FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. 14 No. 310 | BHOPAL | THURSDAY | APRIL 24, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.in Sports SPORTING HEARTS BLEED FOR PAHALGAM P.13 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL UJJAIN PUNE MONEY INDORE NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Reality check on J&K P.6 Luxury items above `10 lakh to attract 1% TCS Cinema Bollywood unites in outrage over P.14 PAHALGAM ATTACK | Govt hits back hard, reduces diplomatic presence, asks Pak nationals to leave within 48hrs PAKISTAN BANNED PENAL ACTION BEGINS PTI 1 SUSPENDED: Indus Waters Cooperation 2 CLOSED: Attari-Wagah Border 3 REVOKED: Saarc visas of Pak nationals 4 EXPELLED: Military Advisors 5 S fp Briefs ISTANBUL Quake shakes Istanbul An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 shook Istanbul on Wednesday, Turkiye's disaster and emergency management agency said. There were no immediate reports of any damage or injuries. The earthquake had a shallow depth of 10 km, according to the United States Geological Survey. Its epicentre was some 40 km southwest of Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara. CHENNAI HC dismisses TASMAC pleas The Madras High Court on Wednesday dismissed petitions filed by staterun TASMAC and the Tamil Nadu government against the recent ED raids on the liquor retailer, and gave the go ahead for further action. orld leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, US President Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, expressed solidarity with India and extended their support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was deeply saddened by the barbaric attack. Italian Prime Minister Meloni expressed solidarity with the affected families, the injured, the government, and the entire Indian people. French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned the attack and extended his condolences to the families of the victims. “We share the profound sorrow of the victims' families, to whom I extend my heartfelt condolences," he said” W Chief Minister Mohan Yadav pays tribute to last remains of Sushil Nathenial of Indore at Indore airport on Wednesday. Nathenial was killed in Tuesday’s Pahalgam attack The defence, military, naval and air Advisors in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi are declared Persona Non Grata. They have a week to leave India -Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary support staff of the Service Advisors will also be withdrawn from both High Commissions," he said. 4Continued on | P8 DASHBOARD nTwo terrorists killed as Army foils infiltration bid on Uri LoC nAir India, IndiGo, and EaseMyTrip are offering complimentary rescheduling and full refunds for cancellations on bookings made before April 22, applicable for travel until April 30. nPakistan has denied involvement in Pahalgam terror attack. “We have nothing to do with it,” Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said. CM Mohan Yadav, BJP state president VD Sharma, BJP city president Sumit Mishra meet Nathenial’s wife Jennifer and his son Austin ‘WILL HUNT YOU DOWN’ PTI NEW DELHI People involved in the cowardly terror attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam will get a "strong response" in the "near future" and India cannot be "intimidated" by any such terrorist acts, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Wednesday, in the first clear indication of India's possible response to the incident. He also said that India will not only hunt down those who perpetrated the attack but will also trace the people who conspired to carry out the nefarious act on Indian soil while "sitting behind the scenes". Hours before the address, Singh reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir in a nearly two-and-halfhour meeting. 4Continued on | P8 Kashmir. The men, all three Pakistanis, are Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah and Abu Talha, officials said. They had code names -- Moosa, Yunus and Asif -- and were involved in terror re- Vance calls PM, says US ready to provide all assistance U S Vice-President, currently visiting India, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday afternoon to strongly condemn the Pahalgam terror attack and convey that the United States is ready to provide "all assistance" in the joint fight against terrorism. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Vance, who is visiting Agra on Wednesday, strongly condemned the dastardly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir during his phone call with PM Modi. "He conveyed his deepest condolences on the loss of lives and reiterated that the United States stands with the people of India in this difficult hour. He expressed that the United States is ready to provide all assistance in the joint fight against terrorism. PM thanked Vice President Vance and President Trump for their messages of support and solidarity," the MEA stated. On Tuesday, Vance had taken to social media expressing his shock over the cowardly terror attack. "Usha and I extend our condolences to the victims of the devastating terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India. Over the past few days, we have been overcome with the beauty of this country and its people. