FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. XLII No. 163 | INDORE | WEDNESDAY | NOVEMBER 19, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 WORLD COPD DAY FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports Aparajith-Baby puts Kerala on victory doorstep P.13 fp Briefs NEW DELHI India-Germany bolster def ties Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on Tuesday co-chaired the India-Germany High Defence Committee meeting with the State Secretary, German Ministry of Defence Plotner in New Delhi. They discussed a range of bilateral security and defence issues, including priority areas for co-development & co-production of defence equipment.“The co-chairs reaffirmed commitment to enhance military-to-military cooperation with a focus on developing defence ties as a key pillar of the Strategic Partnership between India and Germany,” the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in its press release. PATNA Nitish to be leader of NDA Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is all set to be elected as leader of the NDA on Wednesday ahead of the formation of a new government under his leadership in the state on November 20. Kumar, who will take oath as Bihar CM for a record 10th time, will be first elected as leader of the JD(U) legislature party at 11 am on Wednesday. Things happen: Trump defends Saudi crown prince over Khashoggi murder Agencies WASHINGTON DC President Donald Trump welcomed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Washington on Tuesday as the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia makes his first White House visit since the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents. The US-Saudi relationship had been sent into a tailspin by the operation targeting Khashoggi, a fierce critic of the kingdom, that US intelligence agencies later determined Prince Mohammed likely directed the agents to carry out. Prince Mohammed, for his part, denies involvement in the killing of Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen and Virginia resident. The president dismissed questions to the crown prince about the journalist's killing. "Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happen," Trump said of the international incident. ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE UJJAIN MONEY PRESS PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK Cinema Dhurandhar hits hard P.14 Nat’l shooter molested on moving bus Victim may return to Indore today to file FIR against inebriated driver, conductor Our Staff Reporter INDORE In a shocking incident, a 30year-old national shooter, who had come to Bhopal from Pune to participate in a national shooting championship tournament, was allegedly molested by the drunk conductor and driver of the bus during her return journey. The incident came to light when the bus was stopped at a check point set up in the Rajendra Nagar area. The victim called for help, but before the police could enter the bus, both accused managed to escape. Rajendra Nagar police station in-charge Neeraj Birthare said that a shooting player had travelled from Pune to Bhopal to participate in the national shooting championship. While returning to Pune via Indore on a Verma Travels bus on Sunday night, she was allegedly molested by the conductor and driver, who were in an inebriated state. Around 1 am, when the bus reached the Rajendra Nagar area, where a security checkpoint was installed, the victim warned the accused that she would get them caught. Frightened, they fled the scene, abandoning the bus. Initially, police believed that they had fled simply because they were intoxicated. DCP Krishan Lalchandani said that around 50 passengers were sitting in the bus and the woman was being touched inappropriately in the moving bus. 4Continued on | P8 Top Naxal Hidma, wife among six killed in AP FP News Service In a landmark achievement for counter-insurgency operations, Maoist commander Madvi Hidma was killed in a fierce encounter in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday. The 43year-old guerrilla leader, who headed the CPI (Maoist)'s deadly People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Battalion No. 1, was neutralized along with five other Maoist operatives in what security experts are calling the most significant blow to Left-Wing Extremism. The encounter occurred in the dense Maredumilli forest region of Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district between 6.30 am and 7 am. Elite Greyhounds and Octopus units, supported by local police forces, executed a meticulously planned operation based on precise intelligence about key Maoist leaders hiding in the tri-junction forests. When security forces closed in, Hidma and his associates opened fire, triggering a gunfight that resulted in six Maoist deaths with no casualties among police personnel. Additional DGP (Intelligence) Mahesh Chandra Laddha confirmed the operation's success, while DGP Harish Kumar Gupta hailed it as "a historic step in the fight against Left-Wing Extremism". Preliminary identification procedures confirmed Hidma's death, with officials believing his second wife, Raje alias Rajakka, was also killed. Hidma's 15-year reign of terror made him India's most dangerous guerrilla commander, wanted in 26 major cases with a collective bounty exceeding ₹50 lakh. Rising from a child recruit to become the only tribal leader from Bastar on the Maoist Central Committee, he orchestrated some of the deadliest attacks in Indian history. 