With the help of police, fire brigade personnel and local residents, the pilots were rescued safely.
The action was taken after a Prayagraj court directed that a case be registered on an application moved by Ashutosh Brahmachari Maharaj and others.
Avimukteshwarananda has been in the headlines for his confrontation with the organisers of the Magh Mela in Prayagraj.
The Mela administration alleged that the Shankaracharya and his supporters broke a barricade on a pontoon bridge and moved towards the ghats, creating serious difficulties for the police in managing the situation.
A GST Deputy Commissioner, Prashant Kumar Singh, resigned in protest against Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand's remarks against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, citing attempts to divide the nation on caste and religious lines.
Alankar Agnihotri said several organisations of the upper-caste community would participate in the stir if the central government fails to withdraw the SC/ST Act by February 6.
An investigation has been launched into the authenticity of the disability certificate of Prashant Kumar Singh, who resigned as GST Deputy Commissioner in protest against remarks made against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The probe was initiated following a complaint filed in 2021.
Social media platform X argues that satire, fair comment, and public speech should be protected from takedown orders in personality rights cases during a Delhi High Court hearing involving Baba Ramdev's lawsuit.
Influencer Harsha Richhariya, known for promoting Sanatan Dharma, has decided to step away from the religious path due to continuous criticism and mental stress.
The Supreme Court has disposed of a plea against the Netflix film 'Ghooskhor Pandit' after filmmaker Neeraj Pandey withdrew the title and promotional material. The court acknowledged Pandey's affidavit and expects the controversy to be resolved.
A visual journey through some major events of 2025, from the spiritual grandeur of Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj to the strategic success of Operation Sindoor, India's decisive military response following the Pahalgam terror attack.
CA Sumeet Mehta analyses the Union Budget 2026-2027, identifying key positives and negatives.
A parliamentary committee has criticized Indian Railways for slow train speeds, discrepancies in 'superfast' fares and inadequate punctuality standards.
Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati protests a notice from the Magh Mela administration regarding his use of the 'Shankaracharya' title, alleging discrimination and questioning the presence of multiple Shankaracharyas from Puri at the event.
The annual Magh Kumbh Mela 2026 is underway at Prayagraj from January 3 to February 15.
The Congress party has criticized the BJP's appointment of Nitin Nabin as its new president, questioning the election process and mocking the role of the Election Commissioner.
Alankar Agnihotri, a 2019-batch Provincial Civil Service officer, resigned from service citing deep disagreement with government policies, especially the new UGC regulations.
Dense winter fog and smog have gripped several Indian cities, from Agra's Taj Mahal to the streets of New Delhi, Srinagar, Lucknow, and beyond. These chilling visuals capture how residents, commuters, and tourists are coping with poor visibility and biting cold. From washermen on the Gomti riverbank to Shikara rides in Dal Lake, the photographs highlight the impact of extreme weather on daily life across northern India.
The Supreme Court's stay on the UGC equity regulations aimed at preventing caste-based discrimination on campuses has been met with mixed reactions. Opposition parties welcomed the decision, while some expressed concern over the implications for marginalized communities.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta termed the exorbitant rise of airfares by airlines as "exploitation" and asked the Centre and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to file their replies to a PIL seeking binding regulatory guidelines to control the unpredictable fluctuations in airfare and ancillary charges imposed by private airlines in India.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government has suspended Bareilly City Magistrate Alankar Agnihotri on charges of indiscipline after he resigned from service in protest against government policies.
The Summer Research Fellowship Programme 2026 is a merit fellowship offered to students and teachers to pursue research in science, engineering and medicine.
These 8 states emerged as the country's most-travelled destinations for local Indian visitors, according to Ministry Of Tourism's most recent statistics which are from 2024.
From religious gatherings to public events, 2025 witnessed a series of stampedes and crowd-related incidents that exposed the fragile line between mass participation and human tragedy, leaving behind loss, questions, and urgent lessons on crowd safety.
