FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLI No. 341 | INDORE | MONDAY | MAY 19, 2025 | Pages 12 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in Nation Cong leaders picked by govt should listen to their conscience: Party P.7 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE WORLD 8 KIDS AMONG 17 KILLED IN HYDERABAD INFERNO FP News Service HYDERABAD fp Briefs MUMBAI 8 killed in factory fire Eight persons, including three women and a child, were killed in a massive fire at a factory in Maharashtra's Solapur district on Sunday, officials said. Prima facie, a short in the circuit triggered the blaze around 3:45 am at Central Textile Mills situated on the Akkalkot Road in Solapur MIDC, around 400 km from Mumbai. The deceased individuals include the factory owner, Haji Usman Hasanbhai Mansuri, three members of his family and four workers. LONDON ‘Confidential impediment’ A London High Court judge who refused Nirav Modi's latest bail application this week has taken note in his judgment of a "confidential impediment" in the long-drawn extradition proceedings against the imprisoned diamantaire wanted in India on fraud and money laundering charges. Justice Michael Fordham concluded that there are substantial grounds for believing that if released on bail, the businessman would "fail to surrender" and his risk of absconding remained high. Smoke billows from a building after a fire in Hyderabad Due to the narrow lanes and poor access to the site, assistance was quickly called in from several fire stations. In total, 12 fire appliances were deployed, including 11 vehicles and one advanced fire fighting robot. A hydraulic platform was also used to reach the upper floors. The operation involving 17 officers and 70 personnel lasted for over two hours. According to preliminary investigation, the fire appears to have been caused by a short circuit, but the fire department refused to confirm it, saying an investigation was still on and the extent of property damage was yet to be determined. An explosion of an air conditioning compressor is believed to have led to the inferno. Three victims lost their lives instantly due to suffocation from the fire and dense smoke. 4Continued on | P8 Bodies in cupboard Recounting the Gulzar House horror, a local resident, Mohn Ibrahim, said: “We found bodies of children in a charred cupboard. Apparently, their parents had forced them into it to save them." “There were signs of struggle till the last minute. The victims did their best to save themselves, but unfortunately lost their lives,” said his friend Aamir. Five drown in Vidisha, Mauganj Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Tragedy struck twice in state over the weekend as five people, including three brothers, drowned in two separate incidents in Vidisha and Mauganj districts, police said on Sunday. In the first incident, two children died while bathing in a pond in Amarpura village under Shamshabad police station area of Vidisha district on Saturday evening. According to Shamshabad police station in-charge Vir- India clinch U19 SAFF title Edge B’desh in penalty thriller In Mauganj, three brothers lost their lives while trying to save one another from drowning in Nihai river endra Kumar, 14-year-old Kartik Yadav and 12-year-old Aryan Shakya had gone to pluck mangoes in a nearby orchard. While returning, the boys ventured into a pond to cool off. Unaware of the depth, they drowned. “The boys were likely unable to judge the depth of the water,” the officer said. A case has been registered. In a separate incident in Mauganj's Papkhar village on Sunday, three brothers lost their lives while trying to save one another from drowning in Nihai river. Police said that Aman Tiwari (18), Abhay Tiwari (17), and their cousin Abhishek Mishra (24) had gone to bathe in the river. According to local reports, Abhishek accidentally drifted into deeper waters. 4Continued on | P8 Five escape from juvenile home FP News Service KHANDWA Agencies YUPIA In a night charged with intensity and national pride, India’s U19 team emerged champions of the 2025 SAFF Men’s Championship, defeating Bangladesh 4-3 in a dramatic penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in regulation time. The match was a true test of grit, heart, and focus — a highstakes finale that saw India lifting the title for the second time amid deafening chants and a wave of tricolour. India’s early dominance bore fruit as Shami Singamayum struck a brilliant opener, curling a beauty past the Bangladesh keeper. Bangladesh equalised with a determined second-half goal, turning the tide and testing the composure of the Indian backline. Five juveniles escaped from Khandwa Juvenile Home early Sunday morning. They made a hole by breaking through a wall with an iron rod. The escape happened around 4 am when the boys, who were all from Khargone district, created a hole large enough to crawl through. CSPAbhinav Barange reported that the juveniles had been in custody for about a year on theft charges. The boys carefully planned their escape. They chose to make the hole in a section of the outer wall where security cameras couldn't see them. They used an iron rod, also called a ‘sabbal,’ to break through the wall bit by bit until they created a tunnel big enough to fit through. Staff at the reform home discovered empty beds during a morning check. Police were immediately called at the scene. Officers have taken statements from reform home workers and begun searching for escaped juveniles. Authorities have filed a case about the breakout and are investigating how the boys got access to the iron rod. They are also reviewing security procedures at the facility to prevent similar escapes in future. Police teams are now searching the surrounding areas, focusing on routes that might lead to the boys' hometown in