BULANDSHAHR: A petrol pump manager was shot dead in the Sikandrabad area here following a quarrel with two men who demanded petrol in a bottle, police said on Thursday. The incident took place late Wednesday when the two motorcycle-borne men arrived at the petrol station to get their bike refilled, they said. The duo then asked a staffer to fill petrol in a plastic bottle who refused. They approached pump manager, Raju Sharma, 30, and insisted on getting the fuel, police said. When Sharma too re

NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday impressed upon the party's district unit chiefs to prepare for elections for five years and not just six months or a year. He also urged them to make all efforts to prevent tampering with voters' lists. Calling on Congress workers and leaders to raise issues of the people, Kharge said former party chief Rahul Gandhi had built a muhim (campaign) through the Bharat Jodo Yatra before the last Lok Sabha elections and stressed that we have to

NEW DELHI: With the government set to reintroduce the contentious Waqf Bill (amendment) in Parliament next week for passage, the focus has shifted to four NDA allies who have a strong support base among Muslims in their respective states. Amid protests by Muslim bodies, Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday asserted that the Waqf Bill will be introduced in the ongoing Budget session of Parliament, which concludes on April 4. The firm stance by several Muslim organisations against the Waqf Bill

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday spoke to Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of Myanmars military-led government, reaffirming Indias unwavering commitment to Myanmar in the wake of the devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake that has claimed over 1,600 lives and left more than 3,400 injured. As a first responder, New Delhi ramped up relief and rescue efforts under Operation Brahma, launched in the early hours of Saturday, with the first aircraft carrying 15 tonnes of relief material tak

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Drugs Control Department has issued an urgent warning about the circulation of a counterfeit version of the human anti-rabies vaccine, Abhayrab, in major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Lucknow. The department has cautioned that the fake vaccine poses a significant risk to public health. The counterfeit vaccine is falsely labelled as a product of Indian Immunologicals Limited, a government subsidiary, the drug control body stated. Authorities have specifically

BHOPAL: The swift action of two government employees, a Government Railway Police (GRP) constable and a government hospital nurse, saved three lives in Ashok Nagar district, Madhya Pradesh. The first incident occurred on Thursday at the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of Ashok Nagar district hospital. Amid the chaos, nursing officer Mahima Stephen acted promptly to ensure the safety of two newborns on oxygen support. I switched off the power and first shifted the two babies (who were on oxygen

GUWAHATI: Assam digital media reporter Dilwar Hussain Mozumder was released from judicial custody on Saturday, a day after he was granted bail in the second case filed against him. His arrest had sparked widespread protests by journalists, political parties, and civil society organisations across the state. Mozumder, chief reporter of The CrossCurrent and assistant general secretary of the Gauhati Press Club, was first arrested by Guwahati police on Tuesday midnight while covering a protest by t

Bhopal: The district administration in Maihar, a religious city in northeastern Madhya Pradesh, has ordered a complete ban on the sale of all non-vegetarian foods, including eggs, fish, chicken, and meat, for the entire nine-day Navratri festival from 30 March to 7 April. Meanwhile, meat shops in two major cities of BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, including the capital Bhopal and the states most populated city, Indore, will remain shut on five upcoming Hindu, Jain, Sindhi, and Buddhist festivals. The

KOLKATA: West Bengal Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, urging him to prevent Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from travelling abroad in the future as he claimed that Banerjee hasundermined India on foreign soil. In his letter, Adhikari accused Banerjee of undermining India on the international stage and bringing shame to the country during her UK visit. Referring to Banerjees speech at a business event where she spoke about West Bengals emot

JAIPUR: The escape of Rajasthan Minister of State for Home Jawahar Singh Bedhams son-in-law after a bribery bust in Delhi has triggered a political storm. Anil Khatana, a Delhi Police sub-inspector, was caught in a CBI trap on January 29 while taking a bribe at Lahori Gate police station but escaped. The CBI has been searching for him for two months. The case began with a complaint from Syed Anees Ahmed, who alleged that Anil Khatana demanded Rs 2 lakh to shield him from legal trouble over a del

