The New Indian Express News

GUWAHATI: The North East Students Organisation (NESO) has demanded capital punishment for all those who were involved in the killing of Tripura student Angel Chakma in Dehradun. In a memorandum addressed to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the NESO, which is the apex students body of the Northeast, further demanded the establishment of at least one special police station for dealing with cases related to racial discrimination and atrocities on people from the region, and the enact

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday voiced deep concern over the reports of the targeting of the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged Russia and Ukraine to focus on diplomatic efforts to end hostilities. Deeply concerned by reports of the targeting of the residence of the President of the Russian Federation, Modi said in a post on X. Deeply concerned by reports of the targeting of the residence of the President of the Russian Federation. Ongoing diplomatic effor

NEW DELHI: The Centre has warned online platforms, mainly social media firms, of legal consequences if they fail to act on obscene, vulgar, pornographic, paedophilic and other forms of unlawful content. In an advisory dated December 29, 2025, the Ministry of Electronics and IT (Meity) asked social media firms to immediately review their compliance framework and act against obscene and unlawful content on their platform, failing which they may face prosecution under the law of the land. Intermedi

MUMBAI: After a week of negotiations, the BJP has agreed to offer 90 seats to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls . The BJP will contest in the remaining 137 seats, against the initial plan of contesting 150 seats. The party had initially offered 50 seats to the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, but after final negotiations, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ensured 90 seats for his party. Mumbai BJP unit president Amit Satam said that accordi

CHANDIGARH: Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala on Tuesday accused the BJP-led Haryana government of giving a free hand to mining mafias, leading to large-scale damage to the Aravalli hills. Surjewala said that even though the Supreme Court had stayed its earlier order, there was no check on blasting and mining in the Aravalli range in Haryana. The party general secretary alleged that the situation had turned villages and residential areas into unsafe zones. Surjewala said indiscriminate mining

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday the people of West Bengal to give the BJP a chance to govern the state, asserting that the party would replace fear, corruption, and misgovernance with good governance. Addressing press at Kolkata, Shah projected BJP as the alternative to the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and other parties that have governed Bengal in the past. Shah accused TMC chief Mamata Banerjee of abetting infiltration of Bangladeshis for electoral benefit and said his party would

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday asserted that West Bengal will have a BJP government in 2026, promising a transformation from what he described as fear, corruption and misgovernance to good governance. Addressing press in Kolkata, Shah said the people of Bengal have resolved to embrace change and development under the BJP. Shah alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is abetting infiltration of Bangladeshis for electoral gain. He added that the BJP will not only identify infiltrator

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and raised the issue of attacks on Bengali-speaking people, especially in BJP-ruled states. Chowdhury, a former Congress chief in West Bengal, urged the prime minister's intervention in helping stop such attacks, which, he said, could lead to communal tension and possibly violence in the state. Their only offence is that they speak in Bengali language which are often misunderstood by the concerned admin

DEHRADUN: A passenger bus travelling from Dwarahat to Ramnagar plunged hundreds of feet into a steep ravine in Uttarakhand's Almora district on Tuesday morning, killing seven people. Eleven others were critically injured in the horrific accident. The bus, carrying 19 passengers, went out of control near Salapani in the Bhikiyainsain area. Eyewitnesses reported that the tragedy struck shortly after the vehicle passed Vinayak. Relief and rescue teams, including police and local administration, rus

INDORE: At least 32 people have fallen ill due to suspected water contamination in a locality in Madhya Pradesh's Indore city, prompting the administration to collect samples of drinking water for testing, officials said on Tuesday. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav directed the administration of Indore, the cleanest city in the country, to ensure prompt and quality treatment for all patients. Talking to PTI, Indore District Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Madhav Prasad Hasani

BAGHPAT: People in Baghpat district are divided over the khap panchayats ban on the use of smartphones and wearing half-pants in public places by those under 18. In its Saturday diktat, the panchayat also objected to holding weddings in banquet halls, asserting that marriages should be held in villages and homes. It suggested the kurta-pyjama for boys and the salwar-kurta for girls. While some sections have welcomed the decisions, several intellectuals and social activists have strongly opposed

RAIPUR: Flex materials are used for making banners, signage or advertising boards and often are not suitably recycled; they get accumulated in landfills, drains, and contribute to the growing challenge of plastic pollution. Raipur, like any other city, is witnessing an increased use of flex boards or cut-outs, which are seen along roadsides and streets, mostly for publicity or display. Later, such posters would fall apart over time and would be seen accumulated in corners. The Raipur district ad

CHANDIGARH: Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala on Tuesday alleged that the BJP had turned the slogan Vande Mataram, which signifies respect for the motherland, into a language of hatred. He accused the BJP of following a divisive political model in Haryana by repeatedly pitting communities against each other. He said the state has been divided along multiple lines over the years- Jat versus non-Jat, Punjabi versus Aggarwal, Ravidasia versus Valmiki among the poor, Sikh versus Hindu, and att

RANCHI: In a development that has left the judiciary shocked, a Ranchi court acquitted the prime accused in a high-profile narcotics case after police informed the court that nearly 200 kilograms of seized marijuana, worth Rs 1 crore, had allegedly been destroyed by rats while stored in police custody. The marijuana was seized in January 2022 by Ormanjhi police during a vehicle check on NH-20. Acting on a tip-off, the police intercepted a white Bolero allegedly carrying a large consignment of na

US President Donald Trump has once again claimed that his administration played an important role in ending the military confrontation between India and Pakistan, repeating the assertion during a bilateral meeting with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago on Monday. As he opened discussions with Netanyahu and senior members of his delegation, Trump said he had settled eight wars during the first year of his second term in the White House, though he complained that he

The Delhi Police has arrested an off-duty Air India Express pilot, identified as Captain Virendra Sejwal, in connection with an alleged assault on a passenger at Delhi airport earlier this month. The arrest follows a police investigation that reviewed CCTV footage and witness statements related to the incident near the Terminal-1 security checkpoint on December 19. The development comes after a First Information Report (FIR) was registered under sections 115 (voluntarily causing hurt), 126 (wron

Everyone was surprised when the Congress high command appointed the low-profile Harshvardhan Sapkal as the state Congress president. Without fanfare, he is trying to make the Congress as the main opposition and ideological force in the state. His predecessors had tried hard to stitch an alliance with Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar, but Sapkal made it after a gap of 25 years. He also cemented an alliance with Mahadev Jankars Rashtriya Samaj Paksha. He was firm against a tie-up with Raj Thackeray f

MUMBAI: The NCP and NCP (SP), headed by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and his uncle Sharad Pawar, respectively, have decided to contest the Pimpri Chinchwad and Pune civic polls unitedly. A decision on the alliance has been taken considering the sentiments of local party workers, said NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Monday. The decision has been taken only for Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. Sharad Pawar is not involved in this entire decision-making process, he added. The alliances have b

INDORE: The Congress has accused the Madhya Pradesh government of corruption, claiming that the Khandwa district administration won a national water conservation award using AI-generated images, a claim dismissed by authorities. Khandwa district secured first place nationwide for outstanding work in water conservation under the Centre's 'Jal Sanchay, Jan Bhagidari' campaign. It received a Rs 2 crore award at the sixth National Water Awards ceremony held in New Delhi in November, officials said o

GHAZIABAD: Police have arrested six members of Hindu Raksha Dal for distributing over two dozen swords in Shalimar Garden colony, an officer said. These six are among the 17 office bearers of the Hindu Raksha Dal, including its president Bhupendra Chowdhry 'Pinki', who have been named as accused in the case. Bhupendra is on the run. More than two dozen unidentified members of the group have been booked, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Trans Hindon) Nimish Patil said. The case has been registered

