chennai l friday l september 12, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l vellore 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 Ramadoss expels son Anbumani from PMK KUMARESAN S @ 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 (L)Dr S Ramadoss & Dr Anbumani Ramadoss 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 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 officebearers 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 par ty’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 remarked. 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.  P5 92 MoUs worth `24K cr inked at investment meet in Hosur gory Man beheads wife, partner on suspicion Express News Service @ 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 held 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 conclave organised after the first one in Tuticorin in August. Stalin said his recent trip to London and Germany brought `15,516 crore worth of investments to Tamil Nadu, and within three days, MoUs for `24,307 crore investments have been signed in Hosur. “This shows that we have surpassed our own record. We have set the goal to become a trillion-dollar economy by 2030. For this, the state economy should gallop with the support of industries. We are making infrastructure more industry-friendly to attract investments. TN has 11.19% of the nation’s GSDP Since assum. ing power in 2021, DMK government has converted 77% of MoUs into investments,” the CM said.  P5 CM MK Stalin at the TN Rising Investment Conclave held in Hosur on Thursday | express 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 favours Durga Prasai, a pro-monarchy women rights advocate. 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: P7 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 express news service @ 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 The accused surrendered at Vellore Central Jail with the severed heads in a bag. The headless bodies were spotted by neighbours on the terrace of the man’s home at a Kallakurichi village | P2 Voter list entry Protocol violation E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ New Delhi PREE T HA 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