FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLI No. 361 | INDORE | SUNDAY | JUNE 8, 2025 | Pages 16 ` 4 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in Briefs RAIPUR 5 Maoists killed Five Maoists were killed in two encounters with security forces in an ongoing operation in the Indravati National Park area of Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, police officials said on Saturday. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has hailed the success and expressed his wish to meet the brave soldiers who are engaged in anti-Maoist mission.With the latest casualties, seven Maoists, including top leaders Sudhakar and Bhaskar, were neutralised in the operation in the last three days, they said. NEW DELHI Goldy Brar chargesheeted The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has chargesheeted five accused, including Canada-based Khalistani terrorist Goldy Brar, in the 2024 case relating to bomb attacks at two clubs in Gurugram, officials said on Saturday. The NIA has booked Satinderjit Singh alias Goldy Brar, along with Sachin Taliyan, Ankit, Bhawish and US-based Randeep Singh alias Randeep Malik, under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Arms Act, Explosives Substance Act, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in its charge sheet filed before a court in Panchkula on Friday, they said. BENGALURU KSCA secy, treasurer resign A Shankar and E S Jairam have resigned from their respective posts as secretary and treasurer of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), taking moral responsibility for the stampede that led to the death of 11 people during RCB's IPL trophy celebrations. In a joint statement, Shankar and Jairam said they had submitted their resignations on Thursday night to the KSCA president. iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE UJJAIN WORLD Sports Ultimate Test awaits at Lord’s P.16 fp ESTD-1983 PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK E-paper Readers’ Corner Earth or Dustbin: Is... P.6 Musk deletes Epstein files post on Trump Cinema ‘I doubt it...’ P.14 Recruitment or racket: 21 FIRs, 22 accused identified Police job scam spreads to 9 districts; no SIT probe yet CM warns of crackdown Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The 2023 police constable recruitment exam has been rocked by a major Aadhaar card fraud, with the scam now expanding across nine districts. Despite 21 FIRs being registered and 22 accused identified so far, no Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed, and IG (law & order) Anshuman Singh addressing media persons on Saturday the case has not been handed over to the Special Task Force (STF). The police headquarters (PHQ) continues with the joining process for selected Chief Minister Mohan Yadav took to social media to address the issue. He said, “On receiving information about fraud and irregularities in the process of Police Constable Recruitment -2023, I have directed to take strict action. Such criminal acts, in which injustice is done to eligible candidates, will not be tolerated in Madhya Pradesh.” He said, “Taking suo motu cognizance, biometric data and Aadhaar history of all successful candidates are being thoroughly examined by the Police Headquarters. If prima facie impersonation is found, case has been registered against candidates and strict action will be ensured.” candidates. Of the 6,423 successful candidates—5,090 male and 1,333 female—only around 3,600 have turned up so far, which is roughly 70%, even though more than a month has passed since the orders were issued in March.Sources said that as of Thursday, only 198 appointment letters had been issued. MISSING COUPLE | Yadav also speaks to Meghalaya CM CM urges Shah for CBI probe into Sonam case Our Staff Reporter Missing case BHOPAL n Indore couple Sonam and Raja Raghuvansi went missing on May 23 in Meghalaya n Raja’s body found on June 2 in a gorge, machete recovered nearby n No clue yet about Sonam's whereabouts or condition Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has requested Union Home Minister Amit Shah that a CBI probe should be ordered into the missing case of Sonam Raghuvansi. In connection with the case, he has also spoken to the Meghalaya Chief Minister. He said the government is standing with Sonam’s family. Notably, newlywed couple from Indore—Sonam Raghuvansi and Raja Raghuvansi (29)—had gone to Meghalaya for their honeymoon. On May 23, the couple went missing, Rahul cries rigging, EC repeats rebuttal FP News Service MUMBAI If politics were theatre, Rahul Gandhi seems determined to run an encore performance — same stage, same script, same roaring disapproval from the Election Commission. On Saturday, the Leader of Opposition claimed the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections were “match-fixed,” alleging they were a blueprint for rigging democracy. He warned that this poison would next spread to Bihar — basically, wherever the BJP looks nervous. Gandhi’s rigging recipe, laid out in a five-step post on X, reads like a political thriller: rig the EC appointment panel, add fake voters, inflate turnout, target key booths, and vanish the evidence. 