FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. XLII No. 218 | INDORE | TUESDAY | JANUARY 13, 2026 | Pages 16 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 HAPPY FREE www.freepressjournal.in ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE STRING OF DEATH | Court directs strict enforcement of ban on manufacture, sale, storage and use of deadly thread Guardians liable if minors use Chinese manjha: HC Our Staff Reporter HC observed that despite existing ban, illegal use of deadly thread continues, posing threat to people INDORE In a stern warning ahead of Makar Sankranti festival, Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court has made it clear that guardians will be held legally responsible if minors are found using the banned Chinese nylon thread (manjha), which has been linked to several deaths and serious accidents. A division bench of Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi, while hearing a suo motu public interest litigation, directed strict en- forcement of the ban on manufacture, sale, storage and use of Chinese manjha across Indore and adjoining districts. The HC took note of submissions made by amicus curiae Vivek Sharan, who warned that with Makar Sankranti on January 14, the risk of accidents could increase due Two more die in Bhagirathpura to widespread kite flying. He urged the court to issue further directions for immediate precautionary measures and large-scale public awareness campaigns. The HC observed that despite an existing ban, illegal use of the dangerous thread continues, posing a serious TOLL 23 Minor changes in Class 10, 12 exam schedule Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL MP Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) has made minor changes in the exam timetable for Class 10 and 12. Hindi, Urdu, and Marathi papers will now be held in March instead of February. The Class 10 Hindi paper, originally scheduled for February 11, will now be conducted on March 6. Class 12 Urdu and Marathi papers, earlier set for February 9, are also rescheduled to March 6. Meanwhile, the Class 12 Hindi paper, previously planned for February 7, will now be held on March 7. MPBSE officials said the adjustments are aimed at better coordination and smooth conduct of exams. Nitendra Sharma BHOPAL Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) (Finance) Manish Rastogi has declined to accept the minutes of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s meeting on operation and maintenance of the rural Nal Jal scheme. At a meeting with the Chief Secretary, Anurag Jain, Rastogi said he did not take these minutes into consideration. Afterwards, the policy of the PTI SRIHARIKOTA 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 ACS declines to accept minutes of CM’s meet Rural Nal Jal Schemes get stuck PSLV mission fails, 16 satellites lost a private hospital and later referred to Bombay Hospital. Relatives of Bhagwandas break down in tears. PIC: ANAND SHIVRE of Tukaram Bharne (64), who had been undergoing treatment for nearly 10 days. He was initially admitted to 4Continued on | P8 In a second consecutive setback, ISRO's PSLV-C62 rocket carrying 16 satellites, including a foreign Earth Observation payload, failed to place them in the intended orbit after encountering an "anomaly" in the critical third stage of the launch on Monday. "Disturbances in the rocket and later deviation from the flight path were observed when strap-on motors were providing thrust during the flight's third stage to propel the vehicle to the intended Our Staff Reporter INDORE Bhagirathpura area witnessed two deaths within a span of less than 12 hours, further intensifying the contaminated water crisis gripping the locality. One death was reported during the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, while the second was confirmed on Monday morning, taking the total death toll due to suspected contaminated water consumption to 23. The latest victim has been identified as Bhagwandas, son threat to pedestrians, twowheeler riders and birds. With kite flying set to peak during Makar Sankranti on January 14, the court said accountability must extend beyond sellers and users to guardians of minors involved in the activity. The court directed district collectors and police chiefs of Indore, Ujjain, Dewas, Dhar, Khargone, Badwani, Alirajpur, Jhabua, Mandsaur, Neemuch, Ratlam, Shajapur and Rajgarh to ensure zero tolerance against violations. Nal Jal Yojna got stuck. Yadav held a meeting with the officials on the policy of operation and maintenance of the rural Nal Jal Yojna on August 21 last year. In the meeting, it was decided that the rural Nal Jal Yojna policy prepared by the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) for operation, maintenance, and management should be carried out for three years. 