The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday launched ECINET, a one-stop digital platform for all election-related information and services, at the India International Conference on Democracy and Election Management (IICDEM) 2026. The three-day conference, running from January 21-23, is being held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. ECINET was conceptualised by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Shri Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi, with its development announced in May 2025. Speaking at the launch, CEC Kumar said the platform has been built in strict compliance with the law and is available in 22 scheduled languages and English. He invited election management bodies (EMBs) worldwide to collaborate with India on developing similar platforms for their countries, tailored to local laws and languages. Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu highlighted ECINET’s role in enhancing transparency, monitoring electoral functions, enabling quick decision-making, and improving information dissemination. Dr Vivek Joshi said the conference would allow EMBs to learn from global best practices on technology adoption and digital innovations. Director General of Information Technology, Dr Seema Khanna, underlined cybersecurity as a key pillar of the platform, emphasising that technology is now a strategic enabler rather than a support function. She added that ECINET would strengthen transparency, efficiency, credibility, and public trust in elections. ECINET integrates over 40 apps and portals of the Election Commission of India, creating the world’s largest electoral service platform. It provides citizens, candidates, political parties, and election officials access to services such as voter registration, electoral roll search, 'Track Your Application', 'Know Your Candidate', 'Connect with Election Officials', 'Book-a-call with BLO', e-EPIC download, polling trends, and grievance redressal—all on a secure, unified platform. ECINET pilot sees millions of registrations and BLOs digitised The beta version of ECINET was successfully piloted during the 2025 Bihar Assembly Elections and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Since then, it has processed over 10 crore registration forms—an average of 2.7 lakh per day—and registered more than 11 lakh booth level officers (BLOs). Over 150 crore documents have been digitised through the platform, which also allows seamless monitoring of ground-level election functionaries. ECINET has been developed in full compliance with the Constitution of India, the Representation of the People Acts (1950 and 1951), Registration of Electors Rules (1960), and the Conduct of Election Rules (1961), making it a comprehensive, citizen-centric solution for electoral services in the world’s largest democracy.
22 January,2026 09:52 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentThe national capital on Saturday recorded a minimum temperature of 4.4 degrees celsius, which was 3.2 notches below the season's average, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). "Minimum temperatures are expected to begin rising gradually from January 17 to 20, with light winter rainfall activity likely over the next few days," said Mahesh Palawat from Skymet Weather, a private weather forecasting agency. He added that another cold spell is forecast between January 23 and 26, when temperatures are expected to dip again. Dense fog conditions prevailed on Saturday morning with maximum temperature recorded at 24.6 degrees celsius, five notches above normal. Relative humidity was recorded at 72 per cent at 6 pm. Delhi air pollution crisis: Stage-3 GRAP invoked Earlier in the day, the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 354, falling in the 'very poor' category. It deteriorated to 416, falling in the 'severe' category, by 6 pm. The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and adjoining areas on Friday invoked Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) after air quality showed a worsening trend, officials said. "Forecasts for weather and meteorological conditions by the IMD and IITM indicate that due to slow wind speed, stable atmosphere, unfavourable weather parameters and lack of dispersal of pollutants, Delhi's average AQI is likely to breach the 400-mark and enter the severe category in the coming days," a senior official added. While GRAP Stage 3 restrictions were revoked on January 2 after a temporary improvement in air quality, several preventive and control measures under GRAP Stages 1 and 2 continue to remain in force. Under GRAP, air quality is categorised as poor (AQI 201-300), very poor (301-400), severe (401-450) and severe plus (above 450). This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
22 January,2026 06:36 PM IST | New Delhi | PTIPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday witnessed a performance of the traditional Bagurumba dance of the Bodo community here, with over 10,000 artistes participating in the programme. Modi, who arrived in Assam on a two-day visit, had said the programme celebrates Bodo culture and reaffirmed the government's commitment to fulfilling the aspirations of the community. "This programme celebrates the great Bodo culture. The NDA Government at the Centre and in Assam are working extensively to fulfil the vision of Bodofa Upendranath Brahma," the prime minister said in a post on X on Friday. Brahma, a revered leader of the Bodo community, died of a terminal illness in 1990 at the age of 34 and was posthumously honoured with the title 'Bodofa' (guardian of the Bodos). Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, among others, accompanied Modi in witnessing the performance. Titled 'Bagurumba Dwhou 2026', the performance was held at the Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah Stadium in the city's Sarusajai area. Over 10,000 artistes, including around 8,000 dancers from 81 assembly constituencies across 23 districts, participated in the event. Bagurumba symbolises blooming flowers, harmony between human life and the natural world Bagurumba, a folk dance of the Bodo community -- one of Assam's largest indigenous groups -- is deeply rooted in nature and symbolises blooming flowers and harmony between human life and the natural world. Performed traditionally by women, with men accompanying them as musicians, the dance features graceful movements imitating butterflies, birds, leaves and flowers. The Guwahati presentation incorporates the word 'dwhou', meaning wave in the Bodo language, and was accompanied by songs in Bodo and traditional instruments such as kham, serja, sifung, jatha and japshring, several of which carry Geographical Indication tags. Closely associated with festivals like Bwisagu, the Bodo New Year, and Domasi, Bagurumba represents peace, fertility, joy and collective harmony. The programme involved several Bodo organisations, with 25 experts training 400 master trainers in Guwahati, who then coached the artistes in their respective districts. The state government has organised similar large-scale performances of Bihu and Jhumoir dances over the past two years. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
22 January,2026 06:31 PM IST | Guwahati | PTIA teenager was lured to a public park through social media and allegedly stabbed to death by a group of minors, as the former was in a relationship with the sister of one of the attackers, an official said on Saturday. Five juveniles have been apprehended in connection with the crime. The incident occurred on January 15 at Japanese Park in northwest Delhi's Rohini area, where the victim, identified as Divyanshu (18), was attacked in broad daylight. Police said the murder was allegedly plotted by the minor brother of a girl with whom the victim was in a romantic relationship. A PCR call regarding the stabbing was received around 3 pm, following which a police team rushed to the spot and found Divyanshu lying injured and bleeding. He was taken to BSA Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. A case under relevant sections of the BNS was registered, and an investigation was launched. During the probe, eyewitness accounts and technical evidence revealed that the girl's brother, a 17-year-old juvenile, had strongly opposed the relationship and hatched a conspiracy to eliminate the victim. Investigators said the accused juvenile allegedly used a friend's social media account under a fake name to remain in contact with Divyanshu and lured him to the park on the pretext of meeting. On the day of the incident, he allegedly arrived at the park along with his associates and attacked the victim with a knife, resulting in his death. Police said all those involved in the crime were found to be juveniles and were apprehended within 24 hours of registration of the case. The knife used in the crime was recovered, along with the victim's mobile phone, wrist watch and a metallic 'kada' from the possession of the juveniles, police said. Officials said the juveniles involved were residents of the same locality and studied in the same school. Further investigation is underway, police added. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
22 January,2026 06:25 PM IST | New Delhi | PTIThe Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on Thursday conducted the Passing Out Parade (POP) of the largest-ever sports batch at Deoli in Rajasthan in which 324 sportspersons including 171 women were inducted into the force, an official statement said. It said that the POP of the 7th Batch of Head Constable (Sports) at its Recruitment Training Centre (RTC) in Deoli. The parade marked the formal induction of 324 sportspersons, recruited under the Force’s largest-ever sports quota drive carried out in 2025. The event underlined CISF’s growing focus on combining sporting excellence with national security. The parade was attended by Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, who was the chief guest, along with CISF Director General Praveer Ranjan. The Dikshant Parade was led by Parade Commander HC/GD Vanshikha Sehrawat, with HC/GD Vidhi as Parade Second-in-Command. The recruits impressed the gathering with a disciplined and well-coordinated march. Strong focus on women in sports Of the 324 newly inducted personnel, 171 are women, highlighting CISF’s strong emphasis on gender equality and women empowerment in sports and uniformed services. The recruits completed a 16-week intensive basic training programme at RTC Deoli. The training covered physical fitness and endurance, drills and discipline, weapon handling and unarmed combat, industrial security and law, human rights and gender sensitisation, soft skills and professional conduct. Role of sports in nation-building Addressing the trainees, Dr Mandaviya urged them to continue pursuing sports alongside their professional duties. He spoke about India’s ambition to become a top-10 sporting nation by 2036 and referred to India’s bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games in Ahmedabad and the 2030 Commonwealth Games. He said sports and security share values such as discipline, commitment and resilience, and called on the recruits to serve the nation in line with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. CISF’s growing sports ecosystem CISF Director General Praveer Ranjan said the 2025 sports recruitment was the largest such induction since the Force was raised in 1969. He noted that the batch includes 18 international-level gold medallists and 56 national-level gold medallists. He added that the induction has significantly increased the number of women’s sports teams within CISF, strengthening its overall sports structure. Towards excellence in sports and security The DG said CISF’s updated sports policy, better welfare measures, specialised coaching and institutional support aim to make the Force a leading centre of sporting excellence among Central Armed Police Forces, while continuing to provide strong security across the country. The Passing Out Parade at RTC Deoli marks an important milestone in CISF’s efforts to develop disciplined sportspersons committed to both competitive success and national security.
