India has witnessed a rising tide of violence, impunity, extended pre-trial detentions, and surveillance under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government, PEN International, said on Saturday as it wound up the 84th PEN International Congress with representation from 80 countries in Pune. The International writers body called upon the Indian government to safeguard freedom of expression in the country.

In a bitter attack on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the partys "chhoti soch" (narrow mindedness) was stopping it from seeing any merit in celebrating the 2016 cross-LoC surgical strikes on terrorist launch pads.

Pandit Tulsidas Borkar, the legendary exponent of the harmonium, passed away in a private hospital where he was admitted three weeks ago on September 8, an official said in Mumbai on Saturday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday attacked the Congress for "spreading falsehood to mislead people" and accused it of insulting India's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel by calling his "Statue of Unity" as one Made in China.

The Goa Health Ministry has ordered a probe after the body of a 24-year-old youth went missing on Saturday from the mortuary of the Goa Medical College (GMC), officials said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday stressed on innovation in education and character-building as its goal, saying that education without aim is nothing more than a certificate hanging on one's wall.

As the government marks the second anniversary of the surgical strikes across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said that deterrent action against Pakistan "will continue at the border" even as Home Minister Rajnath Singh has claimed that BSF had taken strong action against Pakistani forces at the border "two-three days ago" to avenge the killing of a BSF jawan.

 Fifty eight million people in India are living without pension or any other form of assistance, civil society organisation Pension Parishad has said.