visakhapatnam l friday l september 12, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late city EDITION Trump ally shot at utah college ceremony, dies shortly after Charlie Kirk, who played a huge role in rallying young Republicans, was assassinated while speaking at a campus early on Thursday utah governor: a political assassination Kirk was speaking on gun violence 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. Utah governor Spencer Cox said, “This is a nothing but a political assassination.” Authorities did not identify a motive. The FBI announced a bounty of $1,00,000 and released images of the killer, who’s still at large ■ ■ Immediately before the shooting, Kirk was taking questions from an audience member about mass shootings and culture of 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 | P11 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 Delhi court junks plea CRPF missive to Rahul for probe against Sonia on security irks Cong E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ New Delhi 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: P9 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 A Delhi court on Thursday rejected a plea seeking a probe against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi over her inclusion in electoral rolls prior to becoming an Indian citizen in 1983. While dismissing the complaint, filed by advocate Vikas Tripathi, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Vaibhav Chaurasia said the court has no jurisdiction over matters of citizenship and electoral rolls. The authority to determine a person’s eligibility to be included in or excluded from the electoral roll is vested solely in the Election Commission Govt shuffles 12 Collectors, CM exhorts 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 discharging their duties efficiently . Underlining the role of Collectors in the effective implementation of development programmes, he 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, to instil confidence among the people. Describing the new Collectors as his team, the Chief Minister said he is ready to encourage P4 the best performers. 144 Telugus stranded in Nepal return safely N e e l i m a E at y @ Visakhapatnam Telugu people, who returned from trouble-torn Nepal, perform ‘Ksheerabhishekam’ to the photo of IT Minister Nara Lokesh at the airport in Vizag I G satyanarayana A total of 144 Telugu people, stranded at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, have been safely brought back to Andhra Pradesh with the supp o r t o f t h e S t at e 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 air- port. 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 airport, praised the efforts of P4 the State government.  of India, the court said, adding that the issue of citizenship falls within the domain of the Central government. According to the petition, Gandhi’s name was added to the New Delhi constituency voter list in January 1980, three years before she 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 re-entered in 1983, coinciding with her getting Indian citizenship. He claimed the Election Commission must have detected an anomaly that prompted the deletion. This, he argued, merited investigation. PREETHA NAIR @ New Delhi Sonia Gandhi Rahul Gandhi ‘Misuse of process of law’ ‘Sudden changes pose risk’ The court said the plea amounts to a misuse of the process of law by projecting a civil dispute in the garb of criminality CRPF does recce of the locations to be visited by Rahul, but his unannounced movements pose a risk to his security, officials said 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 flagged several instances of Rahul Gandhi’s “unscheduled movements without intimation” during his travel. The letter also referred to his trips to Italy, Vietnam, 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.