An encounter has started between security forces and terrorists in the Kadder area of South Kashmir's Kulgam district, the police said on Thursday.

"Encounter has started at Kadder area of Kulgam district. Police and security forces are on the job," police said.

The operation started after a joint team of police and security forces received input about the presence of terrorists in that area.

There have been a series of encounters between terrorists and security forces across Jammu and Kashmir in the recent past in which many terrorists and their commanders have been eliminated. Security forces have also taken casualties.

ension grew in a village near the Indi-Bangladesh border at Dinhata subdivision in West Bengal's Cooch Behar district on Wednesday after some construction workers recovered a Pakistani mortar shell while digging.

When one of the construction workers first noticed the shell, he mistook it as some ordinary explosive and panicked.

The local police and Border Security Force (BSF) were informed.

At least one person is reported drowned and another 66 rescued among 80 tourists aboard a private ferry boat in a suspected collision with another vessel near the Gateway of India, officials said here on Wednesday.

The maritime disaster happened around 5.15 p.m. when the launch with around 56 tourist passengers was sailing from the iconic Gateway of India to the UNESCO Heritage Elephanta Islands.

According to the Joint Operations Command (JOC) and BMC, the ferry boat, ‘Neelkamal’ suddenly wobbled and overturned near Uran, Karanja. Videos of the tragedy, clicked by passengers from other ferries showed gruesome sights of people screaming for help, flaying their arms and legs to remain afloat or attempting to hold their near and dear ones from sinking in the Arabian Sea waters.

On receiving the information of the disaster, the Indian Navy’s four helicopters, the Marine Police, the Indian Coast Guard, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, along with local fishers and other ferry boats launched a massive rescue effort to save the tourists.

Death Audits in case of fatalities in road transport accidents (RTAs) will be compulsory in West Bengal, as per the latest order from the state Health Department.

The decision was taken at the Chief Medical Officers of Health (CMOH)-level meeting on December 16, following which the Deputy Director of Health Services issued the order.

"As instructed by the Principal Secretary of this department in the CMOH Review Meeting held on 16.12.2024 at Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, it has been decided that every death caused by RTA should be audited henceforth at the facility level," read the order, a copy of which is available.

A devastating fire engulfed a house in the Shiv Nagar area of Kathua city on Wednesday, claiming the lives of six people, including two children.

According to doctors at GMC Hospital, Kathua, the victims succumbed to suffocation caused by smoke inhalation.

The incident occurred around 2:21 A.M. Emergency services were promptly alerted, with the fire department personnel and police rushing to the scene. Despite their efforts, six individuals were pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.

The tragedy happened in a rented house where the victims resided. Surinder Atri, a Doctor at GMC Hospital stated, “This is an extremely tragic incident. The fire broke out in a rented accommodation. Among the deceased are the husband of a retired Assistant Matron, their unmarried daughter, and two children from her brother’s family. The survivors, including another daughter, a son, and the rest of the brother's family, are currently out of danger.”

Delhi-NCR woke up to a thick blanket of smog on Wednesday as air quality remained in the ‘severe’ category for the third consecutive day as the cold gripped the region.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi was recorded at 442 at 7:15 A.M., with several areas in the national Capital registering levels between 400 and 500.

Visibility across the region was significantly reduced, with low-visibility procedures implemented at Delhi airport after visibility dropped to 300 meters.

Key areas in Delhi reported alarming AQI levels, including Anand Vihar (481), Ashok Vihar (461), Burari Crossing (483), and Nehru Nagar (480). Other prominent locations like Alipur, Jahangirpuri, and Mundka recorded AQI levels of 443, 469, and 473, respectively.

The condition of nine-year-old Sri Tej, who was injured during a stampede at a theatre in Hyderabad during the premier show of ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’, remained critical.

The boy remained in the Intensive Care Unit at KIMS Hospital. According to doctors, he was on mechanical ventilation with minimal support of oxygen and pressures.

“His fever is reducing and on minimal inotropes, his vital parameters are stable. He is tolerating feeds well,” said a statement from the hospital.

With one more militant taken into custody, the number of arrests in connection with Saturday's killing of two migrant workers from Bihar has risen to eight, officials said on Tuesday.

A police official said that a hardcore cadre of the banned Kangleipak Communist Party (People’s War Group) (KCP-PWG) outfit, identified as Irengbam Rameshwar Singh, 48, was arrested from Kakching Lamkhai area under Kakching district on Monday night.

The official said that a police team, acting on secret information, had earlier on Monday arrested seven militants of the KCP-PWG group from a hideout located at the Kakching Mamang Ching Laipham Loknung area in Kakching.

The arrested extremists were identified as Elangabm Herojit Singh, 40, Heikrujam Prem, 28, Okram Arundatta, 30, Senjam Rebingson, 27, Okram Amarjit, 31, Aribam Ghanendrajit Sharma, 25, and Chongtham Rajkumar, 26.

A cache of arms and ammunition including eight weapons were recovered from the detainees.

A police personnel was killed while two others were seriously injured when a Dial 112 police patrol vehicle overturned in a pond in the Simri Bazar police station area in Bihar's Darbhanga district in the early hours of Tuesday.

The incident occurred at 12.30 a.m. when the police vehicle, returning from Sadhwara to Simri Bazar after patrolling, overturned into a pond while avoiding hitting a dog on the road.

The cop, identified as Shekhar Paswan (59), succumbed to his injuries in Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) while driver GK Jha, and constable Archana Kumari, were currently undergoing treatment.

Paswan was a resident of Raghepura village in the Bahadurpur police station area.

Senior police officers visited the accident site and inquired about the circumstances leading to the accident.

Enforcement Directorate (ED) sleuths raided three locations in and around Kolkata on Tuesday in connection with three different bank loan forgery cases.

The central agency sleuths conducted a raid at the residence of local businessman Sanjay Surekha at Ballygunge in Kolkata.

Sources said that the raid and search operations by the central agency officials were in connection with a bank loan forgery case registered by the State Bank of India (SBI) in the year 2022.

The total forgery amount involved in the matter is to the tune of Rs 3,280 crore.