A look at the top headlines of the day:

  1. ‘The Caravan’ journalist Shahid Tantray says J&K police is harassing him and his family: The police allegedly threatened to arrest the reporter under false cases for his reports on Kashmir.
  2. Passengers who refuse to wear masks should be de-boarded from flights, says aviation regulator: Those who do not follow the guidelines even after repeated warnings can be treated as ‘unruly passengers’, said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
  3. Defence infrastructure being built by China near Ladakh is alarming, says top US Army general: Beijing’s ‘incremental and insidious path’ to destabilise the Indo-Pacific region is not helpful, says General Charles Flynn.
  4. RBI raises repo rate by 50 basis points to 4.90%, predicts further rise in inflation: The central bank has hiked the key lending rate twice within five weeks.
  5. Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi is mastermind behind Sidhu Moose Wala’s murder, say Delhi Police: Bishnoi has denied his involvement, claiming that his gang members planned and executed the killing without him.
  6. Irresponsible conduct by news channels have embarrassed India, says Editors Guild: The statement came amid the controversy over derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad made during a TV debate by now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
  7. Allegations against Kerala CM have no ‘political agenda’, claims woman accused in gold smuggling case: Swapna Suresh has alleged that Pinarayi Vijayan had taken a bag full of currency to the United Arab Emirates in 2016.
  8. Ranked lowest in Environment Performance Index, India claims report used ‘unscientific methods’: The country’s low rank was attributed to its ‘dangerous air quality and rapidly rising greenhouse gas emissions’.
  9. Mumbai reports 1,765 new coronavirus cases – 42% jump in infections from a day ago: The daily test positivity rate in the city was 9.19%.
  10. AAP dissolves Gujarat unit ahead of Assembly elections: A ‘larger and more powerful structure’ will be put in place as part of the poll strategy, the party’s state chief said.