4Continued on | P8 RED HITS Hidma was architect of some of the deadliest Maoist strikes: n 2010 Dantewada attack: 76 CRPF personnel killed. n 2013 Jhiram Ghati massacre: 27 killed, including senior Congress leaders. n 2017 Sukma attack: 27 jawans killed. n 2021 Tarem-Bijapur ambush: 23 security personnel killed. n BIG BLOWS: Hidma's death comes after the killing of senior Maoist commander Basavaraju in May and the surrender of key strategist Bhupati in October. Hidma gunned down 12 days before the November 30 deadline set by Home Minister Amit Shah to eliminate him Dilemma over whether to revoke land pooling scheme or modify it The govt agrees to cancel the scheme in the presence of Kisan Sangh EC to use AI to detect fake, deceased voters during WB SIR PTI Our Staff Reporter 'Parasocial', defined as involving or relating to a connection that someone feels with a famous person they do not know, has been named the Word of the Year for 2025, the Cambridge Dictionary announced on Tuesday. Six thousand new words were also added to the dictionary in 2025, including 'delulu', 'slop', 'skibidi' and 'tradwife'. According to Cambridge officials, the year was marked by interest in one-sided parasocial relationships that people form with celebrities, influencers and AI chatbots. When Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced their engagement, many fans felt a deep connection to the singer and the American footballer, even though most had never met them. Millions of fans related to Taylor Swift's confessional US throws out Anmol Bishnoi Poonam Apraj MUMBAI In a major development, the United States has expelled Anmol Bishnoi, the younger brother of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is wanted in the high-profile murder conspiracy of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddiqui, firing incident outside actor Salman Khan’s residence and other offences. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) formally informed NCP leader and former MLA Zeeshan Siddiqui via email that Anmol Bishnoi the alleged mastermind behind the conspiracy to kill Siddiqui’s father, Baba Siddiqui has been ``removed'' from American soil. Anmol was lodged in Ohio central jail. The interrogation of Anmol is likely to reveal the identity of the person/s who allegedly gave “supari” to the gang to eliminate Baba. The latter's widow has moved Bombay high court dissatisfied with the probe into her husband's sensational murder. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav presenting artwork made by a wood carving artist from Pipariya to Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence in New Delhi The Town and Country Planning Department has to get an approval for revoking the scheme from the Urban Development Department before issuing an order. It will also require the cabinet’s nod. On the other hand, to modify the scheme, the Ujjain Development Authority must send a proposal. The proposal for modification will be brought to the cabinet through the Urban Development Department. Construction of roads and other works will be done on 50 acres for Simhastha. Land will be required for these works. 4Continued on | P8 The Election Commission is set to introduce artificial intelligence-based verification systems during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in West Bengal to prevent the inclusion of fake or deceased voters, a senior official said on Tuesday. By analysing facial similarities across photographs in the voter database, the AI system will help identify individuals registered at multiple locations. "We are taking the help of AI because of a rise in the number of complaints regarding the misuse of voters' photographs, especially those of migrant workers," the official told PTI. "AI-enabled facial matching technology will be used to detect instances where the same voter's photograph appears in multiple locations across the rolls," he said. involving or relating to a connection that someone feels between themselves and a famous person they do not know, a character in a book, film, TV series, etc., or an artificial intelligence lyrics about dating, heartbreak and desire, leading to what psychologists describe as "parasocial" bonds with stars. Lily Allen's "breakup album" "West End Girl" leant into parasocial interest in her love life. The spontaneity, im- ZERO TOLERANCE: EAM on terrorism at SCO meeting PTI MOSCOW India on Tuesday said that the world must display "zero tolerance" towards terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, asserting that there can be no justification, no looking away and "no whitewashing". "As India has demonstrated, we have the right to defend our people against terrorism, and will exercise it," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in his address at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government meeting here. Jaishankar said India believes that the SCO must "adapt to the changing global landscape, develop an expanded agenda, and reform its working methods". "We will contribute positively and fully to these objectives," he said. The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its permanent Pichai pitches AI bubble warning Agencies NEW YORK KOLKATA BHOPAL Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has announced the revoking of the land pooling scheme in Ujjain for Simhastha at a meeting with the representatives