Pioneer in short
LAdakh avalanche: 7 killed, 5 injured
At least seven passengers were buried alive when a massive avalanche struck near Zero Point on the Zojila-Sonamarg route on Friday. The high-altitude stretch was engulfed as a large volume of snow suddenly crashed down, hitting several vehicles. Rescue operations were immediately launched. Chief Executive Councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil, Dr Jaffar Akhoon, confirmed that five bodies have been recovered and shifted to Sub District Hospital Drass, while at least five passengers were rushed to nearby medical facilities for treatment. Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Vinai Kumar Saxena, expressed grief over the incident on X and directed the Deputy Commissioner and SSP of Kargil to reach the site to coordinate relief and rescue efforts. All government agencies, including disaster relief forces and the Border Roads Organisation, have been put on high alert. "I am personally monitoring the situation," the L-G added, as teams work to clear debris and recover the victims. The rescue operation continues amid challenging weather and terrain in the high-altitude region.
SIR excludes ex-HC judge from voter list
Retired Calcutta High Court judge and West Bengal Waqf Board chairperson Shahidullah Munshi has alleged that his name was deleted from the electoral rolls following the SIR process, and plans to approach the appellate tribunal. His wife and elder son remain in the “under-adjudication” category. Munshi said he submitted all required documents, including his passport, Aadhaar, and PAN, during the SIR hearing, but received no acknowledgement. “So far, only my name has been deleted. This is extremely humiliating and amounts to harassment,” he said. The February 28 publication of post-SIR electoral rolls revealed that 63.66 lakh names-about 8.3 per cent of the electorate-were deleted.
Bank fraud: ex-RCOM president charged
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a chargesheet against former Reliance Communications (RCOM) president Punit Garg and Vaishali Jairam Mane over an alleged INR 40,000 crore bank loan fraud. The over 170-page chargesheet, submitted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at Rouse Avenue court, accuses Garg of acquiring, concealing, and dissipating proceeds from the alleged fraud through multiple foreign subsidiaries and offshore entities. Garg, 61, arrested in January, held senior roles at RCOM from 2001 to 2025, including president of global enterprise business and regulatory affairs, and later as executive and non-executive director. The ED alleges diverted funds were used to buy a luxury Manhattan condominium, fraudulently sold in 2023 during RCOM’s corporate insolvency resolution process.
