FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. 15 No. 130 | BHOPAL | THURSDAY | OCTOBER 23, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports Is Sarfaraz Khan the victim of selectorial sin? P.13 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL MONEY Trade talks light up Don-Modi Diwali call PTI DEAL TO SLASH US TARIFFS? NEW DELHI/WASHINGTON fp Briefs NEW DELHI Amit Shah turns 61 Union Home Minister Amit Shah turned 61 on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other prominent leaders, including Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, greeting him on his birthday. In a message, Modi said Shah has made commendable efforts to strengthen India's internal security apparatus and ensure every Indian leads a life of safety and dignity. ndia and the United States are nearing a long-stalled trade agreement that would reduce US tariffs on Indian imports to 15% to 16% from 50%, according to online reports. The deal, which hinges on energy and agriculture, may see India gradually scale back its imports of Russian crude oil. I t was the third publicly known phone call between Modi and Trump since September 16. I his Diwali greetings and hoped that both India and the US would continue to "illuminate" the world with hope and stand united against terrorism. "Thank you, President Trump, for your phone call and warm Diwali greetings. On this festival of lights, may our two great democracies continue to illuminate the world with hope and stand united against terrorism in all its forms," Modi said on 'X'. 4Continued on | P8 My father is at end of his political career: Sidda son IANS BELAGAVI (KARNATAKA) In a major development, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s son, MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah, has stated that his father is at the fag end of his political career. He further said that at this crucial juncture, Minister for PWD Satish Jarkiholi will take the lead in guiding those who follow scientific and progressive thought. The statements have assumed significance amid rumours of a leadership change and discussions of a powersharing agreement in Karna- Today, my father is at the end of his political career. He is in the final stage of his political life. At this hour, for those who embrace scientific and progressive ideas, Minister for PWD Satish Jarkiholi will take responsibility and provide leadership n Yathindra Siddaramaiah taka. Yathindra Siddaramaiah made the remarks while speaking at the unveiling ceremony of the revered personality Kanakadasa’s idol in Kappalaguddi village of Raibag taluk in Belagavi district. “Minister Satish Jarkiholi will also take the lead in showing the path to all those who believe in the ideology of the Congress party. 4Continued on | P8 MID-AIR GLITCH: Bhopal’s air quality IndiGo flight rain batters TN makes emergency improves after Diwali Widespread rain con135 at TT Nagar. tinued to batter Tamil landing in Varanasi AQI drops to CHENNAI Widespread Nadu inundating many parts and submerging paddy crop in some of the districts. Commuters were stranded at the Villupuram bus stand after a massive inundation. A well marked low pressure over southeast Arabian Sea concentrated into a depression. IANS / NEW DELHI An IndiGo flight from Kolkata to Srinagar made an emergency landing at Varanasi airport on Wednesday following a technical issue detected mid-air, the airline said. Flight 6E-6961, carrying 166 passengers and crew members, landed safely at the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi. All passengers were safely evacuated after the landing, the airline said. "On October 22, 2025, IndiGo flight 6E 6961, operating from Kolkata to Srinagar, made a precautionary landing at Varanasi Airport due to a suspected technical issue. 4Continued on | P8 moderate level Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL After recording “poor” air quality in the aftermath of Diwali, Bhopal’s Air Quality Index (AQI) showed a sharp improvement within 24 hours. Data from the MP Pollution Control Board revealed that the city’s average AQI, which had surged to 229 on Tuesday, dropped to 143 by Wednesday evening, bringing it down to “moderate” category. The improvement was noticeable across several key monitoring locations. At Mandideep, the AQI fell from 236 on Tuesday to 185 on Wednesday. Similarly, levels declined from 170 to 128 at the Collectorate Office, 202 to 129 at ParyavaranParisar, and 240 to Murmu’s helicopter wheels sink into newly concreted landing pad CRACKERS TO BLAME MPPCB official Brijesh Sharma told Free Press that the surge in pollution right after Diwali was due to heavy firecracker use, a dip in temperature, and slower wind speed. “The concentration of dust and smoke particles increases during morning & evening hours, causing breathing discomfort among citizens,” he said. BMC CLEANUP DRIVE: To curb air pollution, the Bhopal Municipal Corporation deployed 21 vehicles for continuous water spraying across major areas for more than 24 hours. AQI monitoring systems are active at ParyavaranParisar, TT Nagar, and the Collectorate Office, where sustained cleaning operations are underway to maintain better air quality. PUNE NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Lokpal’s luxury drive into controversy P.6 Cinema Alia wears 30-year-old silk saree P.14 Trump puts meeting with Putin on hold, says it would be ‘waste of time’ AP WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said on Tuesday his plan for a swift meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin was on hold because he did not want it to be a "waste of time." It was the latest twist in Trump's stop-and-go effort to resolve the war in Ukraine. The decision to hold off on the meeting in Budapest, Hungary, which Trump had announced last week, was made following a call on Monday between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. "I don't want to have a wasted meeting," Trump said. "I don't want to have a waste of time -- so we'll see what happens." Lavrov made clear in public comments on Tuesday that Russia is opposed to an immediate ceasefire. Trump, meanwhile, has been shifting his stance all year on key issues in the war, including whether a ceasefire should come before longer-term peace talks, and whether Ukraine could win back land seized by Russia during almost four years of fighting. Crimes against Dalits, clashes on the rise The campaign launched for Samrasta comes to naught Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Samrasta, or equality, is the most important of all issues that the RSS is highlighting in its centenary year. The leaders of the BJP and the Congress are often seen taking snaps and making reels after having meals at the residences of the people belonging to the SC/ST community. The rising incidents of crime against Dalits in the state in one month have raised a question mark