मॉदि ने विकासशील देशों को कार्बन उत्सर्जन के बोझ से मुक्त कहा

Modi says developing nations unfairly blamed for emissions

Published September 19, 2026last updated September 20, 2026PM Narendra Modi has told a climate conference that developed countries emit six times more CO2 than India. Meanwhile, an IIT Bombay professor has been accused of caste abuse. DW has more.

What you need to know

- Indian Prime Minister Modi tells a climate conference in Delhi that developing nations are unfairly blamed for emissions

- IIT Bombay professor booked over alleged caste abuse after a student killed himself

- Scottish-Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal, who had been detained in India for almost nine years without being convicted, has been granted bail

- India had to replace Asian Games opening ceremony male flagbearer over missing ceremonial kit

Here is a roundup of some of the top headlines from across India on Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20:

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IIT Bombay under fire over caste abuse allegations after student's death

Mumbai police have filed a case against an IIT Bombay professor after a 20-year-old second-year student, Sahil Wakode, was found dead in his hostel room late Thursday, following allegations from his family that he had faced months of caste-based harassment.

Police registered charges against Suryanarayan D. and unidentified others under India's abetment-to-suicide law and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, local media reported.

Wakode's father, Ravindra Wakode, alleged in his complaint that his son had been subjected to sustained casteist remarks and mental harassment over roughly three months, and that the professor — who was invigilating an exam Wakode was attending on the day he died — used caste-based slurs against him.

The complaint also mentioned the institute's director. Similar complaints were shared by other students, according to The Wire. These allegations have not been independently established.

Meanwhile, IIT Bombay claimed Wakode was found using a mobile phone during the exam, but no disciplinary action was taken. Instead, he had been counseled and assured it would not affect his academic record before he returned to his hostel room.

Students at the scene allege that the professor was seen yelling at Wakode.

IIT Bombay said in a statement shared by local media that "the circumstances surrounding the death are being looked into by the appropriate authorities."

The case has drawn campus protests, with students at IIT Bombay demanding the resignation of both the director and the professor involved. It is reportedly the third student death by suicide at the institute this year, following earlier incidents in February and July.

Developing nations unfairly blamed for emissions, Modi tells climate conference

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said developing countries are unfairly held responsible for carbon emissions despite their comparatively low per-capita output.

Modi made the remarks on Saturday as he inaugurated a two-day international conference on environmental and climate governance in New Delhi, organized by India's National Green Tribunal.

Speaking at the opening of the "Future of Environment and Climate Dynamics" conference at Vigyan Bhawan, Modi said, "We know that often the responsibility for carbon emissions is wrongly placed upon developing countries... the historical truth is that India's contribution per capita carbon emission is less than half of the global average."

"In developed countries, per capita carbon emissions are six times higher than in India."

He said India has consistently raised this point at global forums, including at the 2015 Paris climate summit, adding that India is the only G20 nation to have met its Paris commitments ahead of schedule.

The remarks come weeks after devastating floods hit India's northern neighbor, Nepal, killing over 1400 people. Nepal contributes roughly 0.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making it what the World Bank calls a "negligible contributor to climate change."

The conference, which ends Sunday, brings together judges and environmental officials from 17 countries as well as Indian Supreme Court and High Court judges, senior bureaucrats, and representatives of state environmental authorities, according to the Prime Minister's Office.

Welcome back to our coverage

Hello, this is Seerat from DW's Studio Delhi, once again bringing you the latest from around India this weekend.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the inauguration of an international climate conference in New Delhi, saying that developing countries are being unfairly blamed for carbon emissions.

Meanwhile, the Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh Police to ensure the protection of a same-sex couple living together.

Finally, a professor at IIT Bombay is facing allegations of caste abuse after a young student killed himself.

For this and more, follow our blog.

We are pausing our coverage

Over 10 years after my last day as a Delhi University student, I will wrap up this Saturday's coverage of events with the 2026 DUSU elections.

But we will be back tomorrow, so follow DW for more!

WATCH — Basmati rice: India, Pakistan and the race for recognition

One of the world's most valuable rice varieties, basmati carries strong historic ties to the Punjab region, which spans both India and Pakistan.