GUWAHATI: Amid nationwide outrage over the murder of a Tripura student in Dehradun reportedly triggered by a dispute over a racial slur, his father Tarun Prasad Chakma on Monday condemned discrimination against natives of the Northeast. Families from here in the Northeast send their children outside so they can pursue better academic and professional opportunities, he said, adding, No child from the Northeast should be subjected to what happened to my son. The government must ensure their safety

NEW DELHI: In the first meeting of a parliamentary panel after the passage of the new act during the recently concluded winter session of Parliament, smooth transition from the rural job scheme MGNREGA to the new VB-G RAM G, payments to the beneficiaries, and the additional budgetary support for the scheme, were some of the issues discussed. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Committee examined various aspects of the UPA-era rural job guarantee law, MGNR

NEW DELHI: Welcoming the Supreme Courts decision to stay its November 20 order on the new definition of the Aravalli range, the Congress on Monday sought the resignation of Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, saying all his arguments in favour of the redefinition have been rejected. In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that in light of the Supreme Courts latest order, the environment minister must resign immediately. The SC order is a rejection of all the argumen

NEW DELHI: Union Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav on Monday welcomed the Supreme Courts decision to stay its order on definition of the Aravalli hills , and said the government stands committed to the protection and restoration of the mountain range. The apex court kept in abeyance the directions in its November 20 verdict that had accepted a uniform definition of the Aravalli hills and ranges recommended by a committee of the ministry of environment, forest an

After public outrage, the Supreme Court stayed November 20 order on the Aravalli mountain range, saying only hills with a height of 100 metres or more would be considered as part of the range. The 2010 Forest Survey of India report states only 8% of the nearly 12,000 hills in Rajasthan are higher than 100 metres. If such hills are excluded from the Aravalli range, questions arise about their legal and ecological protection, M K Pandit , former head of geology department at the University of Raja

Professor C R Babu is a leading environmentalist and ecologist from the University of Delhi, known for restoring degraded landscapes and biodiversity across the Aravalli region. Having explored the Aravallis across four states, the Professor Emeritus at Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystems of DU explains its ecological impact and possible solutions with TNIE . Excerpts: What was the previous definition of the Aravallis, and how has the Supreme Court changed this definition?

NEW DELHI: In a rare intervention, the Hyderabad bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on Monday removed the current Director General and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BrahMos Aerospace, Jaiteerth R Joshi. The CAT has directed the Defence Ministry to reconsider the claim of senior-most scientist Sivasubramaniam Nambi Naidu for the top post. The appointment of Joshi was challenged in the CAT, Hyderabad, in November 2024. In its order on Monday, the tribunal instructed the Ministry

MUMBAI: Four people, including three women, died and nine others were injured after a reversing bus of Mumbai's civic-run transport undertaking BEST knocked down pedestrians on Monday night, a police official said. According to the official, the incident took place at around 10 pm at busy Station Road in suburban Bhandup (West) when the bus crashed into pedestrians while reversing. He said four people, including three women, died, while nine others were injured in the accident. The injured were

NEW DELHI: The latest Air traffic data released by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is a shot in the arm for Hindon airports ambitions to enter the big league. Located just 30 km from Delhi in Uttar Pradeshs Ghaziabad, the Indian Air Force owned airfield has clocked 1, 22,381 flyers in November 2025 versus just 3,950 flyers in November 2024. This marks a 2,998% growth over its past, marking the highest improvement among all airports in the country. Multiple reasons have contributed to this

JAIPUR: Senior Rajasthan Congress leaders Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot on Monday said the killing of Tripura student Anjel Chakma in Dehradun reflected a disturbing rise in hate in the country, and called for strict punishment for the culprits. The student, Anjel Chakma (24), from Unakoti district of Tripura, was attacked by a group of six people when he objected to racial slurs hurled at him and his younger brother by them on December 9. Chakma succumbed to his injuries at the hospital on Dece

