Police personnel investigate after a female student was found dead at BIT Mesra’s Hostel No. 9.

A female student was found dead inside a hostel at BIT Mesra in Ranchi late at night, police said. The student, identified as Anjali, was pursuing an M.Sc. course and was found in Hostel No. 9. Police reached the spot and took custody of the body, while a post-mortem examination is scheduled for Saturday. Further details are awaited.

If you are just joining us, this is Realtime breaking news blog – where we bring you the latest news updates of the day in real time. Scan the top headlines of the day here, or keep scrolling to see the latest updates stream in.

Delhi University election counting begins amid tight security

Counting of votes for the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections began on Saturday amid heightened security and keen interest in the contest between the ABVP, NSUI and the AISA-SFI alliance. The results will decide the four-member central panel for the 2026-27 academic session.

Story continues below this ad

More than 2,000 police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed across Delhi University, with traffic restrictions in place around the counting centre at the Multipurpose Hall of the University Sports Stadium in North Campus. Around 39.77 per cent voting was recorded on Friday. Student welfare, campus facilities, hostel accommodation and safety were among the key issues during this year’s campaign.

13-year-old boy abducted and killed for ransom in Bengaluru, neighbour held

 A 13-year-old boy was allegedly abducted and killed by his neighbour as part of a plan to demand ransom from his family in Bengaluru, police said on Saturday. The accused, 28-year-old Bhaskar Reddy, has been arrested, while police are searching for his alleged accomplice. According to the preliminary investigation, Reddy and his associate allegedly lured the boy into a car on September 16 on the pretext of buying firecrackers and took him to a construction site near Bagalur. Police said the boy was tied up and forced to record a ransom video for his father before he was allegedly killed. The accused then allegedly placed his body in the car boot, where it was discovered after the vehicle collided with other vehicles near Hunsmaranahalli. A case has been registered and efforts are underway to trace the second accused.

Customs seize ganja worth Rs 25.88 lakh at Palakkad railway station

Customs officials seized 51.75 kg of ganja valued at Rs 25.88 lakh from Palakkad Junction railway station in Kerala, officials said on Saturday. The seizure was made on September 17 based on intelligence about the movement of narcotic substances through trains passing through Palakkad. A team of Customs officials spotted five unattended backpacks at the station after some trains had departed. With the assistance of the Railway Protection Force, the bags were taken into custody and found to contain five packets of ganja each, weighing around 2 kg. The packets were concealed in green polythene covers and brown adhesive tape inside the backpacks. An investigation is underway to identify those who left the bags at the station.

Nitish stepped down as CM on his own, BJP did not ask him to, says Samrat Choudhary

Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Friday said his predecessor Nitish Kumar stepped down from the chief minister’s post voluntarily and was not asked to resign by the BJP. Choudhary also described Kumar, now a Rajya Sabha MP, as the “NDA’s undisputed leader in Bihar”.

Speaking at an event in Patna, Choudhary said Kumar had chosen to reciprocate the gesture made by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2000, when Kumar became chief minister despite the BJP having more MLAs. Choudhary also hit back at RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav’s criticism of his appointment as a “selected, and not elected” leader, while saying his priorities as chief minister were law and order, education and boosting revenue through industrialisation.

Maharashtra TET paper leak: Question papers smuggled in shoe insoles, chargesheet says

 Question papers for the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) were allegedly smuggled out of an Agra printing press by employees who hid them inside their shoe insoles, a nearly 3,500-page chargesheet filed by Thane City Police has stated. The employees were allegedly paid Rs 8,000 each and promised land plots in Agra for stealing the confidential exam material. The chargesheet names 18 accused, including alleged mastermind Bijendra Gupta, who was previously implicated in an examination paper leak in Odisha. Sixteen accused have been arrested, while two others, identified as Ashok Sav and Prakash Misal, remain absconding. A Special Investigation Team is probing the case, with police saying a supplementary chargesheet will be filed as the investigation progresses.

Live Updates

© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd