8 killed in blast near Red Fort in Delhi

NEW DELHI, Nov 10: A high-intensity explosion ripped through a car stopped near the Red Fort metro station on Monday evening, gutting several vehicles and killing at least eight people, officials said.

Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha said that a slow-moving vehicle stopped at a red light outside the Red Fort at 6:52 p.m. when an explosion occurred in that vehicle.

A high alert has been sounded in Delhi. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot, with police cordoning off the area, the Delhi Fire Services said. The fire, officials said, was brought under control by 7.29 p.m.

A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) reached the spot.

"Heartbreaking and concerning," says Rahul Gandhi after blast near Delhi's Red Fort
Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi calls the blast “heartbreaking and concerning”.

He expressed his deepest condolences to the bereaved families and swift recovery to the injured.

“The news of the car explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort Metro Station is extremely heartbreaking and concerning. The report of the deaths of several innocent people in this tragic incident is profoundly sorrowful. In this hour of grief, I stand with the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones and express my deepest condolences to them. I hope for the swift recovery of all the injured,” Gandhi wrote on X.

350 kg explosives, AK-47: J&K cops recover ‘arms cache’ from doctor’s home in Faridabad

FARIDABAD, Nov 10: In a major security operation in Faridabad, a team from the Jammu and Kashmir Police recovered 350 kg of explosives suspected to be ammonium nitrate, along with an AK-47 rifle, a pistol, three magazines, 20 timers, a walkie-talkie set and ammunition from a rented accommodation at Dhauj village, said police. A doctor from Jammu and Kashmir was also arrested during the operation, they added.

A Faridabad police spokesperson said members of the city police were also present during the operation.

The recovery followed the arrest of Dr Adil Ahmad Rather, a Kashmiri doctor tracked down to Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, for allegedly pasting posters supporting the banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed in Srinagar on October 27.

In a press conference on Monday afternoon, Faridabad Police Commissioner Satender Kumar Gupta shared that during questioning, Rather disclosed information that led police to Dr Mujammil Shakeel (also referred to as Mujahil Shakil or Muzammil Shakeel), another doctor from Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir employed at the Al-Falah Hospital in Faridabad.

Police said Shakeel, who had rented the house in Dhauj about three months ago, was arrested, and the cache was seized from his residence in a coordinated raid on Sunday.

The Faridabad Police Commissioner clarified that the material was ammonium nitrate, not RDX as initially reported in some parts of the media.

Earlier, the J&K police had searched Rather’s locker at the Government Medical College in Anantnag, where he worked as a senior resident until October last year, recovering an AK-47 rifle and ammunition. Rather has been booked under the Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The police is yet to determine the intended use of the explosives stockpiled close to Delhi and how such a large quantity was transported undetected, with further investigation underway.

Bihar Sees Highest-Ever Voter Turnout Of 64.66% In Phase 1

PATNA, Nov 6: Seats voting in the first phase of the 2025 Bihar Assembly election recorded a provisional voter turnout of 64.66 per cent, the highest in the state's history.

Before this, the highest figure for an Assembly election in Bihar was 62.57 per cent in 2000. For Lok Sabha elections, the state's highest voter turnout was 64.6 per cent in 1998. In a statement, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar thanked voters for coming out in such large numbers and poll workers for their dedication.

The increased voter turnout is all the more significant because the special intensive revision of the state's voter lists - a contentious exercise the opposition called an attempt to disenfranchise voters from poor and marginalised groups who, they claimed, traditionally vote for them - deleted 47 lakh names.

The reduction in the overall voter base - from 7.89 crore before the exercise to 7.42 crore after - could account for the increased turnout percentage, but only if the actual number of voters is the same.

EC, BJP created 25 lakh 'fake' votes in Haryana and did ‘vote chori’: Rahul Gandhi

NEW DELHI, Nov 5: Alleging “duplicate, fake and bulk” voting in the Haryana assembly election of 2024 that the BJP won, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi shared on November 5 what he claimed to be the next big set of proofs — dubbed “The H Files" — that the Election Commission is “working at the behest of the ruling BJP to steal votes”.

