FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. 15 No. 46 | BHOPAL | THURSDAY | JULY 31, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports BUMRAH OUT! India face Oval Test without their ace P.12 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL UJJAIN WORLD PRESS PUNE INDORE NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Mumbai’s killer potholes stay put P.6 104 killed, 399 hurt in 24 hours in Gaza Cinema Sara and Khushi dazzle on the runway P.14 Non-stop rains cause widespread flooding; 2,900 evacuated CM reviews flood crisis Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Wednesday reviewed the flood situation in Madhya Pradesh, where continuous rains have caused widespread flooding and waterlogging, especially in Gwalior and Sagar divisions. So far, 2,900 people stranded in floodwaters have been rescued in over 60 operations, officials said. The CM visited the state command centre and took stock of rescue and relief work. He said that saving lives and property remains top priority, urging full coordination among district administrations, police, Home Guards and disaster management teams. Relief teams have been deployed across affected districts and are working to ensure timely support to all in need. The CM took detailed updates on operations in Guna, Shivpuri, Datia and Ashoknagar (Gwalior division); Sagar, Damoh and Chhatarpur (Sagar division); and Vidisha and Raisen (Bhopal division). He also met some flood victims and 200 deaths since June 15 A ccording to sources, around 200 people have lost their lives in rainrelated incidents since June 15. While some drowned while bathing or attempting to cross swollen rivers and streams, others reportedly died by suicide or other causes related to flooding. Army personnel rescue people from a flood-affected area in Shivpuri district on Wednesday assured them that government will provide compensation for all losses homes, crops, belongings and livestock. Brave rescuers to be hon- LEVY SALVO | US Prez terms India’s policies ‘most strenuous & obnoxious’ Trump slaps 25% tariff plus penalty on India PTI WASHINGTON US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced the imposition of a 25 per cent tariff on all goods coming from India starting August 1, plus an unspecified penalty for buying military equipment and crude oil from Russia. The surprise announcement came a day after Indian officials said that a US trade team would visit from August 25 to negotiate a trade deal. The announcement is being seen a pressure tactics to get New Delhi to agree to demands made by the US, which fp Briefs BHOPAL No helmet, no fuel from Aug 1 Starting August 1, twowheeler riders in Bhopal without helmets will be denied petrol and CNG. District Collector Kaushalendra Vikram Singh issued a prohibitory order on Wednesday, banning fuel sale to helmetless riders as part of a road safety initiative. P2 BHOPAL IPS Jain appointed DDA, AIIMS Sandesh Kumar Jain, IPS, has been appointed deputy director, administration, in AIIMS Bhopal. His tenure will be for three years. Source said that it is for first time that any IPS official has been appointed in AIIMS, Bhopal to check corruption. Recently, controversy generated in purchasing equipment in in AIIMS, Bhopal. has in recent days got favourable trade deals with major partners like Japan, the UK and the European Union. In a post on social media handle, Trump termed India's trade policies as "most strenuous and obnoxious". "All things not good! India will therefore be paying a tariff of 25 per cent, plus a penalty for the above, starting on August first," Trump said.. The penalty because India has made large purchases of oil and military equipment from Russia. India's import of crude oil 4Continued on | P8 NISAR successfully placed in orbit Agencies ‘Will secure nat'l interest’ In first response to Donald Trump's announcement of a 25% tariff on goods exported to the US from India, plus a 'penalty', the Centre has said it is studying the implications of the move and will take all steps to "secure our national interest". In a statement, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said it has taken note of the announcement and stressed that India remains committed to negotiating a fair bilateral trade agreement with the US Woman Al Qaeda operative held by Gujarat ATS in Bengaluru FP News Service Sriharikota." The Chairman said that this is the first GSLV Mission to the Sun-synchronous polar orbit. The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has arrested an alleged female Al Qaeda operative in Bengaluru, police sources said on Wednesday. Following the development, the authorities in Bengaluru have heightened intelligence vigilance across the city. The arrested individual has been identified as 33-year-old Shama Parveen, a native of Jharkhand. According to police, the ATS investigation revealed her alleged role in strengthening the Al Qaeda network in Bengaluru. She had been residing in the Manorayanapalya locality of the city. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Cash haul: SC reserves verdict A division bench of MP High Court has upheld the sessions court order that convicted a woman, a former chemistry professor from Chhatarpur, to rigorous life imprisonment for murder of her doctor husband. The trial had grabbed headlines and social media viewer- ship as the accused had argued her case before the High Court. The guilt of Mamta Pathak is proved beyond all reasonable doubt, the court said. The court directed appellant Mamta Pathak to immediately surrender before the trial court to undergo the remaining part of the jail sentence. The temporary suspension of the sentence granted by the PTI The Resistance Front, a proxy of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group, has found a mention in a UN Security Council (UNSC) report for its role in the Pahalgam attack, a move that is expected to bolster India's diplomatic offensive against Pakistanbacked cross-border terrorism. The report by the UNSC's Monitoring Team (MT) quoted one unnamed member state as saying that the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir could not have happened without LeT's support and that there was a relationship between "LeT and The Resistance Front (TRF). This is the first time that a UNSC report named the TRF. 4Continued on | P8 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday categorically said there was no third-party intervention in bringing about a ceasefire with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, asserting that the halting of the military action was also not linked to trade as claimed by US President Donald Trump. Intervening in the special discussion on Operation Sindoor in the Rajya Sabha, Jaishankar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the US President did not have any phone calls between April 22, when the Pahalgam terror attack took place, and June 16. Jaishankar attacked the Congress for not responding to terror attacks perpetrated by Pakistan in the past and accused it of "self-hyphenating" India with Pakistan on the issue of terror. He, however, said the Modi government is now setting things right and will give Pakistan a befitting and appropriate response to every attack done by it, citing the surgical and Balakot strikes and now Operation Sindoor. The minister said under the new normal, India will hit whenever Pakistan attacks it and will not buckle under any nuclear threat. He also blamed the previous Congress governments for China coming closer to Pakistan since the 1960s when Islamabad handed over parts of PoK to Beijing. He also dubbed Rahul Gandhi as "China-guru" in a veiled attack at him for giving his expertise on China. Responding to various charges by the Opposition, Jaishankar during his hour-long speech said in the last decade, there has been a huge change in India's response to terrorism and was demonstrated through Operation Sindoor today. 4Continued on | P8 ‘ALL 3 PAHALGAM TERRORISTS SHOT IN HEAD’ Families of Pahalgam attack victims and many other people wanted the three terrorists to be shot in their heads and they met the same fate in Operation Mahadev, Home Minister Amit Shah said in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Replying to the debate on Operation Sindoor in the House, Shah said during investigations the identity of the three terrorists killed in Operation Mahadev clearly established Lashkar-e-Taiba's hand in Pahalgam attack as all three belonged to this terror outfit. Machhli gang’s Rs 100 cr empire razed Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Key digital evidence seized In a major action against the notorious ‘Machhli’ family, authorities on Wednesday demolished six illegal structures worth nearly �100 crore in Bhopal’s Anantpura-Kokta area. Built on over 50 acres of encroached government land, the properties belonged to DJ Yaseen, his uncles Shahwar and Shariq Machhli, and other relatives. Among the demolished buildings were a luxury farm- Police recovered hard disks and CCTV DVRs from Shariq Machhli’s farmhouse during the operation. Officials believe the footage may offer crucial evidence related to drug trafficking, arms circulation, and sexual exploitation. Some videos were reportedly filmed without consent and showed acts of violence, threats, and extortion. The data is under analysis and may lead to further arrests. house, a villa, a warehouse, a factory, and an unauthorised madrasa. Officials said these structures were not only illegally constructed but also served as hubs for drug trafficking, illegal firearms, and the sexual exploitation of women and minors. The joint operation by the district administration, police, and Nagar Nigam began early morning and continued till evening. 