FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. XLII No. 116 | INDORE | FRIDAY | OCTOBER 3, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports DEVINE TON SPARKS GRIT, NOT GLORY P.12 FP News Service KHANDWA Briefs GUWAHATI Murder charge on Zubeen’s manager The Assam Police invoked murder charge against Zubeen Garg's manager Siddharth Sharma and festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta in connection with the death of the singer in Singapore last month, a senior officer said on Thursday. BAREILLY (UP) High alert in Bareilly Security was beefed up across four districts in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly division on Thursday in view of Dussehra, with security personnel out on the streets and drones in the air, while the government has also ordered suspending internet services in Bareilly district for 48 hours, officials said. EDITIONS: INDORE UJJAIN MONEY IDOL IMMERSION tragedy KILLS 11 fp iii QUALITY @ VALUE PRESS PUNE Villagers carry a rescued child to safety CM ANNOUNCES RS 4L EX GRATIA hief Minister Mohan Yadav was in Delhi when he came to know about the incident. He announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh to next of kin of every deceased and directed the district administration to ensure proper treatment to survivors. C BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Trump’s Gaza gamble P.6 ZOMATO, HDFC PENSION JOIN HANDS KHANDWA MISHAP | Tractor-trolley carrying idols of Goddess Durga for immersion on Vijayadashmi plunges into a lake Eleven persons including seven girls drowned when a tractor-trolley carrying Durga idols for immersion plunged into a lake in Madhya Pradesh's Khandwa district on Thursday, officials said. PM Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed grief over the incident and announced financial assistance for the kin of the deceased. Khandwa District Magistrate Rishav Gupta said that the incident occurred in the Pandhana area when a tractortrolley, carrying idols and devotees, tilted and fell into the water during immersion on Vijayadashmi at the end of the Navdurga festival. "The bodies of 11 devotees have been recovered from the lake. Villagers at the spot had warned them about the depth ESTD-1983 Cinema Four years of love P.14 Bhagwat for vigil against anarchy RSS chief says Bharat must guard against internal unrest & hostile external forces Ramu Bhagwat NAGPUR Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday flagged forces trying to spread anarchy in the country, saying Bharat needs to be more vigilant against such elements. In his keynote Vijayadashami address, delivered in the RSS’s centenary year, Bhagwat said that, in recent times, attempts have been made to provoke communities within India. “Such aggressive unrest is often exploited by external forces inimical to the nation’s interests,” he cautioned. India, China direct flights to resume from October 26 He said, “In recent times, there has been considerable turmoil in our neighbouring countries. Regime changes in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and, more recently, Nepal due to violent public anger are a matter of concern for us. The forces wanting to create disturbances in Bharat are active both inside and outside our borders.” A disconnect with the govern- Attack on democracy biggest threat to India: Rahul in Colombia ment, he added, could create discontent, but warned, “Violent outbursts do not have the power to bring about desirable changes.” Referring to the Pahalgam incident of April 22, Bhagwat said cross-border terrorists killed 26 Indian civilian tourists after asking them about their Hindu faith. He added that both the government and the Army gave a fitting reply in May, and the nation witnessed the leadership’s resolve, the valour of the armed forces, and the unity of society. 4Continued on | P8 Contract killers for Munawar held of the lake, but out of over-enthusiasm, they moved the tractor-trolley further, causing it to overturn and sink. A rescue operation was conducted with the help of police, admin- istration, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Home Guards and local divers," Gupta said. 4Continued on | P8 India warns Pak over Sir Creek troop build-up FP News Service MUMBAI Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday issued a blunt warning to Pakistan over its military expansion near Sir Creek, declaring that any misadventure would invite a response strong enough to “change both history and geography.” Speaking at a military base near Bhuj, Gujarat, where he celebrated Dussehra with soldiers and performed shastra puja (worship of weapons), Singh said Islamabad’s recent activity in the Sir Creek sector reflected “ill intentions.” He added in stark terms: “One route to Karachi passes through the creek.” Sir Creek, a 96-km tidal estuary between Gujarat’s Rann of Kutch and Pakistan, has remained a contentious zone since Independence due to differing interpretations of maritime boundaries. Singh noted that, despite 78 years of Independence, Pakistan continues to create disputes instead of resolving them through dialogue. The defence minister drew on history to underline India’s military capability, recalling that, during the 1965 war, the Indian Army advanced up to Pakistan should remember—the road to Karachi also passes through Sir Creek. Rajnath Singh Defence Minister Lahore. “In 2025, Pakistan should remember that the road to Karachi also passes through Sir Creek,” he said. 4Continued on | P8 PTI PTI NEW DELHI Direct flights between India and China will resume this month after more than four years, with IndiGo set to restart services connecting Kolkata and Guangzhou from October 26. The civil aviation ministry on Thursday said direct air services between India and China will resume by the end of October, following continuous technicallevel engagement between civil aviation authorities as part of broader efforts to normalise bilateral ties. Direct flights were operational between the two countries till early 2020 before being suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. Indian and Chinese carriers had direct services. 