Assam Flood Death Toll Reaches 75; CM Announces Rs 9 Lakh Relief as NEET, Sanctions Dominate News
The death toll in the Assam floods has risen to 75, with seven more fatalities reported from Sivasagar district on Tuesday, all due to drowning. Seven districts remain severely affected, impacting over 3.3 lakh people across 622 villages and submerging 45,341 hectares of crop area. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced a major relief package: families of the deceased will receive a combined Rs 9 lakh — Rs 4 lakh as ex-gratia (with post-mortem requirement waived) and an additional Rs 5 lakh from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. Over one lakh severely flood-affected families will receive Rs 15,000 in cash, and students in the worst-hit districts will receive book grants from August 1, ranging from Rs 1,000 for higher secondary to Rs 5,000 for postgraduates.
In other developments, the Central Bureau of Investigation filed a chargesheet against 13 accused in the NEET UG paper leak case, marking the first formal criminal accountability in a scandal that triggered nationwide student protests, the resignation of the Education Minister, and the tabling of the Public Examinations Bill in Parliament. The chargesheet sets the evidentiary trail to determine whether legal consequences match the political fallout.
The US Senate cleared a Russia sanctions bill that could impose 100 per cent tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil, with India explicitly named among those at risk. This comes as New Delhi separately expressed deep concern over the Hormuz attacks and backed a two-state solution for Gaza, highlighting multiple foreign policy pressures.
The Cockroach Janta Party warned of fresh protests if police cases against demonstrators continue, even as Maharashtra and West Bengal said no coercive action would be taken against protesters. The state-by-state picture remains uneven, with promised nationwide protection notifications still outstanding.
In Hyderabad, an IPS trainee was arrested for sexual harassment at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, raising questions about conduct and institutional accountability at the institution training future police leaders.
In Lok Sabha, Priyanka Gandhi mocked an IIT professor cited by the government for his views on cow urine, during the Public Examinations Bill debate. The moment highlighted the broader culture-war subtext of the NEET controversy.
Finally, Jharkhand’s top Maoist leader Misir Besra, carrying a Rs 1 crore bounty, was arrested near Dhanbad along with two associates during a joint operation by the CRPF and CoBRA. The 65-year-old Besra, a CPI (Maoist) Politburo member, was considered one of the organization's most influential leaders. The arrest came a day after 16 other Maoist cadres surrendered to Jharkhand Police under Operation Navajeevan-II.
