A bullet-riddled body of a laborer from Bihar’s Banka district was recovered in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district on Friday.

The body was found in the Wachi area of Zainapora in the south Kashmir district. The laborer, identified as Ashok Chauhan, was living in the Sangam area of Anantnag.

Locals discovered the body and reported it to the police. The police arrived at the scene, assessed the situation, and then took the deceased’s body to the hospital for post-mortem examination.

According to one of Chauhan’s colleagues, they left their rented room at 7 a.m., and he was with them for about an hour. Chauhan received a phone call while they were harvesting corn and informed them that he was going somewhere.

After he didn’t return for some time, they went to look for him. When they called his phone, it kept ringing with no answer, and they later found his body.

“He got a phone call while we were harvesting corn. He told us that he is going somewhere. When he did not return for sometime, we went to look for him. We called his number which kept ringing, but there was no answer. Then we found his body,” the colleague told PTI.

The body has been taken to a hospital for medico-legal formalities, and an investigation has been initiated.

In December 2023, the Indian Army ordered a thorough internal investigation into the deaths of three civilians in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir after allegations that they died in its custody. 

The three civilians were allegedly picked up by the Army for questioning in the wake of the killing of four Army Jawans in an ambush by unidentified terrorists in Poonch on December 21. The aforesaid civilians, aged between 27 and 42, were found dead on December 22.

Following their death, their relatives and political leaders alleged that the three died due to custodial torture as they were among the eight people picked up by the Army for interrogation.

A few days after the incident, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met the Indian Army in Poonch. The Defence Minister had said that the Army must not just win the nation but also the hearts of the people.

Singh emphasised that the Army not only has to save the nation from enemies but also has the responsibility to win the hearts of people. He asked the Army to ensure that such things as civilian killings don’t happen again. He added that there should be an end to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. He also asked the army to move forward with the commitment to stamp out terrorism. 

A Delhi court on Friday granted bail to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former minister Satyendar Jain in the money laundering case, citing delay in trial and his long incarceration. He was arrested in May 2022 in this case.

“Considering the delay in trial and long incarceration of 18 months, and the fact that trial will take long to start, let alone conclude, accused is favourably suited for the relief,” Special Judge Vishal Gogne said while granting bail.

The judge granted the relief on a bail bond of Rs 50,000 with two sureties of like amount.

Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on May 30, 2022, on charges of money laundering through four companies allegedly linked to him. The ED case was based on a First Information Report (FIR) filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The CBI’s FIR, filed in 2017, alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party leader had conducted money laundering operations through four companies reportedly connected to him.

Last year in May, Jain fainted inside the Tihar jail washroom, he was immediately admitted to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital in Delhi. The Tihar Jail administration had stated that Jain slipped and fell inside the bathroom in his ward and had suffered minor injuries.

The same year on May 26, the Supreme Court had granted an interim bail to Jain on medical grounds. Jain was granted bail for 6 weeks by the Apex Court. The top court, while ordering the bail, had said that Jain shall not meet and influence any witness related to the case against him.

Speaking to reporters, senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia expressed his happiness over the release of the party leader and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party BJP should apologise to the people of Delhi because after Jain was sent to jail, the development work in the national capital pertaining to hospitals and mohalla clinics had been stalled.

“BJP sent me, Satyendar Jain and Arvind Kejriwal to jail, but they couldn’t find a single penny from our place. They levelled false allegations against us and their ED jailed us based on those allegations,” Sisodia said.

On his release, AAP leader Sanjay Singh welcomed the court order and said Jain was the leader from AAP who introduced Delhi to the model of the Mohalla clinic, free medicine, and various health schemes. Despite his contribution, he was kept in jail for 873 days and he has lost 36 kg weight.

The recent development occurred a month after AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal was released from Tihar jail, having been granted bail by the Supreme Court in a corruption case related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. Upon his release, he stepped down from the position of Delhi Chief Minister, and Atishi from AAP was appointed to succeed him.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Russia from October 22 to 23, the MEA said on Friday, at President Vladimir Putin’s invitation, to attend the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement that during PM Modi’s visit, the Prime Minister is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from BRICS member countries and invited leaders in Kazan.

The theme of this year’s summit is “Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security.” The statement said the summit will provide an important platform for leaders to discuss key global issues.

“The summit will offer a valuable opportunity to assess the progress of initiatives launched by BRICS and to identify potential areas for future collaboration,” the ministry said.

On Friday, China’s foreign ministry announced that President Xi Jinping will participate in the summit chaired by Russia. There has been speculation within diplomatic circles regarding a potential meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, following a series of discussions to address the prolonged military standoff on the Line of Actual Control.

This standoff has significantly strained India-China relations, with New Delhi asserting that the overall relationship cannot be normalized without peace and stability along the border.

The Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China border affairs convened in July and August. During the latest meeting, both sides concurred to enhance communication through diplomatic and military channels to narrow differences and seek an early resolution to outstanding issues on the LAC.

As of now, there has been no official confirmation from India or China regarding a potential meeting between the leaders of the two countries.

BRICS comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Although Saudi Arabia was invited to join BRICS last year, it has not yet done so.