Canadian police have charged Ritish Kumar, 22, with second-degree murder over the death of his partner Damanpreet Kaur, 23, from Samrala in Punjab's Ludhiana district. Edmonton Police found Kaur unresponsive with suspicious injuries on July 9; she died in hospital on July 12. Police called it an intimate-partner homicide and later said she was strangled. Kumar was arrested on July 22.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed on Saturday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet was discussing moving Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to another ministry amid protests over the NEET-UG paper leak. At a Delhi press conference, Gandhi called that unacceptable, branded Pradhan 'corrupt and incompetent' and said the education system had been hijacked. He backed protesting students and demanded an apology from Modi.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said the state government will table a Uniform Civil Code bill in the upcoming Winter Session of the Assembly. Speaking to reporters at Raipur airport on Friday, he reaffirmed the government's commitment to implementing the UCC. The announcement comes nearly a month after Chhattisgarh began the process by appointing a five-member committee to guide implementation.
A 20-year-old, Yashvendra, son of an Indian Army officer, died on Friday after the car he was driving skidded and fell into a drain in southwest Delhi's Vasant Kunj. Police said he lost control on a slippery stretch while taking a sharp turn near the Nangal Dewat signal. His friend, the car's owner, survived. A case was registered and a probe underway.
The student group AISA has called a Bihar bandh to protest police action against students agitating over the alleged NEET paper leak. Marches and sit-ins swept districts including Vaishali, Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga, demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation; effigies of Modi and Pradhan were burnt. In Jehanabad, police fired 20 to 30 rounds after protesters stoned the magistrate's residence.
India's Union Cabinet on Friday approved a draft bill toughening penalties for exam paper leaks, proposing up to 10 years' jail and fines of up to ₹10 crore, with a five-year minimum for individuals. Amending the 2024 anti-cheating law, it will be tabled in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The government also plans statutory fast-track courts to rule within three months.
The Bombay High Court has asked Maharashtra to assess a proposal for the symbolic immersion of large Plaster of Paris Ganesh idols. Under the plan, floated by PoP artisans, the feet of giant idols would be touched to natural water before civic bodies take them for recycling or eco-friendly storage. Smaller idols under six feet would continue going to artificial tanks.
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Friday urged the Centre to introduce and pass a bill restoring Jammu and Kashmir's statehood during the ongoing monsoon session. He said the government must honour its repeated commitments, calling statehood a constitutional and democratic imperative. The appeal followed a July 20 protest he led at Delhi's Jantar Mantar with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and legislators.
Jammu and Kashmir leaders including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and MPs Engineer Rashid and Aga Syed Ruhullah have criticised mass arrests and the demolition of militants' family homes after the Anantnag attack that killed a policeman two days ago. At Friday's Jama Masjid Srinagar congregation, the Mirwaiz alleged over 2,000 young men had been detained as suspected 'over-ground workers' amid widespread harassment.
India's Supreme Court will hear two fresh petitions on Monday alleging police excesses during the July 20 crackdown on student protesters in Delhi. Chief Justice Surya Kant said in open court on Friday that no plea had previously been filed, criticising 'reckless' reports that the court had refused to list one. The CRPF said it is verifying media reports of pellet injuries.
Activist Sonam Wangchuk released a video from Delhi's Medanta Hospital on Friday denying he 'cut any deal' with the government by ending his hunger strike. He said he stopped fearing a crackdown on students protesting at Jantar Mantar. Wangchuk broke the fast around 12:30 am Friday as Union Ministers J.P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh looked on, with Nadda serving him soup.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Union ministers at Friday's Cabinet meeting to boost their Instagram presence and create reels to engage young people, CNN-News18 sources said. He asked how many actively used the platform, saying youth are the citizens the government must continuously reach. Modi himself posted a midnight reel opening with 'Friends,' as Gen Z-led Jantar Mantar protests dominate social media.
Kerala's opposition LDF has escalated its campaign against the ruling UDF government over an alleged cut in development funds for local self-government bodies. The Kannur district panchayat says ₹12.73 crore was slashed from its allocation, disrupting welfare schemes and projects. The LDF district committee has announced protest marches to local body offices on August 1 and 3 over the reduced Plan funds.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday that a quarter of the flood-hit areas in Sivasagar and Charaideo districts remained cut off almost a week into an unprecedented deluge that has killed 61 people. He said nearly 11 lakh people across more than 2,000 villages have been affected, with heavy rain continuing to waterlog parts of Guwahati and other areas.
Nisarga Adhikary, the 19-year-old security researcher who exposed flaws in CBSE's On-Screen Marking portal, joined the Cockroach Janta Party protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Friday, its seventh week. He had reported authentication gaps, including a hard-coded master password bypassing two-factor authentication, to CERT-In; IIT Kanpur's C3iHub later hired him. Friday's two-hour government-CJP talks agreed some measures but deadlocked over resignations.
West Bengal's new BJP government under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is reopening cases from the previous TMC era. Police have launched 458 fresh inquiries, filed 181 FIRs and reopened 59 cases over the 2021 post-poll violence, with 170-plus in Birbhum. The 2022 Bogtui massacre and 2024 RG Kar rape-murder are also under review, with three IPS officers suspended. TMC alleges political targeting.
The Kerala High Court on Monday ordered the State Police Chief to set up special squads in every district to trace and arrest offenders in hit-and-run cases. The Kochi court told the police force to coordinate and alert squads while tracking vehicles and drivers involved. It voiced concern that a growing number of such cases remain unsolved due to inadequate police attention.
Bihar's BJP-led NDA government has sparked a political row by deciding to repaint 551 model schools saffron and rename them 'Saraswati Vidya Niketan'. Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary inaugurated the schools in Begusarai on Sunday. Opposition RJD and AIMIM leaders alleged 'saffronisation' of education, while Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwari said the colour honours Goddess Saraswati. Ally JD(U) distanced itself from the colour debate.
A 24-year-old, Kartik Dalal, suffered three spinal fractures when a basketball pole collapsed on him at Antriksh Heights in Gurgaon's Sector 84 on Sunday evening. CCTV footage shows a player hanging from the structure before it toppled onto Dalal, who stood beneath the basket. He is being treated in Sector 90. His family and the residents' association alleged maintenance negligence.
Three masked, armed men robbed Lakshmi Jewellers on Irani Road in Dahanu town, Maharashtra's Palghar district, around 4.30pm on Monday. Police said the trio held staff and customers at gunpoint, seized gold ornaments and cash, then fired several shots while escaping by motorcycle through the crowded market. CCTV went viral online. The stolen value is unconfirmed and no arrests have been made.