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At slightest six persons were killed and 5 injured aft a passenger bid collided with a goods bid adjacent the Bilaspur railway station successful Chhattisgarh connected Tuesday (November 4, 2025), officials said. The Railway Ministry has ordered an inquiry.
Rescue operations are presently nether way.
“An unexpected incidental occurred contiguous adjacent Bilaspur station, involving the derailment of a freight bid and a section MEMU. Six radical died and 5 passengers were injured. They are receiving due attraction astatine adjacent hospitals,” stated the South East Central Railway done a bulletin issued astatine 7.35 p.m.
The Railways said that arsenic per the preliminary assessment, the DEMU bid crossing the awesome astatine information seemed to beryllium the origin of the crash.
Speaking to The Hindu implicit the phone, Bilaspur District Collector Sanjay Agrawal confirmed that 4 deaths had been reported and respective others were injured. He said the full fig of injured passengers was inactive being compiled arsenic immoderate were trapped nether a coach. “At slightest 1 idiosyncratic is critically injured,” helium added.
The incidental occurred astir 4 p.m., erstwhile the MEMU rider bid was heading to Bilaspur from Gevra successful neighbouring Korba district, Railway officials said. A constabulary serviceman added that the rider bid rammed into a goods bid from down betwixt Gatora and Bilaspur railway stations.
DMK moves Supreme Court against SIR, says it is de facto NRC
Tamil Nadu ruling enactment Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) organising caput R.S. Bharathi moved the Supreme Court connected Monday against the 2nd signifier of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise announced by the Election Commission of India successful 12 States and Union Territories, saying the process amounts to “constitutional overreach” and is simply a thinly-disguised, de facto National Register of Citizens (NRC).
“By imposing citizenship-like burdens of impervious connected electors, the SIR appears to beryllium acting beyond its statutory purpose, efficaciously functioning arsenic a de facto National Register of Citizens (NRC). If the SIR bid of October 27 is not acceptable aside, the workout tin arbitrarily and without owed process, disenfranchise lakhs of voters from electing their representatives, thereby disrupting escaped and just elections and ideology successful the country, which are portion of the basal operation of the Constitution,” Bharathi submitted a petition connected behalf of the enactment drawn by advocator Saushriya Havelia and settled by elder advocator N.R. Elango.
The petition, the archetypal situation successful the apex tribunal against the 2nd signifier of the SIR commenced from October 28, highlighted the deficiency of owed process arsenic good arsenic the unreasonably abbreviated timeline for the SIR of the electoral rotation successful Tamil Nadu arsenic designed to exclude voters.
“The unilateral imposition of specified an unprecedented, resource‑intensive and socially disruptive process connected a State, without consultation oregon demonstrable administrative exigency, transgresses the national operation of the Constitution, recognised arsenic portion of its basal structure. In bypassing statutory safeguards, the State acrophobic has efficaciously been reduced to a specified implementing bureau for centrally determined, unilateral processes posing a sedate hazard of disenfranchising ample numbers of bona fide voters,” the DMK person highlighted.
The plea, filed done advocator Vivek Singh, said a Special Summary Revision had already been conducted successful Tamil Nadu betwixt October 2024 to January 6, 2025. This workout had addressed issues specified arsenic migration, decease and deletion of ineligible voters. The existing electoral rotation successful Tamil Nadu had been updated and published connected January 6, 2025 and continuously updated since then.
Referring to however the Bihar SIR had excluded registered electors en masse and introduced caller and stringent requirements for voters to supply impervious of citizenship, peculiarly for those not registered successful the 2003 electoral roll, Bharathi said the Election Election committee of India, done its SIR, was seeking to supplant the existing statutory framework, which already governs the mentation and revision of electoral rolls.
“The mode successful which the SIR has been directed to beryllium conducted is recovered neither successful Representation of the People Act (ROPA), 1950 oregon successful the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
Additionally, Section 28(3) of ROPA requires each Rules to beryllium notified successful the Official Gazette and laid earlier Parliament. No specified notification has been issued for the SIR and the aforesaid has not been laid earlier the Parliament. Therefore, the SIR is without the unit of instrumentality and lacks statutory basis,” the petition argued.
It noted that the orders adjacent let Electoral Registration Officers to notation cases of ‘suspected overseas nationals’ to the competent authorization nether the Citizenship Act, 1955, without owed process. “The question whether a idiosyncratic is simply a foreigner is simply a question of information and has to beryllium determined by the Union authorities nether the Citizenship Act, 1955,” the petition said.
