Manipur violence to Balasore tragedy- Biggest news developments this year

Manipur violence to Balasore tragedy: Biggest news developments this year

The year 2023 witnessed several key events. From the wrestlers’ protest in January to the Parliament security breach in December, here are the biggest news of the year that made headlines. Take a look.January: Kanjhawala hit-and-run murder case

The New Year began with a gruesome crime from the national capital that rocked the nation. A 20-year-old woman was dragged to death while she was trapped under a car in the Kanjhawala area in Delhi on January 1. The woman, Anjali Singh, had died after her scooter was hit by a car when she was returning home at 2 AM. Her body was then dragged along by the car for nearly 12 kms from Sultanpuri to Kanjhawala as it got entangled in its wheels. Her naked body was later found in Kanjhawala’s Jonti village. In connection with the case, seven accused were held. Four among them, who were inside the car at the time of the incident were booked under murder charges.

However, India’s top wrestlers were back in Jantar Mantar in April. On April 23, wrestlers claimed that seven women wrestlers, including a minor, filed sexual harassment complaint against WFI chief. On April 28, Delhi Police filed two FIRs against Brij Bhushan – one under POCSO Act and another that includes WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar. Later, in May, the nation witnessed ugly scenes after Delhi Police detained the wrestlers while they attempted to march towards the new Parliament, which was being inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In June, the wrestlers called off the protest following meetings. Owing to the protests and the controversy, the Asian Wrestling Championships, which was to be held in India, was moved to Kazakhstan.

February: Manish Sisodia arrest

On February 26, former Delhi deputy chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia was arrested in connection with the alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The senior politician held the post of deputy CM, besides holding various portfolios, including the Excise Department, in the Arvind Kejriwal-led government before his arrest. He later resigned as deputy CM and minister of different departments. He became the second senior AAP leader who was arrested. Earlier, Satyendar Jain, who held the portfolio of health, was arrested in an alleged corruption case. Sisodia has been approaching the courts for bail, however, has got no relief yet.

Amritpal Singh arrested

Radical preacher Amritpal Singh, who styled himself like Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, and his supporters, some of them brandishing swords and guns, barged into the Ajnala police station on the outskirts of Amritsar city and clashed with policemen, demanding the release of his aide Lovepreet Singh on February 23. A day later, Lovepreet was released from judicial custody. On March 18, Punjab police launched a massive crackdown against Amritpal and his aides. He managed to remain in hiding for over a month, and finally, on April 23, he was arrested from Rode village in Moga district. Amritpal has been booked under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) as well as charges of attempt to murder, abduction and extortion.

March: Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as MP

A day after being convicted in a defamation case by a Surat court, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as an MP. He represented the Wayanad constituency in Kerala. On March 23, Gandhi was held guilty and sentenced to two years in jail by a Surat court in a 2019 defamation case, over his remarks about the “Modi” surname. He was convicted for saying “Why do all thieves, be it Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi or Narendra Modi, have Modi in their names,” remarks (in Hindi) during a rally in Kolar, Karnataka in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

In August, Gandhi was reinstated as an MP by the Lok Sabha secretariat after the Supreme Court’s relief in the defamation case on August 4.

May: Manipur Violence

Ethnic violence rocked Manipur during a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ called on Wednesday (May 3) by the All Tribal Students’ Union of Manipur (ATSUM). The march was called to oppose the longstanding demand that the Valley-dwelling Meitei community be included in the list of the state’s Scheduled Tribes (ST), which received a boost from an order of the Manipur High Court a month earlier. Over 200 people have been killed so far and more than 60,000 others have been displaced in the violence that is still ongoing. The issue was also highlighted by Opposition leaders in the Parliament, who have taken a dig at the Prime Minister for not visiting the ethnic strife-hit state.

The matter got worse after a distressing video of two Manipur women being paraded naked went viral, drawing condemnation from the nation as well as globally. The incident took place in the Kangpokpi district of the state. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke over the gory incident expressing “anger and anguish”.

Congress sweeps Karnataka

The Congress won a historic win in Karnataka in terms of both seats and vote share in over 30 years. The party has won 135 seats — 55 more than in 2018 — with a vote share of 42.88 per cent. The closest the Congress came to this score was in 1999 when it won 132 seats and had a vote share of 40.84 per cent. The BJP won 66 seats with a 36 per cent vote share, and HD Kumaraswamy’s Janata Dal-Secular won 19 seats with a vote share of 13.29 per cent. Siddaramaiah was elected as the Chief Minister and DK Shivakumar was chosen as his deputy.

New Parliament Building inauguration

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Parliament building on May 28. He also installed the historic sceptre Sengol in the Lok Sabha chamber. The inauguration of the new building had coincided with the birth anniversary of Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar. As many as 20 Opposition parties had boycotted the event as they insisted that President Droupadi Murmu should be the one doing the honours. In a joint statement, Opposition parties called the inauguration by PM Modi “not only a grave insult but a direct assault on our democracy”.

The new Parliament building has a seating capacity of 888 members in the Lok Sabha chamber and 300 in the Rajya Sabha chamber.

