Right-wing mob at Bareilly cafe

Bareilly: Three days after her private birthday party with friends, including two Muslim male students, at a Bareilly café was stormed by vigilantes over allegations of ‘love jihad’, a 22-year-old final-year nursing student from Badaun said she has not stepped out of her relative’s home and is struggling with fear and embarrassment. Speaking to TOI on Tuesday, she said the assault on her friends has left her questioning whether she must now “choose friends based on religion”.On Dec 27, around two dozen men, purportedly from right-wing groups, barged into the city café and allegedly assaulted her friends while raising ‘love jihad’ slogans. Five people have been arrested so far, police said, but the key accused, Rishabh Thakur and Deepak Pathak, are yet to be held.“I feel deeply ashamed that my friends were harassed and assaulted for their faith. I’m afraid to even leave the house alone. It has ruined my image everywhere,” she said. “Who gave these men the right to decide who I should be friends with?”She said she had organised the party only after taking permission from her parents, who never objected to her friendships. “They know who my friends are. If they have no objection, then who are these men to try to guide me?” she asked, adding that neither her upbringing nor her profession teaches her to judge or differentiate between people.The woman, originally from Badaun and currently staying with her aunt in Bareilly, said she left her institute hostel after the incident, which triggered sharp reactions from both sides on social media platforms.“Police should find out who tipped them off. Everyone on social media is saying that I was part of ‘love jihad’,” she said. “I would kill myself if no strict action is taken against those men, and they will be responsible for it.”Initially, local police issued a fine against the Muslim students and the café owner for “breach of peace”, while no immediate action was taken against the perpetrators. BNSS sections 170 (empowers police to make preventive arrests without a magistrate’s order or a warrant), 126 (security for keeping peace in other cases) and 135 (inquiry into truth of information) were registered against the two students, who were later released after preventive action, circle officer Ashutosh Shivam had said.The case took a turn only after a section of social media on Sunday sharply criticised the handling of the sensitive matter. Hours later, Bareilly SP (city) Manush Pareek said those seen attacking inside the café had been identified, and an FIR was registered under BNS sections 333 (house trespass), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 352 (intentional insult), 351 (criminal intimidation) and 191 (rioting).On Monday, police arrested Prince Singh, 19; Aakash, 21; Ashish Kumar, 26; Mridul Dubey, 22; and Deepak, 19, in connection with the case.

Filmmaker Sriram Raghavan expressed his admiration for the box office hit ‘Dhurandhar’ by Aditya Dhar, but firmly stated that he would never venture into a similar filmmaking territory. He appreciates the film’s success and compelling performances; however, he feels that its style does not resonate with his artistic vision or the evolving landscape of thriller cinema.

Aditya Dhar’s ‘Dhurandhar’ has been raking in big numbers at the box office. The Ranveer Singh-led movie has received a lot of appreciation and love from all quarters. Amidst the massive buzz around the espionage thriller, Sriram Raghavan, whose next film, ‘Ikkis’, is set to release this week, shared that he would never make a film like the Aditya Dhar directorial. Here’s what he said.

Sriram Raghavan shares his take on ‘Dhurandhar’

In an interview with The Hindu, Sriram Raghavan was asked about how opposite ‘Dhurandhar’ is to the movie he directed, ‘Agent Vinod’. To which Sriram Raghavan said, “It is a well-made film with terrific performances, but it is not our kind of film. We must understand that we are living in different times.”

The filmmaker shared that the old James Bond movies, which starred Sean Connery and Roger Moore, used to be fun; however, the current ones have started to get serious. He added, “Dhurandhar is one movie. It is doing spectacularly well, and it should. But this is not the only format. If I start following it, it will be the silliest thing to do.”In the same interview, Sriram Raghavan shared that he and Aditya Dhar shared a National Award for their films ‘Andhadhun’ and ‘Uri’, respectively.The director shared, “He (Aditya) has a different kind of sensibility and craft, and I love watching his films, but it is not something I would make.”

More about ‘Dhurandhar’

Starring Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, Rakesh Bedi, and Sara Arjun, the film was released in theaters on December 5, 2025. The movie has raked in Rs 709.65 crore in India, as of now, according to the Sacnilk report. Part two of the movie will release on March 19, 2026.

