Friday, December 26, 2025 VEER BAL D I WA S | Vol. 69 No. 70 | 23 Pages Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL H A P PY B OX I N G DAY INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation GAMES NATION Hit by a speeding truck, luxury bus catches fire in K’taka, 6 killed US thwarting India ties, says China Agencies BEIJING China on Thursday accused the United States of distorting its defence policy in an attempt to obstruct an improvement in ties between China and India. Foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian made the remarks while responding to a question at a regular press briefing on whether China could exploit a recent easing of tensions with India over disputed border areas to prevent closer ties between New Delhi and Washington. The Chinese government views its relationship with India from a strategic and long-term perspective, Lin said, stressing that the border issue was strictly a bilateral matter. “We object to any country passing judgment about this issue,” he added. His comments came against the backdrop of the Pentagon saying in a report on Tuesday that China “probably seeks to capitalize on decreased tension ... to stabilize bilateral relations and prevent the deepening of US-India ties.” Beijing rejected the assessment, reiterating that its engagement with India is independent of third-party influence and focused on managing differences through bilateral channels. Cinema Kartik, Ananya’s film is as confusing as its title Nobody should leave a match winner out of the team, Vengsarkar on Jaiswal’s T20I snub THREAD OF UNITY | Modi claims groundwork for the decision on Kashmir had been laid by Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee PM links ideology to Art 370 action Biswajeet Banerjee Rashtriya Prerna Sthal, Lucknow LUCKNOW Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday asserted that his government “brought down the wall of Article 370” to strengthen national unity, saying the ideological groundwork for the decision had been laid decades ago by Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee. He said India cannot have two flags and two constitutions, and that the country is bound by a single thread of unity. The Prime Minister was addressing a public gathering after inaugurating the Rashtriya Prerna Sthal in the Vasant Kunj area on the occasion of the 101st birth anniversary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The memorial has been developed as a national space to honour prominent personalities of independent India associated with the ideological journey of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Attacks pain Archbishop PTI NEW DELHI Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) president Archbishop Andrews Thazhath on Christmas Eve appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and chief ministers of various states to ensure strict enforcement of law and extend 4Contd on | nation Khaleda Zia’s son back in Dhaka after 17 years proactive protection to Christian communities across the country, citing a disturbing rise in attacks on Christians. In a video appeal released by the CBCI, the Archbishop expressed “deep pain” over the incidents. 4Contd on | nation 4See also | nation Another Hindu lynched in Bangladesh Agencies Agencies DHAKA DHAKA Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman returned to Bangladesh on Thursday after more than 17 years in self-exile in the United Kingdom, drawing massive crowds and tight security as he made his way from the airport to a public reception before visiting his ailing mother, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, at a Dhaka hospital. Rahman, 60, arrived at HazBNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman (C) at Hazrat rat Shahjalal International AirShahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Thursday. port around 11.40am on a regular Biman Bangladesh Air- lier made a brief stopover at man at the airport’s VVIP lines flight from London, Sylhet’s Osmani Inter- lounge, where he exchanged accompanied by his wife national Airport. greetings with party leaders Dr Zubaida Rahman, Senior BNP leaders, and supporters. daughter Zaima Rahman led by Secretary General 4Contd on | nation and the family’s pet cat, Mirza Fakhrul Islam 4See also | world Zeebu. The flight had ear- Scan & Watch Alamgir, received Rah- Days after a Hindu worker, Dipu Das, was burnt alive by a mob, another Hindu man was beaten to death in Bangladesh amid continuing unrest. The incident took place late Wednesday night in Rajbari’s Pangsha upazila, where Amrit Mondal, also known as Samrat, was lynched following an alleged extortion bid. The Daily Star said the incident occurred at Hosendanga village. According to the police, Mondal was attacked over allegations of extortion. On receiving information, police rushed to the spot and rescued him in a critical condition. He was immediately taken to the Pangsha Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared him dead. Assistant Superintendent of Police (Pangsha Circle) Debrata Sarkar said Mondal had at least two cases filed against him with Pangsha Police Station, including a murder case. The officer added that Mondal had allegedly formed a criminal gang and had long been involved in extortion and other criminal activities. Police arrested one of Mondal’s associates. The cat has landed T ariq Rahman’s cat Zeebu almost stole the show from him when she arrived in Dhaka. Zeebu, the Rahman family pet, arrived along with the BNP leader, his wife Zubaida Rahman and their daughter Zaima Rahman, drawing widespread atten- tion on social media. The BNP’s verified Facebook page announced Zeebu’s return shortly after noon, sharing a photograph with the caption, “Zeebu has returned to the country.” 4Contd on | nation Surat man cheats death midair FPJ News Service MUMBAI Surat woke up to a gasp on Thursday morning — the kind that catches in the throat and refuses to leave. At around 8 am, in the quiet hum of a residential high-rise, 57-year-old Nitin Adiya slipped from the 10th floor of his apartment and tumbled into a nightmare that should, by all logic, have ended in tragedy. Instead, it paused — improbably — on the 8th floor. Nitin Adiya had been asleep near the window of his flat in the Time Galaxy-A building in Jahangirabad. What caused the slip is still unclear. What is clear is what followed: a sudden fall, a scream swallowed by concrete, and then the metallic mercy of a window grill two floors below. His leg wedged into the iron bars and an external ledge, Adiya was left hanging upside down, suspended between life and death, the ground yawning far beneath him. For nearly an hour, time stretched and twisted. Residents leaned out of balconies, phones frozen mid-record. Every movement risked turning a miracle into a morgue call. Dramatic visuals — later viral — showed Adiya trapped at a grotesque angle, his body pinned by gravity, his survival owed to a few inches of steel. The alarm reached the Fire Control Room quickly. Within minutes, teams from Jahangirpura, Palanpur and Adajan fire stations converged on the site. What followed was a rescue choreographed with nerves of steel. 4Contd on | nation Edit Why Vande Mataram will not work in Bengal polls Navi Mumbai airport goes live Dhairya Gajara MUMBAI Christmas day marked a historic turning point in Indian aviation as the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) officially commenced commercial flight operations. After nearly three decades of planning and construction, the grand Lotus structure finally opened its gates, transforming Mumbai into a dual-airport city, joining global aviation cities such as London, New York, Moscow, Tokyo and Shanghai. The atmosphere at the airport turned electric as IndiGo flight 6E460 from Bengaluru descended through the morning mist. While the first flight was scheduled to arrive at 8am, its tires kissed the 3,700-meter runway much earlier, at 7.32am, making it the first commercial flight to land at NMIA. As the aircraft taxied toward the terminal, it was greeted with the traditional water cannon salute, Adani Group’s chairman Gautam Adani (top) welcomed a celebratory gesture that sigthe passengers of the inaugural flight on Thursday. naled the birth of a new era. Adani Group’s chairman port employees, community ryakumar Yoadab, Mithali Raj Gautam Adani, along with his representatives and Adani and Sunil Chhetri were also wife Priti Adani, also reached Foundation beneficiaries. present during the ceremony. the airport early on Thursday The first flight flew unusual Calling it a proud day for morning to personally greet passengers with it as it included Mumbai and for India, he said, and welcome the passengers of war heroes, airport’s construc- “NMIA stands as a promise of the inaugural flight. He also in- tion workers, farmers, social what the country can achieve teracted with airport workers associated with when ambition is guided by staff, frontline workers Adani Foundation and purpose and delivered with and first-time flyers. He specially-abled em- speed and execution.” also joined a ceremonial ployees of the Adani 4Contd on | nation walk through the deparGroup. Leading sport4See also | mumbai ture terminal with air- Scan & Watch spersons including Su- DB Patil’s kin among first arrivals Raina Assainar NAVI MUMBAI Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) received Anup Patil, grandson of late Loknete DB Patil, who arived on the first IndiGo flight from Bengaluru, in a symbolic reminder of the long-pending demand that the airport be named after the farmers’ leader. Though Maharashtra government has recommended Patil be honoured by naming the airport after him, the Centre is yet to take a call. Patil sported a T-shirt that read “Loknete DB Patil Antarrashtriya Vimantal, Navi Mumbai Madhye Aaple Swagat” (Welcome to Loknete DB Patil International Airport), and carried a hoarding bearing Patil’s photograph. 4Contd on | mumbai