The Editorial Page: As US-China recalibrate ties, India’s strategic space is narrowing 8 SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2026 JOURNALISM of COURAGE KOLKATA, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES ₹6.00 (₹12 in North East states, ₹20 in Andaman) 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 lPRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi will hold a closed-door meeting with BJP leaders in Chennai ahead of the April 9 Assembly elections in the Union Territory of Puducherry. l IN THE IPL season’s first dou- ble-header, a blockbuster in the capital will pit Delhi against Mumbai. Both teams have made a winning start to the season. In the second match, it will be a repeat of the 2022 final as Gujarat take on Rajasthan. lLEADER OF Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will hold public meetings in Alappuzha, Idukki and Ernakulam as part of the Assembly poll campaign in Kerala. TRACK THESE AND MORE ON www.INDIANExPRESS.COM ThE BIg PICTURE SARMA’S SCRIPT The relentless rise of the Assam CM PAGE 12 PROVINCIAL GOVERNOR PROMISES REWARD FOR CAPTURE OR KILLING OF CREW First time, Iran downs US India inducts third n-sub, jet, one of two crew rescued strengthens deterrence India-boundoil tankerwithIran crudechanges course,heads toChinaport F-15E shot down in Iran southwest, US conducting search operations Phil Stewart Washington, April 3 A US fighter jet has been shot down over Iran and searchand-rescue efforts have so far recovered one of two crew members who ejected, a US official told ReutersFriday, in the first known incident of its kind inthenearlyfive-week-oldwar. The Pentagon and US Central Command did not respond to requests for comment. TwoUSofficialssaidtheaircraft was an F-15E fighter jet, which has two seats: one for a pilot and the second for a weapons systems officer. It was unclear which of the two was recovered, and the US official who confirmed the recovery didnotofferanydetailsonhow it took place. The prospect of a US pilot being alive and on the run inside Iran raises the stakes for theUSinaconflictthat,according to opinion polls, has struggled to win popular support among Americans. It also presents a challenge to the US military, which faces the twin goals of trying to save »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Sukalp Sharma New Delhi, April 3 At the Imam Ali Hospital in Iran’s Karaj Friday after the US hit a key bridge. Eight people were killed in the strike, Iran said. REUTERS Iran mission uses donations to buy 40 tonnes of medicine, unable to send them home Divya A New Delhi, April 3 ACONSIGNMENTof40tonnes of medicine bought in India is lying with the Iranian embassy in New Delhi, waiting to be sent to Iran. Ever since a Mahan Air aircraftthatwastocometoIndiato fetchtheconsignmentwasdamaged in an air strike at Mashhad airport last week, the embassy has been trying to find a way to sendthemedicineshome,anof- ficial told TheIndianExpress. “Theplanethatwasattacked by US-Israeli forces was scheduledtolandinNewDelhitocollectthe40-tonnecargoofmedicines that the embassy had bought.Wearenowtryingtofigure out an alternative arrangement which is not easy in these circumstances,”theofficialsaid. “Two smaller batches of medicinesboughtinIndiawere earlier sent to Tehran through the Armenian route. This »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Days before gherao, judicial officers wrote to Malda DM, flagged security concerns Ravik Bhattacharya & Atri Mitra ANOILtankercarryingIranian crude that was on course for India changed its declared destination to a Chinese port after coming quite close to Gujarat, according to ship tracking data Friday. For nearly seven years now, IndiahasnotboughtIranianoil. This was to be the first delivery. Eswatini-flagged tanker Ping Shun, which was approaching the Vadinar port in Gujarat, later signalled Dongying in China’s Shandong province as its destination, according to data from commodity market analytics firm Kpler. Tradesourcessaidpaymentrelated issues could be the reason behind the diversion. The tanker, carrying about 600,000 barrels of Iranian crude, had taken a path that was headed to Vadinar, and as of Thursday afternoon, it was indicatingarrivalattheGujarat port between late Thursday and early Friday. Later, it took a »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Business as Usual By EP UNNY 2026 W E ST B E N GA L »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Other than guarding coastline, ensure l Amoreadvanced nuclearsubmarine security of sea lanes, choke points, l INS ARIDAMAN, a 7,000-tonne vessel, has eight vertical launchdigital infrastructure, says Rajnath Amrita Nayak Dutta New Delhi, April 3 INDIA FRIDAY inducted its third nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), INS Aridaman, significantly strengtheningitssea-basednucleardeterrentcapabilities.The Indian Navy also commissioned the advanced stealth frigate INS Taragiri at a separate ceremony. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presided over the commissioningceremonies.Theinductions signify a major enhancement in India’s naval strength and maritime combat capabilities. There was no official statement on the commissioning of INS Aridaman. Singh, in a oneline cryptic post on X Friday morning, said: “Shabd nahi, shaktihai‘Aridaman’”–“Aridamanisn’tjustaword,itispower.” »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 New Delhi, April 3 SIR adjudication documents being shifted to a hotel in Malda town where judicial officers are now stationed, Friday. PARTHA PAUL NATION PAGE 6 ‘It was planned’: Mamata alleges BJP-AIMIM-Cong plot in Malda incident ALLEGING A BJP-AIMIMCongress nexus in the Malda unrest, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday claimed the violence was a “planned act” aimed at defaming the state and influencing the upcoming Assembly elections. While condemning the attack, Banerjee maintained that externalelementswereresponsible and reiterated her charge SPECIAL COURT DISCHARGES FORMER CM AND AJL IN ED CASE West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Raiganj. »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 l CAN CARRY more K-15 (range 750 km) and K-4 (range 3,500 km) ballistic missiles. E. l POWERED BY advanced reactor which can keep it submerged for longer durations. l A FOURTH submarine of the Arihant- class is currently under construction. ExPLAINED, PAGE 14 THE US on Thursday announceda100percenttariffon import of patented pharmaceuticals and associated ingredients starting July 31 on grounds that Washington is heavily reliant on imports, which threatens to limit access to life-saving medications in the event of “global supply US President Donald Trump chain disruption”. US President Donald Trumpsaidthatnewtariffswill not include generic drugs “at thistime”.Butadecisiononadjustingimportsofgenericpharmaceuticals and their associatedingredientscouldbetaken within one year. India is primarily an exporter of generic pharma products, but has introduced various schemes to boost production of patented drugs too. “I have determined that it is necessary and appropriate to impose a 100 per cent ad valorem dutyrateontheimportof patented pharmaceuticals and associated pharmaceutical ingredients.. The Secretary [of Commerce ] found that the present quantities and circumstances of imports of pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients threaten to impair the national security and »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ‘Why are you afraid to question BJP?’: Gloves off in AAP-Raghav Chadha feud Sweety Kumari Kolkata, April 3 ing system tubes — double the number of its predecessors. US announces 100% tariff on patented pharma; limited impact on India Ravi Dutta Mishra NIA team reaches incident site, begins probe PAGE 3 well as several village roads through the night. On April 2, the Supreme Court slammed the West Bengal administration over the violence and ordered a probe by the CBI or NIA into the incident. The Election Commission(EC)subsequentlyhanded over the probe to the NIA. Following the gherao, sources said, at least three hotels in Malda town have been convertedintooffice-cum-residential facilities for the judicial officers. In their March 23 letter, the officershadalsohighlightedinfrastructural shortcomings at the Kaliachowk-II office, citing inadequate workspace, and “lack of adequate and hygienic washroomfacilities”,especially forthethreewomenamongthe seven officers. Pointing out that five of the officers were residing in Malda town, about 54 km away, they said the daily commute of nearly two hours was exhausting and resulted in a drain on Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presided over the commissioning ceremony of India’s latest stealth frigate, INS Taragiri, in Visakhapatnam, Friday. PTI Generics kept out, but review in 12 months DECISION Malda, April 3 DAYS BEFORE they were gheraoedinsidetheofficeoftheKaliachak-II Block Development Officer (BDO) in Malda, four of the seven judicial officers engaged in adjudicating electoral rolls for the Mothabari constituency ahead of the West Bengal polls had flagged security concerns to the District Magistrate—andsoughtrelocationof their office, The Indian Express has learnt. In a letter dated March 23, addressed to District Magistrate Rajanvir Singh Kapoor and routed through the district judge,theofficerssaidthatwith publication of the supplementaryvoters’ list approaching, theenvironmentattheBDOoffice was becoming “increasingly sensitive”. They expressed fears of a “breach of security” by “disgruntledlocalelements”whose names had been deleted in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). On the night of April 1, hundredsofprotestersblocked both gates of the Kaliachowk-II BDO office, holding judicial officers and staff confined for hoursbeforethey wererescued after midnight. Protesters also blocked NH-12 at Mothabari, Sujapur and Kaliachowk, as INS ARIDAMAN, STEALTH FRIGATE INS TARAGIRI COMMISSIONED J&K ENCOUNTER: L-G ORDERS PROBE, SAyS wILL ENSURE JUSTICE IS SERvED Jatin Anand, Kaunain Sheriff M & Gayathri Mani New Delhi, April 3 A DAY after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) removed Raghav Chadha as its deputy leader in Rajya Sabha, the MP from Punjab warned his party not to take his silence for a defeat — becausehewasthe“riverthatturns into a flood when it is time”. In response, senior AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj AAP removed Raghav Chadha as its deputy leader in RS. PTI mocked Chadha for avoiding taking on the BJP, telling him “jo darr gaya samjho marr gaya” — those who are afraid are as good as dead. AAP leaders spoke of the “logical possibility” of Chadha joining the BJP, and accused the MP of trying to “enhance his profile in Rajya Sabha” at a time when his party faced an existential crisis after the arrest of almost all its top leaders in »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 l FRONT RUNNER IN CONGRESS RACE FOR CM POST, SATHEESAN IS SPEARHEADING THE UDF POLL CAMPAIGN Satheesan throws down the gauntlet to Vijayan, rides on ‘anti-incumbency’ Shaju Philip Kanthapuram. He waves to peoplelineduponeithersideof the highway at Karinkallathani in the Perinthalmanna constituency of the MuslimAFTER WAITING for dominated Malappuhimformorethantwo ram district. hours, a quiet crowd The 61-year-old suddenly seems to Leader of the Opposicome alive as an antion (LoP), Satheesan nouncement is made: hasbeenspearheading “Jananayakan the Congress-led (people’s leader) is DECISION UDF’s campaign for coming.” the April 9 Kerala AsIn an open jeep, sembly elections. The seniorCongressleader IUMLhasbeenamajor V D Satheesan arrives constituentoftheUDF. at the rally, accompaHundreds of IUML workers nied by the IUML’s sitting MLA and current candidate Najeeb join Satheesan's roadshow in Perinthalmanna (Malappuram), April 3 2026 KERALA Satheesan on the campaign trail in his home constituency Paravur. two-wheelers with the party's green flags. As he steps out of the jeep amid loud sloganshoutingbytheUDFworkers,a group of IUML activists lift him over their shoulders and carry him through the large gathering onto the stage. As the district Congress and IUML leaders have already addressed the meeting, Najeeb just says, “We (UDF) are going tocometopowerwith100-plus seats (of the state's 140).’’ The crowd bursts into cheers. The IUML leader then claims, “There is no doubt that Satheesan willbeatthehelm of the new UDF government.” He alsopresentshisconstituency’s demands before Satheesan, underlining that many youths have been forced to migrate from there in search of jobs. It is another matter that even the polls, leave aside their results, have yet to take place. The LoP begins his speech by highlighting the pledges of the UDF manifesto, which he released earlier in the day in KochibeforeheadingtoMalappuram for campaigning. “Our manifesto has been prepared after two years of homework. No other Opposition in the country has taken up such a task so meticulously,” he says, Kolkata adding that “We have the will power to implement its promises”. He then takes a dig at Chief Minister and CPI(M) stalwart Pinarayi Vijayan over his claim that he was ready for a debate with the LoP. When Satheesan acceptedhischallenge,Vijayan said there was no need for a “face to face debate” as it could be done through social media. “Vijayan has disappointed me,” says Satheesan. “He cannot directly take our questions. He can answer only on Facebook. That is what he is doing now.’’With the CPI(M)-led LDF running a social media cam- paign against Satheesan, calling him a leader who speaks “lies”, the latter trains his guns ontheCM,allegingthatVijayan has been “lying” about the number of houses for the poor constructed during the tenure of the previous Congress-led UDF government. “We built 4.43 lakh houses in five years, whereas the LDF government has been able to construct only 5 lakh houses in 10 years,” he says. Rejecting Vijayan's charge that the Congress has joined hands with the Muslim outfit Jamaat-e-Islami for electoral »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2