India News Live Updates, 24 October 2026: Landslide hits government bus amid heavy rains in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris

A landslide hit a government bus near Burliyar in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris district amid heavy rains

A landslide hit a government bus near Burliyar in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris district amid heavy rains, according to a video shared by PTI. Further details, including whether anyone was injured, are not immediately available.

If you are just joining us, this is The Indian Express Realtime breaking news blog – where we bring you the latest news updates of the day in real time. Scan the top headlines of the day here, or keep scrolling to see the latest updates stream in.

FIR lodged after posters surface inside Delhi Metro questioning government performance

Delhi Police has registered an FIR against unidentified persons after two posters questioning the government’s performance were found inside a train on the Airport Express Line. The black-and-white posters listed nine claims about changes in the country and carried phrases such as “Voting Protest” and “Dissatisfied? You Are Not Alone”, along with a QR code inviting people to join an online group. The posters were found by a train operator on October 20 and handed over to police. The Special Cell is also involved in the investigation to identify those responsible.

Story continues below this ad

Gangster Himanshu Bhau arrested in US

Absconding gangster Himanshu Bhau has been arrested by US law enforcement agencies in Las Vegas following inputs from Indian central agencies, with efforts underway to expedite his extradition to India. Another fugitive, Neeraj Faridpuria, was also detained after allegedly removing his ankle-monitoring bracelet following his release on bail earlier this year.

An Interpol Red Notice was issued against Bhau in August 2023, and he is accused of running an extortion syndicate operating across Delhi, Haryana and Punjab from Portugal, with the help of associates. The 23-year-old, who hails from Rohtak in Haryana, faces over 30 criminal cases, including at least 16 involving murder and attempted murder, according to an NIA source. Faridpuria is allegedly associated with Punjab’s Bambiha gang, a rival of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

Ashoke Sen becomes first Indian to win Oskar Klein medal

Noted Indian physicist Ashoke Sen has been awarded the prestigious Oskar Klein medal, becoming the first Indian to receive the honour, which has been awarded annually since 1988 by Stockholm University and the Nobel Committee for Physics of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Sen, a professor at the Bengaluru-based International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, is known for his pioneering work on string theory, S-duality, black hole entropy and string field theory. He has previously received the Dirac medal and the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.

Karnataka SIR: Form 7 submissions jump to 2.28 lakh in a month

The Election Commission received 2.28 lakh Form 7 applications in Karnataka between June 16 and October 22, up from 58,475 on September 23, amid allegations of bulk submissions during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The ruling Congress has accused the BJP of misusing the forms to file bulk objections, a charge the BJP denies. More than 10 FIRs have been registered over the issue. The final electoral roll is scheduled for release on October 27.

Live Updates
Oct 24, 2026 10:05 AM IST
Landslide hits government bus amid heavy rains in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris

A landslide hit a government bus near Burliyar in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris district amid heavy rains, according to a video shared by PTI.

Oct 24, 2026 09:48 AM IST
Foreign currency worth Rs 1.56 crore seized at Hyderabad airport, arrests two

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized foreign currency worth around Rs 1.56 crore at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport and arrested two passengers travelling to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Acting on specific intelligence, officials intercepted a male passenger on October 22 and recovered currency worth Rs 63.62 lakh concealed among clothes in his trolley bag.

Further questioning led officials to a female passenger travelling on the same flight under a different passenger name record. A search of her baggage led to the recovery of US dollars worth around Rs 91.94 lakh, similarly concealed among clothes. The DRI said both passengers failed to produce documents establishing the lawful procurement and carriage of the currency. The entire consignment and the trolley bags were seized under the Customs Act, 1962. Further investigation is underway.

- With PTI Inputs

Oct 24, 2026 09:36 AM IST
Sabarimala 'ghee diversion' case: Contractor arrested, Rs 2.5-cr loss

Kerala’s Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has arrested transport contractor S S Binu for allegedly diverting 11,000 litres of Milma ghee meant for Sabarimala temple and replacing it with a cheaper product, causing an estimated loss of Rs 2.5 crore to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). Binu was awarded the contract to transport ghee to the shrine for the 2025 pilgrimage season. This is the first arrest in the case, which is being investigated by the VACB following a Kerala High Court directive.

According to investigators, the original ghee was allegedly diverted to two agencies in Tamil Nadu — Sri Venkateswara Traders and Leo Traders, both based in Ottanchathiram — using forged documents, including fake invoices. A cheaper product was allegedly supplied to the shrine for preparing Aravana payasam, offered as prasadam at the Lord Ayyappa temple. Further investigation is underway.

