FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLII No. 188 | INDORE | SUNDAY | DECEMBER 14, 2025 | Pages 16 ` 4 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in Sports Welder’s son spikes his way to glory P.15 Govt writes to Centre for Verma’s termination Our Staff Reporter ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE WORLD Int’l troops deployment in Gaza early next year UJJAIN PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Nation SIT names former BJP MLA in... P.7 Cinema ‘We use them to promote our… P.13 KOLKATA CHAOS | Mismanagement, VIP crowding and a fleeting appearance by Messi triggers chaos, police action at Salt Lake Stadium. Organiser held. Probe on. HYPE, HOPE & HAVOC ISI threat: Security beefed up at Chouhan’s Bhopal residence BHOPAL 4Continued on | P8 Security enhanced a month after receiving UHM letter Aritra Singha Our Staff Reporter KO;LKATA BHOPAL Chants of “Messi, Messi” echoed across the Salt Lake Stadium on Friday as football icon Lionel Messi arrived in Kolkata for the first leg of his three-day India tour. Thousands of fans, some of whom reportedly paid up to Rs 15,000 for tickets, gathered in hope of catching a glimpse of their idol. However, the excitement soon turned into anger as widespread mismanagement marred the event. Most spectators were unable to see Messi inside the stadium as he was surrounded by politicians, celebrities, their families and paparazzi. Frustrated fans booed the organisers and began throwing The security of Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been stepped up. The Union Home Ministry wrote to the Chief Secretary to beef up the security of Chouhan a month ago, and afterwards, his security has been enhanced. In the letter, the Union Home Ministry said that according to the input of the central security agencies, ISI of Pakistan had gathered information about Chouhan. The security of Chouhan should be enhanced before any untoward incident takes place, the letter indicated. bottles and chairs. As tempers flared, parts of the stadium infrastructure were vandalised, forcing organisers of the “G.O.A.T Tour” to quickly escort Messi away from the venue. After Messi’s exit, chaos escalated further. Angry fans stormed the ground and set fire to sofas and canopies erected for VVIP guests. Police personnel struggled to control the situation and were forced to resort to a lathicharge to disperse the crowd. Yadav, with a team of officers, will be there from Dec 19 to 23 Forum plans BHOPAL to build ties with state govt Chief Minister Mohan Yadav is Nitendra Sharma SC flags ED powers The SC sought Centre’s response to a plea challenging the ED’s power under PMLA to seize property for 180 days without judicial scrutiny. It questioned non-judicial oversight. ment Raghvendra Singh; PS of the Technical Education Department Manish Singh; and the Managing Director of the MP Industries Development Corporation, Chandramauli Shukla, will accompany him to Davos. The World Economic Forum has said that as the International Organisation for Public-Private Cooperation, it will build a personalised agenda with the state government to ensure a greater impact. Since the public-private dialogue is the basis of greater resilience, the meeting will bring together major governments, international organisations, and global companies. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Tiger carcass found in Chandia range A tiger was found dead in Chandia range situated near Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Umaria district on Saturday. The dog squad has identified suspects and Resignation forfeits past service, no pension: SC The Supreme Court on Tuesday (December 9) ruled that an employee who resigns from service is not entitled to pensionary benefits under the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, holding that resignation leads to forfeiture of past service. “The only inescapable conclusion is that on resignation by the employee, his past service stood forfeited. Hence, he will not be entitled to any pension,” a Bench of Justices Rajesh Bindal and Manmohan Our Staff Reporter INDORE/SURAT Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav has been appointed national vice-president of the All India Mayor Council at the All India Mayor Conference. He took the oath of office and secrecy on Saturday during the national conference being held in Surat, Gujarat. The 116th executive meeting of the All India Mayor Council is being organised in Surat on December 13 and 14, with mayors from across the country participating in the two-day event. Bhargav is attending the conference and has formally assumed charge of the national vice-president’s post. During the meeting, de- observed while dismissing a claim for pension filed by the legal heirs of a deceased Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) employee. The case related to a DTC conductor appointed in 1985, who resigned on August 7, 2014, after nearly 30 years of service. His resignation was accepted by the competent authority on September 19, 2014. Although he later sought to withdraw the resignation, the request was rejected on April 28, 2015, rendering the resignation final. 4Continued on | P8 investigation is underway. An Umaria forest range official said a tiger was seen lying motionless in Chandia range by the patrolling staff. The dog squad help was taken and sniffer dogs reached till some suspects. The post-mortem report will reveal the actual cause of death. tailed discussions were held on strengthening the organisation at the national and state levels. Key issues such as the establishment of a dedicated training centre for the Council and the organisation of future training programmes for mayors also figured prominently in the deliberations. The conference was attended by Gujarat chief minister Bhupendrabhai Patel, mayors from various states and senior public representatives. Former minister and national coordinator of the Council, Umashankar Gupta, was also present at the event. The results of the 2025 Kerala local body elections, declared on Saturday, have redrawn the State’s political map, delivering a sweeping grassroots mandate to the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) while simultaneously handing the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) a historic breakthrough in the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram. The verdict has sent shockwaves through the rul- Congress-led UDF sees a resurgence , emerging as a dominant force in the State ing Left Democratic Front (LDF), signalling deep voter fatigue after nearly a decade of Left rule and setting the stage for a high-stakes Assembly election next year. Across Kerala, the UDF emerged as the dominant force, winning control of four Chouhan has already been provided with Z-plus security. After receiving instructions from the Union Home Ministry, barricades have been put up outside his B 74 governmental residence in Bhopal. Barricades have also been put up outside the main gate of his bungalow. 