1. Three JeM Militants, 4 Army Men Killed in Pulwama Gunfight
Security forces killed on Monday three Jaish-e-Mohammad militants during a gun battle in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, including a top commander of the terror outfit who is believed to have played a crucial role in last week’s attack on a paramilitary convoy that killed 40 troopers.
Four Army personnel, one of them a major, a policeman, and a civilian were also killed while a group of senior security officials, including south Kashmir’s deputy inspector general of police and an Indian Army brigadier, was wounded during the nearly 18-hour operation in Pinglena village. A police spokesperson said one of the militants killed was Kamran, a Pakistani citizen who is believed to have entered India last year and who took over as Jaish’s operational commander in March, 2018. Of the three, two were Pakistanis while the third, a Pinglena resident.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
2. Kulbhushan Jadhav Trial in Pakistan Unlawful, India Tells ICJ
India on Monday made a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the release of Kulbhushan Jadhav, a former naval officer sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court, assailing Pakistan for convicting him in “farcical” proceedings that violated his rights under the Vienna Convention.
Representing India at the ICJ at The Hague, Senior Advocate Harish Salve argued Jadhav’s conviction in a secret trial must be set aside as Pakistan never made the charges or the judgment public, nor granted consular access to Jadhav in line with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
3. BJP, Shiv Sena Seal Deal to Contest Lok Sabha, Maharashtra Polls Together
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena on Monday said they will fight both the Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections together. The parties have had a strained relationship for four-and-a-half years. Their alliance indicates the leaders have recognised the changing political ground realities.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis justified the alliance saying the parties shared a common “Hindutva” ideology, while Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray sought to deflect criticism over tying up with the BJP after promising to fight the elections solo, saying, “All Hindus have looked forward to this day”.
The parties announced their pre-poll alliance after BJP president Amit Shah and Fadnavis visited Thackeray and his son Aaditya at their Bandra residence, Matoshree, and held one last round of negotiations on Monday evening.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
4. Pulwama Attack: Probe Finds Car Bumper, Remains of Can in Which Explosives Were Packed
Investigators probing the 14 February suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama have found shards of a material from what seems like part of a jerrycan at the site and suspect that the explosive that killed 40 CRPF men on Thursday may have been packed in this.
While much of the jerrycan has been destroyed, this material, investigators said, broke away and survived the blast. From these remains, investigators estimate that the can was not more than 20-25 litres in size and so could not have held more than 30 kg of RDX, the explosive suspected to have been used.
Sleuths from the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the National Investigation Agency (NIA), jointly probing the case, have also found a metal piece that had a number written on it. Assuming it to be the chassis number, investigators are said to have traced the owner but it turned out to be a red herring — this number matched a vehicle that doesn't seem to be connected with the blast.
(Source: The Indian Express)
5. After Shiv Sena, BJP Set to Accept Less for Pact With AIADMK Today
With the BJP an Shiv Sena announcing a poll deal in Maharashtra on Monday, Union Minister Piyush Goyal is set to visit Chennai on Tuesday to finalise the BJP’s alliance with Tamil Nadu’s ruling AIADMK.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to be in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday and is scheduled to address public rallies in Tirupur and Kanyakumari.
Although the BJP had sought a 20-20 share for the 39 seats in Tamil Nadu and the one in Puducherry, the party is learnt to have finally agreed on a formula in which the BJP and its NDA partners will get 15 seats, leaving the remaining 25 for the AIADMK.
(Source: The Indian Express)
6. India, Saudi Arabia to Launch Strategic Partnership Council
India and Saudi Arabia will launch a mechanism for coordinated decisions regarding strategically important issues, sources said on Monday. The announcement came a day before the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman arrives here as part of his tour of Asia, where he chose Pakistan as his first destination.
“India and Saudi Arabia have a strong independent strategic partnership and it will be further strengthened with the launching of the Strategic Partnership Council that will cover critical areas of mutual interest,” said a source. The Ministry of External Affairs, NITI Aayog and other government agencies are expected to be the constituent units of this council.
(Source: The Hindu)
7. Pulwama Shows Time for Talks Has Passed, Says Modi
The “cruel” attack in Pulwama shows that the “time for talks has passed,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, reiterating that terrorism is a serious danger to the world’s “peace and stability.”
“Now, it is required that the world unites against terrorism and those who support it. Hesitation to take action against terrorism and those who support it is akin to encouraging terrorism," Mr. Modi said, addressing a joint press conference with visiting Argentine President Mauricio Macri.
Mr. Marci condoled the death of the CRPF personnel in the 14 February terror attack and said that India and Argentina must work together to fight the menace of terrorism.
(Source: The Hindu)
8. SC Sets Aside NGT Order Allowing Reopening of Sterlite Plant in Thoothukudi
In a victory to the Tamil Nadu government and protesters, the Supreme Court on Monday set aside the National Green Tribunal (NGT) decision to reopen the Sterlite copper plant at Thoothukudi.
The plant had been ordered to be closed down by the Tamil Nadu government due to environmental pollution.
A Bench led by Justice Rohinton Nariman concluded that the tribunal lacked jurisdiction to entertain the appeal by the plant's owner, Vedanta, against the shutdown.
Allowing the Tamil Nadu government’s appeal against the NGT decision, the judgment by Justice Nariman gave Vedanta liberty to move the Madras High Court for any interim reliefs. Meanwhile, the plant remains closed.
(Source: The Hindu)
9. Bedlam Breaks Loose in Bihar Assembly
Opposition legislators on Monday created an uproar in the State Assembly and outside, demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the Muzaffarpur shelter abuse case. Amid a continuous din, the Assembly passed the Bill of 10 percent reservation for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) of the upper caste.
When the House gathered for the day in the morning, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLAs were joined by Congress and Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (CPI-ML) legislators, in demanding Mr. Kumar’s resignation in the wake of a special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court in Muzaffarpur forwarding a petition seeking a probe into the role of Mr. Kumar and other officials, for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to “look into”, last week. The petition was filed by an accused in the Muzaffarpur shelter abuse case of 34 minor girls, Ashwani Kumar. He was arrested in November 2018 and sent to jail.
(Source: The Hindu)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)