4Continued on | P8 Tsunami waves reach Japan, US after Piprahwa relics of Buddha 8.8 magnitude quake hits Russia return home after 127 years AP HC upholds life sentence of chemistry prof for killing hubby JABALPUR Modi govt correcting Cong’s wrong, says Jaishankar PTI NEW DELHI BENGALURU Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman V Narayanan on Wednesday, said that the GSLV F16 has successfully and precisely injected the NASA-ISRO NISAR satellite weighing 2,393 kg into its intended orbit in space. The GSLV-F16 rocket successfully placed the Earth Observation Satellite, a joint collaboration between the Indian space agency with its US counterpart NASA, into its intended Sun-Synchronous Polar Orbit (SSPO) this evening on its scheduled time. The ISRO Chairman congratulated the ISRO and NASA on their success and said, "This is our 102nd launch from 18 missions of GSLV. The previous F-15 mission was the 100th successful mission from TRF named in UNSC report on Pahalgam terror attack 4Continued on | P8 NEW DELHI IANS BENGALURU NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved its verdict on a plea filed by Justice Yashwant Varma -who faces an impeachment threat following the cash-discovery row -challenging the findings of the three-member inhouse enquiry committee, which recommended his removal under Article 124(4) of the Constitution. from Russia has risen from 0.2 per cent of total purchases before the Russia-Ukraine war to 35-40 per cent. New Delhi is the largest buyer of Russian oil after China. Trump said though India is America's friend, "we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their (India) tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the world, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious nonmonetary trade barriers of any country". oured- The CM has directed officials to identify and compile a list of people who have played key role in life-saving efforts. These brave citizens will be honoured on Indepen- dence Day and other occasions. Kalora dam breach triggers alert in Guna- A breach in the waste weir of Kalora dam in Guna has raised alarm. Authorities issued advisories to nearby villages, including Singapore, Tumda, Kudka, Bandha, Umardha, Baniyani, Mamli and Biloda (bordering Rajasthan), urging residents to shift to safer locations. The administration helped facilitate evacuations to prevent potential loss of life and property due to downstream waterlogging. TOKYO High Court on March 13, 2024, shall stand cancelled, the court ordered. The court dismissed the appeal filed by Pathak, challenging the sessions court order of June 29, 2022, that convicted her to rigorous life imprisonment for murder of her husband Dr Neeraj Pathak. 4Continued on | P8 One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck off Russia's sparsely populated Far East early Wednesday, sending tsunami waves into Japan, Hawaii and the US West Coast. Several people were injured, but none gravely, and no major damage has been reported so far. Authorities warned the risk from the 8.8 magnitude quake could last for hours, and millions of people potentially in the path of the waves were initially told to move away from PTI NEW DELHI the shore or seek high ground. But the danger already appeared to be lessening in some places, with authorities downgrading their warnings in Hawaii, Japan and parts of Russia. Residents fled inland as ports flooded on Kamchatka near the quake's epicentre, while frothy, white waves washed up on the shore in northern Japan. The sacred Piprahwa relics of Lord Buddha have been brought back to India after 127 long years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday, noting that they were discovered in 1898 but taken away from the country during 4Continued on | P8 offgrid Man dances at friend’s funeral to fulfil last wish Pankaj Malik MANDSAUR An emotional scene was witnessed in Jawasiya village of Mandsaur district on Wednesday at a funeral procession when a man danced his heart out, albeit with tears, to fulfil his deceased friend's last wish. Terminally ill cancer pa- tient Sohanlal Jain had written a letter to his best friend Ambalal Prajapati on January 9, 2021 where he expressed a wish that his friend should dance during his funeral procession. He wrote, "When my last rites take place, dance in front of me, so that I feel that my farewell is filled with happiness." Seeing this confluence of tears and smiles, villagers became emotional. Everyone appreciated this unique and hearttouching scene. Someone said, "Such friendship is rare in today's times," while others called it "not just a dance, but fulfilment of a promise." Deceased's son Mukesh Jain said his father was suffering from cancer since 2023, but he wanted to celebrate his death like any festival. He wanted people to take part in his funeral procession with a DJ and enjoy the event. Mukesh said the family was happy that his father's last journey went according to his wish. the colonial rule.It is a joyous day for our cultural heritage, Modi said in a post on X. "It would make every Indian proud that the sacred Piprahwa relics of Bhagwan Buddha have come home after 127 long years. These sacred relics highlight India's close association with Bhagwan Buddha and his noble teachings. 4Continued on | P8