RELIANCE

New Delhi, September 28, 2026 — Political tensions over the functioning of India’s Election Commission intensified on Monday as Congress supporters protested outside the ancestral residence of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Agra and spray-painted slogans including “Gyanesh Gaddar” and “Vote Chor” on the property. The demonstration came as Congress and other opposition groups stepped up nationwide protests demanding Kumar’s resignation amid a growing political dispute over the Election Commission’s handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Congress workers and members of affiliated organisations gathered outside Kumar’s residence in Vijay Nagar, Agra, on Monday morning, raising slogans and displaying posters and pamphlets. Some protesters used black spray paint on the main gate and an exterior wall of the house. Images and videos of the incident were subsequently circulated widely on social media. The Indian Youth Congress also shared footage ...

Dhaka, September 28, 2026 — A Dhaka University Chhatra Dal leader has accused content creator Salman Muqtadir of unfairly linking the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to an attack on his studio at ECB Chattar, arguing that the incident appears to have stemmed from a land dispute involving individuals associated with other political groups. Abidul Islam Khan Abid, joint general secretary of Dhaka University Chhatra Dal, criticised Muqtadir’s comments in a video statement posted on social media. He alleged that Muqtadir had attempted to associate the BNP with extortion allegations without sufficient evidence. The comments followed an attack on BrownFish Studio , founded by Muqtadir, at the New Gini Properties housing project in Dhaka’s ECB Chattar area late on September 26. The studio was among several properties reportedly vandalised and looted during the incident. Police have said the violence was linked primarily to a dispute over land possession and control. According to Abid, the...

Dhaka | September 27, 2026 Students of Dhaka Central University staged a protest on Sunday against the appointment of the university’s new vice-chancellor, while also demanding urgent action to resolve what they described as prolonged academic uncertainty. The protesters marched through the capital before holding a press conference, where they presented a six-point set of demands focused on academic migration, the introduction of a semester and schooling system, curriculum reform, faculty recruitment and the development of modern educational infrastructure. The demonstration began at around 12:30 p.m. from the main gate of Dhaka College. The students marched towards the Science Lab intersection before returning to the college premises, where they addressed reporters. During the protest, students chanted slogans including “No lobbying, only the streets”, “Break the Dhaka University syndicate”, “Action, direct action” and “We reject the Dhaka University vice-chancellor.” Students questio...

Dhaka | September 27, 2026 The attack and vandalism at popular Bangladeshi content creator Salman Muqtadir’s BrownFish Studio in Dhaka’s ECB Chattar area have triggered reactions beyond Bangladesh, including in neighbouring West Bengal. A social media post by Kolkata-based journalist and former Republic Bangla presenter Mayukh Ranjan Ghosh has, however, drawn particular attention after he described those behind the attack as “fundamentalists”, even as Bangladeshi police have so far linked the incident to a land dispute. In a post on his verified Facebook page, Ghosh praised the design of Muqtadir’s studio, saying he liked the studio’s set and that, had it been located in Kolkata, he would have considered renting it himself. He also expressed concern over the attack, saying he was disturbed by the fact that such an incident had occurred in Dhaka, which he described as being only about 400 kilometres from Kolkata. He warned that a rise in what he called “fundamentalists” in Kolkata could...

Phagwara, Punjab | September 27, 2026 A major student protest erupted at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab’s Phagwara after allegations emerged that a female student had been sexually assaulted by an outsider, triggering overnight unrest, clashes and property damage on the university campus. Hundreds of students joined the demonstration, which began around midnight and intensified in the early hours of Sunday. The protest later spilled beyond the campus, with students blocking part of the Jalandhar-Phagwara national highway and disrupting traffic. Dramatic scenes were reported from inside the university grounds, where students climbed onto military equipment displayed on campus. Videos circulating on social media showed one student sitting on an Indian Air Force MiG-23UM fighter aircraft, while around 10 students were seen standing on top of a military tank installed as part of a campus display. Protest intensifies amid allegations According to police, the initial protest ...

RIYADH, September 24, 2026 — Saudi authorities have lifted emergency warnings issued earlier in five areas of the kingdom, including Mecca, Taif, Tabuk, Jeddah and the Red Sea port city of Yanbu, after declaring that the reported danger had passed. The Saudi Civil Defense said on Thursday that the alerts, issued through the National Early Warning Platform, had been withdrawn after conditions returned to normal. Residents were nevertheless urged to continue following official safety instructions and to remain alert. The warnings had referred only to a “potential danger” and did not specify the nature of the threat. Authorities also did not report any casualties or damage in connection with the alerts. Civil Defense separately advised residents to avoid gathering unnecessarily at incident sites or other potentially hazardous locations. People were also asked not to photograph or record video at such sites, reflecting the authorities’ emphasis on public safety and orderly response durin...

NEW DELHI — India’s Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has given Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar 48 hours to resign , warning that it will launch a nationwide protest if he refuses to step down. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke issued the ultimatum at a news conference in New Delhi on Thursday, amid growing political and public scrutiny of the Election Commission’s handling of electoral rolls and its ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Dipke accused the Election Commission of undermining voters’ rights and questioned the conduct of the poll panel under Kumar’s leadership. He said the proposed nationwide protests would follow the pattern of an earlier demonstration organised by the party at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar in June. “We believe the Chief Election Commissioner should resign to ensure free and fair elections,” Dipke said, according to reports of the news conference. Dispute over voter-roll revision At the centre of the controversy is the Election Commission’s SIR prog...