Northern Railway clarified on Thursday that although permission has been received for operating the Vande Bharat train at 100 km per hour, no train has so far been operated at this speed over the world’s highest railway bridge on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir. In a communication to the media, Northern Railway officials said that some reports stated the Vande Bharat train ran at 100 kmph on the Chenab or Anji Bridge.

“Approval has been given to increase the speed of trains to 100 kmph on the Banihal to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra rail section. No train has been operated at a speed of 100 kmph as of now,” it said.Earlier, some officials of the Northern Railways said the Vande Bharat train has operated at 100 kmph over the Chenab Railway Bridge.When contacted, the officials said there has been some communication gap as the reporters were told that approval for the operation of the Vande Bharat train has been received although the actual operation has not taken place so far.

Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Jammu, Uchit Singhal told reporters that the increase in speed would reduce travel time and further strengthen connectivity between Jammu and Kashmir.“The move would provide passengers with faster, safer and more comfortable travel while also boosting tourism, trade and economic activities in the region,” he said.

The Vande Bharat train would, for the first time, operate at the speed of nearly 100 kmph on the World’s highest railway bridge over the Chenab River, following the Railway Ministry’s approval to increase the maximum permissible speed on the Katra-Banihal rail section.The senior divisional commercial manager also said the approval allows trains to run at speeds of up to 100 kmph on the 111-kilometre-long new Broad Gauge rail section between Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Banihal under the Jammu Division of Northern Railway.

Currently, the permissible speed was 85 kmph on the Katra-Sangaldan section and 75 kmph on the Sangaldan-Banihal section.Northern Railway has also said the speed enhancement was approved after ensuring compliance with all prescribed safety conditions. It is worth mentioning that, with the revised speed limit, travel time between Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Banihal is expected to reduce further.

As the Vande Mataram row intensifies, the Congress party on Thursday defended its long-standing practice of singing the first two stanzas of the national song at its programmes, invoking the legacy and endorsement of leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Rabindranath Tagore to assert its historical nationalist credentials amid sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).A couple of Congress leaders argued that the party’s position on the rendition of ‘Vande Mataram’ is rooted in a longstanding organisational decision dating back to the freedom struggle and was not a recent political development.

They also alleged that Congress workers continued singing the national song despite facing persecution and British action during the freedom movement, while accusing members associated with the Jan Sangh and RSS of informing the British about the freedom fighters who sang the song.This came a day after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolved to continue following the tradition established through a 1937 CWC decision, under which only the first two stanzas of ‘Vande Mataram’ are recited during Congress events. The decision has assumed significance as the Centre has recently made the complete rendition of the national song part of official protocol.

Congress MP Jebi Mather said the party’s position had been carefully established after discussions among several prominent leaders during the freedom struggle and that the practice would continue.”The Congress’ stand on Vande Mataram is not something that has emerged today, yesterday or the day before. It dates back to the 1937 Kolkata session, when great leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Rabindranath Tagore came together, discussed the matter and the Congress Working Committee passed a resolution that the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram would be sung,” Mather told IANS.

“That decision continues today and will continue forever,” she added.Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput also strongly defended the party’s association with ‘Vande Mataram’, saying that the song had been sung by Congress workers since the beginning and remained an important part of the freedom movement.”We have been singing ‘Vande Mataram’ from the beginning. During the freedom movement, when we used to sing ‘Vande Mataram’, these sycophants of the British — the Jana Sangh people, the Sangh people — used to inform the British that such-and-such freedom fighter was singing ‘Vande Mataram’, and the British used to whip us on our backs,” Rajput said.

“We did not stop singing ‘Vande Mataram’ even then. The same ‘Vande Mataram’ that we used to sing at that time, we are singing today. The ‘Vande Mataram’ that Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose sang, and Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore approved — we sang it, we sing it, and we will continue to sing it,” he added.