“I want Gen-Z to take this seriously, because your future is being taken away from you,” he said at the press conference at the Congress party headquarters in New Delhi on Wednesday, barely two days before voting begins in the Bihar election.

The Congress leader claimed there were 25 lakh “fake” voters in Haryana — including an example of a woman he said is a Brazilian model but her photo is used to register as voter across multiple booths

The state has around 2 crore total voters, and the key margin of victory for the BJP in eight segments in the 2024 Haryana assembly polls was around 22,000, he said.

“This (data) means one in eight voters in Haryana are fake, that is 12.5%,” he said.

“This tells you that when the margin was just 22,000, 25 lakh was just this!”
Why eight segments? Haryana has 90 seats, of which the BJP won 48 to make history and form the government for a third consecutive term. The Congress fell short of the midway mark of 45 by eight seats, getting 37, even when exit polls had said it had a significant edge.

He showed one photo being used for 223 votes in one instance, and claimed another individual voted 22 times across 10 booths in the Haryana assembly election.

EC officials responded just as the press conference was underway, saying there have been zero appeals against electoral rolls in Haryana. “What were the agents of Congress doing at the polling stations? They are supposed to object if the elector has already voted or if the polling agents doubt the identity of the elector," said an EC official familiar with the matter.

The EC also asked Gandhi to thus clarify his stand on the Special Electoral Revision of voter rolls, which he has been opposing saying the EC is being selective in removing voters. “Is Rahul Gandhi now supporting the SIR which removes duplicate, dead and shifted voters along with verification of citizenship, or he is opposing?” said an official.

Rahul Gandhi earlier held two press conferences on these lines — the first one in August that spoke about voter additions in some Lok Sabha and assembly segments, for instance in Bengaluru in Karnataka, and the second one about a month later that alleged a “massive voter deletion scam”. He had promised more proof, calling it the impending “hydrogen bomb”.

In his September presentation , he stopped short of dropping the promised “hydrogen bomb” of evidence on “vote chori”, saying preparations were underway for that.

Rahul Gandhi also gave a one-week deadline to chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to respond to his allegations, but the EC has since rejected his assertions. Earlier, the EC had challenged Gandhi to submit his claims with evidence as a sworn affidavit, to which he had retorted that he had only used EC's own data and already taken an oath to the Constitution.

Gandhi, along with RJD's Tejashwi Yadav and other INDIA bloc members, also carried out a 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in Bihar, during which he made barbed attacks on the BJP, castigating the BJP and its parent body RSS, and saying that “forces who murdered Mahatma Gandhi are now trying to destroy the Constitution of India”.

The 16-day “rights march” protested alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar in particular. Since then, the EC has started SIR in 12 more states and UTs.

Gandhi termed “vote chori” also a “theft of rights, reservation, employment, education, democracy” by extension.

8 dead after MEMU train collides with goods train in Bilaspur

BILASPUR, Nov 4: Eight people have been killed and 14 others injured after a passenger train hit a goods train near Bilaspur station in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday evening. The incident took place around 4 pm, and the railways have moved all the resources to the spot. The Railway PRO said that all measures are being taken for the treatment of the injured.

"A total of eight people have lost their lives in this accident. Two people are still stuck here... 16-17 people are in serious condition. This is a big accident. Everyone is present here and we are carrying out rescue operations," said Bilaspur Collector Sanjay Agrawal.

The injured passengers have been shifted to Apollo Hospital and Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS) hospital in Bilaspur. The condition of one of them is said to be critical, an official said.

Chhattisgarh Deputy CM Arun Sao said that the goods train was stationary and a MEMU train collided with it from behind. “The engine is in the front coach, and some passengers also sit there. That coach has been damaged. Senior railway officials and state government officers have reached the spot,” Arun Sao said.

Mamata, Abhishek lead TMC rally in Kolkata against SIR

KOLKATA, Nov 4: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday hit the streets of Kolkata, leading a protest rally against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Banerjee’s party, the ruling Trinamool Congress, has dubbed the exercise “silent invisible rigging” by the BJP-led Centre and the Election Commission.

Accompanied by her nephew and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, the CM began the 3.8-km rally from the statue of B R Ambedkar on Red Road.

Thousands of TMC supporters thronged the rally route, waving the party flags, raising slogans and holding aloft colourful posters.

Dressed in her trademark white cotton saree and slippers, Banerjee led the procession, occasionally stopping to greet people standing on balconies and pavements.

Abhishek Banerjee followed the chief minister, waving to the crowd, flanked by senior TMC leaders and ministers.

Mehli Mistry 'Parts Ways' From Tata Trusts With A Letter To Noel Tata

MUMBAI, Nov 4: Mehli Mistry, ousted from Tata Trusts following an internal rift, has written a letter to Noel Tata, wherein he recalled a commitment he made to the trusts' late former chairman, Ratan Tata, sources said.

Mistry stated that his commitment to Ratan Tata includes the responsibility to precipitate no controversy, according to the letter.

"My commitment to Mr.Ratan N Tata’s vision includes a responsibility to ensure that the Tata Trusts are not plunged into controversy. I believe that precipitating matters would cause irreparable harm to the reputation of the Tata Trusts," he wrote.

According to Mistry, his letter to Noel Tata, the incumbent chairman of Tata Trusts, should assist in "putting the quietus on speculative news reports" that do not serve the interests of the Tata Trusts and are inimical to its vision.

Mistry noted that during his tenure at the Tata Trusts, he was guided by Ratan Tata's vision of "ethical governance, quiet philanthropy and utmost integrity". He expressed hope that other trustees, going forward, will be guided by the principles of "transparency, good governance, and public interest."

Mistry ended the letter stating “I part ways”, and quoted Ratan Tata to underline that “nobody is bigger than the institution it serves.”

Priyanka Gandhi Flags Toxic Delhi Air To PM, Rekha Gupta

NEW DELHI, Nov 2: As Delhi woke up to another smoggy morning and Air Quality Index (AQI) in several areas climbed to the 'severe' category, senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra called upon the Centre and the BJP-led Delhi government to act immediately.

The Congress leader has returned to Delhi after campaigning in poll-bound Bihar. Earlier, she had travelled to her Lok Sabha constituency, Wayanad, in Kerala.

"Returning to the Delhi air from Wayanad first, then Bachwara in Bihar is truly shocking. The pollution enveloping this city is like a grey shroud thrown over it," she said in a post on X.

Returning to the Delhi air from Wayanad first, then Bachwara in Bihar is truly shocking. The pollution enveloping this city is like a grey shroud thrown over it.

It's really about time all of us get together regardless of our political compulsions and do something about it. The…

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) November 2, 2025
"It's really about time all of us get together regardless of our political compulsions and do something about it. The central and state government need to act immediately, we will all support and cooperate with whatever actions they choose to take to mitigate this awful situation. Year after year the citizens of Delhi are subjected to this toxicity with no recourse," the Congress leader added.

"Those who suffer from respiratory issues, children who commute to school every day and senior citizens especially, need urgent intervention to clear the filthy smog we are all breathing," she said. She tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and urged them to take immediate steps to tackle Delhi's tryst with toxic air.

Air quality in the national capital has dipped over the past couple of weeks, with AQI readings in key areas ranging from 'very poor' to 'severe category'. An average of readings of 39 monitoring stations put the AQI at 303 (very poor), but areas such as Wazirpur and Anand Vihar reported 'severe' AQI readings.

The Delhi government has now planned a series of cloud seeding trials to cause rain and improve air quality in the national capital. Last week, two cloud seeding trials failed to bring rain due to low moisture content in the clouds over the national capital.

Stubble burning in neighbouring Haryana and Punjab, vehicular emissions, climatic conditions and construction and industrial activities are key contributors to Delhi's air pollution. Currently, restrictions under the second stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) -- a phase-wise plan to combat toxic air -- are in place in the national capital.

JD(U)'s Bihar Poll Candidate Anant Singh Arrested In Mokama Murder Case

PATNA, Nov 1: Former Bihar MLA and Janata Dal (United) candidate Anant Singh was arrested late on Saturday, two days after the murder of a supporter of the Jan Suraaj Party, Dularchand Yadav.

