Patna: A tragic incident occurred at Ranisarai Ganga Ghat in Patna’s Bakhtiyarpur block on Monday when seven girls from the same family got caught in the strong current while bathing in the Ganga Rive Three were rescued by locals, while four others went missing.

The incident occurred at around 7:30 a.m. According to local residents, the girls, who were cousins, had gone to the ghat to bathe. One of them reportedly moved into deeper water and began struggling. When the others attempted to help her, they too were caught in the strong current. People present at the ghat immediately launched a rescue effort. Several locals entered the river and managed to bring three girls to safety.

However, the remaining four were swept into deeper water and could not initially be located.

The missing girls have been identified as Aarti Kumari (21) and Nandani Kumari (16), daughters of Awadhesh Chandravanshi; Radhika Kumari (15), daughter of Kamlesh Chandravanshi; and Babli Kumari (6), daughter of Mantu Chandravanshi.

After being informed about the incident, police and administrative officials reached the spot.

An SDRF team was subsequently deployed to conduct a search operation in the river.

During the search, two bodies were recovered, while efforts to locate the remaining two girls are continuing.

The strong current and depth of the river are making the search operation difficult, with SDRF personnel searching different sections of the river.

As news of the incident spread, family members and villagers gathered at the ghat and demanded immediate deployment of an SDRF team.

Amid frustration over the reported delay in launching the search, villagers briefly blocked the road for around 20 minutes, disrupting traffic.

The blockade was later lifted after the rescue operation began.

A large number of relatives remain at the riverbank, anxiously waiting for updates as the SDRF continues its search.

The incident, involving several children and young women from the same family, has left the entire area deeply shaken.

The bodies have been sent to the Barh Subdivisional Hospital for the post-mortem.

New Delhi: As the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced the re-examination for the UGC-NET papers for three subjects after multiple errors were found in the question papers, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi on Monday took aim at the Central government and claimed that the years of the students are being stolen because of these examination irregularities.

Earlier on Sunday, the NTA announced that it will re-conduct the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) for English, Sociology and Commerce after several errors were found in the question papers. This added to the growing criticism over the testing agency’s handling of competitive exams.

Rahul, in a post on X, said, “Modi ji, look at what your NTA has just done. UGC-NET exams for Sociology, English and Commerce were held between 22 and 30 June. Nearly two months later, NTA has cancelled all three because it set faulty papers and repeated old questions.”

“Thousands of candidates who prepared for years, filled forms, paid the fees, travelled to distant centres, must now do it all again in September. NTA makes the mistake, but the student serves the sentence,” he said.

The LoP recalled that during his Chhatron Ki Goonj programmes held in Kota, Dehradun and Prayagraj, he had stated that “this is no longer an education system”, but an “extraction machine”.

“It takes your money, your years, your mental health, and your confidence and returns nothing. Not even a job. NTA still won’t answer the real question — were these papers leaked before the exam?” he said.

“Just like every other arm of the Modi government, NTA never says it’s their fault. Just like every other compromised paper, I am absolutely sure there will be no accountability. Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation was the first step, not the last. NTA’s leadership must be held accountable too,” Gandhi stated.

“To every student sitting this exam again in September — you are not the problem. PM Modi built a system that cannot run an exam and then blames the students who take it. Your years are being stolen, and we will not stop until PM Modi answers for it,” he added.

This comes months after the NTA faced public ire over the NEET paper leak case. As part of a major punitive crackdown and institutional overhaul, 47 NTA officials faced termination from service alongside impending criminal proceedings. Additionally, Subodh Kumar Singh was removed as the Director General of the testing agency.

Meanwhile, the Sociology will be held on September 10, while the English and Commerce tests will be re-conducted on September 9.

The UGC-NET is held to determine eligibility for the appointment of entry Assistant Professors, admission to PhD courses, and for the award of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in government and private universities.

The UGC-NET 2026 exam was held in June this year across 87 subjects. The NTA, however, was criticised for delaying the release of the answer key. The provisional answer key was then released on Sunday.

Following this, the NTA stated that it had received several complaints about multiple errors in the English, Commerce, and Sociology papers.

A committee was formed to enquire into these errors, and as per the committee’s recommendation, the NTA will re-conduct the exams in these subjects to “ensure a fair and error-free examination”, officials stated.

The testing agency also mentioned that no additional fees will be charged from the candidates and allocation of seats will not be reduced. Additionally, the results for the other 84 subjects will be declared as scheduled.

Mumbai: Former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya, in a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra, S. Chockalingam, alleged major contradictions in electoral data released by election officials regarding form distribution, untraceable voters, and death-related deletions in Mumbai during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters’ list.

Somaiya, who uploaded the letter dated August 16 on X on Monday, highlighted discrepancies between claimed form distribution rates and reported untraceable voters across the city’s districts. Urging immediate review, Somaiya requested the Chief Electoral Officer’s attention and necessary corrections to resolve these discrepancies.

“State election officials declared a distribution rate of over 99 per cent across Maharashtra. Specifically, the Mumbai City Collectorate reported 99.99 per cent form distribution, while the Mumbai Suburban Collectorate reported 99.96 per cent. Simultaneously, data from the Collectorates, District Election officials, and the Mumbai Municipal Commissioner’s office reveals that 11.73 per cent of voters in Mumbai Suburban and 9.72 per cent in Mumbai City District remain untraceable. Somaiya questioned how near-100 per cent distribution could occur when around 12 per cent of addresses or voters cannot be traced,” said Somaiya in his letter.

The letter also pointed out significant disparities in electoral roll deletions due to death across different constituencies comprising Mankhurd: 2.91 per cent, Anushakti Nagar: 2.6 per cent, Mahim: 7.72 per cent, Byculla: 6.71 per cent and Shivadi: 6.26 per cent.

Somaiya’s letter comes days after Chockalingam shared updated metrics on the SIR.

Across the state, details for over 1.8 crore voters (about 18.46 per cent of the electorate) remained categorised as “uncollectable”.

Mumbai accounts for a significant portion of the uncollected data, with nearly 30.8 lakh voters (approx. 29.6 per cent of the electorate across Mumbai City and Suburban districts) listed in this category. High proportions of uncollectable entries were noted in constituencies undergoing large-scale redevelopment or containing high migrant populations (such as Sion Koliwada, Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar, Worli, Malabar Hill, and Mumbadevi).

The Chief Electoral Officer explained that the “uncollectable” status primarily applies to electors under the ASDD categories — Absent, Shifted, Dead, or Duplicate. He noted that higher rates of uncollectable entries in urban hubs like Mumbai and neighbouring Thane are standard compared to national trends due to frequent address changes, migration, and daily commuting patterns.

The CEO emphasised that having uncollected status during household enumeration does not mean a voter is permanently excluded without recourse. While untraced entries will not appear on the initial draft electoral list, electors and Booth Level Agents are encouraged to submit the required forms to ensure legitimate eligible voters are properly updated or included.