India News Live Updates, 20 September 2026: 8-year-old girl dies of electrocution at Mumbai’s Lalbaug Ganpati pandal

Mumbai Police registered an FIR based on the student’s father’s complaint, while IIT-Bombay denied the allegation and said no disciplinary action had been initiated.

Two people, including an eight-year-old girl, were killed and several others injured in an electrocution incident near a Ganapati pandal in Mumbai’s Lalbaug area early Sunday. The incident occurred around 2.20 am near the Kalachowki Vibhag Sarvajanik Utsav Mandal on Dattaram Lad Marg in Kalachowki, as large crowds gathered in the area for the ongoing Ganapati festival.

KPSC recruitment probe: Marks withheld, top scorers targeted for bribes 

Karnataka Public Service Commission officials and job aspirants have alleged irregularities in recruitment processes spanning at least five years, including manipulated interviews, altered records, tampered answer sheets and question paper leaks. An Indian Express investigation found the alleged practices continued under both BJP and Congress governments. The allegations are being probed by the state CID and are before the Karnataka High Court. They also led to KPSC chief Shivashankarappa S Sahukar’s suspension over his daughter’s recruitment and IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar’s arrest over veterinarian selections during his tenure as controller of examinations.

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Surendra Koli cremated in Haridwar after death months after Nithari acquittal

Surendra Koli, 53, was cremated at Haridwar’s Karkari Ghat on Saturday, 10 months after he walked out of prison following his acquittal in the Nithari serial murders case. He had spent nearly two decades behind bars. Days before his death, Koli began living inside a rented tea stall in Haridwar’s Bhupatwala area. He was found dead there around 11 am on Friday. Police suspected suicide, while his brother said the family suspected foul play.

IIT-Bombay student dies by suicide, parents allege caste discrimination

Sahil Wakode, 20, a second-year reserved category student at IIT-Bombay, died by suicide a day after he was allegedly caught using a cellphone during a mid-semester exam. His parents have alleged that he faced caste-based discrimination, a charge denied by the institute. Mumbai Police registered an FIR against Professor Suryanarayan Doolla and others under the BNS and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act based on a complaint by Sahil’s father, Ravindra. Doolla was reportedly the invigilator during the exam. IIT-Bombay said Sahil had uploaded the question paper on ChatGPT to seek answers and that no disciplinary action had been initiated against him. His parents, however, alleged that students told them he had been threatened with suspension.

Live Updates
Sep 20, 2026 09:19 AM IST
Suchika Tariyal brings India's first medal at Asian Games 2026 at MMA

Suchika Tariyal has confirmed India’s first medal at the Asian Games 2026 after she entered the semi-finals of women’s traditional 60kg in the mixed martial arts event. Quimcy Dsouza has endured a double heartbreak after ending fourth in the women’s singles and the mixed doubles event in teqball. The Mumbai girl first lost the bronze medal playoff to Japan’s Yuina Sakamoto in women’s singles, and then lost in the mixed doubles bronze medal playoff with Mohd Anas Imran Beg to a Vietnamese pairing. Meanwhile, the Indian women’s hockey team is leading 15-0 against Uzbekistan in the third quarter of a group stage game, with Deepika bagging seven of those goals. India’s quest to repeat its triple-digit medals tally from Hangzhou 2023 at the Asian Games began in earnest on Sunday morning with rifle shooting and teqball in the race to become India’s first medal bringer at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.

Sep 20, 2026 09:08 AM IST
Jharkhand Naxal commander killed in UP police encounter

Manish Sahu reprots that the Uttar Pradesh Police on Sunday gunned down Brijesh Ganjhu alias Gopal Singh Bhokta, a commander of the banned Jharkhand-based Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC), in an encounter in Varanasi’s Ramnagar area, officials said. Police said they acted on information from an informer and tried to stop Ganjhu, who was travelling on a motorcycle with an associate from Tegara crossing towards Mughalsarai. He allegedly jumped off the motorcycle and opened fire at the police team instead of stopping. The Jharkhand government had announced a Rs 25 lakh reward for information leading to his arrest, while the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had announced a Rs 5 lakh reward, police said.

Sep 20, 2026 08:55 AM IST
Man accused of killing Amritsar ASI shot dead in police encounter

A man allegedly involved in the murder of an assistant sub-inspector was killed in a police encounter in Amritsar on Saturday night, officials said. Deepak Singh, a resident of Mulechak village, was identified as one of two men accused of killing ASI Harjit Singh at Bhagtanwala grain market on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday. Police said CCTV footage, technical inputs, tower-dump analysis, local intelligence and human sources were used to trace the suspects. When police signalled the two men on a scooter to stop around 9.45 pm, one allegedly opened fire and fled towards the next checkpoint. They allegedly fired four rounds there, prompting police to retaliate in self-defence.

Sep 20, 2026 08:44 AM IST
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar assures Malnad farmers amid Kasturirangan report concerns

Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has assured farmers in the Malnad region that the state government would protect their interests amid concerns over the implementation of the Kasturirangan report on Western Ghats eco-sensitive areas. The Centre’s seventh draft notification, issued on July 27, proposes to declare 56,000 sq km across six states as an Environmentally Sensitive Area. In Karnataka, 20,668 sq km covering 33 taluks and 1,449 villages across 10 districts falls under the proposed ESA. Shivakumar said the government would address farmers’ concerns and consider necessary legal amendments in the state’s interest. Karnataka has repeatedly opposed the Centre’s draft notifications, with farmers raising concerns over their livelihoods and future development.

Sep 20, 2026 08:30 AM IST
Fire partially damages Mata Vaishno Devi helipad terminal in Katra

Fire partially damaged a helipad terminal in Katra, the base camp for pilgrims visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district, early Sunday. The fire broke out around 3.15 am and was brought under control within 30 minutes by staff, security personnel and fire services, officials said. The terminal was closed at the time. Some computers at the ticket counter and a coffee shop were destroyed in the fire. Officials said the extent of the damage was being assessed.

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