The big news: Maharashtra mulls lockdown, Delhi rules it out as cases climb, and 9 other top stories
Other headlines: The EC ordered repolling in one Assam booth, and it banned BJP minister Himanta Sarma from campaigning after he threatened an opponent.
A look at the headlines right now:
- Uddhav Thackeray says lockdown possible as Mumbai reports another record high of 8,832 coronavirus cases: But Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said there were “no plans for lockdown in Delhi” even as the city recorded 3,594 cases. India recorded 81,466 new cases, the highest in six months, on Friday. Authorities in Pune imposed night curfew and tightened restrictions, while a lockdown was also imposed in parts of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The Centre’s panel, meanwhile, gave permission to Bharat Biotech for administering a third dose of its vaccine to some volunteers.
- EC suspends 4 election officers, orders repoll in Assam booth after EVM found in BJP leader’s car: The Election Commission in its report, however, said that the poll officers did not know the identity of the car owner, while the Congress sought decisive action.
- EC bars Himanta Biswa Sarma from campaigning for 48 hours for threatening BPF leader: Congress had filed a complaint against the Assam minister after he threatened to initiate National Investigation Agency proceeding against BPF’s Hagrama Mohilary.
- ‘There must be proper understanding of developments in India,’ says MEA on US human rights report: The report had identified unlawful, arbitrary killings and detentions, and restrictions on freedom of expression and press as some of the concerns in India.
- GN Saibaba removed as assistant professor from Delhi University’s Ram Lal Anand College: The wheelchair-bound, 90% physically disabled scholar-activist was sentenced to life for his alleged connections to Maoists in 2017, and has been in jail since.
- BJP demands EC action against Udhayanidhi Stalin for remark on Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley: However, the DMK approached the EC after raids were conducted on MK Stalin’s son-in-law and accused the BJP of misusing IT department. In Tamil Nadu, meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed that the Congress and DMK wanted to ban jallikattu.
- BJP seeks EC action against Mamata Banerjee over chaos in Nandigram polling booth: But the TMC also complained to the EC, alleging that the central forces were partial towards BJP during Thursday’s polling. Meanwhile, the TMC criticised Modi for claiming that Mamata Banerjee will fight the elections from another seat as well. Banerjee told Modi: ‘Control your home minister first, then try us.’
- Derek Chauvin’s supervisor says there was no justification for him to keep knee on George Floyd’s neck: Video recording of the incident showed that Derek Chauvin kept pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck even after he pleaded that he could not breathe.
- Two men arrested days after Kerala nuns were forced off train in Jhansi: Two nuns and two postulants from Kerala were forced to get off a train after Bajrang Dal members accused them of illegal conversion.
- Priyanka Gandhi self-isolates after Robert Vadra tests positive, cancels poll rallies: The Congress leader tested negative for the infection. Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, meanwhile, said he has been hospitalised as precautionary measure.