More than two years after a massive agitation by farmers resulted in heavy losses for them, traders and shopkeepers at Delhi’s Singhu border are again looking at tough times with a fresh round of protest threatening their businesses. Thousands of farmers from Punjab began the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march on Tuesday, moving in trucks, tractor-trolleys, and on foot. Leaders of various farmer organizations, including Sarvan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal, have headed to Chandigarh for further talks with central ministers. The protesters at the Shambhu border were given a choice between pressing on for their demands or returning to the negotiation table.
In political news, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) has crossed over to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) after the JD(U)’s exit from the INDIA bloc and the Congress’s stalled seat-sharing talks with the TMC and AAP. The alliance between the RLD and the NDA was officially confirmed on Monday, the birth anniversary of RLD founder Ajit Singh. The BJP government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, conferred the Bharat Ratna on RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary’s grandfather and former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, making the alliance seem inevitable. While the RLD’s hold among the Jats and farmers in western Uttar Pradesh is valuable for all parties involved, it is perceived as more of a blow to the tottering INDIA bloc rather than a gain for the BJP.
Moving on to Kerala, the state assembly has passed a resolution urging the Central Government to make necessary amendments in the relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act to address the escalating man-animal conflict. Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran moved the resolution, highlighting the need for amendments to grant permission to cull a wild animal that has become a threat to human life, as well as simplify the norms and procedures accordingly. The resolution also demanded that the wild boar, which has posed a major threat to human life and crops in the state, be declared vermin.
In Madhya Pradesh, a tribal man from Betul district alleged that he was stripped, hung from a ceiling, and beaten with belts and sticks. The incident, which was captured on video, happened around three months ago. The victim, who runs a food stall, reported the crime to the local police station, resulting in the arrest of two men. The man claimed that the accused were attempting to extort money and resorted to violence when he refused their demands for weekly payouts.
Tension prevailed in a town in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district as clashes erupted between members of two communities over the alleged vandalism of a Buddha statue. Stone-pelting from both sides resulted in minor injuries to six people, including two police constables. Both groups accused each other of causing the damage, escalating the confrontation. Additional police forces had to intervene to disperse the crowd. While cases have been registered against 80 individuals, including members of Scheduled Caste and Backward Caste communities, no arrests have been made so far.
In a heartwarming development, Ragesh Gopakumar, one of the eight Indian Navy veterans released by the Qatar government, expressed joy and gratitude over returning home and being reunited with his family. Gopakumar, alongside seven other former Navy personnel, was freed by Qatar after their death sentences were commuted to varying jail terms. The eight individuals faced charges of espionage, but the specific allegations made against them by Qatar authorities and New Delhi remain undisclosed.
Shifting our focus to Pakistan, a political stalemate has ended with Shehbaz Sharif chosen to lead the country again. He was named as the coalition candidate for the next premier by his elder brother Nawaz Sharif, founder of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. The Pakistan Peoples Party, led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, supported the choice but did not commit to joining the government, indicating its willingness to support a minority government from the outside. Jamaat-e-Islami declined the offer to form a coalition with Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, posing a roadblock for the ruling party’s efforts to secure a coalition government.
Finally, in a tragic incident in the United States, an Indian-origin family of four has been found dead inside their San Mateo home. While the identities of the deceased have not been officially released by the San Mateo police, friends have identified them as Anand Sujith Henry, his wife Alice Benziger, and their 4-year-old twin boys. The circumstances surrounding their deaths are yet to be determined.
With these key headlines, readers are informed and updated on significant events unfolding across India and the world.
