India’s main opposition leader Rahul Gandhi was restored to parliament on Monday after the Supreme Court last week suspended his defamation conviction over his comments criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi returns to parliament
His reinstatement was welcomed by other members of his Congress party, which was once a dominant force but has lost the past two elections to Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.
Mr Gandhi’s disqualification “has ceased to operate subject to further judicial pronouncements”, said the Lok Sabha’s secretary-general Utpal Kumar Singh.
Hindus and Muslims clash again in Haryana
Hindus and Muslims clashed in Haryana a week after violence erupted during a Hindu procession in a Muslim neighbourhood, police said on Monday. At least seven people have been killed in the clashes.
The latest violence began on Sunday and continued into early Monday when several people set fire to a Muslim tomb, police officials said. No one was hurt.
“There have been three incidents of shops being vandalised. Six people have been arrested,” said Assistant Superintendent of Police Mayank Mishra.
India bars makers of military drones from using Chinese parts
The Indian government has barred domestic manufacturers of military drones from using components made in China over concerns about security vulnerabilities, reported Reuters.
The measure comes amid tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours and as New Delhi pursues a military modernisation that envisages greater use of unmanned quadcopters, long-endurance systems and other autonomous platforms.
WHO flags contaminated India-made syrup Cold Out
The World Health Organization on Monday flagged a batch of contaminated common cold syrup manufactured by an Indian company – the latest in a series of warnings by the agency about substandard medicines from the country.
The United Nations agency said the batch of the syrup, branded Cold Out, found in Iraq was manufactured by Fourrts (India) Laboratories for Dabilife Pharma and had higher than acceptable limit of contaminants diethylene and ethylene glycol.
Unrest in Myanmar linked to ongoing ethnic strife in Manipur
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday blamed the unrest in Myanmar for the ethnic conflict in the neighbouring northeastern Indian state of Manipur, urging both sides in the Manipur dispute to resolve their differences through dialogue.
Mr Shah told parliament that political instability in Myanmar had prompted thousands of refugees to flee into Manipur across a porous border. More than 180 people have been killed, many hundreds more wounded and tens of thousands made homeless in Manipur since May.
He urged the two warring ethnic sides in Manipur, the majority Meiteis and the Kukis, to come to the table for peace talks and resolve the issue through dialogue.
Deaths of cheetahs brought in from Africa not alarming
India is taking steps to ensure the well-being of cheetahs brought in from southern Africa, the government has told the Supreme Court, as concerns rise over the deaths of the world’s fastest land animal.
Six adult cheetahs out of the 20 imported from South Africa and Namibia in September 2022 and February 2023 have died since March. Three cubs born in India have also perished.
The government told the top court on Monday that the project has had its challenges but the deaths did not call for alarm.
Chandrayaan-3 orbiting moon ahead of landing
India’s latest space mission, Chandrayaan-3, has entered the moon’s orbit more than three weeks after its launch, the country’s space agency said on Saturday.
If the rest of the mission goes to plan, the lander module Vikram will touch down near the moon’s little-explored south pole on Aug 23 or 24.
Woman stripped in Hyderabad, man arrested
A woman was publicly stripped by a man in Hyderabad’s Jawahar Nagar area on Sunday.
Labourer Peddamaraiah turned aggressive when the woman objected to his inappropriate touch. Bystanders filmed the incident instead of intervening.
The police have taken the suspect into custody.
Cop suspended after photo with murder accused goes viral
The Rajasthan government on Monday suspended the posting of senior police officer Vipin Sharma after a photo of him with murder accused Monu Manesar, who is on the run, went viral.
The case relates to the deaths of two residents of Ghatmika village in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district. Mr Junaid and Mr Nasir Ali were allegedly abducted and killed by cow vigilantes in neighbouring Haryana in February. Manesar is one of the 21 accused.
Kerala man jailed for harassing woman police officer
A Kerala Court has sentenced a man to three years’ jail and imposed a fine of Rs15,000 ($244) on him for harassing a woman police officer in Kochi.
The man, Jose, had made more than 300 phone calls to her, LiveLaw reported.
The court observed that the man’s actions had caused discomfort and mental pain to the officer and other staff at an all-women police station.
Date turns tragic when Hyderabad youth falls to death
A date in Hyderabad on Monday turned tragic when a young man fell to his death from the terrace of a four-storey building, reported IANS.
Mohammed Shoaib, 20, was at his girlfriend’s residence when the sound of approaching footsteps made him panic.
Fearing that it was the girl’s father approaching, he took cover in a corner of the terrace. He clutched some cables, but his grip failed and he fell.
BJP leader declared dead wakes up before last rites
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Mahesh Baghel regained consciousness on Monday after doctors in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, had declared him dead when he was taken to hospital with a chest infection.
His eyes fluttered open when his family was preparing for his last rites, reported the Hindustan Times.
India v Pakistan among nine World Cup matches rescheduled
The blockbuster India v Pakistan clash is one of nine matches to be rescheduled for the 50-over World Cup later this year, as the International Cricket Council announced on Wednesday that tickets will go on sale on Aug 25.
The Indian cricket board’s secretary Jay Shah said last month that there would be changes after other boards wrote in with requests due to “logistical challenges”.
The India v Pakistan game, originally scheduled for Oct 15, will now take place on Oct 14 in Ahmedabad.
