Daily Briefing: Attack on Sukhbir Singh Badal; setback for over 2,200 JPSC aspirants

Good morning,

Mohammad Lateef Bhat, a local militant active in the Kashmir Valley, was the only surviving suspect involved in attacks earlier this year. Bhat evaded capture during a joint operation by Jammu and Kashmir police and the Indian Army. The attack was the first militant strike in the Valley since the Pahalgam incident last year. Police issued a reward of Rs 15 lakh for information on Bhat and displayed his photo on posters across South Kashmir and Srinagar.

Around 30 Pakistani nationals and Lashkar operatives are believed to be hiding in the Valley's dense forests.

The Jharkhand government has decided to cancel the 14th JPSC Combined Civil Services examination, which has been seen as a victory for protesters in Ranchi. However, this cancellation has dealt a setback to over 2,200 candidates who had cleared the Prelims. The Indian Express interviewed several aspirants, including an engineer, an Adivasi woman, and a wheelchair-bound candidate, all of whom expressed their support for strict action on paper leaks, but felt the cancellation of the exam without a thorough investigation was illogical.

The Crime Investigation Department (CID) has asked these students to submit carbon copies of their OMR sheets, which would require them to go through the process again if the exam is reinstated.

In other education news, postgraduate students at Delhi University (DU) are no longer able to opt for the course on Delhi Sultanate, taught in Semester III. The course, titled "The Delhi Sultanate: Structures of Authority in Medieval North India (13th-14th Centuries)", examined the formation of the medieval state, authority exercise, and political, religious, and cultural evolution.

Although the course was cleared at various stages of the syllabus approval process, it was omitted from the final notification issued on August 7.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju reported that productivity in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha had fallen significantly – 19% and 39% respectively – during the Monsoon Session. Despite this, legislative business remained limited due to ongoing protests and disruptions, with some Bills passed by voice votes without debates.

In a shocking incident in Maharashtra's Nanded, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal was attacked by a man dressed as a Nihang. The 64-year-old leader sustained a hand injury and was taken to a local hospital. His assailant, identified as 62-year-old Jaspal Singh from Pune, was arrested. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered a probe into the incident.

The Bar Council of India (BCI) has withdrawn a directive barring the enrollment of 2026 graduates from NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, as advocates with state bar councils. This decision came after the BCI received complaints that the majority of the students were innocent and not involved in the campaign against inviting Chief Justice Surya Kant to the convocation. The Council will await the inquiry report from NALSAR's Vice-Chancellor before taking any further action.

Dope tests will now be conducted on all pilots in Air India, including Air India Express, following a pilot-in-command's positive test in a substance abuse incident during a flight from Phuket to Delhi. This one-time exercise aims to ensure the highest safety standards and reassure the public.

Finally, in our Opinion section, Upendra Kaul argues for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood as a crucial aspect of political stability in the region. He emphasizes the balance between national security priorities and the aspirations for democratic self-governance.