Employees of the central government and those of its undertakings like banks and insurance companies have been engaged for counting of votes.
Reports of stopping of trains and road blocks are coming in from Patna following the bandh called by the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar against withholding of the caste-based census data by the central government.
The bodies of the four soldiers of Bihar regiment, who were killed after "heavily armed terrorists" ambushed an Indian army patrol along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, arrived in Patna on Wednesday night. Their funeral will take place at their respective villages on Thursday, a police official said.
Amid heart-rending scenes, the mortal remains of five army jawans killed by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control were on Thursday consigned to flames with full military honours in their respective villages in Bihar and Maharashtra.
Union minister Smriti Irani reacted furiously to the Congress leader's barb at the prime minister over the Rafale purchase and the tense situation in Manipur.
Continuing its probe into covert activities of Lashkar-e-Tayiba, the National Investigation Agency has arrested a man hailing Bihar in the national capital,
Road and rail traffic was partially affected in some regions on Monday during a 'Bharat bandh' called against the Agnipath military recruitment scheme, while protests appeared to taper off in many states, with authorities stepping up security and imposing curbs after days of unrest.
A total 95 deaths deaths were reported since Friday morning, of which 37 in Maharashtra, 24 in Gujarat, nine in West Bengal, seven in Madhya Pradesh, four each from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, three from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and two from Delhi and one each from Punjab and Haryana.
Even as Union ministers allay misgivings over Agnipath, figures show a meagre 2.4 per cent of the ex-servicemen who applied for a government job could get one as the Centre and the states have been unable to recruit against the reserved quotas. Public sector undertakings (PSUs), ministries, and officials of Sainik Boards have blamed it on the lack of skill among ex-servicemen. They say veterans' inability to qualify in selection exams is one of reasons for this. Also, non-recognition of qualifications obtained from the military are reasons why their recruitment has remained significantly low, pushing them towards low-skill jobs.
Janata Dal-United parliamentary board chief Upendra Kushwaha said that violence was 'deplorable' but hastened to add 'Besides making an appeal for peace, we can do little'.
He said every individual who plans to join the three forces through the Agnipath scheme will have to give an undertaking that they were not part of any protest, arson or vandalism.
A man was shot dead in police firing in Telangana's Secunderabad, trains went up in flames, and public and private vehicles attacked, as railway stations and highways turned into battleground in many states on Friday amid burgeoning protests against Agnipath, the contentious defence recruitment scheme.
In Bihar, where a bandh had been called, a railway station and a police vehicle were torched, an ambulance attacked and security personnel injured in stone-pelting incidents on the fourth consecutive day of the agitation, while protesters vandalised Ludhiana railway station in Punjab and blocked roads and rail tracks in West Bengal, Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.
All equipment from the Army which were part of the Republic Day celebrations are made-in-India, Chief of Staff Delhi Area Maj Gen Bhavnish Kumar had earlier said.
Here's a recap of moments captured in India in the past 24 hours.
The Republic Day parade, which will begin at around 1030 am, will be a unique mix of the country's military prowess and cultural diversity, depicting the country's growing indigenous capabilities, Nari Shakti and emergence of a 'New India'.
Nobody bothered to articulate the upsides; instead, the four-year tour of duty and denial of life-long pensions got played up.
Job-seekers for government and related opportunities found that their future was at risk, points out Shreekant Sambrani.
Glimpses of the colourful parade we will see on Rajpath in New Delhi on Thursday.
One priority for Delhi (for the new foreign secretary in particular) is to have an in-depth discussion with Dharamsala as soon as possible, suggests Claude Arpi.
'You have been surrounded from all directions, if you want the safety of your troops and your personal safety, we will give you eight hours to make up your mind to surrender.'
Police question Asma Khatoon and her father following the three day old's death.
The government has sanctioned a dozen fresh SSB battalions, comprising over 13,000 personnel for the Nepal and Bhutan borders guarding force, to "fortify" defences along these fronts including the tri-junction area in Sikkim that adjoins Bhutan and Tibet, officials said.
'Not unlike politicians who gravitate towards whoever is in power, mafia dons too have a great survival streak, switching loyalty to the party in power,' observes Virendra Kapoor a week after gangster Vikas Dubey was slain in an alleged encounter.
Take our quiz to find out just how much of a news wiz you are.
Washington might occasionally make some noises about alleged human rights violations and related issues but commonality of interests will only see the Indo-US ties grow stronger, observes Virendra Kapoor.
We present our alphabet of 2020, pulling in everything you'll remember about this year we'd rather forget.
As the pyres were being lit, thousands of villagers who had gathered shouted slogans against Pakistan and demanded tough action against the soldiers' killing.
'New Delhi's rulers should be alert to lighting a dangerous tinderbox,' warns Sunil Sethi.
Polling began in four naxalite-hit constituencies in Bihar's Gaya district on Friday morning amid tight security, with Indian Air Force helicopters maintaining aerial surveilance, official sources said.
An emotional farewell was given to the valiant army jawans who lost their lives in the Uri attack, as their last rites were performed in their respective native villages with full military and state honours.
At least 79 foreigners, including 49 Indians have been killed in the devastating earthquakes, according to a statement by the Nepal police.
Events that shaped the nation in the past 48 hours in images.
'Modi's finest political legacy ought to be a border settlement with Beijing,' asserts Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Kumar was promoted as CO of the battalion on July 12, a day before his daughter's seventh birthday.
DMK working president M K Stalin has appealed to cadres to remain calm and to follow discipline in 'this hour of grief'.
Niranjan's lungs got punctured due to the impact of the blast of a grenade that was kept in the pocket of a slain terrorist and the officer died before being taken to hospital.
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