LUCKNOW: A committee formed to probe the deaths of four special-needs children, who were inmates of a government-run shelter home here, recorded the statements of the facility's staff on Saturday as questions linger about its operations. Officials from the district administration as well as the health and food safety departments visited the Nirvan Rajkiya Bal Grih in the Para area, where 147 children, primarily orphans and those with mental disabilities, reside. The team recorded the statements

GUWAHATI: The Voice of the People Party (VPP) in Meghalaya suspended its MLA Adelbert Nongrum for three years for alleged anti-party activities. Earlier, the VPP had issued a show cause notice to Nongrum, the North Shillong MLA, and he gave his reply. In a letter to him, the VPP said his reply was defensive, confrontational and it lacked any sign of regret for actions deemed detrimental to the party's interests. Your approach in responding to the show cause notice further indicates a defiance of

PUNE: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday addressed concerns about loan waivers, clarifying that citizens must repay their crop loans by March 31. He acknowledged that election promises don't always translate into actions and that decisions will be made considering current circumstances. However, for now, loans must be repaid. On a positive note, 0% interest loans will be available. Whether it's Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis or Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, the focus remains o

CHANDIGARH: With summer approaching, water levels in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab dams have dropped significantly46 per cent and 52 per cent below normal, respectively, as per data by the Central Water Commission (CWC)raising concerns over potential impacts on power generation and irrigation in the coming months. The current storage at Bhakra Dam is 1.247 billion cubic metres (BCM) against its total capacity of 6.229 BCM, which is 20 per cent. The average storage at this time of the year over the

CHANDIGARH: Former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Justice Nirmal Yadav was on Saturday acquitted in a 17-year-old corruption case. Citing the prosecutions failure to prove charges against them, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court here acquitted retired Justice Yadav and three other accused, Ravinder Singh Bhasin, Rajiv Gupta and Nirmal Singh, in the case. One of the accused, Sanjiv Bansal, the former Additional Advocate General of Haryana, passed away during the trial. The

PRATAPGARH: A Class 9 student was found hanging in her room in Uttar Pradesh's Pratapgarh district after she was allegedly denied permission to appear for her annual exam and humiliated over unpaid fees by her college administration, police said on Saturday. According to a complaint filed by her mother Poonam Devi, Riya Prajapati (17), a student at Kamala Sharan Yadav Inter College, was not given her admit card due to outstanding fees of Rs 800, they said. She alleged that her daughter was humil

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat has hit a major milestone in Har Ghar Jal mission, ensuring 100% tap water coverage in Scheduled Caste-dominated rural regions. A 6,000-km-long pipeline now delivers clean water to over 68,000 SC households across the state. The ambitious project is backed by a Rs 412 crore investment from the state government. Indias Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) has hit a major milestoneas of March 17, 2025, over 172 lakh Scheduled Caste (SC) households (80.12%) in rural areas now have tap water

LUCKNOW: With the organisational reshuffle in the Uttar Pradesh BJP now complete down to the district level, the ruling party is set to appoint a new state unit chief who will lead it into the 2027 assembly elections. The selection process presents a dilemma, as the party must counter the oppositions caste mobilisation strategy, particularly the Samajwadi Partys (SP) PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) narrative. According to party insiders, caste will play a crucial role in the appointment, and t

AHMEDABAD: The 2024 CAG report on Gujarats Border Area Development Programme (BADP) has exposed glaring irregularities, negligence, and critical lapses by the state home department. Tabled in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly, the report uncovers deep-rooted flaws in project execution. Over six years (2016-17 to 2021-22), auditors scrutinised 958 cases across 158 border villages in Banaskantha, Kutch, and Patan, revealing a pattern of mismanagement and oversight failures. The CAG report, tabled i

MEERUT: An FIR has been lodged against a female doctor here for alleged medical negligence after she left a bundle of cotton inside a woman's abdomen following a C-section delivery, police said on Saturday. The case was registered at TP Nagar police station on Friday following a court order by Assistant Chief Magistrate Prachi Aggarwal on a complaint by Rajni Sharma, they said. Sharma alleged that she gave birth to a daughter at Sirohi Nursing Home on June 30, 2018, where the surgery was perform