More about ‘Ikkis’

Directed by Sriram Raghavan, the movie is based on the life of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, who laid down his life during the Indo-Pak War of 1971. He was honored with the Paramvir Chakra, India’s highest gallantry award, posthumously. Agastya Nanda stars as Arjun Khetarpal. The movie also features Dharmendra (his last screen appearance) and Jaideep Ahlawat in pivotal roles. It is set to release on January 1, 2026.

NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh is no stranger to controversies. The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister, who is known to speak out his mind, has triggered several political storms with his remarks. The veteran Congress leader, who has been one of the strongest critics of the BJP and the RSS, has often been accused of insulting the Hindu community to appease the minorities. In fact, such has been some of his remarks in the past that even the Congress was forced to distance itself from them. It is in this context that his latest social media post citing RSS and BJP to highlight the “power of organisation” seems intriguing.The Congress Rajya Sabha member on Saturday shared a 1996 photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with L K Advani and praised the BJP and the RSS for promoting ground workers – alluding to PM Modi – to posts like chief minister and Prime Minister. “I found this picture on the Quora site. It is very impactful. In the way the grassroots swayamsevaks (workers) of RSS and the workers of Jan Sangh @BJP4India sit on the floor at the feet of leaders and become the Chief Minister of the state and the Prime Minister of the country. This is the power of the organization. Jai Siya Ram,” Singh said on X.

As expected, the post created a flutter. The fact that it coincided with the Congress Working Committee meeting and was tagged not just to the party’s top leadership but also to Prime Minister Modi added to the intrigue. Also, the use of “Jai Siya Ram” at the end seemed strange for a leader, who was once in the centre of a storm for using “Osamaji” for Osama bin Laden. Under all round fire then, Digvijaya had clarified that it was a slip of tongue.So, what was the objective of Digvijaya’s post? Was he actually trying to please the BJP and the RSS? Or was he dropping hints about his future plans and sending a message to the top leadership? Or was he targeting leaders within the Congress who are close to the top leadership?While nothing is impossible in politics, it is difficult to believe that Digvijaya would have had a sudden change of heart vis-a-vis the RSS and BJP and would try to please them.So, was the Congress veteran sending across a message to the top leadership? Well, Digvijaya’s Rajya Sabha term ends in July 2026 and the big question is will the Congress nominate him again? If not, how would he react? After all, we have seen another party veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad turn from a loyalist to a rebel and quit the party in 2021 after he was denied a Rajya Sabha ticket. Will Digvijaya follow suit if ignored? Well, we do not know for now.So, that brings us to the third possible reason for Digvijaya’s post. Was the senior Congress leader targeting the top office-bearers in his party responsible for running the organisation and who are very close to the leadership? The fact that many leaders came out in his support on the need to strengthen the organization gives some credence to this possibility.Most Congress leaders, as expected, unleashed a broadside against Digvijaya’s post and rejected the idea of learning anything from the RSS. Congress leader Pawan Khera said, “There’s nothing to learn from the RSS. What can an organisation known for Godse teach an organisation founded by Gandhi?”Congress MP Manickam Tagore asserted that the Congress had nothing to learn from what he described as a hate-driven organisation. “The RSS is an organisation of hatred. It spreads hatred, breeds hatred and carries out propaganda based on hate. There is nothing to learn from the RSS,” he said.However, many others defended Digvijaya and argued that the focus should not be on the example he had cited but on his message for strength and unity in an organization. They cited his commitment to the Congress and also his strong anti-RSS stand in the past.“Look, it is important to pay attention to whose words are being used, what they mean, and in what context they are spoken. No one can even remotely think that whatever Digvijaya Singh says would not be in the interest of the Congress party or that he would speak in a way that goes against the party’s ideology. He is a pillar of the Congress party, and if he has used any particular language, it is necessary to understand what his context was and what his target was what he was trying to do,” Salman Khurshid told ANI.Congress leader TS Singh Deo defended Digvijaya Singh’s remarks and said: “Digvijaya Singh is much senior to me; I cannot comment on his statement. He will be able to explain it better, but as far as strengthening the organisation is concerned, it is a continuous process…In any organisation, whether it is the BJP, RSS, or any other, everyone’s work is reviewed. The BJP certainly reviews the Congress and other parties... So, Digvijaya Singh’s intention was not to imitate anyone, but he spoke about what we can do to strengthen the organisation.”Congress MP Imran Masood said Digvijaya Singh has consistently opposed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). “Digvijay Singh is a staunch opponent of the RSS. That’s all I know; there’s no need to create so much controversy over this,” he said. Congress leader Rajeev Shukla also defended the former MP CM and said that the matter was being “unnecessarily amplified”.Party leader Udit Raj openly backed Digvijaya’s message and admitted that the grand old party was grappling with serious organisational weaknesses and widespread factionalism. “There is definitely organisational weakness. Is there any doubt about that? For 10 years, we couldn’t even appoint district presidents. Whenever someone was appointed, another group would block it. Factionalism is rampant,” Udit Raj told news agency IANS. “Discussion is part of Congress tradition; we don’t run a dictatorship like the BJP. It is in our tradition to introspect. If there were no organisational weaknesses, would we keep losing elections repeatedly? The positive thing is that we are working to overcome our shortcomings. There is nothing wrong with it,” he added.Candid confession that to some extent justifies Digvijaya’s strong post.However, with his remarks putting the Congress on the backfoot, Digvijaya first issued clarification and then sent out a unity message slamming the BJP. “I am a supporter of the organisation, but an opponent of the RSS and Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi. I have only praised the organisational strength of the RSS. I have always opposed the policies of the BJP and the RSS,” he said as his post raised a storm. Later, he targeted the BJP and said “There is no difference in ideology. We (Congress) are all united, and this Nehru-Gandhi family is a family in which two people have been martyred. I strongly condemn the BJP’s attempts to sow discord within this family.” “Rahul Gandhi has started this initiative (strengthening the organisation) from the district level and below. The process for that is underway. It will be completed soon,” the Rajya Sabha member added.While this clarification helps the Congress counter the BJP attacks, it does little to solve the mystery behind his cryptic message: Was Digvijaya dropping hints about his future plans or was he targeting Congress leadership and the coterie in the party?

