TIRUPATI l friday l september 12, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Trump ally shot at utah college ceremony, dies shortly after utah governor: a political assassination Authorities say Kirk was killed with a single shot from a rooftop. The killer then slipped away amid the hubhub of screams at Utah Valley University campus. “This is a dark day for our state. It’s a tragic day for our nation,” said Utah governor Spencer Cox. “I want to be very clear, this is a political assassination.” Authorities did not immediately identify a motive Charlie Kirk, who played a huge role in rallying young Republicans, was assassinated while speaking at a campus early on Thursday Kirk was speaking on gun violence ■ ■ Immediately before the shooting, Kirk was taking questions from an audience member about mass shootings and gun violence Trump announced he’ll posthumously award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Charlie Kirk, co-founder and CEO of Turning Point; while blaming the rhetoric of the ‘radical left’ for the killing | P9 3,000 people were in attendance at the university when kirk was shot CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Govt shuffles 12 Collectors, CM asks them to excel S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada In a major reshuffle, the State government has effected the transfer of 12 District Collectors. Interacting with the newly appointed Collectors through a video conference on Thursday, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu exhorted them to adopt a humanitarian approach, while d i s ch a r g i n g t h e i r d u t i e s efficiently . Underlining the role of Collectors in the effective implementation of development pro- grammes and welfare schemes, Naidu urged them to mingle with common people to achieve the best results through proper feedback. “Getting a posting as the District Collector itself is a good opportunity for any official to prove their talent, and win the people’s accolades,” he said. Naidu recalled that he visited the Hudhud cyclone hit areas personally in Visakhapatnam for 10 days in 2014, accompanied by his team of officials to instill confidence among the people. Describing the new Collectors as his team, the Chief Minister said he is ready to encourage the best performers. Explaining political governance, Naidu said when the State Ministers and MLAs ask for any work, the Collectors should decide whether it is useful for the people or not. Due importance should be given to the elected representatives as the coalition government needs to meet the people’s expectations, he said. Naidu revealed that he suffered loss with bureaucratic governance, and not with political governance. The Chief Minister suggested that the Collectors think like a common man, and take creative and innovative decisions to benP4 efit the people at large.  144 Telugus stranded in Nepal reach home safely `40-cr Quantum Reference Facility N e e l i m a E at y @ Visakhapatnam A total of 144 Telugu people, stranded at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, have been safely brought back to Andhra Pradesh with the support of the State government. The group, initially caught in the ongoing civil unrest in Nepal, departed Kathmandu by special IndiGo flight 6E 9511. The flight, originally scheduled to depart at 3 pm, was delayed, and took off at 4.15 pm, arriving in Visakhapatnam at 6 pm. The special flight made its first stop in Visakhapatnam, where 104 passengers disembarked. The remaining 40 passengers will land at Tirupati airport. Among the passengers, 36 were from Visakhapatnam, 39 from Vizianagaram, 8 from Srikakulam, 9 from Manyam, 4 from Kakinada, 1 from Anakapalli, 13 from Mangalagiri, Rajahmundry and Guntur, and 34 from Tirupati. HRD and IT Minister Nara Lokesh, who has been overseeing the entire operation from the RTGS Command Control Centre in Amaravati, coordinated the rescue efforts. He ensured that all necessary arrangements were made for the safe return of Telugu people. Palla Srinivasa Rao, TDP State president and Gajuwaka MLA, speaking at the Visakhapatnam air port, praised the efforts of the AP P4 government.  Telugu people, who returned from Nepal, perform ‘Ksheerabhishekam’ to photo of IT Minister N Lokesh at the airport in Vizag I G satyanarayana Protesters outside Nepal’s army headquarters during a curfew in Kathmandu on Thursday | AFP Nepal talks stuck on new govt head Gen Z wants Karki, Army favours pro-monarchy Prasai C urfew remains in effect across much of Nepal, particularly in the Kathmandu Valley as the Gen , Z protests enters the fourth day Life is becoming . increasingly difficult for ordinary citizens, especially those who depend on daily wages to sustain themselves. “We are leaderless at the moment, but we are not without a country As long as we have . our Constitution, we are secure,” Tanuja Pandey, a Gen Z protester, told this reporter. She explained that multiple reasons had been presented against their choice of Sushila Karki as prime minister of the Interim Government. However, Gen Z had united in support of Karki because of her corruption-free reputation. Pandey added that Gen Z had repeatedly requested the Army to facilitate a meeting with President Ram Chandra Poudyal, though so far, all meetings have been conducted only with the Chief of Army Ashok Raj Sigdel. The determination of Gen Z to establish the Interim Government with Sushila Karki as PM is growing stronger by the day. Karki agreed and received widespread support from the public. However, some backlash has emerged. Namrata Sharma Opposition seems to be coming primarily from the Army, which reportedly Senior journalist and women rights advocate. favours Durga Prasai, a pro-monarchy Sharma can be reached at figure. The President also appears to namrata1964@yahoo.com prefer another candidate from among @NamrataSharmaP the current parliamentarians rather than Sushila Karki. This push to nominate someone from the existing parliament, rather than Karki, is causing friction with Gen Z. A press release signed by the President stated that he is seeking a solution based on constitutional provisions and urged citizens to remain calm and patient, emphasising respect for the current Constitution. Meanwhile, under repeated pressure from Army Chief to propose a new candidate, Gen Z may now hold another virtual discussion. One potential alternative being considered is Santosh Pariyar, Chief Whip of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and a proportional representative from the Dalit category elected in 2022. An excellent choice, nonetheless, the majority of Gen Z remains united in supporting Sushila Karki, preferring a leader outside of existing political parties to guide the Interim Government and oversee elections under the current Continued on: P7 constitution.  I am consulting and making every effort to find a way out of the current difficult situation in the country within the constitutional framework Ramchandra Paudel, Nepal President SC, banks to resume functioning Nepal’s Supreme Court and banks are set to open in Kathmandu with the relaxation in curfew for a few hours Visa power for foreign nationals Foreigners with valid visas up to Sept 8 and who want to depart shall be granted exit nod without more fee, the govt said road rage IAF officer, gig worker bury the hatchet e x p r e ss n e w s s e r v i c e @ Bengaluru THE Karnataka High Court on Thursday quashed criminal proceedings against an Indian Air Force (IAF) officer and a food delivery worker, after both arrived at a mutual settlement in a road rage case on April 21 this year. The two had clashed when the officer’s wife was going to drop him to a bus stop near Gopalan Mall on Old Madras Road in Bengaluru. Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum quashed the proceedings in a case filed by Wing Commander Shiladitya Bose’s wife Madhumita Dutta against biker Vikas Kumar SJ, and a case filed by Vikas Kumar against the officer. Although Bose faced charges under Section 109 of BNS (non-compoundable), complainant Kumar was present in court to give a statement that no injuries were sustained, and that he was willing to give a quietus to the dispute. Dutta said the incident was verbal, and settled with well-wishers’ intervention. The court deemed continuing the case as futile, and let off both parties with a warning. Morning fracas The altercation between the IAF officer and Kumar took place on April 21. CCTV footage showing the officer landing mighty punches on the biker had gone viral India’s first facility will provide testing and benchmarking of quantum components, laying the foundation for the future manufacturing of quantum computers from Capital Amaravati | P4 Voter list entry Protocol violation E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ New Delhi PREETHA NAIR @ New Delhi A Delhi court on Thursday rejected a petition that sought directions to initiate a probe against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi over her inclusion in electoral rolls prior to becoming an Indian citizen in 1983. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Vaibhav Chaurasia dismissed the plea saying the court has no jurisdiction over matters of citizenship and electoral rolls. “The authority to determine the eligibility of a person to be included in or excluded from the electoral roll… is vested solely in the Election Commission of India,” the court said, adding that it was not empow- Sonia Gandhi ered to adjudicate upon questions relating to citizenship, which fall within the domain of the Central government. The complaint, filed by advocate Vikas Tripathi, claimed Gandhi’s name was added to the New Delhi constituency voter list in January 1980, three years before she officially became an Indian citizen. During the hearing, the complainant’s counsel senior advocate Pavan Narang pointed out that Gandhi’s name was deleted in 1982 and reentered in 1983, coinciding with her acquiring Indian citizenship. He argued that the Election Commission must have detected an anomaly that prompted the deletion. This, he argued, merited a detailed investigation. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has written to Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi about security protocol violations during his travel within India and outside. The letter, also addressed to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, drew a sharp reaction from the Congress, which questioned the timing of the communication and wondered whether it was a ‘veiled attempt’ to intimidate its leader who just announced ‘another imminent disclosure’ on the alleged ‘vote theft’. In the letter, the VIP security unit of the paramilitary force Rahul Gandhi flagged several instances of Gandhi’s “unscheduled movements without intimation” during his travel. The letter also referred to his trips to Italy Vi, etnam, Dubai, Qatar, London, and Malaysia. An official said the CRPF had sent similar letters to Gandhi in the past too. The official added that the politician violated the protocols mentioned in the Yellow Book of the CRPF. The CRPF VIP security wing provides the top category Z plus (ASL) armed protection to Gandhi, while 10-12 armed commandos give proximate security cover during his travel. The force carries out reconnaissance of the locations to be visited by Gandhi, but his unannounced movements pose a risk to his security , official sources said. Court junks CRPF mail on plea for probe Rahul security against Sonia annoys Cong