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Tuesday,11-August-2026
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Gyanvapi row: Delhi University professor arrested for derogatory post

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Delhi Police has arrested Delhi University professor Ratan Lal for posting derogatory content on social media after the ‘discovery’ of ‘Shivling’ inside the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi during a video survey.

Lal was placed under arrest on Friday night by the Civil Lines Police. Later on Saturday, he will be presented at the Tis Hazari court.

On May 18, the police registered an FIR against Lal, for posting a provocative content.

“A complaint was received against one Ratan Lal, Prof of History at Hindu College, DU, regarding a deliberate and malicious post on FB intended to outrage religious feelings by insulting a religion or religious beliefs,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Sagar Singh Kalsi said.

He said that a legal action has been initiated in this regard and the police have registered a case under sections 153 A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 295 A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code at the Cyber Police station north district.

The DU professor had allegedly posted derogatory content along with the latest picture of Shivling that was found at the Gyanvapi mosque.

The complainant, a Delhi-based advocate, Vineet Jindal, had written to the Delhi Police over the “instigating and provoking statement”.

“Our Constitution provides every citizen with the freedom of speech and expression but the misuse of this right is inexplicable when it threatens the honour and harmony of the country and provokes its citizens based on community and religion and threatens the security of the nation then it is considered as a grave offence,” Jindal told IANS.

Demanding punitive legal action against the professor, Jindal further said that Ratan Lal’s remarks show his intent of activating enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion which is against the ideology of a secular democratic country like India and also a criminal offence as per the law.

Gyanvapi mosque, adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, is currently facing a legal battle. A court in Varanasi had directed the Archaeological Survey of India to probe the structure of the Gyanvapi Masjid.

Maharashtra

7 accused arrested in cyber fraud case of over Rs 1 crore in Mumbai

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Mumbai: The Cyber ​​Police Station has claimed to have solved the mystery of a cyber crime in which the complainant was threatened with digital arrest on WhatsApp from April 2 to April 18, 2026, and was involved in a money laundering case and was defrauded of Rs 16.74 crore online by sending fake electronic documents. During the technical investigation, the police have arrested 7 accused, identified as Sanjay Hiralal, 57, who used to generate OTPs, the 32-year-old female accused used to hide the fraudulent money, Rishi Ramchandra Meena, 38, who used to transfer the fraudulent money to bank accounts, Naushad Ali, 31, who digitally arrested the complainant and the victim and worked in this gang digitally, Muhammad Khalid Hafeezuddin Saif, 27, a digital expert, Jogesh Mehta, 43, and Zubair Hussain, 27, who helped them deposit the fraudulent money in their accounts. 613 mobile phones, 2 laptops, 5 digital sign devices were recovered from the possession of the accused. SIM cards of several companies, 10 cheque books, 2 passbooks and 2 ATM cards have been seized. DCP Bajrang Bansode told the press conference that there is no such thing as digital arrest and in such a situation, do not keep in touch on unknown social media accounts. If someone threatens digital arrest, do not believe them.

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National News

Rail connectivity to Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur disrupted for month now due to track damage in Assam

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Guwahati/Agartala, Aug 10: Rail connectivity between southern Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and the rest of the country has remained disrupted for nearly a month following heavy rainfall and soil subsidence that damaged railway tracks along the strategically important Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section in Assam, officials said on Monday.

A senior Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) official said train services on the vital Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section under the Lumding Division have been partially disrupted following incessant moderate to heavy rainfall in and around New Harangajao station in Assam’s mountainous Dima Hasao district, formerly known as North Cachar Hills.

“A huge number of workers, railway personnel and engineering teams are working despite inclement weather, and heavy machinery has been deployed on a war footing to restore the affected tracks and lines at the earliest. However, we are unable to say when normal train services will resume. Regular train operations are expected to resume once the restoration work is completed safely,” the official told media.

Tripura Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury told media that the state government officials are in close touch with NFR officials and engineers to restore normal rail services after completion of the ongoing repair and maintenance work near New Harangajao station.

Opposition leaders, including those from the CPI-M and Congress, have accused the Railway Ministry and the Tripura government of failing to make adequate efforts to expedite the restoration of the affected railway tracks, despite the strategic importance of the Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section for southern Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, and Manipur.

