice, once issued, would enable law enforcement agencies globally to locate and provisionally detain the accused individuals pending extradition or other legal actions. "Interpol plays a key role in identifying the locations of fugitives residing abroad. Once the whereabouts of any absconding individual are confirmed, that information is relayed to Interpol," said Sagor, adding that the red notice request is currently being processed. 4Contd on | nation offgrid Why ‘thanks’, ‘please’ cost AI millions of dollars Oldest US astronaut back Agencies MUMBAI Politeness can come at a price. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has stated that people using words like "please" or "thank you" are costing their AI models "tens of millions of dollars." When one poster on X (formerly Twitter) wondered "how much money OpenAI has lost in electricity costs from people saying 'please' and 'thank you' to their models," Altman responded with "tens of millions of dollars well spent." "You never know," he added. The computational effort required for these polite exchanges is significant, leading to increased energy consumption in the data centres that power the AI. Altman has acknowledged these costs, viewing them as part of OpenAI's mission to make AI interactions feel more natural and intuitive. While it may seem pointless to treat an AI chatbot with respect, some AI architects say it's an important move. Microsoft's design manager Kurtis Beavers, for example, says proper etiquette "helps generate respectful, collaborative outputs." According to a Microsoft WorkLab memo, using a polite tone with AI goes a long way. The memo says it’s not that an AI chatbot feels "appreciative" when one says "please" and "thank you," but using basic etiquette when interacting with AI helps generate "collaborative" outputs. "When it clocks politeness, it’s more likely to be polite back," the memo notes. "Generative AI also mirrors the levels of professionalism, clarity, and detail in the prompts you provide." As of early 2025, ChatGPT has experienced significant growth in its user base and engagement, with registered users at over 180.5 million. Approximately 100 million users engage with ChatGPT on a weekly basis, with the AI model receiving around 1.7 billion page views per month. India has now become the fastest-growing market for ChatGPT. 4Contd on | nation from ISS on 70th birthday Agencies MUMBAI Cake, gifts and a low-key family celebration may be how many senior citizens celebrate their 70th birthday. But Nasa’s oldest serving astronaut, Don Pettit, became a septuagenarian while hurtling towards Earth in a spacecraft to wrap up a seven-month mission onboard the International Space Station (ISS), the Guardian reported. The Soyuz MS-26 space capsule carrying Pettit and his Russian crewmates Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner made a parachute-assisted landing in Kazakhstan's steppe at 1:20 GMT on Sunday. They spent 220 days on board the ISS, orbiting the Earth 3,520 times, the US space agency Nasa said. For Pettit - who has now spent a total of 590 days in space - it was his fourth mission. Pettit, Ovchinin and Vagner orbited the Earth 3,520 times over the course of their mission during his 29year career. 4Contd on | nation