National Conference President and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on Monday strongly condemned the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, asserting that India demands decisive action to ensure such attacks never recur.

"We deeply regret that our neighbour (Pakistan) still does not understand that such actions are a murder of humanity. If they believe these attacks will push us toward Pakistan, they are gravely mistaken. We rejected the two-nation theory in 1947, and we reject it even more firmly today. Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians — we are all one. We will respond to this aggression with strength and unity," Farooq Abdullah said.

"If they think such cowardly acts will weaken us, they are wrong. It will only make us stronger. I have always advocated dialogue with Pakistan, but how do we justify dialogue when innocent lives are lost? How do we answer the families who are grieving today? Not just another Balakot strike - the nation now demands concrete action to ensure these tragedies never occur again."

Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh on Monday said that comments made by various Congress leaders on the terror attack in Pahalgam do not reflect the party’s official position.

He clarified that only the Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolution and statements made by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi represent the party’s view.

“What individual Congress leaders are saying is their personal view. The Congress party’s view is reflected in the CWC resolution and the statements by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and LoP Rahul Gandhi,” Ramesh posted on X.

Acknowledging the seriousness of the situation, Ramesh said, “There have been security lapses and intelligence failures. However, we need unity, solidarity, collective will, and continuous communication between the Government and the Opposition. We must stand united."

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Monday that for the first time, the people of the country are united, and this unity is needed to end militancy and terrorism.

Speaking on the resolution moved during the special session of the Assembly to condemn the Pahalgam terror attack, CM Abdullah said, “The whole country is united in condemnation of this attack from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, although this is not the first time we have seen such attacks."

“Baisaran has again created the environment where we are now thinking where the next attack is going to take place. I did not have the words to tell the tourists. It was my responsibility as the host that I should have send them back safely. What should I tell those children who lost their father, or a woman who lost her husband and got married a few days back?"

In the backdrop of Pahalgam killings, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday accused Pakistan of using terror as an “instrument of state policy”, reiterating the Modi government’s resolve to bring “them down on their knees”.

Speaking at a Delhi government event and talking to reporters later, Puri hit out at Pakistan for using terror against India and declared that it would be brought to its knees - a reference he made in response to the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty by India.

“This is not just PM Modi’s resolve but of all the 140 crore Indians. This time there will be no compromise on the issue of terrorism,” he said, referring to the ‘national anger’ over the killing of 26 people by Pakistan-backed terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22.

The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly started its day-long special session on Monday with a two-minute silence in deference to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack.

The Assembly will discuss and pass a resolution condemning the April 22 terror attack in which 26 civilians were killed by terrorists in Baisaran meadow.

Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary presented a resolution in the Assembly which said, “The House expresses its profound shock and anguish at the barbaric and inhuman attack on innocent civilians on 22nd April 2025 and resolve that, the House unequivocally condemns the heinous, cowardly act that resulted in the loss of innocent lives. Such acts of terror are a direct assault on the ethos of Kashmiriyat which is enshrined in our constitution and the spirit of unity, peace and harmony that have long characterised Jammu and Kashmir and our nation."

The MLAs of the opposition BJP demanded that the terrorists and their backers be brought to justice.

Amid toned-down government engagements in the aftermath of the Pahalgam tragedy, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday directed officials to launch development projects without waiting for her to inaugurate them.

“Delhi's development will not stop. Public service and the progress of the state will be our true tribute to those martyrs. We stand firmly against terrorism and will continue to move forward towards building a safe and prosperous future for our people,” CM Gupta said at an event.

“We are saddened and shocked due to the loss of life. I don’t feel good about being garlanded, receiving bouquets or undertaking the formalities of inaugurating projects. We will start work directly,” said CM Gupta.

Breaking her silence for the first time since the allegations against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter, Veena Vijayan, and her now-defunct IT firm ‘Exalogic’, and denied the news in the media about her statement given to SFIO.

“I have noticed this news widely in the media since Saturday. It is true I have given my statement before the SFIO officials, but I have never said that neither my IT firm nor I have taken money from CMRL without providing any service. I reiterate the same again,” reads her statement.

Earlier, the Kerala High Court granted relief to both Vijayan, Veena and the CMRL after the bench ordered status quo for two months on a trial court’s decision to take cognisance of a complaint filed by the SFIO in a financial fraud case involving Veena and CMRL.

