India news: Rahul Gandhi urges protest against voter deletions, announces November 1 rally

October 25, 2026

Rahul Gandhi targets BJP over alleged voter deletions, announces Delhi rally

Congress leader and Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi on Sunday urged students, farmers, workers, women, young people and traders to join a "Save the Vote, Save the Country" march and rally in New Delhi on November 1.

The proposed rally, alleging widespread deletions from electoral rolls and violations of rules, is planned to be held at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan.

In a post on X, the opposition leader alleged votes were being "stolen" by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"Names have been removed from the voter lists. Rules and laws have been broken," Gandhi wrote, adding that people "will not tolerate this quietly" anymore.

Various organizations in India, including the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), are protesting a sweeping exercise which has so far purged over 130 million names from the country's draft electoral rolls.

Earlier this month, a bloc of Indian political parties, staged a protest in Delhi demanding the resignation of India's Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged misconduct. 

Gandhi's allegations come amid protests against the Election Commission's revision of the voter rolls.

The protests have intensified amid opposition allegations that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls could disenfranchise eligible voters and benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP.

The Election Commission has defended the revision as an exercise to verify and update electoral rolls.

October 25, 2026

India carries out major operation against international drug cartel

Union Home Minister Amit Shah says Indian agencies have carried out a major crackdown on an international narcotics cartel.

The home minister said 18 people were arrested across 38 locations in the northeastern states of Assam, Mizoram and Manipur on October 23 during a crackdown on an alleged international narcotics cartel.

Shah said Operation Trident uncovered hawala transactions worth ₹100 crore (around €9.4 million). Authorities also froze 1,424 bank accounts, seized properties worth ₹17.82 crore and 500 detonators, and recovered ₹12 lakh in cash, he said.

According to Shah, the network trafficked narcotics across the borders of India, Myanmar and Bangladesh through what he described as the "Death Triangle Corridor."

"India will hammer until the last nail is driven into the coffin of drug cartels," Shah said.

October 25, 2026

Hundreds form human chain in Hyderabad protesting Election Commission's SIR

Hundreds of people formed a human chain in the southern city of Hyderabad on Saturday, reports said, as the controversy over India's revision of voter rolls continues.

Various organizations, including India's youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar after a newspaper investigation alleged impropriety during a large-scale voter-roll revision.

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) saw the deletion of more than 130 million names from draft electoral rolls nationwide.

The protesters in the capital of the Telangana state demanded:

• the scrapping of the SIR of electoral rolls,
• restoration of deleted voters
• removal of Kumar and
• the repeal of the Chief Election Commissioner Act, 2023, which appointed Kumar

The demonstration was organized by civil society, human rights, farmers, Dalit, youth and student groups where participants alleged that the exercise could disenfranchise nearly half of Telangana's electorate, media reports said.

"We refuse to be silenced by the repressive Modi Government which stands exposed," one protester told the Indian Express newspaper.

Those gathered also condemned police action against demonstrators, particularly in Delhi, and asserted that peaceful protest was a constitutional right, according to reports.

The SIR is underway in Telangana, with the final electoral rolls scheduled for publication on November 9.

October 25, 2026

IMD warns severe cyclone to hit Andhra Pradesh

Parts of the states of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha were on alert on Sunday as India's weather department warned of an incoming severe cyclonic storm over Bay of Bengal.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a depression over the east-central Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday and cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam.

IMD said the "maximum sustained wind speed of 115-125 km/h gusting to 140 km/h by forenoon" is expected by October 28, when the storm is likely to make landfall.

Schools and colleges in five southern Odisha districts bordering Andhra Pradesh will stay closed on October 28 and 29, the Indian Express newspaper reported,as authorities took stock of the situation.

President Droupadi Murmu's scheduled two-day visit to Odisha on October 28-29 has also been postponed to early November due to the impending cyclone, according to the paper.

October 25, 2026

Welcome back!

Hello! This is Shakeel from DW's New Delhi Studio bring you the top updates from across India this bright and sunny morning in Delhi.

Schools and colleges have been shut and a presidential visit deferred over a brewing cyclone in the Bay of Bengal. Weather officials predict very heavy rainfall forecast in several districts of the southern Andhra Pradesh state.

In Hyderabad, hundreds of people formed a human chain on Saturday demanding the scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls as the controversy over the electoral reforms by the Election Commission of India refuses to die.

For all this and more, follow our liveblog!

October 24, 2026

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October 24, 2026

Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia University moves classes online amid student protests

Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi has moved all classes online with immediate effect after student protesters demanding the restoration of campus union elections clashed with security guards on Saturday.

The university said the decision was taken to ensure students’ safety. The administration also directed faculty members to provide academic support and learning materials for online classes until further notice.

Protests began on October 12, with students demanding the reinstatement of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union, which was disbanded in 2006 following campus violence and academic disruptions.

Tensions escalated on Saturday when security guards reportedly attempted to remove tents set up by protesters. Videos circulating online appeared to show students and guards scuffling.

The protests have also sparked controversy over posters and slogans calling for the release of jailed activist Sharjeel Imam, who faces charges linked to the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots. 

October 24, 2026

Neha Bora refuses to sign police peace bond

Student leader Neha Bora said on Saturday they would not sign a peace bond, alleging that the evidence cited by police was factually incorrect.

The All India Students' Association (AISA) leader, who uses they/them pronouns, made the statement a day after the Delhi High Court dismissed their plea challenging a police notice directing them to execute a Rs 10,000 (€94.39) personal bond with surety to maintain peace.

