Bandi Sanjay Kumar alleges drug-rape racket; AAP MLA Harmeet Singh flees to Australia

A flydubai commercial flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia following a midair altercation between its pilots, triggering a major hijacking scare. The Boeing aircraft, operating as flight FZ1073 with over 100 Israeli passengers on board, transmitted emergency transponder codes 7700 and 7500 and plunged around 4,000 metres in altitude during the scuffle. Crew members and Israeli passengers subdued the pilot before the aircraft landed safely in Saudi Arabia. The incident prompted the Israeli Air Force to scramble fighter jets, temporarily shut down Ben Gurion Airport, and led Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to convene an emergency security meeting. Both UAE and Israeli authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the cockpit brawl.

The Election Commission of India has removed the additional Special Intensive Revision declaration from the online Form 6 application across states and union territories where the exercise has concluded. Fresh voter applicants in these regions will now only submit the statutory Form 6 prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. The additional declaration has been pulled from the poll body's portal, mobile application, and chief electoral officers' websites. The move follows a clarification stating the additional requirement applied solely during the revision exercise. Internal differences had surfaced over the move, with Election Commissioners Vivek Joshi and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu objecting on grounds that a statutory form cannot be amended without altering relevant rules. The commission maintained the provision was temporary and upheld by the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the Congress Party termed the earlier modifications illegal and alleged unconstitutional deletions in Bihar and West Bengal.

Leaders of the INDIA bloc convened in Delhi to discuss their coordinated plan of action concerning the Election Commission and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The meeting followed heightened political scrutiny surrounding issues related to Form 6 and the legal immunity granted to the election commissioner. Opposition parties reviewed strategies for coordinated demonstrations across the country and discussed the possibility of moving an impeachment motion against the Chief Election Commissioner in Parliament. Leaders including Mamata Banerjee, Hemant Soren, and Uddhav Thackeray addressed the meeting, with representatives assessing options to corner the ruling government on election-related controversies. The Election Commission had earlier issued clarifications defending its decisions, including amendments made to Form 6, as opposition leaders deliberated over their future parliamentary strategy and protest roadmap.

At India Today Conclave South in Kochi, senior BJP leader KS Radhakrishnan argued that the CPI(M) has historically functioned as a dominant Hindu political force in Keralam, challenging the narrative that the state’s politics is rooted in liberal-left secularism. Radhakrishnan attributed the Communist movement’s early success to developments following the 1921 Malabar rebellion and the Sabarimala arson case, saying these events helped create political space among Hindus. He also pointed to the participation of leaders from different Hindu communities in the early Communist movement. On the BJP’s limited electoral success, Radhakrishnan said the party was competing for a Hindu vote base already influenced by the Communist movement, while Muslims and Christians largely supported the Congress. He said changing voter mindsets could eventually help the BJP emerge as a dominant political force in Keralam.