KOLKATA: The beauty parlour owner who was hacked to death inside the salon at Mahamayatala near Garia on Tuesday, appears to have attempted to ward off the assailant with a blade before he managed to turn it on her and inflict fatal injuries. The assailant, a man from Haryana, thereafter turned the blade on himself, made a cut in his throat, and bled to death. Both bodies were found in the parlour on Tuesday.Cops said the fact that a blade from the parlour was used for the murder and suicide indicated that perhaps the killing wasn’t premeditated.Police said parlour owner Rupbani Das (50) had multiple slash wounds on her body and had bled to death. Blood spatters all over the parlour indicated a violent struggle. Cops suspect that Rupbani may have picked up a blade from the parlour to ward off Rohtak resident Pankaj Nath (44), whom she met on social media a couple of years ago. Sources said there were a couple of blade wounds on Pankaj, indicating that she possibly slashed at him before he managed to overpower her, grab the blade, and strike her, leading to gashes that caused her death. He then slashed his own throat. Even while attempting suicide, he tried to reach for the parlour shutter he had pulled down but was unable to. He was found in a pool of blood, lying against the shutter. An employee of the parlour who was turned out by Pankaj heard a heated exchange between the two.Police are also trying to find out if Rupbani told her husband Anup that she feared Pankaj as the former had started dropping her off at the parlour. For the 15 years that Rupbani has been operating the parlour, she has been travelling to and fro on her own. It was recently, after she returned from Haryana, that Anup had been dropping her off.Sources said that after the initial social media friendship between Rupbani and Pankaj, they developed a relationship. According to investigators, Pankaj was besotted and came to visit her in Kolkata some time ago. He then urged her to travel to Rohtak, where, he allegedly said her business would flourish and she could earn up to Rs 1 lakh a month. It isn’t clear if it was the lure of money or an affair that led to her travelling to Rohtak with him. But what is clear is that after a couple of months, the relationship turn sour and she returned to Kolkata.

Only a couple of days before the Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026), it was confirmed that Rahul Chahar, who will play for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL 2026 season, is all set to make a return to England‘s County cricket club, Surrey, for the last eight Rothesay County Championship matches this summer.

The Surrey cricket club confirmed the signing of the Indian leg spinner, who played only one match for them before. In the solitary match for the team, Chahar recorded a historic figure of 8/51 against Hampshire.

The exceptional bowling performance by the CSK spinner

In September 2025, Surrey faced Hampshire for a crucial County Championship Division One match in Southampton. In the low-scoring multi-day game, Rahul Chahar caused the difference between the two teams.

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After taking a couple of wickets in the first innings, the Indian spinner claimed 8 wickets in the second. Meanwhile, another Indian spinner, Washington Sundar, was also part of the game, playing for the Hampshire cricket team.

It was Chahar’s lone match for the English club. Ahead of another exciting domestic season, the team values the skills of the Indian spinner. He will be available to play for the team for the final eight matches of the Championship matches, starting with the clash with Hampshire at the Oval, starting on 7 June.

Official statement by the club

“Indian leg spinner Rahul Chahar will return to Surrey for the last eight Rothesay County Championship matches this summer,” the club informed on their official website.

With his impactful bowling spells, especially the second innings’ 8/51, he became the club’s all-time best debutant, breaking William Mudie’s 166-year-old record when he took 7/61 in 1859.

“I’m so excited to be coming back to Surrey this season. I really enjoyed my short spell in 2025 and jumped at the opportunity to come back this season when I spoke to Alec Stewart. Surrey is a successful club, and I want to help the team achieve its goals in 2026,” Rahul Chahar said about the signing.

The official of the club is excited to bring back the CSK spinner

Director of Men’s Cricket of the club, Alec Stewart, said that they are excited to welcome Rahul Chahar again after his heroics in the match. The team is looking forward to winning matches in the championship.

“Rahul came in last year and did an excellent job at Hampshire, showing his qualities. We’re. Looking forward to welcoming him back to the group and seeing how he can contribute to winning games of cricket for Surrey,” Stewart mentioned.

Meanwhile, for the IPL 2026 season, CSK roped in Rahul Chahar for an amount of INR 5.2p crore in the auction. He is expected to feature in the playing eleven of the former IPL champions. He joined CSK after a brief spell with the Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2025, where he got to play only one game.

Read More: “Should not play”: CSK legend suggests MS Dhoni to skip IPL 2026

NEW DELHI: Learning from Operation Sindoor, the Indian Army is equipping its armoured regiments with dedicated drone units known as ‘Shaurya Squadrons’. These units are being integrated into tank formations to support surveillance, precision strikes, electronic warfare and logistics, adding drone capabilities directly to armoured operations.Just a few days ago, the Army tested a Shaurya Squadron in a realistic battle environment at Babina Field Firing Ranges near Jhansi, where Southern Army Commander Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth witnessed a drone squadron in action. Led by the White Tiger Division under the Sudarshan Chakra Corps, the 13-day drill showed how drone support added extra punch to the fire power of armoured regiments.On X, the Southern Command said, “Fielded in a realistic battle environment, Shaurya Squadron demonstrated the seamless integration of real-time surveillance assets with mechanised forces, attack helicopters, swarm strikes and coordinated firepower, enhancing battlefield awareness, compressing the sensor-to-shooter cycle and enabling swift, decisive battlefield response.”A source in the Army told TOI that “5-6 Shaurya Squadrons have been activated till now”. “However, the concept of the drone unit integration is still at a nascent stage and more trials are needed for perfection. The formal raising of such units will happen after a formal approval is received,” the source said.The Army operates one of the world’s largest main battle tank fleets with 63 armoured regiments. Each regiment is typically equipped with about 45 tanks, constituting a total fleet of roughly 4,500 tanks, including T-90S Bhishma, upgraded T-72 M1 ‘Ajeya’, and Arjun MK1/MK1A variants.Drawing lessons from global conflicts, including Russia-Ukraine war, that are drone-centric, the Indian Army is gradually pushing to institutionalise UAV or drone capabilities across its arms.In the infantry, the Army last year raised Ashni platoons, equipped with surveillance UAVs and loitering munitions for tactical ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) and strike roles. In the artillery, Divyastra batteries have been raised to integrate UAV-based targeting with conventional guns for faster and more autonomous engagement cycles.

US President Donald Trump has pushed back his deadline for possible strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure for 10 more days, saying the pause came at Tehran’s request and stressing that negotiations are moving in a positive direction.In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he was delaying any action by 10 days until April 6 at 8 pm Eastern Time. “As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8pm, Eastern Time,” Trump said.“Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well,” he added.The move comes amid continued diplomatic efforts, with US envoy Steve Witkoff saying there were “strong signs” Tehran could be open to negotiations. The deadline, originally set as a 48-hour ultimatum demanding Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on power facilities, has now been extended multiple times.Witkoff also revealed that Washington had sent a 15-point proposal to Iran through intermediaries in Pakistan, describing the moment as a potential turning point. Iran has reportedly responded via backchannels and is awaiting a US reply.According to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, Tehran’s response includes demands that go beyond the US proposal — calling for an end to US and Israeli strikes, reparations, and recognition of its authority over the Strait of Hormuz.Speaking at the White House, Trump alternated between threats and optimism, saying Iran wanted a deal but only after facing heavy military pressure. He also suggested the US could take control of Iran’s oil resources, drawing comparisons to past actions in Venezuela.Meanwhile, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid warned that the ongoing conflict is stretching Israel’s military capacity. He criticised the government for pushing the country into a multi-front war without sufficient planning or resources.Israeli military spokesperson Effie Defrin also highlighted the need for more troops, particularly along the Lebanese front, as operations expand.

