From logjam in the Parliament to the surge in the cases of coronavirus infections in the country, Here are the top news of the day:
Top News: Parliament logjam
The first week of the second half of Parliament’s Budget session has been completely disrupted following protests by members of both ruling and opposition parties. While the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been demanding an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks in London, the Opposition has been demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Adani stock collapse.
During his interactions in London, Rahul Gandhi alleged that the structures of Indian democracy are under attack and there is a “full-scale assault” on the country’s institutions. The remarks triggered a political slugfest, with the saffron party accusing him of maligning India on foreign soil and seeking foreign interventions, and the Congress hit back at the ruling party by citing previous instances of Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising internal politics abroad.
Top News: Surge in COVID cases
There has been a massive surge in the daily COVID-19 infections in the country with 843 fresh cases reported in the country in the last 24 hours, according to the health ministry on Saturday. The new infections have pushed the active cases to 5,389. According to Union Health Ministry data, the country’s caseload has increased to 4.46 crore.
The active cases comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections and the national Covid recovery rate stands at 98.80 per cent. Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Gujarat have the highest number of viral infection cases, the health ministry data.
Top News: Indian students face exit from Canada
More than 150 Indian students have been told to leave the country by the Canadian Border Security Agency (CBSA), which says they arrived in the country on forged college admission letters.
The students say they were unaware of the forgeries and insist they were duped by their immigration consultation agency in India that provided them with the document. Many who received the eviction letters are now embarrassed to come forward – living in a Western country is seen as a matter of prestige by many Indian families, especially in the state of Punjab where Dimple K is from.
The whole matter came into the limelight during a CBSA investigation that began when these students applied for permanent residence after the completion of their studies letters.
Top News: Punjab turmoil
Self-styled Sikh preacher and Khalistani supporter Amritpal Singh was hunted by Punjab police on Saturday for which Internet services across the state were suspended. As many as 10 of his close associates who were accompanying the Waris Punjab De chief were detained.
Meanwhile, Nihangs took out a protest march in support of the 29-year-old cult leader, fondly called Bhindranwale 2.0. Six of his aides were earlier detained in Jalandhar and they are being questioned at an undisclosed location. Over 50 police vehicles chased the Khalistani leader and his aides in an attempt to arrest them this morning after the Punjab Police traced Singh’s latest location near Shahkot.
