News wrap: Rekha Gupta becomes Delhi Chief Minister; Amir of Qatar visits India; Kash Patel sworn in as new FBI director

Take a look:

Rekha Gupta sworn in as Delhi CM: Decoding BJP’s strategy of backing ‘dark horses’

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has joined the growing league of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, who were considered dark horses before being given key government positions.

At 50, Rekha Gupta is a first-time Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA). She has also been a municipal councillor. Gupta’s swearing-in today as Delhi CM marks the end of the 27-year wait for the BJP to come to power in the national capital. Read here.

Indian-origin Kash Patel is the new FBI director, promises to make agency, ‘transparent and accountable’

Donald Trump loyalist Kash Patel, on Thursday, made history as the first Indian-origin director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after Senate gave their confirmation. After the Senate approval, Patel expressed his gratitude and vowed to rebuild the agency into one that is “transparent, accountable, and committed to justice.”

Thanking Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi he said he is commited to restore public trust in the FBI. Read here.

‘Kickback scheme’: Donald Trump on $21 million USAID funding for voter turnout in India

After US President Donald Trump once again raised concerns over the alleged allocation of USD 21 million by the US government for voter turnout in India, labelling it a “kickback scheme,” the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the funds of being used to support “deep state assets” in India and called for an investigation into the matter. Read here.

Gyanesh Kumar is the new Chief Election Commissioner

Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was appointed as the new Chief Election Commissioner on Monday, February 17. The announcement came soon after the selection committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi recommended his name as the next chief election commissioner to President Droupadi Murmu.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi were also part of the selection committee which met on Monday. Read here.

Harassment led 20-year-old Nepalese student of KIIT to die by suicide

Tensions have been high at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar following the death of Prakriti Lamsal, a 20-year-old B.Tech computer science student from Nepal, who was found dead in her hostel room on Sunday evening. Police have arrested Advik Srivastava, a third-year mechanical engineering student at KIIT, in connection with the incident, and he has been remanded to judicial custody. He is accused of abetting Lamsal’s suicide. Read here.

PM Modi holds bilateral meeting with Amir of Qatar Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the Amir of Qatar, Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Tuesday where the two leaders held delegation-level talks. Upon arrival, the two leaders exchanged pleasantries and shook hands. Read here.

CM Yogi Adityanath refutes high faecal coliform claim, says Sangam water ‘fit to take a dip, drink from’

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday asserted that the water quality at Prayagraj during the ongoing MahaKumbh was fit to take a dip and perform aachman (drinking holy water).

The Uttar Pradesh CM slammed the Opposition for ‘spreading propaganda’ that the Sangam water was unfit for bathing. Read here.

Sambhal Violence: The main supplier of weapons involved in last year’s violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal was arrested on Thursday, according to police reports. Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Vishnoi stated that a total of 79 individuals have been apprehended in connection with the riots that erupted during a survey at the Shahi Jama Masjid on November 24, 2024. Read here.

(With inputs from agencies)