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they mourn this horrific attack," he had posted on X. 4Continued on | P8 lated incidents in Poonch. The sketches were prepared with the help of survivors, they said. From the pencil sketches, in black and white, they appear to be young and have beards. I-T sends 250-page notice to Saurabh, Chetan in benami case Investigators have also identified a person named Preetam, who allegedly supplied gold to Saurabh Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The Income Tax Department’s Benami Transactions Wing has issued a 250-page show cause notice to suspended transport constable Saurabh Sharma and his close associate Chetan Singh Gaur. The notice is in connection with the seizure of 52 kg gold and ?11 crore cash found in an abandoned car in Mendori. Sources said the duo has been served notice under the Benami Property Act, and have three months to re- HC quashes acquittal of TN Minister Duraimurugan IANS spond. The final decision on seizure will be taken by the department’s adjudicating authority, which will review the evidence before passing an order. Before the attachment of seized assets, I-T department had already suspected that the gold and cash belonged to Saurabh, though he continues to deny ownership. Investigators have also identified a person named Preetam, who allegedly supplied gold to Saurabh. Authorities believe Saurabh may have routed benami assets through relatives and shell companies, which may now come under the scanner for attachment.Notably, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had already attached the cash, gold, and car as part of its ongoing investigation. CHENNAI 4Continued on | P8 Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL After the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam on Tuesday afternoon, fear and uncertainty have gripped tourists across the country — prompting many to cancel their upcoming trips to Kashmir. Tour operators in Bhopal say they have been receiving cancellation requests since Tuesday evening, and expect more travellers to call off their plans in the coming days. Shubham Kothari, a citybased tour operator, told Free Press that a four-member family from Shujalpur cancelled their planned visit to Srinagar and Pahalgam, scheduled for May 2. “I informed them about the incident on Tuesday evening. Shortly after, they asked me to cancel the trip and I refunded the entire amount,” Kothari said. He said that he is expecting cancellations from two more clients from Vidisha who had booked Kashmir tour for June. “Every FILE PIC opened fire on the security personnel, they said. No casualties have been reported in the exchange of fire DEFAMATION CASE Court issues NBW against Medha Patkar IANS A court here on Wednesday issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against social activist Medha Patkar over her non-appearance and non-compliance with the sentence order in connection with a decades-old defamation case filed by Delhi Lt Governor V.K. Saxena. “The intention of convict Medha Patkar is apparent that she is deliberately violating the Court order; she is avoiding to appear before the Court and also avoiding to accept the terms of the sentence passed against her,” said an order passed by Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Vishal Singh of the Saket Court. The court said that Patkar, instead of appearing before it and complying with the sentence order, remained absent and deliberately failed to comply with the order on sentence. “The Court is left with no option but to enforce the production of convict Medha Patkar through a coercive order. Issue NBW (non-bailable warrant) against convict Medha Patkar, through the office of the Commissioner of Police, Delhi Police, for the next date,” the judge said. 4Continued on | P8 Hr Edu Dept mulls model PG syllabus rollout A S PER PLAN, major subjects have been distributed among different universities. Each university is tasked with drafting syllabi for their assigned subjects. These syllabi, once finalised, will be adopted uniformly across all universities in state. reform is being undertaken at the PG level. According to department sources, while undergraduate (UG) courses already follow a uniform syllabus, PG courses currently vary from one university to another, creating academic inconsistency and difficulty for students who transfer between institutions. “A model PG syllabus is being prepared with the 4Continued on | P8 PTI offgrid Rajan Raikwar Bhopal In a landmark move aimed at streamlining higher education, the Department of Higher Education is working on introducing a uniform syllabus structure for Post Graduate (PG) courses across all state universities. This will be the first time in state’s history that such a comprehensive academic summer, I handle around 25 