Daily briefing: Encounter killing of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad; SC’s observation on Karnataka scrapping 4% Muslim quota; and more

This comes just a day after Atiq Ahmed had alleged that he was “reduced to the dust” and pleaded with the government to “spare” his family members. The tide, it seems, had changed for Atiq, the strongman-politician who is known to have had an unchallenged run in Prayagraj for over four decades – his “mitti mein mil gaye” an admission of defeat. 

Looking at the numbers, the killing of Asad, and his aide, is Encounter Number 183 since the Yogi government first took charge in March 2017.  It’s the third encounter in the case related to the February 24 murder of Umesh Pal. It is also the third encounter in the first 13 days of April by the Uttar Pradesh police.

⚡ Only in the Express

Ambedkar Jayanti 2023: In our opinion section today, former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association Dushyant Dave writes on Babasaheb’s vision behind drafting the Constitution: “To B R Ambedkar, social democracy meant a way of life which recognises liberty, equality, and fraternity – they cannot be separated from each other”.

📰 From the Front Page

While no arrests could be made in the killing of four Army personnel at Bathinda Military Station in Punjab early Wednesday, the Army base reported the death of another soldier, but said it seemed to be an “attempted suicide” and was not linked to the four killings.

The Supreme Court Thursday told the Karnataka government that a reading of its order scrapping the 4 per cent quota for Muslims in the state “appears to suggest that prima facie…the foundation of its decision-making process is highly shaky and flawed”. However, the apex court bench declined to grant any interim relief sought by the petitioners.

👩🏽‍💻 Must Read

With the commencement of the new fiscal year, it is time for salaried individuals to finally make the choice between the Old Tax Regime and the New Tax Regime. As companies will start deducting monthly taxes from salaries beginning this month, employees are required to inform their employers if they want to stay in the OTR or switch to the NTR. Confused as to which one to choose? Read our explainer to understand if you should go for NTR or stay with OTR.

Two persons, including a Trinamool Congress leader, have been arrested by the police for allegedly making three tribal women crawl and perform “Dandavat Parikrama” in Balurghat. They have been booked under sections related to SC and ST Act among others. The women were made to crawl purportedly from the BJP to the TMC office in Balurghat as “penance” for joining the saffron party. The victims, however, said they were never with the BJP.

Decision 2023: Even as the Karnataka Assembly polls are right around the corner, disgruntlement within the BJP ranks continues to grow, with more sitting MLAs losing out on tickets. While Haveri MLA Neharu Olekar threatened to “expose” the corruption charges against Bommai, Mudigere MLA Kumaraswamy said he “resigned from the party”, hours after being denied a ticket. During the day, the state BJP office in Bengaluru also witnessed some dramatic scenes. 

⏱️ And Finally…

The journey towards the Asian Wrestling Championships’ gold medal was no cakewalk for 19-year-old Aman Sehrawat. At the age of 10, Sehrawat lost his mother. A year later, Aman’s father – deeply affected by the untimely death of his wife – passed away as well. Fate might have dealt him an unkind hand but soon, Aman submerged himself into the austere life of a wrestler. Mihir Vasavda narrates the story of the young grappler. 

Delhi Confidential: This weekend, Doordarshan will air a two-part documentary to showcase Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to build new national iconic sites. The DD documentary will showcase the revival of Jallianwalla Bagh; and civilisational centres such as Ram Janmabhoomi, Kashi Vishwanath Dham, Somnath Dham, and Kedarnath Dham. 

🎧 In today’s episode of the ‘3 Things’ podcast, we talk about the key takeaways from the draft of the NCF for school education, a community-led effort in Nagaland to bring back ancestral remains from the Pitt Rivers Museum, and what the SC said about Karnataka’s decision to scrap the 4 per cent OBC Muslim quota.

Until tomorrow,

Anamni Gupta and Anandu Suresh