The idea, Shah explains, was to keep the discipline of a shared start, without asking anyone to participate in a religious act that wasn't theirs. The anthem, he felt, offered a "common minimum" that didn't privilege one faith over another: stand together, start together, get to work.
A demolition drive at the Manikarnika Ghat was met with protests from locals, who alleged that the city's heritage was being destroyed in the name of redevelopment, a charge rejected by the district administration.
'The Maoist leadership spread fear that surrender meant torture or death. Once that false narrative collapsed and our operations proved transparent and credible, the surrender momentum became irreversible.' 'From 42,000 square kilometres, Maoist activity is now confined to barely 500-600 square kilometres -- less than two per cent of Bastar. This is their last remaining base area.'
The Congress party has suspended 12 newly-elected councillors in Maharashtra's Ambernath Municipal Council and its block president for forming an alliance with the BJP after recent civic polls. The BJP, along with the Congress and NCP, secured a majority in the council, despite Shiv Sena being the single largest party.
Tata Steel Masters: Gukesh slumps to another defeat against Giri
TasteAtlas has put together its list of 100 Worst Rated Foods in the World.
'Trump says India will buy over $500 billion of US goods.' 'At present, India's annual imports of goods and energy from the US are under $50 billion.' 'Reaching $500 billion would likely require more than 20 years, suggesting the figure refers to a long-term aspiration rather than a near-term commitment.'
The kidnappers are suspected to be members of the United Kuki National Army (UNKA), a non-signatory to the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement.
Russian-born Daria Kasatkina said she is ready to embrace the "good pressure" of a home Grand Slam when she steps onto the Melbourne Park court as an Australian citizen for the first time.
'When markets go into a budget with excessive optimism, the risk of disappointment is higher.'
A battle of nerves is unfolding between the Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena on Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde's home turf, Thane, with a BJP leader pitching for a substantial share in power on the back of the party's 100 per cent strike rate in the civic polls.
Hindu activists protested a wedding reception for an interfaith couple in Shahjahanpur, leading to its cancellation. The couple had married in a registry marriage in Delhi.
Despite forging an alliance with the faction led by his uncle, Nationalist Congress Party chief and Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday failed to protect the party's traditional bastions of Pune and neighbouring Pimpri-Chinchwad, as the Bharatiya Janata Party decimated both the NCPs in the municipal corporation elections.
Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova withdrew from the Australian Open on Sunday after the Czech player said she was dealing with a shoulder injury.
Tennis showman Gael Monfils bowed out of his 20th and final Australian Open on Tuesday with a mix of pain and regret as he fell to an injury-hampered 6-7(3), 7-5, 6-4, 7-5 defeat in the first round to local qualifier Dane Sweeny.
Miscreants torched three vehicles of a local contractor and put up fake Maoist posters in Odisha's Kalahandi district. Police suspect the Maoist angle is fabricated and are investigating local involvement.
Spread across 437 kilometres and four stages, the Pune Grand Tour, starting on Monday, will feature around 170 riders from 35 countries, including 12 locals.
With Ajit Pawar's passing, the 40 MLAs who remain will now have to decide whether they want to continue in Mahayuti in the company of the BJP and Shiv Sena -- or return to the Sharad Pawar fold.
Police, however, rejected allegations of negligence. Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Rajeev Narayan Mishra said police and fire department teams made efforts to save the youth and deployed a crane, ladder, makeshift boat and searchlights, but visibility was near zero due to fog.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a chargesheet against real-money online gaming app WinZO and its promoters, alleging the company used bots and AI to manipulate game algorithms, leading to significant financial losses for users.
'With ETPL, we hope we can bring the magic of cricket euphoria to mainland Europe.'
A man accused of fatally shooting a 24-year-old at a cafe in northeast Delhi confessed to the crime in a social media video, citing a grudge over a past altercation. Police are investigating the incident and the claims made in the video.
Despite a directive from the Election Commission, no FIR has been filed against TMC MLA Monirul Islam in connection with vandalism at the Farakka Block Development Office in Murshidabad. The delay raises questions about the implementation of the Commission's orders ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.
'Both Rahul and Modi are the same in the way they run their parties. Modi too wants faceless people and so does Rahul Gandhi.'
Following a hung result in the Chandrapur Municipal Corporation elections, both the Congress and BJP are claiming they will secure the Mayor's position. Congress emerged as the single largest party, but the BJP claims to have support from Congress corporators.
The girl suffered fatal wounds due to the impact, while her parents also sustained injuries, he said.
Sustaining 8 per cent-plus growth rates is necessary if we are to reach high-income status by 2047, points out Amitabh Kant.
Basant Panchami is dedicated to Devi Saraswati, the goddess of learning and an auspicious occasion to visit shrines in her honour.
Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva turned pantomime villain at the Australian Open on Friday after beating Turkey's qualifier Zeynep Sonmez in the third round.
'Once demographic fear becomes campaign language, it legitimises social targeting.'
Shuttered shops, overturned scooters, broken tiles and stones marked the narrow lanes near the Turkman Gate area in New Delhi on Wednesday, as the locality remained tense and under heavy security following violence during an anti-encroachment drive.
Security forces have strengthened the cordon in a remote forest area of Kathua district following an encounter with terrorists. A search operation was launched after reports of terrorist presence in Kahog village of Billawar. Intense firing lasted for over an hour, and reinforcements, including Army paratroopers, have been deployed to neutralize the terrorists.
With the Congress coming third overall and having done much better than Shiv Sena-UBT and NCP-SP, its allies in Maha Vikas Aghadi, political analysts said it will force a rethink as far as coordination, seat-sharing and leadership are concerned ahead of the 2029 assembly polls.
A 40-year-old Hindu man, Sarat Chakraborty Mani, was killed on Monday night in Narsingdi, near Dhaka, after being attacked with sharp weapons by unidentified assailants, reported Bangladesh registered newspaper Weeklyblitz.
The situation in Kokrajhar escalated late on January 19 after a Scorpio vehicle carrying three Bodo individuals hit two Adivasi persons at Mansingh Road under the Karigaon police outpost.
Makers of spirits, beer, and wine are working to identify new markets of growth as two of the industry's biggest liquor markets, Maharashtra and Telangana, remain embroiled in taxation and payment issues.
Peace prevailed at the disputed 11th-century Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district on Friday as Hindus performed puja to mark Basant Panchami festival while Muslims offered namaaz within the same premises but at a different location.
The Learjet 45 (LJ45), a mid-size business jet aircraft produced by the Learjet Division of Bombardier Aerospace, went off the runway while attempting to land at Baramati airport and burst into flames.
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah stated that displaced Kashmiri Pandits are welcome to return to their homes in the Valley, but expressed doubt that they would want to return permanently.
'As the PLA higher command is almost dismantled and instability spreads, India needs to be prepared for any eventuality,' cautions China expert Srikanth Kondapalli.
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