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NEW DELHI, OCT 28: The Indian Army’s official fact-check account on X on Wednesday flagged a coordinated disinformation campaign by several Pakistan-based social media accounts, which allegedly circulated misleading content claiming that Indian soldiers were facing humiliation in Arunachal Pradesh while the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) was seen dancing in a nightclub. In a post on X, the Indian Army’s fact-check account said the content had been manipulated using blurry visuals, AI-edited material and a misleading image overlay of the COAS to create an anti-Indian Army narrative. “Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour Exposed,” the account said, warning social media users against sharing unverified content. The post stated, “Several Pak-based social media accounts are falsely claiming that Indian soldiers are facing humiliation in Arunachal Pradesh while the Army Chief is seen dancing in a nightclub.” Explaining the alleged manipulation, the Army’s fact-check account said, “The misrepresented video’s originality has been edited by use of blurry visuals and AI-edited content. The pasting of COAS picture with a misleading caption as an overlay is intended to build an anti-Indian Army narrative.” “The account identified 10 social media handles allegedly involved in circulating the content between 0040 hours and 0800 hours on October 28, 2026,” the post said. The handles named in the post are @Keziabo2n, @Diksha_sharma03, @IndiaGenzzz, @ThokaReturns, @NilakshiRabhaIN, @BabaThokaIndia, @Clashfire_, @PatelKush51313, @khalsavision2 and @NetaNamaX. It urged social media users to verify the authenticity of videos and seek credible evidence before sharing such material. “Always verify the original footage and credible evidence before sharing,” the post said. The fact-check comes amid concerns over misleading social media content involving the Indian Army and claims linked to the country’s border regions. By identifying the accounts and outlining the alleged methods used to manipulate the visuals, the Army sought to caution users against falling for content designed to undermine the institution’s credibility. Earlier on Monday, the Indian Army’s official fact-check account had flagged another misleading video circulating on social media that purportedly showed Indian Army personnel transporting wounded soldiers following an alleged confrontation with Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops in Arunachal Pradesh. In that post, the account said, “Several social media accounts are circulating a misleading video claiming that Indian Army soldiers are transporting wounded personnel following an alleged confrontation with Chinese PLA troops in Arunachal Pradesh.” (Source: IANS)  

NEW DELHI, OCT 28: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Wednesday extended its support to the INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. In a statement, the outfit said the SIR exercise had raised serious concerns about the exclusion of eligible voters and alleged that the Election Commission was undermining the principle that people should choose their government, rather than the government choosing its voters. “By undermining this very principle through SIR, Gyanesh Kumar has lost the trust required to oversee free and fair elections. His resignation is therefore necessary to restore the credibility and independence of the Election Commission,” the CJP said. Invoking the Constituent Assembly’s commitment to universal adult franchise, the outfit said Dr B R Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru and other makers of the Constitution had placed their faith in the people at a time when millions of Indians had never participated in an election. “The idea was simple: bring more citizens into democracy, not keep them out of it,” it said. In a post on X, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said, “Gyanu must go! The Cockroach Janta Party extends its support to the INDIA Bloc’s November 1 rally. Nation above all!” The outfit said the Election Commission was responsible for safeguarding the voting rights of every eligible citizen and should not create obstacles to exercising them. “Our Constitution gave every adult citizen the right to vote. It is our responsibility to ensure that no eligible citizen is deprived of that right,” the statement said. The CJP said it would support all organisations fighting for free and fair elections in the country. The statement ended with the slogans “Jai Bhim” and “Jai Hind”. (Source: PTI)  

