India’s long-standing policy of ‘strategic autonomy’—maintaining balanced relations with major global powers—faces new challenges amid rising tensions involving Iran. For over a decade, New Delhi has engaged with multiple blocs, including the Quad with the United States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization with China, BRICS with Russia, and I2U2 with Israel and the UAE. The approach has aimed to protect national interests without overdependence on any single partner.

Recent developments around Iran have disrupted this balance, particularly affecting India’s priorities of ensuring expatriate safety, countering terrorism in neighboring states, and securing oil and gas supplies. Although diplomatic efforts have intensified, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar contacting Iranian leaders, only two Indian gas tankers have been cleared to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters reported that 22 Indian vessels remain detained in the region.

The release of these ships may depend on India returning three seized Iranian vessels or sending medical supplies to Tehran. However, such moves risk straining India’s ties with Washington, which previously allowed limited Russian oil purchases under specific conditions.

At least seven people, including three children, were killed in a major fire that broke out on Wednesday morning in a residential building in the Palam area of southwest Delhi. According to the Delhi Fire Service, the blaze started around 7 a.m. in one of the rooms and quickly spread throughout the building.

Thirty fire service units rushed to the scene to bring the flames under control and rescue residents trapped inside. Officials said the dense population of the area made the rescue operation difficult. Local police and emergency response teams also joined the operation soon after the incident was reported.

During the rescue, seven bodies were recovered from the building, including those of three children. The fire caused extensive damage to the structure, destroying furniture and valuables inside, according to the Delhi Fire Service. The cause of the fire has not been detailed in the report.

Police in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, arrested 14 people for organizing an iftar gathering on a boat in the middle of the Ganges River and allegedly throwing leftover food into the water. The arrests followed the circulation of a video on social media showing the event. Authorities said the accused were charged with hurting religious sentiments, polluting the environment, and disturbing public order.

The case was filed at the Kotwali police station based on a complaint from a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s youth wing. The complaint stated that the Ganges is sacred to followers of Sanatan Dharma and that discarding food into the river desecrated its sanctity. Assistant Commissioner of Police Vijay Pratap Singh said the video, which went viral on Instagram, led to the investigation and subsequent arrests.

Police sources confirmed that the authenticity of the video is being verified and efforts are underway to identify others involved. River patrol surveillance has been increased to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal has claimed that if Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wins the upcoming election again, he will imprison all opposition political leaders. In an interview with India Today, Kejriwal said such actions would be harmful to both democracy and the country.

Kejriwal compared the situation to other nations, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin jailed or killed opponents before elections, Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina imprisoned political rivals before winning, and Pakistan held elections after jailing Imran Khan. He alleged that after India’s election announcement, he and three AAP leaders were detained, and that the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena were divided. According to him, if Modi returns to power, India will be left with only one party and one leader.

Kejriwal concluded that such developments would be extremely damaging to India’s democratic system and national well-being.

The Trinamool Congress on Tuesday announced its candidate list for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election, with party chief Mamata Banerjee set to contest from Bhabanipur. The announcement was made at her Kalighat office in the presence of party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. The Bharatiya Janata Party had released its list a day earlier, naming Suvendu Adhikari as its candidate for the same constituency. The Bhabanipur contest is expected to be a high-profile rematch between Banerjee and Adhikari, who defeated her in Nandigram in 2021.

The list includes senior leaders such as Debashis Kumar (Rashbehari), Firhad Hakim (Kolkata Port), Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay (Ballygunge), and Shashi Panja (Shyampukur). Former Rajya Sabha member Kunal Ghosh will contest from Beleghata, while younger leaders like Trinankur Bhattacharya, Debanshu Bhattacharya, and Shirshannyo Banerjee have also been nominated. Abhishek Banerjee stated that the party has fielded 52 women candidates, more SC-ST representatives than reserved seats, and around 47 minority candidates.

Former minister Jyotipriya Mallick, accused in a ration corruption case, will contest from Habra, while Partha Chatterjee, jailed in a teacher recruitment scam, was excluded. Paresh Adhikari will contest from Mekhliganj.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended sanctions on India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), citing serious violations of religious freedom. In its 2026 annual report, the commission proposed designating India as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), noting a significant deterioration in religious freedom conditions during 2025.

