FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. XLII No. 239 | INDORE | THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 5, 2026 | Pages 16 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports RCB aim for equality, DC fight history in epic WPL finale P.14 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE MONEY Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address in Parliament, slated for 5 p.m. on Wednesday, is understood to have been postponed, as the Lok Sabha was adjourned till Thursday morning, over continued uproar and vociferous sloganeering from the Opposition members. As the Lok Sabha reconvened at 5 p.m. on Wednesday to discuss the Motion of Thanks to President's address, the GOVT SCARED, SAYS PRIYANKA ongress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday alleged that the government is not allowing Rahul to speak in Parliament as it is scared that the unpublished "memoir" of former Army chief M M Naravane reveals what the reaction of the country's top leadership was when China was at our borders. C ‘India free on oil choice’ fp Briefs IMPHAL Khemchand is new CM of Manipur BJP MLA Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Wednesday became the 13th Chief Minister of Manipur, nearly a year after the resignation of BJP leader N Biren Singh following months of ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in the state, leading to the imposition of President's Rule. KOLKATA Emergency landing of Turkish plane A Turkish Airlines widebody plane made an emergency landing at Kolkata Airport after the pilot declared a fire in the aircraft's right engine, the Civil Aviation Ministry said. The flight was on way to Istanbul from Kathmandu, it said in a statement. House plunged into chaos with Opposition members erupting in protest, apparently enraged over denial of permission to Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi to rake up excerpts from an unpublished book, containing the memoirs of former Army Chief General M.M. Naravane. Sandhya Ray, officiating as the House Chairman, made an appeal to the lawmakers to stay seated and not disrupt the proceedings but her appeals went unheeded. Opposition MPs protest in the Lok Sabha during the Budget session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Wednesday 4Continued on | P8 THE BATTLE OF BOOKS ith the Lok Sabha proceedings getting stalled over fierce exchanges between the government and Opposition, the bitterness and bad blood only seem to be intensifying, with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey making it a battle of books -- between unpublished and published ones. During his speech in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, the BJP MP referenced a couple of published books on former Prime Minister late Jawaharlal Nehru and Edwina Mountbatten and made damaging accusations. W India is free to buy oil from any country, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday, a day after saying Moscow has not received any message from New Delhi on not buying Russian oil. "India has al- PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK RAHUL CALLS BITTU ‘TRAITOR’ ongress leader Rahul Gandhi kicked up a firestorm on Wednesday when he called Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu a "traitor", prompting the BJP to accuse him of insulting the entire Sikh community and demand that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla takes action against him. C ways purchased these (oil) products from other countries. Therefore, we see nothing new here." Doval bluntly told DC to dial down criticism FP News Service MUMBAI India’s eventual breakthrough with the US on trade did not come with a flourish of joint statements or choreographed handshakes. It followed months of discreet diplomacy, careful signalling and a calculated decision by New Delhi to lower the temperature with a White House that had turned openly hostile. In early September, days after PM Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in China, India moved quietly to reset ties with Washington. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval was dispatched to the US capital with a blunt but conciliatory message, reported Bloomberg. In a private meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Doval said India wanted to move past the acrimony of recent months and revive stalled trade talks, according to officials in New Delhi familiar with the discussions. While making it clear that India would not be “bullied” by President Trump or his aides — and that New Delhi was willing to wait out Trump’s term, as it had done in the past with hostile US administrations — Doval urged the US to dial down public criticism to get ties back on track. 4Continued on | P8 Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI The Congress on Wednesday mounted coordinated protests inside and outside Parliament after eight of its Lok Sabha MPs were suspended for repeatedly raising the issue of Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi being disallowed from placing his views on the Centre’s handling of the 2020 India-China clashes. Ahead of the day’s proceedings, Congress MPs, including Rahul and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, gathered outside Parliament’s Makar Dwar holding placards that read “PM is ‘ compromised”. Gandhi described the refusal to allow him to speak in the House as a “blot on democracy”. At the centre of the controversy is an unpublished memoir by former Chief of Army Staff M.M. Naravane, titled Four Stars of Destiny, as well as a magazine article that referred to it. Gandhi said he was barred from quoting the book on the grounds that it had not yet been formally released. Displaying a copy of the memoir, he argued that preventing its citation was an excuse to avoid an uncomfortable debate. 