HYDERABAD l friday l september 12, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 38 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 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 CM pushes for high-speed rail links to Hyd Court junks plea for probe against Sonia CRPF mail on Rahul security annoys Cong E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi PR E E T H A N A IR @ 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. The court dismissed the plea saying it 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 empowered to adjudicate upon questions relating to citizenship, which fall within the domain of the Central government. Sonia Gandhi 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 said Gandhi’s name was deleted in 1982 and re-entered in 1983, coinciding with her citizenship. 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 Gandhi’s “unscheduled moveRahul Gandhi ments without intimation” during his travel. The letter also referred to his trips to Italy Viet, nam, 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. @ Hyderabad Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy asked Railway officials to examine the survey and alignment proposals of the Hyderabad-Chennai and Hyderabad-Bengaluru highspeed rail projects from Future City, in line with the g reenfield highway proposals. On Thursday, the chief minister held a meeting with Railway officials. During the meeting, he assured them that the government would extend full support for the speedy completion of pending railway projects and lines. He appealed to the authorities to sanction the rapid road and rail connectivity project between Hyderabad and Amaravati, reminding them that Telangana had been assured of such connectivity under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. The chief minister informed of ficials that the state gover nment had already requested the Centre to approve a 12-lane greenfield highway from Bharat Future City to Bandar Port via Amaravati. He added that the government had prepared a 300km alignment proposal in this regard. Stressing that alongside the highway rapid , rail connectivity between Hyderabad and Amaravati should also be developed, he underlined its importance. Revanth also highlighted the significance of developing a Regional Ring Rail around Hyderabad. Pointing out that the 362-km Regional Ring Rail and Road network would transform Hyderabad into one of the most happening cities in the country, he urged Railway officials to take the necessary steps. Railway connectivity covering the entire industrial sector in the state was also discussed. CONTINUED ON P4 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 P9 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 No jobs, 50% of seats in traditional courses vacant M e g hna N ath @ Hyderabad With nearly two lakh seats lying vacant, degree colleges across Telangana are staring at half-empty classes. The main reasons behind the 50% vacant seats are students’ growing disinterest in conventional degree courses, fewer job opportunities, rising dropout rates and a lack of awareness about the online admission procedure. This has affected both government and private institutions. The Telangana Council of Higher Education (TGCHE) has decided to conduct a special spot admission drive for the academic year 2025–26 to address the issue. The process will begin on Friday The one-time . drive aims to fill the remaining vacant seats across various streams in degree colleges. A report from the Telangana Pri- DOST 2025-26: Management-wise admissions No of Students Sl.No Management Type Colleges Intake Admitted 1 Government 119 49,539 25,118 2 Government (Autonomous) 34 39,480 30,889 3 Private Aided 26 10,920 5,851 4 Private Aided (Autonomous) 3 2,070 1,457 5 Private Unaided 4 2,62,770 96,462 6 Private Unaided (Autonomous) 1 6,240 4,200 7 Railway Department 2 390 230 8 University (Autonomous) 2 2,967 2,128 9 University College 6 3,540 2,677 Grand Total: n  Seats filled: 1,69,012 n  Vacant seats: 2,08,904 vate and PG College Management Association stated that admissions in conventional courses have been declining steadily Three years ago, . around four lakh students enrolled, while last year the number dropped Vacant Seats 24,421 8,591 5,069 613 1,66,308 2,040 160 839 863 to two lakh. This year, only 1,96,451 admissions have taken place, leaving nearly half the seats unfilled. Courses like BA (English), BCom and BSc (Computers) are among those affected.  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