India news: Clashes erupt in Kolkata ahead of Modi rally

That's a wrap for today's India blog. I will return bright and early tomorrow to bring you all the important headlines from the country. 

Meanwhile, enjoy your Saturday!

The Indian government assured citizens that all pumps had "adequate availability of petrol and diesel," as the conflict in Iran stoked fears of a fuel shortage in India. 

"It has come to notice that at one retail outlet in Tamil Nadu, petrol was being taken in a loose container, which is unsafe," the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said in a social media post on X. 

"Any violation will invite strict action," the ministry warned.

While the ministry did not directly mention hoarding, the advisory is meant to reassure citizens of a stable supply of fuel amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Two Indian-flagged vessels carrying liquified petroleum gas (LPG), familiar to many as cooking gas, safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz early on Saturday, Foreign Ministry officials said.

"In the early hours today, two Indian ships, Shivalik and Nanda Devi, crossed the Straits of Hormuz and are now headed to ports in India," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a press briefing. 

Iranian officials had previously said that the strait was only closed to ships belonging to US, Israel and those aiding them. India's Foreign Ministry has had repeated conversations with Iranian counterparts over the last week. 

"We propose to continue to remain in touch and coordinate with all concerned countries to ensure a safe and unimpeded transit for them in an effort to ensure our energy security," Jaiswal said. 

The development comes amid a steep rise in fuel prices since the conflict in Iran began. As a result of the effective closure of the strait, India is facing LPG shortages, with the government resorting to emergency measures. 

Trump has given an India-like waiver to all countries to buy Russian oil.

DW's Shalu Yadav explains why it gave the "permission" to India first. 

 

Tensions flared up minutes before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Kolkata rally, in the poll-bound eastern state of West Bengal.

Clashes broke out between the local ruling party, Trinamool Congress (TMC) and India's central ruling party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

DW Bangla's Syamantak Gosh, who was present at the scene of the clashes, described how members of both parties were shouting political slogans in close proximity. Quickly, words turned to violence — TMC and BJP workers began pelting stones at each other. 

Local officials confirmed that at least one police officer and a BJP leader were injured. 

According to local reports, some stones were also thrown at the house of an elected state minister, which was adjacent to the venue of the rally. DW is yet to independently verify these claims.

The eastern state of West Bengal is set for a high-stakes election sometime between April and May. It is one of the few states where PM Modi's Hindu nationalist BJP has been unable to claim a victory.

As elections near, residents fear more such clashes will break out.

Eleven Indian nationals have been arrested and charged for staging armed robberies to attain a "victim" status to game the US immigration system, US officials said late on Friday. 

The US Attorney's Office listed the names of the 11 Indians, all with the same surname, ranging between the ages of 28 to 52. It did not clarify if any of the accused were related or simply belonged to the same community.

The 11 accused "staged armed robberies of at least six convenience/liquor stores and fast food restaurants in Massachusetts and more elsewhere," the US Attorney's office said in a statement. 

"It is alleged that the purpose of the staged robberies was to allow the clerks present to claim falsely that they were victims of a violent crime on an application for U non-immigration status (U Visa)," it added. 

The U Visa is available to victims of specific crimes and have suffered physical or mental abuse. 

The statement detailed how a "robber" would threaten and rob stores while the interaction was recorded on the store's surveillance video. The store owners or clerks would wait for at least five minutes after the "robber" fled to report the alleged crime.

The "victims" are accused of paying the "robber" for participating in the scheme. 

Since the start of the Iran war on February 28, Islamabad has been trying to present itself as a "neutral" party, which maintains cordial ties with the Arab nations as well as Iran.

But keeping this balancing act is not an easy task, and Pakistan could be forced to pick a side should the war continue for a longer period.

Read the full DW analysis here.

The Ministry of Home Affairs revoked the detention of Indian activist Sonam Wangchuk, six months after he was arrested under the National Security Act. 

Wangchuk was detained from Ladakh on September 26, and has since been in a jail in the western state of Rajasthan. The preventive detention was made amid violent protests that broke out in Ladakh over demands for statehood.

Several opposition politicians and senior advocates have criticized the ruling government for arresting Wangchuk, and appealed for him to be released. His wife, Gitanjali Angmo, has called it a "witch hunt." Meanwhile, locals have beenlosing trust in New Delhi over unfulfilled promises.

In a statement, the ministry said it had engaged with Ladakh's community leaders and remained committed to fostering "peace, stability and mutual trust." 

"In furtherance of this objective, and after due consideration, the Government has decided to revoke the detention of Shri Sonam Wangchuk with immediate effect by exercising the powers available under the National Security Act," it said.

Under India's National Security Act, a person can be detained without charges or trial for up to 12 months. Wangchuk had already been detained for nearly half that time period. 

A petition against Wangchuk's detention, filed by Angmo, has been pending before the Supreme Court of India.

Watch DW's coverage of the protests in Ladakh from last year: 

India's largest airline, IndiGo, will begin charging its customers a "fuel surcharge" starting today, owing to the "substantial rise in fuel prices following the ongoing geopolitical issues in the Middle East."

"Aviation Turbine Fuel represents a significant share of airlines' operating cost. This sudden steep increase will have a material Impact on all airlines' cost and network, including Indigo's," the company had previously said in a statement, explaining the surcharge. 

It will now charge an extra Rs 425 to Rs 2300 ($4.59 to $24.85, or €4 to €21.73), depending on the flight. The surcharge for all domestic flights will be Rs 425. 

IndiGo currently dominates India's domestic aviation with a 65% market share, according to data regularly released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. However, it is not the only Indian airline to make this move. 

Earlier this week, Air India and Air India Express implemented a similar surcharge on their flight tickets. For domestic flights and routes within the subcontinent, the airlines will charge Rs 399 ($4.31, € 3.77) more. For flights to and from West Asia, the surcharge will be $10.

Two Indian nationals were killed in a drone strike in the northern region of Oman, officials confirmed late on Friday. With this, the total number of Indians killed directly due to the war in Iran has gone up to five. 

"A security source has reported that two unmanned aerial vehicles crashed in the Wilayat of Sohar. One of the drones struck Al Awhi Industrial Zone, resulting in the fatalities of two expatriate workers and causing several additional injuries," Oman's state-run news agency reported on Friday. 

Oman's Sohar region is home to the country's second-largest port.

India's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, late on Friday, confirmed that the two workers were Indians. 

In a post on social media platform X, he said: "We lost two Indian nationals today in an attack in Sohar, Oman in the ongoing conflict in West Asia. Several other Indian nationals were also injured," he said, adding that the Indian Mission in Oman was in touch with local authorities and the employer.  

Ten other Indians were injured in the attack, five of whom were still in a hospital, said Aseem Mahajan, additional secretary for the Gulf region at the Ministry of External Affairs. He said that none of the injuries were critical.

At least three other Indians have died in the conflict so far.

One man was killed in an attack on the US-owned oil tanker Safesea Vishnu. In the briefing to reporters, Mahajan said efforts were underway to bring his remains back to India.

Two other seafaring Indians have been killed in similar attacks on ships in the region.

Good morning! and welcome to DW's India news blog.

This is Mahima Kapoor from the New Delhi studio and I will bring you a roundup of the biggest headlines from India.

The mood in India is gradually shifting from concern to irritation as the economic ripple effects of the US-Israel war with Iran begin to hit home. From cooking gas to flight tickets, prices are climbing — the cost of a conflict playing out thousands of kilometers away. 

That's despite the US giving India temporary "waiver" to buy Russian crude and the Indian government tapping its emergency powers to ensure stable production and distribution of cooking gas. 

Out in the market yesterday, even the local fabric dyer charged me an extra Rs 50 (roughly half a Euro), blaming the war in Iran for increasing local gas prices.

But predominantly, there is concern for Indians in the war-affected region. The Indian government says it continues to work on bringing Indian nationals in the Gulf, back to safety. The death toll of Indian nationals as a direct result of the war climbed to five this week. 

Stick with me as I breakdown the day's news for you.