FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLII No. 28 | INDORE | SUNDAY | JULY 6, 2025 | Pages 16 ` 4 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in Sports Gill-strike & pace-storm P.15 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE WORLD 27 perish, 23 campers missing in floods PREPS UNDERWAY | Yadav says officers have been told to prepare the bill with full figures CM: 27% OBC QUOTA THROUGH NEW BILL Congress will launch agitation across state Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Politics has begun after the Supreme Court sought a reply from the chief secretary on the 13% of held posts under the OBC quota. The Congress has said it will launch an agitation for giving 27% reservation to the OBC category. On the other hand, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said his government was committed to giving 27% reservation to the OBC category. fp Briefs MUMBAI Thackeray bros reunite Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said he and MNS head Raj Thackeray have come together to stay united as the cousins shared a political stage for the first time after two decades on the issue of Marathi identity and "imposition" of the Hindi language. NEW DELHI/WASHINGTON 12 nations to get US tariff letters US President Donald Trump has signed tariff letters on exports from 12 countries, which are expected to be sent out on July 7 (Monday). Speaking to the media aboard Air Force One, the US President said the names of the countries which will receive the letters would only be revealed on Monday. MOSCOW India Fest opens next to Kremlin A nine-day India Fest showcasing diverse cultural traditions of several Indian states opened on Saturday next to the Kremlin here. A lush green island of tropical India has been created with stalls selling Indian food and handicraft as part of the India Fest or Bharat Utsav. Yadav said the Congress had launched a misinformation campaign about giving reservations to OBC without any survey and only on the grounds of a piece of paper A fresh bill will be brought to the House to make provision for reservation, he said. Yadav said the officers had been told to prepare the bill with full figures.  Yadav said the Congress had launched a misinformation campaign about giving reservations to OBC without any survey and only on the grounds of a piece of paper. This is the reason that the issue is pending in the court, he said. The problems of the candidates whose posts were kept on hold and those who could not give joining would be solved, he said. According to Yadav, about giving reservations to the OBC, the court has said there is no curb on it. Rahul to join OBC quota stir MPCC president Jitu Patwari and Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar jointly addressed a press conference on Friday. They said the party would launch a statewide agitation over the quota to the OBC. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will participate in the agitation in the Bundelkhand area. The phase-wise agitation will be organised in blocks, districts, and the entire state. The government is not giving reservation to the OBC, which is their right, Patwari said. UJJAIN PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK Cinema Checkmate, Traitors P.14 Toll slashed by up to 50% for highways with bridges, tunnels FP News Service NEW DELHI The government has reduced the toll rates up to 50 per cent for the sections of National Highways that have structures like tunnels, bridges, flyovers or elevated stretches, a move which will lower travelling cost for motorists. User charges at fee plazas on National Highways are collected as per NH Fee Rules, 2008. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has made amendments to 2008 rules and notified a new method or formula for calculating toll charges. "The rate of fee for use of a section of national highway comprising of structure or structures shall be calculated by adding ten times the length of structure or structures to the length of the section of national highway excluding the length of structure or structures, or five times the total length of section of national highway, whichever is lesser," said the notification dated July 2, 2025. Our Staff Reporter In a significant victory for consumer rights, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (Indore-1) has ruled in favour of the complainant, Nar- Priest rapes 2 minor girls, bites pvt part FP News Service CHHATARPUR A 60-year-old priest of an Ashram in the Garhi-Malhara area of the Chhatarpur district raped two five-year-old girls on the pretext of giving them Prasad on Friday. There are allegations that the priest bit the private part of one of the girls. After their parents filed a complaint, the police arrested the priest and registered a case against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. But the health department examined the children 12 hours after the incident. According to reports, the incident occurred when the two girls, both cousins, were going from one place to another. The priest of Mahakal Ashram, Charandas, called them on the pretext of giving them Prasad to an under-construction part of the temple. He closed the door of the room and raped them. He also bit the private part of one of the girls. They related their tale of woes to their parents, who lodged a complaint at the Garhi-Malhara police station. When their parents went to the temple, the priest attacked them with a trident. The health department did not conduct the medical examination of the girls for 12 hours. Nevertheless, when the media persons interfered, the hospital conducted the medical examination. The doctors said both were under medical observation and they were healthy. According to some villagers, this was