BENGALURU l sunday l march 15, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 28 l late city EDITION i-T dept apologises after incorrect emails sent to some taxpayers The Income Tax Department was red-faced on Saturday after it sent emails to taxpayers with inaccurate details under ‘significant transactions’ Communication was part of e-campaign Taxpayers urged to ignore faulty emails The department issued an official clarification after some taxpayers flagged the emails with incorrect details about their significant transactions. The emails were sent as part of the department’s ongoing advance tax e-campaign for Assessment Year 2026–27. It is a digital outreach meant to alert taxpayers to verify their transactions ■ ■ Taxpayers were urged to ignore the faulty emails. Officials said the e-campaign communications are intended only as reminders “When tax administration is increasingly driven by advanced digital systems, data analytics and real-time monitoring, such errors should be minimal,” says Rajat Mohan, senior partner, AMRG & Associates 2026-27 the financial year for which advance tax notices were sent CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Max export via Kharg Kharg Island, targeted in US air strikes on Saturday, is a scrubby stretch of land in the Gulf that handles almost all of Iran’s crude exports.The island is located around 30 km off the Iranian mainland. Kharg underwent major developments during Iran’s oil expansion in the 1960s and 1970s, with much of the country’s coast too shallow for supertankers. Old beach park Kharg Island Airport Hospital Gas power plant Old boulevard IRAN Bandar Abbas T Jetty Oil and gas exploration service 2 LPG tankers clear Hormuz Day begins with America carpet-bombing Kharg island, Iran’s biggest oil export hub R a k e s h K u m a r @ New Delhi With two LPG cargoes crossing the troubled Strait of Hormuz after Iran assured their safe passage, they are expected to reach Indian ports by March 16–17. Each of the vessels — Shivalik and Nanda Devi — are carrying more than 46,000 metric tonnes of LPG, with a combined cargo of around 92,700 tonnes. The shipments will be discharged at Kandla and Mundra ports. As per ship-tracking data, Shivalik is currently travelling under Indian Navy’s escort. Six other LPG carriers are arriving from different parts of the world. They will be given priority berthing to ensure faster unloading and distribution, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary in the Shipping Ministry informed. Besides, one LNG cargo and four crude oil shipments are scheduled to arrive. Daily LPG bookings have surged to around 8.8 million, compared with about 6 million before the crisis, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary in the Petroleum Ministry said, indicating panic buy, ing. “Regarding LPG supply it remains a matter , of concern for us in light of the prevailing geopolitical situation; however, no stockouts have been reported thus far,” Sharma said. Of the 22 Indian-flagged vessels currently stuck in the Persian Gulf, Sinha said six are LPG tankers, four crude oil tankers, three container ships and dry docks, two bulk carriers, one LNG carrier, one chemical products tanker, one empty ballast vessel and one dredger. As for the booking portal conking, Sharma said attempts to book before the minimum refill period will not be accepted by the system. She urged people to use digital booking platforms instead of visiting distributors and standing in queues. 1 Commercial LPG supply now under the purview of state govts to prioritise them 2 Commercial users urged to contact state govt for their LPG refill 3 Joint raids by Central and state teams on curb black marketing of cooking gas 4 Online booking currently accounts for about 84% of LPG bookings Principal makes kids stand in sun, parents file plaint E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @Bengaluru The Yelahanka New Town police registered a non-cognisable report against the principal of a private school in Attur Layout after she reportedly made a few students stand outside in the sun for two hours for arriving two minutes late to school. The students were made to hold their books and stand in the sun. When parents questioned the principal, she allegedly dismissed them, saying if students cannot stand in the sun, then their physical training classes will have to be stopped as they play in the sun. The principal too filed a complaint against the parents and the police have booked a case of criminal intimidation. A video of the conversation between the principal and the parents has gone viral. Home Minister G Parameshwara and police officers have been tagged to the video of the incident that reportedly happened on Friday . On Saturday morning, the jurisdictional Yelahanka New Town police stated they have taken a serious note of the incident, which has been reported under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015. “Subjecting children to physical or mental suffering is a punishable offence. Such incidents should be reported directly to the police or child protection authorities,” the police replied. Evacuate ports in UAE, warns Iran a g e n c i e s @ Tel Aviv, Tehran, Dubai IRAN issued an evacuation warning for three major ports in the UAE on Saturday, openly threatening a neighbouring country’s non-US assets for the first time as its war with the US and Israel entered its third week. Iran said the US had used “ports, docks and hideouts” in the UAE to launch strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island, without providing evidence. It urged people to evacuate areas where it said US forces were sheltering. Hours later, there was a fire at Fujairah port in Dubai, caused by day debris from an intercepted Iranian drone hitting an oil facility . Israel said the war against Iran was entering its “decisive phase”, as explosions rocked cities across West Asia amid strikes on the US embassy in Baghdad, Tel Aviv and Iran’s Ishfahan, where 15 were killed. Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas urged Iran to refrain from targeting Gulf neighbours, many of which have supported its cause. Beyond the Gulf, Turkey said NATO forces shot down a ballistic missile launched from Iran. Oilrich Qatar said it intercepted two missiles. US President Donald Trump called upon the UK and its allies to send ships to secure the Strait of Hormuz.  P12 15 E x p r e s s Re a d Modi kicks off campaign in Bengal, says end of ‘maha jangal raj’ begins Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi kickstarted the BJP’s election campaign in West Bengal by launching the Parivartan Sankalp Sabha rally in Kolkata on Saturday. He attacked the Mamata Banerjee’s government, saying that “the countdown for the end of ‘maha jangalraj’ has begun in the state” and blamed the ruling TMC for ignoring infiltrations and obstructing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls | P10 Centre rules out fertiliser shortage risk for upcoming Kharif season New Delhi: Despite concerns about potential supply disruptions linked to the ongoing war in West Asia, the government on Saturday said that the country has adequate fertiliser stocks for the upcoming Kharif 2026 cropping season. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “What I can tell you is that India has more than adequate stocks of fertilisers at this point in time, especially for Kharif 2026” | P9 Fish kill in B’gavi village as sun dries up lake Express news service @ Belagavi In a distressing incident triggered by extreme summer heat, thousands of fish have died after a lake dried up in Chikka Bagewadi village of Bailhongal taluk in Belagavi district. The lake, located on the outskirts of the village, has witnessed a drastic drop in water levels due to the scorching heat prevailing in the region over the past few weeks. As the water level reduced significantly the , fish were left struggling in shallow patches of water without adequate oxygen and space to move, resulting in the death of thousands of fish. According to residents, the lake had been used for fish farming by farmer Shankar Gouda Patil, who had released nearly 50,000 fish into the water body He has been farming . fish at the lake for the last three to four years and has invested lakhs of rupees. But the sudden dip in water levels and death of fish has caused him a massive loss. CONTINUED ON: P7 Dead fish at the Chikka Bagewadi lake in Belagavi NSA off, Wangchuk free days before SC hearing Govt calls for dialogue Reiterating its “commitment” to provide all necessary safeguards for Ladakh, the government expressed hope that the issues concerning the region will be resolved through constructive engagement and dialogue ‘Big victory’ The Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, which are spearheading the agitation over demands for statehood for Ladakh termed Wangchuk’s release a “big victory” Rajesh Asnani, S u m i t K u m a r & F aya z w a n i @ Jaipur/New Delhi/Srinagar Activist Sonam Wangchuk was released from Jodhpur jail on Saturday after the Centre revoked his detention under the National Security Act (NSA). His release, after six months in custody, comes days before the Supreme Court’s final hearing of a petition by his wife, Geetanjali Angmo, against his detention. On Saturday mor ning, Angmo arrived at the Jodhpur jail to receive Wangchuk. After completing the formalities, the two left together in a private vehicle under police protection. Wangchuk was taken into custody by the Ladakh administration on September 24, 2025, and was transferred to the Jodhpur jail two days later. Authorities had accused him of “inciting violence” during protests demanding statehood for Ladakh and the implementation of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. The unrest reportedly left four dead and more than 150 injured. In a social media post ahead of his release, Wangchuk reiterated his commitment to Ladakh, saying, “I have not backed down from activism. Our struggle was and will continue to be for the security, dignity, and future of Ladakh.” Analysts said the Centre may now initiate fresh talks with the leaders of Ladakh through a high-powered committee. In a statement, the Union home ministry said the gover nment had been actively engaging with various stakeholders and community leaders in Ladakh to address the aspirations and concerns of the people. Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena termed it a positive step by the Union government and underlined that there is no place for agitation, bandhs, or violence in Ladakh. The Congress said the Centre should apologise not just to Wangchuk and his family, but also to the people of Ladakh. WITH THIS ISSUE Haute by Hand PLUS 12 P AGES