The New Indian Express News

NEW DELHI: Union minister and BJP President J P Nadda on Thursday tore into the Opposition Congress, accusing the party of being opportunistic and not according due respect to the national song Vande Mataram. Concluding the debate on Vande Mataram in the Rajya Sabha, Nadda asserted that the government does not want to tarnish the image of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and that its only intention was to set the historical records straight. Vande Mataram did not receive the due respect th

NEW DELHI: NCP-SCP MP Fauzia Khan on Thursday said in Rajya Sabha that as many as 766 farmers have died by suicide in Maharashtra in the last three months, and questioned when farmers will ecome dear to the government. Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Khan said Maharashtra leads the country in farmer suicides, with the state government informing the Assembly about the 766 deaths in three months. Of these, 676 families received government aid, while 200 were denied assistan

NEW DELHI: BJD Rajya Sabha member Manas Ranjan Mangaraj on Thursday appealed to the government to relocate Parliament's Winter and Budget sessions out of Delhi until air quality improves, calling the capital's annual pollution crisis a man-made disaster. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Mangaraj, who hails from Odisha, drew parallels between his state's efficient response to natural calamities and the need for similar urgency in addressing Delhi's air pollution. Coming from Odisha, a state th

NEW DELHI : The Lok Sabha on Thursday extended the tenure of the parliamentary committee examining bills that seek to introduce simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. Committee Chairman P P Chaudhary moved the motion seeking extension of the tenure of the Joint Committee on the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, up to the first day of the last week of the 2026 Budget session. The Lok Sabha adopted the m

CHANDIGARH: A man was shot dead by three car-borne assailants in the parking lot of a court in Abohar in Punjab's Fazilka district, where he had come for a hearing in an Arms Act case, police said. Akash alias Golu Pandit, a resident of Abohar, was rushed to the hospital, where he succumbed, police said. Fazilka Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gurmeet Singh said the three assailants came in a car and one of them opened fire at Akash, who had come to court for a hearing in an Arms Act case.

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said he directly challenged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss his press conferences on vote chori in Parliament but did not get any answer. A day after the Lok Sabha witnessed a heated exchange between him and Shah during a debate on election reforms, Gandhi claimed that Shah appeared to be under pressure. He (Shah) used the wrong language, his hands were shaking, you would have seen all this. He is under pressure mentally that was witne

NEW DELHI: After both Houses held a debate on 150 years of Vande Mataram, the Congress on Thursday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his entire brigade have been thoroughly ruised and exposed for their lies. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh noted that the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha debated Vande Mataram for three days. The national anthem also figured in some speeches, he said in a post on X. It is clear that the PM and his entire brigade have NOT rea

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday handed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh a copy of Vallabhbhai Patels daughter Maniben Patels original diary entries in Gujarati, asserting that they contain no reference to Singhs claim that Jawaharlal Nehru wanted to construct the Babri Masjid using public funds. Ramesh met Singh outside Parliaments Makar Dwar and presented him with the Gujarati pages alongside a Hindi translation. When Ramesh urged him to read the entries, Singh responded that he did not

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a plea filed by former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt seeking seeking suspension of the 20-year jail sentence imposed on him in a 1996 drug seizure case. A bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi said it was not inclined to entertain the matter. The top court was hearing an appeal filed by Bhatt seeking suspension of sentence in the case. A sessions court in Palanpur town of Gujarat's Banaskantha district had sentenced Bhatt to 20 years in th

MUMBAI: Crisis-hit IndiGo cancelled 60 flights from Bengaluru Airport on Thursday, as safety watchdog DGCA tightened its scrutiny following large-scale disruptions in services on account of planning failures related to the implementation of new pilot and crew duty norms, a source said. IndiGo has cancelled 60 flights -- 32 arrivals and 28 departures from Bengaluru Airport, the source said. Meanwhile, IndiGo CEO Piter Elbers has been summoned by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to

