FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLII No. 207 | INDORE | FRIDAY | JANUARY 2, 2026 | Pages 16 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in Sports ‘ODI format may lose relevance once Ro-Ko era winds down’ P.14 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE MONEY GST collections rise 6.1% to over `1.74 lakh cr in December 2025 FIRST BAD NEWS STORY OF 2026 | Victims said to be from many countries; more than 100 people injured, many seriously 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 Crans-Montana, into mourning that touches the entire country and far beyond,” Swiss Federal President Guy Parmelin said on X. The blaze broke out at 1.30 Indore’s Aishni clinches Scottish Open Junior crown Our Sports Reporter INDORE/ EDINBURGH 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 ministry, 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 unfortunately 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 fp Briefs NEW DELHI GST collection jumps 6.1% India’s GST collection recorded a 6.1 per cent increase to Rs 1,74,550 crore in December 2025 compared to Rs 1,64,556 crore the same month of the previous year, reflecting the increase in economic activity during the month, official figures released on Thursday showed. NEW DELHI Dense fog disrupts flights Flight operations across several parts of northern and eastern India, including Delhi, were affected on Thursday as dense fog engulfed large swathes of the region, reducing visibility and prompting airlines to issue advisories. 4Continued on | P8 Hindu bizman stabbed, set ablaze in Bangladesh FP Online DHAKA Rising Indian squash sensation Aishni Pathak has etched her name in the record books by winning the Under-17 title at the prestigious Scottish Open Junior International Squash Championship 2025. The 16year-old from Indore displayed grit and flair to defeat Rowan Calhoun of the United States 31 in a thrilling final. Valais canton’s public prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud, adding a probe was on and the fire was being treated as an accident. Video footage verified by Reuters showed flames engulfing the building, with people outside running and screaming as emergency services rushed to the scene. Lines of ambulances were seen outside the bar, while helicopters landed nearby to airlift victims to hospitals and specialist burns units. Officials said 10 helicopters, 40 ambulances and around 150 emergency workers were Scan & Watch deployed. In yet another case of mob violence against a Hindu in Bangladesh, a 40-year-old businessman narrowly escaped death after he was beaten, stabbed and set on fire by a group of attackers. The victim, identified as Khokan Chandra, survived by jumping into a pond, though he sustained severe burn injuries. According to reports, Khokan was attacked around 9 pm on New Year’s Eve while returning home after closing his medical shop in Keurbhanga Bazar. He was intercepted by a group of people near the Tiloi area and was then brutally assaulted. The attackers allegedly stabbed Khokan multiple times with sharp weapons before dousing him with petrol and setting him ablaze. Despite the assault, he managed to escape by leaping into a nearby pond. Locals later rescued him and rushed him to Shariatpur Sadar Hospital, where doctors said his condition remains critical. Authorities have not yet confirmed the motive behind the attack, nor have they identified those responsible. The incident has intensified fear among Bangladesh’s Hindu minority, coming amid a spate of violent attacks following the killing of anti-India youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi. Protests over Hadi’s death have taken a strong antiIndia turn, with allegations that the accused fled to India. The latest attack occurred just a day after another Hindu man, Bajendra Biswas, was shot dead while on security duty at a garment factory in Mymensingh. According to local reports, the accused, Noman Mia, taunted Biswas before shooting him dead. Both men were members of the Ansar Bahini, a paramilitary auxiliary force under Bangladesh’s Home Ministry, tasked with community policing. They were deployed at a factory of Sultana Sweaters Limited when the incident occurred. 4Continued on | P8 Sabarimala gold plunder PM calls for harmony in ’26 far larger than thought Agencies FP News Service NEW DELHI 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 Kollam 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 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. See Nation 4Continued on | P8 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday extended New Year greetings to the nation, wishing everyone an excellent 2026. In a message shared on X, the Prime Minister expressed hope that the year ahead would bring good health and prosperity to all. He said he prays for success in people's efforts and fulfilment in all that they do. The PM also prayed for peace and happiness in society, extending his best wishes for harmony and well-being as the country enters the new year. Earlier, Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi also took to X to wish people a happy New Year 2026, expressing hope that the year would bring good health, happiness, and success to everyone. 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. 4Continued on | P8 UJJAIN PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Jaishankar’s reset signal P.6 Cinema First look of Prabhas-starrer Spirit unveiled P.16 BMC water testing in hands of driver, blind assistant BHAGIRATHPURA TRAGEDY Contaminated water caused deaths: Report Our Staff Reporter INDORE Utsav Gupta BHOPAL Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) is reportedly handling water testing and monitoring with its driver collecting samples and a visually impaired lab assistant testing them, raising concern over drinking water safety for nearly 30 lakh residents. The issue comes amid growing fears after the recent tragedy in Indore. Officials said the city has 15 water treatment plants supplying water from multiple sources, yet monitoring falls on just four chemists. Routine sample collection is reportedly handled by driver Pankaj Jangde, who on Wednesday collected samples from various parts of TT Nagar and has been performing this duty for a long time. Lab assistant Ashok Vishwakarma, part of water works department, suffers from prolonged weak eyesight and is undergoing medical treatment. 4Continued on | P8 A high-level meeting was held in Indore on Thursday to review the contaminated drinking water crisis that has so far claimed 14 lives ( even as the official death toll remains at 4) and over 150 people are still undergoing treatment, triggering public outrage and judicial intervention. Meanwhile, the government on Thursday officially confirmed that contaminated drinking water caused the deaths and illnesses in Bhagirathpura. The meeting was chaired by Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Sanjay Dubey and attended by Urban Development and Housing Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, Water Resources Minister Tulsi Silawat, Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav, Divisional Commissioner Sudam Khade, District Collector Shivam Verma, and Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) Commissioner Dileep Kumar Yadav. The focus was on reviewing the situation in the worst-hit Bhagirathpura area, coordinating relief measures, and expediting stalled water supply works. Tender issues resolved, work to begin Addressing the media after the meeting, Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said the delays in water supply repair works TOLL RISES TO 14 HC HEARING TODAY The death toll in the water contamination tragedy has now risen to 14, dealing a severe blow to Indore s image as the country s cleanest city. The latest victim has been identified as Arvind (43), son of Hiralal, a resident of Kulkarni Bhatta. Earlier, 13 deaths were reported between December 21 and 31. In a significant development, the Indore High Court has ordered free treatment for all affected patients and sought a detailed status report by January 2. . The order followed a PIL filed by the Indore High Court Bar Association, demanding clean and safe drinking water for residents. NHRC TAKES SUO MOTU COGNISANCE The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of the tragedy. "Reportedly, the residents had been complaining about the supply of contaminated water supply for several days, but no action was taken by the authorities," NHRC said in a statement. The human rights body has issued a notice to the Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary, calling for a detailed report on the matter within two weeks. were due to procedural hurdles, which have now been cleared. Today, we resolved minor issues such as tender-related problems due to which work was hindered. The tender for the Bhagirathpura area will be cleared by tomorrow and work will commence immediately, he said. Vijayvargiya added that instructions had been issued to prioritise fixing water-related problems across the city. Two to three additional officers will be deployed from Thursday as there is a shortage of officials and the existing officers are overburdened. See pg 3 Scan & Watch 4Continued on | P8