Explained : Indians rush to fuel pumps as Iran war drives shortage fears and Its Impact

India’s government called an all-party meeting to brief lawmakers on the situation in the Middle East.

An MP said more tankers bound for India would be allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the Hindustan Times reported.

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri later told reporters that four oil tankers were given permission to dock at Indian ports in the coming days. Domestic gas production was also up.

Additionally, India’s government said it was prioritizing the safety of its nationals in the Gulf states since millions of Indians live and work in the region.

The all-party meetings, unlike parliamentary sessions, aren’t televised. Reporters usually gather the details from speaking with MPs.

All-party meetings are also held outside the parliamentary calendar so the government can discuss and review important matters.

Typically, India’s Parliament meets for three sessions a year: the Budget, Monsoon, and Winter sessions.

India will develop 100 new airports and expand subsidies for airlines to operate unviable routes under a government plan announced on Wednesday.

The program, with an investment of $3.06 billion (€2.64 billion), aims to boost connectivity to underserved regions over the next 10 years. It also includes $1.07 billion in subsidies for airlines.

The government aims to increase the number of airports to 350–400 by 2047, up from 163 in 2025.

India on Wednesday approved new national climate action plans targeting a 47% reduction in emissions intensity by 2035 from 2005 levels.

Information Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that India, the world’s fastest-growing major economy, ​aims to
lift the share of installed clean-power capacity to 60% over ​the next decade from 52% now. 

The minister said India has already reduced emissions intensity, greenhouse gas emissions relative to the size of an economy, with a drop of 36% between 2005 and 2020.

India’s absolute emissions continue to rise alongside economic growth. However,  the country often cites its low per-capita emissions to argue ‌that ​developed nations must shoulder more responsibility to tackle climate change.

A Singapore state coroner on Wednesday ruled that Indian singer Zubeen Garg’s death was an accidental drowning, Singapore-based Channel News Asia reported.

The state coroner upholding the Police Coast Guard’s finding that no foul play was involved.

According to the report, Coroner Adam Nakhoda said investigations were comprehensive and found no evidence that Garg had been forced or pushed into the water, or that rescuers acted improperly.

The 52-year-old had been intoxicated, which likely impaired his judgment, including removing his life jacket during an initial swim and refusing to wear it again despite warnings from the yacht captain and others, the coroner said.

Mourners celebrated Zubeen Garg’s life

The singer from Assam in northeast India was known for his flamboyant and often irreverent style.

He died in a drowning incident in Singapore last year, where he had been due to perform.

The government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into his death after people protested and demanded accountability.

Tens of thousands of mourners had gathered for his funeral where he was accorded full state honors along with a 21-gun salute.

The crowds sang along to his popular songs at the funeral.

A Supreme Court-appointed advisory committee has urged the Indian government to withdraw the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, saying its proposal to deny self-identification of gender contradicts a prior ruling by the top court, The Hindu reported on Wednesday.

This comes after India’s lower house of Parliament on Tuesday passed the highly contentious bill amid an opposition walkout.

The house passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026 by voice vote even as lawmakers from opposition parties walked out in protest.

The bill proposes replacing self-identification of gender with mandatory certification by a medical board. The government said the changes aim to streamline the law and better protect vulnerable groups by strengthening penalties for exploitation, forced identity and trafficking.

Critics say the measure undermines self-determination and excludes transgender, non-binary and gender-fluid people.

Ahead of the passage of the bill, Krishanu, a transgender woman and a researcher, told DW the bill was a violation of the constitutional rights and guarantees given to the transgender community.

“The bill if passed poses a major threat to the existence of transgender communities and risks further marginalizing an already marginalized community,” Krishanu said.

Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi had also called for a withdrawal of the bill calling it “repressive” and “a brazen attack on the Constitutional rights and identity of transgender people.”

The bill is being debated in the upper house of Parliament today.

The western state of Gujarat on Tuesday became the second state in India to pass the Uniform Civil Code.

The UCC replaces the various personal laws governing different religious communities in India.

Gujarat Uniform Civil Code Bill 2026 will now be the one law to be applicable in matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption.