4Continued on | P8 PTI NEW DELHI NEW DELHI Claiming that there is a "wholesale attack on the democratic system" in India currently, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said allowing different traditions to thrive is important for the country, as "we cannot do what China does, which is to suppress people and run an authoritarian system". Speaking at the EIA University in Medellin, Colombia, Gandhi said India has a much more complex system as compared with China and India's strengths are very different from that of the neighbouring country. India also has a very old spiritual tradition and a The single-biggest risk is the attack on democracy that is taking place in India traditions and languages. India is actually a conversation between all its people. Different ideas, religions and traditions require space.” Two members of the Rohit Godara-Goldy Brar-Virender Charan gang, allegedly tasked with eliminating stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqi, were arrested after a gunfight on JaitpurKalindi Kunj Road here on Thursday, police said. Identified as Rahul and Sahil, the two hail from Panipat and Bhiwani of Haryana, they said. According to investigators, both men had been taking instructions from foreign-based gangster Rohit Godara, who was working with Goldy Brar and Virender Charan, to kill Faruqi. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 n Rahul Gandhi ‘DEFAMING INDIA ON FOREIGN SOIL’ The BJP on Thursday came down heavily on Congress leader and LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his remarks made during his visit to Colombia, accusing him of defaming India on foreign soil and showing “affection for China.” Senior BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad said it was unfortunate that on the auspicious occasion of Vijayadashami, instead of extending greetings to Indians, Rahul Gandhi chose to criticise the country abroad. thought system with profound ideas that are useful in today's world, he said, adding that there is a lot that the country can offer in terms of tradition and the way of thinking. "India has multiple religions, Monsoon likely to exit from MP around Oct 9 Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The withdrawal of the southwest monsoon from central India, including Madhya Pradesh, is likely to begin around October 9, as persistent lowpressure systems over the Bay of Bengal continue to delay its retreat, according to latest forecasts. The monsoon is yet to withdraw completely from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. Meteorological officials said that fresh low-pressure formations in the Bay of Bengal are still bringing rain to eastern, central and western regions of the country, preventing full withdrawal of the system. The official monsoon season ended on September 30, but its retreat from central India is now expected nearly 10 days late. The delay could result in above-normal rainfall across many parts of the region during October. Conditions are expected to turn favourable for withdrawal from parts of No bail to ‘journos’ in SC/ST case: HC IANS JABALPUR Sindoor Khela Bengali women in Indore smear sindoor on each other on Dussehra on Thursday Pg2 modern warfare meets tradition BSF Academy’s first-ever drone puja ANI GWALIOR In a first-of-its-kind tradition, the Border Security Force (BSF) Academy at Gwalior celebrated this year's Vijayadashami on Thursday by worshipping drones as weapons, reflecting the changing dynamics of modern warfare. This year's Dussehra cel- ebrations took a historic turn when BSF Academy Director Shamsher Singh, along with BSF personnel, performed weapon worship of drones, marking their inclusion in India's evolving security arsenal. BSF Additional Director General and Director of the academy Shamsher Singh was seen putting tikka on various weapons, and putting the mala on the drones in the presence of other officers. Officials highlighted that the step symbolises the dawn of a new strategic era, with BSF recently establishing a 'School of Drone Warfare' at the academy an initiative that aims to equip troops with cutting-edge capabilities in line with emerging threats along India's borders. 4Continued on | P8 The Madhya Pradesh High Court has dismissed the anticipatory bail pleas of individuals who claimed to be journalists and were accused of blackmailing and physically assaulting a Dalit woman teacher in Dhar’s Sardarpur. A single-judge bench of Justice Gajendra Singh denied relief to Mukesh Kumawat and Mohit Jat, who were accused in a case under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The judge observed that the statutory bar on grant of anticipatory bail under Section 18 of the Act applied, as the allegations in the FIR disclosed a prima facie case of caste-based insult and humiliation. Allegedly, the accused not only blackmailed and physically assaulted a Dalit woman teacher, but also demanded Rs 1 lakh and threatened to circulate videos defaming her. During the altercation, they also used casteist slurs. Rejecting their bail plea, the MP High Court observed: "The contents of the First Information Report disclose a prima facie case. The word 'Chindi Chor', if translated, means 'petty thief' or 'miserly thief'. Accordingly, the intention of humiliation or insult of the accused is inferred." Citing the Supreme Court’s ruling in Kiran vs. Rajkumar Jivraj Jain case, Justice Singh emphasised that anticipatory bail cannot be granted where allegations under the SC/ST Act are prima facie established. "The provision of Section 18 of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Act, 1989, with express language excludes the applicability of Section 438 Cr.P.C., it creates a bar against the grant of anticipatory bail in absolute terms in relation to the arrest of a person who faces specific accusations of having committed the offence under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Act. 4Continued on | P8 central India and Uttar Pradesh around October 9. A yellow alert has been issued for several districts. Heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and lightning are likely at isolated places in Anuppur, Umaria, Dindori and Katni. 4Continued on | P8 Oslo historian scoffs at Don’s Nobel bid FP News Service MUMBAI The prospect of US President Donald Trump bagging the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize has been dismissed as “completely unthinkable” by a historian in Oslo, the city where the prize is awarded. The blunt remark reflects deep scepticism among experts who see Trump’s latest peace push as political theatre rather than statesmanship. Donald Trump has long coveted the Nobel, once calling it an “insult” to the United States that he had not been honoured. This year, he has rallied a remarkable set of backers. Seven world leaders have nominated him: Armenia and Azerbaijan for his mediation efforts; Gabon and Rwanda for his role in talks with the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and Cambodia, Pakistan and Israel, who credited him for initiatives in their regions. 4Continued on | P8