The Thailand Police have detained Saurabh Luthra and his brother Gaurav Luthra, who fled India after a fire at their Goa nightclub claimed 25 lives, officials said on Thursday. Senior officials confirmed that the duo was apprehended in Phuket following a request from the Indian government. The brothers, against whom an Interpol Blue Corner Notice had been issued, had fled India within hours of the tragedy. According to officials, the Luthras booked their tickets for Phuket through an online trav

Electoral reforms, Vande Mataram to be discussed in Rajya Sabha today The Rajya Sabha is set for a charged sitting on Thursday, as the Upper House is prepared to take up discussions on the 150th anniversary of the national song Vande Mataram and the long-running debate over the Special Intensive Review (SIR). Both issues have already sparked heated exchanges in the Lok Sabha earlier this week, setting a combative tone for the ninth day of the Winter Session. Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sab

MUMBAI: Mumbai Customs have seized hydroponic weed, gold and diamonds, collectively valued at Rs 45 crore, that were being smuggled through the airport here and arrested 12 passengers, officials said. The seizures were made during operations conducted between December 3 and 10 at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, they said. Based on specific information, the Customs personnel apprehended nine passengers and recovered hydroponic weed (marijuana) valued at Rs 37.26 crore from

GUWAHATI: A massive fire that broke out at a commercial complex in Guwahati remained untamed for over 33 hours even as more than two dozen fire tenders have been struggling to douse the blaze, a senior official said on Thursday. The fire broke out at Swagata Square Complex in ABC Point around 12.30 am on Wednesday. The multi-storey building houses SBI's zonal office, commercial branch and the premium banking branch, and a shopping mall, 'Sohum Emporia'. More than 25 fire tenders have been strugg

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The second phase of polling in the crucial local body elections commenced in seven districts of Kerala on Thursday morning with the turnout crossing 8 per cent in the first two hours of voting. Voters began casting ballots from 7 am at the 18,274 polling stations in the districts of Thrissur, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod. Polling will conclude at 6 pm. People of all ages and professions, including political leaders, queued up at polling stati

NEW DELHI: Backing Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhis call for electoral reform, several Opposition MPs on Wednesday pushed for cleaner and more transparent systems. Their key demands included machine-readable voter lists, a reversal of the 45-day CCTV data wipe-out rule, greater access to EVMs, and an overhaul of what they described as laws that let election commissioners act with impunity. On the second day of the Lok Sabha debate on Electoral Reforms, Congress MP K. C. Venugopal accused the g

NEW DELHI: In a rebuttal to opposition parties vociferous demand on reverting to paper ballot elections, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday said it would mean going back to the days of booth capturing. Participating in a debate in Lok Sabha on election reforms, the former Union law minister said the opposition should not talk of returning to the old ballot paper system. There are at least two dozen Supreme Court and high court judgments validating the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs

NEW DELHI: Opposition parties led by the Congress on Wednesday staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha after a BJP MP withdrew a question he had originally posed to Home Minister Amit Shah on strengthening the countrys forensic capabilities. BJP MP Adiya Prasad had submitted the question as a Starred Question, which normally requires the minister to answer orally and allows MPs to ask immediate follow-up questions. According to the official Question List on the Rajya Sabha website, Prasads question

An attempt by some people to cut and steal sandalwood trees from the Vidhan Sabha premises has exposed the state of security at the assembly complex. Notably, it happened while the winter session was underway. While one tree was felled, two others bore deep saw marks. Just two weeks earlier, thieves had cut down a sandalwood tree outside the DFO office in the VVIP 74 Bungalow area of Bhopal. In November last week, six sandalwood trees were felled and three of them stolen from the Gufa Mandir pre

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government has begun to implement an advanced tech-driven system to track infiltrators and contain infiltration. Officials say the system can eventually be used nationwide. According to the governments media cell, a biometric database of people identified as infiltrators is being created. It will include fingerprints, facial recognition data and other unique identifiers, stored in a national negative list. Senior officials said this list will be shared with all state a

NEW DELHI: At the meeting of the high level committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to select the new Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and commissioners, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi submitted a dissent note on the lack of representation in the list from the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC)s. The committee met on Wednesday and is learnt to have decided on the appointment of CIC and eight Information Commissioners. Sources said

