J&K: Two suspected militants killed in ongoing encounter in a Sopore village

The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday killed two suspected militants in an ongoing encounter with security forces in a village in Sopore in the state’s Baramulla district. Arms and ammunition have also been recovered but the suspected militants are yet to be identified, the police added. Two suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba militants are allegedly trapped in the area.

Saradha scam: Former Kolkata police chief granted one-month protection from arrest by Calcutta HC

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday granted former Kolkata Commissioner of Police Rajeev Kumar a month’s protection from arrest in connection with the Saradha chit fund case, PTI reported. However, the court listed out some conditions that Kumar needs to follow in this period.

‘Insult to the sacrifice of forces,’ says Congress after retired soldier is declared a foreigner

The Congress on Thursday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party over the implementation of the National Register of Citizens after a retired honorary lieutenant of the Indian Army was declared a foreigner and sent to a detention centre in Assam.

Shiv Sena says Mamata Banerjee’s reason to skip Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony is not validThe Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece Saamana on Thursday criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for revoking her decision to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony. In an editorial titled “God’s plan”, the newspaper said that Banerjee’s reason to skip the ceremony was not legitimate.

PM-Kisan Yojana: Funds not sent to 1.5 lakh farmers due to ‘data mismatch’, says UP ministerUttar Pradesh Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi said on Thursday that funds under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi were not transferred to 1.56 lakh farmers in the state because of a “data mismatch”, PTI reported. He said farmers would receive the money after a solution to the problem.

Yashwant Sinha says Rahul Gandhi should stand firm on quitting as Congress presidentFormer Union minister Yashwant Sinha on Wednesday said that Congress President Rahul Gandhi should proceed with his decision to resign from his post or “he will lose further in public estimation”.

Medical student’s death: Investigation handed over to Mumbai Police crime branch

The investigation into the death of Dr Payal Tadvi was handed over to the Mumbai Police’s crime branch on Thursday, reported IANS. Tadvi, who belonged to the Bhil Adivasi community, committed suicide on May 22 after allegedly facing casteist abuse from the accused at the Topiwala National Medical College in Mumbai where she worked.

Narendra Modi invited to address Maldivian Parliament during his visit in June

The Maldivian Parliament on Wednesday voted to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the House. Modi’s tour to Maldives on June 7 and June 8 will be his first foreign visit after being re-elected to office.

Ganga water not fit for consumption or bathing in most places, says pollution board

The Central Pollution Control Board has declared Ganga water unfit for “direct drinking” and bathing in most of the Uttar Pradesh-West Bengal stretch. The pollution control board’s findings are based on data gathered from the live monitoring stations set up at 86 locations in the Ganga basin.

Punjab sacrilege protests: Former Akali Dal MLA, five officers named in SIT’s chargesheet

The special investigation team looking into the police action that followed incidents of sacrilege in Punjab in 2015 has filed a chargesheet against a former Shiromani Akali Dal legislator and five senior police officers. The investigators filed the chargesheet in a judicial magistrate’s court in Faridkot on Tuesday.

NRC row: Supreme Court asks Assam officials to give a fair hearing to objections

The Supreme Court asked Assam National Register of Citizens Co-ordinator Prateek Hajela to be accurate and give a fair hearing to objections raised by people whose names are missing from the list. However, the top court refused to extend the deadline to publish the final list, and said the process should be completed by July 31.

Saradha case: Rajeev Kumar moves Calcutta HC to get CBI notice quashed, plea to be heard later today

Former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar moved the Calcutta High Court to seek the quashing of a notice sent to him by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam. A vacation bench will hear the plea at 2 pm.

Maharashtra: SC stays 10% quota for economically weaker sections in PG medical courses this year

The Supreme Court stayed Maharashtra government’s order on 10% reservation to students belonging to the economically weaker sections in postgraduate medical courses in the state for 2019-’20 academic year.

Narendra Modi set to take oath as prime minister for second term at Rashtrapati Bhavan at 7 pm

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Narendra Modi will be sworn-in as the prime minister for a second term at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday. President Ram Nath Kovind will administer the oath to Modi and his new council of ministers at 7 pm.

Jaganmohan Reddy takes oath as Andhra Pradesh CM, Chandrababu Naidu skips event

YSR Congress Party chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy took oath as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday. His rival and Telugu Desam Party chief Chandrababu Naidu did not attend the ceremony, but sent a three-member delegation of his party MLAs.

