IRCTC makes Aadhaar authentication mandatory for morning online train bookings
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New Delhi: Indian Railways has introduced a new rule requiring Aadhaar authentication for online train ticket bookings made during morning hours on the IRCTC platform.
According to the Railways Ministry, the measure aims to ensure that reservation benefits reach genuine passengers and to curb misuse by touts and other fraudulent entities.
Effective October 28, 2025, only users whose Aadhaar details are verified will be allowed to book tickets between 8 AM and 10 AM on the first day of opening for reserved ticket bookings. This rule applies to both the IRCTC website and its mobile application.
The Ministry clarified that there will be no change in the timings for booking general reserved tickets through Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters. It further stated that authorised ticketing agents will remain barred from booking tickets during the first 10 minutes of the opening of general reservation to prevent misuse.
This step follows a similar move made last month when the Railways made Aadhaar verification mandatory during the first 15 minutes of general reservation booking through IRCTC.
In addition, earlier this year, Aadhaar-based authentication was also made compulsory for booking Tatkal tickets through IRCTC. During the initial 30 minutes of the Tatkal booking window, authorised agents are not permitted to make bookings, a rule aimed at preventing large-scale bulk reservations.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
