#OPINION | Unlike the Gen Z movements in Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia, Madagascar, Morocco, France, Spain and Greece, the protests in India against the CEC have generally been peaceful. The young people exercised their freedom to assemble and express themselves fearlessly. These fundamental freedoms are constitutionally protected, and governments or the police have no right to suppress them by force.

✍️ Kaleeswaram Raj
🔗 https://www.newindianexpress.com/opinion/2026/Oct/19/the-wise-choice-to-deter-anarchy-and-authoritarianism

#INTERVIEW | Congress’s shift to impromptu protests and closer engagement with youth is a conscious choice, says K C Venugopal.

In an interview with Preetha Nair, Congress general secretary (organisation) spoke about lessons from Gen Z agitation, coordination among INDIA allies and the next phase of protests seeking CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s removal.

🔗https://www.newindianexpress.com/india/2026/Oct/20/interview-taking-gen-z-views-forward-giving-them-real-platform-kc-venugopal

"Problems will remain, and protests are inevitable in a democracy. But what should the purpose of protests be? They should be aimed at finding solutions"

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat cautioned that India was the ultimate target of Western forces seeking regime change, warning that protests could become instruments of political interests and fuel divisions in society rather than delivering solutions.

🔗https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/maharashtra/2026/Oct/20/rss-chief-bhagwat-says-india-ultimate-target-of-western-forces-seeking-regime-change

Regime change through street protests or the ballot box? Rajnath Singh, Rahul Gandhi and Prashant Bhushan are at the centre of a growing debate over protest, dissent and democracy in India.

Where does democracy draw the line?

Watch the full episode of #BottomLine with Prabhu Chawla today at 6 PM on The New Indian Express YouTube channel.

“Narendra Modi, you must be feeling very strong right now. Keeping a 26-year-old Saurav Das in jail must make you feel very strong. Beating up children on the streets, deploying barricades all across Delhi, and dragging all the students on the streets, you must feel very strong,” CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said.

🔗https://www.newindianexpress.com/india/2026/Oct/19/must-make-you-feel-very-strongdipke-targets-pm-modi-after-das-and-rankas-judicial-custody-extended

“Thank you for the free publicity”

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke thanked the organisers of a Delhi Ramlila event for what he termed “free publicity” after they announced plans to burn a 30-foot cockroach effigy alongside those of Ravan, Meghnad and Kumbhkaran.

🔗 https://www.newindianexpress.com/india/2026/Oct/20/abhijeet-dipke-thanks-delhi-ramlila-organisers-for-free-publicity-over-cockroach-effigy

#OPINION | Night-time festivities are in the air across the nation. While there are restrictions on the timing and use of loud-speakers, these are violated routinely. Staying awake for a good part of the night during festive seasons has been normalised, especially in urban India.


✍️Geetha Ravichandran
🔗https://www.newindianexpress.com/opinion/2026/Oct/19/dont-close-the-eyes-to-good-sleep

The firing attempt on Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff, followed by a purported warning from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang claiming responsibility and advising him against working with Salman Khan, has renewed concerns about the syndicate’s attempts to expand its influence into Mumbai.

🔗https://www.newindianexpress.com/india/2026/Oct/20/bishnoi-gangs-attacks-on-film-stars-fuel-concerns-over-mumbai-underworld-ambitions

Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused central authorities of “state-sponsored terrorism” and “police-sponsored atrocities”, demanding the immediate release of Cockroach Janta Party co-convenors Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, who were remanded to judicial custody for two more days on Monday.

#CJP #MamataBanerjee

https://www.newindianexpress.com/india/2026/Oct/20/mamata-calls-cjp-leaders-detention-state-sponsored-terrorism-seeks-immediate-release

The BJP, led by President Nitin Nabin and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, has accused Rahul Gandhi and the Congress of attempting to replicate the street movements seen in Nepal and Bangladesh to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

The Opposition, meanwhile, maintains that protest is a democratic right.

In this episode of Bottomline, Prabhu Chawla examines the debate over street protests, electoral mandates and regime change in a democracy.

From JP Narayan to V.P. Singh and Anna Hazare, what does history tell us about the relationship between mass movements and electoral change?

Can the streets shape political change while the ballot remains the final arbiter? Watch #Bottomline for the analysis.

#Modi #RahulGandhi


🔗https://youtu.be/kKm4wBVbyTg

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has criticised Aditya Dhar’s spy thriller Dhurandhar for its excessive graphic violence and propaganda, while praising its storyline, plot twists and performances, saying the second instalment was more entertaining than the first.

