Political criticism is fair game. AI-generated degrading imagery of the Prime Minister with an actress is not. Whoever created and circulated it should be identified and dealt with under the law, irrespective of political affiliation. We have already seen Delhi Police act in earlier cases involving objectionable AI-generated images of the PM. @DelhiPolice @MeitY_NICSI — this cannot become the new normal in Indian political discourse. Swift, lawful action is needed. @PMOIndia

The larger issue goes beyond one IIT Bombay case. If India genuinely wants to move beyond caste, then stop making caste the first filter everywhere. One common merit list. No caste column in academic applications. Even surnames need not be disclosed during evaluation. Study. Compete. Qualify on the same benchmark. And in cases like IIT Bombay, investigate allegations, but don’t turn an SC/ST Act complaint into an automatic conviction of a professor. The long-term solution to caste politics cannot be more caste politics. It has to be a system that increasingly sees the individual, not the category. Otherwise, Bhagwan bharose. PS-Flaunting iphone clearly shows his family could afford this. So let's not waste time on reservations and SC/SC Act.

New JNU in Making ??? A student is caught allegedly using ChatGPT in an IIT exam. Hours later, he dies by suicide. Tragic. But how does enforcing an exam rule suddenly put the professor on trial? Prof. Suryanarayana Doolla is a highly accomplished academic: M.Tech from IIT Bombay, PhD from IIT Delhi, years of research, and multiple teaching honours. That does not make him beyond scrutiny, but neither do allegations make him guilty. The family has alleged caste discrimination. Let the investigation establish that. Until then, students and IIT Bombay should also stand for due process and academic discipline. And India must be able to discuss reservation, preparedness and standards in elite institutions without turning every such debate into a caste battle. If professors begin fearing prosecution or public vilification for enforcing exam rules, this case could become a watershed moment for IITs. Evidence first. Due process first. Academic standards must not become negotiable.

Sahil Wakode’s death is already a tragedy. It should not become a playground for outside activists pushing their own politics. Online posts are now identifying German OCI holder Navneet Pal among those around the IIT Bombay agitation. If she played any role in mobilising or directing the protests, that role needs to be examined openly. Who invited her? In what capacity was she involved? And if she is an OCI holder, were her activities fully within the conditions governing her stay in India? Investigate the death. Investigate the harassment allegations. But also investigate those trying to shape the narrative around it.

Pakistan spent decades treating selected non-state actors as strategic assets. The problem with nurturing militancy is that you never fully control where the gun eventually points. Kohat is another brutal lesson in blowback. No “salute” for terrorists who bomb a mosque and kill civilians and policemen. The real salute goes to the consequences of a policy finally coming home to roost. Reports on the final toll still differ: AFP reported 31 killed, while Dawn reported 23; authorities said eight attackers were killed after roughly 21 hours of fighting. No responsibility claim has been independently confirmed, and TTP initially denied involvement.

The Apple craze was never just about features or value for money. For many, it’s about signalling status and looking successful, feeling part of the crowd, and not being “left out.” Much like how a BMW or Mercedes carries a different social image from a Maruti. The irony? A lot of buyers obsess over the logo without even knowing what actually matters in a phone: display, battery, camera hardware, software support, connectivity, repairability and price-to-performance. Buy what works for you. Not what makes strangers think you’re rich.

A Major General can retire drawing less pension than a Brigadier. Now 200+ Major Generals and Lieutenant Generals are reportedly preparing to approach the AFT. Maj Gen Ranjan Chand is among them. This is what years of piecemeal handling of military pay anomalies has produced. MSP was introduced to recognise the peculiarities of military service, but capped at Major General. NFU protected officers of organised Group A services from stagnation, but never became a general entitlement for the Armed Forces. Under the 7th CPC structure, a Brigadier can reach ₹2.33 lakh including MSP, while a Major General’s prescribed maximum is ₹2.18 lakh. The AFT granted relief in 2023, and the MoD eventually stepped up pay/pension for 82 litigants in August 2026. Yet similarly placed officers are now being forced to litigate again. The recurring problem is bigger than MSP or one rank. India still lacks a clean, universal framework linking pay, rank and length of service across comparable Group A structures. Serving officers and veterans should not need another court case every time the system discovers another anomaly.

