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Kolkata, India: India is considering releasing snakes and crocodiles along its frontier with Bangladesh, the Border Security Force said Wednesday, as New Delhi seeks to stave off unauthorised crossings. Senior Border Security Force officer Manoj Barnwal told AFP that "the use of reptiles" was discussed in a February meeting with the Home Ministry. "We have been asked to explore the feasibility of deploying reptiles such as snakes or crocodiles in vulnerable riverine gaps," said Barnwal, deputy inspector general of the paramilitary force based in Kolkata, near the border with Bangladesh. "The plan revolves around leveraging natural deterrents like crocodiles and snakes in flood-prone zones, along the unfenced area where traditional fencings are either ineffective or not possible," he added. The border between India and Bangladesh cuts through the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest. "It's an innovative move, but there are several challenges and it raises safety concerns," Barnawl said. "How do we procure the reptiles? What impact might it have on the people in the villages sitting along the riverine border?" "We have asked our field units to study the feasibility of the approach and send the report as soon as possible," he added. India has constructed border fencing stretching hundreds of kilometres (miles), and arrested scores of Bangladeshis attempting to cross the frontier. Bangladesh is almost entirely encircled by India and the border stretches for more than 4,000 kilometres (2,485 miles), large parts of which are unfenced across delta regions where Himalayan rivers wind toward the sea.
Bhubaneswar: Nature lovers have a fresh reason to visit Nandankanan Zoological Park in Odisha's Bhubaneswar, as the famed wildlife sanctuary welcomed seven baby yellow anacondas into its reptilian fold on Sunday -- a rare and exciting addition that underscores the zoo's growing reputation as a haven for exotic species. The tiny hatchlings were born to a breeding pair of yellow anacondas brought to Nandankanan from the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust in Chennai in October 2019. With these new arrivals, the zoo now proudly houses a thriving family of 14 yellow anacondas -- two adult males, two adul ...Read More >
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has charged five individuals, including goldy Brar, in relation to the 2024 Gurugram club bombing plot, as revealed in a recently filed chargesheet. This case involves a conspiracy to bomb two clubs, aiming to disrupt communal harmony in Haryana, with the banned terrorist group Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) implicated. The NIA's investigation highlights the severity of the plot. Those charged include satinderjit Singh (Goldy Brar), Sachin Talian, Ankit, Bhavish, and Randeep Singh. News Directory 3 provides crucial updates on sensitive cases such ...Read More >
Jammu, June 26: One terrorist was killed on Thursday in an ongoing gunfight between the security forces and the terrorists in J&K's Udhampur district's Basantgarh area. Inspector General of Police (IGP), Jammu Zone, Bhim Sen Tuti said that four terrorists are believed to be trapped in the ongoing encounter. Speaking with reporters, the IGP said the contact with the terrorists was established around 8.30 a.m., but the weather is unfavourable. "The situation will become clear once the weather improves. As per our assessment, a group of four terrorists is holed up," he said. Earlier, the Army sa ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar has written a strongly worded letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, criticising General Education Minister V Sivankutty for walking out of a function held at Raj Bhavan on June 19. The Governor described the incident as a breach of protocol and an insult to the constitutional office. The letter, dated June 26, refers to an awards ceremony for the Bharat Scouts and Guides, where Sivankutty -- who also serves as President of the Association's Kerala chapter -- objected to the presence of a garlanded portrait of Bharat Mata on the stage, ...Read More >
Srinagar, Jul 3 (PTI) The annual Amarnath Yatra began on Thursday with the first batches of pilgrims setting off from the twin base camps in Baltal and Nunwan towards the 3880-metre-high cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas, which houses a naturally formed ice-lingam, officials said. The yatra started early morning from the twin tracks -- the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route and the 14-km Baltal route. Also Read | Federal Court Blocks Trump's Effort to Deny Asylum at Border. The batches of pilgrims, including men, women and sadhus, left from the Nunwan base camp in Pahalgam, in ...Read More >
Jhansi: A bomb threat delayed the Durg-bound Chhattisgarh Sampark Kranti Express on Friday night, when it was halted at Virangana Laxmibai Jhansi railway station for nearly an hour. The threat turned out to be a hoax, and the train resumed its journey after a thorough inspection. According to SP, GRP, Vipul Srivastav, after the train left Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station in Delhi around 6pm on Friday, a call was recieved at the railway helpline 139, claiming that a bomb had been planted in a sleeper coach of the train. The railway control room in Lucknow started preparations for search of the ...Read More >
Ganderbal, Jul 13: The annual Amarnath Yatra has been progressing smoothly over the past eleven days, with the number of pilgrims steadily increasing each day. As of Sunday, nearly 2 lakh pilgrims have so far paid obeisance at the cave shrine, since it commenced on July 3. Officials said that the 12th batch of 7,049 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu on Sunday to pay obeisance at the holy Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said. The pilgrims, including 1,423 women, 31 children and 136 sadhus and sadhvis, left for the twin base camps of Nunwan-Pahalgam ...Read More >
Kendrapara (Odisha), Jan 14 (PTI) With the annual crocodile and migratory birds' headcount exercise getting underway, the Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha's Kendrapara district would remain shut for nine days from Tuesday. Several teams have been constituted to count the crocodiles and birds in the creeks, rivers, wetland sites and mangrove forests within the park and its nearby areas, an official said. Any form of human activity could disrupt the process, and that is why the national park will remain closed till January 22, he said. The restrictions for visitors will also prevent noise ...Read More >
New Delhi: The annual Amarnath Yatra continues with strong momentum as over 26,800 pilgrims have had 'darshan' at the holy cave shrine in the last two days, officials confirmed on Saturday. A fresh batch of 6,979 yatris departed from Jammu this morning for the Kashmir Valley, heading toward the sacred Amarnath shrine, which is located at an altitude of 3,888 metres in the Himalayas. The 38-day-long pilgrimage, which began on July 3, has seen a high turnout of devotees in its initial days. This year's yatra concludes on August 9, coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan. Officials s ...Read More >
Vadodara: A large crocodile was found dead in the Vishwamitri river near Kashiba Children Hospital in Karelibaug on Saturday, marking the ninth crocodile death in the past seven months.The crocodile was first spotted by workers involved in the Vishwamitri river project near the hospital. When the animal remained motionless for several hours -- a rare but not unheard-of behaviour -- they alerted rescuers, who suspected it may have died.Forest department officials later arrived at the spot and confirmed the death. The crocodile's body was taken for an autopsy to determine the exact cause.Range f ...Read More >
Srinagar: With the annual Amarnath Yatra set to commence on July 3, Director General of Police (DGP) Jammu and Kashmir, Nalin Prabhat has directed all security agencies to take proactive and preventive measures to counter any potential threats. He emphasised strict adherence to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and robust coordination among forces to ensure a peaceful and safe pilgrimage. Chairing a high-level security review meeting in Jammu, DGP Prabhat said dismantling terror networks and maintaining a vigilant security grid throughout the 38-day pilgrimage was a top priority. "We must ...Read More >
Agartala (Tripura) [India], June 5 (ANI): Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said that the state government is prioritising quality education for students, and quality teachers are being recruited through the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET). Saha also informed that more recruitments will be made in the future. Also Read | Centre Notifies Waqf Management Rules 2025; Portal, Database, Audit of Waqf Properties. "Textbook education can never be the standard of life. One can become morally strong through education. Along with education, children should also be engaged in social work," he said. CM ...Read More >
MCLEOD GANJ, India -- Calling himself a "simple Buddhist monk" who usually didn't celebrate birthdays, the Dalai Lama marked his 90th on Sunday by praying for peace after China insisted it would have the final say on who succeeded the Tibetan spiritual leader. Chanting of red-robed monks and nuns rang out from Himalayan hilltop forested temples in India, home to the Dalai Lama since he and thousands of other Tibetans fled Chinese troops who crushed an uprising in their capital Lhasa in 1959. "I am just a simple Buddhist monk; I don't normally engage in birthday celebrations," the Dalai Lama ...Read More >
Kolkata, June 28: A political slugfest has erupted in West Bengal after a woman accused Padma Shree awardee monk Kartik Maharaj, who is posted with the Murshidabad unit of Bharat Sevashram Sangha, of allegedly raping her 12 times for six months in 2013. As per the police complaint lodged by the woman, Kartik Maharaj raped her multiple times 12 years ago promising her a job at a local school. The ruling Trinamool Congress is highlighting the issue in a major way and accusing the BJP of being silent on it since the accused monk had been reportedly close to the saffron party. The woman accusin ...Read More >
