Breaking News, January 29 | HIGHLIGHTS

Police have questioned six people to establish the main organiser of the religious function at Delhi's Kalkaji Temple during which a woman was killed and 17 others were injured when a stage set up at the event collapsed, an official said on Monday.

A 28-year-old man was beaten to death with wooden sticks in Thane city on Monday by some persons, including a teenager, police said.

A court here on Monday acquitted four accused people, including the husband and in-laws of charges of causing dowry death and cruelty, saying the prosecution "miserably failed" to prove that there was a dowry demand.

Mahindra Logistics Limited on Monday said it will develop a new 3 lakh square feet warehouse in Nashik where the company has already expanded an existing facility.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has decided to change the colour code of the upcoming Delhi Aerocity-Tughlakabad corridor, being built under its Phase-IV, from 'silver' to 'golden' for better visibility and convenience of the passengers, officials said on Monday.

The government on Monday announced diversion of Chenab river water through diversion tunnels at Drabshalla in Kishtwar district to expedite the 850-MW Ratle Hydro Electric Project in Jammu & Kashmir.

"We expect very light maybe some light rainfall or very light thundershower activity to happen on January 31 in Delhi. And, of course, we are monitoring it day to day. If there is any upgrade or downgrade in the warning, we will be doing it simultaneously," IMD Scientist Soma Sen said.

Light rain is likely in parts of Rajasthan in the coming days due to the activation of western disturbances, a MeT department spokesperson said. According to the Jaipur Meteorological Center, two western disturbances are likely to be active in the state one after the other in the coming days. The first disturbance will be active from January 31-February 1, resulting in light rain in the northwestern and northern parts of the state. The second western disturbance will be active on February 3-4.

"In the last one year or thereabouts, we haven't had any more friction areas in this," Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande said.

The Election Commission on Monday (January 29) announced the date for 56 Rajya Sabha seats in 15 states. The elections will take place on February 27 and the votes will be counted on the same day. The term of office of 56 members are due to expire on their retirement in April, 2024.

A day after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ditched the Mahagathbandhan and the opposition bloc INDIA to form a new government with the BJP, Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh claimed that "opportunism" for power was at its peak. Kumar's latest crossover, his fifth in a little over a decade, capped days of high political drama and blame game. It is also seen as a big setback for the opposition unity ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Asked about Kumar's move, Digvijaya Singh told reporters here, "Opportunism is at its peak and it is for power. All are opportunists, whether he is (Prime Minister) Modi ji, (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah ji or Nitish ji.

The death anniversary of Gandhiji on January 30 should be observed as religious harmony day, DMK President and Chief Minister M K Stalin has appealed to his party workers and the people across the country. Slamming the Right wing, Stalin said the 'anger of communal elements' against Mahatma Gandhi has not subsided even 75 years after his death.

"Once Rahul Gandhi said that regional parties don't have an ideology. Due to this, we broke our association with the alliance," Tyagi said.

NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha's judicial custody extended by Delhi's Patiala House Court till February 17.

A policeman was on Monday killed when an SUV hit him during vehicle-checking in UP's Kaushambi, police said. The incident took place when checking of vehicles was going on in the morning due to a theft. The incident took place in the Sarai Akil area wherein constable Avinash Dubey (25) was hit by an SUV, Superintendent of Police Brijesh Srivastava said.

Many areas in the higher reaches of Kashmir received fresh snowfall, while the plains were lashed by rains on Monday, even as the minimum temperature settled above the freezing point at most places in the valley, officials said. The ski-resorts of Gulmarg and Gurez, and higher reaches of Kupwara in north Kashmir received fresh snowfall on Monday, the officials said. They said the Sonamarg tourist resort in the Ganderbal district of central Kashmir also received fresh snowfall. There are reports of snowfall in Zojilla Axis, on the Srinagar-Leh Highway, as well as in Drass in Ladakh Union Territory, they added.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that the ideologies of the RSS and the BJP are spreading violence and hatred in the country. Addressing a public rally in Kishanganj as part of his 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra', he said people belonging to different religions and castes are fighting during the BJP-led NDA rule at the Centre. "The ideologies of the RSS and the BJP are spreading violence and hatred in the country. We want to open 'Mohabbat Ki Dukan' in 'Nafrat Ka Bazaar' ", he said.

He is appearing before the agency in connection with Jogeshwari land scam case.