Bharathi submitted that neither ROPA nor the 1960 Rules notation immoderate “enumeration forms” successful the revision of electoral rolls. Besides, commonly disposable documents specified arsenic ration cards, PAN Cards, and EPIC person been excluded successful the SIR.
The petition, which is the archetypal to situation the 2nd signifier of the SIR, said the exercise’s rigid and arbitrary papers requirements neglect to accommodate the realities of disadvantaged communities who look chronic under-documentation.
“They disproportionately load the youth, migrants, women, economically weaker sections and marginalised communities, who are slightest apt to beryllium capable to furnish specified records wrong the unreasonably truncated timeline prescribed. This inequity is further aggravated by the arbitrary exclusion of wide accepted authorities issued individuality documents,” it noted.
SIR 2.0: Mamata tears into BJP, ECI; warns of Modi govt’s autumn if 1 eligible elector struck disconnected rolls
Mounting a blistering onslaught connected the BJP and the Election Commission of India (ECI), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee connected Tuesday accused them of turning the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of elector lists into a governmental tool for a “silent, invisible rigging” up of the 2026 Assembly polls.
She warned that the autumn of the Narendra Modi authorities would beryllium “inevitable” if adjacent a azygous eligible elector was deleted from West Bengal’s rolls during the SIR conducted by the ECI successful the State.
Leading a monolithic anti-SIR rally done the bosom of Kolkata, from Dharmatala to Jorasanko — the ancestral location of Rabindranath Tagore, the Chief Minister, accompanied by her nephew and party’s nationalist wide caput Abhishek Banerjee, alleged that the BJP and the ECI were “colluding to erase voters from opposition-ruled states” portion sparing the ones governed by the saffron party.
“The BJP is conducting SIR successful States similar Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, but not successful BJP-ruled Assam, Tripura oregon different northeastern states,” she thundered earlier a charged crowd.
The Assembly polls are owed successful Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal Assam adjacent year.
“Why is this bias? This is wide discrimination, aimed astatine helping the ruling enactment astatine the Centre,” she said.
The Trinamool Congress supremo warned, “If adjacent 1 genuine voter’s sanction is struck disconnected the rolls, the BJP authorities volition beryllium shaken to its core. The autumn of this authorities volition beryllium inevitable.”
Accusing the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, whom she mockingly called “kursi babu”, of acting nether governmental pressure, Banerjee said, “In 2002, Bengal’s past SIR took 2 years to complete. Why the hurry to decorativeness this 1 successful a month? Just to marque Modi Babu and Amit Shah happy?”
Questioning the BJP’s assertion of amerciable voters successful Bengal, she said, “They accidental they volition expel Bangladeshis and Rohingyas. How galore Rohingyas did they find successful Bihar aft SIR? Just speaking Bengali doesn’t marque idiosyncratic a Bangladeshi. Speaking Urdu doesn’t marque idiosyncratic a Pakistani. Bengal’s individuality cannot beryllium insulted similar this.”
The TMC main accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of hypocrisy.
“He criticises our alleged dynastic politics, yet helium has appointed his ain lad to the highest post,” she alleged, without naming him.
Taking connected the Election Commission, the Chief Minister asked if the names of someone’s parents are not connected the list, would they person to beryllium again that they were calved successful this state? “The Commission is creating aggregate confusions successful the rolls. Who volition instrumentality work for these mistakes? Wouldn’t it person been amended to behaviour this workout aft the elections? Do we person to beryllium our citizenship adjacent aft truthful galore years of commencement and independence?” she said.
She said that the TMC would proceed the combat against the contented some connected the streets and successful courts. “We volition widen our enactment if they behaviour the SIR aft the Assembly polls. But however tin you bash it conscionable months earlier the elections? This is thing but a politically motivated determination to intimidate voters,” she said.
Supreme Court acrophobic implicit misuse of POCSO cases, says consciousness needed
The POCSO Act is being misused successful cases of marital discord and consensual relationships betwixt adolescents, the Supreme Court said connected Tuesday, portion stressing the request to dispersed consciousness successful boys and men astir its ineligible provisions.
A Bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan was proceeding a PIL seeking directions to sensitise radical astir the penal provisions for rape and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act to marque the state a amended spot for girls and women.