Khargone. PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Twin Prahar on B’desh P.6 Israeli strikes kill 103 in Gaza TRAGIC | Suspected short circuit triggers blaze near Charminar A devastating fire broke out early Sunday morning in a building less than 100 metres from the iconic Charminar here, claiming the lives of 17 people, including 8 children, belonging to an extended family. Several people were injured in the blaze, which started on the ground floor around 6.16 am and quickly spread to the upper residential floors of the Gulzar House, trapping families inside. The youngest victim, Pratham, was just 1.5 years old. Firefighting, search, and rescue operations were launched immediately. In a massive effort, fire personnel managed to rescue 17 individuals trapped on the first floor and shifted them to hospitals. A narrow staircase was the only escape route for the inmates of the building, but they could not rush out, a fire department official said. The building housed jewellery shops on the ground floor and people were residing in a flat above. UJJAIN Brand Sutra Efficacy - The Real Hit P.12 ‘No expiry date to Indo-Pak pause on hostilities’ FP Online Service NEW DELHI There is "no expiry date" to the understanding reached between Indian and Pakistani Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) on cessation of hostilities nearly a week back, the Army said on Sunday. The clarification came following reports that the arrangement between the two militaries on stopping the hostilities would end on Sunday evening. "As far as continuation of break in hostilities, as decided in DGMOs interaction of May 12 are concerned, there is no expiry date to it," the Army said. The brief clarification came even as the Army shared a new video of Operation Sindoor, calling it justice and not revenge for the Pahalgam terror attack. The video was shared on the Army's Western Command X handle with the caption, “Planned, trained and executed,” adding, "Justice served." 4Continued on | P8 Op Sindoor effect: IMF slaps 11 new conditions on Pakistan Says India ties key to scheme's fiscal, external, reform goals Agencies ISLAMABAD As part of its nod for two loan tranches worth $2.4 billion on May 9 for Pakistan, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reportedly slapped 11 new conditions for the release of the next instalment of its bailout programme and warned that tensions with India could heighten risks to the scheme's fiscal, external, and reform goals. The conditions include the parliamentary approval of a new Rs 17.6 trillion budget, an increase in the debt servicing surcharge on electricity bills and lifting restrictions on import of more than three-year-old used cars, Pakistan's Express Tribune newspaper said on Sunday. The Staff Level report, which the IMF released on Saturday, also said that "rising PTI NEW DELHI IANS India's pharmaceutical industry, which has emerged as the largest supplier of affordable generic medicines, is poised to grow at 7.8 per cent year-on-year in April 2025 driven by strong demand and new products, according to experts at India The IMF report came days after defence minister Rajnath Singh said that any financial aid to Pakistan was akin to terror funding tensions between India and Pakistan, if sustained or deteriorate further, could heighten risks to the fiscal, external and reform goals of the programme". The IMF report has shown the defence budget for the next fiscal year at Rs 2.414 trillion, which is higher by Rs better healthcare and jobs in factories and labs across the country. From small towns to big cities, India’s pharma growth is creating opportunities and saving lives," a government official 4Continued on | P8 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Razaullah Nizamani Khalid alias Abu Saifullah Khalid, who was the brain behind the 2006 attack on the RSS headquarters, was killed by three unidentified gunmen in Sindh province of Pakistan on Sunday, officials here said. Khalid used to head the terror operations of Lashkar-e- EAM embarks on 3-nation visit PTI NEW DELHI External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will embark on a sixday visit of the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany beginning Monday during which he is expected to highlight Pakistan's relentless support to cross-border terrorism. It will be Jaishankar's first foreign visit after the four-daylong military confrontation between Indian and Pakistani armed forces. "External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will pay an official visit to the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany from May 19 to 24," the Ministry of External Affairs said on Sunday. It said Jaishankar will meet the leadership of the three countries and hold discussions with his counterparts on the entire gamut of bilateral relations and regional and global matters of mutual interest. Lashkar operative was involved in the Indian Institute of Science terror attack of 2005 in Bengaluru, in which IIT professor Munish Chandra Puri was killed and four others injured. The terrorists had escaped from the scene. Later, police investigated the case and chargesheeted Abu Anas, who is still at large. 12th min PSLV setback renders ISRO’s 101st mission impossible Probe underway into links between Odisha YouTuber and 'Pak spy' Jyoti Agencies BHUBANESWAR SRIHARIKOTA The Isro on Sunday failed to put its earth observation satellite in orbit after its trusted PSLV rocket developed a fault minutes after launch from the spaceport here. In Isro's 101st mission from the spaceport here, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C61) had a textbook lift off at 5:59 am, only to experience an anomaly in the 12th minute of the flight. "Today we targeted the 101st launch from Sriharikota, the PSLV-C61 EOS-09 mission. The PSLV is a four-stage vehicle and up to the second stage, the performance was normal. The third stage motor started perfectly but during the functioning of the third stage we are seeing afn observation and the mission could not be accomplished," Isro chairman V Narayanan said. "We are studying the entire performance, we shall come back at the earliest," Narayanan said post the unsuccessful launch. 