Meeting with PM Modi foundational, necessary step: Mark Carney to India Today
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India Today
36 minutes ago
- India Today
5 militants killed as rival Kuki-Chin insurgent groups clash in Manipur
At least five militants were killed on Tuesday morning in a violent clash between two rival Kuki-Chin insurgent groups deep inside the forests of Deiveijang village in Manipur's Noney sources confirmed to India Today that the incident took place about 50 kilometres south of Nungba in a remote jungle area with no road connectivity or mobile network coverage."The location is not easily accessible. We have sent a team to the site, but details are still coming in," a senior official The clash reportedly involved cadres of the United Kuki National Army (UKNA) and the Chin Kuki Mizo Army (CKMA) — both non-signatories to the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the 2008, the SoO agreement was started by the Government of India through an interlocutor chosen by the home ministry with the aim of finding a political solution for the Kuki population in to sources, the deceased militants have been identified as Alex, Seiboi, Pongba, Ringo, and Rambo, though it remains unclear which group they belonged and intelligence officials believe the gunfight was the result of rising competition between the two groups over territorial control and influence in the hill districts of Manipur and the adjoining Indo-Myanmar UKNA and CKMA are said to be newly formed outfits, composed mainly of splinter elements from older Chin-Kuki insurgent between the groups have been building, particularly after UKNA was allegedly involved in the assassination of the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Kuki National Army (KNA) — a SoO signatory group — on June 30. That killing triggered unrest and sparked a wider rift within the Kuki-Chin militant network, insiders the clash, security agencies have intensified surveillance and movement tracking in and around the area, although no official statement has yet been issued by the Manipur Police or central paramilitary forces regarding the incident or any further security of Tuesday evening, the atmosphere in Deiveijang and the surrounding forested region was highly incident adds to the growing complexity of Manipur's already volatile security situation, marked by fractured insurgent loyalties and intermittent armed has witnessed one of the bloodiest episodes in the form of ethnic violence between the members of the Meitei and the Kuki-Zo communities. In the violence that began in May 2023, over 250 people have been killed and over 60,000 have been displaced.- EndsMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Manipur
The Print
4 hours ago
- The Print
India warns of ‘impact' to ‘social cohesion' by Sikh separatists as PM Modi set to depart to UK
'This is a matter of concern not only to us, but it should be a matter of concern to our partners as well, because this impacts social cohesion and social order in these other countries as well,' added Misri. Speaking at a special briefing on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-nation visit to the UK and Maldives from 23 July till 26 July, Misri pointed out that the issue of Sikh separatists existing within the Western European nation is 'something' that India has brought 'to the attention of our partners' and that it will continue to do so. New Delhi: Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri Tuesday warned that Sikh separatists are a 'matter of concern' for countries like the UK, as the space given to them 'impacts social cohesion and social order' in these countries. In recent years, Sikh separatists have posed a security challenge for the Indian mission in the United Kingdom. In March, India had issued a stern warning to London, demanding 'action' not 'words' after Sikh separatists broke a security cordon and tore an Indian flag in front of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's vehicle as he was exiting an event in the country. India lodged a strong protest, summoning the British charge d'affaires Christina Scott and handing over a demarche, as reported by ThePrint earlier. In March 2023, Sikh extremists breached India's High Commission in London and detached the tricolour in retaliation to the Punjab Police's attempt to arrest Amritpal Singh, the Sikh separatist turned Member of Parliament. Later that year, Vikram Doraiswami, India's High Commissioner to the UK was prevented from entering a gurdwara in the city of Glasgow by protesters linked to the Sikh separatist movement. PM Modi is set to hold bilateral meetings with his British counterpart Keir Starmer, and is also expected to call on King Charles III. It would be his third meeting with Starmer, following their meeting last month in Canada on the margins of the G7 and the meeting on the margins of the G20 last year. Also read: India-UK relaunch negotiations for free trade agreement. What threatens it Security, FTA on the cards The Indian Foreign Secretary further highlighted that New Delhi has been in discussion with the UK on the extradition of fugitives living in the United Kingdom, while the visit by PM Modi would be an opportunity to discuss important security matters, including the cross border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. 