Daily Briefing: Maha Kumbh footfall fuelled Ram Temple pilferage; Alpha movie review

In our latest edition of Idea Exchange, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma addressed a wide range of issues – from the need for a “polarising figure” and the conflict in Manipur to Congress’ politics. Sarma, on his political influence in the state, said: “I do not think polarisation is required in Assam. I have controlled that menace. Now nobody can put a finger on Assamese people. No one has the guts to encroach on the land of temples, nobody has the guts to pick up a girl without her consent. Now people have been streamlined, and people have become law-abiding. Once everyone abides by the law, I do not need to talk every day. I have to speak whenever it is required.” In the Assam Assembly elections held earlier this year, Sarma, known for his controversial remarks, led the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a resounding victory, reducing the Congress to 19 seats in the 126-member Assembly.

With that, let’s move on to the top five stories from today’s edition:

🚨 Big Story

An ongoing investigation into the alleged theft of donated money at the Ram temple in Ayodhya Friday revealed that while small instances of pilferage were overlooked earlier, the operation became more organised during the Maha Kumbh last year when footfall and donations surged. This surge led to more hands being added to the cash-counting process on the recommendation of members of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to assist the State Bank of India. According to the sources, on any given day, the average footfall at the temple remains between 84,000 and 1 lakh. However, during the 45-day festival in 2025, it increased to 10 to 12 lakh on peak days.

‘Extraordinary’: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) finally broke its silence on the matter and said it was natural for the entire Hindu society to expect the Trust to treat it as “extraordinary” and take effective steps to rectify shortcomings in the temple’s operations. In a statement issued by RSS Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale, the Sangh said the “highly condemnable” incident had deeply hurt the sentiments of Ram devotees and asserted that the prevailing “confusion and uncertainty” surrounding the episode must end through corrective measures by the Trust and the government-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT).

Now, in Badrinath: The Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) on Friday ordered an inquiry into allegations about the “misappropriation” of offerings and donations at Shri Badrinath Dham. This comes after a BKTC official quoted allegations by a Dehradun-based outfit Bhairav Sena about an employee embezzling donation money and offerings at the shrine. BKTC Chairman Hemant Dwivedi said that the inquiry report will be made public and strict action will be taken against the wrongdoer, if any.

⚡ Only in Express

All for love: Zeeshan, a 22-year-old from Pankedi in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s Muzaffarabad, travelled to Silikote – the last village on the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC) — to meet Iran Majeed. Their conversation began with a usual friend request, but soon turned into a daily ritual. And then on the morning of May 31, Zeeshan managed to cross the border. Later that day, the Army made an announcement: An “intruder from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir” was apprehended while he was crossing the LoC in Kashmir’s Uri sector. The soldiers maintained “restraint while challenging the intruder” and, later in the evening, handed the youth over to the police for “legal proceedings”. They were convinced that he had “no hostile intent”. He was just hopelessly in love! A lot can come between two young people — caste, communities, parents, religion, money. Or, as in this case, a dotted line on the map. Here’s their story.

💡 Express Explained

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The Indian government has banned 16 fixed-dose combination (FDC) drugs, including specific antibiotic combinations and many dermatological products containing aloe vera and herbal ingredients, because their benefits lack scientific justification. In a conversation with my colleague Rinku Ghosh, Dr Kamini Walia, a senior scientist at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), addresses the growing public health problem arising from the use of such “irrational” FDC drugs. Walia explains: “Public health experts have long warned that irrational combinations can expose patients to unnecessary drugs, increase costs and, in the case of antibiotics, contribute to antimicrobial resistance. The last is a growing public health problem because bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites no longer respond to the medicines designed to kill them.”

✍️ Express Opinion

In our Opinion section today, C Raja Mohan reflects on the completion of 250 years of the United States of America and highlights how the repeated reinvention of American capitalism, and now techno-capitalism, is shaping the international order. Mohan writes: “The US at 250 is deeply divided at home and at odds with itself. The rise of Trump is indeed the visible manifestation of it. But American history cautions us against writing off a republic that has repeatedly reinvented both its capitalism and the politics needed to govern it at home and lead it abroad. The age of AI is unlikely to be different.”

🎥 Movie Review

Wondering what to watch this weekend? Well, we’ve got you covered! Alpha – the much-awaited female-led edition of the YRF spy universe is finally here. Starring Alia Bhatt, Sharvari, Bobby Deol, and Hrithik Roshan, the film serves as a spy thriller, old, however, with that old YRF weakness. Shubhra Gupta, in her review, writes: “Amongst the few nice touches is a brief appearance by Dia Mirza, as the mother of the brave Alpha, and manages to leave a mark. And some well-executed action sequences, in which Alia and Sharvari go bang-bang.”

That’s it for today! Have a lovely weekend!

Until next time,

Ariba

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