NEW DELHI, OCT 28: The Congress on Wednesday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his taunt at the opposition party’s dismal show in the MLC elections, saying that if the PM is so confident that EVMs have no bearing on election results, he should prove his confidence in the BJP’s electoral prowess through action, not rhetoric. The Congress said if the PM believes that EVMs have no bearing on the election results then he should commit to conducting all Lok Sabha and upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections by ballot paper, going forward. The opposition party’s assertion came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi taunted the Congress for its dismal show in the MLC elections despite the use of paper ballots, a key demand of opposition parties in their campaign against EVMs. The Congress drew a blank in Karnataka while the BJP won five legislative council seats in Uttar Pradesh and the Samajwadi Party three as results were announced on Wednesday for the biennial elections held in 28 upper house constituencies across four states. “MLC elections in 28 seats across 4 big states — Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka. Elections held using ballot papers. Guess how many seats Congress won?” Modi said in a post on ‘X’. Reacting to Modi’s remarks, Congress’ media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said if Narendra Modi is so confident that EVMs have no bearing on election results, let him prove his confidence in the BJP’s electoral prowess through action, not rhetoric. “Commit to conducting all Lok Sabha and upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections by ballot paper going forward. Suspend SIR and restore the 13.3 crore voters illegally deleted from the electoral rolls. Terminate Gyanesh Gupta. Repeal the law that gives life long immunity to Gyanesh Gupta,” Khera said on X. Until Modi acts on these demands, his claims are nothing but hogwash — hollow words no one can take seriously, he added. The Congress suffered a setback in Karnataka, losing all the four seats with the opposition JD(S) wresting one segment from the ruling party and its ally BJP retaining three. The Congress and several other opposition parties have been demanding that all future elections be held using ballot papers and not the EVM. (Source: PTI)    

NEW DELHI, OCT 26: The Supreme Court on Monday directed all states and Union Territories to allocate funds to build bar rooms, washrooms and other basic amenities for women advocates in district and taluk courts. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana disapproved of the lack of ladies’ bar rooms and said facilities should be provided to women advocates regardless of their numbers. “If there are no ladies’ bar rooms, we strongly disapprove of it. It is the duty of all high courts and state governments to ensure that wherever women members are practising, they are provided an exclusive women’s bar room with all facilities. This is the mandate. We do not want to deviate from that. It has to be complied with, whether additional funds or land are required. Whatever is required must be done,” the bench said, posting the matter for hearing on December 2. The top court was hearing a plea filed by a group of women advocates concerning the accessibility, inclusiveness and long-term sustainability of women lawyers in the legal profession. Earlier, the court had stressed the need to create conditions that enable women advocates to discharge their professional responsibilities effectively, safely and on equal terms. Taking note of issues raised in a plea that flagged the absence of adequately equipped ladies’ bar rooms and other essential facilities in most courts, tribunals and commissions across the country, the apex court had said the concerns raised could not be brushed aside as a matter of mere convenience. (Source: PTI)    

