PM Narendra Modi’s Russia visit reached what is arguably its most important portion on Tuesday with the Prime Minister holding a bilateral meeting with President Vladimir Putin, their first in two years. This is also the first such meeting since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. 

While the war was certainly on the agenda, economic cooperation between the two countries, especially in the areas of energy, trade, manufacturing, and fertilisers, dominated the meeting. 

Despite criticism from the West, India has become a major buyer of Russian oil and this has benefited both countries because it also provided a much-needed export market for Moscow after several buyers in Europe decided not to make oil purchases from it in view of the Ukraine invasion. 

This mutually beneficial trade featured in PM Modi’s opening remarks to Mr Putin during the meeting. 

Expressing confidence that India-Russia ties will strengthen further, the Prime Minister, who is on his first bilateral visit in his third term, said cooperation between the two countries in the energy sector helped the world as well.

“We could insulate common citizens in India from difficulties in terms of availability of fuel because of your cooperation,” he told Mr Putin.

At a time when India has seen a string of terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, PM Modi told Mr Putin that the country has faced the challenge of terrorism for around 40 years. “I condemn all forms of terrorism,” he said. 

Pointing out that the world has had to face multiple challenges in the past five years, first due to Covid-19 and then because of various conflicts, the PM said, “When the world faced a shortage of food, fuel and fertilisers, we did not allow our farmers to face problems, and our ties with Russia played a role in it.”

Fish-seller couple Pradeep Nakhwa and Kaveri Nakhwa left early on Sunday to buy fish from Sassoon Dock. Their supplies bought and loaded on a scooter, they started the journey home. It was their last ride together.

The two were on the way to their Koliwada home when a speeding BMW hit their scooter from behind. Pradeep was thrown to the road, and Kaveri was dragged. Pradeep chased the speeding car for half-a-kilometre but could not find his wife. He went to the cops, and they informed him later that Kaveri’s body was found at Bandra-Worli sea-link.

“I ran behind the car for half a kilometre, but could not find the body. I was crying, screaming, but he did not stop. If he had stopped for a second, nothing would have happened,” Mr Nakhwa told NDTV. Next to him sat the couple’s daughter. She held a photograph of her mother.

“My child is crying for mother. Where do I get her?” Pradeep said, fighting back tears.

He accused the administration of shielding the accused Mihir Shah, the 24-year-old son of a Shiv Sena leader. The father Rajesh Shah, deputy leader of the Eknath Shinde-led party in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, had been arrested after the crash, but is now out on bail.

Mihir Shah, who was allegedly behind the wheel at the time of the accident, was arrested today.

Pradeep Nakhwa said the accused is being shielded because he is an “influential man’s son”. “I am a poor man. No one cares about the poor,” he said.

Mr Nakhwa also targeted state Home Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis. “What is the home minister doing? Are you silent because the accused’s father is the Chief Minister’s man?”

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has termed the incident “unfortunate” and assured action. “Law will take its own course, everyone is equal before law,” he has said.

The case against Mihir Shah has been registered under the new criminal code Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and sections relating to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, rash driving and destruction of evidence have been invoked.

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