India News Live Updates, 7 October 2026: Bihar bound bus catches fire in Greater Noida, 32 evacuated

Preliminary accounts suggested the blaze may have originated near the engine due to a short circuit. (ANI Screengrab/Enhanced using AI)

A Delhi-Samastipur bus caught fire in Greater Noida’s Knowledge Park police station area on Tuesday, prompting police and emergency teams to evacuate all 32 passengers safely. ADCP Abhay Kumar Mishra said the fire was brought under control and passengers were being assisted with onward travel. Preliminary accounts suggested the blaze may have started near the engine due to a short circuit, though an investigation is underway to determine the exact cause.

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Rahul, Priyanka walk into Akashvani Bhavan, upend ECI protest

The INDIA bloc’s protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar took an unexpected turn on Tuesday when Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra walked into Akashvani Bhavan after police began detaining Opposition leaders near the Election Commission. The siblings’ move surprised both police and Congress leaders and allowed the protest to continue inside the premises, with Opposition MPs joining the sit-in. The Gandhis were later detained after spending hours at the Bhavan, where they had demanded to meet the Election Commission over their allegations of voter-list manipulation.

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Andhra declares drought in 21 districts, 283 mandals severely affected

The Andhra Pradesh government on October 1 declared 388 of the state’s 688 mandals across 21 districts drought-affected for the 2026 Kharif season, with 283 classified as severely affected and 105 as moderately affected. The decision came after a September 30 recommendation by the High-Level Committee on Drought, citing a 53.4% rainfall deficit between June 1 and August 31, when the state received 197.6 mm against the normal 424.3 mm. The government made the declaration ahead of the October 31 deadline, citing the severity of the conditions and prevailing El Niño conditions.

Telangana books BJP booth agent over 30 ‘illegal’ Form 7s

Telangana Police have registered an FIR against BJP booth-level agent S Balachander for allegedly filing 30 Form 7 applications seeking deletion of voters in Hyderabad’s Musheerabad constituency, all against Muslim voters. The forms were submitted on September 28, but the booth-level officer and supervisor refused to accept them; a field verification on October 1 found all 30 voters were residents of the constituency. The FIR comes a day before the end of the claims and objections phase of the electoral-roll Special Intensive Revision (SIR), with the final voter list due on November 9. Balachander has denied wrongdoing through the BJP’s broader denial of attempts to delete voters.