BHUBANESWAR: Adding more teeth to its firepower, India on Monday conducted the maiden flight test of the Pinaka long range guided rocket (LRGR) from a test facility off the Odisha coast. Defence sources said the rocket was tested by the Proof and Experimental Establishment (PXE) for its maximum range of 120 km, demonstrating all in-flight manoeuvres as coordinated. The LRGR impacted on the target with textbook precision, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. The guided Pinaka has been dev

KOLKATA: In a fresh directive, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has instructed district magistrates (DMs), serving as district electoral officers (DEOs) for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, not to issue notices for hearings to voters identified as unmapped. The ECI has also exempted voters aged 85 or above, as well as persons with disabilities (PWDs) and pregnant women, from appearing at hearing centres. West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (WB

PATNA: Bihar Education Minister Sunil Kumar on Monday clarified that the appointment of his ministerial colleague and Janata Dal (United) leader Ashok Choudhary as assistant professor has been withheld as an investigation is underway into some discrepancies in the relevant file. The probe is being conducted by the University Grants Commission (UGC). The process of posting candidates will begin after receiving the inquiry report from the UGC, the minister said, adding that the report is still awa

JAIPUR: Amid political turmoil in four states over the protection of the Aravalli range, the Supreme Court on Monday stayed the implementation of its November 20 order. While the Congress in Rajasthan welcomed the move, the BJP said the state government remained fully committed to conserving the Aravallis and would study the order before taking any further steps. The controversy began after the Supreme Court, acting on the Centres recommendation, redefined the Aravalli range to include only area

India on Monday rejected remarks by Pakistans foreign ministry on the condition of minorities in the country. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Pakistans horrific and systemic victimisation of minorities across faiths is a well-established fact, and that no amount of finger pointing would obfuscate the issue. Rejecting the comments, New Delhi said Islamabads abysmal record on the treatment of minorities speaks for itself. We reject the reported remarks from a country

PATNA: Bihar Polices Economic Offences Unit (EOU) has formed a dedicated intelligence unit to curb the alarming rise in cybercrime, as 1.10 lakh complaints have been received and scammers have cheated people of nearly Rs 500 crore in the state this year alone. The specialised intelligence unit has been tasked with gathering inputs on cybercriminals and their networks, enabling swift and technologically advanced action, distinct from conventional investigation methods. The unit has conducted an i

NEW DELHI: The government has notified updated rules for conducting the 2027 population census, which will, for the first time since Independence, include online self-enumeration and caste enumeration. The rules lay down detailed guidelines for state governments and Union Territory (UT) administrations to designate and appoint census officials for the two-phase nationwide exercise. A senior official in the office of the Registrar General of India (RGI) said the Census Rules applicable during the

Madhya Pradesh police on Monday questioned around 15 migrant workers and began verifying their documents after BJP members lodged a complaint alleging they were Bangladeshi nationals living illegally in India, reported PTI. According to police, the migrant workers were brought to the Malharganj police station for questioning after receiving the compaint. Their citizenship is being verified. If they are found to be residing illegally in India, appropriate legal action will be taken against them,

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches across Delhi, Gurugram and Rohtak against Inderjit Singh Yadav, owner of Gem Records Entertainment, in a money laundering probe, the agency said on Monday. Yadav allegedly acted as a muscleman for coercive loan settlements between corporates like Apollo Green Energy and private financers, earning crores in commissions through intimidation and armed associates. Currently absconding in UAE, he's wanted in more than 15 cases, the probe

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC) are all set for a showdown regarding the 328 missing 'saroops' of the Guru Granth Sahib. CM Mann on Monday slammed the SGPC for allegedly using the Akal Takht and Panth (community) as a shield to evade action against their 'misdeeds'. The Sikh clergy (five high priests) hit back, asking the Aam Aadmi Party government to stop meddling in their internal matters or face action according to 'Panthi

NEW DELHI: The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on Monday, has accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for various proposals of the three services amounting to a total of Rs 79,000 crore. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) in a statement said, During the meeting, AoN was approved for the procurement of Loiter Munition System for Artillery Regiments, Low Level Light Weight Radars, Long Range Guided Rocket Ammunition for Pinaka Multiple Launch Rocket System (

