Mumbai, Oct 15: Indian stock markets opened on a positive note on Wednesday, taking cues from the upbeat global sentiment.

The Sensex climbed 243 points, or 0.30 per cent, to trade at 82,273, while the Nifty rose 79 points, or 0.31 per cent, to start the day at 25,225.

Commenting on the Nifty’s technical outlook, experts said that though the 20-day SMA stepped in yesterday, to limit the extent of the drop, we prefer to give more weightage to the bearish engulfing pattern, thus acknowledging the prevailing bearish bias.

“Meanwhile, we remain equally prepared to switch sides, if Nifty manages to push beyond 25230. However, we will wait for a break beyond 25330 to play directional upsides,” they added..

Buying was seen across most sectors, with heavyweights like Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Finance, NTPC, L&T, Power Grid, BEL, Bharti Airtel, Trent, and Asian Paints leading the gains. These stocks moved up by as much as 1.2 per cent in early trade.

However, some pressure was seen in select counters such as Tech Mahindra, Axis Bank, Infosys, and Titan Company, which slipped up to 1.2 per cent.

In the broader market, the Nifty MidCap index gained 0.38 per cent, while the Nifty SmallCap index advanced 0.20 per cent — indicating a positive trend beyond the frontline indices.

Among sectoral indices, Nifty IT and Financial Services rose 0.6 per cent each, while PSU Bank and Realty indices also traded higher — reflecting a broadly optimistic market mood.

Experts said that investors are likely to track global market trends, crude oil prices, and institutional flows for further direction.

“In the current environment of heightened volatility and mixed market cues, traders are advised to maintain a cautious “buy-on-dips” approach, particularly when using leverage,” analysts said.

“Booking partial profits during rallies and maintaining tight trailing stop-losses is recommended to manage risk. Fresh long positions should be considered only if the Nifty sustains above the 25,300 mark,” they added.

Palghar, Maharashtra: Farmers in Wada taluka whose land has been affected by the installation of high-voltage power line towers have been staging a sit-in and devotional bhajan protest outside the Wada Sub-Divisional Office for the past seven days.

The farmers claim that despite towers being erected on their farmland, they have yet to receive adequate compensation, prompting them to unite and demand fair payment. Frustration has grown as no solution has been provided so far.

Across Palghar district, including the talukas of Wada, Vikramgad, and Jawhar, private companies have been installing transmission towers on farmland without prior notice or consent from landowners. The affected farmers allege that the towers disrupt normal farming activities, making crop cultivation difficult and causing long-term losses. According to the farmers, they are not receiving proper compensation for the damage to their land.

“Towers are being erected on our land, making it permanently unusable. We cannot sow crops or plant trees there. Yet, the government has provided no fair compensation. This is highly unjust,” said an affected farmer.

Approximately 350–400 farmers have participated in the protest since last Wednesday. Local representatives have met with the protestors and assured them that efforts are being made to resolve the issue. Meanwhile, the farmers have urged the administration to pay closer attention to their concerns.

. Compensation for affected land should follow a “one district, one rate” principle — ₹10 lakh per guntha (currently, only ₹2.5 lakh per guntha is being offered).

. Increase the compensation for power line impact from 30% to 100%.

. Employment should be provided to one member of each affected farmer’s family.

. Compensation should be paid at five times the current rate.

. No construction work should begin until full compensation is paid to the affected farmers.

. Prior consent of farmers must be obtained before starting any work on agricultural land.

A senior official stated that the farmers’ demands are policy-related and have been forwarded to higher authorities for consideration.

The ongoing protest has reportedly caused some disruption at the sub-divisional office, with officials and staff facing difficulties in carrying out routine administrative work.

Mumbai: In a major crackdown on fraudulent advertisements inside Mumbai’s suburban railway network, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Western Railway’s Mumbai Division intensified its campaign against fake ‘tantriks’ and ‘vashikaran babas,’ whose posters had been illegally plastered across local trains and platforms. On October 14, an accused and his two accomplice were arrested with more than 22,000 posters.

According to an official, posters, often promising supernatural fixes to personal, health, and financial issues, have not only misled commuters but also defaced railway property.

Following a spate of complaints received via social media and the Rail Madad portal, Senior Divisional Security Commissioner Santosh Kumar Singh Rathod formed a special enforcement team. The drive gained momentum under the leadership of Sub-Inspector Santosh Soni.

“On October 14, acting on a tip-off, Soni and his team apprehended Abdul Samad, son of Irshad Khan, red-handed while he was pasting such posters inside a stationary local train at Platform No. 2 of Andheri station. Over 600 posters were recovered from his possession at the scene” further added official.

During interrogation, Samad disclosed the whereabouts of the main culprits — a self-styled so called godman and his accomplice — who were later arrested from their hideout in Mira Road. A subsequent search led to the seizure of an additional 22,000 posters. All three individuals, along with the confiscated materials, were handed over to the RPF post at Andheri for further legal proceedings.

“This is part of an ongoing operation to cleanse the railway premises of illegal and misleading advertisements,” said an RPF official. “The actions are aimed at curbing fraudulent practices and improving the aesthetics and safety of local trains.”

In just the past month, RPF teams have nabbed 29 offenders caught red-handed while putting up such posters. A total of 49,100 posters have been seized during this period, and fines amounting to Rs 13,000 have been imposed by the court.

This drive follows a similar operation conducted in May 2025, during which 53 offenders were booked, and 37,400 posters were confiscated. That campaign led to penalties totaling Rs 26,500.