Former Indian Ambassador to the United States, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, will replace Vinai Kumar Saxena as the new Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi, Rashtrapati Bhavan announced on Thursday.

According to the Rashtrapati Bhavan notification, Sandhu’s appointment as the next Delhi LG will take effect from the dates he will assume charge of their respective offices.

Who is Taranjit Singh Sandhu, the new Delhi LG?

Taranjit Singh Sandhu is a former Indian diplomat who served as India’s Ambassador to the United States from February 2020 to January 31, 2024.

Sandhu, who joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1988, is credited with playing a key role in opening the Indian embassy in Ukraine.

He served as the head of the political and administration wing at the Indian Embassy in Ukraine.

From serving as First Secretary at the Indian Embassy in Washington, to Consul General of India in Frankfurt, and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of India in Washington D.C., Sandhu held several key diplomatic assignments during his career spanning more than three and a half decades.

After retiring from the IFS, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party months before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP fielded him as its Lok Sabha candidate from Amritsar against Congress leader Gurjit Singh Aujla.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, and later completed his Master of Arts (MA) from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi.

Former Indian Ambassador to the United States, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, was Thursday appointed as the new Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, replacing Vinai Kumar Saxena who has been serving at the post since May 26, 2022.

Gupta will take over as the lieutenant governor of Ladakh. The development comes shortly after Ladakh LG Kavinder Gupta tendered his resignation.

During his tenure as Delhi LG, Vinai Kumar Saxena made his role much more vocal than his predecessors.

With the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) already in power when Saxena stepped in, his tenure was marred with constant political battles with the elected government, as he raised questions over the governance in the national capital.

Taranjit Singh Sandhu is a former Indian diplomat who served as India’s Ambassador to the United States from February 2020 to January 31, 2024.

After retiring from service, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party months before the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. The BJP fielded him as its Lok Sabha candidate from Amritsar against Congress leader Gurjit Singh Aujla.

Who is Taranjit Singh Sandhu? Click Here to read more

Besides Delhi and Ladakh, Governors of several other states, including West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, were also changed.

According to a notification from the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Shiv Pratap Shukla, Governor of Himachal Pradesh, has been appointed as Governor of Telangana.

Jishnu Dev Varma, the Governor of Telangana, has been appointed as Governor of Maharashtra. Lt. General (Retired) Syed Ata Hasnain will be new Governor of Bihar.

Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi has been moved to West Bengal after CV Ananda Bose tendered his resignation. Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar will discharge the functions of Tamil Nadu Governor.

Nand Kishore Yadav appointed as Governor of Nagaland.

Kavinder Gupta, who resigned as the Lt. Governor of Ladakh, has been appointed as Governor of Himachal Pradesh.

The above appointments will take effect from the dates they will assume charge of their respective offices, the release stated.

An Indian Air Force (IAF) Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft was reported missing from radar shortly after take off from Assam’s Jorhat on Thursday, prompting the IAF to launch a search and rescue mission.

According to the Defence PRO, Guwahati, the Su-30 MKI had taken off from.Jorhat in Assam and was

The aircraft had taken off from Jorhat in Assam and was last in contact at 7:42 pm. According to the Defence PRO, Guwahati, the Su-30 MKI reportedly lost radar contact in the Karbi Anglong district of Assam.

In a post on X, the Indian Air Force said, “An IAF Su-30 MKI is reported overdue. The aircraft had taken off from Jorhat, Assam and was last in contact at 7.42 pm. Further details are being ascertained. Search and Rescue mission has been initiated.”

According to preliminary reports, the aircraft was flying over the hilly terrain of Karbi Anglong district when communication with ground control was suddenly lost.

Search and rescue teams from the Air Force, along with personnel from the local administration and other security agencies, have been mobilised to locate the aircraft.

As the search operation was underway, reports indicated the area where the fighter jet lost contact with the radar consists largely of dense forests and mountainous terrain, making the search operation difficult.

In August 2019, an IAF Sukhoi-30MKI crashed in a paddy field near Tezpur in Assam during a routine training mission. Both pilots managed to eject safely and were later rescued.

Earlier in May 2015, another Sukhoi-30MKI aircraft crashed around 36 km south of Tezpur Air Force base shortly after take-off, with both pilots ejecting safely before the crash occurred.

With Assembly elections in West Bengal around the corner, state Governor CV Ananda Bose has tendered his resignation from the post, a sudden decision Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said has left her “shocked and deeply concerned”.

While there was no official confirmation from the West Bengal Lok Bhavan, Bose reportedly confirmed his resignation while speaking to a news agency. He, however, didn’t disclose the reason behind his decision.

“I am shocked and deeply concerned by the sudden news of the resignation of Shri C. V. Ananda Bose, the Governor of West Bengal. The reasons behind his resignation are not known to me at this moment,” CM Banerjee said on X.

The Bengal CM suggested pressure from the Union Home Ministry could be the reason behind Bose’s resignation.

“…Given the prevailing circumstances, I would not be surprised if the Governor has been subjected to some pressure from the Union Home Minister to serve certain political interests on the eve of the forthcoming State Assembly elections,” she said on X.

Banerjee further stated that she has been informed by the Home Minister that Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi would replace Bose as the new West Bengal Governor. However, the Chief Minister claimed she was not consulted on Ravi’s appointment.

“Union Home Minister just informed me that Shri R.N. Ravi is being appointed as Governor of West Bengal. He never consulted with me as per the established convention in this regard,” she said.

The Bengal CM said that such actions undermine the spirit of the Constitution and strike at the very foundation of India’s federal structure.

“The Centre must respect the principles of cooperative federalism and refrain from taking unilateral decisions that erode democratic conventions and the dignity of States,” she added.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Ladakh, Kavinder Gupta, has also tendered his resignation, reported news agency ANI.

Kavinder Gupta was appointed as the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh on July 14, 2025, after President Droupadi Murmu accepted the resignation of his predecessor, Brig (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd).

Nepal witnessed largely peaceful national election on March 5 with around 60 percent of eligible voters turning out to cast their ballots. Apart from a few scattered disputes reported in Dolakha, Sarlahi, Rautahat districts, overall voting process remained calm and orderly across the country.

People from different regions walked to polling stations early in the morning determined to participate in the democratic process. Many voters said they wanted to strengthen democracy and ensure stability in the country after months of political turmoil.

Also Read: Nepal awaits election results but Sushila Karki already wins the biggest political battle after guiding nation through Gen Z uprising

Officials reported that voters showed enthusiasm throughout the day.

Strong participation from youth

One of the most noticeable features of this election was the strong participation of young voters. Many of the youths who had earlier taken part in the Gen Z protests that toppled the government of KP Sharma Oli last September also turned out in large numbers to vote.

Those protests had shaken the country and forced major political changes. Now the same young generation appeared eager to influence political future through ballot box instead of the streets.

Observers said the high youth turnout reflected shift from protest to participation. Young voters expressed hope that new leadership would address corruption, inequality and economic challenges.

What happened today

The voting process began at 7:00 in the morning at polling stations across the country. Security forces were deployed to maintain order and ensure a safe voting environment.

Security arrangements included personnel from the Nepali Army, Nepali Police, election police in addition to officials from National Investigation Department.

After entering polling stations, voters received two ballot papers. One ballot was used for First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) system. Second ballot was for Proportional Representation (PR) system.

Through these ballots, voters chose candidates for 165 seats under the First-Past-the-Post system and 110 seats under the Proportional Representation system.

Counting of votes underway

Election officials said counting for the direct First-Past-the-Post votes began on the same day after polling ended. According to the election commission, results from these seats are expected within 24 hours once counting starts.

However, the counting of votes under the Proportional Representation system may take two to three additional days to complete.

Officials believe the process could move faster than previous elections if everything goes according to plan.

Nepal’s Federal Parliament System

Nepal follows a bicameral federal legislature system. The national parliament has two houses.

The upper house consists of 56 members elected through an electoral college. Three additional members are appointed by the President.

The lower house, known as the House of Representatives, has 275 members. These members are chosen directly by voters through mixed parallel election system. This combines First-Past-the-Post and Proportional Representation methods.

The election held today was mainly for selecting members of the House of Representatives, who will shape the country’s next government.

Interim government and promise of elections

Nepal has been governed by an interim administration led by former chief justice Sushila Karki. Her government came to power after the political crisis that followed the mass protests.

The interim leadership had promised to organise fresh elections and hand over authority to a newly elected government within six months. Today’s voting marked a crucial step toward fulfilling that promise.

The Rajasthan assembly that reassembled on Thursday after a five-day Holi break witnessed stormy scenes, heated exchanges between the presiding officer in Chair and senior Congress MLA Govind Singh Dotasra, for almost an hour this evening.

Opposition Congress members gathered in the well, shouted slogans in protest against the Chairperson’s directive to a member for concluding his speech and forced a brief adjournment of the House.

The trouble erupted suddenly when senior Congress MLA Hari Mohan Sharma was speaking during the debate on the Rajasthan Shops and Commercial Establishments (Amendment) Bill, 2026. Chairman Sandeep Sharma asked the Bundi MLA to conclude fast as the time limit given for him is about to exhaust. Then soon after, the Chair sounded the alarm bell and asked Sharma to sit down.

