The Hindu Morning Digest: October 5, 2026

500 detained in Delhi on Day 3 of protests seeking CEC's exit; Thackerays lead Mumbai march

Protests seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and the suspension of the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls entered their third day, with demonstrations continuing in New Delhi and Mumbai. On Sunday (October 4, 2026), confrontations took place in New Delhi between protesters, who were trying to reach Jantar Mantar, and the Delhi Police, who had heavily barricaded the area. The police stopped the march on Ashoka Road and detained nearly 500 people.

Process disenfranchising millions, turning them to second class citizens is arbitrary, says Justice Bhuyan

Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan said any process disenfranchising millions, making them second class citizens without the right to vote, was intrinsically arbitrary, and violative of universal adult suffrage and right to equality. Speaking at NALSAR, Hyderabad, Justice Bhuyan said no amount of whataboutery could justify the exclusion of voters en masse from the electoral rolls as such an action was fatal to the Constitution.

Delhi Police refer three journalists' sexual harassment allegations case against ACP Vivek Bhagat to crime branch without FIR

After a woman journalist alleged sexual harassment and being shoved by ACP Vivek Bhagat while covering the protest against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, the Delhi Police said three such complaints have been received and transferred to the Crime Branch for inquiry. Earlier, a New Delhi police official told The Hindu that no case had been registered so far, as there was no evidence to substantiate the allegation.

As first Agniveer batch complete term, services suggest improvements to scheme

With the first batch of Agniveers set to complete their four-year tenure later this year, the Army, Navy, and Air Force have submitted recommendations to the Department of Military Affairs on ways to improve the implementation of the Agnipath scheme. A senior Ministry of Defence official confirmed that the three services had shared their suggestions based on their experience of implementing the scheme over the past four years. A report incorporating the recommendations has been sent to the competent authority for consideration.

Navy sailor arrested for allegedly leaking classified information to Pakistani intelligence operative

The Counter Intelligence Cell of the Andhra Pradesh police has arrested a 31-year-old Navy sailor, Pradeep Mukherjee, for allegedly leaking classified maritime information to a Pakistani intelligence operative through a social media honey trap, sources said Mr. Mukherjee met a female Pakistani intelligence operative on social media a few months ago, according to preliminary information from the Counter Intelligence cell's probe, sources said.

Rabies deaths recorded in India far lesser than estimates from ICMR-led study

In 2025, India recorded 55 deaths by malaria, 131 deaths by dengue, and 27 deaths by kala-azar (visceral leishmaniasis or black fever), according to Union Health Ministry data, whereas there is no single comparable and comprehensive national measure of its annual human rabies mortality, even as the country looks to eliminate dog-mediated human rabies by the year 2030.

Jaishankar meets U.S. Indo-Pacific commander Paparo, discusses maritime security

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held talks with Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Admiral Samuel J. Paparo on advancing the India-U.S. security partnership and strengthening maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. Admiral Paparo is on a five-day visit to India from October 3 to 8 as Washington seeks to deepen military-to-military cooperation with New Delhi and advance the Major Defense Partnership between the two countries.

SC to hear suo motu case over relocation of 135-year-old Central Secretariat Library

The Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the proposed relocation of the 135-year-old Central Secretariat Library, which reportedly has not been allocated space in the Central Vista redevelopment plan despite being one of the country's oldest government libraries. The court's intervention comes amid reports that the library, housed in the Shastri Bhawan complex, was directed on September 17 to vacate the premises by September 30 as part of the redevelopment project.

Dipankar Bhattacharya questions Bihar Assembly Speaker over BJP MLA's continued membership

Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya questioned why there has been no decision on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Raju Singh's membership despite being convicted in a celebratory firing case that led to the death of a woman. Mr. Bhattacharya said that in the case of CPI(ML)L MLA Manoj Manzil, a different approach was adopted and his membership was immediately terminated following conviction in a murder case.

Victory, not number of seats, is the key: Akhilesh amid SP-Congress seat-sharing spat

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav said how many seats which party contested was not as important as ensuring the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc won the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, due early in 2027. The motivation should be that communalism never raises its head again, and democracy, the Constitution of India, and reservations were not harmed by the divisive Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), so that harmony blossomed again in the country, Mr. Yadav said.

After UCC, West Bengal will have laws against 'love jihad', 'land jihad', religious conversion: Suvendu Adhikari

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said his government would bring stringent laws against "love jihad", "land jihad" and religious conversion after the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) was implemented in the State. The people of West Bengal had elected a nationalist government with a lot of hopes after 50 years, and his government would fulfil the aspirations of the people, the Chief Minister said.

Ruling TVK is obsessed with purchasing MLAs: M.K. Stalin tells voters

DMK president and former Chief Minister M.K. Stalin appealed to voters in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies to vote for the DMK candidates, alleging the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) was more interested in "purchasing" MLAs to protect its government.

Thiruvananthapuram Corporation's BJP councillor R. Sreelekha does a U-turn after resignation bid

A day after R. Sreelekha, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillor of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, expressed her desire to quit as Sasthamangalam ward councillor, she appears to have done a U-turn with BJP leaders, including State general secretary S. Suresh and Mayor V.V. Rajesh, saying that she would continue in her position.

EC explains new ERONET options for SIR notice disposal to EROs through demo video; no written instructions yet

Days after adding new options to its ERONET portal that allow Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to dispose of notice cases without hearings or documents, the Election Commission (EC) is now explaining the changes to officials through a demonstration video prepared by the Election Commission's Information Technology (IT) Department, with no written documents circulated so far, sources told The Hindu.

Co-pilot accused of trying to hijack flydubai plane likely acted alone: Reports

The flydubai co-pilot who attacked Indian Captain Smit Machchhar in an apparent bid to crash the Israel-bound flight likely acted alone, media reports said. The co-pilot has been identified by multiple media outlets as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national, although his identity has not been officially confirmed. The Wall Street Journal reported that al-Hammami had previously been barred from flying in Oman over concerns about his radical ideological views.

Pakistan braces for protest by ex-PM Imran Khan supporters after talks with government fail

Pakistan braced for a protest by supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf after it decided to proceed with a long march following the failure of negotiations with the government. The talks focused on key demands of Mr. Khan's party, including an immediate meeting with its jailed founder and his transfer to a hospital where his personal doctors could examine and treat him.

Iran says Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until conditions are met, says reports

The Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until seven Iranian conditions set out in ⁠a June interim agreement with the U.S. are met, Nournews reported Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf as saying, a few ⁠days after Tehran received Washington's reply to its diplomatic proposal.

Asian Games 2026: India finishes fourth with 85 medals, late gold rush seals campaign

The star-studded cricket and hockey teams predictably defended their crowns, but it was 17-year-old archer Kumkum Mohod and golfer Pranavi Urs who scripted unexpected history, adding to the late gold rush that powered India to a creditable fourth place in the Asian Games in Nagoya. The country could not repeat or better the 106 medals claimed in the previous edition, but the haul of 85 is a decent enough performance, although better was expected, especially from shooters and badminton players. In the end, India secured 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze medals.