CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka detained by police in Assam Protests, vandalism at Punjab's university over rape allegations ECI frames new rules for voter roll revisions amid furor India opposition INDIA bloc to meet over voter roll revision India and Pakistan traded accusations at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Here are some of the major headlines from India on Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27: Modi says India follows 'zero tolerance' policy against terrorism Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Sunday that India follows a "zero tolerance" policy against terrorism ahead of the 10th anniversary of the 2016 strikes against targets in Pakistan.

Speaking on his "Mann Ki Baat" radio program, Modi linked the 2016 strikes, carried out after an attack that killed 19 Indian soldiers, with the 2019 Balakot airstrikes and 2025's Operation Sindoor saying India had repeatedly sent the same message to Pakistan over the past decade. Meanwhile, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh separately said India was prepared to carry out any strike against terrorism if anu neighboring country continued what he described as a "state policy of terrorism," the reported.

Singh said India sought peace and dialogue but would not compromise on national security, according to the report.

"India wants peace, but India will not compromise on its security under any circumstances," Singh was quoted as saying by the newspaper. "India believes in dialogue. India believes in dialogue, but if any country gives shelter to terrorism against India, then the scope of dialogue ends right there."

Jaishankar meets Canadian foreign minister, says ties ready for 'higher level'

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly as the two countries attempt to rebuild frayed ties, Jaishankar referred to the meeting as a "productive discussion" as New Delhi and Ottawa "prepare to take the relationship to a higher level." Ties between the two countries were tested following the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023, which triggered a major diplomatic dispute between India and Canada. More than 56 killed, 1,000 houses destroyed as heavy rains lash Uttar Pradesh At least 56 people died due to heavy rain and storms in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh over the past three days, authorities said on Sunday. The deaths were reported across India's most populous state, where 63 districts were affected.

According to a statement by the state disaster management department, "exceptionally heavy rain that has affected much of Uttar Pradesh." More than 1,000 houses were damaged, while several people were also left injured, authorities said.

The Relief Commissioner's office's statement said the state recorded 66.5 millimeters (2.62 inches) of rain between Friday and Sunday, compared to the season average of 7.6 millimeters.

Last month, heavy rainfall and thunderstorms claimed dozens of lives across India, as the country grapples with extreme weather Cricket: Kohli says 2027 ODI World Cup will be his last Indian cricketer and one of the game's biggest global stars Virat Kohli announced on Saturday that the 2027 ODI World Cup will be his last for India, as the veteran batter looks for another title. "For me, it's the last World Cup I'm going to play for India," Kohli told broadcaster JioStar on Saturday. The 37-year-old, who now plays only One Day International (ODI) cricket, said he was motivated to "leave everything out there" and help India win the tournament.

" And, of course, the goal is absolutely to win the World Cup and whatever it takes, I'm absolutely ready." Kohli has scored 14,941 ODI runs and a record 54 centuries, and was part of India's 2011 World Cup-winning team. He retired from T20 internationals after India's 2024 World Cup victory and from Test cricket last year. The 2027 ODI Cricket World Cup will be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

At least 19 dead in Nagaland due to spurious liquor At least 19 people have died in the northeastern state of Nagaland after allegedly consuming suspected spurious liquor prompting a police probe and crackdown on illegal alcohol, local media reports said on Sunday.

Eight deaths were reported in Mokokchung district and 11 in Tuensang, while police have arrested 19 people and seized nearly 3,000 bottles of liquor.

A Special Investigation Team has been formed to trace the source and supply chain, with liquor samples sent for forensic examination, authorities said.

CJP leader Ashutosh Ranka detained by Assam Police, Dipke says Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the Cockroach Janta Party posted on X on Sunday that CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka has been detained by the police in the northeastern state of Assam while on a visit to the state.

CJP leader Ashutosh Ranka detained by Assam Police, Dipke says Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the Cockroach Janta Party posted on X on Sunday that CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka has been detained by the police in the northeastern state of Assam while on a visit to the state. Earlier, Ranka talked to reporters in Assam, where he targeted the chief minister.

"Himanta Biswa Sarma is scared that if we expose the reality of Assam's schools, the country will find out what the condition of the schools here is really like," Ranka said.

The CJP leader said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader is "scared that people will find out how the rights of the people are being taken away in Kaziranga, and how their water, forests and land are being taken away and handed over to their corporate allies."

He accused Sarma of being scared that "people will find out how manmade floods were created in Assam, and how hundreds of people lost their lives." Ranka also brought up the delimitation in Assam in 2023, which critics say altered demographic weights.

"We know how you redraw the boundaries of the constituencies during the assembly elections," Ranka said. "In one village, people ended up voting in three different constituencies, simply so that you could rig the election and win. But we are not people who are going to be afraid." Large student protests erupted overnight on Saturday at Lovely Professional University in Punjab's Phagwara after claims circulated on social media that a female student had allegedly been raped and subsequently died by suicide, according to reports.

"We know how you redraw the boundaries of the constituencies during the assembly elections," Ranka said. "In one village, people ended up voting in three different constituencies, simply so that you could rig the election and win. But we are not people who are going to be afraid." Large student protests erupted overnight on Saturday at Lovely Professional University in Punjab's Phagwara after claims circulated on social media that a female student had allegedly been raped and subsequently died by suicide, according to reports. However, some students posted on social media that the vandals were not university students but outsiders.

Reports also said students blocked the Jalandhar–Phagwara National Highway. Ppolice later cleared the highway.

Kapurthala Superintendent of Police Gaurav Toora said police had received no complaint or information about any and learned of the allegations only after reaching the campus.