This did not receive well by the Congress members, particularly senior MLA and the party state president Dotasra and the MLA in reference Hari Mohan Sharma. Dotasra strongly contested Chairman Sharma’s intervention saying ‘The member is speaking well on the topic why he is being stopped from completing his speech. He should not be interrupted by ringing the bell.

This broke agitated arguments and heated exchanges between Chairman Sharma and Dotasra in which both showed aggressive gestures and also used unparliamentary potshots.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Joga Ram Patel, his cabinet colleagues Avinash Gehlot, Madan Dilawar and several members in the Treasury Benches also joined in the arguments to condemn Dotasra. This prompted Opposition Congress members to troop into the well and raise slogans.

Chairman Sharma said, “My privilege (right) of ringing the bell could not be challenged, you (Dotasra) are in the practice (habit) of causing disruptions on every occasion and disregarding the Chair.

Patel said that Chair’s ruling can not be challenged, Dotasra is a habitual violator of Chair’s directives. Minister Avinash Gehlot even urged for action against him.

At one point in time, some Congress MLAs even reached across the well near the seat of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Patel and Education Minister Dilawar was about to clash physically with Congress member Hakim Ali. However, the situation was saved somehow from taking an ugly turn and the House was adjourned for almost half an hour this evening by Arjun Lal Jingar who meanwhile had sat in the Chair to relieve Sharma.

On reassembly, Speaker Vasudev Devnani assured, “I shall deliver my ruling on the disruptions in the House, tomorrow after reviewing the telecast and recording of the proceedings. Right now, let the house discharge the business of the day and take up to pass the bill under consideration”.

Hence, the House passed by voice vote two Bills – The Rajasthan Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill 2026 and “The Rajasthan Shops and Commercial Establishments (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

The Rajasthan Shops and Commercial Establishments (Amendment) Bill, 2026, notified on February 17, 2026, amends the 1958 Act to increase daily working hours from 9 to 10 hours and quarterly overtime limits from 50 to 144 hours.

It redefines “young persons” (14–18 years), increases the minimum apprentice age to 14, and allows greater operational flexibility for employers.

In a bilateral series earlier this year, Jofra Archer dismissed Sanju Samson three times in just 23 balls across five innings. That sequence did not appear to be a coincidence as the England quick almost created a similar opportunity on Thursday before skipper Harry Brook spilled a chance. For the next 10 overs, the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter made England pay dearly, unleashing carnage with a second successive half-century to help India post a mammoth 253/7 — the fourth-highest total in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup history.

Asked to bat on a placid surface at the Wankhede Stadium, Samson picked up from where he had left off at Eden Gardens and led the batting onslaught before the Indian middle order — Ishan Kishan (39 off 18), Shivam Dube (43 off 25), Hardik Pandya (27 off 12) and Tilak Varma (21 off 7) — joined a six-hitting spree to propel India to 253/7.

Samson never allowed England or Archer to recover from the dropped chance on 15. He rubbed salt into the wounds by plundering 74 runs off the next 35 deliveries, dominating his match-up against Archer. Continuing his purple patch in India Blues, Samson launched a couple of towering hits against the right-arm quick before nearly offering a chance. After the reprieve, however, he looked in complete control, smashing seven sixes and eight fours.

His unbeaten 97 against West Indies at Eden Gardens on Sunday had provided the trailer to Thursday’s main act, injecting him with the right amount of confidence ahead of the big semifinal. At the other end, Abhishek Sharma (9) failed to recreate his magic at Wankhede and fell to off-spinner Will Jacks. But the dismissal did little to slow Samson, who pulled Archer over midwicket first ball after Abhishek’s departure to set the tone for a 97-run second-wicket partnership with Kishan.

In the process, Samson replicated his Eden feat, racing to a second consecutive half-century off just 26 deliveries. He brought up the milestone by dispatching left-arm spinner Liam Dawson for a six over extra cover even as Kishan joined the party with a flat six over midwicket, helping India cross the 100-run mark inside nine overs.

With the Indian duo threatening to run away with the game, Brook turned to his experienced leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who responded by dismissing Kishan after the left-hander had struck four fours and two sixes.

Promoted to No.4 ahead of skipper Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube showed little respect for the veteran, announcing himself with a couple of sixes off the leg-spinner. Playing at his home ground, Dube kept the momentum going from the other end even as Samson closed in on a sensational century. However, the return of Will Jacks for a second spell broke the flourishing 43-run stand for the third wicket as the off-spinner ended Samson’s 42-ball blitzkrieg with his first delivery.

