India News Highlights, 11 September 2026: Gujarat Speaker orders privilege proceedings against Congress MLA

Eight electricity fuses were allegedly stolen from a transformer at Thriveni Nagar in Palakkad, leaving residents without power amid ongoing power cuts in Kerala, residents said on Friday. The power supply was disrupted on Thursday night.

Residents initially assumed the outage was part of the scheduled power cuts but contacted the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) after the supply was not restored for two hours. Officials who reached the spot found that all eight fuses were missing.

Palakkad Town South Police have started a preliminary investigation and are examining CCTV footage to identify those responsible. Police and residents suspect the involvement of anti-social elements, while KSEB is also likely to file a complaint over the alleged theft.

The death toll from the devastating flash floods in Nepal has risen to 1,385, according to the country’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).

Rescue and recovery operations continue across the affected areas, with authorities working to locate those still missing and provide assistance to displaced survivors.

The Jammu administration demolished 13 shops in the Satwari-Nai Basti area on Friday as part of ongoing highway expansion work, triggering resentment among shopkeepers who demanded immediate rehabilitation.

The demolition drive was carried out for the second consecutive day amid heavy security. Officials said the affected occupants had been served notices several times and were asked to remove their belongings before the structures were demolished. Power supply to the shops was disconnected on Wednesday.

Nearly 20 shops were demolished in the Satwari area on Thursday, while 13 were brought down on Friday, according to locals.

Shopkeepers alleged that the demolitions had severely affected their livelihoods and urged the administration to provide alternative shops. One shopkeeper, Arminder Singh, said his shop had been in existence for 50-60 years and claimed he had municipal records relating to it. The demolition is part of ongoing infrastructure and highway expansion works in Jammu city, according to PTI reports.

Banking services, particularly at public sector banks, were affected across the country on Friday as the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) began a nationwide strike demanding the immediate implementation of a five-day workweek and resolution of pending wage-related issues.

Most branches of public sector banks were either fully or partially closed as employees and officers joined the strike. Cash deposits and withdrawals, cheque clearances and administrative work were among the services affected, while digital banking services such as UPI and internet banking continued to function.

The UFBU, an umbrella body of seven unions representing around 90 per cent of bank officers and employees, said the strike was called after the government failed to accept their demands. Private sector banks were largely unaffected.

The unions are seeking a declaration of all Saturdays as holidays. The demand was reportedly agreed upon in the 12th Bipartite Settlement signed with the Indian Banks' Association in March 2024 but is yet to receive government notification. Banks currently remain open on the first, third and fifth Saturdays.

The unions have also sought improvements in pension and a uniform dearness allowance formula for pensioners, besides an option for employees covered under the National Pension System to switch to the Old Pension Scheme.

One of the main accused in the Madhya Pradesh fake liquor case, which has claimed 16 lives, was arrested after an encounter with police in Sagar district early Friday, according to a PTI report.

Ravi Lakhera, 45, sustained a bullet injury to his leg after police intercepted him in Baraytha forest, around 40 km from the district headquarters. Two of his accomplices, who were travelling with him on a motorcycle, managed to escape. Lakhera was taken to a hospital in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and is in stable condition, police said.

Lakhera is accused of manufacturing fake liquor with licensed liquor contractor Manish Lodhi alias Yashwant Singh Lodhi and supplying it through peddlers in Sagar district. Of the 30 people named as accused, 16 have been arrested and one detained. Another 32 people who consumed the liquor are undergoing treatment.

Police said Lakhera has around 25 criminal cases registered against him in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere, mostly under the Excise Act. The state government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the hooch deaths.

Police seized 1,375 packets of banned tobacco products and arrested a 42-year-old man from Assam for allegedly selling them illegally in Kazhakuttam, Thiruvananthapuram, officials said.

Acting on a tip-off, police raided Ziarul Haque’s rented house around 11 pm on Thursday and recovered bags containing pan masala and other banned tobacco products kept in different rooms.

Police said Haque allegedly procured the products from states where their sale is permitted and brought them to Thiruvananthapuram to sell at higher prices. A case has been registered under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA).

Police are investigating whether others were involved in the illegal sale.

Three labourers were killed and 11 others injured after the roof slab of an under-construction Church of South India building collapsed at Mandi Krishnapuram near Katpadi in Tamil Nadu’s Vellore district on Thursday.

The collapse occurred while labourers were pouring concrete for the roof. A police officer said the 20-foot steel scaffolding and support structure suddenly gave way, trapping workers under concrete debris and rubble.

The injured were taken to Vellore Government Medical College Hospital, Christian Medical College Hospital and a hospital in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh. An NDRF team from Arakkonam joined police, fire services and district officials in the rescue operation. Vellore District Collector P S Leela Alex said at least eight of the injured workers were in stable condition.

The district administration will form a committee to investigate the cause of the structural failure and check whether the builder had obtained the required approvals and building permits, the Collector said.