New Delhi, Aug 16: Amid a row over the conduct of senior Congress leaders during the rendition of the national song Vande Mataram, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the former, saying that their behaviour reflected a “dimagi naxal mindset”.

This comes a day after a video from the Independence Day event at Indira Bhawan, showed Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Sonia Gandhi gesturing and speaking among themselves. Both the senior leaders then called a party worker and apparently instructed him something. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was also seen looking towards the senior leaders.

Addressing a press conference, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said: “Opposition to Vande Mataram can only be done by people with the mindset of a ‘dimagi Naxal’ ecosystem. This very mindset of the ‘dimagi Naxal’ ecosystem was seen by us yesterday. The opposition of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi towards Vande Mataram on the day of Independence, points towards a ‘dimagi Naxal’ ecosystem mindset.”

Holding printouts of screenshots from the Congress event, he said some of the party’s leaders have attempted to issue a clarification following the incident.

Bhandari was referring to Congress MP Jairam Ramesh’s defence, “There was no attempt to stop it (the song), because the Congress President had been standing for a long time, Sonia Gandhi was saying, ‘Bring a chair for him and place it there’.”

“The Congress didn’t only insult the freedom fighters but also insulted the sovereignty, integrity, and 140 citizens of the country by opposing the rendition of the national song. When Vande Mataram was being rendered at the Congress headquarters, Sonia Gandhi was not only agitated but was behaving in a way as if some crime had been committed,” he said.

Referring to the recent Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Act, 2026, that makes any obstruction to the rendition of the national song a criminal offence, Bhandari accused the Congress leaders of violating the Act and “standing alongside fringe forces”.

Further, the BJP leader asked Congress to apologise within 24 hours for insulting the sentiments of crores of people, if they have “even an iota of patriotism”.

“But they will not apologise because the ringleader and political patron of this entire ‘dimagi Naxal’ ecosystem is Rahul Gandhi. Also, since the Congress government in Kerala has skipped singing Vande Mataram from official events, does this not make it clear that all allegations against the Congress party — that they lack even an iota of nationalism and patriotism — stand proven true?” Pradeep Bhandari remarked.

He added: “This also proves that whatever Jairam Ramesh stated was a blatant, outright lie.”

New Delhi, Aug 16: The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Sunday released the provisional answer key for the UGC NET June 2026 examination.

Candidates who appeared for the examination can now access their recorded responses and question papers online through the official UGC NET website at ugcnet.nta.nic.in.

The release of the provisional answer key allows candidates to match their responses with the answers provided by the NTA, estimate their probable scores and raise objections if they find any discrepancies or incorrect answers in the key.

Candidates have been given time until August 18 to submit challenges against the provisional answer key.

Candidates raising objections will be required to pay a processing fee of Rs 200 for every question challenged.

The objections submitted within the prescribed deadline will be examined by the concerned authorities before the final answer key is prepared and released.

According to the official notice issued by the NTA, provisional answer keys have been uploaded for 84 subjects, and candidates can now check their responses and question papers along with the answer key. However, the provisional answer keys for three subjects — English, Commerce and Sociology — will be released separately.

The NTA stated in its official notice, “In respect of the three remaining subjects, namely English, Commerce and Sociology, a committee was constituted to look into the complaints received regarding various types of errors in the question papers. Based on the recommendations of this committee, a public notice with regard to these 3 subjects is being issued separately, later today.”

Candidates who appeared for the UGC NET June 2026 examination can access the provisional answer key by visiting the official UGC NET website. On the homepage, they need to click on the link related to the UGC NET June 2026 Answer Key to proceed with the login process.

After clicking on the relevant link, candidates will be required to enter their application number along with their password or date of birth, depending on the login option available.

Once the credentials are successfully submitted, candidates will be able to view their provisional answer key, recorded response sheet and question paper online.

Candidates are advised to carefully compare the answers marked in their recorded response sheet with those mentioned in the provisional answer key.

They can use the information to calculate their expected or probable scores before the declaration of the final results.

If candidates believe that an answer provided in the provisional key is incorrect or notice any discrepancy, they can submit an objection through the designated online process within the given deadline. The challenge fee of Rs 200 per question will have to be paid while submitting each objection.

After reviewing the challenges raised by candidates, the NTA will take the necessary action and prepare the final answer key.

Candidates are advised to download and save copies of their provisional answer key, recorded response sheet and question paper for future reference and for calculating their probable scores before the final results are announced.

New Delhi, Aug 16: Four accused have been convicted in two separate cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act registered at Palam village police station, with Delhi Police highlighting the speedy conclusion of the trials and recovery of more than 1.4 kg of ganja.

According to a press release issued by the South-West District of Delhi Police on Sunday, the four accused were convicted by the court of Saurabh Goyal, JMFC First Class, Dwarka Courts, Delhi.

In FIR No. 130/26 under Section 20 of the NDPS Act, accused Anuj Kumar and Vishal alias Sampi were convicted through an order dated August 10. Police said the conviction was secured within 133 days of the offence and after 45 days of trial.

In the second case, FIR No. 66/26 under Section 20 of the NDPS Act, accused Sanjay Sharma and Rafiq Ahmed were convicted through an order dated August 3. The conviction came within six months of the offence and after 119 days of trial, according to police.

The press release stated that “cases were effectively presented before the Court through the coordinated efforts of the investigating teams and the Prosecution Branch”. It added that Assistant Public Prosecutors Vikas Kharb and Sudhanshu Saini presented the prosecution’s cases, evidence and facts before the court, resulting in the conviction of all four accused.

In the first case, police said Sanjay Sharma was apprehended on February 4, allegedly carrying 442 grams of ganja. Following his disclosure, Rafiq Ahmed was arrested, and another 400 grams of ganja was allegedly recovered from his possession. The chargesheet was filed before the court on April 6 after receipt of a positive Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report confirming the nature of the substance.

In the second case, Anuj Kumar was apprehended on March 29 with 545 grams of alleged ganja. Following his disclosure, police arrested Vishal alias Sampi and recovered another 68 grams. The chargesheet was filed on June 26 after the FSL report confirmed the recovered substance.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, South-West District, Amit Goel said the convictions reflected the “sincerity, professionalism, coordinated effort and resolve” of Delhi Police and the Prosecution Branch.

Police said the outcome also highlights the role of scientific investigation and reaffirmed their resolve to curb drug-related offences and ensure speedy justice.