FRIdAY Ban on women using smart phones in raj dist withdrawn 26 Village elders in Rajasthan’s Jalore district have withdrawn the ban imposed on women using smartphones after facing strident opposition DECEMBER, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard Dec 21 Pope’s message was when the village panchas announced the fiat ‘Find courage for direct talks’ Pope Leo XIV urged Russia and Ukraine to find courage to hold direct talks and spoke of the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza in his first Christmas address Ban was misunderstood, say villagers A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Page 9 l New Delhi l J8.00 l PAGES 12 A meeting of the panchas (village elders) was convened on Thursday in Gazipur village, where they unanimously decided to withdraw the ban, saying the decision kept children in mind, but it was ‘misunderstood’. Earlier, the panchas had banned daughters and daughters-in-law of 15 villages from using smartphones, starting Jan 26 Political reset in B’desh as Tarique back in Dhaka Ex-PM Khaleda Zia’s son calls for building an inclusive Bangladesh E X PRE S S NEW S S ER V ICE @ New Delhi Merry Christmas Prime Minister Narendra Modi during Christmas service at the Cathedral Church of the Redemption in New Delhi on Thursday. ‘May Christmas bring renewed hope, warmth and a shared commitment to kindness,’ Modi later posted on X | PTI 53 additional companies of CAPF after R-Day threat MU K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi In view of the threat inputs ahead of the next year’s Republic Day parade by intelligence agencies, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has sanctioned the deployment of 53 additional companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) in Delhi to strengthen the security grid. Officials said that these companies would be deployed in a phased manner and would be in addition to the already positioned in the city . According to the of ficials, already a sizable number of Central forces are deployed in Delhi. More troops are likely to be moved in the coming days considering the evolving threat inputs. “The sanctioned deployment includes companies from the CRPF, BSF, SSB, CISF, and the ITBP. In total, the 53 companies translate to roughly 5,300– 5,500 additional personnel, significantly reinforcing Delhi Police’s security grid during the high-alert period,” a senior official said. It is learnt that the additional CAPFs will be tasked with securing Republic Day events, including the main parade, Prime Minister’s NCC Rally, Beating Retreat, and Martyrdom Day of Mahatma Gandhi. Some companies will also continue beyond January 26 to ensure cover during the post-Republic Day engagements and controlled drawdown of forces, they added. Top Maoist Uikey, with over `1 crore bounty, eliminated surgents, operating under aliases including Rupa, Rajesh Tiwari, and Chamru. He carIN a decisive blow to Maoist in- ried combined rewards of `2 surgency security forces elimi- crore across four states and or, nated four persons, including chestrated deadly attacks top CPI (Maoist) central com- across eastern and central remittee member Ganesh Uikey , gions of the country . during an encounter in KandThe other slain cadres carhamal district’s Chakaried rewards of `1.65 pada on Thursday The . lakh each. Security 69-year-old commander, forces recovered two carrying a bounty of INSAS rifles and one `1.1 crore, headed Mao.303 rifle from the site. ist operations across This follows WednesOdisha. day’s encounter in T he operation in Gumma forest that Ganesh Uikey Rambha forest range killed two more Maonear the Kandhamalists, bringing the 24Ganjam border involved 20 hour toll to six. Special Operations Group Union Home Minister Amit (SOG) units, two CRPF battal- Shah termed it “a significant ions, and BSF personnel. “Mul- milestone towards Naxal-free tiple exchanges of fire oc- Bharat,” reaffirming the govcurred early morning. Four er nment’s commitment to Maoists were neutralised, in- eliminate Naxalism by March cluding two women, all in uni- 31, 2026. form,” said ADG (Anti-Naxal Chief Minister Mohan ChaOperations) Sanjeeb Panda. ran Majhi praised the forces’ Uikey originally from Telan- dedication, saying, “Odisha’s , gana’s Nalgonda district, was development and public safety among India’s most wanted in- remain our top priorities.” e x p r e ss n e w s s e r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar Amid unrest and chaos in Bangladesh following the murder of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s son Tarique Rahman returned to Dhaka on Thursday after 17 years in self-exile. The dramatic return of Rahman, the acting chairman of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), is