Police in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Tuesday arrested the contractor and the JCB driver involved in unauthorised excavation that had led to public anger in the area.

Police said that a sensitive incident occurred in the Delina area on Monday when a contractor was found excavating earth from a graveyard in the area using a JCB earthmover machine.

“The contractor was earlier taken into custody while the absconding JCB driver was located and also arrested today. An angry mob confronted the contractor and the driver yesterday when they were engaged in unauthorised excavation in the local graveyard in the Delina area. In the sensitive incident at the Delina graveyard that occurred on July 07, 2025, Baramulla Police have arrested the absconding JCB driver involved in the unauthorised excavation that led to public unrest," said the officials.

Cracking down hard on corruption in Varanasi, the CBI has booked an accountant of the Central Ground Water Board who used to collect bribes on the pretext of clearing his colleagues' allowance bills, an official said on Tuesday.

Mukesh Ranjan Gupta, Assistant Account Officer, CGWB, Varanasi, was booked by the federal agency on the complaint of his colleague from whom he had demanded a bribe of Rs 5,000 for clearing his travelling allowance bill.

According to complainant Chaturanan Trivedi, Gupta threatened to get an inquiry ordered against him if he failed to pay the bribe.

In a major drug bust, the Airport Intelligence Unit (AIU) at Tiruchi International Airport has seized 11.8 kilograms of high-grade hydroponic cannabis.

The seizure was made late Monday night. The narcotics, valued at around Rs 12 crore in the illegal market, were found in the baggage of a passenger who had arrived from Bangkok via Kuala Lumpur.

According to airport customs officials, the interception was based on specific intelligence inputs shared by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). The AIU officials acted swiftly upon the arrival of the passenger and detained him for detailed screening and baggage inspection.

During the search, officials discovered 28 neatly packed pouches of hydroponic cannabis -- an advanced, soil-free variety of marijuana grown using nutrient-rich water under controlled conditions, making it far more potent than conventional strains.

The packets were ingeniously concealed within personal belongings to evade detection.

Gujarat witnessed rainfall across 153 talukas in the last 24 hours, though only 12 talukas recorded more than one inch of precipitation. Heavier showers were concentrated in select regions, with Borsad in central Gujarat receiving the highest downpour at 99 mm, said officials on Tuesday.

Godhra followed with 95 mm, while Gandhidham and Mandvi (Kutch) recorded 58 mm and 57 mm respectively. Other talukas with significant rainfall included Khambhalia (49 mm) and Bhachau (48 mm).

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), more rain is on the horizon for parts of the state. As of July 8 morning, Gujarat has received nearly 47 per cent of the average monsoon rainfall, based on the 10-year seasonal benchmark. Gujarat has experienced a robust start to the monsoon season. The state had already received roughly 266-324 mm of rain since June 1, about 37-40 per cent of its seasonal average.

In the wake of a tragic accident involving a school van and a speeding train near Semmanguppam in Tamil Nadu's Cuddalore district, railway authorities have suspended the gatekeeper for alleged negligence. The officials said two girl students died in the accident.

Earlier reports said that three children died; however, the officials confirmed the death of two students.

The incident, which occurred at around 7.45 a.m., claimed the lives of two students and left several others seriously injured.

The accident took place at an unmanned level crossing near Semmanguppam, where a school van carrying children attempted to cross the tracks despite an approaching train.

Eyewitnesses said the van was hit by a passenger train bound for Chidambaram and was dragged nearly 50 metres before coming to a halt. The impact left the van mangled and sparked panic among locals.

Heavy downpour caused yet another tragedy at Bageshwar Dham, the ashram of famous spiritual storyteller Dhirendra Shastri in Madhya Pradesh's Chhatarpur district. One devotee died while nearly a dozen were injured after the wall of an old building they were staying in collapsed early on Tuesday.

The wall that collapsed was part of a dharamshala (rest house) in Bageshwar Dham, where the devotees get shelter for overnight stay at minimum charges.

The devotees were sleeping when the tragic incident happened; they were buried under debris.

Upon receiving information, local area police reached the spot and rescued the persons trapped under debris. Injured persons were rushed to a nearby government-run hospital in Chhatarpur.

During the treatment, one woman succumbed to her injuries, according to information.

The death toll in the blast in Sigachi Industries Ltd's manufacturing unit in Pashamylaram near Hyderabad rose to 44 with two injured succumbing on Tuesday.

According to officials, the two workers who passed away were undergoing treatment at two different hospitals in the Sangareddy district.

One of the workers Akhleshwar succumbed at Dhruva Hospital in Sangareddy while Arif breathed his last at Panacea Meridian Hospital near Beeramguda.

Eight injured workers have so far succumbed at hospitals over the last week. Sixteen workers are still undergoing treatment at various hospitals.

A major explosion occurred in the manufacturing plant of Sigachi Industries at Pashamylaram, Patancheru Mandal, Sangareddy district on June 30.

The plant manufactures Microcrystalline Cellulose powder, which is used in tablets and capsules as a binding agent.

Continuous rain since Monday morning has crippled traffic in Delhi-NCR, particularly in Greater Noida, which is severely waterlogged, bringing back long-standing complaints of poor drainage.

From flooded streets to stranded commuters, Monday morning was nothing short of chaos for residents, especially in the Surajpur and Malakpur areas.

Large parts of Greater Noida, particularly around Surajpur administrative zone and the Gol Chakkar area, were submerged under knee-deep water after intense and persistent showers. Waterlogging extended up to one kilometre along key arterial roads, leaving daily commuters with no option but to wade through stagnant water.

“This is the situation every year after rain, we have to take shoes in our hands before we walk. I am a resident of Surajpur and experiencing this very situation after every rain,” said Satyaprakash, a local resident, expressing frustration over the lack of civic improvement.

Communal tension flared in multiple districts of Bihar, including Hajipur (Vaishali), East Champaran and Katihar, during Muharram processions, leading to clashes, stone-pelting, and injuries.

In Hajipur, a dispute arose over the display of sharp objects during a Tajia procession near Karbala on Monday morning, escalating into heavy stone-pelting between two groups.

Several people were injured in the chaos, leading to a stampede-like situation.

The police force, led by SDPO Sadar Subodh Kumar and the SDM, swiftly reached the spot, bringing the situation under control.

SDPO Subodh Kumar stated: “There was an altercation between the two processions over some display in the arena, which turned into a fight and stone-pelting. The situation is under control, and the injured have been given first aid.”

Continuous rain since early Monday hours in Delhi and other parts of the National Capital Region (NCR) has significantly disrupted road traffic and flight operations.

As commuters stepped out to begin the first day of the workweek, they were met with long traffic, waterlogged roads, and delayed flights.

The impact of the rainfall was most visible on major routes such as the National Highway 48, which connects Gurugram and Delhi. Traffic moved at a snail’s pace, with congestion increasing steadily as peak rush hours began. Both carriageways, from Gurugram to Delhi and vice versa, witnessed slow-moving traffic, adding to commuters’ woes.

The Outer Ring Road, a critical artery in Delhi’s road network, saw a long queue of vehicles heading towards ISBT Kashmiri Gate, further highlighting the city's traffic gridlock. Commuters reported delays ranging from 30 minutes to over an hour on various routes.