The Evening Wrap: Supreme Court takes suo motu cognisance of Kolkata rape-murder case

The Supreme Court on August 18 took suo motu cognisance of the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud is scheduled to hear the case, instituted on the court’s own motion, on August 20. The suo motu matter would be called for hearing on the top of the board of cases listed for the day before the Bench. The case is titled in ‘Re: Alleged Rape and Murder of Trainee Doctor in R.G. Kar Medical College Hospital, Kolkata and related issues’. East Bengal, Mohun Bagan fans unite to protest Kolkata rape, murder at Salt Lake stadium Violent protests erupted near Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata’s Eastern Metropolitan Bypass on August 18 as thousands of sports lovers raised slogans demanding justice for the rape and murder of a doctor at the city’s R.G. Kar Hospital and questioned the decision to cancel the Durand Cup Derby match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. Archrivals in Kolkata Maidan — supporters of East Bengal and Mohun Bagan — came together with their flags and jerseys to protest against the crime and engaged in scuffle with the police. Crowds started swelling at 4 p.m. despite the decision of the organisers to cancel the match. There was a large deployment of police in front of the stadium and the protesters clashed with the police. Police made announcement to the protesters to clear the arterial road and resorted to baton charge to disperse the crowd. Several people, including supporters of both the clubs, were detained. Among those detained was president of All India Football Federation and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kalyan Chaubey. Raising slogans of “We want Justice”, the protesters regrouped in the area after some time. The situation continued to remain tense till the evening with protesters and police coming face-to-face. Several protesters said if so many police could be deployed, what was the reason to suspend the derby match. The decision to “abandon” the concluding Durand Cup Group A match was taken with reports that the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, responsible for managing the security arrangements at the Salt Lake stadium, having failed to commit adequate forces. A usual ‘Derby’ match sees a crowd of about 60,000 people. Certain leaders of the Trinamool Congress also expressed disapproval against the decision to suspend the football match. Meanwhile, the Kolkata police issued prohibitory orders around Salt Lake stadium from 4 p.m. to 12 in the midnight on the pavement of eastern side of E M Bypass from Narkeldanga Main Road to Beleghata crossing, Narkeldanga Main Road and E M Bypass crossing among others. Kolkata doctor murder case: TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray summoned by police for demanding custodial interrogation of Police Commissioner, former RG Kar principal The Kolkata Police on August 18 sent notice to Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray for his post on X (previously Twitter) demanding custodial interrogation of Police Commissioner and previous principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in connection with its probe into the rape and murder of a woman doctor. Ray had said that the dog squad was sent after three days which the police sources have claimed to be untrue. The Rajya Sabha MP has been asked to appear before Lalbazar Police Headquarters. Earlier today, the veteran TMC leader wrote in a social media post, “CBI must act fairly. Custodial interrogation of Ex-Principal and Police Commissioner is a must to know who and why floated suicide story.” The police has also sent notice to doctors who had revealed the identity of the victim. BJP leader Locket Chatterjee was also summoned. Similarly, DYFI leader Meenakshi Mukherjee and other leaders of youth outfit of the CPIM also received notices. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had alleged that DYFI flags were seen at the hospital when it was vandalised in the early hours of August 15. “Why sniffer dog used after 3 days. 100s of such questions. Make them speak,” Ray urged the Central agency, which was handed over the probe by the Calcutta High Court from the Kolkata Police on August 13. TMC leader Kunal Ghosh opposed the demands made by Ray, claiming that the Police Commissioner has diligently done everything necessary since the crime was reported. The Congress party said that it was commendable that Ray protested alleged cover-up attempts in the gruesome crime. CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty, stating that the Left party has been making the same demands as Ray for several days now, said that the TMC MP, as a veteran leader, is able to “read the writing on the wall”. Ex-Jharkhand CM Champai Soren likely to join BJP, says all options are open In the run-up to the Assembly elections in Jharkhand, former Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Champai Soren is likely to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In a post on social media handle X, Champai Soren indicated that