The West Bengal Police Special Task Force (STF) has arrested two main suspects in the murder of Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of Inquilab Manch. The arrests took place early Sunday in Bongaon, North 24 Parganas, near the India-Bangladesh border. According to initial interrogation, the suspects, Faisal Karim Masud and his associate Alamgir Hossain, fled Bangladesh after killing Hadi and entered India illegally through the Meghalaya border.

The STF stated that the two Bangladeshi nationals were wanted for serious crimes including extortion and murder in their home country. Acting on confidential information, the STF conducted a late-night raid in Bongaon and detained them. A case has been filed, and both suspects were presented before court on Sunday and placed in police custody.

Hadi was shot on December 12 last year in Dhaka’s Paltan area by helmeted assailants on a motorcycle. Faisal Karim Masud had been identified as one of the attackers, and the interim government had announced a reward of 5 million taka for information leading to his arrest.

Indian police have arrested two Bangladeshi nationals, including Faisal Karim Masud, the main suspect in the murder of Osman Hadi, spokesperson of the Inquilab Mancha. The arrests took place near the Bongaon border area of West Bengal between March 7 and 8, 2026. According to the West Bengal Police’s Special Task Force (STF), the two men had illegally entered India after committing serious crimes in Bangladesh and were hiding near the border while planning to return.

The arrested individuals were identified as Rahul alias Faisal Karim Masud, aged 37 from Patuakhali, and Alamgir Hossain, aged 34 from Dhaka. Preliminary interrogation revealed that both were directly involved in the killing of political activist Osman Hadi in Dhaka. They reportedly entered India through the Meghalaya border and moved across several locations before being detained. A case has been filed against them under specific legal provisions, and a local court has ordered their police custody.

Osman Hadi was shot in Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area on December 12, 2025, and later died in Singapore on December 18 after being transferred for advanced treatment.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said that India is not a major power in artificial intelligence (AI) technology and lacks sufficient production capacity in the tech sector. Speaking at a college in Kerala on Thursday, he claimed that India cannot manufacture much and that the recent India–US trade deal has handed over crucial national data to the United States.

Gandhi criticized India’s higher education system, alleging that many vice-chancellors are appointed based on political affiliations and that the influence of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is growing in education. He argued that a specific ideology is being imposed, which he described as harmful to the country. He also said that the global AI race is dominated by the United States and China, while India remains a minor player.

He warned that without control over its own data and stronger industrial production, India could face serious challenges. Gandhi also criticized major business groups like Reliance Industries and Adani Group for focusing mainly on selling foreign products and expressed concern over job losses linked to global AI expansion.

Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has intensified her campaign ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections. Speaking from a protest stage, she warned that if the central government and the BJP continue their actions, she would bring down the Delhi government. Banerjee demanded free and peaceful elections in West Bengal and condemned the alleged large-scale exclusion of names from the voter list.

On the second day of her sit-in protest at Dharmatala, which began on Friday, Banerjee declared that the movement would continue until the full bench of the Election Commission visits the state. She reportedly spent the previous night at the protest site. In a separate announcement, Banerjee said that beneficiaries of the state’s 'Yubasathi' (Yubashree) project would start receiving their 1,500-rupee allowance directly in their bank accounts from Saturday, March 7, instead of waiting until April 1.

She also called on the public to take to the streets on Sunday with kitchen utensils to protest the recent rise in cooking gas prices.

India has raised cooking gas prices as global energy markets reel from ongoing conflict in the Middle East. In Kolkata, the price of a 14-kilogram LPG cylinder rose from 879 to 939 rupees, while the 19-kilogram commercial cylinder increased by 114 rupees to 1,990 rupees. The new rates took effect on Saturday, March 7, across West Bengal, intensifying pressure on household budgets.

According to the LPG Distributors Association spokesperson Bijonbihari Biswas, supply to large customers has been temporarily restricted, and similar measures may soon apply to users of 19-kilogram cylinders. Distributors reportedly have only four to five days of gas stock left. Many residents have begun turning to wood-fired stoves as an alternative amid the price hike.