Captain Suryakumar Yadav (11) added a brief 30-run stand with Dube before Hardik Pandya’s misjudged single resulted in Dube’s run-out, bringing an end to his 25-ball cameo.

Pandya, however, made his presence felt with three sixes and two fours, while Tilak Varma worsened Archer’s night with a couple of clean hits over the fence to propel India past the 250-run mark.

Brief Scores: India 253/7 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 89, Shivam Dube 43, Ishan Kishan 39; Will Jacks 2-40, Adil Rashid 2-41) against England

The West Bengal unit of the Congress on Thursday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to complete the adjudication process of voters in the state before announcing the next round of elections, warning that millions of electors could otherwise face uncertainty over their voting status.

‎Senior party leaders said a memorandum had been submitted to the Commission seeking the completion of the adjudication process for more than 60 lakh electors before the start of any election process in the state.

‎Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Congress general secretary in charge of West Bengal Ghulam Ahmad Mir, state party president Subhankar Sarkar, MP Isha Khan Choudhury, along with leaders Prasenjit Bose, Ashutosh Chatterjee, BP Singh and Munish Tamang said the electoral rolls published on February 28 pursuant to a direction of the Supreme Court of India include 7,04,59,284 electors.
‎

Of these, they said, 60,06,675 voters — around 8.5 per cent — have been marked as “under adjudication”. According to the leaders, these electors fall under categories such as “logical discrepancy” and “unmapped,” with the majority concentrated in assembly constituencies in districts including Murshidabad, Malda, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas.

“The scale of the issue is unprecedented. More than 60 lakh electors have been kept under adjudication. If elections are announced before this process is completed, it could create confusion and lead to large-scale disenfranchisement,” Mir said.

The Congress leaders pointed out that the apex court, in its February 24 order, had directed that supplementary lists be published on a continuous basis as and when the pending verification exercise is completed. Given the magnitude of the exercise and logistical constraints noted in the court’s order, they said the adjudication process could take several weeks.

Citing provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the party leaders noted that Section 24 allows electors who are excluded by Electoral Registration Officers to appeal before district election officers and the Chief Electoral Officer. However, they added that Section 23 bars any inclusion in the electoral roll after the last date for filing nominations in an election.

‎“In this situation, the Election Commission must clearly notify a deadline for completing the adjudication process in consultation with the higher judiciary and ensure that the election process begins only after this exercise is finished,” Sarkar said.

The party also sought clear guidelines for the appeal and re-enrolment process for eligible voters who may have been erroneously excluded from the rolls. The memorandum submitted to the Commission warned that without corrective measures, many eligible voters could lose their right to vote.

‎Raising concerns over the pattern of additions and deletions during the revision process, Congress leaders cited official data showing that while 9.64 lakh Form 6 and Form 6A applications seeking inclusion were received during the claims and objections period, only 1.82 lakh were admitted, implying that around 7.82 lakh applications were rejected.

‎At the same time, they said that although roughly 99,000 Form 7 applications for deletion were received during the same period, more than 5.46 lakh voters were deleted through Form 7, indicating that about 4.47 lakh additional deletion requests were accepted after the claims and objections period had already closed.

‎“Such discrepancies raise serious questions about the revision process. The Commission must undertake a re-verification of all Form 6 and Form 7 applications before finalising the rolls,” Choudhury said.

‎The Congress leaders also pointed out that similar special revision exercises conducted in states such as Bihar and Tamil Nadu recorded significantly higher additions than deletions, and argued that the pattern observed in West Bengal required closer scrutiny.

‎They urged the Election Commission to undertake a comprehensive re-verification of all additions and deletions in the electoral rolls to ensure that no eligible voter in the state is denied the right to participate in the democratic process.

Ahead of the West Bengal assembly elections, Kavinder Gupta on Thursday resigned from the post of Lt. Governor of Ladakh. His resignation has come just about nine months after assuming office as the Lieutenant Governor of the Union territory of Ladakh. Gupta had taken the oath of LG on 18 July last year.

Sources said that the BJP high command might assign him some important assignment in the party setup during the assembly polls in West Bengal.

His tenure as the LG witnessed rising unrest in the region, where civil society groups and organisations such as the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance were protesting for statehood, Sixth Schedule protections, and job reservations for locals.

During his tenure, Ladakh saw heightened protests in which four youths lost their lives in police firing in September 2025.

Meanwhile, efforts to contact Gupta on mobile phone remained futile.

