VK News Today https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html Oil prices today: Crude slips as markets weigh US-Iran talks, ceasefire extension New evidence shows early humans built vast ocean networks across the Philippines 40,000 years ago | World News 2 landfills in India among world’s top 25 super-polluting methane emission waste sites | India News Apr 22, 2026, 07:00 IST ‘The next ‘demigod’ of cricket’: Srikkanth invokes Tendulkar comparison for ‘prodigy’ Sooryavanshi Sensex up 753 pts, at 6-week high Earth Day 2026: How to care for your clothes so they last longer Love Horoscope Today, April 22, 2026: What the stars say about your love life Nobel laureate David Gross warns humanity may not survive 50 years; here’s why ‘No deal if Hormuz reopens’: Trump extends ceasefire, claims Iran losing $500 million a day Representative Image In an ironic turn of events, villagers in Bengal’s Mothabari who’d taken to the streets less than a month back fearing deletion from electoral rolls may now miss voting altogether — not because their names are gone from the voters’ list, but because they have cleared out of the area in fear of falling into the clutches of National Investigation Agency (NIA).With the central agency stepping up its probe into the April 1 gherao of judicial officers, hundreds of men have fled their homes fearing arrest, leaving behind near-deserted villages days before the area votes on April 23 in the first of Bengal’s two-phased polls.Two weeks after a midnight standoff in this otherwise obscure pocket of Malda drew national attention, Mothabari presents a stark, altered landscape. Doors remain shut through the day, courtyards lie empty and, in many homes, only women, children and the elderly wait — not for relief, but for the men who have disappeared.“There are six members in our family. All our names were placed under adjudication, so my husband applied to restore our voting rights. He was never part of any violence. Still, police sent him a notice,” said Jalili Bibi of Sadipur. “Now, four of our names have been cleared, but he is too afraid to return, even to vote.” It’s a similar tale in Jotgopal Kagmari village. Runa Laila’s husband, Md Asmaul Basar (39), who runs an e-rickshaw battery shop, is on the run. “He wasn’t part of any protest. He had gone to deliver an order. Someone has framed him and now the police are looking for him,” she said. “Voting is no longer our priority. I just want him to be safe.”Arrests spark fearAcross Bengal, around 60.6 lakh names were sent for adjudication, of which 27 lakh were deleted. In Mothabari alone, 79,683 names were listed for judicial scrutiny, with 37,255 eventually deleted.Seven judicial officers deputed for SIR adjudication work were gheraoed by an agitated mob on April 1. The officers, including women judges, had to remain confined for over nine hours inside a block development office before they were finally rescued. The incident escalated rapidly, prompting the Supreme Court to hand over the probe to NIA on April 6. The fallout, thereafter, has been swift and sweeping.At least 52 people have been arrested so far. NIA has registered 12 cases and arrests have cut across party lines. An Indian Secular Front (ISF) worker was the first to be picked up by the central agency. That was followed by the arrest of Mothabari ISF candidate Maulana Shahjahan Ali Qadri and AIMIM leader Mofakkerul Islam by state CID. More recently, two Congress functionaries — close aides of Congress candidate Sayem Chowdhury — were arrested by NIA.Chowdhury himself was detained for questioning from Alinagar and released after a night-long interrogation. He had his mobile phone seized for forensic analysis. In a video message after his release, he alleged political vendetta and denied any role in the violence.But beyond the political sparring, the ground reality in Mothabari is quieter. The fear is widespread — and palpable. Even as adjudication restored some names, the aftermath of the April 1 violence has created a new barrier, one that no revision process can fix: voters present on paper, but absent on the ground.Political blame gameIn villages here, families say men have been leaving in batches since the NIA intensified its probe. Some have crossed into other districts, others are believed to be hiding in neighbouring states. Many have stopped answering calls.