1. Kejriwal Spars with Centre on Police Powers
The Hindu reports that an FIR blames AAP for farmer Gajendra Singh’s death with 10 complaints against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. Yet, even as the Centre and the Delhi government are in a stand-off over the suicide of a farmer at an AAP rally, a larger administrative crisis may be looming as both sides have taken irreconcilable positions on the powers of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of the State government.
2. Rape Complaint Details 9 Hours of Horror in Custody: ‘Hope Justice Swift’
A day after the Mumbai Police arrested eight persons, including three of its own, for allegedly raping a model on April 3, initial interrogation has led investigators to believe that the woman was detained at a police station for nearly nine hours before she was allowed to go. The Indian Express reports that she was sexually assaulted, and has sustained “bite marks” on her body along with signs of her hair having been pulled.
3. Farmer’s Suicide: Cops Wonder why Delhi Government Showing Undue Interest
The Times of India reports that the Delhi Police lashed out at the magisterial inquiry started by the state government saying the latter was showing undue interest in the case. Senior officers asked why the government was not showing any concern in the 7,000 cases of suicide and unnatural deaths reported in the last one year.
4. Missing MH370: Aviation Expert Claims Wreckage Lying in the Bay of Bengal Between India and Malaysia
DNA reports that an aviation technology expert has reportedly claimed that he has spotted the remains of missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 in the ocean between Malaysia and India.
5. Tral Death: Cops Cite Autopsy Report to Junk Torture Claim
The Indian Express reports that the autopsy report of the 25-year-old man from Tral - whose death triggered protests in the valley - indicates that he died of a bullet injury during a gun-battle between the Army and militants in a forest, and not due to torture, as his family has claimed.
6. Determined Women Take Lead in Battle Against Sand Mafia In Tamil Nadu
Hindustan Times reports that in Tamil Nadu’s Kalathur village, women lead the fight against the insatiable sand mafia that has ravaged this region over the years. Natural resources worth between Rs 5 lakh crore to Rs 10 lakh crore have been plundered in the state in the last 25 years.
7. An Inability to Grieve
The death of Gajendra Singh at Jantar Mantar, when an AAP rally was in progress, stunned all of us. Was it a suicide? Or an accident? Was it a missed step in a drama Gajendra was trying to perform at the rally venue that led to his death? Was he trying to draw the attention of AAP leaders and the rally towards his plight? Was he merely enacting a Peepli Live at Jantar Mantar? We don’t know. The Indian Express discusses the “moral casualness” of the AAP leaders, following the tragedy.
8. Mumbai’s Botched Development Plan is a Wake-Up Call for the Urban Dream
Urbanisation used to be a hiss word. Now it’s become the purr-word, spouted by everyone claiming to steward the future. Unfortunately, every grand metropolitan plan ignores what should be its Offer No 1: quality of life. Bachi Karkaria writes in The Times of India.
9. Land, Development and Democracy
The Hindu writes that India cannot continue with a pattern of industry that yields fewer jobs but has such a large ecological footprint. Neither can it be excited by the urban nightmares that its cities are today. The land law debate must be the occasion to talk about these key national agendas.
From The Quint
1. EXCLUSIVE With Yogendra Yadav: I Will Lead a Movement, Not a Party
Exiting a stormy and bitter relationship with the Aam Aadmi Party, its founder members Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan, are now championing a movement called Swaraj Abhiyan. In an exclusive interview, Yogendra Yadav listed his five-fold path for his future in politics and said that he is committed to follow the first four to begin with.
2. Sorry Bhai: Kejriwal’s Journey through Trials and Errors
Arvind Kejriwal’s insensitivity and then his apology, after Gajendra Singh’s tragic death, bring to light the fact that the Delhi Chief Minister is becoming a serial offender.
3. Why Owaisi as the New Muslim Poster Boy is Worrying for India
The consolidation of the Muslim vote behind Owaisi is a worrying sign for India as a whole and Muslims in particular. If the trend continues, It could mark a move towards a polarised, segregated electorate, which in the long run, can only hurt the country.
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