India Archive

In a shocking development out of Kolkata, the recent murder of Bangladeshi Member of Parliament Anwarul Azim Anar has been linked to a complex web of gold smuggling involving US-Bangladesh citizen Akhtaruzzaman, also known as Shaheen. This case has uncovered not only the intricacies of international crime but also highlighted the dangerous overlap of politics and illegal trade.

On May 20th, the Rajasthan High Court made a pointed observation about the nature of mobs during communal clashes, declaring that "a mob has no religion." This statement was part of the proceedings where the court granted bail to eighteen accused who were directly involved in an attack on a Hindu religious procession. This incident took place on March 19th in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, and tragically led to the death of 55-year-old Shyam Lal Chheepa, while several others were left injured.

On an unusual Monday, the Delhi High Court found itself leafing through the pages of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment" rather than legal textbooks. In a decision that could be mistaken for a literary critique session, the court dramatically reduced the life sentences of five members of the terror organization Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) to just ten years in prison. This occurred under the watchful eyes of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain, who preside over the matters of national security as if they were delicate matters of fiction.

Early on Sunday morning, a fast-driving Porsche lost control in East Avenue, Kalyani Nagar, Pune. The car, which people said was driven by a drunk teenager named Vedant Agarwal, hit several other vehicles and then crashed into a pavement. This terrible crash resulted in the deaths of a man and a woman, Anis Awadhia and Ashwini Costa.

In the early hours of Saturday, tragedy struck a group of 64 pilgrims when their bus suddenly caught fire on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway in Nuh, Haryana. The devastating incident resulted in the deaths of ten individuals, while many others sustained burn injuries. This group of devotees, including women and children, were on their way back from a spiritual journey to the sacred sites of Mathura and Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh when the catastrophe occurred around 2 am.

Last week, the security forces finally completely destroyed the deadly Naxal terror group ‘Permili Dalam’ of the Peoples’ Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) in the Gadchiroli area of Maharashtra. This group, long recognized as the logistical backbone for the Naxalite headquarters in Abujhmarh, met its end after decades of persistence and resistance. For 39 years, paramilitary and state police personnel engaged tirelessly in anti-Naxal operations before they could successfully dismantle this formidable group. The conclusion of this terror outfit represents the culmination of numerous sacrifices made by soldiers and officials dedicated to this cause.

In a distressing series of events on the night of May 17th, unidentified individuals caused severe damage to four Hindu temples in Kholai gram, Dhupguri, located in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal. This violent act affected two temples dedicated to Goddess Kali, one to Lord Shiv, and one to Lord Shani, suggesting a coordinated attack.

On the 15th of May, a significant milestone was reached in the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as the first batch of citizenship certificates was issued. A total of 14 individuals from persecuted non-Muslim migrant communities in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh were granted Indian citizenship.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has made a bold assertion during his latest pitch for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's third term. Sarma emphasized the achievements of the BJP government, stating, "when the BJP got 300 seats, it built the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya" and projected further ambitious plans. He claimed that once the BJP secures 400 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, significant developments are expected at religious sites and in national territorial claims. Specifically, he mentioned the construction of temples at the Krishna Janmabhoomi site in Mathura and the site of the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi.

In a bold critique of Western media's portrayal of Indian electoral processes, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar highlighted the irony in criticisms coming from nations that have historically resolved election disputes in courtrooms. Addressing an audience in Kolkata during the launch of the Bangla edition of his book 'Why Bharat Matters', Jaishankar pointed out that these countries, which often find themselves entangled in legal battles to determine election outcomes, are the same ones offering unsolicited advice—or “gyan”—on how India should manage its elections.