The arrest, confirmed by Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Kartikeya Sharma, sent shockwaves through the political landscape of poll-bound Bihar, particularly in the notoriously volatile Mokama constituency.

Sharma said Anant Singh was present at the scene of crime along with two of his aides, identified as Manikant Thakur and Ranjeet Ram.

“It was found that all this (stone pelting, arson, firing) happened in the presence of the candidate, Anant Singh, who is also the main accused in the case. Anant Singh has been arrested," Sharma told the media in a late night press conference.

Anant Singh was arrested hours before opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav’s rally in Mokama. He was picked up from his Kargil Bazar residence in Badh, amid reports that he was planning to surrender.

Dularchand Yadav, 75, was a local strongman and former RJD leader, who was attacked on October 30, while campaigning for the Jan Suraaj Party candidate, Piyush Priyadarshi, in the Mokama Tal area. The incident followed a violent clash between rival political groups.

An FIR filed by Yadav’s grandson directly named Anant Singh, his nephews, and others as the accused. Initial reports suggested Yadav was shot, but the subsequent post-mortem report confirmed his death was due to cardiorespiratory failure caused by a ruptured lung and multiple rib fractures, indicating he was crushed or run over by a vehicle after sustaining a non-fatal gunshot wound to the ankle.

Police said Singh’s arrest, along with two of his aides, was based on evidence, eyewitness accounts, and the post-mortem findings, as the incident occurred in the candidate’s presence. Bihar DGP Vinay Kumar said that evidence at the crime scene establishes the presence of the accused, leading to their arrest.

9 Killed In Stampede At Venkateswara Temple In Andhra On Ekadashi

HYDERABAD, Nov 1: Nine devotees, including eight women and a child, died in a stampede at a newly constructed temple in Andhra Pradesh's Srikakulam early this morning. At least 17 others were injured in the stampede that erupted during a heavy rush at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Kasibugga on the occasion of Ekadashi, an auspicious day for Hindus.

Horrific videos from the temple showed massive overcrowding, with hundreds of women holding puja baskets jostling on a staircase in a frantic attempt to save themselves. Several bodies were later seen strewn across the temple premises. In one corner, an injured woman was seen crying profusely.

Many rushed to help the injured, while some tried to pull out others gasping for breath in the crowd. Some women who had collapsed were shifted to ambulances, and medical workers tried to resuscitate them.

The police later rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.

The Kasibugga temple, known as the 'Mini Tirupati', is not under the government's endowments department that manages thousands of temples in the state. The temple authorities had not informed the local administration that such a huge rush was expected on Ekadashi, said government sources. Construction work was underway in the area where the stampede occurred. It had just one entry-exit point.

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has ordered proper treatment for the injured, while his deputy, Pawan Kalyan, assured that an inquiry will be conducted into the tragedy.

Ban imposed on non-Delhi BS-III goods vehicles, checks at 23 points

NEW DELHI, Nov 1: The Delhi government on Saturday enforced a ban on non-Delhi registered commercial goods vehicles that do not meet BS-IV emission standards, deploying joint teams of the Transport Department and Delhi Traffic Police at 23 major city entry points.

The enforcement teams have been stationed at key borders including Kundli, Rajokri, Tikri, Aya Nagar, Kalindi Kunj, Auchandi, Mandoli, Kapashera, and Bajghera toll or Dwarka Expressway to monitor and control the entry of high-polluting vehicles.

Officials estimate that 50,000 to 70,000 commercial vehicles currently operating below BS-IV norms in the region will be affected by the restrictions. The move follows a directive from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) issued on October 17, aimed at curbing vehicular pollution as the national capital’s air quality continues to deteriorate.

Under the new rules, only BS-IV or higher commercial vehicles registered in Delhi will be allowed to operate within city limits. Vehicles powered by CNG, LNG, or electricity are exempt from the ban, as they produce fewer emissions.

Private vehicles, taxis and app-based cabs such as Ola and Uber are not covered by the restrictions. Officials said that the measure is part of a larger effort to reduce toxic vehicular emissions and improve the city’s worsening air quality during the winter months.