The Editorial Page: War is waged as spectacle. We have devised new strategies of moral evasion 12 SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2026 JOURNALISM of COURAGE LUCKNOW, LATE CITY, 22 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 Happening today lPRESIDENT DROUPADI Murmu will attend the 9th International Santal Conference in Darjeeling. lUNION HOME MINISTER Amit Shah will address a public gathering in Haridwar. lAfTER BEING BOwLED out for 198 in the first innings, India will look to contain hosts Australia and prevent them from taking a big lead on Day 2 of the women’s Test match. TRACK THESE AND MORE ON WWW.INDIANExPRESS.COM Business as Usual By EP UNNY ‘I don’t think there should be any single superintelligence in the world’ OpenAI CEO SAm ALTmAN PAGES 18, 19 uTTAR PRADESH CHECKINGBJPCADRE DISqUIETTOPSRSS’ mEETAGENDA PAGE 3 AT LEAST 87 wERE KILLED AfTER wARSHIP IRIS DENA wAS TORPEDOED NEAR SRI LANKA Before it was sunk by US, Iranian ship was offered shelter by India Second Iran warship, IRIS Lavan, docked at Kochi on March 4 Panel led by MoEF Secy ‘suppressed’ FSI view on Aravalli, amicus informs SC Amrita Nayak Dutta New Delhi, March 6 BEFORE IRANIAN frigate IRIS DenawassunkbyaUSsubmarinenearSriLanka,Indiahadoffered it shelter at one of its ports, The Indian Express has learnt. The Dena, which left Visakhapatnamafterparticipatingin the International Fleet Review (IFR)andMILAN-2026exercise thatendedonFebruary25,was torpedoed in the early hours of March 4. According to the Indian Navy, the warship was operating 20 nautical miles west of Galle. The safe harbour offer was said to have been made in view of the rising tensions between the US and Iran. Hostilities erupted on February 28 when IsraelandtheUScarriedoutthe first wave of air strikes across Iran. On Friday, government sources said a second Iranian warship, IRIS Lavan, docked at Kochi port on March 4, the day the Dena was torpedoed. Sources said that on February 28, Iran requested India to takeintheLavansincethevessel had developed technical issues. Approval for its docking was granted on March 1 and the LavanarrivedinKochionMarch 4. Its crew of 183 have been accommodated in naval facilities in Kochi, the sources said. On Friday afternoon, The IndianExpressemailedqueries to the Indian Navy regarding the offer of shelter to IRIS Dena and the docking of another warship in Kochi. By evening, government sources confirmed that IRIS »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 On November 20, the Supreme Court kept in abeyance its earlier decision regarding the 100-m definition of the Aravalli hills. FILE ‘Unsigned & undated’ report neither placed before Central Empowered Committee, nor approved by it: Amicus A photo released by Sri Lanka’s President Media Division shows Lankan navy personnel rescuing sailors of Iranian warship Dena. PTI Jay Mazoomdaar ‘Essential partner’: US 9,000 Indians stuck in gives India one-month Iran, Centre works on waiver to buy Russia oil plan to bring them home Sukalp Sharma New Delhi, March 6 WITHANeffectivehaltincargo movementthroughtheStraitof Hormuz hitting crude oil flow to India, the US has issued a temporary 30-day “waiver” to allow Indian refiners to buy Russian crude that is already in the high seas. Indiahad,inrecentmonths, cut down significantly on its oil importsfromRussiaamidtrade negotiations with the US, as Washingtonmadeitapre-requisite for scrapping its 25% additionalpenaltariffonNewDelhi. ButwiththeStraitofHormuz— through which India gets over 40% of its oil imports—effectively closed, refiners had al- readystartedbuyingmoreRussian oil already available in the high seas, as per trade sources and vessel tracking data. Themovewillprovideshortterm relief to India, which imports 88% of its oil needs, said experts. However, this alone may not be able to fully offset the country’s exposure to West Asianoilthatcamethroughthe critical chokepoint of the Strait of Hormuz. Experts also see it as part of US President Donald Trump’s effort to prevent a rise indomesticfuelpricesintheUS given the midterm elections later this year. Around 130 million barrels of crude is estimated to be on ships on water as of early »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Divya A New Delhi, March 6 WITH TEHRAN coming under incessant attacks from the UnitedStatesandIsrael,theIndiangovernmentisworkingon a plan to evacuate its citizens from the warzone in Iran, The Indian Express