4Continued on | P8 setting off alarm bells. Then, on June 2, Raja Raghuvansi’s decomposed body was found in a deep gorge nearly 20 kilometers from their Shillong homestay. A dao (machete) was also found near the spot, raising suspicion that he might have been killed. So far, there is no trace of Sonam. Whether she is alive, dead, or in someone’s captivity, no one knows yet. The family members of Sonam have been demanding a CBI probe for several days. Now, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has backed their demand. Local leaders from Indore are also supporting the Raghuvansi family. The day the couple last spoke to their family, they were exploring the natural beauty of the hilly area. 4Continued on | P8 2nd Covid-related death in state 44-yr-old woman dies post-delivery Our Staff Reporter INDORE 4Detail on 4Continued on | P8 | P2 UK-INDIA DIALOGUE ‘Zero-tolerance policy on terror’ PTI As the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Sonam Raghuvanshi in Meghalaya deepens, a new development has come to light. A tourist guide on Saturday claimed that Sonam and her husband Raja were accompanied by three Hindi-speaking male tourists on the day they went missing from Sohra area while trekking back over 3,000 steps from Double Decker Living Root Bridge in Nongriat village. NEW TWIST IN CASE NEW DELHI India expects partners to understand its policy of "zero tolerance" against terrorism, and it will never countenance "perpetrators of evil" being put on par with its victims, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday during extensive talks with his British counterpart David Lammy. Jaishankar's remarks, which seemed to be an attempt to send an unambiguous message to the global community, came against the backdrop of unease in New Delhi over several countries hyphenating India and Pakistan following their four-day clashes last month. Lammy arrived in New Delhi this morning on a two-day visit to review various aspects of the strategic partnership between the two countries. A British readout said bolstering economic and migration ties and delivering further growth opportunities for British businesses are set to be at the top of the UK foreign secretary's visit to India.Before holding talks with Jaishankar, the British foreign secretary met PM Narendra Modi. 4Continued on | P8 Indore hospitals to offer Canada PM PM lays down 5 priorities for defends G-7 building disaster-resilient infra cashless treatment for invite to India PTI road accident victims Disaster Resilient Infrastrucneed for special attention to CASHLESS TREATMENT SCHEME–2025 Our Staff Reporter INDORE In a major step toward enhancing emergency medical care, “Cashless Treatment Scheme– 2025” – launched by Centre in May – has been implemented in Indore for ensuring immediate, no-cost treatment for road accident victims. As per the scheme, hospitals in Indore will now provide cashless treatment up to Rs 1.5 lakh for individuals injured in road accidents. The scheme was officially rolled out in Indore following a high-level meeting chaired by collector Asheesh Singh with hospital operators. To ensure swift implementation and save lives, he ordered all hospitals in the district to register under the scheme within three days. “Providing immediate and Highlights n Hospitals to provide cashless treatment up to Rs 1.5 lakh n Injured persons to receive up to seven days of cashless treatment at designated hospitals n Hospitals told to register for the scheme within three days n Besides, the state govt provides Rs 25,000 reward to people who help transport accident victims to hospitals Agencies FP News Service quality treatment to road accident victims is a top priority,” said Singh. He asked hospitals to strictly follow the procedures and coordinate with the District Road Safety Committee, which will monitor the implementation of the scheme under Section 215 (3) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. India is the fifth largest economy in the world and it is central to a number of critical global supply chains, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said, arguing that the leadership of the country must be part of discussions at the upcoming G7 summit. Carney's comments came after some political opponents in Canada criticised him for inviting PM to the G7 summit in view of a probe into allegations of Indian links to the killing of a Khalistani separatist in 2023. Canada is hosting the G7 summit in the Alberta province from June 15 to 17 in its capacity as the current chair of the grouping. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 World Bank says 5.3% of Indian population living in extreme poverty in 2022-23, down from 27% in 2011-12. MUMBAI were living on less than USD 3 per day, translating to 5.44 per cent of the population. Despite the higher threshold, the number of extremely poor has fallen significantly. At the older benchmark of USD 2.15, India’s poverty rate dropped from 16.2 per cent in 2011-12 to just 2.3 per cent in NEW DELHI OTTAWA 117 million lifted out of poverty in 10 years PPP terms), reflecting updated inflation trends and living costs. The report estimates that in 2024, 54.7 million Indians Irregularities span across several districts, with cases registered in Morena (7), Shivpuri (6), Sheopur (2) and one each in Indore, Datia, Gwalior, Alirajpur, Rajgarh and Shahdol. One accused was arrested in Patna, Bihar, and another in New Delhi. Despite the scale of the scam, IG (Law and Order) Anshuman Singh told Free Press that there is no need to form an SIT or hand over the investigation to the STF, claiming that the state police are doing an excellent job. A 44-year-old woman from Khargone, who had recently delivered a baby boy at MTH Hospital, died of COVID-19related complications at MRTB Hospital on Friday. The woman had delivered a healthy 3.1-kg male child via a cesarean section on May 28 but succumbed just eight days later. According to hospital authorities, the woman’s health began to deteriorate shortly after delivery. Following the onset of severe symptoms and a positive RT-PCR result on June 5, she was shifted to the offgrid India has made remarkable strides in poverty reduction, slashing its extreme poverty rate from 27.1 per cent in 2011-12 to just 5.3 per cent in 2022-23, according to a new World Bank report. This sharp decline coincides with a revision in the global extreme poverty line from USD 2.15 to USD 3 per day (in 2021 MUMBAI 2022-23. This dramatic reduction has lifted an estimated 171 million people out of extreme poverty over the last decade. Notably, the rural-urban divide in poverty has also narrowed. Rural extreme poverty plunged from 18.4 per cent to 2.8 per cent, while urban poverty dropped from 10.7 per cent to 1.1 per cent. 4Continued on | P8 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday outlined five key global priorities for him to build disaster-resilient infrastructure, including a skilled workforce, a global digital repository to document best practices and innovative financing. In a video address to the International Conference on ture 2025, Modi said strengthening early-warning systems and coordination is another crucial aspect. He noted that India has established a tsunami-warning system benefitting 29 countries and that it recognises the Small Island Developing States (SIDA) as large-ocean countries and the Horror at Mhow Civil Hosp: Dog caught eating dead newborn Probe ordered FP News Service MHOW/INDORE In a disturbing incident at Madhya Bharat Government Civil Hospital in Mhow, a stray dog was seen clutching a dead newborn near the hospital toilet early Saturday. A female security guard managed to retrieve the body after scaring away the animal. Authorities confirmed that the baby was born to a 17-year-old girl who later fled from the hospital. Hospital in-charge Dr Hansraj Verma said CCTV footage showed the girl entering the toilet between 1:30 and 2:00 am. “She had been admitted at 9 pm on Friday with complaints of colic. We suspect she gave birth in the bathroom,” Verma stated. Sources indicate minor was around 8 months pregnant and may have taken medication to induce labour their vulnerabilities. With the event being hosted in Europe for the first time, Modi thanked French President Emmanuel Macron and extended his best wishes to him for the upcoming United Nations Oceans Conference. 4Continued on | P8 AP increases maximum working hours from 9 to 10 PTI AMARAVATI Shortly after the delivery, the girl reportedly left the hospital with an unidentified man. Officials believe that the infant, which was stillborn, was taken from the toilet by the stray dog before being recovered by hospital staff. The post-mortem was conducted on Saturday morning by a team of three doctors. We are awaiting the final report. CCTV footage is being provided to the police to aid the investigation,” Verma added. The TDP-led NDA government in Andhra Pradesh has decided to raise the maximum working hours from nine to 10 per day as part of ease of doing business and attracting investors. The Information and Public Relations (I&PR) Minister K Parthasarathy said that it has been decided to amend labour laws to make them 'favourable' to workers and investors. CPI state secretary K Ramakrishna criticised the move and said NDA governments at the Centre and state are pursuing 'anti worker' policies. "Relevant sections of laws which allow maximum nine hours of work a day has now been raised to 10 hours per day. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8