Kochi, Aug 18 (IANS) Tensions flared in Kochi’s Thammanam area on Monday after the CPI(M) workers staged a protest, accusing former Kerala Director General of Police Tomin J. Thachankary of large-scale land encroachment.Thachankary retired as Kerala DGP in 2023. The agitation was organised under the leadership of the Thammanam local committee and drew participation from a good number of party workers.According to the protesters, Thachankary has illegally occupied vast stretches of land near he…

Bengaluru, Aug 18 (IANS) Karnataka Medical Education and Skill Development Minister Sharanaprakash R. Patil has appealed to the people of the state not to panic unnecessarily about the reports of rising heart attack cases. He emphasised that lifestyle changes – such as regular exercise, pranayama, healthy diet, timely sleep and stress management – can prevent such health issues.Responding to a question from Congress member Dinesh Gooligowda in the legislative council, Patil said that although co…

Lucknow, Aug 18 (IANS) The Uttarakhand Cabinet has approved the introduction of the Uttarakhand Minority Educational Institutions Bill, 2025, which extends minority status benefits beyond the Muslim community to include Sikhs, Jains, Christians, Buddhists, and Parsis. The move has drawn criticism from several quarters, including Maulana Sufiyan Nizami, who condemned the decision on Monday. The Bill, which will be introduced in the upcoming Legislative Assembly session beginning August 19, aims t…

New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) As many as 5.66 lakh villages out of a total of 5.86 lakh villages have been declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus till August 13, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Monday. Minister of State for Jal Shakti V. Somanna, in a written reply, said an ODF Plus village is defined as a village which sustains its Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, ensures solid and liquid waste management and is visually clean.He said Uttar Pradesh has the maximum number of 94,636 ODF Plus villa…

Gaya, Aug 18 (IANS) As the Voter Adhikar Yatra, spearheaded by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, entered Gaya district on the second day of its march, the INDIA bloc leaders asserted that the Election Commission of India (ECI) would eventually have to “bow” before their fight against alleged “vote chori” (vote theft).The yatra, which began from Sasaram on Sunday, reached Aurangabad in the evening, where the two leaders addressed a massive public me…

Kolkata, Aug 18 (IANS) The Trinamool Congress on Monday filed a petition with a single judge bench of the Calcutta High Court against the Election Commission of India (ECI), challenging its decision to seek details of booth-level agents (BLAs) from individual political parties a year before the Assembly elections in West Bengal.The ruling party of the state, in its petition, claimed that it is not within the jurisdiction of the Election Commission to seek this information from the political part…

Bengaluru, Aug 18 (IANS) To facilitate smooth traffic movement from K.R. Puram towards Mekhri Circle in Bengaluru, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday inaugurated the flyover loop constructed by the BDA at Hebbal Junction in Bengaluru by cutting the ribbon. Siddaramaiah also flagged off Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s vintage bike ride as part of the event.The foundation stone for the 700-meter-long loop road was laid in 2023. Built at a cost of Rs 80 crore, the flyover is expected to …

Jaipur, Aug 18 (IANS) After the tragic death of a 12-year-old girl in Udaipur district due to the collapse of a school balcony, the Rajasthan Education Department has swung into action and introduced strict new safety guidelines for the construction and repair of government school buildings. The department has made it mandatory to ensure that no academic activity will be conducted in classrooms located near any damaged or unsafe structure. Danger boards and barricades must be installed immediate…

Bengaluru, Aug 18 (IANS) Karnataka BJP has sought immediate action against Mahesh Shetty Timarodi, one of the activists at the forefront of demanding a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the alleged Dharmasthala murders case, for accusing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of carrying out 28 killings. Timarodi made the shocking accusations during an interview with a news channel on the mass grave case.Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Karnataka Assembly, R. Ashoka, raised the issue in the …

New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday came down heavily on the Opposition for stalling a special discussion in the Parliament on Indian astronaut Subhanshu Shukla’s historic space mission and termed its behaviour as ‘extremely unfortunate’. Rajnath’s rebuke to the Opposition came minutes after the Lower House, slated to hold a special discussion on Group Captain Subhanshu Shukla’s space exploits, was adjourned for the day over constant chaos and commotion by…