India news live updates: Ahead of PM Modi's visit, India and Israel sign another MoU deepening defence ties

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel later this month, an MoU was signed between India and Israel to deepen defence ties and strengthen ongoing joint activities, including future seminars and cooperative initiatives.

The People's University in Bhopal received a bomb threat mail, prompting authorities to evacuate the premises. According to police, the mail originated from Tamil Nadu and all departments mentioned as targets in the mail have been evacuated. A bomb detection and disposal squad has been dispatched to the location.

Rabri Devi stages protest outside Bihar Assembly over law and order

Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Council and RJD leader Rabri Devi, along with other leaders, staged a protest outside the Bihar Assembly over the state of law and order in the state.

Filmmaker Neeraj Pandey told the Supreme Court that he has withdrawn the title and the publicity material of his upcoming film 'Ghuskhor Pandat', starring Manoj Bajpayee. The new title of the film has not yet been finalised. The Supreme Court took on record Pandey's affidavit on the withdrawal of the film's title and disposed of the plea against the movie.

At least three schools in Delhi and the Punjab Secretariat received bomb threats through e-mail on Thursday morning, prompting swift evacuation and search operations by emergency agencies, an official of the Delhi Fire Services said.

No stampede at Shivneri Fort, only injuries: Superintendent of Pune rural police

Superintendent of Pune rural police Sandeep Singh Gill said a large number of people had been coming to the top of Shivneri Fort in Junnar for Shiv Jayanti celebrations since Wednesday morning and the darshan continued throughout the night.  The SP said one of the devotees slipped, and due to this, more people fell on the stairs and three of them got injured. However, there is no stampede, clarified the SP.

The Narcotics Control Bureau seized 4.776 kg of cocaine, valued at Rs 23.88 crore, from a Brazilian national who flew from São Paulo to Bengaluru. Officers recovered four modified handbags with concealed compartments containing cocaine-infused fabric.

Several devotees suffered minor injuries in the rush and were taken to the government hospital in Junnar for medical attention. Officials have stated that no deaths have been reported in the incident so far.

The episode has sparked fresh debate over crowd control and preparedness during large public gatherings. Shiv Jayanti attracts massive numbers to Shivneri Fort every year, raising questions about whether more stringent safety measures should have been implemented in advance.

From the early hours of the day, thousands began making their way towards the fort, leading to severe congestion on the access routes. The bottleneck intensified near narrow gateways such as Hathi Darwaza and Ganesh Darwaza, where streams of devotees moving in both directions clashed. With insufficient crowd control arrangements and limited security presence, confusion quickly escalated into panic, triggering a stampede.

A major incident unfolded at Shivneri Fort in Junnar on Wednesday as thousands of devotees gathered to celebrate the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The massive turnout during Shiv Jayanti festivities led to a stampede like situation, leaving several people injured.