'You are aware of recent developments, also in that regard, the United States State Department has recently designated the TRF [The Resistance Front] as a foreign terrorist organisation, and especially designated global terrorists and a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. I'm sure our UK colleagues are updated on this development, but this will give us the opportunity to share further views on issues such as cross border terrorism and the need to respond in fashion to such challenges,' Misri said on the potential discussion on the role of the Resistance Front and the terrorist attack in Pahalgam that left 26 people dead. The visit will also likely see the free trade agreement signed between both countries. India and the UK had announced the conclusion of the negotiations for the FTA on 6 May. The agreement is currently going through the required legal scrubbing and processes to allow for its signing during the visit. The FTA is India's first bilateral agreement with a European nation. Its other agreement is with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which is a regional grouping that includes Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Norway. It will see the elimination of nearly 99 percent of tariff lines for India covering almost 100 percent of its total trade value with the UK. India will give the UK access to a number of sectors including leather, textiles, footwear, gems and jewellery, along with other areas such as auto parts and engineering goods. (Edited by Viny Mishra) Also read: UK FTA is good news for India amid global turbulence. Domestic reforms must follow market access
India Today
6 hours ago
- India Today
Why revenue officials still police parts of Uttarakhand
(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated July 28, 2025)A narrow, slippery trail climbs steeply for 100 metres before you reach the remote chowki in Jakhnikhal tehsil of Pauri Garhwal district. The outpost is a rundown two-storeyed structure, its central hall serving as a shared office for several patwaris—revenue sub-inspectors tasked with policing dozens of villages between them. A rusted lockup now holds old documents and body bags; a toilet has become a records room. A few cracked chairs flank a bench; faded maps hang loose on the walls. Roshni Sharma, 27, has been posted here just a few months. 'We handle land records and police work, both,' says the young patwari, who has seven villages under her jurisdiction. 'It becomes hard to do either properly.'advertisementFor nearly two centuries, policing in Uttarakhand's hilly interior is carried out not by trained officers, but by revenue officials like Roshni—patwaris, kanungos, lekhpals—whose primary job was to maintain land records, collect taxes, compile census data and issue certificates. This Revenue Police (RP) system, introduced by the British in the early 19th century, still serves nearly half the state's area and about 25 per cent of its population. RP officials can file FIRs, investigate crimes, arrest suspects and submit chargesheets in court, but only up to a point. Cases of serious crime are transferred to the regular police, triggering a slow bureaucratic relay: from patwari to district magistrate (DM) to superintendent of police (SP) to the police station concerned. Evidence is often lost in the lag. After years of delay and resistance, the system is now under pressure. In May 2024, the Uttarakhand High Court (HC) gave the state one year to implement a 2018 judgment that had ordered the abolition of the RP system. But with 4,421 villages still under the jurisdiction of 478 RP chowkis, a civil contempt petition was filed recently, citing non-compliance. The court has asked the government to file a response. The state government, meanwhile, claims progress. According to official data, since 2023, 1,357 revenue villages have been brought under regular police with the setting up of six new stations and 20 outposts. Additionally, the jurisdiction of 52 existing police stations and 19 outposts has been expanded to encompass 1,800 more villages. But a lot of work remains. 'In the current day and age, we need police coverage in all areas because their work is not just limited to crime control and law and order,' admits Abhinav Kumar, a former acting director-general of police (DGP) of Uttarakhand, who is now posted as additional director-general (ADG), prisons. 'At present, almost a fourth of the state's population remains uncovered by the regular police. This is an anomaly that must be corrected.'A COLONIAL RELICThe RP system began after the British annexed Kumaon and eastern Garhwal (present-day Pauri Garhwal) from the Gurkhas in 1816. Finding little crime in the rugged hills, they chose not to deploy regular police outside towns like Almora and Nainital, instead giving police powers to revenue officials. After the 1857 revolt, while modern policing spread elsewhere, the British retained the RP model in hill areas under the Scheduled Districts Act of 1874. Also tried in parts of present-day Himachal Pradesh, Assam and some tribal regions, it was phased out there decades ago. Uttarakhand was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in 2000, and its own Police Act came in 2007—but in many districts, the colonial system stayed in days, however, crime in the hills is no longer rare or simple. The rise of tourism, road networks connecting remote villages, the proliferation of mobile phones and porous borders have brought in organised crime, drug trafficking and cybercrime. 