| Good morning, We are starting today’s edition with an update from Trumpworld, where the President has signed a proclamation to ban travel to the United States from 12 countries, citing national security reasons and protection from “foreign terrorists”. In a video statement, Trump said the recent attack in Colorado, where an Egyptian-origin man threw a gasoline bomb at pro-Israel protesters, exposed the dangers that the entry of improperly vetted foreign nationals poses to the US. However, Egypt does not appear on the list of banned countries, which includes Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. People from seven other countries will face restricted entry. On that note, let’s get to today’s edition.
🚨 Big Story An evening meant for celebrating the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)’s long-awaited IPL title win turned into one of sorrow when a stampede broke out in Bengaluru, leaving 11 people dead and 47 injured. What went wrong? At the heart of the tragedy lies an apparent lack of planning, an underestimation of the number of fans who would gather, and confusion over the free passes available for entry to the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Mixed signals from RCB and the Bengaluru traffic police sowed early confusion — would the parade happen or not? Despite the uncertainty, fans flocked to the Vidhana Soudha, the rally point. By 3 pm, over 50,000 people had packed into a one-kilometre radius, with more still arriving. The tipping point came at around 4 pm when the gates to the stadium partially opened. Those with and without tickets scrambled to get inside, resulting in chaos. People fell, but there was no one to manage the rush. Meanwhile, the celebrations went on inside. From the top: The RCB management stated that, although they were unaware of the situation outside, once informed, they “immediately amended” their programme. Cricket authorities, meanwhile, have distanced themselves from the incident. The IPL Chairman denied having any prior information about the victory parade. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) asserted that its role ends with the final match and has nothing to do with the celebrations afterwards. However, BCCI Secretary Devajit Sakia acknowledged that the incident was an “eye-opener” and stated that the cricketing body will take a call on how future celebrations are held. The state response: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah admitted that the state and the Karnataka State Cricket Association had not anticipated the large crowd that had gathered. Initial estimates suggest that 2-3 lakh people gathered for the celebrations overall. The state has announced free treatment for those injured and compensation for the victim’s kin. He also announced a magisterial inquiry into the incident.
⚡ Only in Express Sense in census: The wait is over for India's long-overdue population Census. The government announced that data collection for the Census, along with caste enumeration, would commence early next year and give a snapshot of the country’s population as of March 1, 2027. The process will be two-phased. The house listing phase will end by September 2026 and be followed by Census enumeration in February 2027. The Wednesday announcement has reopened the debate on delimitation, the process of redefining constituencies based on the population. This is a contentious subject, particularly for southern states, which argue their comparatively lower population may result in lowered representation in Parliament. Why does a 2027 Census threaten the status quo? I will let my colleagues, Deeptiman Tiwary and Manoj C G, explain. Also, take a look at this comprehensive picture of the 1931 census, the last time caste was enumerated. Shyamlal Yadav explains the process and its findings.
📰 From the Front Page For the record: Seven years ago, 45 faculty members took Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to court over its disciplinary action against them for joining a one-day strike. Since then, the proceedings have taken a curious turn. At least seven have discreetly exited the legal fight, offering “unconditional” apologies. Records reviewed by The Indian Express show that the disciplinary actions against these staffers vanished. Some even got promoted. Meanwhile, those still locked in the courtroom standoff claim they have been told that only an apology and the withdrawal of the case were preconditions for a promotion. JNU, however, denies these allegations.
📌 Must Read Tragic: A newly married couple, Raja Raghuvanshi (28) and Sonam (24) went on their honeymoon in Meghalaya last month. Just a day into the trip, family members could not reach them; their phones were switched off. Days later, the kin travelled to Meghalaya to look for Raja and Sonam with the help of the local police. Bad weather complicated the efforts. After an eight-day search, Raja's body was found in a deep gorge below the Riat Arliang parking lot. Sonam remains missing. The global outreach: The all-party delegations that fanned out into the world last month to take India's fight against terrorism to global ears have returned from their "successful" trips. We spoke with members of the delegations to get a complete picture of their foreign visits. JD(U)'s Sanjay Jha revealed they "felt a tilt towards Pakistan" in Malaysia, while CPI(M)'s John Brittas said they fielded many questions about the ceasefire and loss of equipment in the war. Quid pro quo: As trade negotiations with the US enter their final stage, India could soon open its market and lower tariffs on a range of American products. From defence equipment to oil and cars, here are the sectors that will likely be impacted.
⏳ And Finally... In our latest ‘fresh take’, I write about the debate over the em dash — or the so-called “ChatGPT hyphen”. The em dash was once the mark of a great writer, the most versatile of all the punctuation marks. It allowed one to interrupt, expand or digress as necessary. Lately, however, it has earned a bad rap. I, for one, welcome its newfound notoriety and hope it forever remains an imprint of human messiness. That’s all for today, folks! Until tomorrow, Sonal Gupta |
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