MUMBAI: FDA minister Narhari Zirwal of NCP found himself at the centre of a fresh controversy on Thursday after a video showing him with a transgender person in a bedroom went viral. The video shows Zirwal asleep and the trans person sitting next to him. Another clip shows the person lying on the bed with Zirwal in the room.Ravi Yadav, claiming to be the brother of Pavan Yadav who’s allegedly in the video, told a TV channel, “She’s recorded videos and taken photos with powerful people. She blackmails and extorts them. She also wanted powerful positions like an MLC or a position on the transgender board. She was blackmailing me too.” Congress and activist Anjali Damania demanded Zirwal be sacked.Mumbai: NCP politician Amol Mitkari questioned the motive behind the video and said it was a conspiracy against his party colleague Narhari Zirwal, who had been the first to demand Dy CM Sunetra Pawar should replace her late husband Ajit Pawar as chief of NCP after his death in an air crash in Jan. This is the second controversy to besiege Zirwal, a politician from the tribal-dominated Dindori district. Just two months ago, the Anti-Corruption Bureau had caught a clerk in his office accepting a bribe of Rs 35,000. At that time too, the opposition had demanded his resignation. Both controversies emerged after Ajit Pawar’s death. After the air crash, Zirwal was the first leader from the party to say Ajit Pawar’s NCP should be merged with that of his uncle Sharad Pawar. State Congress chief Harshavardhan Sakpal said, “This govt should be dismissed. The Epstein files are infamous in the world. The Fadnavis govt has such ministers.” Damania said, “This is a shameful video. The same minister was earlier connected to a bribery case. Does the party want to showcase such leadership? He should be sacked immediately.” However, Mitkari said, “Why has this 8-month-old video surfaced immediately after the assembly session? It has probably been done because the SIT in the case of rape accused astrologer Ashok Kharat will expose powerful people. This will distract from that case.” Mitkari added, “This is a pre-planned conspiracy. Zirwal was the first leader to say Sunetra Pawar should succeed her husband as NCP chief. Then the bribery case surfaced. When that seemed to go cold, this controversy has come up.” Pressure, meanwhile, is mounting on Sunetra Pawar not only from opposition but from her own party members to take some tough decisions regarding state chief of NCP women’s wing Rupali Chakankar and Zirwal. The new Zirwal controversy erupted on a day Sunetra completed one month as NCP president. Some party office-bearers from Nashik, Ahilyanagar and other units have written to Sunetra Pawar seeking Chakankar’s removal as women’s wing chief after her name cropped up in the astrologer Ashok Kharat case. Prerana Balkawade, chief of Nashik NCP’s women wing said, “NCP’s image is getting tarnished after Chakankar’s name got linked to the Kharat case.” (With inputs from Anurag Bende in Pune)

For the IPL 2026 season, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have a power-packed batting order. Sanju Samson, Ayush Mhatre, Prashant Veer, Dewald Brevis, Kartik Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan… All are well capable of scoring runs at a rapid pace, which doesn’t mean that they all will score tons of runs in the upcoming season. Who will be the highest run getter for the team? Former Team India and CSK spinner Ravichandran Ashwin answered the challenging question.

Unlike any of the big hitters, Ravichandran Ashwin selected the captain Ruturaj Gaikwad as the possible contender to score the most amount of runs for the Yellow brigade in IPL 2026. Gaikwad will enter the campaign with a clinical domestic season with Maharashtra.

Why Ruturaj Gaikwad could be the top run scorer for CSK in the IPL 2026 season?

In the previous edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the top order batter recorded 413 runs from seven games, averaging 82.60 and a strike rate of 115.04. These stats are supported by a couple of centuries and a half-century.

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Ashwin senses that Ruturaj Gaikwad will try to play an anchor role, while the other batters around him will score runs at a fast pace. If, according to Ashwin’s prediction, Gaikwad remains on the track from the beginning to the end of an innings, then his run-scoring chances will increase automatically.

“Best batter – Ruturaj. I think he will bat at three. His role will be to play till the end. I feel he will look to anchor and the others will keep hitting around him. That is why I think he could get the volume of runs,” Ravichandran Ashwin said on his official YouTube channel ‘Ash ki Baat’.

Can the former champions qualify for the play-offs?

The former spinner believes that the team has the potential to qualify for the play-offs. To do that, Ashwin suggests the top order batters score tons of runs.

He also stated that to qualify for the knockout phase, the bowlers also need to perform according to the plans as well. On paper, CSK’s bowling attack is looking not among the best on paper, especially after the injury of Nathan Ellis.

“CSK will compete very hard to be at three or four. I feel they are a part of the three, four, five, and six contenders. If their top three or two at least score 500 runs each, and they find bowlers to execute plans and get their top two firing, I definitely feel they will get through. The bowling might not look strong, but in the past, they have found bowlers to do the job. I feel they are in contention,” Ashwin added.

Injuries to top bowlers can be beneficial for the team

Ashwin further explained that as some of the ace bowlers like Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood are expected to miss multiple early matches, the Chennai Super Kings will have a great chance to gain an advantage, utilising the situation.

“If CSK start well, then before guys like Cummins, Starc, and Hazlewood come, you will feel RCB and SRH are having to catch up. If they start slow, and you hit the ground running as CSK, then you are set for a very good finish,” he pointed out.

Read More: “Should not play”: CSK legend suggests MS Dhoni to skip IPL 2026