NEW DELHI - Indian customs officers in Mumbai said they have stopped a plane passenger arriving from Thailand with a wriggling cargo of live snakes, the third such seizure in June. "Customs officers... foiled yet another wildlife smuggling attempt, 16 live snakes... seized from a passenger returning from Thailand," said a customs officer at Mumbai's airport The passenger, who arrived on June 29, has been arrested, the customs agency said in a statement, with "further investigation underway". The live snakes included reptiles often sold in the pet trade, and were largely non-venomous, or wit ...Read More >
Jammu/New Delhi, Jul 2 (PTI) The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has deployed a special 'May I Help You' women personnel team to assist Amarnath Yatra pilgrims who take the Baltal route to reach the cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Wednesday. The paramilitary force has pooled in the highest number of troops for the annual pilgrimage that was flagged off by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha from Jammu on Wednesday. Of 581 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) companies deployed for the yatra, 219 are from the CRPF, while the rest are from forces like the BSF, ITBP, CISF, an ...Read More >
Amarnath Yatra: Over 1.28 lakh perform pilgrimage, fresh batch of 7,307 leaves for Kashmir Srinagar: Over 1.28 lakh pilgrims performed the ongoing Amarnath Yatra during the last seven days as another batch of 7,307 pilgrims left for Kashmir from Jammu on Thursday. The batch of 7,307 Yatris left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in two escorted convoys for the Valley. "First escorted convoy of 137 vehicles carrying 3,081 Yatris left at 3.15 a.m. for Baltal base camp while the second escorted convoy of 147 vehicles carrying 4,226 Yatris left at 3.58 a.m. for Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camp," officials sa ...Read More >
Jammu- Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday reviewed the ongoing restoration work of the historic Mubarak Mandi complex, which was the power centre of the Dogra kings in Jammu, and stressed on enhancing its heritage appeal. The Mubarak Mandi Complex is one of Jammu's most significant architectural heritage sites and is envisioned as a comprehensive cultural centre, housing museums, conference venues and heritage hospitality services. Accompanied by Advisor Nasir Aslam Wani and MLA Yudhvir Sethi during the visit, the chief minister was briefed in detail on the multi-phas ...Read More >
Census 2027: India's largest data exercise returns with digital tools and caste focus | Illustration: Binay Sinha After a nearly six-year delay, India's decennial census is finally back on the agenda. It would be conducted in two phases along with the enumeration of castes. India's population census is expected to be released on March 1, 2027. Here is everything known so far. What is the census and why it matters India's census is the largest population count in the world, conducted every 10 years by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, under the Ministry of Home Aff ...Read More >
Mumbai: Senior BJP leader Ravindra Chavan is all set to become the next Maharashtra BJP chief as he filed his nomination for the post of party's state president on Monday. Mr. Chavan presented the nomination forms to Union Minister Kiran Rijiju, who has been appointed as a central observer for the elections by the BJP. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and outgoing party chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule were present on this occasion. With no other nomination being filed for the post, Mr. Chavan is certain to become the next state president of Maharashtra BJP, said party leaders. The ...Read More >
Indian customs officers in Mumbai said they have stopped a plane passenger arriving from Thailand with a wriggling cargo of live snakes, the third such seizure this month. "Customs officers... foiled yet another wildlife smuggling attempt, 16 live snakes... seized from passenger returning from Thailand," said customs officers in the airport in the Indian financial hub. The passenger, who arrived on Sunday, has been arrested, the customs agency said in a statement, with "further investigation un ...Read More >
Srinagar, Jul 3 (PTI) The annual Amarnath Yatra began on Thursday with the first batches of pilgrims setting off from the twin base camps in Baltal and Nunwan towards the 3880-metre-high cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas, which houses a naturally formed ice-lingam, officials said. The yatra started early morning from the twin tracks -- the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route and the 14-km Baltal route. The batches of pilgrims, including men, women and sadhus, left from the Nunwan base camp in Pahalgam, in south Kashmir's Anantnag, and Baltal base camp in Sonamarg area of central ...Read More >
