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Stock markets take downtrend for 5th day; Sensex, Nifty tank nearly 1 pc

Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty buckled under selling pressure for the fifth straight session on Friday, falling nearly 1 per cent, as investors turned cautious due to growing concerns over potential US tariff hikes amid lingering geopolitical worries.

The relentless foreign capital flight from Indian markets also affected the market sentiment, traders said.

After a brief rebound in early trade, the 30-share BSE Sensex failed to carry forward the momentum and tumbled 604.72 points, or 0.72 per cent, to sink below the 84,000-level and settle at 83,576.24. During the day, it dropped 778.68 points, or 0.92 per cent, to 83,402.28.

The 50-share NSE Nifty dropped 193.55 points or 0.75 per cent to 25,683.30.

From the 30-Sensex firms, NTPC, ICICI Bank, Adani Ports, Bharti Airtel, Sun Pharma and Bajaj Finance were among the biggest laggards.

However, Asian Paints, HCL Tech, Bharat Electronics and Reliance Industries were among the gainers.

Eight dead in Himachal bus accident

At least eight people have died in a bus accident in the Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh on Friday (January 9). SP Sirmaur, Nishchint Singh Negi, said that 30 to 35 people were in the bus, adding that the death toll could rise. 

63 Naxalites, with a bounty of Rs 1 crore, surrender

As many as 63 Naxalites, 36 of them carrying a collective bounty of over Rs 1.19 crore, surrendered in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district on Friday, a senior police official said.

The cadres, including 18 women, turned themselves in before senior police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officials here under ‘Poona Margem’ (from rehabilitation to social reintegration) initiative, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Gaurav Rai said.

The Naxalites said they were also impressed by the state government’s surrender and rehabilitation policy, he said.

They were active in south Bastar division, west Bastar division, Maad division in the state, and in areas bordering Odisha, he said.

Seven of the cadres carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh each, he said.

These Naxalites have been identified as Paklu, alias Pradip Oyam (45), who was the secretary of the Kalahandi area committee of Maoists; Mohan, alias Azad Kadti (32), a divisional committee member; his wife Sumitra, alias Droupati Chapa (30), Bhairamarh area committee secretary; Hungi, alias Radhika Lekam (28), platoon party committee member; Sukhram Tati (20), member of Company no. 1; Pandu Madkam (19), member of Company no. 7, and Somdu Kadti (21), who was also a member of the same wing.

Seven other cadres carried a bounty of Rs 5 lakh each, 8 cadres Rs 2 lakh each, 11 cadres Rs 1 lakh each and three cadres Rs 50,000 each, he said, adding that these 36 cadres carried a collective reward of Rs 1,19,50,000.

All the 63 surrendered Naxalites will be provided an immediate assistance of Rs 50,000 each and will be further rehabilitated as per the government’s policy, he added.

On January 7, as many as 26 Naxalites had surrendered in the neighbouring Sukma district. More than 1,500 Naxalites surrendered in the state in 2025. The Centre resolved to eliminate Naxalism from the country by March 31, 2026. PTI 

Sabarimala gold theft : SIT arrests chief priest Kandaravu Rajeevaru

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold loss case arrested chief priest of the Lord Ayyappa temple, Kandararu Rajeevaru on Friday.

Rajeevaru was questioned at an undisclosed location in the morning and later shifted to the SIT office in the afternoon, where his arrest was formally recorded, sources said.

According to officials, the arrest was made based on statements given by prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty and former Travancore Devaswom Board president Padmakumar.

The SIT found that Rajeevaru had close associations with Potty and had recommended the replating of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) plates and the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) doorframe plates at the temple.

Later, when the Travancore Devaswom Board sought his permission for the replating, Rajeevaru had granted his approval, officials said.

SIT officials said Rajeevaru had been questioned earlier as part of the investigation. He is the 11th person to be arrested in the case after the Kerala High Court constituted the SIT to probe the gold loss incident

Series of tremors hits Gujarat's Saurashtra

At least 12 tremors of magnitude ranging from 2.6 to 3.8 jolted Gujarat's Saurashtra region between Thursday night and Friday afternoon, triggering panic among residents of three talukas in Rajkot district, with many of them seeking refuge in open fields as a precautionary measure.

Rajkot Collector Om Prakash, however, said 21 tremors have been recorded in Upleta, Dhoraji and Jetpur talukas in the district, with their magnitudes ranging from 1.4 to 3.8.