he will soon leave the JMM. The buzz of joining the BJP got stronger when he removed the JMM leader tag from X. On August 18, he landed at the national capital and despite repeated questions on joining the BJP, Champai Soren stuck to one line answer of visiting Delhi for personal work. Before going to Delhi, sources said Champai Soren had a closed-door meeting with Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari in Kolkata on August 17. From Kolkata, he landed at the Delhi airport on August 18 where journalists asked him about joining the BJP. Replying to questions of journalists, Champai Soren denied meeting Adhikari and claimed that he had visited Delhi for personal work. Five-term MLA Champai Soren has reportedly removed the JMM flag from his ancestral house at Jilinggora village of Seraikela-Kharsawan district. JMM Central Committee member and spokesperson Manoj Pandey said, “Champai Soren has been associated with the party for a long time and the party has always given him a lot of respect. The party fully trusts him and is confident that he will not betray.” Champai Soren posted a long message on his official handle X stating that he was insulted several times. “After Hul Diwas, I came to know that all my programmes for the next two days have been postponed by the party leadership. On asking, I came to know that a meeting of the legislature party has been called by the coalition on July 3, till then I cannot attend any programme as CM. Can there be anything more humiliating in a democracy than a Chief Minister’s programmes being cancelled by another person?” he said. Meanwhile, amid the speculations, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren accused the BJP of “poaching” MLAs and “dividing society”. Addressing a government function in Jharkhand’s Godda district, Hemant Soren alleged that the BJP brought people from Gujarat, Assam and Maharashtra to “spread poison among the tribals, Dalits, backward classes and minorities and make them fight with each other”. “Forget about society, these people work to break families and parties. They poach MLAs. Money is such a thing that it doesn’t take long for politicians to move here and there,” he said. Hemant Soren also said that the Assembly elections in Jharkhand are due this year but the poll schedule would be “decided by the opposition party in the state, not by the Election Commission”. “It seems the Election Commission is no longer a constitutional institution, as it has been occupied by BJP people,” he alleged. “I challenge them (BJP) that if the assembly elections are held today, they will be wiped out from Jharkhand tomorrow,” he added. Rahul Gandhi slams lateral entry push, says privatisation of IAS is ‘Modi’s guarantee’ for ending reservation The Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on August 18 alleged that the Narendra Modi government’s lateral entry policy into senior positions in bureaucracy was an “anti-national step” as it was “openly snatching away” the reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in government jobs. Gandhi alleged that the Prime Minister was “attacking the Constitution by recruiting public servants through the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh instead of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)“. “Privatisation of the IAS [Indian Administrative Service] is Modi’s guarantee for ending reservation,” Gandhi said in a post on X. His attack comes a day after the UPSC advertised vacancies for 45 posts, including Joint Secretaries, Directors, and Deputy Secretaries in different Central Ministries through the lateral entry mode. This is the biggest tranche of lateral recruitment being undertaken by the Centre. Usually, such posts are filled by officers of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and other Group A services. “The INDIA [Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance] bloc will strongly oppose this anti-national step that hurts both the administrative structure and social justice,” Gandhi said. Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party slammed the government’s move seeking applications for lateral entry into the bureaucracy, terming it as the BJP’s “conspiracy” to appoint its ideological allies to high posts through the back door. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav also warned of an agitation on this issue from October 2. Yadav also accused that BJP is trying to deny reservation on some other pretext by making direct recruitment to such posts. He said that people who become officers by the grace of the government can never be impartial and that the integrity of such people will also always be questioned. BSP chief Mayawati said employees working on lower posts will be deprived of the benefit of promotion. “Along with this, if the people of SC, ST and OBC categories are not given appointment in proportion to their quota in these government appointments, then it will be a direct violation of the Constitution,” she said. Air India transfers crew out of London hotel after assault Air India on August 18 said it would relocate its crew from