The northeastern states should work towards ensuring energy security and given the hydro-power potential, including pumped-storage in the region, they should make efforts to effectively utilise that potential, Union Power Minister Manohar Lal said on Saturday.

In his address at the ‘Regional Conference of the Power Sector’ in Gangtok. Sikkim, the minister underlined the importance of a future-ready, modern and financially viable power sector to fuel the country's growth on its journey towards becoming a developed nation, according to a Ministry of Power statement.

He emphasised the importance of power in achieving the goal of ‘Viksit Bharat,’ adding that the regional conference would help in identifying specific challenges and solutions in respect of power sector of the northeastern states.

The minister mentioned that despite the minor gap of 0.1 per cent in meeting current power requirements, efforts must continue to meet future demands.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Saturday issued an advisory directing all media outlets to refrain from broadcasting live coverage of military operations or movements of security forces.

The advisory extends to news agencies, digital platforms, and social media users, emphasising the need for utmost caution and responsibility in reporting matters related to national security.

"In the interest of national security, all media platforms, news agencies, and social media users are advised to exercise utmost responsibility and adhere strictly to existing laws and regulations while reporting on matters concerning defence and other security-related operations," the Ministry said in a statement.

The government specifically prohibited the real-time dissemination of visuals, live reporting from sensitive locations, and the use of "source-based" information relating to ongoing military actions.

Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara on Saturday said that the state government was tracking Pakistani nationals and sending them back.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Parameshwara said, "The authorities are in the process of identifying Pakistani nationals. We have sensitised all officers of the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP). All senior officers and responsible authorities in each range have been briefed."

He said, "The Central government sent an advisory to the state on Friday in this regard. As per the advisory, we are initiating action. It seems they (Central government) have provided exemptions for people holding long-term visas."

"For those on tourist visas and a certain category of visas, we are taking all necessary steps to ensure that they are sent back. The authorities are already asking identified Pakistani nationals to leave immediately. We are acting according to the directions of the Centre," Parameshwara said.

Sardar Raja Iqbal Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was elected as the new Mayor of Delhi as the party managed to win 133 votes in the municipal contest, which had 262 eligible voters.

Along with 238 councillors, a total of 10 MPs and 14 legislators were also eligible to vote in Friday’s election, taking the number of eligible voters to 262.

The BJP managed to reclaim the post of the city’s First Citizen after two years of dominance by the Aam Aadmi Party, ushering in what Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva described as a “Triple Engine” government in the national capital.

Now, the BJP is in a position to call the shots in the Centre, the Delhi government and the MCD.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar called a Cabinet meeting on Friday and approved 34 proposals.

One of the major decisions was dismissing Vijay Kumar, former Executive Officer of Barbidha, and Raman Rai, former Circle Officer of Sikta Zone (West Champaran), currently Assistant Settlement Officer in Kishanganj from their services due to administrative and disciplinary reasons.

The Cabinet has also approved 663 non-technical posts for 71 offices of the Integrated Urban Engineering Organisation under the Urban Development Department.

These posts aim to ensure smooth functioning and will cost the government Rs 35.27 crore annually.

The Cabinet has approved Bihar Special Survey and Settlement Amendment Rules, 2025.

Offering relief to activist Medha Patkar, a Delhi court on Friday ordered her release on furnishing a Probation Bond and payment of Rs one lakh compensation in a defamation case filed in 2001 by Delhi Lt Governor V.K. Saxena. The order came within hours of her arrest at a city railway station.

In a related development, Patkar withdrew her plea from the Delhi High Court against the orders of lower courts.

A subordinate court ordered her release within hours of being arrested on her arrival at a Delhi railway station at 6 a.m. for being presented before a judge in the Saket district court complex.

She was arrested to execute a non-bailable warrant (NDW) issued against her in the defamation case. The court had observed that she was deliberately flouting its sentencing order to submit probation bonds and Rs one lakh as fine in the defamation case.

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who arrived in Kashmir on Friday, met those injured in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

Congress leaders said here that Rahul Gandhi visited the Army's Base Hospital in Badamibagh Cantonment area of Srinagar, where those injured in the terror attack are admitted.

