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India news: 9 killed after bus catches fire outside Delhi
India news: Cockroach party demands election head resign
Shakeel Sobhan AFP, AP, ReutersPublished 09/24/2026Published September 24, 2026last updated 09/24/2026last updated September 24, 2026CJP's Abhijeet Dipke has alleged that the removal of more than 130 million names from draft electoral rolls is designed to benefit the BJP and weaken opposition parties. DW has more.
https://p.dw.com/p/5NB5zWhat you need to know
This blog is now closed. Here are some of the major headlines from India on Thursday, September 24:
- Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijeet Dipke accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of undermining the country's democracy
- Dipke called Kumar "the biggest threat to India's democracy" and demanded his resignation
- Fire on sleeper bus kills nine outside of Delhi
- SIT files chargesheet in Ayodhya Ram Temple donation theft case
- Three arrested over alleged gang rape of minor girl in New Delhi
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Skip next section Thanks for reading!09/24/2026September 24, 2026Thanks for reading!
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https://p.dw.com/p/5NCgnSkip next section Shutdown in Ladakh on anniversary of deadly protest09/24/2026September 24, 2026Shutdown in Ladakh on anniversary of deadly protest
Residents in India's Ladakh region observed a shutdown in the city of Leh on Thursday, marking a year since four people were killed when security forces opened fire during protests demanding greater autonomy.
Shops and businesses remained closed and streets were largely deserted, witnesses said. Buddhist groups also organised prayers to commemorate those they called "martyrs."
"The shutdown is to commemorate those who laid down their lives for Ladakh and express solidarity with their families, and... to highlight our demands for autonomy," a member of the Ladakh Buddhist Association told AFP
Last year on September 24, security forces opened fire as demonstrations turned violent in the sparsely populated Himalayan region.
The protests stem from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government's decision in 2019 to end Ladakh's semi-autonomous status.
Residents say the move weakened protections for local land, jobs, resources and cultural identity.
https://p.dw.com/p/5NCqWSkip next section WATCH: The IT professional who became a high-tech greenhouse farmer09/24/2026September 24, 2026WATCH: The IT professional who became a high-tech greenhouse farmer
Madhan Kumar | René WilbrandtBala Murali quit a well-paying IT job to build a tech-driven greenhouse farming business, growing export-ready cucumbers and pioneering climate-smart agriculture.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5NCaESkip next section WATCH: A shared kitchen solving social and environmental problems 09/24/2026September 24, 2026
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Nidhi KamathA Gujarati village has set up a community kitchen for elderly residents that also reduces local energy consumption and improves water management.
Shared meals foster community in rural India
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https://p.dw.com/p/5NCa5Skip next section CJP targets Gyanesh Kumar over SIR, alleges voter deletions benefit BJP09/24/2026September 24, 2026CJP targets Gyanesh Kumar over SIR, alleges voter deletions benefit BJP
Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijeet Dipke has accused India's Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of undermining the country's democracy and alleged that the Election Commission's voter-roll revision is being used to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Dipke called Kumar "the biggest threat to India's democracy" and demanded his resignation.
CJP said it would launch protests across the country if India's chief election officer does not resign in 48 hours.
The CJP's demands are:
- Initiate criminal proceedings against Kumar
- All upcoming elections put on hold, freeze Special Intensive Revision (SIR)
- Repeal the 2023 law on the appointment of the Election Commissioners of India
Kumar overruled fellow election commissioners' concerns
Dipke's accusations came after the Indian Express published an investigation that fellow Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised at least 14 formal objections over 10 months to decisions concerning voter registrations, deletions and restorations, as well as control of electoral-roll data, the report said.
In one of the objections, Sandhu complained that the Election Commission acted against the written advice of two commissioners and claimed its action was "unauthorized and illegal."
Sandhu and Joshi, along with Kumar, are responsible for overseeing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The process is meant to remove redundancies in India's electoral rolls, but the process is accused of having gone far beyond that remit and removed millions of legal voters.
According to the Election Commission, the revision was needed to remove the names of deceased individuals, those who have permanently moved and duplicate entries — as well as avoiding the "inclusion of the names of foreign illegal immigrants."
'Kumar's actions benefit BJP'
Dipke alleged that more than 130 million names have been struck off draft electoral rolls across 30 states and union territories during the SIR process.
