States roundup: Kaziranga crash, Ukhrul ambush, Punjab power dues waiver and more headlines from across India

A road crash near Kaziranga that killed at least two dozen people, a deadly ambush on the Imphal-Ukhrul road and a one-time settlement scheme for Punjab's electricity defaulters lead today's round-up of state news. Here is what happened across states and Union Territories between Friday morning and early Saturday.

North

Punjab: Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday announced a one-time settlement scheme for domestic power consumers who have fallen behind on bills, covering more than 24 lakh households that together owe about Rs 2,516 crore. Penalties and interest on dues up to March 31, 2026 will be waived if consumers pay the principal, starting with 25 per cent upfront, and they will have 45 days to apply once the scheme is notified.

Himachal Pradesh: Shimla police registered an FIR against Mandi MP Kangana Ranaut on Friday over posts on her X account dated November 10 about members of the Gandhi family, acting on a complaint emailed to the state police chief by a Shimla resident. The complaint alleged the posts were inflammatory; Ranaut had not publicly responded, according to the reports.

South

Telangana: Senior IPS officer Mahesh Bhagwat took charge as Hyderabad Police Commissioner on Friday. He replaces V C Sajjanar, who moves to head the state's fire, disaster response and civil defence department, in a reshuffle of 21 IPS officers ordered on Thursday.

Andhra Pradesh: The first phase of gram panchayat elections will be held on November 26, with polling in 41 mandals across Chittoor, Tirupati, Nellore and Prakasam districts, according to district election officials. Nominations open on November 15, and further rounds are planned for November 29 and December 2.

Karnataka: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the COSMOS-Mysuru Planetarium on the University of Mysore campus, which the government describes as India's first LED dome planetarium. The facility was built by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics and was part of a two-day programme in the state.

Tamil Nadu: Former Madras and Calcutta High Court judge C S Karnan died in Chennai on Friday morning at the age of 71 after a period of treatment in hospital. In 2017 he became the first sitting High Court judge to be sentenced to prison for contempt, when a seven-judge Supreme Court bench gave him six months.

East and West

Bihar: Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary announced on Friday that the new six-lane Ganga bridge linking Kachchi Dargah and Bidupur will be named 'Nitish Setu' after former chief minister Nitish Kumar. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate it on November 21 during a visit to Rajapakar in Vaishali district.

Odisha: The Board of Secondary Education has fixed the 2027 Class 10 examinations for March 12 to March 27. Papers will run from 9 am to 11.30 am, with candidates given an extra 15 minutes for mathematics.

Maharashtra: Cooperative and private dairies meeting in Pune on Friday agreed to raise retail prices of cow and buffalo milk by Rs 4 a litre from Monday, November 16, and dairy products by up to 10 per cent. The industry body cited higher procurement, fuel, packaging and transport costs.

North-East

Assam: At least 24 people were killed when a minibus and a container truck collided head-on on National Highway 715 at Rangajan near Kaziranga National Park on Friday afternoon, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, with later reports putting the toll at 26. Many of the injured were referred to Jorhat Medical College, police said the minibus appeared to have been speeding, and the Prime Minister announced Rs 2 lakh for each victim's family and Rs 50,000 for each injured person.

Manipur: Four civilians, two men and two women, were shot dead on Friday when suspected militants fired on two Imphal-bound vehicles on the Imphal-Ukhrul road in Ukhrul district. Police said the attackers had not been identified and an investigation was under way.

Mizoram: Hockey forward Lalremsiami became the first sportsperson from the state to receive the Arjuna Award, which President Droupadi Murmu presented at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday. She was among 17 Arjuna awardees; no Khel Ratna was given this year.

Nagaland: Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has asked Union Home Minister Amit Shah to widen the relaxation of the Protected Area Permit regime from the current December 1-10 Hornbill Festival window to at least November 15 to December 15. He also sought a year-round exemption for foreign tourists, saying the short window hurts tourism and hospitality businesses.

Meghalaya: The Jaintia National Council has asked the state government to hold in abeyance the proposed transfer of about 233 hectares of tribal land in East Jaintia Hills to a cement company. The group argues that the sale notices were not publicised widely enough; no official response had been reported.

Union Territories

Jammu and Kashmir: The Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah met in Jammu on Friday and, according to reports citing sources, cleared a Hydro Power Policy 2026 to draw private investment into projects of up to 100 MW. It also approved an urban asset mapping and monetisation policy and an e-auction for a copper and nickel exploration licence at Sumcham Padder in Kishtwar; no official statement had been issued.

Ladakh: The Leh Apex Body said it would begin a hunger strike in Leh on Saturday to step up its agitation, in coordination with the Kargil Democratic Alliance. The group objects to the timing of the hill council elections due on December 4 and wants talks with the Centre on constitutional safeguards; panchayat and municipal polls are set for November 21.