A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Welcome to Varanasi, people there won’t call you outsider, says PM Modi in a dig at Mamata Banerjee: The West Bengal CM, meanwhile, accused the BJP of engineering communal strife in the state to win the Assembly elections.
  2. Maharashtra, Mumbai record their highest single-day infection counts: Meanwhile, Delhi recorded over 3,500 cases for the second consecutive day, while India logged 89,129 new cases – the highest since September. Karnataka announced new restrictions on bars and theatres. National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah, who had tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this week, has been admitted to a hospital.
  3. EC reduces Himanta Biswa Sarma’s ban on campaigning from 48 hours to 24 hours: The poll panel also transferred his brother and Goalpara Superintendent of Police Sushanta Biswa Sarma from the district. Meanwhile, at an election rally in Assam, PM Modi appealed to militants to return to the mainstream.
  4. No cash but ‘incriminating evidence’ of tax evasion found, says I-T department on DMK raids: The department said that the searches were meant to verify if the groups who were raided were allegedly involved in political cash distribution.
  5. Five security forces personnel killed in encounter with alleged Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district: Two suspected Naxalites were also killed in the operation.
  6. US silent about what is happening in India, says Rahul Gandhi: The Congress leader alleged that there was a ‘wholesale capture’ of India’s institutional framework by the BJP.
  7. Farm labourers in Punjab drugged, exploited, alleges Centre, farmer leaders criticise letter: Shiromani Akali Dal, the BJP’s former ally, also called the letter an attempt to defame the state’s farmers.
  8. Four men allegedly rape teen in Meerut, 2 arrested; accused shot as he tried to escape, say police: The police said the girl died by suicide after the incident.
  9. Muslim man, travelling with woman of another religion, allegedly stabbed in Karnataka, four arrested: The accused have been booked for attempt to murder.
  10. US police officer killed after car rams into barricade at Capitol building, suspect shot dead: The incident took place less than three months after a mob stormed the building and clashed with the police.