Your Daily Wrap: Aryan Khan cleared in drugs-on-cruise case; OP Chautala gets four-year jail term; and more

◾ From Maharashtra to Haryana, where all is not well for Om Prakash Chautala after a Delhi court awarded four-year imprisonment and a Rs 50 lakh fine to the former chief minister in a disproportionate assets case. The court also ordered the seizure of four of Chautala’s properties. A look at the chequered political career of the leader, and the cases that continue to haunt him.

◾ In a tragic incident, at least seven soldiers died and a dozen more were injured after a vehicle carrying them fell into Shyok river in Ladakh today morning.  The Air Force was roped in to evacuate the injured to the Western Command.

◾ This week, in ‘Doctor, I Have A Question’, Dr Pragya Yadav, top scientist at the ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, tells us about the viral infection monkeypox, its key symptoms, and who is at risk.

◾ History was made today when author Geetanjali Shree’s translated Hindi novel, ‘Tomb of Sand’, became the first book written in an Indian language to be awarded the prestigious 2022 International Booker Prize. Originally published in Hindi as ‘Ret Samadhi’, the book is translated into English by Daisy Rockwell. Shree, after her win, said: “This is not just about me, the individual. I represent a language and culture and this recognition brings into larger purview the entire world of Hindi literature in particular and Indian literature as a whole.”

◾ Fridays would be incomplete if we don’t talk about movies and new releases. This week, Shubhra Gupta watched Ayushmann Khurrana and Andrea Kevichusa’s Anek. Is it worth a watch? Read her review to find out.

Political Pulse

◾ Ahead of a meeting of 10 parties in Bihar on June 1, all the leading outfits on Friday told The Indian Express that they supported the inclusion of castes in the Muslim community in the state’s proposed caste census. Janata Dal (United) national spokesperson K C Tyagi pointed out that the Mandal Commission had “duly identified OBCs among Muslims”. He said, “Let the caste census or survey count all castes and clear claims and counter-claims regarding numbers of each caste group for once and all.”

◾ After undertaking a vigorous campaign for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the Congress party seems to have gone into hibernation in the state following the outcome of poll results on March 10. Even the All India Congress Committee general secretary in charge of UP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who used to travel to different parts of UP regularly ahead of the polls to attend political events or to meet victims of various crimes, has since not visited the state.

Express Explained

◾ As Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Tokyo to attend the Quad Summit, he carried with him gifts for leaders of the US, Australia and Japan showcasing India’s rich cultural heritage and art forms. A look at those gifts and their cultural roots.

◾ On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will fly to Atkot, a village in Jasdan taluka of Gujarat’s Rajkot district, to inaugurate the KD Parvadiya Multispecialty Hospital built by the Shree Patel Seva Samaj Trust (SPSST). What is the significance of the key hospital project to be inaugurated by the PM? We explain.

From the homepage

‘There is confusion’: SC directs EC to give details of 3.66 lakh voters deleted from final Bihar electoral roll

Found dead with gunshot wound, IPS officer Puran Kumar was known for speaking up against caste bias, administrative issues

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