Dipke alleged the removals from voter registries were intended to widen the BJP's electoral advantage as voter deletions had disproportionately affected opposition strongholds.
Dipke pointed out that during the 2024 election the difference in total votes between the ruling party and the opposition coalition was 2%.
"Deleting 130 million votes means deleting approximately 13 to 14 percent of the votes," Dipke said. "So, is Gyanesh Kumar intentionally deleting them so that the two-percent gap, where it appears that the BJP could lose, becomes larger, so that they never have to leave power?"
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also alleged earlier that the SIR process benefits the BJP. The ruling party has dismissed such claims, arguing that those removed largely involve dead voters and illegal immigrants, thereby protecting India's democracy.
https://p.dw.com/p/5NCXTSkip next section Three arrested over alleged gang rape of 17-year-old girl in New Delhi09/24/2026September 24, 2026Three arrested over alleged gang rape of 17-year-old girl in New Delhi
Authorities have arrested three men accused gang-raping a 17-year-old girl in southeast Delhi.
The girl had been visiting a temple with a male friend on Monday evening before the two went to a nearby park, where the suspects allegedly intercepted them. The men posed as police officers to intimidate the minor and her friend.
One of the men reportedly restrained the girl's friend while the other two assaulted her.
The suspects allegedly threatened the pair with arrest if they reported the incident, according to police cited by The Hindustan Times.
On Wednesday, hundreds of students protested in Delhi, demanding better safety for women. The alleged assault occurred barely 2 km (1.2 miles) from Lady Shri Ram (LSR) College, one of the country's top women's colleges.
India has a high rate of reported sexual violence against women and girls. National Crime Records Bureau data shows that more than 80 rape cases are reported to police across the country each day.
https://p.dw.com/p/5NBtYSkip next section SIT files chargesheet in Ayodhya Ram Temple donation theft case09/24/2026September 24, 2026An investigation team probing the alleged embezzlement of donations and offerings at the Ram Temple in the northern city of Ayodhya has filed a chargesheet against eight arrested suspects, media reports said on Wednesday.
The police filed a 74,000-page chargesheet before a local court. All eight accused are in judicial custody.
The Special Investigation Team's (SIT) status report documented 105 instances of theft captured by CCTV cameras at the temple premises.
The controversy over alleged embezzlement forced authorities to appoint an Indian Air Force veteran, Jeetendra Mishra, as the chief executive officer of the temple earlier this month.
The construction of the temple, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2024, was a longstanding political issue and a key commitment of Modi's nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
It built at the site of the Babri mosque, which was demolished by Hindu nationalist mobs in 1992.
Devout Hindus believe that the god Ram was born there more than 7,000 years ago, but that the Babri mosque was built over his birthplace by a 16th-century Muslim emperor.
https://p.dw.com/p/5NBdySkip next section Fire on sleeper bus kills nine outside of Delhi09/24/2026September 24, 2026Nine passengers were killed late on Wednesday after an overnight sleeper bus caught fire outside of the national capital, New Delhi, according to media reports.
A police report, cited by the media, said the bus' air conditioning unit caused the fire while on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida.
Police added that the bus driver and conductor managed to escape the fire and are detained by the authorities, according to The Times of India newspaper.
A passenger who managed to escape the tragedy told ANI news agency that the bus was packed with passengers.
"I was sleeping when someone woke me up saying the bus had caught fire, and we all scrambled to get out," the passenger said. "It was not an easy situation to escape, there was a lot of smoke. We somehow managed to get out."
The police are investigating the incident.
This is the latest in similar incidents of deadly fires on buses:
- March 2026: At least 13 people died in a bus accident in Andhra Pradesh
- October 2025: At least 20 people died after a bus caught fire following a collision with a motorcycle in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh
- October 2025: A bus fire in Rajasthan killed at least 20 people and left around 16 others seriously injured
- April 2025: At least 25 people died and eight others were injured after the bus they were traveling in caught fire on an expressway in Maharashtra
Welcome to our coverage
Hi, this is Shakeel from DW's New Delhi studio bringing you the latest updates from across India.
Nine passengers were killed late on Wednesday when their overnight sleeper bus caught fire just outside Delhi.
Meanwhile, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) filed a nearly 70,000-page chargesheet against eight people arrested in connection with the Ram Temple donation embezzlement case on Wednesday.
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