Chennai l friday l september 12, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 42 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 | P15 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 Express News Service @ 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 constitution.  Continued on: P11 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 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. TN inks 92 deals worth `24K cr at Hosur conclave 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 Ex p r ess N e ws S e rv i c e @ Krishnagiri The Tamil Nadu government sustained its momentum towards the one-trillion dollar economy goal by signing 92 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) for a total commitment of `24,307 crore, with the potential to generate 49,353 jobs, at the TN Rising Investment Conclave, in Hosur on Thursday . Chief Minister MK Stalin also initiated the land acquisition process for Hosur International Airport at the event, which was the second such mega con- CM Stalin clave organised after the first one in Thoothukudi in August. Addressing the gathering, Stalin said his recent trip to London and Germany brought `15,516 crore worth of investments to TN, and within three days, MoUs for `24,307 crore investments have been signed in Hosur.  P7 WITH THI S I S S UE CHENNAI’S BEST WEEKEND GUIDE 42 PAGES, INCLUDING 24 OF INDULGE (TABLOID) Ramadoss expels son Anbumani from PMK S KUMARESAN @ Chennai The prolonged internal feud simmering for months between Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder Dr S Ramadoss and his son, Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, reached a breaking point on Thursday with the founder , expelling Dr Anbumani from the party . Although Dr Anbumani did not react, advocate K Balu, one of Anbumani’s principal supporters and spokesperson of the faction, said the founder does not have the authority to remove Dr Anbumani from the party He said as per the party’s . bylaws and an order of the Election Commission of India, Dr Anbumani would continue (L)Dr S Ramadoss & Dr Anbumani Ramadoss as the president of the PMK till August next year. “We have already submitted the general council’s decisions to the EC, which has recognised the office-bearers from Anbumani’s side,” he said. Balu, however, did not share the copy of the ECI’s communication. Earlier, announcing the decision to expel his son in Villupuram, Dr Ramadoss said Anbumani has been functioning as if he was running a separate faction and had refused to abide by the party’s collective leadership. “He has been acting in a manner unbecoming of a responsible politician. If he wants, let him start his own party the PMK founder said. ,” The crisis escalated after a disciplinary committee, owing allegiance to the senior Ramadoss, framed 16 charges against Dr Anbumani after a special general council meeting convened in Puducherry on August 17 under Ramadoss’s chairmanship. A show-cause notice was served, seeking his explanation by August 31. When he failed to respond, another notice was issued, granting time till September 10.  P7 ‘Founder cannot interfere’ Anbumani supporter Balu said that only the president has the authority to carry out the party’s administrative functions, and the founder does not have the powers to interfere. He also denied charges of spying on Anbumani PREE T HA 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.