“Why did these Sangh people never sing Vande Mataram in their Sakhas? We are ready to be whipped by the BJP, but we just want to know the reason behind it,” Rajput stated.Meanwhile, Revolutionary Socialist Party MP N.K. Premachandran said that the position of both the Congress and the INDIA bloc on ‘Vande Mataram was clear, arguing that the national song should serve as a means of bringing people together rather than creating divisions.

“As far as Vande Mataram is concerned, the position of Congress as well as the INDIA bloc is very clear. It is very definite that the national song is not meant for dividing the people but for uniting the people,” Premachandran said.The Congress defence comes as the party came under heavy criticism from the BJP, which has accused the Congress of disrespecting the national song by restricting its rendition to two stanzas.

Mumbai: The Mumbai South Mumbai Cyber ​​Cell has claimed to have exposed a group of fraudsters in the name of Boss who used to contact acquaintances and receive money in the name of Boss, who fooled them by keeping fake voice of Boss and even DP on their mobiles. According to details, South Mumbai South Cyber Police Station (Crime Branch, Mumbai) has claimed to have arrested the accused from Bihar and Jharkhand in a cyber boss fraud case. In connection with the “CEO Boss Fraud” case, a SIM card provider and a Point of Sale (POS) agent and his post-handler associate were arrested from Bihar and Jharkhand. Investigation revealed their involvement in seven such cases. 161 SIM cards, mobile phones and other items were seized. On February 26, 2026, an unknown person contacted a 43-year-old complainant through WhatsApp, posing as a director of the company and got his trust. The fraudster induced the complainant to transfer a total of Rs. 48,60,511. On February 26, 2026, sections 338(3) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Sanhta (BNS) Act. A case was registered under Sections 66(C) and 66(D).The police have successfully recovered the entire fraudulent amount of Rs.48,60,511. The SIM cards used to contact the complainant were illegally initiated by Aamir Chand Muhammad Khan, an Airtel POS agent based in Siwan, Bihar, by impersonating the company director and the documents and EKYC details of the residents of Bihar He activated hundreds of SIM cards by assigning new numbers to the names of users and another arrested accused, Suraj Pradeep Sao (alias Vishal) Suraj, transferred the transaction payment to Aamir’s Kairtel Payment Bank account through UPI. Based on the information provided and technical analysis, the accused Suraj Kumar Pradeep Kumar Sao who provided 8 SIM cards was arrested on 16 August 2026 from Kumardhobi (Talukacharganda), Dhanbad, Jharkhand.
These accused have committed a total of 7 such crimes. NCRP complaints reveal their involvement in two cases registered at South Division Cyber Police Station, Mumbai (Case Nos. 15/26 and 45/26) as well as one case each in Punjab, Gurugram (Haryana), New Delhi, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Items stolen from the arrested accused, 1) 161 Airtel SIM cards 2) Megaphone 3) A POCO mobile phone with ‘Airtel Meter’ app. is, which is used to activate SIM cards
Arrested accused 1) Aamir Chand Mohammad Khan, age 22, resident of Rukndipur, Siwan, Bihar – Airtel SIM distributor
2) Suraj Kumar Pardeep Kumar Sav alias Vishal, resident of Kumardhabi, Dhanbad, Jharkhand is under further investigation. Appeal to citizens
Mumbai Cyber Cell has appealed to citizens that if you receive a WhatsApp message from an unknown number displaying a picture of someone you know asking for money, always contact the person on their known, current number to verify the request. Contact 1930 immediately in case of cyber fraud. Do not allow others to use SIM cards or bank accounts registered in your name. Check how many SIM cards have been issued in your name through Sanchar Saathi portal. South Division Cyber Police Station (Crime Branch, Mumbai) has successfully arrested the SIM card supplier and handler in this case. This was informed here today by Cyber Cell DCP Bajrang Bansode. But don’t fall into the trap if someone asks for money transfer or help, confirm it with the original person.