NEW DELHI, OCT 25: Simultaneous raids across Assam, Mizoram and Manipur led to the arrest of 18 people and the freezing of 1,424 bank accounts, exposing Rs 100 crore of hawala transactions, breaking the financial and operational backbone of a cartel led by a Myanmar-based drug lord arrested earlier this year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday. In a post on X, Shah said ‘Operation Trident’ was conducted on October 23 to dismantle an international narcotics cartel operating across India, Myanmar and Bangladesh. The operation uncovered hawala transactions worth Rs 100 crore, led to the attachment of properties worth Rs 17.82 crore and resulted in the seizure of 500 detonators and Rs 12 lakh in cash, he said. Shah said the network trafficked narcotics across the borders of India, Myanmar and Bangladesh through the “Death Triangle Corridor”. Congratulating the anti-narcotics team comprising central agencies and police forces of the three states, Shah said the operation reflected the government’s resolve to eradicate every drug network by December 31, 2029. “India will hammer until the last nail is driven into the coffin of drug cartels,” he said. Under ‘Operation Trident’, the Narcotics Control Bureau with 38 teams raided 38 locations simultaneously across Assam, Mizoram, and Manipur against transnational narco-financial syndicates to dismantle the operational and financial backbone of a major transnational drug trafficking cartel. The cartel was led by Myanmar-based kingpin Thangcintuang alias Chintuang alias Tluanga who orchestrated the cross-border routing of methamphetamine and heroin across the Myanmar-Mizoram-Manipur-Assam-Tripura corridor into mainland India and Bangladesh. He was arrested in May this year. “In line with the Vision Document on Narcotics Control (2026-2029), the operation exemplifies the shift from a seizure-centric to a network-centric and financial disruption approach to uproot transnational syndicates,” a government statement said. The network trafficked narcotics across the borders of India, Myanmar and Bangladesh through the Death Triangle Corridor, it said. “Preceded by days of covert intelligence fusion, joint target-mapping, and high-level tactical briefings among central and state enforcement agencies, the operation was meticulously designed to simultaneously strike both the logistics nodes and the illicit financial arteries of the syndicates,” it said. The multi-state operation stems from sustained, intelligence-led backward and forward linkage investigations initiated by the NCB, Mizoram Police and Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the network cases identified for thorough 360-degree probe, it said. Acting with surgical precision under a unified command structure, 38 multi-agency composite teams were mobilised concurrently across 38 pre-identified locations spanning the three states. “The coordinated strikes extensively covered key urban hubs and sensitive border corridors, including Aizawl, Champhai and the strategic Indo- Myanmar border trading town of Zokhawthar in Mizoram, alongside linked operative bases in Churachandpur, Manipur and the Cachar/Assam transit corridor,” it said Despite challenging terrain and vast geographical spread, exceptional inter-departmental coordination ensured that all searches, enquiries, and financial audits were executed simultaneously, preventing the flight of suspects or the concealment of illicit assets, the statement said. “Prior phases of the investigation successfully neutralised key pillars of this cartel, including Thangcintuang @ Chintuang @ Tluanga (Kingpin), who was arrested from the national capital following intensive inter-state surveillance, intelligence development and sustained follow-up operations,” it said. His close associate Vungkhanthawna who coordinated movement and delivery of Myanmar-origin consignments was also arrested in May and subsequently detained under the stringent NDPS Act. Primary hawala operator Lalrampari was also arrested by NCB on August 8, 2024. Investigations exposed nearly Rs 100 crore in illicit hawala transactions linked to the network, prompting joint action with the Enforcement Directorate and freezing of illegally acquired properties. Abu Saleh alias Saifuddin, Assam corridor logistics head of the cartel, was arrested from Cachar, Assam on November 20, 2025. “Detailed financial profiling and digital forensics from these breakthroughs revealed a wider web of facilitators, shell entities, and money mules, necessitating the massive, synchronised strike of Operation Trident,” it said. (Source: PTI)    

NEW DELHI, OCT 25: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday highlighted the revival of millet cultivation in parts of the Northeast, praising local communities and farmers for reconnecting with traditional crops and creating new economic opportunities through innovative millet-based products. Addressing the 139th episode of his monthly radio programme, ‘Mann Ki Baat’, PM Modi recalled the global response to India’s initiative to mark 2023 as the ‘International Year of Millets’. He said the initiative had helped people recognise the cultural significance of millets, known as ‘Shree Anna’, and encouraged renewed interest in their cultivation and consumption. “You may recall that, at India’s call, 2023 was celebrated as the ‘International Year of Millets.’ It received a very positive response globally. Through this initiative, people discovered how deeply the superfood ‘Shree Anna’, i.e. millets, are rooted in our own culture. In the Northeast, too, there has long been a rich tradition of millet cultivation; however, over time, people had begun to drift away from it. Now, that situation is changing,” the Prime Minister said. Highlighting an example from Meghalaya, PM Modi spoke about Khanduli village in the West Jaintia Hills district, where millets have traditionally been an important part of the local food culture. He said that despite the crop’s long-standing significance in the region, the number of farmers cultivating millets had declined over time. Against this backdrop, the Prime Minister highlighted the efforts of two women friends from the village who took the initiative to develop new products using millets. Instead of limiting the grains to traditional uses, they explored ways to add value to them and expand their appeal among consumers. “Lending value addition to these grains, they developed items such as cookies, cakes, and muffins, as well as baby food. This led to an increase in the sales of millet-based products and a subsequent rise in the demand for millets themselves,” he said. PM Modi noted that the growing popularity of these products had helped generate greater demand for millets, encouraging farmers to resume cultivation. He said such initiatives demonstrated how innovation and entrepreneurship could support traditional agricultural practices while creating new livelihood opportunities for rural communities. “In the village of Sadolpara, located in the West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya, some new initiatives are underway. A local farmer there, Chekjing Sangma, recognising the importance of millets, has started cultivating them using modern methods. This has not only increased his income but has also fostered greater awareness within the village,” PM Modi said. He further spoke about Kezoma village in Nagaland’s Kohima district, where millet cultivation had stopped for more than a decade. “As a result, an entire generation grew up unfamiliar with this traditional crop. Imagine… a crop once grown by their own grandparents was being forgotten by the villagers themselves,” he said. “In 2024, the local community resumed the cultivation of millets, and in 2025, Kezoma celebrated its first-ever millet festival. Now, there is a rapidly growing demand for products made from millets in this region as well,” he added. Emphasising the broader significance of these developments, the Prime Minister said the initiatives in Meghalaya and Nagaland showed how traditional crops could be linked with modern opportunities to improve rural livelihoods. “Examples related to millet cultivation carry a significant message. These examples demonstrate how our youth are linking traditional crops with new opportunities, and how our villages are advancing on the path to prosperity while preserving their heritage,” PM Modi said. (Source: IANS)        