- With PTI Inputs

Oct 24, 2026 09:12 AM IST
Delhi’s AQI improves to 190, enters ‘moderate’ category; several areas remain poor

Delhi’s air quality improved marginally on Saturday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 190 at 8 am, placing it in the ‘moderate’ category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The AQI stood at 223 on Friday and 226 on Thursday, both in the ‘poor’ category.

However, several monitoring stations continued to record poor air quality, including Jahangirpuri at 276, Punjabi Bagh at 251 and Rohini at 239. Anand Vihar (175), IGI Airport (174) and JNU (179) remained in the moderate category. The Commission for Air Quality Management has already invoked Stage I of GRAP across Delhi-NCR, with authorities reviewing measures to curb pollution, including checking pollution certificates, restricting non-compliant vehicles and controlling road dust and construction-related pollution.

- With ANI Inputs

Oct 24, 2026 09:10 AM IST
Bengal to end extended Durga Puja holidays for state hospital staff from 2027

The West Bengal government will end the extended Durga Puja holidays for staff at state-run hospitals from 2027 and introduce duty rosters to ensure round-the-clock healthcare services, Health Minister Sharadwat Mukhopadhyay said on Friday. Under the existing practice, the festive break begins on Sasthi and continues until Lakshmi Puja.

The minister said hospital staff would be assigned duty rosters from Saptami to Dashami during next year’s festivities. Doctors and nurses would not have fixed rosters but would be required to remain available at hospitals as needed. The announcement follows reports of doctors and other officials remaining absent during the festive period, with allegations that some had taken leave without permission. The minister also directed employees currently on leave to resume work.

- With PTI Inputs

Oct 24, 2026 09:00 AM IST
Man held in Rs 2.5-crore digital arrest fraud targeting retired judge

Rajasthan Police have taken another man, Ebin Basil, a resident of Elamakkara in Kochi, into custody in connection with an alleged digital arrest fraud in which a 90-year-old retired judge was cheated of Rs 2.5 crore. Kochi City Police officials said Basil was taken into custody on Friday. Earlier, Rajasthan Police had arrested Anand Babu, a resident of Varapuzha, with assistance from their Kochi counterparts.

The victim, identified as former district judge Ganpat Singh Bhandari, was allegedly kept under digital arrest for around 15 days in August by fraudsters posing as CBI officials and an RBI manager. They allegedly linked him to hawala transactions related to the Pulwama case and threatened to arrest him. Police said the money was transferred to bank accounts held by the accused in Kerala, and further investigation is underway as more people from the state are suspected to be involved.

– With PTI Inputs

Oct 24, 2026 08:59 AM IST
Minor fire breaks out in Shaheed Express coach in UP, no injuries reported

A minor fire broke out in the S-6 sleeper coach of the Shaheed Express near Nagina in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district around 11 pm on Friday, triggering panic among passengers. No injuries were reported, and the coach suffered minor damage, Northern Railway CPRO Himanshu Kumar said.

Passengers noticed smoke and sparks near the Kotwali railway crossing and stopped the train by pulling the emergency chain. Firefighters brought the blaze under control in around 30 minutes, and the coach was evacuated as a precaution. It was replaced at Bareilly, causing the train to remain stationary for around 40 minutes. Railway officials are investigating the incident.

- With PTI Inputs

Oct 24, 2026 08:56 AM IST
FIR lodged after posters questioning government performance found in Delhi Metro

An FIR has been registered against unidentified persons after two posters questioning the government’s performance and raising various issues were found pasted inside a train on the Delhi Metro’s Airport Express Line, police sources said. The A4-sized black-and-white posters carried phrases such as “Voting Protest”, “Community Building Reform” and “Dissatisfied? You Are Not Alone”, alongside nine claims about changes in the country in recent years.

The incident came to light on October 20 when a DMRC train operator spotted the posters during an inspection after the train reached Yashobhoomi station. He removed them and alerted senior officials, following which they were handed over to police. The posters, which carried a QR code inviting people to join an online group, have been seized. The Special Cell is also involved in the investigation to identify those responsible.

– With PTI Inputs

Oct 24, 2026 08:55 AM IST
Odisha moves SC against Andhra over panchayat polls in disputed Kotia region

The Odisha government has filed a contempt petition in the Supreme Court against Andhra Pradesh over its notification to conduct panchayat elections in the disputed Kotia region of Koraput district. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said Andhra Pradesh had violated a 2006 Supreme Court order directing both states to maintain status quo over the territory.

Andhra Pradesh issued the October 10 notification for Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections in villages in the Kotia cluster, which Odisha claims as its territory. While all 28 villages under Kotia Gram Panchayat fall within Odisha, Andhra Pradesh claims rights over 21 of them. Odisha had filed a similar contempt petition in 2022 after Andhra Pradesh conducted panchayat polls in the disputed region in 2021.

- With PTI Inputs

Latest Comment
Post Comment
Read Comments