Delhi Satyaniketan Collapse: DU Students Protest Hostel Shortage, Demand Safety Audit

A major controversy has erupted in West Bengal after Bageshwar Dham's Dhirendra Shastri labelled Bengali people 'pakhandi' for consuming meat and fish during Durga Puja and Navratri at a sabha in Howrah. Shastri's remarks have drawn sharp criticism, as offering fish and meat to deities is an age-old ritual at prominent temples like Kalighat, Dakshineshwar, and Tarapith. The Congress has lodged a police complaint against Shastri for hurting the sentiments of Bengalis, with the Trinamool Congress and CPIM also condemning his statement. Meanwhile, BJP leaders including Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, and Shamik Bhattacharya defended Bengali traditions, affirming that people have no food restrictions during Durga Puja and Kali Puja.

Following a building collapse in Delhi's Satya Niketan, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has initiated structural audits and surveys of illegal paying guest (PG) accommodations. Teams are inspecting student residential clusters, including Laxmi Nagar, Vishwas Nagar, Mukherjee Nagar, Indira Vihar, Patel Chest, and Malviya Nagar. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta visited injured survivors in the hospital and ordered structural audits across all existing PGs in the capital. The audits aim to assess building character and identify structural flaws or leakages for remedial action. The move comes amid scrutiny over municipal oversight, as the area had previously witnessed a building collapse four years prior without adequate preventive measures being taken by the civic authorities.

The Supreme Court of India is set to hear the Satyamev Jayate building collapse case on Thursday following a status report submitted by amicus curiae Ajit Sinha. During the mentioning, the top court remarked that it has something in mind and will take action for the entire country. The bench has been actively monitoring nationwide concerns regarding illegal and unsafe commercial constructions, noting severe violations not only in Delhi but across the country. Highlighting previous interventions after the Bengaluru and Rajendra Nagar tragedies, the court observed prima facie connivance and blatant disregard for the rule of law, accompanied by attempts to shield responsible individuals while civic authorities fail to carry out their duties.

Indian benchmark equity indices extended their losses as elevated Brent crude oil prices approached nearly $100 per barrel, sparking fresh macroeconomic concerns and dragging the Indian rupee lower. The Sensex fell over 500 points towards 75,600, while the Nifty slipped below key support levels around 23,650, heavily impacted by banking, financial, and oil and gas stocks. In contrast, defence stocks rallied after the Defence Ministry approved procurement proposals worth over ₹1.1 lakh crore, with Data Patterns, BEL, HAL, and Paras Defence surging. The primary market also witnessed robust traction with twelve IPOs lined up for the week, alongside the listing pipeline of Arcil and other niche offerings. In other sectoral trends, copper and cable stocks buzzed following record commodity prices, whereas NBFCs expanded strategies in gold financing amid price volatility.