A total of 26 civilians were killed, and around two dozen people were injured in that cowardly terror attack that took place in Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam.

“Rahulji will also meet various delegations, including those from the party and trade and tourism sectors," said the Congress leaders.

He is likely to have one-on-one meetings with Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

The Supreme Court on Friday castigated Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his alleged derogatory remarks on freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

In November 2022, Rahul Gandhi, during his Bharat Jodo Yatra, made defamatory comments on Savarkar at a rally in Maharashtra's Akola.

A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Manmohan asked Rahul Gandhi to refrain from making “irresponsible statements” as it told him not to speak anything against freedom fighters.

“Mahatma Gandhi also used ‘your faithful servant’ while addressing the Viceroy? Someone does not become a servant like this. Next time, somebody will say Mahatma Gandhi was the servant of the British,” it remarked.

Amid continuing protests by both “genuine” and “tainted” losers of teaching and non-teaching jobs in state-run schools in West Bengal following a Supreme Court order earlier this month, a new angle of irregularity has surfaced.

The irregularity concerns a section of the “tainted” candidates already identified by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC). These candidates were shown as “non-joined” as per the records of the school education department, which means that these teaching and non-teaching staff have not joined duty despite getting appointments.

The question has now surfaced -- if such candidates were marked as “non-joined” as per records of the state education department, how could they draw salaries for so many years?

Activist Medha Patkar was arrested here on Friday after the court issued a non-bailable warrant against her in a defamation case filed by Delhi Lt Governor V.K. Saxena.

She was arrested by the Delhi Police in the morning and will be produced in the court later in the day.

A court here on Wednesday issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Patkar over her non-appearance and non-compliance with the sentence order in connection with a decades-old defamation case filed by Delhi L-G Saxena. The court had observed that she was deliberately flouting its sentencing order to submit probation bonds and Rs one lakh as fine in the defamation case filed in 2001.

The Karnataka cabinet, in a special meeting held in Chamarajanagar district on Thursday, passed a resolution condemning the Pahalgam terror attack and also demanded an investigation into the lapses that led to it.

"Our government strongly condemns the terrorist attack on innocent civilians in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. It has been decided to extend heartfelt condolences on behalf of the people of the state to all those who lost their lives," the resolution said.

"The terrorist attacks must be deemed as heinous acts committed against humanity. The entire nation must unite and strive to completely uproot all forms of terrorism."

The resolution also demanded a thorough and appropriate investigation into the lapses.

A team of the District Town and Country Planning (DTCP) department conducted a demolition drive in Gurugram's Sohna block, where ten illegal colonies were being developed over an area of around 15 acres, the officials said on Thursday.

The district town planner, along with its team, carried out a demolition drive in the area.

DTCP officials claimed that these colonies were being developed illegally in Alipur, Ghamroj, Bhondsi, and Sehjawas villages without prior permission from the concerned department.

During the drive, three illegal colonies were demolished in Alipur village. It was coming up over eight acres of land. During this, 7 boundary walls, an under-construction house, and a road network were demolished.

 J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Thursday that he is in touch with state governments where harassment of Kashmiris is being reported in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.

“The J&K government is in touch with the governments of the states where these reports are originating from. I’m also in touch with other Chief Ministers in these states and have requested they take extra care,” he wrote on X.

The Chief Minister was responding to a post by ruling National Conference (NC) spokesperson, Imran Nabi Dar, seeking the Chief Minister’s intervention after videos of Kashmiris being harassed emerged on social media.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Thursday that foreigners overstaying their visas in the state are under watch against the backdrop of Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed 26 lives.

His statement comes after the Union Home Ministry's direction to monitor foreign nationals residing in the country.

Interacting with reporters at the Male Mahadeshwara helipad, CM Siddaramaiah stated that wherever terrorists may be, it is the central government's responsibility to eliminate them.

"There must be no leniency that allows terrorist activities to take place. The Pahalgam incident is highly condemnable and inhumane. I strongly denounce it. Since the Pulwama attack also took place in the same district, extra caution should have been exercised. Security arrangements should not have been relaxed. This indicates a failure of the intelligence system," Siddaramaiah said.

AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to invite all the parties, including those having one MP, to the all-party meeting on the Pahalgam terror attack.