The bill was passed with majority vote in the Hindu nationalist BJP-led assembly despite opposition by the Congress party. Some members of the Congress party have criticized the UCC as anti-Muslim.  

“This Bill has been introduced for the sisters and daughters of Gujarat. The state has taken a step towards accelerating the pace of a developed India by 2047 through the UCC,” Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said, according to India Today.

“This bill ensures that no community is discriminated against. It does not take away anyone’s rights or restrict anyone’s freedom.”

What does the UCC bill say?

Under the provisions of the bill:

• registration of marriage and divorce will be mandatory, with a fine of up to Rs 10,000 (€91.70; $106.43) for non-compliance.
• all live-in relationships will have to be registered
• end of a live-in relationship will also have to be notified
• any child of a live-in relationship shall be a legitimate child of the couple
• a woman who is deserted by her live-in partner will be entitled to claim maintenance
• polygamy is banned
• marriages by coercion or force will attract imprisonment of up to seven years
• any form of divorce other than a court decree will be punishable by imprisonment of up to three years
• lawful for a couple to remarry without conditions after divorce

However, the provisions of the UCC bill will not be applicable for people of scheduled tribes (STs).

Police in the southern state of Kerala on Tuesday issued notices to social media users and asked social media platform X to remove posts after people highlighted an Election Commission of India (ECI) document that carried the seal of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The document, circulated by the Kerala Chief Electoral Officer’s office to clarify guidelines on candidates’ criminal antecedents, was dated March 19, 2019. It triggered a political storm after it surfaced online.

The ECI said the inclusion of the BJP seal was a “clerical error.”

The police notice said the circulation of the document “blatantly insults” the ECI and “propagates content that undermines communal harmony.”

Officials said more than 60 accounts received notices under IT laws, according to media reports.

Opposition parties in India have in the past accused the ECI of aiding Narendra Modi’s ruling BJP.

Last year, Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi claimed that the ECI had enabled “vote theft” to boost Modi’s party in the 2024 general elections.

The voting for the upcoming election in Kerala is scheduled on April 9, 2026.

Two people were killed and at least 23 others injured when a double-decker bus overturned in New Delhi early Wednesday, according to officials.

The accident occurred in New Delhi’s Karol Bagh area.

Authorities said they received a call about the accident at 1:10 a.m.

The bus had arrived in New Delhi from Jaipur in Rajasthan.

Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has been admitted to the hospital, media reports said on Tuesday.

No details about her condition were immediately available.

Reports said her children, Members of Parliament Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were with her at the time of admission.

Long lines for fuel were reported on Wednesday from across India, even as the government reiterated that there is adequate supply.

As the Iran war continues with no viable end in sight, the specter of its impact on crude oil prices and availability drove people in India to flock to fuel depots over fears of a potential shortage.

Long lines were reported from major cities in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.

In Gujarat, the police have been deployed at fuel pumps to quell panic buying, an Al Jazeera video showed.

Government urges for calm

The government, meanwhile, announced that adequate stocks of petrol, diesel, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are available and that people should not believe rumors of shortages.

Sujata Sharma, a senior petroleum ministry official, said, “We have checked it from the field and all petrol pumps are working normally and adequate fuel is available at all such facilities.”

The Iran war has stifled traffic through the vital Strait of Hormuz by up to 90%.

India, heavily reliant on the route for over 40% of its crude imports, imposed emergency measures and engaged Tehran to secure safe passage for its ships.

Two Indian-flagged tankers carrying LPG have sailed through the strait on Monday and are due to dock in India in the coming days.

Good morning!

This is Shakeel from DW’s New Delhi studio, bringing you the latest developments from across India.

Amid uncertainty surrounding the Iran war and its impact on crude oil prices, people thousands of kilometers away in India are lining up at fuel depots out of fears of a potential shortage.

In other news, the heavily contested transgender bill was passed by the lower house of Parliament amid an opposition walkout.

Meanwhile, Kerala Police have issued notices to X users, asking them to remove posts related to an Election Commission document bearing the BJP’s seal.

For all this and more, stay tuned as we bring you the day’s biggest stories from India.