The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad, in the aftermath of the recent Red Fort blast in Delhi, has stepped up its monitoring efforts and sought comprehensive details of madrasas, their students, and teaching staff across the eight districts under Prayagraj zone, officials said on Wednesday.
A workable, doable 'to-do' list for the New Year...
Indians across the country welcomed the New Year 2026 with celebrations, religious observances, and gatherings at tourist spots. The President, Vice President, and Prime Minister extended greetings for peace and prosperity.
'The RSS, that advocated military strength, remained in the ideological doghouse for over half a century. Many of the RSS' responses even today carry the burden of this past,' points out Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
A pile-up involving multiple buses and smaller vehicles on the Yamuna Expressway due to dense fog resulted in at least 13 fatalities. Rescue efforts were hampered by poor visibility, and identification of the deceased is proving difficult.
Flyers faced a double blow as air fares on Air India flights out of Delhi and those of SpiceJet soared past Rs 1 lakh one-way on some routes, and even those showed 'sold out' despite the airlines adding capacity.
A major pile-up on the Yamuna Expressway in Mathura, India, resulted in four fatalities and numerous injuries due to dense fog and low visibility.
'The photographs showcase the different emotions of India and power of faith. For someone who couldn't visit the historic event, the pictures take me there.'
The national capital was in the grip of a cold wave, with the sun largely obscured by clouds and pollutants lingering in the atmosphere, leading to reduced visibility. At least 129 flights were cancelled at the Delhi airport on Saturday due to dense fog, according to an official.
Two Delhi-based traders were arrested in Hapur after attempting to cremate a mannequin instead of a human body to fraudulently claim insurance money. The scheme involved using the identity of an employee's brother to obtain a life insurance policy and then staging his death.
The Prayagraj airport in India is experiencing a surge in air traffic due to the Maha Kumbh, a major religious festival. The airport is handling an average of 40 non-scheduled charters and private jets daily, with figures reaching 70 on weekends. This is in addition to the average 148 scheduled commercial passenger aircraft operating daily. The airport recently received a contingent of about 180 politicians from Rajasthan and has seen corporate bigwigs like the Ambani brothers, Gautam Adani, and Pawan Munjal pass through. The airport has also hosted four international flights since the beginning of the Maha Kumbh, including a flight carrying Laurene Powell Jobs, the wife of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. The airport is currently undergoing an upgrade and expansion, and officials are looking forward to the government's plans to integrate Prayagraj with the airports at Kashi and Ayodhya to promote tourism in the region.
A deadly stampede at New Delhi Railway Station occurred on Saturday evening as passengers confused two trains with similar names, "Prayagraj Express" and "Prayagraj Special," and rushed to change platforms after an announcement. The confusion led to a surge of people on the stairs, resulting in the tragic deaths of 18 people. The Railway Ministry stated that the arrival of the "Prayagraj Special" at platform 12 caused panic among those waiting for the "Prayagraj Express" at platform 14, leading to the stampede. An unprecedented rush of passengers due to the Maha Kumbh and the delay of multiple trains heading to Prayagraj contributed to the chaos. The incident highlighted the dangers of inadequate crowd management during peak travel periods.
Indian origin Hindus living in Europe and US are mulling opening overseas chapters of Prayagraj-based 'Ram Naam Bank' in their countries. On the occasion of Ram Navami on Sunday, the idea of opening a Ram Naam Bank was discussed among the devotees in Sweden.
Bookings as well as airfares for flights to Prayagraj have jumped multi-fold as more people travel for the Maha Kumbh, with the air ticket prices rising up to 21 per cent for the Delhi-Prayagraj flights. According to an analysis by travel portal ixigo, the one-way airfare between Bhopal and Prayagraj has surged the maximum at 498 per cent to Rs 17,796 from Rs 2,977 last year.
'The cost of flying to Prayagraj has gone up six times due to the Kumbh Mela.'
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