3 min readMar 2, 2026 06:23 AM IST
First published on: Mar 2, 2026 at 06:23 AM IST
The Swedish prime minister, Olof Palme, 59, was assassinated. A national alert was declared following the killing. As crowds of shocked bystanders openly wept in the city centre street where Palme was gunned down after leaving a cinema with his wife, Lisbet, the police cordoned off parts of the city and mounted stringent checks on everyone leaving ports and airports. The police said they had no immediate clues as to the identity of the killer or his motive, although there was no indication so far that it might have been politically motivated. The police have mounted the largest manhunt ever seen in the country in search of the gunman.
V P Singh on deficit
The deficit of Rs 3,650 crore in the budget for 1986-87 will not aggravate inflation in the country, the Union Finance Minister, V P Singh, said in New Delhi. He said that the buoyancy in revenues and the increase in production all round would keep the inflationary pressures within manageable limits. In the last few years, when the deficit was large, inflation had been under control. “The budget pulsates with the aspirations of the people and we have committed ourselves to their service,” Singh said. During the current session of Parliament, the government will come forward with a policy paper on administered prices.
Currency on Marcos’s plane
Twenty-two crates of undeclared new Philippine currency valued at $1,179,000 were discovered by US customs in one of the planes carrying the former president, Ferdinand Marcos’s, party into Hawaii. Bringing in more than $10,000 in cash into the US without declaration is a felony. Just a few hours earlier, Larry Speakes, White House spokesperson, had stated that as a gesture of courtesy, the White House had decided that the former president and 20 members of his party would not be subjected to thorough checks by US Customs. There was no explanation offered for such an allowance.
Doordarshan pulls film
Doordarshan has done it again. After giving much publicity to the telecasting of New Delhi Times, a movie acclaimed for its exposure of the nexus between politicians and criminals, Doordarshan seems to have suddenly developed cold feet. Much to the disappointment of viewers, Doordarshan announced a change in its plans and telecasting of a regular box-office hit, Sharmilee, instead of New Delhi Times. Though no reason for the sudden cancellation of the all-India premiere was given, it is believed that “high officials” in the government and Doordarshan felt that the movie was too controversial. The director of the film, Ramesh Sharma, told Indian Express that he was taken by surprise.
This is the front page of The Indian Express published on March 02, 1986. 
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