The Editorial Page: Peace eludes West Asia. To plan ahead, India’s political class must come together 8 SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2026 JOURNALISM of COURAGE MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES ₹5.00 l www.indianexpress.com DA I LY F R O M : A H M E DA B A D , C H A N D I GA R H , D E L H I , j A I P U R , KO L K ATA , L U C K N O W , M U M B A I , N AG P U R , PAT N A , P U N E , VA D O DA R A REG.NO. MCS/067/2018 - 20 RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57 KUWAIT REfINERY HIT BY DRONES, ISRAEL KILLS IRGC OffICER; MOJTABA HAILS IRAN ‘RESISTANCE’ Iran now unable to enrich uranium, says Netanyahu; US looks at control of Kharg Govt asks WhatsApp to block device IDs used in digital The War arrest scams DAY 21 More Marines, assault ship being deployed, Trump calls his NATO allies ‘cowards’ lAs energy crisis deepened, Kuwait’s Mina Al-Ahmadi, which can process 730,000 barrels of oil per day, came under Iranian drone attacks. Alexander Cornwell, Jana Choukeir & Trevor Hunnicutt lA spokesperson for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Ali Mohammad Naini, was killed in US-Israel strikes Tel Aviv, Dubai, Washington, March 20 THE US military is deploying a large amphibious assault ship with thousands of additional Marines and sailors to the Middle East, three US officials told Reuters Friday, as Iran’s new supreme leader hailed Iran’s “unity” and “resistance”. Reuters had reported that Washington, desperate to reopen the Gulf oil bottleneck of the Strait of Hormuz, shut by Iran since the US and Israel attacked almost three weeks ago, was considering deploying thousandsofmoretroopstothe Middle East, potentially even landing on Iran’s shore or its Kharg Island oil export hub. Oil prices have risen around 50% since the start of the war. IsraeliPrimeMinisterBenjamin Netanyahu promised to heed US President Donald Trump’s instruction not to repeat the attack on Iran’s gas field,butalsosaidIranwasnow unable to enrich uranium, which can be used in nuclear warheads,ormakeballisticmissiles. Netanyahu said Israel had acted alone in bombing Iran’s South Pars gas field. Iran was being “decimated” and “does »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 lFrench Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who met Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar in Tel Aviv, said Friday 180 226 63 PAGE 10 RS 500 HIKE IN WOMEN SCHEME: TMC MANIFESTO Business as Usual By EP UNNY lUkraine has deployed military units to UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan to help protect critical and civilian infra. New Delhi, March 20 Says also declined Iranian request for visit by 3 ships returning from India Uditha Jayasinghe Colombo, March 20 SRI LANKA declined permission for two US combat aircraft to land at a civilian airport earlier this month, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told parliament Friday. The US had requested permission for the two aircraft to land at the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport in the southern part of the country from March 4-8, Dissanayake told lawmakers. “They wanted to bring two warplanes armed with eight anti-ship missiles from a base in Djibouti,” he said during a statement. “We turned down the request to maintain Sri Lanka’s neutrality,” he added to applause from parliamentarians. The US had made the request on February 26. »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ANOTHER INDIAN national waskilledinanIranianattackon Riyadh Wednesday — the sixth Indiantobekilledintheongoing conflict in West Asia so far. The Indian Embassy in Riyadh Friday confirmed the death,butdidn’tshareotherdetails. “The Embassy of India expresses its deepest condolences onthetragicdemiseofanIndian nationalinRiyadhduetorecent events on March 18th. The Embassyisintouchwiththefamily andlocalauthorities.Weremain committedtoextendingallpossible assistance in this matter,” it said in a post on X. PAGE 11 AS U.S. WEIGHS IRAN OIL RELIEF, THE POSSIBILITY FOR INDIA Sourcessaidthatasperavailableinformation,theIndiannationaldiedfollowingamissileattack on Riyadh on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain Friday. “Had a fruitful discussion with the King of Bahrain... Conveyed warm greetingsontheoccasionofEid Platform to implement suggestions, some already being put in place ExPRESS exclusive lFrench Navy, in an opera- tion carried out with the British, Friday seized the Deyna vessel, a member of the Russian shadow fleet, Emmanuel Macron said in a post on X. We turned down US Another Indian killed in missile request to let jets land attack on Riyadh, toll up to six in Sri Lanka: President Shubhajit Roy ExPLAINED al-Fitr to him and the people of Bahrain. We discussed the current situation in the West Asian region. Condemned attacks on the energy and civilian infrastructure in the region, underscoringtheiradverseimpacton globalfood,fuelandfertilisersecurity,”ModisaidinapostonX. “Reiterated the importance of ensuring freedom of navigationandkeepingshippinglines open and secure. Thanked His Majesty for his continued supportforthewell-beingoftheIndian community in Bahrain,” he said. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also spoke to Australian Foreign Minister Penny Mahender Singh Manral New Delhi, March 20 BLOCKING DEVICE IDs involved in cases of digital arrest, introducing safety features similar to those on Skype, and strengthening technology to detectandblockharmfulAPKs, thefileformatsusedinAndroid systems. These are some of the key measures WhatsApp has been asked to implement by a highlevelInter-DepartmentalCommittee (IDC) constituted by the Union Home Ministry to tackle the threat of digital arrest, including the impersonation of lawenforcementofficerstoperpetrate the scam, The Indian Express has learnt. Sources said that the Metaowned messaging service has agreed to implement these measures and is already in the »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Alok Deshpande No change in regular petrol, diesel rates New Delhi, March 20 WITH THE West Asia war leading to a surge in international crude oil and fuel prices and burdening India’s public sector refinersandfuelretailers,prices ofpremiumpetrolandbulkdiesel consumed by industrial users were hiked Friday. The priceofregularpetrolanddiesel remained unchanged. The price of premium 95octane petrol was hiked by Rs 2 perlitreinDelhitoRs101.89per litre, with corresponding changes in other parts of the country. The price of industrial diesel went up by around Rs 22 per litre to Rs 109.59 in Delhi, from Rs 87.67 per litre. According to a senior government official, the premium petrol caters to a miniscule »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 People wait with empty LPG cylinders in Prayagraj, Friday. PTI l TwoIndianLPG carriersreadytosail Two Indian-flagged LPG tankers are preparing to transit the Strait of Hormuz in coming days after a pause in voyages with no crude oil tankers leaving the waterway in the past 24 hours, according to shipping data and sources. The tankers were currently anchored in Gulf waters, as per data from Kpler and shipping sources. REUTERS MAHARASHTRA STATE Women’s Commission Chairperson Rupali Chakankar submitted her resignation on Friday after being instructed to do so by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, sources in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said. The development came in the wake of the arrest of self-styled godman Ashok Kharat in Nashikonchargesofsexualassault and rape, and the surfacing of photos showing Chakankar’s close association with him. Chakankar had earlier met DirectorGeneralofPoliceSadanand Date, after which she shared a letter asking for strict actionintheKharatcase.Inthe letter,theCommissiondirected the police to conduct a “thorough, time-bound and impartialinvestigation”intothecase. She also said the Commission would closely monitor the probe and asked that the Nashik Police Commissioner keep the panel informed about the progress of the investigation. over 100 videos, cash, pistol Vallabh Ozarkar Mumbai, March 20 Rupali Chakankar with Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar at the latter’s residence. EXPRESS Following the meeting with the DGP, she visited Fadnavis seeking a fair probe, where she was instructed by the CM to resign. Chakankar submitted her resignationtoFadnavisandlater held a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister and NCP presidentSunetraPawaratthelatter’s official residence Devgiri. Chakankar, after meeting Sunetra Pawar on Friday night »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE SPECIAL Investigation Team (SIT) probing allegations against self-styled godman Ashok Kharat recovered over 100 videos, Rs 8 lakh in cash, a pistol and three live cartridges, and around 50 property documents during searches on Friday, officials said. The video count is significantly higher than the 58 initially suspected, and the SIT is examining them to establish whether they were used for coercion or blackmail and whether more victims are involved. The SIT also detained Neeraj Jadhav, Kharat’s former office assistant, for questioning. Police suspect Jadhav accessedCCTVfootagefromKharat’s laptop, created video clips and used them to threaten at leastonewoman.Jadhavisalso named in a case registered at l Explore Skype-like protective features. l Retain deleted user data for 180 days for investigations. l Improve detection and blocking of harmful APKs. lEnhance AI/ML to detect impersonation and fake content. processofputtinginplacesome of them. It is learnt that the interactionwithrepresentativesof WhatsApptookplaceearlierthis monthduringthethirdmeeting of the IDC, which was constituted in December 2025. According to officials, the representatives made extensive submissions regarding the platform’s detection mechanisms, enforcement actions and platformsafeguardsduringthe meeting. “Based on the »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 