“One thing, we would similar to remark. POCSO Act is being misused successful cases of marital discords and matters pertaining to consensual relationships betwixt adolescents. We should dispersed consciousness successful boys and men astir the ineligible provisions,” the Bench remarked orally.
The Supreme Court adjourned the PIL to December 2 and noted that immoderate States and Union Territories had not filed a effect successful the matter.
The Supreme Court had earlier issued notices to the Centre, the Union Ministries of Education and Information and Broadcasting and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) connected the plea filed by elder advocator Aabad Harshad Ponda.
Ponda said determination is request to pass radical astir the laws regarding rape and the alteration successful specified laws aft the Nirbhaya case.
The plea seeks respective measures, including directing the Education Ministry to inquire each acquisition institutions providing escaped and compulsory acquisition to children aged up to 14 years to incorporated the penal provisions regarding offences against women and children.
The taxable of motivation grooming besides has to beryllium included to guarantee consciousness astir intersexual equality, the rights of women and girls and their state to unrecorded with dignity, it says.
“Particularly, endeavours are required to beryllium made to alteration the mindset of the boys successful this country, an workout that indispensable commencement astatine the level of school,” it states. According to it, determination should beryllium akin directions to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, CBFC and different broadcasting authorities to item the consciousness of the folly of committing rape and its punishments and educating the nationalist astir the POCSO Act.
‘I americium broken’: Sole subsister of Air India Ahmedabad level clang appeals for payment package
Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, the sole subsister of the June 12 Air India level crash, connected Monday appealed for a payment bundle for day-to-day support arsenic helium continues to conflict with the carnal and intelligence trauma of the tragedy. The 40-year-old British national of Indian practice returned location to Leicester, successful the East Midlands portion of England, implicit a period ago, but has reportedly struggled to entree the level of aesculapian attraction helium requires for his post-traumatic accent upset (PTSD).
The begetter of a four-year-old lad who relies connected his woman to get astir the location spends astir days successful his room, consumed by the calamity that claimed the beingness of his brother, Ajay, among the 242 on-board fatalities of AI171.
“It is precise painful... I americium broken,” Vishwas Kumar Ramesh told reporters recently, during an enactment organised by Leicester assemblage groups to item his plight.
Air India said it remains “deeply conscious” of its work towards Vishwas Kumar Ramesh and has been supporting the household done the “unimaginable period”, with implicit 95% of those impacted by the calamity present having received interim payments pending the decision of the clang investigation.
Radd Seiger, a UK-based retired lawyer who volunteers arsenic a situation absorption adviser, has taken complaint arsenic Ramesh’s spokesperson and appealed to Air India CEO Campbell Wilson to conscionable with the household to beryllium capable to afloat measure and code the gravity of the situation. “This has had a devastating effect connected the full family, some successful the UK and successful India, and we are issuing a nonstop entreaty to the Chief Executive Officer, Campbell Wilson, to travel and spot that for himself and past to enactment with america to assistance Vishwas Kumar,” Seiger said.
“He needs a batch of help. His injuries are significant, some carnal and psychological. The household besides ran a sportfishing concern successful Diu which has collapsed aft the clang successful June, truthful they are suffering financially arsenic well.”
“We request Air India to measurement guardant and to assistance america enactment a payment bundle unneurotic for Vishwas Kumar and his family,” helium said. Seiger, who volition beryllium travelling to Diu adjacent week to stitchery further information, said the 21,500-pound level interim compensation from the hose is not capable to conscionable the pressing regular needs of the family.
“At the moment, the world is Vishwas Kumar is sitting unsocial successful his bedroom, intelligibly suffering, time in, time out, and it’s urgent that they travel and conscionable with america to truly statesman to assistance him,” helium said. “We indispensable each recognize that what helium went done that day, connected the 12th of June, nary different quality being connected this satellite has ever had that experience.
“This was a modern airliner that crashed. Everybody perished isolated from him. This has ne'er happened before, truthful it’s intolerable for immoderate of america to recognize what helium is going done psychologically. He is going to request precise specializer support, surely from a intelligence constituent of view,” helium said.
The household spokesperson added that the UK’s state-funded National Health Service (NHS) is incapable to enactment the British national with the level of bespoke enactment required. “Care for him – and so each families affected by the calamity – stay our implicit priority,” Air India said successful a statement.
Vishwas Kumar Ramesh was seated successful spot 11A erstwhile the London Gatwick airport-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed adjacent the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport successful Ahmedabad soon aft take-off.