22 January,2026 06:19 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentDriven by dreams of becoming an influencer and upset over restrictions imposed by his parents, a 14-year-old boy who left home earlier this month was traced from the Bengaluru Railway Station through Delhi Police's 'Operation Milap', an official said on Thursday. The teenager disappeared from Burari on January 11 after a disagreement with his parents over his excessive mobile phone use, aspirations of becoming an influencer, and online gaming habits, police said. "After he went missing, his father approached the local police station with fears that his son might have been kidnapped. A case was registered, and a team was formed to trace the minor at the earliest, given his age and the potential risks involved," Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia said in a statement. The officer further said that during the initial inquiry, police learnt that the teenager was keen on becoming a social media content creator and frequently uploaded short videos online. His parents had objected to his prolonged mobile phone usage and online gaming, leading to repeated arguments at home. "The situation escalated when his mother took away his mobile phone, following which the boy quietly left home after taking his father's phone. Technical surveillance initially proved difficult as the phone was frequently switched off. However, the team later detected intermittent activity, including UPI transactions made from the father's account, confirming that the boy was on the move and using the device sporadically. Subsequent location inputs suggested movement through Maharashtra, indicating that the minor was travelling by train," the DCP said. He further shared that as the investigation progressed, the phone's location was traced to Hubballi in Karnataka late on January 14, reinforcing suspicions that the boy was aboard a long-distance train. Police analysed railway movement data, shortlisted possible trains and coordinated with Government Railway Police (GRP) and Railway Protection Force (RPF) units across railway divisions to track the child. With trains approaching Bengaluru, details of the missing boy were shared with the railway police in the city. The coordinated effort yielded results on the morning of January 15. "GRP and RPF personnel traced the boy at Bengaluru Railway Station and placed him in safe custody. The team, along with the boy's father, immediately travelled to Bengaluru and brought the minor back to Delhi on January 19," he added. During counselling and questioning, the boy told the police that he had boarded a train from New Delhi and intended to continue travelling further south, including to Tamil Nadu, before being intercepted by the railway police. The boy also admitted to switching his phone on intermittently to make digital payments and upload short videos during the journey, which eventually helped police track his movement. After the completion of all legal formalities, the boy was handed over to his parents. No evidence of kidnapping or criminal involvement was found. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
22 January,2026 04:53 PM IST | New Delhi | PTISix people were killed and five others injured after a massive explosion occurred in the kiln of an iron plant in Balodabazar, falling under the jurisdiction of Bhatapara Rural Police Station on Thursday, officials said. District Collector Deepak Soni informed that all the injured have been shifted to a hospital in Bilaspur for further treatment. According to preliminary reports, the blast took place while coal was being burned and rotated inside the kiln, resulting in a violent explosion that caused extensive damage to the plant and claimed multiple lives. The exact cause of the accident is under investigation. The police and the fire brigade personnel rushed to the site shortly after the explosion to carry out rescue operations. Authorities are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the explosion. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
22 January,2026 04:24 PM IST | Balodabazar (Chhattisgarh) | ANIThe Supreme Court has allowed Hindu prayers from sunrise to sunset on Basant Panchami on Friday at the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district, while permitting Muslims to offer namaz from 1 pm to 3 pm on the day. The top court on Thursday also directed that a list of persons from the Muslim community coming for namaz be given to the district administration.Hindu and Muslim groups have sought nod for religious activities at the Bhojshala complex on January 23, a Friday when Saraswati Puja will also be held on the occasion of Basant Panchami. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi made an appeal to both sides to observe mutual respect and cooperate with the state and district administration for maintenance of law and order. "ASG as well as Advocate General have fairly suggested that, after knowing that how many persons belonging to Muslim community are likely to come tomorrow for namaz between 1 to 3 pm, an exclusive and separate space within the same compound/ premises shall be made available, so that the namaz can be performed at the prescribed time. "Similarly, a separate space, as per the past practice, shall be made available to the Hindu community to hold the traditional ceremonies on the occasion of Basant Panchami," the bench said. It directed the district administration to make law and order arrangements at the site for offering of prayers. "The district administration may, with a view to ensure maintenance of law and order, issue appropriate passes, free of cost, for the visitors or may adopt any other fair measures to ensure that no untoward incident takes place and the rituals are performed peacefully," the bench said. Hindus consider Bhojshala, an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-protected 11th-century monument, to be a temple dedicated to Vagdevi (Goddess Saraswati), while the Muslim community calls it Kamal Maula mosque. Under an arrangement made by the ASI on April 7, 2003, Hindus perform puja on the Bhojshala premises on Tuesdays and Muslims offer 'namaz' in the complex on Fridays. The top court was hearing a plea filed by the Hindu Front for Justice seeking exclusive rights for Hindus to offer prayers on Basant Panchami. The plea filed through advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain was mentioned for urgent hearing on Tuesday. Jain had said the ASI's 2003 order does not address situations where Basant Panchami coincides with Friday prayers and sought exclusive, uninterrupted worship rights for Hindus for the entire day on Basant Panchami. During the hearing, Jain submitted that there will be pujas and havans from sunrise to sunset and sought permission for worship throughout the day. Senior advocate Salman Khurshid, for the mosque committee, submitted that the Friday namaz takes place between 1 PM and 3 PM, and the premises can be vacated after that. Khurshid, while accepting this proposal, stated that the approximate number of persons belonging to Muslim community, who will come for namaz tomorrow will be furnished to the District Magistrate. Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj, for the Centre and ASI assured the court that the district administration will take care of the law and order situation.The top court also disposed of an appeal filed by the Maulana Kamaluddin Welfare Society challenging the March 11, 2024 order of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on the "scientific survey" of the complex The apex court directed the high court that the matter may be taken up by a division bench headed by one of the senior-most judges of the high court. Noting that ASI has completed the scientific survey and has submitted its report in a sealed cover to the high court, the top court directed the high court to unseal the report and be supplied to the parties, who can file objections to it. "If such part cannot be copied, the parties may be allowed to inspect in presence of their counsels. Let objections be filed and thereafter case be taken for final hearing. "Till the writ is finally decided, the parties shall maintain status quo at the site. However, parties shall continue to follow and abide by ASI order of April 2023," the bench said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
22 January,2026 04:24 PM IST | New Delhi | PTIA Delhi court on Thursday acquitted former Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Sajjan Kumar in a case related to inciting violence in the Janakpuri area of the national capital during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, news agency PTI reported. Special Judge Dig Vinay Singh orally pronounced a brief order acquitting Kumar. A reasoned order is awaited. In August 2023, the court had framed charges against Kumar for rioting and promoting enmity, while discharging him of charges of murder and criminal conspiracy. In February 2015, a special investigation team (SIT) registered two first information reports (FIRs) against Kumar based on complaints of violence in the Janakpuri and Vikaspuri areas during the riots. The first FIR was related to the violence in Janakpuri, where Sohan Singh and his son-in-law Avtar Singh were killed on November 1, 1984. The second pertained to the killing of Gurcharan Singh, who was set ablaze on November 2, 1984, in Vikaspuri. Kumar, who is currently lodged in jail, was awarded life imprisonment on February 25 last year by a trial court in a separate case concerning the killings of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh on November 1, 1984, in the Saraswati Vihar area. 1984 anti-Sikh riots: Trial court held father-son killings were grave but not ‘rarest of rare’ The trial court had observed that although the killings of “two innocent persons” were grave, the case did not fall under the “rarest of rare” category warranting the death penalty. It also noted that the incident formed part of the same chain of events