Thursday, November 13, 2025 | Vol. 69 No. 33 | 30 Pages Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation NATION Will take oath as Bihar CM on November 18, says confident Tejashwi, rubbishes exit polls GAMES Cinema Dharmendra discharged from hospital, under home care Graeme Smith says South Africa’s experience in Pakistan will help them in the India series Edit The clear and present danger of white-collar terror cells JUSTICE PROMISED | Meeting chaired by PM calls blast perpetrators ‘anti-national elements’ Cabinet condemns ‘terrorist incident’ Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI The Union Cabinet on Wednesday termed the car explosion near the Red Fort a “terrorist incident”, expressing deep grief over the loss of lives and directing that the investigation be pursued with the utmost urgency to bring the perpetrators, collaborators, and their sponsors to justice without delay. Chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Cabinet adopted a resolution expressing profound sorrow over the deaths in the attack and observed two minutes of silence to honour the victims. The meeting, attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, and other senior ministers, lasted nearly two hours. The Cabinet reiterated India’s “unwavering commitment to a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism in all its forms and manifestations” and commended the “timely and coordinated response” of security agencies, emergency services, and citizens who showed courage and compassion in the aftermath of Scan & Watch the blast. 4Contd on | nation mosque on Asaf Ali Road, close to Ram Leela Maidan, where he allegedly stayed for nearly 3 hours and offered namaz. Before parking his i 20 car at the Sunheri Masjid parking lot, he had visited a mosque near the Ram Leela Maidan, on Asaf Ali Road. "He stayed there for around three hours before leaving and heading towards the Red Fort. We are probing the matter from all angles, including a suspected fidayeen attack," a senior police officer told PTI. Signal phone? Investigators are also PM visits LNJP hospital to meet blast victims Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday visited the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital and met those injured in Monday’s car bomb blast near Red Fort. He later posted on “X” that “those behind the conspiracy will be brought to justice”. Modi, who was briefed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, late on Monday evening about the developments in the case, had on Tuesday left for a two-day state visit to Bhutan. Earlier on Tuesday, while addressing the people of Bhutan and 20 other countries who had gathered for the 16day Global Peace Prayer Festival (GPPF) in Thimphu, Modi had stated that he had been in touch with all the agencies investigating the blast through- out the night. He had added that “our agencies will get to the bottom of this conspiracy, and the conspirators will not be spared.” During his visit to the LNJP Hospital, where all the injured were rushed, Modi interacted with the survivors and their families as also the hospital staff and administration. 4Contd on | nation 4See also | nation No House panel discussion Investigators are focussing on two dates as the possible day the attack may have been planned. One is Babri Masjid demolition anniversary on December 6, officials said. Details of the dump data of Dr Muzammil Gannaie’s mobile phone showed the repeated presence of two suspects in the Red Fort area in early January. “The visits were part of a detailed reconnaissance ahead of a planned attack on January 26,” a police officer said. The issue of the blast was raised in a meeting of a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs on Wednesday, but the Chairperson of the panel refused to discuss the matter. It quoted a member who was present in the meeting wherein an MP of the Trinamool Congress raiseded concerns over a possible intelligence failure. The source said the Chairperson Radha Mohan Das Agrawal refused to take up the discussion. Taliban ban Pak meds Agencies The ban will take effect in 3 months. Afghan officials also hinted at possible curbs on food items from Pakistan. The move comes after recent border conflict KABUL mercial losses, for which the Taliban government would not be held responsible. Trade with Pakistan, he said, would resume only if Islamabad gave a written assurance that it would not close trade routes again for political or security reasons. The Afghan Ministry of Public Health has been directed to enforce the decision immediately and draft a plan to boost local pharmaceutical production. Officials also hinted at possible future restrictions on food imports from Pakistan. Afghan traders have been advised to explore alternative supply chains for essential commodities. Economic analysts warn that the ban could severely affect bilateral trade. Pakistan’s monthly exports to Afghanistan—valued at around 150 million US dollars—are expected to take a major hit, while Afghan imports could face shortages and price hikes in medicines, food, and construction materials. 4Contd on | nation Inflation dips to historic low of 0.25% FPJ News Service MUMBAI India’s annual retail inflation hit its lowest level on record to 0.25% in October as food prices fell sharply and GST rate cuts brought down the prices of several items, including cars and products in daily use, according to government data released on Wednesday. It is lowest in the current All India Consumer Price Index series. There is a decrease of 119 basis points in headline inflation of October as compared to September.  It’s lowest yearon-year inflation of the current CPI series. Kerala posted highest rate at 8.56%, followed by J&K and Karnataka at 2.95%, and 2.34%, respectively. UP (-1.71%), MP (-1.62%), and Bihar (-1.97%) saw deflation.    