June: Odisha train accident kills nearly 300

In one of the most deadly train accidents in recent times, the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and a stationary goods train were involved in the accident near Bahanaga Bazar railway station on June 2 in Odisha’s Balasore district. A total of 293 people had lost their lives in the accident.

July: Opposition parties form INDIA bloc

A total of 26 Opposition parties came together to take on the BJP-led NDA ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and named the alliance as Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). The members of INDIA are: Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), National Congress Party (NCP-Sharad Pawar), the Shiv Sena (UBT), the Samajwadi Party (SP), the National Conference (NC), the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM), the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), the Kongunadu Makkal Desia Katchi (KMDK), the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), the Communist Party of India- Marxist-Leninist (CPI-ML Liberation), the Forward Bloc, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), the Kerala Congress (Joseph), the Kerala Congress (Mani), the Apna Dal (Kamerawadi), and the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK).

Later two more regional parties – the Peasants and Workers Party of India (PWP) – joined the INDIA bloc. The alliance of 28 parties recently had their fourth conclave in Delhi on December 19.

August: Chandrayaan 3

On August 23, in a giant leap for its space programme, India’s Moon mission Chandrayaan-3 Lander Module (LM) touched down on the lunar south pole. With this, India became the first country in the world to land a spacecraft near the south pole of the moon and the fourth country to reach the moon. The success of the mission was celebrated across the nation, with PM Modi describing the mission as a “symbol and the spirit of a new India”.

September: India hosts G20 Summit

The G20 Leaders’ Summit 2023 was held on September 9-10. Among the key outcomes of the Summit was the inclusion of African Union as a permanent member of the grouping. The Delhi Declaration, which was adopted with China and Russia, called on nations to uphold international law, including territorial integrity and sovereignty, international humanitarian law and the multilateral system that safeguards peace and stability. PM Modi also announced the launch of the global biofuel Alliance.

Meanwhile, a massive row erupted in political circles after invitations were sent to heads of state for a dinner on September 9 in Delhi by President Droupadi Murmu referring to her as ‘President of Bharat’ instead of the traditional ‘President of India’.

October: SC verdict on same-sex marriage

A five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court on October 17, in a unanimous verdict, rejected petitions seeking same-sex marriage in India, and refused to tweak provisions of the Special Marriage Act. The Bench, headed by CJI D Y Chandrachud, also comprising Justice Sanjay Krishan Kaul, Justices S Ravindra Bhat, Hima Kohli and P S Narasimha, ruled that it is within Parliament’s ambit to change the law for validating such union.

All five judges agreed that there was no fundamental right for non-heterosexual couples to marry, with the majority view being that the legislature must decide on the issue of same-sex marriage. The top court, however, recognised equal rights for queer people and their protection, while calling for sensitisation of the general public so they don’t face discrimination.

November: Uttarakhand tunnel collapse

On November 12, a total of 41 workers got trapped as the Silkyara-Dandalgaon under-construction tunnel on the Brahmkhal-Yamunotri highway in Uttarakhand partially collapsed due to a landslide. After a 17-day rescue operation which involved multiple agencies, the 41 workers were evacuated safely on November 28. President Droupadi Murmu and PM Modi hailed the successful rescue operation.

December 3: Election Results of five states

In a massive boost for the BJP in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the saffron party won in the three Hindi belt states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, while the Congress won in Telangana. In Mizoram, result for which was declared on December 4, the Zoram People’s Movement, emerged victorious. As soon as the results were announced, the Congress was quick to announce the name of the CM in the southern state and chose TPCC president A Revanth Reddy. In Mizoram, ZPM leader Lalduhoma was sworn in as the CM. The BJP, after much delay, announced the names of the CMs in the three states. Vishnu Deo Sai, Bhajan Lal Sharma, Mohan Yadav were selected by the BJP leadership as the CMs of Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh respectively.

Article 370 verdict

On December 11, the Supreme Court in a 5-0 unanimous ruling upheld the Centre’s abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution. A Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud upheld the constitutional validity of the two Presidential Orders CO (The Constitution (Application To Jammu and Kashmir) Order) 272 and 273 of August 5 and 6, 2019 respectively by which the entire Constitution of India was made applicable to J&K, and all provisions of Article 370 were declared inoperative.

Parliament security breach

As the Winter Session of Parliament was on, on December 13, the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack, two men – Manoranjan D and Sagar Sharma – jumped into the chamber of the Lower House of Parliament from the public gallery during the Zero Hour, released yellow gas from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by MPs. Two others – Neelam Azad and Amol Shinde — were held for opening smoke canisters outside the new Parliament building. All four were arrested on the same day, while two others – Lalit Jha and Mahesh Kumawat – were also arrested later.

During the Session, Opposition parties demanded a discussion on the security breach issue and a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Chaotic scenes were witnessed in both Houses, leading to disruption of proceedings and suspensions. In the history of the Parliament, a record number of MPs were suspended. 100 from Lok Sabha and 46 from Rajya Sabha.

In another development, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra was also expelled from the House, after a report of the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee that recommended her expulsion was passed by the Lok Sabha, in a “bribe-for-query” case.