A salute by a police officer to groups of volunteers who helped in evacuating the Air India Express plane crash victims here has landed him in trouble with an enquiry being ordered into his conduct.

The Health Ministry on Tuesday said states should not get overawed by a "mere increase" in daily positive cases of COVID-19 and should keep pursuing the policy of aggressive testing, comprehensive tracing and tracking and efficient treatment of cases.

The condition of former President Pranab Mukherjee has worsened and he remains on ventilator support, the Army's Research and Referral (R&R) Hospital said on Tuesday, a day after he underwent a brain surgery.

Famous Urdu poet Rahat Indori, who was being treated for COVID-19, died of a heart attack at a hospital here on Tuesday, his son Satlaj Indori said. He was 70.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday noted that 10 states account for 80 per cent of active COVID-19 cases, and asserted if the virus is defeated in these states, then the country will also emerge victorious in its fight against the pandemic.

Actor Sanjay Dutt on Tuesday revealed he would be taking a "short break" from professional commitments to focus on medical treatment and requested well-wishers to not speculate about his health.

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said he has tested negative for coronavirus infection, six days after being discharged from a private hospital here.

 "Not knowing Hindi will not make you less Indian", veteran politician and former External Affairs Minister, S M Krishna said as he expressed dismay over what DMK MP Kanimozhi faced at the Chennai airport.