NEW DELHI: A recent analysis has revealed that Mumbai is experiencing the urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon in March. A leading climate-tech start-up, Respirer Living Sciences, conducted a study highlighting alarming temperature variations across the city, which indicate an intensifying UHI effect in Mumbai. The UHI phenomenon refers to the significant temperature differences between densely built urban areas and less developed or greener parts of the city. This disparity is primarily driven by

NEW DELHI: Researchers at the National Institute of Technology Rourkela (NITR) have made a significant breakthrough in bone regeneration by developing a unique bioink that is biocompatible for human bone regeneration. This innovative bioink is designed to address the challenges with bone grafting and implants, which are commonly used to treat bone defects caused by injury or disease. Made from natural materials, the bioink is easy to use for the 3D bioprinting of bone-like structures. One of the

ALIGARH: A Hindu shopkeeper's spontaneous participation in prayers at a local mosque here has ignited a controversy, with right-wing groups demanding a formal purification ceremony. Sunil Rajani, a shopkeeper in the mixed-community Mamoo Bhanja area, joined his Muslim neighbours for prayers on Thursday evening, a video of which went viral. Monu Agarwal, a local leader of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), told media persons that Rajani's actions were considered sacrilegious and demanded a

BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh government's decision to label unemployed youths in the state as Aakanshi Yuva (aspirational youths) has invited criticism from the opposition Congress, which accused it of making a mockery of jobless persons. The state's Rojgar Portal used the term Aakanshi Yuva while listing the number of unemployed youths in Madhya Pradesh and displayed their numbers as more than 29.37 lakh. Minister of State for Technical Education and Skill Development Gautam Tentwal on Saturday s

CHANDIGARH: Punjab farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal has not ended his indefinite fast even though he drank a glass of water after farmers detained last week by the state police were released from different jails, farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar said on Saturday. The Punjab government on Friday told the Supreme Court that Dallewal accepted water and broke his fast. Countering the Punjab government's claims, Kohar said on Saturday Dallewal had made it clear he would take water only after all the

JAMMU: Conspiracies hatched from across the border are killing our children, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary said on Saturday, advising Pakistan to give up its errorism as violence can achieve nothing. Talking to reporters after the wreath laying ceremony of head constable Jagbir Singh in the lawns of police headquarters at Gulshan Ground here, Choudhary said he hopes that good sense prevails in Pakistan so that the three-decade-long militancy ends. Jammu and Kashmir

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday spoke to Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the military-led government in Myanmar, and said India stands in solidarity with the country in dealing with the devastation caused by a massive earthquake there. Modi said on X, Spoke with Senior General H.E. Min Aung Hlaing of Myanmar. Conveyed our deep condolences at the loss of lives in the devastating earthquake. As a close friend and neighbour, India stands in solidarity with the people of Myanmar in

CHANDIGARH: Authorities in Haryana have uncovered illegal poppy cultivation on university campuses, with 400 poppy plants found at a private university in Rai, Sonepat, leading to the arrest of a gardener. The discovery comes just a day after 140 opium plants were seized from a university campus in Rohtak, raising concerns over the presence of narcotic plants in educational institutions. The crime unit of Sonepet police received a tip-off about opium cultivation at the World University of Design

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Saturday hit out at the Modi government after the RBI's decision to allow banks to increase charges on ATM cash withdrawals, and said banks have been reduced to collection agents to loot citizens. Giving a list of charges levied by banks, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said a painful price rise and unbridled loot was the BJP's mantra. Our banks have been unfortunately made 'collection agents' by the Modi government! ATM withdrawal charges to be costlier, Kharge

AURANGABAD: A 65-year-old man was allegedly killed and his torso was burnt in a 'Holika Dahan' fire as part of 'black magic' rituals in Bihar's Aurangabad district, a police officer said. The deceased has been identified as Yugual Yadav (65), he said. Police have arrested four persons, including a relative of a 'tantric' in connection with the incident, the officer said on Friday, adding that the tantric is absconding. Aurangabad Superintendent of Police (SP) Ambrish Rahul told reporters on Frid

