Evening news wrap: Putin set to arrive in India shortly; Panipat woman arrested for child murders & more | India News
Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to arrive in India shortly, with talks with PM Modi expected to focus on strengthening military and economic ties. Panipat police arrested 34-year-old Poonam for a string of child murders, after a six-year-old girl’s drowning investigation. An IndiGo flight from Medina to Hyderabad made an emergency landing in Ahmedabad due to a suspected bomb threat. Former India coach Ravi Shastri defended Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma following debates over their future. Read the full news wrap for more stories.Putin set to arrive in India; talks with PM Modi to focus on military, economic tiesRussian President Vladimir Putin is set to arrive to New Delhi as his first trip to India in four years with a private dinner hosted by PM Modi. The two leaders are expected to explore ways to strengthen the special and privileged strategic partnership. During the 22nd session of the India–Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation, defence minister Rajnath Singh underscored the recent advancements in defence collaboration between the two nations. Follow live updatesPanipat woman arrested for serial child murders, including own sonPanipat police investigating a six-year-old girl’s drowning have uncovered a series of child murders by 34-year-old Poonam, including her own son. She confessed to killing children she found more attractive than her own, and said she killed her son fearing he had witnessed a murder. The victims, all girls from her family, were initially thought to have died accidentally. Poonam was arrested Tuesday; she has another young son and is married to a farmer in Sonipat. Read full storyIndiGo flight makes emergency landing in Ahmedabad following suspected bomb threatAn IndiGo flight from Medina to Hyderabad made an emergency landing in Ahmedabad following a suspected bomb threat, airport officials said. The flight was carrying 180 passengers and 6 crew members. The incident comes amid widespread disruptions in India’s aviation sector, with IndiGo cancelling over 200 flights daily this week due to a pilot shortage. On Tuesday, the airline’s on-time performance fell to 35%, the lowest among all scheduled carriers. Read full story‘You don’t mess with…’: Ravi Shastri defends Kohli and Rohit amid ODI future speculationFormer India head coach Ravi Shastri defended Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma amid growing debates about their ODI futures and India’s plans for the 2027 World Cup. In a recent interview with Prabhat Khabar, Shastri warned against sidelining the senior players, calling them “ODI giants” and criticising those questioning their place in the team following their retirements from Tests and ODIs. Read full storySupreme Court flags BLO workload, directs states to deploy additional staffThe Supreme Court on Thursday addressed concerns over the workload of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) involved in the SIR exercise. Citing reports of excessive pressure and even suicides, the court directed state governments to deploy additional staff to reduce working hours for those already on election duty. A bench led by CJI Surya Kant also stated that any request for exemption from statutory election duties must be considered individually by the competent authority, with replacements arranged if necessary. Read full story