LUCKNOW: Bajrang Dal members gate-crashed a birthday celebration at a caf in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh and accused attendees of 'love jihad'. Bareilly Police lodged a complaint against two accusedRishabh Thakur and Deepak Pathakand 25 unidentified associated on Monday. All of them were absconding. Two Muslim youths who were present at the party were fined. The caf staffer was also fined for disturbing the peace. According to the complainant, the incident took place around 2 pm on Decemb

KOLKATA: The Election Commission of India (ECI) may hold a meeting with electoral officers of Kolkata North, Kolkata South, South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas electoral districts, along with the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and his officials, on Tuesday to discuss its earlier proposals for setting up polling stations inside private housing complexes with multiple high-rise buildings. Deputy Election Commissioner (DEC) Gyanesh Bharti is reaching Kolkata from Delhi on Monday to h

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh BJP appears to be a divided house over a recent meeting of the partys Brahmin MLAs and MLCs in Lucknow. While the newly appointed state unit chief, Pankaj Chaudhury, warned lawmakers against holding such caste-based meetingssaying they would be deemed acts of indiscipline in the futureDeputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and several other leaders maintained that there was nothing wrong with the gathering. On December 23, during the winter session of the Uttar Pra

NEW DELHI: Indian Naval Sailing Vessel Kaundinya, the Indian Navys indigenously built traditional stitched sailing vessel, on Monday sailed on her maiden overseas voyage from Porbandar, Gujarat, to Muscat in the Sultanate of Oman. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a social media message, congratulated the entire team involved in the project. Wonderful to see that INSV Kaundinya is embarking on her maiden voyage from Porbandar to Muscat, Oman. Built using the ancient Indian stitched-ship technique

GUWAHATI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday slammed the Congress for allegedly encouraging infiltration and announced that the BJP would drive out the infiltrators not just from Assam but from across the country. Addressing a crowd after inaugurating the Rs 227-crore redeveloped Batadrava Than, the birthplace of 15th-16th century Vaishnavite saint-reformer Srimanta Sankardeva in Assams Nagaon district, Shah declared, I want to say it from this sacred land that the BJPs resolve is to drive

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government has announced the closure of schools up to 12th grade till January 1 due to the intense cold. Districts, including Varanasi, Kanpur, Aligarh, Sambhal, and 30 other districts, were shrouded in dense fog on Monday. Visibility had dropped to zero in 810 cities. Roads remain deserted with cold winds and dew creating a drizzle-like effect. The Meteorological Department warned of an intense cold wave to continue for the next four days. With Meerut recording the lo

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has busted a major interstate narcotics racket in Rajasthans Bhiwadi, seizing 22 kg of illegal substances and arresting three key accused, marking the second big drug crackdown in a single month. The trail of the investigation led straight into a pharmaceutical factory hiding a narcotics assembly line in the neighbouring state. What looked like a routine industrial unit in Bhiwadis Rocco Eyal area was, in reality, a covert hub manufacturing banne

RANCHI: A violent clash broke out between two factions previously associated with a banned Maoist group in Gendra village in Jharkhand's Chatra, during which two people died on the spot, while three others, including a National Investigation Agency (NIA) accused, were seriously injured. The incident is said to have taken place between 12 and 1 am early on Monday. The sudden firing awakened villagers and spread panic. According to police, former Tritiya Sammelam Prastuti Committee (TSPC) commande

The Unnao rape survivor on Monday expressed satisfaction in the Supreme Court order which stayed the Delhi High Court order suspending the life sentence of convict and former BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar. She also vowed to continue the legal fight until he is hanged. I am very happy with this decision. I have got justice from the Supreme Court. I have been raising my voice for justice from the very beginning, the survivor said, reported PTI. I do not make any allegations against any court. I have fait