Stray dog mauls boy in Uttar Pradesh as India debates Supreme Court order on street dogs
An eight-year-old boy was mauled by a stray dog in Amroha district’s Gajraula Alipur area on Monday, local officials said, in an incident captured on CCTV that has reignited concerns over street dog attacks in India. The victim, identified as Ahad Saifi, was playing outside his home when the dog pounced and bit him on the arms and legs, officials said. Two motorcyclists passing by intervened and freed the boy from the animal’s grip. He was taken to a community health centre where he is receiving treatment. Residents said the same dog had attacked people in the area before. The incident occurred on the same day the Supreme Court ordered authorities in Delhi-NCR to remove all stray dogs from the streets and place them in shelters within eight weeks, with sterilisation to be completed during that time. The ruling has triggered mixed reactions nationwide. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised it as “inhuman” and “unscientific,” saying community care, sterilisation and vaccination could protect both public safety and animal welfare. Municipal authorities in Mumbai, which has faced rising complaints about street dogs, said they received 10,778 complaints from January to August 2025. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has expanded its “MyBMC” mobile app and website to allow residents to report stray dog incidents online and track the status of their complaints. BMC officials said they have sterilised and vaccinated 420,345 stray dogs between 2023 and 2025 under ongoing rabies prevention and population control programmes launched in 1994.
Three women attempt self-immolation outside Calcutta High Court over alleged cooperative fraud
Three women tried to set themselves on fire outside Gate ‘E’ of the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday, protesting alleged corruption and voter list manipulation by a cooperative society in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, police said. The women, identified as members of the Amgachhia Srishti Sangha Primary Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society Ltd., were stopped by police moments before one of them could ignite herself after pouring kerosene. Officers overpowered them and took them to SSKM Hospital for medical examination before moving them to Hare Street police station for questioning. According to police, the women alleged that despite depositing large sums of money with the cooperative, they had neither received their returns on time nor a refund. They claimed the society had for years enticed members with promises of high interest rates but failed to honour its commitments. The cooperative, established in 2017, held its latest election earlier this year. The women alleged that their names were deliberately omitted from the voter list despite an order from a Calcutta High Court division bench directing the publication of a fresh list. The society’s management allegedly ignored the court’s directive, they said. “This is a huge scam. There is an entire crime racket operating from within this cooperative, but we are getting no justice,” one of the women told reporters before being escorted away by police. The attempted self-immolation, which took place mid-morning, drew a large crowd outside the court complex and briefly disrupted normal proceedings as bystanders gathered at the scene. A senior police official said an investigation had been launched into the allegations and the events leading to the protest. “We will examine the claims made against the cooperative society and take action as per law,” the official said. The cooperative’s management was not immediately available for comment. Financial irregularities in rural and semi-urban cooperative societies have been a recurring issue in West Bengal, often leading to protracted legal disputes and protests by aggrieved depositors.
Severe overnight erosion sweeps homes into Ganges in West Bengal; dozens displaced
Several homes were swallowed by the Ganges River in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district after severe overnight erosion, forcing dozens of families to flee, local officials and residents said on Tuesday. The incident occurred late Monday in Samserganj’s Uttar Chachand and Madhya Chachand areas, where residents were asleep when a loud cracking sound alerted them to part of their houses collapsing into the river. Many escaped with only a few belongings, but cattle, trees and household goods were lost. No casualties were reported, but hundreds of families remain at risk as riverbank cracks spread to nearby houses and a riverside temple. Officials said the Ganges water level at the Farakka Barrage was flowing 7.10 feet above the danger mark early Tuesday, with upstream levels at 80.10 feet and downstream at 78.95 feet. Authorities had begun public announcements on Monday night urging residents along the Ganges and Bagmari rivers to move to safer ground as floodwaters entered several villages. Relief teams have reached the affected areas, but residents have called for immediate, stronger intervention to prevent further damage. Erosion along the Ganges is a recurring threat in Samserganj, where homes, temples and farmland have been lost to the river in previous years.
Udaipur Erupts in Protest Over Minor’s Rape — Citizens Demand Swift Justice
Udaipur, Rajasthan, witnessed a surge of public anger after the shocking rape of a minor. Outraged residents took to the streets, demanding immediate and severe punishment for the accused. Roads were blocked as protesters voiced their frustration, and attempts by police to lift the blockade only intensified tensions. The confrontation escalated, with clashes breaking out between demonstrators and security forces. The incident has triggered a wider debate about women’s safety, the vulnerability of children, and the urgent need for justice delivery without delay. Social activists stress that such crimes not only destroy lives but also erode the community’s sense of security. They urge stronger preventive measures, swift trials in sexual assault cases, and public awareness campaigns to ensure such incidents are never repeated.
U.S. designates Balochistan Liberation Army, Majid Brigade as foreign terrorist organizations
The United States on Monday designated Pakistan’s separatist group Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its affiliate, the Majid Brigade, as foreign terrorist organizations, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. Washington had already labeled the BLA a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” group in 2019. The latest move came shortly after Pakistan’s army chief, General Asim Munir, made his second visit to the U.S. in two months. The BLA has carried out frequent attacks on Pakistani security forces. In one of the most high-profile incidents in recent years, the group seized the Quetta–Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express in March, taking control of the train carrying more than 400 passengers, including army personnel. The Pakistani military later retook the train, but 21 civilians, four soldiers, and 33 insurgents were killed. The State Department said the BLA and the Majid Brigade have claimed responsibility for multiple attacks since 2019, including suicide bombings near Karachi airport and Gwadar port in 2024, as well as the March train hijacking that left 31 people dead. The move follows a recent U.S. designation of Lashkar-e-Taiba offshoot The Resistance Front (TRF), which carried out killings in Pahalgam. It also comes amid diplomatic tensions between Washington and New Delhi over U.S. calls to mediate in India-Pakistan ceasefire talks — a proposal rejected by India but endorsed by Pakistan, which even suggested nominating then-President Donald Trump for a Nobel Prize. The BLA continues to wage an insurgency across Balochistan province. Last Tuesday night, militants killed a Pakistani army major and two soldiers in Noshki district. In May, a BLA attack left 14 soldiers dead. The recent escalation has heightened concerns in Islamabad and among Pakistan’s military leadership.
