Shamik Ghosh With Inputs From Pti

• Lagadapati Rajagopal, the 'pepper spray MP', quits politics to protest against Telangana

  Lagadapati Rajagopal, the man now known as the "pepper spray MP," has resigned from Parliament and has announced that he is quitting politics, dismayed at the Lok Sabha passing the bill that creates a separate Telangana state by bifurcating Andhra Pradesh.

• As Rahul Gandhi meets students, BJP says Narendra Modi reacted first

  As Rahul Gandhi showed his solidarity with people from the North-East by joining protests against the death of 20-year-old student from Arunchal Pradesh Nido Taniam, the BJP said the Congress vice-president's gesture may have been inspired by Narendra Modi's strong condemnation of the incident.

• At least 21 dead as boat capsizes near Port Blair

  A boat with around 45 people on board capsized near Port Blair this afternoon, killing at least 21. According to initial reports, the boat, Aqua Marine, was carrying mainly tourists including a large group of around 30 people from Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu.

• Woman allegedly gang-raped by at least 10 men on orders of a kangaroo court in West Bengal

  At least 10 men allegedly gang-raped a 20-year-old woman in West Bengal's Birbhum district, reportedly on orders of a village kangaroo court, which decided to punish her for having a relationship with a boy from a different community.

• Secretariats are not run from rooftops: Kiran Bedi slams Arvind Kejriwal's 'janta darbar'

  Former IPS officer and activist Kiran Bedi slammed Arvind Kejriwal today for the chaos that erupted at the Delhi Chief Minister's 'janta darbar'. Ms Bedi criticised Mr Kejriwal's lack of "mature" governance and said such meetings should not happen on the streets or the rooftops.

• Election Commission meets cyber security experts over deal with Google

  Senior officials from the Election Commission today met cyber security experts to discuss Internet giant Google's proposal for a tie-up ahead of the Lok Sabha election.

• VVIP chopper scam: Indian officials refused to question alleged middleman, say sources

  An Italian court yesterday allowed Indian authorities to question alleged middleman Guido Hashcke in the chopper scam case. However, sources have told NDTV that a team from the Ministry of Defence refused to question him. The reason behind their refusal is not known yet.

• Deputy National Security Adviser N Sandhu questioned by CBI in fake encounter case

  The Central Bureau of Investigation questioned Deputy National Security Adviser N Sandhu earlier this week in connection with an alleged fake encounter case from 2003.

• Leader from Mamata Banerjee's party threatens to chop off Congress workers' hands

  A leader from the Trinamool Congress has threatened to chop off the hands of Congress workers if they tried to damage hoardings of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

• 44 killed in fire on bus travelling from Bangalore to Hyderabad

  At least 44 people died when a bus headed from Bangalore to Hyderabad went up in flames early this morning.

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  Jagan Mohan Reddy's promise for 2014 polls: 'We will support whoever backs a united Andhra Pradesh'

  At a massive rally of over one lakh people in Hyderabad, YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy today asked the people of Andhra Pradesh to give his party 30 Lok Sabha seats in next year's general election to stop the bifurcation of the state. He also made a promise, saying he will support any party that 'backs a united Andhra Pradesh.'

• 44,000 buses off road in Kolkata for the next 48 hours

  Around 44,000 private buses in Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal will remain off road for the next 48 hours. The private bus operators in the state began their strike from 6 am today in their call for a hike in fares, a demand which the Mamata Banerjee government has repeatedly rejected.

• Need freedom from babudom, CBI complains to Supreme Court

  The Central Bureau of Investigation or the CBI told the Supreme Court today that it needs to be freed from clutches of bureaucracy.

• In austerity drive, petrol pumps may close at 8 pm, says Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily

  From the middle of this month, says oil minister M Veerappa Moily, the government plans a massive six-week fuel conservation drive that could include closing all petrol pumps by 8 pm. The BJP has scoffed at the proposal.

• Karnataka, Maharashtra, now a race to get Yasin Bhatkal's custody

  A team of cops each from Maharashtra and Karnataka are already on their way to Delhi to seek custody of Yasin Bhatkal, the chief of terror outfit Indian Mujahideen, who was arrested last night in Bihar close to the Nepal border.