The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Monday welcomed a National Investigation Agency (NIA) court verdict acquitting all five accused in Mecca Masjid bomb blast case, calling it a "slap in the face" of the previous UPA government.

The Congress on Monday said that neither its President Rahul Gandhi nor any other party functionary ever used the term "saffron terror" and that its adversaries were levelling baseless allegations in this regard.

The Gujarat Police have scanned the data of as many as 8,000 missing girls to identify a nine-year-old girl in Surat whose body was found with 86 injury marks, including on her private parts, Minister Pradeep Singh Jadeja said on Monday.

Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Sambit Patra made the demand after a Special NIA court acquitted all five accused in the Mecca Masjid Bomb blast case earlier in the day.

Ten candidates of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and one member of their ally Apna Dal on Monday filed their nominations for the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council polls, scheduled for April 26.

India is set to get a normal monsoon this year, with average rainfall likely to be 97 per cent, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced on Monday.

Kasargod: An undeclared hartal called by a section of social media users against the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Katua, Kammu and Kashmir; has evoked a good response. Vehicles, including bus services, have totally been shut down since morning.

Security agencies are on high alert and carrying out search operation in the border belt of Punjab, particularly in the frontier districts of Pathankot and nearby areas, on Monday after two suspected terrorists were seen in the area.