Today’s Top News Headlines and Latest News at 8:30 pm on 9 July 2024

Mihir Shah, the main accused in the Mumbai BMW hit-and-run accident that led to the death of a 45-year-old woman in Worli, was arrested, more than 48 hours after the accident. Mihir is the son of Rajesh Shah, a Shiv Sena leader. Mihir surrendered before the police with his lawyer, police sources said. “We have apprehended Mihir and the process of getting him to Mumbai is underway,” a police officer added. On Sunday, Mihir was allegedly driving the BMW car that rammed into a two-wheeler on which Pradip Nakhwa and his wife Kaveri were travelling on in Worli. Kaveri was allegedly dragged for over one and a half kilometres, resulting in her death.

Next up: Five soldiers from Uttarakhand’s Garhwal Rifles regiment were killed when some militants ambushed their convoy in Jammu’s Kathua district Monday afternoon — the latest in a series of attacks in the Union territory. According to sources, a large group of militants was involved in the attack. It came after reports of successful infiltration in the area by a considerable number of militants about two months ago. Those killed have been identified as Adarsh Negi of Thatti Dagar village, Naib Subedar Anand Singh Rawat from Kandakhal village, Havaldar Kamal Singh from Papri village, Naik Vinod Singh from Chaund Jaspur, and Rifleman Anuj Negi from Dobariya village.

In yet another chapter in the testy relationship between the Narendra Modi government and former Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has sought breach of privilege proceedings against the Prime Minister in the Rajya Sabha for his “derogatory” remarks against Ansari. In his letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, Ramesh said that no PM has ever attacked the presiding officer of a House as Modi had done. In his capacity as Vice-President, Ansari was Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. The letter refers to Modi’s reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address in the Lok Sabha on July 2.

Moving on: Patanjali Ayurved Ltd informed the Supreme Court that it has stopped the sale of the 14 products whose manufacturing licences were suspended by the Uttarakhand State Licensing Authority in April. The company told a bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Sandeep Mehta that it has issued instructions to 5,606 franchise stores to withdraw these products. It said media platforms have also been instructed to withdraw advertisements of these 14 products in any form. The bench directed Patanjali Ayurved Ltd to file an affidavit within two weeks stating whether the request made to social media intermediaries for the removal of advertisements has been acceded to and whether advertisements of these 14 products have been withdrawn.

The two-member Special Investigation Team probing the Hathras stampede submitted its report to the Uttar Pradesh government, holding the organisers, the local police and the administration responsible for the accident that killed 121 people on July 2. Acting on it, the government within hours suspended six officials — Sikandra Rao sub-divisional magistrate, circle officer, tehsildar, station house officer, and two local police outpost in-charge officers. The 855-page SIT report did not mention the ‘godman’ Suraj Pal, also known as Bhole Baba or Narayan Sakaar Hari, among those it found guilty. The victims of the stampede had come to attend a Satsang (religious gathering) held by Bhole Baba, the police constable turned religious preacher.

Meanwhile: Haryana BJP MLA Mohan Lal Badoli was appointed the party's state president. Badoli replaces Chief Minister Nayab Saini, who continued to hold the charge following his elevation as head of the state government. Assembly polls are slated to be held in the state in a few months. The BJP has been in power in Haryana since 2014 but the Congress displayed strong signs of revival in the recent Lok Sabha elections, winning five of the 10 constituencies in the state. A sitting MLA, Badoli lost the Lok Sabha election from the Sonipat seat to his Congress rival in a close contest.

In world news: A 25-year-old Indian man studying at Trine University died after he drowned at a waterfall at Albany in New York state, India’s Consulate here said, the latest incident to hit the community grappling with a string of such tragedies. Sai Surya Avinash Gadde died on July 7 at Barberville Falls, Albany, about 240 km north of New York. “We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Mr Sai Surya Avinash Gadde, a student at Trine University, who drowned on 7th July at Barbervilley Falls, Albany, NY,” the mission posted on X.

Lastly: Tesla CEO Elon Musk reiterated that electronic voting machines and postal voting is “too risky” and should be replaced with paper ballots and in-person voting. Musk’s remarks come four months before the US presidential elections. The businessman shared news reports emphasising the unreliability of voting machines ranging from the use of outdated versions of the Microsoft operating system and decade-old voting machines to testimonies at the June 2017 Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, where it was alleged that the machines could be reprogrammed through a “vote-stealing code” to “invisibly cause any candidate to win.” Sharing four news clippings. Musk wrote: “Electronic voting machines and anything mailed in is too risky. We should mandate paper ballots and in-person voting only.”

Click to listen to the morning bulletin