News Menu, May 28: Rahul Gandhi in legal crosshairs; Kashmir's tourism revival
Good morning. On May 28, 1883, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was born in Bhagur, Maharashtra. A revolutionary, poet, and politician, Savarkar formulated the philosophy of Hindutva. His bold activism and writings fuelled India's freedom struggle, though his ideology remains a subject of debate.Let's see what else is waiting to make history with the news menu of India Today.Wednesday Potboiler: RJD's Family Feudadvertisement
The Tej Pratap Yadav saga explodes as Anushka Yadav's brother, Akash, slams Lalu Prasad Yadav's family for Tej's six-year RJD expulsion. Asks: 'Has Taj committed a crime?' Slams his sister's character assassination.Aishwarya Roy, Tej's estranged wife, doubles down, alleging injustice. Will Tejashwi counter Akash's dare? When will Anushka speak out? India Today stirs the pot of this dynastic clash with a deep dive into its dramatis personae.Political Pot: PM Modi's Multi-State SprintPrime Minister Narendra Modi launches a high-octane tour across five states, starting in Bengal and Sikkim, hitting Bihar on May 29, Kanpur (UP) on May 30, and Madhya Pradesh on May 31. Packed with roadshows, rallies, and crore-worth project launches, Modi amplifies Operation Sindoor's anti-terror stance. India Today tracks the feverish preparations for this blitz.Global Platter: India's Anti-Terror CrusadeadvertisementOperation Sindoor's global echo grows louder, with India's all-party delegations vowing, 'India will not tolerate nuclear blackmail,' and promising swift strikes on terror hideouts.At home, Congress and Trinamool Congress intensify calls for a Special Parliamentary Session to probe the Pahalgam terror attack and Pakistan-backed networks. TMC MPs meet today (11 AM) to chart next steps. Will the government bow to the opposition's demand?Monsoon Mix: India Soaked in ChaosThe IMD forecasts partly cloudy skies in Delhi with possible thundery developments today, escalating to light rain, thunderstorms, and lightning on May 29–30. Himachal Pradesh braces for thunderstorms and hailstorms until June 2, while Gujarat faces unseasonal rains with more expected. Mumbai's monsoon woes mount with dug-up roads and poor drainage, costing shopkeepers goods and damaging properties. Pune's orange alert signals heavy rainfall, waterlogging, and 16 villages cut off in rural areas. Turmoil in Kollam in Kerala. India Today wades through this stormy deluge.Legal Lassi: Supreme Court ShowdownsMP Minister's Controversy: The Supreme Court hears a sedition and insult case against Madhya Pradesh Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah for remarks against Colonel Sophia Qureshi.Ashoka University Professor Case: The top court reviews Associate Professor Ali Khan Mehmubad's petition over a controversial Operation Sindoor post, questioning his language after granting bail.Electoral Bonds Probe: Delhi High Court examines a plea for a CBI investigation into alleged corruption via electoral bond donations, wary of media-based claims.Land-for-Jobs & IRCTC Scams: Rouse Avenue Court reviews CBI charge sheets naming Lalu, Tejashwi, and Tej Pratap Yadav, among others.Rahul Gandhi Citizenship: Delhi High Court hears a petition seeking an investigation into Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's citizenship status.Rajendra Nagar Deaths: Delhi High Court reviews CBI and MCD reports on the deaths of three students at a coaching institute.Tahawwur Rana's Plea: Patiala House NIA Court hears Rana's request to speak with family, previously denied.advertisementSouthern Sizzlers: Karnataka's Murder FuryIn Mangaluru, a brutal sword attack killing Imtiyaz and injuring Kalander ignites street protests. India Today tracks the escalating tension as locals demand justice.In Chennai, a joyride malfunction traps 30 people mid-air for over three hours India Today captures the south's topsy-turvy ride.Kashmiri Kahwa: Tourism Revival PushJ&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah hosts a pivotal meeting in Gulmarg today (12 noon) to boost tourism, following Farooq Abdullah's Pahalgam golf outing and his call: 'Bholenath is calling you Come back to Kashmir.' India Today tracks this effort to revive the Valley's allure post-Pahalgam terror attack.advertisementDevotional Dal: Chardham Yatra BoomsOver 25,000 devotees flock to Kedarnath in a single day, with Badrinath and Hemkund yatras thriving. India Today follows this spiritual surge in Uttarakhand's sacred sites.Hero Halwa: Firozpur's BraveheartTen-year-old Shravan Singh from Firozpur is honoured as the youngest Civil Warrior for supporting the Indian Army, a heartwarming story of courage.Parting Bite: Savarkar defined his ideology with the famous quote: 'The only geography of the Hindus is the holy land of India' (Hindutva: Who is a Hindu?) Revered by some, criticized by others for communal views, his legacy remains fiercely polarising.