NEW DELHI, OCT 24: The INDIA bloc will organise a “public impeachment” proceeding against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on October 30, followed by a large-scale “Dilli Chalo” march culminating at Ramleela Maidan on November 1, AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal announced on Saturday. In a post on X, Venugopal said the public impeachment would deliver the “public’s verdict to remove the Vote Chor CEC Gyanesh Kumar” loud and clear. He described the exercise as part of the opposition’s effort to “save the Constitution and defeat the Vote Chors.” According to the announcement, the Congress party is set to organise a mock Parliament at Delhi’s Ashoka Hotel on October 30. The proposal to impeach Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar is expected to be at the centre of the debate. Leaders and representatives from INDIA Bloc parties are likely to participate in the discussion on the proposal and the functioning of the Election Commission. Venugopal further stated that after the October 30 event, the alliance would take out a “Dilli Chalo March against Vote Chori,” which would culminate at Ramleela Maidan on November 1. The opposition is targeting the participation of at least one million citizens in the march. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has written to all INDIA Bloc parties, requesting their leaders and members to be present in Delhi in full strength during this period to ensure maximum participation. The planned events come amid continued political criticism of the Election Commission by opposition parties, which have accused it of bias and electoral malpractice. The ruling side has rejected these charges, maintaining that the Commission functions independently and in accordance with the law. The October 30 mock parliamentary session and the subsequent November 1 march are being projected by the opposition as a major mobilisation effort to put pressure on the Election Commission and the government. Party leaders are expected to use the platforms to reiterate their demand for greater transparency and accountability in the electoral process. With both the symbolic impeachment exercise and the mass march scheduled within a short span, the INDIA Bloc is aiming to keep the issue of electoral integrity at the centre of political discourse in the coming days. (Source: IANS)      

NEW DELHI, OCT 23: The Congress on Friday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the reported “face-offs” with the Chinese Army in Arunachal Pradesh, saying there has been a “deafening silence” on it from him and his establishment, while the “self-styled vishwaguru’s calibrated concessions” to China continue. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared a media report which quoted Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General Shatrujeet Kapur as saying that in the past few-days, a situation arose “where face-off happened at several locations in Arunachal and it still continues”. There was no immediate response by the government or the BJP on the Congress’ claims and allegations. In his post on X, Ramesh said, “While the self-styled Vishwaguru’s calibrated concessions to China continue, the DG, ITBP, has lauded –and rightly so — its performance in recent face-offs with the PLA in Arunachal Pradesh, on which there has been a deafening silence from the PM and his establishment.” Corps commander talks were held at Wacha and Damai in Arunachal Pradesh last month after the Taksing face-off, Ramesh claimed. “Locals had reported that patrolling points had been lost once again, as in Ladakh. China continues to rename our towns in Arunachal Pradesh and is building a 60,000-MW dam that threatens our ecological and water security,” the Congress leader said. He pointed out that India’s trade deficit with China zoomed even further to a record USD 112 billion in 2025-26, up from USD 99 billion the previous year. “This has simply crushed our MSMEs in many industries. Make in India has become Import from China. This staggering trade deficit is in itself a very significant threat to our economic security,” Ramesh said. “India has been paying the price for the PM’s infamous clean chit to China on June 19, 2020, when he said, after 20 of our brave jawans had been martyred: ‘Na koi wahan humari seema mein ghus aaya hai aur na hi koi ghusa hua hai, na hi humari koi post kisi doosre ke kabze mein hai’,” Ramesh said. He further said retired Chief of Army Staff, Gen. M M Naravane, has revealed that the only instructions he received while at the helm, when Chinese incursions took place in Ladakh, were –“jo uchit samjho woh karo”. On July 4, 2025, the Deputy Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Rahul Singh, had spoken publicly on China’s both intensively and extensively embedded role in Pakistan’s military campaign during Operation Sindoor, Ramesh recalled. “Yet, on August 25, 2026, the retired Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Anil Chauhan, publicly contradicted Lt. Gen. Rahul Singh’s revelations and, soon thereafter, took over a think tank that is a key part of the RSS/BJP ecosystem,” he said. The Congress has in the past attacked the Modi government over its handling of ties with China and the “Chinese incursions”. The government has in the past rejected the claims of the opposition. The BJP had earlier accused the Congress of demoralising the morale of the armed forces. (Source: PTI)  

