 "This Week in Explainers: Is it safe to take a dip at Maha Kumbh Mela?")
It’s been a week of ups and downs for India. On the diplomatic front, New Delhi scored a big win with Qatar, as it elevated ties to a “strategic partnership”. However, there was an incident which angered Nepal – the suicide of a 20-year-old Nepali student at the KIIT campus in Odisha’s Bhubaneswar. The case snowballed with Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli having to step in.
The spotlight on Indian deportees from the US continues. Two more flights have returned to India this week, a total of three so far. While there was hope that the immigrants would be treated better after PM Modi met Donald Trump earlier in the month that was on the case. Those who came back spoke about their ordeal and broken dreams and revealed a new ‘dunki’ route to get to the US – via Europe. We tell you more.
On the political front, it was an important week for the BJP in Delhi. After weeks of suspense following the 8 February victory in the Delhi Assembly election, the party announced the name of its CM – Rekha Gupta. The party’s second chief minister in the Captial is also a woman. The first was Sushma Swaraj.
The Maha Kumbh Mela, which will be soon concluding, grabbed headlines for the wrong reasons. A report by the Pollution Control Board (PCB) pointed to high levels of faecal bacteria in the waters of the rivers, where millions have been bathing. However, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath insists the water is safe to drink. There was also a row over videos of women taking a dip at the gathering being sold online.
Our weekly roundup of explainers from India dives deep into the headlines that caught your attention and more.
1. The Trump administration is undeterred when cutting down on foreign aid. India now finds itself in the middle of a snowballing controversy. A post by Elon Musk-led Doge (Department of Government Efficiency) has triggered a political row. The agency said that it was cancelling a $21-million grant for “voter turnout in India”. The BJP was quick to point fingers at the Opposition Congress with Trump now hinting at election interference by the earlier US administration. We explain how this all started .
2. As the row over the $21-million grant refuses to die down, the attention has turned to former USAID India mission director Veena Reddy. Eminent lawyer and former Rajya Sabha MP Mahesh Jethmalani wrote on X that the Indian-American diplomat was sent to India in 2021 and returned to the US after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. But what is her alleged connection to the grant ?
3. Diplomacy is an art and PM Modi excels at it. In a rare gesture, the prime minister welcomed Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani at the New Delhi airport. The monarch was visiting the country on a two-day visit. This story looks at the budding relationship between New Delhi and Doha and why it matters.
4. India had a diplomatic incident with Nepal. It all started with the suicide of Prakriti Lamsal, a student at KIIT in Odisha’s Bhubaneswar. Her death triggered protests by students from Nepal, but as tensions gripped the campus KIIT authorities asked them to vacate and return to their country. This prompted Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli to intervene. We have been tracking this story closely. Our explainers tell you about Prakriti Lamsal and the uproar over her death .
5. The US continues to send back illegal Indian immigrants to India. So far, three flights have landed. Reliving the ordeal, many deportees spoke about how they reached America. For long, illegal migrants have taken the ‘dunki’ route , traversing from Latin America to Central America. But now many are going via Europe. This story tells you more .
6. It’s only four days before the Maha Kumbh, the world’s largest religious gathering concludes on February 26. Millions have taken a dip at the Sangam over the last month. But now the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has raised doubts about the Ganga water. A report says that there are high levels of faecal matter present in the river in Prayagraj, a claim that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has denied . Is the water safe? We answer the question.
7. After more than 27 years, the BJP is back in power in Delhi. On Wednesday (19 February), the party ended weeks of suspense and announced Rekha Gupta as its chief minister. She is Delhi’s fourth woman CM. What do we know about the first-time MLA? Why did the BJP pick Gupta over other popular faces?
8. In Punjab, going to the Americas – the US and Canada – is a big dream. But here is the story of a man who returned from Brampton and has been in hiding in Mohali. Simran Preet Panesar is a suspect in Canada’s biggest gold heist worth 20 million dollars. Now the ED has raided his house in Punjab. What’s going on?
That’s the recommended list of our most-read and most interesting explainers of the week. If you like our take on the news, you can find more such stories here .
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