“We told them not to stay here,” said a middle-aged woman in Singapara, requesting anonymity. “Even if they are innocent, who will listen? If they are picked up, who will take care of us? His name is back on the voter list, but he won’t return to vote,” she says of her husband, who’s fled the area.The ground report suggests that, in several pockets, a significant number of adult men are currently missing. While there is no official count, the situation is attested to by empty village squares, shuttered shops, and the eerie stillness that settles in by evening.Political reactions have only sharpened the divide. PM Modi said the episode points to a “Maha Jungle Raj”, while Trinamool Congress (TMC) has accused opposition parties of instigating the unrest. BJP says it has moved beyond the SIR row and is focusing on development. “People here need better roads, clean water, a dedicated women’s ward at the govt hospital, better schools and hostels,” said BJP candidate Nibaran Ghosh. “The sitting MLA did little beyond building personal wealth.”Sabina Yasmin, who had won this seat for Congress in 2011 and 2016 and on a TMC ticket in 2021 was replaced this time by her new party, which has tasked Md Najrul Islam with retaining the seat. Islam blamed BJP for deleting the names of valid voters and accused Congress and ISF of fuelling fear among villagers. “Congress is trying to help BJP by creating conflict among voters who are still eligible,” he said.Congress candidate Chowdhury, however, alleged a broader conspiracy. “TMC, BJP and NIA have acted together to target us. People can see what is happening,” he said. Caught in the crossfire are residents whose original grievance — the fear of losing their right to vote — now feels overshadowed. “We protested because our names were deleted,” said a young voter whose elder brother has fled. “Now, even if the name is there, the person is not.”As dusk falls, the silence deepens. In several homes, women sit around mobile phones, waiting for calls from husbands and sons. For a village that rose in protest to reclaim its place on the electoral roll, the coming election may pass with many of its voters missing — not erased by the system this time, but by the consequences of challenging it.About the AuthorTamaghna BanerjeeTamaghna Banerjee, a reporter from Kolkata, covers crime, aviation, human rights and politics. He has a keen interest in human interest and rural reporting. He has done his postgraduation in journalism and mass communication. He has a total of 14 years in journalism.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosAllahabad HC Judge Recuses Himself From Rahul Gandhi’s Dual Citizenship CaseCong Submits Breach of Privilege Against PM Modi; Trump Pushes Iran Talks Amid Ceasefire TensionsIndian Army Sends Strong Warning to Terror Groups Ahead of Pahalgam Terror Attack AnniversaryPappu Yadav Faces Notice After Claiming 90% Women Need ‘Leaders’ Bedrooms’ To Enter PoliticsNida Khan Faces Arrest After Nashik Court Rejects Interim Bail In BPO CaseBJP Leader Nazia Elahi Khan Applies Tilak At Lenskart Store Amid Dress Code RowSupreme Court Raises Alarm Over Digital Arrest Scams, ₹2.5 Cr Fraud Case HighlightedKashmir On Alert As SOG Carries Out Search Ops Before Pahalgam AnniversaryGun, Kirpans, Pepper Spray: Clash Inside Germany Gurdwara Leaves 11 WoundedIndia, Korea Discuss Global Tensions, Stress Peace, Security And Stronger Multilateral Cooperation123Photostories5 signs your parenting is working even when it doesn’t feel like itThings you should be cleaning more often than you thinkThink cancer is mostly genetic? 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NEW DELHI: BJP Tuesday urged EC to initiate “suitable penal action” against Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for calling PM Narendra Modi a “terrorist”, arguing that the remark was among the “gravest possible imputations in public life”.“This is not just derogatory, it is a dangerous and unprecedented attack on democratic institutions and a blatant violation of the MCC. Immediate action is non-negotiable,” BJP said in its complaint. Union minister Kiren Rijiju and other functionaries asked EC to consider registering an FIR against Kharge for making a “false and defamatory statement” and violating the poll code.BJP president Nitin Na-bin said Kharge had insulted the mandate of 140 crore Indians who elected Modi thrice.As the row intensified, Kharge clarified his Chennai remark, saying he meant Modi was “terrorising” people and political parties.Nabin linked the comment to Congress’s attempt to divert attention from political issues, while Piyush Goyal said the Congress-DMK alliance had insulted Indians by targeting the PM.Union minister Dharmender Pradhan said the remark reflected Kharge’s “values”. BJP cited a pattern, pointing to Rahul Gandhi’s recent remarks in LS and Kharge’s earlier controversial statements that had drawn backlash.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosAllahabad HC Judge Recuses Himself From Rahul Gandhi’s Dual Citizenship CaseCong Submits Breach of Privilege Against PM Modi; Trump Pushes Iran Talks Amid Ceasefire TensionsIndian Army Sends Strong Warning to Terror Groups Ahead of Pahalgam Terror Attack AnniversaryPappu Yadav Faces Notice After Claiming 90% Women Need ‘Leaders’ Bedrooms’ To Enter PoliticsNida Khan Faces Arrest After Nashik Court Rejects Interim Bail In BPO CaseBJP Leader Nazia Elahi Khan Applies Tilak At Lenskart Store Amid Dress Code RowSupreme Court Raises Alarm Over Digital Arrest Scams, ₹2.5 Cr Fraud Case HighlightedKashmir On Alert As SOG Carries Out Search Ops Before Pahalgam AnniversaryGun, Kirpans, Pepper Spray: Clash Inside Germany Gurdwara Leaves 11 WoundedIndia, Korea Discuss Global Tensions, Stress Peace, Security And Stronger Multilateral Cooperation123PhotostoriesThink cancer is mostly genetic? 