KM Kasuri's book launch goes ahead as planned

The Mumbai police arrested six Shiv Sena workers on Monday for smearing the face of former Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sudheendra Kulkarni with black paint. The Shiv Sena said it carried out the ink attack in protest against the launch of a book by former Pakistan foreign minister KM Kasuri, which was organised by a think-tank headed by Kulkarni. The book, Neither A Hawk Nor A Dove, was eventually released at Mumbai's Nehru Centre later in the day amid tight security. The Shiv Sena’s actions were heavily criticised, with senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader LK Advani saying the incident suggested there was a growing intolerance in the country. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said such attacks hurt India’s image and could even affect foreign investments in the country.

57% voter turnout in first phase of Bihar elections

With polls opening for the first 49 seats in the Bihar state elections, 57% of the electorate came out to vote on Monday, more than six percentage points higher than the 50.85 who turned up in 2010. The turnout was 59.5% among women, as against 54.5% of the men. The common sentiment at polling booths was that this was a fight between the lotus and the arrow, indicating a direct battle between Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the incumbent Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal (United).

11 more return Sahitya Akademi awards, Rushdie backs writers

Eleven more writers returned their Sahitya Akademi awards and three others quit their posts at the institution on Monday, protesting against the spread of "communal poison" and "rising intolerance" in the country. Author Salman Rushdie gave his support to the writers, tweeting that these are “alarming times for freedom of expression”. With the number of writers who have given back their awards scaling to 25, the Akademi called for an emergency meeting of its executive board on October 23. Culture minister Mahesh Sharma suggested the writers had ulterior motives, saying they should have written to the government if they were concerned about law and order.

Dengue cases cross 10,000 mark in Delhi

Delhi has recorded the highest number of dengue cases in a year since 1996, with more than two months still left to go. Municipal corporation officials said on Monday that more than 3,000 cases were registered last week and 41 people have died so far. In 1996, 420 people had been killed. The outbreak is most affecting children, doctors said, especially those with existing lung conditions such as asthma. The municipal corporation said it was trying to control the outbreak, but people had to make sure they were keeping their homes free from stagnant water, where dengue-carrying mosquitoes breed.

Decide on uniform civil code, SC tells Centre

The central government has three weeks to decide on a uniform civil code, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday. The court asked for a proposal on the Christian divorce act, while hearing a petition filed by a Delhi resident seeking a waiver of the mandatory two-year separation period before a divorce is granted to a Christian couple. The period is one year for couples of other religions. This is the second time in four months that the court has reminded the government to work towards a uniform civil code, a responsibility of the state outlined in Article 44 of the Constitution.