Rishabh Chauhan

At Delhi University's Hansraj College, an India Today investigation found that a cow shelter is operating on land designated for student hostels. The site had previously been described as a gaushala, which, according to allegations raised at the time, was shut following student protests against the college administration. The college principal, Professor Dr Rama Sharma, has also faced scrutiny after her son's wedding was held on the college campus.

From the lanes of North Campus to the heavily barricaded Delhi Secretariat, the streets of the capital have become a stage for a growing chorus of women demanding to be heard. As concerns over violence against women continue to mount, multiple protests have erupted across Delhi, with students and young women stepping out of classrooms and into the streets to ask a question: when will the city be safe enough for women to simply walk freely?

IIT Bombay professor Shobha Shukla told India Today Digital that academics would resist any attempt to dictate how they should think or conduct their work. Her remarks came in the wake of the Free to Think 2026 report, which placed India in the "severely restricted" category in its assessment of academic freedom.

Two days before voting for DUSU 2026, politics is taking centre stage at Delhi University. From big cars to flamboyant slogans, the campus is buzzing with election activity as the young brigade makes its presence felt. Gen Z is at the centre of it all, demanding greater accountability and solutions to long-standing issues. How much has Delhi University's election changed? Read our report.

He entered IIT Kanpur as a student in 1982, completed his PhD in 1991, later returned as a professor and, by and by, became its director. Through it all, one thing remained constant: his love for the institute. Like generations before him, Manindra Agrawal, too, has his share of memories, from canteen conversations to 3 Idiots moments.

Sri Venkateswara College opened its campus, hostels and classrooms to students affected by the Satya Niketan building collapse. Around 70 students sought shelter, reflecting the fear among those living nearby. Venky principal, Professor Vajala Ravi, led the response asking students to stay on campus and assuring them of basic support.

In an exclusive interview with India Today Digital, IIT Kanpur Director Manindra Agarwal spoke about AI's growing impact on learning in classrooms, his journey from mathematics to research, and the need for institutions to rethink assignments, adopt AI tools and strengthen mathematical training.

Indian students heading overseas in 2025-26 have secured Rs 125 crore in scholarships, with the UK taking the largest share, followed by Canada, US, Ireland and Australia. The lion's share going to the UK also highlights the approach adopted by its universities and why the country remains one of the most sought-after destinations for Indian students.

Homi Jehangir Bhabha, regarded as one of the greatest scientists of modern India, wrote a letter during World War II to another modern-day great, JRD Tata, India's first licensed commercial pilot. In that letter lay the foundation of one of India's premier scientific institutions, TIFR. The institute came into existence before Independence in 1945 and went on to make major contributions to the country's nuclear and space programmes.

India's 80th Independence Day is near. Winning freedom was the first task, integrating 563 princely states was another. While Jammu and Kashmir and Hyderabad dominate the narrative, Jodhpur's 24-year-old king also bargained with Patel for special privileges but secured little. He later fought the Congress in democratic India, only to die in a plane crash on the day of vote counting in 1952.

What AI is doing now could have even bigger consequences in the future. While the discussion around the technology has largely focused on jobs being influenced by AI, another change is taking place: how we will receive information and how books will be viewed. Anthropic AI is at the centre of this conversation. The company is scanning rare books, feeding them to its AI models, and presenting the information to a wider audience, raising many questions.

At Delhi's Jantar Mantar, Gen Z fought for a cause and against itself too. The generation revealed two distinct sides during the protest. One was marked by recklessness and hooliganism, while the other was responsible, sensible, and purposeful. The two often found themselves at odds on multiple fronts. Witnessing this divide was both fascinating and instructive, offering an important lesson about the nature of democratic protests.

My six visits to Jantar Mantar changed my perspective on what a protest can become. I marked July 1, July 10, July 15, July 19, July 21 and July 23 to visit the site and witness its evolution firsthand. In recent memory, few demonstrations have reached this scale. What began as an ordinary protest on Day 1 looked completely different by July 23, after the chaos of July 20. Young people from all walks of life arrived in solidarity, looking after one another and taking ownership of the movement.

Communal slogans, Nihangs carrying weapons, unannounced marches and smaller gatherings are now defining the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP's) protest at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar. The core issue of education now seems to have been lost in the chaos, and there are risks of diverse interests hijacking the protest.

July 20 marked the day the hunger strike at Jantar Mantar erupted into a mass protest, with thousands demanding the Education Minister's resignation before marching towards Parliament on the opening day of the Monsoon Session. As the crowds dispersed, the scars of the crackdown — and the stories left behind — remained. India Today Digital returned to the protest site the next day to capture what unfolded after the headlines. Here's our report...

It was 1964. ISRO had not yet been established, but in Ranchi, India's first rocketry department was already taking shape. Built with support from NASA and backed by Homi J Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai, it laid the foundation for India's early space research. Today, the department continues to produce space engineers, with 4 BIT Mesra alumni playing a key role in Skyroot Aerospace's successful Vikram-I mission.

Saturday was a big day for India's space ambitions. The launch of Vikram-I this morning was successful. Now, the man behind the launch, an IITian, a former ISRO scientist, and an ambitious entrepreneur who gave India's space journey a new direction, has emerged from the ground to become a sensation and an inspiration for many youngsters.

A South Delhi antiquarian bookstore, Memoirs of India traces its origins to a rare collection acquired in Kolkata in the late 1960s. Now in its third generation, it preserves books, maps and manuscripts as a working archive of India's past. Its shelves hold signed editions, first printings and out-of-print works, each carrying the story of its author, its time and the journey that brought it here.

Indonesia's 1,200-year-old Prambanan complex centres on a Shiva shrine with an idol instead of a linga. The uncommon icon, along with Ramayana reliefs and Trimurti temples, marks its distinct place in the Hindu history of the region.

Why India has struggled to make its startup story as big a success as China's or the US's – especially in core technology, deep tech, and AI – may be best understood through the voices of young founders. Indian innovators believe that the very challenges that exist in India shape the creation of an ecosystem where startups can truly survive.