Evening briefing: PM Modi attacks Congress over Ganpati Puja; SC orders safety measures at coaching centres, and more
A shortlist of the biggest headlines, recommended stories, and a special collection of news items you should check out.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday reignited the Ganesh Chaturthi controversy, accusing the Congress of harbouring animosity towards the festival. He remarked that any party with genuine respect for India's faith and culture would never oppose Ganpati Puja. “A party that has even a shred of respect for our faith and culture can never oppose Ganpati Puja. But today's Congress harbours hatred even for Ganpati Puja. The land of Maharashtra is a witness to how, during the freedom struggle under the leadership of Lokmanya Tilak, the Ganpati festival became a symbol of India's unity,” said PM Modi. While addressing a gathering in Maharashtra's Wardha, PM Modi said that the current Congress is not the same as the one associated with leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, saying that the soul of patriotism has left it and hatred has taken its place. Dig deeper
More related news | PM Modi lambasts Rahul Gandhi over 'Devta' remark: 'Naxal mindset imported from other religions'
The Supreme Court on Friday insisted on having uniform safety measures for coaching institutes on a pan-India basis and directed a committee examining this issue to suggest interim measures within a month. The development comes in wake of the tragic death of three students at a Delhi coaching centre on July 27. A bench headed by justice Surya Kant said, “The unfortunate incident happened in Delhi, but this can happen elsewhere. We might have thought of expanding this matter on a pan-India basis but now there is a committee formed by the Centre.” Attorney General R Venkataramani appearing for Centre produced the notification appointing the committee constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on July 30, within days after the tragic incident at Delhi-based Rau’s IAS Study Circle claimed lives of three students who drowned in the water-logged basement of the building housing the library. Dig deeper
More related news | Delhi HC grants bail to four people in IAS coaching centre deaths
Latest News
Deputy SP suspended over violence during Ganesh idol procession in Karnataka town Dig deeper
Blasphemy accused killed by police, mob burns body in Pakistan Dig deeper
India News
Setback for Centre as Bombay HC strikes down IT Rules changes for Fact Check Units Dig deeper
Supreme Court stays ₹1,000 crore penalty on Punjab for waste management failures Dig deeper
Trending
In an extraordinary medical feat, doctors at a government hospital in Andhra Pradesh's Kakinada successfully performed a complex brain surgery—known as awake craniotomy—while the patient watched a film featuring popular Telugu actor Jr NTR. The 55-year-old patient, A. Ananthalakshmi, underwent surgery for a brain tumour at Kakinada's Government General Hospital (GGH). She had been experiencing symptoms such as numbness in her limbs and recurring headaches, reported Times of India. After a thorough diagnosis, doctors identified a 3.3 x 2.7 cm tumour on the left side of her brain, prompting the need for urgent surgical intervention. Dig deeper
Global Matters
Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, made offensive and upsetting comments on a pornographic website and described himself as “black NAZI,” revealed a bombshell CNN report. Republicans, particularly in North Carolina, are now evaluating the possible consequences for Donald Trump, the GOP presidential candidate, in wake of the shocking report. On Thursday, CNN revealed that Robinson, with the username “minisoldr”, made the remarks over ten years ago. He claimed to be a “black NAZI” and a supporter of slavery. According to the report, he also recalled an incident of “peeping” on women in the shower at the age of 14. Dig deeper
Entertainment Focus
Legendary late filmmaker Yash Chopra's 2004 blockbuster romantic saga Veer-Zaara continues to further his legacy 20 years later. The film, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta in lead roles, has now crossed ₹100 crore at the worldwide box office upon its re-release last week. As per trade analyst Taran Adarsh, Veer-Zaara earned ₹20 lakh on Friday (September 13), ₹32 lakh on Saturday, ₹38 lakh on Sunday, ₹20 lakh on Monday, ₹18 lakh on Tuesday, ₹15 lakh on Wednesday, and ₹14 lakh on Thursday, leading to the total domestic box office collection of ₹1.57 crore after its re-release. Add to that ₹0.23 crore earned overseas after re-release, and the September re-release total comes to ₹1.80 crore. The film also earned ₹0.30 crore during its initial re-release run in February earlier this year. Dig deeper
Lifestyle and Health
Sara Ali Khan and Saif Ali Khan stepped out for a lunch date today in Mumbai. The father-daughter duo was snapped outside a restaurant in Mumbai for a lunch date. They chose stylish casual denim looks for the outing. The paparazzi captured Saif Ali Khan and Sara Ali Khan on a lunch date today and shared the footage on social media. The stylish father-daughter duo was seen outside Bastian, often frequented by celebrities. In the video, Saif and Sara are seen entering the restaurant, posing for the cameras, and greeting the media outside. Dig deeper
Sports Goings
Virat Kohli sparked a bit of controversy during the fag end of the second day of the 1st Test between India and Bangladesh in Chennai when the batting stalwart refused to take DRS despite there being a thick inside edge. Kohli was looking good, batting on 17 having struck two boundaries, and was set to take India safely through to stumps. However, with four overs left in the day, Kohli got out LBW to Mehidy Hasan Miraz leading to wild celebrations in the Bangladesh camp. As umpire Richard Kettleborough raised his finger, Kohli immediately walked up to Shubman Gill at the non-striker's end, wanting to know his partner's perspective on the decision. Surprisingly, never one to shy away from taking a review, Kohli, after a brief chat, began walking back to the change room. Dig deeper
That’s all we have at this hour in our evening briefing. Catch you tomorrow morning.