On January 27, 2024, a cadre of the Biswa Mohan Debbarma faction of National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT-BM), identified as Chhanaklu Debbarma, surrendered before the Border Security Force (BSF) in the Dyke village of Dhalai District of Tripura. Chhanaklu Debbarma had joined the outfit in October 2022. On January 14, 2024, five insurgents of the Parimal Debbarma faction of […]

The Sino-Indian standoff since 2020 has had a lasting negative effect on not only their diplomatic relations but also the management of their 4,057 km Line of Actual Control (LAC). Speaking to the media on the eve of Army Day, which falls on 15 January, Indian Army chief Gen. Manoj Pande spoke of the situation being “stable but sensitive.” On […]

Orchestrating their first act of violence in the current year, on January 10, 2024, Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres shot dead their former comrade Nelson Bhengra near his house in West Singhbhum District, accusing him of being a ‘police informer’. Bhengra, a resident of Samtha village in Jeraikela, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Saranda Forest Division, was […]

India’s entry into the ranks of the world’s surviving theocracies — Iran, Afghanistan, the Vatican City — arrived bathetically. When the history of the nation’s descent from secularism to Hindu nationalism is written, it might end in Ayodhya. Just after noon yesterday, the Ram Temple was consecrated, a stone’s throw from the ruins of Babur’s Mosque, which was demolished three […]

The visit by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to Russia on December 24-29 presented an extraordinary spectacle reminiscent of the halcyon days of Indo-Soviet relations. There was an unnameable ecstasy in Jaishankar’s words on Russian soil. He even took a walk on the Red Square in the middle of Russian winter. But the minister is anything but a sentimental diplomat, […]

The Indian Ministry of Defense released its Year End Review 2023 a few days ago. The review provides a state of play on areas under its purview including defense production and exports, major defense acquisitions, border infrastructure, and individual service updates from the Indian army, navy and air force. Much of what India is attempting to do in the defense […]

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Terrorism Thrives On January 7, 2024, four persons, including two Security Force (SF) personnel, were killed while three others were injured in a suspected incident of sectarian attack on a passenger coach and a vehicle near Sadda Bazaar in the Kurram District. On January 5, 2024, (SFs shot dead two terrorists, including one “high value terrorist”, Gul Yousaf, […]

Delhi has closer Africa connection than Washington, is less vulnerable to ‘predatory lending’ charge than Beijing Covid-19, the war in Ukraine and the resulting economic and political crises have led the resurgence of the “Global South” – developing countries seeking leverage through unity on the global stage. Increasingly, they have found themselves caught in the crossfire of larger nations, such […]

The Tatmadaw usurped power in Myanmar through a coup in February 2021. In the two and a half years since, India has been tolerant of the junta and hasn’t yet interacted with the pro-democracy National Unity Government (NUG). Further, in taking a “business as usual” approach in the interest of certain geostrategic calculations, India has effectively also offered support to […]

The outbreak of Israel-Hamas hostilities, following the latter’s deadly raid on 7 October 2023, has sparked never-before-seen violence in the Gaza Strip. The involvement of external powers, coupled with the regional powers’ pursuit of geopolitical ambitions through proxies, threatens the fragile stability of West Asia. However, beyond the geopolitical implications lurks the threat of terrorist violence and radicalisation as a […]