Belagavi (Karnataka), Dec 8: The winter session of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly commenced on Monday at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi amid tight security arrangements.

The Karnataka Police detained activists of the Maharashtra Ekikarana Samiti (MES) for attempting to organise a convention opposing the Karnataka government’s decision to hold the winter session in Belagavi. The border city of Belagavi has been placed under heightened security to prevent any untoward incidents, as the opposition is planning large-scale protests. The BJP has announced that it will lay siege to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday (December 9) with thousands of farmers.

The 10-day session will continue until December 19, with more than 30 bills likely to be tabled, including the controversial Bill aimed at containing hate speech.

The opposition parties, the BJP and JD(S), are preparing to corner the government, while the ruling Congress has also readied itself to face the challenges by presenting a united front amid the ongoing leadership tussle between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress President D.K. Shivakumar.

Amid the internal power struggle, the BJP had initially planned to move a no-confidence motion but has since backed off.

The first day of the session will be limited to condolence references, after which the proceedings will be adjourned.

BJP State President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra stated on Monday at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha that the plight of sugarcane farmers, whose crisis continues unabated, must be taken up for discussion.

He said the state government had failed to open maize procurement centres at the appropriate time, forcing farmers to sell maize at just Rs 1,500 per quintal, far below the minimum support price announced by the Centre. The problems faced by farmers cultivating cotton and tur dal must also be discussed, he added.

“Due to the internal tussle within the Congress-led government in Karnataka, governance has collapsed,” he alleged.

The session is expected to draw significant attention due to the changed political scenario, the government’s controversial decisions, and the expectations of people in North Karnataka.

Both the BJP and JD(S) have announced that they will jointly confront the Congress-led government in the Assembly. The opposition has geared up to target the state government by raising key issues and exerting pressure.

Issues related to North Karnataka are expected to be a major focus, with the opposition likely to seek updates on the implementation of promises made during the previous Belagavi session.

The Karnataka Police have detained more than 20 Maharashtra Ekikarana Samiti (MES) activists who had gathered to hold an event demanding that Belagavi be included in the state of Maharashtra. Former Belagavi mayor Malogi Astekar and other MES leaders were among those detained.

The district administration had denied permission for the MES to hold its ‘Mahamelava’ in Belagavi on Monday, but activists gathered near the Vaxi Depot area and attempted to conduct the event. High drama unfolded as police took them into custody, with MES members shouting “Jai Maharashtra” and raising slogans against the Karnataka government.

In another development, workers of the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena stopped Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra and pasted “Jai Maharashtra” posters on the vehicles. Authorities are closely monitoring the situation and have intensified security in the border areas adjacent to Maharashtra.

Mumbai: In a major preventive action against repeat drug offenders, the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested a 29-year-old drug trafficker under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) Act, lodging him in Kolhapur Central Jail for one year.

The accused has been identified as Surajkumar Ramvilas Prajapati (29), a resident of Albert Compound, Vasari Hill, Shankar Nagar, near Rustamjee Tower, Goregaon (West).

While preventive detention of habitual offenders during election seasons is common to avoid threats to law and order, such detentions typically last only a few days and the individuals are released after polling.

However, in a rare and unprecedented move, the Mumbai Police have detained Prajapati for an entire year and shifted him to Kalamba Central Jail, Kolhapur.

The action was taken under the stringent PIT-NDPS Act, 1988, a provision invoked only in exceptional cases to isolate habitual offenders from society.

A senior Mumbai Police officer said a similar action under the PIT-NDPS Act was previously taken against Iqbal Memon alias Iqbal Mirchi, Dawood Ibrahim’s key drug handler. After Mirchi, this is considered the second major preventive detention under the Act in recent years.

According to police, Prajapati has seven ganja trafficking cases registered against him:

Four cases at Malad Police Station

One case at Goregaon Police Station

Two cases with the Kandivali Unit of the ANC

He was recently granted bail in the Kandivali Unit case, but investigations revealed he continued operating in narcotics trafficking despite multiple bail orders.

Given the ongoing threat posed by the accused and his repeated return to drug peddling, the ANC submitted a proposal to detain him under the PIT-NDPS Act to the Competent Authority Principal Secretary (Special), Home Department, Government of Maharashtra.
The proposal was approved, and an official detention order was issued.

Following the approval, Prajapati was taken into custody and on December 6, 2025, lodged in Kalamba Central Prison, Kolhapur, for preventive detention of one year.

Mumbai: air travel schedule remained heavily disrupted on Monday as IndiGo’s nationwide operational meltdown stretched into its seventh straight day, causing widespread cancellations across major Indian airports. While the crisis has affected passengers throughout the country, Mumbai, one of IndiGo’s busiest hubs, continued to witness major cancellations that derailed travel plans from early morning.

By 7 am, Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport had recorded 32 IndiGo cancellations, 10 arrivals and 22 departures, impacting key routes to Chandigarh, Nagpur, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Goa, Darbhanga, Kolkata and Bhubaneswar. Airport officials said the ripple effect of the disruptions was expected to continue through the day, adding to the nationwide tally of 309 flights impacted by Monday morning.

Across India, more than 224 cancellations were pre-planned and communicated to passengers, officials confirmed, as the airline attempted to manage the crisis strategically. IndiGo had reportedly begun processing 100 per cent refunds for passengers booked up to December 6, even as fresh cancellations continued to pile up.

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport reported the highest number of disruptions, with 134 IndiGo flights cancelled, 75 departures and 59 arrivals, making it the epicentre of the crisis. In response, the airport issued a public advisory urging passengers to check real-time flight status before heading out. Authorities said they were coordinating with airline teams to minimise chaos inside terminals.

Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport confirmed 127 cancellations, 65 arrivals and 62 departures. Officials said the next status update would be provided later in the evening. Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport recorded 77 disruptions, splitting between 38 arrivals and 39 departures.

At Srinagar Airport, 16 flights (8 arrivals and 8 departures) were cancelled, while Ahmedabad reported 18 cancellations by 8 am. Passenger crowds were also reported at terminals in Chennai, Jaipur and Mumbai, where many travellers waited for updates amid confusion.

Amid the escalating crisis, aviation regulator DGCA granted IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and COO Isidro Porqueras a one-time extension until 6 pm Monday to respond to the show-cause notice issued on December 6. The airline sought extra time citing “operational constraints linked to the scale of nationwide disruptions.” The DGCA, however, warned that no further extension will be granted, and said it would proceed ex parte if the reply is not submitted on time.