National News
Karnataka government to omit controversial religious texts from school books
The Karnataka government is all set to form a high-level committee to remove controversial lessons from the textbooks pertaining to religion from Class 1 to 10. It will also remove controversial texts blaming Vaidika dharma (Vedic way of life, Hinduism) for the rise of other religions such as Jainism and Buddhism in India.
The government will form a high-level committee to take a look at all such contentious issues in Class 1 to 10 textbooks, sources said.
The committee is being formed as objections came for the controversial text in the Social Science subject Part 1, prescribed for 6th standard students.
The contentious content talks about the birth of new religions, especially Buddhism and Jainism. The lesson says, during the Vedic period (1500 BC to 600 BC), the rituals like ‘homa’ and ‘havana’ (tradition of offering precious food items into the sacred fire to please gods), in which large quantities of foodgrains, milk, ghee led to food scarcity. The lesson also discussed rituals of the sacrifice of animals.
The lesson further said it was believed that such rituals are only to find solutions. Common people could not understand chants as they were in Sanskrit, whereas Buddhism and Jainism taught simple ways which led to their growth, it mentioned.
The Karnataka State Brahmin Development Board had met then Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa in February objecting to the parts of a chapter in social science textbooks. The Yediyurappa government issued a circular on February 17 instructing that the chapter should neither be taught nor used for evaluation.
Sources in the government said, it has already been decided to remove this controversial chapter from the next academic year. “It has been decided to form a committee under the chairmanship of Rohith Chakratheertha, a member of the Kannada Development Authority. The government will announce the formation of a committee soon,” the sources said.
It has also been decided to appoint 16 other members, including representatives from the Rashtrothana Parishat,, the frontier organisation of RSS, researchers from Mythic Society, folklore studies and from other reputed institutions. The committee will also include representatives of reputed educational institutions of the state.
The committee will take a relook at the content of the page numbers 82 and 83 under the title “Reasons for the emergence of new religions” in the Social Science Part -1 textbook prescribed for Class 6 students.
The content given in the first two paragraphs under the title and six beginning lines of page number 83 will also be discussed. Sources explain that the content claiming drawbacks of Vedic religion giving way for the emergence of new religions will be dropped from the academic year 2021-22.
The committee will also take a relook at contentious issues related to religion in textbooks of Social Science, Environmental Science and Languages from Class 1 – 10.
The government has already directed the Department of Public Instruction to form a committee of experts and academicians to find out any content hurting sentiments of any religion in the form of lessons prescribed for children from Class 1 to 10.
The government has also said a high-level committee will further deliberate on the report by the Department of Public Instruction. Sources explained that the government is expected to announce the committee soon.
The decision to exclude the chapter from teaching was earlier opposed by experts who maintained that the students will lose out on critical thinking. It is to be seen how the academicians respond to the recent decision to overhaul all the textbooks from Class 1 to 10 on contentious religious issues in the state.
Crime
Samrat Choudhary takes charge as Bihar Home Minister; warns criminals

Patna, Nov 22: After becoming Bihar’s Home Minister, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary has taken a tough stance on maintaining law and order in the state.
On Saturday, soon after assuming office, he issued a stern warning to criminals, declaring that no offender would be spared and that the police had been given full freedom to act.
Deputy CM Choudhary said that the police are no longer bound and now have complete authority to take action openly.
He reaffirmed that criminals have no place in Bihar and asserted that the Home Ministry will work under the guidance of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Good governance, he said, existed earlier and would continue even more firmly in the future.
He added that the ‘jungle raj’ that had been eliminated would not be allowed to return.
Responding to a query about his earlier controversial remark — saying that criminals in Bihar would be cremated in Gaya — the State Home Minister said the police were doing their job.
This marks the first time Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has handed over the Home Department to the BJP since 2005.
In the new Cabinet, along with Nitish Kumar, 26 Ministers were sworn-in.
Samrat Choudhary has been appointed both the Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister, while Vijay Kumar Sinha has also been appointed the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar.
He is holding the charge of Revenue, Land Reforms and Mining departments in the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government.
Ministers from all NDA constituents have found a place in the Bihar Cabinet.
The BJP has the highest representation in the state Cabinet with 14 Ministers, followed by Janata Dal-United with eight, Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas with two, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) with one, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) with one.
Despite having two Deputy CMs and 14 Ministers, the BJP’s share of the allocated departmental budget is lower compared to JD-U.
The BJP controls 29.22 per cent of the total budget, LJP-RV Ministers 0.91 per cent, HAM 0.58 per cent, and RLM 3.56 per cent.
The remaining departments, accounting for around 65 per cent of the total budget, remain with the JD-U.
Crime
Palghar Crime: 3 Arrested For Attempted Murder And ₹10 Lakh Robbery In Vasai; Police Bust Interstate 6-Member Gang

