West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Wednesday, accused the Union government of being responsible for the recent tension and violence in the minority-dominated Murshidabad district during protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act.

She also accused the Border Security Force (BSF) of their alleged 'failure' in preventing miscreants from neighbouring Bangladesh from reportedly entering the Indian territory and creating violence in Murshidabad.

“I saw a video related to the National Investigative Agency (NIA), which said that a report of the Union Home Ministry has claimed the involvement of Bangladeshi miscreants behind the chaos in Murshidabad. If that is true, who will take that responsibility? Who is responsible for preventing illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators from entering the Indian side? Whose instructions do BSF follow? BSF operates under the instruction of the Union Home Ministry. So what is our fault? Why did the BSF allow the illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators to enter?” the Chief Minister questioned while addressing a meeting with the imams, muezzins, and religious leaders from the Muslim community in the state. The meeting has been reportedly convened to prepare the blueprint on how to oppose the Waqf (Amendment) Act.

The pilot and co-pilot of a helicopter that was allegedly damaged during former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy's visit to Sri Sathya Sai district last week appeared before police on Wednesday.

In response to the notices served by the police, Pilot Anil Kumar and co-pilot S. Jain appeared before the Deputy Superintendent of Police and Circle Inspector at C. K. Palli police station.

Elaborate security arrangements were made around the police station during their questioning.

YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president Jagan Mohan Reddy had reached Papireddypalli village by helicopter on April 8 to console the family of a leader, allegedly murdered by the cadres of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

The YSRCP workers broke through the barricades at the helipad to reach close to the helicopter, and in the commotion, the chopper's windshield was reportedly damaged.

The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at the premises linked to Surana Group and Sai Surya Developers in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

The sleuths of the Central agency were searching the offices and residences of the management heads and representatives of the Bhagyanagar Properties, a Surana group company, in connection with a money laundering case.

The ED teams were conducting searches at various premises of the two real estate companies in Secunderabad, Jubilee Hills, and Bowenpally.

In November 2024, Cyberabad Police’s Economic Offences Wing registered a First Information Report (FIR) and arrested Sai Surya Developers promoter K. Satish Chandra Gupta and Bhagyanagar Properties promoter Narendra Surana. They had allegedly defrauded a customer by collecting Rs 1.45 crore as advance payment for a plot in a fabricated and unauthorised layout.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested a Bangladeshi citizen who was not only residing in Kolkata after possessing fake Indian identity documents, including a passport, but also was operating a hawala racket from his residence.

The arrested person has been identified as Azad Mullick, the owner of Mullick Trading Corporation. He was arrested late Tuesday night at his residence near Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, which is located on the northern outskirts of Kolkata.

Sources said the investigating officials of the Central agency have tracked that the arrested had transferred Rs 2.62 crore last year from India to Bangladesh using the Hawala route.

He will be presented at a special court of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Kolkata on Wednesday. He was booked under Sections 3 and 4 of the PMLA.

Businessman Robert Vadra on Wednesday accused the government of stopping him from “doing good work and speaking about their unjust behaviour towards minorities”.

He said this a day after being questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a Gurugram land deal case. As per sources, he will again be questioned by the ED on Wednesday.

Vadra has said that he is innocent and that 'truth will prevail.'

In a Facebook post, Vadra said that his birthday week seva had been hampered by the ED summoning him.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) staged a massive protest in Mohali today, condemning Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa’s inflammatory remarks that threaten to disrupt Punjab's peace and harmony. Led by AAP Punjab President Aman Arora, along with Cabinet Ministers Dr. Ravjot Singh and Dr. Balbir Singh, the protest saw the participation of numerous party leaders and workers demanding accountability from Bajwa.

Addressing the gathering, Aman Arora lashed out at Bajwa, stating, "Bajwa’s baseless claims about 50 grenades entering Punjab are an attempt to create panic and disturb the peace restored under the AAP government. If Bajwa has credible information, why isn’t he sharing it with the Punjab Police? Instead, he is indulging in fear-mongering for political gains."

Arora laid out two clear options for Bajwa, Reveal the source of his information and provide it to the Punjab Police. If the claims are genuine, the FIR against him will be canceled immediately. Or If he has no information, he must publicly apologize for spreading lies and misleading the people of Punjab.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has intensified its efforts to completely eradicate drugs from Punjab. In a major initiative on Tuesday, the party announced the formation of a dedicated committee, 'Nasha Mukti Morcha', and launched a comprehensive awareness campaign against drug abuse by dividing Punjab into five strategic zones.

Punjabi actress and AAP leader Sonia Mann has been appointed as the coordinator for the Majha Zone. Nayan Chhabra has been appointed for Doaba, Jagdeep Jagga for Malwa East, Chuspinder Singh Chahal for Malwa West, and Sukhdeep Singh Dhilwan for Malwa Central Zone. Senior party leader Baltej Pannu has been appointed as the chief spokesperson for the Awareness Campaign Committee.

AAP Punjab President Aman Arora addressed the media about this matter alongside the committee members. Arora stated that the Aam Aadmi Party is committed to eliminating drugs from Punjab. "Our fight will continue until drugs are completely eradicated from Punjab," he said.

In a first, the state-level Himachal Day celebrations were held on Tuesday in the remote and picturesque Killar region of Pangi Valley in Chamba district, where Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu declared it the state's first natural farming subdivision.

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was the first Prime Minister to visit Pangi way back in 1984.

A large number of people gathered at the helipad ground to witness and participate in the 78th Himachal Day celebrations.

Chief Minister Sukhu conveyed his greetings to the people on this occasion. He remembered the immense contributions of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the first Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Y. S. Parmar, in securing statehood for the state.

Rajasthan's former minister and Congress leader Pratap Singh Khachriyawas criticised the BJP-led Central government following Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on properties linked to his family on Tuesday.

"ED functions under the Centre. I don't expect much from this double-engine government. Unnecessary searches are being conducted at my family members' residences," Khachariyawas stated.

"We will cooperate fully with the ED officers and allow the entire search to be carried out, "he said.

Accusing the BJP of political vendetta, he said, "The BJP government is so rattled by my criticism that they ordered these raids. I’ve been speaking out against them for the last one and a half years. They target anyone who raises a voice against them. I knew this day would come, and I’m fully prepared."

On the auspicious occasion of Poila Boishakh i.e. Bengali New Year’s Day on Tuesday, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of trying to mislead people.

He accused her of trying to distort history by equating Poila Boishakh with Bangla Dibos or Bangla Day, which signifies the foundation day of West Bengal.

His remarks came after the Chief Minister, through a message posted on the wall of her official X handle, greeted the people of West Bengal on the occasion.

However, instead of ‘Subho Nababarsha (Happy Bengali New Year's Day)’, she wrote, “on this occasion of Bangla Dibos (Bangla Day),” and conveyed greetings to all citizens and best wishes to her “younger brothers and sisters.”