Talking Point: Sudheendra Kulkarni, Suraj Yengde, Raghu Murtugudde Debate IIT Bombay Student Suicide

Why did India drop the UAPA charges against US national Matthew VanDyke and six Ukrainian nationals after initially arresting them in a case involving alleged drone warfare training in Myanmar? The NIA had alleged that the seven entered India, travelled through Mizoram into Myanmar and trained ethnic armed groups in drone assembly, operations and electronic jamming. The agency also alleged that drones and components were brought from Europe through India.

Police have widened their investigation into sexual offence allegations against industrialist R Veeramani and two of his associates after identifying multiple victims. Investigators are examining whether the alleged abuse dates back to 2003 and whether vulnerable girls were specifically targeted. The Supreme Court has ordered a fresh investigation into the 2012 rape and murder of a college student in Karnataka’s Dharmasthala, widely known as the Soujanya case. A political showdown also erupted in the Karnataka Assembly over the rendition of the national song, *Vande Mataram*, after the state government stopped its official playback following the first two stanzas. All this and more from the South on *Super 6* today with Akshita Nandagopal.

A baby cockroach spotted on a dining table at Mumbai’s five-star JW Marriott hotel has sparked concern after Fortis Escorts Heart Institute Chief Dr Ashok Seth shared a video of the insect on social media. Seth said the incident ruined his appetite and urged Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Munde to intervene. The incident comes amid a food safety enforcement drive by the FDA. Munde has said the department conducted over 12,000 inspections in 100 days, issued more than 5,000 improvement notices and suspended around 600 food licences during the campaign.

On India First with Gaurav Sawant, panellists debate major political rows surrounding national identity, secularism, and constitutional principles. The discussion examines the controversy over singing the national song, Vande Mataram, and the Karnataka legal dispute regarding legislative competence over limiting the song to two stanzas, with BJP national spokesperson Tuhin Sinha and Congress national spokesperson Brijesh Kalappa trading historical and political arguments alongside political analysts Shehzad Poonawalla and Rashid Kidwai. The broadcast also addresses the political fallout over remarks by former Vice President Hamid Ansari and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi concerning nationalism, religiosity, and Sharia courts. Panellists further analyse the ideological distinctions between Hinduism and Hindutva, the presence of religious figures in electoral politics, and allegations of minority appeasement versus secular governance under the Indian Constitution.