Researched by: Rachel John, Nirmal Bhansali & Anannya Parekh
Delimitation Dharma: A YouTube explainer
In 2026, there will be a significant readjustment of Lok Sabha seats—granting North Indian states a decisive majority. The reason: the North has far more citizens than the South. So should the South be “punished” for population control—or is it the inevitable price of the one person one vote rule? We look at that very prickly question in our latest video explainer.
Check it out below. Stay tuned for more such explainers on the big fat election coming soon, and be sure to hit the notification button.
Farmers protest: Drone attack!
The context: Between 2020 and 2021, tens of thousands of farmers angrily protested the new farm laws introduced by the government for a year. In November 2021, the government withdrew the laws. Now, four years later, 250 farmer unions are marching towards Delhi once again. Their primary demand: legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) that was promised by the government. We did detailed explainers on the laws and MSP.
What happened now: The ‘Dilli Chalo’ march began on Tuesday—and the farmers immediately clashed with Haryana police. The big surprise: The police dropped tear gas on the protesters using drones at the border between Punjab and Haryana. See the drones below:
And the chaos here:
At least 60 farmers were seriously injured—forcing the protesters to call for a “ceasefire.”
Point to note: The use of drones to attack protesters was unprecedented:
A former Intelligence Bureau official condemned the use of drones to remotely launch teargas shells to stop the farmers from entering Delhi. “This is the first time I have seen police using drones to drop teargas canisters on peaceful protesters. Are we no longer a democracy?” he wondered, pointing out that Israel often uses drones to drop teargas grenades on Palestinians to quell rioting. “It seems we are now adopting the Israel model of governance.”
Indian Express and The Telegraph offer ground reports on the drone assault. The Hindu has more on the government’s refusal to yield on the MSP demand.
The war on Ukraine: A Russian ceasefire proposal
According to Russian sources, President Putin had sent messages to Washington in 2023—signalling his readiness to negotiate a ceasefire:
Mr. Putin was proposing to freeze the conflict at the current lines and was unwilling to cede any of the Ukrainian territory controlled by Russia, but the signal offered what some in the Kremlin saw as the best path towards a peace of some kind.
But the overtures were rejected. One source claims that the US was not interested in any conversation that did not also include Ukraine. The other says Washington did not want to lean on Kyiv. The US has denied any backchannel discussions with the Kremlin.
Key point to note: This leak comes just as the House is considering a $95 billion military aid package for Ukraine—which faces great resistance from Republicans. (Reuters via The Hindu)
Sonia Gandhi skips Lok Sabha election
She will not contest her usual seat in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh—but will run for a Rajya Sabha seat in Rajasthan. Mrs G’s decision is likely a consequence of her poor health—which is also why she’s mostly stepped away from public appearances. The choice of Rajasthan, however, is political, as an unnamed Congress source explained:
Our president Mallikarjun Kharge comes from Karnataka, our former president Rahul Gandhi is an MP from Wayanad. We can’t have another former president to represent a southern State, as that would mean we are entirely giving up on the electoral battle in the north.
The family does not want to be seen as running for shelter in South India. There is also pressure on Rahul Gandhi to take his mother’s place:
There is a strong sentiment both within and outside the party that Mr. Gandhi should not seek a re-election from Wayanad, where he will face a Communist Party of India (CPI) candidate. It has been argued that for the Congress to stay relevant in the Hindi heartland, Mr. Gandhi must contest from one of the northern constituencies against the BJP. Given its deep roots in Rae Bareli, many feel that it could be [a] safe bet for Mr. Gandhi.
The other option, of course, is Priyanka Gandhi—who is yet to contest an election. Indian Express has more on the history of the South as a refuge for the Gandhis. (The Hindu)
BCCI mulls new rules for Indian players
The cricket board is furious at Indian players skipping Ranji Trophy matches—to prioritise their IPL commitments. The most egregious of the lot is Ishan Kishan:
The manner in which Kishan had skipped match after match after returning midway from the South Africa tour citing "travel fatigue" hasn't exactly gone down well with men who matter in the Indian cricket establishment. More so after it was found that he is training in Baroda with his new MI skipper Hardik Pandya while his state team is languishing near the bottom of group A table.
The board may now make it mandatory for Indian cricketers to play at least three to four Ranji matches—to qualify for an IPL team. They will not even be allowed to participate in an IPL auction. The Telegraph has more on this proposed plan.
Best B-school in the world is…
The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. According to rankings released by Financial Times, Wharton alumni had the third highest salaries at an average of $245,772. France's Insead is at #2— followed by the Columbia Business School and Italy's SDA Bocconi School of Management. As for India: The Indian School of Business (ISB) and Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad (IIM-A) were the highest ranked Indian schools at #31 and #41, respectively. The even better news:
The highest salary increases—from when alumni began their MBA to three years after completing it—were reported at the Indian School of Business and two Chinese business schools: Fudan, followed by Shanghai University of Finance and Economics: College of Business. The Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad is top for career progress—measured as an increase in responsibility in alumni’s role in employment and size of organisation—followed by Stanford and then Fudan.
You can find the detailed rankings here. (Financial Times)
Censorship order targets Caravan
The context: On February 1, The Caravan published an investigative report titled ‘Screams from the Army Post’—which looked at the shocking deaths of three civilians from a Kashmiri village. They were taken in for questioning by the Indian Army along with 22 others—after a militant attack in the Poonch-Rajouri area killed four jawans. According to Caravan, the Army brutally tortured these civilians—even though some of them were registered informers. There is allegedly video evidence of this torture—and senior Army officers distributed compensation to the families of the three men.
What happened now: On Wednesday, the Information and Broadcasting ministry sent a notice—ordering Caravan to take down the report. The reason: it allegedly violated Section 69A of the Information Technology Act–which “empowers the government of India to block information from public access if it’s believed to impact India’s sovereignty, integrity, defence, security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, and others.”
The editors of The Caravan were reportedly summoned to the ministry and were told that the story was a threat to national security. The publication has taken the story down for now, but will be challenging the order in court. Not complying with the order could result in the ministry taking down the entire website. You can read a section of the report over at The Wire. (The News Minute)
Discovered: New life forms inside humans!
Stanford University researchers have found new life forms that live inside our mouth and guts. These “itsy-bitsy lifeforms” are viroids—”tiny bits of RNA, smaller than a virus” that can transmit instructions to a cell. Scientists call them ‘wildly weird’—and have named them obelisks. We have found 30,000 distinct types of obelisks—but it is unclear whether they are “friend or foe.” FYI: The study is yet to be peer-reviewed. The Conversation has more nerdy details while Popular Mechanics has a handy summary.
Terrible news of migratory animals
The first-ever global assessment by the United Nations has found that one in five migratory species is at risk of extinction. Specifically:
Of the roughly 1,200 species already listed and protected under the UN Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), a 1979 global conservation treaty, 44% have declining populations. It’s even worse if you look at migratory reptiles, 70% of which are facing extinction, and fish, a shocking 97% of which are in danger of going extinct.
The reasons are unsurprising: “Excessive hunting and killing of animals, habitat destruction, climate change and the expansion of towns and cities bringing noise and light pollution.” Why this matters: Migratory species like turtle doves, birds, eels and others perform an essential role of protecting Earth’s habitats as they transfer nutrients and pollinate woodlands. FYI: In 1979, countries around the world had signed a treaty to help conserve migratory species—but clearly that hasn’t managed to preserve these species. (BBC News)
Revealed: Charles Darwin’s personal library
You can now check out the 7,400 titles of books owned by the great man himself. After his death in 1882, much of Darwin’s library was lost or scattered. Now they have been assembled in the 300-page ‘Darwin Online Project’. It houses 9,300 virtual copies of his books—available for free. Fun fact: Darwin was a fan of novels and read Elizabeth Gaskell. (CNN)
One cool thing to see
Anju Devi Shrestha and Suprita Gurung became the first lesbian couple to register their marriage in Nepal. Reminder: Nepal became the first and only country to formally recognise same-sex marriages in South Asia in November. See a photo of the happy couple below. (Deccan Herald) 
