The Ideas Page: In J&K’s Ranji triumph, an arc from estrangement to ownership 11 THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2026 JournALiSm of CourAgE JAIPUR, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES ₹6.00 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 POSTAL REGN. NO. JAIPUR CITY/001/2024-26 CM ‘SIGNS PAPERS’ FOR RAJYA SABHA FIRST SUCH U.S. SUBMARINE ATTACK ON AN ENEMY SINCE WORLD WAR II US sinks Iran warship, returning from India, near Lanka; 87 killed Santosh Singh & Liz Mathew Patna, New Delhi, March 4 Akash Mandal & George Mathew Arun Janardhanan & Amrita Nayak Dutta Mumbai, March 4 Chennai, New Delhi, March 4 »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Senior JD(U) leaders, party members meet to dissuade him; it’s like Venezuelan leader’s abduction: RJD MP Manoj Jha Marketsroilas conflictspreads: Recrosses92, Sensexsinks below80,000 32 rescued, many unaccounted for from 180 on board, Colombo authorities say AN IRANIAN warship, which was returning from Visakhapatnam following an exercise organised by the Indian Navy last month, was torpedoed by a UnitedStatessubmarineoffthe southern coast of Sri Lanka in the early hours of Wednesday. In a Pentagon briefing, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the strike on the warship was the first such (US) attack on an enemy since World War II. “An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” Hegseth said. “Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death.” HospitalauthoritiesintheSri Lankan port city of Galle said 87 bodies were brought in by military rescuers who responded to an early morning distress call. Another 32 were rescued and were being treated at the hospital, and about 60 people were likely unaccounted for from an estimated 180 people on board, Sri Lankan authorities said. Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath identified the Long night in Patna, decks being cleared for Nitish Kumar’s exit IRIS Dena, a Moudge-class frigate; (right) a screengrab of the explosion after it was hit by a US submarine torpedo. PTI FILE business as Usual By EP UNNY LNG supplies set to be hit, QatarEnergy, Petronet issue force majeure notice Sukalp Sharma LATEST l KHAMENEI’S SON MOJTABA NEXT? U.S. KEEPING TRACK l US SENATE TO VOTE TODAY ON TRUMP’S WAR DECISION l IRAN: TOLL NOW 1,045 New Delhi, March 4 WITHIRANwarningvesselsnot to pass through the critical chokepoint of the Strait of Hormuzandevenhittingafew,LNG imports into India are set to be hit with its largest importer Petronet LNG issuing force majeure notices to its key supplier QatarEnergy and major customers GAIL (India), Indian Oil Corporation, and Bharat Petroleum Corporation. Iran’s actions have almost haltedtrafficthroughthewaterwaythroughwhichalmost20% of the world’s gas shipments pass, and which accounts for about a third of all world oil »CONTINUEDONPAGE2 SURGING CRUDE oil prices and supply disruptions triggered by the conflict in West Asia have hit the financial marketshard,withtherupeesliding 68 paise below the psychologically crucial 92-mark to 92.15 against the US dollar and the BSE’sbenchmarkindexSensex plunging another 1.40 per cent for the third successive session and ending below the 80,000 level in a nervous sell-off. With gas production coming to a halt in Qatar — India majorly depends on it for LNG supplies — and crude oil movement through the crucial »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 l4%DOwNIN FIvEsEssIONs NsENIFTY-50 Feb 25 25,482.50 — Feb 26 25,496.55 +0.05% Feb 27 25,178.65 -1.24% March 2 24,865.70 -1.24% March 4 24,480.50 -1.55% GIVEN Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s failing health, thiswasonthecardsevenwhen he was sworn in as CM last Novemberafteralandslidewinfor the NDA but decks were being cleared for his exit Wednesday. In a sudden turn of events, leadersfromBJPandallyJD(U) said that Nitish is most likely to file his nomination for Rajya Sabha clearing the way for a new CM in the state, either from JD(U) or from BJP. Sources indicated there would be a BJP Chief Minister. As the Rajya Sabha term for outgoing MPs ends in April, Nitish may well take time to resign as CM. But late Wednesday night, senior leaders from the JD(U) andmembersofNitish’sfamily were at the CM’s residence trying to dissuade him from stepping down. JD(U)ministerVijayKumar Choudhary said, “There has been talks about Nitish Kumar going to Rajya Sabha. But the final call has to be taken by him only... Nishant is joining politics soon as per the wish of party rank and file.” Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to visit Patna Thursday to attend the nominationprocessofBJPpresident Nitin Nabin who has been announced as a Rajya Sabha candidate from Bihar. While there is no official confirmation either from BJP Union Home Minister Amit Shah and CM Nitish kumar. FILE l243-mEmbErbIhArAssEmbLY NDA TALLY: 202 OPPOSITION TALLY: 41 BJP 89 JD (U) 85 LJP (RV) RJD Congress 19 RLM CoNG RALLIES bEHIND PAwAR foR RS PoLLS 1 AIMIM BSP PAGE 3 1 IIP 5 POLITIcs 2 CPI 4 HAM (S) CPI (ML-Liberation) 25 6 5 1 E. ExPLAINED watershed in bihar orfromJD(U),sourcessaidNitish had “signed the papers” for his Rajya Sabha nomination. InlastNovember’sAssembly election,theNDAwon202ofthe 243 seats — the BJP was the largestpartywith89seatswhilethe JD(U) got 85, a jump of 42 seats from the previous election. Nitishwascreditedwiththissurge. »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 If Nitish exits, it will mark the end of JP-era stalwarts in Bihar, Lalu already eclipsed. As the longest-serving CM, he became synonymous with change and progress. He was once also the Opposition’s face even as he switched twice to join hands with BJP. His politics blends the governance of Srikrishna Singh and the deft social engineering of Karpoori Thakur. READY TO ‘DETAIN’, BUT NO ONE TO RUN IT Why nobody wants keys to Mumbai’s detention centre for illegal immigrants Mohamed Thaver Mumbai, March 4 AS THE ruling Mahayuti government ramps up rhetoric on cracking down on illegal Bangladeshi nationals, a detention centre built exclusively to hold such migrants before deportation has remained unused for months—acasualtyofbureaucratic deadlock over who happening today lNEPAL WILL VOTE Thursday for the general elections, the first one to be held after a Gen Z youth led protest toppled the K P Sharma Oli-led government last year. RSP has projected Kathmandu ex-mayor Balen, 35, as its PM candidate. lFINNISH PRESIDENT ALEXANDER Stubb, who began his visit to India on Wednesday, will hold talks with PM Narendra Modi Thursday. Both sides are expected to firm up MoUs. TRACk THESE AND MORE ON www.INDIANExPrEss.cOm should run it. The two-storey facility at Bhoiwada in central Mumbai has been “almost ready” for several months. It has 20 rooms, each with two bunk beds on either side, and can hold up to 80 persons. According to sources, the Social Justice and Special Assistance department thinks their staff are not equipped to lYEAr-wIsE DEPOrTATIONs YEAR DEPORTED 2025 1,058 2024 156 2023 65 2022 21 handle foreign nationals pickedupbythecops.Policeofficials,inturn,saythemigrants are neither accused in a criminal case nor in judicial custody, andthereforenottheirstokeep. Nobody wants the keys. In the meantime, Bangladeshi nationals detained for staying illegally are being kept inextraroomsinpolicestations »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 2 Jodhpur sisters found dead before marriage, grooms wed 2 others in hrs Parul Kulshrestha Manai (Jodhpur), March 4 INTHEearlyhoursofFebruary 21, wedding celebrations were in full swing at the Kanwar house, Manai village, near Jodhpur city. Sisters Shobha Kanwar,25,andVimlaKanwar, 23, were to be married to two cousin brothers. Shockingly, a little while after the two went to their rooms to take a breather before the wedding rituals, they were found dead. »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Pre & Foundation Batch lsfeukj IAS/ RAS esa p;fur vf/kdkfj;ksa }kjk ekxZn’kZu 8 ekpZ 2026] jfookj Men mourn at a tent meant for the wedding at Manai village near Jodhpur city. PARUL KULSHRESTHA @ 10:15 AM 10 ekpZ ls u;k cSp izkjEHk {H K DuA • 1938-2026 } Genial newsman who rose to the top due to his empathy, and because he won respect Coomi Kapoor UNLIKE MOST of his contemporaries, as editor of mainline major English newspapers, Hari Krishan Dua worked his way up the newspaper hierarchy in a slow and steady fashion. But his conscientious, diligent approach, integrity and sharp political insight, were eventually rewarded. He earned for himself a unique RAS place in Indian journalism. Dua had the distinction of holding more top-level editorial posts in Indian journalism than any other scribe. He was editorial head of The Indian Express (1994-1996), the Hindustan Times (1987-1994), The Tribune (2003-2009) and The Times of India (1997-98). Becauseoftherespectandtrust in which he was held, he was appointedmediaadvisertotwo prime ministers, Atal Bihari VajpayeeandHDDeveGowda. His illustrious career included a nomination to Rajya Sabha in the distinguished persons category between 2009 and 2015. HewasappointedAmbassador to Denmark and awarded the Padma Bhushan, among numerous other laurels. Unlike many ivory tower editorsofhisday,Duastoodout for being mild-mannered and accessible, a hands-on veteran »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 (Online & Offline) Exclusive Live Batch from Classroom Springboard ds lHkh Students ds fy, SI ijh{kk gsrq fo'ks"k Revision/ Marathon Dyklst çkjEHk dh tk jgh gSa 6 ekpZ 2026] ‘kqdz okj& lqcg 7%00 cts ls Riddhi - Siddhi, Gopalpura Bypass, Jaipur 9636977490, 0141-3555948 Contact usSpringboard Academy Online Springboard Academy Jaipur ,si MkmuyksM djus ds fy, QR Code LdSu djsa fLizaxcksMZ ,dMeh ds IAS, RAS grq izekf.kr Dykl uksV~l miyC/k The Notes Hub 7610010054, 7300134518 s s Jaipur