WRIT PETITION NO. 13029 — A CASE SHUTS PAGE 13 SELf-STYLED GODMAN ASHOK KHARAT ARRESTED Mumbai, March 20 l ONThETAbLE l Evaluate blocking device IDs to stop repeat scam accounts. THE BIG PICTURE Premium petrol price Maharashtra women’s commission chief submits hiked by Rs 2 a litre, resignation after Fadnavis asks her to step down Case widens: SIT recovers bulk diesel up Rs 22 Sukalp Sharma NATION he did not see an obvious end to conflict in the short-term. MORE REPORTS, PAGE 14 During the funeral procession of Iran’s intelligence minister Esmail Khatib in Tehran, Friday. AP WEST ASIA WAR fALLOUT 152 HIGH-LEVEL COMMITTEE MEETING Self-styled godman Ashok Kharat. YATISH BHANU Shirdi police station in February 2026 in connection with a morphedobscenevideoofa24year-old woman. That case has now been brought under the SIT probe. Thepropertydocumentsrecovered include papers linked to Kharat and his family members, covering plots, »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 MUMBAI ROAD SC refuses to interfere with HC order on removal of mangroves Ananthakrishnan G. New Delhi, March 20 THE SUPREME Court on Friday refused to interfere with the Bombay High Court order allowing the removal of 45,675 mangrove trees for the proposed Versova-Bhayandar coastal road. A three-judge bench presided by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said the HC had examined the Environmental clearance for stage 1 of the project and only then granted clearance to stage 2. It also took note of the assurance given by the concerned authorities about reforestation. The bench, also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, said the project will have “significant and beneficial impact on the general public as it will decongest the western highway”. It said “there will be other significant advantages for the residents of »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 l POLICE INvESTIGATING CAUSE OF 15-YEAR-OLD’S DEATH; 18-YEAR-OLD DALIT AND FOUR OTHERS BOOKED UNDER POCSO ACT Instagram friendship, instant death, and lingering questions in a Bihar village Himanshu Harsh “She was very skilled, good at studies. She could even ride motorcycles.Shewantedtojoin HE SITS on a plastic chair out- the police,” he says, referring to side his modest, unplastered his15-year-olddaughter,found single-storey house in a village dead in a well next to an abanin Bihar’s Saran district, sur- doned house on March 11. rounded by relatives who have An 18-year-old Dalit from come to offer conthe village and four PAGE 1 dolencesand,forthe others have been past few days, politibooked under the cians across party POCSO Act and lines. Inside the two-room charged with culpable homihouse, with no toilet and only a cide, murder, abetment of suihand pump just outside for cide, assault, criminal conspiwater, there is palpable tension racy and destruction of — and a wariness of strangers. evidence. The 15-year-old Patna, March 20 anchor Rajputgirlwasallegedlyinarelationship with the Dalit boy — their friendship, forbidden by caste lines, developed largely on social media. While police are investigating whether the boy killed the girl, they deny sexual assault. “The post-mortem shows deathfromdrowning.Noexternal injuries were observed, and there is no indication of sexual assault,” DGP Vinay Kumar said in a statement on March 18. He added that the roles of four others and their links to the prime accused are being in- HIMANSHU HARSH The well where the girl’s body was found in Bihar’s Saran vestigated, though there is no corroboration yet of their presence at the scene. The coming local polls have made caste a flashpoint in the case,andamongthosewhohave visitedthegirl’sfamilyareBJP’s Saran MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy, RJD’s Parsa MLA Karishma Rai and Purnea MP Pappu Yadav. Saran is Rudy’s home turf. As the spotlight lingers, the girl’s family say they are exhausted. “For almost a week, leaders, ministers, media, everyone keeps coming and askingthesamethings.Willmy daughter come back? I don’t want to speak to anyone anymore,” the mother says. Her husband asks her to quieten down, but one of the daughtersinterjects:“Mummy’s right.She’sgone,sowhatwillall this crowding do? All they give are assurances.” The village is predominantly Rajput, with only a few Dalit families. The girl and the suspect lived near each other but with the worlds of the two castes entirely separate, it was Instagram that brought them together, say sources. The well where the girl was foundhasnoparapetaroundit. Her father who works outside Bihar rushed home on March13afterhearingabouther death. The family lives on his monthlyearningsofRs18,000– Rs20,000.Asspeculationgrows about how the girl and the boy kept in touch, the father says there is a single phone at home, kept by his wife. “I called every two-three days.” He says he last came home a year ago, and his last conversation with his daughter was in »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2