The Luv Kush Ramleela Committee in Delhi has dropped Poonam Pandey from playing Mandodari in this year's Ramleela following opposition from several groups.
Dussehra 2025 celebrations witnessed Ravan Dahan ceremonies across India, with massive effigies of Ravan, Kumbhkaran and Meghnad set ablaze in cities from Amritsar to Patna.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has strongly protested about the controversial model-actress Poonam Pandey portraying Ravana's wife Mandodari in Delhi's UNESCO-endorsed Ram Leela.
According to the proposal of the state Tourism department, which was approved by the Cabinet, around Rs 137 crore will be spent on the renovation of the old Punaura Dham Janki Mandir and Rs. 728 crore for the development of tourist infrastructure around the temple. The remaining amount will be spent on the maintenance of the infrastructure for ten years.
A fire broke out at the storeroom of a camp in the Maha Kumbh Mela area on Saturday evening, gutting seven tents and destroying some items, including blankets and foodgrains, officials said.
Cabinet ministers and TV actors will try to bring to life the aeons-old story of Lord Ram at the 10-day-long Ramlila in New Delhi, which has been promised to be bigger than ever by its organisers.
Here's a glimpse of how India celebrated the festival marking the triumph of good over evil.
The rape charge could not be proved against the prime accused, his lawyer Munna Singh Pundir said.
President of Phule Aarakshan Sangarsh Samiti CP Saini said if the state government fails to fulfil their demands, they will block the Jaipur-Delhi highway.
Members of the community held a meeting with social justice department officials in Jaipur, according to a statement.
Dussehra festivities returned to their usual grandeur after two years of muted celebrations as Covid fears subsided and people came out in their millions to watch the burning of Ravana effigies across the country on Wednesday to mark the victory of good over evil.
Talking to reporters in Patna, the former Union minister asserted that he would happily function as 'an ordinary party worker, worth five rupees', if the JD-U leadership was assumed by 'anybody from among the Luv Kush Samaj (Kurmis and Koeris) or the EBCs whose aspirations have been the party's driving force'.
The official list of contestants is not out yet, but Namrata Thakker digs out some names that are in contention.
Kushwaha was referring to 'Luv Kush' rally in Patna, a veritable gathering of Kurmis and Koeris upset with supposed hegemony of numerically powerful Yadavs which Prasad, then helming Bihar, was seen as embodying.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday declined to speak on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha, saying he avoided doing so in matters involving court order.
Lawyer Seema Kushwaha, who is representing the Dalit woman's family, said on Thursday that they will challenge the verdict in the high court.
Disgruntled Janata Dal-United leader Upendra Kushwaha on Monday resigned from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's party, less than two years after returning to the party, and announced formation of the 'Rashtriya Loktantrik Janata Dal'.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday made a surprise visit to a Dalit hamlet in Lucknow and picked up a broom to clean it, reacting to chief minister Yogi Adityanath's dig at her act of sweeping of floor at a Sitapur guest house during her detention.
'I have to take a stand to strengthen it. I cannot sit silent.'
Actor-turned-director Ramesh Aravind talks about his latest directorial venture, Nam Anna Don.
As government-issued guidelines in many places banned large congregations and setting up of fairs or food stalls, the torching of effigies was restricted to very few venues than usual. The Ramleela Maidan at the iconic Red Fort where every year the Dussehra festivities are attended by dignitaries including the prime minister and the President apart from hundreds of common people, was deserted this time as the annual celebrations were cancelled.
In the letter, the main accused, Sandeep, has also stated that he was friends with the alleged gang rape victim, due to which her mother and brother had thrashed the 19-year-old Dalit woman, leading to serious injuries that resulted in her death.
Stating that he was "proud to be a Hindu", Patel denied speculation that he was joining the BJP.
A former protege of the JD-U de facto leader, Kushwaha, had revolted against Kumar in 2013, giving up his Rajya Sabha berth and floated his own outfit.
Arrows were fired to set the effigies of Ravana, Meghnad and Kumbhakaran ablaze at the Parade Ground on Saturday, an event that was attended by President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi among a host of other dignitaries.
The Bihar CM has made a sagacious attempt to consolidate his extremely backward castes (EBC) support base while trying to make a dent into RJD's Muslim-Yadav combine.
Cartoon characters created and developed in local animation studios are enchanting Indian kids like never before, says Vanita Kohli-Khandekar.
Delhi, which has gained infamy as one of the world's most polluted cities, has for some years now witnessed a sustained campaign from various quarters seeking a ban on firecrackers. While the Centre launched the newly approved, eco-friendly firecrackers earlier this month as a "safer and cheaper" alternative, the mood in the market is tepid, says Ritwik Sharma.
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