The Centre has informed the Karnataka High Court that X Corp. is attempting to mislead the court about the law used to direct social media platforms to block access to harmful content. In an affidavit filed before the Karnataka High Court, the government has said that Xs decision to call the government's Sahyog portal a censorship portal is unfortunate and condemnable, according to the Bar and Bench . Earlier, X Corp, which runs the micro-blogging platform X (formerly Twitter), has told the Delh

NEW DELHI: Environmental activists in Assam have submitted a letter to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) requesting the immediate revocation of the permission granted to Oil India Limited (OIL) to establish a research and development center in the Dibru-Saikhowa Eco-sensitive Zone (DSESZ), which is recognized as a global biodiversity hotspot. The Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, covering 340 square kilometers, is classified as a biosphere reserve and is home to severa

NEW DELHI: Carrying weapons and resorting to violence cannot bring change, only peace and development can, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Saturday after security forces killed 16 Naxalites in Chhattisgarh . Another strike on Naxalism! Our security agencies have neutralised 16 Naxalites and recovered a massive cache of automatic weapons in an operation in Sukma, he wrote on 'X'. The home minister said under the leadership of Prime Minister, the government is resolved to eradicate Naxalism

MUMBAI: Three separate cases have been filed against Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra at Khar police station over his alleged controversial remarks about Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. One of the complaints was filed by the Mayor of Jalgaon city, while the other two complaints came from a hotelier and a businessman from Nashik, as per the Mumbai Police. Khar police have called Kamra twice for questioning, but he has not yet appeared for the investigation. Earlier, the Madras High

NEW DELHI: India on Saturday sent around 15 tonnes of relief materials in a military transport aircraft to earthquake-hit people of Myanmar. A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand on Friday, destroying buildings, bridges and a monastery. Over 700 people were reportedly killed in Myanmar-Thailand earthquake. India sent the relief materials to Yangoon in a C130J military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force. The supplies included tents, sleeping bags, blankets, ready-

SUKMA: At least 16 Naxalites were killed, and two security personnel sustained injuries in an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Saturday, police said. The gunfight broke out in the morning hours in a forest under the Kerlapal police station area where a joint team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxalite operation, an official said. He said personnel from the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) are involved in the operation launched on Friday

NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Friday approved two mega infrastructure projects the Kosi-Mechi river-linking worth Rs 6,282 crore and National Highway between Patna and Sasaram with an estimated cost of Rs 3,712 crore for poll-bound Bihar. Meanwhile, the Centre also gave its nod to a hike in Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) by 2% of basic pay for central government employees and pensioners and nutrient-based subsidy worth Rs 37,216 crore for P&K fertilizers during the Kharif s

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Defence on Friday signed two contracts with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the supply of 156 Light Combat Helicopters (LCH), Prachand, along with training and other associated equipment, worth 62,700 crore, excluding taxes. The contract for the lease of the first Flight Refuelling Aircraft (FRA) was also firmed up. While the first contract is for supply of 66 LCHs to the Indian Air Force (IAF), the second is for procurement of 90 LCHs to the Indian Army. The s

NEW DELHI: Union Minister for External Affairs (MEA) S Jaishankar on Friday said India is closely monitoring the incidents of violence against minorities in Pakistan and Bangladesh and making its position well known. Replying to supplementary questions during Question Hour in Lok Sabha, Jaishankar flagged 10 incidents involving attacks on Hindus in Pakistan in February this year, saying India cannot change the fanatical and bigoted mindset of the neighbouring nation. Even Indira Gandhi could not

NEW DELHI: Ahead of the Madurai Party Congress, senior Politburo member and interim coordinator of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM), Prakash Karat has said there is no clarity on moving forward after the Lok Sabha elections because of the lack of collective discussions in the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc. He said his party wants the coalitions constituents to come to a common understanding on its future course of action. He also exuded confidence that t