Stakeholders warn that if the conflict continues, gas prices could rise further. Local consumers expressed concern that the higher costs are straining family finances, with few affordable alternatives available.

India has granted permission for the Iranian warship IRIS Lavan to anchor at Kochi port in Kerala. The decision follows a request from Iran on February 28, citing technical problems aboard the vessel. India approved the request on March 1, allowing the ship to dock, and its 183 crew members are currently stationed in Kochi.

According to reports, IRIS Lavan had arrived in India to participate in the International Fleet Review 2026 in Visakhapatnam, similar to the Iranian warship IRIS Dena, which sank on March 4 after a reported torpedo attack from a U.S. submarine in the Indian Ocean. Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated that Iran had contacted India about the Lavan’s technical issues days before the Dena incident near southern Sri Lanka.

An Indian government source told The Indian Express that India had also invited the IRIS Dena to take refuge in its waters amid escalating conflict conditions in Iran, but Tehran did not respond to that invitation.

India has provided shelter to the Iranian warship IRIS Lavan and its 183 sailors after the vessel sent a distress signal on February 28 due to technical problems. The incident occurred on the same day that U.S. and Israeli military operations began. According to the Indian government, the ship requested permission to dock in Kochi on February 28, received approval on March 1, and has been stationed there since March 4. Officials confirmed that accommodation and food have been arranged for the crew in Kochi.

The development comes as India faces criticism this week following reports that another Iranian ship, IRIS Dena, was struck by a U.S. submarine torpedo, killing more than 80 sailors, rescuing 32, and leaving over a hundred missing. India has not yet commented directly on that attack. The government stated that its decision to host IRIS Lavan was based on humanitarian grounds and the safety of the sailors.

The situation underscores India's delicate position amid escalating U.S.-Israel-Iran tensions in the region.

The United States has granted India a temporary waiver allowing it to increase imports of Russian oil, reversing months of pressure on New Delhi. The license, issued late Thursday, permits transactions for Russian crude and petroleum products loaded before March 5, provided they are delivered to India and purchased by Indian firms. The waiver expires on April 4 at 12:01 a.m. Washington time. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the 30-day measure aims to keep oil flowing into global markets without providing significant financial benefit to Russia.

The decision comes as escalating conflict in the Persian Gulf disrupts energy flows, threatening supplies to major importers. The move offers immediate relief to India, one of the economies most affected by the turmoil, by allowing refiners to secure stranded Russian cargoes and stabilize operations. It also represents a policy shift by the Trump administration, which had previously imposed tariffs and sanctions to curb India’s Russian oil purchases.

Analysts noted that while the waiver is short-term, it could reshape Russian crude pricing and trade flows in the coming weeks as competition for supply intensifies.

An Iranian warship, IRIS Dena, sank in the Indian Ocean after being struck by a US submarine torpedo, triggering renewed regional tension and questions about India’s maritime security capacity. The vessel had departed from India’s Visakhapatnam port on February 26 after participating in the multinational naval exercise ‘Milan’ and was attacked in international waters about 44 nautical miles south of Sri Lanka on March 4. According to Al Jazeera, Sri Lanka’s navy recovered over 80 bodies and rescued 32 sailors, including the ship’s commander, while more than 100 remain missing.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that an American submarine torpedoed the Iranian vessel, calling it a “silent death.” Tehran condemned the attack as a serious crime, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warning that the United States would one day pay a heavy price. Iran emphasized that the Dena had been an invited guest of the Indian Navy returning home after the exercise.

India’s delayed official response drew criticism, and analysts said the incident undermined India’s image as a regional maritime security provider, exposing limits to its influence near its own waters.

An Indian Air Force Sukhoi SU-30 MKI fighter jet crashed in Assam’s Karbi Anglong area on Thursday evening, killing both pilots on board. The aircraft had taken off from the Jorhat Air Force base and lost contact with ground control at 7:42 p.m. local time. Later that night, the Air Force confirmed through its official X handle that the wreckage was found about 60 kilometers from Jorhat.