London’s Radisson Red hotel following an assault on one of its cabin crew last week. The announcement followed concerns over cabin crew on their London layover continuing to be assigned the same hotel after the incident on August 15 night, as well as the management’s alleged failure to heed complaints in the past about lack of adequate security at the facility. On August 15 night, at the hotel in Heathrow, an assailant entered a woman cabin crew’s room with the help of a card key when she was sleeping. There was an assault on her but occupants in adjacent room were able to intervene and nab the attacker upon hearing her cries for help. The woman sustained injuries and was rushed to a hospital. She was flown back to Mumbai on August 17 night. The airline has described the incident as “an unlawful incident of intrusion”. In WhatsApp chats among Air India crew who are deputed on London flights, the incident has been described as a sexual assault. In a different social media post, there was concern over colleagues being assigned the same hotel on the day after the incident. “We have taken immediate measures and decided to move our colleagues to another hotel,” Air India said in a statement posted on X, adding that it constantly reviews travel and stay arrangements based on feedback from employees. The airline said it had reached out to the hotel management to ensure the safety of those crew who continue to stay at the hotel. Air India is also working with the local police on the incident. In one of the WhatsApp conversations reviewed by The Hindu, a crew member said several complaints had been raised in the past about inadequate safety at the hotel, the reception desk being left unattended in the night, and dimly lit corridors. A post on Instagram that first brought the incident to light said there were concerns among the crew about a miscreant knocking on their windows and doors, and they were often forced to stack their belongings against the hotel door for their safety. FSSAI launches project to tackle microplastic contamination in food products Food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has launched a project to assess microplastic contamination in food products and develop methods for its detection. The FSSAI has launched an innovative project to tackle the growing concern of microplastic contamination in food, recognising microplastic pollution as an emerging threat that requires immediate attention. According to an official statement, the project — Micro-and Nano-Plastics as Emerging Food Contaminants: Establishing Validated Methodologies and Understanding the Prevalence in Different Food Matrices — was started in March this year. The aim is to develop and validate analytical methods for detecting micro and nano-plastics in various food products, as well as assess their prevalence and exposure levels in India. “The primary objectives of the project include developing standard protocols for micro/nano-plastic analysis, conducting intra- and inter-laboratory comparisons, and generating critical data on microplastic exposure levels among consumers,” FSSAI said. This study is being implemented in collaboration with leading research institutions across the country, including the CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (Lucknow), ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (Kochi), and the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (Pilani). FSSAI pointed out that the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in its recent report, has highlighted the presence of microplastics in common food items like sugar and salt. While global studies have highlighted the presence of microplastics in various foods, FSSAI said it is imperative to generate reliable data specific to India. The findings from this project will not only inform the regulatory actions but also contribute to the global understanding of microplastic contamination, it added. In Brief: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on August 18 accused Hamas of being an obstacle in negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire deal and called for more pressure on the Palestinian militants ahead of a new round of talks later this week. “Hamas, up to this moment, remains obstinate. It did not even send a representative to the talks in Doha. Therefore, the pressure should be directed at Hamas and (Yahya) Sinwar, not at the Israeli government,” Netanyahu said at a Cabinet meeting, referring to the newly appointed Hamas chief. Western ally Jordan, hostage supporters protesting in Israel, and Hamas itself have called for pressure on Netanyahu in order that an agreement be reached. [logo] The Evening Wrap 18 August 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]( Supreme Court takes suo motu cognisance of Kolkata rape-murder case; hearing on August 20 The Supreme Court on August 18 [took suo motu cognisance]( of the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at the [R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata](. A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud is scheduled to hear the case, instituted