HIGHLIGHTS

New Delhi: Following are the top stories at 5.25 pm

1) Questions over Delhi AQI data as several monitoring stations go offline on Diwali night: Delhi recorded its most polluted Diwali in five years but the extent of its severity was likely worse than official figures showed as several monitoring stations went offline on Sunday night during the peak period of firecracker use in the Capital, raising questions over the reliability of the AQI tracking exercise itself.

2) At 1,152, Punjab records season's biggest single-day jump in farm fires on Diwali: Punjab witnessed its sharpest single-day spike in paddy stubble-burning incidents this season on Diwali with 1,152 fresh farm fires, which pushed the state's total count to 4,459 from 3,307 on November 7, according to official data.

3) Red Fort blast: Year-long anti-terror push results in 300 arrests, 73 deportations: As the first anniversary of the brazen Red Fort blast approaches, central security agencies have tightened vigilance nationwide, backed by a fortified counterterrorism architecture and a sweeping crackdown on cross-border terror syndicates over the past year, officials said on Monday.

4) Six of family dead in fire in house-cum-shop in Maharashtra's Dharashiv district: Six members of a family died after a fire broke out in a residence-cum-shop in Maharashtra's Dharashiv district on Monday, police said.

5) BJP hits out at Kharge for calling Diwali 'Eid of joy', dares Congress to call Eid 'Diwali of joy': The BJP on Monday accused the Congress of indulging in "appeasement politics" and hurting the sentiments of Hindus after AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge described Diwali as an "Eid of happiness".

6) Cong defends Kharge's remark on Diwali, says word 'Eid' literally means festival: The Congress on Monday slammed the BJP over its criticism of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge's "khushiyon ka Eid" remark on Diwali, saying those making a big deal out of the statement are "semantically ignorant" as the word 'Eid' literally means festival.

7) Modernist artist Arpita Singh dies at 89: Modernist artist Arpita Singh, widely known for her detailed figurative works reflective of societal traumas such as war and communalism, died from age-related ailments at a hospital here on Monday. She was 89.

8) After minor girl's sexual assault, Goa minister says 90 pc of such crimes committed by 'outsiders': Reacting to the alleged sexual assault of a three-year-old girl in Goa's Mapusa town, Tribal Welfare Minister Ramesh Tawadkar on Monday claimed "90 per cent" of such crimes in the tourist state are committed by "outsiders".

9) Delhi records most polluted Diwali in five years; air quality 'very poor' the day after: Delhi recorded its most polluted Diwali in five years with average Air Quality Index at 376 and the morning after was only marginally better at 371 recorded at 10 am on Monday when a blanket of smog and fog blanketed the city.

10) 12 killed in two fire incidents in MP on Diwali; infant dies in mother's lap in Katni: Twelve persons were killed and four others were injured in two fire incidents in Madhya Pradesh's Seoni and Katni districts during the Diwali festival, officials said on Monday.

11) Amit Shah sets 2028 deadline for drug-free Gujarat, urges citizens to report narcotics sales: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday asserted that governments alone cannot eradicate narcotics without active public support, and urged citizens to report drug abuse to authorities via dedicated helplines.

12) GRAP restrictions: Delhi HC directs constitution of committee on demolition of dangerous buildings: The Delhi High Court has directed the MCD commissioner to constitute a high-powered committee in consultation with Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to address the issue of repair, sealing or demolition of dangerous and dilapidated buildings during GRAP-related restrictions.

(This story has not been edited by Mathrubhumi and is published from a syndicated feed.)