AISA and India's youth-led  Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), along with other organizations, are demanding the resignation of controversy-hit Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar after a newspaper investigation alleged impropriety during a large-scale voter-roll revision, which saw the deletion of more than 130 million names from draft electoral rolls nationwide.

"Our concern is that people may be deprived of one of their most fundamental democratic rights: the right to vote," Bora wrote in an oped in the Indian Express newspaper on Saturday.

Bora said AISA had not called the Central Park protest cited in the notice as grounds for the bond. They also questioned whether peaceful demonstrations against alleged voter deletions under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise could be considered a breach of peace.

"It is essential that peaceful protests and democratic demonstrations on the streets are not declared a breach of peace," they said, adding that they would challenge the interpretation and enforcement of such bonds in court.

Bora said neither they nor AISA would sign the bond, arguing that it violated the fundamental right to democratic dissent.

October 24, 2026

Five killed in blast during roadwork in Andhra Pradesh

Five people were killed on Saturday when explosive material misfired during road-widening work in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, the Hindustan Times reported citing the police.

The blast occurred in Pinakota village in Alluri Sitharama Raju district during rock blasting for road expansion.

The explosion also destroyed two vehicles, the report said.

State Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha expressed condolences to the victims' families and directed officials to ensure medical treatment for the injured and provide assistance to those affected.

October 24, 2026

Violence in Arunachal over proposed hydropower project

A police station was reportedly burnt down and seven police vehicles torched on Friday by angry protesters opposing a proposed hydropower project in Pasighat in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, the Arunachal Times newspaper said.

The violence broke out in Pasighat after police fired tear gas at youths protesting the proposed 11,000-megawatt Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), according to local media.

Protesters also allegedly set fire to a National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) office, while a journalist was injured in the unrest, reports said.

Protesters are demanding the release of detained activists, the withdrawal of security forces from the Siang region and an immediate halt to survey work on the hydropower project.

Authorities have deployed additional security personnel in the region as tensions remained high.

October 24, 2026

Jio Platforms IPO draws record demand, subscribed more than 22 times

Bids for Jio Platforms' initial public offering (IPO) topped $77 billion (€68.74 billion) on Friday, making it India's most subscribed share offering. Demand exceeded 22 times the shares on offer.

The IPO of the telecoms and digital unit of Reliance Industries, owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, attracted more than 13.8 million applications — a record for India.

The offering values Jio Platforms at up to $108.3 billion.

Led by Ambani's son Akash, the company operates a mobile network serving more than 500 million users and counts Meta and Google among its investors.

The shares are expected to list on Wednesday.

The IPO comes just days after Elon Musk criticized regulatory delays facing Starlink in India, accusing Reliance Industries head Mukesh Ambani of keeping Starlink out of the India market.

October 24, 2026

Three children among five killed in firecracker workshop explosions in Bihar

Three children were among the five killed on Friday when a series of explosions ripped through a firecracker workshop operating from a private home in the eastern state of Bihar, police said.

According to the police residents fear more people may be buried under the rubble.

The workshop's owner and four relatives were among those killed in the incident in Siwan district.

According to the Hindustan Times newspaper, a witness said that body parts of some of those killed in the blast were "strewn all over."

Industrial accidents, especially in firework factories, are common in India, where safety standards are often poorly enforced.

In recent past:

• In August, 11 people, including eight children, were killed by an explosion in a firecracker workshop operating from a residential area in northern Uttar Pradesh state
• In March, a fire at a fireworks factory in Maharashtra state India killed 17 people and injured 18 people
• In April, eight people were killed and 15 injured when a firecracker warehouse in Kerala in south India caught fire

October 24, 2026

India blames Chinese patrolling deviations for border disruptions

India's Foreign Ministry said on Friday the situation along the India-China border was periodically disrupted when Chinese forces deviated from established patrolling patterns.

"Both sides continue to use existing diplomatic and military mechanisms to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC)," the ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said while addressing the media.

The two countries have also agreed to discuss ways to improve their understanding of the LAC in certain areas to strengthen border management, he added.

"I would also like to emphasize that maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas is essential for the overall development of bilateral relations," Jaiswal said.

'Face-offs between Indian and Chinese troops continuing'

This development comes a day after India's China border police chief, Shatrujeet Singh Kapur, said on Thursday that face-offs between Indian and Chinese troops are continuing at multiple locations along the border in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, despite ongoing talks between the two countries, according to Indian media.

The face-offs in Arunachal Pradesh underscore the challenges of maintaining peace along the border even as the two countries have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks this year.

The issue was also taken up by the opposition Congress party with Member of Parliament and senior party leader Jairam Ramesh criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and and the government for "remain silent on this grave issue."

"The nation is asking: Amid ongoing tensions on the border, what kind of nationalism is this softness toward China and the growing economic dependence?" Ramesh posted on X.

October 24, 2026

Welcome to our coverage!

Hello! This is Shakeel from DW's New Delhi Studio bringing you the top updates from across India.

The issue of India-China border tensions has its made its way back into focus as India on Friday said Chinese forces deviating from established patrolling patterns continue to disrupt the border situation.

Meanwhile, in the eastern state of Bihar, three children were among the five killed when a series of powerful explosions tore through a firecracker workshop at a private house, where the manufacturing was taking place.

For all this and more, follow our liveblog.