The government has called a meeting of floor leaders of different parties in Parliament on Tuesday ahead of the Budget session. It is a customary practice ahead of every session as leaders of different parties highlight the issues they want to raise in Parliament, and the government offers them a glimpse into its agenda and seeks their cooperation. It will be a short session this time, between January 31 and February 9, with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman set to table an interim budget ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. The new government will present the full-fledged budget.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday advised parents against treating their child's report card as their own visiting card, and suggested that students should compete with themselves and not others. Interacting with students, parents and teachers during his annual "Pariksha Pe Charcha" programme, the prime minister said competition and challenges act as inspirations in life but competition must be healthy. "You must not compare one child with another as that can be detrimental to their future. Some parents treat their children's report card as their visiting card, this is not good," he said.

A 24-year-old man was killed after his motorcycle was hit by a bus in Greater Noida, police officials said on Monday. Police have registered an FIR and launched a search to trace the bus' driver. The accident took place around 5.30 pm on Sunday at the Bhati roundabout under the Kasna police station area, they said.

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday raided multiple locations in Kerala as part of a money laundering probe linked to an alleged multi-crore fraud by the Kannur Urban Nidhi Limited, official sources said. About four-five premises in Thrissur and Malappuram are being searched by the central agency, the sources said. The probe pertains to an alleged case of fraud and cheating the public by collecting deposits promising high returns of as much as 12-13 per cent.

Five members of a family, including two children, died while another suffered serious injuries after the car in which they were travelling was involved in a collision with a speeding lorry in Nalgonda district of Telangana, police said on Monday. The mishap occurred when all the family members were returning to their village in the district in a car late Sunday night after a visit to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. The car was hit by the lorry coming in the opposite direction on the highway near Miryalguda in the district.

A 32-year-old woman in Maharashtra's Thane district has filed a police complaint of cheating and cruelty against her husband after he allegedly did not inform her that he was undergoing treatment for impotency, an official said on Monday. The couple tied the knot on June 8 last year in Nashik. The woman in her complaint said sometime after their marriage, she stumbled upon medical documents revealing that her 40-year-old husband was undergoing treatment for impotency, the official from Khadakpada police station said.

The situation remained tense in Keragodu village near Karnataka's Mandya, but under control on Monday, a day after it witnessed strong protests and police action, following the removal of a saffron flag bearing Lord Hanuman's picture hoisted on a 108-ft tall flag post by the authorities. A large contingent of police force has been deployed as a precautionary measure, as people in and around the village, along with BJP, JD(S) and Bajrang Dal workers and activists from other organisations continued to protest the removal of the 'Hanumana dwaja' flag and demanded that it be hoisted once again.

"This disease is very dangerous for the country, politics, and democracy," Sanjay Raut said.

Supreme Court has extended time till February 15 for the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar to pass final order on the plea of the Sharad Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) seeking disqualification against rebel MLAs led by Ajit Pawar.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Monday targeted former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and claimed that the "game" of the opposition alliance is over. A day after Nitish Kumar became the Chief Minister of Bihar for the ninth time with the support of the BJP by breaking ties with the opposition's INDIA bloc, Maurya said in a post on 'X', "Congress leader Shri Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra has failed. "The 'INDI alliance' (INDIA bloc) will not be able to stop the Modi government from coming to power for the third time. The game of the INDIA bloc is over."

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Monday appealed to scholars to put forth their suggestions in writing before the government for a strong law on the reservation issue. The 40-year-old activist on Saturday called off his indefinite fast for the quota after the Maharashtra government accepted his demands, with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announcing that till Marathas get the reservation, they will be given all benefits enjoyed by the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

"There was lack of trust in the INDIA alliance... When they should be talking to each other, they are busy in their Yatra. Wherever they enter, a party leaves the alliance... Congress has lost its old charm, but its pride remains the same," he said.

"He took land in return for jobs, from people of his own community and state. He will have to give answers, which he does not have," Prasad said.

"You all have come to that place where in the beginning all the great leaders of the world sat for two days and discussed the future of the world. Today you are in that place and you are discussing the future of India," PM Modi said.

The Delhi High Court on Monday upheld the validity of legal provisions pertaining to the National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAA). The verdict was given by a bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma on a batch of cases comprising over 100 petitions by several entities, including Philips India, Reckitt Benckiser, Gillette India and Procter and Gamble Home Products etc.

Karnataka Police detained BJP workers protesting in Bengaluru over the Mandya flag issue.

