Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla has extended the deadline for the surrender of looted and illegal arms until 4 PM on March 6 following requests from both hill and valley areas for additional time. The initial deadline for the voluntary surrender of arms ended on February 24. Bhalla has assured that no punitive action will be taken against those who surrender their weapons within this period, emphasising that "this is the last opportunity for everyone concerned to contribute to peace, communal harmony, the future of our youth, and the security of our society."
An official source informed that though there was no report of fresh violence from any part of the two affected districts, the situation remained very tense. Ten additional companies of Border Security Force personnel had been deployed in the two districts where 16 columns of the army along with a large number of police and paramilitary force personnel were already operating.
Cautioning against forces which fan communal tension in order to polarise the situation in their favour, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday voiced concern over the Muzaffarnagar riots and said such violence cannot be allowed to spread.
The Lucknow bench of the court said the persons concerned may file their responses to the notices within 15 days and directed the state authorities to consider the said replies and a pass reasoned order on those.
Eight persons have been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police in connection with Wednesday's renewed communal rioting in Muzaffarnagar, which left four dead.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that polls can be rigged through social media, and that if social media companies want, they can make any party win an election.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the BJP-RSS of carrying out a "well-planned conspiracy" against national heroes and said that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's ideology was contrary to the RSS' ideas. He defended the relationship between Sardar Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru, saying they were "two sides of the same coin". He also criticized the BJP-RSS for their alleged attempts to appropriate the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel.
The anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protest was secular but the charge sheet in the Delhi riots conspiracy case was communal and the police fabricated a story to suit its narrative, former Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader Umar Khalid told a court in New Delhi on Tuesday calling it a 'naked form of false implication.'
Such an incident has never occurred in the history of the state, he said.
The Nagpur violence may have been prevented had the police considered the dangerous potential of the VHP/Bajrang Dal's demonstration; had they immediately stopped the burning of the chaddar and arrested the demonstrators; and had they fanned out to counter the rumours that spread among Muslims, observes Jyoti Punwani.
An order issued by the Home Department of the Delhi government said the 1985-batch AGMUT cadre officer is being appointed to the new post with 'immediate effect'.
The Haryana government on Friday rejected in the high court the suggestion that a demolition drive in violence-hit Nuh did not follow procedure and was an exercise in 'ethnic cleansing', as the bench hearing the case referred it to the chief justice's court.
This is one bill that will ensure that no politician, official or person can play politics with the lives of any other person and if they do, they will be arrested. It is time for such a bill to protect the minorities, says Neeta Kolhatkar.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Monday warned that the country will be plunged into violence if Ram bhakts were prevented from reaching Ayodhya for an October 17 mass darshan.
A high-level government review committee has given its stamp of approval on a decision to block 306 accounts being used on micro-blogging site Twitter in the wake of communal violence in Assam's Kokrajhar district and large scale migration of people from the South.
At least 20 FIRs were registered in connection with stone-pelting during rallies held in protest against the Tripura communal violence in five districts of Maharashtra and 20 persons were arrested, police said on Saturday.
With the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls scheduled for 2027, political experts are observing an increasing trend of temple-mosque disputes in the state, leading to heightened polarization. Recent bypolls saw the use of divisive slogans, and analysts believe this trend will intensify as the 2027 elections approach. The recent surge in claims about the existence of Hindu temples at the sites of mosques in various cities has fueled this polarization. The BJP-led government has been accused of promoting communal polarization, while opposition parties like the SP have criticized the ruling party's actions. The RSS chief has called for restraint in raising new temple-related disputes. Experts predict that communal polarization is likely to escalate in the coming days.
A police officer in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, has sparked outrage after suggesting that those uncomfortable with Holi colors should remain indoors, drawing criticism from opposition parties who accused him of bias and demanded action. The officer's remarks came during a peace committee meeting ahead of Holi, which coincides with Friday prayers during Ramzan. Opposition leaders condemned the statements, calling them "condemnable" and accusing the officer of acting as a "BJP agent." They demanded action against him for his "political statement." The incident comes after violence erupted in Sambhal last year during protests against a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday accused the Maharashtra government of adopting an apathetic attitude to the desecration of Ganesh idols and other cases which led to communal violence in the state and said strong and timely action could have prevented the situation from deteriorating.
Party vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi accused the Samajwadi Party government in the state of "fomenting" communal trouble and demanded the President's rule in Uttar Pradesh.
Defying curfew, irate mobs on Friday torched vehicles and road kiosks and clashed with the police, leaving a superintendent of police and five other personnel injured in Bareilly, which has been hit by communal violence since March 2.Additional Director General of Police (law and order) Brij Lal said in Lucknow that unruly elements indulged in heavy brick-batting and arson in Sanjay Nagar and Subhash Nagar localities, forcing the police to use tear gas shells.
The army on Sunday staged a flag march in riot-hit areas of Muzaffarnagar district where the toll in clashes between members of two communities has risen to 12.
Curfew remained in force in the northern Odisha town of Balasore for the second day on Wednesday following a clash between two groups over animal slaughter in which 10 people were injured, an official said.
The communal violence in Kandhmal in the aftermath of the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Swami Laxmananda Saraswati and four of his disciples, has so far claimed 26 lives, Orissa Home Secretary Tarun Kanti Mishra said in Bhubhaneshwar on Monday.
India's strong reaction came after the OIC secretariat issued a statement alleging targeting of the Muslim community in several states in India during Ram Navami processions.
The principal responsibility for the initial inaction is that of the state government and its police but there has been contributory negligence by the internal security machinery of the government of India too, says B Raman
Narivetta takes its cue from real-life incidents and fictionalises the ordeal through the experiences of a young cop caught in the crossfire between the police and tribals up in arms, notes Arjun Menon.
A mosque was set on fire and a short circuit apparently triggered a blaze in another in Haryana's Nuh district, while two brothers belonging to Muslim community were allegedly beaten up in Gurugram by a group of about 30 people, the police said on Thursday.
'The level of violence that took place and also occurred at different points, the way stones were collected, the way weapons were brandished, the way shots were fired, it does not appear to have happened all of a sudden'
She has been booked under the anti-terror law in a case related to communal violence in northeast Delhi in February. Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana granted the interim relief from June 10 to June 19 to Jahan on furnishing two sureties of Rs 1 lakh.
The police have so far arrested 115 people in connection with the violence that erupted on May 13 night in the sensitive Old City area over a social media post and registered six cases at the Old City and Ramdas Peth police stations.
Before the violence and rioting that erupted in Nagpur on Monday, March 17, over Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's tomb came provocative statements from various political leaders.
The minister said the objective behind setting up the special squad was to create communal harmony.
Local residents shared their memories of the temple, with many highlighting its importance as a religious site for the community.
'The state police failed to stop the crimes, failed to protect me from the attackers, they were friendly with the attackers, they tried their best that I did not register an FIR, not make complaints against police, the police did not take down my statement as I narrated in detail and they abandoned me half of the way. I was raped and now I don't want to be victimised by the Orissa police. I want a CBI enquiry,' says the nun
A special investigation team will be formed to probe all cases of violence. If there was any conspiracy, it will also be investigated and the guilty will not be spared. The role of Bajrang Dal's Monu Manesar is also being investigated, Agrawal said.
Parts of Gujarat had witnessed large-scale violence in 2002 following the train burning incident at Godhra railway station in February that year.
Scenes from Haryana after two days of communal violence cost human lives, damaged property and the loss of many vehicles.
Official sources said the probe was ordered by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who visited the riot-torn area on Thursday to take stock of the situation.
