Daily Briefing: Sonam Wangchuk ends fast; India’s athlete quota slashed from 16 to 11 at CWG

With that, let’s move on to the top stories from today’s edition:

• Sonam Wangchuk ends fast
• New higher education secretaries
• India at Commonwealth Games

🚨 Big Story

Activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike at around 12:45 am on Friday, in the presence of Union Ministers J P Nadda and Jitendra Singh, after “long negotiations” with the government. Over a post on X, Wangchuk said he had agreed to end the fast “in view of possible violence in the country” and would soon explain the conditions under which the decision was taken. However, there was little sign of the movement winding down at the protest site. Hundreds of people were seen streaming out through the barricades; volunteers moving through the crowd handing out food packets, fans and water; slogans and songs continuing late into the night. With mobile data blocked within a 1.5-km radius of the protest, supporters learnt of the development only after stepping outside the area; others in line remained unaware.

Message: Hours after announcing fast-track courts to punish those behind exam paper leaks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi broadcast a video late on Thursday that a tough new law to tackle the issue was on its way. He said he had received its draft and it would be discussed at a Cabinet meeting on Friday. Efforts will also be made to pass the Bill in the House “as soon as possible, starting with the second week of the Parliament’s session this coming Monday,” he said. His remarks come amid his government’s efforts to defuse the situation arising out of the Cockroach Janata Party-led protests – now backed by the Opposition, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

A fine line: The continuing protest at Jantar Mantar reflects the extent to which paper leaks and a faulty education system can impact young minds. In her weekly column, Neerja Chowdhury explains how the protest led by the CJP was different from others, and why the government took days to act. She writes: “A government must have the ability, if required, to be tough to rule a large country. But should a government, which is expected to be responsive, hold out when the country’s youths are signalling that they are “hurting” and that a solution must be found by addressing their concerns? After all, there may just be a fine line between toughness and arrogance in the final analysis.”

⚡ Only in Express

Glasgow 2026: The site of the Commonwealth Games this year, Glasgow, seems to have been unwilling to disturb the city’s rhythm to accommodate the games. It has, by design, kept the thousands who have descended upon Glasgow away from its centre, concentrating the Games within a leaner, tighter corridor, one that fits inside an eight-mile loop of the city. The four competition venues sit within that radius of the city centre. India seems to be feeling the cuts like no other country. Badminton, hockey, wrestling, table tennis, squash and cricket – the sports that delivered nearly half of India’s 61-medal haul in Birmingham in 2022 – now aren’t on the Glasgow programme. My colleague Mihir Vasavda writes: “India’s hopes now rest on a narrower base: athletics, weightlifting, boxing, judo and lawn bowls. It’s a blunt reminder that a leaner Games doesn’t cut costs evenly; it reshuffles winners and losers, and this time the shuffle has landed hardest on one of the Commonwealth’s biggest sporting nations.”

📰 From the Front Page

Probe: At least three people are currently being treated in hospitals for pellet gun injuries sustained during the July 20 crackdown on protesters marching towards Parliament. This has led the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to initiate an inquiry to ascertain the exact sequence of events and determine whether pellet guns were used by personnel of its Rapid Action Force (RAF). Pellet guns and shock batons are part of the RAF’s riot-control equipment. This comes after the Centre asked the CRPF to avoid using pellet guns while on duty at Jantar Mantar. Delhi Police had, too, denied the use of pellet guns on Tuesday.

Shuffle: In a major bureaucratic reshuffle, the Centre on Thursday shifted Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, and appointed two new Secretaries in the Ministry of Education. While Naresh Pal Gangwar has been appointed as the Higher Education Secretary, T K Anil Kumar has been appointed as the Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy. The move comes as the Ministry of Education emerged as the centre of a controversy due to the NEET-UG question paper leak and irregularities in CBSE’s evaluation of board exams.

Setback: Ahead of the opening of the Commonwealth Games on Thursday, the Indian contingent suffered a setback. Two of its medal prospects – one each in weightlifting and judo – were withdrawn following anti-doping rule violations. Arun Kumar, a Judoka participating in the 78 kg category, was removed from the judo squad after he was provisionally suspended by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). Moreover, weightlifter Dilbagh Singh, would also return from Glasgow – although for no fault of his own. This has slashed India’s athlete quota from 16 to 11.

📌 Must Read

Blockbuster: With Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay-starrer Jana Nagayan releasing in theatres on Friday, the audience inside a packed Chennai theatre early morning – the first day-first show – was not simply watching Vijay’s final film. They were watching their CM dance, lecture, campaign, comfort grieving families, attack corruption, defend secularism and eventually walk into a fictional Secretariat – as several members of his real Cabinet quietly appeared alongside him. That alone made Jana Nayagan unlike anything Indian cinema has seen. “The story itself races through prisons, civil wars in fictional Africa, international arms syndicates, terrorism, communal violence, corrupt politicians and psychological trauma. It is gloriously overstuffed,” writes my colleague Arun Janardhanan.

In our Opinion section today, Ashok Lavasa recalls a courtroom experience after he had signed a letter in April 2009 that conveyed the Home Minister’s permission to prosecute an Inspector General (IG) of the CRPF. Seventeen years later, it still haunts Lavasa, finally compelling him to realise why Charles Dickens considered law as “an ass”. Lavasa writes: “I was summoned to Patna to testify that I had signed the permission letter. I wrote to the Home Ministry, pointing to the absurdity of testifying to something that could be affirmed by government records and wasting public money for my travel and stay. I also requested the Court to take my evidence through a video conference. Unsurprisingly, I received no response but fresh summons.”

⏳ And Finally…

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is set to launch a trial of plastic notes, after a stalled attempt 15 years ago. The Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Pvt Ltd’s (BRBNMPL) tender has also invited bids for 3.4 crore polymer sheets, with special security features, to be used to print currency notes. Plastic banknotes are used in over 50 countries. But what’s the need to replace paper notes — which are made of paper made by using 100% cotton — with plastic ones? Are there any actual benefits? We explain.

🎧 Lastly, don’t forget to tune in to today’s episode of our 3 Things podcast, where we discuss the education’s share of the Union Budget in India; demolition order against Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur; and another paper leak in Uttarakhand.

That’s all for today. Have a wonderful day!

Until next time,
Ariba

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