INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E paper circulation THE SUNDAY Vol. 36 No. 44 | Sunday, July 27, 2025 29 Pages | `5 & for State `6 | Reg. No. MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 46955/1988 M.p.c.s. office Mumbai-400001 FREE PRESS JOURNAL INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation WEEKEND Weekend On Parents’ Day, a look at why some are choosing to be pet parents Safety audit ordered for schools PTI NEW DELHI In the wake of a tragic school building collapse in Rajasthan that claimed the lives of seven children, the Ministry of Education (MoE) has directed all states and Union Territories to conduct mandatory safety audits of schools. Following the tragedy, the Ministry issued an urgent advisory asking states and UTs to ensure the structural integrity of school buildings and implement child safety mechanisms in line with national safety codes. “States and UTs must take urgent steps to ensure students' safety and well-being,” a senior MoE official said. “This includes mandatory safety audits of schools and child-related facilities, training for staff and students in emergency preparedness, and the provision of psychosocial support through counselling and peer networks.” The Ministry stressed the need for thorough assessments of fire safety systems, emergency exits, and electrical wiring in all school buildings. It also recommended training for staff and students in first aid, evacuation drills, and safety protocols. Local collaboration with agencies such as the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), fire services, police, and medical departments was advised to ensure regular mock drills and training sessions. 4Contd on | Nation Live Smart Dealing with baiting Explore the link between knowing our past and owning our role in society Sunday Read Shahid remembers his father Mohammed Rafi PM in Maldives ties reset Meets leaders from across political spectrum India-Maldives Parliamentary Friendship Group Celebrates 60 years of diplomatic ties Ashwin Ahmad NEW DELHI Prime Minister Modi and President Muizzu jointly inaugurated the new Ministry of Defence building which displayed Modi's portrait for the occasion Prime Minister Modi sought to drive home the message of unity and friendship as he met with political leaders from different parties in the Maldives. The PM who is on a two-day state visit to the island nation, arrived on Friday in Male where he met and held talks with his Maldivian counterpart, President Mohamed Muizzu. Post the talks, the two leaders announced that four MoUs and three agreements had been inked, India had extended a Line of Credit (LoC) worth Rs 4,850 crore to Maldives, and discussions towards an FTA had begun “Had a meaningful meeting with members of different Participates in Independence Day celebrations political parties of the Maldives. The participation of leaders across the political spectrum underscores the bipartisan support for the strong and time-tested India-Maldives friendship. Our shared values continue to guide this important partnership,” the PM wrote on X. The PM’s visit comes at a special time, as this is the year in which India and Maldives celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations. His visit also coincides with the Maldives’ Independence Day celebrations for which he had been invited as a special guest. Marking the occasion External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who had accompanied the prime minister to Male, wrote. “Honoured to join PM @narendramodi for the Indepen- Urvi Mahajani MUMBAI The Maharashtra government has moved the Supreme Court challenging an order of the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court that directed the registration of an FIR against police personnel in connection with the alleged custodial death of 35-year-old Somnath Suryawanshi, contending that the order was premised on a “presumption of guilt against the police authorities”. Suryawanshi died on De- cember 15, 2024, while in judicial custody at a government hospital in Parbhani, after being arrested during violent protests that erupted in violation of curfew orders. The High Court, on July 4, ordered the Police Inspector of New Mondha Police Station to register an FIR and hand over the investigation to a Deputy Superintendent of Police, relying on a judicial inquiry report. In its Special Leave Petition (SLP), the state has contended that the HC acted prematurely, bypassing a detailed and on- Chirag Paswan fires crime salvo at Nitish Dheeraj Kumar SURYAWANSHI CUSTODIAL DEATH going investigation being carried out by the State CID, which had already recorded over 180 witness statements and exam- ined relevant medical and forensic material. The state submitted that it was denied an opportunity to place this comprehensive record before the High Court. The state further alleged serious factual and procedural lapses in the judicial inquiry report, including the inclusion of names of police personnel who were not present during the incident — some of whom were on sanctioned leave, deployed in court, or medically unfit. 