The Evening Wrap: Putin accepts Modi’s request to release Indian recruits fighting in Ukraine war

In what will be relief for the families of men recruited into the Russian military to serve at the warfront with Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s request, made at a private dinner on Monday, to discharge those wishing to return to India. According to sources privy to the decision, Putin has given instructions to this effect upon Modi’s “direct intervention”. “We expect the release to take place within weeks from various places where they are serving or deployed,” sources told The Hindu on the condition of anonymity. It is unclear whether there will be a public announcement about the order and whether it will find mention in the joint statement, that comes after weeks of diplomatic discussions, and the issue being raised by the Indian Embassy in Moscow as well as by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Astana last week. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to hold formal talks with President Putin and visit an exhibition on nuclear cooperation later on Tuesday. The demand for the discharge of dozens of soldiers who claim they were recruited by the Russian military after being lured by agents on false promises has been increasing pressure on the government for several months. After The Hindu first reported on the demand that was raised by Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi as some men from his constituency had reached out, the Ministry of External Affairs accepted that there was a problem amongst a “few” such cases. However, subsequently it has emerged that there are at least 50 Indian men serving at the war front, of which four have been killed. In parliament last week, Owaisi had referred to Indians who were not being prevented by the government to travel to conflict zones in Russia and Israel as “cannon fodder”. The MEA has said that about 9-10 who reached out directly to the Embassy have been returned to India, after the Embassy’s intervention with the Kremlin. The Hindu has learnt that several others had already received their discharge papers, but were awaiting a formal release from the war front by their commanding officers. The Russian government has not commented on the issue thus far, but official sources explained that the recruitment of foreign soldiers is permitted under law and conducted after “thorough mental and physical” checks. Recruits from Nepal, Sri Lanka, China and African countries are all believed to have been trained for a few weeks and deployed similarly to the Indian recruits. The Nepali government has also made similar requests to the Kremlin and taken up the issue in Kathmandu and Moscow. The decision by the Russian President is seen as a special gesture made for India given traditional ties, as well as his personal rapport with PM Modi, that was on display at a private dinner he threw for Modi at his Dacha on the outskirts of Moscow on Monday. The two men embraced as they met, and Putin who congratulated PM Modi on his third term in office, then personally drove Modi in a golf cart around his estate, and took him on a tour. The optics of the visit has raised eyebrows in Washington, where President Joseph Biden is hosting NATO leaders and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a special summit on Tuesday, and the State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller, when asked said that the US has raised its “concerns” about India’s relationship with Russia. When asked, government sources rejected the US’s concerns on the issue. “India has always called for respecting the UN charter, including territorial integrity and sovereignty,” the official sources said. As The has reported, PM Modi is expected to stress with President Putin that there is “no solution on the battlefield” to the conflict and that “dialogue and diplomacy” are the only way forward. Chief Justice of India Chandrachud says Hathras stampede case ordered to be listed for judicial hearing Chief Justice of India D. Y. Chandrachud, during oral mentioning on July 9, informed in the Supreme Court that the Hathras stampede deaths case has been listed for judicial hearing. “I had yesterday ordered the Hathras matter to be listed,” the Chief Justice said. A writ petition was filed in the Supreme Court on July 3 to appoint a five-member expert committee under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge to inquire into the Hathras stampede which has seen over 121 deaths. The petition filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari also asked the court to lay down safety guidelines for mass meetings and public gatherings. The incident had happened during a prayer meeting held by a self-styled godman, Narayan Saakar Hari, in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh. The event had drawn a large crowd. “Several questions brew up from this horrific incident of stampede thereby questioning the duty and lapse of State Government and Municipal Corporations. Apart from the failure of maintaining and administering the supervision, the authorities have also failed in controlling the crowd gathered for the event,” the petition has submitted. It has urged the court to direct the Uttar Pradesh government to submit a status report and initiate legal action against those who had acted negligently about the safety and crowd control measures. “States should issue guidelines to prevent stampedes for the safety of the public attending such religious or other events in large numbers. States should submit reports on medical facilities available at various levels to deal with such stampede or other incidents,” the petition has noted. The petition