FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. 15 No. 144 | BHOPAL | THURSDAY | NOVEMBER 6, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.in Sports NEW DAWN OR LAST DUSK? P.12 fp Briefs RAIPUR 3 Maoists dead in gunfight In a fresh flare-up of antiMaoist operations, security forces in Chhattisgarh have reportedly killed three Maoist insurgents during an ongoing encounter in the dense forests of Bijapur district. The clash erupted on Wednesday in the Tarlaguda region, near the border of Telangana, where joint teams of police and paramilitary forces are conducting combing operations, police sources said.While official confirmation is awaited, sources suggest that the bodies of three Maoists have been recovered and weapons seized from the site. NEW DELHI Navy to get survey vessel The Indian Navy is poised to enhance its hydrographic survey capabilities with the commissioning of Ikshak, the third ship of the Survey Vessel (Large) [SVL] class and the first to be based at the Southern Naval Command, the Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday. According to a release by the MoD, the ship will be formally commissioned into service in the presence of Indian Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, at a ceremony at Naval Base, Kochi, on November 6, 2025. MIRZAPUR Six killed in train accident At least six pilgrims were killed after being run over by a train at Chunar railway station in Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday morning, officials said. According to officials, the victims had just alighted from a train and were attempting to cross the railway tracks when a speeding train arriving on the adjacent track hit them. JAMMU Encounter breaks out in J&K forest An encounter started on Wednesday between the security forces and terrorists in the forest area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district. Officials said that on specific intelligence inputs, security forces started a CASO (Cordon and Search Operation) in the Kalaban forest area of Chatroo sub-division in Kishtwar district on Tuesday evening. ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL MONEY UJJAIN PUNE INDORE NASHIK Cinema Delhi Crime returns P.14 Haryana polls stolen with 25 lakh fake entries: Rahul Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar ‘Sinister attempt’ NEW DELHI Brazilian model remains mystery Rahul Gandhi raised questions around how 22 votes prepared in the name of a Brazilian model were cast at 10 booths. Gandhi raised the issue by showing the model’s photo and asking the journalists present if they could identify the state she belonged to. “Who is this lady? What is her name? Where does she come from? But she votes 22 times in Haryana, at 10 different booths, and has multiple names: Seema, Sweety, Saraswati, Rashmi, Vilma... “ No appeals filed against poll rolls: EC The EC has denied the allegation levelled by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding alleged voter theft during the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections saying no appeals were filed against the electoral rolls and only 22 election petitions are currently pending in the Punjab and Haryana HC in connection with the polls. the youth of the country to act in the matter saying, “India's Gen Z and the youth have the power to restore democracy with “satya” (truth) and ahimsa (non-violence) -- by fighting for a democratic India and by resisting this wholesale theft The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday termed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s claims on large-scale voter fraud during the 2024 Haryana assembly elections a “sinister attempt to erode public faith in our democratic institutions.” Addressing a press conference, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju questioned the timing of Gandhi’s attack, coming as it does on the eve of voting in the Bihar Assembly elections on Wednesday, and termed his claims of mass vote theft in Haryana as “false and baseless”. Rijiju said Gandhi’s press conference was a diversionary tactic to “hide his failures”. 4Continued on | P8 and murder of the Constitution and democracy.” 4Continued on | P8 India has set up 100 5G labs across the country to develop use cases and enhance the 6G research and development ecosystem, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said on Wednesday. The government’s collaborative platform Bharat 6G Alliance has also signed 10 international collaborations with global Two Indo-American elected as Governor PTI Zohran Mamdani, the 34-yearold Indian-origin democratic socialist, pulled off a stunning victory in the fiercely contested New York city mayoral elections, riding on an electrifying campaign to become the first South Asian, Muslim and youngest in a century to helm the administration of the world's financial capital. Mamdani, the son of Indian filmmaker Mira Nair and Indian-origin scholar Mahmood Mamdani, defeated former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a scandal-hit Democrat who ran as an independent, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, in the keenly-watched contest that grabbed global attention. His historic victory to run the city of more than 8.4 million people is seen as a come back of progressive politics, with Mamdani vowing to prioritise working-class issues as he proposed initiatives like free childcare, rent-freeze, free bus services, and governmentrun grocery stores to make New York affordable to live. 3.75 cr voters to decide fate of 1,314 candidates PTI PATNA The stage is set for the crucial first phase of the assembly elections in Bihar on Thursday, as 3.75 crore voters will decide the electoral fate of 1,314 candidates, including top leaders such as INDIA bloc's chief ministerial face Tejashwi Yadav and Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary of the