4Contd on | Nation ‘Opposition loses more by disruption’ PTI NEW DELHI PATNA Ravikiran Deshmukh MUMBAI In yet another episode highlighting the fragile alliance within Maharashtra's ruling Mahayuti, a war of words has erupted between Social Justice Minister Sanjay Shirsat of the Shiv Sena and Minister of State Madhuri Misal from the BJP, over something as basic as departmental meetings. What started as a seemingly routine bureaucratic communication snowballed into a very public spat on Saturday, giving the Opposition more grist to label the Mahayuti as a house divided. Shirsat, known more recently 4Contd on | Nation State SLP challenges HC order on FIR SIR KICKS SHIRSAT & MISAL FEUD IN FACE OFF Sanjay Shirsat dence Day celebrations in Malé today. We celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations as well, reiterating our commitment to further strengthen our partnership for peace, prosperity and stability in the Indian Ocean Region.” The minister’s mention of the Indian Ocean region will not go unnoticed. Eyebrows were raised when President Muizzu broke with tradition and visited Ankara and Beijing in his first state visit shortly after taking power in January last year. Given that New Delhi had normally been the first port of call for any Maldivian president till then, concerns rose that President Muizzu may be adopting an anti-India stance. for controversies involving a luxury hotel auction and viral videos of bags allegedly containing cash, fired off a letter to Misal on July 24. His charge: she had held meetings with department officials without informing or seeking his permission. But if Shirsat expected a meek response, he miscalculated. Misal shot back a sameday rebuttal, point-by-point, reminding him that as MoS, she was well within her rights to review departmental progress. “I don’t feel your permission is required to hold meetings,” she wrote bluntly, Ahead of Bihar assembly polls, LJP (RV) chief and union minister Chirag Paswan on Saturday made one of the sharpest attacks on Nitish Kumar's government by contending that he was saddened to support a regime that was unable to check unbridled crimes, as the situation in the State had already become frightening. Chirag`s remark  comes two days after he praised a bitter critic of chief minister Nitish Kumar, and Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant  Kishor for playing an ‘honest’ role in Bihar politics. Chirag told newspersons on Saturday, "There has been a series of criminal incidents in Bihar. If it continues like this, the situation would be frightening, rather, it has become so... it seems the administration has bowed before criminals. Incidents of murder, robbery, kidnapping, and rape are continuously happening in Bihar,” he remarked. 4Contd on | Nation 4Contd on | Nation Madhuri Misal Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday said that frequent disruptions in the House hurt the Opposition more, as they lose the crucial opportunity to hold the government accountable. The remarks came after the first week of the ongoing monsoon session was largely washed out due to repeated protests by Opposition MPs. Speaking at the Sansad Ratna Awards event organised by Prime Point Foundation, Rijiju recalled how bureaucrats sometimes express relief when Parliament is adjourned. "Let me tell you, officers are relieved when Parliament doesn't function because they escape the grilling. The government can be held accountable in Parliament. When the House runs, ministers face tough questions. When it adjourns within minutes, those questions don't even get raised. Opposition loses more than the government when Parliament is disrupted," he said. "Those who stall the House Let me tell you, officers are relieved when Parliament doesn’t function because they escape the grilling. UP STORM IN BENGAL The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday began training Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) and supervisors in Kolkata, sparking fresh speculation that a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls— currently underway in Bihar— may soon be implemented in West Bengal. At the training session held at Nazrul Manch, State Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal clarified that any decision on SIR lies solely with the ECI. “We’re conducting SIR training as BLOs cannot be summoned repeatedly. We are prepared for every exercise, including SIR. While the matter is sub judice, we’re ready. Bengal has 81,000 booths, and another 14,000 will be added. We’re training every booth worker,” said Agarwal. Saturday’s training covered Kolkata, Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas, and Murshidabad, with Midnapore scheduled for Sunday. 