for which Kumar was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court on December 17, 2018. In that case, the High Court had found Kumar guilty of causing the death of five people during rioting in the Palam Colony area following the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. According to the Nanavati Commission report, which probed the riots and their aftermath, 587 FIRs were registered in Delhi in connection with the violence that claimed 2,733 lives. Of these, around 240 FIRs were closed as “untraced” and 250 cases ended in acquittal. Only 28 FIRs resulted in convictions, leading to the conviction of about 400 people, including around 50 persons, among them Kumar, for murder. Kumar, an influential Congress leader and an MP at the time, was convicted for the killings in Palam Colony and sentenced to life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court. His appeal challenging the sentence is pending before the Supreme Court. (With PTI inputs)
22 January,2026 04:19 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentFour Army personnel were killed and nine others injured when their vehicle skidded off the road and plunged into a deep gorge in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, officials said. The accident took place at Khanni top along Bhaderwah-Chamba interstate road. Officials said the bullet-proof Army vehicle, carrying a total of 17 personnel, was heading towards a high altitude post when its driver lost control and the vehicle plunged into a 200-foot-deep gorge. A joint rescue operation by army and police was immediately launched and four of the soldiers were found dead, the officials said. They said nine other soldiers were rescued in an injured condition and three of them, who have suffered critical injuries, were airlifted to Udhampur military hospital for specialised treatment. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
22 January,2026 04:09 PM IST | Bhaderwah/Jammu | PTIJail authorities in Pratapgarh have been put on alert after seven transgender inmates lodged in the district prison tested HIV positive in preliminary screening, officials said on Thursday. As reported by news agency PTI, the District Jail Superintendent Rishabh Dwivedi said that the Kotwali Nagar police had sent 13 transgender persons to jail on Sunday in connection with a case of assault. The District Jail Superintendent Rishabh Dwivedi said that the medical college team then conducted health examinations and collected blood samples of all inmates, reported PTI. He emphasised, "The preliminary HIV screening reports of seven transgender inmates have come back positive. As a precautionary measure, they have been kept in a separate barrack." “While the screening test reports have been sent to the government. Fresh samples have also been sent for confirmatory testing, but the final reports are awaited,” he added. UP Police arrests man for killing his parents and wife Earlier on Tuesday, the Uttar Pradesh Police arrested a man for allegedly killing his parents, wife, and daughter at their house. According to the police, the accused killed his family over financial stress and domestic discord ahead of his daughter's wedding next month in the Etah district, news agency PTI reported. Officers said that the accused, Kamal Singh, was taken into custody after the members of his family were found dead inside their two-storey house in the Kotwali Nagar Police Station area on Monday. He has since been sent to jail. The victims have been identified as father Ganga Singh (70), mother Shyama Devi (65), wife Ratna Devi (43), and daughter Jyoti (23). As per the reports, Shyama Devi was found alive initially and taken to a medical college, where she succumbed to her injuries. DIG Police Prabhakar Chaudhary, while briefing about the shocking incident, said that the crime was not a result of any conspiracy or external attack but stemmed from mounting financial pressure and family tensions. "During questioning, the accused confessed that he was under severe financial stress related to his daughter Jyoti's wedding, which was fixed for next month. The family needed around Rs 4 lakh, and this became a recurring point of conflict," said Chaudhary. According to the police, the accused returned home on January 19, following which an argument broke out during lunch after his wife, Ratna Devi, questioned him about the wedding expenses. (With inputs from PTI)
22 January,2026 02:09 PM IST | Pratapgarh | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
-1768659298891_d.png "Representational Pic")
-1768664213285_d.png "Representational Pic")
-1769080523874_d.png "A little boy who fled from home to become an influencer was rescued by railway police. Representational Image")
-1769078081851_d.png "The police and the fire brigade personnel rushed to the site shortly after the kiln explosion. Representational Image")
-1769078787830_d.png "Bhojshala. File Pic")
-1769074795206_d.png "Four army personnel killed in vehicle accident. Representational image")
