India news Highlights, 17 August 2026 | Man dies after throat slit by ‘manjha’ on Delhi-Meerut Expressway in Ghaziabad

Adv. Akhilesh Chaubey, Secretary, Mumbai BJP, filed a complaint at Dindoshi Police Station to register an FIR against Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for allegedly insulting Vande Mataram on August 15.

"A case can be registered under the latest amendment to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 against Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for the way they insulted Vande Mataram," he said.

On a day when Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) Ashutosh Ranka announced he would visit multiple districts in Rajasthan to assess the condition of schools, the state government on Sunday imposed restrictions on outsiders entering government schools and on taking photos and videos, citing students’ privacy.

Earlier in the day, CJP co-convener Ranka had said, “From Rajasthan, requests have come to me so far to inspect dilapidated schools in Jaipur, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Dholpur, Bharatpur, Kota, Barmer, and Hanumangarh. In these places, the administration is not agreeing to the demand to fix the schools.”

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Death toll in Tarapith, Birbhum hotel short circuit incident rises to eight.

The blaze broke out at around 5 am on the ground floor of the four-storey building, while most guests were asleep, police said, according to PTI.

Following the incident, the fire tenders were rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control.

SP Vidit Raj Bundesh said, “Around 5 am, Tarapith police station received information that a fire had broken out at a Lodge. The building was enclosed with glass panes and doors, so smoke and flames were not visible from outside. Police and fire brigade teams reached the spot. After arriving, 22 people were rescued alive using ladders, and 11 people were sent to hospital. Of the 11 people taken to hospital, two were drowsy. One was treated and discharged, while another patient, who was also drowsy but stable, was sent to a private nursing home at his request with police assistance. The remaining two are under treatment. Sadly, seven people died in the incident. The place of occurrence has been secured.”

The initial drug screening tests of two more Air India pilots have given ‘non-negative’ results, and their samples have been sent for confirmatory testing, with final results awaited, according to sources in the know. After the pilot-in-command of the Phuket-Delhi Air India flight — that was involved in a sudden altitude drop incident on August 4 — tested positive for marijuana, the airline had on Thursday (August 13) initiated the process of a mandatory one-time dope test on all of the 5,000-odd pilots of Air India and Air India Express. Nearly 400 pilots have been tested so far, it is learnt.

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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a 636-page chargesheet against Samarth Singh and his mother, retired district judge Giribala Singh, in connection with the suspicious death of actor Twisha Sharma.

Supreme Court asks Karnataka to ensure compliance with the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s (CWMA) directions on the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.

The apex court posts for hearing on August 24 Tamil Nadu’s plea seeking directions for the release of water, observing that the matter could be taken up then so that an updated status on the water release could be placed before it.

Several people have been injured after a stampede-like situation among the devotees at Mahakaleshwar Nath Chandeshwar Temple in Ujjain, according to ANI. More details awaited.

Jharkhand Minister Deepika Pandey stated that continuous efforts are being made to address the students' legitimate demands, following two rounds of formal talks.

She said that the probe will cover the JPSC examination and all exams conducted by TDPL (including the 14th JPSC exam) and JSSC-CGL.

The state CID will handle the investigation into exams conducted by TDPL and if a central agency probe becomes necessary, the state will write to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), she said.

"JPSC 14th and backlog examinations will be cancelled. We will write to the ED to investigate the alleged financial misappropriation. The CID probe will be monitored by the judiciary," says Jharkhand Minister Dipika Pandey Singh on the Ranchi protest," she said.

Leader of Opposition (LOP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Monday (Aug 17), wrote to Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren on the ongoing student protests in Ranchi, suggesting he personally meet the protesting students to "reinforce" the Jharkhand government's commitment to resolving their concerns.

He stressed that the protest by the students has been peaceful and their demands are legitimate.

The Congress is part of the ruling JMM-led government in Jharkhand.

In his letter, Gandhi said, "The Congress party believes that the right to peaceful protest as enshrined in the Constitution of India is one of the central pillars of our democracy. We have, therefore, offered our full support to students protesting paper leaks and irregularities in the education system over the last few months".

His letter comes as the protest in Jharkhand over alleged exam irregularities enters its 24th day.

Jan Suraaj party founder Prashant Kishor took oath as Bankipur MLA at the Bihar Legislative Assembly in the presence of Speaker Prem Kumar on Monday (Aug 17).

Tamil Nadu LoP Udhayanidhi Stalin alleged that drugs were behind recent murders in the state and urged the government to take stringent action against the drug menace.

"In Coimbatore, a 19-year-old Amudhan was brutally killed. It's not a gang war; it's a murder. He belongs to the SC community. The drugs should have been seized. The main reason behind Amudhan's death is drugs. His parents spoke to me; they said Amudhan was killed because he gave a tip-off about the drug menace," he said.

"The government said they are against drugs, but murders are happening. Similar incidents have happened at Kancheepuram, Tiruppur, Chennai and several other areas. I am bringing all these things to the government's attention. All these incidents have happened in the past week. Not just murders, several sexual assault incidents have taken place in the state. We urge the government to take counselling classes in classrooms. The government should take stringent action against drugs," he added, demanding the government take strict action.

Three children died after drowning in the Kamala River in Bihar’s Katihar district while taking a dip, while four other children were rescued.

An Odisha Fire Service team rescued 11 people from flood-hit Sandhapali in Kendrapara district as rising waters affected the area.

Manoj More from Pune reports that State Industries Minister Uday Samant visited the Chakan MIDC area in Pune to address grievances from industrialists who had threatened to relocate due to poor infrastructure and amenities. Following discussions with local representatives and officials, the minister directed that all necessary infrastructure work be completed within 10 months, with a specific deadline of August 31 to repair potholes. To resolve ongoing confusion caused by multiple government agencies, the Pune district collector has been appointed to coordinate efforts, chair weekly janta durbars, and oversee the implementation of a phased plan to manage traffic, waste disposal, and road development. Despite reports of the migration threat, Minister Samant characterised the meetings as positive, focusing on the region's industrial growth rather than the relocation concerns.

Seven people were killed and several others injured in a stampede-like incident at Ashokdham Temple in Lakhisarai, Bihar, on Monday.

The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination. Most of the victims are women, and police are in the process of establishing their identities and informing their families.

Lakhisarai SDPO Shivam Kumar told The Indian Express, “There have been seven casualties so far, while around 10 people have been injured. They are reported to be out of danger. One person has been referred to a higher centre, as per the latest developments. Preliminary investigation has found that an electric pole had fallen in a field. People approaching from behind began shouting that an electricity pole had fallen. Around 100 metres ahead, women were standing in a queue. The announcement triggered panic, and as some people tried to move into the field to get away, they fell down. Others following behind continued to move over them, resulting in the casualties. The exact sequence of events and other details will become clear after further investigation.”

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Students staged a protest in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar against an alleged paper leak and technical glitches in the High Court clerk typing examination, with Cockroach Janta Party chief Abhijit Dipke demanding a written explanation from authorities and concrete action on the irregularities.