BJP. Yadav aims at a hat-trick in Raghopur, while his principal challenger Satish Kumar of the BJP had defeated his mother Tourist dragged away by crocs at Chambal Safari Rabri Devi in 2010 while contesting on a JD(U) symbol. The seat was expected to witness a high-voltage contest, with Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor declaring that he wanted to take on Yadav on his home turf. However, Kishor decided not to contest, and his party gave a ticket to a less fancied candidate Chanchal Singh. In adjoining Mahua, Yadav's estranged elder brother Tej Pratap, who has floated his 4Continued on | P8 PTI FP News Service MORENA Panic swept Rajghat Bridge area of Chambal River after a tourist, Roop Singh Gurjar (40) from Karauli, Rajasthan, was tragically attacked and dragged into the water by three crocodiles simultaneously. Gurjar was reportedly standing with his son and brother-in-law on the riverbank when the attack occurred. Despite the frantic screams of his family, the crocodiles pulled him under water. Visitors note a complete lack of security guards or warning signs in the popular tourist area, which draws large numbers of domestic and foreign visitors daily for boating and sightseeing. Police and administrative officials have arrived on the scene and an SDRF team is currently engaged in an intensive search operation of Chambal River to locate the victim. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday said India and the US are holding continuous discussions for the proposed bilateral trade agreement. "Talks are going well...and are continuously going on. ..kaee samvedanasheel mudde hai, kaee gambheer mudde hai, toh svaabhaavik hai ki PTI The India-Japan partnership enhances the strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific region and contributes to economic growth at the global level, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday. Jaishankar said maintaining a "free and open" Indo-Pacific is a stronger imperative but 6G bodies, aiming for a 10 percent share of global 6G patents by 2030, an official statement said.Neeraj Mittal, Secretary (Telecom), made these comments as DoT led the thematic session on ‘Digital Communication’ at the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave here.Mittal emphasised that is the bedrock of all productive activity and that India’s telecom revolution has a direct bearing on na- tional economic growth, adding that India has achieved one of the fastest 5G rollouts globally.The 100 5G labs will position the nation for leadership in 6G technologies, he said. Mittal highlighted that the Government’s approach to next- 4Continued on | P8 Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL torchbearers of new era Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets the champions of the Women’s World Cup in New Delhi, Wednesday IANS/PMO thoda samay lagega (There are many sensitive issues, many serious issues, so it is natural that it will take some time)," he told reporters here. He was replying to a question about the progress on India-US negotiations on the pact. Goyal is here on a four-day official visit. He is leading a business delegation. Five rounds of talks have been completed so far for the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement between the US and India. A team of Indian officials, headed by Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, was in Washington last month to hold trade talks with their US counterparts. The three-day talks ended on October 17. In February this year, ‘India-Japan ties key to Indo-Pacific stability’ NEW DELHI In a fiery speech, Mamdani described his victory as the dawn of a "new age" for New York and said "together, we will usher in a generation of change". "New York, tonight you have delivered a mandate for change, a mandate for a new kind of politics, a mandate for a city we can afford," the Uganda-born state lawmaker told his supporters at Brooklyn Paramount Theater. He will be inaugurated as the 111th mayor of New York in January. Currently a member of the Queens state assembly, Mamdani emerged victorious, securing over 50 per cent of the votes. Cuomo, 67, who was endorsed by Trump trailed behind with just over 40 per cent votes while Sliwa garnered a mere seven per cent of the votes. Farmers will get non-stop 10-hr electricity: CM India, US trade talks are going well: Goyal AUCKLAND Ghazala wins Virginia Lt Guv election NEW YORK India-born American politician Ghazala Hashmi has been elected as Virginia's Lieutenant Governor, becoming the first Muslim and South Asian American to be elected to the top political post in the state. Indian-origin Cincinnati mayor wins second term Indian-origin mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, Aftab Pureval, won a second term defeating Republican challenger Cory Bowman, half-brother of Vice President JD Vance, local media reported. Pureval's Tuesday victory cements Democrats' control of Cincinnati's local government and adds to Pureval's growing profile in Ohio politics, Fox News reported on Tuesday (local time) Disputed circular over Krishi feeder withdrawn, CE shifted also a more complex challenge. He was speaking at the IndiaJapan IndoP a c i f i c Forum organised by the Delhi Policy Group and the Japan Institute of International Affairs. "Our partnership that has deepened so much in the last few decades has greater value than ever before. It serves to enhance strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific and contribute to the economic one at a global level," Jaishankar said. "Maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific is a stronger imperative but also a more complex challenge," he noted. 