Shaheen Afridi, Babar Azam

The Brisbane Heat have said that Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi will return home because of a knee injury and will not take part in the remaining matches of the ongoing Big Bash League, according to a release issued by the franchise.The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has asked Afridi to return from Australia to begin rehabilitation, keeping in mind the T20 World Cup scheduled for February–March in India and Sri Lanka.

Afridi suffered a knee cartilage injury while fielding during Brisbane Heat’s last-over win against Adelaide Strikers at the Gabba on Saturday night.“After consulting with the Pakistan Cricket Board’s medical staff during the past 24 hours, it was agreed that Shaheen would cut short his Big Bash League stint to return home for further treatment ahead of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup,” the team said in a statement on Tuesday.Afridi is the third fast bowler Heat have lost to injury, after Spencer Johnson and Callum Vidler, both sidelined with back problems. With Michael Neser away on international duty, Heat now have limited fast-bowling options. Stand-in captain Xavier Bartlett, all-rounder Jack Wildermuth and uncapped left-arm pacer Oli Patterson are the only fit fast bowlers left in the squad of 18 players.“I have enjoyed myself a lot playing for Brisbane and I am sad that I will not be able to finish the season with the team,” Shaheen said in a statement. “The BBL was everything I had heard it would be – lots of good, skilful cricket (and) I have enjoyed the challenge. I wish all the players and coaches the very best for the rest of the Big Bash and will applaud their efforts as they get closer to the finals.”This was Afridi’s first season in the BBL. He was part of a group of Pakistani players that included Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Haris Rauf. Afridi played four matches, picked up two wickets and had an economy rate of 11.19.In his first match for Heat, Afridi was taken out of the bowling attack for dangerous bowling after he bowled two waist-high full tosses to Tim Seifert and Oliver Peake in the 18th over of Melbourne Renegades’ innings.Afridi appeared to have suffered the injury while bowling the 14th over during Adelaide Strikers’ chase of Heat’s 179 for 9 on December 27, when he limped off the field pointing to his right knee.

