Morning Digest: Opposition attacks government over ‘inhumane’ deportation by U.S.; SC questions T.N. governor on pending Bills, and more

The Hindu Morning Digest gives a select list of stories to start the day. Read the top news today on February 7, 2025

Hands cuffed, feet tied with ropes, and face covered with a mask — 18-year-old Robin Handa arrived in Amritsar on Wednesday (February 5, 2025), days after the United States Border Security Police arrested him from U.S.-Mexico border on January 22, 2025. He was amongst the 104 Indians who were deported from the U.S. and brought back to India in an American military aircraft on Wednesday (February 5, 2025), following U.S. President Donald Trump’s hardline stance on illegal immigration.

Kshama Sawant, an Indian-American politician and a critic of India’s Hindu Right, has “urged” the country’s political Opposition to speak up for critics like her, saying it is in their interest to do so. In a virtual interview to The Hindu, Ms. Sawant referred to the “complete inability of the political opposition to put forward a unified agenda for the working people, not just in India, but globally. And this is what has led to the election of (Donald) Trump (in the U.S.) and (Narendra) Modi (in India).”

A civilian was shot dead by the Army in north Kashmir’s Baramulla after he allegedly sped away from a checkpoint on Thursday. In Jammu’s Kathua, another civilian was found dead after allegedly facing torture in police custody. An official identified the victim as Waseem Ahmad Mir, a resident of Baramulla’s Sopore.

A day after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an order that could impose sanctions on India for its investment in Iran’s Chabahar port, the Union government remained silent regarding the order and its implications. The U.S. order, titled the ‘National Security Presidential Memorandum’, specifically named the port as it called for “maximum economic pressure” on the Iranian government, directing U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to cut off Iran’s recourse to all funds, including through oil exports, ports, and ancillary businesses.

Spelling mistakes and failure to generate one-time passwords are among several glitches reported by applicants applying online for the preliminary Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2025 to be conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in May. Months after the alleged scam by sacked Indian Administrative Service (IAS) probationer Puja Khedkar, who forged documents to clear the exams, the UPSC introduced changes. These updates now require applicants to submit documents, including educational, caste and physical disability certificates, at the stage of the preliminary examination, unlike in previous years, when these documents were only uploaded after a candidate qualified for the Mains examination.

The Supreme Court on Thursday asked what Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi found so “gross” about the 12 Bills the State government sent him for assent that they were kept pending for over three years. A Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan recapped the trajectory of 12 Bills, mostly to do with higher education and the appointment process of Vice-Chancellors in State Universities, for the benefit of the Governor, whose office was represented by Attorney General of India R. Venkataramani.

Comparing the Congress rule with his government’s record, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that the Congress practised the politics of tushtikaran (appeasement) while his government implemented the policy of “santushtikaran” (satisfaction of all). He was replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address. In his 90-minute long speech, he said the Congress had only “hatred and anger” towards B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution.