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Durga Puja officially started with Bodhan on Friday as Kolkata celebrates with thousands on the streets. Community pujas rose from 45,000 in 2025 to 58,000 this year. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said, "We need to bring back the traditional pandals." Theme-based idol making fell from 150 in 2025 to ten.
Former Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi hid in a tipper truck during a midnight raid on an illegal sand mining site in Ropar on October 15 and 16. Channi said, "Illegal mining is taking place throughout the river at night." He alleged that this trade continues under current government patronage.
Over 20,000 police personnel stood guard in New Delhi on Friday as the Cockroach Janta Party held its ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ march. Traders felt anxious as traffic slowed near Connaught Place. Kapil Nath said, "Only protesters, shopkeepers, media personnel and police are here... where can you see the customer?"
Punjab Congress in-charge Sachin Pilot met the family of Parvinder Singh Jhota on Friday after his October 13 murder. Pilot said, "The rising menace of drug abuse in Punjab is extremely alarming." He targeted the AAP government over law and order, starting a five-day yatra across eleven state districts.
Women in the Uttar Pradesh Police are moving beyond help desks into top leadership roles. Since 2017, the state recruited over 35,443 women, growing the force to more than 44,000 personnel. Many officers now lead districts and specialized units, showing that women are taking charge across the entire policing system.
The Allahabad High Court ordered the Uttar Pradesh government on October 14 to hold three-tier panchayat elections within three months. While the government says it is ready, parties fear local rivalries could hurt assembly poll prospects. Officials are now examining the order, as the state considers its next legal move.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath visited Ghaziabad on Friday to seek support for BJP candidates in the October 23 teachers' and graduates' polls. He attacked the Samajwadi Party, saying, "PDA means Pariwar Development Authority, as they nominated their 'Chacha jaan' and Dhanna Seth from Uttar Pradesh." The election remains crucial.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday slammed the Samajwadi Party for poor development and lawlessness during its rule. Addressing a meeting in Ghaziabad, he said, "It is not the party that helps the boat of education cross the river, but the one that sinks it." Polling happens October 23.
Sivaganga MP Karti Chidambaram on Thursday urged the DMK to work with the Congress and other opposition parties under the INDIA bloc. He said, "It is natural for political parties to contest separately and have differences at the state level." He wants them to cooperate at the national level instead.
Libertarian candidate Olivia Hayse is running for the Sedgwick County Commissioner seat in the November 3 midterms. She faces Republican Jim Howell in a two-way race. Hayse said, "I feel like I have a pretty good chance," as she focuses on local economy issues and lowering high county commission salaries.
A Delhi court on Friday (October 16, 2026) sentenced Tahir Hussain to two years' imprisonment for abetting rioting during the February 2020 Northeast Delhi riots. The court said, "The hand that guides is as guilty, if not more, as the hand that acts." Hussain already got a life sentence earlier.
US lawmakers Ro Khanna and Rich McCormick urged the Justice Department and FBI to investigate a thwarted plot against an Illinois Hindu temple. In an October 16 letter, they asked for a federal hate crime probe after a 19-year-old suspect planned a mass shooting. They want stronger protection for worshipers.