Overview

• The IMD confirmed Cyclone Shakti over the northeast Arabian Sea with winds projected to reach about 100–120 km/h as the system intensifies over the next 24–48 hours.
• Maharashtra and Gujarat activated disaster responses, kept NDRF teams on alert, advised evacuations where needed, and ordered fishermen to stay off the water due to very rough conditions.
• Heavy rainfall in Darjeeling’s Mirik area triggered a landslide that killed at least seven people and collapsed the Dudhiya iron bridge, prompting a red alert for several north Bengal districts.
• In Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district, floods washed away a main bridge in Bunt village, disrupting transport and forcing residents to carry vehicles across the river while seeking official assistance.
• Separately, law-and-order pressures persisted with more than 2,000 FIRs and over 100 arrests linked to the ‘I Love Muhammad’ campaign, and five people were injured after stone-pelting at a Durga immersion procession in Maharashtra’s Buldhana.