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The Hindu Editorial Analysis
We understand the significance of reading The Hindu newspaper for enhancing reading skills, improving comprehension of passages, staying informed about current events, enhancing essay writing, and more, especially for banking aspirants who need to focus on editorials for vocabulary building. This article will explore today’s editorial points, along with practice questions and key vocabulary.
Protesters March Towards Jharkhand Assembly; 5 Injured in Clashes
- Thousands of students and people preparing for government jobs from different parts of Jharkhand marched towards the State Assembly in Ranchi on Monday. They broke through the barbed-wire barricades and reached the gates of the Assembly. Their indefinite protest against alleged problems and unfair practices in government recruitment exams entered its 17th day.
- At least five protesters were injured when the police used batons to control and disperse the crowd. One of the injured protesters suffered a head injury.
- The protesters are still sitting in protest at the Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in the capital, Ranchi. They are demanding that the government take action on their demands and find a solution to the issues they have raised.
- The protesters want the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission-Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) examination to be cancelled. They are also demanding a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the alleged irregularities in the recruitment process.
- The march took place one day after the Jharkhand government agreed to cancel three examinations. One of these was the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) preliminary examination.
- Former JPSC chairman L. Khiangte, who resigned from his post on July 22 after the State CID took charge of the investigation, was arrested in connection with the case.
- The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also started looking into alleged irregularities in several government recruitment examinations, including the JSSC-CGL. The agency began its investigation after taking note of an FIR filed by the State CID and other complaints under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
- The protest started at around 10.30 a.m. near the old Assembly complex in Dhurwa. In the beginning, the protest was mostly peaceful. The protesters carried the Tricolour, placards and pictures of Bhagat Singh, Ambedkar, former Chief Minister Shibu Soren and activist Nirmal Mahato. They marched towards the Assembly while raising slogans against the government and demanding action on their complaints.
- Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) leader Devendra Nath Mahato, who has been on a hunger strike for several days, was brought to the protest site on a stretcher. For a short time, he also followed the march in an ambulance.
- The situation became tense in the afternoon when the protesters broke through the barricades and moved towards the new Assembly building. The monsoon session of the Jharkhand Assembly was taking place there at the time.
- The police then used water cannons, fired tear gas and used batons to push the protesters back and break up the crowd. Some protesters responded by throwing bottles, slippers and shoes at the police. A few students also collapsed because of the intense heat.
- Even after the police action, leaders of the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch and JLKM said that they would not stop the protest until their demands were accepted. The protest continued into the night, with the protesters sitting near the Assembly complex.
- According to volunteer Sudhir Mahto, the police again used batons to disperse the protesters and started chasing them away from the area.
- A large number of security personnel were sent to the area to maintain control and deal with the situation.
- City Deputy Superintendent of Police Ajay Aryan denied that the police had carried out a “deliberate lathi-charge”. He said that the police had not used force, but had to push the protesters back to control the crowd and make sure that nobody was injured. He said that the police would not call the action a lathi-charge and described it as “reactionary.”
Air India’s Phuket-Delhi Flight Suffered ‘Rare’ Technical Failures Before Losing Altitude
- The Air India flight from Phuket, Thailand, to Delhi on August 4 suffered what was described as a “momentary loss in altitude”, in which the aircraft suddenly lost some height for a short time. The incident injured 17 people on board.
- According to several sources who know about the incident, the loss of altitude happened after a series of problems involving the aircraft’s hydraulic systems and flight-control systems. This is different from Air India’s first explanation, which said that the incident was caused by turbulence.
- The flight, AI 2379, was being operated with an Airbus A320neo aircraft. The technical problems started while the aircraft was flying at cruising altitude, nearly two-and-a-half hours after it had taken off.
- One source who had seen the aircraft’s automated post-flight maintenance report said that the first signs of trouble were low-pressure warnings and failures in the hydraulic systems.
- After this, the autopilot disconnected and fault warnings appeared at the same time for both the left and right elevators. Elevators are control surfaces on an aircraft that help move its nose up or down.
- The Airbus A320neo has three separate hydraulic systems that work independently of each other. These systems provide power to important parts of the aircraft, including the main flight controls, landing gear, nose-wheel steering, movement of the aircraft’s nose up or down, the surfaces on the wings that help during take-off and landing, and the braking systems.
- According to the source, the technical report shows failures and warning signs in different hydraulic systems. These problems appeared either one at a time or through combinations involving two systems, but together they affected all three hydraulic systems.