4Continued on | P8 100 5G labs set up to boost 6G research ecosystem IANS Zohran Mamdani wins New York Mayoral polls BIHAR POLLS PHASE 1 offgrid NEW DELHI E-paper Edit Rich vs Poor: The gap widens P.6 MANY SENSITIVE, SERIOUS ISSUES! H FILES | Rahul claims massive voter theft during 2024 Haryana Assembly polls Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday made another powerpoint presentation to claim vote theft in the Haryana Assembly election in 2024 in which he said nearly 25 votes were added fraudulently while over 3.5 lakh, primarily of his party’s supporters, were deleted wrongly to keep it from forming a government in the state. Alleging large-scale voter fraud in elections across India – be it in the Lok Sabha polls, Karnataka, Maharashtra or the Bihar polls – Gandhi said: “It’s my duty as a patriotic Indian and as the Leader of Opposition to let you know the real world that you're living in. You have to understand that there was no election in Haryana -- it was a lie. We are informing the people that the Prime Minister and the Home Minister are not legitimately in government.” He then made an appeal to MUMBAI generation communication is multi-pronged, supporting research and development, encouraging domestic manufacturing, and building strong bridges between academia, industry, and government.He informed that over 100 R&D projects dedicated to 6G are currently being supported, with a focus on advancing Open RAN, indigenous chipsets, AI-based intelligent networks, and regulatory sand- boxes to foster innovation.The event featured discussions on private networks and India's telecom goals from industry leaders, and a panel discussion on advancing indigenous technologies.The panel also explored extending the 5G ecosystem in India, advancing indigenous PNT through the NavIC L1 signal, and building disruptive technology stacks from D2M to 6G.' leaders of India and the US directed officials to negotiate a proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA). They have fixed a deadline to conclude the first tranche of the pact by the fall of 2025. These deliberations are important, as relations between the two countries have been under severe strain since the US President Donald Trump 4Continued on | P8 Madhya Kshetra Vidyut Vitaran Company withdrew the disputed circular over Krishi feeder after receiving directives from Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Wednesday. The chief engineer AK Jain, who issued the circular, was shifted from the Operation and Maintenance Section of the power company and shifted to the non-conventional section. Yadav said the farmers would get a ten-hour non-stop Many employees lost salary due to old circular The circular that led to the removal of the chief engineer was five years old. According to sources, additional power is supplied to the farmers in the Gwalior-Chambal region because of collusion of the power users and officials. This was the reason that the circular was issued. As a result, the salary of many employees was cut. Now that the government has cancelled the circular, the employees will not lose their salary. Pakistan turns back Hindu pilgrims en route to Nankana Sahib FP Online NEW DELHI Pakistani authorities at the Wagah border barred a group of Hindus, who had crossed into Pakistan alongside a larger Sikh delegation, from proceeding further, despite having completed all formalities to travel to Nankana Sahib for Guru Nanak Dev's birth anniversary. Indian officials condemned the act, describing it as discriminatory and unprecedented, and suggested it may have been intended to create divisions. Many Hindu devotees returned dejected, raising concerns about future pilgrimages, including those to Kartarpur Sahib. The Hindus, including families from Delhi and Lucknow, “walked back humiliated” after Pakistani officials announced that only those power supply and that the government was committed to protecting their interests. The official concerned was also removed, Yadav said. The power company reissued an old circular that if the electricity was supplied to the farmers for more than ten hours, the officers doing so would lose a day’s salary. The circular also mentioned the designations of the officials who would lose their salary for supplying power for more than ten hours. The order spawned resentment among the officials of the power company. With the withdrawal of the current circular, the previous one issued on August 31, 2020, also stands withdrawn. A 'jatha' of nearly 1,900 Sikh pilgrims crossed over to Pak through Attari-Wagah border for 'Parkash Purb' of Guru Nanak listed as Sikhs would be allowed to board the bus bound for the sacred site in Nankana Sahib. "Pakistani officials told us you are Hindu, you cannot go with a Sikh jatha," said Amar Chand, who was sent back along with six of his family members after they crossed over to the neighbouring nation to participate in the birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev. A 'jatha' (a group) of nearly 1,900 Sikh pilgrims crossed over to Pakistan through the 4Continued on | P8 Musk’s Starlink enters India, signs deal with Maha MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government on Wednesday signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Starlink Satellite Communications Private Limited to formally collaborate with Starlink to deploy satellitebased internet services for government institutions, rural communities, and critical public infrastructure across remote and underserved regions and aspirational districts in Maharashtra such as Gadchiroli, Nandurbar, Dharashiv, and Washim. The LoI signing was done in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and state Information Technology Minister Ashish Shelar.CM Fadnavis in his post on X said: "It was wonderful to welcome Lauren Dreyer, Vice President, Starlink in Mumbai today, where the Government of Maharashtra signed LoI with Starlink Satellite Communications Private Limited, marking Maharashtra as the first Indian state to formally collaborate with Starlink.