The rupee plunged 2313.65 paise to a record intraday low of 27 versus the US dollar during early trading on Friday, driven by further strengthening of the greenback and relentless FII outflows amid the persistent West Asia conflict. File: An installation of the Rupee logo and Indian currency coins outside the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) headquarters in Mumbai (REUTERS). High global crude oil prices exerted additional strain on the local currency, though a upbeat start in domestic stock markets mitigated a steeper decline, forex traders said. In the interbank forex market, the rupee began at 83.19 versus the US dollar, then surpassed the 83-mark for the first time to trade at 83.08, down 19 paise from the prior close. The rupee had plunged 49 paise to end at a record low of 82.89 against the dollar on Wednesday. Forex markets remained shut on Thursday due to Gudhi Padwa. The rupee appears vulnerable, with the RBI as the sole defender preventing a further decline by selling dollars. FPIs were net sellers on Thursday amid a drop in Sensex and Nifty to their lowest levels in 21 months, said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director at Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP. Meanwhile, the dollar index—measuring the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies—was up 73% at 100.25. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, fell 1.64% to $106.9 per barrel in futures trading. In domestic equities, the Sensex recovered from Thursday’s plunge, climbing 960.67 points (1.29%) to 75,167.91, while the Nifty rose 311.50 points (1.35%) to 23,313.65. Foreign institutional investors offloaded equities worth ₹7,558.19 crore net on Thursday, per exchange data. 

 On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held discussions with the leaders of Qatar, France, Jordan, Oman, and Malaysia, voicing concerns about the West Asia situation and calling for actions to de-escalate the conflict. He also denounced the assaults on the region’s energy infrastructure. In separate phone calls with the five leaders, the prime minister urged dialogue and diplomacy to restore peace. (AFP). The prime minister urged dialogue and diplomacy in separate phone calls with the five leaders to restore peace, security, and stability as soon as possible. He also addressed the importance of guaranteeing safe and unrestricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Get live updates on the Iran-US war here.. ALSO READ | India directs oil and gas companies to share data during crisis, activates Essential Commodities Act. Prime Minister Modi holds discussions with leaders of Qatar, France, Jordan, Oman, and Malaysia. Qatar. In his discussion with Qatar’s Amir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the prime minister affirmed New Delhi’s support for Doha and strongly denounced the assaults on the region’s energy facilities. He expressed thanks for the attention and assistance given to the Indian community and wished for peace and stability in the area. He stated, “We support safe and unrestricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz.” Follow live updates on Dubai news here. Jordan. 

 Kolkata: On Thursday, the mother of the victim in the RG Kar rape and murder case voiced her intention to run in the forthcoming assembly elections from the Panihati constituency in North 24 Parganas, the family’s hometown. Protesters lit mobile torches during a rally seeking justice for the female doctor victim of RG Kar Medical College & Hospital at Shyambazar in Kolkata on September 8, 2024. Bu uydurma. She stated that she had gotten an offer from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a long time back but wasn’t ready to decide then. “I got an offer from the BJP long ago, but I wasn’t mentally prepared.” I’ve chosen to run for office to deliver justice for my daughter and protect all women in this state. She claimed, “CPI(M) is indirectly aiding TMC by exploiting my daughter’s death for political gain.” West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya stayed silent on the matter, though the party’s candidate list excluded the Panihati seat, sparking rumors of a possible future choice. BJP state unit chief spokesperson Debjit Sarkar noted that only the party’s parliamentary committee in Delhi holds decision-making authority. “I saw her on television.” “I sympathize with her personally, but I can’t comment without clearance from our parliamentary committee,” he said. CPI(M) state secretary Md Salim rejected the allegation. “The BJP and RSS exploited the incident, while the CPI(M) supported the family.” Salim said, “Our youth leaders abandoned former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s funeral procession midway and hurried to assist the family amid an emergency.” 

 Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan submitted his nomination papers on Thursday as the Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate for the Dharmadam Assembly constituency in Kannur district. (PTI) Chief Minister Vijayan, the first major party candidate to file nomination papers for the upcoming assembly elections, submitted them to Returning Officer Sachin Krishna at the Sub-Registrar Office in Thalassery around 8:03 a.m. He was accompanied by his Communist Party of India (Marxist) colleagues EP Jayarajan, AN Shamseer, KK Rajesh, and P Sasi. Incidentally, Vijayan filed his nomination papers on the 28th death anniversary of EMS Namboodiripad, Kerala’s inaugural chief minister and communist icon. Although the CPI(M) had initially scheduled a roadshow with thousands of supporters from the chief minister’s native village of Pinarayi to the sub-registrar’s office, Vijayan skipped it and went straight to the office. He stayed there for about 15 minutes before heading to Malappuram for party events marking EMS’s death anniversary. This marks the third occasion that Pinarayi Vijayan has submitted nomination papers as a party candidate in the Dharmadam constituency, following victories in 2016 and 2021. He has previously been elected MLA three times from Kuthuparamba and once from Thaliparamba. The two-term CM has disclosed movable and immovable assets totaling ₹1.01 crore in his financial declaration. In the affidavit submitted prior to the 2021 elections, his assets totaled ₹1.18 crore. Vijayan declared movable assets exceeding ₹45 lakh, which included bank deposits and shares in companies such as Malayalam Communications Limited (owner of Kairali TV) and Kannur International Airport Limited. The affidavit also lists immovable property valued at more than ₹56 lakh, comprising a residential property and 78 cents of agricultural land. He owns no gold or vehicles. His wife, Kamala Vijayan, possesses movable assets valued at ₹60 lakh, which include 80 grams of gold, along with immovable assets worth ₹36 lakh. Neither Vijayan nor his wife has any liabilities. CM Vijayan is facing six cases, including one under the Prevention of Corruption Act related to the SNC-Lavalin case and another under ED investigation concerning the masala bonds issued by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board. 

 On Thursday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) overturned the transfer of two senior police officers in West Bengal and paused the transfer of three others, partially retracting its contentious directive to reassign 15 IPS officers from the election-bound state. West Bengal: ECI overturns transfer of two IPS officers, three on hold. The decision was announced on the same day that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sent a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accusing the ECI of having “crossed all boundaries of decency and constitutional propriety.” On Wednesday night, the ECI nullified the alternative assignments arranged by the state government for 15 IPS officers. The Mamata Banerjee government reassigned these officers even after the ECI had already removed them from their original positions and prohibited them from performing any election duties prior to the assembly elections. “Murali Dhar, Police Commissioner of Bidhannagar, and Syed Waquar Raza, Police Commissioner of Siliguri, will remain in their current roles.” Three officers—Akash Magharia, Amandeep, and Praveen Kumar Tripathi—have been placed on hold, with a deployment decision anticipated by Monday, while the other officers will be assigned to Tamil Nadu and Kerala as poll observers,” stated a senior ECI official. Bengal will hold elections in two phases—152 seats on April 23 and 142 seats on April 29. Banerjee, in an X post, highlighted what she described as a blatant inconsistency in the ECI’s management of the officers. She wrote that while it claims removed officers should not be assigned election duties, the same officers were deployed as election observers within hours. She noted that appointing the Commissioners of Police of Siliguri and Bidhannagar as observers—without installing replacements—left two key urban centers effectively leaderless, and hasty fixes were made only after the oversight was exposed. Echoing the criticism, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien took to X to slam the Commission, labeling the incident as proof of “complete mismanagement” and questioning the Election Commission’s inconsistent rulings on officer transfers and election duties. The transfer dispute marks the latest escalation in the growing clash between the state government and the poll body. Following the announcement of the election schedule on March 15, the ECI has replaced the chief secretary, director general of police, home secretary, and Kolkata police commissioner, while reshuffling over 18 IPS officers throughout the state. The Bharatiya Janata Party, the primary opposition, has demanded the complete removal of all barred officers from Bengal, claiming their ongoing presence might sway the elections. In a separate development, the ECI has officially included five departments—Government Road Transport Corporations, Electricity Boards, Traffic Police, Fire and Rescue Services, and the Prison Department—on the postal ballot list for essential serv