States

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Tamil Nadu twice in March to boost NDA’s campaign ahead of upcoming Assembly elections, with rallies planned in Madurai and Vellore and alliances finalised with key regional parties.

Three cheetah cubs were born at Kuno National Park, raising India’s cheetah population to 38. Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav highlighted this milestone in Project Cheetah’s conservation and revival efforts

The National Investigation Agency arrested Moitheenkutty, a Malappuram resident, at Nedumbassery airport for alleged arms training linked to the banned Popular Front of India, ending his four-year absconding and advancing the ongoing probe

A Class 10 student from Kharjama village, was found dead near a railway track in Bihar after reportedly being denied entry to the exam for arriving late, sparking grief and investigation

Five HDFC Bank employees were arrested in Shopian district, Jammu and Kashmir, over an alleged large-scale financial fraud after a complaint prompted the Economic Offences Wing of the Crime Branch to conduct searches across Shopian and Budgam district, officials said

A Youth Congress leader, Suhail Ansari, was taken into custody in Pathanamthitta after a 35-year-old woman was found dead at her husband’s home in Kadambanad. Police cited a suicide note naming him; interrogation is underway

A POCSO convict escaped from the Fast Track Special Court complex in Karunagappally, Kollam, minutes before sentencing. Sirajul Haque, found guilty of abducting and sexually assaulting a minor, fled after conviction; the court issued a warrant following his 23-year sentence

Tension erupted in Baramati, Pune district, after a 21-year-old woman was allegedly abducted in Bhigwan, Indapur Taluka. Assailants reportedly sprayed chilli powder at her family before fleeing. Protests, highway blockade, and market shutdown followed as police launched a search

In Ranchi’s Doranda area, a young man was dragged several kilometres on a Mercedes after protesting its collision with a woman. The driver, High Court advocate Manoj Tandon, has been detained, and police are investigating amid public outrage

Forest officials in Odisha’s Ganjam district reported 13 critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphins near Bateshwar at the Rushikulya river mouth, a site already famed for Olive Ridley turtle mass nesting, emphasizing the estuary’s ecological significance

The Delhi High Court allowed the Centre and Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi more time to seek UAE cooperation regarding the detention of Major Vikrant Jaitly, brother of actress Celina Jaitly, with further hearings scheduled in March

Kolkata police arrested Mohammad Amjad in a Rs 3 crore cyber fraud case involving SIM box technology. The gang threatened a couple with fake CBI and ED charges. Multiple devices, SIM cards, and international links were seized and are under investigation

In Bengaluru, an actress alleged voyeurism and online blackmail at the Celebrity Women Cricket Tournament, claiming a stranger recorded her in a stadium washroom and threatened to make the footage viral. Cyber Crime Police have registered an FIR and launched an investigation

A 45-year-old man, Rambali Rajwar, died at Ranchi’s Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences after being brutally beaten by residents of Piparwar, Chatra, on suspicion of child-lifting. Police have launched a probe into the mob lynching incident

In Manipur’s Ukhrul district, police evacuated 51 Kuki students from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Ramva following clashes with the Tangkhul Naga community that damaged 30 houses. Authorities transferred students to Kangpokpi and urged communities to maintain restraint amid rising ethnic tensions

The Janata Dal (United) and Bharatiya Janata Party criticised the Indian National Congress after senior leader Mani Shankar Aiyar made controversial remarks against party colleagues, triggering political reactions and allegations of internal turmoil within Congress

A 40-year-old woman labourer was injured after an unidentified motorcyclist allegedly threw acid on her in Dugri Colony, Ludhiana. The attacker fled the scene. Police are analysing CCTV footage and have launched a search to apprehend the accused

A 73-year-old woman from Buvapada, Ambernath, died after suffering severe burns when her saree caught fire from a lit oil lamp at a Lord Shiva temple in Maharashtra’s Thane district. She succumbed to injuries at Ulhasnagar Central Hospital; police registered accidental death

The Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court is set to hold a landmark hearing on the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque dispute today, February 16, 2026. Per Supreme Court directions, the ASI's 98-day scientific survey report will be unsealed and shared with both parties to determine the 11th-century site's original religious character

The Mumbai Crime Branch arrested the alleged shooter involved in the attack on filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s Juhu residence, bringing the total accused to 11. MCOCA charges have been applied, and the investigation continues across Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh

A fire at a chemical factory in Bhiwadi killed seven workers, with two feared trapped. Authorities launched rescue and relief operations, while a magisterial inquiry is underway to determine the cause and review industrial safety protocols

Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi pleaded not guilty in the CBI’s Railways land-for-jobs corruption case. Charges include corruption, cheating, and criminal conspiracy; trial will begin on March 9 at Rouse Avenue Court 

Priyanjali Neogi, wife of former Forward Bloc MLA and Congress leader Ali Imran Ramz, accused him of long-term physical, mental, and financial abuse. She appealed to Congress leadership and Mamata Banerjee for intervention; he denied allegations

In a setback before Assam Assembly polls, former state Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah resigned, citing neglect by party leadership. He sent his resignation to Mallikarjun Kharge after being replaced by Gaurav Gogoi