NEW DELHI, OCT 23: India on Friday said the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is disturbed from time to time when Chinese forces diverge from established patrolling patterns, asserting that the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas is essential for the overall development of bilateral relations. The remarks by External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal came in response to a question on comments by Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) director general Shatrujeet Kapur that confrontations with Chinese troops continue to take place in a number of sites along the border in Arunachal Pradesh. “As we have noted in the past, the situation in the India-China border areas gets disturbed from time to time when Chinese forces diverge from established patrolling patterns,” Jaiswal said at his bi-weekly media briefing. “Both sides continue to use existing diplomatic and military mechanisms to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC),” he said. Jaiswal said the two sides have also agreed to discuss ways to improve understanding of LAC in appropriate areas for better border management. “I would also like to emphasise that the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas is essential for the overall development of bilateral relations,” he said. In his remarks in Rajasthan’s Alwar on Thursday, the ITBP director general also said that his force has raised drone platoons in all its border units and prepared a new ‘Strike’ course to better handle Galwan-like battles. India and China rolled out a series of measures in the last over one year to rebuild their relationship after it came under severe strain following the deadly Galwan Valley clashes in 2020 and the subsequent military face-off that lasted for over four years. In October 2024, the two sides firmed up a disengagement pact for Depsang and Demchok, the last two friction points in eastern Ladakh. Days after the agreement was finalised, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks in Kazan and took a number of decisions to improve the ties. In August last year, Modi travelled to the Chinese city of Tianjin to attend the annual SCO summit. Modi and Xi held extensive talks on the sidelines of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) summit. In the meeting, Modi said India is committed to taking forward its ties with China based on mutual trust, respect and sensitivity. Last month, Modi held bilateral talks with Xi on the margins of the BRICS summit in New Delhi. In the talks, Modi stressed that both sides must show sensitivity to each other’s core issues and let relations be guided by the “three mutuals” — mutual respect, mutual sensitivity, and mutual interest. (Source: PTI)  

NEW DELHI, OCT 22: Indian Youth Congress (IYC) National General Secretary and North East Youth Congress Coordination Committee chairman Tarh Johny has strongly condemned the alleged racial abuse and humiliation of a young man from Tripura in a viral video involving social media content creator Aamir Shokeen, calling for strict action if the allegations are established. In a statement issued on Thursday, Johny said the incident could not be dismissed as entertainment or a joke, adding that the use of racial stereotypes and derogatory references against a person from the North-East was an assault on individual dignity and an insult to the identity of millions of people from the region. He said people from the North-East had faced racial profiling, stereotyping and discrimination in different parts of the country for decades. Such incidents, he added, reinforced the perception that people from the region were treated as outsiders in their own country. Johny said the explanation that the video was scripted did not diminish the seriousness of the issue and questioned the use of a North-Eastern person’s racial identity as material for entertainment. Welcoming reports of police intervention and the registration of a first information report (FIR), he called for a fair, independent and thorough investigation, urging authorities to take appropriate legal action without fear or favour if the allegations were substantiated. He also said an apology should not substitute accountability and urged social media platforms and content creators to recognise that freedom of expression did not extend to humiliating, stereotyping or dehumanising others. Appealing to citizens across the country to stand united against racism and discrimination, Johny said people from the North-East were equal citizens of India and their dignity, identity and constitutional rights must be respected everywhere. “Zero tolerance for racism. Zero tolerance for discrimination. Respect the North-East. Respect India,” the statement said.