National News
Mumbai Weather Update For Jan 8, 2026: Dense Smog Hides City’s Skyline As Air Quality Remains Unhealthy; Overall AQI At 203
Mumbai: greeted Thursday morning with conditions that felt like a rare winter respite. Clear blue skies, relatively cool temperatures and gentle winds offered residents a welcome break from the city’s persistent humidity. For a few hours, the city appeared calm and breathable. However, the pleasant spell did not last long. As the day progressed, a thin blanket of smog spread across several areas, reducing visibility, hiding the city’s skyline and once again highlighting Mumbai’s growing air pollution problem.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted largely comfortable weather, with minimum temperatures around 20°C and maximums reaching about 32°C. While temperatures stayed within this favourable range, the decline in air quality quickly overshadowed any meteorological comfort. Residents who stepped outdoors early in the morning soon noticed hazy conditions replacing the earlier clarity.
Data from air quality monitoring platform AQI.in showed that Mumbai’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) touched 203 in the early hours, categorising the city’s air as ‘unhealthy’. This sudden spike was particularly concerning as Mumbai had recorded relatively better air quality just a few days earlier, offering brief relief from pollution-related discomfort.
Dust and fine particulate matter are seen as the primary reasons behind the worsening air conditions. Ongoing construction activity across Mumbai remains a significant contributor. Major infrastructure projects, including multiple metro rail corridors, flyover construction, coastal road development, road widening works and numerous private real estate projects, continue to release large amounts of dust into the atmosphere, intensifying pollution levels.
Certain localities emerged as major pollution hotspots. Chembur recorded an AQI of 323, placing it firmly in the ‘severe’ category and posing serious health risks even to otherwise healthy individuals. The Wadala Truck Terminal and Deonar followed closely with AQI readings of 318 and 307 respectively. In south Mumbai, Sewri reported an AQI of 293, while Worli recorded 280, both reflecting unhealthy air conditions.
Some suburban areas showed relatively better readings, though air quality there was still far from ideal. Andheri East recorded an AQI of 60, while Charkop stood at 92, both categorised as ‘moderate’. Kandivali East reported 93, Bandra West 95 and Borivali East 110, indicating that moderate to poor air quality persists across many residential pockets.
According to standard classifications, AQI values between 0 and 50 are considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘moderate’, 101 to 200 ‘poor’, 201 to 300 ‘unhealthy’, and readings above 300 fall under ‘severe’ or ‘hazardous’. With Mumbai repeatedly slipping into unhealthy categories, concerns over long-term public health and the need for stricter pollution control measures continue to grow.
Crime
Mumbai Police Rebuts Social Media Claims About Missing Children; Warns Action Against Rumours

A day after reports claimed that 12 minor children went missing within 36 hours across Mumbai, the Mumbai Police on Monday issued a statement rejecting the claims and warning social media users against spreading rumours related to missing or abducted children.
In a post on X, the Mumbai Police said, “Some social media accounts are spreading false information and rumours regarding missing and abducted children. We completely deny these claims.”
The police added that the process has been initiated to register FIRs and take strict legal action against individuals deliberately circulating false information to create fear among the public.
The clarification came a day after Media reported that 12 minor children, including eight girls, had gone missing within a 36-hour span. The unusually high number had triggered concerns about the possible presence of organised child trafficking networks in the city.
While some cases were linked to family disputes or children running away from home, a human trafficking angle was suspected in others.
According to Mumbai Police records, 145 children went missing between June and December 2025, including 93 girls. Between November 1 and December 6 alone, 82 missing cases were registered, with adolescents accounting for more than half. These included 41 girls and 13 boys under 18. Police said several children were later traced and reunited with their families.
Crime
‘Drunk’ SUV Driver Ploughs Into Crowd After Hitting Several Vehicles In Sangli; 11 Injured

Chaos unfolded in Maharashtra’s Sangli on Sunday when an SUV ploughed into a crowd after ramming several vehicles on Tilak Road near the Ganpati Temple. According to reports, 11 people, including five police personnel, were injured in the incident.
The accused driver has been identified as Praniket Dattatrey Panchal from the Barshi Road area in Latur. The vehicle first hit several vehicles before ploughing into a crowded stretch where people were walking to attend the Krushnamai Festival.
After the incident, the driver was pulled out of the vehicle by an angry mob and assaulted. The crowd also vandalised the SUV.
The accused was later rescued by the police.
According to reports, the driver was under the influence of alcohol when incident occured. The injured were rushed to hospitals for treatment. Police stated that the driver has been booked and further investigation is underway.
National News
Fierce govt-Oppn showdown in LS over Rahul Gandhi’s mention of ex-Army chief’s unpublished memoir (Lead)

New Delhi, Feb 2: The Lok Sabha witnessed uproarious scenes and a huge pandemonium with opposition and treasury benches getting into a face-off over the citing of an ‘unpublished’ book by former Army Chief Mukund Naravane.
LS Speaker Om Birla’s repeated attempts to bring order in the House failed utterly as the Congress party persisted with demands to quote Naravane’s memoirs while the government strongly objected, terming it ‘theatrics’.
The ruckus broke out after the Leader of Opposition (LoP), Rahul Gandhi, led the opposition charge during the debate on Motion of Thanks to the President’s address on Monday.
The Congress MP started his speech by targeting the Centre over an article in a magazine, based on the memoirs of former Army chief Naravane. This invited a quick and direct counter from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and also Home Minister Amit Shah.
Gandhi said that the BJP questions the Congress party’s patriotism but blocks a book penned by a top officer of the Armed Forces.
As he started citing lines from the memoir, loud protests erupted from the treasury benches.
Rajnath Singh strongly objected to Gandhi’s quoting from the book, stating that the claims were vague as the book had not even published.
“What is the government scared of?” asked Rahul while doubling down his charge.
LS Speaker Om Birla advised the opposition members to refrain from citing any unverified subject, stating that this would amount to a breach of parliamentary norms.
As the opposition resorted to slogan-shouting, prompting a counter from HM Amit Shah. He urged the Speaker to direct the LoP to stop misleading the House with falsified claims.
The ruckus over Gandhi’s claims, where he stated that Chinese tanks were hurtling towards the Indian border, continued unabated as the opposition insisted on raising these charges while the treasury benches, including Union Ministers, erupted in protest.
The parliamentary rulebook was also cited by some BJP members, but the chaos and pandemonium persisted.
At one point, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav also rallied behind Rahul Gandhi and stated that since the China border is a sensitive matter, the Congress leader should be allowed to speak on the same.
Congress MPs also pointed fingers at the Speaker, claiming that the ruling party lawmakers have quoted false claims on the Nehru rule multiple times, but they were always given a free hand.
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