has learnt. Around 9,000 Indian citizens, mostly students, are stuckinIran.Mostofthemcome from Jammu & Kashmir, while some are from Uttar Pradesh and other states. They are primarily located in two Iranian cities—Tehran,whichhascome under heavy attack over the last few days, and Qom, about 150 kilometres from the capital. Iranianairspaceiscurrently LATEST lNO DEAL WITH IRAN EXCEPT UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER, SAYS TRUMP l SOME COUNTRIES HAVE BEGUN MEDIATION EFFORTS, SAYS PEzESHKIAN l ISRAEL POUNDS IRAN, LEBANON; TEHRAN HITS BACK AT UAE, BAHRAIN, SAUDI MORE REPORTS, P 5, 9, 14, 15 closed following large-scale US and Israeli airstrikes beginning February 28. “Those requiring evacuation can be transported to neighbouring Armenia and tions of the Aravalli panel that any landform at an elevation of 100 metres or more above the THE SUPREME Court’s Ami- local relief would be considered cus Curiae in the Aravalli defi- aspartofAravallihillsalongwith nition case has submitted that its slopes and adjacent land. A series of investigations by the report by the court’s Aravalli committee led by the En- The Indian Express during Novironment secretary “com- vember-December 2025 repletely suppressed” the views portedthattheAravallicommittee ignored the of the Forest SurFSI’s warning that vey of India (FSI) ExPRESS a 100-metre while recomheight definition mending a 100would exclude metre height defi90% of Aravalli nitionforthehills. The Amicus Curiae’s sub- hills,thattheCEC’sobjectionto mission also pointed out that the definition was overlooked, the“unsignedandundated”re- andthattheSCitselfrejectedthe port of the Aravalli panel did 100-metre benchmark in 2010. Following “significant outnot have the approval of the SC’s Central Empowered Com- cry among environmentalists,” mittee(CEC)andits“exclusion- the apex court took suo motu ary” definition did not “suffi- cognisanceofthematteronDeciently include landforms that cember29andkeptinabeyance constitute the Aravalli hills in its November 20 order “to suborder to protect and conserve serve the ends of complete justiceandinthebroaderpublicinthe same.” On November 20, 2025, the terest” until “a fair, impartial, »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 SC accepted the recommendaNew Delhi, March 6 exclusive »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Nepal rejects old guard, Balen Karnataka and Andhra Not going anywhere, will monitor how govt works: Nitish to party Shah, 35, is set to become PM move to ban social E. RSP heads for landslide win in first poll post 2025 Gen Z protests New Delhi keeps close watch Yubaraj Ghimire Kathmandu, March 6 IN THE first election post the September 2025 Gen Z protests that forced out the K P Sharma Oli government, Nepal appeared to have rejected the old guard, voting overwhelmingly for the three-year-old Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and clearing the decks for its leader Balendra ‘Balen’ Shah to become Prime Minister. ExPLAINED RSP’s Balendra Shah is set to defeat former PM KP Sharma Oli in the Nepal elections. FILE As counting of votes progressedin150constituenciesFriday, the RSP won two seats and The coming to power of RSP, founded three years ago, and its leader Balen Shah is being closely tracked in Delhi. For quite some years, India’s ties with Nepal have shown signs of strain, especially over unresolved territorial disputes and Beijing’s growing influence. was ahead in another 106, leavingtheNepaliCongressandthe »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 media use by children Naidu sets 90-day deadline for ban on those below age 13; Siddaramaiah says those below 16 to be banned Atiya firdos & Sreenivas Janyala Bengaluru, Hyderabad, March 6 MOVING TO ban social media usebychildren,ChiefMinisters oftwostatesFridayannounced plans to impose such a restriction. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told the state Assembly, where the Budget was being presented, that children below the age of 16 will be bannedfromusingsocialmedia. And in Andhra Pradesh, ChiefMinisterNChandrababu, speakinginthestateAssembly, said the proposal to ban social media for children below the age of 13 will be implemented within 90 days. The Karnataka proposal, mentioned under the School Education section of the Budget, aims to curb the »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 JD(U) MLA: How do we convince people about his decision? Santosh Singh Patna, March 6 A DAY after he filed his nomination for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls, clearing the decks for a successor, possibly from the BJP, Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar told his party he was “not going anywhere and would continue to guide the partyandtakestockofthestate government’s functioning”. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar with JD(U) leader Sanjay Kumar Jha and Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh in Patna, Friday. PTI JD(U) national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha alsoannouncedthatNitishKumar’s son Nishant would formally join the party very soon and later go on an extensive tourofBihartounderstandand assess the “best practices of governance”. Nishant is also likely to be inducted as a Deputy CM in the new government »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 l SINCE GOVT UNVEILED BED & BREAKFAST POLICY LAST YEAR, IT HAS RECEIVED AROUND 2,000 APPLICATIONS FOR HOMESTAYS FROM TEMPLE TOWNS AND ECO-TOURISM zONES As UP gains tourist footfall, women and elderly turn their homes into homestays Maulshree Seth some extra income,” Colonel Srivastava, who is visiting his daughterintheUK,tellsTheInIT WAS Colonel Sandeep Sri- dian Express. “But once we acvastava’s daughter who sug- tually started it, we realised it gested he start a homestay. She also solved another problem — realised several rooms in their it filled the emptiness we felt Lucknow home were lying va- when the children moved cant — her own room as she is abroad.” In the few months since settledinLondon,herbrother’s Chandrakanta Farm room as he studies Stay opened, it has abroad, and an addiPAGE 1 receivedguestsfrom tional guest room. acrossthecountry— In October last Delhi, Rajasthan, year, the retired Army officer took the plunge Gujarat and even Mysuru. As and opened the homestay in the property lies en route to Kathwara village along the Chandrika Devi temple, many of their visitors combine the Lucknow highway. “At first, I thought it would visit with trips to Ayodhya. “Families come... parents simply be a way to generate Lucknow, March 6 anchor and children... sometimes, the children listen to my travel stories. My wife cooks food for them — it feels almost like a family environment,” he says, adding that the children especially like his stories from his service days. HesaystheychargeRs1,500 for a room. “What began as an idea from my daughter has turned into something that keeps us engaged and connected with people,” he adds. “The house feels alive again.” Srivastava is among a growing number of homeowners who have converted spare rooms into certified homestays under the Uttar Pradesh ‘Bed and Breakfast and Home Stay lHomestaydemand intempletowns... City Certified Applications Varanasi 263 813 Ayodhya 116 144 Prayagraj 72 82 ...andinotherdistricts Anita Pandey outside her homestay in Sapt Sarovar, in Selha village, near Pilibhit Tiger Reserve. EXPRESS Policy, 2025’ — a trend that’s gaining ground, especially in temple towns of the state and eco-tourism sites. Mathura Lucknow Chitrakoot Mahoba Hamirpur Lakhimpur Kheri 59 53 49 30 26 23 After the policy was introducedinanefforttoboosttour- ism, over 750 certified homestays have come up across UP — a sharp rise from around 150 in early January. The number of applications, too, has seen a surge. According to Tourism Department data, around 2,000 applications were received from across the state since September last year, with Varanasi and Ayodhya taking the lead — 813 and 144 applications were received respectively. In its recently announced annual Budget, the government has also set an ambitious target of establishing 50,000 homestays across the state. Further, it isn’t just the elderlywhoaresettinguphome- stays — women are as well. Kilometres away, at Selha village on the edge of the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, 32-year-old Anita Pandey says until a year ago, she worked as a farm labourer, earning irregular daily wages. Tourism was something she had only heard about, not something she imagined would become intertwined with her life. Today, she and three other womenfromaSelf-HelpGroup host visitors in spare rooms of their huts and run a small canteen serving home-cooked mealstotouristsvisitingtheforest. Called Hornbill Homestay, it charges Rs 500 per person. »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Lucknow