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Indian Express
12 minutes ago
- Indian Express
How latest drive to deport illegal Bangladeshi immigrants stands out
Since Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7, Indian authorities have 'pushed back' more than 2,500 allegedly illegal Bangladeshi immigrants across the international border, What distinguishes this drive is the urgency and scale: the government has not only issued a 30-day deadline for verification of illegal immigrants, but identified individuals are now being transported in Indian Air Force aircraft from various states to border outposts. This has, however, raised concerns around due process, humanitarian issues, and pending litigation, especially reports of people being left in the no man's land between India and Bangladesh. Migration between what is now Bangladesh and India dates back to British times. * The colonial administration encouraged settlement in the then sparsely populated Assam by bringing in labourers from Bengal and North India. * Post-Partition, millions of refugees from East Pakistan, mostly Hindus, moved to India. Amid the brutal Pakistani crackdown on Bengalis, some 10 million people, mostly Hindus, sought refuge in India in 1971 alone. * Over the decades, economic migration from Bangladesh to India has continued, with many crossing the border into states like Assam and West Bengal in search of jobs. This influx has led to significant socio-political tension, particularly in Assam. While the India-Bangladesh border is largely fenced today, gaps remain, and illegal migration persists, with Bangladeshi workers visible in metropolitan labour markets across India. There is presently no official or universally accepted figure about the number of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in India, and estimates have varied widely. In 2004, then MoS (Home) Sriprakash Jaiswal told Parliament that 12 million illegal Bangladeshi immigrants resided in India. (This claim was withdrawn following protests by the Assam and West Bengal governments.) Former RAW chief Sanjeev Tripathi, in a 2016 paper, estimated the number to be more than 15 million, based on comparisons of census data from Bangladesh and India from 1981 to 2011. The same year, MoS (Home) Kiren Rijiju told Parliament that 20 million illegal Bangladeshi immigrants were living in India, based on unofficial assessments. The deportation of illegal immigrants has been an enduring part of India's domestic policy, cutting across political lines. The UPA government too deported illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. RPN Singh, who served as MoS (Home) from 2012 to 2014, claimed in 2018 that the Manmohan Singh government had deported 82,000 immigrants. These efforts have further picked up under the Narendra Modi government, driven by both national security concerns and ideological motivations. In 2018, then-BJP president and current Union Home Minister Amit Shah had referred to Bangladeshi immigrants as 'termites'. Since 2018, the Modi government has also pursued a more tech-driven approach to the problem. * That year, it launched the portal to collect the biographic and biometric data of Rohingya immigrants. This was later expanded to include Bangladeshi immigrants as well. * In 2023, the government revamped this portal into the Foreigners Identification Portal (FIP) to capture more detailed profiles of suspected illegal immigrants. States/UTs and the Ministry of External Affairs were given access to the portal, which is used to upload and verify details of suspected illegal immigrants. If verification fails, deportation is initiated with help from the Foreigners' Regional Registration Offices (FRROs). * In 2023, the government also introduced a District Police Module on the Immigration Visa Foreigner Registration Tracking (IVFRT) portal to track overstaying foreigners. * Further, biometric capture infrastructure — fingerprint scanners, cameras, and computers — has been deployed across police stations, detention centres, and Border Out Posts (BOPs) of the BSF. A renewed push, novel strategy While the issue was never truly on the back burner, deportation drives have intensified following the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, and the beginning of Operation Sindoor on May 7. Currently, states such as Gujarat, Delhi, Assam, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan are rounding up identified illegal immigrants and transporting them to border points in Assam, Tripura, and Meghalaya. From here, they are 'pushed back' across the border by the Border Security Force (BSF). A senior security official told The Indian Express that such deportations have historically had limited success. 'The border is porous. These people often return,' he said. However, the current operation marks a more coordinated, digitised approach to the problem of illegal migration. With biometric data now captured on the FIP, the government hopes re-entry can be checked. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has also instructed authorities issuing Aadhaar, Voter ID, and Ration Card to cross-check applicants against the immigrant database before issuing documents. The MHA has set a 30-day deadline for States and UTs to verify suspected illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar. If verification fails, deportation proceedings will follow. An integrated server will support this process, bringing together data from the IVFRT system, the FIP portal, and the India-Myanmar Border Pass System. Some questions remain Questions around due process, humanitarian concerns, and bilateral sensitivities persist. As more people are rounded up and transported to the borders, courts and civil rights groups are likely to scrutinise the legal and ethical contours of this drive, especially in cases involving pending litigation or individuals caught in border limbo. On May 8, Bangladesh sent a diplomatic note to India registering its protest over the issue. Country's Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said on Tuesday that another such note was in the works. 'We see it (deportation) is happening. It is not feasible to resist physically,' he said, stressing the need for diplomatic and legal processes to be followed in resolving consular issues. The issue has always been diplomatically sensitive. In a 2022 BSF-BGB meeting in Dhaka, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) reportedly told India that illegal immigration from Bangladesh has reduced, largely due to economic improvements. At one point in 2020-21, Bangladesh's per capita income ($1,962) was higher than India's ($1,935) — a data point that complicates the narrative of large-scale economic migration.
