Left, Right & Centre

In an escalation following Monday's border gunfight between two police forces that left six Assam policemen dead, Mizoram on Friday said it had filed a case over the incident, naming Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other top officials of the neighbouring state in it. The Assam Chief Minster has responded to the FIR filed against him saying that he is happy to join the probe but asked why it is not being handed over to a neutral agency. Mizoram Minister TJ Lalnuntluanga tells NDTV that the state wants to "dissolve this dispute peacefully and without violence". He added: "Both chief ministers - under the leadership of Home Minister Amit Shah - are discussing the dispute. The FIR was a consequence of Assam's illegal actions, there has to be justice as per law."

An FIR was filed against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other top officials of the state, including 'attempt to murder', at a Mizoram police station after an escalating border dispute between the two states. Expressing his willingness to join the probe, Mr Sarma tweeted: "Will be very happy to join in any investigation. But why the case is not being handed over to a neutral agency...". The two states have been at odds over the border for decades and the situation flared up this week. On Monday, violence broke out at the border area with each side accusing the other of starting the violence.

The murder of a judge in Jharkhand in broad daylight turns into a murky investigation with the security footage of the incident spurring outrage. Chilling footage that emerged later shows a tempo turning and hitting the judge, with the police saying that the tape proved that it was deliberate. Is even the law unsafe in India now?

Is the massive surge in COVID-19 cases in Kerala due to much higher testing, or does it point at the situation in the state getting out of hand? The centre has sent an expert team even as the state goes back into lockdowns.

The centre has announced a reservation policy for medical courses: 27 per cent quota for other backward classes or OBCs and 10 per cent for economically weak sections (EWS). Has this decision been timed to coincide with the Uttar Pradesh election, due next month?

Indian students face an expensive Rs 2 lakh quarantine in the UK when they travel for their studies. This, even though they are fully vaccinated. The UK is, however, allowing vaccinated travellers from the EU and the US to enter without quarantine.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is in India on a two-day visit, stressed on the need for cooperation among countries than ever before. Shared values - freedom and equality - are key and none of us have done enough, he said.

On the visit of the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to India, Former Foreign Secretary of India Nirupama Menon Rao said: Antony Blinken's visit is a positive development, overall and the underlying message from the visit was to stress the crucial and very durable nature of the India-US partnership. Underpinning is definitely democracy, but it is also further strengthened given meaning by the fact we have this strategic interest in building a stronger more resilient partnership across the whole spectrum of the bilateral relations.'

In her efforts to build an anti-BJP coalition, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who is on a five-day visit to Delhi met with several opposition leaders including Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. With the stopwatch winding down to the polls and post her dominant performance in Bengal, the key question remains - Can Mamata Banerjee bridge the opposition divide?

Basavaraj Bommai has been sworn in as the new chief minister of Karnataka with the blessings of his predecessor, BS Yediyurappa. On being asked about what would be BS Yediyurappa's role in the new government, he said: Yediyurappa is a mentor, and his experience is a boon to me.