Rush Hour: Centre allegedly bars Congress summit speakers, Rahul Gandhi challenges PM again and more

Could your home be at risk from rising seas? Scroll is investigating coastal flooding in Mumbai and Kolkata, mapping vulnerable areas and examining whether developers and the authorities are accounting for the risks. Support this investigation and help us make this reporting possible. Fund the project here.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor claimed that 115 of 315 speakers scheduled to attend the Bharat Summit in Hyderabad were refused entry into India or had their visas cancelled. He alleged that this was done “apparently on the instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs”.

Tharoor said that the speakers had received clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs to attend the two-day summit, which is organised by the Congress-led Telangana government.

The remark came two days after Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng Svendsen alleged that the Indian embassy in Oslo stopped her from travelling to India for the conference and cancelled her visa. Read on.

Helle Lyng on visa revocation: ‘I was told it is on orders from above’

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “political career will be over” after a debate with him. In a social media post, Gandhi challenged Modi to bring a teleprompter and a judge of his choice to the debate.

Gandhi has repeatedly challenged Modi to an open debate and previously claimed that he could establish in just five minutes that the prime minister was a “traitor”.

He also alleged that Modi was tapping his phone. The Congress leader claimed that the device contained evidence to support his allegations against the government. Read on.

The Union government extended the ban imposed on Islamic preacher Zakir Naik’s non-governmental organisation, Islamic Research Foundation, for five years. In November 2016, the Islamic Research Foundation had been declared an “unlawful association” under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act for five years.

The ban was extended in 2021 and was scheduled to expire on Saturday.

The government said that the Islamic Research Foundation had been engaging in activities “prejudicial to the security of the country” and had the potential to disturb peace and communal harmony and “disrupt the secular fabric of the country”. Read on.

Four Tangkhul Nagas were killed in a suspected ambush by unidentified militants near New Haven village in Manipur’s Ukhrul district. The village is located along the Imphal-Ukhrul highway and falls under the jurisdiction of Litan police station.

This came a day after a Kuki woman was killed in a firing incident at Taphou Kuki village in Senapati district. It is close to Kangpopki district.

The deaths take the toll in clashes between Naga and Kuki groups in Manipur since February to 72. Read on.

Why newfound warmth between Meiteis and Nagas may not advance cause of Manipur peace, explains Rokibuz Zaman

If you haven’t already, sign up for our Daily Brief newsletter.