Uttarakhand has witnessed more than 50 per cent rise in GSDP growth as its annual growth rate is projected to be more than 8 per cent while poverty in the Himalayan state is down by 2.8 per cent in the last four four years. The annual growth projected for the state in 2026-27 will be 8.2 per cent.

Principal Secretary, Planning and Power, R Meenakshi Sundaram informed on Thursday that the Economic Survey Report, prepared in association with the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), revealed that the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Uttarakhand surged by nearly 54 per cent from ₹2.54 lakh crore in 2021-22 to around ₹3.90 crore in 2024-25.

Sundaram said that the Report unveiled that poverty in the state has come down from 9.7 to 6.92 per cent by nearly 2.8 per cent in the same period. This, according to Sundar, was indicated in the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) of the survey report statistics.

Among other key social indicators, as shared by Sundaram, claimed that the state’s annual growth rate in the financial 2024-25 was around 7.23 per cent and is projected to continue with an increased pace of 8.2 per cent in the financial year 2026-27.

The Report further revealed that the Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in the state Increased from nearly 60 per cent to 64 percent exhibiting more than four percent rise in employment growth. Human Development Index (HDI) improved in the same period from 0.718 in 2021-22 to 0.722 in 2024-25.

The state also underwent substantial Industrial Expansion and growth in startups in the last four years as claimed in the report. Sundaram stated that MSME units in the state grew from 59,798 to 79,394, with employment rising in this sector from 3.43 lakh to 4.56 lakh. Large Industrial units, on the other hand, grew from 107 to 128. The Sstate witnessed a great leap in the startups from zero units in 2017-18 to 1,750 in 2025-26.

According to the principal secretary, planning & infrastructure, connectivity growth too was remarkable in the state between 2021-22 to 2024-25. The network of roads expanded to 51,278 kilometers while the number of heliports increased from two to seven and the strength of helipads almost doubled from 60 to 118 in the last four years.

In the school education and skill development index, dropout rates in the primary school fell to 1.4 per cent, while the secondary school dropouts saw a sharp decline from 7.65 percent to 4.59 percent. In the higher education sector, degree colleges increased to 139 and engineering colleges both government and private grew from 20 to 52.

In health and sanitation, Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) has come down from 22 to 20 in the last four years while Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) improved from 103 to 91.

It’s notable that the joint economic survey report by the Centre is likely to be unveiled in the coming budget session of the state assembly at gaistain starting from March 9.

The sinking of the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena by a US submarine in international waters near Sri Lanka has raised questions over the circumstances of the attack, with Iran and strategic affairs experts suggesting that the warship may have been operating in a non-combat configuration and was “unarmed”.

The frigate was returning from India after participating in MILAN-2026, a multilateral naval exercise hosted by New Delhi in Visakhapatnam, before it was torpedoed by a US submarine, killing at least 87 sailors.

Commenting on the incident, Strategic affairs expert Dr. Brahma Chellaney raised questions about the nature of the strike, arguing that if the ship was lightly armed or unarmed, and “the strike looks less like combat than a premeditated execution.”

“A Moudge-class frigate such as the IRIS Dena, even if fully armed, would be no match for a U.S. nuclear-powered attack submarine operating in India’s maritime backyard. But the circumstances matter. If the Dena carried little or no munitions — as the ‘peace protocol’ of India’s MILAN-2026 exercise requires — the strike looks less like combat than a premeditated execution,” Chellaney said.

He also raised a “nagging question” about whether India shared intelligence about IRIS Dena with the US under military pacts COMCASA and LEMOA, which may have played a role in locating the Iranian vessel.

“The Nagging Question: Did Shared Intelligence Sink the Iranian Frigate? Under the military pacts COMCASA and LEMOA, India and the U.S. share sensitive maritime data. If a U.S. attack submarine used shared data to locate and sink an Iranian frigate that had just departed an Indian port after participating in a multilateral naval exercise, it would represent a foundational breach of the defense partnership,” he said.

During the harbour phase of the MILAN exercise in Visakhapatnam, participating ships are required to remain in a “safe configuration”, which includes public tours, diplomatic engagements, and fleet reviews under strict safety protocols.

“If the Dena left the exercise area in such a restricted configuration, the imbalance between target and attacker becomes stark: a lightly armed — or possibly unarmed — guest ship departing a cooperative exercise, tracked and destroyed by the world’s most sophisticated undersea warfare platform,” Chellaney said.