4Continued on | P8 Agencies WASHINGTON The controversy over the H1B visa programme has erupted anew after the Trump administration imposed a staggering $100,000 fee on new applications, prompting a lawsuit by 20 US states led by California. California Attorney General Rob Bonta termed the move “un- of the State’s six municipal corporations — Kollam, Kochi, Thrissur and Kannur — and registering emphatic gains in municipalities and gram panchayats. The LDF managed to retain Kozhikode Corporation, but its overall performance fell far short of expectations. The NDA, though trailing the two traditional fronts statewide, stole the national spotlight by wresting the prestigious Thiruvananthapuram Corporation from the Left for the first time. lawful, arbitrary and against public interest,” arguing that the administration bypassed Congress to enforce the unprecedented hike. Filed against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the lawsuit challenges a September presidential directive that applies to all H-1B petitions submitted after September 21. Earlier, total visa fees ranged between $1,000 and $7,500, making the new charge the steepest in US immigration history. The states contend that the policy violates the Administrative Procedure Act by sidestepping mandatory public notice and consultation. 4Continued on | P8 Trump peace touch fails in Thailand & Congo 4Continued on | P8 A wounded Thai soldier was airlifted for treatment in Surin province, Thailand. offgrid Agencies MADRID and had no assigned duties at that hour. Tired of her refusal to follow instructions led, the company classified her behaviour as serious misconduct. Managers argued that the issue wasn’t enthusiasm, but defiance as she There are two reasons for the threat to Shivraj Singh Chouhan from Pakistan s ISI. During Chouhan's tenure as chief minister, the police shot dead some SIMI terrorists who tried to escape from the Bhopal central jail. Afterwards, the issue of enhancing Chouhan s security was discussed. The other reason that forced the government to step up Chouhan s security was that ISI was collecting input about some important politicians of the state. Chouhan s name is on the list. States warn steep Lawmakers seek to end India tariffs WASHINGTON: Three US House members have introvisa fee will duced a resolution to revoke President Donald Trump’s national emergency tariffs of up to 50% on Indian imports, cripple schools, calling them illegal and harmful. The move targets addihospitals & global tional duties imposed under emergency powers, arguing they disrupt supply chains, raise consumer costs, and competitiveness damage US-India ties. Worker fired for arriving early repeatedly A Spanish woman has lost her job after repeatedly turning up to work far earlier than her scheduled shift, a habit that eventually escalated into a legal battle. The 22-year-old employee had been coming into office around 6.45 am despite her official 7.30 am start and had been warned for more than a year to stop doing so, the Daily Mail reported. However, she continued coming to the office at the same time even after her employer had made it clear that she was not allowed to come in early THE THREAT 20 US states sue Trump over ‘unlawful talent tax’ NDA breaks Left citadel in Kerala local body polls K Raveendran BHOPAL NEW DELHI Bhargav is nat’l VP of All India Mayor Council THIRUVANANTHAPURAM. Our Staff Reporter FP News Service Fans vandalise Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), also known as Salt Lake Stadium, during Argentine footballer Lionel Messi’s India Tour event, in Kolkata. Inset (L) SRK and son AbRam meet the superstar. 4Continued on | P8 CM to visit Davos on invitation from WEF leaving for Davos in Switzerland next month to participate in the World Economic Forum (WEF). Its meeting is held every year in Davos. The theme of the meet is A Spirit of Dialogue. Yadav will be in the conference from January 19 to 23. A team of officers, consisting of the Additional Chief Secretary of CM’s Secretariat (ACS), Neeraj Mandloi; ACS of the Renewable Energy Manu Shrivastava; Principal Secretary (PS) of Industries Depart- Social media The state government has moved to terminate IAS officer Santosh Kumar Verma and withdraw the Indian Administrative Service award conferred on him, sending a formal proposal to the Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. Verma was recently removed from his post as Deputy Secretary, Agriculture, and shifted to the General Administration Department (GAD) pool following a controversial remark against Brahmin girls, which triggered widespread outrage. The GAD has written to the Union ministry, highlighting that the state government has received multiple memorandums from social organisations, employee unions and elected representatives demanding Verma’s termination from the IAS. In its communication, the GAD has also detailed serious allegations against Verma. was repeatedly ignoring explicit orders rather than performing useful work. She was eventually dismissed. Upset over her company’s decision, the woman challenged the firing in the Social Court of Alicante, insisting the company had acted unfairly. But the court heard that she maintained the same routine despite multiple warnings. At times, she also attempted to log into the company’s app before arriving at the workplace. According to The Daily Mail report, the court upheld the dismissal, and emphasised that the issue had nothing to do with “arriving too early”. It had everything to do with refusing to follow workplace rules, a violation covered under Article 54 of the Workers’ Statute. She may still take the case to the Supreme Court of Valencia, but for now, the verdict remains unchanged. Agencies BANGKOK Fighting between Thai and Cambodian forces continued early on Saturday, just hours after US President Donald Trump said the two countries had agreed to a ceasefire. In much the same way a peace accord brokered by Trump between Congo and Rwanda in Africa is backfiring. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he told Trump that a ceasefire would only be possible after Cambodia had withdrawn all its forces and removed landmines from the border. He wrote on social media: “Thailand will continue to perform military actions until we feel no more harm and threats to our land and people. I want to make it clear. Our actions this morning already spoke.” Both sides reported continued bombing and artillery exchanges across the border on Saturday. Cambodia’s defence ministry said Thai fighter jets bombed hotel buildings and a bridge, while Thailand said several civilians were injured in a Cambodian rocket attack. At least 21 people have been killed in the renewed fighting and around 700,000 people have been evacuated on both sides of the border. 4Continued on | P8