6 min readNew DelhiFeb 23, 2026 10:02 AM IST First published on: Feb 23, 2026 at 10:01 AM IST
Good morning,
When Suryakumar Yadav departed, whatever faint hopes remained largely disappeared with him. As the top order crumbled for India, reducing them to 26/3, the chase was effectively in trouble before it had a chance to settle. What followed was less a fightback and more a slow unravelling, as South Africa exposed cracks that had long lurked beneath the surface of an otherwise formidable side. India never quite recovered from the early blows. Partnerships struggled to take shape, momentum came in brief flickers, and each time the innings threatened to stabilise, another wicket intervened. In a fast-moving World Cup campaign, it serves as a timely warning that India’s aura of invincibility can fray and that the vulnerabilities on display will need urgent attention. Read.
On that note, let’s get to the rest of today’s edition. 👇
🚨 Big Story
The surrender of Thippiri Tirupathi alias Devuji, the highest-ranking member of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), comes at a politically significant moment. It arrives ahead of the March 31 deadline set by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to bring the Maoist movement to an end in the country. 20 other Maoist cadres surrendered along with him in Telangana. The development is being viewed against the backdrop of intensified anti-Maoist operations through 2024, particularly in Chhattisgarh, where security forces claim to have killed at least 520 Maoists during this period, including CPI (Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshava Rao.
Weakened Faction: Devuji’s surrender carries particular weight within Maoist ranks. The October 2025 surrender of key strategist Mallojula Venugopal Rao triggered an internal split; it was then that Devuji emerged as the most prominent face of the faction arguing that the armed struggle must continue. His exit now leaves that camp without its seniormost figure and, by many accounts, without its remaining centre of gravity. Read.
⚡Only in Express
Cyber sarkar exposed: An Express investigation has uncovered how thousands of people in Jhalawar district were allegedly defrauded through fake beneficiaries inserted into government welfare rolls. Officials describe the operation as a parallel “cyber sarkar”: a layered network stretching from village-level field agents to government functionaries in Jaipur. At the heart of the scam is the alleged diversion of crores routed through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system. Flagship schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, state pension programmes, and crop-loss compensation were among the primary targets. The revelations have raised fresh questions about vulnerabilities in the DBT framework, long promoted for its plug-and-play transparency. Authorities are now widening the probe to assess the full scale of the diversion and identify additional operatives and beneficiaries.
📰 From the Front Page
Fraud alert: Certain employees of IDFC FIRST Bank have come under suspicion for an alleged internal fraud at its Chandigarh branch, where unauthorised transactions involving Haryana government accounts are believed to have taken place. The amount currently under reconciliation is estimated at around Rs 590 crore. The red flag emerged when a Haryana government department requested the closure of its account and transfer of funds to another bank, prompting the lender to spot discrepancies between the reported amount and the actual balance. The bank has since filed a police complaint, suspended four employees, and indicated that additional complaints with law enforcement agencies are in the works as the investigation deepens.
Talks delayed: A three-day India-US trade meeting in Washington DC to finalise the legal text of the deal has been postponed after a setback for US President Donald Trump in the Supreme Court of the United States. The court ruled Trump overstepped his authority by imposing sweeping tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, complicating an already unconventional agreement seen as outside traditional World Trade Organization norms. For India, the delay offers temporary relief, as market access for American products is unlikely until the legal text is signed, even as Washington pivots to Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act to sustain tariff pressure. Read.
🎧 For more on this, tune in to today’s ‘3 Things’ podcast episode.
📌 Must Read
Extortion surge: The model is simple but effective, and many victims prefer paying quietly rather than going to the police. In Delhi, protection-money rackets have surged, largely replacing kidnappings for ransom as the crime of choice. Operating in the names of gangsters based abroad, syndicates now rely on VoIP calls, social media and encrypted apps to issue threats and coordinate local shooters. The net has widened to include mid-level businessmen such as property dealers, mithai shop owners, gym operators, minor influencers and used-car dealers, reflecting how deeply the extortion economy has embedded itself in the city’s business landscape. Read.
Canine courage: Army sniffer dog Tyson was the first to sense danger when security forces tracked three terrorists in the Chatroo area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district after a month-long search. As he entered a mud house and spotted the men hiding inside, gunfire erupted. The terrorists were killed in the encounter, but Tyson took the first bullet. Officials said the three Pakistani terrorists, linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed, had been on the run for weeks. Despite suffering a leg injury, Tyson continued to assist the team before being airlifted for medical treatment. He is now safe and recovering. Read.
⏳ And Finally…
Delhi in focus: At the Indian Express Idea Exchange, Delhi PWD Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh outlined plans to boost infrastructure, clean the Yamuna and tackle pollution, in a session moderated by Gayathri Mani. He said the government is focusing on pucca roads to curb dust, a new EV push to fully electrify public transport in 2–3 years, and incentives for private EV buyers, while promising all possible steps within four years to address the capital’s pollution crisis. Read.
