The main accused, Naushad, in the Kaushambi firecracker factory blast that killed 11 people, including eight children, has been arrested after an encounter. Two police personnel were suspended and three sent to police lines for alleged negligence, as the factory was operating illegally despite a previous licence suspension. Authorities are taking strict action, including invoking the Gangsters Act and NSA.
Jan Suraaj Party Founder Prashant Kishor took the oath as the Bankipur MLA in Patna on Monday, August 17, 2026.
Aastha Kunj Park in southeast Delhi is under intense scrutiny following the alleged gangrape of a 17-year-old girl by men posing as police personnel. The incident has brought to light significant security deficiencies, including broken boundary walls, unmanned gates, and poor lighting, raising serious concerns about public safety in the sprawling green space.
The alleged mastermind behind an attack on a Nagar Parishad chairman in Bihar's Bhagalpur district was killed in a gunfight with police. A deputy SP and two inspectors were also injured in the encounter. The accused was allegedly involved in a rivalry that led to the attack on the chairman, who was critically injured, and the executive officer, who died.
Police in Sant Kabir Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, have arrested three individuals involved in the theft of teak trees from agricultural fields. The investigation was launched following a complaint about stolen trees, leading to the recovery of stolen logs and the seizure of vehicles and tools used in the crime.
Union minister Chirag Paswan has caused a flutter by stating he would choose to give up his ministerial berth instead of a compromise on his principles, in keeping with the precedent set by his late father Ram Vilas Paswan.
In the recent Bihar elections, a majority of state ministers from the ruling NDA secured victories in their respective constituencies, with only one minister losing their seat.
Internal discord within the INDIA bloc has led to alliance partners contesting against each other in at least eight assembly seats in Bihar. The Congress, RJD, and Left parties are facing challenges in seat-sharing arrangements for the upcoming elections.
The National Democratic Alliance has authorized Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president J P Nadda to select the ruling bloc's vice presidential candidate.
Confusion prevailing in the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) showed little signs of let up on Saturday, with just two days to go before the filing of nomination papers for the second and final phase of assembly elections comes to a close.
The INDIA bloc in Bihar has announced Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial candidate, signaling a united front after weeks of internal disagreements. The move aims to challenge the incumbent NDA government, with both sides engaging in political maneuvering and accusations.
'If my daughter was admitted in time and her treatment started soon, she could have been saved.'
'He has become a new hope for Indian cricket.'
A sea of people could be seen, besides dignitaries led by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, at the cremation site on the banks of the Ganges in the city that has been a witness to the Lok Janshakti Party founders long journey -- from a young MLA of the socialist party in the late 1960s to having served under six prime ministers.
India's first woman elephant mahout Parbati Baruah famous as Hasti Kanya, tribal environmentalist Chami Murmu, social worker Sangthankima who runs Mizoram's largest orphanage and plastic surgeon Prema Dhanraj who treats burn victims are among 34 "unsung heroes" awarded Padma Shri on Thursday.
There is also speculation within the BJP that its national president J P Nadda, whose extended tenure will end by this month and who was among the leaders meeting Modi, may also be brought back in the government.
Lalu Prasad's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav on Friday turned up at a function hosted by Union minister Pashupati Kumar Paras, triggering speculations about the maverick RJD leader, who wears his religious fervour on the sleeves, cosying up to BJP-led NDA which his father has always fought tooth and nail.
Five years after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar imposed total prohibition in Bihar, the liquor mafia continues to thrive, reports MI Khan.
While on one hand the nation debates the delay in deciding mercy petition of death row convicts, here is an interesting case from Bihar where the mercy petitions have gone missing. The National Human Rights Commission is seized off a complaint filed by the Asian Centre for Human Rights on this issue.
Manohar Paswan and Phulesri Devi's three-year-old child is fighting for his life after contracting Acute Encephalitis Syndrome. Last week, they had admitted their only son in the Encephalitis Ward of the Sri Krishna Memorial College and Hospital in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. But his condition has not shown any signs of improvement.
"Is it any surprise that the new Parliament is being consecrated with typically false narratives from WhatsApp University? The BJP-RSS distorians stand exposed yet again with maximum claims, minimum evidence," Congress general secretary communications Ramesh said in his tweet.
Given the controversy over Uttar Pradesh's population control moves, Hemant Shivsaran/Rediff.com digs deep to find out how many children BJP MLAs in UP have.
The Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday saw cross-voting by a BJP MLA while another party legislator claimed that she was prevented from voting.
In some Bihar constituencies, candidates named Ram are fighting each other.
Parents of victims who lost their lives to deadly encephalitis in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district have accused the officials of a government hospital of demanding a bribe to hand over the dead bodies of their children. Parvatia Devi and her husband Maheshwar Paswan were shocked when officials of the Shri Krishna Medical College and Hospital demanded money for the release of the bodies.
Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Sarbananda Sonowal, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Narayan Rane, all of whom are being seen as probables for induction as ministers in the Modi government, arrived in the national capital on Tuesday amid indications that the Union Council of Ministers is likely to be expanded on Wednesday.
Roads and bridges that Nitish Kumar built have brought his alliance back to power. They made his journey safer. The mandate is clear.
The AIIMS has not issued any bulletin on Jaitley's health condition since August 10.
Sharad Pawar reckons that the NCP has value as a united, going concern, not as a gaggle of leaders in search of followers, notes Shreekant Sambrani.
ED files money laundering case. Fadnavis, Paswan want case transferred to CBI. Mumbai police will investigate on basis of evidence: Minister. Friend alleges he is being pressured to nail Rhea. Bihar government to oppose Rhea's SC plea.
The prime minister may go for new faces with an eye on grooming younger leaders while also factoring in caste and regional balances
Narendra Modi is expected to have a 45-member council of ministers who will take oath along with him on Monday evening. The council of ministers is expected to have 23 Cabinet ministers, 10 ministers of state with independent charge and 11 ministers of state, according to sources.
The statements made by the opposition parties after the preemptive air strike on terror camps have made only people of Pakistan happy, he claimed.
In its sway over national politics now, the Modi-Shah BJP is what the Congress was under Indira Gandhi. Why would they indulge coalition partners, their greed and egos now, asks Shekhar Gupta.
The RJD leader said, "I had told my parents that I did not wish to marry at this moment of time. But nobody listened to me. Ours was a mismatch. I am a simple man with simple habits while she is a modern woman, educated in Delhi and used to life in a metropolis."
A galaxy of top leaders, including Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari and leaders of BJP's allies such as Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, Shiromani Akali Dal supremo Parkash Singh Badal and Lok Janshakti Party founder Ram Vilas Paswan were present with Shah.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi also expressed hopes of a strong response from India in the wake of the Pulwama attack.
The news of Shah joining the Cabinet came from Gujarat BJP chief Jitu Vaghani, who tweeted a congratulatory message. "Had a courtesy meeting with our mentor Amit Shah and gave my best wishes to him on his inclusion as a strong member of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's council of ministers," he tweeted.
The disaster management department said that the state government has urged the Indian Air Force to send a helicopter for air-dropping of food packets and other relief material in marooned areas.
