Overview
- Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray publicly sealed a joint front for the BMC and select civic polls, declaring a Marathi mayor goal; BMC voting is scheduled for January 15 with counting on January 16.
- Posters warning North Indians and hardline messaging surfaced in Mumbai, including outside Shiv Sena Bhavan, with reports linking the campaign to Sunil Shukla’s Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Sena as MNS figures weighed in.
- In Odisha’s Bhadrak district, police recovered a 10-year-old girl’s body and arrested a main accused in the Chandbali rape-murder, while the chief minister announced Rs 10 lakh compensation and locals called a six-hour shutdown.
- A Delhi court acquitted three defendants in the 2009 Panipat acid-attack case, faulting weak evidence and the probe; the survivor’s lawyer said they will challenge the verdict.
- In Dhaka, Global TV news head Nazneen Munni reported threats from activists tied to the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement demanding her removal and warning of arson, with the group’s president acknowledging a member’s visit to the office.