Patna/Motihari: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch projects worth around Rs 7,200 crore in the region and flag off three Amrit Bharat express trains during his public meeting at Motihari in East Champaran district on July 18, said state BJP president Dilip Kumar Jaiswal."This will be PM Modi's 53rd visit to Bihar in the last 11 years. He will lay foundation stones for and inaugurate projects related to rail, road, rural development, animal husbandry, dairy, self-help groups and housing," he said.Among them, railway projects are worth Rs 5,398 crore, and road and transport projects worth ...Read More >
KENDRAPARA: Forest officials have counted 117 nests of saltwater crocodiles during the breeding season this year in Bhitarkanika National Park. The number of nests has marginally increased this year as 114 crocodiles had nested during the breeding season in 2024. Divisional forest officer (DFO) of Bhitarkanika Sudarshan Gopinath Yadav said 30 experienced forest personnel with knowledge of crocodile behaviour were engaged in the nest counting exercise. The nest counting exercise in Bhitarkanika is a challenging and risky job due to the presence of a large number of crocodiles in the water bod ...Read More >
RAIPUR, India - Indian commandos shot dead at least 25 Maoist rebels in central India on May 21, police said, as security forces ramp up efforts to crush the long-running conflict. India is waging an all-out offensive against the last vestiges of the Naxalite rebellion, named after the village in the foothills of the Himalayas where the Maoist-inspired guerilla movement began nearly six decades ago. More than 12,000 rebels, soldiers and civilians have died since a handful of villagers rose up against their feudal lords there in 1967. At its peak in the mid-2000s, the rebellion controlled ne ...Read More >
Mumbai: Drugs, gold and other expensive or illegal items are often seized from passengers during inspection at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, the country's financial capital. However, this time, customs officials seized as many as 48 poisonous snakes and 5 turtles from a passenger. Even the security guards were alarmed when it came to light that the passenger had been found with poisonous snakes. The passenger concerned had been to Thailand and had taken a flight from Bangkok on his way to India. At Mumbai's airport, customs found 48 poisonous snakes and five tur ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: India's new approach to treat any act of terror as an act of war has added a new dimension to the Navy's operational outlook after the conduct of Operation Sindoor against Pakistan, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi said Friday."We must be prepared for this new normal," the Navy chief said at an investiture ceremony here. Over 35 Indian warships and submarines led by aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, with its MiG-29K fighters, were forward deployed in a dissuasive deterrent posture against Pakistan in the northern Arabian Sea last month."Our ships, submarines and aircraft were operationally rea ...Read More >
Jammu, Jul 3 (PTI) Amid tight security, the second batch of more than 5,200 pilgrims left the base camp here on Thursday for the Amarnath cave shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas, officials said. The 38-day pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high shrine commenced on Thursday via the twin tracks -- the traditional 48-km-long Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the 14-km shorter but steeper Baltal route in Ganderbal district. The yatra will conclude on August 9. The pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in a cavalcade of 168 vehicles escorted by security police and central paramilitar ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday announced the provisional attachment of assets worth approximately ₹131.45 crore in Spain, including a luxury yacht and immovable properties, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). These assets belong to Pavel Prozorov, a Spanish national and the alleged mastermind behind the unauthorised forex trading platform OctaFX. The attached assets comprise a commercial Italian-model luxury yacht cruising in the Western Mediterranean, a minijet boat, a luxury car, and two residential properties in Spain. The ED's probe was launched ...Read More >
Ranchi: The 27th meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council commenced in Ranchi on Thursday, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The meeting, being held at Hotel Radisson Blu, brings together top leaders and officials from Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, and Odisha to deliberate on 20 crucial inter-state coordination issues. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren welcomed Amit Shah on his arrival for the meeting. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, along with Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida and Minister Mukesh Mahaling, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and Minister Vija ...Read More >