Massive Fire in Delhi Bed-and-Breakfast Kills 21 People; One Indian Killed in Iranian Attack on Kuwait Airport; Cockroach Janta Party–Anna Hazare Redux?
Cracks Appear in Trinamool as 60 MLAs Defy Mamata Banerjee, Venezuela’s Acting President in New Delhi to Discuss Energy and Other Issues, RBI Denies Selling Any Gold
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Snapshot of the day
June 3, 2026
Sidharth Bhatia
A massive fire broke out at a bed-and-breakfast in a five-storey building in the south Delhi locality of Malviya Nagar early Wednesday, killing at least 21 people and injuring several others. At least 18 foreign nationals were among the 21 people who died. An FIR has been registered by Delhi Police under charges of culpable homicide in connection with the case against hotel co-owner Luvkesh Bajaj, who as per the officials, is absconding.
The Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical political brand that has rapidly gained social media traction since its launch last month, appointed three spokespersons on Wednesday as it gears up for a protest against the Union education ministry’s dismal handling of multiple public exam failures. In a post on X, the group, founded by Abhijeet Dipke, named Saurav Das, an investigative journalist, as its chief spokesperson. Along with Das, Vijeta Dahiya, a political researcher, author and filmmaker, and Ashutosh Ranka, an Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur graduate who previously worked with McKinsey & Company in London, will represent the organisation across media platforms. The outfit held its first press conference today in Delhi, where it called the government’s transfer of top CBSE officials an ‘eyewash’ and said it is open to engaging in dialogue with the government as well as the opposition [see also The Long Cable].
One Indian national was killed – the ninth Indian casualty thus far of the West Asia crisis triggered by the US-Israeli strikes on Iran – and several others hurt in an Iranian attack on the Kuwait International Airport today. According to the Kuwaiti health ministry 63 people were injured by the attack.
Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodriguez arrived in New Delhi today for a five-day visit during which she will meet Prime Minister Modi and discuss cooperation in energy among other sectors. Her visit takes place against the background of India emerging as Caracas’s second-largest buyer of crude oil as its West Asian supplies stand disrupted by the US-Israeli war on Iran and Washington taking over distribution of Venezuelan oil, which it had previously sanctioned, after kidnapping Nicolas Maduro. US President Donald Trump had claimed last year that Modi agreed to consider buying Venezuelan oil while requesting to have a trade deal with America.
On the Russian oil front, US secretary of state Marco Rubio told the senate foreign policy committee on the Hill yesterday that his administration wants to end “as soon as possible” its sanctions waiver for the crude to countries like India. India has purchased Russian oil as Washington has repeatedly granted ‘licenses’ carving out an exemption from its sanction on the commodity.
Having concluded
