New Delhi has turned into a virtual fortress ahead of the Independence Day celebrations as thousands of armed security personnel kept a hawk-eyed vigil to pre-empt any possible terror strike in the city.
The avoidable stresses and strains in ties helped in one way. It showed for the entire region how a matured India handled diplomatic relations, especially with a smaller and suspicious neighbour, with practised dignity and patience, unruffled by provocations in word, deed and action, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Sources are in touch with Iranian authorities through diplomatic channels, both in Tehran and in Delhi.
Former National Security Guard Commando P V Maneesh, who had suffered serious head injuries in the Mumbai 26/11 terror attack, said Ajmal Kasab's hanging will increase the "morale and courage" of soldiers who risk their lives to protect the Nation's interests.
Security has been beefed up in the national capital with thousands of Delhi police and paramilitary personnel keeping a hawk-eyed vigil in the city to thwart any possible threats in the run-up to Independence Day later this week.
Around 800 police and paramilitary personnel sacrificed their lives in the past one year during operations or attacks on them with Central Reserve Police Force topping the list with 191 such cases.
A five member team of the National Security Guard has commenced its investigation into the Bangalore blast case.
Curfew was relaxed in three Imphal Valley districts on Tuesday and the suspension on broadband internet lifted with conditions, even as Chief Minister N Biren Singh blamed the Congress for the present crisis in Manipur and NDA MLAs called for a "mass operation" against militants responsible for the killing of six women and children. Peaceful rallies were also staged across the state, with hundreds taking to the streets with empty coffins in Churachandpur district, demanding justice for those killed in a gunfight with the security forces in Jiribam, and members of various civil society organisations bringing out a procession in Imphal West district to protest the reimposition of AFSPA in parts of the state.
India's second nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine was commissioned into the Navy on Thursday in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh who said this will further strengthen the country's nuclear triad and enhance nuclear deterrence.
They realised that the Portuguese were better prepared to defend Daman than Dadra and Nagar Haveli. If reinforcements from Daman were to reach Silvassa, there was no chance of defeating the Portuguese. They decided that cutting Daman's communication lines would have to be their top priority before attacking Silvassa. A fascinating excerpt from Neelesh Kulkarni's new book, Uprising-The Liberation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
They said a sniper is believed to have targeted the truck from the front before the other terrorists sprayed bullets and lobbed grenades on it.
These stunning photos are a tribute to the martyrs and capture the 'men in black' at their combative best.
The court converted Naidu's four-week interim medical bail in this case into absolute bail and ordered the former chief minister's release on regular bail, considering his age, old age-related ailments, non-flight risk and other reasons.
Keeping up his tradition of celebrating the festival with soldiers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Sir Creek near the Indo-Pak border in Gujarat's Kutch district and offered sweets to jawans.
Commando Surender Singh was injured fighting terrorists at the Taj Mahal hotel in the 26/11 attacks. Now, as an Aam Aadmi Party candidate for the Delhi state elections, he says he is fighting corruption. Rediff.com's Sumit Bhattacharya reports.
Lashing out at Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, Rashid on Wednesday alleged that they have "destroyed" Kashmir.
India has not only been decked in tricolour hues in the lead up to the 76th Independence Day celebrations, but also put under a heavy security blanket, right from Delhi, the epicentre of the mega celebrations, to Jammu and Kashmir.
An officer's enclave in memory of National Security Guard commando Sandeep Unnikrishnan, killed while fighting terrorists in Taj Hotel in the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, was unveiled in the presence of his parents in Bangalore in Friday.
Subhash Joshi was on Tuesday appointed as the new chief of Border Security Force while special secretary in the home ministry Ajay Chadha would now head the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, while special director general of BSF Arvind Ranjan has been appointed as director general, NSG.
'Our border guarding forces have also been instructed to be exceptionally alert in view of this complex situation.'
Mumbai Police Inspector Vijay Salaskar and Assistant Sub-Inspector Tukaram Ombale, apart from National Security Guard commandos Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan and Havildar Gajender Singh too would receive the medal posthumously for their acts of bravery during the November Mumbai attacks. Delhi Police inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, who died fighting terrorists in the Batla House operation in the capital in September last year, has also been named for the award.
In a surprise departure from norms, investigators of the National Security Guard post-blast study team were not allowed to gather vital data of the terror-struck and burnt Israeli embassy SUV citing "diplomatic reasons".
US Vice President Kamala Harris, who is of Indian and African heritage, has formally secured the Democratic presidential nomination becoming the first Indian-American to win the nomination from a major political party, and chose Minnesota Gov Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday.
A multi-tier security cover has been put in place in the national capital with thousands of security personnel guarding vital installations and specialised units like NSG deployed ahead of Independence Day to pre-empt any terror strike.
Glimpses of the colourful parade we will see on Rajpath in New Delhi on Thursday.
Despite his best efforts, the NSG has not been able to overcome bureaucratic and procedural hurdles in procuring and acquiring new weapons and equipment, says RS Chauhan in the second and concluding report on the National Security Guard
The officials said the jawan was the youngest to die among the CAPFs. All other fatalities were over 45 years, they said.
He assured the people that the terrorists involved in the attack would be identified and brought before the court within the shortest possible time.
There were 406 such incidents, which include IED and ordnance explosive blasts, in the country. Iraq came second with almost half the number at 221, the report by the National Bomb Data Centre said though it did not mention the casualties.
Prayers and candle-light vigils were held across Mumbai and various parts of the country on Thursday to pay homage to the victims on the first anniversary of the 26/11 terror attacks. The Mumbai police will hold a peace flag march in a show of strength from the Air India building at Nariman Point to Girgaum Chowpatty. The march will also include Force One, the Quick Response Team and the police team's newly-acquired armoured vehicles.
The clashes broke out this morning when protesters attending a non-cooperation programme to demand the government's resignation faced opposition from the supporters of the Awami League, Chhatra League, and Jubo League activists.
'If we have to restrict and fight terrorism, first and foremost, we have to ensure communal harmony in the country.'
'They are both very individualistic and have similar personalities.'
At no point in Dhoka: Round D Corner does the tension build up as it goes quickly from thriller to unintentional comedy, feels Deepa Gahlot.
The flight was diverted to the Jamnagar airport following a bomb threat and made a safe emergency landing there at 9.49 pm on Monday, officials had said.
'Trump has no more elections to fight and his soaring ambition, which is no secret, will be to carve out a presidential legacy that outshines by far all his mediocre predecessors.' 'Trump's turnaround on the H-1B visa debate shows that he can take tough decisions and there are no holy cows in his domain,' asserts Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Modi, on his maiden visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, first took the elephant safari in Mihimukh area of the Central Kohora Range of the park followed by the jeep safari inside the same range.
The investigators have not yet been able to find parts of any drone, sources said.
India on Monday asserted that its friendly ties with the Maldives will continue as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Mohamed Muizzu unveiled a blueprint for comprehensive economic and maritime cooperation, signalling a reset of the relationship that had hit a rough patch last year due to anti-New Delhi rhetoric.
The National Security Guard on Saturday rejected allegations of financial irregularities made by a former commando, saying all gift cheques the force received for the 26/11 Mumbai operation have been accounted for and in case of personal ones, they were returned.
