Friday, January 2, 2026 | Vol. 69 No. 76 | 29 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 GAMES NATION Will not bow before ‘malevolent forces’: Mamata on TMC’s foundation day FIRST BAD NEWS STORY OF 2026 | The victims are said to be from many countries. More than 100 people are injured, many seriously. Terror angle being ruled out for the moment OVER 40 DEAD IN SWISS RESORT BAR BLAZE Agencies CRANS-MONTANA Dozens of people were killed and around 100 injured, most of them seriously, after a devastating fire tore through a packed bar during New Year’s Eve celebrations at the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, authorities said on Thursday. Officials said many victims were foreigners and identifying the dead would be a lengthy process. “What was meant to be a moment of joy turned, on the first day of the year in CransMontana, into mourning that touches the entire country and Cinema New version of Dhurandhar released across theatres Rishabh Pant’s place under scanner as selectors meet to announce ODI squad for New Zealand series far beyond,” Swiss Federal President Guy Parmelin said on X. The blaze broke out at 1.30 am at Le Constellation, a popular bar in the resort in Switzerland’s Valais canton. Swiss police said “tens” of people were presumed dead, while Italian foreign min- istry, citing information from Swiss officials, said about 40 had died. Swiss officials declined to give a precise toll, saying identification of victims would take time due to severity of burns. “Our count is about 100 injured, most seriously, and un- Edit Do the BMC elections matter after all? Well, yes and no Indore water toll hits 14; HC, NHRC step in FPJ News Service INDORE fortunately tens of people are presumed dead,” Valais canton police chief Frédéric Gisler said. “We’re devastated,” he said, calling it one of the worst tragedies in Swiss history. Officials stressed there was no indication of terrorism or arson. “At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack,” said Valais canton’s public prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud, adding a probe was on and the fire was being treated as Scan & Watch an accident. Fourteen people are feared dead and over 150 remain under treatment after contaminated drinking water triggered a public health catastrophe in Indore’s Bhagirathpura area, puncturing the city’s image as India’s cleanest urban centre. Both the NHRC and Madhya Pradesh HC’s Indore bench have taken note of the issue. While the official toll continues to be listed at four, local accounts and hospital records indicate the number of fatalities has risen to 14, with nearly 1,400 affected by diarrhoea and vomiting over the past Scan & Watch ten days. 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation Sabarimala gold plunder far larger than thought FPJ News Service lam that early estimates grossly understated the quantity of gold removed from the temple. The investigation has revealed that the loss extends beyond a single structure or incident and involves multiple sacred artefacts within the shrine. According to the commissioning report submitted earlier by Vijay Mallya’s UB Group, more than 30 kilograms of gold and over 1,000 kilograms of copper were used to gild the roof and other parts of the temple. However, there is no clear estimate of how much of that gold remains at present. So far, the total quantity of gold recovered from the main accused, including Unnikrishnan Potty, Smart Creations director Bhandari, and Bellary-based jeweller Govardhan, barely adds up to a kilogram. Investigators informed RAIN GREETS CITY ON NY DAY GST collections show resilience MUMBAI ndia’s gross GST receipts rose 6.1% to Rs 1.74 lakh crore in December 2025, underscoring resilience in tax revenues despite recent rate cuts. Government data released on Thursday showed collections remained well above the Rs 1.64 lakh crore recorded in December last year. November receipts, at Rs 1.70 lakh crore, had reflected the first full impact of GST reductions. SEE MONEY THIRUVANANTHAPURAM The scale of gold theft at the Sabarimala hill shrine is far bigger than initially recorded, with investigators now saying that losses once spoken of in grams are actually in kilograms. The special investigation team (SIT) probing the case has told the Vigilance court in Kol- Devashri Bhujbal Mumbai and parts of its metropolitan region welcomed 2026 with unexpected rainfall that began around midnight on New Year’s Day and continued till morning. Though the rain was light and isolated, the sudden change in weather brought a chill in the air, offering a pleasant surprise to Mumbaikars celebrating the New Year. According to the Indian Me- teorological Department (IMD), Mumbai’s Santacruz observatory recorded 7 mm of rainfall on January 1, while the Colaba observatory recorded 9 mm. While there was no major change in the mercury, humidity levels were relatively low. The IMD forecast said that for the next 48 hours, Mumbai city and suburbs will experience partly cloudy skies with haze during the morning hours and mainly clear conditions towards the afternoon and evening. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to hover around 30 degrees Celsius and 7 degrees Celsius, respectively. Morning chills are also likely to continue for the next two days. 4Contd on | nation I Bullet train 1st leg Lokpal scraps order on August 15, 2027 for 7 luxury BMWs PTI NEW DELHI FPJ News Service MUMBAI India’s long-awaited leap into high-speed rail is set to become reality on Independence Day 2027. Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said the country’s first bullet train will begin operations in phases, with the inaugural stretch opening on August 15, 2027. Offering a detailed rollout plan, the minister said on Thursday that the first operational section will be the Surat–Bilimora corridor, giving India its maiden taste of bullet train travel. Once this segment is commissioned, services will be expanded in a calibrated manner across the western corridor. 