'They want to sabotage the caste census and bury Muslim backward classes, Hindu backward classes, Sikh backward classes and Buddhist backward classes.'
The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has taken suo motu cognisance of a video clip allegedly showing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee using derogatory language against the SC community during an election rally.
Job aspirants and guest faculties in Bihar are protesting in Patna, demanding the timely conduct of the BPSC TRE-4 exam, transparency in recruitments, and the resignation of education officials. They also seek implementation of UGC regulations, increased age limits, and regularisation of assistant professor appointments, threatening further agitation if demands are not met.
The Kerala High Court has intervened to protect a young woman, known as the 'Kumbh Mela girl', from being transferred to Madhya Pradesh police without its order, despite a directive from the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.
SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar has revived the long-standing discussion about dividing Uttar Pradesh, claiming Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured him the state could be split into four parts after a caste census. Rajbhar's statement, made at a rally in Deoria, links the division to the 27% reservation issue and suggests a Rajbhar could become chief minister of a new Purvanchal state. The demand for UP's division has historical precedents, notably from former Chief Minister Mayawati.
'Once the numbers come out, they fear that the OBCs would start to demand, and articulate what they are lacking, why they are lacking and what should be done to go forward.'
Former India captain Asunta Lakra has written to the National Commission for Women (NCW), requesting an independent inquiry into the handling of sexual harassment complaints at Hockey India and its affiliated organisations. Lakra alleges institutional failure, deliberate inaction, and intimidation of complainants, specifically accusing Hockey India secretary general Bholanath Singh of threatening her after she raised concerns about alleged misconduct by Jharkhand coach Sudhir Gola. She also highlighted multiple complaints since January 2025 and caste-based humiliation of tribal players.
Guntur district collector has issued a notice to mother of Rohit Vemula, the University of Hyderabad research scholar who committed suicide in January last, asking her to prove she belonged to the Scheduled Caste.
'Improved law and order and transparent governance have helped change UP's investment image.'
Newly-appointed Uttar Pradesh Congress in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam on Wednesday hinted at an equal seat-sharing arrangement with the Samajwadi Party for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
'It would have never crossed anybody's mind where life would have taken us or that Irrfanji would fall sick.'
Supporters of senior BJP leader Narottam Mishra clashed with police and blocked a national highway in Madhya Pradesh's Datia district after Mishra was denied a ticket for the July 30 assembly by-election, leading to injuries among police personnel and arrests.
The Social and Educational Survey, popularly known as the 'caste census' in Karnataka, commenced on Monday, with enumerators going door-to-door to collect data.
The Election Commission has ordered a repoll in all 285 polling booths of the Falta assembly constituency in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on May 21, following reports of severe electoral offences and subversion of the democratic process during the second phase of the assembly elections.
'Both men understand the stakes. They are not about to squander what they have.'
The passage of this major legislation comes ahead of the general election due early next year.
'There were deep discussions within the Sangh Parivar before this decision was made.' 'They were convinced, and only then did the Modi government proceed with the caste census.'
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini commemorated B.R. Ambedkar's birth anniversary, highlighting his contributions to women's empowerment and social justice. Saini and Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal criticised the Congress party for allegedly disrespecting Ambedkar, while praising the current government's efforts to honour his legacy.
'I cannot imagine that any NSA before Ajit Doval would have given us this kind of time and this kind of engagement. They would have offered slogans, or nothing at all. That, too, tells you something.'
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is likely to resign, potentially paving the way for his deputy DK Shivakumar to take over. The move follows reported pressure from the Congress high command, though the party has denied any official decision. Speculation is rife as political tensions rise in the state.
The new UGC regulations mandating all higher education institutions to form "equity committees" to look into discrimination complaints and promote equity were notified on January 13.
Local body elections in Haryana, including municipal corporations of Ambala, Panchkula, and Sonipat, saw a 54.5 per cent voter turnout. Polling was held for mayor and ward councillor posts, with key contestants from BJP and Congress. The votes will be counted on May 13.
The ongoing Iran-US conflict is casting a shadow over global cricket, potentially disrupting the IPL 2026 due to travel disruptions and logistical challenges.
As outrage mounted over the death of a 19-year-old Dalit student, the Himachal Pradesh government on Saturday suspended an assistant professor booked on charges of sexually harassing her and announced an inquiry into allegations, including those of ragging and cast related abuse of the victim, while the University Grants Commission also set up a fact-finding committee.
The Bhabanipur assembly segment is Banerjee's political bastion, where she is locked in a prestige battle against Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari in what is being seen as a symbolic rematch of Nandigram, where he had defeated her in the 2021 assembly polls.
According to the proceedings of the case, the complainant has alleged that the "Indian Railways serves only halal-processed meat in non-vegetarian meals, which creates unfair discrimination and causes human-rights violations".
Rejecting the judicial commission's report on Rohith Vemula's suicide as "fake and fictitious", the National Commission for Scheduled Castes Chairman P L Punia on Wednesday said the deceased Hyderabad Univeristy research scholar was a Dalit.
Both NDA and INDIA are racing to woo marginalised groups with Assembly polls fast approaching.
The Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, has reassured the public that individual data collected during the upcoming census will remain confidential and cannot be used for any purpose other than statistical aggregation.
The government has to specify what it intends to do with caste census data. It will be closely tracked if the government would simultaneously move towards removing the present 50% bar on reservations using means which are permitted in law. If this is not done, the entire exercise will become meaningless and could boomerang on the BJP, observes Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
'You cannot run Parliament with 800 MPs as nobody will get time (to speak in Parliament). And Parliament sits for barely 60 days in a year.' 'Look at the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. They have 650 MPs and they sit for 150 days on an average in a year.'
The NCSC directed that action be taken against concerned police officials for not registering a case in this regard.
The Supreme Court on Monday came to the rescue of a Dalit youth, who had lost his seat in IIT Dhanbad after missing the deadline to deposit a fee, by asking the institute to admit him to the BTech course.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the BJP-led central government of attempting to suppress voting rights through voter roll revisions, describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the 'biggest infiltrator'.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan questioned the attempts being made to implement the SIR in poll-bound Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal while the Constitutional validity of the Bihar SIR process is under consideration by the Supreme Court.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the BJP of manipulating voter rolls to divide the state, alleging a conspiracy to deprive Bengali-speaking people of their voting rights. She claims the Election Commission is complicit in deleting lakhs of names from voter lists.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led central government, accusing it of attempting to suppress voting rights and polarise the electorate ahead of the assembly elections.
Narcotics Control Bureau Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede, who has been accused by Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik of securing his government job on the basis of a fake caste certificate, met National Commission for Scheduled Castes Chairman Vijay Sampla with his original caste papers.
Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai also said that the central government has not enumerated caste-wise population other than SCs and STs in census since Independence.
'What has changed is that the new regulations are backed by a clear enforcement framework. They have real consequences and, for the first time, make compliance unavoidable.'