on the government. A fresh case of torturing a Dalit has been reported from Surpura village in Bhind district, where a Dalit youth who refused to drive a car on the occasion of Diwali was picked up from his in-laws’ house, beaten up, and forced to drink urine. Six days ago, some people beat up a Dalit youth and urinated on him for protesting against illegal mining in the Slimabad area in Katni district. Before this, there were many incidents of crime Country ranks 9th globally in forest area IANS NEW DELHI against Dalits. According to NCRB data, MP is the third state in the country in terms of incidents of crime against Dalits. Over 8,232 cases were registered in connection with crimes against Dalits in 2023. The caste conflicts are rising in the Gwalior-Chambal region in the state. Statements were issued against the installation of a statue of BR Ambedkar on the premises of the court. Several statements were recently issued against Ambedkar. The Gwalior district administration closed the schools because of the protest. An upper-caste lawyer has opened a front, and the Bhim Army has swung into action in favour of Dalits. In a significant milestone for environmental conservation efforts, India has secured the ninth rank globally in forest area in 2025 -- up from the 10th position in 2020, said Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on Wednesday. The country has also retained its third position in annual forest area gain, according to the Global Forest Resources Assessment (GFRA) 2025 released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Bali, Indonesia. In the previous GFRA assessment, India was ranked 10th in forest area. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Only Joint Secy, DIG & above ranks can order removal of online content: Govt IANS NEW DELHI The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Wednesday announced that any intimation to social media platforms for the removal of unlawful information can now only be issued by a senior officer not below the rank of Joint Secretary equiv- Shots fired outside Serbian Parl; prez calls it ‘terrorist act’ S hots were fired outside Serbia's parliament building in Belgrade on Wednesday, and one person was injured. Serbian President Aleksander Vucic, who has been facing anti-government protests, called the shooting “a terrorist act”. Armed security officers approached a large tent outside parliament. A few shots were fired, and then a fire broke out inside the tent, one of several erected this year by supporters of President Aleksander Vucic during antigovernment protests. alent, or, where such rank is not appointed, a Director or an officer equivalent in rank. In the case of police authorities, only an officer not below the rank of Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), specially authorised, can issue the intimation. The new rules will come into effect from November 1, 2025. This replaces the existing procedure of junior officials such as sub inspectors and assistant sub inspectors passing orders to re- move content from social media platforms. These changes have been brought through fresh amendments to Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology Rules, 2021. Additionally, the ministry has proposed amendments to the IT Rules for addressing the menace of deepfakes. 4Continued on | P8 Yogi’s ‘halal certification’ remarks trigger row PTI LUCKNOW A political row erupted on Wednesday after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath urged people to check for "halal certification" on products before purchasing them, reiterating his government's stand against such certifications in the state. "You will be surprised that even soaps, clothes, and matchsticks have halal certification," the chief minister said, while speaking at the 'Vichar-Parivar Kutumb Sneh Milan' and 'Deepotsav Se THE REMARK Adityanath on Tuesday said that his government had banned halal-certified items in Uttar Pradesh as the profits from such sales were being used for conversion, love jihad and terrorism. The CM urged people to buy indigenous products instead. Rashtrotsav' programmes organised in Gorakhpur. Reacting sharply to Adityanath's remarks, UP Congress president Ajay Rai accused the BJP government of diverting public attention from key economic and employment issues. "This government is quite brilliant in diverting attention from real issues. Why is the CM so focused on such matters?" Rai told PTI. 4Continued on | P8 Jaish launches ‘jihadi course’ for women PTI IANS NEW DELHI The wheels of the helicopter carrying President Droupadi Murmu for her Sabarimala visit got stuck in a depression on the newly concreted helipad at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Pramadam when it landed on Wednesday morning. Days after Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) announced the formation of its firstever women’s wing, named 'Jamaat-ul-Mominaat', sources told IANS on Wednesday that the terror outfit has now launched an online training course, Police & fire personnel try to push President Droupadi Murmu’s helicopter at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Pramadam, in Pathanamthitta district, Kerala INDORE Masood’s sisters go digital PATHANAMTHITTA (KERALA) 4Continued on | P8 PRESS AI-generated deepfakes on govt radar HEALING TIES? | Trump describes India-US relationship as ‘great’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump discussed trade issues during a phone conversation amid efforts by the two sides to repair bilateral ties that remain under strain after Washington slapped a whopping 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods. In his remarks following the call on Tuesday, Trump described the India-US relationship as "great" and said, without elaborating, that the two sides are working on some "great deals". In a social media post, Prime Minister Modi thanked Trump for the phone call and UJJAIN 40 MINUTES EACH DAY "Through online meeting platforms for 40 minutes each day, Masood Azhar’s two sisters, Sadiya Azhar and Samaira Azhar, will conduct classes to encourage women to join Jaish-e-Mohammed’s female brigade Jamat ul-Muminat," said sources. named 'Tufat al-Muminat', to collect funds and recruit as many females as possible. According to sources, this Women Brigade will be led by Sadiya Azhar, the sister of Masood Azhar, whose husband, Yusuf Azhar, was killed in Operation Sindoor on May 7 when Indian forces struck JeM’s headquarters at Markaz Subhanallah. "To strengthen the organisation and recruit more females, the women family members of Jaishe-Mohammed’s leaders, including relatives of Masood Azhar and his commanders, will teach women their duties from the perspectives of jihad, religion and Islam," said sources. According to people aware of the matter, the recruitment drive via online live lectures is scheduled to begin on November 8. 4Continued on | P8