INDIA

A local police case in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, against a banner reading “I Love Prophet Muhammad” has triggered a wave of similar FIRs across India, according to figures compiled by the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR). The Kanpur case, registered earlier this month, has reportedly set off demonstrations across several states. Protesters argue that displaying the phrase is an expression of faith, while police claim such displays could disturb law and order. The controversy has now expanded into a nationwide crackdown. As per APCR data, 21 FIRs have been lodged across the country, with 1,324 Muslims accused. At least 38 people have been arrested so far. Uttar Pradesh remains the epicentre, recording multiple cases in districts including Kanpur, Baghpat, Shahjahanpur, and U...

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday met with a delegation of senior officers from the Indian Armed Forces, Civil Services, and friendly foreign countries attending a course at the National Defence College. During the interaction, Sinha highlighted that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, Operation Sindoor represented one of India’s most decisive military actions in recent times. He noted that the combination of strategic restraint and assertive action has established a “new red line” against terrorism. “If India faces a terrorist attack in the future, it will be treated as an act of war, and a fitting response will be delivered. India has also made it clear that nuclear blackmail will not be tolerated, and it will strike terrorist hideouts with precision and dec...

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has accused the central government of orchestrating a massive “loot” through the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Launching what it calls the “GST Loot Chappat Utsav,” the party claimed that in the past eight years, since the implementation of GST, the government has collected ₹127 lakh crore from the people of India. AAP leaders alleged that this enormous sum has been borne overwhelmingly by ordinary citizens rather than the wealthy. Sanjay Singh, Party's prominent MP, argued that the bottom 50 percent of India’s population contributed 64 percent of the total GST collections, reflecting how heavily the system weighs on the poor. In contrast, the next 40 percent of the population accounted for 33 percent, leaving the richest 10 percent with responsibility...

After the BJP alleged Congress' involvement behind the Ladakh protests, Activist Sonam Wangchuk said that he doesn't believe the Congress holds such influence over the Ladakh youth to mobilise them for protests. "Congress doesn't have such influence here that it can manage to get 5000 youth on the roads," Wangchuk said in a press conference on Wednesday Wangchuk's remark came in response to the allegation levied by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amit Malviya that Congress Councillor Phuntsog Stanzin Tsepag "instigated" the protestors who attacked the BJP office in Leh. Wangchuk added that the councillor did deliver a remark in anger because the two people who were hospitalised yesterday belonged to his village, but believed that Congress does not have enough hold to influence...

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking the removal of the graves of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat from Tihar Jail. The bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said the plea lacked evidence and could not rely on newspaper reports or social media posts. The petition, filed by the Vishwa Vedic Sanatan Sangh, claimed the graves had become pilgrimage sites and threatened public order. The judges, however, noted no material was placed on record to support this claim. “Where is the empirical data? We cannot act on news clippings,” the bench observed, while granting the petitioner liberty to file a fresh plea with concrete proof. The court also questioned the timing, pointing out that Bhat was buried in...

The ongoing agitation in Ladakh demanding statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule entered its 14th day on Wednesday, with tensions flaring in Leh after two women protesters fell ill and had to be hospitalised. The protesters, identified as Sri Anchuk and Anchuk Dolma, collapsed during the demonstration and were rushed to a nearby hospital. The incident provoked unrest among the gathering, leading to stone pelting at the Leh Hill Council building. Security forces were deployed in large numbers to control the situation, which officials described as tense but under control. The protest is being spearheaded by the people of Ladakh which have been pressing for statehood and Sixth Schedule safeguards for Ladakh. Organisers said the central government has set October 6 as the da...

Protests erupted in various parts of India seeking the withdrawal of FIRs registered against individuals who displayed “I Love Muhammad” banners during Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi celebrations i Uttar Pradesh. Cleric Salman Mufti, who was arrested last year in a separate case, joined the protests symbolically by publicly reciting all the revered names of Prophet Muhammad, prefacing each with “I Love.” Mufti stated that 99 FIRs should be registered against him if authorities wished, highlighting his stand against the FIRs filed in Kanpur and other cities. (Note: In Islamic tradition, the Prophet is associated with many names and attributes, often cited as 99 in devotional texts.) The FIRs in question, filed in Kanpur on September 9, 2025, targeted 24 individuals (9 named, 15 unnamed) for alle...

A 70-year-old Muslim vegetable vendor, Mohammed Mohsin, was beaten to death in broad daylight at Kako village market on Wednesday, September 18, 2025, following a dispute over a ₹5 shortfall in toll payment. Police said Mohsin had gone to the market with his minor grandson when the accused, identified as Vicky Patel, demanded ₹15 as toll. Mohsin, carrying only ₹10, pleaded for time to pay the remaining amount. Witnesses told police that Patel, angered by the refusal, struck Mohsin repeatedly with a dumbbell on his stomach and head, killing him on the spot. The assault unfolded in full view of the grandson and other onlookers, but no one intervened. Locals allege the victim’s body lay unattended in the market for hours, raising questions about public apathy and the effectiveness of la...

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of presiding over what he called a “massive voter fraud” ahead of the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Gandhi said he had “100% proof” that thousands of voters were deliberately struck off the rolls using fake applications routed through call centers. According to Gandhi, over 6,000 names were almost deleted in Aland constituency before a Booth Level Officer (BLO) and local Congress MLA flagged the irregularities. He said that the deletions were not accidental but part of a coordinated operation “controlled from outside Karnataka” through call centers that generated bogus requests. “The CID of Karnataka wrote 18 letters to the Election Commission over...

In a detailed affidavit before the Delhi High Court, jailed Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik has claimed that his political journey was deeply shaped by state-sanctioned engagement, secret meetings with Indian leaders, and even international assignments, only to end in what he calls “betrayal” after the abrogation of Article 370, Kashmir Times reported. Malik, chairman of the banned Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), is serving a life term after being convicted in a terror-funding case by the NIA. The agency has appealed to enhance his sentence to death. In his affidavit, Malik says he accepts his fate “gleefully,” but insists the Indian state cannot deny its long-standing engagement with him. ALSO READ: Masarat Alam Bhat exposes Hurriyat funding network, NIA claims Malik, i...