The NFR official said continuous heavy rainfall had triggered soil subsidence beneath two of the three railway tracks near New Harangajao station, affecting a stretch of nearly 300 metres and severely disrupting train operations since last month.

“Restoration work has been progressing under challenging conditions, but continuous moderate to heavy rainfall and inclement weather have significantly hampered repair efforts, delaying the resumption of normal services,” he said.

The official said the settlement of the railway tracks on Line 1 and Line 2 near New Harangajao station had disrupted train operations on the Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section.

At present, all train movements through the affected stretch are being operated on Line 3 under strict monitoring and enhanced safety measures to ensure the safe passage of trains.

In view of the ongoing restoration work, the NFR has cancelled the Guwahati-Silchar and Guwahati-Dullabcherra Express services since the disruption occurred. Several other trains connecting southern Assam, Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur have either been rescheduled, regulated, or partially cancelled.

The Kolkata-Agartala Express, which was supposed to commence its journey on August 9, was regulated en route in the Lumding Division.

In the interest of passenger safety, the operation of passenger-carrying trains through the affected section has been suspended during night hours. During the daytime, trains are being allowed to pass through the affected stretch under regulated conditions and continuous monitoring.

The Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section is the principal rail link connecting Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, and southern Assam with the rest of the country, making it one of the most vital and strategically important railway corridors in the Northeast. Any prolonged disruption on the route has a cascading impact on passenger movement as well as the transportation of foodgrains, fuel, construction materials and other essential commodities to the region.

Every year during the monsoon season, railway infrastructure across parts of the Northeast remains vulnerable to heavy rainfall, floods, landslides and soil erosion, frequently disrupting passenger and goods train services along the Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section.

The four-month monsoon period from June to September often causes extensive damage to railway tracks, embankments, bridges and other infrastructure due to landslides, waterlogging and erosion, particularly in the mountainous terrain of Dima Hasao district. As a result, several Northeastern states, especially Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur, along with parts of southern Assam, frequently face prolonged disruptions in rail connectivity with the rest of the country, causing considerable hardship to passengers and affecting the timely movement of essential commodities and commercial goods.

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International News

India, Thailand discuss enhancing collaboration on combating online scams

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Bangkok : India’s Ambassador to Thailand Puneet Agrawal on Monday held a meeting with Thailand’s Minister of Digital Economy and Society Chaichanok Chidchob on enhancing collaboration, combatting online scams and integrating digital ecosystems to facilitate tourists.

India, Thailand discuss enhancing collaboration on combating online scams

“Views were exchanged on enhancing collaboration under the existing bilateral agreement on digital technologies, experience sharing on combating online scams, integrating digital ecosystems to facilitate tourists, among others,” it added.

Last month, Ambassador Agrawal and Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Phipat Ratchakitprakarn met and discussed ways to strengthen strategic partnership through enhanced maritime, air, and road connectivity, deepening people-to-people ties and tourism linkages.

India and Thailand elevated the bilateral ties to Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bangkok in April last year.

On July 16, Agrawal met Urasa Mongkolnavin, Director-General (DG) of the Department of South Asian, Middle East and African Affairs at Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and held discussions on issues of mutual interest to strengthen the strategic partnership between both nations.

“Ambassador Puneet Agrawal met Mrs. Urasa Mongkolnavin, DG of the Department of South Asian, Middle East and African Affairs, Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Both sides exchanged views on various issues of mutual interest such as high-level visits, trade and investment, people-to-people connect, public health and traditional medicine, etc to further strengthen the Strategic Partnership between India and Thailand.”

Agrawal also met Thailand Trade Representative Chutintorn Gongsakdi at the Government House, with discussions focused on further strengthening trade and investment ties.

“Ambassador Puneet Agrawal had a cordial and fruitful meeting with H.E Mr. Chutintorn Gongsakdi, Thailand Trade Representative, at the Government House. Discussions focused on further strengthening trade and investment ties between India and Thailand through identifying areas of complementarities, resolving tariff and non-tariff barriers and having a balanced trade for mutual benefit,” the Indian Embassy in Thailand wrote on X.

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