He will appear before the ED in connection with the Land for job scam case.

Two persons were killed and one injured seriously in a road accident near Churulicode on the Thiruvalla-Kumbazha road on Monday morning, police said. The victims hail from Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu and Punnapra in Alappuzha district. The accident occurred around 6.45 am when a pick-up van on its way to Alappuzha and transporting a sound system presumably from a music festival, collided with a lorry carrying vegetables from Tamil Nadu.

PM Modi will shortly address the 7th edition of 'Pariksha Pe Charcha'.

"This will go on till 2024, till then please do not call it ED summons... Why should we be scared?" RJD MP Manoj Jha said.

"Congress party has some very great and intelligent leaders. While on one hand, all political parties are gearing up for the 2024 elections, on the other hand, the whole Congress party is doing political tourism, they are travelling," Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam said.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi-led 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' resumed its journey from Sonapur in Uttar Dinajpur district of West Bengal on Monday morning. The Yatra travelled to Chopra and will go to Islampur where Gandhi is scheduled to address a small gathering before entering Kishanganj in Bihar, a party leader said.

Two men were killed after an unidentified vehicle rammed into their motorcycle in Amaria area in Uttar Pradesh's pilibhit, police said on Monday. Nikhil Manjhi (32) and Sanjay Malik (35), residents of Nagariya Colony of Amriya police station area, were on their way to Bhikharipur village on Sunday when the accident took place.

"In our airports now across the country, we are trying to give it a modern bent of architecture, but at the same time is posing Indian art," Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said.

At least 450 vehicles kept at the Wazirabad Delhi Police 'malkhana' (yard) were gutted in a fire broke that out here in the wee hours on Monday, officials of the Delhi Fire Service said. 'Malkhana' is a place where the seized vehicles are kept. The fire broke out at 4 am and five fire tenders were pressed into service, a DFS official said. The operation went for two hours and the blaze was controlled at 6 am, he said.

Bihar: The first Cabinet meeting of the NDA government led by Nitish Kumar will be held at 11 am in Patna, today.

Karnataka: BJP and JDS workers hold protest in Keragodu village, Mandya over the Hanuman flag hoisted by the Gram Panchayat Board of Mandya district, which was brought down by the district administration, yesterday. 

The body of a 40-year-old man with injury marks has been found outside a railway station in Palghar district of Maharashtra, with the police suspecting it to be a case of murder, an official said on Monday. Some passers-by spotted the body near a toilet close to the Naigaon railway station on Sunday evening and alerted the police, inspector Mangesh Aandhare from Naigaon police station said. The police rushed to the spot and sent the body to a government hospital for post-mortem.

Karnataka: Security was heightened in Keragodu village, Mandya where the Hanuman flag hoisted by the Gram Panchayat Board of Mandya district on a 108-foot flagpole was brought down by the district administration, yesterday.

Jammu and Kashmir: Gurez was covered in a blanket of snow as it receives fresh snowfall.

"It is a matter of regret that he left our hands at the last moment, this is a complete betrayal of trust and the people of Bihar will answer him soon for this (betrayal)," Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar visited Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Puducherry.

Train services were affected at the New Delhi Railway Station due to bad weather. New Delhi woke up to a thick blanket of fog early in the morning today.

Braving the early morning cold, devotees gather for the darshan of Ram Lalla at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya. The Pran Pratishtha of Lord Ram was done on January 22 and the temple was open for devotees from the next day.

A thick layer of fog surrounded the national capital on early Monday morning, thus limiting the visibility.

India Meteorological Department tweets, "Fog conditions observed (at 0530 hours IST of today): Dense to very Dense fog over some parts of Uttar Pradesh; in isolated pockets of Bihar; Moderate fog in isolated pockets of Punjab, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh; Shallow fog in isolated pockets of Rajasthan, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh."

Visibility recorded (at 05.30 hours IST of today) (≤ 500 metres):  Punjab: Patiala-200, Amritsar-500; Delhi: Palam-200, Safdarjung-500; Rajasthan: Ganganagar, Jaipur-500 each; Uttar Pradesh: Bareilly, Bahraich, Gorakhpur -25 each, Varanasi, Lucknow, Sultanpur-50 each; Bihar: Purnea-25, Patna- 200, Gaya, Bhagalpur-500 each; Madhya Pradesh: Gwailor-200; Odisha: Jharsiguda, Puri-500 each; Andhra Pradesh: Jijaywada-500."