Owaisi said that since this is a national issue, everyone must be heard.

The Lok Sabha member posed on X on Thursday that he spoke to Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday night regarding the Pahalgam all-party meeting.

“He said they’re thinking of inviting only parties with “5 or 10 MPs.” When I asked why not parties with fewer MPs, he said that the meeting would get “too long”. When I asked “What about us, the smaller parties?” He joked that my voice is anyway too loud,” posted Owaisi.

The Akal Takht's officiating Jathedar, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, on Wednesday condemned the attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir.

Expressing grief over the incident, he offered prayers before the Akal Purakh, seeking eternal peace for the departed souls and strength for the bereaved families to accept His will.

He also prayed that such inhumane acts should never occur anywhere in the world and that peace and harmony should prevail across the nation and the world.

Jathedar Gargaj said the Pahalgam tragedy deeply pained him and reminded him of the March 2000 massacre in Chittisinghpura in Kashmir in which 35 Sikhs were killed, but the truth was "yet to come to light".

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to the families of the tourists who were killed in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.

"We are coordinating with the tourists. We have made arrangements for those who have contacted us. We are bringing some of them through Indigo. After reviewing the arrangements, Minister of State Muralidhar Mohol will request IndiGo to provide an additional plane. The minister is looking after the arrangements for the necessary tickets. They will be brought to Maharashtra as soon as possible, as they are scared due to this incident," CM Fadnavis said in a statement.

He said state ministers Ashish Shelar and Mangal Prabhat Lodha are reviewing the arrangements at Mumbai Airport. In Pune, Union Minister of State Muralidhar Mohol and Minister of State Madhuri Misal are engaged in the coordination.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting to take stock of security arrangements in the state in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and asked to ensure strong security arrangements at all religious and public places in the state.

The meeting here saw the presence of top officers of the police and civil administration.

"We will not allow any compromise with national security. Strong security arrangements have been made at all religious places and public places in the state", Mann wrote in a post in Punjabi on X after the meeting.

"The number of security forces has also been increased in educational institutions. It is our responsibility to ensure the safe return of Punjabis stranded in Jammu and Kashmir, and for this, we are constantly in touch with the Jammu and Kashmir Police. The safety of the people of Punjab is our top priority", he added.

The Congress party on Wednesday strongly condemned the "cowardly" terror attack that left more than two dozen tourists dead in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, stating that those responsible for such heinous crimes "cannot be humans."

Addressing a press conference, Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge, party spokesperson Pawan Khera, and Karnataka Congress chief D.K. Shivakumar expressed their deep anguish over the tragic incident and extended heartfelt condolences to the grieving families.

"Every single Indian is in deep shock and pain," Khera said.

Kharge said the attack, which occurred around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the Baisaran Valley, has left the entire nation "deeply hurt, shocked, and saddened." He called the incident an outrageous act of terror and a direct assault on the unity and integrity of India.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday condemned the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that claimed many lives and left scores injured.

At least 26 tourists have been killed after gunmen opened fire on innocent civilians in Baisaran in Jammu and Kashmir.

Terming it a cowardly act, the Chief Minister said such incidents were unacceptable in a civilised society and anti-social elements must be curbed at all costs.

"Our hearts go out to the victims and their families during this incredibly painful time. We stand in unwavering solidarity with the families of the victims and with all those affected by this barbaric act," he said in a statement.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday condemned the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam district that claimed 26 lives.

Calling the attack unfortunate, he said: "No amount of condemnation is enough."

"In this hour of grief, the government stands with the families of those who have lost their lives in this incident. I will pray to God to give place to their brave souls at his lotus feet. Strict action should be taken against those who carried out this heinous incident," he said.

"The cowardly terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam is unfortunate. My condolences are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. The government is fully with the families who have suffered. No one who carried out this disgusting act will be spared," he said.

Jan Suraaj chief Prashant Kishor on Monday slammed the Bihar government over the caste census, saying that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is ‘deceiving the public’ over the issue.

“Nitish Kumar is deceiving the public over the caste census, land surveys, and employment promises,” the Jan Suraaj chief told media persons in Bihar.

Prashant Kishor also demanded bring White Paper on the caste census Implementation in Bihar.