4Contd on | nation The anti-graft ombudsman Lokpal has cancelled its controversial tender to procure seven luxury BMW cars, collectively worth around Rs 5 crore, two months after it was floated, officials said on Thursday. Opposition parties and civil society activists had strongly criticised the Lokpal’s decision to procure high-end vehicles. Officials said the decision to cancel the procurement offer was taken following a resolution of the full bench of the Lokpal, after which a corrigendum dated December 16, 2025, was issued. The Lokpal had floated the request for proposal on October 16, 2025, seeking bids from reputed agencies for the supply of seven BMW 3 Series 330Li cars. The procurement was meant to provide one vehicle each to the chairperson and six members of the Lokpal, which is currently headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar (retd). The Lokpal is headed by a chairperson and can have a maximum of eight members, including four judicial and four non-judicial members. 4Contd on | nation Fresh tax shock sinks tobacco shares Palazhi Ashok Kumar MUMBAI Shares of cigarette and tobacco manufacturers slid sharply on Thursday after the government set February 1 as the effective date for higher excise duties on tobacco products, and announced a new health and national security cess on pan masala, delivering a fresh jolt to a sector already weighed down by heavy taxation. “The move, confirmed through latenight Finance Ministry notifications on Wednesday, triggered broad-based selling across tobacco counters at the opening bell, with losses deepening through the session as investors reassessed earnings NEW RATES Cigarettes Non-filter(<65mm) Non-filter (65-70mm) Filter(<65mm) Filter(65-70mm) Filter (70-75mm) Others Cess above 40% tax per 1,000 sticks `2,050 `3,600 `2,100 `4,000 `5,400 `8,500 prospects,” marketmen said. ITC, the country’s largest cigarette maker and the producer of the Gold Flake brand, fell nearly 10% to Rs 363.95, touching a fresh 52-week low in intraday trade. Godfrey Phillips India, which markets Marlboro in India, bore the brunt of the sell-off, slumping 17% to close at Rs 2,289.65 after plunging as much as 19% earlier in the day. Shares of VST Industries ended marginally lower at Rs 255.15. Market participants said the reaction reflected fears that the revised tax regime would further squeeze margins and dampen legal volumes. India is estimated to have over 120 million smokers, and analysts caution that repeated tax hikes often encourage down-trading and illicit consumption. 4Contd on | nation the court that only 584 grams of gold have been recovered so far, which is far less than what is believed to have been stolen. In its latest report, the SIT said it has identified missing gold from additional temple artefacts, including the images of Siva and the Vyali (tiger head) embedded in the door frames of the sanctum sanctorum. 4Contd on | nation Woman declared dead, Cooper hosp vandalised Amit Srivastava & Megha Kuchik BADLAPUR ENCOUNTER Govt moves to finalise AT Report Ravikiran Deshmukh MUMBAI MUMBAI The Juhu police have registered an FIR against Hanif Shaikh (34) and several of his relatives for allegedly creating a ruckus and vandalising property inside Cooper Hospital on Wednesday night after the death of his wife, police said. It happened after Sabana Shaikh (31), a homemaker and resident of Junaid Nagar in Andheri West, was declared dead on arrival at Cooper Hospital. Police say, Sabana suffered an electric shock at her residence, following which she fell from the window of a first-floor flat in a residential building under the jurisdiction of the DN Nagar police station. She was rushed to Cooper Hospital around 10.30 pm. Doctors examined her and declared her dead on arrival. After being informed of her death, her husband and relatives allegedly began shouting and vandalising parts of the casualty ward, creating panic among hospital staff and patients. Dr Dev Shetty, Medical Superintendent of Cooper Hospital, confirmed the incident and said the situation escalated after the family was informed about the death. He added that the violence created fear among assistant medical officers and other staff members who were on night duty. Police said hospital property was damaged during the incident, but clarified that no doctors or staff members were physically assaulted. Hospital authorities stated that Sabana was unresponsive when she was brought in and that there was no delay in treatment. As per medical protocol, a post-mortem examination was advised. However, the family allegedly refused initially and forcibly took Sabana’s body in an autorickshaw to a nearby Ayurveda hospital, where she was again declared dead on arrival. The Maharashtra government has constituted a six-member committee to draft the Action Taken Report (ATR) on the inquiry commission’s findings into the Badlapur encounter case, whose report was submitted in August last year. The ATR will outline the government’s response to the panel’s recommendations and chart the next course of action. The inquiry was conducted by a one-member commission headed by Justice (Retd) Dilip Bhosale, which examined the circumstances surrounding the encounter killing of Akshay Anna Shinde, the prime accused in the Badlapur school sexual assault case. The incident had shaken Maharashtra and led to sustained public outrage. According to a government resolution, the ATR committee will be headed by the Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department. Other members include the Principal Secretary (Special), the Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), and the Deputy Secretary (Law). 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation