Delhi Police’s Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operation (IFSO) cell has registered an FIR over an alleged lewd remark made on the widow of Kirti Chakra Captain Anshuman Singh on social media platform X, officials said on Saturday.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Monday took a suo motu cognisance and filed a complaint before Delhi Police regarding the matter.

According to a police officer, the FIR has been registered at the IFSO unit under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita act and Information Technology (IT) Act.

The social media platform has also been contacted to provide details about the handle that allegedly passed the lewd comment, he said.

In a letter issued on Monday, the NCW referenced specific legal provisions that the comment violates, including Section 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, which penalises acts intended to insult the modesty of a woman, and Section 67 of the IT Act, 2000, which deals with the punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form.

The commission also demanded a fair and timely investigation into the matter and requested a detailed action taken report (ATR) within three days.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Himachal Pradesh Congress leader Kamlesh Thakur defeated her nearest rival, BJP nominee Hoshyar Singh, by over 9,000 votes in the Dehra constituency. Her party colleague, Hardeep Singh Bawa, also won from the Nalagarh seat, while the BJP secured Hamirpur. AAP’s Mohinder Bhagat won the bypoll in Punjab’s Jalandhar West assembly segment by more than 30,000 votes. In West Bengal, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress won the Raiganj, Ranaghat Dakshin and Bagda bypolls and is leading on the remaining seat.  The BJP is currently trailing in Manglaur, a Muslim- and Dalit-dominated seat In Uttarakhand, that has been held either by Congress or the BSP so far. The ruling party is also trailing in Badrinath. The Bihar byelection was necessitated by the resignation of sitting MLA Bima Bharti, who had won the seat for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) several times in the past but quit the party recently to contest Lok Sabha elections on an RJD ticket. The JD(U) is currently ahead. In Tamil Nadu’s Vikravandi assembly constituency, ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s candidate Anniyur Siva (alias Sivashanmugam A) is leading over Pattali Makkal Katchi’s (PMK) C Anbumani and Naam Tamilar Katchi’s K Abinaya. The by-election in the Amarwara assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh Chhindwara district, a stronghold of former chief minister Kamal Nath, is witnessing a close fight between BJP’s Kamlesh Shah and Congress’ Dheeran Shah Invati. Kamlesh Shah is currently leading. The voting was held in 13 Assembly seats across seven states — four in West Bengal, three in Himachal Pradesh, two in Uttarakhand, and one each in Bihar, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. The 13 Assembly seats that went to polls were Raiganj, Ranaghat Dakshin, Bagda and Maniktala in West Bengal; Dehra, Hamirpur and Nalagarh in Himachal Pradesh; Badrinath and Manglaur in Uttarakhand; Jalandhar West in Punjab; Rupauli in Bihar; Vikravandi in Tamil Nadu and Amarwara in Madhya Pradesh. Four of these states are ruled by INDIA bloc constituents while the rest have a BJP or NDA government. These bypolls were the first since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which saw the BJP winning 240 seats – 32 short of the majority. The NDA, however, managed to cross the halfway mark of 272 with a total tally of 293 seats. The Congress-led INDIA bloc clinched 232 seats.

(With agency inputs)

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s wife, Kamlesh Thakur, won the key bypoll for the Dehra assembly seat. Making her electoral debut, Ms Thakur won by a margin of 9,399 votes over her nearest rival, BJP’s Hoshiyar Singh.

The bypoll, held on Saturday, witnessed a high turnout with 65.42% of the electorate exercising their franchise. Ms Thakur garnered 32,737 votes, while Mr Singh managed 23,338 votes.

The polling was conducted to fill vacancies created by the resignation of incumbent members, all Independents, who are now in the fray as BJP nominees.

The Dehra Assembly constituency, established after the 2012 delimitation exercise, had been a bastion of the BJP. Former minister Ravi Inder Singh and later Hoshiyar Singh, as an Independent, had secured victories in previous elections. However, the latest results signify a shifting political landscape in the Kangra district.

Chief Minister Sukhu’s vigorous campaign in Dehra played a key role in securing Ms Thakur’s debut victory.

