The Congress urged activist Sonam Wangchuk to end his hunger strike in Delhi. The party said that it shared Wangchuk’s concerns and that it would continue to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

This was the first comment about Wangchuk’s protest by the largest Opposition party, which, along with its allies, has been demanding Pradhan’s resignation.

Wangchuk’s fast is part of the protest by the Cockroach Janta Party political campaign to demand Pradhan’s resignation on account of alleged mismanagement in conducting competitive exams. The activist began the hunger strike at Jantar Mantar on June 28. Read on.

The Delhi High Court directed the Centre and the Delhi government to ensure that Wangchuk’s medical condition is monitored daily. The court added that any medical intervention necessary to improve his health should be undertaken by the government.

The court also took note of the Centre’s submission that Wangchuk’s health was already being monitored by government doctors. It went on to dispose of a petition seeking intervention to break the activist’s fast.

The petition, filed by a lawyer and activist, stated that Wangchuk’s health had deteriorated rapidly and that he had lost 8.5 kg during the protest. If the hunger strike continued, he could die within two days, it added. Read on.

The authorities in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur have ordered the demolition of 38 out of 40 buildings at Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, founded by jailed Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan. All the buildings on the campus except the medical college building and the academic block were constructed “without approval”, the order by the Rampur Development Authority claimed.

Khan had served as the president of the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust, which operates the university. However, the Samajwadi Party leader and his family resigned from the trust in January.

The university has been given 15 days to remove the allegedly unauthorised structures, failing which the administration will carry out the demolition. Read on.

More than 500 persons are feared dead after reports of two large shipwrecks off the coast of Myanmar since late June, the United Nations’ refugee and migration agencies said. Those who were on the boats that capsized are mostly Rohingya, some of whom had travelled from refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, the United Nations said.

One of the boats, believed to be having about 250 persons on board, lost contact shortly after departure. The second boat, reported to be having about 280 persons on board, is believed to have sunk off Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady coast on July 8.

The maritime incidents and casualties are yet to be formally confirmed, the agencies said. Read on.

The country’s maritime regulator directed shipping companies not to deploy Indian seafarers on vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. This came after a series of attacks on commercial ships in the waterway amid renewed tensions between the United States and Iran.

The Directorate General of Maritime Administration also asked vessels operating in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waters to maintain heightened security, monitor navigational warnings and security advisories, and comply with ship security measures under the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code.

At least 13 Indian sailors have died in the region since the war in West Asia began on February 28, The Indian Express quoted unidentified government officials as saying. Read on.

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