1. ‘After Raping Nun, He Sat and Ate Cake, Chocolates’
Following the gangrape of the Sister Superior, the alleged rapists of the 71-year-old nun of a convent school in West Bengal’s Ranaghat and his accomplices, raided the convent refrigerator and treated themselves to “imported chocolates, cakes and pastries” meant for the students.
The Indian Express reports.
2. Endgame Begins for Delhi University VC as Govt Serves Show-Cause Notice on Him
Following a host of allegations against him, the Ministry of Human Resource Development has served a show-cause notice to Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Dinesh Singh, asking him why he should not be removed from his post. While Singh has been given 15 days to reply to the notice, he is the first VC to have been served a show-cause notice and would also be the first to be removed from the post.
The Times of India reports.
3. AAP Peace Masks Storm Within, Party Meet May See Renewal of Yadav and Bhushan’s Rebellion
Calm appears to have settled over the Aam Aadmi Party - or so it seems. But, the infighting is far from over. While the party’s decision to go national was reportedly taken despite Kejriwal’s reluctance, founding members Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav continue their demand for greater transparency - something that could create a storm in the upcoming National Executive meet on March 28.
Hindustan Times reports.
4. Relief Package for Rain-Hit Farmers Likely
The Hindu reports on the Modi Government’s decision to announce a relief package for farmers, following reports of crop damage due to unseasonal rains across North India. The details of the package are likely to be finalised at a high-level meeting between Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh this week.
5. Eight Years on, ‘93 Mumbai Blasts Convicts Still on Death Row
A TADA Court (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities) had, in 2007, sentenced 12 people to death in connection with the 1993 serial bomb blasts in Mumbai. However, eight years on, the verdict hangs in limbo as no one has approached the higher courts to carry out the verdict.
“A judge’s job is to award punishment. Its implementation is the job of another agency. People have approached the higher courts for getting the punishment reduced, but hardly anyone has approached the court to give direction to the government to execute it.”
- Former High Court Judge Justice P D Kode, who awarded the sentence.
The New Indian Express reports.
6. More than 50% of Guerrillas Women, Says Senior Maoist Leader
The DNA reports that more than 50% women are part of the armed force of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) - a banned organisation in India. According to a Maoist leader, “men are not very keen to join the revolution and instead they are happily working outside. Women, due to marriage and other social issues, join comparatively easily.”
7. Profiling Rahul
Bachi Karkaria has a tongue-in-cheek take in the Times of India on the Rahul Snoopgate issue that had the Congress up in arms against the BJP. As she argues, the profiling was much needed, lest they forget what Rahul actually looks like.
Read full story here.
8. Going Nuclear at Sea
The INS Arihant ( the series of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines) was flagged off in Visakhapatnam nearly six years ago. For many years, bureaucratic languor, technical challenges and chronic difficulties in nuclear reactor miniaturisation have meant that progress of the project would be painstakingly slow. But even as the nuclear reactor went critical in 2013, the survivability and overall resiliency of India’s nuclear arsenal continues to be a growing concern for military planners? The Indian Express delves into this.
9. A Rift in the Lute? - Dissent and the Aam Aadmi Party
Mukul Kesavan in his column in The Telegraph argues that the rift within the Aam Aadmi Party signifies the ‘normalisation’ of the party. While the pragmatic faction is breaking away from its earlier principled stand, the other faction -comprising Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav - is trying to hold its leader to the AAP’s first principles.
From The Quint
1. 9 Months On, Shades of Vajpayee and Shastri in Modi?
A year ago, be it the Lutyen’s liberal, the opposition party or the educated secular, all said in one voice: If Modi wins, he will be the next Hitler. It’s been a little over nine months now. Does PM Narendra Modi remind you of Hitler? Shibaji Roychoudhuri puts forth his arguments here.
2. Declare Black Money and Be Left with Nothing
Danish Khan tells you how the Modi Government’s decision to crack down on black money hoarders will disallow people from stashing away millions.
Read full story here.
3. Politically Correct: Are Modi and Mamata Just Paying Lip Service?
Shaswati Das discusses how as the Christian community cries for help, PM Narendra Modi has ordered an administrative probe, while West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has ‘expressed concern’ over the incident in Nadia. It remains to be seen whether ‘probes’ and ‘concern’ will end in concrete action.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)