India News June 23 Highlights: NEET UG 2024 Controversy, Kejriwal's Bail & More

Nearly Half Of Eligible Students Skip NEET-UG Retest: Exam Body NTA Read full story

Arvind Kejriwal Moves Supreme Court To Challenge Delhi High Court Stay On Bail Order Read full story

NEET Row: Rahul Gandhi Terms PM Modi-led Govt ‘Incompetent’, ‘Biggest Threat To Future Of Students’ Read full story

Chhattisgarh Naxal Attack: 2 CRPF Personnel Killed In IED Blast At Sukma Read full story

Rajouri Garden Burger King Murder: 'Lady Don' Who Allegedly Honey-Trapped Victim Seen At Katra Railway Station Read full story

‘Shameless’: Shashi Tharoor's ‘Uttar Pradesh Kise Kehte Hain’ Post Sparks BJP Outrage Read full story

Water Crisis In Greater Noida: Residents Line Up With Buckets Amid Water Shortage, Video Goes Viral Read full story

NEET UG 2024: CBI Registers FIR Over Irregularities IN NTA NEET Exam Read full story 

Gaza Death Toll Crosses 37,000 As Qatar, Egypt, US Work To 'Bridge The Gap' Between Israel-Hamas For Truce Read full story 

‘Human Shielding In Action': Israeli Army Straps Wounded Palestinian To Jeep Read full story 

Greece Wildfires: Firefighters Report 'New Fires Every 10 Minutes' As Strong Winds Ignite Forest Fires Read full story 

Pakistan: Imran Khan’s Party Demands Removal Of CEC Over Alleged Poll Rigging Read full story 

The government has sacked the chief of the National Testing Agency (NTA), Subodh Kumar Singh, amid the massive row over alleged irregularities in the NEET and UGC-NET examinations, while the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been asked to probe the case.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday said the monsoon will cover northwest India, which includes Delhi and the key agrarian states of Punjab and Haryana, by July 3.

Terming Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government as “incompetent”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday lambasted the government saying it is “the biggest threat to the future of students.”

Taking to micro-blogging site—X, he said, “Now NEET PG is also postponed! This is another unfortunate example of the ruined education system under the rule of Narendra Modi.”

He added, “In BJP rule, students are not forced to 'study' to make their career but are forced to 'fight' with the government to save their future."

"Now it is clear - Modi, who used to silently watch the spectacle every time, is completely helpless in front of the paper leak racket and education mafia. Narendra Modi's incompetent government is the biggest threat to the future of students - we must save the future of the country from it," he said.

On postponement of NEET-PG examination, Shiv Sena Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey on Sunday said "Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan should resign with immediate effect".

On NEET-PG examination postponement, DMK leader Saravanan Annadurai on Sunday said, "Never in the history of independent India, has a government been so utterly incompetent to even conduct an examination for the students. This is the third examination that is cancelled and fourth examination that is under cloud."

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, while addressing an event organised in Delhi to pay tribute to Bhartiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his death anniversary on Sunday said, “We all have gathered here today to pay tribute to Syama Prasad Mookerjee ji on his death anniversary. He played his role in keeping this country together from Jammu and Kashmir to Kanyakumari. He is not with us today but his thoughts inspire us daily."

On the occassion of Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee's death anniversary, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj on Sunday said,"Syama Prasad Mookerjee ji used to dream of a united India and therefore, PM Modi abrogated Article 370. The entire country thanks him (PM Modi) for this."

Karnataka legislator Suraj Revanna, the elder brother of rape accused and expelled JDS leader Prajwal Revanna, has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a male party worker.

Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) has claimed that postponement of the NEET-PG entrance exam is a "failure" of the Centre and accused the government of playing with the lives of aspirants.

The opposition party also demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the "mess and malpractices" in the examination process.

"Due to the inability to do their job, the government is playing with the lives and future of children," NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) national spokesperson Clyde Crasto claimed in a statement on Saturday. PTI

The National Testing Agency (NTA) is set to administer a re-examination for 1563 NEET UG candidates who experienced time loss, scheduled for today, June 23. The retest will take place from 2 pm to 5:20 pm. The results of the NEET re-exam is likely to be on June 30.