Both claim the premium, aromatic rice as part of their agriculture and cultural heritage, and are seeking European Union recognition for its geographical origin.

But years after the first application was filed in 2018, the fight over basmati rice is far from over.

Watch for more:

ABVP sweeps DUSU polls as student safety, identity dominate campaign

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), affiliated with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological parent Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), won three of four central posts in this year's Delhi University Students' Union elections, with its candidate Yash Dabas coming in from behind to be elected president.

Independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen made history by winning the vice-presidential seat, defeating candidates fielded by both ABVP and the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Indian National Congress.

In a university facing an acute shortage of hostels, student housing and safety dominated this year's campaign. This came after the September 6 collapse of a paying-guest building in Satya Niketan, near Delhi University's South Campus, which killed seven students.

High rents, non-functional hostels, and a lack of affordable lodging near campus were central issues in candidate platforms.

Declaring his win, Dabas stressed the issue as he addressed the media: "We all witnessed the accident that occurred in Satya Niketan; we do not want such an incident to happen to anyone in the future, and that will be our first priority — conducting safety audits for every college, hostel, and PG."

Shokeen, an NSUI rebel who ran independently, built his campaign partly around the tragedy, vowing not to wear footwear until affected students got justice.

The election also unfolded in the shadow of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a youth-led satirical protest movement that organized weeks of demonstrations at Delhi's Jantar Mantar earlier this year, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in national entrance exams.

While the CJP was not involved in the DUSU race directly, the movement shaped how many voters approached the election.

"Students were talking about what or ganisations stand for, whether they agree with their politics and whether voting can give them a greater say in issues concerning students," one student told news agency PTI, adding that many felt they "should not simply vote because a particular organisation has always been influential on campus."

More uncertainty for Indian workers as Trump extends $100,000 H-1B visa fee

US President Donald Trump has extended the $100,000 fee on H-1B visa petitions through September 2027, the White House has said — a move that will be strongly felt in India, the largest source of H-1B recipients.

The extension, announced on Friday, keeps a policy first introduced in September 2025 in place. It excludes visa renewals and student visa holders transitioning to H-1B status.

Trump also signed a proclamation directing tighter scrutiny of applications, instructing agencies to weigh employers' recent layoffs of American workers when reviewing petitions.

The policy remains under legal challenge, with an appeals court reviewing a June ruling that found the fee unlawful.

The stakes are high for India: USCIS data for fiscal year 2025 showed Indian nationals accounted for 69.9% of approved H-1B petitions, far ahead of China's 12.1%.

When the fee first launched last year, it caused panic among Indian travelers, including passengers who deboarded a Delhi-bound flight fearing they'd be barred from returning.

Opposition Congress party leader Pawan Khera criticized the extension on social media, warning it would make it "harder for Indian students to enter the US workforce" and could drive a "talent drain" toward the UK, Canada and Australia.

He also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his perceived camaraderie with Trump, adding: "Modi bent over backwards to appease Trump. Trump got the appeasement. India took the humiliation and the hit."

Surendra Koli, acquitted in Nithari serial killings case, found dead in suspected suicide

Surendra Koli, a key figure in India's notorious 2006 Nithari serial killings case who was acquitted of all charges last year, was found dead at a tea stall he operated in Haridwar.

Police are treating the case as a suspected suicide.

Residents discovered Koli's body inside the rented stall and alerted authorities, Haridwar City Deputy Superintendent of Police Shishupal Singh Negi told local media.

No suicide note was found and the body was sent for post-mortem examination as investigators look into the circumstances.

Koli first drew national attention in 2006, when he was a domestic worker at businessman Moninder Singh Pandher's home in Noida. The discovery of human remains, including children's, in a drain behind Pandher's house sparked a major investigation and nationwide outrage.

Koli was convicted and sentenced to death in multiple cases beginning in 2009. In October 2023, the Allahabad High Court acquitted both Koli and Pandher for lack of evidence.

Two key observations were made: Koli's confession was inadmissible, as it was extracted after a long, unauthorized interrogation in police custody without adequate legal safeguards, and the prosecution could not prove that the remains uncovered from the "open, public" drain were based solely on Koli's statements.

The decision was upheld by India's Supreme Court in late 2025.