The Nagging Question: Did Shared Intelligence Sink the Iranian Frigate? Under the military pacts COMCASA and LEMOA, India and the U.S. share sensitive maritime data. If a U.S. attack submarine used shared data to locate and sink an Iranian frigate that had just departed an Indian…

— Dr. Brahma Chellaney (@Chellaney) March 5, 2026

Iran claims ship was unarmed

Iran’s Ambassador to India Dr Mohammad Fathali, also condemned the attack, claiming the vessel was unarmed when it was torpedoed by the US submarine.

“We will respond to this assassination very strongly. This ship was unarmed and in a regular maneuver at sea. I think that the United States and the Zionist regime want to disturb and destroy all the international law and international norms,” Fathali said.

Opposition questions India’s silence

The Opposition Congress has also reacted to the incident, with its leader, Sachin Pilot, saying India should stick to its neutral and sensible position in global conflicts. “I hope there is an end soon, the loss of lives and properties will stop… India has always been neutral. India’s position has been like a sane, sensible, mature nation; we should stick to that,” Pilot said.

The Congress leader also questioned the government’s silence, asserting that the sinking of the Iranian vessel occurred in waters close to India’s area of influence.

“As far as action by America is concerned, they attacked suo motu… if there is one-sided activity in our area of influence, then somewhere, India’s territorial integrity, neutral stand that is there, if we don’t speak up, our silence is wrong,” he said.

‘Iranian vessel was struck far from India’s jurisdiction’

However, some in the country believe India bore no responsibility for the incident as the ship had already sailed 250 nautical miles away from India’s coastline. Suresh Nakhua, who describes himself as a BJP supporter, said the frigate was struck far from India’s jurisdiction.

“The strike on IRIS Dena occurred around 250 nautical miles from India’s coastline, in international waters and beyond India’s maritime jurisdiction. While India shares close maritime proximity with several countries across the Indian Ocean, geographical vicinity does not translate into responsibility for every incident in the region,” he added.

Immediately after he led a meeting of party rebels in Palakkad, the CPM expelled senior leader and former Shoranur MLA PK Sasi from the party. He had recently stepped down as chairman of the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation(KTDC).

Earlier in the day, Sasi inaugurated the CPM rebel convention at Chandranagar in Palakkad when he unleashed scathing attacks on the party leadership, including district secretary EN Suresh Babu. It is against this backdrop that the CPM decided to expel him from its primary membership.

Speaking at the convention, Sasi said it is not a rebel convention, but a convention of revolutionaries. “If you want to see the face of the revolutionary movement in the district, a group that has the strength to lead the communist movement with dedication, you should look at this convention,” he said.

“Corruption and spirit trade are all being carried out under the cover of governance. A person holding a responsible party position is the first accused in the spirit case. This convention is an expression of the anger of all those who raised their voices against this injustice and immorality from within the party,” Sasi said.

It may be noted that PK Sasi, a senior party leader and former MLA, turned up and inaugurated the CPM rebel convention in Palakkad a day after senior party leader and former minister G Sudhakaran indicated that he might be ending his long association with the party, stating that he does not wish to continue in the party in a manner that would cause discomfort to leaders including party state secretary M V Govindan.

G Sudhakaran, in a Facebook post along with a video clip of state secretary MV Govindan’s press conference in which the latter said that Sudhakaran does not deserve any consideration, said he would not renew his membership during the 2026 membership scrutiny period, effectively parting ways with the CPM.

The Maharashtra government has approved the Anti-Conversion (Anti-Religious Conversion) Bill at a cabinet meeting. The Bill is expected to be introduced in both the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council soon, Fisheries and Ports Development Minister Nitesh Rane said here on Thursday.

Speaking to media persons, Nitesh Rane said there has been a long-standing demand in Maharashtra for such a law to prevent religious conversions from several Hindutva organisations and activists who have been campaigning for several years for such a law.

“During assembly elections, we had said that we would bring a strong anti-conversion law in Maharashtra, or an anti-Love Jihad law, after our government comes to power. This promise was given by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Today, I am deeply satisfied that a strong anti-conversion law has been passed by the cabinet in Maharashtra. This Bill has been approved under the ‘Religion Independence Act 2026’. Now a Government Resolution (GR) will be out soon,” Rane said.

“A very effective anti-conversion law will be implemented in Maharashtra. I sincerely thank Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar for this law. Many activists and Hindutva organisations had taken out marches to get this law implemented. Many people fought for the implementation of this law. Now, this law will be implemented soon,” Rane said, adding that the law will be more effective than similar laws in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

Under the Anti-Conversion (Anti-Religious Conversion) Bill, forcibly converting someone or inducing anybody to convert to another religion by luring or using temptation will be treated as a non-bailable offence, Rane said, adding that technical details of the law will be made public shortly.