4See also | money Trump defends H-1B visa programme PTI NEW YORK US President Donald Trump appeared to defend the H-1B visa programme, saying America has to bring in global talent as it does not have “certain talents” in the country. “I agree but you also do have to bring in talent,” Trump said, responding to a question in an interview on Fox News on whether the H-1B visa issue will not be a big priority for his administration and if one wants to raise wages for American workers, the country cannot be Wednesday found a red Ford EcoSport car suspected to be linked to the Red Fort blast. The car, bearing number plate DL10CK0458, was found abandoned at a farmhouse at Khandavali village in Haryana. Earlier, an alert was sounded across all police stations, posts, and border checkpoints in Delhi after investigation revealed that other suspects, already connected to the Hyundai i20 used in the explosion, were also in possession of a red car. Cops rushed to an address in northeast Delhi's New Seelampur after learning that the EcoSport was registered there. Last prayer? Umar Nabi had gone to a Divergent views on D-day Afghanistan’s Taliban government has announced a complete ban on the import of all pharmaceutical products from Pakistan, declaring the trade of Pakistani medicines in Afghan markets illegal. The move, announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, marks a new low in relations between the two neighbours. The ban will take effect within the next three months, after which the purchase, sale, or use of Pakistani medicines in Afghanistan will be considered unlawful. Mullah Baradar urged Afghan traders to end their reliance on Pakistan and seek alternative trade partners and routes reported Pakistan Today. He also cautioned that traders who continued dealing with Pakistan would bear their own com- Red car traced: The Delhi Police on flooded with hundreds of thousands of foreign workers. When told that “we have plenty of talent”, Trump disagreed: “No, you don’t, no you don’t. You don’t have certain tal- ents. And people have to learn.” He explained that some industries required specialised skills that could not be easily filled by unemployed American workers. “You can’t take people off an unemployment line, and say, ‘I’m going to put you into a factory, we’re going to make missiles’,” he added. Referring to a recent incident in Georgia, Trump said, “In Georgia, they raided because they wanted illegal immigrants. They had people from South Korea that made batteries all their lives. You know, making batteries (is) very complicated. It’s not an easy thing, and very dangerous. A lot of explosions, lot of problems.” 4Contd on | nation examining what Umar did during his three-hour halt at the parking lot before he moved towards the Red Fort. "He was constantly tracking updates about those arrested in the Faridabad module. We are also trying to verify if he was communicating with his handlers using a signal phone," another officer said. Delhi Forensic Science Laboratory has collected over 40 samples from the blast site, including mangled remains of the vehicle, metal debris, and body parts. Agencies are also scanning CCTV footage from the mosque area and nearby streets. Valley sees raids on JeI network M Saleem Pandit SRINAGAR In a major coordinated operation, the Jammu and Kashmir Police on Wednesday conducted massive searches at multiple locations linked to the Jamiat-e-Islami (JeI) across the Kashmir Valley. The proscribed organization, banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), was the target of simultaneous raids in several districts, including Kulgam, Awantipora, Pulwama, Shopian, Baramulla, Ganderbal, and Sopore districts. According to officials, the operations led to the interrogation of around 500 individuals affiliated with various banned outfits. Many of them have been bound down and shifted to different jails under preventive laws. The coordinated action covered over 200 locations with the assistance of other security forces. The searches were based on credible intelligence inputs suggesting attempts by JeIlinked elements to revive their activities under different fronts, sources said. 4Contd on | nation Maha sets sight on buying India House Kalpesh Mhamunkar MUMBAI The Maharashtra government has decided to acquire the historic “India House” in London and convert it into a memorial honouring India’s freedom struggle, Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar said on Wednesday. The property, once home to freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, will be restored and preserved as a symbol of India’s revolutionary past. Shelar, who recently returned from London after overseeing the retrieval of the historic sword of Raghuji Raje Bhonsale, said the bid to bring India House under state custodianship had gained backing from the Indian community in the UK as well as from Nashik MLA Devyani Farande. Following a review meeting held at the Cultural Affairs Min- istry on Wednesday, attended by Farande and senior officials from the General Administration, Cultural Affairs, and Archaeology departments, the government cleared the way for a formal proposal. A panel will now be set up under the chairmanship of senior bureaucrat Mitra, with members drawn from the departments concerned. 4Contd on | nation HC raps rehab delay Urvi Mahajani MUMBAI Expressing strong displeasure over the Maharashtra government’s prolonged failure to rehabilitate encroachers from the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), the Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the state to identify three alternative sites of 90 acres each — “nowhere near SGNP” — for relocating the encroachers. A division bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad issued the direction after the state sought more time to regularise the proposed rehabilitation site at Marol-Maroshi. The petitioner said the identified plot falls within the Court orders Maharashtra to locate three new 90-acre sites for SGNP encroacher rehabilitation, says land must not be near the park. eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of Aarey Colony. “We may indicate that alternative land must not be in the vicinity of SGNP,” it said, adding that it was “disappointed with the slow pace” of the government’s actions despite court directions dating back nearly 20 years. 4Contd on | nation