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing irregularities in land compensation in NOIDA to investigate the authoritys chief executive officers and top officials over the past 10-15 years. The court granted the SIT an additional two months to complete its investigation. A three-judge bench, headed by CJI Surya Kant and comprising Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and N Kotiswar Singh, made it clear that farmers who received higher compensation, allegedly i

NEW DELHI: AS the US and India look to finalise a broader bilateral trade agreement, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has said that Indias offers are the best Washington has received, though challenges remain in getting New Delhi to open up its agriculture sector. There is resistance in India for certain crops and meats and products. They are a difficult nut to crack but they have been quite forward leaning. The types of offers they have been talking to us about are one of the best that we

GUWAHATI: Five of a nine-member group are missing after they reportedly ventured into the Brahmaputra River off Guwahatis Kharghuli area on Wednesday afternoon. According to locals, a group of nine people had visited Bhakti Kutir, a Krishna temple near the river, where the incident occurred. Around 12:50 pm, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) received a call reporting that four to five people were missing. The caller said there were eight to nine people and four to five of them were mis

NEW DELHI: IndiGo s top management has broken its silence on the massive travel chaos earlier this month, with Chairman of InterGlobe Aviation Limited, Vikram Singh Mehta, issuing a public apology and announcing corrective steps to prevent such disruptions in the future. In a 7.43-minute video released on Wednesday, Mehta apologised repeatedly for the ordeal faced by passengers and denied allegations that the crisis was engineered or mishandled deliberately. The Board has decided it will involve

NEW DELHI: The Civil Aviation Ministry has formed an eight-member oversight team to monitor airports across the country after large-scale disruptions by IndiGo left thousands of passengers stranded . The team, drawn entirely from the DGCAs administration department, will track airline operations and passenger welfare on a daily basis. The DGCA members on the team include Captain Vikram Sharma, Deputy Chief Flight Operations Inspector; Captain Kapil Mangalik, Senior Flight Operations Inspector (S

JAIPUR: The first-ever Pravasi Rajasthani Divas began in Jaipur on Wednesday, marking a major step toward boosting industrial growth in the state. Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma inaugurated the event, which included a groundbreaking ceremony for investment proposals worth over Rs 1 lakh crore. The government said these projects would usher in a new era of economic development in Rajasthan. The state also unveiled the NRR Policy-2025 for overseas Rajasthanis and launched the Rajasthan Developmen

The Narendra Modi governments policy, Shah asserted, was unambiguous -- detect all aliens, delete their names from the rolls and throw them out of the country. Shah argued that the opposition had raised the issue only because it could no longer win elections through corrupt practices, asserting that the Congress repeated poll defeats stemmed from its leadership and not from EVMs or vote chori (vote theft). Intervening in the debate on electoral reforms, Shah rebutted the oppositions charges. His

NEW DELHI: Of the 265 complaints received on the SHe-Box portal, which serves as a unified platform for women across the country to file complaints of sexual harassment, 85 complaints have been disposed of, the centre informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. In a written reply, Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Savitri Thakur, said, the ministry had launched the SHe-Box portal, which encompassed various provisions of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibi

MUMBAI: Maharashtra moves closer to eliminating the Maoist threat by March 2026 as 11 senior Maoist cadres, including four commanders with a combined bounty of Rs 82 lakh, surrendered before state police chief Rashmi Shukla in Gadchiroli. Among the surrendered leaders were divisional committee members Ramesh alias Baju Lekami and Bhima alias Kiran Hidma Kowasi. Lekami, associated with the movement since 2004, served as president of the Edasgondi Gaon Panchayat Janatana Sarkar before becoming a d

GUWAHATI: A UK-based travel vlogger alleged she and her friend were harassed at the December 8 concert of American singer-rapper Post Malone in Guwahati. Taking to social media, the British woman alleged that the two of them were touched without consent. The alleged incident took place soon after they had entered the concert venue at the Veterinary College ground. The Assam Police took note of the allegation and made attempts to reach out to both. The British citizen complained about harassment

