Qatar releases eight Indian Navy veterans
In what can be seen as a major diplomatic win for India, eight Indian Navy veterans, who were sentenced to death in Qatar, were released by a court in Doha.
The men were reportedly arrested in August 2022, due to accusations that they had passed sensitive submarine-related information to Israeli intelligence. Neither Qatar nor India have officially confirmed the charges.
A preliminary court sentenced them to death last year, prompting India to express deep shock and file an appeal.
Police fire tear gas at protesting farmers outside Delhi
Police fired tear gas at protesting farmers for a second day on Wednesday to stop tens of thousands from marching to New Delhi to demand higher prices for their produce.
Travelling on trucks and trolleys loaded with food, bedding and other supplies, the farmers began their “Delhi Chalo” (Let’s go to Delhi) march on Tuesday after talks with the government failed to yield a commitment on minimum prices for a range of crops.
The authorities imposed tight security arrangements in areas bordering New Delhi, with hundreds of personnel in riot gear deployed amid cement blocks topped with barbed wire in the path of the convoy.
‘Mastermind’ of Haldwani violence arrested in Delhi
Police on Sunday arrested Abdul Malik, the suspected mastermind of the violence that erupted in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, on Feb 8, in which six people were killed and dozens injured.
“He was traced to the national capital and nabbed by us with assistance from Delhi police,” an Uttarakhand police officer told The Times of India.
Violence rocked Haldwani town after an illegally built madrasa and a mosque were razed. Thirty people have been arrested.
Jailed Tamil Nadu minister Senthil Balaji resigns
Tamil Nadu minister V. Senthil Balaji tendered his resignation on Monday, seven months after he was arrested and imprisoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering and job scam case.
Balaji’s prolonged legal battle and multiple bail pleas have largely remained futile, raising questions over why he was still being retained as a minister in the M.K. Stalin-led cabinet without any portfolio.
His resignation comes just days before the Madras High Court is slated to review his bail plea. Balaji’s arrest was linked to a purported cash-for-jobs scam that occurred during his tenure as transport minister, from 2011 to 2015, in the Cabinet led by the late Jayalalithaa, then chief minister of Tamil Nadu.
Young Indians spent millions buying gifts for ‘Valentine’s Week’
Young Indians bought record amounts of roses, chocolates and hampers to celebrate “Valentine’s Week”, in another sign of increased spending and rising income levels in the world’s most populous nation.
While Feb 14 is recognised as Valentine’s Day around the world, the week preceding it has gained popularity in India. Feb 7 is known as Rose Day, while Feb 9 is associated with chocolates and Feb 10 with teddy bears. The other days of the week are linked to romantic gestures like promises and hugs.
E-commerce platforms, along with dating sites, pushed the trend and engaged in aggressive campaigns to promote romantic products.
Poonam Pandey faces Rs100 crore lawsuit over death stunt
A week after model and actress Poonam Pandey claimed she had “died of cervical cancer”, ostensibly to raise awareness about the disease, she and her former husband Sam Bombay were on Monday slapped with a Rs100 crore ($16.2 million) defamation suit.
The Times of India said Mumbai resident Faizan Ansari filed the lawsuit with the Kanpur police commissioner, accusing Pandey and Bombay of orchestrating a “false conspiracy of death” and trivialising serious illnesses like cancer for their personal gain.
Mr Ansari said their actions also tarnished the reputation of the Bollywood community.
Bengal cops dismiss Sandeshkhali sexual violence reports
The West Bengal Police have denied allegations of sexual violence against women in Sandeshkhali, a village in North 24 Parganas district, calling it “wilful misinformation”.
Union Minister Smriti Irani had alleged women in Sandeshkhali were being sexually assaulted by Trinamool Congress goons.
In a post on X, the West Bengal Police said: “No allegations of sexual torture of women have been received during the inquiries since conducted by the State Women’s Commission, an all-women fact-finding team.”
Textile tycoon hit with fresh allegations
Ms Nawaz Modi, the estranged wife of Indian textile tycoon Gautam Singhania, has made fresh allegations including spying and surveillance against her husband.
She has been negotiating a divorce settlement with the billionaire for the past several months. However, the talks are said to have collapsed after she asked for 75 per cent of Mr Singhania’s US$1.4 billion fortune.
In the latest police report, Ms Modi alleged that she and her children, who are currently living in her father’s home, are in “constant fear” due to Mr Singhania’s “incessant harassment, threats and spying”.
She has accused Mr Singhania of putting spyware in her car, and his staff of forcibly occupying her father’s property in Udwada, Gujarat.
First conviction in massacre by Phoolan Devi’s gang after 43 years
Forty-three years after bandit Phoolan Devi and her gang perpetrated the Behmai massacre in which 20 people were shot dead to “avenge” her rape, a court in Kanpur on Wednesday gave a life sentence to one of the two surviving accused.
It is the first conviction in the case involving 35 accused, including “Bandit Queen” Devi who gained notoriety after the incident and was shot dead in July 2001, at the age of 37.
Judge Amit Malviya sentenced Shyam Babu, 65, to life imprisonment, but acquitted another accused, Vishwanath, due to a lack of evidence. All the other accused have died.
Tusk-less elephant found dead on railway track in Tripura
An elephant carcass was found on a railway track in Teliamura, in Tripura’s Khowai district, on Saturday with its tusk missing, forest department officials said.
Wildlife experts said the elephant was middle-aged and possibly died after a collision with a train.
Karnataka doctor fired for pre-wedding shoot in op room
A doctor working at a government hospital in Karnataka’s Chitradurga district was sacked after carrying out a pre-wedding photoshoot in an operation theatre.
The incident, captured on video and circulated on social media, sparked outrage and led to swift action by the state government.
It showed Dr Abhishek “performing surgery” on a patient while his fiancee assists him. The couple is seen using medical instruments and surrounded by professional lighting equipment.
