Top commander killed in major Naxal encounter
In one of the largest anti-Naxal operations in years, security forces killed over 34 Maoist rebels in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur-Bijapur forests on Wednesday.
Among the dead is Basavaraju, alias Nambala Keshava Rao, the CPI (Maoist) general secretary and India’s most wanted Naxal commander, carrying a Rs1 crore ($150,000) bounty.
The encounter involved multiple district forces and took place in a dense Maoist stronghold.
Professor granted bail after controversial army remarks
The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted bail to Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, arrested for remarks deemed offensive towards women army officers.
The court restricted his social media use pending investigation.
Prof Mahmudabad was arrested on Sunday after his “insulting” remarks about two women army officers, who gave press briefings during the intense fighting earlier this month between India and Pakistan.
Meitei group calls strike over ‘Manipur’ signage row
Tensions escalated in Manipur on Wednesday when the Meitei group Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) called a 48-hour shutdown, protesting the removal of the word “Manipur” from a bus carrying journalists.
Security forces allegedly masked the signage during the Shirui Lily Festival to avoid regional unrest.
The Manipur government has formed a two-member inquiry committee.
Probe agency accuses Sonia Gandhi in National Herald Case
The Enforcement Directorate has named Congress party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi as the main accused in the National Herald case.
The agency alleges that they misused Congress funds for personal gain via the Young Indian (YI) company.
Ms Sonia is accused No. 1 in the money laundering case.
The case relates to an alleged conspiracy by majority shareholders of YI (Ms Sonia and Mr Rahul) to illegally obtain the assets of Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of the National Herald news platform.
Panic on IndiGo flight as hailstorm hits midair
Passengers screamed in fear aboard an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Srinagar on Wednesday as it encountered a violent hailstorm.
The aircraft’s nose suffered damage, but all 227 passengers landed safely.
The pilot had declared an emergency amid lightning and severe turbulence.
Storm wreaks havoc in Delhi
A fierce storm lashed Delhi and Noida on Wednesday, uprooting trees, toppling hoardings and causing traffic chaos.
Winds hit 79kmh, and a man was killed near Lodhi Road when an electric pole collapsed on him. Several flights were delayed and Metro services disrupted.
Majority of districts face high heatwave risk
Nearly 60 per cent of Indian districts, home to three-quarters of the population, face a “high to very high” risk from extreme heat, with rising night-time temperatures and humidity compounding the health impact, a study has found.
The report, published on Tuesday by the New Delhi-based Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) think tank, analysed climate, health and infrastructure data to calculate a heat-risk score.
“About 57 per cent of Indian districts, home to 76 per cent of India’s total population, are currently at high to very high heat risk,” the study found, with the heat risk in the capital New Delhi among the highest.
The study comes as some parts of north India continue to grapple with heatwave and severe heatwave conditions.
Boycott of Turkish coffee and chocolates grows
Small Indian grocery shops and major online fashion retailers are boycotting Turkish products ranging from chocolates, coffee, jams and cosmetics to clothing amid growing anger at Turkiye’s support for Pakistan in a confrontation with India.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan expressed public solidarity with Pakistan during the tensions.
On Monday, the All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation, which supplies 13 million mom-and-pop grocery stores, said it was launching an “indefinite and total boycott” of all Turkish goods, which would affect chocolates, wafers, jams, biscuits and skincare products.
Indian fashion websites owned by Walmart-backed Flipkart and billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance have removed numerous Turkish apparel brands, reported Reuters.
India’s lion population rises by a third
India’s Asiatic lion population has increased by over a third to 891, according to a five-yearly census released on May 21, boosting efforts to conserve the vulnerable species.
The Asiatic lion – which historically once roamed from the Middle East to India – is now reduced to an isolated population in a wildlife sanctuary in the western state of Gujarat.
“The Asiatic lion population, which was 304 in 1995, has increased steadily over the past three decades,” Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said. “In 2020 it was 674, which has now increased to 891.”
The majestic big cats are slightly smaller than their African cousins, and have a fold of skin along their bellies.
Hunting and human encroachment caused the population to plunge to just 20 by 1913, and the lions are now found only in Gujarat’s sprawling Gir wildlife sanctuary, where they roam dry deciduous forests and open grasslands.
Navy inducts 5th-century style ship
The Indian Navy inducted INSV Kaundinya, a recreation of a 5th-century ship, at the Karwar naval base in Karnataka on Wednesday.
Named after a legendary Indian sailor, the ship symbolises India’s maritime legacy and will soon sail a historic route from Gujarat to Oman.