4Contd on | Nation In yet another glorious victory for artificial intelligence over actual intelligence, a woman in Navi Mumbai trusted Google Maps so completely, she drove her luxury Audi straight into a creek at 1 a.m. on Saturday—because Google maps app told her to. Shweta Sharma, 29, was en route to Ulwe from Kharghar in the dead of night, trusting Google Maps to guide her like a digital Moses. Alas, instead of parting the waters, Maps suggested a road that—tiny detail—ended in one. Instead of taking the Dhruvatara Jetty flyover, she obediently took a “scenic” side road, drove beneath the bridge, and plunged straight into the Belapur creek. Thankfully, Coast Security officer PSI Alankar Mhatre was stationed nearby and watched this aquatic ballet unfold in real time. “I waved at the car to stop. But Google was louder,” he might as well have said. Seconds later, the Audi belly-flopped think they are damaging the government, but in truth, they are weakening their own role in a democracy," Rijiju added. Reinforcing the importance of parliamentary accountability, the minister said, "In any democracy, the government must answer to the people through Parliament. China has unveiled a sweeping plan to expand its role in artificial intelligence governance including the creation of a global co-operation organisation as Beijing aspires for technological leadership, the Financial Times and Reuters reported. Speaking at the opening of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in into the water. Displaying far more sense than her Silicon Valley navigator, Sharma popped open the boot and swam out before her car became an underwater showroom. The Indian Rescue Academy team—who were luckily stationed nearby— leapt into action, pulling her out in 15 minutes, while her Audi stayed back for a postmidnight scuba lesson. The car was finally winched out by crane, dripping with the kind of data Google won’t be indexing. But let’s not single her Agencies DRASS/HAMIRPUR On the occasion of 26th Kargil Vijay Diwas, Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi said the Indian Army is now better prepared than ever to face any challenge. Speaking in Drass, he announced several key developments to strengthen the army’s capabilities. General Dwivedi introduced the Bhairav Light Commando Unit, a new strike force that will always be ready for quick response at the borders. He also said that every infantry battalion now has a drone platoon, and the artillery has a Shaktiban regiment equipped with drones, counter-drones, and loiter munitions. Each regiment will have a composite battery with these technologies. He also shared that a new integrated force called the Rudra Brigade has been approved. This brigade will include infantry, mechanised and armoured units, artillery, special forces, and unmanned aerial units, all brought together to provide logistics and combat support from a single base. Agencies SHANGHAI Google maps guides luxury car to watery crash Raina Assainar New strike forces in offing: Army Chief The Army Chief said that air defence systems will soon be upgraded with indigenous missiles, which will further increase the army's strength in the coming days. During the day’s events, General Dwivedi launched three new projects. These include an online portal where citizens can pay e-shradhanjali to fallen soldiers, a QR-codebased audio guide that tells stories of battles fought during the Kargil War, and Indus Viewpoint, a site in the Batalik sector that offers visitors a view of the Line of Control and a glimpse into the harsh conditions faced by soldiers. 4Contd on | Nation China proposes AI co-op body offgrid NAVI MUMBAI A container truck with failed brakes ploughed into 20 vehicles on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Saturday, near Khopoli, killing one and causing a 5-km traffic jam amid chaos. See Mumbai Aritra Singha KOLKATA Kiren Rijuju 4Contd on | Nation Expressway horror crash out. This is merely one more incident in Google Maps' Greatest Hits playlist. In October 2024, two doctors went airborne off an under-construction flyover in UP. In June 2025, a family in Kerala went river rafting— without a raft thanks to Google maps. In January 2025, confused French tourists went looking for Nepal and found themselves in “Middle of Nowhere, Uttar Pradesh” instead. 4Contd on | Nation Signals claim for global leadership and willingness to “share indigenous technologies”. Shanghai on Saturday, Chinese premier Li Qiang said AI innovation was hindered by “bottlenecks” such as the supply of computer chips. Without explicitly mention- ing the US, he took aim at “technological monopolies” and restrictions which could lead to AI becoming “an exclusive game for a few countries and companies”. “Currently, overall global AI governance is still fragmented. Countries have great differences, particularly in terms of areas such as regulatory concepts [and] institutional rules,” Li said. 4Contd on | Nation Musk cut Starlink to Kyiv in 2022 offensive Agencies KYIV In late September 2022, Elon Musk ordered the shutdown of Starlink satellite service in parts of Ukraine during a critical military counteroffensive against Russian forces. The move caused panic among Ukrainian soldiers and disrupted their battlefield operations, including drone surveillance and artillery targeting. According to Reuters, Musk directed a senior SpaceX engineer in California to disable coverage in strategic areas like Kherson and Donetsk, regions Ukraine was trying to reclaim. At least 100 Starlink terminals were shut down, their hexagon-shaped icons disappearing from the internal coverage map. 4Contd on | Nation