on the court’s own motion, on August 20. The suo motu matter would be called for hearing on the top of the board of cases listed for the day before the Bench. The case is titled in ‘Re: Alleged Rape and Murder of Trainee Doctor in R.G. Kar Medical College Hospital, Kolkata and related issues’. East Bengal, Mohun Bagan fans unite to protest Kolkata rape, murder at Salt Lake stadium [Violent protests erupted near Salt Lake stadium]( in Kolkata’s Eastern Metropolitan Bypass on August 18 as thousands of sports lovers raised slogans demanding justice for the [rape and murder of a doctor]( at the city’s R.G. Kar Hospital and questioned the decision to cancel the Durand Cup Derby match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. Archrivals in Kolkata Maidan — supporters of East Bengal and Mohun Bagan — came together with their flags and jerseys to protest against the crime and engaged in scuffle with the police. Crowds started swelling at 4 p.m. despite the decision of the organisers to cancel the match. There was a large deployment of police in front of the stadium and the protesters clashed with the police. Police made announcement to the protesters to clear the arterial road and resorted to baton charge to disperse the crowd. Several people, including supporters of both the clubs, were detained. Among those detained was president of All India Football Federation and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kalyan Chaubey. Raising slogans of “We want Justice”, the protesters regrouped in the area after some time. The situation continued to remain tense till the evening with protesters and police coming face-to-face. Several protesters said if so many police could be deployed, what was the reason to suspend the derby match. The decision to “abandon” the concluding Durand Cup Group A match was taken with reports that the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, responsible for managing the security arrangements at the Salt Lake stadium, having failed to commit adequate forces. A usual ‘Derby’ match sees a crowd of about 60,000 people. Certain leaders of the Trinamool Congress also expressed disapproval against the decision to suspend the football match. Meanwhile, the Kolkata police issued prohibitory orders around Salt Lake stadium from 4 p.m. to 12 in the midnight on the pavement of eastern side of E M Bypass from Narkeldanga Main Road to Beleghata crossing, Narkeldanga Main Road and E M Bypass crossing among others. Kolkata doctor murder case: TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray summoned by police for demanding custodial interrogation of Police Commissioner, former RG Kar principal The Kolkata Police on August 18 sent [notice to Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray]( for his post on X (previously Twitter) demanding custodial interrogation of Police Commissioner and previous principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in connection with its probe into the [rape and murder of a woman doctor](. Ray had said that the dog squad was sent after three days which the police sources have claimed to be untrue. The Rajya Sabha MP has been asked to appear before Lalbazar Police Headquarters. Earlier today, the veteran TMC leader wrote in a social media post, “CBI must act fairly. Custodial interrogation of Ex-Principal and Police Commissioner is a must to know who and why floated suicide story.” The police has also sent notice to doctors who had revealed the identity of the victim. BJP leader Locket Chatterjee was also summoned. Similarly, DYFI leader Meenakshi Mukherjee and other leaders of youth outfit of the CPIM also received notices. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had alleged that DYFI flags were seen at the hospital when it was vandalised in the early hours of August 15. “Why sniffer dog used after 3 days. 100s of such questions. Make them speak,” Ray urged the Central agency, which was handed over the probe by the Calcutta High Court from the Kolkata Police on August 13. TMC leader Kunal Ghosh opposed the demands made by Ray, claiming that the Police Commissioner has diligently done everything necessary since the crime was reported. The Congress party said that it was commendable that Ray protested alleged cover-up attempts in the gruesome crime. CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty, stating that the Left party has been making the same demands as Ray for several days now, said that the TMC MP, as a veteran leader, is able to “read the writing on the wall”. Ex-Jharkhand CM Champai Soren likely to join BJP, says all options are open In the run-up to the Assembly elections in Jharkhand, former Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader [Champai Soren is likely to join the Bharatiya Janata Party]( (BJP). In a post on social media handle X, Champai Soren indicated that he will soon leave the JMM. The buzz of joining the BJP got stronger when he removed the JMM leader tag from X. On August 18, he landed at the national capital and despite repeated questions on joining the BJP, Champai Soren stuck to one line answer of visiting