Tension prevailed in Bhatpara under Barrackpore Police Commissionerate in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district following a shootout in front of the residence of Arjun Singh, the former BJP Lok Sabha member.

The violence took place late Wednesday night, in which crude bombs were hurled and bullets fired.

One person identified as Saddam was injured after being hit by a bullet during the gang war. He is currently under treatment at a local hospital. He is known as a local Trinamool Congress associate.

The local police, however, have claimed that the situation has been brought under control. No one involved with the chaos will be spared,” said a senior police officer present at the spot.

Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha expressed deep concern over the severe crises affecting the country’s banking system. During the discussion on the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in the Rajya Sabha, he questioned the central government’s intentions, stating that the bill does not meet public expectations. He criticized it as a bill focused only on procedural reforms, failing to address the real issues that citizens face daily.

He emphasized that banks are not just financial institutions but the foundation of democracy. From common people’s savings to farmers' loans, from students' education to retirees’ pensions – the banking system is deeply integrated into every citizen’s life. However, growing banking fraud, loan recovery issues, and increasing pressure on employees have resulted in declining public trust in banks. Today, people are hesitant to trust banks with their money.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday allowed J&K MP Engineer Rashid to attend the ongoing Budget Session proceedings.

The second half of the Budget Session began on March 10 and will conclude on April 4.

Engineer Rashid, who won the Lok Sabha election from Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla constituency by defeating National Conference Vice President, and now Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah by over two lakh votes while he remained lodged in Tihar Jail, is accused in a terror funding case being probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

A bench of Justices Chandra Dhari Singh and Anup Jairam Bhambhani on Tuesday reserved its decision after hearing the oral arguments advanced by the counsel representing the anti-terror agency and Engineer Rashid’s lawyer.

In a bizarre development, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's convoy came to an abrupt halt at a flyover in the national capital, forcing her and the accompanying officials to stay put on the road for as long as 15 minutes.

Stray cattle were apparently the reason behind the sudden halt of the Delhi Chief Minister's convoy. While the Chief Minister and her support staff were passing through the city's Haidarpur flyover, a group of about four to five stray cattle came in their way.

As per eyewitnesses, a mishap was averted as the driver applied the brakes on time and the convoy halted at the flyover.

AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday accused the Congress, Akali Dal, and BJP of defaming Punjab by labelling it as “Udta Punjab” during their respective tenures.

Kejriwal made the charge at rival parties while emphasizing Punjab government’s ongoing efforts to combat the drug menace and pledge for more aggressive action against drug suppliers in the state.

Taking to the social media platform X, Kejriwal wrote, "Our government in Punjab has launched a strong war against drugs. Now in the next phase, the big drug suppliers will be attacked. Not a single drug dealer or supplier will be spared. During the Congress, Akali Dal and BJP governments, they had defamed Punjab by calling it ‘Udta Punjab’. Now people are coming together to make ‘Badalta Punjab’."

During Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, MP Raghav Chadha addressed the House on the urgent need for India to lead the Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution, not trail behind it. He said, “Ye samay AI ka hai!” (This is the era of AI), warning that the world is rapidly advancing in AI while India risks being left behind.

He stated, “The US has ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok. China has DeepSeek and Baidu. These countries are miles ahead because they began investing years ago. The real question is: will India be a consumer of AI or a creator of AI?”

Chadha cited a stark contrast in investments: the US has committed over $500 billion to AI, China over $137 billion, while India’s mission stands at a modest $1 billion. He reminded the House that from 2010 to 2022, the US filed 60% of the world’s AI patents, China 20%, and India just 0.5%.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha on Tuesday emphasised the need to expand the 'Make in India' initiative and bring Artificial Intelligence (AI) in its ambit for solidifying country's growth potential in next few decades.

Speaking in the House, AAP lawmaker described AI as a crucial subject for the "India of tomorrow," stressing that while global superpowers have taken significant strides in AI development, India is yet to establish itself as a major player.

"In this AI revolution, America has its indigenous models like ChatGPT, Gemini, Anthropic, and Grok. China has developed some of the most capable and cost-effective AI models, like DeepSeek. But where does India stand in this AI era? Are we lagging behind? Will India not be able to create its own generative AI model?" he questioned.

Mumbai Police on Tuesday issued a summons to stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra to remain present to record his statement in a case registered against him in connection with his controversial statement against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Police sources said that a team from Khar police station delivered the summons at Kamra’s residence in the city where his parents stay. Sources said as the comedian is out of Mumbai, the police have sent summons on his WhatsApp.

Shiv Sena legislator Mangesh Kudalkar on Monday also filed a complaint in the Kurla Nehrunagar police station against Kamra, and urged the police to register a case. Kamra is in Puducherry currently and has told the police that he will fully cooperate with them in the investigation.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's visit to the United Kingdom has been rescheduled, and now, she will be leaving from here on Saturday evening.

She is expected to land at London's Heathrow Airport on Sunday afternoon as per the Indian Standard Time (IST), sources in the state secretariat said on Saturday morning. There will be a stopover in Dubai.

According to the original schedule, the Chief Minister and her team were supposed to depart from Kolkata at 9.10 am on Saturday and reach Dubai first. Again from Dubai, she was supposed to take the flight to London on the same day at 8 pm IST.

However, on Friday afternoon, state secretariat insiders said that the Chief Minister's departure might be postponed for two days amid the crisis at Heathrow Airport because of the "significant power shortage" due to a fire in a substation in the western part of the city.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raj Kumar Chabbewal has strongly criticized Congress for its alleged hypocrisy towards farmers, calling their recent protest in Lok Sabha mere "crocodile tears" and a desperate attempt to appear pro-Punjab.

Chabbewal accused Congress of neglecting farmers during its decades in power, failing to implement the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations or provide legal guarantees for Minimum Support Price (MSP). "Congress's failures have forced farmers into prolonged struggles, leading to over 800 deaths during the farmers' movement," he said.

He also slammed Congress for not addressing farmers’ issues meaningfully in the last eight months, despite having significant parliamentary strength. "Congress's drama in Parliament is nothing more than a publicity stunt," Chabbewal remarked.