FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. 15 No. 40 | BHOPAL | THURSDAY | JULY 24, 2025 | Pages 16 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.in World US Signs trade deal with Japan, lowers tariff To 15% P.10 fp Briefs NEW DELHI PM embarks on UK, Maldives visit Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday left on a four-day visit to the UK and the Maldives, expressing confidence that this will boost India's ties with the two countries. In his departure statement, Modi said India and the United Kingdom share a comprehensive strategic partnership that has witnessed significant progress in recent years. BEIJING Visas resumed for Chinese citizens India has announced resuming issuance of tourist visas to Chinese nationals from this week, a move that comes as part of efforts to repair bilateral ties that came under severe strain following the military clashes in Galwan Valley. India had suspended issuance of tourist visas to Chinese nationals in 2020 largely due to Covid-19 pandemic but the restrictions continued in view of the eastern Ladakh border row. ADELAIDE Indian student assaulted A 23-year-old Indian man, Charanpreet Singh, was brutally assaulted and left unconscious on a street in Adelaide after a group of men allegedly hurled racist abuse and attacked him over a car parking dispute. The incident took place on Saturday night (local time) near Kintore Avenue in the heart of the city. Kusmaria appointed Chairman of Backward Class commission Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL UJJAIN MONEY PUNE INDORE NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit VS: Of the people, for the people P.6 India Ratings cuts India FY26 GDP forecast by 30 bps Cinema Saiyaara’s GenZ frenzy P.14 Govt English teachers to be taught English MP School Edu Dept heeds to Rahul’s advice Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The State School Education Department is following the advice of Rahul Gandhi. There was a heated exchange between Home Minister Amit Shah and Rahul over their statements on the English language. At an event, Shah said, “Those who speak English in the country will soon feel ashamed.” Reacting to Shah’s statement, Rahul said, “Speaking English is no shame. It’s strength. It is not a dam but a bridge.” In today’s world, learning the English language is as important as learning one’s mother tongue, because learning English creates job opportunities and boosts confidence, Rahul said. Every Indian child should learn English, he said. The School Education Depart- English Learning Training Institute, educational teaching training institute, will be asked to teach English to teachers ment has begun to follow Rahul’s advice. Now, the department will teach English to the government teachers. The English Learning Training Institute, a state-level educational teaching training institute, will be asked to teach English to the teachers. A calendar has been set for the current academic session. How much English a teacher knows will also be assessed as part of the scheme. Teacher training will also be held in villages and in the areas dominated by the tribal people. The School Education Department feels those who are teaching English in government schools lack proper knowledge of the language. The children should have DRUG SYNDICATE | Two more held with MD powder, pistol & vehicles Probe uncovers sexual exploitation, extortion Our Staff Reporter Connection with rape, blackmail case BHOPAL Yaseen is the nephew of Shariq Machhli, whose name surfaced in a rape and blackmail case at TIT College. Although no case was registered against Shariq, his restaurant, Club 90, was demolished by the administration after it came to the fore that the prime accused, Farhan, and his aides raped the victims there. Yaseen’s father, Shafiq Ahmad aka Shafiq Machhli, is a BJP Alpsankhyak Morcha leader. Trailing a drug syndicate, cops have unearthed a more disturbing racket involving not only abduction and extortion but also sexual exploitation of girls and women.  Interrogation of Saifuddin and Shahrukh alias Ashu, arrested on July 18, led to the arrest of two more persons, Yaseen and Shahwar, with MD (Mephedrone) powder, a pistol, and two vehicles. Police officials said Yaseen aka Mintu (25), a resident of the Budhwara area, was arrested near Gamon Mall on Tuesday. Yaseen, who tried to escape in his SUV, was caught with 1.05 grams of MD powder and a semi-automatic pistol.  Later, his uncle, Shahwar Ahmad (42) of the Gandhi Nagar area, was ar- Cops urge survivors to report Cops to probe vidhansabha pass Police officials have urged the victims or individuals with relevant information to report incidents directly to the Crime Branch or nearby police stations, or share details via phone, to help initiate appropriate legal action. Police officials are also investigating about the vidhansabha pass found on the SUV of Yaseen. Officials said during police remand, Yaseen will be questioned that who helped him getting the pass. It is worth mentioning that a ‘media’ logo was also found on his SUV. rested with 2.052 grams of MD powder and an SUV. Yaseen is a DJ and organises parties, while his uncle is in the real estate business, they added. It is the phones of these two that have revealed disturbing images and videos of substance abuse, assault, and the exploitation of women. Additional DCP (crime) Shailendra Singh Chauhan SEIAA dispute leads to removal of Kothari, Uma Maheshwari Chandramauli gets additional charge as addl secretary to CM Our Staff Reporter The state government appointed Ramkrishna Kusmaria as chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Backward Class Welfare Commission on Wednesday night. He has been appointed for the remaining tenure of the Commission. Along with this, the government also appointed Mausam Bisen, daughter of former minister Gaurishankar Bisen, as a member of the Commission. These appointments have been made as the government is required to submit