“Why reservation cap was not increased after the caste survey data was presented in the Assembly. If the JDU-BJP alliance governs both the state and the Centre, what’s stopping them from raising the reservation limit?” he said.

The Panchayats of Goniana Block in Bathinda district have taken a historic decision in support of the Mann government’s anti-drug campaign, ‘Yudh Nashiyan Virudh.’ All village sarpanches have passed a resolution stating that drug peddlers in the villages will face collective boycott and will not receive social support of any kind.

The resolution also mentioned that the Panchayats will actively work at their own level to identify drug peddlers, hand them over to the police, and assist in legal proceedings against them. Furthermore, individuals who quit drugs will be honored by the Panchayats and provided with every possible assistance to reintegrate into normal life.

Aam Aadmi Party Punjab leader and senior spokesperson Neel Garg praised this resolution and thanked all the sarpanches. He said that any movement succeeds only when it receives public support. Therefore, this decision is immensely significant for the campaign led by the AAP government against drugs. He added that change is coming to the villages, and Punjab will soon become completely drug-free.

Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who is on a US visit, has raised serious concerns over the integrity of India’s electoral process, alleging voter fraud and accusing the Election Commission of India (ECI) of being compromised.

Addressing members of the Indian diaspora in Boston during his visit to the United States, Gandhi cited discrepancies in the voter turnout figures during the Maharashtra Assembly elections as a key example.

“More people voted in the Maharashtra Assembly elections than there are registered voters,” Gandhi claimed.

“The Election Commission gave us a figure at 5.30 in the evening. Then, between 5.30 and 7.30 p.m., 65 lakh additional votes were cast. That is physically impossible to manage in just two hours.”

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday inspected Minto Bridge and two other waterlogging-prone points for preparedness to tackle waterlogging, promising that her team was working on war footing to save the city from coming to a standstill due to marooning in monsoon.

“We are installing automatic pumps and laying a 2.5-km pipe to prevent water collection under the bridge,” she said, during an inspection in which she was accompanied by Minister Parvesh Verma, responsible for irrigation, flood control and water.

Inspecting the provisions for rainwater inlet and pumping facilities at the colonial-era Minto Bridge, CM Gupta said the government is working in a time-bound manner and conducting checks in advance to “ensure that not even a drop of rainwater” gets collected during rains.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday said the government is committed to promoting sports not just as a career option but also as a way of life. He said sports are being made compulsory at the school level across the state to ensure a balanced development of physical and mental health from an early age.

He said a resolution has been taken to provide medical insurance cover of Rs 20 lakh to every player. The Chief Minister was addressing the gathering after formally inaugurating the third All India Shiv Kumar Smriti Basketball Competition in Kiloi village in Rohtak district, the stronghold of two-time Congress Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

On this occasion, he announced a grant of Rs 21 lakh for development works at the Shiv Kumar Smriti Stadium, the construction of a Mahila Chaupal in the village, and assured that various other local demands would be fulfilled soon.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted a raid on retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja's residence in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, on Friday.

The raids are believed to be conducted in search of further documentary evidence in the Rs 2000 crore Chhattisgarh liquor and other scams.

Reports said a Delhi-based special team of the agency, comprising six members, searched the premises for incriminating evidence. This recent raid ties into a series of ongoing probes into several scams, including the Naan scam, the Mahadev app betting scam, and allegations of corruption in coal allocation and excise dealings.

Tuteja’s name has repeatedly surfaced as a pivotal figure in these scandals, making him a prime accused in the multi-layered investigations.

His financial dealings and alleged role in these murky operations have drawn the keen attention of authorities.

Calling the near-defunct National Herald newspaper as an ATM of the Congress, former Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Friday targeted the grand old party for following the policy of “family first, party next” and said the ED case has shown that its leaders have been “caught cheating, yet again”.

Hitting out at the Congress for its legacy of alleged corruption since the time of the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Thakur said, "Whenever we talk about National Herald... it gives sensation to the entire ecosystem of the Congress party. It is obvious that they would get a sensation as they have been caught stealing red-handed yet again. If you look at the history of Congress, several scams have come to light since Independence."

He said the ED probe has shown that the Congress leaders tried to acquire property worth Rs 2,000 crore by paying Rs 50 lakh, exposing the “Congress model of corruption”.