4Continued on | P8 Now, decision is in CM’s court, says Uike inister for the Public Health Engineering Department Sampatiya Uikey has said it was decided at the meeting on August 21 in the presence of the Chief Minister Mohan Yadav that PHED would do maintenance and operation of the completed Nal Jal Scheme. But it could not be put up before the cabinet, she said, adding that since the Panchayat and the Rural Development Department was not able to maintain the work, it was decided to hand it over to PHED. But if the officers do not agree with the policy, the Chief Minister will take a decision, he said. M Disgusting: SC slams judicial officer over urination in train PTI NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Monday stayed a Madhya Pradesh High Court order that quashed the termination of a judicial officer who allegedly created a nuisance and urinated in front of the berth of a woman co-passenger onboard a train in 2018. Terming the civil judge's conduct as "disgusting", a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta observed that it was a "shocking" case and he should have been dismissed. It issued a notice to the judicial officer and the Madhya Pradesh government seeking their responses on the petition filed by the high court's administrative side against a May last year order of the high court's division bench that had quashed the termination order of September 2019 and had directed that the judicial officer be reinstated within 15 days. 4Continued on | P8 next-gen IIT-I develops tech for smarter transportation Our Staff Reporter INDORE Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology Indore, led by Prof Prabhat Kumar Upadhyay, are at the forefront of developing next-generation intelligent transportation systems using Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) communication technology. This advanced vehicular communication framework en- Advanced vehicular communication framework enables vehicles to exchange information with other vehicles, road infrastructure ables vehicles to seamlessly exchange information with other vehicles, road infrastructure, pedestrians and cloud-based systems, creat- ing a highly connected and responsive road environment. The primary goal of this research is to enhance road safety, traffic efficiency and overall mobility by enabling real-time information sharing among road users. Through C-V2X technology, vehicles can automatically alert one another of potential hazards such as accidents ahead, sudden braking, poor road con- ditions, or traffic congestion—often before a driver can perceive the danger. Leveraging high-speed wireless networks such as 4G LTE and 5G, these safetycritical messages are transmitted with minimal delay, enabling faster and more informed decision-making. A key challenge addressed by the IIT Indore team lies in the efficient sharing of limited 4Continued on | P8 UJJAIN PRESS PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK India, Germany to map defence co-operation Ashwin Ahmad MUMBAI E-paper Cinema: The OTT explosion of Haq P-16 Gor: No nation more essential than India NEW DELHI PTI German Chancellor Friedrich Merz who arrived on Monday morning at Ahmedabad for an official two-day visit, stated that his priorities included finalising the long-negotiated IndiaEU FTA agreement and pulling India away from Russian arms and equipment. “We need to strengthen our defence industries and the cooperation of our defence industries. This has strategic significance, as this means India is less dependent on Russia,” the German Chancellor said in a joint address with Prime Minister Modi. 4Continued on | P8 NEW DELHI Signalling an intent to rebuild strained ties, President Donald Trump's new ambassador to Delhi said on Monday that no country is as essential as India to the United States, and asserted that both sides are actively engaged to firm up a trade deal. In his arrival speech, Sergio Gor also announced an invitation to New Delhi for a US-led strategic alliance, known as 'Pax Silica' on critical minerals and artificial intelligence. Gor said the next call between the two sides on the trade deal is scheduled for Tuesday. The US and India are bound not just by shared interests, but by a relationship "anchored at the highest levels", he said, hoping President Trump would visit India in the "next year or two". The comments made just hours after he began work are seen as a welcome outreach by the Trump administration, which has mounted pressure on India in recent months over tariffs and H1B visas. "You and I have an incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to redefine diplomacy. What it can accomplish could be the most consequential global partnership of this century," Gor said while describing India as an "incredible nation". "No partner is more essential than India. In the months and years ahead, it is my goal as ambassador to pursue a very ambitious agenda. 4Continued on | P8 Stay away from addiction & junk food: CM Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Chief Minister Mohan Yadav urged youths to remain at bay from addiction and junk food. “Junk food takes body towards deformity hence it should be eaten in minimum manner,” he told. He was addressing students during the state level mass Surya Namaskar Programme organised at Subhash Nagar Excellence School to mark birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanand on Monday. Surya Namaskar programme were also organised across the state. Along with students, CM performed all 12 methods of Surya Namaskar and also did “Pranayam”. He asked students not to get limited till education but to understand the life in practical manner. 4Continued on | P8