Daily Briefing: In Manipur, a surrender like no other; arrest in Pune bus rape case; and more

Before we move on to today’s edition, here’s a breaking news update:

Early Friday morning, the Pune Police arrested a man suspected of raping a 26-year-old woman inside a government-operated bus stationed at Swargate depot, one of the city’s busiest terminals. The arrest follows an intensive joint operation by teams from the Pune city and Pune rural police. The suspect has been identified as Dattatraya Ramdas Gade, 37, a resident of Gunat village in Shirur. Gade, who has a history of criminal activity with six previous registered cases, had been on the run since Tuesday.

🚨 Big Story

A surrender like no other: On Thursday, Manipur’s capital, Imphal, saw an unusual procession: a convoy of vehicles of the radical armed group Arambai Tenggol packed with guns of varying sizes. The group surrendered 246 weapons, making it the largest such surrender of illegally held weapons in the strife-torn state. Around 6,000 weapons have been looted from state armouries during the conflict, which began in May 2023.

Deadline day: This development came on the last day of the deadline Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla set for surrendering looted weapons. Earlier on Monday, the group’s members met the Governor. On February 20, Bhalla appealed to people to abandon such weapons to their nearest security establishments within seven days, stating that no punitive action would be taken. However, he said “strict action” would be taken after this period ends. Another 61 weapons were also surrendered in other parts of the state on Thursday.

First of many: The Centre, via the Governor, is taking a series of measures to restore law and order in Manipur after former Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned, leading to the imposition of President’s Rule. Getting armed groups to return weapons is being considered the first major step in this process. The other plans include cracking down on militias, removing illegal checkposts, and escorting convoys transporting people and goods.

⚡ Only in Express

Indian badminton national coach Pullela Gopichand, in an interview with The Indian Express, stirred a hornet’s nest by saying athletes should think twice before taking up sport seriously if they come from middle-class families.

In the latest Dis/Agree column: On one hand, retired badminton player Parupalli Kashyap agrees with Gopichand that there aren’t many options available for athletes. “Those arguing that avenues for making a living in sports are expanding fail to account for costs attached to training and living expenses,” he writes.

On the other hand, Diana Eduljee, a former India captain and part of the Committee of Administrators that governed the BCCI from 2017-19. She disagrees with the statement that “things have changed” since Gopichand and she played. “There’s money in sports now. Sporting Federations and corporates must do more, and the players need to plan their futures,” she adds.

📰 From the Front Page

Rewriting history: In school textbooks printed for this year, Bangladesh has made drastic alterations that obliterated its former Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina and curtailed her father, Mujibur Rahman’s role in the freedom struggle. As The Indian Express analysed these changes, there’s an underlying theme of downplaying the Indian leadership’s contribution to the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, which led to the creation of the country.

📌 Must Read

India-EU partnership matters: Upon reaching New Delhi on Thursday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called India a “trusted friend” and “a strategic ally.” Her visit with a delegation of the European Union’s College of Commissioners marks a significant new phase in bilateral relations as India and the EU enter the third decade of their Strategic Partnership.

⏳ And Finally…

Resurgence in Sharjah: The fortunes of Afghanistan’s cricket team is closely followed by Sharjah. The venue for regular India-Pakistan matches in the 1980s and 90s is now Team Afghanistan’s home venue. It’s here they prepared to take on the world after the city, in the early 2000s, became the home of countless Afghans who left a country ravaged by war. Many of their key players moved after the Covid-19 pandemic and call Sharjah their home today. In 2010, Abdulrahman Bukhatir, who brought cricket to the Emirates, opened the Sharjah Cricket Stadium’s doors for the Afghan team. On Friday, the team faces Australia with a spot in the semifinals of the ICC Champions Trophy on the line.

In the latest episode of our 3 Things podcast, we explain the resolutions put forward on the third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war. We also discuss the complexities of a sexual exploitation case in Rajasthan and a case that has ignited discussions on the inefficiencies of visa policies in times of crisis.

That’s all for today. Until next time!

Vibha

Business As Usual by E P Unny (Feb 28)