of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh. Now, the government has to give a legal shape to the decision. The government has to decide whether the scheme will be revoked or modified. The scheme, brought under section 52 of the Urban Development Act by the Development Authority, can either be cancelled or modified, according to the provisions. Now, the government has to decide how the land pooling will be stopped. Earlier, on November 6, a woman passenger travelling on a bus from Mumbai to Indore had also faced similar harassment in the Barwani district. Rajendra Nagar police had then registered a zero FIR and sent the case diary to Barwani. Following the incident, the passengers were stranded on the road as the bus remained stationary for over three hours. Police contacted the bus travel agency and ensured they arranged a new driver and conductor. Around 4 am, the bus resumed its journey to Pune after the staff was replaced, added TI Birthare. MANHUNT ENDS | Forces call it historic step in war on LWE; initial identification process confirms deaths of Naxal leader, his 2nd wife AMRAVATI Previous similar incident Passengers stranded, police arranges new staff Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai has issued a stark caution about the global AI boom, urging people not to “blindly trust” artificial i n t e l l i ge n c e tools even as investment and excitement around the technology reach unprecedented levels. In an interview with the BBC, Pichai, who leads Google’s parent company, Alphabet, said AI models were “prone to errors” and stressed that users must learn to use Outage RED FORT BLAST M Saleem Pandit The term parasocial dates back to 1956, when University of Chicago sociologists Donald Horton and Richard Wohl observed television viewers engaged in "para-social" relationships with on-screen personalities, resembling those they formed with "real" family and friends. They noted how the rapidly expanding medium of television brought the faces of actors directly into viewers' homes, making them fixtures in people's lives. S Jaishankar External Affairs Minister members in 2017. In July 2023, Iran became the new permanent member of the SCO at an India-hosted virtual summit of the grouping. "We must never forget that the SCO was founded to combat the three evils of terrorism, separatism and extremism. 4Continued on | P8 Seoni hawala loot: DSP, constable, two others held Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL them wisely and alongside other tools. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Seoni hawala loot of Rs 2.99 crore had arrested a DSP posted in Hawak Force Balaghat, a constable posted at crime branch Jabalpur and two more, said police on Tuesday. The court has given twoday police remand of these four accused. On October 15, the Seoni police had arrested 11 other accused, including SDOP Pooja Pandey, police station in-charge of Bandol police station Arpit Badol and other cops. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Many websites around the world witnessed a series of error messages due to a technical issue which arose with a web-infrastructure firm Cloudflare. The problem began to ease on Tuesday after preventing thousands from accessing major internet platforms, including X and ChatGPT. Bhopal cops too want Al Falah chancellor’s bro in fraud case Our staff reporter BHOPAL perfection and confessional nature of podcast hosts have been said to replace real friends and to catalyse parasocial relationships. The emergence of parasocial relationships with AI bots saw people treat ChatGPT as a confidant, friend or even romantic partner. These led to emotionally meaningful - and in some cases troubling - connections for users, and concerns about the consequences. As India has demonstrated, we have the right to defend our people against terrorism, and will exercise it Video glorifying suicide attack found in perpetrator’s phone SRINAGAR Parasocial, a ’50s word, gets ’25 twist PTI E-paper Edit When faith meets tragedy P.6 From Fragile Five to Top Five offgrid NEW DELHI MUMBAI A week after a deadly blast near Delhi’s Red Fort killed 15 people, a video allegedly recorded by the suicide bomber, Umar-un-Nabi, has surfaced on social media. The undated video appears to be self-recorded and shows Dr Umar explaining and justifying his act of carrying out a suicide bombing before detonating his car near the Red Fort on November 10. The video has left many people in Kashmir shocked. 4Continued on | P8 Arrested from Hyderabad for fraud-related cases registered in Mhow, al Falah University’s chancellor Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui’s brother Hamood was also wanted by Bhopal police in an investment fraud-related case registered against him in 1999 and was carrying a reward of Rs 5000 on his arrest, police officials said. The case was registered against Hamood Ahmad Siddiqui and some others at Shahjehanabad police station on the complaint of a man who was assured by Hamood that his investment would be doubled in a few years. However, Hamood and his aides vanished soon afterwards. 4Continued on | P8 ED arrests Al Falah group chairman The ED on Tuesday arrested Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, chairman of the Al Falah group, after it conducted simultaneous searches in Delhi-NCR against the trustees and promoters of Faridabad-based Al Falah University, which has been at the centre of the probe into the blast case, officials said.