Three women journalists say police officers sexually harassed them as they covered protests demanding the resignation of India's election chief. Meanwhile, LGBTQIA influencer Mad Sandhu was shot dead in Amritsar.
Police to investigate sexual harassment allegations against officers amid brewing protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar
Punjab-based LGBTQIA influencer shot dead in Amritsar
Cockroach Janta Party set for round two with march to Delhi on October 10 demanding election chief's resignation
India beat Pakistan in the Asian Games gold medal match in Japan
Indian men clinch hockey gold after women secure Olympics berth with their own gold
Here are the top headlines from India on Saturday, October 3, and Sunday, October 4:
India offered a strong show on the last day of the Asian Games, but we aren't done with sports for the day. A FIFA international friendly match between India and Brazil is set to kick off in Kolkata later today.
As I sign off to watch that, we will now pause our coverage for the day. But we will be back tomorrow with more on the latest from India!
India's men's hockey team beat Malaysia 5-1 in Saturday's final to retain the Asian Games title, marking the first time the team has won back-to-back golds at the Games.
This came a day after India's women's team delivered one of the standout results of the Games, edging defending champions China 1-0 in Friday's final to end a 44-year wait for gold.
Forward Lalremsiami Hmarzote's goal in the 10th minute, backed by goalkeeper Savita Punia saving a penalty stroke from China's Zhang Ying before halftime, helped secure the win.
The victory was India's first women's hockey gold at the Asian Games since 1982 and also secured the team a direct qualification spot for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Pakistan summoned India's charge d'affaires in Islamabad on Saturday to lodge a "strong protest" over the alleged killing of two Pakistani civilians by India's Border Security Force (BSF) near the border in the Kasur district of Pakistan's Punjab.
Pakistan's Foreign Office said two unarmed civilians were killed and a third injured when BSF personnel opened fire in the Bedian sector on Friday, calling it "unprovoked and lethal force."
While there was no immediate comment from New Delhi, Indian media reported a conflicting account, saying the men were suspected of trying to enter the country.
Pakistan rejected any characterization of the men as "infiltrators."
The incident comes against a tense backdrop of a historically fraught relationship between the neighbors. It occurred a day after Pakistan's military publicly disputed an earlier Indian claim regarding a separate incident in Indian-administered Kashmir.
States in northern India continue to face an abysmal sex ratio at birth, leading to a shortage of women in places like Haryana.
This has led to thousands of women from poorer regions being brought to the state and sold as brides, giving rise to a lucrative human trafficking trade.
India successfully defended their Asian Games men's cricket gold medal, beating rivals Pakistan by 19 runs in Saturday's final in Nisshin, Japan.
After posting 211-6 backed by Abhishek Sharma's 61 off 20 balls and a late effort from Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube, India restricted Pakistan to 192-6 despite a big knock of 96 off 51 balls from Hasan Nawaz.
Nawaz fell four runs short of a century on the final ball of the innings, when he was caught by wicketkeeper Sanju Samson off Dube's bowling. It marked Pakistan's first-ever appearance in a men's Asian Games cricket final.
The event also marked one of the game's fiercest rivalries played out on an unlikely stage: a converted baseball field in suburban Nagoya, where Indians and Pakistanis living in Japan queued for hours to fill the 2,500-capacity venue.
"I think this is never going to happen again, India against Pakistan in Japan," Pakistan supporter Umer Dar, a 26-year-old Nagoya resident, told AFP.
"Even if it's in Japan, the craze of India versus Pakistan is always there," added Tokyo-based India fan Afroz Khan. "Anywhere they play in the world, it's always crazy."
While cricket remains a niche sport in Japan, there has been growing local interest, as shown by India's first-ever T20 international against Japan last week, which India won by just two runs in a rain-shortened match.
Pranavi Urs has become the first Indian woman to win gold in the Asian Games individual golf after she sank a nerve-wracking three-foot par putt on the final green to clinch the title by one stroke, finishing at 15-under par.
Teammates Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar celebrated by soaking Urs with water as her win was confirmed.
China's Yin Ruoning and Singapore's Shannon Tan tied for silver and bronze a stroke back, with Yin claiming silver after a playoff.
This is India's first gold in the sport since Shiv Kapur's men's title in 2002. Urs, Ashok and Dagar also came together to win India its first-ever team silver in the event. China won team gold, with Taiwan's team, featuring five-time major champion Tseng Ya-ni, taking bronze.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has announced it will mobilize a nationwide march on New Delhi next weekend unless Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resigns.
The call follows a protest at Mumbai's Shivaji Park that drew thousands of demonstrators despite police denying permission for the gathering.
A similar protest at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar saw several opposition politicians and student leaders being detained on Friday, which is also observed as Gandhi Jayanti to honor the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, a global pioneer of nonviolence.
"If Gyanesh Kumar doesn't resign, cockroaches from across India will march to Delhi and protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10," CJP founder and convener Abhijeet Dipke said in the statement.
"And if the Delhi Police tries to stop us, wherever they stop us will become our Jantar Mantar. Ours will be a peaceful protest. We will walk on the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi."
Calling on people to join the march to preserve free and fair elections in the country, Dipke called it "a fight to save our democracy."
The announcement follows a tense October 2, when Delhi Police detained more than 700 demonstrators, including former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, from Jantar Mantar and surrounding areas, local media reported.
Police had denied permission for the Delhi gathering and imposed Section 163 restrictions barring assemblies of more than five people.
The CJP-led gathering in Mumbai's Shivaji Park also saw a huge turnout, including film actors and musicians, but did not face a similar violent crackdown from authorities.
It is the latest flashpoint in a months-long movement that began as online satire in May and escalated into repeated street demonstrations, including a July 20 protest where Delhi Police used batons to disperse crowds. It led to the resignation of India's then-Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in late July.
Hello! This is Seerat from DW's Studio Delhi, bringing you the big news from India this weekend.
The Cockroach Janta Party is back for round two, calling for the resignation of India's Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The movement's leaders have announced that they will march to New Delhi's Jantar Mantar on October 10, just weeks after CJP protests led to the resignation of India's education minister.
Meanwhile, things are heating up in Japan as cricket archrivals India and Pakistan face off in the gold medal match at the Asian Games. India has posted a total of 211, setting up an uphill task for its neighbors.
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