the third time that the priest committed such a crime. The villagers then let the priest off the hook with a mild warning. Dalai Lama eyes 130, with a wink & a smile FP News Service MUMBAI On the eve of his 90th birthday, the 14th Dalai Lama, ever the picture of serenity with a sprinkle of humour, said he’s in no rush to reincarnate. Addressing a sea of saffron and smiles at the Tsuglagkhang temple in McLeodganj on Saturday, he declared—with the casual confidence of someone ordering tea—that he hoped to live another 30 to 40 years. “Looking at the many prophecies, I feel I have the blessings of Avalokiteshvara. Your prayers have borne fruit so far. I’ve done my best. Let’s keep going,” he said, as over 15,000 devotees clutched prayer beads and mobile phones, hoping to catch a glimpse or a quote. The ‘Long Life Prayer’ ceremony, a sort of spiritual fuelstop for the beloved Tibetan leader, kicked off ahead of his milestone birthday bash. Even after 6 months of court order, e-tender investigation yet to begin Flood-like situation in many parts of state Culvert collapse Court cancelled EOW closure application Nitendra Sharma BHOPAL The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) is yet to reprobe the biggest financial scam of the state even after the court order. The agency seems to have swept the case under the rug. EOW presented a closure report to the special judge of the Prevention of Corruption Act for the e-tender scam. The court cancelled the clo- sure application on December 24 last year and asked the agency to probe the case again. Six months have passed since the court issued the order, but the EOW has yet to begin the probe. The court also fixed certain points and asked the agency to reprobe the case accordingly. The court asked the agency to compile the evidence related to BPN logs and collect information about a letter written to the MP State Electronics Development Corporation (MPSEDC) on March 29, 2019. The court also directed the agency to gather proofs through IP address and Internet service provider. The agency was also told to gather the log details from the office of the chief engineer and attach more evidence to the case. Besides the directors of GVPR Engineers Limited, the Indian Human Pipe Limited, JMC Projects Limited, Rajkumar Narwani, Madhav Infra Projects Limited, Max Metana Micro GV, Hyderabad, and some former government officers were made a party to the case. 4Continued on | P8 Won’t allow Russia to Nirav Modi’s lose in Ukraine: China brother held in US: CBI Agencies BRUSSELS Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has stated that Beijing cannot allow Russia to be defeated in the war against Ukraine during four hours of talks with Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. During a tense high-level meeting in Brussels, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the EU’s foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas that Beijing cannot allow Russia to lose in its war against Ukraine. According to several sources cited by the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on 4 July, China fears that such an outcome would allow the United States to fully pivot its attention to Beijing. China’s pressure on the EU against Ukraine comes as Russia has escalated its ground and air attacks, while the US President Donald Trump has suspended the vital US military aid for Ukraine. Although China publicly maintains a neutral stance on the Russo- Ukraine strikes Russian air base Ukraine said it struck a Russian air base on Saturday, while Russia continued to pound Ukraine with hundreds of drones overnight as part of a stepped-up bombing campaign that has dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the more than 3year-old war Ukrainian war, it has sustained close economic ties with Russia and, according to Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, has been supplying components for Russian ammunition and drone production.  Wang Yi's comment to Kallas — who assumed her EU role in late 2024 — echoed what many in Brussels suspected to be Beijing’s true position but contradicted China’s public statements claiming it is “not a party” to the war. 4Continued on | P8 PTI NEW DELHI US authorities have arrested Nehal Modi, the younger brother of fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi, following extradition requests from the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI, officials said Saturday. He was taken into custody on Friday, US authorities have informed India, they said. The next date for the hearing in the matter is July 17, when Nihal may seek bail,but it will be opposed by the US prosecutors, they said. The move came on an extradition request jointly submitted by the ED and the CBI. 4Continued on | P8 endra Tiwari after a legal battle that lasted seven year against a milk brand. The milk brand and its distributor were directed to pay Rs 2.64 each as compensation for overpricing and unfair trade practice. Tiwari had filed the case in 2018 after he was sold three 500 ml buttermilk packets from a grocery store near Mangliya, at rates above the printed Maximum Retail Price Tiwari had filed the case in 2018 after he was sold three 500 ml buttermilk packets at rates above printed MRP (MRP). The packets also lacked expiry information and a valid bill, prompting Tiwari to take legal recourse against the milk brand and Rainfall recorded in last 24 hours: in Narsinghpur blocks State Highway-22 Place Rainfall (mm) Rithi 230.4 Niwas 188.4 Bijadandi 181.2 Sheopur 174.2 Narainganj 163.0 Kundam 154.6 Dindori 125.3 Bijawar 129.0 Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Flood-like situation prevailed in many parts of the state on Saturday after heavy rainfall from intervening night of Friday and Saturday. Heavy rainfall disrupted traffic in Sagar, Narsinghpur districts in the morning hours. Low-lying areas were submerged as water gushed in houses. Bhopal–Sagar highway was se- verely affected early Saturday morning after water levels surged over Parasari stream near Begamganj. On SagarBhopal road in Begumganj tehsil of Raisen district, only two-wheelers and personal 4Continued on | P8 Gillstorm in Birmingham HISTORIC FEATS Shubman Gill etched his name alongside cricketing royalty as he became only the second Indian and ninth player ever to score a double century and a century in the same Test match, guiding India to a dominant position in the second Test against England. He now joins an elite club featuring Brian Lara, Kumar Sangakkara, Graham Gooch, and Greg Chappell, among others. n First Indian captain to score 430 runs (269 in first innings and 161 in second innings) runs in a Test, surpassing Virat Kohli's 293. n Highest run aggregate by an Indian in a single Test, eclipsing Gavaskar’s 344. n Second Asian to record 350+ runs in a Test outside Asia, after Hanif Mohammad (1958). n Third Indian captain with centuries in both innings, after Gavaskar and Kohli. n Three hundreds in first two Tests as captain, equalling Kohli’s record. Vaibhav blazes fastest youth ODI ton WORCESTER: 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi turned Worcester into his personal stage of glory smashing 143 off 78 balls to register the fastestever century (off 78balls) in Youth One-Day Internationals, and becoming the youngest centurion in the format’s history. Bhandari now an economic offender NEW DELHI: A Delhi special court on Saturday declared UKbased arms consultant Sanjay Bhandari a Fugitive Economic Offender under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act (FEOA) of 2018. The order came on a plea filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which has been investigating Bhandari for money laundering and alleged financial crimes linked to undisclosed foreign assets. criticised the manufacturer and distributor for failing to present any legal documentation or justification for the transaction, underlining the importance of transparent and lawful trade practices. This judgment reinforces consumer protection norms and sends a strong message against arbitrary pricing, especially in essential daily-use products like milk. Part of Kharmor Sanctuary land returned to farmers FP News Service DHAR 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 IANS NEW DELHI the seller. During the longdrawn hearing, the forum found merit in Tiwari’s claim. It ruled that the complainant was overcharged Rs 5.28 in total violating established consumer rights. In addition to the refund, the court awarded Tiwari Rs 3,000 for mental harassment and Rs 2,000 towards legal expenses. The forum gave the parties 45 days to comply with the order. The commission also n elderly couple died after a wall collapsed in Shahdol while heavy rain disrupted traffic on highways in various parts of the state on Saturday. In Majhauli area of Keshwahi, Shahdol district, a mud wall collapsed due to heavy rain on Friday night, resulting in the death of an elderly couple. The incident occurred at around 4 am on Saturday. A tries. The survey’s findings also show that economic perceptions are an important factor behind people feeling satisfied with the functioning of democracy in their countries. “Countries where large shares of the public say the economy is in good shape also tend to have large shares who are satisfied with their democracy,” said PRC, India second most satisfying democracy for citizens: Pew India, the world’s largest democracy, ranks second among nations as 74 per cent of people here feel satisfied about the working of the system of representative governance, according to Pew Research Centre (PRC) in a survey available on Saturday. Citing India as a shining example at the time of a gloomy public outlook towards democracy in 12-high income nations, the “Spring 2025 Global Attitudes Survey” of PRC said that the nation of over 99 crore voters is ranked just behind Sweden (75 per cent) in the survey covering 23 coun- Elderly couple dies in wall collapse Around 216 square kilometres of land of the Kharmor Sanctuary, located in Sardarpur tehsil of Dhar district has been returned to farmers. The Kharmor Sanctuary will now cover only 132 square kilometres. The move will bring relief to farmers of 14 villages of Sardarpur and many villages of Petlawad, Jhabua district, as land owners will now be able to buy and sell land or use it for other purposes. As part of the sanctuary, the farmers could only use their land for farming. The demand for denotification intensified as the number of Kharmor sightings (Lesser Florican) has gone down over the years. Forest Department issued an order on Friday, converting about 216 square kilometres of 348.12 square kilometre sanctuary area into revenue land. The sanctuary was originally established on June 4, 1983, covering about 348.12 square kilometres in Sardarpur area of Dhar district. It was created following ornithologist Salim Ali's recommendation which was followed by the Forest Department. Since the sanctuary's creation, farmers faced major problems as their land could not be bought or sold. This restriction caused continuous trouble for villagers and became an important election issue for the Sardarpur assembly constituency. Shubman Gill plays a shot during fourth day of the 2nd Test against England, at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Saturday @BCCI X/ANI (Detail on Sports Page) Man wins 7-yr battle over Rs 5.28 overcharge INDORE E-paper Readers’ Corner A Guiding Light for... P.6 offgrid Rs 5,000 penalty slapped on milk brand, retailer MUMBAI