4Continued on | P8 Russia’s biggest drone attack on Ukraine Agencies KYIV Russia overnight into Sunday launched one of its most intense drone attacks on Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion in 2022. said.India has also emerged as a key supplier of vaccines. The country’s pharma sector supplies 55-60 per cent of UNICEF’s vaccines, meeting 99 per cent of WHO’s DPT (Diphtheria, Whooping cough and Tetanus) vaccine demand, 52 per cent for BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin is a vaccine primarily used against TB), and 45 per cent for measles. From Africa to America, Indian vaccines save millions. At home, these 4Continued on | P8 PTI Russia fired a total of 273 exploding drones and decoys overnight, Ukraine's air force said. Of those, 88 were intercepted and a further 128 lost, likely having been electronically jammed. The attacks targeted the country's Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions. According to data from Ukraine's air force, this would be the largest drone attack Russia has launched against Ukraine since the start of the war, but Ukrainian officials have not confirmed this. schemes create jobs for young Indians, from factory workers to scientists. Foreign investors are pouring in with Rs 12,822 crore in 2023-24 alone, because they see India’s potential. The government welcomes 100 per cent foreign investment in medical devices and greenfield pharma projects, making India a hotspot for global companies. 4Continued on | P8 The Odisha Police have started an investigation into the alleged links between a Puri-based YouTuber and Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested on the charge of passing on sensitive information to Pakistani intelligence operatives, an officer said on Sunday. The police found that Malhotra, who runs a YouTube channel, Travel with JO, and hails from Hisar in Haryana, had visited Puri in September 2024 and came in contact with a woman in the coastal town, who is also a YouTuber, Puri SP Vinit Agrawal said. Jyoti, whose YouTube channel and Instagram account have 3.77 lakh subscribers and 1.33 lakh followers respectively, allegedly was in contact with a Pakistani staffer working at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi. On May 13, India had expelled that Pakistani official for allegedly indulging in espionage. The woman in Puri had also travelled to Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan recently, the SP said. 4Continued on | P8 Israel weighing ceasefire Agencies TEL AVIV Ratings. The country’s pharma sector is now ranked 3rd in volume and 14th in value globally and contributes as much as 20 per cent of the world’s supply of medicines. The turnover of the Indian pharma industry touched Rs 4,17,345 crore in 2023-24 growing steadily at over 10 per cent annually for the past five years."For the common man, this means more medicines at lower prices, 252 billion or 12%. Compared to the IMF's projection, the government has indicated allocating over Rs 2.5 trillion or an 18% higher budget, after confrontation with India early this month. With 11 more conditions on Pakistan, the total number of riders has risen to 50, the newspaper reported. It has imposed the new condition of securing "parliamentary approval of the fiscal year 2026 budget in line with the IMF staff agreement to meet programme targets by end-June 2025". Taiba (LeT) from Sindh province, the Nepal in early 2000 officials said. and had many A close associate aliases including Viof Abu Anas of node Kumar, MoLashkar, Khalid hammed Salim and was the masterRazaullah. He was mind of the attack involved in multiple on the Rashtriya terror strikes in Razaullah Khalid S w a y a m s e v a k India, they said. Sangh (RSS) headHe left his residence at Matli quarters at Nagpur in which this afternoon and was all three terrorists were shot gunned down by assailants dead. near a crossing at Badni in Besides the RSS attack, the Indian pharma sector ranked 3rd in world NEW DELHI ISLAMABAD: Hours after India decided to send its delegations to key partner countries to put across its resolve to tackle terrorism against the backdrop of Operation Sindoor, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that he will send a diplomatic team to important world capitals to present the country's stance. The decision was made by Prime Minister Shehbaz on Saturday after a telephone conversation with former foreign minister and chief of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, according to the Prime Minister's Office LeT ultra linked to 2006 RSS HQ attack killed offgrid Country leads in affordable drugs Copycat Pak to send delegation abroad Signalling a notable shift, Israeli negotiators in Qatar are exploring both a short-term ceasefire proposal and a broader agreement to end the Gaza conflict entirely, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Sunday. "Under the prime minister's direction, even at this hour, the negotiating team in Doha is working to exhaust every possibility for a deal -whether according to the Wit- koff outline or within the framework of ending the war, which would include the release of all hostages, the exile of Hamas terrorists, and the disarmament of the Gaza Strip," the Netanyahu's office said. The reference to the "Witkoff outline" points to a proposal attributed to US special envoy Steve Witkoff. It reportedly envisions a phased approach beginning with a temporary ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages, followed by reciprocal measures.