© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Good morning,
The Asia Cup’s biggest headlines this year haven’t come from the runs or wickets, but from the simmering tension between India and Pakistan. The first clash began with a missed handshake, the second spiralled into an abusive exchange and gunfire gestures on the field. Pakistan has since complained to the ICC that Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s remarks — dedicating India’s win to the armed forces — breached regulations. Yadav pleaded “not guilty” at a hearing in Dubai yesterday, while India has countered with its own complaint over Pakistan’s on-field antics. The ICC will give a verdict today.
Now, after Pakistan brushed aside a lacklustre Bangladesh last night, the two sides are set for a third act. The final promises a high-decibel finish, with the “mother of all rivalries” once more in the spotlight. India have looked dominant so far, and fans will be hoping the Men in Blue seal the tournament with one last statement win.
On that note, let’s get to the rest of today’s edition. 👇
Talks took precedence a day after four protesters were killed and many were injured in police firing in Leh, Ladakh. The protest was called to demand statehood and protections under the Sixth Schedule for Ladakh. New Delhi has appointed a “special envoy” to Leh to resolve the issue, while a six-member delegation (three from Leh and Kargil each) flew to Delhi to engage with the Centre. Both sides expressed willingness to begin discussions immediately, and the slated October 6 meeting remains on the cards.
Action: Meanwhile, police detained over 50 people in raids across the city to identify rioters. They also booked a Congress leader, whom the BJP accused of instigating the stir.
Also read: What we know about the protesters who died of multiple bullet wounds
Eye of the storm: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been leading the protests, now finds himself in confrontation with the government. The Union Home Ministry has accused Wangchuk of ‘inciting’ the mob and attempting to “sabotage the dialogue process”. It has cancelled the FCRA license for Wangchuk’s NGO, Students Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh. The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act requires Indian organisations to obtain a mandatory certification to receive foreign funds. Meanwhile, his Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh is also facing a CBI inquiry for FCRA violations.
Also read: Professor Amitabh Mattoo, former member of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB), writes that when Buddhists and Muslims of India’s loyal frontier speak in one voice, Delhi must listen.
🎧 For more on the Ladakh protests, tune in to today’s ‘3 Things’ podcast episode.
Coalition politics is as interesting as it is complex. Consider this: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s health issues haven’t kept the BJP from clinging to him. Letting go could risk Nitish jumping ship again. Last time, that meant the fall of the Opposition’s Mahagathbandhan government. Meanwhile, the Rahul Gandhi-Tejashwi Yadav bonhomie has shone in the past few months, but Gandhi’s surging appeal from his “Voter Adhikar Yatra” may have stirred quiet unease in the RJD camp. Read Neerja Chowdhury’s weekly column on how these polls may rejig lines between allies.
In other news, the Election Commission has reversed its 2019 decision to de-link counting of postal ballots and EVM votes. It said that the EVM tally would only be completed once the counting of postal ballot papers is completed.
Bitter pill: Continuing his relentless spree of tariffs, this morning, US President Donald Trump announced a 100 per cent charge on branded pharmaceuticals unless the company builds a manufacturing plant in the US. This opens up another front in the India-US trade negotiations as the US is India’s largest overseas market for pharmaceuticals, accounting for 40 per cent of pharma exports. Just yesterday, the Indian delegation for trade talks returned after a productive meeting with the US side. The talks picked up pace after weeks of stalled negotiations over thorny issues like India’s oil trade with Russia and the consequent US penalty.
Swipe: The GST reforms have set off a consumption frenzy. A day after the slashed rates took effect, e-commerce transactions using credit cards jumped about sixfold in a single day from Rs 1,514 crore to Rs 10,411 crore. The momentum, which seems unlikely to slow down, was also seen for debit card and UPI transactions.
Under scanner: Self-styled godman Chaitanyananda Saraswati, former chancellor of the Sri Sharda Institute of Indian Management, is on the run after he was accused of molesting female students. The police are now looking into the claims he made in various books he authored and in the documents submitted to the institute, such as his MBA and PhD degrees from the University of Chicago, his association with Ramakrishna Mission and endorsements from Steve Jobs and Ravi Shankar Prasad. Read.
Law of the land: In March, Elon Musk’s X filed a lawsuit against the Central government, seeking protection against coercive action for not joining the Home Ministry’s Sahyog portal. Notably, central and state agencies and police officers can issue blocking orders to social media platforms through the portal. However, the Karnataka High Court has rejected X’s plea, drawing three key red lines for social media companies operating in India. Here’s what the court underlined.
In ‘Ram’s nagari’: Plans to build a mosque in Dhannipur, on the outskirts of Ayodhya, in place of the demolished Babri Masjid remain on paper. Now, a BJP leader’s remarks, asking Muslims to leave the district, have sparked controversy, while one of the main litigants in the Ayodhya dispute case has his own advice for the mosque trust.
Aryan Khan’s Ba***ds of Bollywood has many easter eggs, but a dig at the director’s own drug-arrest ordeal has landed him in legal trouble. Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhede has filed a defamation suit in the Delhi High Court, alleging intent to malign his reputation and that of anti-drug enforcement agencies. Wankhede was the Narcotics Control Bureau’s Mumbai zonal director when Khan was arrested. Reportedly brought in to the NCB in the wake of actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, Wankhede is no stranger to controversy.
That’s all for today, folks! Happy weekend!
Sonal Gupta
