UPDATED: Oct 14, 2026 22:42 IST
Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi met the parents of Ankita Bhandari alongside activist Yogita Bhayana during a protest at India Gate, where the family demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry and questioned the appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Gautam as Governor of Sikkim. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah clashed politically with the Congress over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, accusing the opposition of protecting infiltrators for vote banks, while Congress leaders questioned deportation data and alleged voter deletions. In Uttar Pradesh, a Meerut court awarded the death penalty to Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla for the murder, dismemberment, and concealment of Saurabh Rajput's body in a cement-sealed drum following a thirteen-month trial. Legal experts, including former Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Vikram Singh and Supreme Court Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves, analyzed whether the case qualifies as the rarest of rare on India First amid wider political debates on electoral roll revisions.
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CJP-Congress Unity Test: Are Gen Z Flash Protests Justified? Panelists Debate Arrests, Tihar Jail
A debate unfolds over the flash youth protests in Delhi following the denotification of Jantar Mantar as a designated protest venue. Meher Pasricha, national spokesperson of the Cockroach Janata Party, defends the demonstration of national symbols in public spaces, criticising the administration's actions as an arbitrary suppression of dissent: 'It's just a systematic dismantling of protest and dissent in itself.' Varun Chaudhary, AICC co-in charge and former national president of the NSUI, condemns the detention of student activists and asserts that the right to peaceful assembly is protected under the Constitution. Meanwhile, Shravan B Raj, National Secretary of the ABVP, counters that multi-outfit street mobilisations are causing public disruption and anarchy, urging student groups not to derail youth or target democratic institutions. The panel examines the legal implications under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, the role of opposition political figures, and the accountability of the Election Commission.
CJP Leaders Sent To Tihar Jail After Jantar Mantar Protest, Rahul Gandhi Slams Arrest As ‘Cowardice’
Cockroach Janata Party co-conveners Saurabh Das and Ashutosh Ranka have been remanded in judicial custody for five days and sent to Tihar Jail after entering Jantar Mantar, which was recently denotified as a designated protest site. They face charges of trespassing and violating peace bonds. Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi condemned their jailing as an act of cowardice and backed the agitation, whilst student organisations, including the National Students' Union of India, staged protest marches to reclaim the venue. The Bharatiya Janata Party hit back, accusing the opposition of misleading the country's youth over legal actions taken for bond violations. Opposition parties have announced a movement to restore Jantar Mantar as a demonstration site, and a petition challenging the police ban has also been filed before the Supreme Court.
Rahul, Priyanka Meet Ankita Bhandari's Family at India Gate Ahead of Uttarakhand Polls
Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met the parents of Ankita Bhandari near India Gate in New Delhi, extending solidarity as the family staged a dharna. Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist at a resort in Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, was found murdered in September 2022. While three men, including resort owner Pulkit Arya, were convicted, the family continues to demand a thorough probe into the alleged involvement of a VIP. The latest flashpoint follows the appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Sikkim Governor, with the victim's parents demanding his punishment and alleging his involvement in the case. The parents also criticised the pace and direction of the Central Bureau of Investigation probe, seeking examination of technical evidence like call records. The political outreach comes ahead of the Uttarakhand assembly elections, returning the high-profile case to the national spotlight.