On his reaction on NEET examination postponement, RJD leader Mritunjay Tiwari on Sunday said, "Injustice has been done to the future of many students. Earlier, the Education Minister said that the NEET exam question paper has not leaked. Now, he is removing NTA DG; this won't help. Education Minister should resign."

On NEET-PG examination postponement, the Union Health Ministry on Sunday said the move has been taken as a 'precautionary measure'.

“Taking into consideration the recent allegations regarding the integrity of certain competitive examinations, the Ministry of Health has decided to undertake a thorough assessment of the robustness of processes of the NEET-PG Entrance Examination, conducted by the National Board of Examination for medical students,” the ministry said.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi on Sunday took a "corrupt" and "mafia" jibe at BJP-led NDA government at Centre over postponement of NEET-PG examination.

Taking to micro-blogging site--X, she said, "NEET-UG :- paper leak NEET-PG :- cancelled UGC-NET :- cancelled CSIR-NET :- Cancelled. Today this is the condition of some of the biggest examinations in the country."

She added, "Under the BJP rule, the entire education system has been handed over to the mafia and the corrupt. The political stubbornness and arrogance of handing over the country's education and the future of the children to greedy and sycophantic incompetent people has made paper leaks, cancellation of exams, disappearance of education from campuses and political hooliganism the identity of our education system."

"The situation has become such that the BJP government cannot conduct even an examination in a fair manner. Today, the BJP government has become the single biggest hurdle in front of the future of the youth. The capable youth of the country are wasting their precious time and energy in fighting the corruption of the BJP and the helpless Modi ji is just watching the spectacle," she said.

In his reaction to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi's jibe amid the NEET-PG examination row, BJP leader Amit Malviya on Sunday said, “The strings of the NEET-UG paper leak are linked to Congress's ally RJD. To cover it up, AAP itself was posting fake videos. The remaining exams have been postponed so that the opposition cannot play with the future of the students and use them for its dirty politics.”

Police on Sunday arrested two teachers from the Maharashtra's Latur district in connection with the alleged irregularities in the NEET-PG examination 2024.

On Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee's death anniversary, BJP leader Giriraj Singh on Sunday said, "Today, his (Bhartiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee) soul must have found peace that PM Modi abrogated Article 370 and Article 35A. His dream came true."

In his reaction on NEET-2024 row, JDU leader Rajiv Ranjan on Sunday said, “The central government has taken the issue seriously. Decisions that have been taken recently clearly show that strict actions will be taken."

The Congress on Sunday hit out at the Modi government over the bureaucratic reshuffle in the National Testing Agency after alleged irregularities in NEET-UG, saying the buck stops at the doorstep of the top echelons of the regime.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the National Testing Agency (NTA) was projected to be an autonomous body, but in reality was made to serve the "devious interests" of the BJP/RSS.

"In the NEET Scam, the buck stops at the doorstep of the top echelons of the Modi Government. Shuffling the bureaucrats is no solution to the endemic problem in the Education system rotted by the BJP," he said in a post on X.

For students to get justice, Modi government must be held accountable, he said. PTI

A cloudburst on Sunday morning triggered several landslides and a flood-like situation in Itanagar, officials said.

Though Arunachal Pradesh has been witnessing heavy rains over the last few weeks, the situation improved in the past two days. Also, there was no forecast for rain on Sunday, they said.

Following the cloudburst, which happened around 10.30 am, landslides were reported from various parts of Itanagar and its adjoining areas, while a flood-like situation was witnessed in several stretches of the NH-415, an official of the Disaster Management Department said. PTI

BSP chief Mayawati on Sunday reinstated her nephew Akash Anand on the post of the party's national coordinator and announced him as her successor.

The stringent National Security Act (NSA) has been invoked against two persons arrested after the recovery of cow meat from a village in Madhya Pradesh's Morena district, police said on Sunday.

Following a complaint of cow slaughter, the police on Friday night seized beef and cow skin from a house at the Bengali colony in Noorabad village of the district, an official said. PTI

Amid the NEET UG and UGC NET paper leak crisis, NTA announced the postponement of the Jount CSIR UGC NET 2024 Exam. As per the statement given by the National Testing Agency, the CSIR NET Exam was postponed due to "logistical issues". However, speaking to reporters, officials from the testing agency has stated that the with the cancellation of the UGC-NET Exam and the NEET UG retest, it would not have been possible for NTA to conduct an exam in such close prximity.

