Deepak Raina covers Kashmir — the politics, the displacement, the security landscape, and the long memory of communities shaped by conflict. His reporting draws on first-person testimony and archival detail, and he writes from the conviction that the Kashmiri Pandit story is not a footnote in India's modern history but a central chapter in how the republic navigates identity, territory, and belonging.
Recent work
September Air Traffic Slips 6.5%; IndiGo Retains Lead, Air India Group at 26.8%
DGCA data shows domestic air passenger traffic fell 6.5 per cent in September. Air India Group carried 31.65 lakh passengers for a 26.8 per cent share, while IndiGo kept its lead. The monthly dip adds weight to questions about how a consolidating market will serve connectivity and fares.
PM Modi Flags Cyber Terrorists as RBI Opens Odisha Data Centre
Prime Minister Modi inaugurated a Rs 169-crore RBI data centre and cybersecurity training institute in Bhubaneswar, warning that modern wars are fought by attacking economies. The facility disperses critical infrastructure and builds sovereign cyber capability for India's digital banking system.
Kota Arrests Follow Firing at Tiger Shroff's Mumbai Home
Mumbai police traced three suspected shooters to Kota after a firing outside Tiger Shroff's residence. NDTV reports the men were paid ₹50,000 as an advance and sent an 'Operation Completed' message to handlers. An audio clip claiming Lawrence Bishnoi gang responsibility surfaced separately.
Delhi Police Detain YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, 150 Protesters Ahead of Jantar Mantar Rally
Delhi Police detained YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and about 150 protesters on October 10 ahead of a planned demonstration at Jantar Mantar. The Cockroach Janta Party and INDIA bloc are demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over alleged electoral roll irregularities. Over 20,000 personnel were deployed and 45 metro stations shut.
Black Sea Drone Attack Burns Tanker With 23 Indian Crew Aboard
A Ukrainian drone attack set fire to an oil tanker carrying 23 Indian crew in the Black Sea. The incident adds to a pattern of attacks on merchant vessels that has placed Indian seafarers at growing risk. India has yet to issue a formal response specific to this strike.
AAP Expels Punjab MLA Over Public Criticism of Teacher Shortages
The Aam Aadmi Party expelled Maur MLA Sukhbir Singh Maiserkhana after he publicly flagged teacher shortages in Punjab government schools. The move draws a hard line between party discipline and legislative voice, especially in a state where education delivery anchors the party's credibility. The episode also complicates AAP's governance narrative as teacher vacancies remain an unresolved administrative challenge.
Delhi Minister's Tilak Nagar Slap Video Triggers Police Probe, Political Storm
A viral video of Delhi PWD Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma allegedly slapping a man during a Tilak Nagar road inspection has drawn five police complaints. The incident has become a political flashpoint between BJP and AAP, with a police investigation underway. The controversy exposes Delhi's split accountability between the elected government and centrally controlled police.
Trump Backs India-Middle East-Europe Corridor, Calls for Iran Energy Shift
President Trump has endorsed the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor and tied it to rerouting energy away from Iran. The statement strengthens IMEC's American backing but raises questions about India's Chabahar port operations under US sanctions.
Mamata Banerjee Challenges Election Commission Freeze on Trinamool Symbol in Supreme Court
Mamata Banerjee's faction moved the Supreme Court on Friday against the Election Commission's September 17 freeze on the Trinamool Congress name and symbols. The order applies to the October 6 Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls, where neither faction can use the party's identity. The legal challenge, alongside a candidate's withdrawal in Nandigram, exposes the factional fault line inside West Bengal's ruling party.
Gurugram Road Rage Accused Kalyan Bainsla Arrested, Attempt-to-Murder Charge Added
Gurugram Police arrested Kalyan Bainsla from Rajasthan after a viral video showed a car hitting biker Sia on Golf Course Road. Bainsla, who claims to be an international kabaddi player and Indian rugby team member, now faces an attempt-to-murder charge. His lawyer calls it negligence, while the police case centres on intent and evidence gathering.
Rawat Quits Congress Posts After ED Seizes Cash, Gold From Aide
Harish Rawat resigned from the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee executive and as a CWC permanent invitee after Enforcement Directorate searches recovered cash, gold, and luxury watches from his aide's home. Rawat framed the move as protection for the party ahead of the 2027 assembly election. The episode sharpens the national contest over PMLA enforcement and leaves the Congress with an organisational gap in a poll-bound state.
Apple Launches iPhone 18 Pro Series; India Prices Start at Rs 1,64,900
Apple has launched the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max in India at Rs 1,64,900 and Rs 1,79,900 respectively. Pre-bookings open September 12, with sales from September 18. The launch sharpens Apple's premium push in a market where local assembly has deepened.
Bangladesh Border Guard Builds Drone School Near Indian Frontier; Delhi Reads a Capability Shift
Bangladesh's Border Guard has established a surveillance and drone school near the Indian border. The announcement, reported by NDTV, signals Dhaka's intent to field more sensors and unmanned aerial systems along the shared frontier. India's response remains calibrated: accelerate eastern counter-drone upgrades and raise drone protocols at the next BSF-BGB director-general conference.