Delhi for personal work. Before going to Delhi, sources said Champai Soren had a closed-door meeting with Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari in Kolkata on August 17. From Kolkata, he landed at the Delhi airport on August 18 where journalists asked him about joining the BJP. Replying to questions of journalists, Champai Soren denied meeting Adhikari and claimed that he had visited Delhi for personal work. Five-term MLA Champai Soren has reportedly removed the JMM flag from his ancestral house at Jilinggora village of Seraikela-Kharsawan district. JMM Central Committee member and spokesperson Manoj Pandey said, “Champai Soren has been associated with the party for a long time and the party has always given him a lot of respect. The party fully trusts him and is confident that he will not betray.” Champai Soren posted a long message on his official handle X stating that he was insulted several times. “After Hul Diwas, I came to know that all my programmes for the next two days have been postponed by the party leadership. On asking, I came to know that a meeting of the legislature party has been called by the coalition on July 3, till then I cannot attend any programme as CM. Can there be anything more humiliating in a democracy than a Chief Minister’s programmes being cancelled by another person?” he said. Meanwhile, amid the speculations, Jharkhand Chief Minister [Hemant Soren accused the BJP of “poaching”]( MLAs and “dividing society”. Addressing a government function in Jharkhand’s Godda district, Hemant Soren alleged that the BJP brought people from Gujarat, Assam and Maharashtra to “spread poison among the tribals, Dalits, backward classes and minorities and make them fight with each other”. “Forget about society, these people work to break families and parties. They poach MLAs. Money is such a thing that it doesn’t take long for politicians to move here and there,” he said. Hemant Soren also said that the Assembly elections in Jharkhand are due this year but the poll schedule would be “decided by the opposition party in the state, not by the Election Commission”. “It seems the Election Commission is no longer a constitutional institution, as it has been occupied by BJP people,” he alleged. “I challenge them (BJP) that if the assembly elections are held today, they will be wiped out from Jharkhand tomorrow,” he added. Rahul Gandhi slams lateral entry push, says privatisation of IAS is ‘Modi’s guarantee’ for ending reservation The Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on August 18 alleged that the Narendra Modi government’s [lateral entry policy into senior positions in bureaucracy]( was an “anti-national step” as it was “openly snatching away” the reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in government jobs. Gandhi alleged that the Prime Minister was “attacking the Constitution by recruiting public servants through the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh instead of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)“. “Privatisation of the IAS [Indian Administrative Service] is Modi’s guarantee for ending reservation,” Gandhi said in a post on X. His attack comes a day after the UPSC advertised vacancies for 45 posts, including Joint Secretaries, Directors, and Deputy Secretaries in different Central Ministries through the lateral entry mode. This is the biggest tranche of lateral recruitment being undertaken by the Centre. Usually, such posts are filled by officers of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and other Group A services. “The INDIA [Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance] bloc will strongly oppose this anti-national step that hurts both the administrative structure and social justice,” Gandhi said. Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party slammed the government’s move seeking applications for lateral entry into the bureaucracy, terming it as the BJP’s “conspiracy” to appoint its ideological allies to high posts through the back door. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav also warned of an agitation on this issue from October 2. Yadav also accused that BJP is trying to deny reservation on some other pretext by making direct recruitment to such posts. He said that people who become officers by the grace of the government can never be impartial and that the integrity of such people will also always be questioned. BSP chief Mayawati said employees working on lower posts will be deprived of the benefit of promotion. “Along with this, if the people of SC, ST and OBC categories are not given appointment in proportion to their quota in these government appointments, then it will be a direct violation of the Constitution,” she said. Air India transfers crew out of London hotel after assault Air India on August 18 said it would [relocate its crew from London’s Radisson Red hotel]( following an assault on one of its cabin crew last week. The announcement followed concerns over cabin crew on their London layover continuing to be assigned the same hotel after the incident on August 15 night, as well as the management’s alleged