The Maharashtra government previously expressed its plan to introduce an anti-conversion law. The government had formed a high-level committee to study the legal issues related to a possible law targeting forced conversions and cases often referred to as “love jihad”.

Rane also welcomed a recent verdict of the Bombay High Court regarding namaz on the roads. “The verdict should be welcomed. There are enough mosques and places for offering namaz. So, there is no need to pray on streets or airports. Why insist on doing it everywhere? If namaz has to be offered on streets and airports, what is the need of mosques? Those spaces should be given to schools and other institutions instead,” Rane said.

Maharashtra Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a request to thoroughly investigate the January 28 air crash that killed the late Ajit Pawar, sources said.

Ajit Pawar-led NCP MLAs also met Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis late Thursday evening to discuss several errors in the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) 22-page preliminary report, which was released last week.

It is also learnt that the late Ajit Pawar’s family, including Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar, her elder son Parth Pawar and younger son Jai Pawar, seem to suspect that the January 28 air crash was not a mere accident, but a murder.

Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar-led NCP’s working president and Rajya Sabha MP Supriya Sule has also demanded a transparent investigation into the late Ajit Pawar’s accident. She said that all people who love Ajit Pawar are upset after his accident and demanded a “transparent investigation” into the case.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Criminal Investigation Department (CID) stated on Thursday that it has recorded the statement of VK Singh, who is known to be a top official of VSR Ventures, the New Delhi-based air charter company whose ill-fated aircraft flew late Deputy CM Ajit Pawar on January 28 from Mumbai airport to the Baramati airstrip.

A CID official confirmed that VK Singh was being questioned as part of the investigation, adding that no further details could be shared.

In a related development, Vikas Lawande, a spokesperson and organising secretary of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, tweeted from his official X handle stating that the late Ajit Pawar’s air crash was a well-planned “murder”, since he was “a big political obstacle for someone”.

“Considering the role of the government and the investigating agencies, I am of the firm opinion that the murder of respected Ajit Dada was well-planned. Efforts are being made from the highest levels to suppress this case because Ajit Dada must have become a big political obstacle for someone. If we examine history, we will find that many cases have been suppressed,” Lawande stated in his tweet in Marathi, which has gone viral on social media.

Family members of around 1 lakh people of the city of Nawabs, presently residing in Iran and Gulf countries, are experiencing sleepless nights due to the US-Israel attack on Iran and the bombing of Gulf countries by Tehran.

According to the city’s travel agency operators, there are currently around 1 lakh people from Lucknow in Gulf countries. They are stranded in Gulf countries such as Iran, Oman, Bahrain, Muscat, Riyadh, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah.

People say when family members call from Lucknow to check on their well-being, they hear the sound of bomb blasts in the background. This has only increased their anxiety. Lucknow airport operates 115 flights to Gulf countries every week. The cancellation of these flights has caused distress in the region.

Lucknow also witnessed massive protests against the US-Israel early this week after the death of the Shia religious leader and Supreme Commander of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Meanwhile, Shia religious leader Maulana Kalbe Jawad said, “My sister, nephew, and younger son are in Iran.

Many family members live there. My son, Kalbe Ahmed, has been studying in Iran for a long time. The city of Qom, where he lives, has been hit by missile attacks. But thank God, he is completely fine. Our son has been in Iran for almost six years. My nephew has been living there for 16 years.”

Shia Maulana said, “Action should be taken against Israel and the US through the UNO. Those who attacked the school and killed over 150 children. So many people have been killed. Our Indian government pretends to be against terrorism.”

Maulana Jawad said, “Our government has accepted Trump as its master. Trump said we should stop buying oil from Russia and the govt acted so. This means we have moved from slavery under the British to Trump”. He further said, “Our government should say that they were once slaves of the British, but now they belong to the US. Our leader has been martyred in a terrorist attack. On one hand, they were holding discussions for peace, while on the other hand, Khamenei was eliminated in an attack. We will always oppose this.”

Ravish Zaidi, from Lucknow, works as a reporter for an Iranian state-run TV channel in Tehran. His father, Amir Abbas Zaidi, expressed concern about the situation in Iran.

He said, “My son has been in Iran for almost 17 years. He suffered a heart attack 15 days ago and underwent open-heart surgery.” It’s been three days since he was discharged from the hospital and returned home. Now, the attacks have suddenly begun, which has increased our anxiety.

My son has sent me photos of the attack site. An attack occurred 100 meters from where my son is. About 30 bombs were dropped.

