Criminal and quirky, occult practices of self-styled godmen in India have been in the news for a while. This time, the probe against Nashik-based godman, Ashokkumar Eknath Kharat, alias ‘Captain’ is widening. Police are now examining whether he committed human sacrifice, after alleged rituals involving fear tactics, use of animals and recovery of a firearm surfaced during court proceedings in a case that has already drawn five FIRs of sexual assault and exploitation. This comes as the prosecution submitted that multiple witnesses, who have sought anonymity, alleged that Kharat would call them to the Eshaneshwar temple, particularly at night, under the pretext of performing rituals, where he would show snakes and even a tiger to instill fear.With that, let’s move on to the top stories from today’s edition:US Prez Trump dials PM ModiSiva’s angstThe other Kohli’s journey Big StoryA day after pausing his threat of striking Iran’s energy sites for five days and announcing initiation of talks behind the scenes with Tehran, United States President Donald Trump dialed up Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the situation in West Asia. This was their first call since the start of the war on February 28 when the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran. Both the leaders discussed “the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open,” and agreed to “stay in touch regarding efforts towards peace and stability,” according to a post on X by PM Modi. Their conversation signalled the concern over disruption in global energy supply chains.Amid the West Asia war, the Indian government has called for an all-party meeting on Wednesday evening to discuss the conflict’s impact and India’s preparedness. This comes as PM Modi assured the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday that the country has “adequate crude oil storage and arrangements for continuous supply”. He acknowledged that the war has created a “severe energy crisis” across the world and urged the states to work together with the Centre to deal with the situation. Congress sources said the all-party meeting is being held after Opposition’s constant demands for a discussion on the LPG crisis, unstable market and the concerns of the Indian diaspora in the Gulf region, inside and outside Parliament.Meanwhile, the Centre has also set up seven Empowered Groups (EGs) of Secretaries to monitor and assess the impact of the West Asia conflict and take necessary remedial measures to mitigate adverse effects of any disruption. The seven EGs will cover security, defence and external affairs, economy and finance, energy, fertilizer and other agricultural inputs, supply of essential commodities, transport and logistics, and communications. These groups are on lines of the EGs constituted in 2020 to formulate the government’s response during the Covid-19 pandemic.⚡ Only in ExpressStory continues below this adFormer India leg-spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan made his Test debut at 17. Took 12 wickets in a Test match at 19, who stumped Imran Khan in Sharjah while the crowd chanted his name and Javed Miandad at MCG, who was called India’s most naturally gifted cricketer alongside Kapil Dev. Yet, he bears no signs of stardom at his house in Abhiramapuram, Chennai. No shirts, no trophies, no bats, no photographs from his playing days. Not even the Man of the Series award from India-England, 1984-85. Once hailed as India’s most naturally gifted cricketer, Siva nursed deep wounds. Days after he quit the BCCI commentary panel alleging discrimination, he opens up to The Indian Express. From the Front PageExport crisis: The machines at the rice mills of Madhya Pradesh’s Raisen district have gone quiet. A district that has quietly built one of India’s most significant basmati export clusters along the banks of the Narmada, has found itself crushed under the weight of a defaulted trade, since the Middle East war began on February 28. India’s basmati rice export machine had, until the war, been running at a record pace. But the concentration of this trade in the Middle East has made the sector acutely vulnerable to what’s unfolding. Raisen-based exporters have said the container freight rates that were tracking at around USD 2,500 per unit before the crisis have spiked to between USD 7,000 and 9,000. Here’s the full story.PM Modi, this month, kicked off the distribution of land pattas to Assam’s tea-garden workers in their housing quarters, calling it a step towards correcting “historic injustices.” Marking Himanta Biswa Sarma-led BJP government’s biggest measure that would benefit the politically-significant tea workers, the party dispensation managed to distribute land deeds to 28,241 tea workers’ families while pledging to grant such pattas to 3.33 lakh families ahead of April 9 polls in Assam. Who are these tea-workers? Know more about BJP’s move here.Following a complaint of sexual harassment against him, artist Bose Krishnamachari resigned from the posts of president of Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) and member of the Board of Trustees of Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) in January. According to sources, the complainant described Krishnamachari as her supervisor at the Biennale. She accused the artist of calling her to his apartment in Kochi where he allegedly made sexually coloured remarks and physical advances towards her. In response to the allegations, Krishnamachari called them “misleading and unsubstantiated allegations taken out of context.” “I am aware of the sources and the pattern of circulation,” he added. Must ReadStory continues below this adAfter notifying a strict 2-3 hour content takedown timeline for social media platforms last month, the Centre is now exploring whether the window should be further shortened to an hour. The move underscores a growing consensus within the government of removing more content from the internet quicker. The requirement to take down content quicker does not just apply to AI-generated content but a wide range of content that the law deems unlawful. The Centre is also considering amendments to the Information Technology (IT) Rules 2021, to prohibit the proliferation of “obscene” content on video on digital news outlets, and video-on-demand platforms.In our Opinion section today, C Raja Mohan delves into the geopolitical consequences of Gulf security’s reliance on external powers, mainly the US, to balance Iran. He writes: “Notwithstanding the flicker of hope offered by Trump’s pause, the tragic cycle of the impossible balancing between Arabia and Persia is likely to continue. The Gulf’s geopolitical predicament is not one that can be solved. It can only be managed — just barely, and with a great deal of luck.”⏳ And Finally…In our new series, Nostalgia: The Other IPL, we take you through the stories of young cricketers from small towns across India who enter the world of the Indian Premier League (IPL) every April. Today, my colleague Nitin Sharma unravels the journey of Taruwar Kohli, who was 19 when he joined the Rajasthan Royals in 2008. He’d just scored three consecutive half-centuries in the U-19 World Cup. Ten days after India won that tournament, he and Ravindra Jadeja were drafted into the Royals. Eighteen years later, Kohli is thirty-seven. He runs a brand called Versant Sports — batting gloves designed with Shubman Gill. Lastly, tune in to today’s episode of our 3 Things podcast, where we discuss the LPG crisis in India amid the ongoing West Asia war; as well as the government’s latest consideration of cutting online content blocking timeline to one hour; and more.That’s all for today. Have a wonderful day!Until next time,AribaStory continues below this ad Business As Usual by E P Unny