Direct flights between Kolkata and China's Guangzhou resumes
Kolkata (PTI): After a hiatus of over four years, direct commercial air services between Kolkata and mainland China's Guangzhou city resumed on Sunday with the first flight taking off from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here at 10 pm, an official said.
The A320 neo aircraft of private carrier IndiGo flew off from the airport with 176 passengers, the official said.
Direct flights were operational between the two countries till early 2020 before being suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. The services remained suspended in view of the eastern Ladakh border row.
Private carrier IndiGo resumed direct commercial passenger flight services to China, connecting Kolkata to Guangzhou with daily non-stop flights, following recent diplomatic initiatives.
The occasion was marked by a brief ceremony at the airport, where the lighting of the ceremonial lamp was done by one of the passengers, symbolising the spirit of renewed friendship and cooperation between India and China, an official said.
NSCBI Airport Director P R Beuria, along with officials from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and IndiGo Airlines, were present at the event.
Beuria said that the revival of this direct route would not only strengthen business and tourism ties but also provide greater convenience to passengers traveling between the two major cities.
The resumption of the daily direct connection between Kolkata and Guangzhou will further reinforce the West Bengal capital's position as a key international aviation hub in eastern India, officials said.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
