The launch of the first ever Apple store, debating the essence of marriage in the top court, the arrest of a radical Sikh preacher and some bombshell allegations, a number of significant events happened in India this week, sparking discussions and reactions across the country and around the world.
While, all the trending news stories do find a mention in our newsletters, especially curated to keep our users up-to-date with latest happenings across any domain, here’s our weekly wrap about top five people who made headlines and why.
Amritpal Singh: Radical Sikh preacher and chief of separatist organisation ‘Waris De Punjab’, Singh was at last tracked down on Sunday after a massive crackdown was launched against him on March 18. He was arrested from Punjab’s Moga this morning under the National Security Act (NSA) and has been taken to Assam’s Dibrugarh jail. He returned from Dubai in 2022 and is facing several charges including spreading disharmony among classes, attempting to murder, and attacking police personnel among others.
Jagadish Shettar: Former Karnataka chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader, disgruntled Shetter quit the saffron party on Monday over denial of tickets in the upcoming May 10 assembly election. He joined Congress a day later and will contest the poll from Hubballi – Dharwad central constituency. Shetter’s decision is a blow to BJP since the senior political leader is a face of the Lingayat community in the constituency.
Shaista Parveen: Wife of mafia politician Atiq Ahmad, killed last week in Uttar Pradesh in police custody, Parveen is also an accused in the Umesh Pal murder case and is in the most-wanted list of the UP Police, carrying a reward of ₹50,000 on her head. A cop’s daughter, Parveen has had four cases registered against her since 2009 — three cheating and one murder. She joined the Bahujan Samaj Party in January and was expected to contest the upcoming UP civic body poll but the godmother in the gang has been on the run since February 24 – the day when the lawyer Umesh Pal was killed.
Satyapal Malik: The former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satyapal Malik made headlines for making explosive allegations against the Centre on handling the 2019 Pulwama terror attack. Malik alleged the Centre denied paramilitary personnel’s request for aircraft and they were made to commute by road despite threat of attack and blamed the Modi government for the mishap. He also said he was asked to remain silent following the incident in which 40 jawans were killed.
Tim Cook: Apple CEO Tim Cook paid a visit to India this week to launch the company’s first ever stores in the county. Two retail stores in Mumbai and Delhi were inaugurated amid much pomp and show and Cook also met leaders and celebrities, had a taste of Mumbai’s authentic ‘vada pav’ with actress Madhuri Dixit and tried his hands at rangoli making. Cook also surprised his fans by paying a sudden visit to the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi to watch the ongoing Indian Premier League. He was accompanied by actor Sonam Kapoor and her husband, businessman Anand Ahuja.
