Odisha Athletes Forced to Travel Near Train Toilets: State Negligence Exposed

India Today’s Sagay Raj reports from Bengaluru on upcoming changes to Namma Metro fares. According to Raj, 'there will be close to five percent of a fair hike in the month of February for the commuters, metro commuters in Bengaluru.' The fare increase comes just a year after the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited raised ticket prices by up to 71%, making Namma Metro one of India’s costliest metro systems. The committee's recommendations indicate that commuters may see annual fare hikes from now on, further intensifying the financial burden for regular users of Bengaluru's public transport system.

This bulletin covers the ongoing standoff between the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Bengal government, headed by Mamata Banerjee. The ED has approached the Supreme Court, alleging obstruction and interference from the Bengal government during its raid at IPAC Director Pratik Jain's residence. According to the ED, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the DGP interfered with the investigation, removed seized documents, and attempted to influence legal proceedings. The bulletin further reports police summoning residents of Pratik Jain's housing complex to document their accounts and mentions that Members of Parliament are protesting these developments in the Parliament. The main quote underlines ED's claim: 'The ED alleges Mamata Banerjee and the DGP barged into the raid site, sabotaged the investigation, attempted to influence high court proceedings, mobilized a ruckus via TMC WhatsApp groups and took away seized papers.'

A report details a 'dramatic twist' in the Akot Nagar Panchayat election in Akola, Maharashtra, where a local tie-up has emerged between the BJP and AIMIM. This development contradicts the state BJP leadership's official stance against any alliance with the AIMIM. According to a speaker on the bulletin, the move is 'completely unacceptable' to the party's state president. The alliance materialised when five AIMIM corporators supported an independent candidate, who is the son of a former BJP mayor, to help him become a corporator. The speaker highlighted the paradox, stating, 'on one hand, you are breaking alliance with the AMIM and on second hand, you are joining hands with the AMIM.'

Pre-election political tensions escalate in Kerala as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan leads a major protest in Thiruvananthapuram, accusing the central government of 'financial strangulation'. Joined by his cabinet and LDF members, Vijayan claimed the Centre is trying to 'suffocate and destroy Kerala'. Responding to the allegations, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that the Chief Minister is trying to create a 'fake narrative'. Shah claimed, 'In the 10 years Narendra Modi ji has been in government, the Kerala government got 3,32,000 crores', contrasting it with the 72,000 crores received during 10 years of the UPA government. Shah also alleged that both the LDF and UDF are corrupt and have stalled the state's development.