Chief Minister Sukhu expressed his joy over the outcome, highlighting the Congress’ resurgence following a setback in the state during the Lok Sabha polls. “Just a month ago, BJP candidates claimed three Lok Sabha seats with a significant margin. Now, our confidence is bolstered with assured victories in two seats and a tough contest in Hamirpur,” he remarked, attributing the win to the government’s dedicated public service over the past 16 months.

He also said that the conspiracy to topple the government had failed.

Earlier this year, the Congress government in Himachal faced a crisis after it lost the lone Rajya Sabha seat despite having the numbers due to cross-voting by some of its MLAs. The six MLAs who voted for the BJP were disqualified by the Speaker.

The cross-voting paved the way for the victory of BJP’s Harsh Mahajan in the Rajya Sabha election after a tie, and then a draw of lots sealed the fate of Congress pick and senior lawyer Abhishek Singhvi.

British police arrested a 24-year-old man in Bristol following the discovery of human remains in two suitcases on the Clifton Suspension Bridge. The suspect, who traveled from London, will be questioned there. The remains were identified as two adult males. A second suitcase was found nearby. Police do not seek additional suspects. Local communities are reassured as inquiries continue.

Indonesian rescuers halted their search after heavy rain in Sulawesi’s Bone Balango caused a landslide near an illegal gold mine, killing 27 and leaving 15 missing. Weather and damaged bridges hampered efforts led by Heriyanto. Consulted families included missing miners and stall operators. Hundreds of police and soldiers participated in the search.

A geospatial analysis utilising satellite images and ground surveys has found evidence of the presence of “huge architectural wealth” buried in the Mahabodhi temple complex and its surroundings in Bihar’s Bodh Gaya, officials said today.

The study has been carried out by the Bihar Heritage Development Society (BHDS), a wing of the Art, Culture and Youth Department, in collaboration with the Cardiff University of the United Kingdom.

The Mahabodhi temple complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the four holy areas related to the life of Lord Gautam Buddha.

Bodh Gaya is a place where Lord Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment.

“The study has unearthed evidence of the presence of archaeological treasure beneath the soil of the UNESCO World Heritage site and its surrounding areas. It’s a huge architectural wealth that needs further excavation,” the Art, Culture and Youth Department’s Additional Chief Secretary Harjot Kaur Bamhrah told Press Trust of India.

The UK-based varsity and the BHDS are cooperating in the project, ‘Archaeology on the footsteps of the Chinese traveller Xuanzang’.

Bengaluru-based National Institute of Advanced Studies faculty member MB Rajni, one of the project members, studied satellite images of the Mahabodhi temple and its surroundings and tried to correlate the findings with the description of ‘Xuanzang’, she said.

The present Mahabodhi temple complex at Bodh Gaya comprises the 50-metre-high grand temple, the Vajrasana, the sacred Bodhi tree and other six sacred sites of Buddha’s enlightenment, surrounded by numerous ancient stupas, well maintained and protected by inner, middle and outer circular boundaries.

“The BHDS in association with Cardiff University has been working on the multidisciplinary project on the archaeological trail of the travel of 7th-century Chinese translator monk, Xuanzang, in Bihar. The satellite images from the last several years show an alignment of structures to the north of the temple, buried underground,” said Bamhrah.

Significantly, the images show the shift of the river Niranjana from east to west.

“Let us remember that the Mahabodhi temple is west of the river, and the Sujata Stupa and several other archaeological remains are located east of the river. The monuments and other archaeological remains in the east of the river are now regarded to be independent of the Mahabodhi temple.

“But the latest finding shows that both the temple and the Sujata stupa along with other archaeological remains stood on the same river bank in the past,” she said.

Bamhrah said this is really “very significant”.

“Thus, there is a strong possibility that the monuments and other archaeological remains, now east of the river, were a part of the Mahabodhi complex,” the official said.

The BHDS plans to start “research to delimit the boundaries of the Mahabodhi complex in the light of these findings”, she said.

“Fresh ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey, followed by excavations, will be undertaken to unravel the buried archaeological features shown by satellite images,” she said.