has also referred to past incidents which have claimed lives like the Kumbh Mela stampede of 1954 which saw the deaths of 800 people, the Mecca Masjid stampede of 2007 where 16 were reported dead, the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine deaths in 2022, the deaths during Dussehra celebrations at the Gandhi Maidan in Patna in 2014 and the death of around 104 Sabarimala devotees at Pulmedu in Idukki. Mumbai BMW hit-and-run case: Police arrest accused Mihir Shah after two days Mumbai luxury car hit-and-run accused Mihir Shah, who allegedly rammed into a two-wheeler killing the pillion woman Kaveri Nakhawa and injuring her husband Pradeep Nakhawa, was arrested by Mumbai Police on July 9 from the neighbouring Thane district. The hit-and-run accident occurred early on July 7 in Mumbai’s Worli area. The car was driven by Mihir Shah and the driver Rajrishi Bidawat was sitting next to him. After the car hit the two-wheeler, the rider fell on the road but the deceased woman landed on the car’s bonnet. The vehicle dragged her for a distance and then drove off. Mihir Shah and his driver Bidawat, abandoned the car a few kilometres away and fled. Mihir Shah is son of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena’s deputy leader Rajesh Shah from Palghar district. Rajesh Shah was arrested on July 7 and released on bail on July 8. Bidawat is under police custody. Sources within the Mumbai Police confirmed Mihir Shah’s arrest from the neighbouring district and is being brought to Mumbai to produce him in the court to seek custody. Shiv Sena (UBT) youth leader and former minister Aaditya Thackeray had questioned on July 9 morning on how despite the availability of surveillance cameras and intelligence network, the government through police is failing to arrest Mumbai luxury car hit-and-run accused Mihir Shah. He posted on X that CM Shinde “must stop the grandstanding” on his concern and directives to police are an eyewash to divert attention from the hit-and-run case. The Mumbai Police had issued a Look Out Circular on Sunday evening and had formed six teams to trace the absconding accused. Bidawat and Rajesh Shah were arrested by the Worli police for allegedly assisting the accused to flee. The Sena leader owns the car. The police had registered a case under multiple sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder. NEET-UG leak case: CBI arrests 2 more people from Patna The CBI has arrested two more persons, including a candidate, from Patna in connection with the alleged leakage of NEET-UG paper, taking the total number of arrests by the agency to 11, officials said on July 9. NEET-UG aspirant Sunny who hails from Nalanda and father of another candidate Ranjit Kumar who is from Gaya have been arrested, they said. The CBI has so far arrested eight persons in Bihar NEET-UG paper leak case and one each in connection with alleged manipulation in Gujarat’s Latur and Godhra, and one from Dehradun in connection with general conspiracy, the officials said. The agency had earlier arrested principal and vice principal of Hazaribagh-based Oasis school in the case and two persons who allegedly provided safe premises to NEET candidates where burnt question papers were recovered by the Bihar Police. The CBI, which is probing the alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam, has registered six FIRs. The FIR from Bihar pertains to leakage of paper while the remaining from Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra are linked to impersonation of candidates and cheating. The agency’s own FIR on a reference from the Union Education Ministry pertains to a “comprehensive investigation” into the alleged irregularities in the examination. NEET-UG is conducted by the NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions. This year, the exam was conducted on May 5 at 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 abroad. More than 23 lakh candidates had appeared for the test. Encounter breaks out in Jammu & Kashmir’s Doda An encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists in a remote forest area in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district on July 9, officials said. The gunfight started when security forces launched a search and cordon operation in Ghadi Bhagwah forest following information about the presence of terrorists in the area, they said. Heavy firing was going on between the two sides when last reports were received, the officials said. In Brief: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs on July 9 declared Sikhs For Justice an “unlawful association” under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for another five years. SFJ, a group advocating secessionist and pro-Khalistani activities in India, was first banned on July 10, 2019. The group was founded in 2007 with Avtar Singh Pannun as its President and U.S based lawyer and pro-Khalistani activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun as its Legal Advisor. Pannun was declared a terrorist in July 2020. The U.S. has accused Indian officials of planning an assassination of Pannun. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 09 July 2024 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( Putin accepts PM Modi’s request to release Indian military recruits on Russia-Ukraine warfront In what will be relief for the families of men recruited into the Russian military to serve at the warfront with Ukraine, Russian President [Vladimir Putin has accepted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s request]( made at a [private dinner]( on Monday, to discharge those wishing to return to India. According to sources privy to the decision, Putin has given instructions to this effect upon Modi’s “direct intervention”. “We expect the release to take place within weeks from various places where they are serving or deployed,” sources told The Hindu on the condition of anonymity. It is unclear whether there will be a public announcement about the order and whether it will find mention in the joint statement, that comes after weeks of diplomatic discussions, and the issue being raised by the Indian Embassy in Moscow as well as by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Astana last week. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to hold formal talks with President Putin and visit an exhibition on nuclear cooperation later on Tuesday. The demand for the discharge of dozens of soldiers who claim they were recruited by the Russian military after being lured by agents on false promises has been increasing pressure on the government for several months. After The Hindu first reported on the demand that was raised by Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi as some men from his constituency had reached out, the Ministry of External Affairs accepted that there was a problem amongst a “few” such cases. However, subsequently it has emerged that there are at least 50 Indian men serving at the war front, of which four have been killed. In parliament last week, Owaisi had referred to Indians who were not being prevented by the government to travel to conflict zones in Russia and Israel as “cannon fodder”. The MEA has said that about 9-10 who reached out directly to the Embassy have been returned to India, after the Embassy’s intervention with the Kremlin. The Hindu has learnt that several others had already received their discharge papers, but were awaiting a formal release from the war front by their commanding officers. The Russian government has not commented on the issue thus far, but official sources explained that the recruitment of foreign soldiers is permitted under law and conducted after “thorough mental and physical” checks. Recruits from Nepal, Sri Lanka, China and African countries are all believed to have been trained for a few weeks and deployed similarly to the Indian recruits. The Nepali government has also made similar requests to the Kremlin and taken up the issue in Kathmandu and Moscow. The decision by the Russian President is seen as a special gesture made for India given traditional ties, as well as his personal rapport with PM Modi, that was on display at a private dinner he threw for Modi at his Dacha on the outskirts of Moscow on Monday. The two men embraced as they met, and Putin who congratulated PM Modi on his third term in office, then personally drove Modi in a golf cart around his estate, and took him on a tour. The optics of the visit has raised eyebrows in Washington, where President Joseph Biden is hosting NATO leaders and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a special summit on Tuesday, and the State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller, when asked said that the US has raised its “concerns” about India’s relationship with Russia. When asked, government sources rejected the US’s concerns on the issue. “India has always called for respecting the UN charter, including territorial integrity and sovereignty,” the official sources said. As The has reported, PM Modi is expected to stress with President Putin that there is “no solution on the battlefield” to the conflict and that “dialogue and diplomacy” are the only way forward. Chief Justice of India Chandrachud says Hathras stampede case ordered to be listed for judicial hearing Chief Justice of India D. Y. Chandrachud, during oral mentioning on July 9, informed in the Supreme Court that the [Hathras stampede deaths case has been listed for judicial hearing](. “I had yesterday ordered the Hathras matter to be listed,” the Chief Justice said. A writ petition was filed in the Supreme Court on July 3 to appoint a five-member expert committee under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge to [inquire into the Hathras stampede]( which has seen over 121 deaths. The petition filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari also asked the court to lay down safety guidelines for mass meetings and public gatherings. The incident had happened during a prayer meeting held by a self-styled godman, Narayan Saakar Hari, in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh. The event had drawn a large crowd. “Several questions brew up from this horrific incident of stampede thereby questioning the duty and lapse of State Government and Municipal Corporations. Apart from the failure of maintaining and administering the supervision, the authorities have also failed in controlling the crowd gathered for the event,” the petition has submitted. It has urged the court to direct the Uttar Pradesh government to submit a status report and initiate legal action against those who had acted negligently about the safety and crowd control measures. “States should issue guidelines to prevent stampedes for the safety of the public attending such religious or other events in large numbers. States should submit reports on medical facilities available at various levels to deal with such stampede or other incidents,” the petition has noted. The petition has also referred to past incidents which have claimed lives like the Kumbh Mela stampede of 1954 which saw the deaths of 800 people, the Mecca Masjid stampede of 2007 where 16 were reported dead, the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine deaths in 2022, the deaths during Dussehra celebrations at the Gandhi Maidan in Patna in 2014 and the death of around 104 Sabarimala devotees at Pulmedu in Idukki. Mumbai