According to the report, India’s government introduced and enforced new laws targeting religious minorities and their places of worship, while several states strengthened anti-conversion laws with harsher penalties. The report also alleged widespread detention and deportation of religious refugees, and insufficient action against extremist groups involved in attacks on minorities. Specific incidents in Maharashtra, Odisha, Assam, and other states were cited as examples of escalating violence and official inaction.

USCIRF urged the US government to impose targeted sanctions on individuals and organizations responsible for these violations, including asset freezes and travel bans on groups such as the RSS.

India’s Election Commission has announced the schedule for assembly elections in four states—Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam, and West Bengal—and the union territory of Puducherry. The announcement was made in New Delhi by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on March 15, 2026. In West Bengal, voting will take place in two phases, on April 23 and April 29, with counting scheduled for May 4 across all states and the union territory.

In West Bengal, the first phase on April 23 will cover all districts except Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, East Burdwan, South 24 Parganas, and North 24 Parganas, which will vote in the second phase on April 29. The announcement came shortly after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declared that pending dearness allowances for government employees would be cleared and monthly stipends for mosque muezzins and Hindu priests would be increased.

The decision follows previous protests by state employees demanding payment of pending allowances, and a Supreme Court directive ordering the state government to settle the dues. A day before the schedule was announced, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a rally in Kolkata and unveiled development projects worth 180 billion rupees for West Bengal.

India may postpone its planned trade agreement with the United States for several months, according to four unnamed Indian sources cited by Reuters. The delay follows a new U.S. investigation into alleged excess industrial production capacity among trade partners, which has heightened tensions between the two countries. India had expected to sign an interim deal in March before finalizing a broader agreement, but the timeline has now been pushed back.

Officials from both sides said they remain in contact to pursue a mutually beneficial deal, though no new signing date has been set. Talks reportedly slowed after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump in late February, and Washington’s focus shifted to conflict with Iran. India has reduced but not halted imports of Russian oil, while U.S. officials have urged New Delhi to increase imports to ease global energy shortages.

Analysts said India’s cautious approach is reasonable given ongoing tariff uncertainty and the Section 301 investigation under the 1974 Trade Act. India may present its case to the U.S. Trade Representative or take the matter to the World Trade Organization if needed.

The Special Task Force (STF) of West Bengal Police arrested Philip Sangma on Saturday morning from the Shantipur Bypass area in Nadia district, India. He is accused of helping the suspects in the murder of Shahid Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of Inquilab Mancha, to flee. According to Indian media reports, the arrest followed information obtained from two previously detained suspects, Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Hossain, who were captured on March 7 near the Bongaon border.

During initial questioning, Philip reportedly admitted that he had long been involved in cross-border smuggling for money. After Hadi’s killing, he crossed into India to avoid pressure from Bangladeshi police and later planned to return to Bangladesh with Faisal and Alamgir’s help. However, their arrests led to increased scrutiny, resulting in his capture.

Hadi was shot by assailants on a motorcycle in Dhaka’s Paltan area on December 12 and later died in Singapore on December 18 after receiving treatment in Dhaka and Singapore hospitals.

The Punjab state government and several Indian farmers’ unions have publicly expressed solidarity with Iran amid continued US and Israeli attacks and the Indian government’s silence. Last week, the Punjab assembly observed a one-minute silence in support of the Iranian people. During a budget session recording, legislator Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi condemned the attacks that began on February 28, calling a school bombing that killed about 165 children inhumane. Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan urged members to honor the victims with silence.

Sukhi told The Wire that he raised the issue at the state level to alert other Indian states. Despite a meeting between India’s foreign secretary and Iran’s ambassador in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has not issued any formal statement on the war or the killing of Iran’s leader. Meanwhile, thousands of farmers across Punjab protested a recent US-India trade deal, expressing solidarity with Iran. Farmer leader Jagmohan Singh said both the war and the trade pact were anti-farmer.

Student and civil society groups in Punjab, as well as demonstrators in Indian-administered Kashmir, continue protests against US-Israeli aggression and in support of Iran and Palestine.