Elaborating on the findings, BHDS Executive Director Bijoy Kumar Choudhary told PTI, “Our fresh study has revealed several findings that include to the north of the temple premises, a square monastery complex enclosed by a wall with a surrounding moat and an extended settlement to its north”.

Hiuen Tsang, also known as Xuanzang, was a Chinese Buddhist, monk scholar, traveller and translator.

He travelled from China to India to obtain Buddhist scriptures during the reign of King Harsha Vardhan. He is best known for his journey to India from 629 to 645 CE and his efforts to bring over 657 Indian texts into China. His writings had a significant impact on the development of Buddhism in China.

Xuanzang’s travelogue of India helped Alexander Cunningham in 1860s and 1870s to identify famous sites such as Nalanda and Vaishali.

“The square wall of the monastery complex is of special interest as it had been excavated by Cunningham in the 19th century, but no further excavations have been conducted. However, this area has great potential for systematic excavation.

“Upon analysing satellite imagery, we identified two concentric squares…an outer square enclosing 4.9 acres and an inner one enclosing 2.5 acres. Between the outer and inner squares, there is a gap of about 15 metres and in the south and 20 meters in the east and the west. The southern boundary of the outer square is approximately 300 feet from the wall of the Mahabodhi temple complex,” says the report of Rajni.

“Although traces of the monastery are no longer visible on the ground, satellite imagery revealed that the squares overlap significantly with Samanvay Ashram,” Rajni told news agency PTI.

In particular, the well that Cunningham observed at the Centre of the monastery’s pillared court might be one of the two wells located within the Ashram to the south of the statue of Dwarkoji Sunderani, she said.

“The Ashram’s southern boundary, marked by a compound wall on a raised ridge, aligns with the southern boundary of the outer square, thus suggesting the buried remnants of an earlier wall,” Rajni added. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

United States Vice President Kamala Harris and the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had a telephonic conversation on Thursday evening, some reports said while social media saw strong buzz over Rahul’s interaction with the US V-P of Indian descent, widely seen as a possible candidate in the upcoming Presidential elections if Biden pulls out.

Though US President Joe Biden has put his foot down and vowed to defeat the Republican challenger in ensuing polls, there is clamour within the Democrats for a ‘change of guard’ owing to the former’s age.

As reports of a telephonic conversation surfaced between Rahul Gandhi and Kamala Harris, a couple of Congress supporters and loyalists expressed joy over the party MP’s growing international stature while some others claimed that it was a courtesy call from the US Vice-President on Rahul becoming Leader of Opposition (LoP).

However, the fake claim stands debunked now. The office of US V-P has denied any such phone conversation and termed the news as ‘inaccurate’, confirmed a senior US-based scribe.

“This news is inaccurate as per the office of the US Vice President. Kamala Harris has not spoken with Rahul Gandhi,” he said in a tweet.

Though social media was abuzz about Rahul-Kamala’s telephonic conversation, Congress handles didn’t either confirm or deny the news. However, the deliberate projection of Rahul’s ‘significance’ in US presidential polls by certain social media accounts, with a noted affinity for the party, raises questions about the spread of fake news and also calls for a mechanism to contain it.

According to a New York Times report, Indian-origin Kamala Harris is actively considering the prospects of running for the top position and is also discussing the possible names of those who can be her running mate.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The Kensington Palace office has announced that Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, will attend the Wimbledon Men’s final in London on Sunday. This marks her second public appearance following a surgery she underwent six months ago, which led to the discovery of her cancer diagnosis. At 42 years old, the princess is undergoing preventative chemotherapy treatment.

The Opposition INDIA alliance, which gave a tough fight to the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls, has come out on top in the by-elections to 13 Assembly seats across seven states. The INDIA bloc has won eight seats and is ahead on two others. The Bharatiya Janata Party, which returned for a record third term after winning the Lok Sabha polls, has claimed just two seats.

The Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), AAP and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) are the INDIA bloc parties that fielded candidates in the bypolls held on Wednesday in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Tamil Nadu. In Punjab, AAP’s Mohinder Bhagat won the Jalandhar West seat by over 23,000 votes. In West Bengal, Trinamool Congress candidates have taken the lead in four seats, with BJP trailing behind in each constituency.

Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s wife Kamlesh Thakur, who made her electoral debut, won the Dehra elections.. In the state, the Congress has been leading in Nalagarh too, while BJP’s Ashish Sharma is ahead in Hamirpur.

In West Bengal, the TMC has won four seats, with its candidates defeating BJP opponents by significant margins. In Tamil Nadu, the DMK’s Anniyur Siva is leading by 58,785 votes in the Vikravandi assembly seat.

In Uttarakhand, Congress candidates are leading in both the Badrinath and Manglaur seats, while in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP’s Kamslesh Pratap Shahi is leading in the Amarwar seat. In Bihar, the JD(U)’s Kaladhar Prasad Mandal is trailing behind an Independent candidate in the Rupauli seat.

The counting of votes for the 13 legislative assembly seats spread across seven states began on Saturday morning. Voting was held on Wednesday for the assembly seats in Bihar, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh.

These bypolls were the first since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which saw the BJP winning 240 seats – 32 short of the majority. The NDA, however, managed to cross the halfway mark of 272 with a total tally of 293 seats. The Congress-led INDIA bloc clinched 232 seats.

Maharashtra’s cyber police have registered a case after popular YouTuber Dhruv Rathee’s spoof account on X posted an alleged fake message about Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s daughter, a senior official said on Saturday.

According to the state cyber department, the account with the handle @dhruvrahtee had claimed on X that Birla’s daughter had cleared the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam without appearing for it.

The X bio of the account reads, “This is the fan and parody account and not affiliated with the original account of @dhruv_rathee. Not impersonating anyone. This account is Parody.”

Acting on a complaint by a relative of Birla, police booked the YouTuber under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections for defamation, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace, and statement leading to mischief, as well as the IT Act, the official said.

When pointed out that the alleged fake message was posted by a parody account and not the one belonging to Mr Rathee, the official said, “We are investigating the matter.”

The parody account on Saturday posted another tweet saying, “As directed by @MahaCyber1, I have deleted all my posts and comments on Anjali Birla, I will like to apologize as I was unaware about the facts and copied someone else’ tweets and shared it.”

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

The first World Skydiving Day saw a rare event take place in India as well, when Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat took to the skies to experience the thrilling sport for himself. Undertaking a tandem skydive in Haryana, videos showed the 53-year-old enjoying himself, even going on to say “good good, maza aa gaya” when he was asked, mid-dive, how he was feeling. 

The videos showed the tourism minister getting lessons in skydiving before taking off in a plane and jumping, with an instructor, while another skydiver captured the jump on camera. “Super excited,” was the minister’s response when he was asked how he was feeling while taking off and, after the parachute opened, he expressed his happiness at getting the opportunity to experience skydiving. 

Speaking to reporters after landing safely, Mr Shekhawat said, “Today is a thrilling day for me but, more importantly, it is an important day for the world and for the world of aerosports, because World Skydiving Day is being celebrated for the first time. I can see aerosports and tourism touching new heights from today.”

“Thousands of Indians used to enjoy these sports in Dubai, Singapore, Thailand, New Zealand and other places and they will now get to experience it here. This will also boost tourism. I have flagged off India’s first skydiving aircraft and I wish great success to the team. As the tourism minister, it is my responsibility to develop new tourist spots. We would like to encourage this in more places, including Madhya Pradesh and Goa,” he said.

The dive took place at Skyhigh, India’s only civilian skydiving drop zone at Narnaul airstrip, Haryana.

The first World Skydiving Day, which will repeat each year on the second Saturday in July, is an initiative by four of the world’s leading skydiving associations – The US Parachute Association (USPA), Australian Parachute Federation, British Skydiving and the Canadian Sport Parachuting Association. According to the associations, the event “aims to celebrate the unforgettable experience of skydiving while also setting the record for the most skydives on this day worldwide”.