As Greece continues to battle wildfire season, authorities have arrested 13 people concerning a wildfire near Athens. The 13 individuals have been arrested after fireworks were launched from a yacht party, triggering a wildfires in the island of Hydra.

In addition to the series of fires across the Mediterranean country, firefighters have added that the heatwave, climate change and strong winds have added to the spread of the fire, making it more difficult to contain them. READ FULL STORY

A 13-year-old boy was arrested for allegedly sending an email to the Delhi Airport falsely claiming that a bomb had been planted in the Dubai-bound flight, police said on Sunday. The incident occurred on Monday when a complaint was registered regarding a bomb threat on a Dubai-bound flight on June 18. 

The boy had sent the mail "just for fun" after being influenced by the news of another teenager who made a hoax bomb threat call a few days ago, Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI Airport) Usha Rangnani was quoted by PTI as saying.

DCP said, “The airport was put on high alert, and an emergency was declared.”

Security forces have for the first time recovered a huge cache of fake currency notes belonging to Naxalites and equipment used to print them in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, a senior police official said on Sunday.

According to the police, Naxalites were allegedly using the fake currency notes in weekly markets of interior areas of Bastar region for a long time and duping innocent tribals.

Naxalites were also trying to destabilise the Indian economy with this move, Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran G Chavan claimed. (PTI Inputs)

The Central Bureau Of Investigation has registered an FIR in connection to the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test conducted on May 5 by the National Testing Agency. 

The FIR has been registered based on the complaint filed by the Ministry of Education. The FIR has been filed against unidentified persons on a reference from the Education Ministry.

This FIR against unidentified persons comes a day after the Union Education Ministry handed over the case to the CBI. "Certain cases of alleged irregularities, cheating, impersonation and malpractice have been reported in NEET-UG which was conducted on May 5," a senior education ministry official told news agency PTI.

"For transparency in the conduct of the examination process, it was decided after a review that the matter be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a comprehensive investigation," the official added further.

Two CRPF officials from the special operation unit - CoBRA - were killed on Sunday in a Naxal Attack in Sukma, Chhattisgarh. As per police, the security personnel were killed in an IED blast.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi High Court order, which had put a hold on the regular bail granted to him by a trial court in the excise policy case.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Sunday reiterated Sri Lanka’s unwavering support for a separate Palestinian state to be established “within five years." The president also said that despite the country’s current bankrupt economy, generous public contributions collected a million dollars in response to his government’s Gaza Children’s Fund that was donated.

“Sri Lanka’s stance on the Gaza clashes would never change, action must be taken to set up an independent Palestine state within five years and murdering of civilians must stop,” he said.

“People should not be made to pay for the problems with Hamas. We all should assist in finding a solution to the Palestine problem – the state of Palestine must be set up before five years. It will not be productive to waste time talking about it, as we have done now for 40-50 years. Israel’s security concerns must be addressed separately,” Wickremesinghe added.

The Congress on Sunday expelled five of its leaders in Odisha, including the party's state unit general secretary, for six years for their alleged involvement in an incident in which ink was thrown at OPCC president Sarat Pattanayak. Two masked persons had on Friday thrown ink at the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee chief at its state headquarters here.

OPCC general secretary Prakash Mishra, Odisha Pradesh Mahila Congress general secretary Shriyasmita Panda, the party's student wing National Students’ Union of India secretary Sandip Routray, youth Congress state secretary Amresh Parida and NSUI state secretary Aryan Sasmal were expelled for six years, a party leader said. (PTI Inputs)

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday wrote an emotional letter to the people of Wayanad, the constituency that he is giving up to represent Rae Bareli in the Lok Sabha, and said when he faced abuse on a daily basis, their unconditional love protected him.

This comes after Rahul Gandhi won Lok Sabha polls from both Raebareli and Wayanad and had to choose between the two seats.

Russian authorities said four people died and over 100 were wounded in Ukrainian drone and missile attacks on Sunday, while the second day of Russia's aerial bombing of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine killed at least one person.

Three people — including two children — were killed by falling debris when five Ukrainian missiles were shot down in Sevastopol, a port city in Russia-annexed Crimea, said Mikhail Razvozhayev, the city's Moscow-installed governor. Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, citing the Health Ministry, said 124 people were wounded. (AP Inputs)