Kashmir bookings from Bhopal, Sehore, Vidisha, Narmadapuram and surrounding areas. This year, that number is likely to fall sharply,” he said. Another travel agent, Kunal Singhal, confirmed cancellations from three couples who had booked trips to Pahalgam, Gulmarg and Srinagar for April 26. “They called me Tuesday night, right after the news broke, and asked for immediate cancellation. I’ve already processed their refunds,” he said. Singhal usually books around 15 Kashmir tours between March and June each year. “This time, we had seven bookings. Three families completed their trips before the incident. Of the remaining four, three have now cancelled their trip. One ticket booked from Hyderabad for June is still active, but I believe it will also be cancelled soon,” he said. SRINAGAR NEW DELHI The Madras High Court on Wednesday set aside the acquittal of Tamil Nadu Minister Duraimurugan and his family in a disproportionate assets case and directed the Vellore Special Court to complete the trial within six months. The case, originally filed in 2002 by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), alleged that Duraimurugan -- who served as Public Works Minister from 1996 to 2001 -- had amassed assets worth over Rs 3.92 crore disproportionate to his known sources of income. The Vellore Special Court had acquitted Duraimurugan, along with his wife, son, daughter-in-law, and brother, in a judgment passed in 2007. Many drop Kashmir plan ENCOUNTER BREAKS OUT IN KULGAM A gunfight broke out between terrorists and security forces in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, officials said here. Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Tangmarg area of Kulgam district following information about the presence of ultras there. An encounter broke out after the terrorists SECURITY AGENCIES RELEASE SKETCHES OF 3 MEN ecurity agencies on Wednesday released the sketches of three men suspected to be involved in the terror attack that killed 27 people, mostly tourists, near Pahalgam in south BARBARIC: World leaders condemn attack NEW DELHI India on Wednesday suspended the Indus Water Treaty and announced downgrading diplomatic ties with Pakistan including expulsion of its military attaches in view of cross-border links to the Pahalgam terror attack. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) met this evening under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and firmed up the responses to the terror attack. The CCS decided that the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 will be held in abeyance with immediate effect, until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for crossborder terrorism, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said at a media briefing. The Integrated Check Post at Attari will be closed with immediate effect, he said. Those who have crossed over with valid endorsements may return through that route before May 1, he said. India will be withdrawing its own defence, navy and air advisors from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. "These posts in the respective High Commissions are deemed annulled. Five REDUCED: High Commission Staff Strength goal of implementation from the 2025–26 academic session. The state government will bring an ordinance to facilitate this rollout,” a senior official from the department said. However, to maintain academic flexibility and cater to regional or institutional needs, universities will have the liberty to modify up to 30% of the content. The remaining 70% will be stan- dardised across all institutions. Officials saidthat the model syllabus will be beneficial to students, eliminating issues faced during inter-university transfer due to syllabus mismatches. It will also enhance academic quality, ensure consistent learning outcomes and create more opportunities for students in higher studies and job markets. so far, the officials said adding further details were awaited. 4Continued on | P8 Man held for objectionable post on Pahalgam attack FP News Service JABALPUR The city police have arrested a man for indecent and objectionable post on social media regarding the massacre of tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir by terrorists. According to the police, Mohammad Osaf Khan has been taken into custody. The accused was arrested following a written complaint registered at Hanuman Tal police station by one Abhay Srivastava. Superintendent of police Sampat Upadhyay had directed the social media cell to continuously monitor social media reactions to this sensitive incident. Monitoring of posts and comments related to the incident has been ongoing since April 22, 2025. Today it was found that a Facebook user named Mohammad Osaf had made an inflammatory comment on this sensitive issue. This information was provided to station incharge of Hanuman Tal Police Station. There is widespread public outrage due to the actions of the accused. Keeping public sentiment in mind, the accused has been arrested under Section 170 of the BNSS and will be presented before the court.