Opposition parties in India, including the Trinamool Congress, have submitted an impeachment notice against Chief Election Commissioner Jnanish Kumar, accusing him of biased and discriminatory conduct. According to Trinamool Congress sources, a total of 193 members of Parliament from both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha have signed the notice. The signatories allege that Kumar failed to uphold the dignity of his office, citing irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll and claims that many citizens were deprived of their voting rights.

The move comes amid ongoing political and legal disputes between the Election Commission and the Trinamool Congress over the voter list revision process, just months before the state assembly elections. The controversy has intensified after nearly 6.3 million names were reportedly removed from the voter list in West Bengal, with another 6 million still under review.

Under the Indian Constitution, an impeachment notice against a Chief Election Commissioner requires signatures from at least 100 Lok Sabha members or 50 Rajya Sabha members. If accepted, the Speaker or Chairman may form a committee to investigate the allegations.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs has refrained from commenting on whether two suspects in the murder of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi will be extradited to Bangladesh. The suspects, Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Hossain, were arrested by West Bengal’s Special Task Force on March 7 near the Bongaon border and have been placed on 14-day remand by an Indian court. During a weekly briefing in New Delhi, ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said he had nothing to add beyond the statement issued by the West Bengal government.

Jaiswal also confirmed that Bangladesh’s DGFI chief had visited India and might have met Indian officials during the Raisina Dialogue. On energy cooperation, he said Bangladesh has requested additional diesel supplies amid the Middle East conflict, and India is considering the request after assessing refinery capacity and domestic demand. Similar requests have come from Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

He noted that India has been exporting refined petroleum products to neighboring countries and that diesel supply to Bangladesh from the Numaligarh refinery has continued since 2007 under a 2017 bilateral agreement.

The Indian rupee fell to its lowest level in history on Friday, trading at 92.39 per US dollar, surpassing the previous record of 92.3575. The decline followed growing concerns over energy supply disruptions and surging oil prices triggered by the ongoing war centered on Iran. Analysts cautioned that if the Middle East conflict continues, inflationary pressures in India could intensify further.

According to Reuters, the rupee has lost more than one percent of its value since the start of the Iran conflict. However, the Reserve Bank of India’s market interventions have helped keep the currency relatively stable compared with other emerging economies. Official data showed India’s consumer price index inflation rose to 3.21 percent in February, up from a revised 2.74 percent in January, marking a ten‑month high.

Food inflation also increased to 3.47 percent in February from 2.13 percent the previous month. The revised CPI now uses 2024 as the base year and expands the basket of goods from 299 to 358 items.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah narrowly escaped an assassination attempt, according to his son and current Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. The incident occurred on Wednesday at a wedding ceremony in the Royal Park area of Greater Kailash, Jammu, where Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Chowdhury was also present.

A video circulating on social media shows a man approaching Farooq Abdullah with a pistol before being subdued by his security personnel. Police later arrested the suspect, identified as a resident of Jammu. During interrogation, the man reportedly claimed he had been attempting to kill Abdullah for the past 20 years, though his exact motive remains unclear.

Omar Abdullah questioned how an armed individual managed to get so close to his father despite the presence of Z-plus and NSG security cover. The police investigation into the security breach and the suspect’s motives is ongoing.

Indian airlines are facing a new operational crisis as several Middle Eastern countries have partially or fully closed their airspace due to ongoing regional conflict. The closures have disrupted international routes, particularly flights to Europe and North America, which were already rerouted after Pakistan shut its airspace to Indian carriers last year.

According to aviation data, Air India and IndiGo, India’s largest international carriers, were unable to operate about 64 percent of their scheduled flights to the Middle East, Europe, and North America over the past ten days. HSBC reported that the geopolitical tension in the Middle East is expected to raise operating costs and reduce profitability for Indian airlines, estimating that a seven-day suspension in affected regions could cut annual profits by around 1.2 percent.

IndiGo continues to face difficulties despite resuming some routes, as it relies on six Boeing aircraft leased from North Atlantic Airways, registered in Norway and subject to EU safety directives. European authorities have advised avoiding the airspace of Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, further complicating IndiGo’s operations.