'Tourism brings new challenges,' says a retired IPS officer who served in both UP and Uttarakhand. 'When outsiders are involved, coordination is nearly impossible for the revenue police. Getting forensic help is also hard.'In RP areas, the patwari—who may be as young as Roshni—is the top investigating officer, regardless of the nature of the crime. There is no supervisory chain of command like in regular police stations, where cases are overseen by sub-inspectors, inspectors and deputy SPs. Training is minimal; one patwari admitted they had barely been briefed on the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which replaced the colonial-era Indian Penal Code (IPC) last lack of training can have serious repercussions. The 2018 HC judgment stemmed from a 2011 dowry death case in Tehri Garhwal, which exposed delays and inefficiencies in the RP system. However, the state challenged the verdict in the Supreme Court. In 2022, the system's limitations were starkly highlighted again when 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari went missing from a resort in Rishikesh, where she worked. Her disappearance was reported to the local patwari, but no FIR was registered. The case was transferred to the regular police days later, by which time crucial evidence had employer, Pulkit Arya—the son of a former BJP leader—was later arrested for her murder (and recently sentenced to life imprisonment). The patwari in charge, Vaibhav Pratap, was suspended and arrested for negligence. The case triggered a political storm, with Uttarakhand assembly speaker Ritu Khanduri writing to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami urging abolition of the colonial-era system. Soon after, the cabinet approved a proposal to phase out the RP. But, in many areas, nothing has Jhaid village in Pauri Garhwal district, for instance, residents recall an incident just weeks ago when an elderly man slipped into a gorge. With no road, and no regular police, it took locals and the patwari nearly eight hours to retrieve the body. 'It has been nearly 78 years since Independence, and still we have no proper police,' says Yogesh Maithani, a local. 'Many incidents go know the lone patwari has no resources.'advertisement CAUGHT BETWEEN ROLESFor patwaris, the job is a daily balancing act between civil and policing duties. 'We do the same work as a sub-inspector or inspector, but also handle land records, government schemes—and do it without vehicles, weapons or staff,' says Atul Balodhi, president of the Pauri District Patwari Sangh. 'Even our safety is at risk.'In disaster-prone hill regions, the patwari is also the first responder during landslides, floods and road accidents. So far, Roshni has dealt with two criminal cases—a missing girl and a village brawl. But as the area's de facto cop, more calls are sure to come. 'The worst is accidental deaths. We're expected to shift the body, arrange the postmortem, coordinate with the family—all without any support,' she says. 'We end up begging locals for help.' She now leans on two fellow women patwaris from her training batch—Monika, who covers seven villages, and Sheetal Negi, who manages 14. 'That's why we share the chowki,' she says. 'So we can help each other.'advertisementDespite multiple court orders and official commitments, progress on dismantling the RP system remains halting—partly due to political and administrative resistance. A senior IPS officer tells india today that the inertia stems from multiple quarters: 'Politicians are wary of disturbing a status quo that gives them informal leverage. The civil bureaucracy, especially at the district level, has the most to lose in terms of authority.' Even some locals are nostalgic about the patwari as a familiar authority IG (law & order) and police spokesperson Nilesh Anand Bharne is emphatic that reforms are under way. 'We are committed to improving policing and public services across the state, and replacing revenue police wherever needed. We have already brought large areas and population under regular police,' he with vast swathes of Uttarakhand still being policed by revenue officials, Balodhi complains that they are left to operate with outdated tools and little institutional support. 'The world has moved on. But we haven't,' he says. 'We don't have digital records, we're not connected to a centralised crime tracking network, everything is still on paper.' Unless the transition to regular policing is accelerated and implemented in both letter and spirit, accountability, justice and public safety in the hills will remain patchy—and patwaris like Roshni will be left to shoulder impossible burdens.—By Avaneesh Mishra in Dehradun and Pauri GarhwalSubscribe to India Today Magazine- Ends
