Breaking News, June 23 | HIGHLIGHTS

A 51-mm mortar shell was found and subsequently destroyed in a controlled explosion near the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district on Sunday, officials said. The rusted mortar shell was noticed by a villager in his fields at Paharpur village near Haria chak police border post area, the officials said. They said a bomb disposal squad was rushed to the scene and the explosive was safely destroyed in a controlled explosion without causing any damage.

As many as 813 of the 1,563 candidates who were earlier awarded grace marks in the NEET-UG exam appeared for a retest on Sunday, officials said. The retest was conducted at seven centres.

The woman who has been accused of honey-trapping the man who was shot dead in a Burger King outlet in Rajouri Garden area was seen in Jammu, a police source said on Sunday. Aman Joon, 26, was shot dead last week in the west Delhi area by two gangsters while he was sitting inside the restaurant with the woman. Police said Joon suffered 38 gunshot wounds. According to a source, the woman, who Joon had come to meet at the fast food joint, was seen at Katra Railway Station of Jammu and Kashmir. The woman, who is alleged to have been used as bait by the gangsters who killed the man, was captured in CCTV footage, which showed her carrying luggage at Katra Railway Station and covering her face with a scarf.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Sunday said an inquiry is underway on various aspects of the alleged paper leak in the NEET exam and the guilty will be jailed. Bihar Police's Economic Offences Unit last month arrested 13 people, including prime suspect Sikandar Yadavendu, in connection with the alleged paper leak in the NEET-UG 2024 exam conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

After making an early onset in parts of south Gujarat on June 11 and making no progress for several days, the southwest monsoon on Sunday advanced further into the state, said officials. Conditions remain favourable for the monsoon to cover some more parts of Gujarat and the adjoining north Arabian Sea in the next 3-4 days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its forecast on Sunday evening.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Sunday said the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre can become unstable anytime and asked her party workers to strengthen the party's support base across the country by bringing forward those associated with its mission.

A serving soldier who was on leave died in a road accident when his bike collided head-on with a bus in Himachal's Hamirpur district on Sunday, police said. The police identified the deceased as Suresh Kumar (37), a resident of Sujanpur.

The BJP on Sunday attacked the INDIA bloc over the hooch tragedy in Tamil Nadu, with Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman demanding that the Congress break its silence on the issue and “pull up” its ally DMK for the loss of lives in the incident.

Rain lashed several parts of the Hyderabad city.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea of Haryana government against a high court order, quashing the state's policy of granting additional marks to its residents in recruitment exams. A vacation bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Rajesh Bindal will hear the plea filed jointly by the Haryana government and the state staff selection commission challenging the May 31 order of the high court.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Sunday demanded Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation amid a raging controversy around the National Testing Agency (NTA) in the wake of paper-leak allegations and cancellations of exams. In a statement issued here, the CPI(M) politburo said it is "deeply anguished over the sinister developments which have engulfed the centralised all-India examination processes".

The CBI has filed an FIR in connection with alleged irregularities in the conduct of the medical entrance exam NEET-UG held on May 5, officials said on Sunday. They said the agency is also taking steps to bring under its ambit cases registered in various states by police.

Actor and MNM party chief Kamal Haasan met the Hooch tragedy victims at the Kallakurichi Medical College and Hospital. So far 56 people have lost their lives. 

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday attacked the Narendra Modi government over the alleged irregularities in national competitive exams, including the NEET-UG, alleging that it has handed over the entire education system to the "mafia" and the "corrupt".

Her reaction came a day after the Union education ministry set up a panel to review the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA) -- the body responsible for conducting the tests -- and recommend exam reforms.

The Centre on Saturday also shunted out the agency's Director General Subodh Singh and handed over the probe into the irregularities in medical entrance exam NEET-UG to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The death toll in the Tamil Nadu Hooch tragedy has risen to 56, according to district administration's report released on Sunday. As per the information shared by the District Collectorate, Kallakurichi, there were a total of 216 patients admitted to four hospitals in Tamil Nadu after consuming illicit liquor.

In Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (Jipmer), Pondy, 17 patients are alive and three have been declared dead, while in Vilupuram Medical College, four people are alive and four have been declared dead.

Andhra Pradesh Police have apprehended three people in the case of rape and murder of a young woman within the limits of Chirala Rural police station. The incident occurred on June 21. The investigation revealed that two intoxicated accused dragged the woman into the bushes near the railway track, raped her and then killed her. The police identified and arrested the accused based on the victim's parents' information and other witness testimonies: Vakul Jindal, SP Bapatla district

In a landmark event, Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE), Indian Army and Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering & Research (SAMEER), an autonomous R&D laboratory under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance collaboration in 'Next Generation Wireless Technologies for Indian Army, said a statement from Ministry of Defence on Saturday. The MoU was signed by Lt Gen K H Gawas, Commandant MCTE and Colonel Commandant Corps of Signals and Dr P H Rao, Director General SAMEER, added the statement.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has achieved major success in testing its reusable launch vehicle. It has successfully conducted the third and final landing experiment of the Reusable Launch Vehicle LEX3 (RLV-LEX3) in Chitradurga, Karnataka.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) organised a bike rally in Chandigarh to spread awareness against drug use and for an addiction-free India. Deputy Director General Neeraj Kumar Gupta remained present during the bike rally.

Delhi Police organised a Walk-A-Thon program under 'Nasha Mukt Bharat Pakhwada' campaign in Delhi. Actor Ranvijay Singh participating in the event said, "Everyone participating in this, whether they are from Delhi Police or any other organisation, all of them have to promote and spread awareness about this. As a teacher, parent, fitness coach or influencer, you have to make sure that those who are younger than you do not get involved in drugs." 

On the Amarnath Yatra preparations, Udhampur Deputy Commissioner Saloni Rai said that the authorities have ensured adequate bedding arrangements in lodgement centres. Four new toilet complexes are being built as sanitation has been ensured in all lodgement centres. Security arrangements have been beefed up for the safe movement of pilgrims going from Udhampur. Moreover, e-KYC centres have been set up at the Udhampur Railway Station to help pilgrims with on-site registration for the yatra. Necessary security clearance of 'langar' volunteers has also been done."