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NEW DELHI: Nearly half the population in India has reported cardiovascular and metabolic ailments such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and thyroid, compared with 31% a decade ago.The latest pan-India survey by the National Statistics Office showed that in 2025, 25.6% of those surveyed reported cardiovascular ailments, compared to 16.7% during July 2017 to June 2018.Similarly, in the 15 days preceding the survey, 24.2% reported metabolic and endocrine ailments, against 15% in 2017-18. These non-communicable diseases are particularly higher in people over 45, indicating that these are related to lifestyle. In contrast, 15% people reported experiencing infections, including ailments such as fever, jaundice and diarrhoea in 2025, down from 32% in 2017-18. Infections, however, still accounted for more than half of all ailments in children up to the age of 14.In 2025, 13% reported being ill in last 15 days, a rise from 7.5% during last survey in 2017-18Data from the nationwide survey, which covered nearly 1.4 lakh households, also showed that the share of Indians who reported being ill in the last 15 days has nearly doubled, and the out-ofpocket expenditure in case of hospitalisation has increased nearly 70%, underlining the everyday health burden faced by millions in the country.In 2025, one in eight Indians (13.1%) reported being ill in the last 15 days — up from 7.5% in the previous survey period.More women reported falling ill (14.4%) than their male counterparts (11.8%), a trend that has sustained since the last survey.Illness rises sharply with age, as 43.9% of those aged 60 and above reported experiencing illness in the past 15 days (27.7% in 2017-18), while 22.5% reported experiencing illness in the 45–59 age group (11.4% in 2017-18)..Although hospitalisation rates remain relatively moderate at 2.9 cases per 100 persons annually, with urban areas (3.2%) reporting slightly higher rates than rural areas (2.7%), treatment costs continue to weigh heavily on households.The average out-of-pocket expenditure per hospitalisation stands at Rs 34,064, from Rs 20,135 in the 2017-18 period.Significantly, the survey showed that govt-sponsored health insurance coverage in India has expanded sharply in the past decade, as it now covers about 47% of the rural population and 44% in urban areas, up from 14% and 19% respectively in 2017-18.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosAllahabad HC Judge Recuses Himself From Rahul Gandhi’s Dual Citizenship CaseCong Submits Breach of Privilege Against PM Modi; Trump Pushes Iran Talks Amid Ceasefire TensionsIndian Army Sends Strong Warning to Terror Groups Ahead of Pahalgam Terror Attack AnniversaryPappu Yadav Faces Notice After Claiming 90% Women Need ‘Leaders’ Bedrooms’ To Enter PoliticsNida Khan Faces Arrest After Nashik Court Rejects Interim Bail In BPO CaseBJP Leader Nazia Elahi Khan Applies Tilak At Lenskart Store Amid Dress Code RowSupreme Court Raises Alarm Over Digital Arrest Scams, ₹2.5 Cr Fraud Case HighlightedKashmir On Alert As SOG Carries Out Search Ops Before Pahalgam AnniversaryGun, Kirpans, Pepper Spray: Clash Inside Germany Gurdwara Leaves 11 WoundedIndia, Korea Discuss Global Tensions, Stress Peace, Security And Stronger Multilateral Cooperation123Photostories6 simple yet beautiful three-letter baby boy namesExclusive – Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah actors Kuldeep Gor and Dharti Bhatt, aka Ratan and Roopa on their new saree shop, their bond with the cast, and a special gift for Daya Bhabhi5 largest birds in the world worth travelling forDo you unconsciously ‘insult’ your child? 5 mistakes that can ruin their mental health5 places that are perfect to visit in MayAnushka Sharma-inspired simple kurta looks perfect for summer 2026Animals you might see in your backyard in AustraliaA dazzling night in Chandigarh over good food and even better mood7 baby names that mean love and affectionWorld’s top 5 most expensive real estate markets123Hot PicksIran warDelimitation Bill DefeatPurple cap winnerOrange cap winnerIPL Points TablePublic holidays April 2026Bank Holidays AprilTop TrendingUK School New RulesZohran MandaniIran MilitaryUber Driver CaseIndian Activist stabbedAdam SandlerJKBOSE class 10 result 2026Ai ScamIPL Orange CapUK Electricity Price ‘Show my dad on camera, see his reactions’: Abhishek Sharma’s sweet request wins hearts Zeenat Aman reveals Asha Bhosle’s ‘Dum Maro Dum’ was originally meant for Lata Mangeshkar