failure to heed complaints in the past about lack of adequate security at the facility. On August 15 night, at the hotel in Heathrow, an assailant entered a woman cabin crew’s room with the help of a card key when she was sleeping. There was an assault on her but occupants in adjacent room were able to intervene and nab the attacker upon hearing her cries for help. The woman sustained injuries and was rushed to a hospital. She was flown back to Mumbai on August 17 night. The airline has described the incident as “an unlawful incident of intrusion”. In WhatsApp chats among Air India crew who are deputed on London flights, the incident has been described as a sexual assault. In a different social media post, there was concern over colleagues being assigned the same hotel on the day after the incident. “We have taken immediate measures and decided to move our colleagues to another hotel,” Air India said in a statement posted on X, adding that it constantly reviews travel and stay arrangements based on feedback from employees. The airline said it had reached out to the hotel management to ensure the safety of those crew who continue to stay at the hotel. Air India is also working with the local police on the incident. In one of the WhatsApp conversations reviewed by The Hindu, a crew member said several complaints had been raised in the past about inadequate safety at the hotel, the reception desk being left unattended in the night, and dimly lit corridors. A post on Instagram that first brought the incident to light said there were concerns among the crew about a miscreant knocking on their windows and doors, and they were often forced to stack their belongings against the hotel door for their safety. FSSAI launches project to tackle microplastic contamination in food products Food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has launched a project to [assess microplastic contamination]( in food products and develop methods for its detection. The FSSAI has launched an innovative project to tackle the growing concern of microplastic contamination in food, recognising microplastic pollution as an emerging threat that requires immediate attention. According to an official statement, the project — Micro-and Nano-Plastics as Emerging Food Contaminants: Establishing Validated Methodologies and Understanding the Prevalence in Different Food Matrices — was started in March this year. The aim is to develop and validate analytical methods for detecting micro and nano-plastics in various food products, as well as assess their prevalence and exposure levels in India. “The primary objectives of the project include developing standard protocols for micro/nano-plastic analysis, conducting intra- and inter-laboratory comparisons, and generating critical data on microplastic exposure levels among consumers,” FSSAI said. This study is being implemented in collaboration with leading research institutions across the country, including the CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (Lucknow), ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (Kochi), and the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (Pilani). FSSAI pointed out that the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in its recent report, has highlighted the presence of microplastics in common food items like sugar and salt. While global studies have highlighted the presence of microplastics in various foods, FSSAI said it is imperative to generate reliable data specific to India. The findings from this project will not only inform the regulatory actions but also contribute to the global understanding of microplastic contamination, it added. In Brief: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on August 18 [accused Hamas of being an obstacle]( in negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire deal and called for more pressure on the Palestinian militants ahead of a new round of talks later this week. “Hamas, up to this moment, remains obstinate. It did not even send a representative to the talks in Doha. Therefore, the pressure should be directed at Hamas and (Yahya) Sinwar, not at the Israeli government,” Netanyahu said at a Cabinet meeting, referring to the newly appointed Hamas chief. Western ally Jordan, hostage supporters protesting in Israel, and Hamas itself have called for pressure on Netanyahu in order that an agreement be reached. Today’s Top Picks [[Watch: PM Modi’s UCC speech|Politics behind the ‘secular civil code’ push] Watch: PM Modi’s UCC speech|Politics behind the ‘secular civil code’ push]( [[Indian Coast Guard Director-General Rakesh Pal dies in Chennai] Indian Coast Guard Director-General Rakesh Pal dies in Chennai]( [[Kolkata rape-murder case: Differences emerge in Trinamool ranks as protests continue] Kolkata rape-murder case: Differences emerge in Trinamool ranks as protests continue]( [[Watch: Who is Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thailand’s new Prime Minister?] Watch: Who is Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thailand’s new Prime Minister?]( 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](