Rush Hour: India assures energy security amid tariff threat, police questioned on protest ban & more

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After the United States House of Representatives passed legislation that would allow tariffs of up to 100% on India and other countries that purchase Russian oil and gas, New Delhi said it remains committed to ensuring energy security for its people. We “will continue to do so through diversified sourcing and on the basis of evolving market dynamics”, said the Ministry of External Affairs.

The draft law passed on Wednesday said that the tariffs could apply to the five countries that imported the largest volumes of Russian crude oil or natural gas in the 12 months before the law takes effect, if they knowingly continue buying Russian crude oil 30 days after the law is enacted.

India has increased its purchase of Russian oil this year, while New Delhi and Washington negotiate a preliminary trade deal. Read on.

The Delhi High Court asked the police how it could impose a “blanket ban” on protests at Jantar Mantar against caste-based reservations and the University Grants Commission’s January regulations to address discrimination in colleges. The police had granted permission to the Rajput group Karni Sena for a demonstration on September 20, but withdrew it, anticipating that a large crowd would gather.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma asked the police how permission could be entirely denied “just because you apprehend that some people will come”.

The police told the court that such action has also been taken earlier because Jantar Mantar “is a very sensitive area”. Read on.

The external affairs ministry said that speculation on social media about some world leaders having fallen ill after attending the BRICS summit in Delhi was misleading. “We caution against such malicious posts on social media platforms,” it said.

The posts came after the South African government on Wednesday said that President Cyril Ramaphosa will not be participating in public events for a few days because of “ill health”.

Some of the posts and reports also cited speculation that Chinese President Xi Jinping had fallen ill during the summit. The claims were based on Xi skipping the leader’s dinner on Saturday and Prime Minister Narendra Modi pausing mid-speech during a session on Sunday to ask the Chinese president “is it okay?” Read on.

At least 75 government schools in Delhi have been directed to light diyas, or earthen lamps, on their premises to celebrate Modi’s birthday. The prime minister turns 76 on Thursday.

The Delhi government has mandated activities that the schools need to conduct for a month till October 17, including competitions for speeches, drawing and making reels, or short vertical videos for social media.

Saurav Das, the co-convener of the Cockroach Janta Party political campaign, alleged that Anganwadi workers in Madhya Pradesh had been directed to light diyas to celebrate Modi’s birthday, “record videos praising him” and government schemes. They have been warned of action if they do not comply with the directive, Das alleged. Read on.

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