Kapurthala Superintendent of Police Gaurav Toora said police had received no complaint or information about any and learned of the allegations only after reaching the campus. Police said a report has beened based on a students' statement, while investigators are examining the allegation and CCTV footage.

The university urged students to ignore the "rumors" and said they were safe, media reports said.

Welcome back! This is Shakeel from DW's New Delhi Studio bringing you the latest from across India.

Cockroach party founder Abhijeet Dipke said on X that Assam Police detained CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka while he was in the northeastern state to inspect schools.

Cockroach party founder Abhijeet Dipke said on X that Assam Police detained CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka while he was in the northeastern state to inspect schools. Meanwhile, large student protests erupted overnight at Lovely Professional University in Punjab after unverified social media claims that a female student had been raped and subsequently died by suicide.

For all this and more, Thanks for reading! That is all for today! We will have more tomorrow!

India's Election Commission (ECI) on Saturday said all decisions concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls including the nationwide exercise, were approved unanimously, amid reports of differences within the poll panel, media reports said. At a meeting, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, held on Saturday, the commission also eased the process for voters who receive notices over discrepancies, the reports said.

According to the reports, the new mandates for those who receive notices: local electoral officials will visit homes to collect documents and upload them into the Election Commission's system hearings only in exceptional cases, preferably online an authorized adult family member can appear on behalf of a voter help desks and special enrollment drives for people who were left off electoral rolls, including first-time voters an independent expert would review the ECI's system for compliance with electoral laws The ECI, while extending the deadline for claims and objections in Delhi to October 30 and in Maharashtra to October 12, said SIR had been completed in 20 states and Union territories, including Bihar and West Bengal, the reports said.

As deadly heat threatens livelihoods, women working in Delhi's informal sector are trying out heat wave insurance that pays out automatically when temperatures spike. Can a heat wave trigger a paycheck? India is trying it To view this video, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The opposition INDIA bloc parties are likely to meet in New Delhi on September 30 to discuss concerns over the Election Commission of India (ECI) and its and a coordinated joint response, the newspaper reported on Saturday.

The proposed meeting comes amid growing calls for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar after an investigation found that Kumar's fellow Election Commissioners had raised at least 14 objections over 10 months to decisions concerning voter registration and electoral data.

The three commissioners are overseeing the SIR, a voter-roll revision that the ECI says aims to remove the names of deceased, relocated and duplicate voters and prevent the inclusion of "foreign illegal immigrants." Critics, however, say the exercise has gone beyond that remit and resulted in the removal of millions of eligible voters, potentially benefiting the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

On Friday, Congress workers staged protests across several states demanding Kumar's resignation. Police used water cannons and detained protesters in several locations as they attempted to march towards election offices.

Congress has called for an independent audit of the revision process and greater transparency over deleted and restored voters.

With temperatures and flooding risks rising, finding good housing is getting even tougher. We visit Chennai, Delhi and Berlin to see what the answers to these climate change challenges might be. How cities are fighting heat and floods Jammu and Kashmir assembly seeks restoration of statehood, BJP protests Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday moved a resolution in the legislative assembly seeking the immediate restoration of full statehood to the region leading to chaos in the assembly, media reports said.

"We have been waiting. In public and private meetings and every forum, we made the government of India remember that you had made a promise with the people of J&K but it is not being fulfilled," Abdullah said in the assembly of the Union Territory.

Describing it as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's promise, Abdullah said that it should now be fulfilled, adding that the central government had promised to restore it after delimitation and elections.

He also cited administrative difficulties arising from J&K's status as a Union Territory. The resolution was supported by the ruling National Conference, as well as other parties, but triggered an uproar from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators who objected to seeking greater autonomy for J&K.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP government in 2019 had revoked Kashmir's special status known as Article 370, which had allowed Jammu and Kashmir to have its own constitution and a degree of internal autonomy.

Under locally approved laws, this meant that only local Kashmiris could vote own land, and apply for government jobs.

A land ownership provision, called Article 35A, was also scrapped, leading to accusations of being a move by the BJP to engineer a demographic change in the Muslim-majority region.

IN PICTURES: Protests across New Delhi call for women's safety yet again Women, particularly students, have taken to the streets across New Delhi in recent days to protest recent cases of sexual violence against women and girls.

The demonstrations were prompted by the alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old girl in a Delhi park as well as reported cases of molestation involving minors in Jamui Samastipur in the eastern state of Bihar.

India-Pakistan tensions flare at UNGA India and Pakistan traded accusations at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Friday, with Islamabad criticizing India's stance on Kashmir and New Delhi accusing Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism.

Addressing the General Assembly, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for "a just and fair resolution of the Kashmir dispute," alleging human rights violations in the region.

Sharif also brought up the military clashes last year between the uneasy neighbors, calling them "external aggression from India under a false pretext." Pakistan considers Indian missile strikes on May 7 to be the start of the low-level conflict, which ran for less than a week, while India contends that the strikes were retaliation for an attack in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in April last year.

He added that India's decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance had no legal basis and accused New Delhi of "weaponizing" water.

India rejected Sharif's remarks. First Secretary at India's UN mission Petal Gahlot accused Pakistan of "terrorism, deceit and duplicity" and said Islamabad's support for cross-border terrorism would have consequences.

Gahlot also criticized Pakistan's military establishment and its treatment of minorities, while reiterating India's position that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the country.

Welcome to our coverage! Hello! This is Shakeel from DW's New Delhi Studio bringing you the latest updates from across India.

India and Pakistan traded barbs at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, as the acrimonious neighbors used the global forum to air their long-running grievances.

Meanwhile, the Congress Party protested across several states demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Election Commission's handling of the revision of voter rolls.