expected to change the dynamics of the February 12 elections with a possible contest between the BNP and its former ally Jamaat-e-Islami. With the Muhammad Yunusled interim government barring ousted PM Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League from contesting elections, BNP is said to be the front-runner. Hasina had banned the Jamaat but Yunus lifted it due to pressure from radicals. The Jamaat reportedly enjoys the support of student outfits that led the protests to remove Hasina from power. Shortly after landing at the Hazrat Shahjalal International airport, Rahman stood barefoot on Bangladeshi soil in a symbolic gesture to mark his return to the country’s politics. Articulating his plans to build an “inclusive Bangladesh”, he said: “We want to The Delhi High Court has ruled that non-bailable warrants (NBWs) cannot be issued against a person solely for failing to comply with a summons from the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Justice Amit Sharma clarified that NBWs can be issued only against a convict, a proclaimed offender, or an accused of a non-bailable offence who is evading arrest. “It is no doubt true that NBWs (non-bailable warrants ) can be issued against the person who is evading investigation and who may not be formally arrayed as an accused in the prosecution complaint. However, such persons must be projected as a person accused of committing a non-bailable offence and evading arrest for the purpose of Section 73 of On Thursday, Delhi marked Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birth anniversary by launching 45 “Atal Canteens” across the city The . celebrations were grand, the promise enticing—but anyone familiar with the MCD’s track record might be forgiven for raising an eyebrow. A similar venture just a few years ago had fizzled out, leaving behind empty kiosks and dust-covered counters. Will this second attempt succeed? The original “Atal Rasoi” or “Atal Aahar Kendra” were launched between 2017 and 2018 MCD canteens find a second wind? The city spent lakhs, fed hundreds, then walked away—while the new government quietly picks up the baton. Whether the MCD’s canteens will finally find a second wind remains to be seen. For now, `5 buys a meal, but history suggests it may not buy consistency. by the trifurcated MCDs. For `10, the kiosks offered freshly cooked, nutritious meals—six puris with vegetable, kadhi chawal, and other staples. “We started this food kiosk as a pilot project. We will run this food kiosk with the help of local residents,” said Tilak Raj Kataria, then Standing Committee chairman. Half a dozen centres opened on Vajpayee’s 93rd birthday, taking a cue from the popularity of Karnataka’s Indira Canteens and Tamil Nadu’s Amma Canteens. South Delhi had six kiosks in the first phase. The kiosks, just 9 feet by 5 feet, operated from noon to 2 pm and were expected to serve 500-700 plates each day . Protest against Xmas event Bajrang Dal leaders on Thursday protested outside Bareilly police station, accusing organisers of a Christmas event of “objectionable” portrayal of Hindu temples. It came a day after they demonstrated outside St Alphonsus Cathedral Church in the city. Shah starts `2L cr projects at summit BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman waves to his supporters in Dhaka | pti This country belongs to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians — Tarique Rahman Another Hindu man lynched in B’desh Days after factory worker Dipu Chandra Das was lynched by a mob, another Hindu man, identified as Amrit Mondal, was beaten to death. Local reports quoting police claimed he was an extortionist build a safe Bangladesh... no matter who a woman, man, or child is, they should be able to leave their homes safely and return safely .” Rahman, 60, had been living in London since 2008. He was leading the BNP since 2018 following Zia’s ill health. Urging people to maintain peace and stability, he said: “We have people from the hills and the plains in this country Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians.” Invoking Martin Luther King’s famous speech “I have a dream”, he said, “I have a plan,” adding he will take everyone on board to rebuild the nation. Notably, during his address, Rahman didn’t make any direct reference to India though he mentioned the birth of Bangladesh in 1971. India liberated Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) from Pakistan’s brutal rule in 1971. P9 Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday inaugurated the Abhyudaya Madhya Pradesh Growth Summit in Gwalior, and laid foundation for industrial projects of `2 lakh crore. Shah also inaugurated the Gwalior Fair and dedicated to people the renovation work carried out