At least 30 people were killed and 60 others injured in a pre-dawn stampede at the Sangam area of the Maha Kumbh early on Wednesday as crores of pilgrims jostled for space to take a holy dip on the occasion of one of the most auspicious days of Mauni Amavasya, officials said.
Virat Kohli's unmatched aura dominated the Ranji Trophy fixture between Delhi and Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, in Delhi, on Thursday.
Amid allegations that bouncers hired by Allu Arjun pushed crowds as well as policemen when the stampede occurred at the cinema hall, the police commissioner warned that stringent action as per law would be taken if THE bouncers indeed misbehaved with the police on duty. The VIPs would be made responsible for the behaviour of the bouncers hired by them, he said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah took a dip at the Triveni Sangam in Mahakumbh Nagar on Monday and described the Maha Kumbh as a unique symbol of the Sanatan culture's philosophy, which is rooted in harmony.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Trust board on Friday expressed condolences over the recent stampede here and decided to offer free education for the deceased victims' children at its institutions.
'The cost of flying to Prayagraj has gone up six times due to the Kumbh Mela.'
Following a stampede at the Maha Kumbh that killed 30 people, the Uttar Pradesh government has stepped up security measures and crowd management efforts. Despite the tragedy, millions of devotees continue to flock to the religious gathering, undeterred by the pre-dawn chill and dense fog. Security forces are being deployed in larger numbers, and new restrictions will be imposed at key locations to prevent further incidents. The authorities are also conducting a thorough review of the arrangements in the Mela area, and several officials are being assigned to oversee operations until February 12.
While about 8,000 people are in the long list of invitees, the select list features 506 A-listers, including prominent politicians, leading industrialists, top film stars, sportspersons, diplomats, judges and high priests.
Pseudonymous or anonymous nature of the social media handle, analysis of the geopolitical situation and presence of VIPs onboard are some of the new criteria that agencies will keep in mind while considering the seriousness of a bomb threat made to Indian airlines.
The Centre on Wednesday accorded Z plus -- the highest category of armed VIP security cover -- to Pawar, official sources had said.
The Uttar Pradesh government is expecting over 35 crore pilgrims to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, a significant increase from the 24 crore who attended the 2019 Kumbh Mela. The event, which will take place over 45 days, will feature extensive security and sanitation measures, as well as a digital component. The state government has allocated Rs 7,000 crore for the event.
He was arrested by a team of Special Cell on a secret tip off received from the Delhi-Faridabad border. An illegal firearm was recovered from his possession, they said.
Pooja Khedkar, a 2022 batch IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre, allegedly submitted fake disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates to clear the civil services exam, an official said on Wednesday.
The Maharashtra government has declared a day of mourning in the state on Thursday to pay tributes to industrialist Ratan Tata, the Chief Minister's Office said.
An alert Punjab Police ASI thwarted a murderous bid on Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Wednesday. The incident took place while Badal was sitting on a wheelchair due to a fractured leg. The attacker, Narain Singh Chaura, a former terrorist, was overpowered by the ASI before he could fire his weapon. The incident has sparked controversy, with the opposition party criticizing the ruling AAP government's security measures.
Narain Singh Chaura, a former Khalistani terrorist, attempted to kill Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Chaura, who had been visiting the temple for two days, opened fire at Badal from close range but missed as he was overpowered by plainclothes policemen. The police have seized a 9 mm pistol from Chaura and are investigating whether any organization was behind the incident or if it was carried out to "gain sympathy".
The suspect, identified as Vem Miller, was intercepted by police at a checkpoint about a half-mile from an entrance to the rally, police said.
Pawar was amenable to increasing the height of the boundary walls of his house in Delhi as part of the enhanced security measures.
A Rajya Sabha member now, Gogoi was earlier being provided with a security cover of the Delhi Police.
Kangana Ranaut, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, inaugurated her office in her constituency on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.
Who else do we know who meditated so with such impeccable timing (much of the Lok Sabha elections over and with only the last phase to go) and hordes for unsolicited defence of the grand meditation at public expense? asks Shyam G Menon.
Some candidates in these two states have been provided security till the poll process ends.
The man, identified as Narain Singh, was overpowered by some people standing outside the Golden Temple.
This will be after over two decades that the 'black cat' commandos of the elite counter-terror force will be taken out from VIP protection duties, a task not originally charted for it when the force was conceptualised and raised in 1984.
The Special Protection Group, the National Security Guard, the Central Reserve Police Force, the Central Industrial Security Force and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police are ensuring a watertight VIP security cover everyday to politicians campaigning across the country.
The interior ministry has directed the Federal Investigation Agency that no government official or other VIPs would be given protocol at airports.
'Whoever is doing it (threats to airlines), they are actually carrying out a recce.' 'This is the manner in which terrorists strike.'
Shatrughan Vishwakarma was deployed as part of the Special Security Force (SSF) set to provide security at the temple premises.
'During my tenure, I have even seen influential people asking for sexual favour and availing it. Sodomy is common inside Tihar and the powerful people get such favours from inmates either mutually or with the help of jail officials'
The government has provided Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar with a Z-category VIP security cover of armed commandos in view of potential threats against him, official sources said on Tuesday.
The new National Cricket Academy which was inaugurated in Bengaluru on Sunday has been renamed as the BCCI Centre of Excellence.
In a ghastly incident that has sent shock waves across Bihar, former state minister Mukesh Sahni's 70-year-old father was found stabbed to death at his native home in Darbhanga district, a top police officer said.
He had a contingent of about 22-24 armed CRPF commandos who used to move with him every time he travelled in West Bengal.
Ending the logjam persisting for 42 days in the wake of the rape and murder of a young doctor at RG Kar hospital, the agitating medics withdrew the 'cease work' after holding a march to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) office in Salt Lake in Kolkata from the state health department's headquarters, where they had been demonstrating for over a week.
When Shah Rukh Khan appears at a KKR game -- like he did, during the IPL 2024 game against the Lucknow Super Giants at the Eden Gardens on Sunday afternoon (a game KKR won by 8 wickets!) -- he is as much the centre of action as the events on the cricket field.
A commuter had posted a video of the February 18 incident at Rajajinagar Metro station on 'X'.
The last such incident that killed senior armed forces personnel occurred on November 22, 1963.
"There was no water leakage but the rainwater came down from the pipes fixed to install electric wires," Mishra said.
Controversial IAS officer Puja Khedkar on Thursday took charge as an assistant collector at the Washim district collectorate in Vidarbha region, but declined to comment on the flurry of claims that she used illegal means to clear her civil services exam.
Saisuresh Sivaswamy/Rediff.com captures glimpses of the activity around the Ram temple on his iPhone 14 Pro.
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