India News

A large number of people gathered at Ghanta Ghar at Lal Chowk in J&K's Srinagar, which was illuminated in lights and diyas and decorated for Diwali celebrations on Sunday. Visuals showed big rangolis and rows of diyas as people clicked pictures and recorded videos. Several people also participated in the puja.

Ayodhya's Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple was illuminated with colourful festive lights on Diwali. A video of the decorated temple surfaced online showing its exterior glowing in golden and multicoloured lights against the night sky. Ayodhya also celebrated its 10th Deepotsav on Saturday, with around 36 lakh diyas illuminated along 56 ghats on the banks of the Saryu River.

Singer Daler Mehndi issued his first statement following the Uttarakhand concert controversy. In a Diwali Instagram post, he thanked fans and the music industry for supporting him after Uttarakhand minister Subodh Uniyal accused him of being drunk on stage. Mehndi praised his brother Mika Singh for defending him and thanked his wife Taran and children for standing by him.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India seized nearly 3,280 tonnes of banned and non-compliant food products during a nationwide festive-season inspection drive launched on September 1. The seized items, including paneer, ghee, milk and sweets, were worth around ₹82 crore. FSSAI cancelled 52 licences, suspended over 1,100 licences and sealed more than 300 establishments for violations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan and exchanged greetings on the occasion of Diwali. An image showed PM Modi presenting a large bouquet of flowers to President Murmu. Earlier in the day, PM Modi visited the CoBRA Operations Base at Karanpur in Chhattisgarh's Bastar to celebrate Diwali with security personnel.

Security agencies in Jammu and Kashmir have released photographs of four active terrorists, asking public to share any credible information regarding their movement or presence. The terrorists have been identified as Bilal Ahmed Mir (Sapore), Abid Qayoom Lone (Baramulla), Md Lateef Bhat (Kulgam) and Md Umar Mir (Sapore).

A video of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge is going viral, in which he wished people on Diwali, saying, "Diwali khushiyo ka ek Eid hai. Bahut din lamba chalne wala Eid hai (Diwali is an Eid of happiness. It's an Eid that's celebrated for several days)." The remarks have sparked discussion on social media as people questioned his choice of words.

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi shared a video on Instagram, recalling how her family celebrated Diwali when they lived at 1, Safdarjung Road, the former residence of PM Indira Gandhi. Priyanka Gandhi recalled ex-PM Rajiv Gandhi taking them to Chandni Chowk/Old Delhi to buy firecrackers while Sonia said, "They used to go berserk with these firecrackers." Sonia said she liked phuljadis.