Football superstar Lionel Messi is set to arrive in India for the much-talked-about GOAT Tour, causing an electric wave of anticipation among his Indian fanbase. The Argentine icon will be in the country from December 13 to 15, travelling across Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi as part of his packed three-day schedule. His itinerary reportedly includes interactive sessions, appearances at special events, and a high-profile meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the capital.

As part of his Mumbai stop, the city has planned a striking artistic surprise. Celebrated Mumbai graffiti artist Mooz has created a massive 80-foot mural of Messi on the side of a building, turning the neighbourhood into a visual celebration of the football legend. Mooz shared a behind-the-scenes video on Instagram, expressing disbelief and gratitude for the opportunity.

The artist, known for his vibrant street art and collaborations with the Indian Cricket Team and comedian Samay Raina, has once again captured hearts with this towering piece. Social media users flooded his post with admiration, calling the artwork “insane” and praising his unmatched editing and graffiti skills.

Adding more glamour to his Mumbai schedule, Messi is also expected to appear at a charity fashion event, where he will reportedly walk the ramp alongside Indian and international personalities. The event aims to raise funds for youth sports programs and community initiatives.

Messi’s India visit has created unprecedented excitement, with fans across social platforms sharing edits, countdown videos, and travel plans to catch a glimpse of the 2022 World Cup champion. Event organisers expect massive footfall in all four cities, especially Kolkata, a football-obsessed hub that has historically welcomed global football legends.

Messi’s tour is being hailed as one of the most significant football events in India. From artistic tributes to high-energy fan gatherings, cities are gearing up to celebrate the arrival of one of the greatest players in football history.

Kolkata, Dec 11: With the deadline for the submission and digitisation of the enumeration forms in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal coming to end at 12 midnight on Thursday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has decided to handover the separate lists of excludable voters to the booth-level agents (BLAs) of all the political parties in the state that are registered with the it.

Sources in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, said the list will also contain the detailed breakup of the excludable voters, like deceased voters, shifted voters, untraceable voters, duplicate voters, and voters deemed to be found excludable for other reasons.

This decision of the ECI to hand over the separate list to the BLAs of different political parties is aimed at bringing transparency in the process of hearing on claims and objections that will happen in the second stage of the three-level SIR exercise after the publication of the draft voters’ list on December 16, the CEO’s office insider said.

“With the separate list being handed over to the BLAs immediately after the submission and digitisation of the enumeration forms being completed on Thursday midnight, the individual political parties and their BLAs will have enough time for doing the homework for the process of hearings on claims and objections,” the insider added.

As of Wednesday night, a total of 57,52,207 voters have been identified by the ECI as excludable voters. Out of them, 24,14,750 are deceased voters, followed by 19,89,914 shifted voters and 11,57,889 untraceable voters.

The rest are duplicate voters and voters deemed to be found excludable for other reasons.

The total number of voters as per the list as of October 27, 2025, is 7,66,37,529. The SIR exercise started on November 4. The draft voters’ list will be published on December 16. The final voters’ list will be published on February 14.

Soon after that, the ECI is expected to announce polling dates for the Assembly elections in the state.

New Delhi, Dec 11: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday has chargesheeted 11 accused in a case involving the loot of around 4,000 kg of explosives by armed cadres of the CPI (Maoist) terror organisation during transportation to a stone quarry in Odisha’s Rourkela district.

According to a statement issued by the NIA, all 11 accused have been charged under various sections of the UA(P) Act, BNSS, Arms Act and the Explosive Substances Act. During the investigation, the agency found the accused to be actively involved in the criminal conspiracy, planning and execution of the theft of around 200 explosive packets, each containing 20 kg of explosives.

The explosives were being transported to Maoist strongholds in the Saranda Forest in Jharkhand when local police intercepted the vehicle carrying the consignment from the Itma Explosive Station to the Banko stone quarry on May 27. The vehicle, along with its driver, was forcibly seized by 10-15 armed Maoists and taken towards a stronghold of the organisation in the nearby jungle.

The explosives, along with Maoist uniforms and other materials, were seized during a combing operation on the Gandhamardhan Hill range on the Balangir-Bargarh district boundary. The search was conducted jointly by the Special Operation Group (a security force raised to combat Left-wing extremists in Odisha), the CRPF, the Jharkhand Jaguars, and the District Voluntary Force.

The NIA, which took over the case from the local police in June, found that the huge quantity of explosives had been looted for use against the government machinery, including police and security forces, through the commission of terror acts. The agency stated that the loot was part of a larger conspiracy by CPI (Maoist) to destabilise national security.

The 11 chargesheeted accused have been identified as: Jarja Munda alias Kulu Munda; Anmol alias Sushant alias Lalchand Hembram; Ramesh alias Pritam Manjhi alias Anal Da; Pintu Lohra alias Tigar; Laljit alias Lalu; Shiva Bodra alias Shibu; Amit Munda alias Sukhlal Munda; Ravi alias Biren Singh; Rajesh alias Mansid; Sohan alias Ranga Punem; and Aptan alias Chandra Mohan Hansd.

The NIA said its investigation into the case is continuing.