- The report shows that nine different warning messages appeared within just one minute. Several pilots said that the almost simultaneous failure of all three hydraulic systems is an extremely rare event.
- The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is investigating the incident and has classified it as “serious”.
- An Airbus team is expected to arrive on Tuesday to help the AAIB with the investigation. France’s aviation safety investigation authority, the Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety, is also expected to take part in the investigation.
- During the flight, the aircraft’s nose moved upward and a stall warning was triggered. A stall warning means that the aircraft is losing lift or height. According to another Air India source who is familiar with what happened, one of the pilots then took manual control of the aircraft and tried to push the nose downward.
- The source said that the pilot may have used a strong control input while trying to bring the aircraft back under control. As a result, the aircraft lost around 300 feet of altitude within a very short time, causing the passengers and crew members to be thrown upward.
- The technical records that are currently available do not show any further fault messages after this sequence of events.
- Neither Air India nor the Ministry has referred to these technical fault warnings in their respective press statements.
Vande Mataram to Be Performed at Red Fort During Independence Day Celebrations
- For the first time, the National Song “Vande Mataram” will be sung from the ramparts of the Red Fort when Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives for the 80th Independence Day celebrations on August 15.
- This year, young students and members of Gen Z will have a bigger presence at the Independence Day ceremony. Student achievers will also be seated on the ramparts of the Red Fort during the programme.
- Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said on Monday that this decision is important because 2026 marks 150 years of the National Song “Vande Mataram.” The song had an important role in bringing people together and encouraging them during India’s freedom struggle.
- “Vande Mataram” will be sung as soon as the Prime Minister arrives at the Red Fort. After the song is performed, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unfurl the National Flag and then give his usual address to the nation.
- This year’s Independence Day celebrations will mainly focus on “Yuva Shakti,” or the power of the youth. The programme will highlight how young Indians are helping in the government’s goal of building a “Viksit Bharat by 2047.”
- As part of the 150-year celebration of Vande Mataram, around 2,500 National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets and MY Bharat volunteers will stand together on Gyanpath, opposite the Red Fort ramparts, and form the words “Vande Mataram.”
- An Indian Air Force Mi-17 helicopter will fly over the celebration venue with a banner marking 150 years of the National Song. The helicopter will also shower flower petals over the people gathered at the venue.
- The focus on young people will also be seen in the participation of 19 Indian medal winners from the 2026 International Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematical Olympiads. These students, who have won medals for India, will be seated on the Red Fort ramparts during the ceremony.
- Nearly 5,000 special guests have been invited to the Independence Day celebrations. These guests include young innovators, entrepreneurs, startup founders, skilled workers, farmers, artisans, sanitation workers and people who have benefited from different government schemes.
- More than 1,500 guests from Delhi, belonging to different States and Union Territories, will also take part in the celebrations. They will wear their traditional clothes and show the cultural diversity of India at the event.
- Around 600 winners of quizzes and competitions organised by the Defence Ministry in collaboration with MyGov will also attend the Independence Day celebrations.
- For the convenience of visitors, 25 cloakrooms at six different locations have been arranged. 20 wheelchairs will also be available for people who need them.
- Metro services will start at 4 a.m. on August 15, and people who have been invited to the celebrations will be able to travel by Metro for free.
Important Questions
- What are the protesters demanding regarding the JSSC-CGL examination?
- What did the police do after the protesters of the JSSC-CGL examination broke through the barbed-wire barricades?
- What technical problems occurred involving the hydraulic systems and flight-control systems during the Air India flight AI 2379?
- In the Air India flight AI 2379 accident, why was the failure of all three hydraulic systems considered an extremely rare event?
- What will happen when Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the Red Fort for the 80th Independence Day celebrations?
- What role will young students and members of Gen Z have in this year’s Independence Day ceremony?
Important Vocabulary
- Barricades — barriers put up to stop or control people from moving through an area.
- Irregularities — problems or activities that are not proper or legal.
- Disperse — to make a group of people move away from one another.
- Reactionary — an action taken in response to something.
- Momentary — lasting for a very short period of time.
- Hydraulic — relating to systems that use liquid pressure to operate machinery.
- Elevators — aircraft control surfaces that help move the nose up or down.
- Altitude — the height of an aircraft above the ground or sea level.
- Ramparts — raised walls around a fort used for defence.
- Unfurl — to open or spread out something that is folded or rolled.
- Innovators — people who come up with new ideas or create new ways of doing things.
- Artisans — skilled workers who make things by hand.
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