No loss of life or damage has been reported so far, officials said.

The first tremor, which was of 3.3 magnitude, was recorded at 8.43 pm Thursday, with its epicentre near Upleta town, an official said.

Gandhinagar-based Institute of Seismological Research (ISR) recorded 12 tremors of 2.6 to 3.8 magnitudes with their epicentres located 27 to 30 km east-northeast of Upleta, he said.

Due to the 'earthquake swarm' (series of tremors or small earthquakes), people in Upleta, Dhoraji and Jetpur talukas are in the grip of fear.

Locals said they rushed out of their houses in panic after the first tremor, and added that the ground continued to shake for several more times till Friday afternoon.

Several of them even fled their homes and sought refuge in open fields as a precautionary measure.

There has been no report of loss of life or property due to the "earthquake swarm", collector Prakash said, adding that the administration has identified rickety buildings in the affected talukas and appealed to the people to shift to safer places.

"We have communicated to the teachers in such schools, and talathis and sarpanchs after identifying old buildings. A day-long holiday has been declared in all the anganwadis and schools housed in old buildings," he said. PTI

TMC MPs detained after protests in New Delhi

TMC MP Mahua Moitra being detained during a protest against ED raids on I-PAC in New Delhi on Friday. PTI Photo

Delhi: Four AAP MLAs suspended

Speaker Vijender Gupta on Friday suspended four AAP MLAs for the remaining period of the ongoing Winter Session of the Delhi Assembly for "disrupting" House proceedings.

In a statement, Gupta said "due to the continuous disruption of the proceedings of the House and violation of its decorum", Opposition members (AAP) Som Dutt, Jarnail Singh, Sanjeev Jha and Kuldeep Kumar are suspended from the House for the rest of the Winter Session.

Jha, Singh and Kumar were earlier suspended from the Winter Session for three days for allegedly causing interruptions in the proceedings.

In a press conference, Jha said that he was marshalled out after he raised the demand that BJP ministers and MLAs should delete their social media posts sharing a video related to alleged insult of Guru Tegh Bahadur by Leader of Opposition Atishi.

Jha said he demanded a direction by the Chair of the House that the video should not be used because it was sent for forensic examination.

"As soon as I demanded it, I was marshalled out. My colleagues wanted to stage a walkout but they too were marshalled out," Jha said.

The House proceedings were adjourned first for 15 minutes due to the interruptions by the AAP MLAs. The sitting resumed at 1 pm but the AAP MLAs continued to argue with the Chair, after which the House was again adjourned till lunch hour.

Delhi Assembly resumed its proceedings after two days of complete washout over the BJP's allegation that Leader of Opposition Atishi disrespected Guru Tegh Bahadur.

As leopard is spotted, TTD places curbs for pilgrims on Tirumala-Tirumala footpath

A leopard sighted near the Srivari Mettu footpath of the Tirumala-Tirupati hills on Friday (January 9) triggered a temporary halt to pilgrims, and prompted heightened vigilance and fresh safety measures by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) officials.

Devotees have been advised not to walk alone and to move only in groups. In fact, they are being allowed to proceed only after at least 50 people gather together.

Read the details here.

CBFC clears Parasakthi with U/A certificate

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has given a U/A certificate to Parasakthi, paving the way for its release in cinemas from January 10 during the Pongal festival. The Sudha Kongara-directed film, starring Sivakarthikeyan, had been under scrutiny but has now cleared censorship. 

4 seriously injured, 11 vehicles damaged in road accident in Thane

Four persons suffered serious injuries, while 11 vehicles sustained damage in an accident on the Ghodbunder Road in Maharashtra’s Thane on Friday morning, officials said.

The accident caused an oil spill and paralysed traffic on the busy road for over two hours, they said, said Yasin Tadvi, chief of Thane Municipal Corporation’s Disaster Management Cell.

A container truck, loaded with 35 to 40 tons of cement, was descending the Gaimukh Ghat towards Thane city when the driver lost control of the steering wheel. The vehicle jumped the median and crashed into 11 vehicles travelling in the opposite direction towards Borivali, he said.

The impact completely wrecked many cars. The truck driver fled the scene, said the official.

Civic officials and firefighters were rushed to the accident spot, he said. “We found a significant oil spill from the damaged vehicles, which posed a secondary risk to commuters. We began spreading soil over the spill to prevent skidding,” said Tadvi.