This is how a narrative is planted without actually making the allegation. Ramaphosa’s office said he is unwell and was advised by doctors to rest. It did not link his illness to India or the BRICS Summit. Reuters likewise reports no cause for the illness. India’s MEA has now flagged posts pushing this connection as misleading. Yet the headline deliberately inserts “after attending BRICS summit in India.” Why are some foreign handles so desperate to manufacture an India angle out of an unrelated medical issue? India’s global weight is growing. Scrutinise it by all means. But use facts, not insinuation.

This is what happens when nano hits Fortuner..... Pakistan again humiliated ..

Pakistan Navy has some explaining to do. According to India, PNS Hunain closed dangerously on an Indian Navy warship despite warnings and its manoeuvre led to a collision in international waters. New Delhi has formally called the conduct “unacceptable and unprofessional.” The Indian ship remained operational. Pakistan has yet to give its version. If India’s account stands, this was not aggressive naval signalling. It was reckless seamanship.

Some not able to digest India's growth story! India hosts BRICS. Some foreign coverage still reaches for the same old frame of bicycles, street workers, roadside poverty, as if a 2026 India story must still look like the India of decades ago. Is it just visual journalism, or an old sense of superiority struggling to process the rise of a former colony? India grew 7.6% in FY26, the fastest among major economies, and this week hosted the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. India has problems and deserves scrutiny. But constantly reducing it to a poverty aesthetic is not scrutiny. It is a stereotype. Whatever one’s politics, India’s growing economic and diplomatic weight is increasingly difficult to ignore.

⚠️ MANIPUR ON ALERT Security inputs suggest the proscribed PLA, along with other insurgent elements, may be planning attacks on security forces in Manipur. Separate claims of NSCN(IM) support are also circulating, though this remains unverified publicly. The threat cannot be brushed aside. On 19 September 2025, two Assam Rifles personnel were killed in the Nambol ambush; police later arrested a PLA cadre identified as a prime accused. Manipur’s security grid needs maximum vigilance. The specific plot, alleged NSCN(IM) role and claims of Chinese sponsorship still require official confirmation.

ONE SNACK BOX. ONE READY-MADE NARRATIVE. A routine moment at BRICS was sped up and packaged as an Indian “embarrassment.” Turkey-based Clash Report amplified it, Pakistani media followed, and suddenly a snack became geopolitical content. That is how narrative warfare works: isolate the clip, remove context, maximise ridicule. The widely circulated version was reportedly accelerated to around 3× speed. But there is a lesson for MEA too. At an event of this scale, every camera is a weapon in someone else’s information space. Senior officials need better camera awareness, table etiquette and protocol discipline. Don’t give hostile or opportunistic ecosystems an easy 15-second clip to weaponise. India’s stature is growing. Our officials must understand that the scrutiny grows with it.

WATCH: Myanmar’s drone war is getting more sophisticated. PDF fighters reportedly used fiber-optic FPV drones, flown by female operators, against Russian-made Yak-130s at Tada-U Air Base near Mandalay. Fiber control helps bypass radio jamming, but footage appears to show protective netting stopping several attack runs. Resistance claims four jets were hit. The junta says all six drones were neutralised with no damage. The spread of fiber-optic FPV technology into Myanmar is worth watching closely. The bigger question is how quickly such capabilities, components and know-how are reaching different sides in an already heavily internationalised conflict.

🚨 Divya Dwivedi - Hindu religion was invented in early 20th Century. You can see where this argument comes from. Divya Dwivedi grew up in a politically connected family with strong Left/Marxist influences, and her own academic work has long centred on caste, deconstruction and critiques of Hindu nationalism. So when she says “Hindu religion was invented in the early 20th century,” it reflects the intellectual tradition she was shaped by far more than some universally accepted historical fact. Her learning, family influences and ideological framework are all visible in the conclusion.