Reports suggest he moved to the northern city of Haridwar after the acquittal. Police identified Koli through an Aadhaar card found on his body.

India swaps flagbearer for Asian Games opening ceremony after kit mix-up

A last-minute logistics problem has cost shot-putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor his spot as India's male flagbearer at Saturday's Asian Games opening ceremony in Nagoya, Japan.

Kabaddi player Pawan Sehrawat is set to step in instead, joining shooter Manu Bhaker, a two-time Paris Olympics bronze medalist, who will be India's female flagbearer.

Toor, who is chasing a third consecutive Asian Games gold in shot put, said he only learned of his selection as flagbearer a day earlier and that his kit was still back in India.

"I'm told that my kit will reach at 3 p.m. at the airport. Reaching the opening ceremony venue after collecting my kit from the airport on time will be very difficult," he told news agency PTI, adding that he had informed the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) that he would not be attending the ceremony.

The Indian Olympic Association said in a statement that Toor would be unable to serve as flagbearer "due to a technical issue."

The mix-up was one of several hiccups in the run-up to the Games, which open on Saturday with more than 17,000 athletes competing across more than 40 sports through October 4.

Organizers, working without a traditional athletes' village, have housed competitors in container-style huts, hotels and a cruise ship. There have been complaints over accommodation quality, transport delays, and a mistaken playing of North Korea's national anthem for South Korea's men's hockey team.

A tropical storm bearing down on the region threatens to cause further disruption as competition gets underway.

Delhi High Court grants bail to Jagtar Singh Johal after nearly nine years in custody

The Delhi High Court granted bail to British national Jagtar Singh Johal in seven murder and terrorism-related cases, clearing the way for his conditional release after nearly nine years in Indian custody.

The court overturned a 2024 ruling that had denied him bail.

Johal, 39, a Sikh rights campaigner from Dumbarton, Scotland, was arrested in Punjab in 2017 shortly after he arrived in India for his wedding.

He was accused by India's National Investigation Agency of financing and courier work for the banned Khalistan Liberation Force in connection with a series of targeted killings in Ludhiana and Jalandhar districts between 2016 and 2017.

He was acquitted in a related case last year by a court in Moga, Punjab, while the Delhi cases had continued.

Johal has consistently denied wrongdoing and says he was tortured into signing a false confession. A United Nations working group ruled in May 2022 that his detention was arbitrary.

"Eight and a half years of arbitrary detention without a clear path to trial is not justice, it is unlawful suffering," UN human rights experts said in a statement earlier this year. "The prolonged uncertainty alone is a form of psychological torture."

Indian authorities have repeatedly rejected the torture allegations and insisted that due process was followed.

What did the court say in its ruling?

In its ruling, the court cited Johal's prolonged incarceration and the slow pace of the trial as grounds for bail, despite the strict conditions typically imposed under India's anti-terror law, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The court noted that 123 witnesses were yet to be examined and that proceedings were "certainly not likely to conclude any time soon."

The court imposed strict bail conditions, including surrendering his passport, restrictions on communication and social media activity, and regular reporting to the Investigating Officer. The court did not rule on the merits of the underlying case, leaving prosecutors free to have his bail revoked if the conditions of his release are breached.

Johal's brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal, who has campaigned for years for his release and urged successive UK governments to take action, called the ruling "a huge relief," the BBC reported.

"I had a long, sleepless night knowing that the decision would be made this morning. Now, all I can think about is Jagtar walking out of prison."

Welcome to our coverage

Hello! This is Seerat from DW's Studio Delhi, bringing you the big news from and about India this weekend.

We lead our coverage with the news that British Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal, who had been detained in India for almost nine years without conviction, has been granted bail.

A UN panel in 2022 recognized it as a case of arbitrary detention, putting the Indian government's human rights record under the microscope.

The Asian Games kick off in Japan on Saturday, but it's not all smooth sailing for the Indian delegation's preparations.

India has announced a last-minute change of its male flagbearer for the opening ceremony after star shotputter Tajinderpal Singh Toor's ceremonial kit reportedly went missing.

Finally, counting is underway in elections for the Delhi University Student Union, this time under the shadow of the Cockroach Janata Party protests and the collapse of a building in the student hub of Satya Niketan.

For the latest on these stories and more, follow our blog.

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