On May 23, the YSR Congress swept to a landslide victory in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly polls, winning 151 out of the 175 seats in the legislature.

Aircel-Maxis case: P Chidambaram, his son get interim protection from arrest till August 1

A Delhi court on Thursday extended the interim protection from arrest granted to Congress leader P Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram in the Aircel-Maxis case till August 1, PTI reported. The duo had earlier been granted protection from arrest till May 30.

Uttar Pradesh: Three dead, five in hospital after drinking spurious liquor in Sitapur

The incident comes days after at least 16 people died as a result of consuming adulterated liquor in Barabanki district. Police on Wednesday arrested the main accused in the case following a brief encounter.

Money laundering case: Robert Vadra claims he has been questioned by investigation agencies 11 times

“I have deposed 11 times with questioning of approx 70 hours,” Vadra tweeted. “In future also, I will cooperate, till my name is cleared of all false allegations and accusations.” Vadra said he has full faith in the Indian judiciary. “I maintain my belief in the Indian judiciary. I have & will adhere to all summons/norms of govt agencies,” he asserted.

Madhya Pradesh: Mayawati says BSP will continue to support Kamal Nath-led government

Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party said that it will continue to provide outside support to the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh. “We extended outside support to the Congress government to prevent communal and casteist forces from taking over, and a decision to continue supporting it has been taken at the national president’s level,” said Bahujan Samaj Party vice president Ramji Gautam.

Manipur: 12 Congress MLAs quit state committee citing ‘moral responsibility’ for Lok Sabha defeat

As many as 12 Congress MLAs from Manipur resigned from their posts in the state party committee. The MLAs told reporters in Imphal said that they resigned from their posts in the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee while taking moral responsibility for the party’s loss in the Lok Sabha elections.

Jammu and Kashmir: One civilian killed, 80 injured in clashes with security forces in two districts

A civilian was killed and more than 80 others were injured in clashes with security personnel at two places in south Kashmir on Wednesday.The forces used pellets and bullets to disperse the protesters. At least 30 people were injured.

NRC row: Kargil war veteran declared a foreigner, sent to detention camp

The family of a retired honorary lieutenant of the Indian Army moved the Gauhati High Court after he was declared a foreigner and sent to a detention centre in Assam. Fifty-two-year-old Mohammed Sanaullah, who had fought the Kargil war, was arrested by Assam Border Police in Guwahati on Tuesday and taken to the detention centre for illegal immigrants in Goalpara.

Congress says it will not send any representatives to TV channel debates for a month

The Congress said that it has decided not to send representatives to debates on television channels for a month. “All media channels/editors are requested to not place Congress representatives on their shows,” the party’s chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted.

Narendra Modi pays tributes at Mahatma Gandhi memorial before swearing-in ceremony as PM

Narendra Modi paid tributes at Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial in Rajghat in New Delhi, ahead of his swearing-in ceremony as the prime minister for the second time. Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah also paid tributes to late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the Sadaiv Atal Samadhi. The prime minister also visited the National War Memorial to pay tributes.

Heatwave conditions intensify across country, Chandrapur in Maharashtra records 48°C

Heatwave conditions in various parts of the country intensified on Wednesday, with the mercury touching 48°C in Chandrapur town of Maharashtra. Temperatures rose to 46°C in Nagpur and 47.5°C in Bramhapuri city. Pune recorded a maximum temperature of 39.7°C.

BJP leader Usha Thakur calls Nathuram Godse a ‘nationalist’, says he was concerned about nation

A Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday called Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse a “nationalist”, days after BJP’s Bhopal MP Pragya Singh Thakur stoked a controversy by describing him as a “patriot”.

Lost elections as they were seen as a fight between Modi and Rahul Gandhi, claims Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday claimed that people’s perception that the Lok Sabha election was a fight between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi was a major reason for his party’s defeat. The other reason, he alleged, was that the overall atmosphere which prevailed in the country “rubbed off on Delhi as well”.

Narendra Modi visits Arun Jaitley after he opts out of Cabinet position in BJP’s second term

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Finance Minister Arun Jaitley at his home in New Delhi on Wednesday, hours after he requested to be left out of the new Cabinet because of his ill health. In a letter to Modi, Jaitley had said that he had faced “some serious health challenges” in the last 18 months. Jaitley said the letter was a formal request to the prime minister to relieve him of any responsibility.