At 10.18 am on Tuesday, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C62 lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, carrying 16 satellites into space. The launch marked the first PSLV mission of the year and was being closely watched as a comeback attempt following a failure in 2025.

Roughly 30 minutes after liftoff, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) stated that the mission had “encountered an anomaly” during its third stage. The space agency has initiated a detailed analysis but has not yet officially declared the mission a failure.

Third stage issue raises concerns again

The PSLV is a four-stage launch vehicle, with the first two stages reportedly performing as expected during Tuesday’s mission. The problem surfaced during the third stage, where deviation was observed.

ISRO chairman Dr V Narayanan said that a detailed assessment is underway. Historically, issues during the third stage of a rocket have often resulted in mission failure, although ISRO has so far avoided using that term for this launch.

The setback is significant as this was intended to be a recovery mission. The PSLV’s only launch in 2025 had also failed due to a third-stage issue. An analysis committee was formed after that failure, but its findings were not made public.

Mission payload and satellite loss

The mission aimed to place a surveillance satellite into orbit. The earth observation satellite, named Anvesha, was developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation. Alongside it, the PSLV carried 15 additional satellites from multiple countries, including Brazil, Nepal and the UK.

With the anomaly occurring mid-mission, these satellites are now believed to be lost.

Track record remains strong despite setback

The PSLV has completed 64 missions so far, with four failures recorded prior to this launch. If the current mission is eventually declared unsuccessful, it would mark the fifth failure, keeping the overall success rate relatively high.

However, the timing of the anomaly is a concern, given the growing reliance on PSLV for commercial and strategic launches.

Impact on space industry and future launches

The development is particularly worrying for private players in India’s expanding space ecosystem. Several start-ups had payloads on this mission, including Hyderabad-based Dhruva Space, which had placed seven satellites onboard.

The outcome also casts uncertainty over the planned industry-led PSLV launch scheduled for the first half of 2026. That mission is being developed with participation from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Larsen and Toubro.

ISRO is expected to conduct a thorough investigation into the third-stage issue before finalising the status of the mission and outlining corrective measures.

Veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has triggered a political controversy after describing Hindutva as “Hinduism in paranoia” during a public debate in Kolkata, prompting a strong rebuttal from leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Aiyar made the remarks at a discussion titled “Hinduism needs protection from Hindutva”, organised by the Calcutta Debating Circle at the Calcutta Club on Sunday. Several political leaders, legal experts, historians and journalists participated in the debate.

Aiyar draws distinction between Hinduism and Hindutva

Speaking at the event, Aiyar argued that Hinduism and Hindutva are fundamentally different, describing Hinduism as a spiritual and civilisational faith, while calling Hindutva a political ideology that emerged in the early 20th century.

“Hindutva is Hinduism in paranoia. It asks 80 per cent Hindus to feel threatened by 14 per cent Muslims,” Aiyar said, adding that Hinduism had survived and flourished for thousands of years without the need for what he described as political protection.

He referred to incidents involving attacks by vigilante groups and criticised actions against individuals over religious practices, beef consumption and participation in Christmas celebrations. Aiyar also cited writings of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, contrasting them with the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda, whom he described as proponents of non-violence and inclusivity.

According to Aiyar, “There is no way Gandhi’s or Vivekananda’s Hinduism can be protected or promoted by Savarkar’s Hindutva.”

BJP leaders push back strongly

Aiyar’s comments drew an immediate response from BJP leaders present at the debate and later from party spokespersons.

BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi questioned the framing of the debate itself, arguing that the term “Hindutva” refers to “Hindu tattva” or the essence of Hindu philosophy. He said that associating Hinduism with the suffix “ism” was misleading and dismissive of India’s indigenous traditions.

“When you cherish Hinduism, it is called Hindutva,” Trivedi said, rejecting the distinction drawn by Aiyar.

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accused Aiyar of repeatedly making remarks that, according to him, insult Sanatan Dharma. He claimed that the comments echoed the Congress party’s broader stance on Hindutva.

Poonawalla also referred to past statements by Congress leaders and said that Hindutva has been defined by the Supreme Court as a “way of life.” He accused the party of attempting to portray Hindutva as violent and divisive.

Political debate intensifies

The exchange has added to the ongoing political debate over the relationship between Hinduism and Hindutva, a subject that has remained contentious in Indian politics. While Aiyar defended his views as ideological and historical critique, BJP leaders framed the remarks as an attack on religious identity.

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor Vijay is set to appear before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Delhi on Monday in connection with the Karur stampede case that claimed 41 lives. The incident occurred on September 27 last year during a massive political rally addressed by Vijay, making it one of the deadliest crowd-related tragedies in Tamil Nadu’s recent political history.

Supreme Court handed probe to CBI

The investigation into the stampede has undergone multiple legal changes. Initially, the Madras High Court had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident. However, the Supreme Court later transferred the case to the CBI, directing that the investigation be monitored by a panel headed by a retired Supreme Court judge.

The apex court also set aside a one-member commission earlier appointed by the Tamil Nadu government, observing that the matter required a more independent and credible inquiry. Notably, TVK itself had sought an independent probe into the tragedy.

A senior party source told media that Vijay would cooperate fully with the investigation and expressed hope that the truth would emerge through the CBI inquiry.

Police and Vijay trade blame

Following the stampede, the Tamil Nadu Police had attributed the chaos to Vijay’s alleged delay in reaching the venue, claiming the prolonged wait led to an uncontrollable surge of the crowd. Police officials had also pointed to inadequate arrangements such as food, drinking water and toilet facilities, stating that the situation worsened as the crowd grew restless.

Vijay rejected these allegations, calling them a conspiracy by the ruling DMK, a charge the party has denied. He, in turn, blamed the police for poor crowd management and failure to clear bottlenecks on approach roads leading to the rally venue.

Film certification issue adds political edge

Vijay’s appearance before the CBI comes amid a separate controversy over the delay in certification of his film Jana Nayagan, which was originally slated for release ahead of Pongal. While a single judge of the Madras High Court had directed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to grant certification, a division bench later stayed the order and adjourned the matter to January 21. Neither Vijay nor TVK has officially commented on the issue.

Opposition leaders, including those from the Congress, have alleged that central agencies are being used to exert pressure on TVK ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections due in a few months. Chief Minister MK Stalin recently remarked that the CBFC had “joined the list of central agencies being used as weapons by the Union government.”

The BJP has rejected these allegations. The party has also denied speculation that it is indirectly aiding TVK to split anti-DMK votes following its renewed alliance with the AIADMK.

Political stakes ahead of elections

Vijay has repeatedly described the upcoming Assembly election as a direct contest between the ruling DMK and TVK, referring to the DMK as his “political enemy” and the BJP as his “ideological enemy.”

Responding to questions on whether the ongoing CBI probe could make the party vulnerable to political pressure, a senior TVK leader said the party had faith in the investigation and would approach the courts if any undue pressure was applied.