After some of its top brass were arrested by Central agencies along with over 100 of its workers for allegedly supporting terror activities, the Popular Front of India (PFI) is set to hold a hartal today in Kerala, where it is dominant. 

🔴 Here’s what happened: Launching a multi-agency operation spearheaded by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), law enforcement agencies conducted searches across the country and arrested 106 PFI workers for allegedly supporting terror activities. 

🔴 PFI’s response:  PFI state general secretary Abdul Sathar, in a statement, slammed the use of the “state machinery” and claimed that Central agencies were being used to “silence the dissenting voices”. In protest, PFI workers took to the streets across Kerala and stalled movement of vehicles, demanding that the NIA and ED stop their action.

🔴 But, what is the PFI? The PFI was created in 2007 through the merger of three Muslim organisations in southern India, the National Democratic Front in Kerala, the Karnataka Forum for Dignity, and the Manitha Neethi Pasarai in Tamil Nadu. Read our explainer for more. 

In an exclusive interview with The Indian Express, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot spoke about his plans ahead of the upcoming election for the post of Congress party chief, possibly running against Digvijaya Singh, and how he plans to navigate the party’s ‘one person, one post’ principle. Here’s what he had to say. 

🔴 Meanwhile, in one line, Rahul Gandhi on Thursday sent a clear message to Gehlot: that he cannot hope to remain Rajasthan Chief Minister if he is elected as Congress president. Sources in the Congress said the leadership is in favour of Sachin Pilot succeeding Gehlot, but the Chief Minister is keen that the views of the MLAs — most of them are with him — be taken.

 🔴 Speaking at the UNSC session on Ukraine, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar delivered one of his toughest statements on Russia in the last seven months, since the invasion began. “Let me emphasise that even in conflict situations, there can be no justification for violation of human rights or of international law,” he said. 

🔴 Observing that economic backwardness, unlike caste-based backwardness, “can be temporary”, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court  asked if problems of the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) can be addressed through affirmative measures like providing scholarships and fee concessions instead of reservation.

Naktala Udayan Sangha’s pandal in Kolkata, being one of the most high-profile pujas in the city, is not creating the usual buzz like every year. The reason for the lack of enthusiasm: the puja’s association with former state Cabinet minister Partha Chatterjee, who is now under arrest in the teacher recruitment scam. The ‘brand ambassador’ of the Naktala puja committee last year, Arpita Mukherjee, is now a co-accused with Chatterjee in the case. Read our report about the Puja and its politics in West Bengal.

DGCA, the civil aviation body, has written to the telecom department flagging concerns over the likely interference of 5G C-Band spectrum with aircraft radio altimeters. For context: a radio altimeter is an instrument that provides direct height-above-terrain information to various aircraft systems. The primary concern of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation emerges from the fact that these altimeters as well as a part of the 5G telecom services operate in the C-Band.

In our opinion section today,  Badri Narayan writes on why the Congress’ anti-RSS campaign undermines its Bharat Jodo Yatra: “During the Bharat Jodo yatra campaign, some of the party’s members tweeted an image of the “khaki half pant on fire” – the garment has been a stereotypical metaphor for RSS and Hindutva politics in secular discourse that has occupied significant political space for decades. Congress is trying to project Hindutva and RSS as being divisive. But those who understand the public psyche know that this perception is changing fast.”

Bajrang Punia recalls what his wife told him after an injury: “the blood is no biggie, strap on some gauze and go for the bronze.” Bravado manifesting to work like boldness, has been central to Bajrang Punia’s big tournament outings all these years. After 1 Olympic medal and 4 from the World Championships, bravado ceases sounding like a reckless thing he marinates his bulk in, when he’s tossed into glazing fire. The wrestler tells us how he won bronze at the world Championships.

Since you are here, check out our national cinema day crossword, an ode to the silver screen. 

In today’s episode of the ‘3 Things’ podcast, we take a look at why the Vedanta-Foxconn row could cost the BJP in Maharashtra, how death penalty cases are carried out in India, and how Mumbai police found a new cybercrime hotspot.

Rahel Philipose and Susobhan Roy 

Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira Khan gets engaged to boyfriend Nupur Shikhare in Italy: ‘I said yes’. Watch proposal video

Susobhan RoyThe author works at IE news desk, and likes to write about Middle East... read more

Rahel PhiliposeRahel Philipose is a Senior Sub Editor at the indianexpress.com news d... read more