NEW DELHI: Signalling the Centres intent to introduce the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025 next week in Parliament, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that the Bill will be taken up during the current session of Parliament. Though the ongoing budget session will conclude on April 4, Shah asserted while speaking at an event, We will introduce the Waqf Bill in Parliament within this session. The introduction of the Bill is expected to cause stormy scenes in the House as the Congress and other

NEW DELHI: Cutting across party lines, Lok Sabha members on Friday urged the government to intervene in reducing high airfares.During a discussion on Congress MP Shafi Parambils private members resolution on regulating airfares, several MPs highlighted concerns over affordability, airline regulations and service issues. Speaking during the discussion, BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy pointed out that airlines pass on operational costs to passengers. If a flight gets diverted, that contingency is not inc

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar clarified on Friday that his government cannot waive farmers loans because the states financial condition is not sound. He asked the farmers not to wait for the waiver and start repaying them. This follows the Maharashtra governments earlier decision not to increase the financial assistance to poor women from Rs 1500 to Rs 2,000 under the Ladli Bahena scheme. Pawar, also the finance minister, clarified that farmers should not wait for farm loa

PATNA: The ghost of Bihars multi-crore animal husbandry department scam, often dubbed as the fodder scam, has resurfaced ahead of Assembly polls slated later this year after Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Samrat Choudhary said the government intends to initiate recovery of the siphoned off money from the accused. RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav is among the key accused in the scam cases involving Rs 950 crore. He was Chief Minister of erstwhile undivided Bihar when the irregularities took plac

PATNA: With Bihar assembly polls due in October-November this year, political parties are gearing up for to sway the elections in their favour. While Union home minister Amit Shah is arriving on a two-day visit on March 29, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi is expected to visit on April 7. Amit Shah will hold a meeting with senior leaders of the BJP soon after arriving here on Saturday evening. The next day, he will attend a function organised by the cooperative department and address a public meeting at

LUCKNOW: The Varanasi Municipal Corporation (VMC) has ordered closure of all meat, fish and poultry shops falling under its limits during Navratri, which begins on Sunday. A decision to this effect was taken in an executive meeting of the VMC on Thursday. Varanasi Municipal Commissioner Akshat Verma said that an order has already been issued in this regard. Mayor Ashok Kumar Tiwari has directed the officials concerned to ensure strict compliance with the directive. Besides, the executive committ

RANCHI: Even though a slew of measures have been taken to minimise the man-animal conflict in Jharkhand, there seems to be no respite. An elephant, believed to be separated from its herd, trampled four people to death in Jharkhands Gumla and Simdega districts within 12 hours between Thursday and Friday, officials said. The lone elephant, said to be furious, has wrought havoc in the Bano region of Simdega. The victims have been identified as Christopher Ekka (60) and Hemvati Devi (35) from Gumlas

RATLAM: A pregnant woman in Madhya Pradeshs Ratlam district was allegedly turned away twice from a health centre, and her newborn died after she delivered while being rushed back to the facility on a handcart by her husband. The incident occurred in Sailana town during the intervening night of March 23 and 24, officials said on Friday. A video of the man taking his wife to the hospital for the third time went viral on social media. Sailana Sub-Divisional Magistrate Manish Jain said, At 9 am on M

NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu, once considered a progressive state, has fallen into chaos due to the policies of the DMK government, and people are ready to uproot it in the next Assembly elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday. Speaking at the Times Now Summit 2025, Shah accused the DMK of corruption, which he claimed was driving industries and young people out of the state. He expressed confidence that the NDA would form the next government in Tamil Nadu after the 2026 polls. Tamil Nad

BHOPAL: After a similar demand in Delhi, BJP MLAs in Madhya Pradesh are advocating the closure of meat shops during the nine-day Basantiya Navratri, which begins on 30 March. BJP legislators, including two from Jabalpur district and one from Bhopal, have called for meat shops to remain shut throughout the auspicious period, which coincides with the Hindu New Year, Gudi Padwa. This is a very sensitive issue, which doesnt require any debate. The religious sentiments of the majority community need