Time of India
14 minutes ago
- Time of India
India following zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism: Rajnath Singh highlights Op Sindoor, calls for global unity
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday asserted that India has demonstrated a successful strategy to defeat terrorism, laying out five key positions on how the global community can uproot such activities, and assured retaliation against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism while showing zero tolerance against this menace. In an article titled "We've shown how to defeat terror," published in an English Daily, Singh reflects on India's response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and India's subsequent response through Operation Sindoor , emphasising the nation's resolve under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Under the leadership of PM Shri Narendra Modi, India is following a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism. Fighting against terror is not optional but it's our collective duty. It's high time the global community unites to uproot this menace from its roots. Read my article... where I reflect on India's fight against terror and the path forward for the world," the Defence Minister stated in a post on X. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like New Container Houses Indonesia (Prices May Surprise You) Container House | Search ads Search Now Undo In another post, he further added that terrorism was a whip to humanity, referencing another article published in another Hindi Daily, noting the need for global unity and measures to take effective action against terrorism. Live Events "Terrorism is a scourge on humanity. India's stand under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is very clear, and that is of zero tolerance. In my article... I have stressed the need for global unity against terrorism and discussed the measures available to the global community to take effective action against terrorism," Singh stated in another post on X. In the early hours of May 7, Indian Armed Forces successfully hit nine terror camps using special precision munitions in a coordinated operation called Operation Sindoor, destroying four camps in Pakistan, including Bahawalpur and Muridke, and five in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). The strikes on all nine targets were successful, which targeted top Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leaders involved in sponsoring terrorist activities in India. Following the attack, intense clashes took place between India and Pakistan, with Pakistan's attempted drone attacks on Indian cities along the International Border and Line of Control (LoC) and shelling along the LoC. India also retaliated with targeted strikes on Pakistmilitary installations, causing significant damage. After which, a cessation of hostilities between the two nations was agreed on May 10.
Economic Times
14 minutes ago
- Economic Times
India following zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism: Rajnath Singh highlights Op Sindoor, calls for global unity
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday asserted that India has demonstrated a successful strategy to defeat terrorism, laying out five key positions on how the global community can uproot such activities, and assured retaliation against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism while showing zero tolerance against this menace. In an article titled "We've shown how to defeat terror," published in an English Daily, Singh reflects on India's response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and India's subsequent response through Operation Sindoor, emphasising the nation's resolve under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Under the leadership of PM Shri Narendra Modi, India is following a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism. Fighting against terror is not optional but it's our collective duty. It's high time the global community unites to uproot this menace from its roots. Read my article... where I reflect on India's fight against terror and the path forward for the world," the Defence Minister stated in a post on another post, he further added that terrorism was a whip to humanity, referencing another article published in another Hindi Daily, noting the need for global unity and measures to take effective action against terrorism. "Terrorism is a scourge on humanity. India's stand under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is very clear, and that is of zero tolerance. In my article... I have stressed the need for global unity against terrorism and discussed the measures available to the global community to take effective action against terrorism," Singh stated in another post on the early hours of May 7, Indian Armed Forces successfully hit nine terror camps using special precision munitions in a coordinated operation called Operation Sindoor, destroying four camps in Pakistan, including Bahawalpur and Muridke, and five in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).The strikes on all nine targets were successful, which targeted top Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leaders involved in sponsoring terrorist activities in the attack, intense clashes took place between India and Pakistan, with Pakistan's attempted drone attacks on Indian cities along the International Border and Line of Control (LoC) and shelling along the also retaliated with targeted strikes on Pakistmilitary installations, causing significant damage. After which, a cessation of hostilities between the two nations was agreed on May 10.