4Continued on | P8 Orders review of 237 ECs Eight cheetahs will be brought to Madhya Pradesh from Botswana on February 28, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced after meeting Union Minister for Forest and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav P.10 Remove nearly 150 structures within 200m of Kshipra: HC Our Staff Reporter INDORE Indore Bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday directed authorities to demolish illegal structures located within 200 metres of Kshipra river after a report submitted by the state government revealed that at least 150 structures were present in the restricted area. Hearing a writ petition filed by Satyanarayan against the Union of India and others, a Division Bench comprising Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi reviewed the State’s compliance report submitted following earlier court directions. As per the report placed before the court, the State government has identified a large number of constructions that violate the Ujjain Master Plan-2025. The report states that 80 buildings have been found within the prohibited area in Zone-1, while 29 constructions were identified in Zone-2 and 34 in Zone-3. In addition, 13 constructions in Zone-6 were also found to be within 200 metres of the riverbank. The court noted the submission of the State counsel that, in compliance with earlier interim orders, no fresh Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The National Green Tribunal (NGT), Central Zone Bench, Bhopal, has ordered an immediate halt to sand mining in nine quarries in Madhya Pradesh and directed the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) to review over 237 allegedly illegal environmental clearances (ECs) and report back within four weeks. The green court found that the clearances were granted without SEIAA approval and restrained miners who obtained ECs through illegal means. The order, passed on February 3 this year, followed an application by Monu Raja, which raised concern about 237 Public hearings, impact studies ignored he case focused on 10 sand mining leases where mandatory public hearings were allegedly flouted. Nine quarries were granted ECs without proper Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Environmental Management Plans (EMP) or replenishment studies, despite Supreme Court directions in Deepak Kumar vs State of Haryana and subsequent NGT rulings. Several leases were also located in areas submerged under water most of the year, where mining has been previously prohibited. T ECs issued under “deemed approval” provisions. According to the petition, the ECs were allegedly issued by executive officers without placing proposals before SEIAA, which is legally required to make collective decisions in formal meetings. Commission targeting Bengal’ FP News Service NEW DELHI West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday personally appeared before the Supreme Court and strongly attacked the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the State, alleging that Bengal was being selectively targeted ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. Addressing a Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V M Pancholi, Banerjee said the SIR process was aimed “only at deletion, not inclusion” of voters and posed a serious threat to democracy. “Save democracy,” she urged the Court, Live Law and Bar & Bench report. “This Election Commission, sorry WhatsApp Commission, is doing all of this,” Banerjee said, alleging that instructions were being passed to electoral officials through WhatsApp messages, in violation of the Supreme Court’s directions. Wearing a white sari with a black scarf, Banerjee told the Court that she had written six letters to the Election Commission flagging ground-level problems but received no reply. “When justice is crying behind the door, then we thought we are not getting justice any- What takes two years is being done in two to three months, during festival and harvesting season. Why the hurry? Mamata Banerjee in her SC appearance where,” she said, adding, “I am a bonded labourer, sir… I am from a common family, I am not fighting for my party.” At the outset, when Banerjee said, “I belong to that State,” CJI Kant replied, “There should be no doubt, madam!” The Chief Minister responded, “I am very grateful because of your kindness.” Though the CJI noted that the State of West Bengal was already represented by senior lawyers and had filed its own petition, the Court allowed Banerjee to make submissions, saying it would look for solutions to ensure that “no innocent citizen is left out.” 4Continued on | P8 Besides, the court has reiterated its interim ban on all construction activities within 200 metres of the river Govt may not give nod to prosecute Vijay Shah CM in Delhi to discuss the issue Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL construction is currently being permitted within the restricted zone along the Kshipra river. The State further assured the court that action for removal of illegal constructions would now be undertaken in accordance with law and with due promptness. During the hearing, advocate Baldeep Singh Gandhi, the counsel for the petitioner, pointed out an apparent procedural error, stating that an interlocutory application had been wrongly shown as “disposed of ” by the Registry despite not being adjudicated. It was also informed that another application is pending consideration. Taking note of these submissions, the court directed the Registry to verify the status of the applications and list them for hearing if they remain undecided. The state government is contemplating against giving approval for the prosecution of the minister, Vijay Shah, for his statement against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi. The government has to take a decision over whether it should give approval for the prosecution and submit a reply to the Supreme Court, which is hearing the case on February 9. The SIT sought the government’s permission to prosecute Shah under section 196 1 (A) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and the party’s state president, Hemant Khandelwal, visited Delhi on Wednesday and discussed the issue with the senior leaders. According to sources, the BJP is against giving permission to prosecute a minister of its government. But what the apex court says on the government’s decision is important. The high court issued an order to lodge an FIR against Shah, but the SC stayed it and directed the government to set up an SIT probe. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 in Delhi on Wednesday. The meeting involved a comprehensive discussion on cheetah rehabilitation, necessary cooperation of the Centre and arrangements for their relocation. Discussions also focused on bringing wild buffalo to the state from Assam. During his Delhi visit, the CM also met Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi, Union Textile Minister Giriraj Singh and Union Minister for Rail and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw. PREPARATIONS ON Sources in the Forest Department said the eight cheetahs will initially arrive at Kuno National Park, Sheopur, and later be translocated to Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary (Mandsaur) and Nauradehi Sanctuary (Sagar). All sites have been prepared with large enclosures and an adequate prey base to ensure the cheetahs proper upkeep. Som Distilleries units NGT’s directions Our Staff Reporter FLASHBACK... ribunal found that ECs were issued by executive officers without SEIAA appraisal or approval violated Sections 2, 3, and 6 of the EIA Notification, 2006. Such clearances have no legal force. Mining in the affected quarries is halted immediately, and SEIAA must re-examine all cases strictly according to law. BHOPAL he action, under Section 31(1) of the Madhya Pradesh Excise Act, comes after a December 23, 2023, verdict by Additional Session Judge, Depalpur, which imposed imprisonment and fines on accused, including Umashankar Sharma and G D Arora. Following the verdict, showcause notices were issued to the distilleries asking why their licences should not be cancelled. T Officials reportedly misused the deemed approval provision, allowing statutory timelines to lapse and bypassing scrutiny, appraisal and public consultation. 4Continued on | P8 In a decisive crackdown on illegal liquor operations, Excise Commissioner Abhijeet Agrawal on Wednesday suspended multiple licences of Som Distilleries Private Limited, Sehatganj (Raisen) and Som Distilleries and Breweries Limited, Rojrachak (Raisen) following allegations of fake permits and illegal transportation of liquor. Som Distilleries Private Limited, Sehatganj, had its D 1 licence (No. 35/2021/0001), FL 9 licence (No. 35/2021/0003), CS 1 licences (Nos. 41/2025-26 to 47/2025-26), and CS 1-B licence (No. 35/2021/0014) suspended. Similarly, Som Distilleries and Breweries Limited, Rojrachak, faced suspension of FL 9 licence 3 minor sisters jump to death Biswajeet Banerjee GHAZIABAD A tragic incident unfolded in Ghaziabad’s Bharat City area, where three sisters, all minors, allegedly died by suicide after GAME ADDICTION jumping from the ninth floor of a residential building. Police investigations have pointed to extreme addiction to a taskbased online Korean game and a family dispute over mobile phone use as possible triggers. The incident took place under the Teelamod police station limits. The deceased have been identified as Nishika (16), Prachi (14) and Paaki (12), daughters of Chetan Kumar. Police said they rushed to the spot after receiving information about the incident at around 2.18 am. According to the family and police officials, the girls were sleeping in the same room, and their parents in another room. Late at night, the girls allegedly locked their room from inside and jumped out of the window. 4Continued on | P8 ‘KOREAN LOVE GAME’ 8 Botswana cheetahs coming soon Our Staff Reporter E-paper ‘Jo uchit samjho, Stop illegal mining in Excise commissioner woh karo’ 9 quarries, orders NGT suspends licences of wildlife boost BHOPAL MUMBAI Cinema Ek Bhookha Magarmach! P.16 No PM speech as uproar forces LS adjournment NEW DELHI PRESS Edit Finally, a CM for Manipur Over 28L homes get `16K cr aid under PM Surya Ghar scheme PARLIAMENT DRAMA | Women MPs from Oppn marched towards Treasury benches ahead of PM’s scheduled reply IANS UJJAIN FP News Service MUMBAI CM Yadav presents bouquet to Union Minister for Forest & Climate Change, Bhupendra Yadav in Delhi The so-called “Korean Love Game” is described as a manipulative, task-based online platform that targets minors by exploiting emotional vulnerability. It begins when an unknown person contacts a child through social media platforms or mobile applications. The individual usually claims to be a Korean national or a foreigner and initiates conversations centred on friendship and love. Once trust is established, the child is gradually assigned tasks. The initial tasks are relatively simple, such as chatting regularly or waking up in the middle of the night to prove loyalty. 4Continued on | P8 T (No. 35/2021/0004), FL 9 A licence (No. 35/2025/0031), B 3 licence (No. 35/2021/0002), and DL 9 A of B 3 licence (No. 35/2025/0032). 4Continued on | P8 SC notice to NBEMS, NMC, central govt on zero percentile in NEET-PG Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday issued notice on a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the decision of the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), National Medical Commission (NMC) and central government to reduce qualifying cut-off percentiles for NEET-PG 202526. Doctors’ bodies have filed the PIL. SC will hear the matter on February 6. The petition assails the notice dated January 13 issued by NBEMS reducing the qualifying cut-off. Petitioners contend the cut-off has been lowered to abnormally low levels, including zero and negative percentiles. They argue that reduction of qualifying standards for postgraduate medical education is arbitrary and violates Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution. 4Continued on | P8