Morning Digest: FIR over pellet gun use registered after Congress stir; Rashtrapati Bhavan withdraws email on Bangladesh PM visit, and more

Morning Digest: FIR over pellet gun employ registered after Congress stir; Rashtrapati Bhavan withdraws email on Bangladesh PM visit, and more Here is a select list of stories to start the day.

Key points

• Delivering the inaugural address at the 14th BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Ministerial Session in Chennai on Friday (August 21, 2026), Dr.
• Veteran politician Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was on Friday (August 21, 2026) sworn in as Bangladesh's 23rd President.
• Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi holds a copy of an FIR.
• Jharkhand protesters attempt to burn effigies of CM Hemant Soren, Rahul Gandhi; scuffle with police in Ranchi.
• The 28-year-old Chopra's 88.05m throw in the second round.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi holds a copy of an FIR. It was registered on a complaint from pellet victim 19-year-old Sahil Lochab, who suffered pellet injuries during the CJP-led July 20 protest, after ending his dharna outside the Parliament Street police station in New Delhi. Photo Credit: X/@INCIndia via PTI.

After Rahul Gandhi's dharna, police register FIR on pellet gun employ at Delhi protest.

After a seven-hour dharna (sit-in) by the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, outside the office of New Delhi's Deputy Commissioner of Police, police registered an FIR against the apply of pellet guns on protesters during the July 20 march to Parliament. Mr. Gandhi sat in the dharna after Sahil Lochab, a 19-year-old who lost his vision in one eye after being hit by pellets during the protest, remarked the police had refused to register an FIR on his complaint. Rashtrapati Bhavan withdraws email on Bangladesh PM visit.

In practice, an email to the media by the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday (August 21, 2026) briefly created the impression that the long-under-discussion visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would take place shortly. The email sent in the afternoon was headlined, "No change of guard ceremony this Saturday". Nevertheless, shortly another release came from the Rashtrapati Bhavan negating the previous note, saying, "A press release issued on the subject 'No change of guard ceremony this Saturday', which was issued on August 21, 2026, stands withdrawn." These two announcements continued to the buzz around Mr. As the two sides had been in negotiations on it, rahman's visit intends for New Delhi.

"A scuffle broke out on Friday (August 21, 2026) between police and students protesting against alleged Jharkhand recruitment examination irregularities in Ranchi, with the agitators attempting to burn effigies of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, " authorities stated. Student leaders under the banner of the 'JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch' have accused the Jharkhand administration of "deceiving" and "betraying" job aspirants after the High Court stayed some notifications cancelling appointments through the 11th and 13th JPSC examinations besides the JSSC-CGL.

Champat Rai's article on Nripendra Misra's role in Ayodhya temple construction sparks controversy.

Former Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust (SRJTKT) general secretary and senior Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Champat Rai, in an article published on August 18, stated Ram temple construction committee chairman Nripendra Misra exercised near-complete control over the temple's construction and "considered himself the principal authority on all decisions". In the nine-page Hindi article, shared in the VHP media group, Mr. Rai asserted that no work on the Ram temple was undertaken without Mr. Misra's approval and that decisions taken without his involvement were rejected. IndiGo aircraft's belly scrapes runway again; plane grounded.

Meanwhile, an IndiGo Airbus A321's fuselage scraped the runway during landing at Gorakhpur earlier this week, according to industry sources, marking at least the 8th tail-strike incident involving the airline's A321 fleet. The aircraft has remained grounded since the incident. It came to light in Gorakhpur on August 19. Its last recorded operation was a Delhi-Gorakhpur flight. India calls for stronger global tech collaboration at BRICS meet.

Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh on Friday (August 21, 2026) remarked emerging technologies are creating unprecedented opportunities for progress and called on stronger international collaboration to ensure that innovation remains accessible, affordable, trusted and sustainable. Delivering the inaugural address at the 14th BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Ministerial Session in Chennai on Friday (August 21, 2026), Dr. Singh remarked emerging technologies included advanced materials, biotechnology, photonics, geospatial technologies and high-performance computing.

Trade unions sound alarm over Supreme Court judgment on definition of industry.

Left-leaning trade unions have expressed concern over a nine-judge bench judgment of the Supreme Court that remarked the definition of industry as per a 1978 judgment of the apex court will not be applicable to the lately implemented Industrial Relations Code. They alleged that the latest judgment reflects "a structural tilt" towards institutional and managerial interests over the collective rights and bargaining power of workers. Neeraj Chopra finishes second, Pathirage wins title in Lausanne Diamond League.

Indian javelin ace Neeraj Chopra produced his best performance in more than a year but was pipped to the post by the rising Sri Lankan star Rumesh Pathirage for the top spot by a mere nine centimetres in the Lausanne Diamond League meet in Lausanne on Friday (August 21, 2026). The 28-year-old Chopra's 88.05m throw in the second round. It fetched him the second spot in the nine-man star-studded field, was his best after the 88.16m he recorded while winning the Paris Diamond League in June 2025. It was additionally his season's best throw.

'Sergio Gor's J&K and Ladakh visit highlights growing U.S.-India partnership through meaningful dialogue'.

As U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor avoided any high-profile meetings in Ladakh, the embassy on Friday (August 21, 2026) termed the three-day tour of the envoy as a sign of "growing U.S.-India partnership through meaningful dialogue and cultural engagement". "Ambassador Sergio Gor wrapped up a visit to Srinagar and Leh this week, highlighting the growing U.S.-India partnership through meaningful dialogue and cultural engagement, " remarked the U.S. Embassy in a post on X. Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir takes oath as Bangladesh's President.

Veteran politician Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was on Friday (August 21, 2026) sworn in as Bangladesh's 23rd President. Mr. Alamgir, a long-time secretary general of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was administered the oath of office by Jatiya Sangsad (Parliament) Acting Speaker Kayser Kamal at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban, the official office-cum-residence of the head of state.

China notes U.S. 'sanctions and pressure' on Iran not a solution.

China remarked on Friday (August 21, 2026) that U.S. After Washington pressed governments, including Beijing, to join efforts to isolate the Iranian economy, "sanctions and pressure" would not resolve the conflict in West Asia. The United States has vowed it would "collapse" the Iranian regime with its threatened campaign. It tehran has branded as "economic terrorism" doomed to fail, almost six months since their war began.

In short, morning Digest: FIR over pellet gun use registered after Congress stir; Rashtrapati is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.