BMW hit-and-run case: Police arrest accused Mihir Shah after two days Mumbai luxury car hit-and-run accused Mihir Shah, who allegedly rammed into a two-wheeler killing the pillion woman Kaveri Nakhawa and injuring her husband Pradeep Nakhawa, was [arrested by Mumbai Police]( on July 9 from the neighbouring Thane district. The hit-and-run accident occurred early on July 7 in Mumbai’s Worli area. The car was driven by Mihir Shah and the driver Rajrishi Bidawat was sitting next to him. After the car hit the two-wheeler, the rider fell on the road but the deceased woman landed on the car’s bonnet. The vehicle dragged her for a distance and then drove off. Mihir Shah and his driver Bidawat, abandoned the car a few kilometres away and fled. Mihir Shah is son of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena’s deputy leader Rajesh Shah from Palghar district. Rajesh Shah was arrested on July 7 and released on bail on July 8. Bidawat is under police custody. Sources within the Mumbai Police confirmed Mihir Shah’s arrest from the neighbouring district and is being brought to Mumbai to produce him in the court to seek custody. Shiv Sena (UBT) youth leader and former minister Aaditya Thackeray had questioned on July 9 morning on how despite the availability of surveillance cameras and intelligence network, the government through police is failing to arrest Mumbai luxury car hit-and-run accused Mihir Shah. He posted on X that CM Shinde “must stop the grandstanding” on his concern and directives to police are an eyewash to divert attention from the hit-and-run case. The Mumbai Police had issued a Look Out Circular on Sunday evening and had formed six teams to trace the absconding accused. Bidawat and Rajesh Shah were arrested by the Worli police for allegedly assisting the accused to flee. The Sena leader owns the car. The police had registered a case under multiple sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder. NEET-UG leak case: CBI arrests 2 more people from Patna The [CBI has arrested two more persons]( including a candidate, from Patna in connection with the alleged leakage of NEET-UG paper, taking the total number of arrests by the agency to 11, officials said on July 9. NEET-UG aspirant Sunny who hails from Nalanda and father of another candidate Ranjit Kumar who is from Gaya have been arrested, they said. The CBI has so far arrested eight persons in Bihar NEET-UG paper leak case and one each in connection with alleged manipulation in Gujarat’s Latur and Godhra, and one from Dehradun in connection with general conspiracy, the officials said. The agency had earlier arrested principal and vice principal of Hazaribagh-based Oasis school in the case and two persons who allegedly provided safe premises to NEET candidates where burnt question papers were recovered by the Bihar Police. The CBI, which is probing the alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam, has registered six FIRs. The FIR from Bihar pertains to leakage of paper while the remaining from Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra are linked to impersonation of candidates and cheating. The agency’s own FIR on a reference from the Union Education Ministry pertains to a “comprehensive investigation” into the alleged irregularities in the examination. NEET-UG is conducted by the NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions. This year, the exam was conducted on May 5 at 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 abroad. More than 23 lakh candidates had appeared for the test. Encounter breaks out in Jammu & Kashmir’s Doda An [encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists]( in a remote forest area in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district on July 9, officials said. The gunfight started when security forces launched a search and cordon operation in Ghadi Bhagwah forest following information about the presence of terrorists in the area, they said. Heavy firing was going on between the two sides when last reports were received, the officials said. In Brief: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs on July 9 [declared Sikhs For Justice an “unlawful association”]( under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for another five years. SFJ, a group advocating secessionist and pro-Khalistani activities in India, was first banned on July 10, 2019. The group was founded in 2007 with Avtar Singh Pannun as its President and U.S based lawyer and pro-Khalistani activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun as its Legal Advisor. Pannun was declared a terrorist in July 2020. The U.S. has accused Indian officials of planning an assassination of Pannun. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. Today’s Top Picks [[How will concerns over Biden’s ‘cognitive decline’ impact the US Presidential race? | In Focus podcast] How will concerns over Biden’s ‘cognitive decline’ impact the US Presidential race? | In Focus podcast]( [[A scientific temper; and brain-eating bacteria] A scientific temper; and brain-eating bacteria]( [[Soumya Swaminathan appointed Principal Advisor for National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme] Soumya Swaminathan appointed Principal Advisor for National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme]( [[Siddharth interview: In Indian 2, Kamal Haasan let me compete with him] Siddharth interview: In Indian 2, Kamal Haasan let me compete with him]( Copyright© 2024, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. If you are facing any trouble in viewing this newsletter, please [click here]( Manage your newsletter subscription preferences [here]( If you do not wish to receive such emails [go here](