Smriti Mandhana (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: India have made a couple of changes for the fifth and final T20I against Sri Lanka in Thiruvananthapuram, with star opener Smriti Mandhana not featuring in the playing XI. The decision has raised questions among fans, but the reason is straightforward: Mandhana has been rested.

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur confirmed at the toss that both Smriti Mandhana and fast bowler Renuka Singh Thakur were given a break for the final match of the series. With India already leading the five-match series 4–0, the team management chose to rotate players and give opportunities to others.“Yeah, I mean, we were okay batting also, so yeah, it’s an important match, so let’s play well and win. Yeah, definitely. As I mentioned, it’s an important match for us. How we started this series, that’s how we wanted to finish. Hopefully, again, we’ll continue the same momentum and give our best. Yes, we have two changes today, Smriti and Renuka are resting. Kamalini is going to debut and Sneh Rana is back,” Harmanpreet said.Seventeen-year-old G Kamalini made her international debut and was handed her cap by Harmanpreet. Sneh Rana returned to the side, replacing Renuka Singh Thakur. India’s playing XI also included Shafali Verma at the top, with Richa Ghosh behind the stumps and Harmanpreet leading the middle order.Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bowl first. Captain Chamari Athapaththu said her team wanted to build on the positives from the previous game and give youngsters more exposure.“We decide bowl first. Because we played a little bit good cricket last game, so that’s why we decide bowl first. Actually, we learn a lot of things in this tournament, especially we are playing against India the World Champions, so we learn a lot of things in every game. So I think these opportunities are really good for the youngsters and we learn from those mistakes and we learn from good things in here, so we will go home with positive things in next year,” Chamari said.Sri Lanka Women (Playing XI): Hasini Perera, Chamari Athapaththu(c), Imesha Dulani, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshika Silva, Rashmika Sewwandi, Kaushani Nuthyangana(w), Nimasha Madushani, Inoka Ranaweera, Malki MadaraIndia Women (Playing XI): Shafali Verma, G Kamalini, Richa Ghosh(w), Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Arundhati Reddy, Vaishnavi Sharma, Shree Charani

Putin-Zelenskyy (AI image generated using ChatGPT)

Russia hardens stance after alleged drone attack on Putin residence; Ukraine denies claimRussia on Tuesday said its position on any potential peace deal with Ukraine would toughen following the alleged Ukrainian drone attack on a Vladimir Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region, a claim Kyiv has firmly rejected.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the alleged attack was aimed at derailing negotiations, adding that Moscow had taken note of Ukraine’s denial. He also accused Western media of “playing along” with Kyiv’s version of events.“This terrorist act was intended to derail the negotiation process,” Peskov told reporters, adding that the diplomatic fallout would be a tougher negotiating stance for the Russian Federation.He said the Russian military was aware of how and when to respond.Peskov said Zelenskyy was denying the incident and accused sections of the Western media of echoing Kyiv’s line by suggesting that no such attack had taken place, calling such claims “completely insane”.He declined to disclose Putin’s whereabouts at the time of the alleged attack, arguing that in the current situation such information should not be made public.Asked whether Russia had physical evidence of the drone strike, Peskov said air defences had intercepted the drones, and that questions related to wreckage should be addressed by the defence ministry.Ukraine, meanwhile, said Russia had provided no evidence to support its allegation. Ukrainian foreign minister Andriy Sybiga said Moscow had failed to produce any “plausible evidence” for what he called a fabricated claim.“Almost a day passed and Russia still hasn’t provided any plausible evidence to its accusations of Ukraine’s alleged ‘attack on Putin’s residence’. And they won’t. Because there’s none. No such attack happened,” Sybiga said in a post on X.The competing claims added to already heightened tensions in the nearly three-year-old conflict, with Moscow signalling a tougher diplomatic line and Kyiv dismissing the accusation as baseless.Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern over reports that the residence of Putin had been targeted and called for restraint and a renewed focus on diplomacy.In a post on X, PM Modi said he was ‘deeply concerned’ by the reports and stressed that diplomatic engagement remained the best way forward. “Deeply concerned by reports of the targeting of the residence of the President of the Russian Federation. Ongoing diplomatic efforts offer the most viable path toward ending hostilities and achieving peace. We urge all concerned to remain focused on these efforts and to avoid any actions that could undermine them,” he said.