Subhash Chandra Says His Borrowing Is Zero; Personal Guarantees, Not Loans, Behind Rs 22,000-Crore Claim
Subhash Chandra has clarified that the Rs 22,000-crore figure in his personal insolvency case represents personal guarantees, not personal borrowing. The Essel Group chairman said lenders' admitted claims exceed the actual outstanding borrowing, as an NCLT-approved plan is contested.
Modi and Vance Keep the Strategic Channel Warm as Washington's Bandwidth Narrows
Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a call from US Vice President JD Vance on August 8, 2026, with both leaders discussing the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. The conversation comes as the US Senate passed sweeping Russia sanctions legislation that could impose tariffs on Indian imports, and as Vance separately flagged Washington's efforts to manage oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz. The call sustains high-level diplomatic momentum at a moment when the bilateral relationship faces its sharpest structural tests.
Thirteen Years, One Hotel Lift, and the Limits of Indian Justice
The Bombay High Court has convicted former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal of sexual assault, overturning his 2021 acquittal by a Goa sessions court. The verdict, arriving thirteen years after the alleged incidents at a Goa journalism festival, is a landmark in India's appellate jurisprudence on sexual violence — and a damning commentary on the pace at which that jurisprudence moves. Tejpal faces a minimum of ten years and up to life imprisonment under multiple IPC sections.
Assam Floods Again: When Six Wooden Boats Carry the Weight of a Nation's Unfinished Business
Floods have swept across five districts of Assam, killing three people and affecting more than 1.36 lakh residents as 335 villages and over 15,000 hectares of cropland go under water. The annual disaster follows a familiar script — state relief operations, ministerial visits, corporate donations — while a deeper structural vulnerability, India's inability to secure binding hydrological data from China on Brahmaputra flows, goes unresolved. This year's flood season in Assam is not just a humanitarian event; it is a test of whether India can convert its diplomatic standing into concrete water security.
India Widens the Door for Diaspora Scientists — But Who Will Walk Through?
The PM Research Chair Scheme has extended its 2026 application deadline to August 15, aiming to bring Indian-origin scientists and academics settled abroad into premier institutions such as IITs, IISc, and national laboratories. The extension signals active effort to widen the applicant pool — but the scheme's deeper test lies not in attracting applications but in whether India's public research environment can absorb and retain the talent it courts. Administrative inertia, autonomy deficits, and bureaucratic friction remain the real obstacles between policy ambition and research output.
The Taj Mahal in Court: ASI's Custodial Authority Meets a Persistent Legal Claim
The Allahabad High Court has directed the Centre and the Archaeological Survey of India to file counter-affidavits in a writ petition asserting that a Hindu temple called the Agreshwar Mahadev Nagnatheswar Virajman Tejo Mahalaya exists within the Taj Mahal complex. The petition, filed on July 3, challenges district court orders that had twice refused to appoint an advocate commissioner to survey the premises. The case deepens a broader juridification of India's heritage disputes and carries implications for ASI's statutory authority, India's binding UNESCO obligations, and the international standing of its most recognisable monument.
Putin's 'Difficult Period' and the Supply Chain India Cannot Afford to Ignore
Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged a 'difficult period' at a United Russia party congress as Ukrainian drones struck oil refineries deep inside Russian territory, including the Slavyansk facility in Krasnodar. For India, the acknowledgment is more than a diplomatic signal — it lands directly on two pressure points: a defence supply chain built over decades on Russian hardware, and an energy import flow that re-oriented toward discounted Urals crude after 2022. The question New Delhi must answer is whether it treats this moment as leverage or merely absorbs the risk.
TMC Parliamentary Split Strengthens NDA Coalition as Constitutional Crisis Tests Anti-Defection Laws
TMC faces its biggest parliamentary crisis as rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar claims 20 MPs are merging with the Nationalist Citizens Party to collaborate with NDA. The move tests India's anti-defection laws while potentially strengthening the ruling coalition's parliamentary position.
India Reinforces Strategic Foothold in Afghanistan Through Humanitarian Diplomacy
India's Ministry of External Affairs reaffirmed its commitment to Afghanistan's welfare through humanitarian assistance and development projects, with spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal emphasizing support for food security, healthcare, and education. The approach maintains India's strategic presence while avoiding formal recognition of Taliban governance.
India Reinforces Energy Security Strategy as Middle East Tensions Reshape Regional Dynamics
The US House passed a resolution restricting Trump's military authority in Iran while Israel and Lebanon pursue ceasefire negotiations. These developments create new parameters for India's energy security planning and regional diplomatic strategy.
India-Japan Economic Security Dialogue Deepens Strategic Partnership Beyond Defense
The second India-Japan Economic Security Dialogue brought together senior officials from both governments to advance industrial collaboration across five strategic sectors. The dialogue reinforces Japan's role as a trusted technology partner in India's quest for supply chain diversification and economic sovereignty.
India's Indian Ocean Dialogue Charts Maritime Leadership Against Chinese Encroachment
India hosted the 10th Indian Ocean Dialogue with officials from IORA member states, emphasizing maritime security and blue economy cooperation. The forum reflects India's strategic bid to counter Chinese influence while establishing itself as the region's primary security provider.