The big names in Kolkata’s world of art or culture have refused to meet BJP president Amit Shah. They include thespian Soumitra Chatterjee, former Supreme Court Judge Ashok Ganguly, activist-writer Santosh Rana, theatre stars Rudraprasad Sengupta, Chandan Sen and Manoj Mitra, singer Amar Paul and painter Samir Aich.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday claimed 50 crore people in the country have come under social security cover, which is a 10-time leap from the 2014 figure.

A special police officer (SPO) who went missing from Pampore police station in Jammu and Kashmir with an AK-47 rifle, has joined the Hizbul Mujahideen, the militant group said.

A Sukhoi SU-31 fighter jet crashed near Nashik while on a sortie but both pilots on board ejected safely, official sources said.

 A special police officer (SPO) from Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district has gone missing along with an AK-47. A manhunt was launched on Wednesday, police sources said.

Maoist guerrillas exploded a landmine in Jharkhand's Latehar district, killing six security personnel, officials said on Wednesday.

A total of 2,995 pilgrims escorted by the security forces left Jammu on Wednesday in two batches who will start their Amarnath Yatra that begins from Thursday.

At least nine people were killed and 11 others wounded on Tuesday in an airstrike by the Saudi Arabia-led Arab coalition in the city of Hudaydah, eyewitnesses said.