Morning Digest: FIR against M.P. Minister Vijay Shah on HC order; India to present in U.N. evidence on Pahalgam attack, and more

The Hindu Morning Digest gives a select list of stories to start the day. Read the top news today on May 15, 2025

In a significant development, the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday (May 14, 2025) directed the State Police to register a First Information Report (FIR) within four hours against Cabinet Minister Vijay Shah for allegedly making inflammatory remarks against Indian Army officer Colonel Sofiya Qureshi. The Madhya Pradesh Police filed an FIR against Mr. Shah in compliance with the High Court’s directions, Indore Rural SP Hitika Vasal said.

Amid a call to “boycott” travel to Türkiye and Azerbaijan, tour aggregators reported widespread cancellations in holiday bookings to both these countries from India. In response to their “support” for Pakistan, “boycott” calls swept social media after Operation Sindoor was carried out.

An Indian technical team has reached New York to present evidence regarding the Pahalgam terror attack to the Monitoring Team of the 1267 Sanctions Committee that decides on the global listing of terrorist groups, official sources informed on Wednesday (May 14, 2025). India has accused The Resistance Front (TRF) of carrying out the deadly April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.

A Georgetown University scholar from India who was arrested in the Trump administration’s crackdown on foreign college students was released from immigration detention Wednesday (May 14, 2025) after a federal judge’s ruling. Badar Khan Suri said he was glad to be released as he left a federal detention facility in Alvarado near Dallas alongside his attorney.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has issued directions to authorities to grant ₹25 lakh to each of the survivors in the Pollachi sexual assault case. A Mahila Court in Coimbatore convicted all the nine accused in the case and awarded them life sentences on Tuesday (May 9, 2025).

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the composition late on Wednesday (May 14, 2025) of a delegation of experienced negotiators to conduct direct talks with Ukraine to resolve the ongoing war, though the talks will not include the Kremlin leader himself. Those included presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky and Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin.

The International Monetary Fund has disbursed a second tranche of $1.023 billion under the Extended Fund Facility programme for Pakistan, the central bank said on Wednesday (May 14, 2025). The disbursement of the second tranche comes on a day when the IMF is holding virtual discussions on Pakistan’s upcoming Budget as the visit of its mission to Islamabad was delayed due to security concerns in the region.