and Usha Uthup Numerology Predictions Today, April 22, 2026: Read your personalised forecast for numbers 1 to 9 . NEW DELHI: At a time when thousands of temples are managed through state-supervised Devaswom Boards, the Centre on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that it did not favour govt control over temples and clarified that it had already placed its interpretation of constitutional provisions that enable states to manage secular activities of religious institutions.During the faith vs fundamental rights debate before a nine-judge bench led by CJI Surya Kant, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan said SG Tushar Mehta, on behalf of the Centre, and senior advocate A M Singhvi for Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple, had given a particular interpretation of Articles 25 and 26 as govt wanted to control temples.Mehta sought the bench’s permission to rebut the interpretation of his arguments by Sankaranarayanan and said, “Govt does not want to control the temples at all and what he mentioned was purely a constitutional interpretation of Article 25(1)(a), which empowers the state to manage economic, political and secular activities of any religion.”Justice Amanullah asked Mehta whether his ‘‘govt should not control the temples” argument was confined to Hindu religious institutions. The SG said when the court and counsels were engaged in interpretation of constitutional provisions, they could not “be viewed through Hindu, Muslim, Christian or any other religious lens”.Justice Bagchi said the interpretation must be from standpoint of a citizen. The SG said he had given an overview of the diversity in Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and other denominations.In Kerala, several state govt-supervised bodies, including Travancore, Cochin, Malabar, Guruvayur and Koodalmanikyam Devaswom Boards, control around 3,000 temples. In Tamil Nadu, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department controls over 30,000 temples. In Andhra Pradesh, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Trust Board controls Tirupati Balaji temple. In Karnataka, Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Department manages temples. The Chardham Devasthanam Board manages Badrinath and Kedarnath shrines in Uttarakhand.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosAllahabad HC Judge Recuses Himself From Rahul Gandhi’s Dual Citizenship CaseCong Submits Breach of Privilege Against PM Modi; Trump Pushes Iran Talks Amid Ceasefire TensionsIndian Army Sends Strong Warning to Terror Groups Ahead of Pahalgam Terror Attack AnniversaryPappu Yadav Faces Notice After Claiming 90% Women Need ‘Leaders’ Bedrooms’ To Enter PoliticsNida Khan Faces Arrest After Nashik Court Rejects Interim Bail In BPO CaseBJP Leader Nazia Elahi Khan Applies Tilak At Lenskart Store Amid Dress Code RowSupreme Court Raises Alarm Over Digital Arrest Scams, ₹2.5 Cr Fraud Case HighlightedKashmir On Alert As SOG Carries Out Search Ops Before Pahalgam AnniversaryGun, Kirpans, Pepper Spray: Clash Inside Germany Gurdwara Leaves 11 WoundedIndia, Korea Discuss Global Tensions, Stress Peace, Security And Stronger Multilateral Cooperation123Photostories6 simple yet beautiful three-letter baby boy namesExclusive – Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah actors Kuldeep Gor and Dharti Bhatt, aka Ratan and Roopa on their new saree shop, their bond with the cast, and a special gift for Daya Bhabhi5 largest birds in the world worth travelling forDo you unconsciously ‘insult’ your child? 5 mistakes that can ruin their mental health5 places that are perfect to visit in MayAnushka Sharma-inspired simple kurta looks perfect for summer 2026Animals you might see in your backyard in AustraliaA dazzling night in Chandigarh over good food and even better mood7 baby names that mean love and affectionWorld’s top 5 most expensive real estate markets123Hot PicksIran warDelimitation Bill DefeatPurple cap winnerOrange cap winnerIPL Points TablePublic holidays April 2026Bank Holidays AprilTop TrendingUK School New RulesZohran MandaniIran MilitaryUber Driver CaseIndian Activist stabbedAdam SandlerJKBOSE class 10 result 2026Ai ScamIPL Orange CapUK Electricity Price Sonu Nigam recalls helping Asha Bhosle with heel spur on 1996 US tour; Singer shared how he massaged her feet for relief | Hindi Movie News ‘Trust and confidence reposed’: Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif thanks Donald Trump for ceasefire extension IPL 2026 Orange Cap race: Abhishek Sharma surges past Heinrich Klaasen to claim top spot D4vd transferred to LA County Men’s Central Jail awaiting murder trial; singer seen celebrating new music following Celeste Rivas’ death Three Indian nationals under investigation over gurdwara double murder in Italy ‘triggered by succession feud’ Who is Klaudia Glam? 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