Record 91 Indian universities in Times world rankings
New Delhi (PTI): A record 91 Indian universities have made it to the World University Rankings announced by the Times Higher Education (THE) magazine, with the top performing Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, returning to the global 250 for the first time since 2017.
Ninety-one Indian universities in the list is a significant increase from last year's 75 even though top Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) boycotted the rankings for the fourth consecutive year.
India has also become the fourth best represented nation in the 2024 rankings, up from the sixth last year.
According to the rankings announced by the London-based THE magazine on Wednesday, the second best performing universities in India are: Anna University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Mahatma Gandhi University, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences. The are all in the 501-600 band.
Two IITs -- the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati and Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines) Dhanbad -- moved up two bands to join the world's top 800 universities, from 1001-1200 to 601-800.
While Anna University in Chennai moved up from 801-1000 band last year to the 501-600 band, Aligarh Muslim University moved up from the 801-1000 band last year to the 601-800.
The Bharathiar University in Coimbatore moved up from the 801-1000 band last year to the 601-800 band, while Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur has entered the ranking for the first time, breaking into the 601-800 band.
Seven IITs Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras, and Roorkee opted out of THE World University Rankings in 2020, casting doubt on the rankings' transparency and standards. IIT Guwahati reentered the rankings last year.
In the 20th year of the ranking, 1,904 universities -- up from 1,799 last year - from 108 countries and regions were ranked.
The THE World University Rankings 2024 assessed the universities across 18 indicators covering their core missions of teaching, research, knowledge transfer and internationalisation.
The indicators were grouped into five pillars -- teaching, research quality, research environment, international outlook and industry. Four of the five new metrics include three that look at research quality and one that examines patents.
"India has well and truly embraced the international agenda, and international competition, with an unprecedented 91 universities making it into the rigorous and demanding Times Higher Education World University Rankings this year making India now the fourth best represented nation in the rankings," said Phil Baty, THE's Chief Global Affairs Officer.
"Although methodological changes this year have not been kind to some Indian institutions, the overall picture remains positive with a rise into the top 250 for IISc and several other rising institutions," he said.
The UK's University of Oxford is the highest ranked university in the world with Stanford University taking the second place, making it the US's top-ranked. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is at the third place.
As many as 165 universities are ranked for the first time, 89 of which are from Asia with one newly ranked university from mainland China.
Mainland China has the best ranked universities, overall, in Asia. This year an unprecedented 33 Asian universities are in the top 200, up from 28 last year. The biggest drivers for this jump are China (from 11 to 13) and Japan (from 2 to 5).
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Woman shot dead in Delhi; police suspect link to 2023 murder of her husband
New Delhi (PTI): A 44-year-old woman was shot dead at point-blank range in northwest Delhi's Shalimar Bagh on Saturday, with police suspecting the killing to be a fallout of the 2023 murder of her husband, an official said.
The deceased was identified as Rachna Yadav, a resident of Shalimar Bagh and the resident welfare association (RWA) president of her locality. According to police, she was shot in the head and died on the spot.
Police said Rachna was originally from Bhalswa village in north-west Delhi. Investigators suspect that the murder is linked to the killing of her husband, Vijendra Yadav, who was shot dead in 2023. The case concerning that murder is currently under trial.
"In the 2023 case, Vijendra Yadav was allegedly murdered due to previous enmity. Bharat Yadav and five others were named as accused. While five of the accused were arrested and are facing trial, the main accused, Bharat Yadav, is still absconding and has been declared a proclaimed offender," a senior police officer said.
Police said Rachna was the main witness in her husband's murder case, and her testimony was considered vital for the prosecution. Investigators believe her killing may have been aimed at weakening the case and intimidating other witnesses.
CCTV footage has surfaced in the Rachna Yadav murder case, clearly capturing the accused who allegedly shot her. Police said the assailant's accomplice was already waiting nearby on a sports bike bearing a Delhi registration number, facilitating a swift escape, according to an official.
Police said a PCR call was received at around 10.59 am at Shalimar Bagh police station, reporting that a woman had been shot.
Local police teams rushed to the spot and found Rachna lying on the road in a pool of blood. An empty cartridge was recovered from the scene, officials said.
According to the investigation, when Rachna was returning after meeting a neighbour, two assailants intercepted her. One of them allegedly stopped her and asked her name. When she identified herself, the attacker pulled out a firearm and shot her in the head before fleeing the spot along with his accomplice, police said.
Preliminary inquiry suggested that the woman was targeted, and the assailants appeared to have prior knowledge about her identity and movements.
"Crime Team and FSL teams were immediately called, and the scene of the crime was thoroughly examined. CCTV footage from nearby areas is being scanned to identify the assailants," Additional Commissioner of Police (Northwest) Bhisham Singh said.
Prima facie, it appears that the present case is linked to the earlier murder, he said. "We are re-examining all aspects of the 2023 case and the role of the proclaimed offender (Bharat)," Singh said, adding that multiple teams have been formed to trace the shooters and those who may have masterminded the crime.
Speaking to reporters, Kanika Yadav, the deceased's elder daughter, alleged that the murder was planned by Bharat.
"Some of the accused in my father's murder case are lodged in Tihar Jail. Despite that, they are planning such crimes. Bharat Yadav planned and executed my mother's murder," she alleged.
Kanika claimed her mother was killed because she was standing firm as a witness in her father's murder case.
"They were afraid that they would be convicted on the basis of her statement. That is why my mother was killed. My father was murdered in 2023, and the case is still pending before the court," she said.
Police said Rachna is survived by two daughters, one of whom is married, while the younger daughter lived with her. Security has been stepped up in the area, and further investigation is underway, police added.
