The Catch Up: 27 December

This is the Catchup on 3 Things by The Indian Express and I'm Ichha Sharma.Today is the 27th of December and here are this week’s headlines.Three members of the Khalistan Zindabad Force, who were allegedly involved in grenade attacks at police establishments in border areas of Punjab, were killed in an encounter in Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit district on Monday. The encounter was jointly conducted by the police forces from Punjab and UP. While the Punjab Police said in the morning that the men had been arrested, police in UP confirmed later that the men had died a little before 10 am. The deceased have been identified as Gurvinder Singh, Virendra Singh alias Ravi, and Jasan Preet Singh alias Pratap Singh, all residents of Gurdaspur.Amid Congress and the INDIA bloc's attack over Amit Shah's remarks on B.R. Ambedkar, top BJP leaders, including Amit Shah and J.P. Nadda, met NDA allies to discuss a united front on Wednesday. They focused on countering the opposition's narrative, especially on Shah's comments, caste census, and social justice issues. Shah emphasized Congress's attempts to create false narratives, urging NDA leaders to stand together against the opposition's criticism.Dr Manmohan Singh, the 14th Prime Minister of India who was widely acknowledged as the architect of the country’s economic reforms, passed away in New Delhi on Thursday. Singh who was 92 years old was on Thursday evening admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Sources said that the former Prime Minister was administered CPR but efforts to revive him remained unsuccessful.Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal expressed frustration with Congress over complaints filed against AAP leading up to Delhi’s 2025 elections on Thursday. Kejriwal criticized Congress for alleging AAP was anti-national despite seeking its help during campaigning. Delhi CM Atishi questioned why Congress formed an alliance with AAP if they had such doubts. She accused Congress leaders in Delhi of aiding BJP in the upcoming polls and possibly making secret pacts to harm AAP’s electoral prospects.Meanwhile, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met with major figures from the Telugu film industry on Thursday, rejecting their demand for increased movie ticket prices. Reddy stressed the importance of respecting the law and not offering any more concessions for film screenings. He also urged industry leaders to support government campaigns against drugs, promote women’s safety, and help with ecotourism and temple tourism initiatives. The meeting followed concerns over a stampede during the premiere of "Pushpa 2," which tragically killed a woman.On the global front, a plane crash near Aktau, Kazakhstan, involving an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190, has left over 30 dead, with 32 survivors. The flight from Baku to Grozny crashed during an emergency landing attempt approximately 3 kilometers from Aktau. Disturbing footage shows the plane bursting into flames upon impact. Emergency teams extinguished the fire, and survivors were rushed to hospitals. Investigations are underway into the cause of the crash.This was the Catch Up on 3 Things by The Indian Express.