India vs Zimbabwe LIVE Updates, 4th T20I: India eye early wickets after inviting Zimbabwe to bat first in the fourth T20I match in Harare. Wessly Madhevere and Tadiwanashe Marumani have opened the batting for the hosts. India have roped in young Chennai Super Kings pacer Tushar Deshpande, dropping Avesh Khan from the playing XI. For Zimbabwe, Faraz Akram has replaced Wellington Masakadaza in the playing XI. Guests India lead 2-1 in the five-match series. (Live Scorecard)

Here are the LIVE Updates of India vs Zimbabwe 4th T20I, straight from the Harare Sports Club:

Engaging Introductions: Capturing Your Audience’s Interest

The initial impression your blog post makes is crucial, and that’s where your introduction comes into play. Hook your readers with a captivating opening that sparks curiosity or emotion. Address their pain points or questions to establish a connection. Outline the purpose of your post and give a sneak peek into what they can expect. A well-crafted introduction sets the tone for an immersive reading experience.

Crafting Informative and Cohesive Body Content

Within the body of your blog post lies the heart of your message. Break down your content into coherent sections, each with a clear heading that guides readers through the narrative. Dive deep into each subtopic, providing valuable insights, data, and relatable examples. Maintain a logical flow between paragraphs using transitions, ensuring that each point naturally progresses to the next. By structuring your body content effectively, you keep readers engaged and eager to learn more.

Powerful Closures: Leaving a Lasting Impression

Concluding your blog post isn’t just about wrapping things up – it’s your final opportunity to leave a strong impact. Summarize the key takeaways from your post, reinforcing your main points. If relevant, provide actionable solutions or thought-provoking questions to keep readers thinking beyond the post. Encourage engagement by inviting comments, questions, or sharing. A well-crafted conclusion should linger in your readers’ minds, inspiring them to explore further or apply what they’ve learned.

Engaging Introductions: Capturing Your Audience’s Interest

The initial impression your blog post makes is crucial, and that’s where your introduction comes into play. Hook your readers with a captivating opening that sparks curiosity or emotion. Address their pain points or questions to establish a connection. Outline the purpose of your post and give a sneak peek into what they can expect. A well-crafted introduction sets the tone for an immersive reading experience.

Crafting Informative and Cohesive Body Content

Within the body of your blog post lies the heart of your message. Break down your content into coherent sections, each with a clear heading that guides readers through the narrative. Dive deep into each subtopic, providing valuable insights, data, and relatable examples. Maintain a logical flow between paragraphs using transitions, ensuring that each point naturally progresses to the next. By structuring your body content effectively, you keep readers engaged and eager to learn more.

Powerful Closures: Leaving a Lasting Impression

Concluding your blog post isn’t just about wrapping things up – it’s your final opportunity to leave a strong impact. Summarize the key takeaways from your post, reinforcing your main points. If relevant, provide actionable solutions or thought-provoking questions to keep readers thinking beyond the post. Encourage engagement by inviting comments, questions, or sharing. A well-crafted conclusion should linger in your readers’ minds, inspiring them to explore further or apply what they’ve learned.

Engaging Introductions: Capturing Your Audience’s Interest

The initial impression your blog post makes is crucial, and that’s where your introduction comes into play. Hook your readers with a captivating opening that sparks curiosity or emotion. Address their pain points or questions to establish a connection. Outline the purpose of your post and give a sneak peek into what they can expect. A well-crafted introduction sets the tone for an immersive reading experience.

Crafting Informative and Cohesive Body Content

Within the body of your blog post lies the heart of your message. Break down your content into coherent sections, each with a clear heading that guides readers through the narrative. Dive deep into each subtopic, providing valuable insights, data, and relatable examples. Maintain a logical flow between paragraphs using transitions, ensuring that each point naturally progresses to the next. By structuring your body content effectively, you keep readers engaged and eager to learn more.

Powerful Closures: Leaving a Lasting Impression

Concluding your blog post isn’t just about wrapping things up – it’s your final opportunity to leave a strong impact. Summarize the key takeaways from your post, reinforcing your main points. If relevant, provide actionable solutions or thought-provoking questions to keep readers thinking beyond the post. Encourage engagement by inviting comments, questions, or sharing. A well-crafted conclusion should linger in your readers’ minds, inspiring them to explore further or apply what they’ve learned.

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