The deceased pilots were identified as Squadron Leader Anuj and Flight Lieutenant Purvesh Durgakar. The Indian Air Force has not yet clarified the cause of the crash. The incident adds to previous accidents involving the same aircraft model, including a 2017 crash after takeoff from Tezpur Air Force base in Assam, which also resulted in the deaths of two pilots.

Investigations are expected to determine the technical or operational reasons behind the latest crash, though no official explanation has been provided so far.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs has denied claims that the United States used Indian ports to launch attacks against Iran. The allegation was made by retired US Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor in an interview with One America News Network, where he said US forces were relying on Indian ports amid the ongoing conflict with Iran. The ministry’s fact-check division dismissed the statement as false and warned against spreading fabricated information.

The claim came amid domestic criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government for its silence following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Opposition parties have used the issue to question India’s stance on the Iran conflict. Experts noted that while India and the US signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016, it does not automatically grant access to Indian facilities without India’s consent.

Defense analysts said India has maintained a neutral position in the Iran-US conflict. They emphasized that rejecting the claim was diplomatically significant, as India seeks to balance relations amid global tensions over the war.

A United States submarine has sunk an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, resulting in at least 87 recovered bodies. The vessel, identified by Sri Lanka’s foreign minister as IRIS Dena, had recently participated in a joint naval exercise hosted by India and was returning home from an eastern Indian port when it was destroyed. The attack occurred thousands of kilometers from the Gulf, marking the first time since 1945 that a US attack submarine used torpedoes to sink a warship.

Yale University lecturer Sushant Singh said the incident has created uncomfortable questions for New Delhi, a key US partner, as the strike took place shortly after India had hosted the Iranian crew. He described the sinking of IRIS Dena just hours after leaving Indian waters as a major blow to India’s regional credibility. The ship was reportedly traveling through an area under Indian naval observation but outside any active conflict zone.

Analysts noted that India faces the challenge of protecting trade and energy routes, avoiding US-Iran tensions, and preventing normalization of third-party military actions near its maritime sphere. India has not publicly commented on the incident.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs has rejected claims that the United States Navy has been allowed to use Indian ports during the ongoing war against Iran. The denial followed remarks by Douglas Macgregor, a former adviser to the US Secretary of Defense, who told the right-wing American television channel One America News Network (OANN) that US naval vessels might be using Indian ports amid the Middle East conflict.

In response, India’s foreign ministry stated that the claim broadcast on OANN was completely false and fabricated. The ministry also urged individuals and media outlets to refrain from spreading such baseless and concocted statements.

The issue arose as international attention increased following a reported US submarine attack on an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka. The Iranian vessel was said to have been returning from a military exercise hosted by India when the incident occurred.

Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has expressed concern over the Indian government's silence following the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In a column published in The Indian Express, she wrote that New Delhi’s lack of response was not neutrality but an abdication of position. Gandhi noted that despite the gravity of the event, the government issued no statement and limited itself to condemning Iran’s retaliatory strikes on the UAE.

According to the report, Iran confirmed on March 1 that Khamenei had been killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli attack. Gandhi argued that the killing of a sitting head of state represented a serious rupture in international relations and that India’s silence was equally troubling. She also highlighted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reaffirmed support for Israel just two days before the attack.

Gandhi further emphasized India’s strategic ties with Tehran, noting Iran’s role in maintaining India’s diplomatic presence near the Pakistan border and balancing China-Pakistan corridor interests.

India and Canada have signed a long-term agreement for uranium supply, announced after a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in New Delhi. The deal, valued at around three billion US dollars and lasting ten years, was formally exchanged on Monday morning, followed by a joint press conference confirming the agreement.

Canada, the world’s second-largest uranium supplier, has been providing uranium to India since 2013. The newly signed contract will be executed by Cameco, one of the world’s leading uranium fuel producers. According to BBC reports, India is seeking alternative energy sources such as uranium, oil, gas, and coal amid pressure from the United States to reduce energy imports from Russia.

During Carney’s visit, the two countries also signed cooperation agreements in defense, education, and energy sectors. Both leaders indicated that India and Canada are moving toward finalizing an economic cooperation agreement within the year, following nearly fifteen years of free trade discussions.