Bathinda, July 1: Four en route to the Amarnath Yatra died as the vehicle carrying pilgrims from Rajasthan collided with a truck on the Bathinda-Bikaner National Highway in Punjab’s Bathinda district on Wednesday morning.

Eight people sustained serious injuries and have been admitted to AIIMS, Bathinda, for treatment.

Officials stated that the accident occurred on the Bathinda-Bikaner National Highway, where

The devotees were travelling in a traveller van. The impact was so severe that the van was completely wrecked.

A police team arrived at the scene upon receiving information. The injured were immediately rushed to the hospital via ambulance, while the police took possession of the bodies and sent them for post-mortem examinations.

Sandeep Singh, a worker with the Sahara Jan Seva Sanstha, said, “We received information at our control room today about an accident between Jodhpur Romana and Gurusar Sanewala in Bathinda. When we reached the spot, we saw that a ‘Traveller’ van had collided with a stationary trailer. There were 11 to 12 passengers on board; four died on the spot, and seven to eight others were injured.”

He mentioned that three bodies were sent to the Civil Hospital, while the body of one individual was sent to AIIMS, Bathinda. The other injured passengers are undergoing treatment at AIIMS.

Dr Lavdeep Singh, an emergency medical officer at the Civil Hospital, stated that personnel from the Sahara Jan Seva Sanstha arrived with the bodies of three individuals around 6:30 a.m. “They were informed at the hospital that an accident had occurred on the highway, resulting in the death of three people on the spot. All the bodies have been kept in the mortuary. The other injured individuals were taken to AIIMS Bathinda,” he added.

Dr Lovdeep Singh stated that an examination of Aadhaar cards and other documents revealed that all the individuals were residents of the Barmer district in Rajasthan.

DSP Harvinder Singh Sara, speaking to media, said, “At around 6:30 this morning, a tragic accident took place. Around 10 to 12 people, including family members and family friends from Barmer, Rajasthan, were travelling to the Amarnath Yatra in a hired Tempo Traveller. The vehicle rammed into a truck that was parked on the roadside from the rear. Four people died on the spot, while the remaining eight were admitted to hospital and are undergoing treatment.”

“The victims belonged to villages in Barmer of Rajasthan and were on their way to the Amarnath Yatra. The truck was stationary on the roadside when the accident occurred. Among those who died were members from different families, including what appears to be a father and daughter. The deceased include a man aged around 50 years and a young woman aged about 24–25 years,” he added.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and TVK president C. Joseph Vijay is set to convene the first meeting of the parties supporting his government on Wednesday evening, in a move aimed at formally consolidating the ruling coalition, strengthening coordination among allies and laying the groundwork for a stable five-year administration.

The meeting will be held at the Fisherman’s Cove resort in Kovalam near Chennai and will bring together leaders of parties that extended support to the TVK after its victory in the 2026 Assembly election.

It will be the first formal coalition meeting chaired by Vijay since assuming office.

TVK emerged as the single largest party in the Assembly after winning 108 seats. Before the election, Vijay had announced that any party joining hands with the TVK would have a share in governance and power. However, no party entered into a pre-poll alliance with the TVK.

Following the election results, Congress became the first party to extend support to the TVK government. It was later joined by the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), MDMK and several other parties.

In recent weeks, a number of AIADMK legislators have also resigned from their Assembly seats and joined the TVK, further strengthening the ruling party’s position.

Sources said CM Vijay is expected to personally thank the alliance leaders for their continued support to the government and discuss the creation of a formal secular coalition under the leadership of the TVK.

The meeting is also expected to deliberate on naming the alliance, with “Secular Social Justice Alliance” and “Tamil Nadu Progressive Social Justice Alliance” among the suggestions under consideration.

Leaders of the Congress, VCK, MDMK and IUML are expected to attend the meeting.

The CPI and CPI(M), which have announced that they are extending only outside support to the government and are not part of the alliance, will not be attending the meeting.

Members of Parliament and MLAs from the supporting parties are also likely to participate.

The meeting is expected to discuss the appointment of alliance coordinators and the formation of a common steering committee to improve coordination among coalition partners.

Leaders are also likely to chalk out a joint strategy for the forthcoming local body elections and Assembly by-elections.

Key state issues, including the Cauvery River dispute, the Mekedatu Dam project and the two-language policy, are also expected to figure prominently in the discussions.

The alliance partners are likely to present their priorities for governance and explore ways to incorporate them into the government’s policy agenda.

Patna, June 30: The investigation into the alleged Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) paper leak has gathered pace with the arrest of Suman Kumari, the wife of the alleged mastermind, Bijendra Gupta, from Patna.

Police are questioning her over her suspected role in the examination paper leak and related financial transactions.

According to information shared by the Maharashtra Police and Patna Police sources, Suman Kumari was arrested in Patna and is currently being interrogated.

Investigators suspect that Suman Kumari played a role in handling financial transactions linked to the alleged paper leak operation.

Police also believe she remained in contact with her husband, Bijendra Gupta, and other members of the alleged network after the TET question paper was leaked.

Her interrogation is expected to help investigators trace the flow of money and identify other individuals connected to the case.

Before Suman Kumari’s arrest, Maharashtra Police had taken three other accused, Rajiv Shah and Akash Kumar from Patna, and Dheeraj Kumar from Panipat, Haryana, into custody.

According to investigators, interrogation of these three accused pointed to Bijendra Gupta as the alleged mastermind behind the operation.

Police teams are conducting raids in Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, and Agra to apprehend Bijendra Gupta, who is originally from Sherpur village under the Vidyapati police station area of Samastipur district in Bihar.

Investigators believe he played a central role in organising the alleged paper leak network.

Bijendra Gupta’s father, Baleshwar Gupta, said the family had lost contact with him years ago after he left the village for further studies in Begusarai.

According to his father, the family was unaware of the nature of Bijendra’s work and was deeply distressed after learning that his name had surfaced in connection with the alleged paper leak case.

Police records indicate that Bijendra Gupta has previously been linked to criminal cases.

According to investigators, he was the prime accused in a murder case registered in 2003 and has also been associated with investigations into alleged paper leak cases involving examinations such as NEET-UG and the Odisha Staff Selection Commission examination.

These allegations form part of the ongoing police investigation, and the case remains under inquiry.

Maharashtra Police teams remain in Bihar as part of the operation to arrest the alleged mastermind.

Investigators are examining financial records, communication details, and the roles of other suspected members of the network.

Police have indicated that further arrests are possible as the investigation progresses and additional evidence is collected regarding the alleged examination malpractice.