NEW DELHI: Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the home minister, and the ruling party during the Rajya Sabha debate on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram , accusing them of deliberately distorting historical facts for political gain. Ramesh said the debate exposed far too little history in our politics and far too much politics in our history, claiming the ruling party aimed to malign Indias first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that activist Sharjeel Imam's speeches can be attributed to other accused and can be used as evidence against them in the February 2020 Delhi riots. Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the Delhi Police, submitted before a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria that all participants are liable for each other's acts in a conspiracy. Acts of one conspirator can be attributed to others. Sharjeel Imam's speeches

LUCKNOW: Five people, including two women, two young girls and a man, were killed on Wednesday afternoon when two cars collided head-on and caught fire on the Purvanchal Expressway in Barabanki. Subehana police reported that a Maruti Suzuki Brezza travelling from Lucknow to Azamgarh collided head-on with a WagonR coming from the opposite direction. The WagonR caught fire first, soon followed by the Brezza. The Brezza carried four people three women and a young girl with the women surviving whil

RANCHI: Coal India Chairman, Sanoj Kumar Jha, after visiting the affected toxic gas leak area, said that with carbon monoxide levels reaching dangerous heights, relocation has become essential as a precautionary measure. Looking at the gravity of the situation, he visited the affected area on Wednesday to take stock. After receiving reports from technical teams, he termed the situation extremely serious, adding that it is unlikely to improve on its own. Therefore, temporary relocation of affecte

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Police has dismantled a highly organised cross-border drug cartel linked to foreign-based handlers who used WhatsApp communication and drone-based deliveries for smuggling, with the arrest of three operatives and recovery of 4.083 kg methamphetamine (ICE) and 1.032 kg heroin from their possession. Punjab Police said the cartel operated through Pakistan-based and other foreign handlers who relied on WhatsApp and drone drops to move contraband across the border. Director General

Speaking during the discussion on electoral reforms in Lok Sabha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the BJP-led Centre had not agreed to the Opposition's demands for a debate on the SIR due to technical reasons. For two days, we told the Opposition that this should be discussed later, after two Sessions. But they didn't relent. We agreed...Why did we say 'No'? There were two reasons for the 'No'. One, they wanted a discussion on SIR. I am very clear that there cannot be a discussion on SIR

The BJP and Shiv Sena have decided to bury their differences and contest the polls to Asia's largest civic body -- the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) -- together as part of the Mahayuti. They also agreed to set up a coordination committee to resolve any differences. In a meeting, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, state BJP president Ravindra Chavan and revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule decided to forget the bitterness that arose

PATNA: The newly formed Bihar government has started tightening its noose around land mafias operating in the state. Deputy Chief Minister and state land revenue and reforms minister Vijay Kumar Sinha on Wednesday warned department officers and employees of stern action if they were found colluding with land mafias. Addressing a press conference at his official chamber, Sinha said reports had emerged about some departmental officers and employees having a nexus with land mafias. Nobody will be s

RANCHI: In a significant move, Jharkhand Government has made a proposal in the Assembly to name the Lok Bhawan in Ranchi as Birsa Munda Bhawan after the tribal icon, Bhagwan Birsa Munda, and the Lok Bhawan in Dumka after Santhal rebellion, Sido-Kanu Murmu. The proposal was made by the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Radhakrishna Kishore in the Assembly on Wednesday. The minister announced in the House that Ranchi's main Raj Bhavan will be named as Birsa Bhavan, and Dumka's Raj Bhavan will be call

RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh cabinet on Wednesday approved a series of measures to enable the withdrawal of criminal cases against Maoists who have surrendered under the states Naxal Surrender/Victim Relief & Rehabilitation Policy2025. To implement this, the government will set up a Cabinet sub-committee to review and scrutinise cases eligible for withdrawal based on the good conduct of surrendered Maoists and their contribution to curbing Left-wing extremism. After evaluation, the sub-committee wil

DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand Forest Department is once again engulfed in controversy over the appointment to its top post, as a decision by the state government to bypass seniority rules has prompted the most senior officer to challenge the appointment in the High Court. In an unprecedented move, the state government appointed Ranjan Kumar Mishra as the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (HoFF), the chief of the entire department, overruling the claims of his senior colleague, BP Gupta. Gupta h

LUCKNOW: Former IG and Chief of Azad Adhikar Sena Amitabh Thakur was picked up by Uttar Pradesh Police from SitapurMaholi border while he was on his way to Delhi from Lucknow on Wednesday. Police officers in plain clothes boarded the train and took him off in connection with an alleged case of fraud and cheating to secure an industrial plot in Deoria by misusing his official position in 1999. Police action came after the ex-cop did not cooperate with the investigation. Amitabh Thakur and his wif

GUWAHATI: The Assam government honoured the 860 martyrs of the Assam Agitation, also known as the Anti-Immigrants Agitation, on the Swahid Diwas on Wednesday. The Swahid Diwas marks the death anniversary of Khargeswar Talukdar, the first victim of the six-year-long agitation (1979-85). Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurated the Swahid Smarak Kshetra in Guwahati. It is an honour of a lifetime to dedicate the Swahid Smarak Kshetra in memory of our bravehearts who fought for the pride of Aa

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chargesheeted 30 people, including two Chinese nationals, for allegedly cheating people during the Covid-19 lockdown in the name of investment, the agency said on Wednesday. The case pertains to HPZ Token Investment Fraud case, where Shigoo Technology Pvt. Ltd. entity owned and controlled by Chinese, cheated people during the Covid-19 lockdown. The accused launched a fake mobile application titled HPZ Tokens, claiming that investments would be used for c

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday questioned the absence of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawars son, Parth Pawar, from the FIR in the Pune land scam. Parth Pawar is linked to a 40-acre prime land deal in Pune. His firm, Amadea Enterprises LLP, purchased Mahar Watan land valued at around Rs 2,000 crore, allegedly securing a waiver of Rs 25 crore in stamp duty and registration fees by claiming plans to develop an IT hub. The massive transaction was executed on a Rs 500 stamp paper. During t

BHOPAL: Cops from Malhargarh police station in western Madhya Pradeshs Mandsaur district had reportedly kidnapped an 18-year-old student in August 2025 and then arrested him in a fake case of opium smuggling. The revelations came to the fore on Tuesday during the hearing of the petition filed by Sohans family in the Madhya Pradesh High Courts Indore Bench four months after the illegal arrest and framing of the teenager in the false case related to seizure of 2.7 kg opium. Contrary to earlier st

AHMEDABAD: Gujarats latest education statistics reveal a system caught between falling enrolments and stubborn secondary-level dropouts. The five-year dropout trend sets the stage. Primary-level dropout rates remained nearly negligible, touching 1.02% in 2020-21, falling to 0% for two consecutive years, and inching up slightly to 0.1% and 0.2% in 2023-24 and 2024-25. Upper primary dropout rates have fluctuated over the years rising from 4.54% in 2020-21 to 4.95% in 2021-22, peaking at 5.8% in 20

CHANDIGARH: In response to US President Donald Trump describing Indian rice shipments as 'dumping' and suggesting that new tariffs could be considered, basmati exporters said a false narrative is being spread and demanded a strong response from the Union government. They noted that the Union government does not give even a single rupee of subsidy for growing, buying, milling or exporting basmati rice or even premium non-basmati rice like Sona Masuri. The issue came up two days ago in a meeting t

Raisen (MP): A man from Raisen district in Madhya Pradesh has alleged that his village panchayat ordered a social boycott against him and his family after he ate food at a Dalit's family as part of a post-death ritual, prompting the authorities to launch a probe. The incident occurred in Piparia Puaria village of Udaypura, around 100 km from the district headquarters around a month back and came to light on Tuesday during a jan sunwai (public hearing) of the matter. The village panchayat alleged