A new Parliament, two successful space missions and an effective rescue mission to drill out people stuck inside a collapsed tunnel — India had a lot to celebrate this year. But the ethnic violence in the Northeast, Khalistan menace, natural disasters and accidents were a blot on the country’s 2023 chapter.
A month-wise look at some of the key stories that shaped the country this year:
JANUARY
Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was arrested after around eight hours of interrogation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) regarding the alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy.
On March 23, a Gujarat magisterial court convicted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on the Modi surname.
Elections were held in the Northeast, and the BJP emphatically won the Tripura Assembly elections and returned to power in Meghalaya and Nagaland as a junior partner in ruling coalitions. Later in the month, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha after his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his ‘Modi surname’ remark.
APRIL
The country also saw the encounter of a gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf who were shot dead in the presence of police personnel and media persons in Uttar Pradesh. A few days later, radical Sikh self-styled preacher and Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh was arrested by the Punjab police from the Moga district after a month-long chase.
MAY
Clashes erupted between the majority Hindu Meitei community, and the minority Christian Kuki tribal community.
Violent clashes broke out at various places in Manipur during the course of a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ called on May 3 by the All Tribal Students’ Union. The development reopened an old ethnic faultline in the state between the plain-dwelling Meitei community and the hill tribes.
Later in the month, India got a new Parliament building, ’embodying the culture, pride and spirit of the entire nation’. Built at an estimated cost of Rs 971 crore, sitting adjacent to the existing Parliament House, the building can accommodate 888 parliamentarians in the Lok Sabha and 300 in the Rajya Sabha, up from the existing 543 and 250, respectively.
JUNE
The Railways recommended a CBI probe into the train accident.
Over 280 people were killed and more than 1000 injured after a horrific collision involving the Chennai-bound Coromandel Express, the SMVT Bengaluru-Howrah Express and a goods train took place near Bahanaga Bazar station in Odisha on June 2. The Coromandel, instead of going past the goods train on the main line, entered the loop and smashed into the goods train from the rear.
JULY
Himachal Pradesh endured a difficult period battling extreme weather situations leading to devastating landslides, widespread damage and collapse of several buildings. According to the government’s assessment, the state suffered a loss of Rs 12,000 crore. However, a silver lining to the tumultuous month was the launch of India’s moon mission, Chandrayaan-3, on July 14.
AUGUST
Chandrayaan-3 scripted history by successfully landing on the lunar surface on August 23. With the Lander accomplishing a ‘soft landing’ on the Moon’s south pole, India became the only country to have ever done so.
On the political front, the Congress breathed a sigh of relief as their senior leader Rahul Gandhi returned to Parliament after the Supreme Court stayed his conviction in a 2019 criminal defamation case.
SEPTEMBER
This month was all about the G20 Summit in New Delhi as leaders from the most powerful nations in the world flocked to the capital. The culmination of India’s year-long presidency of the G20, the summit concluded with the adoption of a G20 Leaders’ Declaration.
Following the summit, a diplomatic spat ensued between India and Canada after PM Justin Trudeau claimed that Indian agents were involved in the killing of Khalistan leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Gurdwara in Surrey.
OCTOBER
Over 70 people were killed, including Army personnel, in Sikkim after the South Lhonak Lake — a glacial lake situated in the state’s northwest at 17,000 ft — burst due to incessant rains, leading to the release of water in downstream areas.
NOVEMBER
Rescue workers celebrating the successful completion of the mission.
The states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram went to the polls this month amidst high-octane campaigning and poll promises to set the tone ahead of the big 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
With bated breath and prayers, India witnessed the mammoth rescue operation to drill out 41 workers who were trapped following a tunnel collapse in Uttarakhand. Rescuers reached the trapped men, capping an operation that lasted over 400 hours.
The breach happened during the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha.
With its landslide win in Madhya Pradesh, and having overturned Congress governments in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance came to power in 17 states and Union Territories.
On the 22nd anniversary of the Parliament attack, in a major security breach, two men jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors’ gallery on December 13, raised slogans and opened canisters that emitted yellow smoke, triggering panic among the MPs. (With Indian Express inputs)
