Delhi police arrest Lashkar-e-Taiba commander

Russian travel photographer Julia Buruleva is facing backlash in India after posting social media images of hiring locals to paint an elephant pink in Jaipur for a photoshoot.

Buruleva said on March 20 that she was inspired to create a series of images featuring hot pink motifs and outfits because of Jaipur’s reputation as the “pink city” — a nickname derived from its many pink buildings and decorations.

Her post was flooded with hundreds of angry comments, accusing her of animal cruelty. “Animals are not props,” said one user.

The photographer did say only organic colors were used and that everything was carried out in cooperation with the animal’s handlers.

The elephant’s owner told the Times of India that the elderly elephant was only covered in kacca gulal, a non-toxic pigment used for Holi celebrations, for about ten minutes. The animal has since died, but the owner made no connection to the death of the 65-year-old elephant and the pigment.

A summit of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Cameroon ended in a stalement as the 166 attending nations failed to come to an agreement about a mortatorium on levies over e-commerce.

India was among the countries that disagreed with the US over extending the moratorium indefinitely.

Read our report here.

Nitish Kumar — the longest-serving Chief Minister of eastern India’s Bihar state —  on Monday resigned from his membership in the state legislative council. 

Kumar’s move comes after he secured a seat in the Rajya Sabha — the Indian Parliament’s upper house — in an election on March 16. 

Rules mandate Kumar to give up his seat in the state legislature and resign from the CM’s position within two weeks of being elected to the parliament. 

He is likely to take the oath in the Rajya Sabha on April 10, according to Indian media reports. 

Kumar, the 75-year-old National President of the Janata Dal (United) (JDU), has been the chief minister of Bihar for a record 10 terms, making him one of the most influential regional figures over the last two decades. 

Kumar’s political career is seen as an exemplar in coalition maneuvering marked by his frequent shifts between the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition Grand Alliance in the state, cementing his position as a key player in Bihar’s political landscape. 

Indian media reports say that Kumar is expected to step down as chief minister before taking the oath in the Rajya Sabha. 

However, there is yet to be an official confirmation. 

His exit could mark a significant political shift in the state, potentially giving the BJP more influence. 

Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Shabbir Ahmed Lone has been arrested near the border with Bangladesh by the Delhi police special cell, Indian media reported.

The LeT paramilitary has already been charged by the Indian government of helping to orchestrate an April 2025 attack on the Pahalgam region of Indian-administered Kashmir, where 26 people were killed — mostly Hindu tourists.

According to reports, Lone is suspected of continuing to run an LeT cell from a hideout in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka.

Lone was first arrested by Indian anti-terror police in 2007. In 2019, he skipped bail and fled to Bangladesh, the reports said.

It is Monday afternoon in India and we are bringing you the biggest headlines from across the country.

Delhi police say they have arrested a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist, who reportedly led a cell of “highly radicalised operatives.”

And in a significant development, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has vacated his seat in the state’s Legislative Council, handing in his resignation as he plans a move to the parliament. 

Kumar, who is the state’s longest-serving chief minister with a political presence spanning two decades, was elected as a member of the upper house of the Indian Parliament earlier this month. 

In other news, a foreign photographer has found herself in the middle of a social media storm in India after she reportedly painted a real elephant pink for a photoshoot in the popular tourist destination of Jaipur.

Stay tuned to find out what India is talking about.