“We tried to call him to Lucknow, but he didn’t come. Whenever a war starts, our hearts become very nervous and anxious. Last year, when an Israeli bomb hit an Iranian building, it was seen live. Our son reported and left the scene 15 seconds before the incident. This saved his life,” Amir Abbas said.

In a landmark ruling which will have far-reaching implications on the country’s eateries and drinking dens, the Authority for Advance Ruling (AAR) – GST of West Bengal has recently ruled that restaurants and bars cannot “put food, drinks and smoking hookahs within the same bracket” even when they are served in the same table in a restaurant or a bar.

It also ruled that there is no justification for a composite tax of 5 per cent under Clause 6(b) of Schedule II of the CGST rules.

Disposing an application seeking advance ruling by a restaurant brand, Pappu Chaiwala, the AAR observed that the phrase “any other article of human consumption” appearing in Clause 6 (b) of Schedule II of CGST cannot include tobacco or non-tobacco hookahs.
“These food and hookah are two taxable supplies,” the AAR observed.

So far, various restaurants operating as Hookah bars predominantly supply hookah services in addition to ancillary food items and are charging GST at the concessional rate of 5 per cent treating the entire activity as a restaurant service.

Refusing to take the argument that Hookahs, both tobacco-based and non-tobacco based, are not provided as an independent service and provided to customers who order food and beverages and therefore form part of the overall hospitality service being imparted in a restaurant environment, the Authority said that “Smoke does not qualify for any form of ‘edible substance’,” and, therefore, tobacco or non-tobacco products in a hookah falls outside Clause 6(b)’s scope.

The AAR ruled that tobacco should be counted as a separate supply altogether and taxed at 18 per cent for (non-tobacco) and 40 per cent for tobacco-based Hookah served at restaurants and bars.

“Across the industry, many restaurants offering hookah have been treating it as a composite restaurant supply and applying the concessional 5 per cent GST rate. The West Bengal AAR ruling fundamentally disrupts that position by holding that hookah is a separate supply of goods, taxable at 18 per cent in case of non-tobacco variants and 40 per cent plus applicable cess in case of tobacco products.

“This creates an immediate classification reset for operators who have built pricing models around the lower rate,” said Manoj Mishra, Partner and Tax Controversy Management Leader, Grant Thornton Bharat.

Mishra said that the exposure could be significant for businesses. “For outlets where hookah sessions are priced between INR 800 and INR 1500 and form a steady revenue stream, the differential tax impact over several years may translate into sizable demands, along with interest and potential penalty.

“Beyond the immediate numbers, the ruling sharpens the interpretation of composite supply under GST and signals a more rigorous approach to bundled offerings. Businesses will need to reassess historical positions, provisioning strategies and contract structures with urgency,” he said.

“The impact will be devastating,” agreed Sudesh Poddar, president of Hotel & Restaurant Association of Eastern India (HRAEI), the regional body affiliated to Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), while talking to UNI.

Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly and senior Congress leader V D Satheesan on Thursday accused the CPM-led LDF government of running a false campaign against the previous UDF regime by spending money from the state exchequer.

Speaking to media persons here on Thursday, Satheesan said the Public Relations Department of the state government is engaging itself in a false campaign through newspapers against the previous UDF government by spending the money from the state exchequer.

“The Public Relations department (PRD) of the Government of Kerala is giving a false campaign to the newspapers against the UDF by spending the money from the state exchequer. Some media houses are receiving this amount and are propagating against the previous UDF government. We will fight against it,legally and politically,” he said.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and former state home minister Ramesh Chennithala said it seems the PRD is now working at the AKG Centre( CPM state Headquarters) and that the department has been reduced to a political propaganda wing of the CPM.

He said the PRD’s advertisements appeared in newspapers on Thursday were political and the department has never given such propaganda materials previously. “The PRD is spreading false stories. If the PRD officials are not careful, they will have to answer for all this,” Chennithala said.

The Congress leaders came out against the PRD in the backdrop of the advertisements published in many newspapers in the state mocking the UDF era . The advertisement was in the guise of a news story about the failures of the UDF era.

‘Load shedding from today, 40 per cent of schools under threat of closure, KSRTC on the verge of closure, pensions have been suspended for eighteen months’. These headlines that appeared in many newspapers in Kerala on Thursday seem to be against the government, and are not actually news. They are advertisements mocking the UDF era. This advertisement given by the PRD has appeared in most newspapers.

This is given by comparing the Oommen Chandy government and the Pinarayi Vijayan government. While the first page contains the issues that the Left Front alleges were the difficulties Kerala faced during the Oommen Chandy government’s rule, the second page says that the same issues were resolved during Pinarayi Vijayan’s rule.