India Archive

On the night of June 23, 2026, as the monsoon downpour lashed the western suburbs of Mumbai, Fast Local Train No. 90663 hurtled northwards. Inside the first-class compartment—usually a sanctuary of relative comfort purchased at a premium—the ambient noise of clattering tracks was pierced by a sharp, sudden argument. The trigger was deceptively trivial: whether the carriage door should be kept closed to block the lashing rain, or left open for ventilation. Minutes later, 22-year-old Mayank Ramesh Lohar lay in a pool of blood, his abdomen pierced by a knife.

The political landscape of Punjab has been upended as a major controversy unfolds, entangling top administrative structures, prominent political figures, and religious authorities. At the heart of this intensifying crisis is Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who now faces heavy scrutiny following recent developments handled by the Haryana Police.

The red dust of Chhattisgarh’s Baloda Bazar-Bhatapara district has long settled over the freshly turned earth of the Kharve village cemetery, but the silence that remains is no longer peaceful. It is a silence suspended in disbelief. For four months, a series of seemingly unrelated deaths systematically depleted this agrarian community of its middle-aged men. Each victim succumbed to the same violent gastrointestinal torment, followed by swift cardiovascular collapse.

High above the mist-shrouded valleys of Maharashtra’s Sahyadri range, the ancient basalt ramparts of Lohagad Fort rise like a sleeping titan. For centuries, this UNESCO-recognized monument of Maratha military genius has drawn trekkers, historians, and tourists seeking its sweeping vistas. But on the morning of June 18, 2026, the mountain air was pierced by a cry that would unravel a fairy-tale life and expose a chilling, calculated crime.

The internal power struggle tearing through the Trinamool Congress (TMC) reached a point of no return on Monday. In an extraordinary show of defiance, a rebel faction led by the Leader of the Opposition, Ritabrata Banerjee, declared open mutiny against the party's central leadership. Gathering at a luxury hotel in New Town, the dissident camp announced a parallel organizational structure and appointed senior MLA Arup Roy as the chairperson of what they are now calling the “real” Trinamool Congress.