Reservation is representation, not charity: Karnataka Minister at Conclave South 2026

Aam Aadmi Party leaders Saurabh Bhardwaj and Jarnail Singh, along with party functionary Sahib Singh and unidentified individuals, were detained by the Delhi Police after an FIR was registered against them for allegedly assaulting a Delhi Police head constable and obstructing official duty. The incident unfolded outside the Delhi Police headquarters, where party leaders and workers were protesting to demand an FIR and coercive action against Parvesh Verma following an earlier altercation involving Sahib Singh. Police noted that while a non-cognisable report had been filed regarding the altercation involving Parvesh Verma due to lack of physical injury, the alleged assault on the head constable constitutes a cognisable offence as it targeted a government servant on duty. An FIR had also been registered against Jarnail Singh and Sahib Singh based on a complaint by a public works department engineer for obstructing road construction work.

Addressing the media following the conclusion of the Congress Working Committee meeting, leaders detailed the party's roadmap for nationwide agitations over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision process of electoral rolls. The party demanded the immediate suspension of the SIR exercise and the restoration of over thirteen crore votes allegedly deleted from voter lists. The leadership also called for the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner and demanded the Prime Minister's resignation, citing moral responsibility for not intervening in alleged electoral malpractices. Demonstrations across eight hundred districts were highlighted, alongside plans for joint strategy discussions with INDIA alliance partners. Party leaders emphasised that resistance through peaceful movements will continue across grassroots booths.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi accused both the BJP and Congress of failing to ensure meaningful political representation for Muslims, alleging that successive governments have treated the community largely as a vote bank rather than an equal political stakeholder. Speaking at the India Today Conclave South in Kochi, he said parties claiming to be secular had also failed to show the “intellectual honesty” needed to politically empower minorities. Owaisi said Muslims constitute around 18 crore of India’s population but account for only 4 per cent of elected members in Parliament. He questioned why other communities had been able to build political leadership and agency while Muslims remained largely confined to the role of voters. “Where is my political voice? Where is my political agency?” he asked, arguing that political marginalisation had persisted from the era of Jawaharlal Nehru to the present government. Targeting both sides of the political spectrum, Owaisi said the BJP did not give Muslims enough electoral representation, while parties that call themselves secular had reduced the community to “voters and showboys”. He said Muslims had often voted for the “lesser of two evils” because there was no viable alternative, and argued that political justice was essential for achieving social and economic justice.

Lovely Professional University in Punjab witnessed widespread unrest and arson following student protests over alleged rape rumours, which the university authorities dismissed as fake news. Protests escalated as over 2,000 students blocked the national highway for more than 18 hours. CCTV footage from UniMall within the university premises captured mobs looting shops, stealing laptops, mobile phones, and damaging ATMs. Shop owners claimed damages amounting to crores of rupees. While the university alleged that outsiders with vested interests breached campus gates to vitiate the atmosphere, shopkeepers stated that regular students were among those involved in the vandalism. Punjab Police registered a First Information Report and constituted a Special Investigation Team to investigate the violence. Simultaneously, the university administration formed a three-member disciplinary action committee to identify 30 to 40 students suspected of leading the arson and loot.