Cyclone Murasu made landfall in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, leaving destruction in its path. Weather agencies warned of heavy rainfall in the following 12 hours.
The National Democratic Alliance appears set for a sweeping victory in Andhra Pradesh municipal elections held across 92 urban districts. NDA nominees are leading in almost all municipal corporations and a majority of municipalities, with the coalition expected to win more than 90% of wards and divisions in urban civic bodies. The ruling alliance comprises the Telugu Desam Party, Jana Sena Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party. The elections pit the NDA against the opposition Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party and serve as a political test for Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
Authorities in Assam's Dhubri district demolished homes in Alamganj Part-IX village, displacing more than 4,000 people. Officials claimed residents were occupying 500 acres of government land under encroachment, with some families arriving five years ago and others a decade ago. Residents disputed the claim, with several families reportedly having paid land revenue for years. Most of the displaced people were Bengali Muslims, according to local media. Over the past decade of BJP rule in Assam, around 19,000 families, the majority Muslim, have been evicted from government land according to data compiled by Scroll.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah claimed on Monday that 30 million of 130 million voters removed from electoral rolls during mass voter roll revisions were "Bangladeshi infiltrators," without offering evidence. The opposition has pushed back against the deletions and demanded the resignation of election chief Gyanesh Kumar, alleging deliberate voter deletions favoring Shah's party.
The Indian Navy rescued 20 crew members from the Iranian fishing vessel Azini after Somali pirates hijacked it on October 29 off the coast of Somalia. A coordinated 48-hour operation 3,000 km from Mumbai involved a mission-deployed warship and a maritime reconnaissance aircraft. The Iranian government thanked India for the rescue.
An Indian tourist from Chennai died and three others were injured after two helicopters collided while landing in Nepal's Solukhumbu district. The victim was identified as Vasanth Kumar Balaramaramadu, 47. Two Nepalese pilots were also injured. The helicopters were ferrying trekkers at Pheriche village at 4,200 meters altitude during Nepal's trekking season.
Residents in Karjat, Maharashtra are protesting plans for a 3,000-MW pumped storage power plant that would require clearing more than 32,000 trees. Nearly 1,100 trees were cut before the operation halted last week amid protests.