March 25: Must-read stories

Data suggests the Congress is not doing as badly as it seems

In various assembly elections since its defeat in the 2014 general elections, the Congress has actually improved its strike rate in terms of number of seats won per seats contested, although it has contested fewer seats. Not only that, it has also improved its vote share, reports IndiaSpend.

Aadhaar now needed for all mobile connections

The Department of Telecommunications on Friday issued a notification, directing all phone service providers to reverify details for all existing subscribers through Aadhaar-based e-KYC (Know Your Customer) process. The move will impact more than 100 crore customers, reports The Hindu.

Sebi bans Reliance Industries from equity derivatives market for 1 year

Sebi on Friday banned Reliance Industries and 12 others from equity derivatives trading for one year and directed the Mukesh Ambani-led firm to disgorge nearly ₹1,000 crore for alleged fraudulent trading in a 10-year-old case. A PTI report in The Times of India.

Doctor-turned-IPS officer saves Bastar Maoist he shot at

The officer first shot at him and then saved his life. Hit by a bullet, Somaru, a Maoist commander, owes his life to Dantewada’s additional superintendent of police Abhishek Pallav, who had engaged him in a fierce gun battle last week in the dense forests of Chhattisgarh’s Bastar. A Hindustan Times report.

Bihar train attack suspect flees to Pakistan from UAE

Shafi Sheikh, a suspected ISI agent who played key role in mobilising people in Nepal and India to plant explosives at a railway track in Bihar last year, is said to have fled to Pakistan from Dubai, where he had been staying, according to a Home Ministry official. A report by The Hindu.