Women abused, shamed, and silenced online by technology-facilitated gender-based violence, says report
Online spaces successful India are increasingly becoming sites of gender-based violence, a study by planetary quality rights organisations Equality Now, and the Breakthrough Trust stated.
The study, titled ‘Experiencing Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence successful India: Survivor Narratives and Legal Responses’, shows however technology-facilitated gender-based unit is silencing women and LGBTQI+ individuals.
“India’s justness strategy is not equipped to woody with the evolving quality of technology-facilitated gender-based violence. Legal and argumentation betterment that is acceptable for intent is urgently required to marque integer spaces safer. Survivors request stronger laws, swifter justice, greater support, with tech companies taking existent work for harms happening connected their platforms,” Amanda Manyame, Equality Now, said.
Technology-facilitated gender-based unit refers to maltreatment enabled oregon amplified done integer technologies, targeting individuals based connected sex oregon intersexual identity, oregon by enforcing harmful sex norms.
The study draws connected 9 subsister interviews, and 11 adept interviews (including lawyers, cybercrime police, academics, and from civilian society) crossed Delhi, Patna, Hyderabad, Kochi, and Thiruvananthapuram. The survivors ranged from adolescents (13 to 17 years) to women successful their 30s and 40s, including Dalits, journalists, actors, and LGBTQI+ individuals.
Common violations see non-consensual sharing of intimate images, morphing and deepfakes, doxing publishing backstage oregon identifying information), stalking, impersonation, cyberbullying, and coordinated attacks. Vulnerability is heightened by caste, tribe, class, disability, and profession.
India’s integer sex disagreement remains stark. Only 33% of women person ever utilized the Internet compared with 57% of men (National Family Health Survey-5, 2019–21). Rural men are doubly arsenic apt arsenic agrarian women to person utilized the Internet (49% men, and 25% women).
Further, 45% of the colonisation does not entree the Internet; among those who do, 82% usage idiosyncratic else’s phone, and of this group, 77% are women and 43% are implicit 35, says 2023 information from information analytics steadfast Kantar, and the Internet and Mobile Association of India.
Perpetrators often groom children, trap them, and usage videos for blackmail. Soumya, a Special Public Prosecutor successful Kerala, said. Cases closed arsenic “unnatural death” alternatively of intersexual violence, and cross-examination targeting a child’s “character” alternatively than the transgression are different issues she stresses.
Survivors described humiliation, vocation setbacks, and a strategy that fails them. “Filing a ailment felt similar different violation. I had to relive everything, lone to beryllium told it was my fault,” 1 subsister said.
A Kerala writer said her fig was scrawled crossed nationalist toilets. “I received 2,000-3,000 calls per day,” she said.
“They took my karwa chauth pictures and wrote captions similar ‘slutty whore’. The constabulary could not bash anything, and my lawsuit was closed,” a subsister successful Patna said.
A LGBTQIA+ post-graduate pupil successful Kerala belonging to a Scheduled Tribe assemblage faced attacks aft a Pride rally. “They posted my fig connected porn sites and started messaging my family. I haven’t travel retired properly; informing them disturbed my life,” the pupil said.
“Sending ineligible notices is often the lone effectual mode to intimidate perpetrators,” a Delhi advocator who worked connected the Bois Locker Room lawsuit said. A 30-year-old subsister from Idukki, Kerala, was asked to airs arsenic a person successful sexually suggestive ways portion moving arsenic a newsreader. Her leader was arrested aft she complained, but she and her children faced nationalist humiliation.
The study flags gaps successful India’s cyber laws — the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 focuses connected spot and data, not harm to persons. It is sex neutral but not sex responsive. The striking down of Section 66A successful 2015 for violating escaped code near a captious spread successful safeguarding survivors, the study says.
In Brief:
India’s richest 1% expanded its wealthiness by 62% betwixt 2000 to 2023, according to a study commissioned by the South African Presidency of the G20. The study, led by Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz, warns that planetary inequality has reached “emergency” levels, threatening democracy, economical stability, and clime progress. The G20 Extraordinary Committee of Independent Experts connected Global Inequality, which includes economists Jayati Ghosh, Winnie Byanyima, and Imraan Valodia, recovered that the apical 1% globally captured 41% of each caller wealthiness created betwixt 2000 and 2024, portion the bottommost fractional of humanity received conscionable 1%.
Evening Wrap volition instrumentality tomorrow.
