Two shooters involved in the sensational murder of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) chief Nafe Singh Rathi last month were arrested today. The arrested individuals, identified as Saurabh and Ashish, were captured in a joint operation between Haryana Police and the Special Cell of Delhi Police carried out in Goa. Both shooters are reportedly associated with the notorious Kapil Sangwan gang.

On February 25, at a railway crossing in Haryana’s Jhajjar district, a Toyota Fortuner carrying Mr Rathi came to an unexpected halt, only to be ambushed by a mysterious i20 car. A cinematic scene ensued as five men emerged, unleashing a hail of bullets upon the SUV. The 66-year-old Mr Rathi and a loyal aide were killed, while two others fought for survival in critical condition. The assailants spared the life of Mr Rathi’s nephew, who was driving the vehicle, instructing him to inform the family about the incident.

Jhajjar Superintendent of Police, Arpit Jain, said that efforts are underway to identify and arrest the other shooters. The car used by the attackers has already been recovered. 

The four main suspects in the murder have been identified, and police teams are conducting raids across different states to apprehend them, Mr Jain said. The investigation has also extended to questioning individuals named in the FIR, including former BJP MLA Naresh Kaushik and others like Vijender Rathee, Sandeep Rathee, and Rajpal alias Pale Ram.

One individual, Dilip Singh, a resident of Rajasthan’s Balotra, has been arrested in connection with threat calls made to the two sons of the late INLD leader. However, during questioning, he was not found to have any direct ties to known gangsters or criminal networks. Singh, who was following some gangsters on social media, remains under interrogation, police said.

Nafe Singh Rathi’s family had reported receiving 18 threat calls from an unknown number. Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij announced earlier this week that the investigation into Mr Rathi’s killing would be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Senior INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala has accused the BJP-JJP government in Haryana of failing to provide adequate security to Rathi despite threats to his life.

It has been eight days since Navyman Sahil Verma mysteriously disappeared from a ship. A massive Navy dragnet, involving several ships and aircraft, as of now, has yielded no trace of the seaman. Desperate for answers and seeking an intervention from the Centre, Mr Verma’s father gave out an anguished cry, “Where is my son?” 

Mr Verma’s parents, Subash Chander and Rama Kumari, reside in the Ghou Manhasan area of Jammu. The mysterious disappearance of their son has compelled the family to seek a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the case. The family has also sought urgent mediation from the highest echelons of the Indian government, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, to ensure the safe return of their missing son.

Mr Chander expressed astonishment that a soldier could vanish from a naval ship without a trace. “It is astonishing that a soldier went missing from his naval ship and is not traceable. I have been told that the CCTV cameras installed on the ship did not find anyone falling into the sea. Then where is my son?” Mr Chander was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

The family, left in the dark about the incident until two days after their son’s disappearance, is demanding justice. 

“We got a call on February 29 informing that our son went missing on board the ship two days before that … we last talked to him on Sunday (February 25) and nothing is known (about) what happened to him,” Mr Chander added. 

The Mumbai-headquartered Western Naval Command stated that a high-level board of inquiry has been initiated to find Mr Verma. 

“In an unfortunate incident, Sahil Verma, Seaman II, has been reported missing at sea from (an) Indian Naval Ship whilst on deployment since February 27, 2024. The Navy immediately launched a massive search operation with ships and aircraft, which is still continuing,” it said in a post on X on Saturday.

In an unfortunate incident, Sahil Verma, Seaman II, has been reported missing at sea from Indian Naval Ship whilst on deployment since 27 Feb 24. The Navy immediately launched a massive search operation with ships and aircraft, which is still continuing. pic.twitter.com/bEHLkhye5o

— Western Naval Command (@IN_WNC) March 2, 2024

Mr Verma’s mother, Rama Kumari, suspects a cover-up, alleging that information is being concealed. 

“There were 400 people on board the ship and only my son went missing. My prayers and demands are only that my son returns safe and sound,” she said.

Gautam, a maternal uncle of the missing seaman, claimed that the ship returned to base for a day before setting sail again. 

“We have heard that the ship returned to base for a day before leaving again. How is it possible that he went missing from the ship?” he asked. The family should have been informed and a board of inquiry ordered within 24 hours of the incident. But both of these things happened after two days,” he said. 

Lawmakers in parliament and state legislatures are not immune from prosecution in bribery cases, the Supreme Court said today in a landmark verdict by a seven-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud.

The verdict set aside a 1998 judgment in which a five-member Constitution bench had upheld the immunity for lawmakers in cases where MPs or MLAs take bribes for a speech or a vote in the House.

Bribery, the court said, is not protected by parliamentary privileges and the interpretation of the 1998 verdict is contrary to Articles 105 and 194 of the Constitution.