#ShashiTharoor #Dhurandhar

🔗https://www.newindianexpress.com/india/2026/Oct/20/too-much-blood-and-mayhem-sashi-tharoor-critiques-dhurandhar

Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff was allegedly not the original target of the shooters involved in the firing incident in Mumbai, with the accused initially planning to target another prominent celebrity, the Mumbai Crime Branch said.

#TigerShroff #Mumbai


https://www.newindianexpress.com/india/2026/Oct/20/tiger-shroff-wasnt-original-target-shooters-wanted-to-target-another-bollywood-star-crime-branch

In a shocking incident, a woman allegedly conspired with her lover to murder her husband to secure a government job on compassionate grounds in Giddi, Hazaribagh.

Police have arrested the woman and her lover and sent them to jail, while a minor allegedly involved in the conspiracy has been sent to a juvenile detention centre.

#CrimeNews


https://www.newindianexpress.com/india/2026/Oct/20/jharkhand-wife-plots-husbands-murder-with-lover-to-secure-government-job-on-compassionate-grounds

On the festival of Dussehra, much of India prepared to watch towering effigies of Ravana go up in flames, celebrating Lord Ram’s victory over the king of Lanka.

But in some parts of Madhya Pradesh, the festival unfolded to a different script. Here, Ravana is not merely the embodiment of evil awaiting destruction. He is a figure of faith, a revered ancestor of local traditions, a fulfiller of wishes and, in one community’s telling, a son-in-law deserving of respect even on the day of his death.

#Dussehra #Ravana

🔗https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/madhya-pradesh/2026/Oct/20/ravana-finds-devotees-in-madhya-pradesh-who-pray-for-his-blessings-mourn-his-death-on-dussehra

Across Europe, a perfect storm has made landfall. From Paris to Milan, Lisbon to Tirana, hundreds of thousands of citizens have taken to the streets. While the immediate triggers vary—dilapidated classrooms in France, unaffordable rent in Spain, corruption in Albania—the underlying disease is the same: a profound cost-of-living crisis, stagnant economic growth, and a pervasive sense that the social contract is broken.

This isn’t a single, unified movement, but rather a contagion of frustration. According to analysts, Europe is facing an economic and political hurricane. In this video, we try to analyse the reasons behind the violent protests that have rocked these countries.

https://youtu.be/lLsylkAFs4s?si=CiL5QAp5Y6zeRgvz

US President Donald Trump said that India and the US are "pretty close" to reaching a trade deal, which will be much different than the earlier pacts.


🔗https://www.newindianexpress.com/india/2026/Oct/21/trump-says-us-india-pretty-close-to-trade-deal-hints-it-to-be-much-different-from-previous-pacts

#OPINION | Come October 21, a unique journey of patriotism-centric politics, started on this day in 1951, will be completing 75 long years. The day marks the founding of Bharatiya Jana Sangh by Syama Prasad Mookerjee.

BJS came into existence at a conference held at the Raghomal Kanya Madhyamik Vidyalaya in Delhi. The rectangular saffron flag was accepted as its standard and a ‘deepak’ inscribed on it was declared its election symbol.

✍️Vinay Sahasrabuddhe


🔗https://www.newindianexpress.com/opinion/2026/Oct/20/politics-of-patriotism-then-and-now

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in India, and on Wednesday he is heading to an unlikely destination: a small coastal city in western India that has the world’s largest oil-refining complex.

The city of Jamnagar in India’s Gujarat state is home to a vast refining complex operated by billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries. Rubio’s visit there comes as the US is seeking new markets for Venezuelan crude and highlights the growing importance of energy investment in relations between Washington and New Delhi.

Here’s more on what Rubio’s Jamnagar visit means:

🔗https://www.newindianexpress.com/india/2026/Oct/21/heres-why-rubio-is-visiting-a-small-indian-city-home-to-worlds-largest-oil-refining-complex

“Modiji, one minister Hardeep Puri is meeting Jeffrey Epstein alone? Whose message is he carrying in the meeting? This is the beginning, Watch ahead to see what's about to happen? @RSSorg regime change will happen! Jai Hind!”

In a post on X, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut questioned the purpose of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri's alleged meeting with Jeffrey Epstein and hinted at possible political repercussions.

🔗https://www.newindianexpress.com/india/2026/Oct/21/this-is-the-beginning-opposition-leaders-question-hardeep-puris-alleged-meeting-with-epstein

Investigators probing the firing incident involving actor Tiger Shroff’s car have uncovered an alleged weapons supply network, with firearms reportedly collected from a pre-decided location in Amritsar through a system known as a “dead letter box”, sources told ANI.


🔗https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/maharashtra/2026/Oct/21/tiger-shroff-firing-case-probe-uncovers-dead-letter-box-arms-network-women-used-to-transport-weapons