its report on 27% reservation for the Backward Classes to the Supreme Court. ESTD-1983 BHOPAL Navneet Kothari Uma Maheshwari The state government has removed two officers after the dispute over the deemed permission in the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA). The dispute between SEIAA chairman SN Singh Chouhan, principal secretary of environment Navneet Kothari, and executive director (ED) of Environmental Planning and Coordination Organisation Four Al Qaeda operatives held AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad has arrested four terrorists with alleged links to Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, officials said on Wednesday. The arrested accused have been identified as Mohd Faiq from Delhi, Mohd Fardeen from Ahmedabad, Sefullah Kureshi from Modasa in Aravalli, and Zeeshan Ali from Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Confirming the arrests, Gujarat ATS DIG Sunil Joshi said all four suspects were under surveillance for activities suspected to be connected to AQIS, a proscribed terror outfit affiliated with Al Qaeda. (EPCO) Uma Maheshwari continued for several days. The state government on Wednesday transferred Kothari and sent him to Raj Bhawan as principal secretary. Additional chief secretary Ashok Barnwal was given the additional charge of the environment department. Maheshwari has been deprived of the charge of ED of EPCO. Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL A quo warranto petition has been filed in the Supreme Court demanding removal of minister Vijay Shah over his controversial remarks against Colonel Sofia Qureshi, an Army officer. The petition, filed by advocate Jaya Thakur, senior advo- Nexus of drug, firearms & sexual exploitation Police officials said Yaseen and Shahwar’s mobile phones exposed a bigger racket of drugs, extortion, and sexual exploitation of women. 4Continued on | P8 India trashes British media report on ‘wrong bodies’ of crash victims PTI NEW DELHI cate Rameshwar Thakur and others, argues that Shah’s comments violate oath of office under Article 164(3) of Constitution. The petitioners have sought a writ of quo warranto to declare Shah unfit to hold ministerial office. The controversy stems from a statement made by Shah on May 11 during the Operation Sindoor event in Raikunda village of Mhow, Indore, where he allegedly referred to Colonel Sofia Qureshi as “sister of a terrorist.” India on Wednesday trashed a British media report which claimed that two families in the UK received wrong bodies of victims of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said all mortal remains were handled with utmost professionalism and with due regard for the dignity of the deceased. "We have seen the report and have been working closely with the UK side from the moment these concerns and issues were brought to our attention," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. "In the wake of the tragic crash, the concerned authorities had carried out identification of victims as per established protocols and technical requirements," he said. Jaiswal was responding to media queries regarding a report in the Daily Mail on the June 12 Air India crash in which 241 people on board were killed, including 53 British nationals. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Quo warranto plea in SC seeks min Shah’s ouster Accused of violating constitutional oath over Colonel Sofia Qureshi remark said the cops got the first clue of the drug syndicate on February 9 this year, following the arrest of two drug peddlers, Sameer Uddin and Sohail Khan, of the Budhwara area. They revealed Saifuddin’s name as the one who sold them drugs. Subsequently, a reward of Rs 5,000 was declared on Saifuddin, who was arrested with Shahrukh with over 15.14 grams of MD powder and a scooter. The duo confessed to supplying drugs to pubs, clubs, hotels, and gyms. A storm brewed in England, and it came from small village of Madhya Pradesh, "Ghuwara". Kranti Goud, the 21year-old pacer from a quiet village near Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh, etched her name in Indian cricket folklore by becoming the youngest Indian fast bowler to take NAME Deepti Sharma Kranti Goud Nooshin Al Khadeer Jhulan Goswami AGE BOWLING FIGURES 18 years, 179 days 6/20 21 years, 345 days 6/52 21 years, 348 days 5/14 23 years, 12 days 5/16 a five-wicket haul in Women’s ODIs. Her magical spell of 6/52 in 9.5 overs dismantled England’s chase of 318, sealing a 13-run victory and a 2-1 series win for India. This was only Goud’s fourth ODI appearance — and yet, her figures stand among the best ever by an Indian woman, putting her in elite company with the likes of Jhulan Goswami, Deepti Sharma, and Mamatha Maben. With this feat, she also surpassed Goswami's Agencies NEW DELHI The Centre has officially extended Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) restricting Pakistani civil aircrafts from entering Indian airspace until August 23, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol confirmed. "This extension reflects continued strategic considerations and is in line with prevailing security protocols. Stay tuned for further updates," Union MoS Mohol said in a post on X. The previous NOTAM was going to expire on July 24 (Thursday). Earlier on June 24, the ministry had announced a month long extension of the NOTAM restricting Pakistani aircrafts coming into India. The first NOTAM by India was valid from May 1 to May 23. PTI NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it would constitute a bench to hear Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma's plea seeking to invalidate a report by an inhouse inquiry panel, which found him guilty of misconduct in the cash discovery row. Justice Varma has also sought quashing of the May 8 recommendation by then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna urging Parliament to initiate impeachment against him. The matter was mentioned for urgent listing before a bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and Joymalya Bagchi. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who mentioned the matter for Justice Varma, said the plea was in respect of recommendation made by the then CJI for removal of Justice Varma. "We have raised some constitutional issues. I request your lordships to list it as early as possible," he said. The CJI said, "I will have to constitute a bench". He said it might not be proper for him to take up the matter as he was also a part of the process. "We will take a call and constitute a bench," the CJI told Sibal. In his petition, Justice Varma submitted that the inquiry "reversed the burden of proof", requiring him to investigate and disprove the charges levelled against him. Alleging that the panel's findings were based on a preconceived narrative, Justice Varma said the inquiry timelines were driven solely by the urge to conclude proceedings swiftly, even at the expense of "procedural fairness". 4Continued on | P8 CJI will not hear plea The Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai stated that he will not be hearing the plea filed by Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma challenging the constitutionality of the procedure leading to impeachment proceedings against him. The CJI reasoned that it would not be appropriate for him to hear the matter as he was part of the conversation regarding the controversy surrounding Justice Varma EC begins preps to hold V-P election PTI NEW DELHI Power outage in NEET-UG 2025: SC refuses provisional nod for counselling PTI The Election Commission on Wednesday said it has begun the process of holding the vice presidential c, two days after Jagdeep Dhankhar's surprise resignation from the post. The poll authority said it has started constituting the electoral college comprising MPs of both Houses of Parliament. Both elected and nominated members are eligible to vote in the vice presidential election. It is also finalising the returning officer and assistant returning officers. "On completion of the preparatory activities, the announcement of the election schedule to the office of the Vice President of India will follow as soon as possible," the EC said. NEW DELHI Dhankhar stepped down as vice president on Monday, citing health reasons. His term was to end on August 10, 2027. The Union home ministry on Tuesday formally notified the resignation of Dhankhar from the office of the vice president. According to Clause 2 of Article 68 of the Constitution, an election to fill a vacancy in the office of the vice president occurring due to his death, resignation or removal, or otherwise, will be held "as soon as possible" after it goes vacant. 4Continued on | P8 ‘Daal mein kuch kaala hai’ Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday claimed that there is something fishy about Jagdeep Dhankhar's resignation as the vice president. Kharge claimed that Dhankhar used to "defend" the BJP and the RSS more than the BJP-RSS people themselves, but still had to resign. "The government must answer why he resigned, what are the reasons, what is the secret behind it. We feel that 'daal mein kuch kaala hai (there is something fishy)'," the Congress president said. The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to grant its provisional nod for appearing in counselling of NEET-UG2025 to two candidates, who faced power outage in their examination centres in Madhya Pradesh. A bench of Justices P S Narasimha and A S Chandurkar, however, listed petitions of Navya Nayak and S Sai Priya for further hearing on July 25. The candidates have challenged the July 14 order of the Madhya Pradesh High Court refusing to order a re-test for them. The counsel for the petitioners submitted a notification was issued for the counselling and sought a provisional permission to participate in it. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the National Testing Agency, said one of the prayers in both the petitions for a re-test couldn't be allowed as it would affect lakhs of students, who wrote the examination. 4Continued on | P8 Fake embassy busted; man posed as diplomat of imaginary nations GHAZIABAD Kranti scripts history with record-breaking six-fer Agencies India extends airspace closure for Pak aircrafts SC to constitute bench to hear Justice Varma’s plea Biswajeet Banerjee From Ghuwara with Pace CHESTER-LE-STREET good command of English, and the department is launching the scheme with this idea. Nevertheless, all efforts made by the state government to promote Hindi have fallen through. Now, the government wants children to have proper knowledge of the English language. The teachers will be imparted training in the English language so that the students of the government schools may have good command of the language like their counterparts in private schools. CASH DISCOVERY ROW OPPONENT Sri Lanka England England England YEAR Feb 2016 July 2025 Jan 2003 Dec 2005 long-standing age record by over a year. Goud’s performance wasn’t just about pace — it was heart, heritage, and hunger rolled into one. 4Continued on | P8 In a dramatic operation, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) on Tuesday busted a fake embassy being run from a rented house in the Kavi Nagar area of Ghaziabad. The STF arrested Harshvardhan Jain, who had created an elaborate web of deception by posing as a diplomat from fictitious countries and using his fake credentials to carry out fraudulent activities. According to STF Senior Superintendent of Police Sushil Ghule, Harshvardhan had been operating under the name of the “West Arctic Embassy,” a nonexistent nation. He claimed to represent other imaginary countries as well, including Saborga, Pulawavia, and Lodonia. The accused had set up what appeared to be a fullfledged diplomatic mission, complete with foreign flags outside his home, cars with diplomatic-style number plates, and documents forged with the seal of the Ministry of External Affairs. 4Continued on | P8