Palghar, Maharashtra, Nov 22: The Crime Detection Unit (Unit 2) of the Mira-Bhayander, Vasai-Virar Police has arrested three men involved in an attempted murder and armed robbery at a residence in Vasai, recovering gold jewellery and cash worth ₹10 lakh.
The incident took place on November 18 when three unidentified men forcibly entered the home of 37-year-old Geeta Raut in Reliable Glory Building at Sativali, Vasai West.
The intruders threatened Raut and her son Santosh at knifepoint, demanding information about the location of their gold. When Raut said she did not know, one of the assailants attempted to stab her.
She managed to evade the blow but sustained an injury to her left arm. The attackers then broke open a cupboard and escaped with 12 tolas of gold ornaments and a mobile phone.
Following the registration of the case at Waliv Police Station, officials conducted a detailed investigation at the crime scene and surrounding areas.
Through technical analysis and intelligence from informers, the police identified the suspects and learned that they were residing in Nandagaon, Karnataka.
A team was immediately dispatched, and on November 20, three accused were detained along with 8 tolas of stolen gold, cash, and a mobile phone, collectively valued at ₹10 lakh. During interrogation, it was revealed that they were part of a six-member gang involved in the crime.
The arrested accused have been identified as Ashok alias Babu Raju Shinde, a resident of Shantinagar Dongripada in Vasai East originally from Nandagaon in Karnataka; Abdul Rauf Hashmi, a resident of Richard Compound in Manocha Pada, Vasai East originally from Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh; and Ritik Ravi Belangi, also living in Richard Compound and originally from Nandagaon in Karnataka.
Police have also named three absconding accomplices: Nur Hasan Khan from Patil Wadi in Nalasopara East, Suraj Kishor Jadhav from Shantinagar in Nalasopara East, and Kalu Prabhakar Sahu from Kendrapara in Odisha.
The detained suspects have been handed over to Waliv Police for further action under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Further investigation is underway.
National News
Mega Block On Sunday, 23-11-2025: Mumbai Local Train Services To Be Affected On CR’s Main Line, No Block On Harbour & Trans-Harbour Line; Check Details

Mumbai, Nov 22: Central Railway, Mumbai Division will operate Mega Block on its main line suburban sections to carry out various engineering and maintenance works on Sunday, 23th November.
UP and DOWN FAST Lines between Thane and Kalyan stations from 10.40 am to 3.40 pm
Down Fast/Semi-Fast local services departing CSMT Mumbai from 09.34 am to 15
3.03 pm will be diverted on Down Slow line between Thane and Kalyan stations halting at Kalva, Mumbra and Diva stations in addition to their respective scheduled halts and will arrive destination 10 minutes later than their scheduled arrival.
Up Fast/Semi-fast services departing Kalyan from 10.28 am to 3.40 pm will be diverted on Up Slow line between Kalyan and Thane stations halting at Diva, Mumbra and Kalva stations in addition to their respective scheduled halts and further re-diverted on Up Fast line at Mulund station and will arrive destination 10 minutes later than their scheduled arrival.
Down Mail/Express trains departing CSMT/Dadar will be diverted on 5th line between Thane and Kalyan stations.
Up Mail/Express trains arriving CSMT/Dadar will be diverted on 6th line between Kalyan and Thane/ Vikhroli stations.
There will be no Mega block on Harbour line & Trans-Harbour line-Only special traffic block between Belapur & Panvel.
According to Railway, these maintenance mega blocks are essential for infrastructure upkeep and safety. Passengers are requested to bear with the Railway Administration for the inconvenience caused.
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