at the Atal Museum. Bihar BJP leader shot dead, 2 held A BJP leader was shot dead in Bihar’s Samastipur district, hours after deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary warned of tough action against criminals. Rupak Sahni was in his shop on Wednesday late evening when armed men arrived in an SUV and opened fire. Two accused have been held. Pentagon report on India axis malicious: China E X PRE S S NEW S S ER V ICE @ New Delhi Military base in Pak? Defence ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang, too, denounced the Pentagon report, which also flagged enhanced ties between China and Pakistan, adding Beijing ‘likely also considered’ setting up a base in Pakistan China on T hursday denounced a Pentagon report that accused Beijing of leveraging reduced tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India to stabilise bilateral relations and prevent a deeper strategic alignment between New Delhi and Washington. “The Pentagon’s report distorts China’s defence policy, sows discord, and aims at finding a pretext for the US to maintain its military supremacy,” foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian caustically told the media in Beijing, when asked about the US Department of Defense’s annual report to Congress on China. Lin said Beijing views and handles its relations with New Delhi from a strategic height and a long-term perspective. “ We s t a n d re a dy t o strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust, promote cooperation, and properly handle differences with India, and advance a sound and stable bilateral relationship,” Lin said. But within a year, most centres were closed. Within a couple of years, the entire project had shut down. Many BJP and AAP councillors raised the issue during Standing Committee and House meetings, but their pleas had fallen on deaf ears. Days after the BJP took control of the unified MCD this year, councillors from both the BJP and AAP began pressing for a revival. A MCD leader offered a shrug of explanation: “We had a funding crisis, so we closed the stalls. Now, since our government is expanding this, I think we should support them with our available resources.” P3 As for the LAC, Lin said, “the boundary question is a matter between China and India, and the current border situation between the two countries is g e n e r a l ly s t abl e w i t h smooth communication channels.” The US releases such reports year after year, grossly interfering in China’s internal affairs, Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang told a separate media briefing. He described it as a maliciously misinterpreted report that is full of erroneous understanding. Unnao rape Plea in SC against Sengar CrPC,” the judge said in an order dated December 19. T h e r e m a rk s c a m e a s NBWs were set aside against UK-based entrepreneur Sachin Dev Duggal in a money laundering case linked to the Videocon group and a bank fraud probe. The court observed that the trial court had not properly exercised its powers under the CrPC while issuing the warrants. Atal Canteens reopen with irony served on side A n u p V e r m a @ New Delhi Uttar Pradesh Madhya Pradesh NBWs can’t be issued merely for not complying ED summons: HC U d aya n K i sh o r e @ New Delhi express read e x p r e ss n e w s s e r v i c e @ New Delhi Bus tragedy A luxury bus on fire following a collision with a speeding truck in Karnataka’s Chitradurga in the wee hours of Thursday | PTI | P5 At least six killed At least six persons, including a child, were killed in the accident, Superintendent of Police Ranjith Kumar Bandaru said Two reported missing Four women and a girl child travelling in the bus, as also the truck driver, were killed. Two persons were reported missing Kashmiri Shawl vendor assaulted in Uttarakhand A Kashmiri shawl vendor was allegedly assaulted, robbed, and threatened by a group of Bajrang Dal activists in Uttarakhand, the J&K Students Association said | P8 A Supreme Court petition has challenged the Delhi High Court’s decision to suspend expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar’s life sentence in the 2017 Unnao rape case. Advocates Anjale Patel and Pooja Shilpkar argued that the HC erred by ignoring the trial court’s observation that Sengar should remain imprisoned for life. They contended that the bail disregards his “serious criminal ante- Kuldeep Sengar cedents” and involvement in heinous crimes, including orchestrating the victim’s father’s murder while in custody . On December 23, the high court had suspended Sengar’s sentence, imposed in December 2019, noting that he had served over seven years. However, Sengar will remain in jail as he is serving 10 years for the custodial death case in the same matter.